The
"so what" section for each week will go here. Less scholarly, more
reflective. In this section, we'll try to give our answer to the questions,
"Okay, that anthropological stuff is nice, but "so what?" How
do I use this in a sermon? How do I relate this to my congregation's world?"
This section of each page is the heart of
the discussion. The "anthropological" portion of each page describes
the insights into the text that are illuminated by the mimetic theory of Rene
Girard.
In this segment of each week's work there
will be materials pertinent to the historical/cultural setting of the texts
under consideration, to the extent that they contribute to a non-violent understanding
of the text. (We won't re-hash historical/cultural materials that are well known
and add nothing to the "peace" discussion.)
Honestly, this section won't be used often.
But there may be times when the textual history of a lectionary text will be
pertinent to its interpretation. When it does, it'll go here!
What's New: (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling)
New
Page: The Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Preach peace to my faithful
people!”
Preaching peace has become a dangerous
occupation in today’s world. In the absence of an overwhelming threat
of nuclear annihilation the impetus to reject violence completely as a means
to human ends has largely evaporated.
Overcoming a long history of
violence
In fact, violence has once again become
so widely accepted that to preach non-violence as the an indispensable part
of being “perfect” as our Heavenly Father is perfect falls on
deaf ears at best, and hostile ears all too often. Still, Michael and I feel
compelled to call our preaching sisters and brothers to this task, and to
help where we can. “Violence is no attribute of God.” We read
this in the mid-second century document known as the "Epistle to Diognetus."
Many will respond to that assertion by pointing to the innumerable instances
of violence that are attributed to God in the Bible. Though we find no such
evidence of divine violence in the portion called the New Testament, Christian
theology over the centuries has also added a violent overlay to the sacred
texts that needs to be peeled away.
In the Hebrew Bible, the task becomes
somewhat more complicated, as human violence is often attributed to God and
the preacher’s task must be to distinguish between the non-violent God
of Israel who seeks to emerge in the texts from the archaic patterns of thought
from which the people of Israel emerged.
A new, non-violent perspective
The most illuminating thinker in the
last century in both these pursuits has been Rene Girard, and it is to his
work (“mimetic theory”) that Michael and I turn as a means to
both these ends. It is time to let the Gospel speak clearly about God’s
rejection of violence and the murder of the scapegoat, and it is equally time
to speak clearly about the presence of violence in some of our biblical texts
and their human (not divine) origins. Girard has put forward a clear and compelling
way of understanding the historic relationship between violence and religion
and the way that the story of God’s relationship to Israel and the Gospel
in particular expose and dismantle that relationship.
How we hope to assist in the
preaching of Peace
This web project will be a set of reflections
on the texts of the Revised Common Lectionary informed by our study of Rene’s
work and our own exegesis. We will look at the texts from a variety of directions,
always keeping the task of preaching peace foremost in our minds. In addition,
there will be some introductory articles on the gospel that is central to
the lectionary (Mark this year, Year B) and a glossary and index to help you
use this resource if you are unfamiliar with some of the terms used in mimetic
theory or if you want to locate a particular text because you are not from
a church whose calendar is constrained by the RCL.
This preaching resource is free, and
will remain free. Michael and I believe so strongly that this work is needed
in our world that we offer it free of charge. We are also more than willing
to share in this enterprise, so if you would like to be a contributor, please
write me at preachingpeace.org. (jeffkrantz@preachingpeace.org)
God Bless you and your ministry!
Jeff Krantz and Michael Hardin
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in Maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
