We Can Be So Right and Still Be So Wrong: My Theological Journey from Certainty to Discovery

January 21, 2015 By Kurt Willems

*Guest Post by Jeff K. Clarke. He offers guest insights here on the Pangea Blog from time to time. I hope you enjoy! My theological journey has less to do with changes made to specific categories, though many such changes have occurred, and more to do with the posture, mood and style in which I engage in the theological task. In the past, my approach to theology and biblical studies could have been characterized as a strict, letter-of-the-law type attitude, that was determined to create the... Read more

8 Signs That You Might Be An Evangelical Reject

January 5, 2015 By Kurt Willems

It’s been 3.5 years since I originally coined the phrase “Evangelical Reject.” And a lot has happened in those years, in my life and in the culture of the church in America. For one, when I originally wrote “You Might Be An Evangelical Reject If…,” the word “evangelical” still had authority as a label for millennials like myself. Many of us were desperately clinging to what we could to prove to our more “conservative” friends, church members, and family members... Read more

Repurposed for Peace: Christmas, Crucifixion & Reconciliation

December 23, 2014 By Kurt Willems

They shall beat swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, [nor] learn war anymore. Isaiah 2.4 (NRSV) I have a bottle topper that says: “Recycled from disarmed nuclear weapon systems.” Its opposite reads: “Make wine not war.” Whether you drink wine or not this image is powerful. This repurposed bronze bottle topper isn’t merely about wine; it’s about an alternative vision of reality. Things that make for violence can be transformed... Read more

Why Christians Should Care About Hebron in the West Bank

December 18, 2014 By Kurt Willems

Hebron. It is the city where one building, separated by bulletproof glass, is both a mosque and synagogue. Here houses the legendary burial sites of Abraham and Sarah (Tomb of the Patriarchs). Hebron is a city of division. Of violence. Of pain. Of apartheid. Of racism. Of militarism. Of despair. Of settlement. I know this first hand. I’ve been there. I’ve walked through the checkpoint where Israeli Defense Force soldiers (mostly in their late teens and early 20s) interrogate anyone who... Read more

Saturday Night Live Goes to Christmas Church Service (Hilarious!)

December 17, 2014 By Kurt Willems

This is one of those things… I just had to share. Check it out. Laugh a lot! Read more

Jesus was Born in Bethlehem, NOT Rome: Choosing to Lose the “War for Christmas”

December 16, 2014 By Kurt Willems

Each year Christmas comes along and so do various controversies. Yesterday, my friend Jeff Clarke wrote: However, when we post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram our demand for people toKeep Christ in Christmas, we are in that moment displaying a degree of arrogance, not humility. Instead of pointing people to the humble birth of the incarnate God, we point out how angry we are that people have forgotten the reason for the season. Through a variety of ways and means, we sometimes use... Read more

2 Reasons NOT to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’

December 15, 2014 By Kurt Willems

*Guest Post: By Jeff K. Clarke ————————– Keep Christ in Christmas is the slogan of choice for many Christians during this time of year. We see the phrase used all over the place – from Facebook posts, Twitter feeds and Instagram pictures, to Pinterest links and blog posts. However, while Keep Christ in Christmas is a good way for Jesus-followers to remember the season, the slogan should never be used as a means to force others to do so. Here are 2 reasons... Read more

We’re not playing the race card; we’re analyzing the racialized deck.

December 8, 2014 By Kurt Willems

From Kurt: The following post comes from my friend Drew Hart. Read his blog! Also, read his full bio a the bottom of this post. He’s not only a gifted thinker on issues pertaining to theology and race, but he’s a great person. This article will challenge many of us who come from privileged backgrounds. Hopefully it will lead us closer towards the path of reconciliation and justice. I would be rich if I got money for every time a white person told me that... Read more

FREE: Missio Alliance Anabaptism Conference Talks

December 2, 2014 By Kurt Willems

Hey friends. You may remember that I spoke at a conference a couple months back. It was an honor to share this moment with many excellent voices for peace and justice: Plenary 1: A Fresh Encounter with Jesus, with Greg Boyd, Meghan Good, and Brian Zahnd Plenary 2: A Radical Approach to Community, with Bruxy Cavey, Samuel Sarpiya, Dennis Webb, and Me Plenary 3: A Subversive Journey in Mission, with Anton Flores-Maisonet, Nelson Okanya, and David Fitch Additionally, there were... Read more