Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Preston Sprinkle is a New York Times bestselling coauthor, he also has a PhD in New Testament from Aberdeen University and currently teaches at Eternity Bible College, and will be moving to Boise, Idaho with his family to help EBC establish a new campus there.
You can find Preston online at PrestonSprinkle.com.
affiliate link
Preston joins me to talk about his latest book Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence
On the show we talk about…
-how the early church felt about war.
-what Jesus said about violence.
-some myths about violence in the Old Testament.
-some common objections from Christians about nonviolence.
Remember to take the Seminary Dropout Survey if you haven’t already.
Also remember that if you want to hear Michael Gungor on Seminary Dropout, then go tell him on twitter by tweeting ‘Hey @michaelgungor I’d love to hear you on #SeminaryDropout with @beardonabike.’ If you don’t have twitter you could go to the Gungor facebook page and say the same thing (dropping the twitter handles).
Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes
Remember you can support Seminary Dropout by clicking the “Support” tab above.
I`m not sure whether the interview addressed this issue and having not read the book (yet), I would be curious to know, what is the New Testament`s stand on the tension between Christians living in a secular world, under a secular government that condones and practices military action? Romans 13 was mentioned, but I don`t think the issue was clearly addressed in the interview. The New Testament doesn`t teach (as far as I am aware) that as Christians we should build a Theocracy. Therefore, the Church exists within nations that do practice war, even if it is a last resort. Shane you mentioned the tension between pacifists reaping some of the benefits of living in a country that has been economically enriched by its military, which I think touches upon my question, although I think we can be consistent as Christians regarding nonviolence and still live “in the world”.
Secondly, the latter part of the interview dealt with the hypothetical scenarios of defending one`s family against a violent intruder. The point was made that Jesus never condones Christians defending the innocent with force or violence and the hope of the resurrection, however, if we are looking at Jesus` nonviolent example then where does the author stand on self-sacrifice? The interview made it sound as if Christians are just to remain passive and allow our family or friends to be violently assaulted in the case of the hypothetical example above, all in the hope of the resurrection. But what about proactive self-sacrifice of “taking the bullet” or intervening not to kill an intruder in self-defense but to prevent that intruder from killing or harming the intended target by taking the suffering ourselves? After all isn`t that Jesus` example on the cross? Does the book deal with this kind of Christian response to violence?
@Guest You’d have to ask Preston to be sure obviously, but I believe he is pro-self-sacrifice.