Tag Archives: Power
God’s Supremacy in Love
Christianity and Empire God’s Supremacy in Love Friday, October 22, 2021 CAC teacher and author Brian McLaren has spent years calling Christians to a practice of faith that reflects the loving, nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels instead of the conquering Jesus of colonialism and empire: The God imaged by Jesus exerts no dominating supremacy. In… Continue Reading God’s Supremacy in Love
Slaveholder Christianity
Christianity and Empire Slaveholder Christianity Thursday, October 21, 2021 Fr. Richard offers a critique of how Christianity aligned with empire and colonialism manifested specifically in the United States: The form of Christianity that has grown in the United States and spread throughout much of the world is what we have to fairly call “slaveholder Christianity.”… Continue Reading Slaveholder Christianity
Jesus and the Empire
Christianity and Empire Jesus and the Empire Monday, October 18, 2021 On his podcast “Another Name for Every Thing,” Fr. Richard discussed with co-hosts Paul Swanson and Brie Stoner what he sees as the “trajectory” of the Jesus movement and how Jesus lived a simple life of non-cooperation with the empire of his day. Paul:… Continue Reading Jesus and the Empire
Jesus as Central Reference Point
Christianity and Empire Jesus as Central Reference Point Sunday, October 17, 2021 The first of the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Eight Core Principles is that “The teaching of Jesus is our central reference point.” Affirming Jesus as central provides Fr. Richard and all of us with a confidence that comes from the Gospel. Richard… Continue Reading Jesus as Central Reference Point
The Power of Money
What Do We Do With Money? The Power of Money Tuesday, September 21, 2021 In 2019, Richard wrote a short book entitled What Do We Do with Evil? In it, he explored the apostle Paul’s teachings on “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” to clarify the often invisible, systemic, and hidden nature of evil,… Continue Reading The Power of Money
Good and Bad Power: Weekly Summary
Good and Bad Power Saturday, August 14, 2021 Week Thirty-Two Summary and Practice Sunday, August 8—Friday, August 13, 2021 Sunday Once we come into contact with the Holy Spirit, our Inner Source, we become living icons of true, humble, and confident power. Monday When we haven’t experienced or don’t trust our God-given “power within,” we… Continue Reading Good and Bad Power: Weekly Summary
No Domination in God
Good and Bad Power No Domination in God Friday, August 13, 2021 Jesus seems to recognize that it’s either a world of domination or it’s a world of love. To understand Jesus’ paradigm of love, though, we must first understand the Trinity in whose image God says “Let us create” (Genesis 1:26)! The Trinitarian God… Continue Reading No Domination in God
Letting Go of Power
Good and Bad Power Letting Go of Power Thursday, August 12, 2021 In her book The Wisdom Jesus, Cynthia Bourgeault describes how Jesus modeled the path of kenosis. Taken from the Greek word in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:5–9), it means to “let go” or “to empty oneself.” In Jesus, this self-emptying pattern revealed… Continue Reading Letting Go of Power
A Communion Paradigm
Good and Bad Power A Communion Paradigm Wednesday, August 11, 2021 The contemplative theologian Beatrice Bruteau explores how Jesus took his intimate experience of Trinitarian love and empowerment into his ministry. Of course, when we read the Gospels and the New Testament, we see how difficult it was for even Jesus’ earliest followers to follow… Continue Reading A Communion Paradigm
Dominating Power
Good and Bad Power Dominating Power Tuesday, August 10, 2021 Contemplative teacher Beatrice Bruteau (1930‒2014) understood domination, what I’ve referred to as “power over” others, as the cause of much of the world’s suffering. Jesus by contrast models a loving, self-giving alternative to domination power. Here is Bruteau’s description of domination: The theme that I… Continue Reading Dominating Power