 Despite the church's official stance, some members of the Church of the Brethren do not entirely practice pacifism.This was made particularly evident when, during the Second World War, 80% of the men in the Church of the Brethren entered active duty in the military.Another 10% served as noncombatants in the military, with only 10% taking conscientious objector status, demonstrating the marked shift away from taking the words of Christ literally.