Inbox: Isn't the embrace of Christian Nonviolence a case of over-realized eschatology?

It can be among those who argue for it in universal terms, who insist on it for the nations this side of glory. Or to put it differently, they too are Transformationalists of a kind who believe the Kingdom is expressed in terms of worldly power, politics, and culture.

The Anabaptist Straw Man

https://adfontesjournal.com/andrew-koperski/christians-in-the-employ-of-the-pagan-empire/

In many ways the linked article simply repeats and rehashes many of the same old arguments used against those who argue for Kingdom ethics in the Early Church – and the narrative of their subsequent corruption. The line of reasoning followed by Koperski is in keeping with the arguments and the muddying of the waters tactics used by the likes of Peter Leithart.

Mendacity and Distortion: Another Mark Tooley Commentary

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-death-of-christian-pacifism.html

Tooley's powers of perception must immediately be questioned when he asserts that Neo-Anabaptist Christian Pacifism was so prevalent in 2015. The position has always been (since the fourth century) an almost inconsequential minority at best.

Inbox: What can the Uighurs do?

Given the magnitude of the Chinese clampdown in the Xinjiang region, the Uighur people face unimaginable pressure to abandon their culture and embrace a Han Chinese identity. Beijing's campaign will within a generation all but eliminate Uighur culture. While they are a Muslim population, from a Christian perspective the ethics of resistance are worth exploration. This is all the more true when we apply the same categories to the Church in the People's Republic and even (to some degree) the events taking place in Hong Kong.

As Christians, how can we analyse such situations and how would we respond in accord with the ethics of the New Testament?

Prouty at 100 and The Secret Team

http://progressivepilgrim.review/steal-this-book/

I enjoyed reading this and I had to chuckle about his comment regarding Prouty's 'The Secret Team'. It is almost unbearable in its detail. Tedious only begins to describe what it's like to wade through it as I did many years ago. It still sits on my shelf and I will upon occasion get it out while searching for something.

Spurgeon on the Unrighteousness of War

A great quote from Charles Spurgeon. Isn't it interesting how when Bible-based Christians are not wielding political power, as indeed Non-conformists in 19^th century Great Britain certainly were not, there is no zeal for empire, for conquest, for the 'glory' of the nation. Establishment Christianity whether formal or simply the result of a contrived theological narrative is a poison to the Christian soul. How quickly does it invert the ethics of the Christian Church!

Fidelity in the Face of Totalitarian Militarism

I'm sorry to admit it but the Jehovah's Witnesses conducted themselves marvelously under the Third Reich. There's a lot of material to be found on this but I was fairly impressed with the Wikipedia article's summary and narrative. In other words, it's a good place to start.

Prince of Peace, God of War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM6Po862pGA

I rather enjoyed this documentary which deals with Christian non-violence versus Just War Theory. It was slanted to be sure. That said, though I disagree with them, I was somewhat impressed with the thoughtfulness, hesitancy and restraint exhibited by some of the proponents of Just War.

A Rebuttal of False Claims Regarding Two Kingdom Theology and Non-violence in the Face of Tyranny

Since I am called 'ranter', I will indeed rant. Sometimes it's called for.

It is a complete and malicious falsehood that somehow the theology of non-violence, the application of the Sermon on the Mount to ethics, that the separatist form of Two Kingdom thinking means the Church just goes to sleep and allows the Hitler's of the world to rise up. I was accused of this again just the other day and I have to say I find this sort of accusation to be nothing less than astonishing. Nothing makes me feel like I'm living in some Orwellian distorted nightmare than for people to accuse me of being and allowing what they in fact are.

Sound Byte Theology and Distortions of Biblical Non-Violence

Listening to a Calvary Chapel affiliated radio show I was disappointed to hear the 'experts' proclaim that pacifist Christianity was basically the province of theological liberals. Bible-believing Christians it was argued would never embrace such a position. The host and guest were good Christian America advocates who believe being patriotic goes hand in hand with being a Biblical Christian.