Barna Group - Fighting for Peace: Your Role in a Culture Too Comfortable with Violence

ZONDERVAN

Fighting for Peace

Copyright 2013 by Barna Group

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ISBN 978-0-310-43345-3 (softcover)

EPub Edition DECEMBER, 2013: ISBN 978-0-310-43343-9

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Cover design and interior graphics: Amy Duty

Interior design: Kate Mulvaney

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

BY BARNA GROUP

BY TYLER WIGG-STEVENSON

BY CAROL HOWARD MERRITT

BY STEPHAN JOUBERT

These days, you probably find yourself with less time than ever.

Everything seems like its moving at a faster pace except your ability to keep up.

Somehow, you are weighed down with more obligations than you have ever had before.

Life feels more complicated. More complex.

If youre like most people, you probably have lots of questions about how to live a life that matters. You feel as though you have more to learn than can possibly be learned. But with smaller chunks of time and more sources of information than ever before, where can you turn for real insight and livable wisdom?

Barna Group has produced this series to examine the complicated issues of life and to help you live more meaningfully. We call it FRAMES like a good set of eyeglasses that help you see the world more clearly... or a work of art perfectly hung that invites you to look more closely... or a buildings skeleton, the part that is most essential to its structure.

The FRAMES Season 1 collection provides thoughtful and concise, data-driven and visually appealing insights for anyone who wants a more faith-driven and fulfilling life. In each FRAME we couple new cultural analysis from our team at Barna with an essay from leading voices in the field, providing information and ideas for you to digest in a more easily consumed number of words.

After all, its a fast-paced world, full of words and images vying for your attention. Most of us have a number of half-read or read someday books on our shelves. But each FRAME aims to give you the essential information and real-life application behind one of todays most crucial trends in less than one-quarter the length of most books. These are big ideas in small books designed so you truly can read less but know more. And the infographics and ideas in this FRAME are intended for share-ability. So read it, then find someone to frame with these ideas, and keep the conversation going (see Share This Frame on ).

Furthermore, each FRAME brings a distinctly Christian point of view to todays trends. In times of uncertainty, people look for guides. And we believe the Christian community is trying to make sense of the dramatic social changes happening around us.

Over the past thirty years, Barna Group has built a reputation as a trusted analyst of religion and culture. We offer cultural discernment for the Christian community by thoughtful analysts who care enough to tell the truth about whats really happening in todays society.

So sit back, but not for long. With FRAMES we invite you to read less and know more.

DAVID KINNAMAN

FRAMES, executive producer

president / Barna Group

ROXANNE STONE

FRAMES, general editor

vice president / Barna Group

Learn more at www.barnaframes.com.

What is the very first image that comes to mind when you think of the word violence? Reflect on that image why is it the first thing that came to your mind? Who are the faces that represent violence to you? Is there a present threat to you, or does the violence seem distant?

How would you define the word violence?

What does Jesus have to say about violence? What are some of his teachings that immediately come to mind when you think about his stance toward violence?

In what ways do you think violent entertainment (TV, movies, video games, music) has affected you? Do you think its made you more or less sensitive to real violence?

War is a divisive topic for many people. What are your views on the morality of warfare is there such a thing as a just war?

When have you or someone you know experienced violence? How has that experience shaped you?

Do you think we live in a culture too comfortable with violence? Why or why not?

A growingUNEASE

While violence may seem like its on the rise, so is peoples discomfort about it. Nearly half of Americans say theyve grown less comfortable with violence in the last decade. When asked what their top two concerns are when it comes to violence, adults identified the above.

Violence is more pervasive than anyone cares to admit. You dont have to look hard to see the presence of violence in society today from video games, television, and movies to war in far-off countries; from domestic violence to mass shootings in sleepy, upscale towns.

And because everyone has some sort of connection to the ugly topic of violence, arguments erupt over things like gun control, the effect of violent media on public attitudes and personal behaviors, the morality of drone strikes, and more.

The Relevance of Violence

The issues are complex and the answers far from simple; not surprisingly, Barnas FRAMES research revealed that many people struggle with this issue. We have produced this FRAME to provide insights on some of the most troubling aspects of violence, especially those that touch many of our lives: