Choosing Against War: A Christian View

by John D. Roth

          By a leading writer and thinker. How might Christians look on the world differently if they actually believed that God's love is indeed stronger than our fears? In fresh, confessional language, Roth shares his convictions about Christian pacifism, inviting others to consider this approach, all the while humbly admitting the difficulties.           In the face of violence, are there any options open to the Christian believer other than the "default" impulse toward patriotic unity and a steely determination to exact "an eye for an eye"? A must-read for anyone concerned about the endless cycles of wars and violence, and the possibility that God's love is stronger than our society's current answers.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Theology

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Department chair, Professor of History, Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana
Director, Mennonite Historical Library
Editor, Mennonite Quarterly Review

Education:
BA, Goshen College, 1981
MA, University of Chicago, 1983
PHD, University of Chicago, 1989

Reviews

[Mystary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book by a man I have had the extraordinary opportunity to meet, hear speak, and converse with. This book, to me, was much less about To War or Not To War, and far more about personal every day decisions that make up who I am and what I stand for. Of course, the issue of war is definitely addressed, but it's not just about war (and it should not just be about war). I would recommend this to anyone and everyone regardless of religious affiliation or belief system.

[Nichola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roth's book is an accessible argument for why Christians must reject war, even those deemed "just" under just war theory. The conversational style and personal stories make this book a quick read.

In places, this book triggered my sensitivity to Christian elitism, i.e. the notion of being a chosen people. I'm not sure that was intended, but I sensed it there.

I have just one major quibble with Roth, and that's that I disagree that Christians shouldn't run for political office because of the compromises it entails. I think we desperately need principled elected officials willing to speak prophetically.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good treatise on the way of Jesus, especially as it relates to peace, non-violence, and the polis (public community). I haven't read extensively on the Christian perspective of non-violence, but nothing in this book surprised me. Most of it lined up with my own perspective and thought process, though in some places it felt a little more fundamentalist. (Those seemed to be less-emphasized side arguments, though.)

I do think the author could have conveyed the same ideas and examples in a book about half of this size, but maybe that's because some of his content overlapped with other books I've read recently.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introduction to the topic of Christian pacifism it is a great book. It explains the way of Jesus as it relates to violence of any kind well. I had a hard time with it because I have read so much about this topic over the years...I felt like I was reading much of the same thing.

[Jonny Gerig Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roth has some good thoughts, and I think this book is well-written and interesting. For me, however, it didn't present much that I haven't already heard him say. So no surprises.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, easy to read, with Bible backing for the Christian position of pacifism.

[Brian Estabrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely formative for me some years back.