The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God
Author Lee Griffith ISBN 9780802828606 Binding Trade Paper Publisher WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Publication Date June 11, 2004 Size 156 x 234 mm
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. Uniquely relevant to a world shaken by recent acts of terror, this provocative analysis of our culture of violence calls peop
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.
Uniquely relevant to a world shaken by recent acts of terror, this provocative analysis of our culture of violence calls people of faith back to the way of peace that has always been the proper Christian response to aggression.
With the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other, Lee Griffith takes a frank look at the historical events and modern forces contributing to terrorism. This is not a book about small guerrilla bands of terrorists or about so-called "Islamic terrorists" — it is a cogent, open-eyed analysis of a worldwide epidemic of violence.
In a discussion that will no doubt prove controversial, Griffith argues that terrorism and counterterrorism are identical phenomena when viewed at the spiritual level. To oppose terrorism with violence acknowledges the terrorist assumption that meaningful change is possible only through suffering and fear. Likewise, terrorism and counterterrorism both employ similar God language to justify horrendous acts of violence. This is true not only of "rogue states" but also of Western leaders who use religious language on the eve of battle.
In response to today's culture of terror, Griffith points the way to a theology of peace. He first looks at specific recent events that have contributed to terrorism. Next, he mines the history of the church to see how the tradition has responded to violence in the past. Finally, he probes the biblical texts for meaningful answers. The result is a stirring message for our day: rather than serving as an incitement to violence, the biblical concept of "the terror of God" stands as a renunciation of all violence — and of death itself.
Calling for a radical faith for radical times, The war on Terrorism and the Terror of God is sure to generate discussion from every quarter.
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Uniquely relevant to a world shaken by recent acts of terror, this provocative analysis of our culture of violence calls people of faith back to the way of peace that has always been the proper Christian response to aggression.
With the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other, Lee Griffith takes a frank look at the historical events and modern forces contributing to terrorism. This is not a book about small guerrilla bands of terrorists or about so-called "Islamic terrorists" — it is a cogent, open-eyed analysis of a worldwide epidemic of violence.
In a discussion that will no doubt prove controversial, Griffith argues that terrorism and counterterrorism are identical phenomena when viewed at the spiritual level. To oppose terrorism with violence acknowledges the terrorist assumption that meaningful change is possible only through suffering and fear. Likewise, terrorism and counterterrorism both employ similar God language to justify horrendous acts of violence. This is true not only of "rogue states" but also of Western leaders who use religious language on the eve of battle.
In response to today's culture of terror, Griffith points the way to a theology of peace. He first looks at specific recent events that have contributed to terrorism. Next, he mines the history of the church to see how the tradition has responded to violence in the past. Finally, he probes the biblical texts for meaningful answers. The result is a stirring message for our day: rather than serving as an incitement to violence, the biblical concept of "the terror of God" stands as a renunciation of all violence — and of death itself.
Calling for a radical faith for radical times, The war on Terrorism and the Terror of God is sure to generate discussion from every quarter.
America
"What more appropriate time than this year of bombings, retaliations, wars, and rumors of war to investigate the meaning and practice of terror, especially in its relationship to faith?...This is a welcome but disturbing book for serious American Christians."
Religious Studies Review
"There are few books that would qualify for my 'must read' list, but this is one. The compelling timeliness of the topic is only surpassed by the thoroughness with which the author addresses it. . . This book is well suited as a text in courses on contemporary world issues, international relations, peacemaking, as well as theological analyses of theodicy and suffering. "
Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God
"This is a timely and thoughtful reflection on the epidemic of religious violence in our time. Lee Griffith destroys the myth that terrorism is the sole property of Islam and explores the bloody images to be found in every religious tradition. He shows convincingly that religion is used — and abused — in the service of political causes that deflect its emphases on transcendent values and peace. He is not afraid to challenge the assumption that violence should be countered by violence, and he argues that our response to terrorism has to be more elevated than its cause. This is an important statement, one that will appeal especially to readers from a Christian background, but one that will interest anyone who wants to understand the dark side of religious faith."
Walter Wink, author of The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man
"This book was already in production when the events of September 11, 2001, took place. It is as if Lee Griffith saw it all coming and wrote this thoroughgoing study of terrorism and its antidote, nonviolence, in anticipation of the worldwide terrorist campaign and the ill-conceived counterviolence of the great powers. His timing could scarcely have been more providential, or our debt greater."
Choice
"An important book."
Theological Book Review
"A searching discussion of a theology of peace."
NAPRA Review
"This book was written and titled nearly a year before the terrible crimes of 9/11, yet it contains a clear, cogent, and amazingly prescient commentary on the current international crisis."
Tony Campolo, Eastern College
"This book is a call for Americans to take a good look at ourselves and to reflect on what God requires of us in these painful days since September 11, 2001. It will be upsetting to anyone who says, 'My country, right or wrong! But right or wrong, my country!' I believe that the publication of this book is proof of God's perfect timing."
Elizabeth McAlister
"Some of us feel that in its war on terrorism our nation has become a monster, its deadly and duplicitous actions imitating and imitated by those whom it names 'terrorists.' Some of us are haunted by the spectre of institutions of domination — the CIA, NSA, WTO, IMF, the World Bank, the Pentagon — institutions that enable the very crimes they were instituted to preclude. Some of us resist the taxonomy of 'good people' versus 'evil people' and refuse to be terrified on command. Some of us would rather suffer ourselves than be the cause of another's suffering. For all who choose living compassion, binding wounds, and sharing resources so as to deny terror any power over us, The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God is must reading."
Howard Zehr, Eastern Mennonite University
"The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God is an immensely poignant and profoundly prophetic book. The fact that it was written before the attacks of September 11 only adds to its power: it anticipates and provides a critical analytic framework for understanding most of the issues raised by these attacks, but does so without the 'skewing' of perspective that has affected the world in its aftermath."
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"What more appropriate time than this year of bombings, retaliations, wars, and rumors of war to investigate the meaning and practice of terror, especially in its relationship to faith?...This is a welcome but disturbing book for serious American Christians."
Religious Studies Review
"There are few books that would qualify for my 'must read' list, but this is one. The compelling timeliness of the topic is only surpassed by the thoroughness with which the author addresses it. . . This book is well suited as a text in courses on contemporary world issues, international relations, peacemaking, as well as theological analyses of theodicy and suffering. "
Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God
"This is a timely and thoughtful reflection on the epidemic of religious violence in our time. Lee Griffith destroys the myth that terrorism is the sole property of Islam and explores the bloody images to be found in every religious tradition. He shows convincingly that religion is used — and abused — in the service of political causes that deflect its emphases on transcendent values and peace. He is not afraid to challenge the assumption that violence should be countered by violence, and he argues that our response to terrorism has to be more elevated than its cause. This is an important statement, one that will appeal especially to readers from a Christian background, but one that will interest anyone who wants to understand the dark side of religious faith."
Walter Wink, author of The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man
"This book was already in production when the events of September 11, 2001, took place. It is as if Lee Griffith saw it all coming and wrote this thoroughgoing study of terrorism and its antidote, nonviolence, in anticipation of the worldwide terrorist campaign and the ill-conceived counterviolence of the great powers. His timing could scarcely have been more providential, or our debt greater."
Choice
"An important book."
Theological Book Review
"A searching discussion of a theology of peace."
NAPRA Review
"This book was written and titled nearly a year before the terrible crimes of 9/11, yet it contains a clear, cogent, and amazingly prescient commentary on the current international crisis."
Tony Campolo, Eastern College
"This book is a call for Americans to take a good look at ourselves and to reflect on what God requires of us in these painful days since September 11, 2001. It will be upsetting to anyone who says, 'My country, right or wrong! But right or wrong, my country!' I believe that the publication of this book is proof of God's perfect timing."
Elizabeth McAlister
"Some of us feel that in its war on terrorism our nation has become a monster, its deadly and duplicitous actions imitating and imitated by those whom it names 'terrorists.' Some of us are haunted by the spectre of institutions of domination — the CIA, NSA, WTO, IMF, the World Bank, the Pentagon — institutions that enable the very crimes they were instituted to preclude. Some of us resist the taxonomy of 'good people' versus 'evil people' and refuse to be terrified on command. Some of us would rather suffer ourselves than be the cause of another's suffering. For all who choose living compassion, binding wounds, and sharing resources so as to deny terror any power over us, The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God is must reading."
Howard Zehr, Eastern Mennonite University
"The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God is an immensely poignant and profoundly prophetic book. The fact that it was written before the attacks of September 11 only adds to its power: it anticipates and provides a critical analytic framework for understanding most of the issues raised by these attacks, but does so without the 'skewing' of perspective that has affected the world in its aftermath."
Lee Griffith is a teacher, author, and social activist currently working with a community mental health program in Elmira, New York. A frequent contributor to magazines like The Other Side, Sojourners, and Brethren Life and Thought, he is also the author of The Fall of the Prison: Biblical Perspectives on Prison Abolition, chosen by Christianity Today as one of the best books of 1993.
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