The Christian Possession of Tools of Violence

Session 1: by Walter Taylor and Matthew Worthington, Racial Wholeness

After Jesus’ arrest in Matthew 26:52, he tells Peter, “Put your sword back in its place.” He does not tell him to discard it. In what ways does this passage speak today to Christians who possess weapons? How did Hutu and Tutsi Christians view this passage in the Rwandan genocide of 1994? How does a Christian reconcile the blessing on peacemakers in the Sermon on the Mount with Peter’s willingness to use violence during a moment of civil conflict?

BSB 114