Mark Van Steenwyk Subversive Spirituality Thu, 05 Sep 2019 22:25:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Repentance is holistic or it isn’t repentance. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/09/repentance-is-holistic-or-it-isnt-repentance/ Thu, 05 Sep 2019 22:25:22 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3576 Last week, McKrae Game (who founded a “conversion therapy” org) publicly renounced his past actions. McKrae, the founder of Hope for Wholeness, said in an interview with The Post and Courier that his organization has “harmed generations of people.” Earlier, in a Facebook post published on August 25, he started a long post with the words “I WAS WRONG! Please […]

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]]> The more you work for justice, the more you will be criticized. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/07/the-more-you-work-for-justice/ Mon, 15 Jul 2019 16:39:07 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3543 It is a painful truth, one that causes to examine your motivations and your commitment to the work: The more you engage in works of compassion or the struggle for justice, the more you will receive criticism. Sometimes painfully unfair criticism. It makes sense. The more noble your commitments and values, the farther you’ll fall […]

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]]> Jesus and the Way of Transfiguration https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/06/jesus-and-the-way-of-transfiguration/ Tue, 18 Jun 2019 16:11:33 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3522 According to the Gospel accounts, there are three apocalyptic moments in the Life of Jesus—three times where the veil of heaven is torn open: Jesus’ baptism (where God’s voice booms from heaven and a dove descends), his transfiguration (a happening I like to call “Glowy Jesus”), and his crucifixion (where the veil is torn). In […]

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]]> Jesus and the Way of Compassion https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/06/jesus-and-the-way-of-compassion/ Mon, 10 Jun 2019 16:35:02 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3507 Mere charity is a band-aid that cannot bring liberation. Neither can ardent calls for justice from those who live separately from the oppressed. Both fall short of true compassion. Paulo Freire wrote: “The generosity of the oppressors is nourished by an unjust order, which must be maintained in order to justify that generosity…The man or […]

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]]> Jesus Broke the Law https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/06/jesus-broke-the-law-2/ Sun, 09 Jun 2019 19:21:33 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3477 Often, when talking to someone about the radical implications of the way of Jesus, my conversation partner will say something to the effect of “Jesus said ‘Love thy neighbor’ but he also was very careful not to break the law.” In other words: “Yes, I’d love to show hospitality to an undocumented person, but they […]

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]]> David Platt, Donald Trump, and the Need for Prophets https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/06/david-platt-and-donald-trump/ Mon, 03 Jun 2019 23:06:38 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3450 On Sunday, Donald Trump showed up to McLean Bible Church unannounced. Trump skipped most of the service, having just finished a round of golf. He was in the area showing support for the victims of the recent Virginia Beach mass shooting. He showed up at McLean, a megachurch, expecting to receive prayer since this past Sunday […]

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]]> Jesus and the Wilderness Tradition https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/06/jesus-and-the-wilderness-tradition/ Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:02:52 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3438 The prophets call us to worship the God who is the source of life, the giver of life. This God is a creative, feral, spring from which our own lives pour. We encounter this God in the wild places, where life is unfettered. We encounter this God when we name and let go (repent) of […]

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]]> Thoughts on an Imperial God https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/05/imperial-god/ Tue, 28 May 2019 17:00:06 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3407 Ours is a civilized god. He is distant, floating high above the world, refusing to be dirtied by it. He is the Supreme Hierarch, the Ruler of All. The Great Architect, looking down over all of creation and ordering it according to his Divine Blueprint. Of all of the things he’s created, he likes human […]

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]]> The Gospel of American Jesus https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/04/the-gospel-of-american-jesus/ Wed, 24 Apr 2019 18:45:23 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3349 An Excerpt from Matthew 5-6, American Dream Version (ADV) The Beatitudes  5 Now when American Jesus was invited to speak at Harvard Business School, he went up to the podium. Future American leaders leaned in, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are those who scheme to be rich,     for America is theirs. 4 Blessed are […]

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]]> Turning Over Tables Today https://www.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/2019/04/turning-over-tables-today/ Mon, 15 Apr 2019 07:08:07 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/markvansteenwyk/?p=3229 Yesterday, Christians around the world celebrated Palm Sunday. A day when little kids wave around palm fronds in celebration of King Jesus. A day when the revolutionary message of Palm Sunday is lost on most of the world’s Christians, at least here in the United States. The Subversive Final Week of Jesus It is the […]

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