Virtue Of War: Reclaiming the Classic Christian Traditions East and West

by Alexander F.C. Webster, Darrell Cole

A powerful, genuinely ecumenical, meticulously documented, incontrovertible case on behalf of the moral teachings known to Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestants as the justifiable work traditions. Tis book provides a firm biblical, theological and historical foundation for that confidence and is an answer to the Christian peace movement.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity

234 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2004

Reviews

[Isaac Crabtree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked and found agreeable the work's thesis; namely, that movements like the Orthodox Peace Fellowship misrepresent and misunderstand the Church's teaching on war and violence, by the logical and spiritual errors of equivocation (all violent acts are lumped together, whether war, self-defense, defense of the innocent, or unjustified attack) and the twisting or ignoring of the counsels of the holy fathers.

The reason this book did not get a higher rating was that I really believe the research wasn't complete. There were many quotations from patristic sources and canon law that could have been utilized but were not. Virtually no Russian saints or fathers were mentioned, and this is important if this is to be truly representative of the overall Orthodox tradition, since the Church of Russia is by far the largest local Orthodox Church, having in its ranks a great many holy soldiers glorified by the Church.

Because of these defects, I would strongly urge the reader looking for a better sourced and more succinct explication of the Church's timeless teaching regarding violence to purchase the most excellent The Christian Faith and War by Met. Antony of Kiev. Not only is this piece filled with saintly quotations, but it also demonstrates from whence these wrong-headed ideas have originated-- specifically Tolstoy of sorry memory and his followers.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book with a great message. However, it is incredibly dense and reads more like a text book than a novel. This would serve a student of Divinity well for a research paper.

[Michael Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the background of the creation of chivalry. Although it does appear to be a response to the Compleat Gentleman, it does have a similar feel. However, this book shows specifically that Christians are not pacifists, and how the Compleat Gentleman's author may have been drawn into such a completely wrong assessment.

[David Withun · Rating 3 out of 5]

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