Abstract
Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence
by Jonathan Sacks
New York: Schocken, 2015. 321 pp. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-88052-1268-6.
In this award-winning volume, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit—that is, my religion is the only right path to God, therefore your religion is by definition wrong—and individuals are motivated by “altruistic evil,” violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome. But through an exploration of the roots of violence and its relationship to religion, and employing groundbreaking biblical analysis and interpretation, Sacks shows that religiously inspired violence has as its source misreadings of biblical texts at the heart of all three Abrahamic faiths. By looking anew at the book of Genesis, with its foundational stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Sacks offers a radical rereading of many of the Bible’s seminal stories of sibling rivalry. He calls for people of goodwill from all faiths and none to stand together, confront the religious extremism that threatens to destroy us, and declare: Not in God’s Name.
Violence and the World’s Religious Traditions: An Introduction
edited by Mark Juergensmeyer, Margo Kitts, and Michael Jerryson
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. 256 pp. $99.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-1906-4966-1.
Is religion inherently predisposed to violence? Or has religion been taken hostage by a politics of aggression? The years since the end of the Cold War have shown a noticeable shift in patterns of religious extremism, accentuating the uncomfortable, complex, and often misunderstood relationship between religion and violence. The essays in this volume examine that relationship by offering a well-rounded look at violence as it appears in the world’s most prominent religious traditions, exploring Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, African, and Pacific Island texts and practices. The essays explore the ways in which specific religions have justified acts of destruction—in history, in Scripture, and in the contemporary world. But the collection also offers an investigation of religious symbols and practices, shedding new light on the very nature of religion and confronting the question of how deeply intertwined are violence and faith.
Peacemaking and the Challenge of Violence in World Religions
edited by Irfan A. Omar and Michael K. Duffey
Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015. 256 pp. $32.95. ISBN 978-1-118-95343-3.
Written by top practitioner-scholars who bring a critical yet empathetic eye to the topic, this textbook provides a comprehensive look at peace and violence in seven world religions by offering a clear and systematic narrative about Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Native American religions. Each chapter introduces a religion and its sacred texts; discusses ideas of peace, war, nonviolence, and permissible violence; recounts historical responses to violence; and highlights individuals within the tradition working toward peace and justice, while also examining concepts within each religious context for a better understanding of the values, motivations, and ethics involved. It includes student-friendly pedagogical features, such as end-of-chapter critiques by practitioners of other traditions, definitions of key terms, discussion questions, and further reading sections.
Ritual Violence in the Hebrew Bible: New Perspectives
edited by Saul M. Olyan
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. 208 pp. $74.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-0-1902-4958-8.
Although the relationship of the Hebrew Bible and violence has been of interest to scholars in recent years, ritual violence in its various manifestations has been underexplored, as have been the theoretical dimensions of ritual violence. This volume brings into relief the full range of violent rites represented in the Hebrew Bible, many of which have rarely, if ever, been considered before. The book explores what acts of ritual violence might have accomplished socio-politically in their particular settings and the ways in which engagement with theory from a variety of disciplines can contribute to our understanding of ritual violence as a phenomenon. Topics addressed in eight essays include cognitive perspectives on iconoclasm, the instrumental dimensions of ritual violence against corpses, the ritual of killing cities (“urbicide”), royal rites of military loyalty, the violence against Rechab and Baanah in 2 Samuel 4, a comparison of the material dimensions of the herem and the Rwanda genocide, the violent dimensions of the exchange of women among men, and Josiah’s ritual assault on Bethel.
How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Struggling with Divine Violence from Genesis Through Revelation
by John Dominic Crossan
New York: HarperOne, 2015. 272 pp. $26.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220359-5.
John Dominic Crossan grapples with Scripture’s two conflicting visions of Jesus and God—one of a loving God, the other of a vengeful God—and explains how Christians can better understand these passages in a way that enriches their faith. Many portions of the New Testament introduce a compassionate Jesus who turns the other cheek, loves his enemies, and shows grace to all. But the Jesus we find in Revelation and some portions of the Gospels leads an army of angels bent on earthly destruction. Which is the true revelation of the Messiah, and how can both be in the same Bible? This volume explores these questions and offers guidance for the faithful conflicted over which version of the Lord to worship. Crossan discusses these contrasting views, showing how the writers of the books of the Bible not only possessed different visions of God but also different purposes for writing. Often these books are explicitly contesting an opposing vision of God that also appears within the Bible. Crossan challenges Christians to fully participate in this dialogue, thereby shaping their faith by reading deeply, reflectively, and in community with others who share their uncertainty. Only then, he advises, will Christians be able to read and understand the Bible without losing their faith.
Calling in Today’s World: Voices from Eight Faith Perspectives
edited by Kathleen A. Cahalan and Douglas J. Schuurman
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016. 256 pp. $25.00. ISBN 978-0-8028-7367-5.
The concept of “vocation” or “calling” is a distinctively Christian concern, grounded in the long-held belief that we find our meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in God. But what does it mean for someone from another faith tradition to understand calling or vocation? Contributors with expertise in Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, and secular humanism explore the idea of calling from these eight faith perspectives through an examination of each respective tradition’s sacred texts, key figures, practices, and concepts of vocation. As the editors note, greater understanding of diverse faith traditions may strengthen efforts to build a better, more humane world.
Torah Ethics and Early Christian Identity
edited by Susan J. Wendel and David M. Miller
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016. 285 pp. $35.00. ISBN 978-0-8028-7319-4.
In this volume, thirteen respected scholars explore the relationship between the Mosaic law and early Christian ethics, examining early Christian appropriation of the Torah and looking at ways in which the law continued to serve as an ethical reference point for Christ believers—whether or not they thought Torah observance was essential. The essays compare differences in interpretation and application of the law between Christian and non-Christian Jews; investigate ways in which Torah-inspired ethical practices helped Christ-believing communities articulate their distinct identities and social responsibilities; and consider how presentations of the law in early Christian literature might inform Christian social and ethical practices today. Posing a unified set of questions to a diverse range of texts, the volume will stimulate new thinking about a complex phenomenon commonly overlooked by scholars and church leaders alike.