Martin Luther King Jr. day is on Monday, so I thought this would be a good time to replay a phenomenal debate on the question of whether or not Christians should use violence or participate in the military. Peter Kreeft and J. Daryl Charles defend the classic just war position while David Bercot and Dean Taylor advocate for the Anabaptist view. The debate is cordial and the recording is top-notch. What’s more the speakers are evenly matched and the debate moves right along. If you’ve ever wondered about whether or not Christians can use violence, this debate will give you a window into how sincere Christians on both sides explain their positions.
Notes and Links:
- Thank you to Followers of the Way for permission to rebroadcast this debate. You can watch the full video on youtube as well.
- Check out Podcast 15: A Theology of Nonviolence, which includes both the audio of my presentation at the 18th Theological Conference as well as the full text of my paper.
- For more research and resources on Christian pacifism, visit loveyourenemies.wordpress.com
- Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
A excellent debate. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. I liked this salient question made by one of the debaters, Dean Taylor, defending the Anabaptist view, “Can you be a follower of Christ without following Christ?” Thanks for posting! – RandyK
Thanks Sean, let’s try this simple question: Have you loved your enemy by killing them?