Psalm 2 – A Cruciform Prayer as the Nations Rage – Ted Hill
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord has them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear;
with trembling kiss his feet,
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him.
Walking the World as the Pardon of God – Brian Zahnd
To be a prophetic witness against systems of sin and a preacher of God’s pardon for sinners at the same time is the peculiar grace at which Francis excelled and to which the church is called.
Review of Yahia Lababidi’s ‘Balancing Acts: New & Selected Poems’ – by Brad Jersak
I recently became acquainted with the works of Egyptian poet, Yahia Lababidi. His sixth and largest book of poems is entitled, New and Selected Poems (1993-2015). He describes the collection as “twenty-three years of marveling, questing and helplessly confessing in verse.”
When At Last We ‘Know As We Are Known’ – Caleb Miller
When all of our darkness and all that we believe to be light comes face to face—finally—with the One in and through and by whom all things were made, when all our good intentions are laid out and our best made plans meet the architect of the cosmos, when our internal “I am not” comes crashing into the Eternal “I AM”, all that bids us to say “no” to the beauty of love will forever be done away with and we will hence, “know as we are known”.
Sacred Tradition vs Traditionalisms Trialogue – Lazar Puhalo, Ron Dart, Brad Jersak
The X-files, the Misery of the World & the Nature of God [spoilers] Brad Jersak
In the X-files episode entitled “Babylon,” I was impressed with the research, creative writing, strong imagery and bold themes. I don’t presume to know the writer’s intent, but from the artistic side, we are permitted to draw our own takeaway meanings and messages. Two came quite forcefully that some X-files fans might appreciate.
Ted Grimsrud’s Response to ‘From Suffering to Solidarity’: Continuing the Conversation — By Andrew Klager
Ted Grimsrud recently wrote a response to my edited book, From Suffering to Solidarity: The Historical Seeds of Mennonite Interreligious, Interethnic, and International Peacebuilding, on his blog, 'Thinking Pacifism.' It was a mainly positive response at the...
Key Readings and Common Ground on ‘Religion’ in Two Senses – Brad Jersak
"Master, grant that I may not so much seek ... to be understood as to understand." - Prayer of St Francis of Assisi - Is 'Religion' a Dirty Word? Following up on my last post, 'Religion in Two Senses,' I felt it would be helpful to...
‘Religion’ in Two Senses – Brad Jersak
I am regularly challenged by two camps on what appears on the surface to be my conflicting relationship with 'religion.' It seems I must regularly justify to high church friends how I can participate in and edit for CWR magazine and CWR blog, whose stated...
Knowing Christ through the Scriptures – Fr John Behr
A Faith Received – Jeff K. Clarke
When we understand that the Jesus-story is the long-awaited fulfillment of Israel’s story, our faith immediately takes on a deeply historical, ancient, prophetic, and shared dimension. We need to quickly realize that faith didn’t begin with us. This is the faith that...