Kevin Miller on Hell, Universal Salvation, and Mimetic Theory

Last updated on: October 30, 2014 at 3:43 pm By Adam Ericksen

Hell. The concept has come under fire. Fortunately, Kevin Miller is here to put out the flames. Kevin is the star and director of the critically important documentary Hellbound?, where Kevin interviews a diverse group of pastors, theologians, social commentators, and musicians. Kevin also blogs at his excellent website, Hellbound?: Exploring Faith and Film, Good and Evil. In the interview, Kevin brilliantly expands on many of the themes of Hellbound? and explores hell from the perspective of mimetic theory. Kevin... Read more

Why? – Unlocking the Answer to School Shootings

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:43 pm By Adam Ericksen

Last week’s school shooting in Marysville, Washington has us all asking the question again – Why did this happen? Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary gave voice to the despair many are feeling as we search for answers. “The question everybody wants is ‘Why?’ I don’t know that the ‘why’ is something we can provide.” Why did Jaylen Fryberg text his friends and family members to join him for lunch only to shoot them and then shoot himself? Whenever these tragedies... Read more

The Rise of ISIS and the Immoral Equivalency of War

Last updated on: October 28, 2014 at 3:59 pm By Suzanne Ross

The Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore by Jay Sekulow is an extended essay attempting to draw a stark distinction between good guys (the U.S. and Israel) and bad guys (ISIS and Hamas). The author’s sole purpose is to justify the destruction of the bad guys by the good guys in good conscience and without remorse. That Jay Sekulow fails in his task is in no way due to the fact that real goodness and evil do not... Read more

The Rev. Dr. Stephanie VanSlyke on Resurrection, Atonement, and the Early Church

Last updated on: November 22, 2014 at 1:00 pm By Adam Ericksen

The Rev. Dr. Stephanie VanSlyke talks with us about the meaning of Resurrection and Atonement in the context of the early Church. Read more

James Warren on Magic and Mimetic Theory: A Discussion about “Compassion or Apocalypse?”

Last updated on: October 23, 2014 at 1:50 pm By Adam Ericksen

One of my favorite teachers of mimetic theory is James Warren. Jim is a magician who masterfully unveils the workings of mimetic theory in his book Compassion or Apocalypse: A Comprehensible Guide to the Thought of René Girard. Jim’s book is so good that it’s one of the few that I have in both book and ebook format. I highly recommend it! In this engaging interview, Jim talks about the fundamental elements of mimetic theory: how desire is formed, the... Read more

Parenting Confessions: God, Rivalry, and College Football

Last updated on: October 21, 2014 at 10:44 pm By Adam Ericksen

My family recently moved to Eugene, Oregon. Eugene is probably best known for the University of Oregon Ducks football team. Having moved from Chicago, I know that the Ducks are loved throughout the country for their high powered offense and flamboyant football jerseys. Here in Eugene people are obsessed with the Quack Attack. Nearly every car has a University of Oregon bumper sticker, almost everyone wears a green UofO jacket, and the entire city fell into a state of mourning... Read more

Book Review: “In Borrowed Houses” by Frances Fuller

Last updated on: October 23, 2014 at 10:29 am By Guest Contributor

This review was written by Lindsey Paris-Lopez and was originally published at the Raven Foundation. Involuntarily hosting a goat in her living room, while tremendously inconvenient, turned out to be one of the more benign adventures. Living as a missionary for Baptist Publications, part of the Near East Baptist Mission, during the Lebanese Civil War, Frances Fuller narrowly avoided sniper fire and suicide bombers, shared tears and embraces, worked hard, prayed harder, and above all manifested the wondrous love of... Read more

Why David Brooks Needs Mimetic Theory – and So Do You

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:44 pm By Suzanne Ross

Anyone honestly interested in a solution to the emergence of ISIL in Iraq needs to learn the basics of mimetic theory. Without mimetic theory, we fall victim to catastrophic failures of logic, which lead to equally catastrophic decisions made in ignorance of our own foolishness. New York Times columnist David Brooks provides an excellent case study for my claim with his article “The Good Order”. His flawed analysis nearly broke my heart because I admire Brooks so much. He is... Read more

Islam, Muhammad, and Jesus – A Discussion with Lindsey Paris-Lopez and Adam Ericksen

Last updated on: October 14, 2014 at 6:34 pm By Adam Ericksen

Lindsey and Adam discuss their personal stories about Islam. Lindsey tells her story of growing up a Christian, converting to Islam, and converting back to Christianity. Adam tells his story of becoming “brothers” with a Muslim from Bangladesh. Then Lindsey and Adam explore these questions previously submitted: 1. What do you view as the most important commonality and the most important difference between Christianity and Islam? 2. What do you think are the main reasons that people from both faiths... Read more

Islam and the Mother Lode of Bad Ideas: The Bill Maher, Sam Harris, and Ben Affleck Debate

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:44 pm By Adam Ericksen

Rene Girard has a prophetic warning in his book Battling to the End about the West’s fight against Islamic jihadists: The West is going to exhaust itself in its fight against Islamic terrorism, which Western arrogance has undeniably kindled. That Western arrogance was on display last weekend on Real Time with Bill Maher. The tense debate about Islam between Bill Maher, Sam Harris, and Ben Affleck has been shared multiple times over social media and provides a case study in... Read more