Blowing the whistle on corruption is motivated by a spirituality that says the world isn't supposed to be this way. Blowing the whistle often comes with a sense of anger. How do we manage anger in a way that leads to a better world? The Rev. Adam Ericksen explains in his latest sermon. Read more
In this episode of the RavenCast, I talk with Melvin Bray about the hit movie Black Panther. The movie has not only broken records at the box office, but has created many cultural conversations about racism, political power, violence, and white supremacy. Melvin and I discuss these important topics in our conversation. You can listen to the audio of our conversation on iTunes and Stitcher Radio, or you can watch the video below. Melvin is a storyteller, author, and social... Read more
Jesus, on the other hand, wanted to empty ritual and worship of all violence and show the nonviolent face of God. -Rev. Tom Truby Pastors have a frequent question when they begin to discover mimetic theory. “That’s great. But how does it preach?” Reverend Tom 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 week, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight his... Read more
The leader of the NRA said your greatest God-given freedom is to own a gun. Rev. Adam Ericksen disagrees. Our greatest God-given freedom is to love like Jesus loved, with a nonviolent pursuit of justice. Read more
Weekly episodes of the RavenCast can be viewed live on the Raven Foundation Facebook page. Recordings are posted on the Raven Review and on Teaching Nonviolent Atonement blogs. You can listen to the MP3 above, or watch the video below. Subscribe to the RavenCast on iTunes or Stitcher radio. Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are rising up as new leaders. They refuse to respond to the tragedy at their high school with despair and are instead taking action.... Read more
Editor’s Note: As we follow Jesus through the Lenten season, we remember how we expelled him as a criminal from our world. Today our nation expels immigrants bearing the image of Christ. As we journey with Jesus, we remember that Jesus journeys with migrants, and that we find his in face in the faces of those isolated, marginalized, and deported. During this Lenten season the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program is set to end on March 5th. You can add... Read more
The truth is with the heavens torn apart, a dove descends, not a drone or a warhead or even distorted logic meant to justify violence. A dove: could there be a gentler, more compelling symbol? Read more
This is a sermon I preached at Clackamas United Church of Christ, in Milwaukie, Oregon. The text was Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15, the story of Noah and the flood and the story of Jesus in the desert. You can read the sermon text or watch the video below. The older I get, the more I hate the story of Noah and the flood. Today we heard the end of the story in Genesis 9 where God promises to never flood... Read more
Another mass shooting at a school. And another round of politicians refusing to do anything about it. Trump blamed the gun violence epidemic on mental health. Trump likes to blame Muslims, Mexicans, the media, black players in the NFL … the list of Trump’s scapegoats for the ills of America goes on. Mental health is not the problem with gun violence. As the American Mental Health Counselors Association states, “People with serious mental illness are rarely violent. Only 3-5 percent... Read more
Happy Ash Valentine’s Day! For this Lenten season, I will be following Jesus on a journey of discovery as he leads me through heartscapes of human violence that are continually being transformed by his love into mercy and compassion. My vehicles for this journey will be prayer, meditation, and a Bible study guide called Seven Stories: How to Study and Teach the Nonviolent Bible by my friend, previous Raven award winner and hope-timist extraordinaire, Dr. Anthony Bartlett. Dr. Anthony... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
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