Christian Martyrdom and Christian Violence

Matthew D. Lundberg is Professor of Religion and Director of the de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the co-author of An Introduction to Christian Theology (Cambridge University Press), forthcoming in its second edition.

• ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments Introduction: Naming the Christian Martyrs 1. Identifying MartyrdomThe Origins of "Martyrdom"Action and Passion in Christian MartyrdomViolent Action and Martyrdom?The Question of Violence in the Christian Life and the Criteria of Martyrdom (I) 2. Nonviolence as Criterion of Martyrdom?The Biblical Case for PacifismChristian Pacifism in HistoryMartyrdom in Anabaptist PerspectiveNonviolence and the Imitatio ChristiThe Criteria of Martyrdom (II) 3. The Just War and the Horizon of MartyrdomThe Rise of the "Just War" in Christian EthicsChristian Just War TeachingThe Logic of Christian Just War ThinkingCriticisms of Christian Just War Thinking 4. Soldiers and Saints, Magistrates and MartyrsSoldiers as Martyrs and Saints in the Early ChurchSaints, Martyrs, and the Institutions of Medieval ChristendomMagistrate Martyrs in the Era of ReformationMartyr Claims in the European Wars of ReligionInterlude: Colonialism, Mission, and MartyrdomHoly War and Just War 5. Violence, Jesus, and Just War ReasoningThe Nature and Varieties of ViolenceJesus and (Non)ViolenceChristian Violence, Jesus, and the Biblical GodWeighing the Just War Ethic 6. Christian Calling and the Ideal of Martyrdom in the Real WorldChristian "Realism"Christian Calling in the Real WorldInterlude: Military Calling, Moral Injury, and Just War TeachingThe Theology of Sainthood (I)The Criteria of Martyrdom (III) 7. Violence and the Christian Life in the Light of MartyrdomThe Rhetorical Function of MartyrdomRestraining the "Necessities" of RealismChristian Soldiers and the Criteria of Martyrdom (IV)Soldiers, Society, and the ChurchThe Theology of Sainthood (II) Epilogue: The Logic and Absurdity of ViolenceBibliographyIndex

The debate about violence in Christian ethics has become repetitious, stale, boring, and something of a dead end. But then Christian Martyrdom and Christian Violence appears out of nowhere. What a refreshing angle from which to tackle a hackneyed set of issues. Lundberg opens up a whole new field of investigation and we are drawn into a clear, substantive discussion that gets us back on board. More still, he opens up a further set of issues related to sanctity that cries out for follow-up treatment. This is a volume rich in argument and in felicitous expression that is a delight to ponder.