The Dove, The Fig Leaf and the Sword: Why Christianity changes its mind about war
The Dove, The Fig Leaf and the Sword: Why Christianity changes its mind about war
Overview
Description
Editorial Reviews
This highly informative, well-researched and systematic approach to historically changing
Christian views around war and peace is an excellent overview that does not flinch from also
facing the contentious contemporary context. Alan Billings is well placed to tackle this theme,
being an Anglican priest, theologian, ethicist and occasional lecturer to military chaplains.
Highlighting historical tensions and change-points within Christianity over the ethics ofwar, he
acknowledges his own position by contending that Christianity was never a "pacifist"
movement in an absolute sense, even though it commits its followers to seek for peace, and
therefore military action may be contemplated in certain circumstances as a "cruel necessity".
He then skilfully navigates us through four phases of Christian thought beginning with
Christianity's earliest approach which renounced violence and largely took a pacifist approach
up to Constantine (The Dove). He moves to Christianity's second thoughts which largely
accepted the necessity of violence and developed the JustWar tradition fromConstantine to the
Reformation (The Fig Leaf). He asserts the third change-point as the embracing of violence in a
righteous cause, covering the post Reformation and the rise of the nation-state to the tragedy of
the FirstWorldWarwhere this approach stumbles and then stops at the end of the SecondWorld
War (The Sword). The great names, and the greatest name, are all here--Thucydides, Plato,
Cicero, Aristotle, Jesus, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Grotius and even the Anabaptists getmore
than a mention! It is a succinct, sharp and erudite survey.
The contentious debate is reserved for the contemporary context. In the fourth section--
Return of the Dove?--the recovery of Just War and the more recent questioning of its
usefulness are debated with vigour in which Billings argues that Christianity will and should
continue to change its mind over military operations and war. Following and adapting
Niebuhr, Billings argues for a Christian realist position, acknowledging that any discussion of
ethics must work with the realities of power or the ethic will either fail or remain irrelevant to
decision-makers.
Indeed, with moral ambiguity more present than ever in the complexities surrounding
military operations and war in the twenty-first-century context, a Christian realist position
that accepts a measure of pragmatism to bring the best or least worst out of situations, is a
necessary reality according to Billings. He argues that the Just War tradition in itself is just
not enough in today's context; especially with a state deciding to take preventive action to
frustrate what it thinks may be a future possibility. He highlights the Middle East in this
regard. Indeed, this position will hold that Christianity will mostly change its mind about
operations and war, depending on the choices available to a nation-state at any given time.
This applies to the combination of motives and reasons behind the more recent emphasis
upon pre-emption and prevention; humanitarian interventions; regime change and the
prevention of terrorism. The choices of when to intervene militarily in humanitarian
circumstances or respond to a violent movement rather than a nation-state are cases in point.
If adult theological education is about serious thinking, this highly readable, informative and
contentious book will deliver on whichever side of the debate you find yourself. With a light
touch, Billings brings additional thinking, especially in the twenty-first-century context, to the
tensions that Christianity has with military operations and war. One thing is clear. Billings
believes Christianity must engage both ethically and realistically if its message is going to have
any relevance in the arena of war and the spectrum of other military operational options with
those who bear the weight of making those life-changing and responsible choices.
--Jonathan Woodhouse
About the Author
The Revd Canon Alan Billings is an Anglican priest and a former Director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. In recent years he has taught the ethics of war to chaplains to the forces at the UK Defence Academy, Amport, and on military bases in England and Germany.
Condition Guidelines
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- Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.
Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.
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To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
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Categories
Overview
Description
Editorial Reviews
This highly informative, well-researched and systematic approach to historically changing
Christian views around war and peace is an excellent overview that does not flinch from also
facing the contentious contemporary context. Alan Billings is well placed to tackle this theme,
being an Anglican priest, theologian, ethicist and occasional lecturer to military chaplains.
Highlighting historical tensions and change-points within Christianity over the ethics ofwar, he
acknowledges his own position by contending that Christianity was never a "pacifist"
movement in an absolute sense, even though it commits its followers to seek for peace, and
therefore military action may be contemplated in certain circumstances as a "cruel necessity".
He then skilfully navigates us through four phases of Christian thought beginning with
Christianity's earliest approach which renounced violence and largely took a pacifist approach
up to Constantine (The Dove). He moves to Christianity's second thoughts which largely
accepted the necessity of violence and developed the JustWar tradition fromConstantine to the
Reformation (The Fig Leaf). He asserts the third change-point as the embracing of violence in a
righteous cause, covering the post Reformation and the rise of the nation-state to the tragedy of
the FirstWorldWarwhere this approach stumbles and then stops at the end of the SecondWorld
War (The Sword). The great names, and the greatest name, are all here--Thucydides, Plato,
Cicero, Aristotle, Jesus, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Grotius and even the Anabaptists getmore
than a mention! It is a succinct, sharp and erudite survey.
The contentious debate is reserved for the contemporary context. In the fourth section--
Return of the Dove?--the recovery of Just War and the more recent questioning of its
usefulness are debated with vigour in which Billings argues that Christianity will and should
continue to change its mind over military operations and war. Following and adapting
Niebuhr, Billings argues for a Christian realist position, acknowledging that any discussion of
ethics must work with the realities of power or the ethic will either fail or remain irrelevant to
decision-makers.
Indeed, with moral ambiguity more present than ever in the complexities surrounding
military operations and war in the twenty-first-century context, a Christian realist position
that accepts a measure of pragmatism to bring the best or least worst out of situations, is a
necessary reality according to Billings. He argues that the Just War tradition in itself is just
not enough in today's context; especially with a state deciding to take preventive action to
frustrate what it thinks may be a future possibility. He highlights the Middle East in this
regard. Indeed, this position will hold that Christianity will mostly change its mind about
operations and war, depending on the choices available to a nation-state at any given time.
This applies to the combination of motives and reasons behind the more recent emphasis
upon pre-emption and prevention; humanitarian interventions; regime change and the
prevention of terrorism. The choices of when to intervene militarily in humanitarian
circumstances or respond to a violent movement rather than a nation-state are cases in point.
If adult theological education is about serious thinking, this highly readable, informative and
contentious book will deliver on whichever side of the debate you find yourself. With a light
touch, Billings brings additional thinking, especially in the twenty-first-century context, to the
tensions that Christianity has with military operations and war. One thing is clear. Billings
believes Christianity must engage both ethically and realistically if its message is going to have
any relevance in the arena of war and the spectrum of other military operational options with
those who bear the weight of making those life-changing and responsible choices.
--Jonathan Woodhouse
About the Author
The Revd Canon Alan Billings is an Anglican priest and a former Director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. In recent years he has taught the ethics of war to chaplains to the forces at the UK Defence Academy, Amport, and on military bases in England and Germany.
Condition Guidelines
Books - New and Used
The following guidelines apply to books:
- New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
- Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
- Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.
Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping Fees
- Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
- Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
- No additional fees and charges.
Delivery Times
The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.
Estimated delivery times:
- Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
- Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days
Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.
Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times.
Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.).
If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.
Returns & Refunds
You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.
Additional non-returnable items:
- Gift cards
- Downloadable software products
- Some health and personal care items
To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)
- Book with obvious signs of use
- CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
- Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
- Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery
Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.
Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.
If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:
- Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
- Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
- Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.
Shipping Cost
We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
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