Wednesday Sermon: The Day the Clouds Cleared for a Moment

Last updated on: August 24, 2016 at 3:10 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 explores the meaning behind Jesus healing a woman on... Read more

Jesus is at the Border: Immigration, Barriers, and God’s Economy

Last updated on: August 23, 2016 at 11:04 am By Adam Ericksen

I am not a politician, so I’m not an expert on immigration policies. I am not an economist, so I’m not an expert on the economic benefits or burdens of immigration. But I am a public theologian. I try to understand how we can participate with God in setting things right, healing the world, and reconciling human beings with one another, with the world, and with God. How is God setting things right? Jesus, in one of his most important,... Read more

Exercises in Empathy: Seeing Humanity Through the Flames

Last updated on: August 22, 2016 at 10:41 am By Lindsey Paris-Lopez

Milwaukee, the shooting of Sylville Smith, uprisings, a toxic, lethal system catching fire… words fail me. I can’t imagine the challenge of growing up black in the most segregated city in a nation built on slavery, trying to stay in school in a district where the drop-out rate and the achievement gaps are at their highest. I can’t imagine growing up black where the incarceration rate for black males is twice a too-high national average. I can’t imagine living in... Read more

The Apocalypse Revealed – The Bible Explained: Part 4

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 11:48 am By Adam Ericksen

Contrary to the common understanding, Apocalypse does not mean end of the world destruction. Please, when you think of Apocalypse, do not think of things like the Left Behind series. It’s wrong and has done a lot of damage to the word. Apocalypse is a Greek word that means unveiling or revealing. Apocalypse is a revealing of truth. For the New Testament, the Apocalypse, or the ultimate revealing, is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the apocalypse. He reveals what it means... Read more

Gabby Douglas and a Better America

Last updated on: August 18, 2016 at 9:40 am By Adam Ericksen

I love watching the Olympics. The world comes together for competition at its best. My country, the United States, has done pretty well this year. Simone Biles has amazed us with her gymnastic skills and four gold medals. Simone Manuel won gold and silver, and inspired us by becoming “the first African American woman to win an individual swimming medal in the Olympics.” As Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post states, she broke a color barrier that goes back to... Read more

Wednesday Sermon: Bringing Division!

Last updated on: August 17, 2016 at 12:57 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 a difficult passage where Jesus claims he did... Read more

The Bible is Progressive: The Bible Explained Part 3

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 11:48 am By Adam Ericksen

Many atheists criticize the Bible for being backwards. Richard Dawkins wondered in his book The Greatest Show on Earth why we should listen to “Bronze Age desert tribesmen.” After all, we moderns know so much more because we have progressed so much. How could the Bible give us any kind of wisdom? Actually, the Bible is progressive. It may scandalize many of us, but it’s more progressive than even we moderns. The Bible is progressive because it forces us to... Read more

Jesus Brings the Fire – A Progressive Reclaiming of the Apocalypse

Last updated on: August 15, 2016 at 1:14 pm By Adam Ericksen

A sermon based on Luke 12:49-56 I’ve always loved Billy Joel’s song We Didn’t Start the Fire. I was 10 years old when it was released in 1989. I remember singing the song, trying to keep up with the lyrics, specifically the names of 20th century icons that Billy Joel sang faster and faster. The first stanza goes like this, Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television... Read more

A Nation of “Second Amendment People”: Rhetoric, Reality, and Redemption

Last updated on: August 13, 2016 at 4:25 pm By Lindsey Paris-Lopez

Donald Trump’s despicable comments about “Second Amendment people” being able to do something about Hillary Clinton and her judicial nominees – which many interpret as a veiled call for assassination – were made in the context of a nation that has made assassination its official policy for years. The violent rhetoric is wrapped in a reprehensible reality. Five and a half years ago, when Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords survived a shooting that left six people dead and 13 injured, our... Read more

6 Tips for Living with the Donald Trump in Your Family

Last updated on: August 13, 2016 at 4:16 pm By Adam Ericksen

Donald Trump can’t stop putting his foot in his mouth. He recently stoked fear among his audience by claiming that if elected, Hillary Clinton will attempt to eradicate gun rights in the United States. He claimed, “Hillary Clinton wants to abolish – essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.” It’s another... Read more