Zootopia is the story of a large, metropolitan city where everyone lives in peace and harmony. Tolerance and diversity are hallmarks of this great city. Hope abounds in this land of talking animals because it’s a place where, “You can be anything!” Zootopia is peaceful because after thousands of years of evolution, carnivores no longer eat other animals. Everyone lives in peace. The prophet Isaiah’s vision that “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down... Read more
Pastors have a frequent question when they begin to discover mimetic theory. “That’s great. But how does it preach?” Reverends Tom and Laura Truby show 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 their sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom and Laura explore the story of Mary anointing... Read more
The images were raw, brutally honest, haunting, beautiful. And disturbing. I was at the artist’s reception for Marwa Adel’s incredible photography exhibit, Memory of Physical Essence, at the Burning Bush Art Gallery in Wheaton, Illinois. Marwa Adel is an Egyptian artist on a Fulbright Fellowship at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and her photography, sometimes digitally manipulated or overlaid with calligraphy, tells a story through a taboo medium: the female body. In the description of her exhibit, Adel writes:... Read more
I can’t help but feel sorry for Donald Trump. But he’s not the only one for whom I feel sorry. Donald Trump may be the loudest voice in politics right now, but his recent bombastic quip, “I think Islam hates us,” no doubt ineloquently utters what many others must think. For all the talk about the need to separate terrorists and extremists from the vast majority of Muslims, untold numbers of whom are active peacemakers, United States policy toward Muslims... Read more
Atheists will sometimes challenge us to prove that God exists. Sometimes they assert that the more we discover from science, the less room there is for God. So, with more science we will discover that fact that God doesn’t exist. The problem is that we aren’t using the word “God” in the same way. These atheists are right. God doesn’t “exist” as a being within the universe. If we believed that God is a physical entity, then we’d be in... 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 Tom’s sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom explores the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or maybe... Read more
I watched Saturday Night Live’s skit “Racists for Trump” with a certain sense of glee. It shows average, nice looking, white Americans describe why they are voting for Trump. “The media’s been saying some pretty negative things about Donald Trump,” the skit begins. “But what are real Americans saying?” According to SNL, “real Americans” are saying: The guys a winner. He’s authentic. He’s the only one who’s actually created jobs. He literally wrote the book on negotiating. Trumps an outsider.... Read more
I’ve watched two of the 11 Republican presidential debates. For some reason, I decided to watch last night’s debate. Within the first 15 minutes, viewers were inundated with insults and even references to penis sizes. Good Lord. This is what American politics has come to. The Huffington Post ridiculed the debate, calling it a “Cock Fight.” I received an email this morning from my very Republican Dad. He’s one of those Republicans who votes down the party line. And that’s... Read more
This is a guest post from pastor and good friend of Teaching Nonviolent Atonement, the Rev. Tim Seitz-Brown. Political Pontius Pilate(s) They have to follow the mob They need to satisfy the unruly, thirsting for blood crowd They nominate potential, popular targets to be sacrificed To quench the mob’s need for someone or some group to pay Billionaires Mexicans The Media The Chinese The police Gay People The Religious Right Donald Trump Hilary Rodham Clinton Lazy socialists Greedy capitalists The... 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 Tom’s sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom explores Lent as a time to fertilize our lives so... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
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