Religion and Violence: Help from the Egyptian Desert

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Specific comments: Your first use of MAGA needs an explanation of what this stands for, especially for readers outside the US. 

Line 176 the sentence starting 'Emphasize..' seems incomplete.

General comments:

Overall the the connection made is good. It is not clear, however, to me how 'preaching' is connected with the sort of endeavour that Evagrius was talking of. A short addition that explains clearly how preaching and perhaps other activities in an Evangelical context that might broadly come under the heading of discipleship, promote the sort of self reflection and spiritual formation in believers. 

A section that explains further the connection between Evagrian spirituality and modern western outlooks would be a valuable addition. I think that you move too quickly through the justification for Evagrius (as opposed to anyone else) as the basis of your argument. You move very quickly from Evagrius with a statement that his ideas underpin the Western Church, and for many the connection would therefore be unclear. 

Author Response

I appreciate the alert about explaining the MAGA acronym for readers outside of the United States. This is now explained in the footnote at the end of its first use, footnote two.

 

I also appreciate the alert about the incomplete sentence beginning with “Emphasize.” I have now augmented this sentence.

 

I also appreciate the insight about the inadequate connection to preaching. To address this, I have removed references to preaching. In place of these, I have employed more general language, e.g. “Clergy should avoid “one-size-fits-all” solutions to spiritual problems” in place of “Clergy should avoid “one-size- fits-all” sermon applications.” In response to the reader’s insight here, I have rethought my previous mentions of preaching, landing on a conviction that various readers can best assess nuances in their own ministry setting and decide for themselves in which particular ministry venues they can most effectively implement suggestions offered by the article.

 

I respond to Reader One’s helpful insight about the lack of connection between Evagrian spirituality and modern western outlooks by adding a new section entitled “Why Evagrius?” justifying a focus on Evagrius over other thinkers. Some content from other sections has been moved into this new section, although most of its content is new. Also, a portion of this new section offers an enhanced treatment of the influence of his ideas in the West than what was found in the initial version of the article.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

You have identified an urgent priority for evangelical congregation and for their pastors.  You have looked to an unexpected source for addressing this - the threefold division taught by Evagrius of Pontus.  This leads us to a deeper experience of God and an awareness of our weaknesses and this should be a part of the teaching and practice in all congregations.

Its not clear to me how this applies to the problem of support for political violence.  This needs to be stated more carefully.  Evagrius and the desert fathers and mothers gave very clear and personal guidance for the situations people found themselves in.  To be faithful to the Evagrian method you need to show HOW people can be helped to move to this deeper understanding.

You set out the problem; you summarise Evagrius clearly; however you don't explain the connection between the two clearly enough.  Why teach Evagrius' method in preference to the many other approaches to spirituality?   

You need a further section to explore the connection.

Author Response

I respond to Reader Two’s valuable insights about the lack of discussion about why Evagrian spirituality connects to the modern problem of political violence, and why clergy should teach Evagrius’ method in preference to the many other approaches to spirituality by adding a new section entitled “Why Evagrius?” This new section justifies a focus on Evagrius over other thinkers. It also explicitly addresses the problem of political violence in this regard. Some content from other sections has been moved into this new section, although most of its content is new. Also, a portion of this new section offers an enhanced treatment of the influence of his ideas in the West than what was found in the initial version of the article.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The addition of the new section makes more sense of the article, and makes the argument stronger.  .   

There's a big gap between the Egyptian desert, and I'd be interested to see how a contemporary preacher used Evagrius in preaching, but its a valid point that the monks of the desert provided guidance forr the wider church and could still do so today.