Beloved Community in Dialogue and Debate

Last updated on: December 8, 2012 at 8:19 pm By Jessica Church

“How are we a caring community?” This is the guiding question of Dialogue Across UVA, an organization here at school of which I am a part. Dialogue Across UVA is a spinoff of a national program called Sustained Dialogue, which forms intentionally diverse groups of students that meet weekly to discuss issues like gender, race, class, the Greek system, etc. Dialogue Across UVA differs from Sustained Dialogue in that its participants are not only students. Faculty, staff, and contracted workers... Read more

Damning Video Contrasts Romney’s Comments to Funders vs Pastors

Last updated on: September 20, 2012 at 7:37 am By Eric Sapp

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth even more. The video by Message Matters and American Values Network contrasts Romney’s statement to faith leaders about the poor and importance of maintaining a government safetynet vs his now infamous statements to rich donors about how he really feels. Nothing I can say is more damning than Romney’s own words, so I’ll let Romney speak for himself (and disagree with himself). Please share. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zKoUzvpPPA&feature=youtu.be Twitter: @SappEric Romney to Faith Leaders... Read more

Romney vs. Reality: A Social Worker’s Perspective

Last updated on: September 19, 2012 at 9:27 am By Guest Contributor

Unless you have experienced the social services system you may believe the myth that low-income people are entitled, but as the ranks of the poor grow to include the formerly middle-class we have to let go of this myth just as a child has to let go of Santa Claus when they reach a certain age. Read more

Whatever You’ve Done for the Least of These

Last updated on: September 19, 2012 at 9:19 am By Libby Shannon

This week the nation has had the opportunity to see a side of Governor Romney we don’t see very often. He offered a clear, concise, unadulterated position- and that position happened to be a shot at the 47% of people who he claims will vote for President Obama regardless of what he says or does because they believe “they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.” (For a full story and video, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser please see who initially broke... Read more

Romney Doesn’t Care About Half of America—The GOP Half!

Last updated on: September 18, 2012 at 12:06 pm By Eric Sapp

The group he is dismissing is mostly Republican! The top 10 states with the highest percentage of the population not paying income taxes are the reddest states in the country...Furthermore, the people he's dismissing are not statistics or problems or worthless. They are God's children, our neighbors. They matter and have worth...Romney's similarity to the Wizard of Oz's Tin Man is more than just in affect and movement. He has no heart. Read more

Secret Confessions from the GOP Nominee: A Response

Last updated on: September 18, 2012 at 8:37 am By Jarrett Levale Key

Yesterday, the twitter-sphere blew up with articles and videos of Mitt Romney’s secret confession about the #47percent. As he described, There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to... Read more

Scripture & Politics Guide Part 9: Applying Scripture in a Pluralistic Society

Last updated on: September 17, 2012 at 10:11 am By Eric Sapp

progressive Christians should not categorically condemn those who claim their faith must publicly inform all they do. But we should remind those who make such claims that when they take such a stance, they place a much higher burden on themselves. Read more

Disillusionment, Democracy, and the Fate of President Obama

Last updated on: September 14, 2012 at 12:42 pm By Tim Beach-Verhey

(A version of this blog was posted last week on the Political Theology blog, There is Power in the Blog, which covers a lot of the same territory as Faithful Democrats and if you like what you read here, I recommend you check that blog out as well. It is more aimed at academic types than political types–but the two groups should certainly be in conversation with one another.) My first assignment as a blogger for Faithful Democrats, a few weeks... Read more

Where’s the Environment?

Last updated on: December 8, 2012 at 8:19 pm By Jessica Church

How did we get to a place where we reference the environment a mere three times over the course of a four-day convention? In the coming months, I urge you to listen attentively for any mention of the environment by either candidate. I don’t expect you’ll hear it much, but try to think about what impacts their proposed policies might have on the air you breathe or the water you drink. Obama doesn't have a stellar environmental record, but I’m willing to bet that if Mitt Romney is elected in November, these issues will largely be ignored. Read more

Faithfully Democratic

Last updated on: September 6, 2012 at 7:58 am By Burns Strider

I’m not into word counts. And, neither are Americans. We all know that we are known by the results of our labor . . . Values over process. Results over the superficial. Heart over strategy. Examples lived from the Word, not the example of a word. Read more