An Absolution Revolution

Race, Racism, and the Nation State

Jason Barr — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:59:14 +0000

Nekeisha Alexis-Baker shares on Race, Racism, and the Nation-State at the 2010 Jesus Radicals conference. She discusses the historical connection between the development of race as a construct and the emergence of the modern state, and the unique resources available in Christianity for resistance.

Finding a Better Story 2

Jason Barr — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:30:03 +0000

Genesis is less about contemporary debates about scientific accuracy and more about ancient theological politics. It is a liturgical text that provides imaginative resources to challenge the dominant ancient near eastern worldview against the rituals and beliefs that legitimated empires.

The nation-state, violence, and Christianity

Jason Barr — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:54 +0000

The nation-state is primarily defined by territorial dominance and a successful monopoly on violence, and comes from the suppression of "chaos" and hegemony of private property. The modern state is contrary to God's reign at its very foundation.

Whole Life Christian Faith: Out of the Box

Jason Fowler — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:30:41 +0000

The Church is not a place, it is a people who are being formed by the Holy Spirit into a living temple in which God dwells, and as such we need to re-form our ecclesiology. Our very lives are a living structure built on a spirituality infused with orthopraxy.

The Betrayal By Technology Part 2

Jason Barr — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:00:18 +0000

Jacques Ellul explains how technology is not "neutral" and is implicated in every aspect of social relations. Part 2 of 6.

Eddie Izzard’s Comedy of Belief

Becky Garrison — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:30:23 +0000

Author and satirist Becky Garrison shares her thoughts on Believe, the Eddie Izzard documentary, and its exploration into the effect of his mother's death when he was 6 on his career.

Glenn Beck Has a Dream

Jason Barr — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:00:24 +0000

Glenn Beck wants to "restore" America, but his vision cannot produce change in any meaningful sense. He says he's for less government, but his agenda belies the claim. Moreover, it fails to deal with the problems of the modern state.

Tolstoy the Peculiar Christian Anarchist

Alexandre Christoyannopoulos — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:30:28 +0000

Tolstoy is cited as an inspiration by many who call themselves Christian anarchists. He rejected the God-state complex and developed a politics based on the Sermon on the Mount, as well as a rationalistic interpretation of Christianity.

The Betrayal By Technology Part 1

Jason Barr — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:10:02 +0000

Jacques Ellul explains how technology is not "neutral" and is implicated in every aspect of social relations. Part 1 of 6.

Job, Anti-Wisdom, and the G20

todd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:30:13 +0000

State investigations into state-sanctioned violence, like at the G20 protests, can be likened to a revolutionary reading of Job where God is both a party to and judge of the trial. Job then becomes a kind of "anti-wisdom."