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Nations and Violence

Nations and Violence

In this video by The Work of the People, Greg shares why there is no such thing as a Christian nation. Nations are not the kind of things that turn the other cheek, love their enemies, or lay down their sword as Jesus commanded. They exist because they use the sword. Nations and violence go hand in hand. Our hope is not found in nations finally getting it. Our hope is found in Christ and his kingdom alone.

Related Reading

Why do some of Jesus’ parables depict God in violent ways?

Greg deals with the question of what it means that some of Jesus’ parables seem to depict God in violent terms. In addition to getting an answer to this question you’ll be treated to a window into Greg’s graceful way of moving through the world. Really classy. Enjoy!

Grieving

I woke this morning to the news of the shooting death of Philando Castile by a police officer just a few miles from my home. He was pulled over because he had a broken tail light and he ended up shot to death. This comes on the heels of the Alton Sterling shooting which is…

Today We Can’t Lighten Up

We usually post something light-hearted or funny on Fridays. Not today. Not in the aftermath of the massacre in Charleston. Instead, we wanted to share with you the words of our friend Osheta Moore. You can read her post in its entirety here, but we wanted to highlight this portion: I’m kneeling at the cross today, wetting the ground…

Podcast: Why Does God Accommodate Divorce and Not Violence?

Greg looks at how God treats violence and divorce and speculates on why he treats them differently.  http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0363.mp3

Did Yahweh Crush His Son?

Though Isaiah was probably referring to the nation of Israel as Yahweh’s “suffering servant” when these words were penned, the NT authors as well as other early church fathers interpreted this servant to be a prophetic reference to Christ. Speaking proleptically, Isaiah declares that this suffering servant was “punished” and “stricken by God” (Isa 53:4,…

The Violent Vineyard Owner: A Response to Paul Copan (#8)

In my previous post I addressed two of the three parables that Paul Copan argues present God in violent ways. Today I will address the third, which is the parable of a vineyard owner with hostile tenants (Matthew 21:33-41; Luke 20:9-13). This parable differs from the previous two parables. Whereas the previous parables deal with…