Season 11 of the Fourth Way Podcast covers the violence of propaganda. Podcast host Derek Kreider introduces us to each episode and reflects on what he has learned from these in-depth conversations about propaganda. As we approach an election year and everyone is getting all fired up - or probably more accurately, continuing to stoke the fires that are already blazing - I am instead met with feelings of peace. I don't…
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3) What does God’s glory look like? In the Hebrew Bible, kavod is often translated as glory, splendor, and abundance. God’s glory fills us with awe and inspires reverence, and thus we often think of it in cosmic, otherworldly terms. It is something larger than immense. Yet, I think we fail to recognize sometimes in thinking…
Content Warning: Violence and sexual violence Here at the Kingdom Outpost, we are committed to exploring the full implication of Christ’s Kingdom as transformative leaven in the societies and communities in which we live. For the past two years, we have been working through discussions and beliefs about gender in the Kingdom of God - reading, communicating, discerning, and discussing with our brothers and sisters. A range of views have been expressed,…
In this essay, I want to explore the question of Nourishment in relation to Service. The central question will be, “How should we care for ourselves, and how should we care for others? How are these related? In short, what is the gold standard for Christian ministry? How do we address the controversy surrounding “self care” as a secular practice? This is an important question for Christian women, many of whom see…
It was a quiet Sunday morning in our small, home-based congregation. Bible study proceeded as usual. Somewhere in the discussion, a leader brought up one of the many things our church had learned from Bill Gothard’s “Basic Seminar”: The importance of not taking up offenses. I spoke up instantly, “This teaching was specifically developed to silence those speaking up about sexual abuse. It’s wrong, and isn't Scriptural.” Others felt that I was…
What is racism? How should Christians who believe in nonviolence and in the distinction between Jesus's Kingdom and the world's powers respond? How do we make sense of the polarized political debates on the subject, even as they spill over into our social lives, fracturing relationships in families and communities? In my research over the past several years, I believe that we can bring a firm conviction in Jesus's gospel in peace…
Trigger warning: Sexual assault and sexual violence Why This Book Matters "She Deserves Better" by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky asks a simple question: “How do we raise girls in an unsafe world?” If you look at the world at large, girls are not safe. We live in a world where sexual violence against girls is not only the norm, but it is glorified. The unstoppable, multi-million dollar…