Flipping the Script: Bulletproof Wine

Flipping the Script: Bulletproof Wine July 26, 2016

So a friend sent me a link to this story from NPR recently, and I thought it was too good not to share. It’s a true story about a robber who interrupted a back yard dinner party in Washington D.C. with escalating threats of violence…and about how a gentle response changed the moment, and possibly the man doing the robbery.

The entire video is fascinating, specifically the part where they bring in an sociological expert to talk about why these non-violent, non-aggressive methods are so effective. It made me think of Malcolm Gladwell’s last book “David And Goliath” and the very limited benefits of power.

But it also made me think of this N.T. Wright quote from Simply Good News:

Albert Schweitzer, a century or more ago, used [a] strong image.  Jesus, he said, was like a man convinced the wheel of history was going to turn in the opposite direction.  He waited for this to happen, but it didn’t.  Then he threw himself upon the wheel, and it crushed him- but it did indeed start to turn in the other direction.

What happened at the dinner party may not be a miracle, if by miracle you mean the laws of the universe are suspended, but it is surely a sign of the work of Jesus and the shalom of God. I saw that video and thought about the way the Cross has fundamentally changed the universe and the way we relate to one another.

You know, the way a glass of wine can stop a bullet.


Browse Our Archives