God's Politics Blog » Violence

Jesus-Focused Conversations in Occupied Bethlehem

Lynne Hybels — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:30:05 +0000

I arrived in Bethlehem last Sunday evening to speak at a conference called “Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice.” I’m not a theologian or an expert in anything. In fact, it’s likely that I…

We All Share Responsibility for Going to War — and for Stopping It

Logan Laituri — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:00:19 +0000

A comment on my recent blog about The Hurt Locker really got my blood boiling. Fortunately, after having a good chat with another combat veteran, I realized that my frustration was not really with that particular comment, but the fundamental sentiment…

A Major Victory for the Peace Movement Down Under

Jarrod McKenna — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:00:44 +0000

Through tears I write this post as breaking news of the Waihopai Plowshares activists have been found by a New Zealand jury “NOT GUILTY!”

Watch a video news report here.

Many will know the rich Christian tradition of the plowshares actions, and…

World Vision Staff Killed in Pakistan: The Cost of Courageous Compassion

Heather Wilson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:15:21 +0000

When was the last time you felt gripped by crushing fear? Like the kind that might take over as you listen to friends and co-workers being killed? This is what members of World Vision’s staff faced Wednesday in Mansehra, Pakistan,…

A Disturbing Question and a Determined Conviction on the Treatment of Women

Ken Fong — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0000

At the urging of one of EBCLA’s deacons, I began reading NY Times bestseller Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunities for Women Worldwide. Co-authored by NY Times reporters Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (who are married to each other), it’s an eye-popping…

The Police Motorcade: A Sign of Change

Jeannie Choi — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:22 +0000

Over the past few days, I’ve had the privilege of representing Sojourners magazine at the annual Faith and Politics civil rights pilgrimage led by Congressman John Lewis. And after half of the first day, I’d already learned a valuable lesson: The best way…

We Sentence Innocent People to their Deaths

Andrea Woods — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:30:52 +0000

It is Death Penalty Awareness Week, and supporters of human rights across the country have turned their attention to a uniquely complicated injustice — the implementation of capital punishment in the United States. I applaud the excellent work being done…

What I Learned From the—Gasp!—Word of Faith Movement

Aaron Taylor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:30:11 +0000

Perhaps you’ve heard of them. Televangelists with bouffant hairstyles and Rolex watches saying send me a dollar and God will give you a hundred, women with gaudy make-up, and the ever-famous “Be healed in the name of Jeeeee-sus” while pushing…

Beauty and Ugliness in a Shooting’s Aftermath

Shane Claiborne — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:50:09 +0000

Something sort of mystical and magical happened after a 19-year-old kid named Papito was killed on our block a few weeks ago. As our neighborhood ached and grieved and cried with his family, we began to create a memorial for…

Audio: Social Justice on Australian Christian Radio

Jarrod McKenna — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:30:47 +0000

Question: How would America’s largest mainstream Christian radio stations respond to issues of social justice for the poorest of poor, climate change, and nonviolence? Hold that response in your mind as you listen to an Australian equivalent in this interview.…

Afghanistan: War is Still Hell

Ryan Rodrick Beiler — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:03:19 +0000

As the U.S. death toll in Afghanistan nears 1,000, and as civilian casualties continue to mount during the latest offensive, it’s hard to know how to offer fresh commentary on the war in Afghanistan. And yet we can’t remain silent.…

Healing Presence

Lynne Hybels — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:00:13 +0000

During the past two years, I’ve traveled internationally quite extensively, focused on issues related to extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, and war. I met many heroes, men, and women serving sacrificially on behalf of people who are suffering. I was…

Palestinian Christians, Israeli Allies, and Nonviolent Resistance

Ryan Rodrick Beiler — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:42 +0000

National Catholic Reporter has an important article about the Kairos Palestine Document endorsed last month by the leaders of 13 Christian communities in the Palestinian territories. The article raises several key realities that subvert common misconceptions about the Middle East conflict:

1) Palestinian Christians…

Biden vs. Cheney on Afghanistan, the Unpopularity of Lamentation, and Shutter Island

Gareth Higgins — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:57:40 +0000

Joe Biden appeared on the Sunday morning talk shows last week to defend the Obama administration from Dick Cheney’s disgraceful attacks, which appear to suggest his earlier bloodlust has not yet been satisfied, despite everything his time in the White…

J Street: Pro-Peace = Pro-Israel

Ryan Rodrick Beiler — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:40:05 +0000

Often when Sojourners addresses issues relating to Israel and Palestine, we’re accused of anti-Israel bias. This often comes from those who are unable to separate criticism of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, or of the Israeli military’s disproportionate…

War is Still Not the Answer — Even with Better Rules

Duane Shank — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:45:31 +0000

The U.S. offensive against Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004 involved heavy use of airstrikes and artillery bombardments which destroyed some 60 mosques, as many as 10,000 buildings, and up to 6,000 civilian deaths. After the first week of a U.S.-led offensive…

Joseph Stack’s Suicidal Terrorism: The Definition of Insanity

Elizabeth Palmberg — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:30:55 +0000

I had thought we’d all agreed that flying airplanes into buildings full of office workers was not a legitimate form of protest, but the Wall Street Journal’s headline about Joseph Stack calls him a “tax protester.” This rhetorical fig leaf can’t cover…

Encouraging Informed Freedom of Conscience on Questions of War

Logan Laituri — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:29:50 +0000

Not long ago, I blogged about my trip to Iraq with fellow God’s Politics blogger Shane Claiborne and later, of my excitement about the upcoming Truth Commission on Conscience in War. The trip taught me much about the human cost of…

Beyond a Predictable Script: Dialogue with Comments on My Israel/Palestine Posts

Brian McLaren — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:00:36 +0000

It’s one thing to go to the “Holy Land” and see where Jesus worked and walked in the past. It’s another thing to combine that with seeing where the spirit of Jesus is working and walking in the present, teaching…

One More Gun Death Too Many — and Three Things You Can Do About It

Shane Claiborne — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:54 +0000

At about midnight we heard the shots ring out. My friend ran to the door and I heard him yell, “Shane, a kid has been shot, come down.” As we looked down the street we could see a young man staggering as…