The Common Good

God's Politics Blog

Personal and Social Responsibility

by Jim Wallis 06-17-2008

Beliefnet invited Jim Wallis to participate in a "blogalogue" with David Klinghoffer, author of How Would God Vote? Why the Bible Commands You to Be a Conservative. Here's Jim's response to David's latest post, "The Theme is Moral Responsibility."

Your post is difficult to respond to. I am not interested in trying to debunk [...]

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Many Tribes, One Kingdom

by Shelton Green 06-17-2008

I, like most, have multiple tribes of which I consider myself a part. This weekend I ate with, spoke with, worshiped with, learned from, and was amazed by a new tribe of people. There was kinship, and a sense of shared experience, struggle, fear, and hope among this new tribe.

I was glad to hear something in Brian McLaren's session on "scared to talk politics in church?" It wasn't something Brian said but rather something from someone who doesn't look like me, and [...]

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Sharing Our Stories

by Jessica Culp 06-17-2008

Yesterday I was in a class where we were trying to frame up the story of ourselves--not just an idealistic fluffy tale--but one that when you told it, others would understand in their gut why you felt the way you feel and maybe even get a glimpse of the "real" you and move a little bit closer to you as a person. A gentleman shared with me his negative feeling of experiencing that vulnerability. I do believe that most people feel this way...scared to go deeper....scared to really talk about [...]

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Get Rich or Die Trying

by Sarah Campbell 06-16-2008

A few years back 50 Cent starred in the movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" about a young drug dealer who leaves his dealing to pursue a career as a rap star. The contrast is stark: utter poverty or incredible wealth. No matter the level of material poverty or wealth, believing that more "toys" is the goal will never overcome widespread poverty.

I ran into an acquaintance here at Pentecost 2008 who reminded me of how this "get rich or die trying" message is ingrained in our psychology at [...]

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Building the Beloved Community: 40 Years After MLK's Poor People's Campaign

by Onleilove Alston 06-16-2008

As I attended Pentecost 2008 I was reminded that Dr. King's Poor People's Campaign is celebrating its 40th anniversary. On Friday, Mary Nelson (Board Member of CCDA) and I facilitated a workshop on "Building the Beloved Community." Building the Beloved Community was one of the central messages of Dr. King's ministry. The Poor People's Campaign of 1968 [...]

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A Warm Welcome to Summer Sundays

by Phyllis Tickle 06-15-2008

Summer Sundays with Phyllis Tickle

Officially speaking and despite what we may all be thinking about the June heat wave the nation is plowing its way through right [...]

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When a Eucharist of Humility is Rejected

by Lisa Samson 06-13-2008

When a Eucharist of Humility is Rejected
by Lisa Samson

A dead cold body hung on a tree.
I came to feast; I [...]

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The Bible is Neither Conservative or Liberal

by Jim Wallis 06-12-2008

Beliefnet invited Jim Wallis for a "blogalogue" with David Klinghoffer, author of How Would God Vote? Why the Bible Commands You to Be a Conservative. Here's Jim's response to David's first post, "Let's Clarify the Politics of the Bible."

Thanks for your post, David. I'm looking forward to this discussion with [...]

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Training for Understanding and Action

by Sarah Campbell 06-12-2008

I'll be attending Sojourners' Pentecost conference this weekend. Why am I excited? What am I expecting? I'm looking forward to honesty about the challenges we face when we are serious about overcoming poverty.

One of my greatest struggles around large issues like poverty is that I either feel like I'm not informed well enough or that I'm not doing enough. On one hand, I talk in [...]

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