Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
Christians have two options when it comes to war. They can either be strict pacifists, or they can espouse a just war theory. The latter is not that easy. Certainly, one of the most difficult ethical issues is drawing up moral guidelines for fighting wars. At every step, you must prevent national self-interest from trumping […]
If you believe, as I do, that Jesus defined the Christian lifestyle as nonviolent love, you have to contend with all the times his followers acted violently in the name of love. That involves asking when, if ever, a historical situation might justify using physical force. Most importantly, it calls for discussion seeking to discern […]
Many of us are offended when modern-day apostles picture Jesus holding a gun or wearing a military uniform. Admittedly, Jesus comes across as extremely forceful when he cleanses the temple and speaks harshly defending himself or warning about an impending judgment. However, his lifestyle and teaching are overwhelmingly nonviolent. He never advocates physically attacking others. […]
Whenever the modern prophets look for scripture to support their calls to violence, they turn to the Old Testament. Many take that for granted, believing that part of the Bible presents a violent God who commands his people to viciously destroy their enemies. You certainly could get that picture if you read only accounts of […]
After looking at the Christian Nationalists, I thought a short series on violence might be in order. It’s bad enough that our society has little idea of how to handle the problem. Now we have many in the Church advocating the use of physical force in the name of Christ. A starting point might be […]
Let me conclude this series by referring to an article Don sent me: The New Apostolic Reformation drove the January 6 riots, so why was it overlooked by the House Select Committee? by Rick Pidcock. It traces in great detail how Christian Nationalists were deeply involved in the insurrection and wonders why the select committee […]
When I began this series on the church and politics about 3 months ago, I am not sure I even knew the term “Christian Nationalist.” As the media has recently discovered this group, more and more people have become concerned about their activities. So many, in fact, that I have never had so many people […]
Just about every time I’ve spoken about Christian Nationalism, people ask how are we ever going to heal the political divisions afflicting our society? They are especially concerned because many believe it cannot be done without violence. Some even talk of civil war. I found myself wondering about that question at the annual Martin Luther […]
I was about to move on to something else when some of you asked more questions about Christian Nationalism. Thankfully, it has become a hot topic as people are finding it is a greater threat than we imagined. At the same time, Fred and Myron sent two articles that are very helpful. The first identifies […]
I was drawn into this series primarily to see what to was going on with Christian Nationalists. These people seem to be breaking the rules pertaining to the separation of church and state. I found this cherished separation depended on practical agreement more than political theory. The government controlled the numerous religious communities by granting […]
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