Author: RadicalDiscipleship

How Can You Be Objective?

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Subverting EmpireLeave a comment

HedgesFrom Chris Hedges in The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress (2013):

I have never sought to be objective. How can you be objective about death squads in El Salvador, massacres in Iraq, or Serbian sniper fire that gunned down unarmed civilians, including children, in Sarajevo? How can you be neutral about the masters and profiteers of war who lie and dissemble to hide the crimes they commit and the profits they make? How can you be objective about human pain? And finally, how can you be objective about those responsible for this suffering? I am not neutral about rape, torture, or murder. I am not neutral about rapists, torturers, or murderers. I am not neutral about George W. Bush or Barack Obama, who under international law are war criminals. And if you had to see the butchery of war up close, as I did for nearly two decades, you would not be neutral either.

Communion

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Uncategorized, Watershed DiscipleshipLeave a comment

lightning_86049246The universe is composed of subjects to be communed with, not objects to be exploited. Everything has its own voice. Thunder and lighting and stars and planets, flowers, birds, animals, trees- all these have voices, and they constitute a community of existence that is profoundly related.                      – Thomas Berry

Mary and Martha

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Feminist/Womanist/Queer Liberation and Theology, Uncategorized3 Comments

Mary-Martha-Lazarus.jpgBy Laurel Dykstra

Luke 10. 38-42

I don’t like the story of Mary and Martha.

Most of us already know if we are more like Mary, who sits at Jesus’ feet, or more like Martha, who is distracted by her many tasks. And it seems to me that no matter how nice they try to be about it, most of the sermons and commentaries on this passage seem to say, “Yay Mary and Boo Martha” Continue reading “Mary and Martha” →

Embracing the Personalist Approach

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Biography as Theology, Subverting Empire, Theological Animation1 Comment

By Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson JohnsonMartha

“Some people are Marys, and some are Marthas.”

Uh, no.

The little story of Mary and Martha in Luke’s Gospel is one that we regularly hear interpreted as a choice between two lifestyles, the “active” and the “contemplative.” Read in context, though, Luke’s message is not that at all. Let’s try to listen to this familiar story with fresh ears. Continue reading “Embracing the Personalist Approach” →

Guns

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Race, Identity, and History, UncategorizedLeave a comment

gunBy Joyce Hollyday

I learned about the power of guns when I was nine years old. I had a red felt cowgirl hat that tightened with a white cord under my chin, a holster made of stamped fake leather, and two toy metal six-shooters. When I waved them around shouting “Bang, bang!” I imagined myself out in The Wild West among the saloon owners and cattle rustlers I saw on TV—someplace like Texas. Continue reading “Guns” →

Thinking Out Loud: Supremacy

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn RaceLeave a comment

Nick PA Facebook post from Rev. Nick Peterson (July 1):

some white people are concerned that black people hate them.

there are white people who never hated black people and did little to nothing to challenge the systems that oppress black people.

some people believe hate is a key ingredient to oppression.

if we focus on hate, we can keep the conversation to individual actions that convey hate and bias.

the driving force behind oppression is always material gain.

hate functions as the myth to justifying oppression. Continue reading “Thinking Out Loud: Supremacy” →