"The age of Socratic man is past: crown yourselves with ivy; grasp the thyrsus and do not be amazed if tigers and panthers lie down fawning at your feet. Now dare to be tragic men; for you will be redeemed. You shall join the Dionysiac procession from India to Greece! Gird yourselves for a hard battle; but have faith in the miracles of your god!" - Friedrich Nietzsche
#1908604 in Books 2013-06-17Original language:English #File Name: 098236976X414 pages
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Evangelical Critique of American MilitarismBy Frances C. FowlerIf you've ever wondered how so many of America's Evangelicals can be "pro-life" when it comes to abortion and "pro-death" when it comes to war and militarism; you'll enjoy "War; Christianity; and the State." In it Laurence Vance (himself an Evangelical) lambastes contemporary Evangelicals who idolize the state and the military. It wasn't always so; he provides interesting essays on nineteenth century Evangelicals who strongly opposed war. In addition; he critiques the problematic interpretation of Scripture that leads many Evangelicals to believe that America is God's chosen nation and that God is "a God of War." Vance isn't a pacifist--he believes that every country has a right to fight a defensive war when it is actually invaded or clearly threatened by an invasion. However; in his view most (all?) of the military adventures in which the U.S. has become involved in the last 60 years or so have been unjust wars; at least on the American side.One major flaw in this book is that since it incorporates dozens of short essays that originally appeared on blogs; it is often repetitive and disconnected. It would have been worth Vance's effort to edit this book in order to produce a shorter; more closely argued discussion. Nevertheless; it is thought-provoking and sometimes even amusing. I recommend it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It is an insightful work and will irritate to no end those who claim to follow the teachings of Christ but are actually more comBy James SmithA must read for anyone who claims to be a Christian. It is an insightful work and will irritate to no end those who claim to follow the teachings of Christ but are actually more comfortable following the teachings of Mars.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Relatively informativeBy M. KramarczykQuite interesting perspective on what a Christian's attitude and response should be regarding the combative instincts of us all. They only negative with this volume is that there is a lot of repetition. Well written though.
