Politics, Public Life, and Spiritual Development, for Christ-Followers
There is one Kingdom that is truly Honest, Holistic, and Humane.
Jesus and the Prophets described it, and taught us how to pursue and build it. Let's!

A Reasonable Goal

Posted by admin | Jan 15, 2007 | ACTIVISM | 0 |

Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set… — Gandalf

[thanks to dnta at dkos who uses it as a sig line]

Featured Articles

Prophets MUST Improvise, In and For Our Cities.

The prophet’s task is to “reorder” and “refashion” the urban environment to be more just and peaceable. Yet ... the work of social transformation must be based on a deep inner transformation. That's the burden of this excellent book (quote from p97). Resurrection City...

On War – and Its Effects on Humans

Quotes from the e-newsletter I get from Information Clearing House. ... the United States, for generations, has sustained two parallel but opposed states of mind about military atrocities and human rights: one of U.S. benevolence, generally held by the public, and the...

Why I Pay Attention to Jesus Christ

WHY? Why should we focus any more on Jesus Christ than on Abraham or Moses or Isaiah? Or on the laws in the Bible, or prophecy, or the end of the world? Is focus on Jesus more needed than pointing out sins – especially other people’s sins? Is Christ actually more...

The Kingdom of God. God’s New Economy. We Are Called To Seek It.

"Over and against these senseless modern myths ... there is the "myth" of the God of goodness who has chosen people to prepare a kingdom of justice, truth, and love on earth. This myth dies hard. Why should we refuse to admit that Christ taught it to us?" [from Andre...

Charlottesville – White Thug Racism the old Nazi Way

The Nazi-precipitated demonstrations and violence in Charlottesville a few weeks ago were disturbing for at least a couple of reasons. RACISM: the public gathering of arrogant whites proudly displaying contempt for all people unlike them.THE OLD NAZI STRATEGY OF FREE...

Why Many Christians Do Not Vote Republican

This was written about 12 years ago (as of today, in February 2017). Wow. And the problems remain, and have grown; which means these things still need thinking and talking about. References and Bible quotations...

Two Types of Religion – Authority, Love

Sometimes I feel there are obviously two primary modes for religious practice in this world. That amazement is the opposite of complacency and self-satisfaction. And that gentleness is very different from constant critique and...

Jesus and Racism – Samaritan Lives Matter – Black Lives Matter

Samaritans in Jesus' day were both religiously and racially despised. The phrase "Samaritan lives matter" would have been very offensive to the Jewish culture in which Jesus was raised and in which he was a teacher and doer of good. But to Jesus, clearly Samaritan...

"THIS IS HOW they made the pleasant land desolate."

The Bible fairly often makes a direct connection between the desolation of a land (and its people - and, obviously, its economic life) and moral corruption in the people's prior social, legal, and economic patterns. Here's an example from Zechariah 7. The residents...

Jesus Pushes Us to Judge OUR OWN LIVES – Not Other People’s

Jesus was a highly respected teacher of morality and of the spiritual life. So, logically enough, a man asked him to take a stand on a moral issue between the man and his brother (Luke 12:13-15) - Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide...

Moral economic behavior stressed by Isaiah

Are Economic Matters a Moral Issue? Isaiah Thinks So.

In spite of Isaiah, and other Bible sources, we’ve all heard this - something like: I. It is NOT the government’s place to interfere in economic matters - tell people how they should spend their money or how they should treat their employees. That warps economic...

John Paul II: Private Prayer and the Dangers of Public Life

Connie and I recently watched Karol: A Man Who Became Pope. It portrays Karol Wojtyla's life from his late teens, when the Nazi's invaded his city and nation, through WWII, then through decades of Communist rule (as a satellite of the Soviet Union), up to the day he...

German Christians Sold Out to Power and Glory

[A Review of Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, by Charles Marsh, 2014] This book is not written to coddle nor to discomfort whatever our self-image is as American Christians today; Marsh is trying to show reality. To me, two eras of Bonhoeffer's life seem...

Religion Running Government, Theocracy, We would regret it

Theocracy (Religion Runs the Government) – We Would Deeply Regret It

I am a church person, a person of faith. But I don't think we need a government that rules as if it were the voice of God. This nation's Constitution was written partly in order to help us avoid theocracy. Unfortunately there are Americans today who clearly think the...

The Moral Priorities of Jesus – What Did Jesus Teach?

He said, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' but do not do what I say?" Maybe he meant it. This short book (40 pages) is available as a free pdf, or as a paperback at LULU.com (see the links below). It treats the following issues. Here, each chapter title is followed by...

Christians Should Not Enforce the Bible.

Here's another example of the misunderstanding and misuse of Scripture by the 'religious right'. This was quoted to me to show that no Christian could ever vote for Democrats. "Don't you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be...

100 Quotes

Nerd alert! This is a list that used to be behind the quote widget on the upper right of the page. They are from various places, maybe half from my personal reading (books). I'm not documenting sources because I don't have time or did not record them. There's good...

If You Do Not Love Your Neighbor Whom You CAN See – Can You Love God?

The author of "1 John" makes a simple, blunt, very logical analysis of our emotional attachments - or professed attachments. (1 John 4:20) If you do not love your brother whom you can see, how can you love God whom you cannot see? Well, John, that's easy! We do it all...

Turn the Other Cheek – means Resist Them NonViolently

I. THE PROBLEM: Jesus says to turn the other cheek. [See a summary of this post.] Is it ever appropriate for Christians to resist authority? Many of us feel there is much in the behavior of our national leaders that cries out for criticism and resistance. Are...

The Quiet Places in Our Lives Make Our Public Activity Safer

Contemplation and Public Action The public good is most in danger when the voluntary visits to contemplation are neglected in favor of immediate communitarian action. We don't have to go off and become full-time contemplatives. But times of stepping aside from the...

Fascism Appearing In America (says “The American Conservative” Magazine)

I've written some articles comparing America today to Hitler's Germany; and it seems it's not just me being paranoid and over-reactive. That concern is appearing in a number of places. Now The American Conservative magazine is running an article, "Hunger for...

The Civilized Are Responsible

Originally published in 1976. My how times have not changed. The civilized have created the wretched, quite coldly and deliberately, and do not intend to change the status quo; are responsible for their slaughter and enslavement; rain down bombs on defenseless...

Threat leads to assault. Hate leads to violence.

Hitler Defended Christian Morality and Family Values

Current prominent figures, speaking words the "Christian Right" wants to hear, are not the first national leaders to use Christian morality as a rallying cry. These words are from 1933: "The National Government will preserve and defend those basic principles on which...

No Principle but Commercialism, No Patriotism but of the Pocket – Mark Twain

Mark Twain wrote out of experience of the decades just before the twentieth century began. Back then the conquest-lust and money-lust were not fatal, but they were extreme and very damaging. But it was impossible to save the Great Republic. She was rotten to the...

Is Trump a Christian? What Does It MEAN to Believe in Christ?

There was some excitement among certain Republican Christians when Dobson said Trump had become a "baby" Christian and should be cut some slack on that basis. Two problems with that: A novice at practicing the Christian faith is not someone we should automatically...

A Reasonable Goal

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Wish I’d Said That!

SEARCH

Recent Posts

Your Comments!

Subscribe to Updates

Pages

Featured Articles

Prophets MUST Improvise, In and For Our Cities.

On War – and Its Effects on Humans

Why I Pay Attention to Jesus Christ

The Kingdom of God. God’s New Economy. We Are Called To Seek It.

Charlottesville – White Thug Racism the old Nazi Way

Why Many Christians Do Not Vote Republican

Two Types of Religion – Authority, Love

Jesus and Racism – Samaritan Lives Matter – Black Lives Matter

"THIS IS HOW they made the pleasant land desolate."

Jesus Pushes Us to Judge OUR OWN LIVES – Not Other People’s

Are Economic Matters a Moral Issue? Isaiah Thinks So.

John Paul II: Private Prayer and the Dangers of Public Life

German Christians Sold Out to Power and Glory

Theocracy (Religion Runs the Government) – We Would Deeply Regret It

The Moral Priorities of Jesus – What Did Jesus Teach?

Christians Should Not Enforce the Bible.

100 Quotes

If You Do Not Love Your Neighbor Whom You CAN See – Can You Love God?

Turn the Other Cheek – means Resist Them NonViolently

The Quiet Places in Our Lives Make Our Public Activity Safer

Fascism Appearing In America (says “The American Conservative” Magazine)

The Civilized Are Responsible

Hitler Defended Christian Morality and Family Values

No Principle but Commercialism, No Patriotism but of the Pocket – Mark Twain

Is Trump a Christian? What Does It MEAN to Believe in Christ?

Jesus Pushes Us to Judge OUR OWN LIVES – Not Other People’s

The Kingdom of God. God’s New Economy. We Are Called To Seek It.