“I will never talk to her ever again. I will never hold her ever again. You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. But God forgives you. I forgive you.” Those words of accountability and forgiveness were spoken to Dylann Roof at his bond hearing by the daughter of one of his victims. How are we to understand such radical forgiveness? The spirit of forgiveness and accountability was on full display during the bond hearing by the family members... 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 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 and Laura’s sermons as an example of preaching the Gospel through mimetic theory. In this sermon, Tom and Laura use the phrase... Read more
At last the LGBTQ rainbow is having its day in the sun. The storm has passed and it’s safe now, or so we all hope, for LGBTQ couples to come out into the light of day. The Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage rights to same sex couples is like a dream come true and the celebrations have been understandably joyful and exuberant. I was reminded of the Rainbow Connection, a mournful song sung by Kermit the Frog about the unfulfilled... Read more
Donald Trump created a stir recently with his comments about immigration. “When Mexico sends its people, they aren’t sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.” We could easily dismiss Trump and his comments by claiming that he’s our nation’s crazy uncle. But our crazy uncle is gaining in the GOP polls. After announcing his candidacy and making his comment about immigrants, he surged to second place among Republican voters.... Read more
This guest post is by Lindsey Paris-Lopez, Editor in Chief at the Raven Foundation. I will not be celebrating Independence Day. The truth is, the United States has never been an independent nation. Built on stolen land by stolen labor, sacrificing Natives and Africans and their descendants to the mythology of “manifest destiny,” greed, oppression, and white supremacy, this has never been a nation of liberty and justice for all. In fact, this nation has been built upon the deliberate... Read more
Tomorrow we will celebrate Independence Day and the freedom that was granted as the United States threw off the chains of tyranny from England. The United States was founded on a freedom that was established through war and violent rebellion. Freedom comes at a cost, many say. American “freedom” was birthed by war and war has been our Mother ever since. The United States has been at war for 93% of our history. 222 years out of 239 years of... Read more
On the same day that we celebrated the Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality, we also witnessed the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney. It was an important reminder that in the midst of celebrating the justice of marriage equality, we have so much work to do to heal the divide of racism that continues to infect the US. Read more
Unity can be found in excluding and destroying or reconciling and healing. We see examples of both in the modern church. Often we don’t realize there is a huge abyss between the two. Jesus and his followers are about the latter. They think the church finds its’ unity in being for those whose life is threatened; whether it is one person, a whole race, or even a nation. Think of the implications for the church in our accusing world. Read more
Colonel Theodore Westhusing had a highly successful military career. He was a professor of philosophy and English at West Point. At 43 years old with a wife and three young children, Westhusing felt morally dutybound to re-enlist as a soldier in the Iraq War. As a philosopher of war, Westhusing received his military training in moral decision making. His doctoral dissertation emphasized the morality, ethical values, and virtues of American wars. Despite his success, his life had a tragic ending... Read more
This guest post is by Lindsey Paris-Lopez, Editor in Chief at the Raven Foundation. With all the work there is to be done to dismantle racism, one post is never enough. Therefore, this is the beginning of a series. Please note, while “racism” is multifaceted, these article speak primarily to the relationship between African Americans and whites. We recognize that other forms of racial prejudice exist. The altar of white supremacy — a lie upon which millions of black lives have... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In