We were halfway through our youth group’s class on Holy Week. We discussed Palm Sunday as an act of political subversion and Maundy Thursday as the King becoming the Servant. We were on a roll and everyone was engaged, but he was becoming restless. I could tell it was much more than typical teenage angst. So I addressed him, “It looks like you may have something to say…” And then the question burst from his lips: What’s so good about... Read more
We often hear from readers about the difficulties they face teaching and preaching the power of nonviolence in places where faith in violence runs deep. During Holy Week it is especially difficult to counter the idea that God required Jesus’ death to redeem humanity from our sins. This Holy Week preachers face a double whammy as the airways echo with faith in American firepower to restore peace in places like Syria, Iraq, or Ukraine. Faith in God’s violence is matched... Read more
I can be pretty dense sometimes. Exhibit A: I just realized that the child’s prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep” is a Compline, or night prayer, for children. As my Lenten discipline I’ve been praying the Compline, hoping to make friends with death. I’d begun to realize that facing up to my mortality might deepen my faith, and so it has. As I’ve forced myself to end my day with an examination of conscience and entrust my life... Read more
Welcome to our final installment in our Lenten series with curriculum writers. We invited a cross section of educators to share with us how they explain the violence at the Cross to children and youth. Our aim for the series is to provide resources to church school directors and educators who are seeking ways to present the Cross as a witness to God’s nonviolence. (To see the first three posts, go to Categories and choose Curriculum.) We’ve invited the... Read more
Ted Cruz became the first major candidate to declare a presidential run for 2016. His formal announcement came this morning at Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world. Cruz’s announcement at Liberty University was an important political strategy. Cruz is the poster child of the Tea Party movement. He wants to spread his influence by appealing to evangelicals. There is no better place to garner the evangelical vote than the largest Christian university on the planet. Chris Cillizza... Read more
I recently wrote about a former member of my church youth group. She was everything that a youth pastor could ask for in a student. She was kind, welcoming, smart, funny, and she took following Jesus seriously. And I’ll never forget the day that she told our youth group that she is a lesbian. Fortunately, she continues to be a faithful follower of Christ. I’m a proud member of the United Church of Christ. We’ve had a long history that... Read more
Two years ago at the Faith Forward conference in Nashville, I met the amazing Rose Stutzman. She is the project director for Shine: Living in God’s Light, a Sunday school curriculum I wish I’d known about when I was directing the Christian education program at my church. Shine is an amazing resource for anyone looking to teach the nonviolence of God no matter how violent the biblical story gets. Which, of course, is the perennial challenge we all face during... Read more
The Friendly Atheist is one of the most influential atheist blogs on the Internet. The website’s 10 bloggers have contributed to CNN, Fox and Friends, NPR, the Washington Post, and the USA Today. You may be surprised to read this, but I owe the Friendly Atheist a personal debt. My atheist brother invited me to officiate at his wedding ceremony with this condition, “As long as you don’t say anything about God.” I’m very close with my brother, so... Read more
My Lenten discipline this year has been to add the Compline, or the Night Office, to my daily prayer routine. My hope was that of the Psalmist, that by knowing the shortness of my life I would gain wisdom of heart (90:12). After three weeks of nightly prayer, I’ve discovered, or perhaps I’ve received a gift despite my efforts, that my mortality connects me to wonder. Praying in the dark is entirely different than during the day. Wonder opens up... Read more
She was one of the best students I’ve ever had in a youth group. She’s funny, smart, friendly, warm, and likeable. She exerted a quiet sense of confident leadership among her peers and she’s serious about following Jesus. She’s everything that a pastor would want in a member of a youth group. And I’ll never forget the day she told our youth group that she’s a lesbian. My God I love that girl. And so did our youth group. Girls... Read more
Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
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