Marveling this morn at … Sunlight on Robert.
While our Downtown Savannah place is undergoing a much-needed kitchen and living room renovation, HR and I will be staying “out in the country” in an old farmhouse that belonged to the grandparents of a good friend of ours.
But back to Robert.
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We end today’s Advent Journey with one of Paul’s beautifully eloquent writings on LOVE, found in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Love is patient
Love is kind
It does not envy
It does not boast
It is not proud
It does not dishonor others
It is not self-seeking
It is not easily angered
It keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil
But rejoices with the truth
It always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
Robert and I send our Love to you on this Christmas Morn.
“2000 years ago, a young family became refugees” (Fugelsang p. 173) …
… and the world has never been the same since.
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Just a couple of days before Christmas, Fugelsang reminds us that “Jesus blessed the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), forgave his enemies, even on the cross (Luke 23:34), and taught his followers to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).” p. 275
Peace and Forgiveness — Beautiful Gifts
Which we can offer at Christmastime and Anytime
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Today, Fugelsang takes a magnifying glass to the uncomfortable topic of … white supremacy:
“All forms of white supremacy—belief in the superiority of white people over others—stand in direct contradiction to the life and teachings of Jesus, who consistently commanded love for all people, especially the persecuted or marginalized. Jesus was about humbling oneself, not exalting one’s own group. White supremacy divides humanity into superior and inferior groups, giving a pasty middle finger to Jesus’s message of radical unity.” p. 267
“Modern white supremacy exists on a broad, and expanding, spectrum. From the KKK, neo-Nazis, and armed militias to bloviating public intellectuals lending credibility to white replacement theory, from dog-whistle politicians and media to smiling church folk who oppose every racial justice movement, generations of white Christians have resisted any changes to a racially exclusive status quo.” p. 267
“White supremacy is a system that can’t merely be reduced to its most violent expressions. Supremacists don’t all necessarily hate anyone; it’s often easier to just stay pleasantly indifferent to racial injustices and talk vaguely about ‘traditional demographics’ and ‘heritage’” p. 267
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“Christian theology teaches that every person is made in the Imago Dei-the image of God (Genesis 1:27). White supremacy rejects this by implying that some humans look more like that image than others.” p. 267
“No one can serve both Christ and white supremacy. It’s not merely un-Christian; it is anti-Christian.” p. 268
Or as I would say here in Savannah, “All, y’all.”
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Today Fugelsang looks at what many consider the purpose of the church.
“For many Christians, the real problem is not a compassion problem but a proximity problem. We have moved away from the places Jesus moved into. We’ve moved away from the pain and the suffering of the world.” p. 199
“Liberation theology argues that the church should actively work to alleviate poverty and oppression, and calls for structural changes to address systemic injustices and inequalities. It sees faith as a thing you do.” p. 199
“Many Christians consider liberation theology to be truest to the teachings of Jesus, because it uncomfortably places the needs and rights of the poor and oppressed at the center of its theology, much like, I don’t know, the whole Bible. It advocates for a faith that’s active and engaged in the world. It encourages Christians to get their hands dirty, take tangible steps to fight injustice, and directly aid those in need.” p. 200
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Today Fugelsang explains that “Belief in Jesus doesn’t mandate discrimination or hatred against different faiths; the teachings of Jesus forbid it.” p. 261
“’Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39). Note the lack of an asterisk on this commandment, which means it applies to all humanity, without regard to said neighbor’s religion, race, or background.” p. 261
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Today,Fugelsang looks at healthcare from a Biblical perspective.
“In Proverbs 31:8-9 the Bible calls on believers to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.’ Ensuring access to healthcare for all, regardless of financial status, is the Biblical point of view.”
“Matthew 9:35: ‘Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.’”
“Access to healthcare for all is consistent with Jesus’s entire operation, and Medicaid is exactly the kind of community social action that he’d be proud of. Fans of Jesus should applaud the fact that our country has such a system, that covers over ninety million of us.”
“Author and theologian Dillon Naber Cruz, a military vet known online as the Tattooed Theologian, suggests we ‘Imagine the positive benefits of applying the Golden Rule (Matthew 7-12; Luke 6-31) to healthcare in America. No one would choose to have life altering medical situations lead to being crippled by debt. No one would willfully choose to skip treatment or to not buy medication because it is too expensive.”
“Applying the Matthean Golden Rule caveat ‘in everything you do’ to healthcare would mean that we enact a robust universal healthcare system in which no person is left to the malicious whims of healthcare profiteers whose money is made from human suffering. Jesus wanted to alleviate suffering and would definitely be against his ostensible followers profiting from it.” p. 195
From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
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I love the book’s chapter titles. Fugelsang is playing with the Bible’s Ten Commandments.
Thou Shalt Not Hate Femenists
Thou Shalt Not Hate the Gays
Thou Shalt Not Hate “Illegals”
Thou Shalt Not Hate on Poor People
Thou Shalt Not Kill People Who Kill People To Prove Killing People is Wrong
Thou Shalt Not Hate Gun Control or Worship Bro-Dude Jesus
Thou Shalt Not Hate Jews, Muslims or Even Atheists
Thou Shalt Not Be, or Defend, White Supremacists
ALL ARE COMMENDABLE COMMANDMENTS!
NealEnJoy 