Non-Violence
Was Jesus Violent in the Temple?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Jesus, Mennonerds, Non-Violence, Violence
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence
Many adopt the attitude depicted in the picture above, saying that Jesus used violence when he cleansed the temple. But Jesus’ stance on nonviolence is clear not only from how he responded to threatening enemies…
Is Non-Violence a Key to Christian Discipleship?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Mennonerds, Non-Violence, Peacemaking, Violence
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence
For the first three centuries of the church, Christians understood that forgoing the use of violence and expressing God’s self-sacrificial love was central to discipleship. However, this mindset changed after the Church acquired power in…
Non-Violence and Police Protection
Category: General
Tags: Authority, Current Events, Ethics, Non-Violence, Q&A, Security
Scott Davidson via Compfight Question: I am a President of a State University. As a frequent podcaster of your sermons and reader of your books, I’m seeking your advice on a matter. Because our campus…
How Revelation Uses Violent Images in an Anti-Violent Way
Category: General
Tags: Book of Revelation, Cruciform Theology, Non-Violence, Violence
All the violent scenes in Revelation are symbols for the battle of truth and deception. They never involve literal violence. In fact, they symbolize ANTI-VIOLENCE. The ingenious way John helps us get free of deception…
On the Language of “Revolution”
Category: General
Tags: Enemy Love, Kingdom, Love, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Revelation, Revolution, Viva la Revolution!
Nick Thompson via Compfight Question: The banner of your website and the thrust of much of your teaching focuses on “revolution.” While I can see a radical call in some of the sayings of Jesus,…
Is the Jesus of Revelation Wrathful?
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: End Times, Jesus, Non-Violence, Revelation
In the second coming of Jesus, will he turn with wrath? Will he come as a roaring lion, ready to put on his display all of his anger, power, and might? What does the Jesus…
The Kingdom, Just War Theory, and Ukraine
Category: Essays
Tags: Augustine, Current Events, Enemy Love, Essay, Just War, Non-Violence, War
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
History textbooks often read like surveys of how countries handled war with other nations. The stuff between the conflicts reads like precursors and aftermath to the history-making actions of war. Now we observe the rising…
Take America (& the World) Back for God?
Category: General
Tags: Non-Violence, Politics, Social Issues, Violence
Kai Schreiber via Compfight Recently Missio Alliance has hosted a series of posts entitled “Christianity and Violence.” Since Greg has written quite a lot on this topic from the point of view of pacifism, we…
The Cruciform Center Part 4: How Revelation Reveals a Cruciform God
Category: Essays
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Essay, Jesus, Lamb of God, Non-Violence, Revelation, Self-Sacrificial Love
Topics: Apologetics, Atonement and The Cross, Christology, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
I’ve been arguing that, while everything Jesus did and taught revealed God, the character of the God he reveals is most perfectly expressed by his loving sacrifice on the cross. Our theology and our reading…
Responding to Bullying
Category: General
Tags: Bullying, Non-Violence, Peacemaking
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…
An Author Repents
Category: General
Tags: Change, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Repentance, The Anarchist Cookbook, William Powell
In 1969, 19 year old William Powell wrote the now classic The Anarchist Cookbook. He was very angry at the time that the US military was pursuing him to fight in the Vietnam War. It’s…
How Should We Respond to Bullies?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bullying, Compassion, Enemy Love, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Non-Violence
Topics: Following Jesus
Greg answers a question from parents as to how their child should respond to a bully.
You’re Not a Pacifist Are You?
Category: General
Tags: America, Brian Zahnd, Counter-Culture, Gentleness, Gospels, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Peace
Jayel Aheram via Compfight Brian Zahnd wrote a great piece the other day on this topic. He contends that when he is asked this question, it often has the same flavor of the question, “You’re…
Greg’s Response to Driscoll’s “Is God a Pacifist” Part III
Category: Essays
Tags: Essay, Lamb of God, Mark Driscoll, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Revelation, Violence
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
This is the last of a three-part response to Mark Driscoll’s post, “Is God a Pacifist?” We’ve seen that, to prove that Jesus was not “a pansy or a pacifist” (meaning that Jesus was okay…
Greg’s Response to Driscoll’s “Is God a Pacifist?” Part II
Category: Essays
Tags: Book of Revelation, Essay, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Lamb of God, Literalism, Mark Driscoll, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Sacrifice, Word of God
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
Waiting For The Word via Compfight To prove that “Jesus is not a pansy or a pacifist,” Driscoll by-passes the Gospels (understandably, given what Jesus has to say about the use of violence) and instead cites…
Responding to Driscoll’s “Is God a Pacifist?” Part I
Category: Essays
Tags: Bible, Book of Revelation, Essay, Jesus, Love Your Enemies, Mark Driscoll, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Peace, Sixth Commandment
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
I’m sure many of you have read Mark Driscoll’s recent blog titled “Is God a Pacifist?” in which he argues against Christian pacifism. I’ve decided to address this in a series of three posts, not because I think…
The Challenge of Malala to the Church
Category: General
Tags: Jesus, Jon Stewart, Judgment, Malala Yousafzai, Non-Violence, Peace
http://youtu.be/f506lCk6Tos I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but it’s Malala Yousafzai appearing on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. At the age of 14 Malala was shot in the face at point blank range by…
Rachel Held Evans Interviews Greg on Benefit of the Doubt
Category: General
Tags: Benefit of the Doubt, Cruciform Theology, Doubt, Faith, Non-Violence, Rachel Held Evans
We shared an interview that Frank Viola did with Greg yesterday, and we’re thrilled to share an interview that Rachel Held Evans posted today. Rachel is very familiar with the resistance and criticism that comes…
Responding to Critics of a Pacifist View of the Syrian Crisis-Part 2
Category: Essays
Tags: Aric Clark, Current Events, Essay, Friendly Disagreements, Government, Kingdom Living, Non-Violence, Peace, War
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
United Nations Photo via Compfight Yesterday I posted a response to Tyler Tully’s criticism of some of my thoughts on the Syrian crisis. The second blog I’d like to review is Two Friars and a…
Responding to Critics On A Pacifist View of the Syrian Crisis
Category: Essays
Tags: Current Events, Essay, Friendly Disagreements, Non-Violence, Pacifism, Politics, Tyler Tully, Wrath
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
On September 3rd, I wrote a post entitled What I – a Pacifist – Would Say to Obama About the Syrian Crisis in response to a number of questions I was getting, and judging from the…