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Volume 4 · CenteredLesson 41About 23 minutes

Violence, War and the Death Penalty

Is there any violence Jesus would bless?

Centered edition for believersSwitch to Honest Heretics (for skeptics)

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The center · Matthew 26:52
52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.

In this lesson

Many Christians grow up hearing that some killing has God's blessing. Wars are prayed over from pulpits, and soldiers are told they fight for God and country. Executions are defended with Bible verses, and in some states a chaplain stands in the room when the sentence is carried out. Few churches teach that he would bless violence in general, but many teach that he would bless this war, or this execution.

This is one of the hardest lessons in the series, because good people hold strong views here, and many of them have served. Let's read what he said and did the night the swords came out. You don't need anyone's permission to follow him there, inside a church or outside one.

Measured against the center

A contradiction
Blessing war and execution in his name contradicts the man who disarmed his defender, healed a man in the arresting party, and was himself executed by the state.

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