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...
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Category: Progressive Christians
Kingdom Manifesto – Sermon on the Mount Summarized
It might be a good project for each of us – to try to summarize the Sermon on the Mount...
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Turn the Other Cheek MEANS Resist Them Non-Violently
I. THE PROBLEM: Jesus says to turn the other cheek. [See a summary of this post.] Is it ever...
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The Quiet Places in Our Lives Make Our Public Activity Safer
Contemplation and Public ActionThe public good is most in danger when the voluntary visits...
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Freedom From Fear – Comes From Your Faith, Not Your Government
[See also: What if We Are Persecuted?!] No government can ever guarantee that you or I will have...
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Young People Changing the World: Activism and Prayer – “Occupy Spirituality” by Bucko & Fox
I am very pleased with this book (“Occupy Spirituality”). It is a conversation...
Read More“Emergent Evangelical” – Can I Be Both?
A friend recently asked what it means that I use “emergent evangelical” as my religious affiliation on FaceBook. So here’s a look at what the phrase means to me. I. “Evangelicals” Today...
Read MoreAndre Trocme Sees A Non-Sectarian Jesus
Andre Trocme was a pastor in Nazi-occupied France. He and his small town risked their lives – and some lost their lives – to save many hundreds of Jews from the Nazis. He wrote this in a book about Jesus published a...
Read MoreMoral Values in Teaching and Nursing
Here, from a nurse’s blog, are some values I certainly agree with. It makes no mention of Christian values, Biblical values, or “family values.” Does it represent those things as you understand them? So, just...
Read MoreDenial of Rights is a Sin Against God
Christians believe that man is made in the image of God, that every person is of intrinsic worth before God, and that every individual has a right to the fullest possible opportunity for the development of life abundant and...
Read MoreIsaiah 58: Moral Patterns Have Consequences, Blessings Are Available
Isaiah 58 (like much of Isaiah) is awesome. For example, here’s verse 2. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the...
Read MoreIs Biblical Morality Egalitarian?
Egalitarian: adj. affirming political, economic, and social equality for all [< Fr. egalite] Defined that way, I'd have some problems with the idea, unless we're pretty careful how we define "equality". But the Bible certainly...
Read More18 Questions: The Reaction to the Lists
I promised to share some responses I got in church when I read two lists of questions from the pulpit a couple of weeks ago. (The two lists are at the bottom of this post.) I had asked the congregation to watch for differences...
Read MoreA Game of 18 Questions:What Differences Do You See?
Sermon Title: What Should We Emphasize In Order to Promote True Christianity in This Country? I “preached” Sunday. (Some say what I do is not really “preaching”, but that’s another question.) We...
Read MoreLutheran Speaker Calls For “Friends of Jesus” to Speak Up on Social Issues
[Here’s a submission from the Chicago area – notes from last Sunday’s guest speaker.] Pastor Fred Aigner, President, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI.org) (his sermon given Feb. 19th, 2006, my notes...
Read MoreWallis on Bonhoeffer: “a real Christ critical of the majority culture”
Here’s Jim Wallis discussing his first encounters with the writings of Bonhoeffer, “through reading his books as a young seminarian.” “I had just come back to Jesus after rejecting my childhood faith and...
Read MoreMaybe You Should Be In (a) Mainstream Church!
Sunday seems a good day to re-attend to this comment from bookaholic (last week’s Open Thread). People looking for an alternative to churches that ignore Jesus’ teachings, get Caesar and God mixed up, don’t...
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