Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way

This is a small book that you can carry with you as a reminder in your hectic life.This introduction to a non-violent Jesus will empower you to make changes in your life.It has many biblical passages that teach you to respect the dignity of people who disagree with your beliefs. The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy is to make him your friend.

Walter Wink here gives a fine overview and simplification of his thinking on the topic of nonviolence as presented in his various scholarly studies of the New Testament topics of the principalities and powers and the Son of Man. It gives new life to turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and love of enemies. It is especially appropriate for classes and small groups of laypeople who have only an elementary background in biblical studies. For heartier fare on this issue that is at the heart of Christian faith and life one may turn to Wink's trilogy on The Powers. For comparable or related works I highly recommend John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus and William T. Cavanaugh, Torture and the Eucharist. One lack in this little monograph is that Wink doesn't mention the work of René Girard on desire and violence, although he has taken note of it in The Powers.

I carry a copy of this little book with me wherever I go, and I've reread it many times with great enjoyment. This is an essential introduction to the nonviolent way of Jesus for all Christians, including great commentary on relevant biblical passages and invaluable guidance for respecting the dignity of one's "opponents." It makes a super gift. The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy is to make him your friend.

We have all been fooled! That was the feeling I had when I put down Jesus and Nonviolence. Jesus is not the weak, nonpolitical, do not rock the boat-kind of guy that they talk about in church. The Bible researcher Walter Wink shows with clarity how Jesus both gave examples and himself acted very politically to change the society he was living in. He challenged the rules and the laws of his day's powers. He acted powerfully against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and he questioned the unlawful occupation of his land. There were others that did this before him. The difference was that they used violence to protest against the occupation. Jesus acted with loving nonviolence. He challenged the injustices but always with respect for the other. Wink goes on to show us that the ideas and methods of nonviolence are very alive also today, actually more than any time before. Only in 1989-90 there were fourteen nations that underwent nonviolent revolutions, all of them successful except China. In this thin book Wink has given me a whole new view of Christianity, has strengthened my belief in nonviolence and has given me hope for a nonviolent future. Quite an accomplishment for a 117-pages book!

If you are considering or committed to the way of nonviolence and searching for firm footing in the actual practice of peace and reconciliation, read this book. As always, Wink is challenging, creative, convincing, and compelling. The many stories he tells to illustrate his points are quite interesting and practical. This is vintage Wink at his best. I will refer to this little book often. It would be a steal at twice the price.