The Gospel of Peace in a Violent World: Christian Nonviolence for Communal Flourishing

Married couple Shawn, a philosophy professor at the University of Findlay, and Marlena Graves, a professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, assemble an uneven collection of essays in which Christian scholars weigh in on creating “a blueprint for nonviolently navigating this world.” Pastor Gregory Boyd, for example, argues that John’s imagery in the Book of Revelation subverts the notion of holy war, exemplified in the description of Jesus as a slain lamb whose power comes from his “humbly offering himself up to be sacrificed.” Mennonite theologian Ted Grimsrud tackles the moral complexity of pacifism by challenging the view that WWII was a “good war,” pointing out the civilian casualties inflicted by the U.S. The essays come up short in offering a coherent vision for what contemporary nonviolence should look like, with several of the authors converging on the guiding principle of shalom (“a very broad understanding of peace”) while failing to fully articulate its meaning and implications (“One could easily get lost in the awe-inspiring vision of shalom while the death-dealing realities of white supremacy continue to pattern our current society,” one author aptly notes). The contributors have a lot to say, but not much of it is something readers won’t have heard before. (Aug.)