Philip Friesen

ON A HOPELESS PRAYER

But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines...

Philip Friesen

The Mexican Border Today

ON BOUNDARIES The gospel breaks down boundaries and brings humanity together as one in Jesus Christ. What does this mean for the  need of secure and defensible borders we all assume to be necessary? We will look at social boundaries, physical boundaries, and national boundaries. Social Boundaries Soon after Pentecost  in the New Testament, certain social boundaries began to disintegrate.  The Jerusalem...

Philip Friesen

Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence (abstract)

Jesus claimed to fulfill the law and the prophets. Where in the Old Testament does one find any kind of a foundation for Jesus’ nonviolence? Here are some Old Testament truths that must have influenced Jesus. . Abraham was able to walk unarmed and unharmed in the land of promise without the protection of any local prince. Through the process he learned to trust the sovereign protection of God rather than...

Philip Friesen

Abstract: OT Roots of Nonviolence

Jesus claimed to fulfill the law and the prophets. Where in the Old Testament does one find any kind of a foundation for Jesus’ nonviolence? Here are some Old Testament truths that must have influenced Jesus. Abraham was able to walk unarmed and unharmed in the land of promise without the protection of any local prince. Through the process he learned to trust the sovereign protection of God rather than...

Philip Friesen

Why I Wrote the Book- OT Roots of Nonviolence

My story and testimony: My paternal grandparents came to Minnesota as children of German-speaking Mennonite immigrants from the Ukraine. They left land, wealth, and comfort in Russia for the sake of conscience, and the issue was military conscription. What they did not fully understand was the reality that they were buying stolen property when they came to Minnesota. They bought land taken violently from...