Tag Archives: peace theology

The Book of Revelation Speaks to American Politics

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The book of Revelation does have prophetic bite, even if not as usually presented. Back in the Fall of 2006, I was asked to write an opinion piece on the 2006 election and the widespread defeat of Republican congressional candidates.  So I turned to Revelation for some ideas and ended up suggesting that the critique of the Beast in Revelation may certainly apply to Republican hubris, but when considered more thoughtfully also applies to all American Democrats who also support the American imperial project.

I called the piece, “The Lamb’s Power and Modern America.”

Rereading this essay now, after the Democrats greatly expanded their 20o6 gains in the 2008 election, including the presidency, I definitely think I was on to something. We, frustratingly, are seeing little diminishing in the commitment of the President and Congress to America as Empire.

Son of Adam, Son of God

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Why do we pay attention to Jesus? I think there are many good reasons people do—some not so good reasons, too, I suppose.  I am choosing to focus on the good reasons.  But I think that whatever reason we might have for paying attention to Jesus, we benefit from looking carefully at what the Bible tells us about him.

This morning, I preached the third of what I hope will be a 13-part series of sermons on Jesus.  I called it, “Son of Adam, Son of God.” My purpose was to consider what the Bible has in mind when it calls Jesus “Son of God.”  Actually, as this sermon focuses on Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry (Luke 4:1-13), the focus is on what the meaning of “Son of God” in relation to Jesus is not.  In a nutshell, Jesus is tempted with using his status as Son of God as a means of exercising power over in bringing in God’s kingdom.

“Son of God” in relation to Jesus has to do with his approach to politics—what kind of king will Jesus be?  Jesus is indeed political, but it’s a politics of compassion and empowering others, not a politics of domination and self-serving.

Healing Justice

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Here is a link to an article I published in The Mennonite, October 20, 2009.  The article, “Healing Justice,” is an introduction to a theological rationale for the concept of restorative justice.

The United States currently in the midst of a terrible crisis wherein our criminal justice system undermines public safety and violates the principles of genuine justice and fairness.  One reason people in our society accept such a destructive dynamic is theology that justifies a “logic of retribution” leading to strong support for violent punishment.

Biblically, justice has more to do with healing than with punishment—as we see in looking at several representative texts.  Jesus (echoing the Old Testament prophets) calls us to heal our concept of justice in order to embrace a justice that heals.

Singing Down Mercy

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Why do we pay attention to Jesus? I think there are many good reasons people do—some not so good reasons, too, I suppose.  I am choosing to focus on the good reasons.  But I think that whatever reason we might have for paying attention to Jesus, we benefit from looking carefully at what the Bible tells us about him.

This morning, I preached the second of what I hope will be a 13-part series of sermons on Jesus.  I called it, “Singing Down Mercy.” My purpose was to set the story of Jesus in its biblical context.  I did that by looking at the song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55 in relation to earlier songs in the Bible—Moses’ song (Exodus 15), Hanna’s song (1 Samuel 2), and one of Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isaiah 49).

I suggest that Mary’s song gives us three important reasons to pay attention to Jesus: he questions authority, he brings healing to the “lowly,” and he calls all who would follow him to find their identity in a vocation of bringing healing to all the families of the earth.

Theology as if Jesus Matters

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I am very happy to have a new book just out. It’s called Theology As If Jesus Matters: An Introduction to Christianity’s Main Convictions (Living Issues Discussion). It’s published by Cascadia Publishing House.The book asks (and tries to answer) the question: What would each of the core Christian beliefs look like if we focused on how it links with Jesus’ call to love God and neighbor? What results is a book that is kind of Bible-centered, postmodern, practical, theoretical, pacifist, and confrontational.If Tom Waits were to describe this theology he might say: “It’s new, it’s improved, it’s old fashioned.”

Here is a link to the book’s web page: Theology as if Jesus Matters.


Why We Pay Attention to Jesus

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The story of Jesus is a story of good news, a story of hope that speaks to profound human aspirations and needs.  Though we all know a lot about this story, we also all need to keep thinking about it and finding ways to understand and apply it better.  So, to be better able to do that, I am putting together a series of sermons on Jesus.  I began this morning with a sermon called, “Why We Pay Attention to Jesus.”

Salvation in the Bible—Violent or Nonviolent?

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One of the big debates in Christian theology these days concerns how we understand salvation, atonement, reconciliation with God–and how this understanding relates to God’s and humans’ approaches to wrongdoing and justice that may or may not accept or even advocate violence.

I am developing an argument for an understanding of salvation that draws directly on the Bible and advocates for consistent nonviolence.  On September 12, 2009, I presented a set of five lectures at the London Mennonite Centre on theme, “Mercy Not Sacrifice: The Bible’s Salvation Story and Our Hope for Wholeness.”  I have posted those lectures here.

I start by looking at some ways salvation theology tends to underwrite human violence, focusing most extensively on our criminal justice system.  I then discuss how the Old Testament can actually be read as presented a peace-oriented salvation theology, reiterated and deepened in Jesus’ teaching and with his death and resurrection. I conclude by suggesting that Romans and Revelation also present salvation in peaceable ways.

Responses are welcome!

A Tribute to John Howard Yoder

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Shortly after John Howard Yoder’s death in December 1997, I was asked to write an article about his life and work for The Mennonite. It was published in March 1998 with the title “A faithful teacher in the church.”

As Yoder’s reputation as an important Christian thinker has only grown since his death, I think this article still has relevance.

Reflections on Torah

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The first five books of the Bible (Torah) tell the story of the founding of the community of God’s covenant people. During the summer of 2009, I published a series of thirteen short reflections on several passages from those books in the Mennonite Weekly Review. In these reflections I paid special attention to the present-day relevance of these passages.  Here is a list of the articles.

1. Word of Blessing (Exodus 3)

2. God’s Way of Power (Exodus 4)

3. God Liberates (Exodus 5)

4. The Bible’s Great Salvation Story (Exodus 14)

5. Gifts, Expectations (Deuteronomy 5)

6. Reliving Liberation (Deuteronomy 16)

7. Prophetic Priests (Leviticus 8:1-13)

8. Healthy Lives (Leviticus 25:8-21,23-24)

9.Growing Pains (Numbers 11:1-6,10-15)

10. They Weren’t Ready (Numbers 14:1-12)

11. Leaders’ Limitations (Numbers 20:1-13)

12. Faith That Will Last (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-24)

13. God’s Costly Mercy (Deuteronomy 30:1-10)

Index of Peace Theology articles

The Scandal of God’s Mercy: Jonah

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Here is the eighteenth in a series of Bible studies that present the Bible as being on the side of pacifism.  This essay, “The Scandal of God’s Mercy,” considers the message of the book of Jonah.

Jonah may be understood as a protest document, telling a story that serves as a parable challenging Israel to understand their God as the merciful God who desires healing for all of humanity. The book protests against an overemphasis on Israel’s over-againstness in relation to surrounding nations—a characteristic especially of the community in the generations following the destruction of the temple, et al, and the “Babylonian exile.”

The character Jonah, representing Israel, is called to take the message of Yahweh to Israel’s worst enemies, the Ninevites. Knowing that God is indeed merciful, Jonah resists this calling because Jonah does not want the Ninevites to know God’s mercy. Through some extreme adventures when Jonah flees far from home the opposite direction of Nineveh, God displays God universal power and mercy—and then does the same in Nineveh when Jonah finally goes there.  And Jonah is ticked.

The story ends with a question—does Jonah want the mercy his people has known to be shared with others or not?