By Alejandro Gonzalez, USA TODAY
Black History Month set me to thinking about America's churches. Some led the struggle for civil rights. Others lined up on the wrong side. In the 1970s, a phrase was coined by historian John Lee Eighmy to explain why so many white Southern churches got it wrong: Churches in Cultural Captivity. Turns out my fellow Southern Baptists — my own family included — were Southern first and Baptist second.
But has the problem of religious organizations being co-opted or compromised by the broader secular culture gone away? And is it limited by geography or political boundaries?
Continue . . .
Thursday, March 24, 2011
In Civil War, the Bible became a weapon
By Suzy Parker, USA TODAY (02/28/2011)
The Bible is too often invoked in today's political battles, just as it was employed during the Civil War, which erupted 150 years ago.
While previous anniversaries of this conflict rekindled old Yankee-Rebel debates about who had better soldiers and greater generals, times have changed and this anniversary is likely to be different. It offers a chance to re-examine crucial events and beliefs from new angles. As a minister, I am fascinated to reflect on how the Bible was used — and misused — to fuel the Civil War.
continue . . .
The Bible is too often invoked in today's political battles, just as it was employed during the Civil War, which erupted 150 years ago.
While previous anniversaries of this conflict rekindled old Yankee-Rebel debates about who had better soldiers and greater generals, times have changed and this anniversary is likely to be different. It offers a chance to re-examine crucial events and beliefs from new angles. As a minister, I am fascinated to reflect on how the Bible was used — and misused — to fuel the Civil War.
continue . . .
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
LGBT Bible Study at Foundry United Methodist Church
If you or others at your congregation are considering the start of an LGBT focused Bible (or Torah or text, etc) study, check out this new video clip from Foundry UMC, a reconciling Methodist church based in Washington DC.
GLBT Bible Study in Washington, D.C. from Bree Tracey on Vimeo.
Out In Scripture - 2/14/2011
Dear God,
Make us unexpected agents of change for the world around us.
Remind us that faith is not remaining content with the way things are, but catching your vision of the way things can be.
Give us courage in the present.
Empower us to speak when the odds appear against us.
Amen.
Out In Scripture - 3/16/2011
Call us out, O God, from familiar settings.
Lead us into unexplored regions,
and make our lives a blessing to all whom we meet.
Give us courage to explore you and to explore ourselves openly.
Amen
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