Christian Faith And Violence 1

Volumes 10 and 11 of Studies in Reformed Theology consist of the texts written for the fifth international conference of the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), which was dedicated to the theme, 'Christian Faith and Violence'. Specific theological questions were at the core of the discussions, e.g. what does violence imply for the doctrine of God? How to deal with biblical stories and commands that often contain an overwhelmingly violent character? What about applying christian ethics in situations of violence that we are exposed to? What is our calling in situations of oppression and a longing for liberation and justice?

Volumes 10 and 11 of Studies in Reformed Theology consist of the texts written for the fifth international conference of the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), which was dedicated to the theme, 'Christian Faith and Violence'. Specific theological questions were at the core of the discussions, e.g. what does violence imply for the doctrine of God? How to deal with biblical stories and commands that often contain an overwhelmingly violent character? What about applying christian ethics in situations of violence that we are exposed to? What is our calling in situations of oppression and a longing for liberation and justice?

In Faith and Violence, Thomas Merton offers concrete and pungent social criticisms grounded in prophetic faith about such issues as Vietnam, racism, violence, and war.

How can we make sense of violence in the Bible? Joshua commands the people of Israel to wipe out everyone in the promised land of Canaan, while Jesus commands God’s people to love their enemies. How are we to interpret biblical passages on violence when it is sanctioned at one point and condemned at another? The Violence of the Biblical God by L. Daniel Hawk presents a new framework, solidly rooted in the authority of Scripture, for understanding the paradox of God’s participation in violence. Hawk shows how the historical narrative of the Bible offers multiple canonical pictures for faithful Christian engagement with the violent systems of the world.

What is the place-if any-for violence in the Christian life? At the core of Christian faith is an experience of suffering violence as the price for faithfulness, of being victimized by the world's violence, from Jesus himself to martyrs who have died while following him. At the same time, Christian history had also held the opinion that there are situations when the follower of Jesus may be justified in inflicting violence on others, especially in the context of war. Do these two facets of Christian ethics and experience present a contradiction? Christian Martyrdom and Christian Violence: On Suffering and Wielding the Sword explores the tension between Christianity's historic reverence for martyrdom (suffering violence for faith) and Christianity's historical support of a just war ethic (involving the inflicting of violence). While the book considers the possibility that the two are unreconcilable, it also argues that they are ultimately compatible; but their compatibility requires a more humanized portrait of the Christian martyr as well as a stricter approach to the justified use of violence.

This book is driven by forty years of study on 1700 years of Christian violence. The historical section, Part 1, opens with, "Christianity is the most homicidal religion in the history of the world...Half a Billion men, women, children, infants, elderly, sick, and disabled slain." You read how Christians were and are taught to obey their governments more than Jesus Christ, whether killing as soldiers, torturing for governments, or harming innocent citizens as police. You read the words of Christian European Kings, Queens, and Popes to their Christian explorers sent into world, "Discover, subdue, and conquer."

The Crusades. The Conquest of the Americas. U.S. Slavery. The Jewish Holocaust. Mention of these events evokes a variety of responses from Christians, including guilt, defensiveness, and bewilderment. Given such a tangled historical relationship to aggression and injustice, how can Christians answer those who argue that our faith is inherently violent, or that Christian doctrines inevitably lead to sacrifice, conquest, and war? In Must Christianity Be Violent? editors Kenneth R. Chase and Alan Jacobs have gathered pointed essays that provide specific responses to these arguments. Divided into "histories," "practices," and "theologies," the essays explore the historical causation of Christian violence and discuss practices that promote what one contributor calls "just peacemaking." The contributors explore the history of Christian violence and advocate the need for an uncompromised biblical theology in our search for peace. This timely collection will appeal to readers of Christian history, ethics, and theology, and those who want to better understand the specifically Christian response to violence and cultivation of peace.