Logos Free Book of the Month: Allen James Reimer, Christians and War

War (War). What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. This month, you can add a biblical theology of War to your Logos Library for free. Allen James Reimer, Christians and War: A Brief History of the Church’s Teachings and Practices (Fortress Press, 2010). From the blurb:

Religion has often been blatantly invoked to support and oppose war and violence of all kinds, including terrorism and ethnic cleansing. Christians are deeply divided over whether and when such violence is justifiable. James Reimer offers a fair presentation of these controversial standpoints, especially the three classical Christian attitudes toward war: crusading or holy war, just war, and pacifism. His thoughtful survey of Christian teachings and practices on issues of war, violence, and the state takes readers from classical Greco-Roman times to the present. Arguing that the church’s responses to war can only be understood through the church’s changing relationship to culture, Reimer concludes with an analysis of the contemporary debate and proposes criteria for legitimate and illegitimate use of force by nation-states.

In addition to the free book, you can save on more theology from Fortress Press:

• Walter Wink, The Bible in Human Transformation: Toward a New Paradigm in Bible Study, $3.99
• H. Darrell Lance, The Old Testament and the Archaeologist, $4.99
• Martin Luther King Jr., The Measure of a Man, $5.99
• J. Christiaan Beker, The Triumph of God: The Essence of Paul’s Thought, $6.99
• Walter Brueggemann, David’s Truth: In Israel’s Imagination and Memory, $8.99
• Donald H. Juel, Messianic Exegesis: Christological Interpretation of the Old Testament in Early Christianity, $9.99
• Paul D. Hanson, The Dawn of Apocalyptic: The Historical & Sociological Roots of Jewish Apocalyptic Eschatology, $10.99
• Christopher T. Holmes, Unspoiled Endings: Reclaiming the Book of Revelation from Misuse and Neglect, $11.99
• Miner Raymond’s Systematic Theology (3 vols.), $12.99
• Diane G. Chen; Joel B. Green; Christopher M. Blumhofer, Early High Christology: John among the New Testament Writers, $13.999

There are some outstanding volumes on this list. Although a little dated, Paul Hanson’s The Dawn of Apocalyptic is a classic (my physical copy is well-read and marked up). Walter Brueggemann is always a good read, and it is hard to pass up Christopher T. Holmes, Unspoiled Endings for $12. The odd one on the list is Miner Raymond, a Wesleyan-Arminian approach to systematic theology and an early-American look at Methodist teaching. Here is more about him.

As always, Logos subscribers save an additional 5%

If you are a Logos Subscriber, check out this list of additional books for free or at a deep discount. You can add Zondervan’s Five Views on the Church and Politics for free and a bunch of other Viewpoint books at a deep discount. This is one of the many benefits of Logos’ subscription program.  You can also check out the Logos Back to School Sale for some great deals.

This Logos Free Book of the Month promotion runs through August 30. A new free book will be available on September 1 at 9:00 a.m. PST. As always, you can use the (free) basic edition or the inexpensive Fundamentals collection to use these free and discounted books. Or, use the code SUMMERSAVINGS to save on any purchase from Logos.

All the links are Logos Affiliate links. If you plan to buy Logos books, use this link to support Reading Acts.