War, Peace, and Violence: Four Christian Views

by Paul Copan (Editor)

In a world of war, terrorism, and other geopolitical threats to global stability, how should committed Christians honor Jesus Christ and his Word? How should Christians think and act when it comes to church-state relations, the preservation of order, the practice of just peacemaking, and the use of coercive force? In this volume in IVP Academic's Spectrum series, four contributors―experts in Christian ethics, political philosophy, and international affairs―offer the best of current Christian thinking on issues of war and peace. They present four distinct Each contributor makes a case for his own view and responds to the others, highlighting complexities and real-world implications of the various perspectives. Edited and with an introduction and conclusion by the philosopher Paul Copan, this book provides a helpful orientation to the key positions today. Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Politics

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2022

About the author

Paul Copan is a Christian theologian, analytic philosopher, apologist, and author. He is currently a professor at the Palm Beach Atlantic University and holds the endowed Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics.

From 1980-1984, he attended Columbia International University and earned a B.A. degree in biblical studies. Copan attended Trinity International University, where he received his M.A. in philosophy of religion, as well as his M.Div. at Trinity International. Copan received the Prof. C.B. Bjuge Award for a thesis that “evidences creative scholarship in the field of Biblical and Systematic Theology.”

In May 2000, Copan received his Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His dissertation topic was "The Moral Dimensions of Michael Martin’s Atheology: A Critical Assessment."

Reviews

[piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

honors bible credit🫠

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the topic of this book is narrowly tailored to issues surrounding the conduct of war and statecraft related to war, the implications of the discussion get to the heart of issues that are important for any Christian who thinks seriously about the relationship between politics and theology. I say this because one of the most basic truths about the state--which all four positions represented in this volume recognize--is that the power of the state is predicated on either the use or the threat of force. The way one thinks about issues of war, peace, and violence, therefore, bears a significant relationship to how one will think about the Christian's relationship to the state generally, with implications for political theology and theologically informed political theory and philosophy.

If you are interested in the theological roots of political thought, or in the relationship between political thought and theological thought, this book is invaluable for, if nothing else, prompting deeper reflection. Don't be offput by the IR-FP-NatSec focus of the book, if these are not topics you're usually inclined to study, because the ideas discussed here lie at the heart of Christian theological ethics.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

As often with these formats, a mixed book. Myles Werntz was the most helpful contributor. Eric Patterson was clear but not very charitable. The other two viewpoints probably weren't given the space they needed to make their positions clear. But I guess this volume is a good reminder that many of the issues surrounding war are not straightforward.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was helpful to me in coming to no conclusion at all. That's not really the case. I think I am more ready to claim full-on Christian pacifism than I was before, but that's not because Werntz (the Christian pacifist contributor) made a very clear, coherent case for what I am now embracing. It was actually the failings of the other viewpoints and their argumentation that helped me push back from their views. Meic Pearse (who isn't a pacifist but leans in that direction) was the best apologist for the pacifist possession.

More than all this, however, is that this book helped me by really showing me that there will not be a single tidy answer. The issues are complex. The texts (both biblical and Patristic) are complex. And no satisfactory solution is findable.

I do wish there was a little more charity in some of the responses. Patterson in particular was difficult to read due to his tone (he was clear).

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly helpful resource exploring four different approaches to Christian views on war, peace, and violence. Unironically, the 'just war' author, Eric Patterson, had an aggressive, polemical tone, and never once mentioned Matt 5:44 or Luke 6:27-28, where Christians are told by Jesus not just to love our neighbors, but our enemies.

The non-violent perspective by Myles Wentz came out on top, given the explicit teachings of Jesus and his apostles on enemy-love and nonviolence. The New Testament is unambiguous: followers of Jesus are to love, bless, pray for, and do good to even their enemies, as imitators of Jesus. We are called to put the sword away, as our true enemies are not other image-bearers, but evil spiritual forces.

We are to leave vengeance to God and not repay evil for evil, but overcome it with goodness. This is what it means to be peacemakers of God's Kingdom.

[Conner Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of books in this format. I appreciate the initial arguments for a particular view, but the responses to each view often become quite redundant. Every author ends up saying the same thing 4 or 5 times.

[Kari McDowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cerebral take, and pretty tense between authors in places. As expected, I would be more in the just war camp, but all positions have their challenges and difficulties.