Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

"A Great Irony of History": the Cross and Peace by Wayne Northey

Introduction

Ever since Clark Pinnock taught an interterm course in 1975 at Regent College, entitled “The Politics of Jesus”, for close to half of my life, I have been drawn to the nonviolent Cross of Jesus.  Pinnock later taught a full-semester course by the same title, based upon a then recent publication by Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus (1972 & 1994), that theologian Stanley Hauerwas believes is the most important publication on ethics of the twentieth century.

What do I mean by “violence” in this talk?  A very succinct definition is given in Marjorie Suchocki’s The Fall To Violence (1994): “… at its base, violence is the destruction of well-being (Suchocki, 1994, p. 85, italics added.)”  Violence is the destruction of well-being.   

Peace

"If the people raise a howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer war is war...  War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it...  War is hell." - Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman

"You can't get to a good place in a bad way -- EVER." - Molly Baldwin

"We must recognize... that the means used determine the end achieved." - Mildred Fahrni

"The means are the ends in embryo.  As you choose your means, you get your ends.  That is the iron law of the moral universe." - Mahatma Ghandi

"There is no way to peace.  Peace is the way." - A.J. Muste

The history of punishment is in some respects like the history of war; it seems to accompany the human condition almost universally, to enjoy periods of glorification, to be commonly regarded as justified in many instances, and yet to run counter to our ultimate vision of what human society should be. - Deirdre Golash

It's the Gospel Truth! The atonement remixed by Ron Roper

IT’S THE GOSPEL TRUTH!
—the atonement remixed—

April 20 (Passover/Orthodox Palm Sunday)—April 27 (Pascha/Easter), 2008.
Meditation on the Columbine (‘dovelike’) bloodshed of innocents.
In remembrance of Cassie René Bernall and Rachel Joy Scott.

 

The proclamation of God’s Kingdom is communicated in the historical narratives about Jesus of Nazareth—his conception, birth, baptism, temptation, teaching, deeds, trial, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of Holy Spirit, and promised return to earth in judgment—in accord with a host of ancient prophecies, fulfilled as noted by his disciples in the written testimonies of the New Testament, and further validated by the ensuing course of performance recorded without collusion by a host of leaders and varied witnesses from the early churches scattered across the far-flung Roman Empire for the next few centuries. 
 

Ignorance is the mother of violence, fear is it father - Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

Ignorance is the mother of violence, fear is its father. Combined, they work together to undermine faith. Much of the world's religions, including much of Christianity, has become based in fear and ignorance, and this is one of the greatest promoters of atheism. But atheism, too, is based in fear and ignorance. One who has a genuine faith in Christ no longer subscribes to fear and ignorance, and no longer hates, wishes to persecute or resorts to violence, either physical, emotional of verbal. As the apostle so clearly tells us, "we have not been placed in bondage to a spirit of fear," and our beloved father John the Evangelist enjoins that "there is no fear in love; rather perfect love drives out fear," and "whoever still has fear has not been made perfect in love."

-- Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

The Water of Life by Sarah Armitage

"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV)

Dear Friends,

As I write many people in Thailand, Laos and Burma are celebrating their New Year, Songkran. This time of celebration is now famous for being the largest water fight in the world. For three days people walk the streets with water pistols and buckets of ice-water, or stand in groups at the side of the road with large water containers or hose pipes and soak each other and those passing by on foot, motorbike or vehicle. The origin of this holiday is much more sedate. For the Buddhist, Songkran is a time for cleansing and renewal, the name itself means "a move or change". There are many rituals that take place during this time, including the washing of Buddha images and the thorough cleaning of homes. The water fight stems from the tradition of pouring a small amount of water over the head or shoulder of someone to show respect and bless them.

Joshua 1: I will be with you by Adria V. Holub

Introduction

In Joshua 1, Moses has just passed away and Joshua is commissioned to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua hears God promise to be with him personally, and to grant him success.[1] Throughout Scripture God is said to be with certain people at specific times. Indeed, God's presence is reported in a variety of ways in the biblical witness. The question is, "what does it mean to say God is with someone?" One's answer depends on one's paradigm for who God is and how God will choose to act. Joshua believed in and testified to a God who was so righteous that his presence would cause the death of unrighteous people, be they the inhabitants of Canaan who worshiped idols and practiced destructive rituals, or members of Israel who disregarded the perceived commands of YHWH. This understanding of what it means for God to be present "with" his people is not universally held in the Old Testament witness, though it is the dominant theology, and is explicitly contradicted in the life and teaching of Jesus.

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[1] The pronoun "you" is in the singular, not plural. Robert G. Boling and Wright, G. Ernest, Joshua: A New Translation with Notes and Commentary. Vol. 6, The Anchor Bible (Garden City: Doubleday, 1982), 115.