We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
The Myth of Redemptive Violence
Check out Shane Claiborne’s excellent piece on the problem of violence posted yesterday on Huffington Post. Money quote:
“Christian theologians have said Jesus teaches a ‘third way’ to interact with evil. We see a Jesus who abhors both passivity and violence and teaches us a new way forward that is neither submission nor assault, neither fight nor flight. He shows us a way to oppose evil without mirroring it, where oppressors can be resisted without being emulated and neutralized without being destroyed.”
If you’re interested in exploring this subject further, Greg has also written some articles and Q&As on the subject of Christian non-violence.
Category: General
Tags: Non-Violence
Related Reading
What Can We Do About Gun Violence? The Rex Harsin Interview (podcast)
Dan talks with Rex Harsin about his new documentary called “Beating Guns,” made with Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin of RAWTools. What does it mean to believe in and follow a non-violent savior while wielding a gun? Can a Christian be a peacemaker while being licensed to carry? What does it mean to be a follower…
What Would You Do If Someone Attacked Your Family?
The New Testament commands us never to “repay evil with evil” but instead to “overcome evil with good” (Rom.12:17; cf. I Thess 5:15; I Pet 3:9). Jesus said, “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also”(Mt 5:39). He also said, “Love your enemies, do good…
Does Romans 13 Condone Government Violence? (podcast)
Greg deconstructs problematic interpretations of Romans 13. Episode 649 http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0649.mp3
Is A Non-violent Jesus in Revelation A New View?
In this Q and A from Greg Boyd’s series on the book of Revelation, someone asked if the view that Jesus is a non-violent “lamb” a new view? You can view the full Q and A HERE.
Why Did Jesus Curse a Barren Fig Tree?
While no one argues that the NT advocates violence explicitly, many allege that some passages reflect violent attitudes toward outsiders, and especially toward non-believing Jews, while others detect an element of violence in some of Jesus’ teachings and behavior. Some scholars argue that this violent aspect of the NT laid the groundwork for later Christian…
The Principle of Non-Violence
Several years ago, Woodland Hills Church hosted a Q&A with Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy to answer questions that arose from their exploration of Anabaptism. In this short clip, they address the Anabaptist principle of non-violence, and point out that this principle goes far beyond refraining from external violence. The call to non-violence is grounded in our…