Scott Freeman

Part of the problem with this discussion is due to our proclivity to jump ahead in the story. To proceed in a systematic order we have to determine the best place to start.
With the guidelines firmly in place (and I am thankful for the civil discourse thus far) it is imperative that we find the most appropriate place to begin.
When initially thinking of penning this series I intended to begin chronologically with the Hebrew Scriptures. However, I think that moving along a linear timeline loses the normative voice for the Christian’s conclusions on non-violence.

The normative voice is Jesus. I believe that most of us who affiliate themselves in the Christian colony can affirm that the standard is Christ.
In any debate that centers on matters of a Christian nature then Jesus must be both the author and perfector of that argument. The Alpha and Omega, so to speak.
What does Jesus say? Let’s begin there. Pardon the length but this is just a sampling of what Jesus has to say on the subject.

For the purposes of this post let us strive to look at what He SAID and not place our human conditions on that. We can suss out further implications as we go along. (Quotes from English Standard Version)

Matthew
5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

Mark
11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke
3:14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

6:27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

6:32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

6:37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

9:51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. and he said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people’s lives but to save them” 56 And they went on to another village.

10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [3] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

23:32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [2] And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John

8:3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

The evidence is staggering: Jesus chose the way of the cross. Our mind typically flies to scenarios where this kind of living does not make practical sense. Where if falls outside of human wisdom and reason. But yet, that is what Jesus did. It’s how He chose to live and His teachings to us smack of grace, mercy, love of enemy and turning the other cheek.

Here is where we must start. Are we called to live like Him? If yes, then we must look deeply at the implications of what He said. For ultimately, our allegiance must be to Him, and Him alone.

Last night, Tracy and I had an insurance agent come by our house. Out of respect and deference I will not name the company. Now, the last thing in the world that I want to happen at 8:00 on a Tuesday night is to have to talk to somebody about health insurance.
My feelings about the state of insurance companies in America is well-documented.
But, Tracy begins a new job in a couple of weeks and we will no longer have coverage through her work.
Hence, the need to scramble and find a provider, stat.
So, this guy comes by last night to tout his company and its superiority to all the other insurance companies vying to not pay our claims.
An hour and a half later he left.
While he was there he painstakingly told us about every aspect of the coverage and all of the benefits, exclusions and supplementary riders.
So much for watching “Gilmore Girls.”
I kept waiting for him to get to the cost. Of course, I wanted to know the specifics of the coverage but the important thing to me was the bottom line.

I’m a bottom line kind of guy.
I can find myself getting way too irritated when people belabor a point and won’t get to the heart of the matter.
Tell me how much it costs first, then I’ll determine if I’m interested.
Hook me with the story in the first 30 pages or I’m going to a different book.
Grab me in the first 10 minutes or I’m changing the channel.
You know what I like? The Four Word Film Review.
They give a review of the movie in just four words. To wit:
Gone With The Wind: Scarlet has midwife crisis.
Titanic: It hit an iceberg
Casablanca: Rick loses chick.

That’s great stuff.
And that’s one of the reasons that I love John so much. My favorite gospel doesn’t beat around the bush all that much.
Whereas in the synoptic gospels we get a lot of Jesus telling the disciples not to tell others who He truly is, John dispenses with that pretty quick.
In the synoptics we hear Jesus say quite a bit, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”
It takes John all of 14 verses to tell us that Jesus is the Son of God.
And that is in keeping with his purpose: John writes so that we might know who this Jesus is. That He is the Christ, the very Son of God (John 20:30–31)

Where the other gospels give us a more historical account, Clement of Alexandria said that John wrote a spiritual gospel. The Son of God, The Messiah, the Christ comes into full view in the pages of this beloved apostle.
In John, Jesus boldly and unapologetically claims who He is. In the book of Exodus when Moses is dispatched as the great deliverer of the Hebrew Scriptures he asks God who he is to say sent him. God’s reply? “I Am Who I Am.”
That phrase, Yahweh, meant something to the Jewish reader. It was the very proclamation of the name of God. 23 times Jesus identifies Himself with the descriptive appellation “I Am.”
Seven times He gives us even greater insight to who He is:
–I AM the Bread of life (6:35)
–I AM the Light of the world (8:12)
–I AM the Door (10:7)
–I AM the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14)
–I AM the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
–I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life (14:6)
–I AM the true Vine (15:1)

Unequivocal. Clear. Direct.

And in case we fail to get the message through the continuous assertions of Jesus, John provides us with seven signs that point to Jesus as God in the Flesh:
He turns water into wine signifying His place as the giver of life
He heals a official’s son signifying His mastery over distance
He Heals a lame man at the pool of Bethesday signifying his dominance over time
He feeds 5,000 signifying His sustaining power
He walks on water and stills the storm signifying His dominion over the physical world
He Heals a man blind from birth signifying the Light He brings to the world
He raises Lazarus from the dead signifying His victory over death.

I like that. There’s no waffling here. We know precisely who Jesus is in the gospel of John.

He is the Christ.

Sometime in the next couple of hours I will hit 100,000 on the stat counter. Remember the lucky person wins a free book. Let me know if it is you.
My series on non-violence will not be continuous. The next installment will probably be on Thursday or Friday. Thanks for the comments so far.

Now on to my weekly top 10. A couple of rules for this list: No greatest hits packages and only one album per artist.

10. Journey–Escape: Pure candy. Every song is still a delight to listen to 25 years later. I still remember the disappointment when I bought Frontiers and realized that they were unable to maintain that level of excellence. They should have stopped recording after that Separate Ways video Favorite Track–Don’t Stop Believin’ Overlooked Gem–Still They Ride

9. Queensryche–Operation Mindcrime: For a three year period of time all I listened to was heavy metal. This is the most timeless album of those days. I could have named several other albums: Appetite for Destruction, Master of Puppets, Among the Living, Halfway to Sanity. However, this is the one album from that period of my life that I still want to listen to from time to time. Favorite Track: Revolution Calling Overlooked Gem: The Needle Lies

8. John Mellencamp–Scarecrow: Subtitled Scott Freeman Grows a Social Conscious. This album was an awakening for me and ushered in an era of listening to more overt political music: Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Billy Bragg, etc. Anybody remember White Lion’s Little Fighter? Favorite Track–Rain on the Scarecrow Overlooked Gem–Between a Laugh and a Tear

7. Reo Speedwagon–Hi Infidelity: I still remember getting this album from Columbia House, plugging in the headphones, picking up the tennis racket and giving the ultimate concert in my room. Favorite Track–Don’t Let Him Go Overlooked Gem–In Your Letter

6. Styx–Paradise Theater: My local record store staged a phony petition to get them to come to Little Rock on this tour. This qualifies as my first true rock and roll show after years of Shaun Cassidy and Helen Reddy concerts. (Note to the band: You don’t have Dennis DeYoung with you? Then please, for the love of all that is sacred in this world, stop. Put down the instruments and back away. I Am the Walrus? Come on.) Favorite Track–Nothing Ever Goes As Planned Overlooked Gem–She Cares

5. Bruce Springsteen–Nebraska: The folkie in me awakes. The despair in this album still grabs me. The grappling with the loss of innocence, the pain of the forgotten and the stark realities of life is a reminder to me to count my blessings. Favorite Track–Atlantic City Overlooked Gem–Reason to Believe (Hope concludes the album. Priceless.)

4. Rick Springfield–Living in Oz: I know, I know. But Springfield was my favorite artist for years. This is the album where he left behind the bubble-gum and proved that he could write a great lyric. Doubt that? Listen to Souls again. Favorite Track–Souls Overlooked Gem–Alyson

3. ‘Til Tuesday–Everything’s Different Now: Still on the list of my five favorite albums of all time. If you have never heard this album then by all means find it. A tremendous deconstruction of a failed relationship. Every song bleeds in this heart-breaking paean to lost love. Favorite Track–Rip in Heaven Overlooked Gem–The whole album was overlooked but I have to give a nod to Why Must I

2. Paul Simon–Graceland: Quite simply, one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Favorite Track–Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes Overlooked Gem–Crazy Love Vol II

1. U2–Joshua Tree: What can I say? The greatest rock and roll band of my lifetime churns out a definitive disk. It doesn’t get better than this one. Favorite Track: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For Overlooked Gem: Running To Stand Still

I have to add these three honorable mentions:
* Survivor–Vital Signs: The only problem with this album is that, although I truly believed in the sentiment behind The Search Is Over, the girl that I had dedicated the song to did not agree. Favorite Track–I Can’t Hold Back Overlooked Gem–I See You In Everyone

* Stevie Nicks–Bella Donna: For this 13 year old in 1981 Stevie Nicks was the most beautiful woman on the planet. And that voice. I was in love. Favorite Track and Overlooked Gem: After the Glitter Fades

* Husker Du–Candy Apple Gray: My punk days. Couldn’t explain it then. Can’t explain it now. But I loved the melancholy in Bob Mould’s voice. Favorite Track: Don’t Want to Know If You are Lonely Overlooked Gem: Too Far Down

What about you?

I’m not a pacifist. At least in the sense that it is a definable position for me. I do, however, subscribe to what I believe is the very Christian idea of non-violence. What I mean by that is that I do not believe that my commitment to non-violence exists as a belief structure outside of my commitment to following in the steps of Jesus. In other words, to me, non-violence is non-distinguishable from being a Christ-follower.

Topics such as pacifism and non-violence are getting a lot of press these days. In the midst of war and terror, I feel that is only appropriate. There must be discourse and dialogue during any troubling and problematic time. And the interchange of ideas is crucial in a world such as this.

My understanding of non-violence is shaped by many thinkers, theologians and, yes, even bloggers. I do not kid myself into thinking that I can shed any greater light on this debate than that which is provided by far loftier minds than mine. If you need a more scholarly treatment then I can give you some quality resources. However, over the course of the next few weeks I will attempt to carve out my own territory in this debate.

As a result I hope several things occur:
1. That greater understanding is secured among those who disagree. I am committed that this discussion proceed in a civil manner.
2. That legitimate objections to non-violence can be addressed without condescension, flippancy or evasion.
3. That I can work out my own salvation in this area. My response to a violent world is something that robs me of sleep and peace far too often.
4. That the discussion can be accessible and understandable for folks like me who are a little slower on the uptake.

As I progress I hope to specifically address some problematic areas that proponents of non-violence are often confronted with. Far too often, these questions are side-stepped and avoided rather than honestly and sincerely dealt with. Concerns we will address include:
–God’s apparent saction of war in the Hebrew Scriptures.
–Whether Jesus used physical violence in the Temple
–Our allegiance to Rome as Paul encouraged in Romans 13
–The scenario: what do you do when your family is being attacked.
–The notion that non-violence represents cowardice, passivity, or naivete.
–The co-existence of non-violence and “security” forces.
–The problem of evil in today’s society

It has become readily apparent to me that non-violence can spark some pretty strong and negative reactions from people. It also must be acknowledged that those who subscribe to non-violence can also be fairly “physical” in their words and attitudes. Therefore, to keep this discussion in the realm of civility, here are some guidelines, caveats and disclaimers:

1. Many godly men and women have served their country in various ways out of the sincerity of their conviction. I do not, in any way, disparage their convictions and contributions to this world.
2. Please participate in the discussion. But limit it to the topic at hand. If we are discussing war in the OT please don’t jump ahead to “The Scenario.”
3. Play nice. Peace means nothing if it doesn’t first begin in our own hearts and words.
4. Agree to disagree. Godly men and women can draw different conclusions.
5. Please, please, please understand the distinction that is made when I talk about “we.” I am talking about the church, not the US or any other nation-state. This is not a political issue for me.

From Luke 5:27:32. It starts a few seconds into my reading the text.

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