About this Episode

Combat-wounded veteran-turned-pacifist Nicholas Harrelson returns to the show to discuss his paper comparing the expressed pacifism of Martin Luther King Jr and Leo Tolstoy. Nicholas is a Transitional Deacon in the Anglican Church, currently pursuing a PhD in Political Theology and Christian Ethics. While studying, he learned that there is a historical connection between Tolstoy and MLK. Nicholas wanted to compare the non-violent stance of Tolstoy and Martin Luther King Jr. Through Gandhi, MLK learned about Tolstoy’s pacifism. However, MLK’s pacifist stance and thoughts became more like Tolstoy’s and less like Gandhi’s with time, arguably because of his understanding of the sermon on the mount and its practical applications. Perhaps this is why both men sought to break vicious cycles of violence.

Nicholas elaborates on the practical application of Tolstoy and MLK’s understandings of the sermon on the mount, revealing how they are still applicable to Christians today. As Tolstoy said, the sermon on the mount is always relevant in every situation. Although we may not be able to see into the future, when we act in ways congruent with Jesus and the sermon on the mount, God can use it to change the world profoundly. We can see this in the saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” As Christians, we should always seek to be self-reflective and see where we can make changes to better aspire to live out Jesus’ teachings and the sermon on the mount. 

Nicholas Harrelson:

Email: Nicholas.harrelson@duke.edu

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Episode Timestamps:

5:35 – Who is Nicholas Harrelson?

• Works at Duke University’s Office of Student Veterans

• Combat-wounded veteran from Iraq

• Worked for the government

• Transitional deacon in the Anglican church

• Father of two

7:50 – Why do discussions about universalism upset folks?

• Craig enjoyed the fact that Nichola’s church invited Dr Bently Hart for discussions about universalism

• But when he expressed it on Facebook, he was blasted by strangers

• It would be nicer if we could have respectful talks rather than getting angry

• Nicholas’ article – The Salvation Theology of C.S. Lewis

• CS Lewis might be termed a “hopeful universalist”

• Dr Hart can rile some people up with his approach to discussing universalism

• People who view universalism as a heresy may view its expression as leading people’s souls astray

• But things were taken out of context during the conversations at Nicholas’ church and got heated

• Origen wasn’t called a heretic because he was a universalist

• He believed that God would even restore Satan, which earned him the title of ‘heretic’

• Gary Chartier -  published author of Christian Anarchy books

• Christian anarchists seem to tend towards universalism too

20:21 – Martin Luther King Jr and Tolstoy

• There is a historical connection between Tolstoy and MLK

• Through Gandhi

• MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail

• There are just/natural laws as well as unjust laws

• If a law is in tune with God’s law, even Christian anarchists are going to follow it

• By the end of his life, MLK was closer to Tolstoy’s version of non-violent civil resistance than where he began with Gandhi

• The sermon on the mount is relevant in every situation at every time, and in every place

• The US Government killed MLK

• King was adamant about not putting his hands back on the state, even though the state would put its hands on him and his followers

• The weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral; it multiplies hate

• Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that

• Both King and Tolstoy had a beautiful understanding of how Christ worked

• King sought a community where the oppressor and oppressed could be reconciled

• In refusing to return violence, he broke the cycle of violence

• Tolstoy also showed this desire to see the cycle of violence break in his letter to Czar Alexander III

• The Czar didn’t take Tolstoy’s advice but if he had, it could have changed Russia’s history

33:45 – Pacifism 

• You never know how God could use your pacifism

• The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church

• When you act in a way that is congruent with Christ’s actions it has a profound effect

• Saw this in Libya

• We are fallen and need to reflect on our own lives constantly

• We should aspire to live as Christ would

• Craig learns jiu-jitsu to ensure he can respond to protect others without a weapon

• Christ came to offer us eternal life

• We should focus on the way that He told us to live

• We should think about the eternal

• We can return good for evil

43:34 – Tolstoy 

• Craig loves Tolstoy’s black-and-white descriptions

• Jesus wasn’t grey either

• You must love your neighbor and enemy

• Tolstoy provided simplicity in his understanding of the sermon on the mount

• He was upset when people maligned his path rather than himself when he failed to live up to his own explanation of the sermon on the mount

• Why judge what you are reading because of personal flaws or the person who wrote it?

• What is beneficial stands on its own

• When people bring up the sins of the figure you are talking about its usually a deflection

• It’s a strawman argument

• If you are arguing with something that Jesus said, you are arguing with Jesus not people

• Jesus said to buy a sword “so that the prophecy might unfold.”

• Not as permission to buy a weapon

• People tend to come to conclusions and then search the Bible for proof texts

• When they do this, they take the scripture out of context

1:00:19 – On being a combat-wounded veteran

• Nicholas was tip-toeing around whether or not he wanted to come out as a Christian anarchist

• But was blessed to preach on Romans 13

• There was grace because he is a combat-wounded veteran, so people assume he has the right to talk about why pacifism really matters

• Craig enjoys talking to veterans and hearing their perspectives on war

• Christians need to hear why veterans take their positions

• War and pacifism are extremes

• When listeners hear about people who have gone from one to the other, it makes them curious

• The experience makes people more willing to listen

1:08:28 – David Bentley Hart’s translation of the Bible

• Reading the Bible which is directly translated from Greek, changes your perception of the Bible

• If people read it they would be less entangled with the state

• The state only needlessly hurts people

• The translation emphasizes how the words were used when the text was written

• Sometimes it changes the meaning

• Christian anarchists seek a life as independent of the state as possible

• Making tangible the kingdom of God

• Tolstoy understood that we are capable of bringing about the kingdom of God today

• We need to love our neighbors as ourselves

• We need to sort ourselves out first

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