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Top Stories This Week
- A North Carolina Christian’s Response to Pastor Charles L. Worley
by Andrew Simpson 05-23-2012 - 10 reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained For Ministry
by Eugene Cho 04-30-2012 - A 'Bizarre and Peculiar' Ruling
by E.J. Dionne Jr. 06-01-2012 - What is the Chief Political Concern of the Bible?
by Tim Suttle 05-24-2012 - The Problem with Certitude
by Gary L. Tandy 05-25-2012 - Dear Pastor Charles Worley: We Condemn Your Words of Hatred and Cruelty. REPENT!
by Eugene Cho 05-23-2012 - The Gospel According to Lady Gaga
by Richard Beck 01-09-2012 - Rob Bell: 'Surrender the Outcomes'
by Cathleen Falsani 05-09-2012 - Jennifer Grant Asks 'What is an Evangelical?'
by Jennifer Grant 05-23-2012
by Karen Sue Smith 01-01-2012
Fifty years after Vatican II, will a new generation of lay Catholics lead prophetic change in the church and in the world?
by David Cortright 05-01-2010
... and make us all more secure. A pragmatic approach to nuclear disarmament.
by David Cortright 08-01-2006
Official rhetoric has helped fuel an escalation of tension between the United States and Iran. Do recent negotiations mark a change in direction, or just a temporary detour from the highway to military attack?
Comments
I don't think it matters what people say - if they change the lyrics - it's what they DO that counts. I've visited Central Park and seen the wonderful memorial, and the bench donated by the people of Liverpool. The Beatles brought joy and good times, and reflectiveness to billions of people - and continue to do so, three generations on. Would he care that one word of his song was changed? I don't think so! By now, he may have become a Christian, or a Buddhist - who knows?
Faith in the US is highly politicised, from my observation. (Travels to the US since '85). That's sad, because a great deal of the compassion, the reaching out has gone by the wayside. Your politicians wear faith like a suit of armour. It's like a tickbox, rather than a way of being and serving the Lord. I don't know why Mitt Romney is so popular when he runs a company that's prepared to lay-off lots of people in the interests of profit.
I think,you should be proud what Trebow does on the field. Wow, way to go, as you say: someone publicly declaring their faith! Of course people laugh, or sneer. Haven't we always, when confronted by anyone who loves Jesus so radically that they wear their faith in work, at home, in the street. What are we afraid of - that we don't have the guts to do that too? That we'd rather give up, blend in with the herd, only show up as a Christian when we go to church?
As a Brit/European, we're much quieter in our faith, and it's DEFINITELY OK to talk about it today. You do it sideways, because you're willing to suspend judgment on someone, not gossip, help out someone who you're not related to, or work with, give some coffee to a beggar. These things scare and intrigue others, and it's always an invitation to talk about beliefs, then my Christian faith.
I encourage you to try it. I've been doing it for 10 years now, and no one's ever hit me. Some people have welled up, and asked me to pray for them, (I do so, and encourage THEM to pray for an end to their suffering too.) Others have talked about their own beliefs, so relieved to be given permission to. I'm sure people will have laughed behind my back, but so what. I made them think for a few teeny seconds.
We're here to plant hope, not scorn. That's what shows the light of Christ to the world.
The protestors represent many of the 99%. All power to them! They have the courage to act on their convictions. Our power structures - UN, Federal Reserve, IMF, and international governments now MUST listen to and respond to our demands for a more just society.
Christ was born in poverty, and his greatest sermon (in my opinion) was the Sermon on the Mount. We do not do justice to him, our faith, or others if we criticise the protestors striving for a fairer world.
I've visited the Occupy London site twice and donated money. People from all walks of life, and ages, willing to give up their comfort and warm beds to talk, demonstrate and meet with people in the city of London (so in the UK, there is some reconciliation going on.) This is having an impact of the zeitgeist, and bankers are beginning to admit that their delusions could no longer continue. Even the Assn. of British Insurers, who hold significant shareholdings in major British and global companies are now protesting about boardroom pay.
I will fight for the rights of people to have a home over their head, clean water and sanitation and a tax system that taxes the very wealthy, so that there's more to go round - especially for those too ill to work. I'm proud to call myself a Christian protestor!
AFter 2011, the world will NEVER be the same, (thank God), so we may as well get on the train, or risk becoming dinosaurs.
What a mess! I hope that the US electorate remembers this and doesn't vote for any of the current senators come next year's election.
Having visited the US since 1985 and frequently between 2005 - 2009, I am worried at the deep fragmentation of your society. Why, when so many proclaim their faith, are there so many homeless people sitting on street corners in such a wealthy country? Why do pastors dress like senior executives and drive such huge vehicles? Where do our donations to churches really go? Why are injured veterans left begging? Why is there such a desire for revenge that your jails are full to overflowing, and grievous crimes treated as "entertainment" and screened weekly on TV? And why do you pass judgment on all other countries? Why do you have legislators and senators so out of touch with reality, that winning the argument is more important than doing the right thing? Why does the "Land of the Free" forcibly evict the Zuccoti Park protestors? Why are so many people obese and others on long-term medication?
The problem with your politics is that you need a great deal of money to become a senator. Or the ability to raise it, which relies on doing things for the very wealthy, rather than ordinary, hard working people. Politicians are in hock to the 1%. (And sadly, our politics here in Britain is becoming similarly wealth and elite university focused.)
Power corrupts - in every country.
As Christians, we can invite senators and legislators to events where they meet people on the breadline, and where they can share a meal and listen to what's really going on; we can stir local communities to help via churches and the media; we can share a meal, some kind words, invest some of our savings in sponsoring a child through school or university;(f not in the US, then abroad) 'adopt' a homeless person and bring him/her food each week. And organise a roster to ensure he/she has fresh food each day.
I really believe that it's UP TO US now. Would Jesus have stood and wept, or got down and got on with it, knowing that his actions wouldn't only serve God, but would stir others into doing the right thing too? I believe the latter. (And I write as someone who does her best to help others each and every day, including sponsoring an Ethiopian orphan through university, writing a book to raise funds for water projects in Ethiopia, sharing meals with strangers and helping new immigrants. It has brought me great joy and when we help others, most play it forward.......)
What a mess! I hope that the US electorate remembers this and doesn't vote for any of the current senators come next year's election.
Having visited the US since 1985 and frequently between 2005 - 2009, I am worried at the deep fragmentation of your society. Why, when so many proclaim their faith, are there so many homeless people sitting on street corners in such a wealthy country? Why do pastors dress like senior executives and drive such huge vehicles? Where do our donations to churches really go? Why are injured veterans left begging? Why is there such a desire for revenge that your jails are full to overflowing, and grievous crimes treated as "entertainment" and screened weekly on TV? And why do you pass judgment on all other countries? Why do you have legislators and senators so out of touch with reality, that winning the argument is more important than doing the right thing? Why does the "Land of the Free" forcibly evict the Zuccoti Park protestors? Why are so many people obese and others on long-term medication?
The problem with your politics is that you need a great deal of money to become a senator. Or the ability to raise it, which relies on doing things for the very wealthy, rather than ordinary, hard working people. Politicians are in hock to the 1%. (And sadly, our politics here in Britain is becoming similarly wealth and elite university focused.)
Power corrupts - in every country.
As Christians, we can invite senators and legislators to events where they meet people on the breadline, and where they can share a meal and listen to what's really going on; we can stir local communities to help via churches and the media; we can share a meal, some kind words, invest some of our savings in sponsoring a child through school or university;(f not in the US, then abroad) 'adopt' a homeless person and bring him/her food each week. And organise a roster to ensure he/she has fresh food each day.
I really believe that it's UP TO US now. Would Jesus have stood and wept, or got down and got on with it, knowing that his actions wouldn't only serve God, but would stir others into doing the right thing too? I believe the latter. (And I write as someone who does her best to help others each and every day, including sponsoring an Ethiopian orphan through university, writing a book to raise funds for water projects in Ethiopia, sharing meals with strangers and helping new immigrants. It has brought me great joy and when we help others, most play it forward.......)