Constitutional Democracies and Burst Wineskins – Brian Zahnd
The conservative evangelical political position in America is basically this: We have our Constitution -- created by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson.It is a good thing; almost inspired. It has served us well and helped make us great.We believe...
A Dream, The Samaritan Woman, and The Voice of God – by Eric Janzen
Recently, this began to coalesce in my mind as I prepared to preach at my church. I was reading through the story of Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in John 4. As I was reading, an aspect of the story bubbled forth and it was something I hadn’t noticed before. Jesus does a masterful job of drawing the woman into a dialogue about living water, a water that will do away with thirst and become a spring ‘welling up to eternal life.’ The woman finally asks him for this water and Jesus makes a left turn, so to speak.
The 16th Century Peace Tradition: Anabaptism, Erasmus and the English Vision by Ron Dart
There is a predictable tendency when reading the 16th century to highlight the fact that the Magisterial Reformers of the Continent (Luther and Calvin), although breaking from the Roman Catholic tradition and initiating the Protestant Reformation, were still deeply catholic. What do I mean when I say this?
M2/W2 and Enemy Love As Core Gospel by Wayne Northey
Our entire ministry in criminal justice is summed up in three words: Love your enemies. Our website (www.m2w2.com) describes the one-to-one prison visitation (M2/W2), the work with high risk sex offenders (CoSA), and our Thrift Store (Hidden Treasures) as unique expressions of enemy love. All is done under the rubric of Restorative Justice, on which page by that name you will find lots to think about. It too turns on an ultimate vision of enemy love.
Listen Up! conference with Brad Jersak
Join us for the upcoming Listen Up! conference with Brad Jersak
Online registrations available HERE
“Trust in the Name” (Psalm 20:7-8) – Logan Runnalls (a sermon)
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm” (Psalm 20:7-8). There is much that is hard in this world. There are multiple stresses which we encounter....
Brian Zahnd on Merton’s ‘Moral Theology of the Devil’
The Moral Theology of the Devil Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:12 PM PDT Tonight I watched part two of the Ken Burn’ film “Prohibition” on PBS—a brilliant documentary on America’s fourteen year ill-fated war on alcohol. It’s a classic study in good intentions gone...
“Lest we forget what?” – Not So Different – Brad Jersak and PartnersWorld.org
Steve Gumaer and PartnersWorld.org help me remember, and they overcoming evil with good in their small way … which is usually how it happens.
Thomas Talbott’s, ‘The Inescapable Love of God’ – Review by Ron Dart
C.S. Lewis wrote his evocative missive, The Great Divorce: A Dream, in response to the universalism of one of his mentors, George Macdonald, and as a reply of sorts to William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Lewis walked the extra mile in The Great Divorce to...
Hints and Guesses by Brian Zahnd
Hints and Guesses Posted: 30 Sep 2011 11:15 PM PDT Hints and Guesses My favorite thought is the Incarnation. My favorite poet (after Dylan) is T.S. Eliot. Here is a snippet of T.S. Eliot poetry that touches on Incarnation....