Attn SBNR: Biblical Violence Matters to Peace

Last updated on: February 7, 2015 at 12:00 am By Suzanne Ross

It baffles me when people who are deeply concerned about peace and peacemaking define themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” In pursuit of personal and/ or global peace, they shun organized religion in favor of indigenous spirituality. Celtic music, eastern spiritual disciplines like yoga and meditation, and the Native American relationship with nature all seem so attractive and obviously non-violent. I actually have nothing against any of those expressions of spirituality – allow me to offer as proof the trip... Read more

The Cross: The Problem of Evil

Last updated on: March 7, 2014 at 7:03 pm By Kelly Pigott

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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a weekly series of meditations on the cross during Lent by Church History Professor Kelly Pigott. At the end of the crucifixion event described in the books of Mark and Matthew, Jesus uttered one of the most profound and baffling questions ever to face those of us who believe in a loving God. On the last day of his life, Jesus was beaten several times. He was whipped with a cat o’ nine... Read more

If Jesus Gave a TED Talk (#1)

Last updated on: March 6, 2014 at 12:18 am By John Stonecypher

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This is the first of a series of posts where I re-imagine Jesus’ five big sermons as TED Talks, in which he Educates people in God’s new Design for a world that runs on the Technology called love. While Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God is a positive one, I’ve strived to preserve his apocalyptic flavor. Blessed are the poor, because this oppressive political-economic system is going down in flames. Woe to you who are rich. Same reason. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, because a big plate full... Read more

It’s Called Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome, and Yes It’s Real

Last updated on: March 5, 2014 at 10:41 pm By Deborah Arca

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By Reba Riley If there’s one thing I know the power of, it’s a name. For the better part of a decade I suffered from a chronic mystery illness that was attacking me from the inside out. Countless doctors and specialists couldn’t diagnose me, couldn’t give me a name for what was happening. They told me it was all in my head — that I could pull myself out of it if I just tried harder. I believed them. Debilitating... Read more

A Gentle Fraying: Observing a Homespun Lent

Last updated on: March 5, 2014 at 5:16 pm By Jerusalem Jackson Greer

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Week 1: Remembering My favorite tea towel is as torn and frayed as a well-loved kitchen towel can be and still be in one piece after forty-six years of use. This towel, made of a woven cotton, has a calendar from the year 1968 printed in the middle. Faded images of flowers and fruit baskets frame the sides of the calendar and across the top a cute little Dutch couple standing in front of a perfectly adorable red Dutch cottage.... Read more

Practicing Silence for Lent

Last updated on: February 7, 2015 at 12:03 am By Guest Contributor

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The isolated, inhospitable desert holds attraction as a place to find deep spiritual wisdom, as evidenced by the desert history of Judaism and Christianity. Read more

Taking Ashes to the Streets: A Q&A with Sara Miles

Last updated on: March 6, 2014 at 5:52 pm By Deborah Arca

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“Sometimes, worshiping in a church building, you can be tempted by the fantasy that God is manageable. On the street, though, anything can happen. The sequence is unpredictable. It’s just too hard to pretend I’m in control.” — Sara Miles, author of City of God While many Christians will make their way to a church building for Ash Wednesday tomorrow to commemorate the beginning of Lent, a smaller group will be making their way out of the church, and into the... Read more

Churches Need to Call a “Gang Truce” in Order to Reach Youth

Last updated on: March 4, 2014 at 4:42 pm By Guest Contributor

By Romal Tune Why are young people uninterested in attending church, specifically young people with no recent family history of attending church? In many urban centers similar to where I grew up, churches are dealing with one or possibly two generations of un-churched teens and young adults. Their grandparents went to church, their parents went occasionally, and now this generation hardly goes, if at all. For many kids in urban and suburban communities, the issue is not only one of... Read more

Mimetic Mondays: The Battle for Ukraine and the Peace of Christ

Last updated on: February 7, 2015 at 12:03 am By Adam Ericksen

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Three months ago, the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych sided with Russia and against the European Union. Since then, we’ve witnessed a crisis unfold in Ukraine. Ukraine’s loyalties are split down its geographical middle, with the western half wanting to join the Union and the eastern half claiming loyalty to Russia. After weeks of protests and 80 deaths, the Ukrainian Parliament voted Yanukovych out of office, at which point he fled the capitol. Sergei Aksyonov, Crimea’s Prime Minister, requested help from... Read more

Experiencing the Presence of God: A Q&A with Author Norris Chumley

Last updated on: March 3, 2014 at 10:29 pm By Deborah Arca

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“Ultimately, the most advanced spiritual fathers and mothers advised me that silence, stillness and the peace of God is in your heart – independent of time or place. So in the caves of apartment buildings, in the alleys of skyscrapers in cities, and in the deserts and forests of rural outposts – prayer and silence is the method of best connection with God.” — Norris Chumley, from Be Still and Know Early Christian spirituality has become a topic of growing... Read more