Book Notes - Nonviolence, the Revolutionary Way of Jesus

📘 Books 📘 Christian Nonviolence

Here are my book notes from reading "Nonviolence, the Revolutionary Way of Jesus" by Preston Sprinkle.

Ch. 1 - Overview

• 1970's to today - Evangelicals see national militarism as the key to religious freedom and peace in the world.
  • Hal Lindsey: Moral demise of America is the "crisis of military weakness"
  • Jerry Falwell called America back to Biblical valuse, including patriotism and a strong military against communist expansion
  • etc
• There is a cultural evangelical association of nonviolence with weakness and liberalism
• "Pacifism" can be a vague term and has associations with many different groups. Answer "Are you a pacifist?" with "What do you mean by that?"
  • "Nonviolence" is a better term, less loaded.
• This book will cover physical violence, not verbal / psychological
• It is important to study scripture before asking the tough questions about violence / nonviolence. Ground the answers to these tough questions in scriptural knowledge.

Ch. 2 - OT #1 - Genesis & Law

• God's original intention for humanity is shalom, not violence. The OT moves humanity toward this goal.
• Cain & Abel: God responds not by killing Cain, but marking him so nobody will take vengeance on him.
• Genesis 6 - God is specifically concerned w/ violence before the flood.
• The early chapters of Genesis celebrate peace and condemn violence.
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demonstrate nonviolent solutions to conflict.
  • Violence, like in Genesis 34, is condemned (Genesis 49 v5-7)
• Possible exceptions:
  • Gen 9:6 - Death penalty. This seems clear, but is it actually a command? Does it refer to God's action, Remember it is condemning murder anyway. God will later institute the death penalty and it is discussed later in this book.
  • Gen 14 - Abram's militia. The story is relayed without commentary. Melchizedek?
  • OT law does include violent punishment, but most laws allow fines instead.
  • Genocidal conquest of Canaan
    • God's relationship with Israel was different than his relationship with the church. He can work in different ways through a nation state. However this should not be overstated.
    • The OT law is not always God's ideal. Instead it accomodates to and improves on the ethics of surrounding nations.

Ch. 3 - OT #2 - Israel's warfare

• OT law may have sanctioned warfare and violence at times, but this doesn't mean this is God's ideal, or that it's meant to apply to all time.
• God never sanctions militarism even when allowing warfare.
• Israel was structured non-hierarchically and egalitarian according to law.
  • Israel's economic system under God's law does not allow an economy that could support a standing army.
  • Deuteronomy 20 - describes Israel's army system. Note differences from other nations:
    • God determines victory
    • Offer peace first
    • Volunteer army with many exemptions
    • Do not kill non-combatants
    • Israel is not to tke the enemy's horses & chariots (weapons and tools on which to build their own army)
• God is to fight (red sea, etc)
• Israel is not sanctioned to fight whenever they choose.
• When God fight's it's accompanied by sadness or a grace period.
• OT law doesn't glorify violence, particularly in context of other societies.
• Should America emulate this and demilitarize to the standards laid out for ancient Israel in God's law?
  • Well, the USA is not God's chosen nation. We operate as a kingdom of the world, and these nations do as they will.
  • But, Christians shouldn't support America's unbridled militarism. Scripture doesn't support it.

Ch. 4 - OT #3 - Israel's war against Canaan

• Canaanites were a particularly wicked people, living in the specific area God chose.
• The Canaanite conquest was not genocide. God's judgement - not a racially motivated ethnic cleansing.
• God gave the Canaanites a grace period to repent, and some did - Gibeonites, Rahab, etc.
• "Total annihilation" was only carried against certain cities (which were generally military outposts)
• Some passages suggest total annihilation, and others do not.
  • Perhaps hyperbole, which was common in the ancient world
  • Possibly God's command in Deuteronomy 20 could be interpreted as hyperbolic as it uses simliar language.
• Overall, the OT usually describes what happened without a value judgement. We should not misapply Joshua to our lives. This is not justification for Christians in America to wage violence against others.

Ch. 5 - OT #4 - Judges & Prophets

• Judges describes the "Canaanization" of Israel
• The book of Judges celebrates military weakness.
  • "is" vs "ought" - what is, vs. what ought to be. Judges contains accounts of things that happened without endorsing them.
  • Violent activities mirror other nations rather than God's ideal.
    • Example: Gideon clearly turned away from what God intended
• 1 Samuel 8 - Israel demands a king specifically "to be like other nations", which is exactly the opposite of the point of God's law. Israel's descent into secular militarism has hit rock bottom here.
  • A king isn't necessarily bad, but it's the desire to be like other nations that is the problem.
• David's slip toward militarism is more subtle than Saul's.
  • Power breeds violence. David's later wars are not sanctioned by God.
  • The census was specifically a military census.
• Prophets: They never say "You can have a strong military as long as you trust in God"
  • Isaiah is particularly critical of military power.
  • Isaiah's ministry marks the beginning of a shift in perspective:
    • Israel began with a small degree of divinely sanctioned warfare, but
    • After Joshua, Israel became a warmongering nation like those surrounding it
    • By Isaiah's day, Israel is trusting in alliances and their own military strength for defense.
    • So - God moves away from all militarism
      • Isaiah 2 v4, Isaiah 9 v6-7, Isaiah 11 v6,9, Isaiah 42 v2-3 (nonviolent fight for justice)

Ch. 6 - NT #1 - Gospels

• Jesus enters a world submerged in violence.
  • Note in particular, the Maccabbean revolt and subsequent Jewish rulers influenced the Jewish expectations of a Messiah. They expected him to seek freedom for the Jews through bloodshed.
• Jesus' central message: The Kingdom of God
  • Kingdom is: God's reign over Israel through the Messiah
  • Demilitarized Deuteronomy 17
  • Jesus' kingdom is explicitly nonviolent John 18 v36
  • Enemies ore loved and offenders are forgiven
  • In Matthew 11 John the Baptist asks if Jesus is Messiah. Jesus uses kingdom language to answer and to draw contrast with kingdoms of the world.
• Jesus often tells his followers not to call him Messiah because of the militarized implications that term had in the day. See Mark 8 v27-38, specifically v31 emphasizing Jesus as a suffering servant.
• The Kingdom of God is shaped by servitude and suffering, not human power and violence.
  • Through nonviolence the power of God rather than the power of humans is showcased.
• We are called to be different. Something is wrong if we cannot be distinguished from worldly kingdoms.

Ch. 7 - NT #2 - Sermon on the Mount & Teachings

• Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5 - 7
• Here's what the kingdom of God is:
  • Desire leading to murder is prohibited
  • Don't use violence to resist evil...
    • ... in physical attack
    • ... legal attack
    • ... political oppression by a foreign army
    • ... financial situations
• The Sermon applies to Christians in all areas of life, including serving in secular governments. That is, Christians should not go to war in service to a worldly government.
• Love your Enemy - Who is the enemy? This is a broad understanding of enemy: religious, political, personal.
  • Good Samaritan - Who would be the good samaritan today? Drug dealers, the terrorists - the embodiment of the one you'd like to destroy.
    • Note that just before this parable, James and John asked Jesus to call down fire on a Samaritan village Luke 9 v51-56
• Jesus' nonviolent journey to the cross is a pattern for us to imitate:
  • Matthew 16 v24, John 13 v15, Mark 10 v44, Luke 9:51-56, Mark 13 v9-13, Matthew 26 v52
  • 1 Peter 2 v21-23 - Peter specifically says we must follow Jesus' example in this
• Love our enemies because it's right.
  • Faithfulness rather than effectiveness is our motivation
    • Nonviolent resistance often is effective but our motivation is primarily to be faithful.

Ch. 8 - NT #3 - Acts & Epistles

• Phillipians discusses that we are citizens of heaven first. This city was granted Roman citizenship, so this is a big deal to these people. Paul tells them to be good citizens of the Kingdom of God - and not Rome is implied. Paul is drawing a clear line - steering their patriotism away from Rome and toward Jesus.
• Acts 17 was understood as a critique of Nero
  • Jesus is Lord and Savior - thus Nero is not!
• NT language about Savior, Lord, peace, etc. is all commandeering language used by Rome.
• The NT emphasizes over & over that our primary citizenship is the Kingdom of God. That's different than any worldly kingdom.
• There's no need to return evil for evil. God will judge and vindicate us.
• WWJD is rarely echoed by NT writers - except in the area of violence!
• Let's address Romans 13 -
  • Does not address warfare against foreign nations - just government actions toward its own citizens in the area of policing, etc.
  • "Submit" is not "obey". Don't revolt, pay your taxes, and work for the good of your country, but do not blindly obey every order you get.
  • Romans 13 reflects the OT truth about God working through secular governments (Cyrus, etc)

Ch. 9 - NT #4 - Revelation

• "Babylon" symbolizes empires past, present, and future. This includes Rome, crusade states, etc.
• Rev emphasizes the Kingdom of God vs worldly kingdoms.
• Jesus' authority to judge (Revelation 19) is attained by first being conqured by enemies (Rev 1-18)
• Christians "conquer" when they are killed. Revelation 12 v11. See "conquer" in Rev 1-3.
• When Rev mentions "blood", it's always the blood fo the saints, even the grape part.
• Revelation 19 the blood is Christ's own. Yes he has a sword, but it's in his mouth, symbolizing his words.
• Nowhere in Revelation are Christians called or allowed to be violent.

Ch. 10 - The Early Church

• The early church lived in a violent context but did not use violence themselves.
• The early church didn't get all their beliefs right. They worked hard on doctrines that are passed on to us today, such as the Trinity, biblical canon, nature of Christ. On violence, we should note that they had diverse and widespread agreement. That is why we can look to them as an example.
• Did the early church believe killing was ever OK? No.
  • Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian
  • Athenagoras: Witnessing someone killed (e.g., public execution) is prohibited, even if it is "just" capital punishment.
  • Lactantius: All types of killing are prohibited, not just murder.
  • The early church emphasized loving your enemy as an alternative.
• Did the early church believe Christians in military was OK?
  • Cannot kill
  • Believers are never encouraged to join the military. Some writers prohibited it.
    • Why? Idolatry. Roman military was tied to religion.
    • Why? Killing is wrong. Origen: Even in a just war
      • Origen: Christians can fight through prayer and nonviolent resistance in a just war. Acts of piety and prayer are stronger than the sword.
  • The state can punish it's enemies, but Christians cannot (Romans 12 vs 13)
  • Some Christians were in the miltary, and some soldiers were saved.

Ch. 11 - Questions #1

• Home Invader - kill him before he kills your family?
  • How do you KNOW he'll try to kill your family? Are you SURE God won't intervene? Will you actually succeed in killing him or even trying?
  • Success isn't the highest goal. Faithfulness over effectiveness.
  • Love the attacker. Resist nonviolently: Verbal, spiritual, sacrificial, physical. But not lethal violence.
  • In an extreme situation, lethal force could be necessary but is still wrong.
• Assassinate Hitler? Nonviolent resistance WAS effective against Hitler and did not cost lives.
  • People who saved Jews, etc.
  • Violence is NOT the only way to fight extreme evil.
• Standing military OK? God does not hold worldly governments to the standard to which he holds his church.
  • Jesus does not need a military to rule the world
  • The church should influence governments for good.

Ch. 12 - Questions #2

• Violent Jesus?
  • Cleansing the temple: Jesus does not appear to use whip on people (translation: "with")
  • Buying swords: 2 is enough, Jesus undoes the violence done with the sword.
    • Jesus asked disciples to pick up a sword "so he would be numbered with transgressors" essentially to fulfill a prophecy that the Romans would have this excuse to execute him.
• OT prophecy of violent Messiah?
  • Psalm 2, Isaiah 11, Psalm 110
  • Messiah conquers evil in the 1st coming, judges enemies in teh second.
  • Psalm 110 v1 - the NT often refers to this verse in context of spiritual enemies
• Capital punishment in the bible?
  • God seems to allow it
  • Rom 12-13 - Christians should neither celebrate nor condemn the state's use of the sword
  • Jesus served the death penalty for us. We should not clamour for it for others.
• Christians serve in military?
  • Jesus commanded us not to kill.
  • Maybe as noncombatants OK.
  • Cannot find any biblical support for Christians serving as combatants.
• Kill in self defense?
  • No clear allowance in NT
  • Physical force doesn't always have to be violent. Body-checking or restraining a person can be fine.
• Christians being police officers?
  • Pacifists disagree on this.
  • If a vocation demands sin, we must follow Jesus, not the vocation