I have a few blogs that I read semi-regularly, and two I want to recommend especially. Neither one writes every day, but they both write often enough so that I can keep up with at least some of what they are doing and thinking. Both are pastors, one an American Baptist and the other an Episcopalian.
The Baptist is quirky, at turns funny and then intense. I know his parents and one of his sisters quite well, too, and they are all interesting people, all delightful, each unique, firmly Baptist. Try out the Theological Snob at http://theosnob.blogspot.com
The Episcopalian is compassionate, passionate about social justice and about Jesus Christ. She is intimately connected with El Salvador though she lives in Vermont, is a caring pastor with an attention to liturgy, and is a dedicated hiker and mountain climber. Have a look at Caminante, No Hay Camino at http://caminantesi.blogspot.com
This testimonial started out because Theo Snob cited MY blog as one he reads. But both of these blogs stimulate thought. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
More on the Islamic Center
The op-ed piece in the New York Times by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
is impressive. HE is impressive. The man has indeed spent his time
and energy on building bridges between Islam and other religions,
which is what makes the furor over the community center even more
execrable.
The flames of the furor have been fanned by extremists in this
country, and by politicians that ought to be more responsible and more
thoughtful (I suspect to foment more opposition to President Obama and
all Democrats who support the constitutional rights of the Islam
community). The facts that get lost in the cacophony of voices are 1)
all adherents to Islam are NOT extremists any more than all Christians
or Jews are extremists; 2) Muslims, too, died in the 9/11 attack; 3)
freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions, not just yours or
mine; 3) the proposed community center will take the place of a
derelict building last used as the Burlington Coat Factory; 4) if
ground becomes "sacred" because someone died there, then ALL ground,
it seems to me, must be sacred, since probably someone, sometime, died
there; 5) if all this ground is "sacred" what are businesses like a
porn shop, bars, and a tanning parlor doing there?! 6) the proposed
community center is at least two blocks away from "ground zero" which
in NYC is two neighborhoods away; and 7) it has now been 9 years since
the 9/11 attack, and still nothing in the way of permanent memorial
has been erected there.
The furor is all about xenophobia, and the fact that some of us need
someone to hate -- and Muslims are the chosen ones. Frankly, I'm
getting sick of my compatriots and the general lack of compassion,
human understanding, and logic.
The whole incident surrounding the misguided Florida church and the threatened buring of the Q'uran never should have happened, and never should have gotten all the publicity it did. Still, we are free to say whatever we want to say, no matter how many people it may hurt. If the pastor changes his mind again and decides to go through with the book burning, I hope the local police find some legitimate reason to arrest him and anyone who might be aiding him. This intolerance and hatred is not at all Christian.
is impressive. HE is impressive. The man has indeed spent his time
and energy on building bridges between Islam and other religions,
which is what makes the furor over the community center even more
execrable.
The flames of the furor have been fanned by extremists in this
country, and by politicians that ought to be more responsible and more
thoughtful (I suspect to foment more opposition to President Obama and
all Democrats who support the constitutional rights of the Islam
community). The facts that get lost in the cacophony of voices are 1)
all adherents to Islam are NOT extremists any more than all Christians
or Jews are extremists; 2) Muslims, too, died in the 9/11 attack; 3)
freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions, not just yours or
mine; 3) the proposed community center will take the place of a
derelict building last used as the Burlington Coat Factory; 4) if
ground becomes "sacred" because someone died there, then ALL ground,
it seems to me, must be sacred, since probably someone, sometime, died
there; 5) if all this ground is "sacred" what are businesses like a
porn shop, bars, and a tanning parlor doing there?! 6) the proposed
community center is at least two blocks away from "ground zero" which
in NYC is two neighborhoods away; and 7) it has now been 9 years since
the 9/11 attack, and still nothing in the way of permanent memorial
has been erected there.
The furor is all about xenophobia, and the fact that some of us need
someone to hate -- and Muslims are the chosen ones. Frankly, I'm
getting sick of my compatriots and the general lack of compassion,
human understanding, and logic.
The whole incident surrounding the misguided Florida church and the threatened buring of the Q'uran never should have happened, and never should have gotten all the publicity it did. Still, we are free to say whatever we want to say, no matter how many people it may hurt. If the pastor changes his mind again and decides to go through with the book burning, I hope the local police find some legitimate reason to arrest him and anyone who might be aiding him. This intolerance and hatred is not at all Christian.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Theology and Politics
Since when did Glenn Beck become an expert on theology? He has "accused" President Obama of espousing "liberation theology", which Beck demonstrates he doesn't understand, by describing it as "oppressor and victim" having nothing to do with Christianity. I think he'd better read the Gospels again, and see how much Jesus had to say about the responsibility that those who have enough, have for those who have too little. Jesus had much to say about the responsibility of the rich toward the poor. By the way, this is social justice, which Beck says has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with Marxism.
Since Jesus came long before Karl Marx, perhaps Marx himself, in spite of himself, had something to do with Jesus (if not Christianity). I don't know whether the President espouses liberation theology or not. He has been private -- perhaps too private -- about his personal beliefs. But he is a member of the United Church of Christ, and the UCC does pay attention to social justice, so maybe he does lean toward liberation theology. I know that I do. And in my understanding, that's a whole lot closer to what Jesus was all about, than are the tenets of civil religion, at least as practiced by my American compatriots. Jesus had a whole lot more to do with a preferential treatment of the poor, and with ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and the sick and disabled, than he did with the right to bear arms and free enterprise and capitalism.
Jesus had a lot to say about the rich and the poor. And he also had some things to say about divorce that sound very harsh to 21st century American ears. He commanded love, not hate, even toward enemies; he advocated turning the other cheek instead of fighting back; he showed great reverence toward life but I can't remember anything he ever said about abortion, and I know he never said a word -- at least that's been recorded in Scripture for us -- about homosexuality.
I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people seem to be taken in by Mr. Beck and those who have aligned themselves with him. Especially so many who call themselves Christians. I know that different people of good will may differ, even on understandings of how to interpret the Scriptures. But the idea that God is only concerned about how we feel toward God and not how we act toward our fellow human beings is not one that I get from the Bible, and I don't understand how any thinking person can find that in Scripture. And maybe that's the answer: any thinking person...
Mr. Beck's D.C. rally, and much of what I understand he has had to say on his tv and radio programs, scare me. May God help us all.
Since Jesus came long before Karl Marx, perhaps Marx himself, in spite of himself, had something to do with Jesus (if not Christianity). I don't know whether the President espouses liberation theology or not. He has been private -- perhaps too private -- about his personal beliefs. But he is a member of the United Church of Christ, and the UCC does pay attention to social justice, so maybe he does lean toward liberation theology. I know that I do. And in my understanding, that's a whole lot closer to what Jesus was all about, than are the tenets of civil religion, at least as practiced by my American compatriots. Jesus had a whole lot more to do with a preferential treatment of the poor, and with ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and the sick and disabled, than he did with the right to bear arms and free enterprise and capitalism.
Jesus had a lot to say about the rich and the poor. And he also had some things to say about divorce that sound very harsh to 21st century American ears. He commanded love, not hate, even toward enemies; he advocated turning the other cheek instead of fighting back; he showed great reverence toward life but I can't remember anything he ever said about abortion, and I know he never said a word -- at least that's been recorded in Scripture for us -- about homosexuality.
I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people seem to be taken in by Mr. Beck and those who have aligned themselves with him. Especially so many who call themselves Christians. I know that different people of good will may differ, even on understandings of how to interpret the Scriptures. But the idea that God is only concerned about how we feel toward God and not how we act toward our fellow human beings is not one that I get from the Bible, and I don't understand how any thinking person can find that in Scripture. And maybe that's the answer: any thinking person...
Mr. Beck's D.C. rally, and much of what I understand he has had to say on his tv and radio programs, scare me. May God help us all.
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