The Tree of Good and Evil: Or, Violence by the Law and against the Law

by Charles K. Bellinger

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2023

There is a common way of thinking that distinguishes between the regular law-abiding citizens and the "criminals." The many high-profile killings committed by police officers in recent years, with the George Floyd case being the most famous, have served to render this simplistic way of thinking highly problematic. It is more realistic, in terms of cultural understanding, to see violence as a dialectic; it can come from the direction of "law and order" or from the direction of the violation of law. Employing the thought of Rene Girard, Soren Kierkegaard, and others, this book provides a framework for understanding this dialectic. Drawing on examples from slavery, lynching, the killing of unarmed Black persons by police, and the death penalty, the theme of violence coming from the direction of "law and order" is vividly illustrated, with Girard's thought being employed to formulate a deeply rooted theoretical understanding. There is also extensive attention paid to many examples of mass shootings and terrorist attacks--violence that is intentionally immoral and illegal. A psychological taxonomy is employed that comprehends such violence under the headings of the psychopathic, the psychotic, the traumatized, and the ideological actor.

Praise for The Tree of Good and Evil

“Drawing insights from an interdisciplinary array of authors, including René Girard, Giorgio Agamben, James Cone, and others, Charles K. Bellinger provides an incisive analysis of violence by slave owners and lynch mobs, police officers and anti-police rioters, White supremacists and Antifa supporters—all without succumbing to relativism, moral equivalency, or a might-makes-right power struggle. This book is a must-read for anyone, pacifist or not, concerned about past and present violence.”

—Tobias Winright, professor of moral theology, St Patrick’s Pontifical University



“In The Tree of Good and Evil, Charles Bellinger takes up the question of violence in general, and police and governmental violence in particular. Unlike so many studies of violence, Bellinger has the courage to peel away the layers of superficial social commentary to get to the root of human violence, which means getting to the root of what drives human behavior. This work reflects the thought of a mature thinker, and the writing mirrors the thinking of one of America’s most provocative theologians—focused, serious, undistracted. This book deserves a wide readership.”

—Grant Kaplan, professor of theology, Saint Louis University

Product Details

• Title: The Tree of Good and Evil: Or, Violence by the Law and against the Law
• Author: Charles K. Bellinger
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781666759051, 9781666759044, 166675904X, 9781666759037, 1666759031, 1666759058
• Resource ID: LLS:9781666759051
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-22T19:53:11Z

About Charles K. Bellinger

During my years in graduate school I studied both theology and ethics because the concept of narrow disciplinary boundaries separating the two fields never made sense to me. I also developed a strong interest in reflecting on human psychology from a theological point of view. Over the past several years my attention has come into focus on the topic of theological anthropology seen through a Trinitarian lens. My major theme over the years since college has been reflecting on violence psychologically and ethically. Key thinkers I draw on include Soren Kierkegaard, Eric Voegelin, and Rene Girard.