Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Acceptance is the Answer -- A Clarion Meditation

1. Start with meditating on this statement: "It is what it is."

This statement originates with Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518, where he says,

“19. That per­son does not deserve to be called a the­olo­gian who looks upon the invis­i­ble things of God as though they were clearly per­cep­ti­ble in those things which have actu­ally hap­pened [Rom. 1:20].

“20. He deserves to be called a the­olo­gian, how­ever, who com­pre­hends the vis­i­ble and man­i­fest things of God seen through suf­fer­ing and the cross.

“21. A the­olo­gian of glory calls evil good and good evil. A the­olo­gian of the cross calls the thing what it actu­ally is … [or in some translations, 'says that a thing is what it is.']

2. Pray the serenity prayer. Here is the full original version:

The Full Original Copy of the Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

God give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

3. Read a this chapter from the AA Big Book:

Acceptance was the Answer:

Online here: http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/en_theystoppedintime16.pdf

4. Further reading: Byron Katie, 'Loving What Is.'

Jesus is Lord and death is not -- Brad Jersak

A friend recently asked to respond to the following statement:

Through the resurrection, Jesus conquered and disempowered death, but he also reclaimed death as a natural blessing to the rhythm of life and shows us that it is possible to befriend it. When we live inside the resurrection even death is reclaimed as friend.

As I pondered this proposal throughout the Passion Week and especially on Easter Sunday, this flood of thoughts came up for considertion and meditation:

I have the same reservations about calling death a friend. But I think it's worth taking a scalpel to this statement for a bit to see where we might explore the way Christ's work changed not only our relationship to death, but changed the nature of death itself. So I want to ask first, how is this not true, and then, how is this true, and finally, how we might approach dying and death afresh in the aftermath of the Resurrection.

So first, and easiest, how or why is this statement not true? The most obvious point is that Paul calls death an enemy, and in fact, the last enemy to be destroyed, which is to say, it will remain an enemy until the final day. 

Dateline Bethlehem: Christ at the Checkpoint Pt 3 -- by Brad Jersak

"The risk is that the Holy Land is becoming a 'spiritual Disneyland.'"—Fouad Twal, Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem

Like millions of others throughout the centuries—Jewish, Muslim and Christian—I saw my trip to the Holy Land as a spiritual pilgrimage. Many who go hope that by visiting key sites and religious shrines of biblical events they will have a profound encounter with the God of their faith. Christians of all traditions line up for hours to kiss the spots where Jesus was born, died and buried. They pay to be baptized in the Jordan. They sing, pray, and walk in procession carrying crosses along the Via Dolorosa. Some experience a touch of the divine as they kneel in devotion in sacred space, tears rolling down their cheeks. Others wait in vain for their magical moment, deeply disappointed by the hollow plastic carrot they've chased halfway across the globe to this 'spiritual Disneyland.'

Dateline Bethlehem: Christ at the Checkpoint -- by Brad Jersak

Brad Jersak has just returned from "Christ at the Checkpoint" —a conference sponsored by Bethlehem Bible College. On assignment for PTM, Brad here files his reactions just as he prepares to leave this volatile region.

This Christ at the Checkpoint report comes as my rich and intense week in Bethlehem winds down. I'm writing while the bombardment of charged experiences, emotional interviews, and eyewitness stimuli churns raw and semi-processed in my heart. Greetings in Jesus' name less than one mile from where our Saviour was born in this not-so-quiet, yet precious town.

The Lord's simple instruction for me was just these words: "surrendered lenses." We all see the world through our own cultural and religious lenses. These often blur our vision of reality, so I pray for Spirit-washed lenses to sharpen my focus and cleanse pre-conceived assumptions about the situation here. I have tried to listen attentively and non-judgmentally to the people's hearts and to find Jesus amidst a cacophony of conflicting narratives. 

For the remainder of this report, click here.

 

 

What's in the Waiting - Christmas Message by Eden Jersak

What’s in the Waiting? by Eden Jersak

Introduction

            Do you remember having to wait as a kid for Christmas?  Oh my!  The sheer torture of the endless days and weeks leading up to that most amazing morning with gifts and goodies, and toys and games! As a young child, my brother and I shared a room, and between the two of us, we could hardly bare the time after being tucked into bed on Christmas Eve and waking up on Christmas morning.  I was an early riser anyway, quite often the first one up in the house, even on a school day, but on Christmas, it was impossible to wait until 6:00.

            I would get out of my bed, make my bed (just to cover all the bases), then I would shake my brother awake, just so I had an accomplice, and we would tip toe down the hallway to peak into the livingroom, where the tree was alight, and the presents galore.  I remember one Christmas being amazed at the sheer volume of gifts under the tree.  I thought my mom must have bought gifts for the whole neighbourhood.  I couldn’t wait for everyone to get up and start in on the fun!

Listen Up! conference with Brad Jersak

Join us for the upcoming Listen Up! conference with Brad Jersak

Online registrations available HERE

"Lest we forget what?" - Not So Different - Brad Jersak and PartnersWorld.org

Not So Different from Partners Relief & Development on Vimeo.

"Lest we forget" - Brad Jersak

When I read war memorials or attend Remembrance Day services, I am often struck by the phrase, "Lest we forget." I wonder what I am to remember. I do remember my family members whose lives were sacrificed on the altar of freedom. But I also think we're meant to remember to resist evil (with good) before it comes to that. Unfortunately, while we're remembering the past, we can be prone to missing the connection between past injustices and what is happening now in nations where there is no monetary value in being involved. And we forget there are ways of helping other than through military intervention.

Steve Gumaer - Not So Different

Steve Gumaer and PartnersWorld.org help me remember, and they overcoming evil with good in their small way ... which is usually how it happens. We've posted the above video as an example of true remembering and one group's call to help.

You can read more about what Partners and the Free Burma Rangers are doing to help in many of the Partners publications or in Kissing the Leper, by Brad Jersak.

 

Brad Jersak - "Her Gates" Nexus Interview part 1

Brad Jersak on "Her Gates Will Never Be Shut" with Peg Peters 

Peg Peters of Nexus interviews Brad Jersak (listening prayer guy) on his book, 'Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell and the New Jerusalem.

Charlie Chaplain and prophetic irony - Brad Jersak

The greatest speech ever made? Really? Some really inspiring rhetoric and near prophetic analysis by our dear comic. His diagnosis, poignant. His prescription? Uh ...

Also some serious delusion historically: the ultimate triumph of human progressivism? fighting for freedom that produces peace? salvation by science? triumph of the human will in the name of democracy?

Yes ... an amazing mixture of truth, but also the new mantras that continue to produce technological goose-steppers. Lampooning the mustache and uniform of Hitler was supposedly ironic, but the images are not. I don't know how much the creator of the video even realizes how much of it demonstrates how Chaplain's very advice has been central to creating the very monstrosities he sought to overcome. From supposedly disparate roots comes similar scenes of tyranny.

Simone Weil on 'Forgive us our debts' - trans. Brad Jersak

‘And remit us our debts, in the same way that we also have remitted our debtors.’

In the moment that we say these words, we must already have remitted all debts. This includes not only letting go of the reparation of any offences we think we have suffered; but also any recognition and gratitude for the good we think we have done. And in a completely general way, anything that we expect from people or things, everything we believe is our due, the absence of which has made us feel frustrated.

Forgiveness is letting go of every right we believe is ours in the past or in the future. First, this includes the right to a certain permanence. When we have enjoyed something for a long time, we believe it is ours, and that fate must allow us to keep enjoying it. Second, we let go of the right to compensation for all of our efforts, regardless of the nature of our effort, work, suffering or desire.

Compassionate Eschatology: The Future as Friend (eds. Tim Grimsrud and Michael Hardin). Review by Brad Jersak

Compassionate Eschatology is a collection of diverse scholarly essays exploring the relationship of eschatology (‘end times’ theology) and Christ’s teaching on peace and reconciliation. The book gathers writers from across the theological board, including Lutheran, Anabaptist, Orthodox and Catholic traditions to address themes in a sort of peacemakers guide to the apocalypse, divine judgment and the Book of Revelation.

The compilation is unique in that it takes a specifically Girardian approach (i.e. Rene Girard’s mimetic theory) to theology, culture, advocacy and the environment. It features enormous breadth, from Hardin’s study on First Nation prophecy to Barbara Rossing on global warming to Andrew Klager’s recall of Gregory of Nyssa.

The studies on the Book of Revelation were very good summaries of some of the authors’ (notably Grimsrud and Bauckham) previous non-violent treatises on the Apocalypse. While I am sympathetic to Weaver’s Anabaptist interpretation, I don’t know that these expositional chapters were sufficient to break the impasse with previous challenges of objectors (esp. Miroslav Volf).

Nevertheless, the book as a whole certainly did accomplish its objective in reorienting our view of the future towards Christian hope. One essay after another offered an alternative vision to the doomsday gloom of the rapturists’ ‘hell-in-a-handbasket’ escapist fatalism. Divine judgment becomes part of God’s redemptive purposes by which the universe is renewed and Christ’s compassion actually wins the day. Imagine ‘the final day’ as an all-pervasive truth and reconciliation commission where absolutely everything and everyone is put right in the Jesus’ way of restorative justice—where our shrunken dreams of temporal retribution gives way to God’s grand plan to include healing and deliverance, restitution and rehabilitation, redemption and restoration.

John Van Vloten's 'The Unlikely Alchemist' -- Review by Brad Jersak

Nearly two decades in the works, John Van Vloten’s The Unlikely Alchemist has finally hit bookshelves. In short, this is a very well written piece of children’s fantasy literature. Readers who watch for quality work in the genre of Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe should be delighted. 

The Unlikely Alchemist includes some essentials in Christian fantasy literature—a self-consistent alternate world, the mysterious means of arriving there, a fellowship-style quest and of course, strong character development in the child antiheroes and their seemingly unbeatable nemesis.

The Biblical Basis for Listening Prayer by Brad Jersak

by Brad Jersak

We are often asked about the biblical basis for listening prayer. This is largely what Can You Hear Me? by Brad Jersak, attempts to share. Reading that book in its entirety will give readers a fuller sense of the biblical, historical and practical foundations for listening prayer.

First, while I absolutely believe there is a biblical basis and New Covenant expectation for listening prayer, the Bible itself never demands a biblical template for every kind of ministry God calls us to. Further, in our experience with Christian skeptics, those who demand a biblical proof text seldom satisfied in any case.Having said that, I would point those who are open to what the Bible says about listening prayer in these directions:

1. Check out the many biblical promises that God will speak to us. Note those texts that describe conversation with God, especially where they are embedded within the New Covenant promises. i.e. What has been provided for every believer because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension and the outpouring of his Spirit. E.g. Jer. 33:1-3, John 10:1-5; John 16:12-16; Rev. 3:20. These passages and scores of others suggest, model and even command us to listen to God’s voice and converse with Him.

2. Second, check out the many passages promising and commanding us to see God with the eyes of our heart. The Bible actually treats ‘beholding the Lord’ as a primary means of transformation (2 Cor. 3:16-4:6). I often start with a word study of the terms 'Behold' and 'Lo,’ words which most often mean, 'Gaze, on purpose and with love, using the eyes of your heart' and especially 'at the Lord Jesus.' Again, beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus is an invitation and prescription found in John 14, John 16 (the words 'see'), Eph. 1 (eyes of the heart), Heb. 12:1-2 (fix your eyes on), or Col. 3:1-3 (set your 'minds' on). In Rev. 3:18ff, we are commanded to ‘get eye salve so you can see,’ and then immediately beckoned to 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ In Rev. 4:1-2, John obeys, 'So I looked, and there was a door…' where he is invited to ‘behold the throne and the one sitting on it.’

3. Once the Bible convinces us that we are to hear and see the Lord with the eyes and ears of our hearts, the question is ‘where?’ In our hearts. Within our hearts, we have the privilege of prayer life marked by an ongoing interactive meeting with the Lord Jesus. Our hearts are a context or venue where we can commune with God. We see many examples of this in the Bible: Often, writers welcome us to come before God on his throne, in our hearts: Dan. 7, Col. 3, Eph 1, Heb. 12 and Rev. 3 ... All of these describe the throne room of God as a meeting place with him, but the encounter is happening within our hearts or minds. Other passages describe us ‘seeing’ the Lord at the Cross (esp. Zech. 12, and also Heb. 12).

King David's interaction with God through Listening Prayer

In Psalm 23, this type of in-heart interaction is exactly what David does: He meets with the Good Shepherd in contemplative, listening prayer through various contexts: green pastures, quiet waters, paths of righteousness, valley of the shadow of death, banquet table, and the house of the Lord. We can copy David’s practice by visiting all of the places he describes, but also, we can do better than that: we can emulate David’s practice and live it by establishing our own heart-places. God reveals places within that are familiar and safe for us, in the same way David experienced them, but tailor-made from our own lives.

Listening Prayer helping heal emotional and spiritual hurts

4. So now we're hearing and seeing the Lord in a context of our hearts. Question: would he also want to be Lord of the places in my heart that are damaged ... the memories where I store pain, shame, anger, etc. I.e., What does MY ‘valley of the shadow of death’ look like? When Jesus says, 'Lo, I am with you always,' we learn this: a. ‘Lo’ means look with the eyes of your heart; b. ‘Always’ means ‘always has been and always will be’; c. ‘Always’ includes my painful past; d. I amcommanded to 'Lo' (look for) Jesus in those places. How? By asking, 'Where were you? Would you show me? What do I need to know there? What do you want to do there?’

5. What is the biblical basis for the what, the why and the how of God’s healing work in our painful pasts and hurting memories? I typically look to such messianic passages as Isaiah 53 (forgiveness of sin and removal of sorrow), Isaiah 61 (lifting burdens and giving gifts in their place), speaking truth to our lies (Jesus said, ‘the truth will set you free’ in John 8:32), and freeing from every kind of bondage (Isaiah 58:6-7). In this last passage and in Luke 4:18-21, we see this as the ministry of Jesus and later hear him commission us: ‘As the Father sent me, so I send you’ (John 20:21).

6. I would also add that even without any of the above, we still have the John 14-16 Last Supper promises where Jesus is very clear about the ministry of Christ’s disciples (including us): the Holy Spirit would counsel us, guide us, speak to us, and lead us into all truth. Although I am thankful for God’s written word, Jesus' promises in the New Covenant never mention the Bible's guidance or instruction. It is Jesus’ guidance through the ministry and voice of the Spirit to the Church. The Bible says a lot about inner healing ministry, but that is not where we learned it. The Holy Spirit showed us as we stepped out and followed the living Jesus into it. How do we know that it was the Holy Spirit? Jesus again gives us a biblical basis for knowing:

Listening Prayer - Look for the fruits

7. We know by the fruits that come from listening prayer ministry (John 7:16-21). I would look to this and other texts where we are told to judge ministries by their fruit. As listening prayer is practiced, are people being healed and delivered and transformed? Are they listening more attentively to Christ and growing in character, obedience, faith and love for God. If so, then it is a work of God. This has been our very consistent experience over the last couple of decades, such that we believe God has called us to both do and to share and to train others in this ministry. If you sense a similar call, please look further into ours and others’ resources on listening prayer.

 

Archbishop Tutu - 'Be the Spark!' by Brad Jersak

    Last night I attended Be the Spark at the Tacoma Dome in Washington State. The event featured a series of breath-taking performances by a variety of inspiring young bands, choirs, dancers, and singers. It also featured two 'talks' -- okay, full-on, no-holds-barred, hope-filled, cage-rattling preaching of the highest calibre -- by two seasoned world-shakers: Craig Keilburger and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They brought together a message of spirituality and justice that neither I, nor my son Justice (and our friend Werner), shall ever forget.  

    Tutu blew my mind in what will be a truly landmark memory for me, and for 15000 mostly young people sitting on the edges of our seats. Here are a few highlights from that experience that need to be told:

    I need to start with the Archbishop's message because it ties everything together. 

    He started with this idea: When God created the earth, he did it completely without our help. But from the very moment that men and women first arrived on the scene, God did something completely astounding. He chose never again to act in the world without a human partner. He waits and watches and asks for human partners through whom he will do marvellous things.

Who you callin' a Universalist? by Brad Jersak

I am starting to get the faintest whiff of how Rob Bell might feel.

This week yet another friend said to me, “Someone I know said he heard a rumor that you’re a Universalist. I don’t like gossip, so I thought I’d get it from the horse’s mouth. Are you a Universalist?” I so appreciated his heart to put the brakes on gossip or what the Bible calls, ‘Bearing false witness.’

No, I am not a Universalist. And by the way, neither is Rob Bell. It’s a convenient and dismissive label that just isn’t true of either of us. I know because I asked a real Universalist (Gary Amirault). Those who read Her Gates will Never be Shut or Love Wins will know that too. Or at least they will once we can rise above mudslinging and heresy-hunting to clarify the major Evangelical positions concerning hell, hope and divine judgment.

The purpose of this article is to define simply the most common positions concerning divine judgment and to help readers ponder where they might lean on this continuum. Among Christians who call themselves ‘Evangelical,’ I am aware of seven theories. All of them claim some biblical basis. They are, briefly:

Divine Justice: American Idol, Cesar Millan and the Death of Osama Bin Laden -- by Brad Jersak

Jesus says, "I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me." (John 14:30-31).

Yesterday morning I was thinking about our image of God as a Judge and what a judge actually does. It all depends on the setting. I thought about the American Idol judges. They are so kind this year, so encouraging. It is never their heart to disqualify... in fact they can't, only the crowds do that. Those judges endeavour to draw out the best in the artists and even their critiques are only a call to become and to succeed at who they truly are. I wonder: What if Jesus is even a better judge than Steven Tyler and Jaylo? I know they have set the bar very, very high as exemplary judges, but when I think of the 'Judgment Seat of Christ,' is it possible that Jesus might even be better than Steven Tyler? More gracious, more compassionate, more redemptive than Jennifer Lopez? Is Jesus up for such an immense challenge?

Last night, I watched the show again (during NHL playoff intermissions). I quote Steve Tyler's comment to one contestant: 'There's nothing to judge. You're just beautiful.'

Remodeling Hell? -- Brad Jersak

THROUGH ME THE WAY INTO THE SUFFERING CITY, THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE ETERNAL PAIN, THROUGH ME THE WAY THAT RUNS AMONG THE LOST. JUSTICE URGED ON MY HIGH ARTIFICER; MY MAKER WAS DIVINE AUTHORITY, THE HIGHEST WISDOM, AND THE PRIMAL LOVE. BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS WERE MADE, AND I ENDURE ETERNALLY. ABANDON EVERY HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE. (Dante's Inferno)

If Dante were to revisit the Inferno today, he would find his visions of hell deeply embedded in our Western psyche, culture, and religion. Images of fire and brimstone, dungeons and torture, demons and judgment continue to ignite imaginations and controversy. In our era of CGI everything Dante described in poetry can be recreated on the big screen for those who want to face their deepest fears in a climate-controlled environment where the smell of buttered pop-corn masks the stench of sulfur. Modernized upgrades of medieval artwork imbue movies like Jacob’s Ladder (1990) and What Dreams May Come (1998); comic books like Hellblazer and Hellboy; and video games like Inferno. One can even take the Dante’s Inferno Test online, where visitors are exhorted, “Test your impurity, find out which level of Dante’s hell you will be spending eternity in.” And for a personal taste of hell, why not marinate some chicken wings in Dan-T’s White Hot Inferno sauce? I’m sure even Dante would be confused: Is hell a place, a state or a brand?

Western civilization does not hold a monopoly on the dreams and nightmares of the afterlife. Taoist and Buddhist mythology contain their own layered maze of terrifying torture chambers (Diyu), and the Hindu Naraka features the usual fire, boiling oil and other instruments of abuse for karmic atonement between incarnations. And Dante’s hell barely holds a torch to the hellish punishments described in the Koran: 

Garments of fire have been prepared for the unbelievers. Scalding water shall be poured upon their heads, melting their skins and that which is in their bellies. They shall be lashed with rods of iron. Whenever, in their anguish, they try to escape from Hell, back they shall be dragged, and will be told: “Taste the torment of the Conflagration!” (22:19–23)

Global belief in some form of divine judgment remains as unquenchable as its flames, the New Atheists notwithstanding. For their part, writers like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins give voice to those whose atheism is rooted less in unbelief than in hatred of a religion-projected god whose mind reflects humanity’s need to best one eternal excruciation with another. They and Bill Maher mock such notions as patently religulous and write off faith as laughable were it not for its dangerous capacity to incite fear and violence.

Do they have a point? I can only offer my own experience in response. As a sensitive little boy raised in the evangelical church, I was a horrified but Bible-convinced infernalist. I accepted in good faith the word of camp counselors who described the fate of the lost as we stoked orange coals during late night marshmallow roasts. Seeing as I had prayed the “sinner’s prayer,” they assured me I had no need to worry. But worry I did.

What about the unchurched cousins I loved so dearly? God loved them, but if they didn’t love him back, he would skewer them on an everlasting rotisserie—just like the stick I used for roasting my marshmallows. My great commis- sion was to “snatch others from the fire and save them” (Jude 23). And if I failed, I feared their blood would be on my hands (Ezekiel 33:6).

Just as awful as being that traumatized eight-year-old camper was the fact that I was being groomed to become the next zealous counselor. My first convert responded quickly to the choice between eternal life and everlasting flames. I remember being troubled by his expression — not the wide-eyed fear I expected, just incredulity and a rushed prayer before the dinner bell rang. I sensed that he was un- convinced of the gravity of the decision, especially when I discovered that he had “fallen away” within days of returning home.

Highly visual, I became overwhelmed by mental images of bubbling skin and the attendant shrieks of the masses with whom I went to school, stood in line with at McDonalds, and prayed for every night before bed. Unlike Hitchens and Dawkins, I knew and loved (and feared) a living God too much to junk my entire worldview just because the idea of eternal, conscious torment in hell clashed with what I conceived to be his loving character.

I tried to swallow the discrepancies in denial or wallpaper over the holes like a writer trying to hide glitches in a bad plot. But eventually, the necessary rational and emotional disconnect got caught in my throat. There it would remain until I could discover an alternative view that was just as faithful to the Bible — not that I even dared to hope one existed. If only I had realized that the Christian theologians were already on the case — had been for centuries.

Renovating Hell: Theological Options for Divine Judgment

Sheltered in my tiny corner of Christendom, like many evangelicals I was unaware of the heated discussion around damming up the river of fire through various alternative perspectives on hell that did not transform God into a wrathful tyrant-judge who consigns the unrepentant to Dante-esque tortures for eternity. As it turns out, the view of hell with which I grew up — infernalism — is only one of several options handed down to us through our forefathers in the faith. We will survey each of them briefly here.

To download the entire article and Brad's interview, click here.

To listen to Brad's podcast interview with Greg Albricht, click here.

To order Brad's book Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hell, Hope and the New Jerusalem, click here.

 

 

Sylvie Weil's 'At Home with Andre and Simone Weil' Review and Interview by Brad Jersak

Review

I've just finished reading At Home With Andre and Simone Weil. This heart-felt little work allows readers a personal glimpse into the family life and history of the sibling wonders, Andre and Simone Weil. Andre has been called the twentieth century’s ‘Einstein of mathematics’ and Simone is well known for her meteoric life as a philosopher-activist-mystic. Written by surviving family member and award-winning author, Sylvie Weil, At Home offers snippets of the genius, quirks, love, and obsessions of the Weil clan.

Most especially, we feel the tension of how Sylvie herself experiences the oft-bitter privilege of her role as Simone’s look-alike niece—a sort of living relic with the burden and weirdness that her memory imposes. The author accomplishes all of this, weaving humorous, tender and sometimes painful anecdotes in her beautifully Jewish way. I savored At Home over the course of days, each chapter gifting me with new feelings and surprises. The first word that came to me was 'delicious!' But then also ‘excruciating’ and in the end, 'astonishing.'

Steve Bell's "KIN-DNESS" - Interview / review with Brad Jersak

Steve Bell is a seasoned, Juno Award winning song-writer / musician based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In recent years, his thoughtful folk messages have caught the notice of symphony crowds with touring performances backed by a variety of city orchestras. But behind and beyond the pristine quality of his musicianship and lyrics, Steve stands in the tradition of Canadian artists with a heart for integrating spirituality and justice (Bruce Cockburn for example). He is involved in humanitarian work both locally and nationally. In a recent interview with Bell, I asked him to share the backstory to his social concern. Two items from his childhood especially caught my attention.

Phillip Blond's Red Toryism: A Canadian Vision Revived and Revised

Editorial Note: Red Toryism is a Canadian political tradition that has been revived (with some alterations) in the UK by the Radical Orthodox scion, Philip Blond. To get a sense of the similarities and differences between Canadian Red Toryism and its recent British counterpart, compare Ron Dart's article on the [Canadian] Red Tory tradition with the following variety of attempts to define Blond's current revised vision:

The Red Tory sounds like Margaret Thatcher in a Che Guevara beret, just as the distributist sounds, to someone unfamiliar with the term, like a redistributionist, or a communitarian might be confused with a collectivist. (It would not hurt the third-way Chesterbellocians to update their nomenclature.)

Zach Dundas describes Red Tories this way:

The Red Tories argue that modern free-market capitalism poses as potent a threat to individual liberty and communities as Big Government. Red Tories lump big-box stores, industrial agriculture, and high-finance shenanigans together with heavy-handed bureaucracy and high taxes: all, in their view, undermine the rock-ribbed Conservative values of local autonomy, strong community, diverse traditions, and decentralized power. The Red Tories view themselves as defenders of grassroots community against both the free market and the State.

Canada's Caesar -- by Brad Jersak

 

Canada's Caesar is Tolerance

Context:

Some of our contributors have written (and preached) on the way that Jesus' Sermon on the Mount confronts Imperial aspects of American culture (nationalism, patriotism, militarism).

These ideals are imbedded so deeply in the Christian culture south of the border that a faithful exposition of Christ's sermon can incite the ire of congregants who live and breathe the red, white and blue of democracy and capitalism as if that was the Kingdom Christ died for.

I joked with these ministers,

Maybe it's because we Canadians are always dabbling in 'socialism', but this Sermon on the Mount stuff actually doesn't get us in real trouble up here. Is that because we didn't join the cigar embargo on Cuba?

 One of these witty fellows replied poignantly,

Brad, maybe you have stumbled upon the Canada Caesars yet. I am sure they are there. When you begin to undermine them, then surely somebody will be bothered. Or maybe you Canadians are just too easy going. Well, easy going in life, but not hockey!

Which got me thinking...

Canada's Caesar is Tolerance

Which means convictions can be dangerous.

We are very tolerant of everyone but totally intolerant of the intolerant.

Which is to say, of Evangelicals ...

who are often seen and experienced as intolerant,

who mistakenly believe they must take a stand against the evils of tolerance.

And our most powerful means of punishing the intolerant is contempt.

"Little Annie's Treasure" - Napoleon's Armies and the Czech Exiles (from the Jersak memoirs)

Karl Jersák, Paměti [Memories] (Bohemia, 1954, William Jersak’s collection in Sulejovice) cited in Edita Štěříková, Země Otců [Land of our Fathers] (Prague: The Society of Exiles in Prague, 1995), 110-113. Translated by Lloyd Jersak.

On February 1, 1803, the first Czech colonists settled in Zelov. Fourteen farmers came from Tábor and thirteen joined them from Erdmansdorf. Among them was Jan Jersák and Jan Stehlík. Eleven families came from Sophienthal and Bachowitz: one of these was also a Jan Jersák and another was a Jiří (George) Jersák.

From 1803-1804, eight of their newborn children were baptized.

Beside the landowners, there were also some poor families who came with the colonists to help with labour. Most of the land was sandy and unproductive, but they began to grow flax. They formed a local government and in 1807, they established a Czech school.

In the same year (1807) the French war entered Zelov life. In June, the boundary was pushed back from the Prussian kingdom. Overnight, the colonists found themselves under new Warsaw governorship. The former Prussian privileges were now overlooked and the Zelov population was forced into labour, building roads and bridges.

The Czechs hoped in a Russian victory. Eventually, their wish was fulfilled. After the end of the war, they became subject to the Russian Czar. Within thirty years of the founding of Zelov (by June 1, 1830) there were 149 properties listed in settlement.

What has been told later about this period, Karl Jersák, the Zelov chronicler and re-immigrant of Nejdku, records in his memoirs:

Tolstoy and the Mennonites -- by Brad Jersak

As part of the centenary of Lev Tolstoy’s death, I was been asked to reflect on Tolstoy and the Mennonites. Levi Miller wrote a fine article on the Tolstoy-Mennonite connection twelve years ago,[1] reviewing those Mennonite leaders in Russia and America who interacted with Tolstoy’s work. My article will rather compare and contrast the roots and reasons of Mennonite and Tolstoyan communalism and nonviolence.

Mennonite and Tolstoyan Communalism

1. New Testament foundations: We necessarily begin by considering the New Testament teachings that inspired both movements. Both the early Anabaptists and the Tolstoyans looked to the New Testament for their communalism and nonviolence, but as we shall see, for quite different reasons.

Ron Dart and the Red Tory Alternative -- by Brad Jersak

Those who follow Clarion with any regularity will note some common themes among many of our regular contributors. These include a concern for the link between spirituality and justice, a Christo-centric ethic promoting nonviolent social action, a critique of any empire's tendencies towards foreign and domestic oppression, and a healthy suspicion of Christian schemes to bring in the Kingdom of God by grasping for political power. These subjects permeate Clarion essays by Eric Janzen, Wayne Northey, Bob Ekblad, Brian Zahnd, Archbishop Lazar Puhalo and of course, Ron Dart. 

Even the faithful subscriber may infer from the anti-empire, peacemaking rhetoric that our cadre of writers are all left-leaning anarchists, disciples of Noam Chomsky, or Anabaptists in the tradition of Yoder, involved politically only as far as prophetic protest and advocacy work. For some time, this was my [mis]understanding of Ron S. Dart, our political science and religious studies expert from the University of the Fraser Valley. Herein, I will share my observations re: Prof. Dart's unique and poignant perspective.

"Testing faith: redeeming Christians from themselves" - Reflective Review of L. Huskinson's 'Nietzsche' by Brad Jersak

“Testing faith: redeeming Christians from themselves”

A Reflective Review of Lucy Huskinson’s Introduction to Nietzsche

 

Nietzsche’s Test of Faith

 In Lucy Huskinson’s brilliant, all too brief missive, An Introduction to Nietzsche (SPCK 2009), she assesses and affirms the value of engaging Friedrich Nietzsche’s thought for Christianity. Huskinson’s Introduction prepares readers who hope to dip into Nietzsche by avoiding reductionist caricatures that naively paint this great philosopher as either the devil incarnate or some sort of closet Christian. She maximizes what we might learn from Nietzsche by reminding us not to simply react to his provocations, but rather, to observe and diagnose our own instinctual responses to them.

Her final chapter is titled “Testing faith: redeeming Christians from themselves.” I wish that SPCK had used this chapter title on the book’s cover, for it is a great contribution to an urgent need of the day. In it, Huskinson sees Nietzsche’s primary target audience as Christians, provoking them to test the strength of their faith. By opening ourselves to Christianity’s harshest critic and facing into his deepest questioning, ones faith is ‘salted with fire—but salt is good’ and ought to be internalized (Mark 9:49-50). After Nietzsche’s fire tests the Christian heart, will any faith remain? He is doubtful.

Herein, we shall recount Dr. Huskinson’s clear explanation of Nietzsche’s ‘God is dead’ test, then proceed to testing the test for its criteria and assumptions—not to avoid it but to stoke it and shape it for those Nietzsche calls ‘the most serious Christians’—with one such Christian in mind. Namely, the early 20^th century French philosopher-activist-mystic, Simone Weil.[1]

John Cleese vs. Extremism

Gandhi and Grant -- Review by Brad Jersak

Barua, Arati (ed.), Gandhi and Grant: Their Philosophical Affinities. Delhi, India: Academic Excellence, 2010).

Review

I recently received a first edition copy of Arati Barua's collection of scholarly essays comparing and contrasting Canada's George Parkin Grant with India's Mahatma Gandhi. The book features contributions primarily from Indian and Canadian scholars and serves to further promote the interfaith dialogue that both Gandhi and Grant modelled and championed.

The book opens (see end of review for contents) with a concise introduction to George Grant by biographer William Grant and a piece on the "Motive for Coincidence between Gandhi and Grant" by Gandhi expert, Ramjee Singh. As the reader proceeds through articles by some top Grantians (Christian, Dart, Emberley, Kaethler, et al), it becomes apparent that the affinities between Gandhi and Grant are neither superficial nor contrived. In spite of their very different backgrounds, their faith-based philosophies led to comparable, independently discovered conclusions and convictions.

Both men were prophets of dissent against the prevailing modernism of their age, critical of the way technology can dehumanize the masses as we lose the capacity for contemplative life and thought. They both opposed modernity's inevitable tyranny through Western imperialism and militarism in their quite different contexts. Gandhi the Hindu and Grant the Christian both embraced a synthesis of contemplative theology, political philosophy, and their public outworking toward a just society. They lived as promoters of nonviolent resistance to moral darkness and opposed political oppression in costly and courageous ways.

Editorial: Fasting from Blown Metaphors by Brad Jersak

I write this as a reflection on Eric Janzen’s “Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom” (part 4).

In pondering your well-thought, well-stated articles on the Kingdom of God, part 4 gave me pause to consider your admittedly biblical use of military and imperial metaphors.

I 

Military Metaphors

Re: military metaphors, you describe Christians as living ‘upon a spiritual battleground where a very real battle is underway.’ You continue,

The kingdom of heaven opposes the kingdom of darkness and opposes the powers of this world that do not worship Jesus as their lord, their savior, or their king...  We are the presence of the kingdom wherever we gather and we are to express that presence on the battleground.

All of this is familiar territory to Biblicists who read about spiritual battles, armies, and weapons in New Testament passages like Eph.6, 2 Tim. 2, Rev. 19, etc. And of course, you acknowledge that while this battle is ‘real,’ it is also ‘spiritual.’ The weapons of our warfare are not the literal weapons of the world (swords, scuds, and lawsuits); they are metaphors for the Christian practices of love (as you explained), forgiveness (Rom. 12), and prayer (2 Cor. 10). In other words, the military metaphors are not merely spiritual counterparts to the physical realities. They also function ironically. Christ did not simply talk about overpowering evil forces by means of more lethal, spiritual ammo. He calls his followers to disavow violence, harm, hatred, and force altogether. Our new weapons are upside down kingdom traits like meekness, mercy, and mourning. An entirely new set of actions is called for: turning the other cheek to the enemy that strikes you; blessing the enemy that curses you; praying for the enemy that abuses you. These aren’t just spiritual symbols … it’s irony, virtually sarcasm if we’re talking about ‘armor.’ The disciples eventually got that.

"The Christian Platonism of Simone Weil" and "Exiles from Nowhere" - Reviews by Brad Jersak

Book Reviews by Brad Jersak 

    E. Jane Doering and Eric O. Springsted, The Christian Platonism of Simone Weil (Notre Dame: UND Press, 2004.

     Alan Mendelson, Exiles from Nowhere: The Jews and the Canadian Elite (Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 2008). 

In reviewing these two scholarly gems, I read them from a particular perspective. I am at the fledgling stage of George P. Grant research, with a special interest in enucleating the animating core of his life as a contemplative theologian and Canadian ‘prophet.’ One cannot hope to understand Grant’s work as a philosopher, political scientist and activist apart from the context of his Weilian Christian Platonism, for in his spiritual journey out of the dark cave of modernity (think Plato), Simone Weil was truly his ‘Diotima.’[1] Further, Grant’s emergence as one of Canada’s preeminent thinkers must be understood in light of his progressivist liberal pedigree. From that point of view, a book of essays on Weil’s Christian Platonism and a history that situates him among Canada’s intellectual elite are must-reads.

The Multiple Morphing Faces of Freedom by Brad Jersak

  "THE USES OF FREEDOM--A WORD AND OUR WORLD" 

As I was reading an old essay (1956) by the Canadian philosopher-prophet George Grant on the varied uses of the word freedom in his day, I saw that it was due for a post-9-11 transposition. His unique contribution was in seeing that the modern North American sense of freedom as "the ability to do and get whatever I want" was rooted in surprising ground. He argued that while faith in this type of freedom is often sourced to (1) industrialism, (2) world-centered philosophy, and (3) the resultant crude hedonism, this is to miss the central point of our origins. Grant noted that before America's break with England, before the westward movement, before industrialization, before the rise of American secular humanism, Puritan Protestants arrived on our shores and set forces in motion that would inevitably spawn a pervasive secular, liberal society in a few short steps. 

Discernment: Testing My Own Voice by Brad Jersak

DISCERNMENT: TESTING MY OWN VOICE

In recent days I have been thinking about our dialogues with God and how we weigh them. I started noticing that when the prayer conversation alternates: God, then Brad, then God, then Brad, and son on, I was diligent to test what God is allegedly saying. I test to see whether the voice of God is really God or not God. I check that voice according to the three-legged stool of the Word, the Body and the Spirit, as recommended in Can You Hear Me? Tuning in to the God who Speaks.

But I neglected to test MY voice. And why should I? After all, it’s my own voice, isn’t it? Or is it? But when I began to categorize the themes that came under the umbrella of ‘my voice,’ I noticed something. On the one hand, there was the voice that agrees with and responds to God in faith. We could call that the voice of my ‘true heart,’ or the voice of the ‘new creation,’ or the ‘new me.’

On the other hand, there are these other voices that I assumed were my own as well: The voice of condemnation (beating myself up) that would then trigger the voice of self-pity (feeling sorry for myself), and the voices of shame, self-hatred, fear, worry, anger, and so on. In my head, I would hear and say, ‘I am afraid; I am angry; I don’t like myself; I’m not worthy,’ etc. Perhaps you know those voices as well.

Reconciled to What? by Brad Jersak

Reconciled to What? Personal and Public Reconciliation in Canadian Aboriginal Context
by Brad Jersak with thanks to the Honourable Iona Campagnola

Recently, I was honoured to attend a gathering hosted by the Lytton First Nation, entitled ‘Bright New Day’ Workshop. The facilitators of the event were John McCandless and Chief Robert Joseph. Approximately sixty registrants attended, half of whom came from a variety of Aboriginal communities and organizations, while the other half represented a wide range of governments and businesses that have a stake in building relationships with the First Nations communities. It seemed symbolic that the modern facilities selected for the event were unfinished but that could enjoy meeting in one large circle within a tent with a grass field as the floor. Significant too was the fact that we were situated on the grounds of what had once been St. George's Residential School, with all the loaded history that its memory carries. To have a conference on reconciliation among such people in such a place was a profound experience that I will not forget. Before I go on, I want to thank the Lytton First Nation for welcoming me to the traditional territories of the N’Laka’Pamux Peoples. You treated me with great hospitality and respect.

"Called out of darkness" - by Brad Jersak

My friend, Kevin Miller, spoke at church last Sunday. He shared about some of the joys and sorrows of being a movie screenwriter. I laughed as I heard about his encounters with some famous characters: shaking Chuck Norris' hand, getting eye-contact with the pope, duking it out with Ben Stein, and getting sued by Yoko Ono. But when he shared from the heart about how a series of deep disappointments can lead to a sense of broken trust with God, I sobered up quickly. He was preaching right to my sadness.

In my disappointment, I know that I lost confidence in God's way of running this buggered up world and at times, took it upon myself to take his place--with disastrous effects. I have seen my capacity to fail others miserably and know the hellish pride of self-loathing. It's easy for me to get stuck there, because that place opposes the very core of God's message. Kev related how our old friend, Tyler, had challenged him to stop and to just spend time "soaking" in worship and just listening to God. Sounds simple, but the resistance to engage that way was itself instructive. He recommended sitting quietly and listening to Kim Walker's "Oh How He Loves Us" ... repeatedly, until a message came through.

Bob Ekblad's 'A New Christian Manifesto' - Review by Brad Jersak

Bob Ekblad, A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.

Review by Brad Jersak

After my first encounters with the theo-praxis of Bob Ekblad, recounted so vividly in his previous work, Reading the Bible with the Damned, I could only wait impatiently for the arrival of his New Christian Manifesto. I was not disappointed.

In this work, Ekblad demonstrates his acumen as a master bridge-builder and integrator. Specifically, he bridges the best of world-class biblical theology and front line pastoral practice. He integrates the social prophetic world of liberation theology with the charismatic prophetic world of the modern renewal movement. Text meets testimony, mind meets heart and authentic prayer finds its way into the world of the poor, the immigrant, the gangster and the prisoner. In short, Bob brings the good news of the Kingdom of God, preaching a decentering word to the powers (a la Brueggemann), and inviting those on the margins to the banqueting table of God.

Beyond Cynicism: the Renewal of Prophetic Purity - by Brad Jersak and Peter Helms

Intro:

As the apostolic / prophetic movement has become increasingly bizarre, many who were told to simply bless everything are now deeply disillusioned. In these days when renewal meetings, alleged outpourings and flamboyant leaders have reached a point of crisis, it is tempting to throw up our hands, become cynical and opt to retreat to a safer, saner spirituality. And yet we know in our hearts that we can't go back to a Christian faith without the presence, power and voice of God. Neither dead orthodoxy nor practical deism can provide a harbour for us. Some are simply walking away from the faith altogether. Is that really our only option? How do we stay open to the Spirit? How do we restore prophetic purity? How can we continue to engage in authentic experiences with God without becoming wacky? What if we were to recalibrate our faith practice and renew prophetic purity?

70 Rings: Tribute to Irene Jersak

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jer. 17:7-8 TNIV)

Irene Jersak is not very famous on earth. For seventy years, she has lived faithfully without great fanfare; I don't recall any special worldly honours being bestowed on her. Her greatest battles and victories have been fought in the prayer closet and on her knees. Her confidence has not been in any human strength (hers or others) but in the firm belief that God answers prayer. This confidence has been her gift to our extended family. So while she remains unknown to those we deem 'important,' I'm very aware of her fame in heaven (as a beloved daughter) and in hell (as a fearsome enemy).

Double or nothing! -- Anouncement by Brad Jersak

For those who haven't heard yet, we made quite an important and wonderful announcement at Fresh Wind on Sunday, Sept. 15. For those who only have a moment, if you just skim down to the bold letters below, you'll get the basic idea. Let me begin by sharing a visitation that I experienced the night before the announcement that finally gave me some perspective on it.

I came before the Lord in prayer and engaged with something he had been speaking to me through the writings of Hans Urs Von Baltasar. I sensed him say, 'Gaze on me and I will gaze on you. I will see you and see through you and into every part of you. I will open up every door and every drawer of your soul and I will evaluate you. I will judge you thoroughly, even where you would not dare judge yourself. I will see and know what you cannot even see and know. And I will render my verdict of mercy, my sentence of kindness, and my gaze will be adoration.'

"I Will Diminish": Humility as the Prophetic Benchmark

“I pass the test … I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel” (Lord of the Rings, II.7, p.357).

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John the Baptist, Jn 3:29f).

I think the most ironic phrase in the English language is, “I was humbled.” When we use it, we might as well say, “I felt really proud.” But I get it. I was humbled recently to have lunch with pastor and author, Vern Heidebrecht. I.e. I felt proud to be invited into his company. In fact, I was actually humbled in that I had that “I’m-not-worthy” feeling to have someone I consider as a seasoned man of God treat me so graciously. And this will be part of my point in this article.

On Crucifying the Prophetic Ego -- by Brad Jersak

Follow-up to “Pied Piper Prophets”

The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. Jn 3:29f

One of the great difficulties for truly prophetic people is when they hear from the Lord and are called to deliver a message, if the church leadership doesn't receive the word or respond in the way that the prophet sees fit. In those moments, it can feel like the church is rejecting the word, rejecting the prophet and rejecting the Lord's will. And this may even be true.

"Follow Your Heart!" Really? -- by Brad Jersak

“Follow you heart.”

There’s something about this bit of proverbial wisdom that sounds so right, so refreshing, so healing. To those who’ve shaken free of the restraints of religious moralism or experienced the bankruptcy of rationalism, the rediscovery of one’s heart is a thrilling find indeed. To uncover this precious gift from beneath a thousand layers of emotional limestone is, in a deep way, to be born again. And what a wonderful surprise to find out that perhaps the human heart is, at its core, not some monster to be destroyed, but a pearl to be reclaimed and cherished.

And so we hear this anthem, this slogan—Follow your heart!—from the impassioned lips of many an anointed guru or [self-]appointed prophet these days.Yet something about this popular phrase has given me pause.

Gems from Tilly - Interview, review and excerpt by Brad and Dominic Jersak with Meg Tilly

After my review of Meg Tilly’s work, entitled “A Spirituality of Courage and Hope,” she graciously responded to some questions that I hadn’t seen others pursue. Herein is the interview, along with a review of Porcupine written by my son, Dominic, who is 11 years old, and a powerful sample of prose/memory from Meg that she’s lent us from her blog site (www.officialmegtilly.com).

Porcupine – Review by Dominic Jersak (11)

Porcupine is a book about a 12 year old girl and her siblings. Their father was killed by ‘friendly fire’ in a war. Their mother eventually drove her family to the other side of Canada to live with her grandmother. There are many small events in this book that tie it together to make it a great book. 

The morals and some strong themes of Porcupine were courage, being helpful, and forgiveness.

"You Are Who You Pretend to Be" by Brad Jersak

    “Be careful who you pretend to be, because you are who you pretend to be.”    (Kurt Vonnegut)

Recently, I spent an afternoon serving coffee and cake at Mission Possible, a drop-in centre for the homeless in East Vancouver. I took the enjoyable role of delivering goodies to the table where those with disabilities sat eagerly waiting. On handing what I regarded as an unspectacular angel-food square to one senior visitor, he threw his hands in the air and shouted joyfully to the heavens, “The Lord saves his best for his servants!” His face glowed with gratitude through bright eyes set in deeply wrinkled skin and framed in a beautiful white beard. I took this as an invitation.

Meg Tilly: A Spirituality of Courage and Hope

My Intro to Meg Tilly: Agnes of God

I first experienced Meg Tilly via her Golden Globe winning onscreen portrayal of an enigmatic young nun named Sister Agnes (Agnes of God, 1985). Her mysterious encounters with God trigger investigator Dr. Martha Livingstone (Jane Fonda) into a spiritual crisis which may just lead her back to faith. The providential interface between Agnes’ spirituality and Livingstone’s cynicism impacted me. It mirrored my own internal struggles as a young theology student whose heart and head were plagued by a serious disconnect. 

Novels: 

Twenty years later, it’s happening again. Meg Tilly left the acting trade to pick up the novelist’s pen. I’ve only just discovered her body of work and I’m pleased to say that I have not emerged unscathed. In each of her first three books—Singing Songs, Gemma and Porcupine—we hear the authentic voice and feel the true heart of courageous young girls who reflect some aspect of Tilly’s reality. The stories reveal an acquaintance with grief and fight and hope that are deeper than fiction. They have the capacity to heal.

Winter Readings by Brad Jersak

I'm frequently asked what I've been reading lately and what books might be worth curling up with by the fireplace. As I manage my mental health through the trials of winter drizzle, seven books came to the fore. Some made my heart warm, others made my blood boil, all of them made me think and feel in important ways. The following are my very brief reflections (and aha! moments) on:

Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI
The Shack by William Young
The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory MacDonald
God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
God at War by Gregory Boyd
The God of Intimacy and Action by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling
Covenant of Peace by Willard Swartley

Watchmen versus Watchdogs by Brad Jersak

Many of the newsletters and articles that I’ve written throughout 2007 have been a repetitive reminder to the church that these days call for an upgrade in our discernment. I’m convinced that we must vigorously test the spirits (1 John 4:1-4) to see whether their messages originate in God. We do this both to guard ourselves from swallowing that which is toxic AND to avoid dismissing that which is essential. Sifting for truth enables us to watch for and watch out: we want all that God has for us—we want only what God has for us. 

That being said, one of my intercessors alerted me to the distinction between two types of discerning watchers. In prayer, she was shown the vast difference between those whom God has appointed as “watchmen” and those who’ve appointed themselves as “watchdogs.”

Methinks he budged: An evening with J.I. Packer by Brad Jersak

We don’t often get to meet our heroes in the faith. But after twenty-five years, I did have the privilege of a face-to-face encounter with one of mine: Dr. J.I. Packer. He is much taller than I’d imagined, more energetic than I’d expected and every bit as charitable as I had hoped. And even knowing that I am on “the other side” (his phrase) of the atonement debates,1 he generously signed the presentation page of my new ESV Bible and later acknowledged me as a brother.

Thus began an evening of revelations (hosted by House of James2) that started with the topic of Christian unity and climaxed in a discussion of evangelicalism’s current hot button topic: penal substitutionary atonement. As he shared, Dr. Packer made it clear that on the core points of classic Reformed Puritan tradition, he has not budged. Yet when he tenderly presented his sense of the Father’s heart towards Jesus during the crucifixion, I think we all felt God’s presence in the moment. On this point, I believe that the good doctor moved beyond the Reformers so as to carry the discussion forward in important ways. As I take up Dr. Packer’s exhortation to test the truth of his words, I hope to suggest how this is so.3

Cynic or Prophet? What’s the difference? by Brad Jersak

Cynical Prophets and Prophetic Cynics

In recent years, I’ve had the joy of pastoring many fine prophets, some highly gifted, some deeply wounded, and some with a potent combination of gifts and grief. I’ve know the sorrow of watching broken prophets decline into cynicism and the joy of walking cynics forward into their true calling as prophets. In some ways, cynics and prophets are exactly opposite; in other ways, there are virtually identical. Maybe they are the flesh and spirit manifestation of the same gift.

Three-score and Ten: Tribute to Dad by Brad Jersak

Today I asked a friend how I might best honour my father as he attains the landmark of his seventieth birthday. He wryly suggested that I compose a limerick, which should go over well in any hometown with an Irish name. I’ll spare you.

Rather, I’d like to say thanks to my dad for truly living by certain values that are counter-intuitive to the world’s standards. Every parent is called to raise and train their child as best they can, according to what seems right. Many do this quite well. Fewer have the courage to buck the systems that pressure us to conform to the prevalent rules of the game. In his subtle and subversive and perhaps subconscious ways, my dad did this for my brother and I. I think it’s worth sharing on this special occasion.

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":

The Myth of Proportional Violence by Brad Jersak

Just War Theory: “Just War” is a idea and tradition developed by philosophers (e.g. Aristotle and Cicero) and theologians (e.g. Augustine and Hugo Grotius) in an effort to establish a platform of ethics for war and peace. “Just War theory” seeks to define ethical parameters of justice in the context of war. I.e. the justice of resorting to war (jus ad bellum), just conduct during war (jus in bellum), and justice in the peace agreements which terminate a war (jus post bellum).