Today, our failure to see our own weaknesses becomes incandescently clear as our brash behavior calls the world to live in the way we see as best. We have taken on the role of policeman and judge to the world. Yet, our spiritual and moral weakness renders us not only ineffective but also spiritually impoverished. We call the whole world to disarm as we spend billions of dollars preparing for war and amassing our armed forces in preparation to fight. The moral authority that is embedded in our national vision carries no weight in the face of our behavior.
If we want the world to disarm, then would it not be prudent for us to go to the United Nations and lay out our own nuclaer capacity? Would not our moral authority be enhanced if we said to the world that we harbor weapons of mass destruction? . . . Preparation for war is an act of violence, and violence is always a spiritual failure. Only as we show ourselves willing to live nonviolently will we be able to call the world to trust us as peacemakers.
In the face of our power, humility is our only spiritual weapon. Much is required of us. Perhaps we are required to risk losing our power in order to gain life for the world — which is, after all, God's gift to all of God's children. It seems quite unlikely that we might willingly give up our privileged status, but that may be just what is required of us. The world is on the brink of war, and maybe even annihilation. We are being called to the task of peacemaker.
— Joan Brown Campbell, Spiritual Perspectives on America's Role as Superpower by Editors of Skylight Paths