The Fourth Way

Theodicies are great tools to help us see that while we don't know why evil exists, its existence doesn't logically necessitate throwing off belief in the God of the Bible. However, most theodicies have some pretty big holes in them, so adding in another facet is always great. I try to contribute to the issue by creating what I think is a theodicy which comes from an angle only the nonviolent could envision.

I recount an election season conversation I had about consequentialism, and express my frustration at how that went. After my rant, I explain several steps I'd take in the future to guide those sorts of conversations better.

I revisit the issue of lying by taking a look at Augustine to bolster my case. I also tie in Augustine's ideology with nonviolence.

The season on nonviolence explored nonviolent action from the individual to national level. In this afterword I discuss a book I recently read entitled "The Internationalists," which sheds a lot of light on international law, historic warfare, and the new shape of warfare and international action today. I discuss the importance of international nonviolent action for setting the stage for a more peaceful world.

We recap some of the biggest takeaways from our season on nonviolent action.

In this episode I meander through the ultimate question we have to ask after a whole season on nonviolent action: "Is the Gospel enough?" I talk about the gospel, what it means to have a holistic gospel, and how me and my group (conservative Evangelicals) tend to conveniently and selectively apply these mantras "the gospel alone" and "social justice.' I discuss some of the problems Christians need to think through if they are to follow a book which never concerned itself with establishing rights, and rather calls one to suffering, submission, and cross. Rather than an episode bringing a solid conclusion, this episode ends with more questions than answers, and will hopefully be followed up in season 10 on government, which I am planning to begin in April of 2022.

Following up our episodes on Benjamin Lay and an interview discussing the Quakers, we take one more episode to dive into the Quaker world in an attempt to understand what sorts of ideas and practice might help us to form characters which seek justice in the world despite the sacrifices such actions may call for. Intro - 0:00 Why do Quakers seem to have a clearer prophetic vision than other Christians? 2:15 Importance of individual action. 12:30 Hearing from God and consensus making 19:00 Importance of silence and discerning God's voice. 31:00 Do Quakers align with the early church? 41:00 How does consensus making work if you must make immediate decisions? 48:30 The importance and prominence of sacrifice among Quakers. 58:30 Jake's plugs. 77:30

I had the privilege of speaking with Mary Crauderueff who is a historian/archivist on the Quakers, and a Quaker herself. Since we reference Quakers with some frequency on the show, she helps us to understand them a bit better, as well as helps me to take them off the pedestal I have them on in my mind. She also helps us understand what types of ideas and practices may help lead Quakers towards justice more quickly than other groups. Intro. 0:00 Quakers always on the right side of justice? 7:00 Quaker history. 10:00 Do Quakers fracture less than Protestants? 16:00 What makes a Quaker a Quaker? 22:30 Quaker consensus making. 26:45 Persecution of Quakers. 32:45 2 Questions. 39:45 What hermeneutic allowed Quakers to allow women leaders and oppose slavery before almost all other groups of Christians? 41:30 How do Quakers view government in light of its intrinsic use of force? 42:40

Nonviolent Christians often cite the Sermon on the Mount as the most influential passage in their encounter with the radical Jesus. Rather than taking Jesus metaphorically, we take him at his word. But do we really? Sometimes it seems like we pick and choose what we keep as metaphor in the Sermon. I mean, gouging out our eyes or cutting off our hands remains a metaphor, right? I briefly address how I've been wrestling with Jesus's seeming hyperbole, and how I am discovering more and more how radical truths and reality are often only hyperbole to us because our darkened minds still can't grasp many divine truths.

Taking the story of Benjamin Lay discussed in the last episode, we harken back to our series on consequentialism and discuss why our churches still harbor egregious evils. We explore the concept of a network of sins, and see how capitulation to "ends justify the means" morality in order to grasp at political power isn't a minor compromise, but rather the deep roots of sin which bears fruit in terrible, terrible ways.

I think this has been one of my favorite episodes to research and complete so far. I get to talk about Quakers, pre-Revolution America, abolition, nonviolence, Critical Race Theory and legislation, and other awesomeness. I discuss the interesting story of Benjamin Lay and use him as template to evaluate nonviolent methodology as well as impact and effectiveness.

While this season has been about larger nonviolent actions up to this point, this episode looks at how the Christian should think about individual nonviolence. Some of the allure of larger actions may disappear because you lose the power in numbers, but we discuss the Christian motivation for nonviolence as well as the practicality of individual nonviolence.

Many think that nonviolent actions are events which are rare, and events which often end up thrusting themselves upon a populous. In this episode we discuss UCP's (unarmed civilian protectors) and how groups have begun pursuing aggressive reconciliation by putting their lives on the line.

This Memorial Day we commemorate those who have laid down their lives in nonviolent action in order to make the world a better place.

I talk with Hannah Nation of China Partnership about Wang Yi and the Chinese house church. We discuss various issues related to nonviolence, government, and suffering. ------------------------------- Intro 0:00 Hannah Intro 3:00 Recap 9:00 Who is Wang Yi? 14:00 Why was Wang Yi arrested? 27:00 Wang Yi's law background and influence 36:00 Eschatology as a guide to action 41:00 Nonviolence and the Chinese church 48:00 Protest for power and control vs. the prophetic role of the church 54:00 Participation in government 60:00 Cross and the landfill analogy of Christian action in the world 67:00 Suffering 72:00 How would China view the U.S. church's reaction to government mandates due to COVID? Persecution or peace? 78:00 Fruit of Spirit and persecution as a call to our own repentance 84:00 Eschatology take 2 91:00 Biggest take away Americans can get from China and Wang Yi 94:30