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Responding to Bullying

Robert Martin over at Abnormal Anabaptist posted this video on The Bullying Experiment. While I’m not convinced that shaming people who don’t intervene is an appropriate way to instigate change (shame rarely helps and you don’t know what fears may have kept someone from helping) I’m so impressed with some of the non-violent and courageous interventions you see here. Pacifism is not passive, and if we want to bring peace to situations unfolding around us, sometimes we’re going to have to step in.

Robert shared his powerful reaction to seeing this video as a past victim of bullying:

As someone who, in grade school, found himself withdrawing into the background because, the alternative, was to be mocked, hit, and deliberately embarrassed in public… I cried as I watched this every time someone intervened because, in my mind, I asked “Why did no one do that for me?”

Related Reading

Was the Early Church Pacifistic? A Response to Paul Copan (#11)

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What to Do If You See God as Violent

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The Lion, the Witch and the War

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Responding to Critics of a Pacifist View of the Syrian Crisis-Part 2

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Video Q&A: What if violence is necessary to protect a loved one?

We recently posted a video Q&A on open theism and we received a lot of positive feedback. We’re happy to share another of these today on the question of non-violence. Greg has answered this question previously, but he expands on his answer here in a way he never has before. Be blessed!

Shane Claiborne on How Bad Theology Can Be Deadly

David D Flowers shared this video over at The Centrality and Supremacy of Jesus Christ and we thought it was worth sharing here too. Theology matters.