Peace Hacks

On the night of His death, Jesus prayed something frequently misinterpreted.

As a Jewish person who’d grown up during the Roman occupation, He knew what He had gotten himself into – the manner in which He’d be leaving this world – the beating, blood, the Roman “cat,” and the grand finale that’s been crafted into so many fashionable Christian accessories.

He could have asked God for anything that evening: “Make sure they’re all in a good Bible study.” Or, “help them follow your rules.” Or, “Give them the strength to take a stand and vote as you would,” etc.

Ironically, none of these were on His mind.

This guy’s about to go through hell – literally so – Continue reading Jesus’ Lost Agenda

Following is a guest post from blogger David Roddis on the tension between Evangelicals and the gay community. I asked him to post today because I love his writing, and because most of us in the Christian world refuse to listen to people like David. Listen, and enjoy.

“Pivot Chord”

In Zen Buddhism there’s a parable of being in a boat. All around you is the circle of water, and you believe that’s all the water there is. But it’s not, it’s merely the water that is visible to you. The water extends further than you can imagine in all directions, beyond the horizon, and becomes the ocean; the ocean looks entirely different than what you are now seeing, believing you see everything.
What you see as complete is incomplete. There is no moment when this is not true. At any moment, believing Continue reading This Gay, Liberal, Atheist, Canadian’s Sermon on Grace and Compassion is the Best I’ve Heard in Awhile

Famed theologian A.W. Tozer once said that my thoughts about God are the most important thing about me. I’d take that a bit deeper – how I think about how God thinks about me is the most important thing about me. If I get this right, I get so many other things right.

Most Christians, however devout we might be, get this wrong.

We live in a culture that eviscerates people when they screw up – we make successful TV shows about it. And you don’t have to go far find a religious person who’ll say that God values only those who do good.

Those who do bad? God love ’em, but He doesn’t really love ’em.

We’re left feeling like we’re good when we act good, and bad when we screw something up. When we ask the question, “Who does God say I am?” we’re tempted, mightily so, to believe that our behavior defines us, that God’s love is conditional, and that, when we screw up, Continue reading Who Does God Say I Am?