Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Idle musing for the day
"If a man strikes me, I should not pull out a revolver and shoot him. The Spirit of the Lord doesn't teach me revenge; He doesn't teach me that it is necessary to draw the sword and cut a man down in order to defend my rights. Some people say, 'You are a coward if you don't strike back.' Christ says, 'Turn the other cheek to him who smites.' I would rather take Christ's teaching than any other. I don't think a man gains much by loading himself down with weapons to defend himself. There has been enough sacrificed in this country to teach men a lesson in this regard. The Word of God is a much better protection than the revolver. We had better take the Word of God to protect us, by accepting its teaching and living its precepts." — D.L. Moody (a raving liberal?) 1847-1899.
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2 comments:
James,
I don't think Moody was a raving liberal. However, I do believe that people who suscribe to this type of philosophy have not really thought through the Levitical code. It clearly states that if you see a man raping a woman in a field that that you have an obligation to stop him - using deadly force.
Likewise, the law concerning breaking and entering with malice is given a pass for deadly force. I really do not see these laws abrogated in the New Testament.
I of course see the Sermon on the Mount as an ideal ethic - much as Maston and others have in the past.
My thoughts
Best Wishes (It is very good to see you back at blogging)
Joe
Joe,
I think you and I part company on the interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount. I see it as normative for Christians. It is what we are called to do, it leaves the law in the dust. But, and this is a huge but, we can not do it by ourselves. We have to die, so Christ can do it through us. That is what Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship is all about (among other books).
Along those lines, if you ever get a chance, grab E. Stanley Jones The Christ of the Mount, it has been out of print for years. Or, read any of John Wesley's sermons on the Sermon on the Mount, sermons 21-33 here. Of course, anything by Andrew Murray would be good along those lines, too.
So, I have listed a Lutheran, a Reformed and two Wesleyans. Sorry, can't think of any Baptist off the top of my head :)
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