Now that December 25th is over, the real war on Christmas can begin. Because, you see, that other “War on Christmas” that begins in late November and ends on December 25th is a manufactured war. That war is fabricated by a television network that, despite the Bible’s repeated message at the birth of Christ to “not be afraid,” wants Christians to live in fear of some secular agenda to destroy Christmas. After all, there’s nothing like fear and a manufactured... Read more
(Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. But don’t be afraid. The Force is with you.) My eight-year-old son summed up Rogue One with this insightful comment, “So, there was this big war and then everybody dies.” Rogue One was one of the darkest movies in the Star Wars franchise. Anyone who has seen A New Hope won’t be surprised by my son’s comment – the main characters do die. Despite the fact that I knew they were going to die, I grew... Read more
The following is a fictional account of Matthew 1:18-25. Hope you enjoy this brief meditation. Joseph fell asleep early that evening. He deserved an extended rest. The 12 hour days of building houses took its toll on his body. And besides, sleep would be an escape from the fact that his life was in turmoil. Joseph grew to love his fiancé, but the fact that she was pregnant devastated him. Joseph didn’t need a 1st century Maury Povich to tell him... Read more
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 points to the Advent message that, “The redeemed are... Read more
This has been a tough year for anyone who values courtesy in the public sphere. It appears that our nation is plagued by anger and arrogance, a fatal combination to decency, civility and maybe to democracy itself. (No, I’m not whining – geez, you’re judgmental!) There’s no way we are giving in to despair, though, because this is not a nation of quitters, am I right? That’s certainly what America’s cheerleader from the right would say. I’m talking about Outdoor... Read more
“We came. We fought you. We took your land. We signed treaties that we broke. We stole minerals from your sacred hills. We blasted the faces of our presidents onto your sacred mountain. And we took still more land. And then we took your children. And then we tried to take your language. We tried to eliminate your language, that God gave you and that the creator gave you. We didn’t respect you. We polluted your earth. We’ve hurt you... Read more
What can you do to heal the political divide? John Stonecypher is helping us heal through social media. Facebook is often an echo chamber for our political positions, but John is using his Facebook page to expand our conversations. He’s providing a safe place for people on all sides of the political spectrum to express their fears, hopes, and dreams for the future of the United States. MP3 Video What We Discussed: John’s writing at Geeked Out Soul The Jesus... Read more
Rick Santorum, former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, appeared on CNN’s “The Messy Truth with Van Jones” yesterday. The show is a town hall style debate with Van Jones moderating. In the audience was a Dreamer, an undocumented immigrant since childhood, named Elizabeth Vilchis. Elizabeth came to the US from Mexico with her parents when she was seven years old. Vilchis has lived into the American dream. She earned a degree in mechanical engineering, is employed in technology, and works to... Read more
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 explores John the Baptist. John seems to be a... Read more
(This Thursday I’ll be conducting a live webinar with John Stonecypher about politics, social media, and listening. John is an influential writer, creative Facebook user, and frequent speaker at conferences. You can join us live at 12:00 Central with comments and questions. Check the Teaching Nonviolent Atonement website the following day for a recording.) When it comes to politics, I live in an echo chamber. Facebook, Twitter, the media, my social groups: they are all telling me one thing – Fear... Read more
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