In the classic book Christianity, Patriarchy, and Abuse, several writers and feminist theologians discuss how Christianity teaches people, particularly women, to accept suffering as a utility for spiritual growth or an explicit virtue modeled by God Godself through Jesus. This was a theme that I and Herb Montgomery addressed during our talks at the Spectrum […]
CN: When someone takes your place
CN: descriptions of graphic violence. Also plenty of spoilers for Season 1, episode 3. Some of you may have watched the Netflix drama Marco Polo. So far, it’s run for two seasons, and the second season is much better written than the first. It’s a standard mix of historical fiction, myth, war sequences, and unvarnished brutality—and yet, […]
Event: Non-violence and the Atonement
I’m speaking at the 2016 Spectrum Conference next week. The theme is Non-violence and the Atonement, and we’ll be joined by Greg Boyd, author of The Myth of a Christian Religion and proponent of the Christus Victor atonement theory. Check out the schedule and read an interview Spectrum conducted with me.
Creative disruption: the chaotic good
One of my favorite parts of Brother Outsider, a feature documentary on the life and work of Bayard Rustin, comes in the film’s first five minutes. [Uncaptioned teaser clip.] “We need in every community,” Rustin says, “a group of angelic troublemakers. Our power is in our ability to make things unworkable. The only weapon we have is […]
Life Skills: Non-defensive listening
Once upon a time, one of my mentors said to me, “When you hear something new, use the Three Heap method. “Heap 1 is for things you accept. “Heap 2 is for things you reject. “And Heap 3 is for things you don’t have enough info on, things you’re going to just hold for now.” […]
Revolution’s Invisible Costs
“If violence is wrong in America, it is wrong abroad.” —Malcolm X In November 1963, Malcolm X gave one of his last public speeches to a mostly Black audience in Detroit, MI. In one segment of “the Message to the Grassroots,” he highlights the hypocrisy of advocating nonviolent action within the US but promoting violent […]