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Belief in pacifism, Christian or otherwise, is in short supply right now and the seemingly endless and ever-darker and deeper cycle of violence and hatred spins around, fuelled by international arms dealers, empty nationalism and the perversion of religion.

Jesus told us that if somebody struck us on the cheek, we should offer the other as well, that we should embrace those who wished to do us harm and by personal example transform the entire world. He also said that his ideas would bring division, even among families, and history has proved him right.

I was reminded of this while watching the memorial to Charlie Kirk, during which his widow, Erika, U.S. President Donald Trump then told the crowd, and the millions watching, that he hated his enemies. And the Christians still applauded and the brief moment of hope from a young woman in extraordinary agony was thrown into the dust. I may not agree with all of her ideas, I may come from an entirely different culture, but I admire her for walking the walk at its hardest and most painful.

Not that forgiveness is the same as pacifism. I鈥檝e interviewed many Second World War veterans over the years 鈥� most of them gone now alas 鈥� and the vast majority said that yes, they鈥檇 do it again and the war had had to be fought, but no they didn鈥檛 hate their enemy and forgave the ordinary German soldier.

Their heroism and sacrifice defeated Nazism but didn鈥檛 stop wars and oppression. The Soviet oppression of half of Europe, wars in Korea, Vietnam, India, the Middle East, and so many other places. The United Nations sometimes tries to keep the peace but more often keeps the status quo and postpones wars rather than stops them. We look at past ages and lament their barbarism, ignoring the fact that we can slaughter with more effectiveness than at any time in human history and regularly do so.

The early church was largely pacifist and only changed, and lost its way in many other areas as well, when it was co-opted by imperial power. That pacifism was a major factor in the growth of Christianity and the anabaptist ideal tried to recapture such moral radicalism. The world had to be turned upside down.

They too walked the walk. In 1596, Dirk Willems was arrested and imprisoned for his anabaptist beliefs. He escaped, fled across a frozen lake but was pursued. Willems was thin due to prison conditions but the man chasing him was fit and strong and the ice broke beneath him. Willems was free. But seeing the man drowning in the freezing water, he turned and rescued him. Which led to his recapture, imprisonment, torture and execution. Some beliefs come at a great price.

Today? I don鈥檛 see authentic pacifism and Christian ideals in taking raw, often extreme political positions, in loud public demonstrations, or self-righteous gestures. Too often these become mere fashion, an outward sign that you鈥檙e one of the good guys, which achieves nothing and helps nobody.

Real change comes from within, by looking at where we are flawed, how we are broken and what we can do in often small and unknown ways to bring peace and open new doors. I don鈥檛 have anything like all of the answers but I know I have to ask the questions.