How Far Should We Take This Whole "Love Our Enemies" Bit?

Out of respect for Mr. Siemon, I am relocating Scott's questions to a new post. That way the homosexual hermeneutics conversation can take place in one spot, and the pacifist/just war conversation in another. Below is Scott's post to Mark:

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Hey Mark,

In your class right now. Asked the question about Jesus’ teaching requiring pacifism. Appreciate your thoughts.

Not sure if you have time to enter a discussion I’m having in my head, but if you do there are two of them.

The first revolves around safety vs. ethics. Should we corporately love our neighbor/enemy (i.e. abstain from bombing them) even if they have harsh and violent intentions toward us and will carry them out if we don’t stop them?

The second; does instituting a more peaceful society/culture through violence justify that violence? (i.e. positive democracy is more peaceful than negative totalitarianism).

Again, I’m sure you’re crazy busy, but these are just some thoughts swimming in the ocean of my brain right now.

Thanks so much for your passion and integrity.

Scott

homosexual hermeneutic

During the last semester of my undergrad career I went to JBC and met a man by the name of Dr. John Rumple. As of yesterday he has resigned from JBC and has a blog opened to discuss the homosexual hermeneutic. Go to this web site- www.outofcontext.us please let me know your thoughts on the homosexual hermeneutic.

living from the back of the line,

ben.

Three Quotes from a Liberation Theologian

Jon Sobrino, Christology at the Crossroads: A Latin American Approach (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1978):

"What sort of power is it that really and truly renders the deity present? Human beings automatically think of God as someone who possesses and wields power. Jesus forces people to consider whether that deeply rooted conviction is true or not. In historical terms it is readily apparent that power, left to its own inertial tendencies, tends to be oppressive in fact. So it cannot be the ultimate meditation of God, though human beings might tend to think so" (213-14).

“The cross is not a response; it is a new form of questioning. It invites us to adopt a radically new attitude toward God” (222).

“Without the resurrection love would not be authentic power; without the cross this power would not be love" (261).