Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Mercy Not Sacrifice

Home
About
My Book
Archives
More
- Theology
- Culture
- Politics
- Sermons
- Bible
- Devotions
- Daily Office
- Podcast

Home
Progressive Christian

Sacrifice

Select a Category Advent Beauty Will Save the World Bible Big Picture: Ephesians Bloggers Book Christian salvation and the Beautitudes Culture Daily Office Danceable Homiletics Deadly Sins Deep Roots: Genesis Devotions Dominican Republic May 2011 El Principio Misericordia (The Mercy Principle) Five verses God tattooed on my heart Fundraising FutureGospel Good Biblical Words Henri Nouwen Interview Jennings' Christian Imagination Jesus inside the beltway Jesus Is My Candidate Jesus vs the Pharisees Jesus vs. Plato Journey to Eternity Looking Back on 2012 Love Actually Monday Merton Monday Merton Music Occupy the manger On Earth As It Is In Heaven Original Sin Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Psalm 119 Radical Jesus 101 Reviews Sermon on the Mount Sermons Spanish Bible study Special Series Spiritual but not religious Synchroblog Theology Things that made me think Thomas a Kempis Ugliness Into Beauty Uncategorized Viaje Dominicano 2013 Walking in the Valley (Lent) Welcome: It's More than a Mat Wild Goose 2013 Wrestling

Select a Month March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 September 2021 April 2021 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

July 2018

July 09, 2018

Good Biblical Words: Mercy (Matthew 9:13)

"Go and find out what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.'" Matthew 9:13 This...

June 2017

June 23, 2017

Atonement: a basic explanation

Atonement is the centerpiece of Christian theology. It’s a compound word that literally means what...

April 2017

April 14, 2017

Seven ways that Jesus died for our sins

Painting by Bec Cranford-Smith What does it mean that Jesus died for humanity’s sins? It’s...

July 2016

July 01, 2016

Is there a Christianity that isn’t toxic?

Have American Christians become what Jesus came to stop us from being? It’s not an...

May 2016

May 30, 2016

Why I can’t dis Memorial Day

I was 32 years old before I had a personal relationship with an active duty...

April 2016

April 22, 2016

Responses to a thoughtful book critic

Edwin Tait is one of my most thoughtful internet conversation partners. We disagree on some...

April 15, 2016

The 12 scriptures that inspired my book

When I was a Southern Baptist, we used to believe that Methodists didn't read the...

April 05, 2016

Can Jesus save us from keeping score? #MercyNotSacrifice

From now until the release of my book How Jesus Saves the World From Us,...

January 2016

January 11, 2016

Can American Christianity be detoxified? (A summary of my first book)

Have we become what Jesus came to stop us from being? Many evangelical Christians in...

June 2015

June 06, 2015

Worship and justice in the feast of first fruits (Deuteronomy 26)

Yesterday's lectionary reading included a passage from Deuteronomy 26 that gives instructions on what the...

May 2014

May 14, 2014

Why do Islamic fundamentalists sound so much like Christian ones?

Today I stumbled across a blog post written by a Malaysian Muslim named Farouk defending...

September 2013

September 13, 2013

Yom Kippur: What does atonement mean?

Today is Yom Kippur, Judaism's day of atonement. It's a day for fasting, repentance, and...

August 2013

August 12, 2013

Feminism, sex, and virtue in Margaret Farley’s Just Love

I have been reading Margaret Farley's Just Love: A Framework for Christian Ethics, the book...

August 04, 2013

Five verses God has tattooed on my heart: #2 Matthew 9:13

I've often told the story of how I discovered the verse that became the basis...

May 2013

May 13, 2013

Monday Merton 5.13.2013

Today's Monday Merton is a chapter in Thomas Merton's No Man Is An Island that...

April 2013

April 25, 2013

What does the blood of Jesus actually do?

A basic principle of Christianity is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins....

March 2013

March 20, 2013

Ugliness Into Beauty #5: Uncursing the World

Many Christians today misunderstand the ancient Israelite practice of sacrifice. The ancient Israelites did not...

February 2013

February 07, 2013

Is Jesus saving the world from us?

Is Jesus saving the world from us? It's a different way to talk about salvation,...

December 2012

December 03, 2012

Why worship without justice dishonors God (Isaiah 1:10-20)

Isaiah 1:10-20 is a sobering prophetic passage in which God reams out the Israelites for...

October 2012

October 09, 2012

How can Jerry Sandusky get into heaven?

Jerry Sandusky was on the TV at the gym this morning, since his sentencing is...

July 2012

July 19, 2012

How can blood tear down a wall? Sacrifice in Ephesians 2:11-22

This past weekend, I preached on Ephesians 2:11-22. It’s one of my favorite passages because...

May 2012

May 17, 2012

“I desire mercy not sacrifice”

"Go and find out what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice'" (Matthew 9:13). There...

May 17, 2012

"I desire mercy not sacrifice"

"Go and find out what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice'" (Matthew 9:13). There...

July 2011

July 02, 2011

God Will Provide: Abraham & Isaac

I don’t know about you but if God told me to kill my oldest son...