A timely Lenten offering from the Alternative Seminary in Philly. An online gathering on Saturday morning.

The cross can heal and hurt; it can be empowering and liberating but also enslaving and oppressive … I believe that the cross placed alongside the lynching tree can help us to see Jesus in America in a new light, and thereby empower people who claim to follow him to take a stand against white supremacy and every kind of injustice.” 
― James H. Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree

 We are witnessing how the Christian faith has been contorted to almost unrecognizable shape and put at the service of empire – even though the founder of the faith was executed by empire. The cross of Christ, perhaps the central image of Christian life and thought, has been frequently been used to promote the idea of “redemptive violence,” and has been directly or indirectly used to vindicate and even bless human violence.

By looking at the crucifixion of Jesus in its historical context, we will explore the questions:  Why did Jesus die?  How is his death related to his ministry in the Gospels?  How did the early communities grasp his death, and how does it make us think differently about the Resurrection? 

Join The Alternative Seminary in an online gathering on February 20 to explore these issues.  Using the powerful lens of James Cone’s The Cross and the Lynching Tree, we will reflect on how a more radical understanding of the passion of Christ can impact our discipleship, and particularly our efforts to witness to nonviolence in a violent world. 

This session will be facilitated by Will O’Brien, coordinator of The Alternative Seminary and member of the Vine & Fig Tree community. 

THE CROSS OF CHRIST:  A JUSTIFICATION FOR REDEMPTIVE VIOLENCE  OR A CALL TO GOSPEL NONVIOLENCE?

AN ONLINE GATHERING

Saturday morning, February 20
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. EST

To register, go to bit.ly/ASCrossofChrist

For more information, contact Will O’Brien at willobrien59@gmail.com or 215-842-1790.

The Alternative Seminary is a program of biblical and theological study and reflection designed to foster an authentic biblical witness in the modern world.  For more information, see www.alternativeseminary.net.