By Sharon at SheWorships

I think there is some confusion among Christians about what happened in the Garden of Eden immediately following the Fall. The confusion is not universal, but over the last couple months I have noticed some troubling statements in blog comment sections about what the Fall and the curse mean for us today.

To be a little more specific, some Christians seem to believe that the events following Adam and Eve’s rebellion are indicative of a new reality that we should not only accept, but embrace. That is to say, Adam and Eve covered their bodies for a reason. They were right to feel ashamed and to hide themselves, and that is a behavior we should continue to this day. Likewise, I have also heard interpretations of Genesis 3:16 that believe “your husband will rule over you” is a Biblical model for male-female relationships. More Here...

By Nic Don at Theopolitical

John Howard Yoder is well known for articulating a Christological nonviolence – that is, an account of nonviolence that cannot be separated from from Christ and his cross.  I follow Yoder in maintaining that “pacifism” as a self-contained ideology is insufficiently nuanced to be fit for the discipleship community.  In continuity with Yoder, I would argue that “pacifism” in its liberal forms is inherently founded on ideologies flatly contradictory to Christian faith.

Nonetheless, Yoder examines nonviolence in many logics and sources outside the church.  Some of these sources he examines and leaves to one side; some he intentionally sets himself against.  But one in particular entered into and influenced his reading of Christological nonviolence: the nonviolent resources of Rabbinic Judaism.  This makes a great deal of sense if you think in sweeping historical terms.  Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the Jews were scattered globally, but maintained their distinctive religio-ethnic identity.  Sometimes individuals and communities influenced regional or national politics; often individuals and communities were persecuted and segregated.  But the scattered Jews never mustered armies, and did not generally join in the armies of others.  The last fifty years have seen a glaring exception in Zionism, and many today cannot disassociate images of border guards with AK-47s from Jewish identity.  But this exception is a remarkably isolated, though quite major, case. More Here...

Recently, I voted in the New Zealand elections.

…reluctantly, I might add. My parents had to drag me to the voting booth, kicking and screaming. I don’t even think I filled out the form correctly. I only read later that you were strictly supposed to tick the box, not colour it in–I will never know if my vote was valid or not. The whole idea seems ridiculous to me, that my vote could be opposed by someone else who had no idea and choose the funniest name.

Democracy to me, is largely the ability to give the greatest illusion of power to the people, while the top tier of government stays about the same.

There are great many obstacles in my mind that don’t really match up in my mind. To summarise:

(1) I think Shane Claiborne says it best when he argues that the world we engage in is at odds with the Kingdom we live in:

“Today the logic goes something like this: ‘Calling a ruler Son of God is out of style. No one really does that nowadays. We can support a president while also worshiping Jesus as the Son of God.’ But how is this possible? For one says that we must love our enemies, and the other says we must kill them; one promotes the economics of competition, while the other admonishes the forgiveness of debts. To which do we pledge allegiance?” More Here...

By Nic Don at Theopolitical

“Powers,” “Principalities,” “gods of the nations,” and “elemental spirits of the universe,” though not necessarily evil, are prone to distort God’s purposes for them. They can corrupt and enslave humanity (Isa. 42:17; 45:20; Gal. 4:9; Eph. 2:1-3; 6:12; Col 2:15). Sin is thus not only an individual matter, but involves groups, nations, and structures. Such organizations can have a “spirit” that incite persons to do evil they would not have chosen on their own. Governments, military forces, economic systems, educations or religious institutions, family systems, and structures determined by class, race, gender, or nationality are susceptible to demonic spirits. Human violence toward each other, enmity between peoples, the domination of men over women, and the adverse conditions of life and work in the world – these are all signs of the sin in humanity and in al creation (Gen 3:14-19; 4:3-16; 6:11-13; 11:1-9; Rom 8:21).

From Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 7. Sin, Footnote 2.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and as all those who regularly go to church know, Easter Sunday is the one day of the year when the church is packed and you have to go to church more than 15 minutes ahead of service instead of right when service begins. I arrived early and, as I sat down to wait for church to begin, two other guys sat down beside me.

Now this is where it becomes a very sensitive issue. Today in Homily, the Father talked about how even though Jesus knew Judas was going to betray him, he still welcomed him into the garden and paradise with a kiss. He welcomed a sinner.