Following Jesus in rejecting empire
We interrupt this blog series to bring you an important message. Political Idolatry When I wrote Overturning Tables in 2013-14, I did not recognize the political idolatry which was brewing in America and has now come to a flashpoint. I wrote the book thinking of Christians who spoke about Jesus as if he was simply…
Jesus Visits Wall Street Adapted from Overturning Tables by Scott A. Bessenecker. Copyright (c) 2014 by Scott A. Bessenecker. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com Each of the four authors of the Gospels tell the story of Jesus from their own perspective. Besides the death and resurrection narrative, there are only five events that…
Was Jesus Apolitical? Adapted from Overturning Tables by Scott A. Bessenecker. Copyright (c) 2014 by Scott A. Bessenecker. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com Is it really the place of a religious authority to address political or economic systems? Surely, the Church would not take seriously any economist or politician claiming…
While we’d would like to think we’re open to considering other people’s opinions with an even hand, most of us, myself included, have generally landed on one side or another of the hotly contested issues of our day. People who are serious about their faith seem especially keen to take immovable positions on lots and…
There’s been a lot said about tribalism lately, mostly bad. I’m not a sports guy, but when I listen to sports fans, I see our tribalistic tendencies at work (by the way, you know the word “fan” is short for “fanatic: a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter.”) But…