Spirituality. Politics. Music. Life.
The greatest trick Constantine ever played on our world was to convince us that the Empire that killed Jesus should actually embrace the religion that bears his name. Why this isn’t self-obviously shocking to us today is a symptom of both how completely our culture has accepted the ascendancy of Atonement Theology; and also why […]
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“Um…so what’s that interesting necklace you’re wearing?” I am at the Kerrville Folk Festival, on a sweaty May afternoon. I’m with a group of fellow musicians, and one has again asked me a question I’ve been asked many times before. She’s asking about the necklace I wear every day. “It’s a ‘Lethal Injection Crucifix,’” I […]
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“Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God.”— John 16:2 “When your icon of the enemy is completeyou will be able to kill without guilt,slaughter without shame.The thing you destroy will have becomemerely an enemy of God, an impedimentto the sacred […]
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As I watched tape of Al Franken’s resignation speech yesterday, my thoughts went back to Bob Livingston and Newt Gingrich. The pair, as some will recall, were leaders of the effort to impeach and remove President Bill Clinton from office in the late 1990s. At the very height of that terrible time, Gingrich was forced […]
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(Warning: This post contains adult language) I am a Christmas Christian. I’ve known this for decades now. But only now do I feel brave enough to say it boldly. Because, in many Christian circles, it’s almost like heresy to not say “I’m an Easter Christian.” I’m one of those too. I love Easter. I come […]
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The scapegoat is an ancient religious ritual that has been brought forward into modern times by our media culture. The scapegoat was a ritual animal that was either sacrificed, or driven from the community, bearing the sins of the entire community. The following is taken from Myth Encyclopedia: Myths and Legends of the World “The […]
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Whatever you think of the “necessity” of Jesus dying, the facts are that he was crucified. That is how he died. That a figure named Jesus was likely crucified is one of the most historically provable facts about him, in that it’s testified to by several external historical sources. As Borg and Crossan remind us […]
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The heart of the Gospel is love. The heart of the Christmas season is love. Love is the final driver, the final goal –the first, last, and middle command– for all of us who follow Christ. In the Christmas season, we celebrate this love of God for us, as made manifest in the birth of […]
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What Is Atonement Theology Anyway? The basic idea of Atonement Theology posits that Jesus’ death was necessary in some tangible, cosmic way, as a “sacrifice” for the sins of humanity. Further, it suggests that this sacrifice, and this sacrifice alone, is the “salvific” work of Jesus; the moment that Jesus’ earthly ministry is complete. (The […]
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