DiscoverTripp FullerFrom Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan
From Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan

From Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan

Update: 2025-09-08
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What an incredible conversation we had with John Dominic Crossan about distributive justice and the biblical vision for creation! Dom completely reframed how I think about Genesis – showing us that the Sabbath, not humanity, is the crown of creation, and that God’s distributive justice isn’t just a nice idea but the very fabric of how the cosmos is supposed to work. He challenged our typical understanding of “original sin,” arguing that violence, not sexuality or disobedience, is what corrupts human civilization – starting with Cain’s murder of Abel in Genesis 4, not Adam and Eve’s story in Genesis 3. What really struck me was his argument that Jesus’ command to “love your enemies” isn’t just feel-good spirituality, but actually a practical strategy for nonviolent resistance against what Dom calls “escalatory violence” – the pattern that’s led us from iron swords to nuclear weapons in just 3,000 years. Tim and I peppered him with questions about how this all applies today, and Dom’s bilingual approach – speaking both biblical language and evolutionary science – offers a compelling vision for why we need to take this seriously if our species is going to survive.


If this conversation has you hungry for more, you can join our “?God of Justice” online class? – donate whatever you can between zero and a million dollars to get access to Dom’s full lecture, along with talks from other incredible scholars. We’ll keep having these live streams where you can send in questions, and trust me, you don’t want to miss what’s coming next.


UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS – The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing


This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Here you’ll discover how ancient texts illuminate modern struggles, how theological reflection deepens social action, and how historical understanding opens new possibilities for faithful engagement with our world’s brokenness and beauty. Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley


As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at www.FaithAndPolitics.net


John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida.


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From Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan

From Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan

Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister