Monday, January 05, 2009

At the Cross At the Crossroads

In a world filled with war between nations, nationalities, religions--and, oh yes, our own interpersonal conflicts, the topic of loving our enemies is a continuous front burner issue. And yet, the study of such from a biblical perspective has been grossly neglected. Until now.

Craig A. Smith has assembled an outstanding group of writers who probe what it means to love our enemies. First, you'll find biblical essays that are exegetically grounded, like John Nolland's "The Mandate to Love Our Enemies: Matthew 5:43-48" and I. Howard Marshall's "The Religious Enemy: The Early Church in Acts."

Then, the topic is explored from a number of different angles: case studies in civil disobedience, 2 views about the military, loving our spiritual enemies, dealing with enemies within the church, Muslim neighbors, the psychology of loving enemies, and what the experience of persecution teaches.

This book is not a spiritually laced liberal knee-jerk reaction to the topic of loving one's enemies, but a biblically sound and deeply probing work. You likely won't agree with all its conclusions, but you'll come away challenged and enriched.

No comments: