Violence has become an assumed option for many Christians in war, politics, and even personal safety. But that wasn’t always the case. Christianity Without Compromise host Jake Doberenz chats with Jason Porterfield, Christian peacemaker and author of Fight Like Jesus, and Cody Cook, theologian and author of Anarchist Anabaptist, for a live roundtable on one provocative question: should Christians ever kill? They unpack what Jesus really taught about violence, how the early Church practiced enemy love, and why modern Christian ethics often distort that legacy. 

Important Links:

1. Jason Porterfield’s free PDF: 140 Early Christian Quotes on Not Killing
2. Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week by Jason Porterfield
3. Anarchist Anabaptist: Essays on Radical Christianity and Freedom
4. “Problem Passages for Libertarian Christians: Romans 13” podcast episode from the Libertarian Christian Institute
5. “How Do You Know a Christian,” Plough Quarterly, by Cody Cook
6. The City of Refuge - podcast miniseries
7. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan

Guest Bios:

• Jason Porterfield is a Christian peacemaker, author, and speaker. A former missionary among the urban poor in Canada and Southeast Asia, he now writes and teaches on how Jesus waged peace, especially during Holy Week. He is the author of Fight Like Jesus. Check out his episode “When the Church Embraced Nonviolence.”
• Cody Cook is a theologian, author, and host of the Cantus Firmus podcast. He writes on topics of Christian nonviolence, Anabaptism, and liberty, and is affiliated with the Libertarian Christian Institute. He had many books, including Anarchist Anabaptist. Check out his episode “Having a Voluntary Faith.”

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.