Customer Reviews

Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)

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We have all been fooled! That was the feeling I had when I put down Jesus and Nonviolence. Jesus is not the weak, nonpolitical, do not rock the boat-kind of guy that they talk about in church. The Bible researcher Walter Wink shows with clarity how Jesus both gave examples and himself acted very politically to change the society he was living in. He challenged the rules and the laws of his day's powers. He acted powerfully against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and he questioned the unlawful occupation of his land. There were others that did this before him. The difference was that they used violence to protest against the occupation. Jesus acted with loving nonviolence. He challenged the injustices but always with respect for the other. Wink goes on to show us that the ideas and methods of nonviolence are very alive also today, actually more than any time before. Only in 1989-90 there were fourteen nations that underwent nonviolent revolutions, all of them successful except China. In this thin book Wink has given me a whole new view of Christianity, has strengthened my belief in nonviolence and has given me hope for a nonviolent future. Quite an accomplishment for a 117-pages book!

I carry a copy of this little book with me wherever I go, and I've reread it many times with great enjoyment. This is an essential introduction to the nonviolent way of Jesus for all Christians, including great commentary on relevant biblical passages and invaluable guidance for respecting the dignity of one's "opponents." It makes a super gift.

The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy is to make him your friend.

If you are considering or committed to the way of nonviolence and searching for firm footing in the actual practice of peace and reconciliation, read this book. As always, Wink is challenging, creative, convincing, and compelling. The many stories he tells to illustrate his points are quite interesting and practical.
This is vintage Wink at his best. I will refer to this little book often. It would be a steal at twice the price.

Walter Wink here gives a fine overview and simplification of his thinking on the topic of nonviolence as presented in his various scholarly studies of the New Testament topics of the principalities and powers and the Son of Man. It gives new life to turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and love of enemies. It is especially appropriate for classes and small groups of laypeople who have only an elementary background in biblical studies.
For heartier fare on this issue that is at the heart of Christian faith and life one may turn to Wink's trilogy on The Powers. For comparable or related works I highly recommend John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus and William T. Cavanaugh, Torture and the Eucharist. One lack in this little monograph is that Wink doesn't mention the work of René Girard on desire and violence, although he has taken note of it in The Powers.

This is a small book that you can carry with you as a reminder in your hectic life.This introduction to a non-violent Jesus will empower you to make changes in your life.It has many biblical passages that teach you to respect the dignity of people who disagree with your beliefs. The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy is to make him your friend.

This book was first introduced to me through a Wilmington College (Ohio) class on Quakerism and the Peace Testimony. It affirmed my beliefs that we have no right to kill other people, no matter what. Jesus was a radical, and understanding the context of his teachings help to make them clearer to our culture today. As a Christian (and now following the Quaker testimonies), I don't understand how someone who believes Jesus is Christ can kill another human being, when he states that we are to "love (respect) our enemies." This little book shows how nonviolent revolutions solve political problems in the long run, much more often than violent ones do, yet people still believe that nonviolence in passive and cowardly. This is a book that every Christian should read.

Wink's thoughtful and contextual interpretation of Jesus's famous "turn the other cheek" speech is informative and provides a guide for resolving conflict that is applicable on any scale.

Wink goes into the details of how (and sometimes why) certain passages in the Bible were mistranslated, and then goes into more detail about the most likely meaning of important passages in which Jesus describes the principles of non-violence. Well written, succinct, and carries important messages.

This book is AMAZING I read it while I was attending seminary, and then after I graduated, I bought it because of its impact on my life. Walter Wink is a polished writer. His skills for taking a complicated issue and explaining it in a very simple way are on display in this work.

The topic of non-violence is one in which we should as pastors continue to wrestle. It is a topic that many in our churches and parishes reject, but still need in their hearts to work through. Wink presents a sound, logical, & Biblical argument for the Christian to follow this way of life.

I highly recommend that you buy this book and read it over and over and over.

This short book is a very good introduction to Analytic/Historic Christianity, that movement which considers the life of first-century, Roman-dominated faithfuls, their language and its often-flawed translation[s]. In other works Wink may seem obscure, but not here. His language is precise, his ideas very clear, his logic as compelling as always; it is just enough. This book is a very good investment.