Mother’s Day is this Sunday, so I’d like to introduce you to the most underrated mother in the Bible. You may not have heard about her. And, unfortunately, her name isn’t recorded. But this mother is a model for all parents. She is also a key figure in illuminating our understanding of human nature and the transformation of religious sacrifice. In fact, in the new book edited by Michael Hardin called Reading the Bible with René Girard, Girard claims that... Read more
Editor’s Note: This poem, in the form of a sestina, is written in honor of Fr. Daniel Berrigan, priest, prophet, poet, and peacemaker, with hope that the work of his heart and hands (among that of many others) will soon yield fruit in the form of an Encyclical on Gospel Nonviolence. 2000 years back, love for enemies and forgiveness uttered high on a cross cracked death’s hollow façade like a hammer letting light stream into hate-darkened hearts. The risen Christ... Read more
My favorite movies growing up were the Star Wars Trilogy. My older brothers loved them, so, of course, I followed their lead. We took the movies seriously, one could even say religiously. “May the Force be with you,” someone would say. “And also with you,” was the faithful reply. Since our devotion to Star Wars was borderline excessive, I feel a bit heretical giving these movies any kind of critique of violence, so I’ll try to allow Star Wars 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 the conclusion of the book of Revelation. A... Read more
As we get closer to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, political rivals on both sides are increasing their attacks. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders openly doubt each other’s qualifications for becoming president. Ted Cruz questions whether Donald Trump sets a good example for our children. As a parent, I sympathize with Cruz when he asks, “Do you want your kids repeating the words of Donald Trump?” Cruz is pointing to an important aspect of mimetic theory – that we... Read more
This is a guest post by Matthew Distefano. You can read more of Matthew’s work at his website All Set Free and his book All Set Free: How God is Revealed in Jesus Christ and Why That is Really Good News. Gospel means “good news.” That is what we Christians claim the coming, dying, and rising of Jesus Christ is. But frankly, some people’s version of this “good news” doesn’t sound so good. It sometimes sounds more like Greek mythology. And so,... Read more
Earlier in the week, Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of playing the “woman card.” It’s a bit hypocrital, don’t you think? I mean, nobody plays the gender card better than Donald Trump. He is the stereotypical male – and he’s loud about it. For Trump, to be male is to win so much that you’ll get sick of winning. He talks down to Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina, all while saying, “Oh but the women love me!” Do you remember... Read more
Donald Trump wants to “Make America Great Again.” Hillary Clinton claims America has never stopped being great. But maybe we should just try to make America meh. Here’s a question, how do we define American greatness? In politics, American greatness is usually described in comparison with other nations. This comparison is part of human nature. As René Girard states in his masterful book on human social dynamics called Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, to be human is to have a... 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 how Jesus was glorified. Tom speaks to the... Read more
Can we share God? Because for many of us, God is something that we refuse to share. In fact, human history shows that we will fight over God. God, after all, is truth. And we all like to think that we hold the Truth. But what happens when others claim that they hold the Truth about God? We get caught in a rivalry, even killing over who possesses the Truth. But believing that we hold the truth about God is... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
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