Shawn Graves and Marlena Graves: The Gospel of Peace in a Violent World

The Gospel of Peace in a Violent World
IVP Academic, 2022
Edited by Shawn Graves and Marlena Graves

WHO: Shawn Graves, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Findlay; and Marlena Graves, an adjunct professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary.

THEY SAY: “Jesus used God’s means to accomplish God’s ends and so must anyone who professes to follow Jesus and model their life after his.”

THE BIG IDEA: This collection of essays casts a vision of Christian nonviolence—a holistic shalom—in today’s world.

THE PROGRESSION: This book is divided in to five parts: “Biblical Reflections,” “Learning From Others,” “War and Violence,” “Race, Gender, and Disability” and “Immigration and Environment.” Contributors include T.C. Ham, Aaron James and Lisa Sharon Harper.

“Jesus has not called us to do violence to one another nor to participate in the culture of death no matter how it manifests itself.”

A Sanctifying Space

The local church does not simply occupy space. Rather, it makes place.

Beyond Burnout: Finding God in the Ashes

Where you are burned out, and you’re just desperately craving some real comfort, Jesus breaks himself into a feast for you, so that you can savor and taste and see that the Lord is good, and your heart can burn with hope within you again.

Merry and Bright Family Golf Night Attracts a Crowd

Sunday school classes and other groups “adopted” a hole and decorated it for Christmas, and with average Sunday attendance at around 260 at the church, there was a good pool of potential volunteers to staff the event.