It is Armistice Day, and it is Veterans Day. On this day, I am always conflicted as a pacifist. While I honor the courage and self-sacrifice of those who put themselves through the hell of battle to do what they believe is necessary to protect the vulnerable and make the world safer and more just, I rail against the pseudo-wisdom that violence could ever bring peace. I lament how the adulation of soldiers contributes to the continuation of wars that... 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 sermon as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom alludes to mimetic theory’s concept of models. As mimetic... Read more
On November 8, the American electorate chose Donald J. Trump to be our next president, a candidate whose rhetoric recalled the coded and not so-coded racism of civil rights era politicians. The exemplar of white resistance to an end to Jim Crow segregation was George Wallace. Yet, he wasn’t always the poster child for bigotry. In 1958 he had the endorsement of the NAACP in the democratic primary for the Governor of Alabama. Yet he lost to John Patterson who... Read more
“Get even with people. If they screw you, screw them back 10 times as hard. I really believe that.” The crowd cheered Donald Trump as he taught them his keys to success. Video footage reveals his comments at a 2011 conference for business leaders in Australia. Trump thrilled the audience by advocating a large dose of lies mixed with vengeance as the recipe for success. What really caught my attention, however, was the example he offered for how to put this... Read more
All over the nation, stress levels are in the stratosphere as the election season comes to its frantic conclusion. The choice for president feels like life and death to many of us, and may indeed affect our lives in profound ways. But certain votes will have a direct impact on whether others live or die. If you live in California, Nebraska, or Oklahoma, you have a chance to vote for life, human dignity, and redemption by rejecting the death penalty.... Read more
As a father with young children, I often have to go to obligatory birthday parties. Every parent knows what I’m talking about – my son brought home an invitation to the event and pleaded with me to take him. So, my son and his introverted father went to the party, which happened to be at a bowling alley. He bowled while I made my way to the bar to sit with the other dads. I made small talk with them.... Read more
Americans are asking questions about scandals concerning Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. When it comes to political drama, is there truth? Or is truth relative? If there is truth, how can we find it? These are some of the key questions we will explored with Hanna Mäkelä, Phd in Literary Studies and Lecturer at the University of Helsinki. Hanna helped guide us through Rene Girard’s major works in relation to the political drama of accusations and scapegoating. In doing so,... Read more
Now is the time to arise, in truth and love, and declare unequivocally: “No more war for oil! No more war at all!” The abuses at Standing Rock must be seen for what they are: war crimes against a sovereign nation. When what is left of the land that has belonged to the indigenous tribes from time immemorial is stolen to build a pipeline that will poison their water, when the earth that cradles the bones of their ancestors is... 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 sermon as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom explores the story of Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree... Read more
Churches throughout the world that follow the Revised Common Lectionary will be discussing the story of Zacchaeus this Sunday. The story is found in Luke 19:1-10. Jesus was walking through a town named Jericho. Zacchaeus lived there. He was a rich man, who happened to be the chief tax collector in Jericho. Many people thought that tax collectors became rich because they took more taxes than Rome required, thus keeping the extra money for themselves. People resented tax collectors, especially... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
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