When reading Jesus’ commands can we ever say, “We know Jesus didn’t mean that, because that’s so obviously not true”? In this article, I discuss whether we can be justified in interpreting Jesus’ commands according to our moral intuitions. This is the fourth and final article in a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which …
Divine Command Theory | What if Jesus didn’t really mean that? Read More »
This article is the second of a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which is based on Jesus’ command to do no violence. More specifically, nonresistance is the view that even when striving for justice, Christians, unlike earthly governments, must only employ methods other than violence. This doctrine was so named by the Anabaptists, but …
Early Church Fathers on War, Violence, and Pacifism Read More »
This article is the second of a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which is based on Jesus’ command to do no violence. More specifically, nonresistance is the view that even when striving for justice, Christians, unlike earthly governments, must only employ methods other than violence. This doctrine was so named by the Anabaptists, but …
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus introduced a surprising teaching, one that is so unlike our natural human impulses that Christians have mostly ceased to follow it. Though Jesus taught against violence, and though the pre-Constantinian church continued to teach Jesus’ command, few Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestants consider Jesus’ command …
The essence of Anabaptism, and our most defining belief, is probably the doctrine of the two kingdoms, or the related doctrine of “separation from the world.” Basically all our distinctive beliefs flow from this doctrine, which was also held by the early church up until Constantine. In this article, I will give a defense for …
Two Kingdoms & Separation From the World—a Defense Read More »
The doctrine of the two kingdoms is the one major belief that sets the Anabaptists apart from the other Reformation churches and from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. In this article, I’ll explain the two-kingdom concept and how it relates to our Christianity. Another article offers a more in-depth defense of the Anabaptist …
