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This edition is sponsored by Cru |
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Brad East wrote for Christianity Today this week about just war theory—a doctrine dating back thousands of years that Christians still wrestle with today. |
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"Once upon a time I was a pacifist, and some days I still am," East writes. "Although I’m a theologian, which means it pays to pretend to know everything about everything, there are still some topics about which I remain uncertain. War is one." He explains: |
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Two factors called my pacifist confidence into question. The first was the weight of Christian tradition. No believer is an island unto himself, and discipleship is not a DIY project. So while the tradition can err, and the church has always had a pacifist strand, the burden of proof falls to the dissenter. The bulk of Christian writing on war is not pacifist, and that shouldn’t be cavalierly dismissed.
The second factor is related to the first: I actually read those writings. And when you take them seriously, not as the faithless baptism of pagan bloodlust but as an honest attempt to interpret the Scriptures for political practice, you walk away impressed. I certainly did. |
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"As much as it has been misused to approve unjust conflicts in the past, then, the theory still has teeth. It is not merely an academic artifact," he continues. "And whether they know the theory’s terminology or not, American Christians are still capable of saying that while some wars might be justified, this one is not." |
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What if you could turn the world's most-watched sporting event into a moment that matters? |
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Karen Swallow Prior joined The Russell Moore Show this week for a special livestreamed episode to share about her recent CT Magazine article on infertility. She spoke about being fruitful, following Jesus, and being blessed with other gifts, even if children weren’t part of her story. |
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"It was a process; it was a journey. And by God’s grace I feel like I was able to receive the gifts as they came along and see what he had for me," she said. "The Lord can do so many things that we would never imagine." | Listen here. |
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Bonnie Kristian, deputy editor: "The Great Downzoning," by Samuel Hughes for Works in Progress. |
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Jordyn Hibdon, paid media manager: I’ve been learning to sew and quilt for the past year. This has become my go-to belt bag pattern for useful, cute, and beginner-sewist-friendly gifts! |
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Haley Byrd Wilt, interim editor: I’ve enjoyed David Woodman’s biography of Æthelstan, reckoned by most to be the first king of England. I’ve dug into this era with other books, but this one gets into fine details, including an enigmatic scribe known only as Æthelstan A whose work on royal documents was so poetic and beautifully organized compared to his peers that historians still speculate about who the scribe might have been. (We should all aspire to emulate Æthelstan A’s unexpected excellence in tumultuous times.) |
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Have you ever walked into a coffee shop—you know the type—filled with carefully curated furniture and wire-rimmed glasses and copies of Infinite Jest, and left with an essay, or an idea, or…
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Malcolm Guite was looking for a place to sit. The poet wandered between branches and over tangled roots, through a British wood, with a few loyal companions. They were filming…
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Despite the loneliness, mistrust, and anger coursing through American social life, young men have at least one institution they can still rely on: the male group chat. I am 23…
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We are rushing from church on a Sunday afternoon, in the rain, to find parking for the penultimate performance of the new pop-rock musical Mythic. Premiering in the US at…
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In this issue of Christianity Today and in this season of the Christian year, we explore the bookends of life: birth and death. You’ll read Karen Swallow Prior’s essay on childlessness and Kara Bettis Carvalho’s overview of reproductive technologies. Haleluya Hadero reports on artificially intelligent griefbots, and Kristy Etheridge discusses physician-assisted suicide. There is much work to be done to promote life. We talk with Fleming Rutledge about the Crucifixion, knowing that while suffering lasts for a season, Jesus has triumphed over death through his death. This Lenten and Easter season, may these words be a companion as you consider how you might bring life in the spaces you inhabit. |
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