Pacifism vs Just War: Should Christians Ever Fight? Brian Zahnd & Andrew Hronich

Unbelievable?

Premier Unbelievable?

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can a Christian ever support war? In this episode, host Dr. John Nelson brings together pastor and peace advocate Brian Zahnd (A Farewell to Mars) and theologian Andrew Hronich (Once Loved, Always Loved) for a challenging and profound conversation about pacifism, just war theory, and Christian discipleship in a world at war. From the Sermon on the Mount to the streets of Gaza, this debate probes the ethics of violence, the witness of the early church, and whether Christian love can ever include lethal force. Thought-provoking, compassionate, and deeply rooted in biblical and historical theology. Subscribe, rate, and share. 👉 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes—absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 🎉📢 • Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://www.premier.plus/unbelievable • More shows, free eBook & newsletter: https://premierunbelievable.com • For online learning: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training • Support us: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbelievablefe Facebook: / https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Instagram: / https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: / https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable

Transcript

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0:00.0	My dad died when I was nine years old and it broke something in me.
0:05.0	I spent lots of times homeless, causing even bigger rifts in the family.
0:10.0	I was out of control.
0:12.0	Green Pastures is a Christian charity providing homes and support for people facing homelessness across the UK.
0:20.0	As soon as I walked in that place,
0:21.6	I knew there was something different about it.
0:23.6	Through Green Pastures,
0:25.6	Andy found a home,
0:26.6	freedom from addiction,
0:28.6	and a new beginning in faith.
0:30.6	It's the best thing I've ever done.
0:31.6	It released me from that 23 years of addiction.
0:35.6	And now I'm senior support worker here at Green Pastures Derby.
0:39.3	Find out more at greenpastures.co.uk.
0:43.3	Hello and welcome to Premier Unbelievable, the show that brings thinkers, Christians, sceptics and all those in between into friendly dialogue
0:55.7	about the biggest questions in life, faith and theology. I'm John Nelson and in today's show
1:02.1	we are going to be discussing Christian approaches to violence. In a world marred by war, what is the
1:08.7	Christian response to pacifism and can a war ever be just?
1:13.7	To help us wrestle with these questions, we have two thoughtful Christian writers and theologians.
1:19.6	Our first guest on the show is Brian Zand, the founder and leading pastor of Word of Life Church
1:25.4	in St Joseph, Missouri. Brian is the well-known author of
1:29.2	now 12 books, including sinners in the hands of a loving God, and farewell to Mars, an evangelical
	...

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