Gaining the World, Losing One’s Humanity
Herb Montgomery | February 26, 2021 In Mark’s gospel we read, “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the…
A Primer on Self-Affirming Nonviolence (Part 5)
By Herb Montgomery | August 30, 2019 Photo by Ricardo Cruz on Unsplash “We must be much more scandalized by the institutional violence that leads to violent rebellion than the violence of those who stand up to institutional violence. They…
A Primer on Self-Affirming Nonviolence (Part 4)
Herb Montgomery | August 23, 2019 Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash "We’ve been discussing the importance of listening to those on the margins of society and their experiences and wisdom. What follows is a result of doing just that…
A Primer on Self Affirming, Nonviolence (Part 3)
Herb Montgomery | August 16, 2019 Photo by Trang Nguyen on Unsplash “Jesus was teaching the rejection of violent responses to this world’s evil. Yet he was not teaching that we should simply do nothing! Jesus was teaching nonviolent ways…
A Primer on Self Affirming, Nonviolence (Part 2)
“Destruction,” 1836, part of the “Course of Empire” series, by Thomas Cole “Today we live in the wake of these changes. Christianity and its Jesus fell in the same way as all the other religions taken in by Rome .…
A Primer on Self Affirming, Nonviolence (Part 1)
Herb Montgomery | July 26, 2019 Photo by Tamara Menzi on Unsplash We need your support to bring the kind of resources and analysis RHM provides.Intersections between faith, love, compassion, and justice are needed now more than ever.Click here to make a tax-deductible donation.…
A Refusal to Let Go of Life
Herb Montgomery | August 31, 2018 “Jesus chose to live a life in opposition to unjust, oppressive cultures. Jesus did not choose the cross but chose integrity and faithfulness, refusing to change course because of threat.” (Brown and Parker, For…
Self Affirming Nonviolence and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 2)
by Herb Montgomery | June 21, 2018 “Taking up one’s cross should not be interpreted as acceptance of pain, misery, and abuse, but rather as the call to stand up, resist, and refuse to let go of life, justice, and…
Self Affirming Nonviolence and the Myth of Redemptive Suffering (Part 1)
by Herb Montgomery | June 16, 2018 “In its own cultural setting, Jesus’ nonviolence was a means of self-affirmation for those who don’t have access to common power, and it is best illustrated not by the cross but by…
Losing One’s Life
by Herb Montgomery "Jesus didn’t die because he was a bigot, standing in solidarity with oppressors and justifying the domination of the vulnerable. He died because he stood in solidarity with the vulnerable against the status quo. It’s time we also…