Wednesday night’s post by Heather Cox Richardson (you should read it) illustrates the central problematic in American politics: the alliance between fascist-leaning politics and selected conservative Christian values pertaining to sex. With my background, I can see clearly that antipathy toward abortion always has been and always must be a feature of authentic Christian faith.Continue reading “Democracy, Christianity, abortion”
Category Archives: Faith and politics
Everyone Needs Compassion
At the monthly meetings of the Board of Education of Caledonia Community School, members of the public are allowed to make three-minute addresses to the trustees. Here is what I said tonight. Two words from me tonight: compassion and sex. Compassion comes first. And last. I know a song: “Everyone needs compassion.” It’s true. LifeContinue reading “Everyone Needs Compassion”
Christian identity, the Ten Commandments, and the way of Jesus
To say “I am a Christian” is to say a lot, and saying it in the wrong setting, or with the wrong intention, or while in the wrong relationship to what (and whom) the term rightly refers to, is dangerous.
Angela Rigas and the “God-given right” to possess and use guns with no restrictions whatsoever
So Angela Rigas, Michigan state representative for the district in which I live, considers red-flag laws (extreme-risk protection orders), universal background checks, and requirements for safe storage of guns to be violations of the Second Amendment. Most Americans do not. Americans (and Michiganians) have differing opinions on all sorts of things. On some questions relatingContinue reading “Angela Rigas and the “God-given right” to possess and use guns with no restrictions whatsoever”
No, you do not have a right to your own opinion
Habitual insistence on the sovereignty of one’s own (or one’s own faction’s) opinion is incompatible with Christian discipleship and culpably destructive of Christian community.
Newnesses
Better than “happy new year” . . .
Should community Facebook pages allow political posts?
Moderators ban “political” posts because we have a defective understanding of what “political” means.
Through the storm
What if you are in a storm, surrounded by enemies and headed for shipwreck? And what difference does it make if God is there in the storm with you?
In absentia
In case anyone wonders why the verba are even sparser here than usual these days, it’s because most of my meager time and energy for this sort of thing are going into my campaign website and Facebook page. That’s right, friends, I’m running for office. Please do have a look at those two places. [AsContinue reading “In absentia”
Acquiescence is complicity; love requires truthtelling
Until we have agreed that we will speak truthfully and respectfully to and about each other, and that we will not choose as our representatives people who are unable to do either, we cannot hope for progress on anything else.
Verba Sparsa 