“I fixed the problem with your car,” the mechanic told my dad. “You can pick it up now.” It was the mid-1990s. I was a junior in high school. My dad and I drove to the auto shop to pick up my new car. Well, it wasn’t new per se. It was used, very used, but it was new to me. Needless to say, I was very excited. And my dad was excited for me. I remember him being very... Read more
Pastors have a frequent question when they begin to discover mimetic theory. “That’s great. But how does it preach?” Reverends Tom and Laura Truby shows that mimetic theory is a powerful tool that enables pastors to preach the Gospel in a way that is meaningful and refreshing to the modern world. Each Wednesday, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight Tom and Laura’s sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom and Laura discuss the mimetic... Read more
Planned Parenthood was put on the defensive last week when a heavily edited video surfaced of a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the organizations procedures for organ and tissue donations. The scandal provides a perfect moral dilemma for our culture to discuss the morality of Planned Parenthood. The older I get, the more I realize that morality is tricky business. That’s because in these types of culture wars everyone couches their arguments in the name of moral goodness. Each side claims... Read more
There are uneducated people who are hell-bent on self-extermination. I am not one of them. I am into building up my kings and queens. She could have been my neighbor. 28-year-old Sandra Bland was on her way to changing the world. Outspoken in the Black Lives Matter movement, courageous and compassionate, she was on her way to claim a job she had earned at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M, in student outreach. What should have been a joyful and celebratory... Read more
This article is part of my blog series inspired by Jesus the Forgiving Victim: Listening for the Unheard Voice by James Alison.* James Alison’s title for his course of introduction to Christianity for adults is often met with confusion. More than once I have been asked which victim community we are speaking for, as if we are a new advocacy group they hadn’t heard of yet. When I explain that the title doesn’t refer to people as victims but to... Read more
Politicians and pundits on both sides of the American political divide are debating the merits of President Obama’s deal with Iran. While Obama claims he has forestalled an Iranian nuclear weapon for at least another 10 years with unprecedented weapons inspection, Republicans state that the deal will only encourage the world’s most dangerous sponsor of terrorism. Only time will tell us about the merits of the deal. For now, I’m interested in the response from our Republican presidential candidates. The... Read more
This guest post is by Lindsey Paris-Lopez, Editor in Chief at the Raven Foundation.* In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Eid Mubarak from the Raven Foundation to all of our dear Muslim sisters and brothers! The holy month has drawn to a close, and all around the world, the ummah, or Islamic community, is celebrating the culmination of 30 days of fasting. Long daylight hours, at least in the northern hemisphere, have made this Ramadan among the most... Read more
In the Office of Readings at Universalis for July 15, 2015, I read this wonderful text from St. Bonaventure: Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. Christ is like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant. What a wonderful image to recall when we are trying to make sense of Matthew 5:17: Do... Read more
Pastors have a frequent question when they begin to discover mimetic theory. “That’s great. But how does it preach?” Reverends Tom and Laura Truby shows that mimetic theory is a powerful tool that enables pastors to preach the Gospel in a way that is meaningful and refreshing to the modern world. Each Wednesday, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight Tom and Laura’s sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom and Laura explore the beheading... Read more
A few weeks ago, Kevin DeYoung of the Gospel Coalition posted an article in response to the Supreme Court’s decision bemoaning the fact that we can no longer discriminate against people who identify as LGBTQ. The court’s decision has people like DeYoung in a bit of a depression. He writes, “There are many reasons for our lamentations, from fear that religious liberties will be take away to worries about social ostracism and cultural marginalization.” I sympathize with DeYoung on this... Read more
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