Jesus the Pacifist: A Review

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First, let me say that this review of the book Jesus the Pacifist: A Concise Guide to His Radical Nonviolence by Matthew Curtis Fleischer doesn’t necessarily reflect the view, opinions, and ideas of the Veritas Community as a whole. This are my views, opinions, and ideas. Secondly, this book was provided by the author free of charge to me in exchange for a written review of his work, which I was glad to agree to, as conversations and works on non-violence and Jesus are some of my favorite topics to read about, discuss and wrestle with.

With that out of the way, let me jump into this review.

Last evening my son and I sat down to watch the movie Hacksaw Ridge, which is the story of Desmond Doss, a CO who served in WWII as a medic, and saved 75 people. His faith in Jesus led him to the belief that he couldn’t carry a weapon, and that he was called to save lives and not to take them. The response to his beliefs by the other soldiers during his training was to beat him up, and to see him as weak. But following the battle, they realized that his non-violence was anything but weak.

I believe when the topic of non-violence, following Jesus and pacifism comes up, they are deemed as unrealistic, passive, and weak. But pacifism in the way of Jesus is anything but weak. Fleischer does a great job exploring pacifism and non-violence that is rooted in the person, work, ministry, and mission of Jesus. One of the best things about this book is his engagement with texts that have been used as proofs against the non-violence of Jesus. Probably the best chapters are chapters 3 on Commonly Misinterpreted Teachings and Chapters 6 and 7 which deal with the New Testament book of Revelation and how that book is frequently used to combat (sorry for the pun) the view that Jesus is wholly non-violent.

I would encourage anyone, whether or not you are already a pacifist, to take a look at this book. I would especially encourage those who aren’t pacifists already, who seek to live in the way of Jesus, to do themselves a favor and pick up the book and wrestle with the information that he presents. I would agree with the author when he says, “IF you are not already a pacifist, this book will challenge you. You will likely think it goes too far in some spots. A few parts may even anger you. Most assuredly, you will not agree with all of it. I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to give it a hearing, to allow it’s Jesus-centered case for radical nonviolence to enter your consciousness.”

Get a copy of this book no matter where you stand on nonviolence. You will be glad that you did and you will be challenged in whatever position you hold.

Thanks again to Matthew for the copy of the book to review. I really appreciated the book and the research that went into it.