July 2010

Police and nonviolent means: Pacifists at the service of oppression

by Andy Alexis-Baker 24 July 2010
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Some Christian pacifists have worked to make the police “less violent” by advocating for less lethal weapons than firearms, such as tasers. In a recent editorial in The Mennonite, for example, Everett Thomas who is also a city council person in Goshen Indiana, claims that he raised money to buy tasers for the Goshen city [...]

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The Iconocast Episode 11: Gender, Sexism, and Community

by the Iconocast Collective 22 July 2010
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In this episode, co-hosts Joanna, Mark, and Sarah discuss gender, sexism, and community. For most of its history, the church has NOT been a safe place for women to develop as whole and healthy people. As a result, men also struggle to know what it means to be healthy males.

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Letters with a Common Sense Atheist (a wrapup)

by Mark Van Steenwyk 22 July 2010
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A while back, in October 2009, my friend Luke and I started exchanging a series of letters exploring believe (and disbelief), politics, ethics, mysticism, etc. We agreed to write five letters each and, with my last letter to Luke, our conversation is concluded. As you may suspect, however, differences in perspective remained unchanged. The goal [...]

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Police violence caught on tape. Videographers go to jail.

by Andy Alexis-Baker 10 July 2010
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In the early 1990s, video emerged out of Los Angeles showing a mob of police officers beating a black man, Rodney King, who was clearly subdued by their power. That was a wake-up call to the nation—particularly white people—that “officer-friendly Mayberry” has never existed for black people. The shocking footage caused LA prosecutors to bring [...]

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Iconocast Episode 10: An Interview with Richard Horsley

by the Iconocast Collective 8 July 2010
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In this episode of the Iconocast, co-hosts Joanna and Mark interview Richard Horsley, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts. He is a prolific author with twenty New Testament studies to his credit. He has edited or authored such words as In the Shadow of Empire: Reclaiming the Bible as a History of Faithful Resistance, Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder, and most recently, Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All.

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