FAQs

What do you mean by “coercion”?

Coercion is when a person or entity uses physical force (or the threat of force) to compel an innocent person to do something they wouldn’t voluntarily do, or to prevent them from doing something they would. This force could be passive (like locking someone in a cage) or active (like shooting someone with a gun). The thing the innocent person is being coerced to do could be good in and of itself (like worshiping Jesus as Lord) or evil (like murdering a baby). There may be edge cases (such as with minors, like strapping an infant into a carseat while driving; or tackling a person to the ground to save them from an oncoming truck) where this definition could be nuanced. See Christian Nonresistance for careful definitions and explanations.

Why is coercion wrong? Coercion is wrong because it violates God’s rightful authority, corrupts moral relationships, and sustains oppressive political structures. Please see What is Coercion, and Why is it Wrong?.

Why do you focus on coercion and not other moral evils? It is true that there are many evil things in the world today. But coercion, among all evils, is one that followers of Jesus have adopted as being necessary, inevitable, and even good when used for “justice”. But this is not the way of the Christ, who willingly suffered rather than fight for or demand justice. As his followers, we must do the same, and must not adopt a worldly-minded utilitarianism or an uncritical endorsement of something, just because God made it. Even if we agree that God created Satan, we do not thereby need to endorse his demonic status as “ruler of this world” or encourage people to praise his minions or their decrees.