From the Sky: a film about drone strikes, family, and resistance

Last updated on: February 3, 2013 at 6:52 pm By Kurt Willems

[Editor’s Note from Kurt Willems: Today and tomorrow on Pangea, I’m highlighting an important issue: Drone Strikes. Our nation increasingly uses unmanned drones to “hit” targets in the so-called war on terror. In the process, many innocent women, men, and children have been unjustly killed. An unfortunate side-effect of this (beyond death itself) is the reputation these unjust attacks bring to the Islamic world’s perception of Christianity. Many in the Arab world consider the US a “Christian Nation” and because of this,... Read more

Following Jesus: The Best Gun Control Ever!

Last updated on: November 1, 2013 at 4:44 pm By Kurt Willems

The Central Valley of California is similar to most of rural America. It’s an area with lots of traditional folks, many who love God and desire to serve Christ in all things. Places like the Valley at times carry the baggage of some sloppy theology, handed down from fundamentalism and the Religious Right. For this reason, I grew up believing that the will of God and the will of the conservative version of the United States were one in the... Read more

Cornel West on why MLK’s Bible shouldn’t be used at the inauguration of Obama

Last updated on: January 21, 2013 at 10:45 am By Kurt Willems

Cornell West is a voice that I always listen to. I can’t, a white middle-class guy, claim to always understand. But, I always want to appreciate and listen. My issue is both with using Martin Luther King Jr.’s bible and one step further: using a bible at all. This is a form of nationalistic idolatry, which is not addressed by the video. However, the concerns addressed are important ones. Read more

The “will of God” is an excuse to not follow Jesus?

Last updated on: January 17, 2013 at 5:15 pm By Kurt Willems

HT: Rebecca Kasparek I think that fellow Anabaptist blogger, Drew G.I. Hart makes a great point in his recent article called: The Will of God – More Abstractions so we can avoid following Jesus. He says: People wrestle constantly over whether they are aligned with God’s will’. This is the most sacred of tasks for many people. If one can be sure they are walking in the will of God, all is well. And so we try to ‘discern’. We... Read more

My Nonviolent “Tipping Point” – How I Finally Adopted Pacifism

Last updated on: January 15, 2013 at 4:59 pm By Kurt Willems

I never liked Anabaptism. In fact, I actively looked for examples of Mennonites that broke away from traditional stances like nonviolence. As a high school student, I can remember taking pride in the church my Grandpa grew up in because a bulletin from the 40’s revealed over twenty young men away fighting in WWII. As a college student (especially during the first couple of years) a serious moment for my friends and I was when we drove past a US... Read more

Scot McKnight on Hell

Last updated on: January 13, 2013 at 9:06 pm By Kurt Willems

Below is an excerpt from Scot McKnight about former blog contributor, Ed Fudge‘s book Hell: A Final Word. Scot’s review is brief, but worth looking at. He says the following in describing Fudge’s approach: The traditional view of hell rests on four pillars: that the OT says nothing; that the Jewish view at the time of Jesus was one of eternal conscious punishment; that Jesus’ view was thoroughly Jewish; and that the NT authors follow Jesus. He goes on to describe the... Read more

How I Became a Universalist (a guest post)

Last updated on: January 13, 2013 at 4:44 pm By Kurt Willems

[Editor’s Note (Kurt Willems): If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I am not a universalist. In fact, I’ve written about my view of hell in detail, a view which I call: “Purgatorial Conditionalism.” I also responded to Love Wins here (but you really need to read the Hell Series first to understand my point). I believe (with quite a bit of flexibility) that humans are born mortal and only become eternal creatures through choosing God’s... Read more

The Ugly Beauty of the Kingdom of God

Last updated on: January 8, 2013 at 10:20 pm By Kurt Willems

Much in the world is ugly. Ugliness manifests itself in ways that we hope never to even imagine. Each day it confronts us when we least expect it. Depending on the day, the circumstances, or our disposition in the moment of confrontation, our responses may differ. Ugliness in a movie might bring us to tears on one occasion, but in another moment may battle an apathetic exterior. When we find ourselves in the midst of unexpected human or animal suffering,... Read more

From the Margins: Following Jesus in a post-Christian culture

Last updated on: December 31, 2012 at 6:04 pm By Kurt Willems

[This article originally appeared in winter 2012 issue of In Part, the magazine for the Brethren in Christ community in the U.S. I highly recommend you read the other articles from this past issue that explore the theme of Anabaptism.] I met David randomly. I’d been sitting in a coffee shop one evening, working on a seminary paper, when I noticed him at the table next to me. I’m fairly extroverted, so it’s no surprise that small talk ensued between us.... Read more

2012’s biggest victories for animal welfare

Last updated on: December 30, 2012 at 4:09 pm By Kurt Willems

Check out this great video from the Humane Society: Read more