Jesus the Pacifist: A New Book to Inspire

While we are all doing our part to flatten the curve by staying home as much as possible, this is a great time to pick up a new book stimulate your mind. This new book by Matthew Curtis Fleischer is a great option, diving into specifics about Jesus’s life on earth to unravel conflicting messages about violence in the bible.

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.

“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