How Christians Made Peace with War
How Christians Made Peace with War

Author: John Driver

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2007-03-16

Total Pages: 95

ISBN-13: 1556351763

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How should Christians regard the use of military force? Should they become involved in fighting for their country? Can they not find a better way to settle differences? The author, a biblical scholar, writer, and missionary in Uruguay and Spain, turns to the history of the early church for answers. He notes that the early Christians opposed warfare and military service because of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught love for enemies and persecutors. This led the early believers to resist the evils and injustices of their time with nonviolent love and forgiveness. The author then shows how Christians eventually became involved in military life. However, Òbetween [A.D.] 100 and 312 no Christian writers, to our knowledge, approved of Christian participation in warfare. In fact, all those who wrote on the subject disapproved of the practice. You will discover that John Driver writes in clear, concise terms and that he offers food for thought and action.

Making War and Making Peace
Making War and Making Peace

Author: Dennis Byler

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2003-06-13

Total Pages: 105

ISBN-13: 1592442641

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Participation in warfare is now so fully a part of the majority Christian heritage that it is hard for most Christians to imagine anything else. Catholics and Protestants of all the major denominations hold to the theory which justifies Christian participation in warfare. In holding to this theory, the vast majority of Christians have followed Augustine, a bishop in north Africa at the beginning of the fifth century. They have developed an informal system for determining when it is justified and necessary for Christians to kill other human beings. Following this line of reasoning, Christians have participated in revolutions, wars of national defense, wars of conquest and genocide, wars of religious intolerance, and wars caused by mistakes and misunderstandings. At the same time, however, small numbers of Christians have refused to kill other human beings. They have based this on the demands of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who laid down his own life instead of punishing the enemies of his people. These Christians continue to believe that prayer and selfless obedience to God's way of peace and love have a greater influence on the final outcome of events than do bullets and bombs. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7, NIV)

Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution

Author: John Howard Yoder

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2009-04

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 1587432315

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One of the most important thinkers on just war and pacifism describes, analyzes, and evaluates various patterns of thought and practice in Western Christian history.

War, Peace, and Violence: Four Christian Views
War, Peace, and Violence: Four Christian Views

Author: Paul Copan

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2022-09-13

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 1514002353

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In a world of war, terrorism, and constant threats to global stability, how should Christians honor Jesus Christ? Four experts in Christian ethics, political philosophy, and international affairs present four different views of just war, nonviolence, Christian realism, and church history, orienting readers to today's key positions.

Peacemakers
Peacemakers

Author: Peter Dixon

Publisher: Cloudshill Press

Published: 2020-06-11

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 0993508065

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What does 'Blessed are the peacemakers' mean in practice? When is war a just war? Should outsiders intervene in civil wars, and how? How can Christians effectively engage in resolving conflict? How do we achieve reconciliation? Peter Dixon offers a moral framework on which to base our thinking about war and peace, undergirded by a solid confidence in God's sovereignty, as we face the uncertainty of the real world. 'I don't think we need to take responsibility for righting all the wrongs of the world like Superman.' he says. 'It is enough for us to do what we can, when we can, where we can.' Peacemakers evolves at another level too. As the author takes us down an icy Kabul street, or allows us to observe children celebrating a shaky peace in South Sudan, we experience first-hand the backcloth against which international peacebuilding takes place. Some comments on Peacemakers 'A work of extraordinary relevance in today’s troubled and volatile times', Lord (Richard) Dannatt, former head of the British Army. 'A gentle, wise and helpful companion as we try to make sense of the conflicts in our world', Ram Gidoomal CBE, Chairman of Traidcraft, Stewardship and Cotton Connect. 'Given the importance of peace in Christian priorities, I hope this book will be given the attention it deserves', Michael Schluter CBE, Founder of the Jubilee Centre, Relationships Foundation and Relationships Global. 'A thought-provoking and engaging book.', Air Commodore Mark Leakey, former Director Armed Forces’ Christian Union.

War
War

Author: Robert G. Clouse

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13:

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Robert G. Clouse presents four different viewpoints on the Christian's involvement in war: Herman A. Hoyt on biblical nonresistance, Myron S. Augsburger on Christian pacifism, Arthur F. Holmes on just war and Harold O. J. Brown on preventive war.

Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace
Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace

Author: Roland Herbert Bainton

Publisher:

Published: 1960

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13:

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Any scholarship that addresses the evolution of Christian perspectives on warfare generally references this book. Although the scholarship of this work is now outdated and critiqued, Bainton's work is foundational in the area. Bainton believes that the Christian community started out pacifistic, then developed the just war doctrine, and finally adopted holy war ideals. He traces this trajectory from the Early Church up through the wars and conflicts of the 20th century (this book was written in 1960). Finally, Bainton adds his critique of current militaristic ideas (especially in regards to atomic warfare). This book is well written and written for all audiences, however, it is best to supplement this book with more recent scholarship to get current ideas on Christian perspectives on warfare.

Axis of Peace
Axis of Peace

Author: S. Wesley Ariarajah

Publisher: World Council of Churches

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13:

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The war in Iraq is over, and we are now facing its aftermath. The searching and divisive questions raised for the churches by the invasion of Iraq linger on. Are there "just wars"? What does the Bible teach about war and violence? What constitutes patriotism when one's nation is at war? Is there theological justification for wars of self-defence or liberation? S. Wesley Ariarajah explores these questions to facilitate ongoing conversation in faith communities. Surveying instances of violence in many regions of the globe, often involving confrontation between religious communities, Ariarajah examines what violence does to those who perpetrate it on others. Moving beyond simplistic notions of 'good' and 'evil' in world affairs, he calls on peoples of faith to counter terror in all its forms through the creation of an 'axis of peace'.

War, Peace and Reconciliation
War, Peace and Reconciliation

Author: Weber Theodore R

Publisher: Lutterworth Press

Published: 2016-10-27

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 071884470X

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War, Peace, and Reconciliation invites Christians and their churches into a dialogue regarding how to think about war from a standpoint rooted in faith. It asks how reconciliation, which is central to Christian life and doctrine, can engage with therealities of war without surrendering its fundamental affirmations. Theodore Weber defines these realities politically by discussing the meanings of power, peace as a particular organisation of power, and the international system. The study of war and politics is unavoidable, as is engagement with reconciliation, because all human activity exists in the context of the gracious work of God to renew and reconcile the fallen creation. Weber's inquiry is theocentric and christocentric. It culminates in a stirring call to churches to examine all their practices in the light of this perspective.