Tag Archives: Scapegoating

What the Cross exposes (and redeems)

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Mel Wild

Adam blamed Eve, who blamed the Serpent, who blamed God; the Pharisees blamed Jesus, and Pilate blamed the crowd. Today, republicans blame the democrats, who blame the President; liberals blame conservatives, who blame the socialists; the atheists blame the religious; … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom, Heaven on earth | Tagged Blame-shifting, Christian unity, Christianity, Culture, Easter, Politics, Scapegoating, The Cross of Christ | 1 Comment

Girard and the trajectory of Scriptural revelation

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Mel Wild

Something I’ve said for a long time now is that you cannot properly understand the Bible without Jesus interpreting it for you. Yet, many Christians read the Bible indiscriminately, as if Jesus never happened. Historically, and even to this day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Theology | Tagged Bible interpretation, Christianity, Jesus, Jesus Hermeneutic, Religion and Spirituality, René Girard, Scapegoating | 6 Comments

Christianity: The Founding Murder in Reverse

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Mel Wild

I talked about what René Girard calls the “scapegoat mechanism” that’s alive and well in human beings last time. This insidious desire is at the bottom of what poisons everything. This time I would like to look at what he … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom, Theology | Tagged atonement, Christianity, Cross of Christ, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, René Girard, Scapegoating, Violence | 4 Comments

How human beings poison everything

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Mel Wild

My tongue is firmly in cheek here, playing off the subtitle of Christopher Hitchens’s book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, but I do want to make a point about this that I believe I can back up … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christianity, Culture, Religion and Spirituality, René Girard, Scapegoating | 27 Comments

Quotes: René Girard

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Mel Wild

“Christianity is a founding murder in reverse, which illuminates what has to remain hidden to produce ritual, sacrificial religions.” ― Battling to the End: Conversations with Benoit Chantre “The commandment that prohibits desiring the goods of one’s neighbor attempts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotes | Tagged Christianity, René Girard, Scapegoating, Violence and the Gospel | 4 Comments

The sin of the world

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Mel Wild

Just what is the “sin of the world” that the Lamb of God takes away? (John 1:29) And how is this related to the sins we commit? These are two questions worth pondering. In “Our Father is not Molech,” I gave two contemporary … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Freedom, Love, Reformation | Tagged Anthropology, atonement, Christianity, Jesus, myths, Retributive justice, Scapegoating, sin of the world | 14 Comments

Our Father is not Molech

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Mel Wild

As Father’s Day approaches, here’s two tales describing very different fathers. But first, I want you to think about what constitutes being a good father. Also remember that parables never give the whole story. They’re simply meant to make a point that we … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Heart of God, Grace, Love | Tagged Christianity, Father's Day, Forgiveness, Parables, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Scapegoating | 6 Comments

We have the keys to the kingdom

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Mel Wild

Pondering the seemingly endless stream of horrific events like the recent Orlando shooting can certainly drive us into despair over what our culture has become. Are we, as a society, doomed to sink into some fear-driven apocalyptic morass of helpless victims, haters, and sociopaths?

Posted in Father Heart of God, Heaven on earth, Identity, Sonship | Tagged Christianity, Culture, Good News, mission, Orlando shooting, Scapegoating, Violence | 2 Comments

Religion, politics, and scapegoating (part two)

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Mel Wild

We’ve been looking at how a religious spirit, political spirit, and scapegoating forms an unholy trinity that insidiously undergirds the “sin of the world.” It’s the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about (or even notices), the poisonous air we’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Reformation | Tagged Christianity, Political spirit, religious spirit, Scapegoating, war and violence | 5 Comments

Religion, politics, and scapegoating (part one)

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Mel Wild

It’s interesting that religion and politics are two taboo subjects in polite conversation. Why is that? What should we be afraid of? Actually, plenty! Jesus warned His disciples of two spiritual strongholds that would war against His kingdom—religion and politics.