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Author: Thomas Merton
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
Published: 1968-10-15
Total Pages: 296
ISBN-13: 0268161348
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn Faith and Violence, Thomas Merton offers concrete and pungent social criticisms grounded in prophetic faith about such issues as Vietnam, racism, violence, and war.
Author: Lloyd Steffen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2021-05-20
Total Pages: 147
ISBN-13: 1108848826
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow Christian people have framed the meaning of violence within their faith tradition has been a complex process subject to all manner of historical, cultural, political, ethnic and theological contingencies. As a tradition encompassing widely divergent beliefs and perspectives, Christianity has, over two millennia, adapted to changing cultural and historical circumstances. To grasp the complexity of this tradition and its involvement with violence requires attention to specific elements explored in this Element: the scriptural and institutional sources for violence; the faith commitments and practices that join communities and sanction both resistance to and authorization for violence; and select historical developments that altered the power wielded by Christianity in society, culture and politics. Relevant issues in social psychology and the moral action guides addressing violence affirmed in Christian communities provide a deeper explanation for the motivations that have led to the diverse interpretations of violence avowed in the Christian tradition.
Author: L. Daniel Hawk
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Published: 2019-01-08
Total Pages: 351
ISBN-13: 1467452602
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow can we make sense of violence in the Bible? Joshua commands the people of Israel to wipe out everyone in the promised land of Canaan, while Jesus commands God’s people to love their enemies. How are we to interpret biblical passages on violence when it is sanctioned at one point and condemned at another? The Violence of the Biblical God by L. Daniel Hawk presents a new framework, solidly rooted in the authority of Scripture, for understanding the paradox of God’s participation in violence. Hawk shows how the historical narrative of the Bible offers multiple canonical pictures for faithful Christian engagement with the violent systems of the world.
Author: Jim Wallis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-09-24
Total Pages: 336
ISBN-13: 0062914782
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWriting in response to our current “constitutional crisis,” New York Times bestselling author and Christian activist Jim Wallis urges America to return to the tenets of Jesus once again as the means to save us from the polarizing bitterness and anger of our tribal nation. In Christ in Crisis Jim Wallis provides a path of spiritual healing and solidarity to help us heal the divide separating Americans today. Building on “Reclaiming Jesus”—the declaration he and other church leaders wrote in May 2018 to address America’s current crisis—Wallis argues that Christians have become disconnected from Jesus and need to revisit their spiritual foundations. By pointing to eight questions Jesus asked or is asked, Wallis provides a means to measure whether we are truly aligned with the moral and spiritual foundations of our Christian faith. “Christians have often remembered, re-discovered, and returned to their obedient discipleship of Jesus Christ—both personal and public—in times of trouble. It’s called coming home,” Wallis reminds us. While he addresses the dividing lines and dangers facing our nation, the religious and cultural commentator’s focus isn’t politics; it’s faith. As he has done throughout his career, Wallis offers comfort, empathy, and a practical roadmap. Christ in Crisis is a constructive field guide for all those involved in resistance and renewal initiatives in faith communities in the post-2016 political context.
Author: Fernanda Alfieri
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Published: 2021-03-08
Total Pages: 203
ISBN-13: 3110643979
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe volume explores the relationship between religion and violence in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Early modern period, involving European and Japanese scholars. It investigates the ideological foundations of the relationship between violence and religion and their development in a varied corpus of sources (political and theological treatises, correspondence of missionaries, pamphlets, and images).
Author: Nick Megoran
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2017-10-03
Total Pages: 338
ISBN-13: 1498219608
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow should Christians respond to war? This age-old question has become more pressing given Western governments' recent overseas military interventions and the rise of extremist Islamist jihadism. Grounded in conservative evangelical theology, this book argues the historic church position that it is inadmissible for Christians to use violence or take part in war. It shows how the church's propensity to support the "just wars," crusades, rebellions, or "humanitarian interventions" of its host nations over time has been disastrous for the reputation of the gospel. Instead, the church's response to war is simply to be the church, by preaching the gospel and making peace in the love and power of God. The book considers challenges to this argument for "gospel peace." What about warfare in the Old Testament and military metaphors in the New? What of church history? And how do we deal with tyrants like Hitler and terrorists like Islamic State? Charting a path between just war theory and liberal pacifism, numerous inspiring examples from the worldwide church are used to demonstrate effective and authentically Christian responses to violence. The author argues that as Christians increasingly drop their unbiblical addiction to war, we may be entering one of the most exciting periods of church history.
Author: Matthew D. Lundberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2021-05-25
Total Pages: 281
ISBN-13: 0197566618
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWhat is the place-if any-for violence in the Christian life? At the core of Christian faith is an experience of suffering violence as the price for faithfulness, of being victimized by the world's violence, from Jesus himself to martyrs who have died while following him. At the same time, Christian history had also held the opinion that there are situations when the follower of Jesus may be justified in inflicting violence on others, especially in the context of war. Do these two facets of Christian ethics and experience present a contradiction? Christian Martyrdom and Christian Violence: On Suffering and Wielding the Sword explores the tension between Christianity's historic reverence for martyrdom (suffering violence for faith) and Christianity's historical support of a just war ethic (involving the inflicting of violence). While the book considers the possibility that the two are unreconcilable, it also argues that they are ultimately compatible; but their compatibility requires a more humanized portrait of the Christian martyr as well as a stricter approach to the justified use of violence.
Author: Mark Juergensmeyer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2011-10-10
Total Pages: 248
ISBN-13: 1400839947
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAn anthology that examines the historical and contemporary relationship between religion and violence This groundbreaking anthology provides the most comprehensive overview for understanding the fascinating relationship between religion and violence—historically, culturally, and in the contemporary world. Bringing together writings from scholarly and religious traditions, it is the first volume to unite primary sources—justifications for violence from religious texts, theologians, and activists—with invaluable essays by authoritative scholars. The first half of the collection includes original source materials justifying violence from various religious perspectives: Hindu, Chinese, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist. Showing that religious violence is found in every tradition, these sources include ancient texts and scriptures along with thoughtful essays from theologians wrestling with such issues as military protection and pacifism. The collection also includes the writings of modern-day activists involved in suicide bombings, attacks on abortion clinics, and nerve gas assaults. The book's second half features well-known thinkers reflecting on why religion and violence are so intimately related and includes excerpts from early social theorists such as Durkheim, Marx, and Freud, as well as contemporary thinkers who view the issue of religious violence from literary, anthropological, postcolonial, and feminist perspectives. The editors' brief introductions to each essay provide important historical and conceptual contexts and relate the readings to one another. The diversity of selections and their accessible length make this volume ideal for both students and general readers.
Author: Stephen R. Kaufman
Publisher: Vegitarian Advocates Press
Published: 2008-06-01
Total Pages: 268
ISBN-13: 9780971667648
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThough many people believe that humanity is doomed to be mired in violence, Kaufman argues that the Judeo-Christian offers a path toward peaceful, harmonious coexistence among humans and between humans and the rest of creation, including animals. The book first analyzes the sources of human violence and scapegoating and then compares insights from the social sciences (particularly the works of Ernest Becker and Ren Girard) to the biblical accounts. In pursuit of self-esteem, humans often find themselves in conflict with each other, which results in crises that threaten to tear communities apart. The solution to these conflicts is to blame one or more scapegoats. But such scapegoating is unjust, and it is only a temporary solution to a recurrent human problem. Further, other crises, such as epidemics, droughts, and natural disasters, and military defeats, encourage scapegoating.Kaufman argues that for Christians the antidote to scapegoating involves adopting the faith of Christ. Despite institutional Christianity 's often tragic history of violence, Kaufman asserts that the Bible supports the notion that God is loving, compassionate, and merciful. Jesus encouraged communities to be bound not by their contempt for scapegoats but by their common bond as beloved children of God.In the final chapter, Kaufman applies the book 's principles to modern social issues, with often surprising results. In particular, Kaufman shows how the rise of humanism has encouraged humans to scapegoat animals rather than other humans. This is not only morally wrong; Kaufman shows that countenancing the victimization of any vulnerable individuals actually puts everyone at risk. If a crisis occurs after scapegoating animals, humans invariably become the next victims, and greater crises lead to a greater number of victims.
Author: Andy J. Johnson
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2015-04-14
Total Pages: 478
ISBN-13: 1493922661
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis reference offers the nuanced understanding and practical guidance needed to address domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in diverse religious communities. Introductory chapters sort through the complexities, from abusers' distorting of sacred texts to justifying their actions to survivors' conflicting feelings toward their faith. The core of the book surveys findings on gender violence across Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Eastern, and Indigenous traditions--both attitudes that promote abuse and spiritual resources that can be used to promote healing. Best practices are included for appropriate treatment of survivors, their children, and abusers; and for partnering with communities and clergy toward stemming violence against women. Among the topics featured: Ecclesiastical policies vs. lived social relationships: gender parity, attitudes, and ethics. Women’s spiritual struggles and resources to cope with intimate partner aggression. Christian stereotypes and violence against North America’s native women. Addressing intimate partner violence in rural church communities. Collaboration between community service agencies and faith-based institutions. Providing hope in faith communities: creating a domestic violence policy for families. Religion and Men's Violence against Women will gain a wide audience among psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other mental health professionals who treat religious clients or specialize in treating survivors and perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual assault, rape, or human trafficking.
