Was Jesus a pacifist?
(9/28/03) Words of Life: Matthew 5:38-41 Rev. Gary Cox — Wichita, Kansas University Congregational Church I imagine that most people read the title of todays sermonWas Jesus a Pacifist?and think the answer is yes. Well, not so fast. This morning we are going to look at the primary teaching of Jesus upon which this assumption is basedMatthew 5:38-41, which we heard read from the lectern this morningand perhaps come to the conclusion that this basic teaching of Jesus has been misinterpreted through history. Some may think that what I say this morning is very controversial, but in fact this has been taught in seminaries for many years. And I should credit Walter Wink, the brilliant Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City, for much of the content of this sermon. It is Walter Winks book, Jesus and NonviolenceA Third Way, that provides the bulk of the material I will present this morning. We tend to think there are two ways to react when we are c
