I know people will continue to disagree with me, but that’s all right.

Anyway, thanks for your presence and for your genuine concern.

Grace and peace.

Ditto Ira.

If he’s spouting dangerous, misogynistic, jingoistic theology, then he should be called on it.

What’s to understand?

Honored to have you on my blog. I’d love to read what you’ve written on just war. I’ve read your book on Campbell and I read an essay you did on the history of pacifism in the Stone-Campbell tradition, which Chris Smith sent me.

Fortunately, a week after Terry Bowland preached, professor Damien Spikereit preached on peace, and responded quite directly to some of the things Bowland said. OCC is not without faithful Stone-Campbell representation, but the majority seems to tow the conservative Evangelical party line.

Thanks for your comments; they are on point. And thanks for the link to your website. I will be sharing that around. Some valuable resources there!

You’re mistaken that my response was an emotional reaction. I thought about it for five days before writing anything down, sort of like Jesus slept on it before attacking the temple.

But you’re right that there is anger, as there should be.

Thom, I assume the quote was from this Bowland character…sorry, couldn’t stand to listen to the recording for longer than…okay I didn’t even try. I am drawn to think about the wars in the ancient world, as well as the different groups fighting them (Assyrians, Babylonians, et al.). It seems (even through surface readings of ancient history) that these (as in, the pleasant images given by the bowland character) were common practices practiced by the victors. Perhaps not all of them, we can hope, but my point is this, I don’t recall “our enemy” as receiving credit for these kinds of things. Again, it seemed that Yahweh was proctor of these ancient ‘mishaps’ to poor Israel (me thinks of the babologna captivity: As a side note, I did enjoy your post on salvation, esp. where the captivity period was mentioned…interesting discussion). Care to comment?

By the way, quit cussing on your blog, you asshole.

lancelot:

People like Terry Bowland do their moral reasoning from the vantage point of empire. For that very reason, their moral reasoning can never be genuinely “Christian.” It has a completely different set of assumptions. Bowland reasons like Caesar. Jesus reasons more like somebody who grew up in Iraq or Afghanistan.

That might be the most beneficial thing said about this whole situation. Thanks for that, Thom.
- L

I second this.

[mccracken]