The Myth of Redemptive Violence
I had a veteran friend once tell me, “The biggest lie I have ever been told is that violence is evil, except in war.” He went on, “My government told me that. My Church told me that. My family told me t...
No Bullies – No Victims
I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return. -W. H. Auden
Sometimes an issue emerges in a culture that takes us by surprise – not because it is so new, b...
Hurricane Irene and the Wrath of God
“Do you think God sent Hurricane Irene?” a young man asked me with a curious look in his eyes that was as innocent as it was pensive.
My mind flashed back to a headline I remembered reading yesterday about Gle...
Why We Are Drawn to Harry Potter Theology
It’s been 13 years since the first Harry Potter book landed on store shelves and provoked some Christian conservatives to begin voicing opposition to J.K. Rowling’s world of wizardry.
“Let me say something a...
The Cross Destroys Evil (Not Killing Osama)
My favorite t-shirt (a gift from my mates at “On Earth Peace” ) simply reads “When Jesus said, “Love your enemies, ” I think he probably meant, don’t kill them.” I put it on this morning and stepped out of m...
When Goodness and Evil Grow Together
Those who would discourage us in our attempts to work for social justice and end poverty and oppression claim that “the world is getting worse and worse every day, and one of these days very soon the world is ...