“When the happiness or misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self-love might suggest to us, prefer the interest of one to the interest of many.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Book 3, Sec. 1, Chapter 3. “(What) improves the circumstances of the greater part (of society) can never be regarded as an inconveniency to the whole. No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the... Read more
By Dwight Wolter “Does it bother you” I ask my son, “that I won’t be able to come to your college to celebrate Mother’s Day with you?” “No, Dad. I have to study for two finals so it’s just as well.” It isn’t until I hang up the phone that I realize how strange our two sentence conversation might appear to many people. I have been a single father for many years. I have, by necessity, tried to be a good mother.... Read more
A beloved black sister shared that she could not get behind the protest slogan “Never Again” while law enforcement agents are continuing to kill unarmed black men and women. In her lament, I heard an echo of the brilliant and, dare I say it, prophetic song “What’s Going On” by the late Marvin Gaye. The words “there’s too many [mothers and fathers] crying” are as true today as when Gaye recorded the song in the early 1970s. Those who have... Read more
When Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food,” about 2,000 years ago, there were only 100 to 300 million people on the whole Earth. Today, there are well past 7 billion living on the same-sized planet. Now that we’re bumping elbows as never before, Spaceship Earth is struggling as never before. Feeding the hungry, for example, has become much more complicated. Back in Jesus’ day, major grains, such as wheat, rice, and corn, had to be planted... Read more
I’ve heard some buzz in Christian circles that has troubled me. It is the idea that if we reach the most influential people in the world for Jesus… then everyone else will follow. I’ve seen this philosophy begin to infect churches and organizations, even entire movements and conferences whose goal is to reach the “influencers” – the gatekeepers, powerbrokers, and social capitalists. I’ve seen it on the inside, because sometimes I’m considered one of those “influencers”. I’ve had a hard... Read more
By Mike Baughman The wake of a young man gave birth to stones flung from the hands of desperation. Death calls us to wake as we roll around in the waves that sweep across a nation. In the wake of Baltimore we wake to questions. Could we invest less in demonizing color, less in demonizing cops and more in copping to our complacency for a universe whose moral arc bends far too slowly towards justice? How could we tug just... Read more
The Doctrine of Discovery is a little known aspect of our Christian history. A tragic example of the justification of conquest and the theft of land and resources from indigenous people’s around the globe. Many Christian bloggers have recently come together to raise awareness about the continuing legal and moral consequences of our this doctrine. It is especially important for us to lift up native voices in this conversation, so we encourage you to read the contributions of Mark Charles at Formerly Fundie,... Read more
I have been in many mosques, including four of the most “amazing mosques from around the world.” Then there’s the retired imperial mosque of Hagia Sophiain Istanbul — which made a decent Christian basilica, or so I’m told — wherein I once ‘stowed away’ after hours and spent part of an evening by myself marveling under its magnificent Byzantine domes. On several occasions, I have been awoken from slumber by the morning cry of the muezzin atop minarets in such exotic locales as Petra... Read more
As promised in my first Pando Populus post, over the next few weeks I’ll highlight some of the incredible people involved in our June 4-7 global conference for the planet: Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization. For this post, however, words are not enough. That’s because today I’m introducing you to John Bielenberg and Tucker Nichols. One of the leaders in the “Design for Good” movement, John Bielenberg sees design in terms of how it impacts the world. He has always... Read more
For the last couple of months, I’ve been studying the book of Genesis with a group of very bright young University of Southern California (USC) students. I’m the adviser for our “Church of the Broken Bread” progressive Christian student fellowship here. Our weekly gatherings are simple. First, each of us takes a piece and says their piece around the circle: you tear off a piece of communion bread, dip it in grape juice, eat it, and then say what’s on... Read more
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