The Common Good

God's Politics Blog

Political Labels and the So-called 'Religious Left'

by Marcia Ford 06-11-2008

Recently I served on a panel at BookExpo America that explored evangelicals' changing attitudes toward politics. As each co-panelist spoke, I mentally applauded his assessment of how evangelicals are responding to, and changing, the current political climate. While there were some areas of disagreement, there was a much greater area of common ground among the four of us.

Except when it came to [...]

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From Beliefnet

by Administrator 06-11-2008

Dear Readers--

Due to a planned technical upgrade taking place on Wednesday June 11th, the Beliefnet Blogs will not display any new content, and commenting will be disabled.

We aim to be back up and running by the end of the day, and thank you in advance for your understanding.

Best,
The Beliefnet [...]

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Two Firsts

by Jim Wallis 06-10-2008

The fact that an African American and a woman each ran so strongly in the long primary season of this election year speaks very well of the country. Having two "firsts" competing for the presidency, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, makes this a very historic political year. But it was perhaps unfortunate that the two firsts ended up running against each other. After a hard-fought campaign, there inevitably remain some hard feelings among the supporters of both candidates, but [...]

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Arrested for Feeding the Poor

by Alan Clapsaddle 06-10-2008

Unconscionable: adjective

1. not guided by conscience; unscrupulous.

2. not in accordance with what is just or reasonable: unconscionable behavior.

3. excessive; extortionate: an unconscionable profit.

I have had some "unconscionable" things on my mind a lot lately as I have been working with the 20-somethings who make up Orlando Food Not Bombs and University of [...]

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What I Did With My Stimulus Check

by Rose Marie Berger 06-10-2008

Mr. Philip A. Belisle
United States Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Kansas City, MO 64999-0025

Dear Sir:

On May 9, 2008, I received an "economic stimulus payment" from you for the amount of $600.00. I'm concerned that I received this check in error. As I understand it, you are $9 trillion in debt. You have [...]

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'Milosevic On Trial' (interview by Becky Garrison)

by Administrator 06-10-2008

Following is an interview with Michael Christoffersen, director of Milosevic On Trial, a documentary I watched at the Tribeca Film Festival, which demonstrates the horrors that can happen when religion becomes intermingled with empire.



What attracted you to want to follow this entire trial?


By coincidence, I did the documentary Genocide: The Judgment [...]

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A Quiet Revolt in Burma

by Eugene Cho 06-09-2008

Don't forget the situation in Burma.

Teresa and her husband, Rich, have been at my church for about four years now. Like several of our members, their faith in Christ and desire to live out the gospel not only humbles me but helps shape the depth and direction of our church. Teresa started a blog titled

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Child Exploitation in a High-Tech World

by Juan Carlos Morales 06-09-2008

In the Dominican Republic, an estimated 10 percent of children are sexually exploited. According to Project Rescue, the average age around the world for a child sex slave is 13, and the average cost for a child sex slave is $150.


But child sexual exploitation is not only an overseas issue. According to U.S. law enforcement, there are at least 20,000 children manipulated and forced to engage in prostitution on a daily basis -- the actual number is unknown. What is known is that child [...]

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Hope, in Perspective

by Becky Garrison 06-06-2008

Here in Manhattan, the city streets hum with hope following the announcement of the first African American to be nominated for president by a major political party. According to news reports, similar scenarios are taking place across the world. As we celebrate this historical moment in electoral politics, Sarah Cunningham, author of

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RFK's Legacy: To Seek a Newer World

by Duane Shank 06-06-2008

Forty years ago, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. I was 16 years old, had just become aware of politics, and his death (only two months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) was shocking. But rather than leading to disillusionment, both of their lives inspired me these past 40 years in the movement for peace and [...]

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