Review by Peter Ediger

Jesus and Nonviolence
A Third Way
by Walter Wink

In this small 100 page book, Walter Wink, a prophetic voice in the contemporary spiritual wilderness, makes a compelling case for seeing nonviolence as central in the mission of Jesus. In so doing, he offers helpful fresh understandings of some of Jesus’ sayings, such as “turn the other cheek” and “resist not evil”. He sees Jesus as abhorring both passivity and violence as responses to evil. Jesus offers a third way which includes seizing the moral initiative, finding creative alternatives to violence, and being willing to suffer rather than to retaliate. Wink cites historical and contemporary cases where this third way has changed the dynamics in critical situations.

As one who has wrestled for decades with questions of the relevance of Jesus’ life and teachings to politics, war and injustice, I have found much help in Wink’s writings. This brief work is an appetizer for some of his other books critiquing the domination systems which are challenged by the way of Jesus.

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