A Farewell to Mars (by Brian Zahnd)

(Amazon UK link)

I did not think I had heard of Brian Zahnd, until I realised that I had - a few years ago - read his book 'Unconditional' on my Kindle.  In addition, I am not generally very keen on political books. But ‘A Farewell to Mars’ was in our Christian bookcase, probably acquired by my husband. I picked it up in an idle moment, read the blurb on the back and thought it looked like an interesting read.

The author is an American pastor, and starts the book by confessing what he considers his worst sin: that he prayed a war-mongering nationalistic prayer at the start of 1991, as the Gulf War was beginning. He then recounts, with plenty of reference to Scripture, his about-turn. As the subtitle of the book says, it’s ‘an evangelical pastor’s journey toward the biblical gospel of peace’.

The book is well-organised, divided into eight chapters (the ninth is a single sentence only). The author takes us straight into the life of Jesus at the start of the book, showing many of the places where he talked about peace. Jesus was not hated by the authorities because he told people to be nice to each other and forgive their close friends and family. His message was far more radical: that we should love our enemies, and do good to those who persecute us.

Moreover, Zahnd argues, this does not just apply at the personal level but also for ethnic groups and entire nations. Jesus was not the political, war-mongering Messiah expected by the Jewish people of his time. He rejected violence, and continually promoted peaceful resolution of problems between individuals and larger groups.

I’m not from the United States and have always inclined to pacifism. I dislike conflict of any kind, so for me this was not at all a radical message. Perhaps there are, occasionally, reasons to defend one’s country against evil; but I don’t believe it’s ever right to be proactively aggressive. But I didn’t grow up in a culture that promotes nationalism or military strength.

The author then takes us on to see that the Kingdom of God is now; that Jesus brought it into being, and ascended to the right hand of God after the ascension. From there he rules the world. I have no problem believing that the Kingdom of God is among us; that those of us who follow Christ are part of his kingdom, here to help it grow in whatever way we can. Many authors have been writing about this recently; it’s not a new or radical idea.

That Jesus is currently ruling the world is perhaps a tad harder to swallow. The world has suffered through many wars and other conflicts in the past couple of thousand years. Yet I would agree that humanity in general is more aware of the horror of suffering, less inclined to glorify individual violence than even a hundred years ago, even if some countries still tend to idolise the idea of ‘just’ wars.

The title of the book is a reference to the Roman god of war. It's also, of course, a nod to Hemingway's classic novel 'A Farewell to Arms'.  Zahnd, in some of the more provocative passages of the book, suggests that in places the evangelical church, particularly in the United States, worships Mars rather than Jesus. This may anger some readers, but it’s worth taking a step back, re-looking at the gospels, and asking whether he has a good point.

There’s a lot to think about in this book. The writing is good, some of the references to Scripture are quite thought-provoking. I’m no academic; I’m sure some would disagree with what he says. But Zahnd’s interpretations seem reasonable to me. In places I re-thought through familiar passages and agreed that some of the traditional understanding of them may have been biased.

The author says that he’s not a pacifist as such. That’s a political label, one that is often taken by those with no faith in God at all. Nor does he criticise those who are in the armed forces, many of whom he respects and admires. He is vehemently opposed to empires, while endorsing individual nations and co-operation between nations. He sees his role as promoting peace and non-violence (not exactly the same thing), because that’s what Jesus did.

All in all I’m very glad I read this book, and would recommend it to any followers of Jesus, whatever your views on conflict or war. But take it slowly and read it with an open mind; it could lead to severe cognitive dissonance if you are generally pro-war or believe that any country or ethnic group is superior to another.

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