A new book is now available regarding Christian objection to war and military service, titled “the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, A Treatise on Christian Pacifism.”

This book will also unveil how Jesus Christ’s message of peaceful coexistence and toleration was transformed into a message of militarism, and how the Apostolic community was transformed into an ecclesiastical political institution. Evidence will also be provided to the reader to testify that the only proper manner for a Christian to conduct himself in the matter of war and military service is to refuse. The book defines how the purpose of the Christian religion is to stop war and aggression.

My book is also a history of the development of militarist Christendom and especially the development of the misconception of the militarist Messiah. This includes the manner events and persons of Biblical and ecclesiastical history were interwoven to create an institution that possesses the façade of Jesus Christ, but denies the primary message of the gospel peace and which has subjected itself to political and state control for some 1,700 years.

Table of Contents

Available on the web page:

www.lulu.com/shop/daniel-h-shubin/the-gospel-of-the-prince-of-peace-a-treatise-on-christian-pacifism/

Regards,
Daniel H. Shubin

PEACE CHURCH CHALLENGE

TAKE THE CHALLENGE – BECOME A PEACE CHURCH


he original Apostolic church through the 4th century refused enlistment in the military and participation in war because they felt that under Jesus of Nazareth the era of the Messianic Kingdom had arrived and the prophesies now materialized, for them to “turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning hooks and not learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4. As a result of this, early Christians were persecuted and even executed. Since that time however, Christian nations have been involved in war and military aggression, manufacture of munitions and weapons, and increase of soldiers and military personnel. Refusing to adhere to Jesus of Nazareth and His Apostles’ gospel of non-violence and religious objection to conscription and military service, Christianity as a religion has capitulated over the centuries to the demands of the state. How did this change in doctrine occur?
Under Emperor Constantine the Great during the 2nd quarter of the 4th century a metamorphosis occurred in the corporate Christian Church: the realms of state and church were merged together and the Christian religion became the state church. Under the subsequent Ecumenical Councils the Christian Church was redefined in terms of Greek philosophy and primarily Plato. This did not make the Roman Empire “Christian,” but made it the materialization of Plato’s dreamed Republic. Since that time and especially with the publication of Augustine's Just War Theory, denominations of the Christian Church have supported every war that their respective state declared. For almost 1,700 years Christianity and its priests, ministers and elders have provided for the state recruits from among the members of their respective congregations to continue military aggression. In essence, the Christian Church as a corporate body has betrayed its founder by refusing to acknowledge him as Prince of Peace. Some denominations have even created their own military campaigns, such as the Crusades.
Never have priests and ministers corporately voiced to their congregations for their members not to enlist in the military, to refuse conscription, and not to have a vocation in the manufacture of weapons and munitions. Because of failure of Christian denominations to return to Christ’s original concepts, war continues generation after generations, with “wars and rumors of war” and its devastation of the lives of innocent people, property, culture and civilization. It is no wonder that the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi once stated, “The only people who do not think Jesus was pacifist are Christians.”
Only the Christian Church can stop the tide of the devastating results of war and military aggression. Only by returning to its Apostolic roots can the Christian Church fulfill its responsibility to do so as an obligation to its founder Jesus of Nazareth, who said, “Put down that sword Peter, for whoever takes the sword will perish by the sword.”

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

1. As a Christian, read on your own the New Testament and learn of the life and instruction of Jesus Christ and His Apostles.

2. Read the free book, “Militarist Christendom and the Gospel of the Prince of Peace”(formerly titled “Conflict of Ages”) in Word Document form or in PDF format, which further details the Bible basis of conscientious objection to military service and includes a history of both Christian pacifism and Christian militarism.

3. Go to your minister and priest and elder and tell them, “Our church betrays Jesus by supporting the state when it summons approval and recruits for its military campaigns. It's time for our congregation/denomination to return to our Apostolic roots and adhere to the gospel as taught by our founder Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah of Israel, and to withdraw that weapon from use. It's time to become a peace church, to teach religious objection to the military in our congregation and for all the members to refuse to have a vocation in a military-related industry.”

Only the Christian Church can terminate war by raising the voice of its ministers and priests in the pulpit of their respective congregations. Devastation caused by war will end only when ministers and priests refuse military-age members of their respective congregations to enlist. But it will not be easy because it may provoke persecution, just as early Christians suffered rather than capitulating to Caesar.


BECOME A PEACE CHURCH

For a free copy of “Militarist Christendom and the Gospel of the Prince of Peace”, e-mail peacechurch@jps.net with your name and address. Or visit the website: www.christianpacifism.com/.

RELATED SITES OF INTEREST:

EVERY CHURCH A PEACE CHURCH www.ecapc.org
PEACEHOST
www.peacehost.net
CENTER FOR CONSCIENCE AND WAR
www.nisbco.org

GANDHISERVE FOUNDATION http://www.gandhiserve.org


OTHER BOOKS BY DANIEL H. SHUBIN:

ATTRIBUTES OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
An Interpretative Theology of the Bible
http://www.xlibris.com/attributesofheavenandearth.html

KINGDOMS AND COVENANTS
An Interpretive Commentary on the Bible
http://www.xlibris.com/kingdomsandCovenants.html

Christian Peace Bloggers

Join | List | Previous | Next | Random | Previous 5 | Next 5 | Skip Previous | Skip Next

Daniel H. Shubin – Peace Church Challenge
peacechurch@jps.net


PeaceChurch-on-the-net is hosted by


The Gospel of the Prince of Peace, A Treatise on Christian Pacifism

1    Introduction
2    
In The Beginning
3    
Plato
4    
The Sadducees
5    
War And Love In The Old Testament
6    Biblical Justice
7    The Future Messiah
8    Purpose Of The Gospel
9    The Message Of John Baptizer
10   Jesus The Messiah
11   The Gospel Of The Divine Kingdom
12   The Testimony Of Jesus Christ
13    The Real War
14    Retrospect Of Gospel Justification Of War
15    The Apostolic Period
16    Tertullian
17    Cyprian
18    Justin Of Caesarea
19    Hyppolytus
20    Irenaeus
21    Clement Of Alexandria
22    Origen
23    Arnobius
24    Lactantius
25    The Didiache
26    Athanasius
27    Early Martyrs
28    Plato And The Ecumenical Fathers
29    Constantine The Great
30    The Effects Of Constantine
31    Ambrose
32    Basil Of Caesarea
33    Augustine Of Hippo
34    Thomas Aquinas And Catholic Doctrine
35    Martin Luther
36    John Calvin
37    Hugo Grotius And The Fruits Of Reformation Theology
38    Montanists
39    Mani And Manichaeism
40    Marcion
41    Paulicians
42    Bogomiles
43    The Cathari And Albigences
44    Pierre Waldes And The Waldenses
45    Peter Chelcheky And The Czech Brethren
46    Desiderius Erasmus
47    Menno Simons And The Mennonites
48    Jacob Hutter And The Hutterites
49    George Fox And The Quakers (Society Of Friends)
50    The Church Of The Brethren
51    The Dukhabors
52    Leo N. Tolstoy
53    Semeon Uklein And The Molokans
54    Stundists
55    Early Russian Pentacostalism
56    The Christadelphians
57    Jehovah’s Witnesses
58    Bertrand Russell
59    Pacifism In History
60    Militarist Christendom And The Civil War
61    Militarist Christendom And World War 1
62    Militarist Christendom And World War 2
63    Militarist Christendom And The Vietnam War
64    Militarist Christendom And The Iraqi War
65    The Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter-Day Saints
66    The Church Of The New Jerusalem
67    C.S. Lewis
68    Reinhold Niebuhr
69    Willian Franklin Graham
70    The American Christian Right
71    The Roman Catholic Church And German National Socialism
72    William Penn And Quaker Pennsylvania
73    Christian Pacifism And The Civil War
74    Christian Pacifism And World War One
75    Christian Pacifism And World War Two
76    Christian Pacifism And The Vietnam War
77    The Concept And Purpose Of A Military
78    The Vocation Of The Soldier
79    The Inefficiency Of The Military
80    Psychological Control Of The American Mind
81    Military Enlistment And Conscription
82    The Constitutionality Of Conscription
83    The Military Chaplaincy
84    War And The Military Chaplaincy
85    The Constitutionality Of The Chaplain Corps
86    The Ministerial Exemption
87    The Betrayal Of The Prince Of Peace By Militarist Christendom
88    Legitimate Disobedience Of State Legislation
89    The Christian Pacifist Of Today
90    Christian Responsibility To The State
91    Pacifism And Civil Obedience
92    What Needs To Be Done