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Progressive Christian

Redemptive Suffering

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March 2024

March 14, 2024

The Harmful Myth of Redemptive Death, Part 3

Love can conquer hate, and, in the end, justice, love and life will have the...

March 13, 2024

The Harmful Myth of Redemptive Death, Part 2

This prioritizes the oppressor’s or abuser’s need for redemption over and above the rights of...

March 12, 2024

The Harmful Myth of Redemptive Death, Part 1

Our reading has a history of justifying death or abuse for those in marginalized social...

February 2024

February 22, 2024

Bearing Crosses and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering, Part 3

This may seem to be a subtle interpretive difference, but it makes all the difference...

February 21, 2024

Bearing Crosses and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering, Part 2

Too often, the cross we are to counseled to “bear” is defined as an injustice...

February 20, 2024

Bearing Crosses and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering, Part 1

This is the myth of redemptive suffering: that our suffering can redeem our abusers and...

January 2023

January 12, 2023

The Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 3 of 3)

If we aren’t careful we are telling those being harmed to be patient, that something...

January 11, 2023

The Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 2 of 3)

If we interpret Jesus’ death as redemptive suffering, then this becomes a life model for...

January 10, 2023

The Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 1 of 3)

It is helpful to understand some of the political context in which this passage was...

August 2022

August 11, 2022

The Personal Cost of Causing Division (Part 3 of 3)

In the end, it’s about harm reduction and mitigation. It is the reality of this...

August 10, 2022

The Personal Cost of Causing Division (Part 2 of 3)

Our reading this week calls to mind times when we have also had to make...

August 09, 2022

The Personal Cost of Causing Division (Part 1 of 3)

The struggle in the story is with the economic, political, and social harm being committed...

April 2022

April 14, 2022

Easter and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 3 of 3)

This is a story of how life conquers death, love conquers hate, sharing conquers greed,...

April 13, 2022

Easter and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 2 of 3)

These are valid questions. How can we reconcile seeing the cross event as a salvific...

April 12, 2022

Easter and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 1 of 3)

One thing that is common to all the gospel narratives is the presence of women...

March 2022

March 09, 2022

Myth of Redemptive Sacrifice (Part 3 of 3)

This calls into question how we interpret Christian narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection as...

March 02, 2022

Myth of Redemptive Sacrifice (Part 2 of 3)

The means by which we obtain our bread—whether those means are just, life-giving, and sustainable—matters...

March 01, 2022

Myth of Redemptive Sacrifice (Part 1 of 3)

For many Christians, this weekend marks the first weekend of Lent, which commemorates the 40...

April 2021

April 22, 2021

Imagery of a Good Shepherd (Part 3)

When we choose to make justice ultimately win, not just in isolated occurrences but systemically,...

April 21, 2021

Imagery of a Good Shepherd (Part 2)

This story that so many White Christians hold dear puts God on the side of...

April 20, 2021

Imagery of a Good Shepherd (Part 1)

Even today when you do a simple image search for Jesus, you’ll get ten or...

March 2021

March 19, 2021

Reinterpreting the Easter Story (Part 3)

Let’s not ask ourselves how we can die. Jesus doesn’t call a person do die,...

March 17, 2021

Reinterpreting the Easter Story (Part 2)

"The central image of Christ on the cross as the savior of the world communicates...

March 16, 2021

Reinterpreting the Easter Story (Part 1)

Certain interpretations of these passages have born destructive and even death-dealing fruit in these communities....