“For it is a commendable thing if, being aware of God, a person endures pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do good and suffer for it, this is a commendable thing before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps.” (1 Peter 2:19-21)
This has to be the craziest command in the entire New Testament. Getting beaten up for no reason and doing nothing in return! Since when was that a good idea?!
As well as being a professional boxer, I have six black belts in the martial arts, and I’ve spent a lot of time teaching self-defence. I’ve taught self-defence to women. I taught it to our local police. I even taught it to a church security team! What I’ve never taught is the technique here advocated here by the Apostle Peter – namely, just enduring the beating and doing nothing in response!
When we put these verses in their context, things only look worse. Peter is talking here to slaves – people whom he surely believed were their masters’ equals! And from there Peter goes on to tell wives to submit to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1), which sounds like another invitation to a beating. Further, he tells all of us to submit to the government! (1 Peter 2:13), and this at a time when Christians were being fed to lions! Is this really what being a part of Christ’s flock is about?
Some Christian thinkers have been bold enough to accept that this is pretty much what Peter taught. John Howard Yoder, in his famous book, “The Politics of Jesus”, grounded his pacifism in passages like this. Indeed, Yoder pointed out that 1 Peter 2:21 is the only place in the entire New Testament where the lifestyle of Jesus is used as an example for us to follow. Jesus slept outdoors a lot, but we’re never told that; therefore, we should try sleeping outdoors. Jesus never married, but this is never given as a reason for us not to marry. The only point at which the lifestyle of Jesus is used as an example for us is here, says Yoder – in Jesus’ refusal to respond to violence with violence! He left you this example “so that you should follow in his footsteps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
Incidentally, in year 2000, Christianity Today ranked “The Politics of Jesus” as number five on its list of the most important religious books of the 20th century, so clearly, Yoder and Saint Peter have inspired many Christians to non-violence. The obvious question then is, ‘How the hell do I, as a Christian priest, get away with teaching people to fight?’
I’ve been asked that question a lot over the years, of course, not only by those who don’t approve of boxing but also by those who consider the martial arts to be nefarious portals to Eastern mysticism and idolatry. There’s not a simple one-size-fits-all answer to all the issues here, but let me share with you a few thoughts.
Firstly, I don’t consider boxing to be a form of violence – certainly not the way I do it or teach it. For me, it’s a form of rough play.
Years ago I used to teach wrestling to young people in Sydney’s juvenile detention centre (prison for those under 18 years of age), and I was astonished as to how often, after I’d finished a session of rumbling with those guys (almost all of whom were bigger and stronger than me), they’d tell me how our session reminded them of days when they’d rumble in the backyard with their dads when they were kids.
Rough play doesn’t have to be destructive, and from my experience, amateur boxing rarely does anyone any harm but can do a lot of people a lot of good – particularly, in my experience, ‘at-risk’ young people. Professional boxing has money involved, of course, so that’s riskier, but I have always felt protected by the rules and the referees, and I believe they’ve protected my opponents as well. Mind you, this is also why I got out of kickboxing and mixed martial arts when the rules of competition changed. I believed people were going to get seriously damaged, so I got out, but that’s another story.
In terms of the teachings of the Apostle Peter and his exhortation not to hit back, it’s important, I think, to distinguish between violence and vengeance. Vengeance is hitting someone because they hit you. They slap you on the cheek, so you slap them back. They swear at you; you swear back. They pick up a gun. You grab yours!
Vengeance is what we call ‘retributive’ justice. It’s about giving as good as you get, and our Scriptures are entirely consistent in saying that there’s no place for this. ‘Vengeance is mine, says the Lord’ (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30). We are never permitted to hit someone simply because they hit us. If we are to be true to Jesus and the Scriptures, we cannot do this on any level. That, in itself, though, does not mean that there’s never a time to fight.
Saint Augustine developed the ‘just war’ theory, suggesting that, while living peaceably with one another is always the goal, there may be times when even wars must be waged by those who follow Christ, but never for vengeance, and there are very strict conditions, such as:
- Wars could only be ordered for the sake of peace.
- War had to be motivated by love of neighbour.
- Wars must not harm the innocent.
Augustine’s theory was further developed and codified by Saint Thomas Aquinas, and, quite honestly, I suspect Saint Peter may well have agreed with Augustine and Aquinas – that there could be times when applying maximum force to someone or even to some nation was not only appropriate but the only loving thing to do. It’s just ironic that in the current conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, it’s not the supposedly Christian country that is following these teachings of the church fathers here!
There’s a lot more that could be said but, in closing, I note that, from what we know, Saint Peter himself died a violent death at the hands of government authorities. It is said that they crucified him upside-down! Whatever the grim details, his violent end suggests that Peter did not quietly live out his life in humble submission to the governing authorities. He stood up and he spoke out! Even so, like his master, he did not hit back:
“When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)
Our Sunday Eucharist
We had such a good time last weekend with the Sunday Eucharist that we ran way over time, and we didn’t even include AI Saint Paul! Perhaps having four real human beings on the panel threw the timing. Even so, it was worth it. I had Rev. Joy, Wing Commander Scott and Pastor Eric with me, and it was a great combination. I think everyone enjoyed it.
If you missed it (or even if you didn’t), you’ll find a 14-minute excerpt at the end of today’s post where we discuss the closing lines of Peter’s great Pentecost speech, recorded in Acts, chapter 2. Enjoy!
As per usual, the two most popular shorts from th week are also pasted directly below. The most popular video last week on all platforms was the one with Scottie talking about his TIE fighter. See all our shorts on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page , and all our videos – long and short – on my YouTube channel.
This coming Sunday I’m very much looking forward to having two old friends back with me on the panel – Costandi Bastoli and Diane Bates. We’ll try to give AI Saint Paul a voice this week too, as I think he’s feeling left out. Our virtual brother has been emailing mid-week with further thoughts on some of our readings. It’s a bit weird, actually, but he is a valuable part of the team.
Join us Sunday please. We go live, as usual, at midday (Sydney time) on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, Streamyard and TheSundayEucharist.com. Invite your friends by directing them to Facebook, giving them the YouTube link, or directing them to the Streamyard registration page.
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What’s On?
- Sunday, April 26th – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or Streamyard
- Tuesday, April 28th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
- Thursday, April 30th – Online Bible study group meeting from noon @ www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible
- Thursday, April 30th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
- Saturday, May 2nd – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm
The world feels a bit more stable than it did this time last week, with the US declaring a ceasefire on Iran. One might have suspected that this was just a ploy to give time for US forces to rearm; however, the actions of Israel suggest otherwise.
Within minutes of Trump declaring his ceasefire, the Israelis launched multiple strikes against Lebanon. UN human rights experts report Israel striking “more than 150 locations simultaneously across Lebanon” in a 10‑minute onslaught!
Thousands of Lebanese people have now been killed by Israeli forces, and over one million have been displaced – almost 20% of Lebanon’s population of five million!
Clearly, Netanyahu did not want the ceasefire to hold. Even so, on April 16th, Israel declared its own 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon, presumably because, once again, Hezbollah were giving Israeli forces a drubbing! The IDF seem to be expert at targeted assassinations and high-tech murder via exploding pagers and the like, but in a stand-up battle with Lebanese men defending their homes, they consistently fail!
So … have things really improved? The Doomsday Clock is still at 85 seconds to midnight – the closest to Armageddon it has ever been since it started ticking in 1947. Whether things are improving or not, I don’t know, but the commentary seems to be getting increasingly religious!
Apocalyptic language seems to have become common vernacular on social media. Some see Donald Trump as the Beast of Revelation 13, while others still cling to the idea that he is God’s anointed saviour. redeeming the world from the ‘deep state’.
How anyone can maintain faith in Trump by this stage astonishes me. He lies continuously. He blasphemes, he murders children, and who knows what more they have on him in the Epstein files. Even so, his devotees continue to worship him!
I watched a short documentary put together by the good people of The Grey Zone, entitled “God Chose Trump“. If you’ve got the stomach for it, it’s worth watching. It helped me appreciate why our spiritual forefathers and foremothers took heresy so seriously. Heresies like Christian Zionism and the canonisation of Trump aren’t just stupid. They are dangerous, and can lead us into untold death and destruction!
So let us hold fast to the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ – the one who “brings down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly”. (Luke 1:52) As Saint Peter would remind us, violence is not the only path to victory.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
Your brother in the Good Fight,
www.fatherdave.org
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www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
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www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com
P.S. With so much going on around us at the moment, we really need to pool our wisdom. I set up the new member site with this in mind a couple of months back, but not many of you are taking advantage of it yet. Please sign up and share your wisdom. If you can’t work out how to sign up or how to post, email me and I’ll help you. It won’t cost you anything beyond a little time and energy. Click here.
About Father Dave Smith
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
