Violence in the Canon

MVNT 329-346

1. The uniform testimony of the Gospels: Jesus rejected the use of force and violence.

John 6:15 - crowd wants to make Jesus king by force
Luke 9:51-56 - disciples want to call down divine judgment upon the Samaritans
Mark 13:9-13; John 15:18--16:4 - Jesus foretells the suffering of his disciples
Matt 26:52-53 - Jesus calls a disciple to put away his sword, and refuses to summon legions of angels

2. The counsel of Paul & Peter: the church is called to reject vengeance and submit to authorities.

3. Do counter-examples legitimize the Christian use of force/violence?

"I came to bring a sword": Matt 10:34 (cf. Luke 12:51)
"buy a sword": Luke 22:36 (cf. vv.49-51)
temple demonstration: Mark 11:15-19 (& parr. Matt 21; Luke 19; cf. Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11)
commendation/non-repudiation of soldiers: Luke 3:14-15; Matt 8:5-13 & Luke 7:1-10; Mark 15:39; Acts 10:1-11:18
Old Testament narrative: Deut 20:10-18; Josh 6:15-21; 1 Sam 15:1-35
- why did God command the Israelites to destroy human life?
  - because they refused to sign a peace treaty (Dt 20:10-12)
  - because they would teach Israel idolatry (Dt 20:17-18)
  - because God was punishing the nations for previous sins (1 Sam 15:2; Gen 15:16; Lev 18:24-30)
- should such commands be used to justify the church's role in enforcing theological orthodoxy? political stability?
- does the moral vision of the New Testament trump (replace, cancel, outweigh, overturn) OT examples of divinely sanctioned violence? Might God ever summon the church to treat its enemies in a similar way?

4. Discussion Points.

Fighting Christians: if the church is called as a community to witness to God's inaugurated kingdom by eschewing violence and promoting reconciliation, even when that entails suffering, should individual Christians ever take up arms (e.g., in the military; in self-defense; against an expanding and intrusive government bureaucracy)?
Ruling Christians: should Christians "relinquish positions of power and influence insofar as the exercise of such positions becomes incompatible with the teaching and example of Jesus" (342)? E.g., can a faithful disciple of Christ also be U.S. president? the head of the CIA?)
Disenfranchised Christians: might the church have a greater impact on the world "if it were less concerned about appearing reasonable in the eyes of the world and more concerned about faithfully embodying the New Testament's teaching against violence" (343)?