About this item
Highlights
- Pacifism, jihad and militarism--are these the only alternatives to global injustice?
- About the Author: J. Daryl Charles (Ph.D., Catholic University of America and Westminster Theological Seminary) is associate professor of religion and ethics at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.
- 197 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christian Life
Description
About the Book
Pacifism, jihad and militarism--are these the only alternatives to global injustice? J. Daryl Charles considers the "just war" teaching of the church throughout history, comparing it with both pacifism and jihad/militarism and addressing the unique challenges of international injustice and global terrorism.
Book Synopsis
Pacifism, jihad and militarism--are these the only alternatives to global injustice? J. Daryl Charles considers the "just war" teaching of the church throughout history, comparing it with both pacifism and jihad/militarism and addressing the unique challenges of international injustice and global terrorism.
Review Quotes
"Contemporary Christians tend to approach questions about the proper use of force in international relations naively, as though no one had reflected about them until our own time. In a fallen world, such ignorance is not only intellectually inexcusable but an invitation to moral disaster. Between Pacifism and Jihad is an excellent resource for evangelicals who desire to reacquaint themselves with the 'consensus' tradition on the ethics of justified war."
"Daryl Charles has read widely and thought carefully about the role of government and the place of warfare in Christian thought. Arguing for a view that neither baptizes force whenever it is used for patriotic purposes nor rejects force when it is needed to serve just ends, Charles provides both helpful historical background and probing moral argument. Christians who want to reflect more carefully about these matters will find here a valuable resource."
"Few people are reconsidering the just-war theory in light of the threat of radical Islam. Fewer still are doing it with the biblical insight, historical depth and careful moral analysis of J. Daryl Charles. An indispensable book in our age of terror."
"Here is an intelligent, articulate presentation of just-war thinking by a leading evangelical scholar. The lure of pacifism and the call to holy war have both found their champions in the Christian tradition. Daryl Charles draws on the wisdom of Niebuhr, Ramsey, Elshtain and others to present a mediating position: the sanction of force by the state as a means of justice bearing peace. An important evangelical engagement with this debate."
"In this erudite, timely and helpful book, Daryl Charles surveys thelandscape of just-war thinking, past and present, and helps us tounderstand why war should not be severed from ethical considerations and constraints. His book is a wonderful introduction to just war as well as a major contribution to the contemporary debate."
"This is an important book. Daryl Charles helpfully surveys Christian perspectives, past and present, on the issues of war and peace. Then he offers some wise counsel about how we are to reappropriate just-war theory for the unprecedented challenges of our own day. And best of all he shows us why all of this requires careful theological reflection."
About the Author
J. Daryl Charles (Ph.D., Catholic University of America and Westminster Theological Seminary) is associate professor of religion and ethics at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is author of Virtue Amidst Vice (Sheffield Academic Press) and The Unformed Conscience of Evangelicalism (InterVarsity Press), and he translated Roots of Wisdom by Claus Westermann (Westminster John Knox).