War in the Bible...

<idle musing>
As you probably guessed by the lack of quotes from the book War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century, I finished it. It was stimulating and thought-provoking, as it should be. I still am convinced that the pacifist stance is the most compelling; all the caveats and conditions necessary for a just war position just don't seem right. But, the church has been arguing about war and pacifism for about 1800 years now, so I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

I have been a pacifist ever since I became a Christian, over 34 years ago now. But, the one thing this book presented to me was the necessity of working for just peace. Just peace is something that both just war advocates and pacifists can get behind. There is not true peace without justice, because true peace is more than the absence of war.

If you only read one chapter in this book, it should be the one on just peace making. Fittingly, it is the final chapter of the book. Eisenbrauns offers it at a 10% discount everyday. Or, if you want, wait until AAR or SBL in November and get it for 30% off.

Interestingly, we gave away a copy at the ATLA meeting in Ottawa. The book is edited by Rick Hess, of Denver Seminary. Guess which seminary library won the book? Yep, Denver Seminary. They already have a few copies in their library. I guess this is a case of the rich get richer...
</idle musing>