A word about . . . violence in a pluralistic age: Constraints and opportunities for Christians

Abstract

The challenges presented by the current global culture of violence are baffling. Humanity faces these unprecedented challenges that have origins in sacred texts containing violent events. “Spiritualizing” these events is not the solution to dealing with the problems they present. Christians should be prepared to doubt the texts that promote violence as a part of faithfulness to God. This article suggests the opposite of faith is not only doubt, but also fear. Christians demonstrate a cheap relationship with sacred texts when they fail to challenge traditional interpretations. A more mature approach is to embrace alternative, if unfamiliar, interpretations of sacred texts rather than hold on to orthodoxy that is beloved but unloving. Christians should see the texts that seem to justify violence or encourage war as a message requiring humanity to struggle against such violence to transform the world around them nonviolently. The Church of the twenty-first century has optimal opportunity for building harmonious relationships with people of other faiths, which will require a multifaceted approach to understanding God in a pluralistic age.