The Tragedy of the Seven Samurai
All artistic masterpieces have something in common, according to René Girard. Akira Kurosawa’s movie Seven Samurai, better known to western …
Tag: war
“War is the health of the state,” says Randolph Bourne.
Christians should be against war in all but the rarest of circumstances (even then we should double-check!).
“War is the health of the state,” says Randolph Bourne.
Christians should be against war in all but the rarest of circumstances (even then we should double-check!).
Just War? Christian Leaders Must Avoid Becoming Court Prophets
Disappointingly (but not surprisingly), a prominent evangelical leader has once again provided alleged moral justification for war in the Middle …
Monday Morning Matrix Meme: Wars and Rulers
People generally don’t want war. In fact, the natural resistance of human beings to kill one other is so …
Monday Morning Matrix Meme: Banks and War
One of the most popular myths in any society is that wars are necessary and meaningful. It is assumed that …
The Idol of National Security
Exodus 1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to …
How to start learning about Christian libertarianism
I recently met with a candidate for public office in Texas who had a number of questions about how to …
What You Should Really Know About the Libyan Slave Trade
Christians Serious About Justice Cannot Pretend History Began Yesterday Readers of The Gospel Coalition could hardly be blamed for thinking …
Desiderius Erasmus: The Forgotten Christian Libertarian
2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in …
Lying Mattis
“I’m the secretary of defense. We defend the country.” ~ Secretary of Defense James Mattis Secretary of Defense James “Mad …
How the Government “Works” – A Visual Model
How does the government actually “work?” In conversations about economics or politics, it is only a matter of time before …
Patriotic Services
For the past two weeks, the sign in front of a church near my house has advertised a “patriotic service” …
Twelve False Assumptions Behind Mainstream Politics
1. That the world’s problems can be solved by passing more laws. The more rules there are, the less freedom …
Would Jesus Celebrate Memorial Day?
Memorial Day, as we all know, is not just the official beginning of the summer vacation season. It is a …
The Saud Squad
Holding an anti-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia is so absurd that it defies comprehension. Everyone who knows most anything about …
Mr. Trump Gets Neoconned
It didn’t take long. With the recent bombing of Syria on the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War …
Dying Senselessly: Saying What Needs to Be Said About the Military
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Dying …
The Conservative Christian Lie about Obama and the Military
That the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama was an “obomination” there is no question. During his presidency I wrote of …
Religious Superstition in the Age of Christianity
Religious superstition characterized the Greco-Roman culture of the first-century. Here is but one snapshot of home life: In addition to …
Drop the Scapegoat! The Pragmatic Case for Christian Nonviolence
Our culture is engaged in a cinematic Mexican standoff, but the weapons we point at each other are real only …
The West’s Deadly Speech Pathology
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Go to any …
Old Testament Christians
There is, of course, no such thing as an Old Testament Christian, since the disciples of Jesus Christ were “called …
The Moral Bankruptcy of Just War Theory
Review of Robert Emmet Meagher, Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War (Cascade Books, 2014), xxi + 161 pgs, …
Pro-Life At Home But Not Abroad
Christians Need To Broaden Their Pro-Life Horizons Conventional wisdom says that a Republican candidate for President will almost certainly not …
Paris and What Should Be Done
The horrific attacks in Paris on Friday have, predictably, led to much over-reaction and demands that we do more of …
Joseph Judson Taylor, Man of Peace
Since the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, two words that have rarely been seen together are “Baptist” and “pacifist.” We have instead been subject to things like high-profile Baptist leader Jerry Falwell writing a defense of the Iraq war titled “God Is Pro-War” …
The Israel of God and American Foreign Policy
I want to address something that concerns me much more than momentary arguments over foreign policy. I would like to address Christians, specifically from the Bible, on two separate, but inter-connected questions. The first question I would like to attempt to answer is whether or not the current nation state known as Israel today is “the Israel of God”. In other words, is the current geographic nation-state that was established in the early 1950’s the same entity as the Biblical Israel?
25 Reasons I Could Never Be Elected
Today, being the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, is election day. Aside from the fact that I don’t …
Interview with Brian Zahnd
Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor at Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the …
A Farewell to Mars
I cannot overstate my excitement to promote Brian Zahnd’s latest book, A Farewell to Mars. I am passionate about the message …
Kevin Vallier on Christian Pacifism and Libertarianism
I have often wondered why my liberal or progressive Christian friends who are also pacifists give nearly zero credibility to libertarianism, even though …