A politics of peace and justice? Walter Wink’s engagement with Matthew 5:38-42 as a glad tiding of salvation in an age of crisis

This conference gathered to explore the meaning of “glad tidings of salvation” in an “age of crisis,” the (radical) teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:38-42 offer insights for our collective pursuit of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. This paper, offered in the New Testament group, engages with the work of Methodist New Testament scholar Walter Wink, who significantly influenced Southern African Methodism’s efforts to dismantle apartheid and colonialism from the 1980s onward. Wink’s exegetical treatment of Matthew 5:38-42 presents Jesus’s teachings as a “third way” beyond violence and apathy, offering a framework for a “politics of peace and justice.” This approach, however, is not without critique from New Testament scholars. Wink’s interpretation of Jesus’s call to “turn the other cheek”, “go the extra mile”, and give more than is demanded, underscores the potential of nonviolent resistance. It highlights that the oppressed have agency, and that it can be powerful in the deconstructing of the powers and violences of contemporary life. This paper explores the ethical and practical implications of embracing a “politics of peace and justice” as Walter Wink proposed. It does so within the Methodist tradition, attempting to provide a critical theological foundation for contemporary engagements with systemic violence and injustice, by drawing on a careful and critical reading of the Bible. By revisiting Matthew 5:38-42, we aim to illuminate the ways in which Methodist New Testament scholars can contribute towards our understandings of justice and reconciliation, heralding “glad tidings” in these challenging times.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16196.23684