Progressive ChristianProgressive ChristianA site dedicated to progressive Christianity and progressive politics. I have a Masters degree in theology and am married to a United Methodist minister. Articles
Be Still . . .
2006-10-05 03:57:00 Among my wife's many wonderful qualities, she is extremely wise. Tonight at a church function, as we spoke about our feelings concerning the events of the past week - three school shootings, one attempted shooting, and the unfolding events in Washington - she read Psalm 46. I found it so fitting because the author of this Psalm wrote about the various troubles and horrors of life, and he More About: Stil , Still
Connecting the Dots
2006-10-04 19:05:00 There have been four REPUBLICAN Congressmen who have been forced to resign because of scandals, two of whom are in federal prison. The REPUBLICAN majority leader of the Senate in under investigation for improper stock trading, as well as recently saying that we need to bow to the inevitable and allow the Taliban into the Afghan government (I thought it was the Democrats who were soft on terror?) More About: Connect , Dots , The D , Connecting
Thoughts on the Evolvling Scandal
2006-10-03 21:22:00 First, the scandal is only peripherally about the conduct of Mark Foley. He is gone, will not be coming back, and may spend quite some time in prison once he gets out of rehab (if, in fact, that is where he is since no one actually knows where he is). The real scandal is the lack of action by the House leadership to do anything - up to and including getting Mark Foley away from teenage boys as More About: Scandal , Thoughts , Thought , Anda , Scan
Just Don't Get It
2006-10-03 00:07:00 The first review article in the most recent New York Review of Books features Frank Rich reviewing a spate of books by Democratic politicians and commentators offering policy prescriptions for the near future. Rich is, on the whole dismissive, but Rich misses the larger point because he does what he criticizes one of the authors, Peter Beinart, for doing - he ignores the fact that what he calls More About: Just
That Political Element
2006-10-01 17:46:00 I cannot lie and say that I do not have misgivings about much of what I have written recently. I suppose they are the same misgivings I have had repeatedly when I have attempted to clarify what I feel is true and what is not true about the relationship between faith and politics. I hate to sound quietist, because I do not believe Christianity is quietist. On the contrary, we are called to live More About: Political , Men , Politica , Hat , That
Choices
2006-09-30 16:51:00 Stripping away all the detritus of theology, what Christianity comes down to is this - God, the Creator of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Master of prions and elephants - loved me so much as to sacrifice a part of the Divine majesty as a ransom for my own wretched life. I have repaid that sacrifice with dilatoriness, sloth, lust, pride, and pettiness. I live an undisciplined, haphazard life, More About: Choice , Choi , Choices
Where I Stand (Another Big Blogging Day After Much Silence)
2006-09-29 20:59:00 The truth is, I no longer put much stock in those who think they have it all figured out, faith-wise. I used to be such a person and am frankly ashamed of my own hubris and naivete. I have reached a point where my passion is no longer showing the world how clever I am; my passion is to discover the depths of God's love for the world, and to live out the life God calls me to. I understand at a More About: Blogging , Other , Blog , Here , Another
Balmer Takes an Easy Shot
2006-09-29 18:48:00 The article here is an example of what I think of as an easy shot. Noted Christian progressive Randall Balmer tells of his attempt to get a clarification from certain religious right groups on our current policies regarding torture, rendition, etc.. The two answers he receives are wholly supportive of Pres. Bush. It's an easy shot because, rather than discuss issues, Balmer shows these groups More About: Take , Shot , Easy
Evolving Positions
2006-09-29 16:46:00 I guess I have found, over the course of the past few months, my positions on the relationship between politics and Christian faith changing. I no longer simply view the Christian faith as an endorsement of certain policies and an opponent of others. I no longer view the Christian Right with disdain as heretics or misguided, benighted yahoos in need of proper theological education. I no longer More About: Ving , Posi , Position
God has no politics
2006-09-24 18:59:00 As a reply of sorts (no one has read this blog in a while, so who knows who will see it) to Jim Wallis, I offer this basic critique of the whole idea that God has policy positions. First, God's goal, as testified to in Scripture and revealed in Jesus Christ, is the final reconciliation of fallen creation with the creator. To that end, we are to live as we were created to live - loving one More About: Politics , Poli , Politic
An Interesting Conversation and (I think) a Great Analogy
2006-09-12 21:25:00 Yesterday, I participated in a comment-conversation here with some folks from Portugal concerning the events of 9/11 and the anniversary. It was a great conversation, with opinions being a rough mix of all sorts, all with sympathy for America as it remembered its honored dead. In the midst of the conversation, I was trying to point out to one commenter who had said that at least the United More About: Interesting , Inter , Great , Think , Interest
Moving Forward the Day After we Remebered
2006-09-12 17:01:00 Taps has been played. Tears have been shed. We all shared where we were, what we were doing, how we coped, how we didn't cope. It is now time to return to the present, to do the work we must do if we are to honor our dead justly. It is now time to take up again the struggle for justice and peace - not war, vengeance, and coroporate profit - and seek with humility and in full awareness of our More About: Moving , War , After , Ward , Day After
Everyone else is doing it, why not me?
2006-09-11 21:44:00 The morning of September 11, 2001 was the beginning of a week's vacation. I got off work at 7:00 am and headed home, looking forward to a good morning's sleep, then leaving the next day with my four-year-old daughter for a trip to my parent's house in upstate NY to celebrate my father's 80th birthday. I crawled into bed after kissing my wife and our three month old daughter. I hadn't been More About: Ever , Else , Everyone , Why Not , Doing
. . . And then there's Jim Wallis
2006-09-11 20:14:00 An article linked through Faith in Public Life.org takes two steps back as liberal and progressive Christians, evangelical and mainstream, struggle to make their voices heard. I feel particularly piqued at Wall is over this because, ahem, not too long ago in this very blog I was saying similar things (no, I won't tell you where, I am too embarassed by them now). I have come to realize over the More About: Alli , Here , There , Then
More Creative Evangelicals
2006-09-11 16:37:00 A tip of the link to Michael Binder over at The Christian Left blog for this story from The Wshington Post. There are two things that struck me about the article, which I would urge you to read. First, at an attempt at "balance", the reporter, Caryle Murphy, managed to interview a conservative evangelical, Don Carson, from Trinity Evan gelical Divinity School here in Illinois, who mentioned More About: Creative , Angel , More
A Musical Promo
2006-09-10 17:06:00 On this Sunday morning, I am sitting, listening to the rain, and am captivated by a recording of "St. Matthews Passion", by J. S. Bach. The recording is courtesy of the Music al Heritage Society, a great place for fantastic classical and jazz recordings (I got a double CD of Benny Goodmann's 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall, not a copy of the vinyl, but complete with songs that had gone missing, More About: Musical , Musica , Prom , Promo
Election year Stupidity
2006-09-10 16:32:00 Thanks to my new link comes this story that, among other things, would seem to disprove what I have said earlier concerning the theocracy threat. After all, a law that would limit damages in religious liberty suits does seem to be part of a larger plan to inch theocracy forward, doesn't it? Except, of course, even if the law - part of a larger bill - passes the House (my guess is it will, but More About: Stupidity , Stupid , Election , Year
New Link
2006-09-10 15:13:00 To the right is a new link to the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. The blog is full of articles and opinion that reflect a strong faith, a determined politics, and a wise sense of the limits of both. It is a site, like Faith in Public Life.org, I shall use often as a source for information and reflection. Click it and check it out for yourself. More About: Link
Study reveals real world is not the media-created world
2006-09-09 21:37:00 A recent Pew Center study, quoted and analyzed in part here reveals once again that the hype over the conservative-liberal divide in churches - the caricature of the fundy evangelical and the limousine liberal mainliner - is a bunch of hooey. As some of the most thoughtful and interesting religio-politiccal thought recently has emerged from evangelical thinkers wrestling with issues of More About: Media , The Media , World , Study , Real
More on votes and values
2006-09-09 01:45:00 From the AP, courtesy of Faith in Public Life.org, comes this story from the governor's race in Texas. I suppose if Republicans can insist that it is Christian faith that drives them to oppose abortion, a Democrat can claim that faith is a factor in supporting the minimum wage. Seeing it print like this, I am starting to wonder about Rorty's argument, outlined in my previous post. I wonder how More About: Vote , More , Values , Value , Votes
Values, votes, and the fake theocracy threat
2006-09-07 23:23:00 I am proud to link, and to be linked back by, Faith In Public Life.org. I am particularly taken with their reprints of news articles. I have offered one already today. Now, I offer this one from St. Paul, MN. It is a good discussion of an issue with which I have struggled, including here in this blog earlier this summer (click on the archive button because I can't remember exactly where; More About: Vote , Fake , Values , Value , Threat
Who says there isn't good news out there?
2006-09-07 19:58:00 The headline - "War turns southern women against GOP" - was too good to pass up. The opening quote, in which a southern lady compares George Bush to (gasp!) Ulysses Grant, made the whole article worthwhile. I suppose this might trickle in to the MSM punditsphere as "worrying" or "troubling" for the GOP. In fact, it should have everyone from Ken Mehlman on down to the local precinct captain More About: News , Good News , Out There , Here , Good
Speaking the truth, even when it's complicated
2006-09-07 18:06:00 Faith In Public Life.org has posted an article from Christianity Today that hits the nail on the head: the mix of Christianity and politics is neither simple nor simplistic, and too much of the discussion comes from ignorance on both sides - reporters who don't understand Christianity and take what they can get from media hacks; and Christians who are enthusiastic over certain issues, but ignore More About: Truth , Cat , Comp , King , Speak
Langdon Gilkey as Prophet
2006-09-06 02:50:00 I offer the following quote from Gilkey's monumental Reaping the Whirlwind: A Christian Interpretation of History, p.23: [I]f we use our waning preponderance of power in a fit of anxiety, pride, and the lust to remain dominant and secure, we shall only bring down ourselves, our world, and the noble house of our traditional cultural life more quickly. Does anything better encapsulate our current More About: Prophet , Prop
On Silly Atheists
2006-09-05 20:48:00 Over at Faith in Public Life.org, there is a reprint of an article by Newsweek reporter Jerry Adler on recent books attacking religion. I want to focus on Sam Harris, because I have heard him featured, and heard his arguments, which offer nothing new, rehashes of centuries-old so-called "rationalist" attacks on religion. I find it fascinating that a human phenomenon that transcends race, class, More About: Atheist , Illy , Silly , Atheists , Theist |
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