The myth does not point to a fact; the myth points beyond facts to something that informs the fact. from An Open Life
03963 – Myths & Facts
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03899 – Neighbors to be Loved
One of the biggest things that made me doubt the Evangelical Christianity of my past was actually meeting all the people I was told to fear, distrust, and treat as my “enemy,” only to find that they were incredible, kind, thoughtful, complex and beautiful people loved...
03732 – We’ve Already Decided
We will believe so many myths about the people we’ve already decided not to love.
01959 – Myth of “the Chosen Nation”
It is clear that the myth of the Chosen Nation has been a powerful theme in American life. It is also clear that this myth can serve good and constructive purposes, especially when yoked to the notion of national covenant, for "covenant" implies responsibilities to...
01760 – God is Not Punisher-in-Chief
With the mistaken view of God as a Punisher-in-Chief that most Christians seem to hold, we think our own violence is necessary and even good. But there is no such thing as redemptive violence. Violence doesn’t save; it only destroys all parties in both the short and...
01592 – Scapegoating
The word “scapegoating” originated from an ingenious ritual described in Leviticus 16. According to Jewish law, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest laid hands on an “escaping” goat, placing all the sins of the Jewish people from the previous year onto the animal....
00076 – A Community Called Beloved
I am convinced that a community-called-beloved is possible. This is an admittedly fragile possibility, but it is not a utopian dream. I believe that people of good will harbor a persistent hope that our planet can be a place of belonging for all its inhabitants. To...
00072 – Letting Pain Transform Us
There is no such thing as redemptive violence. Violence doesn’t save; it only destroys—in both short and long term. Jesus replaced the myth of redemptive violence with the truth of redemptive suffering. He showed us on the cross how to hold the pain and let it...