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There has been some discussion around one aspect of the mission statement of the Beatitudes Society; the use of the concept of Countering the Christian right. A new generation of faithful, hopeful and hard working folks who have grown weary of the old culture wars have asked why we continue to define ourselves with such language. In the spirit of the new presidential administration many are seeking common ground rather than drawing lines in the sand. But as it turns out many in the Christian community are not thinking about ending the culture war, but are stoking the fire on the eve of our nation’s celebration of Independence.
Beatitudes Society member Mindy Roll has conducted a survey of her peers ("Why doyou/don't you go to church? etc")
Results in brief:
"On the whole, of those who go to church, they do so because of their desire to be connected to a community or to be in fellowship with other persons of faith.
"Of those who do not go to church, they stay away because of theological disagreements, not feeling welcome, or because church was not part of their upbringing.
"Both churchgoers and non-churchgoers are frustrated by the hypocrisy and judgmental or close-minded attitude of Christians and the church (many point to sexuality), the apathy to the outside world/social justice, and the unwillingness of the church to change or adults to be theologically educated.
It's been a big news Monday:
*the president observes Stonewall and preps for an end to "don't ask, don't tell,"
*a coup is staged in Honduras,
*Madoff gets his almost-just desserts,
*and a Supreme Court decision comes down on "reverse discrimination" (which is an oxymoron to this Californian who now sees a lopsided racial mix in our Universities since Bakke "reversed" discrimination in our state).
Out in the blogosphere in the early hours of the day was a bit of a tempest in a teapot over President Obama's alleged choice of a church. Word was (due to a "some say" bit of journalism at Time)that the Obamas had chosen not a local Washington site for their church home but rather their camp church, the Camp David chapel. And this had some red flags flying, despite the fact that the news was wrong--the Obamas are still church-shopping in the neighborhoods around the White House.
Lamentations 3:23-33 • Psalm 30 •
2 Corinthians 8:7-15 • Mark 5:21-43
By Pastor Erik Christensen
St. Lukes, Logan Square, Chicago
(Erik is The Beatitudes Society Mentor for our Chicago-based Summer Fellows)
About a week and a half ago I dropped by the AT&T store on Fullerton near Clybourne to pick up a Bluetooth hands-free set after being warned by a police officer to stop talking on the phone while driving. I went in to purchase a small piece of equipment. An hour later I’d agreed to satellite television. I now have hundreds of channels streaming into my home. I’ve lived for years with no antenna, no cable, just DVDs and what I could catch online. Now I’m back to waking up with CNN and Saturday mornings with TLC.
Fear
Ignorance
Arrogance
These are the words that come to mind when I listen to this woman speak.
Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people are beginning to benefit by laws of equality being passed.
Equality in the workplace
Equality for insurance and retirement
Equality for marriage/civil unions
Equality in communities of faith
Legislating equality is important, but it isn't enough. You can't legislate equality in someone's heart. Some people actually believe that LGBT/Queer people have a disease that will spread. They actually believe that we don't possess the ability to love with real love. They believe that we are decaying the moral fabric of society.
June 23, 2009
On May 13, I lingered in Upper Senate Park, just north of the U.S. Capitol, hearing New Orleans jazz coming from down Constitution Avenue. Then I saw the brass band leading a lively procession of hundreds of nurses, other medical professionals and patient advocates. It was the National RN Day of Action, a lobby day for several state nurses' associations--among the most ardent proponents of single-payer health care.
The previous day, the Senate Finance Committee held the last of three roundtable discussions on health reform, and for the third time, the single-payer perspective lacked representation among the experts tapped to testify. Also for the third time, single-payer advocates planted in the audience interrupted the proceedings, demanding that their perspective be heard--and were promptly escorted out by police. After the fifth single-payer proponent stood to speak, committee chair Max Baucus (D., Mont.) said that all perspectives were welcome and that he would make time to meet with them. At the rally I attended the next day, speaker after speaker reiterated the demand for a seat at the table.
Commencement Address by The Rev. Anne S. Howard
Thank you Executive Vice Chancellor Lucas, I am honored to be here. Good afternoon Chancellor Yang, Dean Morrison, faculty, families and graduates, I am honored indeed to be with you this afternoon.
We are gathered here to celebrate you graduates—you ascend to a new height today with the conferring of these graduate degrees.
And so I’d like to begin by saying: you are not amazing. Despite your accomplishments, your regalia, your degrees and pedigrees, you are not amazing—but you might be. Let me explain.
The Dalai Lama, in his book Ethics for the New Millennium—the book that was chosen this year for the UCSB Reads program—said,
Mark 4: 26-34
A Sermon by Pastor Erik Christensen, St. Luke's Logan Square Chicago
June 14, 2009
By the saving power of Jesus. Amen.
I was sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport yesterday afternoon with a group of Lutherans discussing Battlestar Gallactica, Harry Potter, and the new Terminator Salvation and somehow, of course, we began talking theology. All of us were in plainclothes, having just spent the last couple of days together at an ELM board retreat north of the cities, and next to us was a solitary man in his black suit and shirt with white tab collar, clergy of some kind, and I could see him trying to listen in our conversation discreetly.
Good evening Beatitudes Society, Kimberly here - your new online organizer. It is true that we are inundated with serious and often troubling news that deserves our attention and prayer but today folks it is my honor to post as my first official blog a little video Anne forwarded and asked me to share with you - a YouTube video to tickle your funny bone.
I still get asked by seminary students WHY we say something so "negative" in our Mission Statement as "Counter the Christian Right:"
i.e. "The Beatitudes Society develops and sustains a national network of emerging Christian leaders who will ADVOCATE for justice, compassion, and peace; COUNTER the Christian Right with a clear message of hte welcoing and generous love of JEsus as expressed in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount; and ARTICULATE a Christianity that dares to speak and act for our fragile planet and our most vulnerable citizens."
I usually answer with a brief history of the effect of the Christian Right on American policies in the last couple of decades, and a short tally of the number of times voices from the Christian Right are quoted in the news as "Christian."
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