Tag Archives: Restorative justice

“You are gods”

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Mel Wild

The exchange between Jesus and the Jewish leaders in John 10:22-37 has always been an interesting one to me, although on the surface, it seems rather cryptic. The leaders accused Jesus of claiming to be God and He answers them … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Heaven on earth, Love, Sonship | Tagged Ambassador for Christ, Christian mission, Christianity, Deity of Christ, Following Jesus, Jesus, Restorative justice | 5 Comments

God’s glory revealed in a Dallas courtroom

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Mel Wild

I don’t usually talk about current events but what happened last week was so remarkable that we shouldn’t let its lesson to us slip into the past so easily. Brandt Jean’s embrace of his brother’s killer, former Dallas police officer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Grace, Love | Tagged Brandt Jean, Christianity, Following Jesus, Forgiveness, glory of God, Reconciliation, Restorative justice, Retributive justice | 6 Comments

Jesus Christ is how we understand God

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Mel Wild

Bill Johnson once succinctly stated that Jesus Christ is perfect theology. That maxim has informed my understanding of the nature of God for many years. It’s been a reoccurring theme on this blog. The implications are profound and transformational, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Identity, Love, Sonship | Tagged Christ, Christianity, Christology, Jesus, Karl Barth, Restorative justice | 21 Comments

What a Glorious Day!

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Mel Wild

This is from a post I wrote back in 2016 because I thought it would be good followup to my last post. We’ve been been looking at how we see the atonement and what that view says about God. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Freedom, Identity, Love, Worship | Tagged atonement, Christianity, Easter, Happy Day, Isaiah 53, Jesus, Reconciliation, Restorative justice, Salvation | 31 Comments

Jesus Christ: Savior of the world – Part Six

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Mel Wild

“The church understood his [Jesus’] act as a sacrifice to end all sacrifices that exposed the scapegoating mechanism for all the world to see.” (Walter Wink, Engaging The Powers, Kindle loc.1849) This is part six of my Easter series, “Jesus Christ: Savior of … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, The Shift, Theology | Tagged atonement, Christianity, Engaging the Powers, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, René Girard, Restorative justice, Savior of the world, The Cross of Christ, Walter Wink | 13 Comments

You delight in showing mercy | Amanda Cook

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Mel Wild

This video is a live rendition of a song “Mercy” by Amanda Cook from her “Brave New World” album. We’ve been singing this song at our church. I especially like this verse… Oh love, great love Fear cannot be found in You And there will … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Worship | Tagged Amanda Cook, Christianity, Judgment, Mercy, Religion and Spirituality, Restorative justice | 1 Comment

The Cross: God’s restorative justice on display

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Mel Wild

I mentioned last time that when we look through the lenses of love, we see God’s justice as redemptive and restorative, rather than punitive and retributive. This is not well understood in our Western view of the atonement, but we … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Love, Sonship, Worship | Tagged atonement, Christianity, Easter, Happy Day, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Reconciliation, Restorative justice, Salvation | 1 Comment

Are anger and wrath attributes of God? Part two

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Mel Wild

We’ve been faithfully questioning our assumptions about the anger and wrath of God. Last time, I made the point that they should not be considered attributes because God does not eternally express these emotions within the Godhead. (If you have not read part one, … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Love, Theology | Tagged Anger of God, Attributes of God, Christianity, God's love, God's wrath, Restorative justice, Retributive justice, Trinity | 8 Comments

The true fast

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Mel Wild

As we continue our 40-day fast from fear for love, here’s a brief look at why we fast. Even under the Old Covenant, God was trying to tell us that fasting was not to afflict our souls or get brownie points with … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Love | Tagged Christianity, Fasting, Father's love, judgmentalism, Lent, Restorative justice, Social justice, transformation | 2 Comments

Is God strictly just or is He equitable?

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Mel Wild

Is God strictly just or is He equitable? Does it matter? This is a 1,000 year old debate between the Eastern and Western churches. In the West, we say God is strictly just so He must punish sin in order to … Continue reading →