The Religion & Violence Education Network (RAVEN) đź•Š Working together to heal our understanding of God and ourselves.
Our Mission: We seek to host a welcoming community for those whose experience with organized religion has left them wounded, troubled, disillusioned or in exile. We hope that we can provide a place of rest and renewal where seekers can experience God’s unconditional love and total nonviolence as a healing presence in their lives. Our Vision: We believe that the renewal of Christian life is coming
12/17/2024
In this episode, Adam explores a Progressive Christian view on Christmas. He answers the question how can Progressive Christians understand the story of Christmas in a way that leads toward justice, peace, and love? Listen at https://tinyurl.com/evss3ey5.
In this video from October 2010, Pastor Adam reviews a new biography called "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas. Dietrich Bonhoeffer became a victim of N**i Germany because he stood with the people who were being oppressed by the N**is. Christ asks us to stand with those who are victims of culture. There are two issues in the book that this review explores. The first is why is it that Bonhoeffer decides to stand with the Jews? The second is the assassination attempt on Hi**er. The best way that Metaxas feels that Bonhoeffer's action is that we live in a sinful world and we need to participate in the sin to create a more peacefully world.
A movie with the same title as the book is in movie theaters now.
12/12/2024
The Movie “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin” - What It Gets Wrong -
The Movie “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin” - What It Gets Wrong When I was growing up and began to learn about N**i Germany, I assumed that Christians would be on the forefront of opposing Hi**er.
12/10/2024
Pastor Adam invited his audience to join him in a Q&A. Some topics include Advent, Bonhoeffer, the relationship between Christ and the Bible, acupuncture, and more! Listen for these interesting questions and the well-informed answers. https://tinyurl.com/yjkhva7d
Bible Matters: The Prophet Joel and the "Day of the Lord"
In this video from January 2017, Pastor Adam Ericksen reflects on the Prophet Joel. Joel said the Day of the Lord is coming! What does that require us to do?
Joel says to repent. We usually think of repentance as getting "right with God," but for the prophets repentance is also about "getting right" with our fellow human beings.
Joel says that we often act like a destructive swarm of locusts, uniting with one another against a common enemy. Joel invites us to repent from that way of life because the Day of the Lord is coming! But is the Day of the Lord something we should fear? Listen to Adam Ericksen explore this fascinating book of the Bible.
12/03/2024
Christian nationalists want to install a theocracy and force Christ upon others. They claim Romans 13 as justification for the US government to do whatever it wants through violence and coercion. But that's a misuse of Christ and of Romans 13. Check out this episode of One Question for more! https://adamericksen.org/podcasts/romans-13-and-the-authority-of-christ/
11/28/2024
The Spirituality of Happiness on Thanksgiving -
The Spirituality of Happiness on Thanksgiving I recently visited with a member in my congregation who is in her 90s. She’s had a pretty tough life, and now in her 90s, it’s still tough.
In this video from September 2016, Pastor Adam discusses apocalyptic warning about violence in the Book of Daniel. Daniel and his companions demosntrate how the Jewish people should respond, with nonviolence.
11/21/2024
God Is She Who Delights in Our Transgender Siblings
How would the world be different if all Christians were more like the God who delights in the entire human race like a mother or a father who delights in their child? -
God Is She Who Delights in Our Transgender Siblings In Proverbs 8, the Wisdom of God is personified as a Woman. In the original Hebrew language, the word for wisdom is Hokma. Hokma is She Who is Wise.
11/20/2024
A meme comparing Donald Trump to King David is based on biblical ignorance or intentional manipulation explains Pastor Adam.
Is Trump Like King David - The Meme That Gets It Wrong - Pastor Adam Ericksen
11/19/2024
What is the difference between scapegoating someone and holding someone accountable? How can we tell the difference? These are important questions during these times as scapegoating abounds in our culture. Is it possible to hold people accountable without scapegoating them? Check out this episode as Pastor Adam explores these questions with political theologian Lyle Enright. https://tinyurl.com/3bf4s52h
Listen to their previous conversation, Political Theology and Mimetic Theory, at https://tinyurl.com/5n8yppjm
This video in the Bible Matters series, recorded in June 2009, has Pastor Adam asking, "If God is on the side of the victims of culture, what happens when the oppressed become the oppressors?"