Repentance is holistic or it isn’t repentance.

September 5, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 forgive me!” And now Benny Hinn (famed Prosperity Gospel peddler) has publicly renounced the Prosperity Gospel. Some sources claim he has a net worth of... Read more

The more you work for justice, the more you will be criticized.

July 15, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 short in comparison. The lower your aspirations, the less others expect from you. The more you commit yourself to works of mercy, the more likely... Read more

Jesus and the Way of Transfiguration

June 18, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 each of these moments, Jesus is revealed to be a bridge between humanity and the divine. To our modern sensibilities, the Transfiguration makes the least... Read more

Jesus and the Way of Compassion

June 10, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 woman who proclaims devotion to the cause of liberation yet is unable to enter into communion with the people, whom he or she continues to... Read more

Jesus Broke the Law

June 9, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 are here illegally” or “Yes, I’d love to protest at the bank the same way Jesus cleansed the temple, but it is against the law.”... Read more

David Platt, Donald Trump, and the Need for Prophets

June 3, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 has been designated by many in this country as a day to pray for the President. The church’s pastor, David Platt, however, has been vocal... Read more

Jesus and the Wilderness Tradition

June 3, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 those structures that trammel life and subjugate people and the land. Ours is a world in need of prophets and mystics. The Hebrew prophets spoke... Read more

Thoughts on an Imperial God

May 28, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 beings the best. Sometimes he communicates to some of these humans, revealing to them part of his Divine Blueprint. Our primary relationship with this god... Read more

The Gospel of American Jesus

April 24, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 those who turn away from those who suffer, for life is more comfortable that way. 5 Blessed are the arrogant, for they dominate the earth. 6 Blessed... Read more

Turning Over Tables Today

April 15, 2019 By Mark Van Steenwyk

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 day Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, in a sort of riff off of messianic expectations of his day. The triumphal entry... Read more