Gandhi and Jesus: The Saving Power of Nonviolence

by Terrence J. Rynne

Overview

Gandhi and Jesus is an insightful look at Christian salvation in light of Gandhi's idea of nonviolent resistance. While Christianity has described salvation as "Jesus making satisfaction for humanity's sin," this has paradoxically led to an increase in and acceptance of violence. To Gandhi, however, a commitment to nonviolence was at the center of what Jesus taught, lived and died for and influenced his own teachings on satyagraha. Reflecting on what Gandhi, a confirmed Hindu, took from the life and teachings of Jesus is very illuminating for a Christian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570757662
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	04/01/2008
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Terrence J. Rynne is the founder of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking and a teacher of Peace Studies at Marquette. He lives with his wife in Winnetka, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     1
Mohandas Gandhi: A Hindu and More     5
Gandhi's Beliefs     6
The Political Impact of Gandhi's Hinduism     15
Gandhi's Transformation of Traditional Hindu Concepts     21
Gandhian Satyagraha     38
Understanding Gandhian Satyagraha     43
The Import, Significance, and Consequences of Satyagraha     75
Selected Christian Theologians Who Have Embraced Nonviolence     84
C. F. Andrews: A Christian Satyagrahi     85
John Howard Yoder: Disciple of the Nonresistant Jesus     96
Bernard Haring: Peritus of Peace     115
Walter Wink: Jesus' Third Way     125
The Multiple Versions of Salvation Theologies     133
Salvation, Social Sin, and Violence     133
The Multiple Models of Salvation in Sacred Scripture     134
Four Soteriologies after the New Testament     136
The Reformers     140
A Critique of Anselm's Soteriology     142
Implications for a Soteriology of Salvation     148
Criteria for a Contemporary Spirituality     150
Rethinking Christian Salvation in the Light of Gandhi's Satyagraha     153
Human Responsibilityfor History     154
Jesus' Life, Praxis, and Teaching as the Ultimate Criterion     156
Why Christ Died and the Meaning of "Carrying the Cross"     160
That from Which We Are Saved     161
The Priority of Praxis     165
The Way of Nonviolence     169
The Importance of the Church for Salvation     175
Conclusion     177
Epilogue     185
Notes     187
Glossary     205
Bibliography     207
Index     221

Editorial Reviews

"Well-organized and clearly written lending itself to a wide readership, layperson, student, and scholar alike."—Religious Studies Review

"Terrence Rynne provides an extraordinarily sophisticated account of Gandhi's teaching, and he does so in a way that defeats easy criticism of Gandhi's continuing relevance. Rynne quite masterfully draws on the work C. F. Andrews, John Howard Yoder, Bernard Haring, and Walter Wink to show how Christians must have a stake in Gandhi. If that were not enough, he then helps us see how this Christian narrating of Gandhi can help us recover accounts of salvation that avoid some of the worst caricatures associated with satisfaction theories. I highly recommend this book!" —Stanley Hauerwas "Gandhi and Jesus"

From the Publisher

Rynne (founder, Marquette Univ. Ctr. for Peacemaking) offers an interpretation of Jesus through the eyes and experiences of Mohandas Gandhi. Notable characteristics of Rynne's historical considerations are how the New Testament influenced Gandhi's initial decision to pursue nonviolence and how the teachings of Jesus inspired Gandhi's resistance tactics in South Africa and India. Rynne also presents four Christian theologians (C.F. Andrews, John Howard Yoder, Bernard Häring, and Walter Wink) who advocate nonviolent means of resistance, and he correlates their stances with Gandhi's outlook. Lastly, the author attempts to draw together Christian concepts of salvation with Gandhi's ideal of nonviolence; this section is the weakest, owing to a lack of recognition that Gandhi and Jesus are approaching nonviolence from different philosophical foundations. However, Rynne manages to overcome this fault to offer an impassioned plea for the implementation of nonviolent resistance in the modern world. A worthy addition to any library.
—Dann Wigner

Library Journal