In A Faith Not Worth Fighting For, editors Justin Bronson Barringer and Tripp York have assembled a number of essays by pastors, activists, and scholars, in order to address the common questions and objections leveled against the Christian practice of nonviolence. Assuming that the command to love one's enemies is at the heart of the Gospel, these writers carefully, faithfully--and no doubt provocatively--attempt to explain why the nonviolent path of Jesus is an integral aspect of Christian discipleship. By addressing misconceptions about Christian pacifism, as well as real-life violent situations, this book will surely challenge the reader's basic understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
A Faith Not Worth Fighting For
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Review
"Addressing oft-heard questions posed to Christians who refuse to kill, this is a must-read book for all Christians occupying church pews or sitting behind desks in college classrooms. . . . Even if one does not agree with everything written here (and I don't), A Faith Not Worth Fighting For helpfully clarifies the theology of Christian nonviolence so as to foster further--and hopefully fruitful--conversation."
--Tobias Winright
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, Saint Louis University
"This book addresses the predictable questions posed to pacifists. Having spoken publicly hundreds of times and in varied contexts on pacifism, I know this. However, having read widely on the subject of the Christian faith and violence, I also know that this book is a rare treat. For it offers mature, carefully considered reflections on this standard set of issues. This is almost unheard of; this book is a valuable resource."
--Mark Thiessen Nation
Professor of Theology, Eastern Mennonite University
A Faith Worth Fighting For is much needed. Its essays provide readers with clear thinking and moral seriousness that challenge all followers of Jesus to journey with him in the ways of peace. Just about any possible objection to Christian pacifism is considered--and overcome."
--Ted Grimsrud, Professor of Theology and Peace Studies, Eastern Mennonite University Wipf and Stock Publishers --Wipf and Stock Publishers
In this anthology of new essays, theologians reply to such challenges to Christian pacifism as what would you do if someone were attacking a loved one, what about Hitler, and didn't Jesus chase people from the temple with a whip? By countering common objections to the Christian peace witness, the book endeavors to help both pacifists and nonpacifists alike gain a deeper understanding of how a Christian commitment to nonviolence can be enacted and supported. Especially strong essays include "What About War and Violence in the Old Testament?" by Ingrid Lilly (Western Kentucky University) and "Didn't Jesus Say He Came Not to Bring Peace, but a Sword?" by Samuel Wells (Be Not Afraid), which combines a close reading of the biblical text with a contemporary illustration of the difference between appeasement and a principled peace stance. The essays are, on the whole, varied, lively, and thought provoking. The book includes an introduction by Stanley Hauerwas (War and the American Difference) and an afterword by Shane Claiborne (Irresistible Revolution). --Publishers Weekly
In this anthology of new essays, theologians reply to such challenges to Christian pacifism as what would you do if someone were attacking a loved one, what about Hitler, and didn't Jesus chase people from the temple with a whip? By countering common objections to the Christian peace witness, the book endeavors to help both pacifists and nonpacifists alike gain a deeper understanding of how a Christian commitment to nonviolence can be enacted and supported. Especially strong essays include "What About War and Violence in the Old Testament?" by Ingrid Lilly (Western Kentucky University) and "Didn't Jesus Say He Came Not to Bring Peace, but a Sword?" by Samuel Wells (Be Not Afraid), which combines a close reading of the biblical text with a contemporary illustration of the difference between appeasement and a principled peace stance. The essays are, on the whole, varied, lively, and thought provoking. The book includes an introduction by Stanley Hauerwas (War and the American Difference) and an afterword by Shane Claiborne (Irresistible Revolution). --Publishers Weekly
--Tobias Winright
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, Saint Louis University
"This book addresses the predictable questions posed to pacifists. Having spoken publicly hundreds of times and in varied contexts on pacifism, I know this. However, having read widely on the subject of the Christian faith and violence, I also know that this book is a rare treat. For it offers mature, carefully considered reflections on this standard set of issues. This is almost unheard of; this book is a valuable resource."
--Mark Thiessen Nation
Professor of Theology, Eastern Mennonite University
A Faith Worth Fighting For is much needed. Its essays provide readers with clear thinking and moral seriousness that challenge all followers of Jesus to journey with him in the ways of peace. Just about any possible objection to Christian pacifism is considered--and overcome."
--Ted Grimsrud, Professor of Theology and Peace Studies, Eastern Mennonite University Wipf and Stock Publishers --Wipf and Stock Publishers
In this anthology of new essays, theologians reply to such challenges to Christian pacifism as what would you do if someone were attacking a loved one, what about Hitler, and didn't Jesus chase people from the temple with a whip? By countering common objections to the Christian peace witness, the book endeavors to help both pacifists and nonpacifists alike gain a deeper understanding of how a Christian commitment to nonviolence can be enacted and supported. Especially strong essays include "What About War and Violence in the Old Testament?" by Ingrid Lilly (Western Kentucky University) and "Didn't Jesus Say He Came Not to Bring Peace, but a Sword?" by Samuel Wells (Be Not Afraid), which combines a close reading of the biblical text with a contemporary illustration of the difference between appeasement and a principled peace stance. The essays are, on the whole, varied, lively, and thought provoking. The book includes an introduction by Stanley Hauerwas (War and the American Difference) and an afterword by Shane Claiborne (Irresistible Revolution). --Publishers Weekly
In this anthology of new essays, theologians reply to such challenges to Christian pacifism as what would you do if someone were attacking a loved one, what about Hitler, and didn't Jesus chase people from the temple with a whip? By countering common objections to the Christian peace witness, the book endeavors to help both pacifists and nonpacifists alike gain a deeper understanding of how a Christian commitment to nonviolence can be enacted and supported. Especially strong essays include "What About War and Violence in the Old Testament?" by Ingrid Lilly (Western Kentucky University) and "Didn't Jesus Say He Came Not to Bring Peace, but a Sword?" by Samuel Wells (Be Not Afraid), which combines a close reading of the biblical text with a contemporary illustration of the difference between appeasement and a principled peace stance. The essays are, on the whole, varied, lively, and thought provoking. The book includes an introduction by Stanley Hauerwas (War and the American Difference) and an afterword by Shane Claiborne (Irresistible Revolution). --Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Tripp York is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. He has published several books including his two most recent, Third Way Allegiance: Christian Witness in the Shadow of Religious Empire (2011) and The Devil Wears Nada: Satan Exposed! (2011).
Justin Bronson Barringer is a graduate student at Asbury Theological Seminary and works for the seminary's Ministry for Global Community Development. He has also been a missionary in China and Greece, worked extensively among homeless people in cities as varied as Nashville and Los Angeles, and served at mercy and justice organizations like The Dream Center and Sojourners.
Justin Bronson Barringer is a graduate student at Asbury Theological Seminary and works for the seminary's Ministry for Global Community Development. He has also been a missionary in China and Greece, worked extensively among homeless people in cities as varied as Nashville and Los Angeles, and served at mercy and justice organizations like The Dream Center and Sojourners.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
American churches have long breathed this pragmatic air, measuring success through numbers like attendance, membership, budgets, campuses, and so on. We often ask the same question as our fellow-Americans: What works?
The best thing about A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is how little the contributors care about this question. This collection of essays "addressing commonly asked questions about Christian nonviolence" covers a range of concerns while sharing a common disinterest in theological pragmatism. In his chapter Greg Boyd makes this especially clear. He writes, "What sets the kingdom pacifist apart, I will argue, is that his or her primary motivation for embracing nonviolence is not ethical, political, or in any way utilitarian. It is rather rooted in the Lordship of Christ and the transforming experience of the Holy Spirit."
Elsewhere contributors refer to nonviolence as confessional or, as Stephen Long identifies it, christological pacifism.
"The pacifism that has haunted and always will haunt the Christian Church...assumes that we have seen and heard God's purposes for creation in Jesus. The pacifism I cannot discredit, and have not yet been able to deny, is the pacifism that claims that we are called through our baptisms to participate in the life of Christ and bear witness to the world as God has borne witness to us. It asks us, what happened to us at our baptisms into the life and death of Christ?"
This non-pragmatic approach will frustrate some readers. While the contributors don't shy away from the common and challenging questions commonly put to pacifists - What would you do if someone were attacking a loved one? What about Hitler? What about war and violence in the Old Testament - they do not show how the nonviolence leads to preferred outcomes. Instead the essays work to show how, regardless of the situation, Biblical reference, or theological question, nonviolence is always the most faithful response to our life in Christ. In this regard a book that promises answers winds up posing one consistent question: What if nonviolence is inseparable from faith in Christ?
Editors Tripp York and Justin Bronson Barringer have identified the right questions for this sort of book and pulled together thoughtful contributors. Given the subject it's not surprising that Stanley Hauerwas and John Howard Yoder are referenced throughout. Neither is it surprising that the contributors share similar starting points and to their credit they are gracious with their theological sparring partners. As Shane Claiborne quips in the afterword, "Our critics are not bad people...they are just wrong. And hopefully they think the same of us."
There are two things that could have made this very good book better. First, I wish some of the essays were edited for more accessibility. Many of the chapters can easily be read and digested by a wide audience but a few seem directed towards a smaller, academic crowd. Second, I hoped for more engagement with the practice of nonviolence that comes from African American churches. In these historic churches we have the witness of people who rejected the pragmatic course for a faith that required great risk and sacrifice, even as they hoped and prayed that their actions would lead to change. It seems to me that any discussion about nonviolence within the American church must make significant room for the testimonies of these saints.
This book deserves a wide audience and I'm grateful to the editors and contributors for it. I'll come back to these essays again as I grapple with the violence in our nation, our city and within my own heart.
_____________________________
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
The best thing about A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is how little the contributors care about this question. This collection of essays "addressing commonly asked questions about Christian nonviolence" covers a range of concerns while sharing a common disinterest in theological pragmatism. In his chapter Greg Boyd makes this especially clear. He writes, "What sets the kingdom pacifist apart, I will argue, is that his or her primary motivation for embracing nonviolence is not ethical, political, or in any way utilitarian. It is rather rooted in the Lordship of Christ and the transforming experience of the Holy Spirit."
Elsewhere contributors refer to nonviolence as confessional or, as Stephen Long identifies it, christological pacifism.
"The pacifism that has haunted and always will haunt the Christian Church...assumes that we have seen and heard God's purposes for creation in Jesus. The pacifism I cannot discredit, and have not yet been able to deny, is the pacifism that claims that we are called through our baptisms to participate in the life of Christ and bear witness to the world as God has borne witness to us. It asks us, what happened to us at our baptisms into the life and death of Christ?"
This non-pragmatic approach will frustrate some readers. While the contributors don't shy away from the common and challenging questions commonly put to pacifists - What would you do if someone were attacking a loved one? What about Hitler? What about war and violence in the Old Testament - they do not show how the nonviolence leads to preferred outcomes. Instead the essays work to show how, regardless of the situation, Biblical reference, or theological question, nonviolence is always the most faithful response to our life in Christ. In this regard a book that promises answers winds up posing one consistent question: What if nonviolence is inseparable from faith in Christ?
Editors Tripp York and Justin Bronson Barringer have identified the right questions for this sort of book and pulled together thoughtful contributors. Given the subject it's not surprising that Stanley Hauerwas and John Howard Yoder are referenced throughout. Neither is it surprising that the contributors share similar starting points and to their credit they are gracious with their theological sparring partners. As Shane Claiborne quips in the afterword, "Our critics are not bad people...they are just wrong. And hopefully they think the same of us."
There are two things that could have made this very good book better. First, I wish some of the essays were edited for more accessibility. Many of the chapters can easily be read and digested by a wide audience but a few seem directed towards a smaller, academic crowd. Second, I hoped for more engagement with the practice of nonviolence that comes from African American churches. In these historic churches we have the witness of people who rejected the pragmatic course for a faith that required great risk and sacrifice, even as they hoped and prayed that their actions would lead to change. It seems to me that any discussion about nonviolence within the American church must make significant room for the testimonies of these saints.
This book deserves a wide audience and I'm grateful to the editors and contributors for it. I'll come back to these essays again as I grapple with the violence in our nation, our city and within my own heart.
_____________________________
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm writing this review from the perspective of what one of book's authors call "a reluctant pacifist". I am not biologically wired to be non-violent. If I had Christianity my way, I'd think that God blessed my country with superior fire power in order to keep peace. And if asked what I would do if someone were attacking a member of my family, my initial (and sinful) response would want to be, "I'd tear that person apart". However, my Christological views compel me to believe that God commands our non-violence. There's just no getting around it. I can easily say that this was the best and most important book I've read in a decade. And because of my inner struggle with Christian non-violence, I'm not giving this book high praise because I joyfully agree with the subject. I give it praise because rarely has one book given me a combination of inspiration, offense, joy, dread, conviction, hope, encouragement, empowerment, and indigestion.
This book was written for every Christian; pacifists, jingoists, and everyone in-between. It provides amazing stability and encouragement for those who practice Christian non-violence. It also serves as a wonderful apologetic and clears up a fleet of misconceptions that often come with the label of pacifist. It tackles the common questions that often get asked to debunk pacifism, e.g., "What about Hitler?" but instead of giving pat answers, the authors address the presuppositions that are often the foundations to these questions. I should think that even the most vocal opponents of Christian non-violence should at least give some pause and consideration to their arguments.
The strongest aspect of this book is the diversity of its authors. Each chapter is written by a different author and all the authors come from different theological, educational, and denominational backgrounds. It was refreshing to see that the authors had some differing opinions on some of the minutia of pacifism; yet each author offered their opinions with honesty, humility and respect, knowing that applying Christian non-violence to the current culture is still a work in progress. However, all the authors were fiercly united on the conviction that non-violence must have its foundation in the life, death, resurrection and commands of Jesus.
There are so many valuable quotes and little nuggets of wisdom throughout this book that I sent Greg Boyd (one of the authors) a Twitter message and jokingly told him he owed me a new highlighter. This is a book that you will want to keep and write down your thoughts in its margins to view at later times. The journey to become like Jesus in non-violence is an arduous road so this is definitely not a pick-up-and-read-once book. And if someone wants to borrow it, buy them a copy with the hope that they will do the same.
This book was written for every Christian; pacifists, jingoists, and everyone in-between. It provides amazing stability and encouragement for those who practice Christian non-violence. It also serves as a wonderful apologetic and clears up a fleet of misconceptions that often come with the label of pacifist. It tackles the common questions that often get asked to debunk pacifism, e.g., "What about Hitler?" but instead of giving pat answers, the authors address the presuppositions that are often the foundations to these questions. I should think that even the most vocal opponents of Christian non-violence should at least give some pause and consideration to their arguments.
The strongest aspect of this book is the diversity of its authors. Each chapter is written by a different author and all the authors come from different theological, educational, and denominational backgrounds. It was refreshing to see that the authors had some differing opinions on some of the minutia of pacifism; yet each author offered their opinions with honesty, humility and respect, knowing that applying Christian non-violence to the current culture is still a work in progress. However, all the authors were fiercly united on the conviction that non-violence must have its foundation in the life, death, resurrection and commands of Jesus.
There are so many valuable quotes and little nuggets of wisdom throughout this book that I sent Greg Boyd (one of the authors) a Twitter message and jokingly told him he owed me a new highlighter. This is a book that you will want to keep and write down your thoughts in its margins to view at later times. The journey to become like Jesus in non-violence is an arduous road so this is definitely not a pick-up-and-read-once book. And if someone wants to borrow it, buy them a copy with the hope that they will do the same.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite a nearly unanimous commitment in the early Church to non-violence and peacemaking, both Christians and non-Christians today are often shocked when someone who follows Jesus refuses to return violence for violence.
Consider, for example, the shock and mixture of awe and criticism with which the larger American culture met the Amish community of Lancaster County, PA when they publicly forgave the gunman who killed 10 schoolchildren and then himself in 2006.
No one thought, Of course they forgave him. Of course they were nonviolent. That's what Christians do.
Christians in the Western world today who continue to maintain that self-giving, nonviolent love is the core of Jesus' gospel, the way he is King and the way his followers announce him as King, are a minority, albeit a growing one.
I've identified myself as a Pacifist for the better part of a decade now, and have participated in countless discussions and arguments on the merits of wholesale commitment to nonviolence.
If you've ever been a part of one of those discussions, you know the common objections frequently raised. They're good, tough questions.
Editors Tripp York and Justin Barringer bring together a diverse group of scholars, pastors and laypersons committed to the nonviolent Way of Jesus to consider those common and difficult questions, such as:
*What about protecting other innocent people? What would you do if someone were attacking your loved one?
*What about Hitler?
*What about all the war and violence in the Old Testament?
*What about when Jesus cleansed the Temple? And didn't Jesus say he came to bring not peace but a sword?
*What about Romans 13? What about the centurion? What about the sword-wielding, horse-riding Jesus of Revelation 19?
The authors never claim Pacifism is an easy position to hold, either intellectually or in practice. Instead, nearly every author openly and frankly shares their personal struggles with these questions. As the editors observe in the introduction,
"Nonviolence is not a stance that is to be limited to being against war, but rather nonviolence requires that every aspect of our lives be open to listening to those who differ from us."
This book follows that mandate, engaging good, honest questions with wisdom, insight, solid biblical interpretation and love. The authors want to spark conversation, to move us readers somewhere, and they wrote their essays accordingly.
The result? A clear, humble and grace-filled resource. Because it's so deeply personal and theological, A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is a treasure.
(If you're looking for a good introduction to Pacifism, the bibliography is full of them. I recommend Greg Boyd's excellent Myth of the Christian Nation or Walter Wink's Jesus and Nonviolence, or Stanley Hauerwas' classic The Peaceable Kingdom.)
As a whole, A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is tremendously good. While all the authors are pacifists, they come from a variety of traditions - everything from Catholic to Mennonite, so the tone of the book is unified, but far from uniform.
No matter if you've been a pacifist for years, newly exploring what it means to be nonviolent or a staunch just-war advocate, this book will challenge and inspire you.
If you just love violence though, skip this book. It'll just make you mad.
Bottom Line: A thorough resource for those serious about nonviolence and peacemaking in the Way of Jesus. Well worth your time.
Consider, for example, the shock and mixture of awe and criticism with which the larger American culture met the Amish community of Lancaster County, PA when they publicly forgave the gunman who killed 10 schoolchildren and then himself in 2006.
No one thought, Of course they forgave him. Of course they were nonviolent. That's what Christians do.
Christians in the Western world today who continue to maintain that self-giving, nonviolent love is the core of Jesus' gospel, the way he is King and the way his followers announce him as King, are a minority, albeit a growing one.
I've identified myself as a Pacifist for the better part of a decade now, and have participated in countless discussions and arguments on the merits of wholesale commitment to nonviolence.
If you've ever been a part of one of those discussions, you know the common objections frequently raised. They're good, tough questions.
Editors Tripp York and Justin Barringer bring together a diverse group of scholars, pastors and laypersons committed to the nonviolent Way of Jesus to consider those common and difficult questions, such as:
*What about protecting other innocent people? What would you do if someone were attacking your loved one?
*What about Hitler?
*What about all the war and violence in the Old Testament?
*What about when Jesus cleansed the Temple? And didn't Jesus say he came to bring not peace but a sword?
*What about Romans 13? What about the centurion? What about the sword-wielding, horse-riding Jesus of Revelation 19?
The authors never claim Pacifism is an easy position to hold, either intellectually or in practice. Instead, nearly every author openly and frankly shares their personal struggles with these questions. As the editors observe in the introduction,
"Nonviolence is not a stance that is to be limited to being against war, but rather nonviolence requires that every aspect of our lives be open to listening to those who differ from us."
This book follows that mandate, engaging good, honest questions with wisdom, insight, solid biblical interpretation and love. The authors want to spark conversation, to move us readers somewhere, and they wrote their essays accordingly.
The result? A clear, humble and grace-filled resource. Because it's so deeply personal and theological, A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is a treasure.
(If you're looking for a good introduction to Pacifism, the bibliography is full of them. I recommend Greg Boyd's excellent Myth of the Christian Nation or Walter Wink's Jesus and Nonviolence, or Stanley Hauerwas' classic The Peaceable Kingdom.)
As a whole, A Faith Not Worth Fighting For is tremendously good. While all the authors are pacifists, they come from a variety of traditions - everything from Catholic to Mennonite, so the tone of the book is unified, but far from uniform.
No matter if you've been a pacifist for years, newly exploring what it means to be nonviolent or a staunch just-war advocate, this book will challenge and inspire you.
If you just love violence though, skip this book. It'll just make you mad.
Bottom Line: A thorough resource for those serious about nonviolence and peacemaking in the Way of Jesus. Well worth your time.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like a good wine, better with time
I read this a few months ago, and at that time I may have given it only 4 stars. I am an avid reader of Hauerwas, Yoder, Camp, Wells and York's other works. Read more
Published 2 months ago by DP
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book worth Discussing
We used the book for a discussion group. As yet, we have not read the whole book, but G. Boyd's chapter on non-violence by Nations is a very good discussion item.
Published 2 months ago by Robert H. Appleby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Asked to review . . .
In the Duke University (Professor Stanley Hauerwas) Tradition of Christian Ethics this collection of essays poses many of the questions raised by critics of pacifism and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Prof. Robert J. King
5.0 out of 5 stars
a book well worth reading
This compilation of essays which tackle the hard questions and objections about Christian nonviolence has left me deeply challenged. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Leanne M. Zeck
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does The Resurrection Matter?
I love me some hyperbole.
Seriously. It's like the greatest thing ever in the history of mankind. Read more
Seriously. It's like the greatest thing ever in the history of mankind. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Zack Hunt
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Challenging, Must Read!
I found this book through a friend. I will tell you up front, this book is challenging. It covers questions I wish I didn't have to answer. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rev. Christopher Wylie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Christian Warfare: Peace-afist or Piece-a-fist
This little book covers all the crucial questions about this crucial subject of Christianity and violence. In short, is a Christian soldier a peace-afist or a piece-of-fist? Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mevashir
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Nonviolence Resource for the "What ifs"
Do you ever struggle with the "What ifs" of Christian nonviolence?
For those who are already aware of the theology of nonviolence, even if you disagree with it, I... Read more
For those who are already aware of the theology of nonviolence, even if you disagree with it, I... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kurt Willems
5.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging, Honest, and Charitable
Loved this book! So often it is easy to create a caricature of those who support violence, but that is not what is found in this book. Read more
Published 9 months ago by B. Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most challenging books I've ever read.
Before reading this book, I was not a pacifist. So you don't get distracted, I'm not saying I am one now or that I am not, just that before reading this book, I was not a pacifist. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Carl Jenkins
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