The Bible teaches peace

Understanding our faith: bulletin inserts to read and share

Writer: Ted Grimsrud, Assistant Professor of Theology and Peace Studies, Eastern Mennonite University

These nine articles can be read online at the links below. A formatted version can be printed and mailed to college students and members of the military who are asking questions, used for Sunday school discussions or as background for sermons.

(1) The peace vision of the Old Testament
The deepest, underlying point to the whole story told in the Old Testament is God's mercy and love.
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(2) Ancient Israel's power politics
Even the greatest of the kings, David, acts with profound violence.
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(3) Prophetic Faith
Godly justice has to do with loving enemies, refusing to fight back, rejecting the desire to punish and coerce.
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(4) Jesus and the peaceable kingdom
What matters about Jesus Christ includes his life, death, and resurrection. Jesus matters because he won us salvation by dying for our sins and because he showed us how to live.
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(5) Enemy love
A person who is clear about what love of enemy means probably has gained such clarity due to a fundamental faith commitment, not primarily due to rational argumentation.
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(6) Paul: The transformation of a violent man
Paul remained intensely committed to serve God, but realized that the service God desires is to unconditionally love others, not to seek to do them harm when they offend his belief system.
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(7) Hope for the Lamb's triumph
According to Revelation, the way of true power in the world is the way of the Lamb.
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(8) Pacifism is a faith conviction
Genuine pacifism can never be coercive when it advocates for truth.
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(9) Nine Modest Proposals
For Mennonites on the road toward peace
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These inserts are available individually at the links above or as one large file (209k PDF)