Good Friday, Silent Saturday and Resurrection Sunday mark the three most important days in the history of humanity. We will never forget them. How could we?!
But here is something I notice on some level. Continue reading
Tag Archives: cross
The Father Did Not “Turn His Back”
Above is a painting by Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet entitled Descent From the Cross.
For the Christian church, we identify this week as the most important week in the history of humankind – Holy Week.
In particular, we have Maundy Thursday, focused on the Last Supper of Christ with the twelve. This is followed by Good Friday, whereas Christ is sacrificed upon the cross for humanity’s sin. Next we have Holy Saturday (or Silent Saturday), a day that many evangelicals might not call to mind, the day that lies between the death and resurrection of Christ. Lastly, we have Easter Sunday, the day of celebrating Christ’s defeat over death through resurrection.
I want to examine something that often gets taught and preached about Christ’s death on the cross. While it seems this perspective would be true, I think it falls short of the full story of Scripture. Continue reading
When Mercy Triumphs Over Violence
A man walked into a large hall. He had just endured a sleepless night. Betrayed by a confidant; abandoned by his closest friends.
He was spat at, whipped, beaten, bloodied, mocked. They shoved a crown of curse upon his brow. Continue reading
The Myth of Redemptive Violence
Today, yet another violent attack reigned down in our world, one to which ISIS lays claim. Perhaps this was retaliation for the Belgian police’s capture of Salah Abdeslam this past week, a major suspect in the Paris attacks from 4 months ago. However you slice it, bombs were detonated at the Zaventem-Brussels airport and the metro station of Maelbeek. The attacks left at least 30 people dead and more than 230 injured. Continue reading
Christians & Torture: Making Us Uncomfortable
In light of the Senate’s recent report on the CIA’s use of torture, pastor and author, Brian Zahnd, offered some reflections in an article he entitled, You Cannot Be Christian and Support Torture.
I don’t expect the post to go down well with many evangelicals, but I do believe it presents pointed challenges to the idea of Christ-follwers supporting the practice of torturing prisoners. In other words, I expect it to make many uncomfortable.
Do read the whole article yourself. But I highlight a few of his thoughts below: Continue reading
The Prodigal Thought 