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Trouble in Paradise
FREDERICK
J. GAISER
(see full text of essay under “Editorial”) |
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“Zimbabwe: Africa’s Paradise,” tout
the old government tourism posters on my wall, with their breathtaking
photographs of Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands, and
the Matopos Hills. They are right, at least in regard to Zimbabwe as God’s
natural creation. Its beauty is stunning.
But there was trouble in paradise...
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| The 2003–2004 Word &
World Lecture |
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Restoring the Dignity of the
Human Spirit
DOUGLAS
A. JOHNSON |
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Torture is a despotic government’s most effective weapon against democracy. Caring for victims of torture, listening to them, and telling their story is the most effective way to counteract this weapon. The Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis stands in the forefront of this important work.
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| Articles |
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God and Violence in the Old
Testament
TERENCE
E. FRETHEIM |
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The Bible, in both Old Testament and New, speaks candidly about violence—both human violence and divine violence. We must take the reports of God’s violence seriously, over against ourselves, while also exercising the appropriate critique already begun by people within the Bible itself. Finally, we will see that, in everything, including violence, God seeks to accomplish loving purposes.
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The Use of Scripture in the
Current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
DAVID
D. GRAFTON |
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Our response to the present crisis in the Middle East is heavily influenced by our reading of Scripture, and that, in turn, is influenced by many factors—not all of them self-evident. A helpful response will require us to think clearly about such things.
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Violence and Healing: Roman Catholic
Relations with Jews and Muslims
LEO
D. LEFEBURE |
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Throughout the past two millennia, terrible violence, inspired by religion, has too often marked the relations between Catholics and Jews and Muslims. Though much has changed in recent years, difficulties remain.
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“With whom he was in a state of just
war...”: A Review of the Just War Tradition
JAMES
L. COOK |
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The just war tradition functions as a guideline, not as a set of formulaic answers. An examination of conversations with a fictional Luther in a novella by Heinrich von Kleist illustrates how the guidelines might be applied to present situations.
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Preaching the Wordin a Culture of Violence
DIANA CULBERTSON |
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As René Girard has shown, ritual sacrifice has been a part of every human culture—but one that finally produces violence rather than overcoming it. Christians must take great care in speaking of the “sacrifice” of Jesus.
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Violence against Women and
Children: How Churches Can Respond
CAROL L. SCHNABL SCHWEITZER
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To help women who have been victimized, pastors and congregations must first believe them. Then they can respond with a “for-giving” attitude—giving themselves for the other in a way that allows a new start.
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Divine
Context: Contrasting Use of Violent Images in Film and Television
FREDRICK BARTON
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Media violence is not of one piece. Film and television can sensationalize violence, celebrate it, or use it to educate an audience. Viewer discrimination will be required.
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| Resources
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Face to Face:
Faithful Conversation: Two Views |
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JOHN STROMMEN
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TIMOTHY G. JOHNSON
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Texts in Context:
“You are my Son, the Beloved”: The Epiphany Gospels
MICHAEL ROGNESS
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As the season of Epiphany progresses, the appointed Gospel readings make clearer and clearer the meaning of the voice at Jesus’ baptism: “You are my Son, the Beloved.” The preacher’s task is to present this message as fully as possible.
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| Reviews
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The Genealogy of Violence: Reflections on Creation, Freedom, and Evil, by Charles K. Bellinger
JASON A. MAHN
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The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of
Jihad, by Hal Lindsay
DAVID D. GRAFTON
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Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Content, and
Significance, by David A. deSilva
SARAH HENRICH
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Justification: The Heart of the Christian
Faith, by Eberhard Jüngel
GREGORY WALTER
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Nature, Human Nature, and God, by Ian G. Barbour
ALAN G. PADGETT
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Heal Thyself: Spirituality, Medicine, and the Distortion of
Christianity, by Joel James Shuman and Keith G. Meador
FREDERICK J. GAISER
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Too Deep for Words: A Theology of Liturgical
Expression, by Clayton J. Schmit
MONS A. TEIG
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Way to Live: Christian Practices for
Teens, ed. by Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter, and Way to Live Leader’s Guide: Ideas for Growing in Christian Practices with
Teens, by Dorothy Bass and Don Richter with Lani Wright and Susan Briehl
JON V. ANDERSON
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