Please recommend to me books, thorough articles, or shows that explore this subject. There is so much out there promoting nonviolence, but Incant find good arguments exploring the case for violence. Any direction is appreciated.
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I don't know if this will be helpful to you or not, but in the old testament, God was continually sending the Jews to war, and with the promise He was with them.
that was before Jesus.
"before Jesus" as if Jesus and YHVH are not the same God... Every where in the OT you see "the word of the Lord" it's a reference to Yeshua. It's why John 1 tells us he is the Word made flesh. Stop being a western Christian believinb Catholic inspired paganism. Follow the high priest King Jesus who is a true jew and is grafting those called and willing into his kingdom.
I don't think you believe that God is not the same God before and after His Son's life on Earth. So I'm not sure how you can interpret "before Jesus" to mean such a preposterous assertion.
But our world after Jesus is different. Did we not receive His gifts of Salvation and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit? Did he not teach us a new way of living so that we not lose those gifts? Weren't His warnings to the Jewish cities where He preached and was rejected clearly stating that God's favor follows accepting the new gospel and believing in Him?
Grafting the new gospel onto the old is a maladaptation of old wine skin. Jesus taught from the Scriptures -- He built upon select scriptures as a foundation. He enlightened the meaning of Moses, of Job, of the many Prophets sent before Him. It was not hyperbole when He claimed John the Baptist as the greatest man ever to have lived up to the time of the new gospel.
And so in consideration of when and how to use violence, why wouldn't you look forward for your most advance 'arms' rather than backward to instruments who served you as best as possible given what was available at that time?
Our Founders were surely "clothed with power from on high" when they claimed the Kingdom of God is greater than the Kingdom of George. They did not declare war but independence. We are the stewards of that Liberty -- Liberty under God, and have a duty to uphold and defend against the tyranny of Man.
For what it's worth, I was raised Quaker, not Catholic. But Jesus requires unity in spirit, not uniformity in thought, so you do you.
Love that phrase, "unity in spirit not uniformity in thought." Gonna use that. And you make some good points. Love the description of the founders.
I think the point test_pattern was making is that that “God was continually sending the Jews to war” is within the context of situations in the Old Testament. In the New Testament we don’t see Jesus sending his followers to war.
"Sell your cloak, buy a sword" -Yeshua
Yes, I know. That's why I specified the OT to the OP.