The 1979 General Convention adopted the 1978 Lambeth resolution on war and violence and funded a joint commission on Peace for the Church. The Convention commended to the Church the use of non-violent means to achieve peace and justice. In 1988 the Convention summarized this position to which previous resolutions had been moving, affirming that “non-violent refusal to participate in or prepare for war is a faithful response of a member of this Church and that a decision to participate in or prepare for war should be made only after careful and prayerful consideration.” It also declared that persons making either decision under conscience have “the respect, the support and the ministry of the Church.” In addition to the official acts of legislative assemblies summarized above, the House of Bishops has issued many pastoral letters confirming these actions and elaborating on their scriptural and theological basis.
Today, the Episcopal Church continues to maintain that all decisions regarding participation or non-participation in war or the preparation for war be the fruit of mature and prayerful discernment informed by scripture, theology, and relevant knowledge of history and contemporary conditions. The Church, while affirming the discernment of those who choose military service or other participation, expresses unambiguous preference for non-violent approaches to conflict, condemning the aggressive use of war in national policy as contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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