What if we surprised our enemies? I mean, really surprised them. What if we surprised them with something totally unexpected? When our personal, political, and national enemies strike us, they expect us to strike back. That’s been the human script since the foundations of human culture. We mimic violence blow for blow. Only each side wants to be the side who delivers the final blow. What if we surprised our ...

Isaiah's political message is not good for national defense! But it's the only message that will lead to the reconciliation of the nations. Here are a few questions to think about from this video: ...

Can we watch a video with that guy who has the weird hair and the dark rimmed glasses? -Member of My Youth Group Love wins the in the sense that God’s will is the reconciliation of all things—the soul, the body, the earth, the cosmos, and everything in it. -James Wellman, Rob Bell and a New American Christianity, 59. American Christianity is experiencing a theological shift. Many have tried to explain it, s ...

“Guns are why we’re free in this country, and people lose sight of that when tragedies like this happen.” Scott Ostrosky, Newtown resident, owner of informal shooting range, as quoted in the New York Times. “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.” President Obama, speaking at a Newtown, CT prayer vigil In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, CT on Friday, w ...

So much of Christian identity is wrapped up in being “not” some other type of Christian. To shore up our identity, we locate an oppositional other and put distance between us. The sign that we are doing this is that little tweak of repugnance we feel towards another type of Christian. It can manifest, among other ways, with an inner monologue that we sometimes blurt out: “Don’t confuse me with Roman Catholi ...

Sometimes attempts at peacemaking end up as badly as trying to feed veggies to a toddler. She swallows one spoonful and then another, which makes you feel successful, as if you are accomplishing something, but wait for it… before you can get the third bite into her, she spits up what she’s eaten and knocks the rest of the bowl onto the floor. Great. Nothing accomplished, except now you have a big mess to cl ...

Violence is a paradox. It makes sense. And it doesn’t make sense. Whether or not it makes sense or is senseless usually depends entirely upon which side you are on. J. Christopher Stevens, the United States ambassador to Libya, and three members of his staff were tragically killed yesterday as a furious mob attacked the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The mob became violent in reaction to a short movie rec ...

Raven Foundation friend Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, requests our help on behalf of Afghan Peacemaker Dr. Wee  Teck Young, a.k.a., Hakim. Hakim has been invited to tour the United  States but has been denied a visa. Read about his work, his predicament,  and how you can help this inspiring activist share his story in the  U.S. Kathy Kelly was a recent guest on Playing for Keeps during the ...

Do you believe in violence? I don’t intend this to be a glib question with a simple answer. Rather, I hope it will evoke the complexity surrounding our decisions as individuals, groups and nations about whether or not to employ the power of violence to achieve peace. I’d like to briefly flesh out that complexity by putting the present day situation in Syria in conversation with the Gospels. It is Holy Week ...

The world runs on violence. That’s the message of the best selling book by Suzanne Collins titled The Hunger Games and it is also the message of mimetic theory. For many of us, there is a growing concern that this violence threatens our very future. As political, economic, and other forms of social oppression spread throughout the world, I’m convinced that this violence needs to be confronted. Throughout hu ...