Martyrs are used by messianic movements to sanctify violence. To show any mercy or understanding toward the enemy is to betray the martyr and the cause the martyr died defending.
Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk
Tag: Jesus
The Origins of Christmas
Today’s holiday culture wars continue an ancient struggle, as Nat Parry explores in this adaptation from his book, How Christmas Became Christmas: The Pagan and Christian Origins of the Beloved Holiday.
Overcoming Christmas Controversies with Historical Realities
Today’s holiday culture wars continue an ancient struggle, as Nat Parry explores in this adaptation from his new book, How Christmas Became Christmas: The Pagan and Christian Origins of the Beloved Holiday.
Chris Hedges: The Call
This excerpt is from the author’s newest book, Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison.
Palm Sunday: History and Tradition
The time for the followers of Jesus to publicly protest injustices such as wealth inequality is at hand, argues retired Baptist minister Rev. Howard Bess.
Calling a Lie a Lie in the Age of Trump
The U.S. mainstream media bends over backward not to call the President a liar even when it’s deserved, but Donald Trump’s falsehoods are so glaring that the L word should apply, says ethicist Daniel C. Maguire.
Christmas and Endless War
There is a profound contradiction for Christians who celebrate the “prince of peace” at Christmas and then return to the business of endless — and expanding — war the rest of the year, as the Rev. Howard Bess observes.
Pope Francis Takes On ‘Just War’ Theory
The Catholic Church, which over the centuries has blessed many dreadful wars, is shifting to an anti-war position favored by Pope Francis and more in line with Jesus’s teachings, writes ex-CIA official Graham E. Fuller.
An Urgent Reassessment of Jesus
Many Christian churches opt for comforting their parishioners with reassuring ceremonies, banal sermons and even appeals to popular nationalistic sentiments rather than challenging them with the tough calls from Jesus for social justice, a grave failure, says Rev. Howard Bess.
Misunderstanding Jesus’s Execution
From the Archive: In Holy Week, many Christians celebrate what they regard as God’s sacrifice of his Son and the Resurrection. But some scholars see another narrative in which Jesus, a rural rebel, brings his critique of the Jewish-Roman power structure to Jerusalem and…