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“Indeed, the whole of Christology is undermined if outsiders are unable to look at the life of the church and see in its nonviolence the fulfillment of Isaiah’s oracle, for if we are unable to point to a peaceable Christian church to substantiate our claims, how can we credibly say that Messiah has come, if wars and violence continue even in our own midst? Our claims about Jesus ring hollow and empty to skeptical ears if we do not embody the peace and nonviolence which Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would bring.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity

“The renunciation of violence by faithful followers of Jesus thus serves a crucial apologetic purpose in establishing the truthfulness of Christian claims. If the church of Jesus Christ is living without war and violence, then the prophecy is fulfilled. Without this embodied peace in the Christian community, such apologetic claims are destroyed and Christian claims about Jesusâ€� messiahship lose their credibility.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity

“Now, we need to take a step back and look at one of the most important metajustifications that serves as a prerequisite for nearly all forms of violence—depersonalization of the proposed victim. It is my contention that dehumanizing someone, robbing them of their human dignity and worth in our thoughts and in our actions, is the first necessary step along the demonic path that may ultimately lead us to the killing of that person.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity

“We must reclaim Romans 13 from both the tyrants and the cultured despisers, and read it with fresh eyes as it truly is, not through the mistaken interpretive lenses bequeathed to us by the centuries. Doing so may well help us discover a new “two kingdomsâ€� theology, one which recognizes the fallen nature of the kingdom of the “powers that be,â€� and seeks to overwhelm them with the light of the inbreaking kingdom of God.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity

“The consistent ethic of life of the gospel of Jesus is, I contend, neither “liberalâ€� nor “conservative,â€� for it cuts across all human ideological distinctions, challenging all to uphold the dignity and value of each human person from conception to death.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity

“As I see it, there are two major problems with the way moral issues are deliberated and acted upon in modern Christian (and especially Protestant) circles. First, a strange phenomenon has occurred in which Christians have generally subordinated or ceased asking entirely the vital questions “Which course of action is most consistent with my identity as a disciple of Jesus Christ?â€� and “What does God require of me?â€� These questions have been replaced with “What is the most effective way to achieve the ends I desire?â€� Or, put less cynically, “How can we most efficiently transform the world for God?â€� In other words, many modern Christians have tended to prioritize effectiveness over faithfulness.”
― Rob Arner, Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity