Quote:
Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa
Where did the apostles or the early church defend themselves against the Jews by using deadly force?
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Never that I can remember.
Many don't study early Christian history. Early Christians wouldn't fight in the Roman army and for that reason many Roman soldiers who became Christian were tried for treason and executed when they wouldn't kill for the Roman state. Early Christians never acted in violence against any enemy. What moved many in the Roman Empire was just peaceful Christian citizens were. There wasn't any real dirt on them. They wouldn't harm or kill, even if it was in the best interest of their own survival. They truly believed in the Gospel of Peace.
Christians have several options of self defense on the table:
-martyrdom (Sharing the Gospel to one's attacker and dying peaceably as a witness if necessary.)
-divine intervention (Allowing God to intervene and deliver one from danger.)
-ruse (Tricking and escaping from one's attacker.)
-nonlethal violence (Subduing one's attacker in a non-lethal manner or using non-lethal measures to harm an attacker to facilitate escape.)
-moral disarming (This includes such things as showing respect, showing love, or asserting moral authority, which often so affect the attacker that he changes his mind.)
For some reason, in our minds we jump to the idea of using lethal force. The use of lethal force is actually unnecessary in the vast majority of situations. I'm no dove however, don't break into my home if you value your knee-caps.
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