Tag: religion and politics
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Don’t Cry About the Deficit before You Tax the Rich
That’s it. That’s the whole post. You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live…
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Thoughts on the End of White Christian America
Does “the end of white Christian America” explain as much as some people think it does? …
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“Jesus didn’t talk about CRT but …”
Gary Dorrien, “Redeeming the Soul of America” – a cool article on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and religion and politics in the Civil Rights Movement, and race in the US
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“Fruit of the Spirit of Freedom”
Jesus Christ was entirely free, and frees us for the same undaunted Spirit-led freedom
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Continuity, or Denial?
Is “what happens at church” on most Sunday mornings more about “continuity” or more about “denial” of what’s going on outside of church?
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Democracy, and Innovation
The Presbyterians love deliberative bodies. This was brought home to me once again yesterday, because it was annual congregational meeting day, and also because I have been reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, in which one of the central concerns is why we think the unfreedom of various authoritarian arrangements is…
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Studying Deuteronomy 24 10-21
One element of Biblical justice is compassion for the poor and vulnerable, and we will be focusing on that element as we study Deuteronomy 24:10-21, our text for Sunday, January 30. [Some questions on this text are here.] Here are a few notes on that text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: This is our third text from…
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Reflecting on Deuteronomy 16 18-20, 17 8-13
What is entailed, practically, in the pursuit of justice, justice? Especially in our modern context, in which our system of justice is purposely secular, and involves highly trained legal specialists? How are regular people of today supposed to read texts like Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 17:8-13, which contain instructions for the ancient Israelites, and their…
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Studying Deuteronomy 16 18-20, 17 8-13
We will be thinking about what it means to provide for the doing of justice in a community, as we study Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 17:8-13 for Sunday, January 23. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few notes on these texts: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: The book of Deuteronomy presents itself as…
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Eberhard Arnold on “The Interim God”
The great division between God and the devil is not the division between life here and life beyond, between matter and spirit, between corporeality and incorporeality – no, it runs right through all spirits and all bodies, through all eternities and all times. In every body, every human being, both powers are at work. Both…
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Polity
Yesterday reminded me why I love the Presbyterians. We held our mandatory annual congregational meeting for 2021 yesterday. ASIDE: “Mandatory” says who? The Book of Order, the polity, “the way we do things around here,” the rules. When people talk about “organized religion,” this is exactly what they’re talking about, whether they know it or…
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Who Are the Lost?
Got this link from my pastor this morning: It resonated with me. You can tell from the comments on YouTube, some people love it and are grateful for it, other people feel affronted. Probably none of us appreciates knowing that someone else looks at us and sees “the lost.” [“Who are you calling ‘lost’??? I’m…
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Even the Young Ravens Get to Eat
I cry in church a lot. I’m not the only one. Other people do it, too. We cry for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes because it’s just so beautiful, those words of that song, or that sermon. Sometimes because something touches a sad nerve, or a bittersweet memory. Or because we all of a sudden…
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David the Political Campaigner
More Bible politics! (Because, there is a lot of fascinating politics in the Bible.) David sounds pious in 1 Chronicles 13:3 “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” And I’m not saying he’s not, but … it would be smart for a…
Matters of Interpretation 