Jesus the Pacifist: A Concise Guide to His Radical Nonviolence($13.99Value)

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Have you ever struggled to reconcile Jesus’s commands to not resist evil, turn the other cheek, and love your enemies with his use of a whip to clear the temple, his praise for the Roman centurion, his command to the disciples to buy swords, and his frequent warnings of violent judgment, not to mention Revelation’s prophecy that he will eventually return to kill God’s enemies with a sword? In this tightly packed volume, Fleischer provides a systematic, biblically based, and comprehensive overview of Jesus’s relationship with violence, one that may forever change how you view his ministry and your calling. “Easy-to-read and compellingly argued … masterfully demonstrated … a treasure trove of insights …” – Greg Boyd (from the Foreword) "Fleischer makes a compelling case: Nonviolent peacemaking is the indisputable way of Jesus. The core of the gospel. The very heart of God. Jesus the Pacifist dispels any doubt about these truths." - Donald B. Kraybill, author of The Upside-Down Kingdom "Walter Wink once said that non-violence is at 'the essence of the gospel,' such that Jesus followers 'should not be called pacifists, but simply Christians.' Matthew Curtis Fleischer knows this, and herein he systematically, cogently, and pointedly makes just such a case. It is a welcome and well-researched volume, and I hope many people grapple with, argue about, and are convinced by Fleischer's contentions." - Lee C. Camp, author of Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians and host of Tokens Show (TokensShow.com) "Whether or not Jesus taught nonviolence is a matter of life or death. When the Church fails to take the peace teaching of Jesus seriously, it easily becomes a dark parody of itself, and our witness for the kingdom is weakened. Thank you Matthew Curtis Fleischer for clearing away the excuses and confusion that surround this important and urgent conversation." - Bruxy Cavey, Teaching Pastor at The Meeting House, and author of The End of Religion and (re)union: the Good News of Jesus for Sinners, Saints, and Seekers "Fleischer offers a highly readable argument for why Jesus taught nonviolence. Along the way, he addresses New Testament texts that might suggest otherwise, including the bloody texts of Revelation. This accessible explanation of Jesus's nonviolent love is just what we need to discern what it means to follow Jesus!" - Thomas Jay Oord, author of The Uncontrolling Love of God and God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils "Fleischer deftly exposes the most common prooftexts against pacifism - from Jesus's temple tantrum and centurion endorsement to his blood-saturated victory in Revelation - as flatly contradicting a contextual reading of each passage. Anyone with a strong commitment to Scripture and sincere reservations about Jesus's own commitment to nonviolence should read this book before coming to conclusions." - John C. Nugent, Professor of Bible and Theology, author of Endangered Gospel and The Politics of Yahweh , and co-host of the After Class Podcast "With commendable dialectical skill and a sensitivity to the nuances (and authority) of Scripture, Fleischer makes perhaps the most compelling case possible for taking the words of Jesus on this matter literally." - Gerard Casey, Professor Emeritus, University College Dublin