Jesus Christ - A farewell to Mars: an evangelical pastors journey toward the biblical gospel of peace

For Jude, Mercy, and Finn

Contents

A FAREWELL TO MARS

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

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The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved; NIV are taken from Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2014934629

ISBN 978-0-7814-1118-9

eISBN 978-1-4347-0792-5

2014 Brian Zahnd

The Author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com.

The Team: John Blase, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Tonya Osterhouse, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Nick Lee

Cover Photo: Shutterstock

First Edition 2014

Photo by Aaron Zahnd

BRIAN ZAHND is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a nondenominational congregation in St. Joseph, Missouri. Brian is a passionate reader of theology and philosophy, an avid hiker, mountain climber, and authority on all things Bob Dylan. Brian and his wife, Peri, have three adult sons and three grandchildren.

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O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh,
and hasten the coming of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer

What people are saying about

A Farewell to Mars

Brian Zahnd fuses his vocation as prophet and pastor into a powerful evocation of the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Peacemaker. The marvel of his language is that he does this without anger, without pessimism, without a political position, content to simply develop the Jesus agenda while relentlessly exposing the lies and hypocrisies that replace the biblical revelation with a God of War. And the writing is simply brilliantnot a dull sentence in the book.

Eugene H. Peterson, professor emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College, Vancouver

Brian Zahnd has written an exceptional book. A Farewell to Mars is deeply moving and filled with profound truths about Jesus and the kingdom he proclaimed. Every Christian should read this book.

Adam Hamilton, pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and author of When Christians Get It Wrong

Pastor Brian troubles me. He will trouble you too, if you dare to read A Farewell to Mars . We all need our long-held notions about war and violence to be challenged in the light of what Jesus really taught. I dare you to read this with me.

Brady Boyd, pastor of New Life Church and author of Addicted to Busy

A Farewell to Mars is provocative, prophetic, and pastoral. Zahnd hits it out of the park as he shares his personal journey toward the path of peace. This small book is packed with insight and liberating good news. It is simply the best book I have ever read on Jesuss way of peace.

Michael Hardin, executive director at Preaching Peace and author of The Jesus Driven Life

How do Christ followers live gently in a violent world? Brian Zahnd, in a powerful, prophetic, and poignant manner, challenges us to wrestle with the revolutionary ideas of Jesus about peace and justice; his desire for his followers is to align themselves around these hope-filled ideas. Make no mistake: the primary focus of Zahnds book is not peace, but the Prince of Peace. Brians invitation is not merely to believe in the person of Jesus, but to actually live into the way of Jesus.

J. R. Briggs, cultural cultivator at the Renew Community, founder of Kairos Partnerships, and author of Fail

Brian Zahnd is the most truly prophetic preacher in Americaan Amos or Micah for our daywith all the usual zealous haters to prove it! And as a wordsmith, Brian writes as he preaches: personally, poetically, passionately. His Christ-centered, cruciform gospel of peace is precisely the wake-up call that the nation needs. Let this word in; let it change you.

Brad Jersak, PhD, faculty of New Testament and Patristics at Westminster Theological Centre (UK)

When Mars and Christ confront one another, as they often do, those of authentic faith should respond well and wisely to the Prince of Peace. Sadly, many Christians put more faith in the strange god of war than Christ. A Farewell to Mars clarifies, in a poignant and evocative manner, what it means to be born again toward the biblical gospel of peace.

Ron Dart, professor in the Department of Political Science, Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of the Fraser Valley

Brian Zahnd makes me uncomfortable the way someone who cares confronts you at an intervention. In his incredibly insightful and deeply personal book, Zahnd forces us to face our own, and the churchs, destructive attachment to the power of the mob and the spirit of war that often makes us feel righteous when we express it, but takes us far away from the subversive, yet healing, kingdom of Christ. For too long the church has used Jesus as a tool to facilitate salvation instead of following Jesus as our Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords. This book offers the Church a crucial course correction.

Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor at The Meeting House and author of The End of Religion

Aching with the joy and poetry of repentance, Brian Zahnd beats his pulpit into a plowshare and confesses the excitement of learning to speak a better word than the blood of Abel, a word worthy of the Lamb that was slain. At a time when the message of the cross morphs into a sword and the gospel of peace is sacrificed on the altars of war, I can think of few books from a pastor more important, powerful, and prophetic. Hallelujah!