Volumes 10 and 11 of Studies in Reformed Theology consist of the texts written for the fifth international conference of the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), which was dedicated to the theme, 'Christian Faith and Violence'. Specific theological questions were at the core of the discussions, e.g. what does violence imply for the doctrine of God? How to deal with biblical stories and commands that often contain an overwhelmingly violent character? What about applying christian ethics in situations of violence that we are exposed to? What is our calling in situations of oppression and a longing for liberation and justice?

In Faith and Violence, Thomas Merton offers concrete and pungent social criticisms grounded in prophetic faith about such issues as Vietnam, racism, violence, and war.

How can we make sense of violence in the Bible? Joshua commands the people of Israel to wipe out everyone in the promised land of Canaan, while Jesus commands God’s people to love their enemies. How are we to interpret biblical passages on violence when it is sanctioned at one point and condemned at another? The Violence of the Biblical God by L. Daniel Hawk presents a new framework, solidly rooted in the authority of Scripture, for understanding the paradox of God’s participation in violence. Hawk shows how the historical narrative of the Bible offers multiple canonical pictures for faithful Christian engagement with the violent systems of the world.

Volumes 10 and 11 of Studies in Reformed Theology consist of the texts written for the fifth international conference of the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), which was dedicated to the theme, 'Christian Faith and Violence'. Specific theological questions were at the core of the discussions, e.g. what does violence imply for the doctrine of God? How to deal with biblical stories and commands that often contain an overwhelmingly violent character? What about applying christian ethics in situations of violence that we are exposed to? What is our calling in situations of oppression and a longing for liberation and justice?

A powerful essay on the major concerns and questions regarding violence and theology.

Though many people believe that humanity is doomed to be mired in violence, Kaufman argues that the Judeo-Christian offers a path toward peaceful, harmonious coexistence among humans and between humans and the rest of creation, including animals. The book first analyzes the sources of human violence and scapegoating and then compares insights from the social sciences (particularly the works of Ernest Becker and Ren Girard) to the biblical accounts. In pursuit of self-esteem, humans often find themselves in conflict with each other, which results in crises that threaten to tear communities apart. The solution to these conflicts is to blame one or more scapegoats. But such scapegoating is unjust, and it is only a temporary solution to a recurrent human problem. Further, other crises, such as epidemics, droughts, and natural disasters, and military defeats, encourage scapegoating.Kaufman argues that for Christians the antidote to scapegoating involves adopting the faith of Christ. Despite institutional Christianity 's often tragic history of violence, Kaufman asserts that the Bible supports the notion that God is loving, compassionate, and merciful. Jesus encouraged communities to be bound not by their contempt for scapegoats but by their common bond as beloved children of God.In the final chapter, Kaufman applies the book 's principles to modern social issues, with often surprising results. In particular, Kaufman shows how the rise of humanism has encouraged humans to scapegoat animals rather than other humans. This is not only morally wrong; Kaufman shows that countenancing the victimization of any vulnerable individuals actually puts everyone at risk. If a crisis occurs after scapegoating animals, humans invariably become the next victims, and greater crises lead to a greater number of victims.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.