In recent decades, the ideal of pacifism has gone from the margins to the mainstream, first among liberal Protestantism and more recently among evangelicals as well. Frustrated with the misguided militarism of the Christian Right, many young Christians have turned to the works of Stanley Hauerwas, and John Howard Yoder, seeking a more authentic way to walk in the way of Jesus.In this book, Andrew Fulford shows that these arguments, while well-intentioned, fail to take seriously the whole biblical witness and even the teaching of Jesus, and recommends that contemporary Christians troubled by the scourge of violence look instead to the magisterial Protestant just war tradition."In this concise little book, the author does more than merely refute the case for Christian pacifism. He also shows that special revelation coheres with general revelation and that natural law (which results from God's creative work) coheres with the Bible (which is inspired by the Creator). He deals extensively with the key biblical texts and shows the unity of Scripture, thus removing the need for the "canon-within-the-canon" approach that defenders of Christian pacifism are forced to adopt. This little work is highly recommended for anyone who is struggling with this issue." -Dr. Craig A. Carter, Professor of Theology, Tyndale University College, Toronto, Ontario

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.

This book is about decisions. Not the everyday kind such as "What should I wear today?" or "Where shall we eat tonight?" but decisions dealing with life, death, and protecting the innocent. The issue of self-defense concerns decisions of survival for the individual. It can also decide the fate of a nation and its citizens. Survival is the most basic of instincts. Without it, there is no family, community, culture, or state. Unless a person survives, he cannot pass down his genes, ideas, or beliefs. And religious beliefs can affect survival. If Christians are commanded to treat others as they want to be treated, would this not include protecting others from criminal attack? Jesus Christ may have had that in mind when he instructed his disciples to acquire a sword before entering the mission field, even if that meant trading their cloak for the weapon. A Time To Kill: The Myth of Christian Pacifism by Greg Hopkins includes chapters about preparation for self defense, laws that govern self defense, understanding how criminals think, recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), biblical appraisals of military and police, arguments on criminal punishment and retribution, and much more.

In Who Would Jesus Kill? War, Peace, and the Christian Tradition, Dr. Mark J. Allman asks a provocative, timely, and timeless question. Readable and thought-provoking, Who Would Jesus Kill? Provides an overview of approaches to war and peace within the Christian tradition. The author invites students to reflect on their own views as he examines in detail the topics of holy war, just war, and pacifism. An appendix further explores the issues of war and peace from Jewish and Muslim perspectives. -- Provided by publisher.

By a leading writer and thinker. How might Christians look on the world differently if they actually believed that God's love is indeed stronger than our fears? In fresh, confessional language, Roth shares his convictions about Christian pacifism, inviting others to consider this approach, all the while humbly admitting the difficulties. In the face of violence, are there any options open to the Christian believer other than the "default" impulse toward patriotic unity and a steely determination to exact "an eye for an eye"? A must-read for anyone concerned about the endless cycles of wars and violence, and the possibility that God's love is stronger than our society's current answers.

Provides a new understanding of the traditions of Christian pacifism in order to address wars in a warming world.

This book is a contribution to the Christian ethics of war and peace. It advances peacebuilding as a needed challenge to and expansion of the traditional framework of just-war theory and pacifism. It builds on a critical reading of historical landmarks from the Bible through Augustine, Aquinas, the Reformers, Christian peace movements, and key modern figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, and recent popes. Similar to just-war theory, peacebuilding is committed to social change and social justice but includes some theorists and practitioners who accept the use of force in extreme cases of self-defense or humanitarian intervention. Unlike just-war theorists, they do not see the justification of war as part of the Christian mission. Unlike traditional pacifists, they do see social change as necessary and possible and, as such, requiring Christian participation in public efforts. Cahill argues that transformative Christian social participation is demanded by the gospel and the example of Jesus, and can produce the avoidance, resolution, or reduction of conflicts. And yet obstacles are significant, and expectations must be realistic. Decisions to use armed force against injustice, even when they meet the criteria of just war, will be ambiguous and tragic from a Christian perspective. Regarding war and peace, the focus of Christian theology, ethics, and practice should not be on justifying war but on practical and hopeful interreligious peacebuilding.

More than ever, Walter Wink believes, the Christian tradition of nonviolence is needed as an alternative to the dominant and death-dealing "powers" of our consumerist culture and fractured world. In this small book Wink offers a precis of his whole thinking about this issue, including the relation of Jesus and his message to politics and nonviolence, the history of nonviolent efforts, and how nonviolence can win the day when others don't hesitate to resort to violence or terror to achieve their aims.

What does Jesus have to say about violence, just war, and killing? Does Jesus ever want his disciples to kill in order to resist evil and promote peace and justice? This book by noted theologian and bestselling author Ronald J. Sider provides a career capstone statement on biblical peacemaking. Sider makes a strong case for the view that Jesus calls his disciples to love, and never kill, their enemies. He explains that there are never only two options: to kill or to do nothing in the face of tyranny and brutality. There is always a third possibility: vigorous, nonviolent resistance. If we believe that Jesus is Lord, then we disobey him when we set aside what he taught about killing and ignore his command to love our enemies. This thorough, comprehensive treatment of a topic of perennial concern vigorously engages with the just war tradition and issues a challenge to all Christians, especially evangelicals, to engage in biblical peacemaking. The book includes a foreword by Stanley Hauerwas.