God Without Violence, Second Edition: A Theology of the God Revealed in Jesus

by J. Denny Weaver

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2020

Overview

Playing off a child’s question concerning whether parents would put their son to death on a cross, this book plunges headlong into the ongoing debate about the character of God. The church confesses that God is revealed in Jesus. This book explores the implications of that radical claim. Jesus’ life reveals his rejection of violence and calls for an understanding of God in nonviolent terms. Weaver thus invites us to embrace a nonviolent atonement image, in contrast to our inherited atonement images. Deriving theology from the narrative of Jesus also leads Weaver into discussions about the very nature of theology, the character of the Bible, the divine violence in the Old Testament (as well as the purported divine violence in the book of Revelation), and a rethinking of historic Christology. Each of these discussions has implications for life today--for economics, forgiveness and restorative justice, violence, gender discrimination, racism, and more. This second, expanded edition of God Without Violence is an introduction to foundational issues of theology and ethics, suitable for church discussion groups and introductory college classes.

Key Features

• Plunges headlong into the ongoing debate about the character of God.
• Confesses that God is revealed in Jesus.
• Invites us to embrace a nonviolent atonement image.

Praise for the Print Edition

Racism, domestic abuse, the military-industrial complex, sexism, the doctrine of discovery... Could it be that these persistent sins of individual and structural violence are not only ignored by traditional understandings of God’s atoning work in Christ but are actually perpetrated by them? Weaver’s nonviolent atonement is a must-read for all church and institutional leaders who seek a biblically based, Christ-centered practical theology of shalom.

—Douglas R. Luginbill, Central District Conference Minister, Mennonite Church USA

Combing through Scripture, unraveling the history of doctrine, J. Denny Weaver makes the case that God is nonviolent. Centered in Jesus, God Without Violence is a wonderful comprehensive guide to how God truly saves us and the world. I welcome this second edition of this profoundly paradigm-shifting work for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

—David Fitch, Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary; author of Faithful Presence

A wise and patient unfolding of knowledge from a lifetime’s attention to the narrative of Jesus as a source for nonviolent theology and ethics. In concise, accessible prose, Denny Weaver makes a way into complex theological tasks for readers with varied backgrounds. He offers a reading of our faith stories which addresses the legacy of violence, clearly sets forth an explanation of nonviolent atonement, and models an admirable attitude of openness.

—Kerri Parker, Executive Director, Wisconsin Council of Churches

Product Details

• Title: God Without Violence, Second Edition: A Theology of the God Revealed in Jesus
• Author: J. Denny Weaver
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 256
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9781532692802, 1532692803
• Resource ID: LLS:GDVLNCSCRVLDJSS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-01-17T19:00:13Z

About J. Denny Weaver

J. Denny Weaver is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Bluffton (Ohio) University. His other books include Keeping Salvation Ethical (1997); Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity (2000); Teaching Peace (coedited with Gerald Biesecker-Mast, 2003); Becoming Anabaptist (2nd ed., 2005); Defenseless Christianity (coauthored with Gerald J. Mast, 2009); The Nonviolent Atonement (2nd ed., 2011); and The Nonviolent God (2013). He has lectured on atonement theology in the United Kingdom, the Congo, and Germany. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.