Enemy Love

The Worst Heresy That Never Got Anyone Burned at the Stake

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According to John’s Gospel, on the evening of his crucifixion Jesus clearly articulated the single-most important quality by which his followers would be recognized: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples,…

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Jesus and the “Eye for an Eye” Command: A Response to Paul Copan (#10)

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As I noted in my 9th response to Paul Copan’s critique of Crucifixion of the Warrior God (CWG), Copan argues that Jesus merely repudiated wrong applications of OT laws in his sermon on the mount,…

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The Call To Nonviolent Discipleship

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The cross wasn’t simply something God did for us. According to the NT, it was also an example God calls us to follow. Yet, as discussed in the previous post, most often the call to…

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The Kingdom Stance Toward Enemies

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Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, when a group of temple guards showed up to arrest him. Peter immediately drew his sword and started swinging it, cutting off a guard’s ear. From the…

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How God Changes the World

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God’s hopes for us began before the creation of the world. And what God intended from the beginning gives us insight into how God works to bring about what he intends. In the first chapter…

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What Would You Propose To Do To Stop Hitler?

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In this episode Greg talks about the Christian call to love our enemies–even Hitler. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0007.mp3

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God’s Favor, Not Vengeance

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Jesus began his ministry with a brief sermon in his hometown synagogue. Quoting Isaiah 61, Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to…

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Violent Thinking

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When most people think of violence, they think of physical violence. But the truth is that our actions are only violent because our hearts and minds are violent first. For this reason, Jesus emphasizes purging…

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The Radically Distinct Kingdom of God

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Yesterday, we posted a video where Greg mentioned the radical distinction between the kingdom of God and the governments of the world. The following explains this distinction further. Nothing is more important to the cause…

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Was Jesus Unloving Towards the Pharisees?

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Some claim that Jesus spoke to religious leaders in ways that did not reflect the love of the cross. In his climatic encounter with the Pharisees in Matthew 23, Jesus’ words were undeniably harsh. He…

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The Kingdom of God (Part 2)

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The Church is called to be nothing less than “the body of Christ,” a sort of corporate extension of Jesus’ incarnate body. We are called to replicate who Jesus was by manifesting who Jesus is….

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The Call to a Cruciform Life

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Jesus repeatedly taught that following him meant that one had to be willing to “pick up their cross daily and follow [him]” (Lk 9:23; 14:27). Picking up our cross is the centerpiece of following Jesus…

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Lighten Up: What Jesus Said NEVER

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Image via nakedpastor.com

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Why NO Violence in Jesus’ Name is Justified

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Image by papapico via Flickr On Friday, Greg posted a response to Obama’s speech about religiously-inspired violence.  Here are some further thoughts on why violence in the name of Jesus—no matter whether we call it just, redemptive,…

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5 Differences Between The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the World

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Image by matthijs rouw via Flickr The kingdom of God looks and acts like Jesus Christ, like Calvary, like God’s eternal, triune love. It consists of people graciously embracing others and sacrificing themselves in service to others….

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Absolute Truth and Violence

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A common argument today against Christianity is that believing that Jesus (or any other religious figure or religion) is the only way to God (See yesterday’s post) is “dangerous.” This claim actually has some justification, for…

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The Distinctive Mark of Jesus Followers

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Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies was understandably shocking to his original audience—just as it is to us today. Jesus expected much, which is why, after telling his audience to love their enemies he added…

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Blessing the Soldiers of ISIS

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In light of the overwhelming response to Greg’s post about loving the soldiers of ISIS, we thought we would explore Jesus’ teaching on this topic further. The following is an excerpt from Myth of a…

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How Are We To Love the Soldiers of ISIS?

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Over the last several weeks I’ve received some form of this question almost every day. In some cases the question is asked rhetorically, as though the very question exposes the absurdity of suggesting we are…

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Loving Enemies in the Day of ISIS

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The following excerpt from Myth of a Christian Religion discusses Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek.” Whatever our response to the persecution of Christians in the world, we must take this passage seriously. While…

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