Can a Government Be Pacifist? It is not correct, then, to frame debates about pacifism as if they came down to those who would commit to take up civic responsibility and those who refuse. Instead, the proper question becomes: What does Christian responsibility require? Whatever its allure, violence cannot ultimately guarantee that the world will be safe. And yet history shows that a conscientious decision to avoid violence may also have tragic knock-on effects. A Quaker commonwealth is not exempt from this reality. Still, Christians in Pennsylvania found unusual ways to live out their faith publicly, with an integrity that continues to underwrite the best of America’s tradition of political liberalism.