Category - myth of redemptive violence

How turning the other cheek defies oppression

Walter Wink — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:00:22 +0100

Many who have committed their lives to working for change and justice in the world simply dismiss Jesus' teachings about nonviolence as impractical idealism, says Walter Wink. This is because they have not understood their true subversive nature and context.

Breeding natural born killers?

Giles Fraser — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:52:02 +0100

James Bond may be fantasy, but according to an army expert our media replicate many of the psychological techniques used by the military to overcome our resistance to killing, says Giles Fraser. No wonder the murder rate is rising among the young.

Facing the Myth of Redemptive Violence

Walter Wink — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:49:01 +0000

The belief that violence “saves” is so successful because it doesn’t seem to be mythic in the least. Violence simply appears to be the nature of things. It’s what works. It seems inevitable, the last and, often, the first resort in conflicts. If a god is what you turn to when all else fails, violence certainly functions as a god. What people overlook, then, is the religious character of violence. It demands from its devotees an absolute obedience- unto-death.

Manchester Cathedral mounts its charger

Simon Barrow — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 23:36:59 +0100

What is really at stake in the row between Sony and Manchester Cathedral over a violent video game? Simon Barrow looks at it in terms of Christendom, 'redemptive violence', image as commodity and the onset of the hyperreal.

Palestinian bishop urges non-violence to tackle injustice

staff writers — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Middle East Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan has urged Palestinians to "use brains, sanity, dialogue and non-violence and not arms to deal with differences".

Debate about White Poppies - Sky News - 9th November 2006

Press Office — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:34:48 +0000

Ekklesia's director Jonathan Bartley find common ground with the British Legion over white poppies on Sky News.