Warlike Christians in an Age of Violence
Warlike Christians in an Age of Violence

Author: Nick Megoran

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2017-10-03

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 1498219594

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How 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.

Big Questions in an Age of Global Crises
Big Questions in an Age of Global Crises

Author: Nick Megoran

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2022-06-21

Total Pages: 83

ISBN-13: 1666791857

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Does life have meaning, purpose and value? Can we know whether God exists? If he does, why does he allow bad things to happen? How can we make sense of death, and what lies beyond it? And how can we live life well during a personal, national, or global crisis? Human beings have always asked these big questions. However, crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2007-2008 financial collapse, or the War on Terror following the 9/11 attacks, make them seem more urgent and harder to avoid. This short book is an accessible introduction to these questions. It makes no assumptions about the reader's beliefs but is written for anyone who wants to understand how Christian ideas can help make sense of life and live it well during difficult times. Each chapter is illustrated with examples from the lives of a wide range of people over time, as well as stories from films, novels, and music, to help the reader think through these weighty issues in an engaging way.

Security after Christendom
Security after Christendom

Author: John Heathershaw

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2024-02-13

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1532615345

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We live in the wealthiest and most heavily defended world in history, so why do we feel so insecure? In a secular world, what does Christian theology have to say about this problem? Security after Christendom combines practical examples, social scientific research, and an ecumenical approach to political theology to answer these questions. It argues that Christendom was a plural phenomenon of imagined security communities of East and West whose unravelling continues to have implications for global politics today, as dramatically illustrated by Russia's war in Ukraine. While notions of a new Christendom are idolatrous and delusional, secular imaginaries of national security or the liberal international order are both destructive and unstable. True security--radical inclusion, nonviolent protection, and abundant provision--is an eschatological phenomenon, inaugurated by Christ. Security after Christendom is neither found in faithful government nor an exclusive church-as-polis approach but in relations of tension where the fallen powers are continuously confronted by prophetic practices. A post-Christendom community expresses its love for the world by seeking its security, providentially limiting the disorders of the secular age, and offering glimmers of a new earth.

Warfare in the Age of Crusades
Warfare in the Age of Crusades

Author: Brian Todd Carey

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2023-01-05

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1526730243

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Warfare in the Age of Crusades: The Latin East explores in fascinating detail the key campaigns, battles and sieges that shaped the crusading period of the Middle Ages, giving special attention to military technologies, tactics and strategies. Key personalities and political factors are addressed, including the role of papal monarchy in initiating the crusading expeditions, the relationship between Catholic Europe and the Byzantine empire, the role of the religious military orders, and Islamic and Mongol military capabilities. Chapters are devoted to each of the major crusades to the Levant – First, Second, Third and Fourth crusades – and an analysis of the Islamic response. The rise of the Mamluks in Egypt, with their innovative military organization, is covered, as are the failed Egyptian and Tunisian campaigns. The concluding chapters describe the Mongol campaigns in the Levant, the Mamluk response, and the final siege of Acre in 1291. This original and perceptive study of a key stage in medieval military history features regional, strategic and multi-phase tactical maps that illuminate the narrative and provide a valuable resource for students, historians and wargamers alike.

War and Religion in the Secular Age
War and Religion in the Secular Age

Author: Davis Brown

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-11-12

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0429808763

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Is religion a factor in initiating interstate armed conflict, and do different religions have different effects? Breaking new ground in political science, this book explores these questions both qualitatively and quantitively, concluding that the answer is yes. Previous studies have focused on conflict within states or interstate aggression with overtly religious motivations; in contrast, Brown shows how religion affects states’ propensities to militarize even disputes that are not religious in nature. Different religions are shown to have different influences on those propensities, and those influences are linked to the war ethics inculcated in those religions. The book analyses and classifies war ethics contained in religious scripture and other religious classics, teachings of religions’ contemporary epistemic communities, and religions’ historical narratives. Using data from the new Religious Characteristics of States dataset project, qualitative studies are combined with empirical measurements of governments’ institutional preferences and populations’ cultures. This book will provide interesting insights to scholars and researchers in international security studies, political science, international law, sociology, and religious studies.

The State, War and Peace
The State, War and Peace

Author: J. A. Fernández-Santamaria

Publisher: CUP Archive

Published: 1977-09-08

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9780521214384

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This is a comprehensive study in English of political thought in Spain during the Renaissance. In the early sixteenth century Castile experienced two major constitutional crises caused by the accession of a Habsburg ruler (shortly to become Holy Roman Emperor) to her throne, and by the discovery and conquest of America. Politically, these circumstances created a bizarre situation in which the venerable idea of medieval empire was forced to co-exist with a novel, imperial vision made inevitable by expansion in the new world. The strain imposed on Castile's constitutional fabric stimulated the most significant developments of Spanish political thought in the Renaissance. Against this background, Professor Fernández-Santamaria surverys the contribution of a number of eminent writers from diverse intellectual traditions who endeavoured to apply established political assumptions to these unprecedented circumstances.

Sanctified Violence
Sanctified Violence

Author: Alfred J. Andrea

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2021-03-24

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 162466962X

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"This rich and engaging book looks at instances of sanctified violence, the holy wars related to religion. It covers it all, from ancient to present day, including examples of warfare among Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is a comprehensive and readable overview that provides a lively introduction to the subject of holy war in its broadest sense—as ‘sanctified violence’ in the service of a god or ideology. It is certain to be a useful companion in the classroom, and a boon to anyone fascinated by the dark attraction of religion and violence." —Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara Contents: Introduction: What Is Holy War? Chapter 1: Holy Wars in Mythic Time, Holy Wars as Metaphor, Holy Wars as RitualChapter 2: Holy Wars of Conquest in the Name of a DeityChapter 3: Holy Wars in Defense of the SacredChapter 4: Holy Wars in Anticipation of the Millennium Epilogue: Holy Wars Today and Tomorrow Also included are a description of the Critical Themes in World History series, Preface, index, and suggestions for further reading.

OCR Religious Ethics for AS and A2
OCR Religious Ethics for AS and A2

Author: Jill Oliphant

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-27

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1317660544

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Structured directly around the specification of the OCR, this is the definitive textbook for students of Advanced Subsidiary or Advanced Level courses. The updated third edition covers all the necessary topics for Religious Ethics in an enjoyable student-friendly fashion. Each chapter includes: a list of key issues OCR specification checklist explanations of key terminology overviews of key scholars and theories self-test review questions exam practice questions. To maximise students' chances of success, the book contains a section dedicated to answering examination questions. It comes complete with diagrams and tables, lively illustrations, a comprehensive glossary and full bibliography. Additional resources are available via the companion website.

The Jesus Way Study Guide
The Jesus Way Study Guide

Author: Eugene H. Peterson

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2007-06-11

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 1467429856

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The third book in Eugene Peterson's momentous five-volume conversation on spiritual theology,The Jesus Way considers the "way of the Lord" that became incarnate and complete in Jesus. Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing how they often obliterate what is unique in the Jesus way. This helpful study guide is designed to enable small groups in schools or churches -- or even individuals -- to delve deeper into the timely wisdom of The Jesus Way. Peterson's discussion is broken up here into eleven "sessions," each of which contains a summary, a list of key adjectives, quotations to consider, and questions for interaction, ending with a select prayer from one of several "traveling companions on the Jesus way.".