Tag Archives: fear
God Is Good
Hell, No! God Is Good Sunday, September 12, 2021 Your image of God creates you. This is why it is important that we see God as loving and benevolent and why good theology still matters. One mistaken image of God that keeps us from receiving grace is the idea that God is a cruel tyrant.… Continue Reading God Is Good
Preaching to the Disinherited
The Sermon on the Mount Preaching to the Disinherited Friday, July 23, 2021 Jesus’ primary audience for the Sermon on the Mount would have been the “disinherited,” to use the term from the African American author and mystic Howard Thurman (1899–1981). So much of Jesus’ teaching was meant to allay the fear and despair of… Continue Reading Preaching to the Disinherited
Healing Takes Place Here
Trauma and Healing Healing Takes Place Here Monday, May 3, 2021 Claude AnShin Thomas suffered for years from the trauma of war as a Vietnam combat veteran. A retreat with Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh set him on the path of mindfulness and healing. He is now a Zen Buddhist monk. He recounts his story:… Continue Reading Healing Takes Place Here
The Scapegoat Mechanism
Scapegoating and the Cross The Scapegoat Mechanism Sunday, March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday Human nature, when it is seeking power, wants either to play the victim or to create victims of others. In fact, the second follows from the first. Once we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we will soon find someone else to blame,… Continue Reading The Scapegoat Mechanism
Love Is Our Deepest Identity
The Transforming Power of Love Love Is Our Deepest Identity Tuesday, November 10, 2020 Behold, there are only three things that will last: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13 To talk about love is to talk about what Plato calls “holy madness.” Jung even refused to include… Continue Reading Love Is Our Deepest Identity
Mystics and the Margins: Weekly Summary
Mystics and the Margins Saturday, October 3, 2020 Summary: Sunday, September 27—Friday, October 2, 2020 Many saints, mystics, and everyday people take their place in the grand scheme of God by living on the edge of the inside. (Sunday) We’ve tended to soften Jesus’ conflict with the system, or the established powers, but Jesus’ ministry… Continue Reading Mystics and the Margins: Weekly Summary
Greater Proximity, Greater Mercy
Restorative Justice Greater Proximity, Greater Mercy Friday, September 11, 2020 Love is the motive, but justice is the instrument. —Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer, social justice activist, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. [1] In his book Just Mercy: A Story… Continue Reading Greater Proximity, Greater Mercy
Dying Before We Die
Wisdom in Times of Crisis Dying Before We Die Wednesday, July 8, 2020 CAC faculty member Cynthia Bourgeault addresses a fear that motivates all of us on some level—the fear of death. It is a matter of true wisdom to know how to face death wisely and courageously, which is why every religion and culture… Continue Reading Dying Before We Die
Contemplation and Racism: Weekly Summary
Contemplation and Racism Saturday, June 13, 2020 Summary, Sunday, June 7—Friday, June 12, 2020 We are witnessing the results of centuries of unresolved racial violence in our collective body today. (Sunday) We largely do not recognize the structural access we enjoy, the trust we think we deserve, the assumption that we always belong and do… Continue Reading Contemplation and Racism: Weekly Summary