Wednesday Sermon: Salt, Power, and the Big Difference

Last updated on: February 8, 2017 at 12:04 pm By 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 Wednesday, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight his sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom explains the “power” of Christ crucified. The ancient Roman... Read more

Tom Brady and the Patriots: Leaving God Out of the Super Bowl

Last updated on: February 6, 2017 at 2:03 pm By Adam Ericksen

Once again, I’m compelled to write about my love-hate relationship with Tom Brady. It wasn’t supposed to happen this year. Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season because of “Deflategate.” That penalty was supposed to ensure the Patriots would lose their first four games. Instead, the Evil Empire Patriots defied expectations and went 3-1. And they defied expectations during the Super Bowl with the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Headlines across the Internet claim the... Read more

Navigating American Politics at Church: Doing Things Out of Compassion

Last updated on: February 1, 2017 at 1:40 pm By 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 Wednesday, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight his sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom shares an email exchange with a member of his... Read more

Bible Matters: The Prophet Joel: Should You Fear the “Day of the Lord”?

Last updated on: January 31, 2017 at 7:21 pm By Adam Ericksen

The Prophet Joel said the Day of the Lord is coming! Is this just some ancient wacko prophet? Or does he have something to tell us? And if the Day of the Lord is coming, what should you do? Joel says to repent. We usually think of repentance as getting “right with God,” but for the prophets repentance is also about “getting right” with our fellow human beings. Joel says that we often act like a destructive swarm of locusts,... Read more

Why Progressives Should Be Hopeful: Trump, Immigration, and the Media

Last updated on: January 30, 2017 at 6:28 pm By Adam Ericksen

It was another chaotic weekend for the Trump administration. It began with Steve Bannon taking on the mainstream media. On Thursday, Bannon told the New York Times, “The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.” Then on Saturday Trump signed an executive order that “bars citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days.”... Read more

Does Jesus Want Us To Be Doormats? Reflections on the Beatitudes

Last updated on: January 27, 2017 at 4:27 pm By Adam Ericksen

This Sunday, pastors throughout the world who follow the lectionary will preach on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes begin the “Sermon on the Mount,” which many scholars believe to be Jesus’ fundamental teachings. A Doormat Ethic? Critics often say that Jesus calls his followers to be a doormat. They point to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says, “turn the other cheek,” “love your enemies,” and “pray for those who persecute you.” In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the... Read more

The Women’s March, Part 1: Solidarity Without Enmity

Last updated on: January 26, 2017 at 4:20 pm By Lindsey Paris-Lopez

I did not march against Donald Trump. On Saturday, January 21st, I donned a pink hat and hopped a train to downtown Chicago, where I joined about 250,000 sisters and brothers in solidarity, love and resistance. The mood was resilient and joyful. With dear friends and beloved strangers at my side, I marched for racial, economic, and environmental justice, for interfaith understanding and immigrant rights, for the differently-abled and the LGBTQIA community. But I did not march against Donald Trump.... Read more

Wednesday Sermon: Caught in the Net of Love

Last updated on: January 25, 2017 at 6:15 pm By 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 Wednesday, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement will highlight his sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon Tom discusses the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus lived in... Read more

The Truth about Alternative Facts in the Trump Administration

Last updated on: January 23, 2017 at 6:42 pm By Adam Ericksen

What an amazing first couple of days for the Trump presidency! I’m not sure if “amazing” is the right word, but it’s a better word than surprising. No one should be surprised by how the Trump presidency is beginning. Just to recap the latest Trump scandal, Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, fought with the media of the size of the crowd. Why? Because Trump is all about size. He likes things big. He wants to be big. I... Read more

It’s Up to Us to Honor Chelsea Manning’s Legacy

Last updated on: January 20, 2017 at 11:33 am By Lindsey Paris-Lopez

Surprised mingled with joy merged into relief and gratitude as the news settled into my consciousness: President Obama commuted Chelsea Manning’s sentence. In 4 months, she will be a free woman. Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking about 700,000 cables of classified information to Wikileaks, exposing war crimes, corruption, and deception. Isolated in solitary confinement for the first ten months of her imprisonment, deprived of social interaction, sunlight, and... Read more