Faith in the Face of Militarization

Faith in the Face of Militarization
Author: Jude Lal Fernando
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2021-04-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725283999

What does believing mean in the face of empire and militarization? These essays articulate the critical and liberating consciousness shared by oppressed peoples across the world, arising from a faith in the God of the oppressed, expressed in radically diverse ways, and resisting the imperialist deities of materialism (read: economic growth), racism, and militarization that falsely appear as the saviors of humanity. The authors confront these false gods—which form the modern empire—worshiped by the most dominant militarized states in the world and followed by their allied states even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Out of the eleven articles, two are written by critical political analysts with an anti-colonial lens while recognizing the importance of faith in resistance. The rest are written by theologians who critically reflect on their faith within the context of empire and militarization in their societies. Militarization is among the most brutal forms of oppression on the resisting peoples. The theologies that have emerged from critical reflections on their collective experiences are grounded on a material spirituality as opposed to materialistic, racist, and militaristic godlessness. This collection has emerged out of creative and transformative practices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific, and the US. The essays are divided it into four sections in recognizing some of the key features of material spirituality; indigenous, feminist and interreligious voices, and horizontal solidarity. With contributions from: Michael Lujan Bevacqua Wati Longchar Nidia Arrobo Rodas Rasika Sharmen Pieris Lilian Cheelo Siwila Young-Bock Kim Dan Gonzales-Ortega Erin Shea Martin Mark Braverman Joshua Samuel Phil Miller

The Faith of the American Soldier

The Faith of the American Soldier
Author: Stephen Mansfield
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2006-05-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1101562811

What goes through the mind of an American warrior spiritually and religiously when facing the enemy? Treading where few books have gone, The Faith of the American Soldier examines the religious and spiritual issues in America's wars, and then considers what is lost to our military through a secular approach to battle. Special attention is paid to the current war in Iraq, where Mansfield reaches surprising conclusions about the need for structured faith on the battlefield-and how its absence contributes to catastrophes like those at Abu Ghraib prison.

Beyond Brave

Beyond Brave
Author: Planting Roots
Publisher: Planting Roots
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9781732665705

The Bible says Christ has come to set the captives free. In the military, we understand the fight for freedom from a unique perspective. There's a battle for liberty in the spiritual realm of life as well as the physical. As women in uniform or women in military families, we also understand the snares and pitfalls that pervade our daily lives--stress, worry, insecurity, and self-sufficiency vs. God-dependency. This six-week Bible study of Galatians 5 will empower you to identify and overcome areas of struggle we all face. In Christ, we are free. . . * From false ideas * Free from spiritual striving * Free from spiritual uncertainty *Free from guilt and shame Better yet, in Christ, we are free to love others, follow God's Spirit, and grow in faith! Whether you are a seasoned Bible veteran or a new recruit to God's Word, you will learn fresh concepts and God's good plans for you to live in spiritual freedom. With lessons and examples applied to military life, Beyond Brave will show you how to stand firm on God's truth, even in the challenges of military experience. Go beyond the battles you face today and be brave in the good fight of faith. Planting Roots is committed to creating resources that point women around the globe to Christ so they can plant roots of faith to thrive in military life.

With God on Our Side

With God on Our Side
Author: Michael L. Weinstein
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2013-12-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1466859970

One of the most elite educational institutions in the world, the Air Force Academy has, from its inception, attracted the best and the brightest, producing leaders not only in the military but throughout American society. In recent years, however, the Academy has also been producing a cadre of zealous evangelical Christians intent on creating a fundamentalist power base at the highest levels of our country. With God on Our Side is shocking exposé of life inside the United States Air Force Academy and the systematic program of indoctrination sanctioned, coordinated, and carried out by fundamentalist Christians within the U.S. military. It is also the story of Michael L. Weinstein, a proud Academy graduate and the father of two graduates and a current cadet, who single-handedly brought to light the evangelicals' utter disregard of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state that is so essential to the nation's military mission. Weinstein's war would pit him and his small band of fellow graduates, cadets, and concerned citizens against a program of Christian fundamentalist indoctrination that could transform our fighting men and women into "right-thinking" warriors more befitting a theocracy. In the process, he would come face to face with religious bigotry and at its most extreme and fight an unrelenting battle to save his beloved Academy, the ideals it stood for, and the very future of the country. An important book at a critical time in our nation's history, With God on Our Side is the story of one man's courageous struggle to thwart a creeping evangelism permeating America's military and to prevent a taxpayer-funded theocracy in which only the true believers have power.

Emerging Theologies from the Global South

Emerging Theologies from the Global South
Author: Mitri Raheb
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2023-03-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666711837

In recent decades there has been a seismic shift in world Christianity. Whereas formerly Christianity existed as a Caucasian Euro-American phenomenon, the majority of Christians today reside in the Southern Hemisphere, or the Global South. And what is true for the demographics of Christianity has followed lockstep for its theological developments. The era of German theologians setting the tone for global church are gone. Today, some of the loudest and most creative voices in theology speak from the emerging contingencies of the Global South, for example, promoting Latinx, Black, Caribbean, and Asian theologies and their influence often influences the conversation in the United States and Europe. In addition, just as the center of Christianity has moved geographically from north to south, so with theological seminaries in the west, which have declined as training centers for clergy. These events coincide with new theological centers are opening in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. The bottom line is—contemporary Christianity today looks significantly different than it did a century ago, and publications have been slow to acknowledge, let alone describe and elaborate upon, this major shift to the largest religion in the world. These shifts guide our intentions in this book. Such a reference book, which could also be used as a textbook, therefore is very much needed. In fact, there is nothing like the contents of this single-volume book in the publishing market which allows for high-quality, interdisciplinary, and international dialogue.

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter
Author: Peter C. Phan
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2024-05-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666959995

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter underscores the urgency of interreligious dialogue for contemporary society, aiming to foster interfaith understanding, justice, and peace. The initial section focuses on novel approaches to engaging with the religious Other through non-Christian sacred texts. Contributors explore the Jewish-Christian relationship, offer Christian interpretations of Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucian scriptures, and discuss the Qurʾān's potential to refine Christian theology. The dangers of comparative theology are warned against, and alternative perspectives, such as Asian liberation theology, are proposed for situating religion critically, as well as share the insights on Christian engagement with Zen practice. The second part explores the transformation of key Christian doctrines through interreligious encounters. Contributors delve into topics such as the conditions for faith and divine revelation, formulating a Christology in dialogue with Asian traditions, and understanding the Spirit as a source of questioning. They investigate the communitarian dimension of religious faith, discuss the Catholic Church's stance on interreligious dialogue, examine the role of biblical hermeneutics in decolonizing theology, and reflect on the existential threat of ecological destruction. The third part pays tribute to Leo Lefebure, emphasizing his impact on Catholic theology and comparative theology, and concludes with Lefebure's epilogue, providing him with the last word.

Faith of Our Fighters

Faith of Our Fighters
Author: Ellwood C. Nance
Publisher:
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2008-06-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9781436706674

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Reborn on the Fourth of July

Reborn on the Fourth of July
Author: Logan Mehl-Laituri
Publisher: IVP Books
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2012-05-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780830836529

Logan Mehl-Laituri recounts his journey from Christian soldier to peace activist, along the way challenging cultural assumptions about where our love of country ends and our love of God begins, and inviting us to see our country, and our world, as God sees us--as people created in the image of God and in need of his redeeming love.

Faith in the Fight

Faith in the Fight
Author: Jonathan H. Ebel
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2014-02-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691162182

Faith in the Fight tells a story of religion, soldiering, suffering, and death in the Great War. Recovering the thoughts and experiences of American troops, nurses, and aid workers through their letters, diaries, and memoirs, Jonathan Ebel describes how religion--primarily Christianity--encouraged these young men and women to fight and die, sustained them through war's chaos, and shaped their responses to the war's aftermath. The book reveals the surprising frequency with which Americans who fought viewed the war as a religious challenge that could lead to individual and national redemption. Believing in a "Christianity of the sword," these Americans responded to the war by reasserting their religious faith and proclaiming America God-chosen and righteous in its mission. And while the war sometimes challenged these beliefs, it did not fundamentally alter them. Revising the conventional view that the war was universally disillusioning, Faith in the Fight argues that the war in fact strengthened the religious beliefs of the Americans who fought, and that it helped spark a religiously charged revival of many prewar orthodoxies during a postwar period marked by race riots, labor wars, communist witch hunts, and gender struggles. For many Americans, Ebel argues, the postwar period was actually one of "reillusionment." Demonstrating the deep connections between Christianity and Americans' experience of the First World War, Faith in the Fight encourages us to examine the religious dimensions of America's wars, past and present, and to work toward a deeper understanding of religion and violence in American history.

Grace Under Fire

Grace Under Fire
Author: Andrew Carroll
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2007
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400073375

A heartening collection of correspondences between troops and their families, from the American Revolution through the fighting in Iraq, captures the spirit, humor, and courage of men and women in uniform and stresses the importance of faith.