Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

The Jews of India: A Place of Refuge, Peace and Prosperity by C. Kerr

The Jews of India have a long history dating back to the time before Christ. Their initial evidence comes from the Book of Esther in the Bible and during King Xerxes reign over his domain.1 Their dispersion was noted in Xerxes decrees and was seen by Christ’s disciple St. Thomas upon his arrived in Kerala, India.2  The Jews of Cochin arrived by boat to the shores of Kerala, as they were escaping persecution at home. Some also arrived in Konkan and eventually settled in Mumbai. These two communities connected through the help of Jews in Yemen; via trade and business. There is also a third group that came to India due to persecution in Iraq, known as the Baghdadi Jews – who focused on trade and spread throughout India and into other parts of Asia. The Indian Jews found themselves a new land that would be a safe house from persecution - India was the only country where the Jews were not persecuted.3 This was truly a home away from home and thus their communities contributed greatly to Indian culture and life.

I am a Soldier by Ward Draper

“He was on me. Pounding my face. Threatening to kill me if I screamed. His hand across my mouth muffled my cries. I bite down, hard. His dirty hand flew from my lips and I could taste his blood on my tongue. I parted my mouth to scream fire for help but no one responds. His fist drove into my face again and again. I shut up. I feel him inside. I feel him inside. I wish I was beautiful. I want to be wanted. Why am I here? In the shadows, on my back, the tearing between my legs. I want to live. I am nothing. Why? He is standing now, and I am crying, he says something about killing me. He walks away and I cower, bleeding and ripped. Who will care, who loves me?”

Stricken by God? Nonviolent Identification and the Victory of Christ - edited by Brad Jersak and Michael Hardin

"We considered him stricken by God. But..."

Did God pour out his wrath on his own Son to satisfy his own need for justice?
Or did God-in-Christ forgive the world even as it unleashed its wrath on him?
Was Christ's sacrifice the ultimate fulfilment of God's demand for redemptive bloodshed? Or was the cross God's great "No" to that whole system? The church is asking these questions afresh. And from every stream of Christianity, answers are coming.

Stricken by God combines twenty essays (over 500 pages) from such authors as N.T. Wright, Rowan Williams, Richard Rohr, Miroslav Volf and Marcus Borg. Other contributers include Tony Bartlett, J. Denny Weaver, Sharon Baker, James Alison and Mark Baker. Anglican, Catholic, Anabaptist, Evangelical and Orthodox writers come together to revisit the question of the atonement. Together, they share and develop perspectives of the cross with implications for restorative justice, nonviolence and redemptive suffering. The following is an excerpt from Brad Jersak's chapter, "Nonviolent Identification and the Victory of Christ":