Faith is Worth Fighting For
Contents:
How much should we give to others? Sometimes we want to quit. Jesus stayed on the Cross because the joy set before Him was you and me. He endured the cross for us, not because who we are in the moment had earned it but because who He knew we could be in the future was worth it. The present will fool us — words, behaviors, emotions — they will give us excuses valid ones to quit. The future will give us reasons to keep going. What joy is set before you? As the people stood around his dying, naked, bruised and beaten body mocking him — He prayed for them. To forgive someone — really forgive them and release them from the wrongs that have been done or are being done against you is courage.
Who do you need to forgive? Life is messy and tough. What about the centurion? What about the sword-wielding, horse-riding Jesus of Revelation 19? The authors never claim Pacifism is an easy position to hold, either intellectually or in practice.
Instead, nearly every author openly and frankly shares their personal struggles with these questions. As the editors observe in the introduction, "Nonviolence is not a stance that is to be limited to being against war, but rather nonviolence requires that every aspect of our lives be open to listening to those who differ from us. The authors want to spark conversation, to move us readers somewhere, and they wrote their essays accordingly. A clear, humble and grace-filled resource. If you're looking for a good introduction to Pacifism, the bibliography is full of them.
While all the authors are pacifists, they come from a variety of traditions - everything from Catholic to Mennonite, so the tone of the book is unified, but far from uniform. No matter if you've been a pacifist for years, newly exploring what it means to be nonviolent or a staunch just-war advocate, this book will challenge and inspire you. If you just love violence though, skip this book. It'll just make you mad. A thorough resource for those serious about nonviolence and peacemaking in the Way of Jesus.
Well worth your time. What's your experience with Christian Pacifism?
What objections do you hear most often? Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review purposes from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Jul 06, Raborn rated it really liked it. Great responses by various authors, in multiple entries, to the hardest questions asked of Christian pacifism. From "what would you do if someone invaded your home?
Sep 03, Kyle Christian rated it really liked it. This is an excellent collection of essays from brilliant, non-violent, Christians and Ethicists. It's a great series of works which intended to make any Christian, no matter how long they have been a Christian, or their thoughts, to re-evaluate their stance on Christians and violence. My first critique is admittedly a minor one of this title. Jul 28, Caleb Coy rated it it was amazing.
It is a book that I already know will challenge me, will set the voice of scripture up against some things people sometimes tell me who also read that scripture a lot. In the introduction Barringer and York ask us to wonder what we would do if being pursued by an enemy who then fell to a near certain death. If we had the opportunity to go back and rescue him, would we? In the example of Anabaptist martyr Dirk Willems, he did just that, even though it meant his death.
So what means more to us?
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Loving our enemies, or looking forward to retribution against them? This was part of why he was executed. This shook things up. And his followers followed in his steps.
Faith Worth Fighting For
They failed, not because he overthrew them, but because he overthrew death, the death they put him through. The cross is not just a thing Jesus did so we could have the kingdom, it is what the kingdom is about, what the kingdom must endure. The death and resurrection is the first act that sets the tone for our faith. Are we defending the faith? Or are we defending a system of privilege we think our faith has earned us? Jul 03, Joshua rated it it was amazing.
I'm writing this review from the perspective of what one of book's authors call "a reluctant pacifist". I am not biologically wired to be non-violent. If I had Christianity my way, I'd think that God blessed my country with superior fire power in order to keep peace. And if asked what I would do if someone were attacking a member of my family, my initial and sinful response would want to be, "I'd tear that person apart".
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However, my Christological views compel me to believe that God commands o I'm writing this review from the perspective of what one of book's authors call "a reluctant pacifist". However, my Christological views compel me to believe that God commands our non-violence. There's just no getting around it. I can easily say that this was the best and most important book I've read in a decade.
And because of my inner struggle with Christian non-violence, I'm not giving this book high praise because I joyfully agree with the subject. I give it praise because rarely has one book given me a combination of inspiration, offense, joy, dread, conviction, hope, encouragement, empowerment, and indigestion. This book was written for every Christian; pacifists, jingoists, and everyone in-between.
It provides amazing stability and encouragement for those who practice Christian non-violence. It also serves as a wonderful apologetic and clears up a fleet of misconceptions that often come with the label of pacifist. It tackles the common questions that often get asked to debunk pacifism, e. I should think that even the most vocal opponents of Christian non-violence should at least give some pause and consideration to their arguments. The strongest aspect of this book is the diversity of its authors.
Each chapter is written by a different author and all the authors come from different theological, educational, and denominational backgrounds. It was refreshing to see that the authors had some differing opinions on some of the minutia of pacifism; yet each author offered their opinions with honesty, humility and respect, knowing that applying Christian non-violence to the current culture is still a work in progress.
However, all the authors were fiercly united on the conviction that non-violence must have its foundation in the life, death, resurrection and commands of Jesus. There are so many valuable quotes and little nuggets of wisdom throughout this book that I sent Greg Boyd one of the authors a Twitter message and jokingly told him he owed me a new highlighter.
This is a book that you will want to keep and write down your thoughts in its margins to view at later times. The journey to become like Jesus in non-violence is an arduous road so this is definitely not a pick-up-and-read-once book. And if someone wants to borrow it, buy them a copy with the hope that they will do the same. Jun 25, Heather rated it really liked it. I am very proud of my friend, Justin, for making this book happen. Because of my bias toward him and my inexperience of reviewing books like this, I will not attempt to write an actual review.
My experience is more with fiction and children's books - fiction and nonfiction. However, I will say that if you are interested in or curious about the idea of nonviolence, pacifism, and Christians' role in violence, this definitely needs to be on your to-read list.
From "what would you do if someone invaded your home? The editors achieve the often unsung feat of keeping each contribution refreshingly short often coming in at around fifteen pages. However, the Old Testament is clear that Israel was involved in military activity, actions that were not only allowed by God but were commanded. Jot down any insights or questions for discussion. To be sure, the authors are focusing on Christian nonviolence and not even nonviolence as an end in itself. Sep 06, David rated it really liked it Shelves:
It will make you question your current I am very proud of my friend, Justin, for making this book happen. It will make you question your current stance and really think about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in this violent day and age. Jun 25, Aaronmac rated it really liked it Shelves: As a whole so far, I love the variety of authors and approaches to the questions.
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I love the backgrounds and perspectives that people bring to specific parts of the conversation. Some I feel like really address the question head-on in ways I have never heard while some chapters are not as up to par. This was a fantastic book about Christian pacifism that seeks to honestly answer hard questions posed by others, without trying to deflect the questions or demean the askers.
Some Things Are Worth The Fight - FaithGateway
It paints just war theory in as best a light as possible, recognizing that the heart of both just war theorists and pacifists is a limitation on violence. Great collection of essays by many authors. Jan 17, Rebecca Vincent rated it really liked it Shelves: A good introduction to Christian nonviolence. A couple of the essays were terrible but the majority were thoughtful and persuasive. Would have liked a few more practical examples but appreciated the references to other works on Christian nonviolence that may provide more specific and nuanced perspectives. Jun 11, David rated it it was ok Shelves: I have had this conversation online with one of the editors of this book, and I know it is not a completely fair criticism, but this book could and should have been so much more.
I simply could not help but be let down by many aspects of it. A full review is forthcoming in Direction Journal. Sep 04, Marco Funk rated it it was amazing. I really enjoyed the essays in this book. I think they do a more or less good job of responding to the criticisms often leveled at Christian pacifists. Derrick-jamie rated it really liked it Oct 19, Jayson Bradley rated it it was amazing Jul 13, Quincy Hands rated it it was amazing Jan 27, Josh Carpenter rated it liked it Oct 18, Mize rated it it was amazing Feb 24, Nik Wight rated it liked it Jul 18, Caden Tait rated it really liked it Sep 09, Brian Henry rated it really liked it Apr 04, Levi Crawford rated it it was amazing Oct 31, Jeremy Jernigan rated it it was amazing Nov 29,