Michael Hardin on Rene Girard, Mimetic Theory, Unraveling the Bible, Unconditional Peace, Prison Reform, and Today’s Political Rivalries

Author, speaker, and biblical/historical scholar Michael Hardin joins Michael over some virtual craft brews for a lively conversation about the late Rene Girard, a former Stanford professor who is considered “the Darwin of the social sciences.”

Hardin explains Girard’s Mimetic Theory and how it is displayed in ancient literature and the Bible. Drawing on his book, Mimetic Theory and Biblical Interpretation, he explains why we see violent and restorative narratives in the Bible often side by side—the former being mythical, violent sacrificial religion and the latter being the first glimpses of the revelation of true grace that culminates in Jesus.

Join the two Michaels as they talk about how to unravel the Bible, the evangelical two-faced God, and Girard’s and Jesus’ call to abandon societal violence and war and extend unconditional peace. Learn how Mimetic Theory plays out in modern society and politics and how these historical ways of looking at revelation can lead to social progress, such as prison reform.

Learn more at Hardin's Preaching Peace website.