In a recent conversation with me, Jim Longley contrasted the Anabaptist approach to theology and ethics to what he labelled the “defensive” approach adopted by much of the church. My experience of Christianity supports that categorisation. The institutional church, especially the Evangelical variety, and many individuals hold a position that is profoundly defensive. It is…
A traditional Evangelical reading of the book of John’s Revelation seems to assume that the violent God of the Old Testament, after being temporarily assuaged by Jesus’ death, returns with the big guns to teach evil doers who is really the most powerful. I’ve never really thought about the violence inherent in that framework, and…
I stumbled across an article from 2008 by Bruce Wydick titled “Sex and Social Justice“. Although he makes a reasonably good case for the Christian ideal of sex within marriage, a key part of his case simply doesn’t match my personal experience. From his perspective as an economist, Wydick considers the act of sex as…
