Dec 23
To R Scott Clark and his blogpost that criticizes the CT editorial that asserts that Trump must be removed from office. This appeared in the Heidelblog.
The CT editorial spoke for many religiously conservative Christians. And it did so not because the writer believed that America is the Kingdom of God or that the President is our national pastor. And it did so not because the writer denied that we have a 2-fold citizenship or denied that we should have different expectations of members of the Church from members of society.
It was done because both there is still a role of demanding justice from our government and because the reputation of the Gospel is a stake here.
Just because there are two different standards for members of the Church and members of society, doesn't mean that there are no standards of justice for society and the state. That was an important point made by Martin Luther King Jr. when he referred to Augustine when he said that unjust law is not a law. We should note that our nation was founded on white supremacy among other things. White supremacy order our society, determined land acquisition through ethnic cleansing, enabled the race-based enslavement of people, enabled Jim Crow, was part of The Constitution, and still exists in the growing wealth disparity between the races. Christians who supported white supremacy hurt the reputation of the Gospel. Why? That is because when we call ourselves Christians, everything we do or refrain from doing, say or refrain from saying is associated with the Gospel. That is just as true for when we act and speak as individuals as when we witness society and the state acting and speaking for us. The various levels of guilt of so many Germany citizens during the Nazi regime bears witness to that. And since we so often fail to adequately represent Christ in all areas of life without living in a dictatorship, the knowledge that everything we do and say as well as what we refrain from doing and saying is associated with the Gospel should strike fear in every Christian's heart. It does in mine.
We should also note some Church history here. For preceding the French, Russian, and Spanish Revolutions, the respective predominant branch of the Church in those 3 cases supported those with wealth and power prior to those revolutions. Lenin spoke observationally when he repeated Marx's claim that religion 'is opium for the people.' As a result, when those revolutions took place, the Church was credibly portrayed as the enemies of the people. Here we should note that Post Modernism is an expanded macrocosm of those events--Post Modernism also rejects the metanarrative of Modernism, not just Pre Modernism.
We should note that though both of our major political parties are bought and paid for by financial elites and corporations. And the Republican Party, more than the Democratic Party, caters to the interests and even cravings of those elites and corporations and do so to great harm to our nation and, thus, eventually to the reputation of the Gospel. So when the vast majority religiously conservative Christians back Trump and the Republican party, we are merely witnessing Church history tragically repeating itself.
Clark's ironic weakness here is the pedestal on which he places our nation and is founders. Ironic because he writes from a 2KT viewpoint regarding the different levels of righteousness that exists in society and the Church. That pedestal, however, has a caveat. That condition is that one sees the nation as political conservatives, some of whom have refused to apologize for America's actions, see it. And it is that wedding of political and religious conservatism that, again ironically, allows Clark contribute to tragic repeating of Church history.
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Dec 31
To R. Scott Clark and his blogpost quoting of Nick Batex who questions whether the new concerns for the marginalized as expressed in social justice, intersectionality, and human flourishing are distractions to the Gospel in the Church. This appeared in Heidelblog.
Quote comes from
https://www.beautifulchristianlife.com/blog/are-you-bored-with-the-gospel
I am surprised that time is allowed to judge whether the new concerns of social justice, intersectionality, and human flourishing are legitimate. I thought that the Scriptures were suppose to do that.
In addition, allowing time to judge doesn't seem to allow for the distinction between a biblical concern for and approaches to social justice, intersectionality, and human flourishing from unbiblical concerns or unbiblical approach to those subjects.
Finally, the concern for social justice and intersectionality exist in part because those who were reputed representatives of the Gospel had, and some still do, participate in the marginalization of others. We should also note that the concern for human flourishing is sometimes a gateway drug to opportunistic vanguardism, as in Lenin's case, or paternalistic autocracy, as with what some religiously conservative Christians want employed by their favorite leaders.
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Jan 1
To R. Scott Clark and his blogpost that shows the video of a Praeger-U video that claims that the Enlightenment did not give us the contributions like democracy or interest in medical science that it is credited with. This appeared in Heidelblog.
The claim that all good things came from The Englightment is certainly false. But to say that implies that all good things came from good religious and political conservatives who preceeded The Enlightenment is also false. The fault with both ideas is the all-or-nothing thinking that dominates in the word 'all.' That type of thinking is a foundational part of authoritarianism. In this case, it is conservative authoritarianism that seeks the sole credit for all the good things we enjoy today. And proving that contention can't be done in a short video.
Conservative authoritarianism seeks such credit to establish its credentials for dominating society and culture rather than collaborating with non-conservatives.
Sorry, but the very idea of the government by consent flies in the face of the traditional-based conservatism even if some conservatives had previously thought of it. That some conservatives had previously thought of it doesn't imply that enlightenment thinkers did not come to that viewpoint independently or that they did not contribute to promoting that concept.
History tells us what religious and political conservatives did during centuries before The Enlightenment. The religious wars, imperial wars, colonialism, the marginalization of groups of people, the bigotry, and the belief in racial supremacy are part of the heritage of the religious and political conservatives. So too is their biblically-based rejection of scientific findings like the shape of the Earth and its place in the solar system and universe. Even the best of Christian leaders failed miserably in leading society fairly. Then again, Enlightenment leaders have failed too because they too contributed to some of the same things conservatives contributed to. And that is why we don't employ the word and concept of all when referring to the contributions of political and religious conservatives or those of the followers of The Enlightenment to today's life. And that finding was provided by Post Modernism, which itself has also produced its own problems.
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| This Month's Scripture Verse: 1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.. II Peter 2:1-3 | |||||||||
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Showing posts with label Social Justice And The Gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Justice And The Gospel. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Monday, September 17, 2018
ONIM For September 17, 2018
10 Best Fact Checking Sites Found Here.
If you are not sure about the validity of a news story linked to below, you can use mediabiasfactcheck.com to check out the credibility of the source of most of the stories linked to here.
Christian News
World News
Israel-Palestine News
Pick(s) Of The Litter
Just For Fun
If you are not sure about the validity of a news story linked to below, you can use mediabiasfactcheck.com to check out the credibility of the source of most of the stories linked to here.
Christian News
- A Statement On Social Justice And The Gospel
- An Open Letter To John MacArthur About Social Justice -- Witness: A Black Christian Collective
- On "Social Justice And The Gospel" Part 1 -- Witness: A Black Christian Collective
- Gospel And Social Justice--Fundamentalist And Progressive Distortions -- Evangelion
- New Evangelical Statement Against "Social Justice" Distortions Of The Gospel Causing Controversy -- Susan Wright On The Right
- Even More Social Justice And The Gospel -- Unsettled Christianity
- John MacArthur's 'Statement On Social Justice' Is Aggravating Evangelicals -- Christianity Today
- A World Of Caution For "Culture Warriors" From The Apostle Paul -- New Wineskins
- We Will Not Yield -- First Things
- The Gold Virgin -- First Things
- 9/11/18: A 17-Year-Long Lesson That Anger And Fear Do Not Keep Us Safe -- Sarah Thebarge
- The Irony Of Evangelical Idolatry In The White House -- Faith On The Fringe
World News
- Republican Florida Governor Candidate DeSantis Resigns From Congress -- Reuters
- Sweden Is What Happens When Liberals Let The Far-Right Set The Agenda -- Huffington Post
- Trump Administration Wants To Make It Easier To Release Methane Into Air -- New York Times
- Parent Fights To Show Movie To Educate Community On Disabilities -- WFMZ News
- House Republicans Seek More Tax Cuts As Election Nears -- AP News
- Emails Link Former Homeland Security Official To White Nationalists -- Atlantic
- International Court Says It Is Undeterred After Bolton's Threatens U.S. Sanctions -- Reuters
- The Revolution Was Televised: Why Didn't The Radical TV Of The 1980s Last? -- Guardian
- Putin Says Russia Identified Suspects In Novichok Poisoning -- Huffington Post
- Wall Street Is The Definition Of A Ponzi Scheme (Literally) -- Truthdig
- Active Shooter Study: Semi-Automatic Rifles More Deadly -- Sun Herald
- Manafort Seeking Plea Deal With Special Counsel That Would Avoid Cooperation Ahead Of Second Trial: Sources -- ABC News
- Turkey Reinforces Military In Syria's Idlib After Ceasefire Call Fails -- Reuters
- European Parliament Votes To Punish Hungary For Undermining Democratic Values -- Telegraph
- Drug Executive: It's A 'Moral Requirement' To Charge Patients The Highest Price -- Los Angeles Times
- Psychologists Say No To Torture -- Truthdig
- Unfiltered: 'The Democratic Plantation Is Really Worse Than The Plantation I Grew Up On' -- Yahoo News
- Diane Feinstein Acknowledges Having A Secret Brett Kavanaugh Document -- Huffington Post
- Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh Denies Having A Gambling Problem -- Huffington Post
- Acting ICE Director Attends Annual Media Event Of Anti-Immigrant Hate Group FAIR -- Southern Poverty Law Center
- Kavanaugh Contradicts White House Account Of Credit Card Debt, Raising More Questions -- Yahoo News
- 'We're Not Going Anywhere': Stills Will Continue Kneeling -- AP News
- 'I Work 3 Jobs And Donate Blood Plasma To Pay The Bills.' This Is What It's Like To Be A Teacher In America -- Time
- U.S. Plans To Pay Mexico To Deport Unauthorized Immigrants There -- New York Times
- After Delaying Obama-Era Protections, Betsy DeVos Loses Student Loan Lawsuit Brought By 19 States -- Time
- Congress Gives Sacred Apache Land To Foreign Mining Company -- White Wolf Pack
- Latinos Are More Likely To Believe In The American Dream, But Most Say It Is Hard To Achieve -- Pew Research Center
- New Study: High Minimum Wage In Seattle Caused No Employment Losses -- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Russian Pussy Riot Activist Hospitalized In Grave Condition; Poisoning Suspected -- Los Angeles Times
- Census: Rich Get Richer In Pennsylvania's Cities, Especially In Bethlehem -- Morning Call
- Education Levels Of U.S. Immigrants Are On The Rise -- Pew Research Center
- Prosecutor: Border Patrol Agent Charged With Murdering 4 -- US News And World Report
Israel-Palestine News
- European States Urge Israel Not To Demolish Bedouin Village -- Reuters
- US To Shut Palestinian Mission Over Lack Of Peace Talks -- Yahoo News
- Report: Israel Treating Al-Qaeda Fighters Wounded In Syrian Civil War -- Jerusalem Post
- Thousands Of Palestinians Protest On Gaza Coast, Navy Fires Toward Flotilla -- Haaretz
- Destroyed Gaza Airport Symbolizes Peace Hopes -- Arab News
- Trump Vents Over Leaks As Woodward Pushes Back On Criticism -- ABC News
- As Hurricane Florence Nears, Trump Calls Puerto Rico Response An 'Unsung Success' -- Huffington Post
- Trump Says He Won't Give Aid To Palestinians Unless They Agree To Peace Deal -- CBS News
- Don Lemon Has Just 1 Question For Trump After His Latest Wild Claim -- Huffington Post
- Mike Pence Is Worse Than Donald Trump, Says Omarosa -- Independent
- Trump Administration Took Nearly $10 Million From FEMA's Budget To Support ICE, Documents Show -- USA Today
- Trump Administration Adopts New Definition Of Anti-Semitism In Schools -- Politico
- Trump Pushes Conspiracy Theory Denying Puerto Rico Hurricane Death Toll -- Yahoo News
- Graham Departs From His Best-Friend McCain, Goes All In On Trump -- AP News
- Trump's Conspiracy Theory On Puerto Rico Death Toll Makes Even Florida Republicans Squirm -- Yahoo News
Pick(s) Of The Litter
- Man Killed By Officer In Wrong Apartment Was Beloved Churchgoer, Working Professional -- ABC News
- China: Massive Crackdown In Muslim Region -- Human Rights Watch
- Confrontation Caught On Camera After Man Denied Bus Ride Because He's Black -- KTRK News
- US Threatens To Arrest ICC Judges Who Probe War Crimes -- AFP
- Syria War Crimes Investigators Amass Strongest Evidence 'Since Nuremberg' Against Bashar Al-Assad -- Telegraph
- How The U.S. Government Misleads The Public On Afghanistan -- New York Times
- Inside The FBI: First Responders And 9/11-Related Illnesses, Part 1 -- FBI
- Federal Deficit Soars 32 Percent To Nearly $1 Trillion Due To GOP Tax Law, CBO Reports -- Guardians Of Democracy
- North Carolina Hog Farmers Spray Manure Around Black Communities; Residents Fight Back -- Democracy Now
- To Save Ourselves It's Time To Rethink Our Economic System, Warn Scientists -- Science Alert
- The Underbelly Of The Sex-Trade Industry -- Truthdig
- Feds Holding 12,800 Children In Detention Centers, Report Says -- CBS News
- U.S. Has Seen Evidence Of Syria Preparing Chemical Weapons In Idlib: Envoy -- Reuters
- FEMA Cuts Off Housing Funds For 987 Puerto Rican Families Who Fled Hurricane Maria -- NBC News
- Florence's Dangerous 'Flooding Is Only Going To Get Worse,' Official Warns -- ABC News
Just For Fun
- Americans Want Alert System Enabling Mueller To Text Them When This Emergency Is Over -- Borowitz Report
- Mike Pence Struggling To Reckon With Vision Of Prophet Muhammad Revealing That VP Destined To Become Next President -- Onion
- World History Professor Opens Class With Trigger Warning For Socialist Students -- Babylon Bee
- Mission Trip Successfully Converts Entire Village Into Republicans -- Babylon Bee
- Man Who Intentionally Divided Nation For 8 Years Calls For Unity -- Babylon Bee
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