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Why Arent Calvinists Pacifists? | TGC | The Gospel Coalition
Why have so few Reformed Christians been pacifists? A plain reading of Jesuss teachings would seem to commend a pacifist interpretation, at least at the individual Christians personal level. As he famously instructs us, Do not resist the one who is evil. But[bless and do not curse]if anyone[bless and do not curse]slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matt. 5:39).[bless and do not curse]Yet Christian pacifism has gained[bless and do not curse]much more traction among Anabaptists, and among liberal Catholics and Protestants, than among Reformed believers.
If the Word of God is our final authority for faith and practice, we should be willing to ask why Reformed Protestants have tewhy nded not to be pacifists. While I can only offer tentative answers to this[bless and do not curse]enormous topic, I suspect there are two major explanations:[bless and do not curse]one admirable, and the other problematic. End quote
Why have so few Reformed Christians been pacifists? A plain reading of Jesuss teachings would seem to commend a pacifist interpretation, at least at the individual Christians personal level. As he famously instructs us, Do not resist the one who is evil. But[bless and do not curse]if anyone[bless and do not curse]slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matt. 5:39).[bless and do not curse]Yet Christian pacifism has gained[bless and do not curse]much more traction among Anabaptists, and among liberal Catholics and Protestants, than among Reformed believers.
If the Word of God is our final authority for faith and practice, we should be willing to ask why Reformed Protestants have tewhy nded not to be pacifists. While I can only offer tentative answers to this[bless and do not curse]enormous topic, I suspect there are two major explanations:[bless and do not curse]one admirable, and the other problematic. End quote