Saw this on NPR.org “He was a top church official who criticized Trump. He says Christianity is in crisis”.
Russell Moore apparently has been on the outs with the Southern Baptist convention for awhile now. He is the editor in chief for “Christianity Today”. He has not been a fan of Trump, or the white nationalism that has been injected into fundamentalist Christianity.
It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis.
If you haven’t read the Sermon on the Mount lately, Jesus preaches about forgiveness and mercy as key principals usually considered central to Christian doctrine. Where the love thy enemy and turn the other cheek and all that sort of stuff is found. Sermon on the Mount.
What flashed through my mind is the responses NPR has been getting for their annual reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th for the last several years.
How dare they read something so full of liberal talking points on our nation’s birthday! Where did they get such a document. People who love the USA should never be exposed to *checks notes* one of the founding documents upon which our nation was built and why we fought a war to be free of authoritarian rule.
Maybe it was from growing up Episcopal, but religion, generally, and Jesus’ teachings, specifically, were not supposed to satisfy your personal pettiness, beefs, hatreds, opinions, etc. It is supposed to challenge you and make you consider something that may not feel good or satisfy your needs for revenge, violence, superiority, entitlement, etc. It amazes me, sometimes, the people who claim they had a huge revelation from Jesus, personally, he came and talked to them, specifically, and are now a totally different person who seem to use this magical moment to justify a lot of things Jesus would turn over tables about.
Anyway why I, like Nancy Pelosi, do pray for Trump and his followers. Not because I want them to win (no prosperity gospel here) but that their eyes may be opened and Jesus may find them like the lost lamb and bring them back.
While God’s grace can bring you peace and joy, overall if you never found yourself uncomfortable with what the teachings were telling you about the way you should be striving to live your life, you weren’t doing it right. Some, IMO, use religion to be comfortable with how they are/how they were raised and use it to perpetuate the past that was not just, fair, or loving to thy neighbor.
The idea that as long as you can maintain toxic positivity, be at peace with the world as it is, never be bothered about anything happening to others, then that proves you are more holy and Godly than the bothered who want to do something about the crap going on, makes me itch. Especially with a side of I know God is with me because I am WINNING! And then they believe that because they are the holiest and most righteous God approves of everything they say and do no matter who they hurt or what the bible condemns.
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Thanks for the rec list!!!!