Expressions of Faith

an outlet of encouragement, explanation, and exhortation

Tag: peace

Christians Value Human Life

February 28, 2026 /

I read a quote by David French a few days ago that I appreciated:

Jewish lives aren’t more precious than Palestinian lives, and any
form of advocacy for Israel that treats Palestinians as any less
deserving of safety and security than Israelis isn’t just
un-Christian; it’s anti-Christian. It directly contradicts the
teachings of Scripture, which place Jews and Gentiles in a position of
equality.

Toward a Sane Christian Zionism, New York Times, February 15, 2026

Given the events of this day and this year, I might add that Iranian lives are not less previous than other human lives. And immigrant lives are not less precious than citizen’s lives. War begets war. Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate. Injustice begets injustice. We are called as followers of Jesus to make peace – to love enemies even.

George Washington often quoted from Micah 4.4 in his writing. I’ve quoted Micah 4.2-4 below. The last sentence is Micah 4.4.

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.

Micah 4.2-4

Please, LORD, teach us your ways.

Jesus is Lord.

Notes on Free Speech, Civil Disobedience, and Following Jesus

May 2, 2024 /

This post is written in support of the Long Beach Friends Church message of May 5, 2024 to provide links to associated material for further study. Listen to that message here.

David French wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times that clarifies many of the concepts and legal issues related to free speech and civil disobedience.

This is the commitment card for the Birmingham Campaign that Martin Luther King, Jr. let. There is a brief comment on the commitment card here.

The Bible Project podcast on the Sermon on the Mount, episode 15, explaining “Turn the Other Cheek” discusses Martin Luther King’s approach to civil disobedience. Below is Martin Luther King Jr. as quoted in this podcast episode:

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It’s a sword that heals. The ultimate weakness of violent retaliation is that it’s a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar but you cannot murder the LIE nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate so it goes returning evil for evil ,multiplies evil, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. I love that darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious.”

Lactantius, on defending Christianity

August 29, 2023 /

Lactantius was a Christian writer in the 3rd and 4th century who wrote the Divine Institutes to explain Christianity to Roman critics, to whom it must have seemed quite foreign. Apparently, his wise words were often ignored through the centuries.

Religion is to be defended, not by putting to death, but by dying; not by cruelty, but by patient endurance; not by guilt, but by good faith: for the former belong to evils, but the latter to goods; and it is necessary for that which is good to have place in religion, and not that which is evil. For if you wish to defend religion by bloodshed, and by tortures, and by guilt, it will no longer be defended, but will be polluted and profaned.

Lactantius, Divine Institutes, book 5, chapter 20, from the 10 volume 1885 translation in The Ante-Nicene Fathers

A translation of the Divine Institutes can be found online from several sources.

On making true peace

January 30, 2020 /

True peace is not made when powerful parties gather and dictate terms to their enemies. The hard work of peacemaking requires listening, tough choices, hard conversations, and mutual sacrifice.

Todd Deatherage

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