Does the Bible Teach Pacifism for Christians?

A growing number of Christians are becoming increasingly weary by the neverending war, and are becoming less enthralled by the arguments to start, fund, or engage in any new wars. Whether from practical or principled considerations, anti-war sentiment in America is growing, and the libertarian movement has been there to fan the flame.
At the same time, Christians disagree with whether or not there is an absolute restriction on violence of all types and in all circumstances. Libertarianism has a provision for defense against aggression, but perhaps God holds Christians to a higher standard than what we can advocate legally. Those of us who affirm a strong doctrine of biblical authority must wrestle with what the Scriptures teach. And for that, we’ve got two really solid thinkers on this topic, Cody Cook and Jacob Winograd.

About the Debaters

Cody Cook is an author and podcaster at LCI and his own site, cantus-firmus.com. He has written books about atonement theory, apologetics, and the intersection of biblical demonology and political philosophy. He is about to finalize an online class on the Sermon on the Mount, so if you’re interested in previewing the class, reach out to Cody at cody@libertarianchristians.com
Jacob Winograd is host of the Biblical Anarchy Podcast, where he explores the implications for Christians to serve only God’s Kingdom. He has been involved in various positions within the Mises Caucus, and is co-founder of the new Christian caucus in the Libertarian Party.