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imagination :: December 2, 2008
Shapelessness of Violence
by Caitlin Mackenzie
In darkness
creation becomes two-dimensional:
Night rain presses monochrome leaves
against paved streets,
replicating wallpaper
of patterned black and charcoal.
An oak
is but a dark pole
distanced
by the loss of light.
The shades of night
dull delicate textures,
distinctions, contours
and narratives.
And so
the bombs drop
indiscriminately
varnishing our humanity
with ignorance.
React not against raised arms,
the shadows drawn from the sheath,
but seek wholeness.
Trace the valleys and ranges
of the weathered bark.
With pure curiosity
examine the thin veins
webbing a seasoned leaf
of orange
red
and yellow.
The dawn swells
with a yawning pastel sky—
a chasm opens
and grace is no longer a silhouette.
O God, Where Art Thou? A Review of A Serious Man
rwsmoore says ::
nice work John. Good thoughts on a good movie. One part I was intrigued by that you didn't touch upon was the link between the morality of our actions and the effect they have in the world. The closing scene of him changing the grade & getting t . . .READ MORE >
Friend of the Opposing Views
jfo1966 says ::
I'm trying to think well, and because of an atheist friend, I doubt more, and have deeper faith. So, my comment is pretty simple: I wonder if Ockam's razor is of help: if a business relationship cannot in any way touch the depth, breadth of a relat . . .READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
Alan K says ::
What can serve as an adequate reference for sin, evil and death? How is the world supposed to know that it is supposed to be different than it already is? Maybe earthquakes in Haiti and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean are just the way things are. May . . .READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
jking says ::
"whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" how does the gospel of all-along belonging come from this?READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
jking says ::
i do think the incarnational model has been incorrect throughout the twentieth century. especially in ministry. we minister to Jesus, not as Jesus.READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
hesed says ::
It was that...and "go and sin no more" (Jn 8:11). Which is said immediately AFTER saying "Where are those that condemn you?...Neither do I." ABSOLUTELY, jking, absolutely. That is what is remarkable about the ministry of Jesus. He comes to sin . . .READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
jking says ::
"With 'sinners' and those outside of faith, his message was a banquet thrown for them, a father running to embrace, a shepherd looking for sheep." It was that...and "go and sin no more" (Jn 8:11).READ MORE >
Tempting Science Fallacies 1: Seeing Is Believing
jking says ::
did your article commit the "personal anecdote + mention of tree rings = article to shame naive creationists" fallacy?READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
jking says ::
could someone explain what "belonging" is and how it is a valid theological category? also, could someone remind me why our language of "incarnational ministry" makes sense for someone other than Jesus? by going to a high school and loving te . . .READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
jking says ::
being inclusive makes us feel oh so good, too. too bad our "Christian bros" just don't understand. (oh crap, have we become exclusive again?)READ MORE >
The Way Mulattas Make Me Feel: Michael Jackson's Domination of the Feminized Other
jking says ::
did you consider the context that generated this video? before using the occasion of your "cousin's" death as an opportunity for an article (in which you place the ills of the video solely on jackson's shoulders), it would have been helpful to l . . .READ MORE >
New TOJ Book - God Is Dead And I Don't Feel So Good Myself
gilman says ::
I bought the book. I haven't read it through, yet, but I've started it. It kicks ass and really is what it claims to be, a fresh, smart, compassionate, confessional new take on this tired old culture-war. I'm proud to be in such company, with m . . .READ MORE >
Friend of the Opposing Views
gilman says ::
Wow, great post. What a dose of honesty. This is the kind of stuff that makes TOJ great. I really will have to re-read to digest. When I got married 14 years ago, my wife was not a Christian. She was not an atheist either -- she was a Baha'i. . . .READ MORE >
Recycling
blaze says ::
Wow. Stunning and gripping story with great elements of faith and sexuality and life. All these things mixed in together and an author willing to admit the doubt in her own heart. Yet so modern too, talking about Java and Kayaking and traveling the w . . .READ MORE >
Young Life and the Gospel of All-Along Belonging
hesed says ::
jgriss, Yes sin needs to be talked about. We need, and have, a savior, again no argument there. I have read the gospels a bunch and have not been able to find the times where Jesus tells his listeners about sin, sends them home for 24 hours and th . . .READ MORE >