Dianna Anderson writes, Being part of the Church is, by definition, to embrace and work from and with the margins. It is to understand that the margins – those prized and created and beloved by God, those we are called to care for – are so significant to the church as to become the face of the church.Jesus was an itinerant preacher who spoke from the margins, embracing those society would not, a man hated by many. If you, as a... Read more
The cartoon above by Mike Lukovich offers an amusing take on a famous painting. It nicely situates Big Oil as thinking of itself as God. One way of understanding it is that Big Oil as God is taking a bribe from the GOP (the Republican Party) to ignore the Pope. But that would represent a reversal of what really happens – the money passes from Big Oil to the politicians, and then they ignore the Pope in favor of their vested interests. So is... Read more
I felt like I should make some memes specifically for the new Facebook page I created, Progressive Christians of Indiana. And so here is my first. It hopefully works on its own, but since it tries to allude to a lot of things in a short space, let me comment on it at least a little. The background is the instance of a pizzeria in Indiana saying it would not serve gay people, and then president Obama making a joke... Read more
PZ Myers shared the cartoon above. It struck me as reflecting on it that there is an interesting convergence between the radical egalitarian meritocracy talked about in the comic, and the vision of the Jubilee law in the Bible. The Jubilee law required that once a generation, land would revert to its original owner. The possibility of accumulating wealth infinitely and indefinitely was eliminated, and the recuperation of land meant that the children or grandchildren those who had fallen into poverty had... Read more
For this 4th of July, I thought I would repost something I wrote on this occasion in 2008: It is the 4th of July, and in the United States, we often find people mixing Christianity and nationalism in ways that are at best ironic, and at times downright contradictory. The 4th of July is thus an appropriate day for reflection on Christianity, nationalism, and what might have been different had the colonies in the New World not fought for their... Read more
Kevin DeYoung posted 40 questions on the Gospel Coalition website, aimed at Christians who support marriage equality. They are all the sort of thing you would expect from a conservative Christian website like The Gospel Coalition – and thus are things which most Christians who’ve thought about this issue will have already considered. A lot of people have responded. Here is a round-up of the ones I am aware of: Susan Cottrell Buzz Dixon Kimberly Knight Ben Irwin R. L. Stollar Aaron... Read more
I was asked a question on Facebook, and thought I would share the answer I gave. Here’s the question: I was hoping for a little clarification on how one might reconcile a non literal first Adam with Paul’s gospel. In Paul’s mind Christ is the “second Adam,” having succeeded where the “first Adam” failed. According to Paul, it is precisely because of the failure of the first that the second was required. Can anyone point me in the right direction... Read more
Christians should support same-sex marriage regardless of what one personally believes about marriage because treating same-sex couples with dignity and respecting their rights to have equal protection under the law is the right thing to do. – Chuck Queen The quote comes from an article in Baptist News on “Why Christians can and should support the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality.” Read more
A tribute to Chris Squire, the bassist of Yes, a founding member and the only persistent member throughout the band’s history, who passed away recently. The video begins with the song Whitefish and then transitions at the end into Jon Anderson singing Amazing Grace. It seems like such a fitting tribute. The solo Whitefish is one that Squire often performed on tour, and it appears on the album 9012 Live, which I owned as a teenager. Read more
I had someone ask me if there was an organization of progressive and liberal Christians in Indiana. There didn’t seem to be. And so I have set up a Facebook page, “Progressive Christians of Indiana.” If you are in that category, please do like the page on Facebook! Hopefully it will prove to be a useful place for people to connect with one another. Read more
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