A Word From The Editor

Here's my thoughts on blogs...they are often internet megaphones where people ramble about their unsolicited opinions, which is why I've made it a rule for myself to not write in the 1st person, because it requires some creativity and a little more narrative rather than a journal sense. I've taken a break this past month to re-evaluate the blog and want to share some of the ideas of how the blog works.

Peacemaker Revolution has its ethos in the "Rebels and Revolutionaries" article from back in May. The idea is to create a place where subversive opinions can challenge the status quo of Christianity. There is so much buzz in the church about "post-modernism" and "relevance" and "emerging culture" that these can create a new "Pharisaical Standard," as one friend put it. Trends are so momentous. I make it my goal to address the moments we are experiencing, but I aspire to have timeless writing, because God is timeless and so often we get caught in trends of being "contemporary, emerging, missional, traditional, etc."

The "Peacemaker" part of the name is two fold; "peace" more relating to the hebrew concept of "Shalom" or well-being, more than the absense of conflict. The "maker" part referring to the action, creation, initiation of something. We want to instigate thought to create a revolution of well-being in the world.

Christians have become ashamed of the word "Christianity" because of all the septic emotions related to religion. But Christianity IS the same thing as "The Way" which is an instituion Jesus offered us. We should be proud and humble. Proud to be part of the tradition of Jesus and his revolutionary politics, spirituality, intellect, and most of all love. Humble enough to avoid a resurgence of the legalism Jesus came to resculpt through THE "Peacemaker Revolution."

I remember when someone interviewed me before I moved to the south from Boulder, Colorado and I was nervous because I had piercings and tattoos and didn't know how the culture there would accept me. It was humbling to have an older southern man say to me, "well the idea of a tattooed, pierced, liberal Christian is not so novel today." He sort of belittled my "radicalness." It was a good moment for me and pushed me out of the "us and them" which legalism is founded on. I saw a poll in Relevant Magazine, a Christian publication, that showed 53% of its readers planned to vote for Barack Obama, implying the novelty of the "Christian democrat" is actually...almost trendy. What I am seeing in Christianity today is a mutual movement away from "well-being" or the unity Scott Schimmel spoke about in his post in the fall because of the exclusivity in the pre-existing Christianity ofAmerica during the 20th century. But more so from the fiery tongues of young twenty somethings who shamelessly batter convervatives, fundamentals, almost becoming gnostic and Pharasaic, despite the vail of "liberty, justice, creativity" found in their ideals.

We want to divide people into spectrums Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton, Joel Osteen and Rob Bell, Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, but thats not Christianity...sorry. There is no democrat or republican, fundamentalist or liberal...there is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, because

we are a family...

and you can't choose your family.

That is what a revolution instigating well being is all about in our family...that is what Peacemaker Revolution is.

Thank you for reading and engaging, please invite more people to our community!