General Christian Announcing a Season of Non-Violent Moral Direct Action Since Republicans in the Senate locked arms to block debate on legislation to protect voting rights, the folks I look to for moral leadership in the public sqaure have been getting arrested in Washington, DC. First, it was Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bishop William J. Barber, standing with poor and low-income people from Appalachia who […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 19, 2021July 19, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Choice Ephesians 1:1-14 Mark 6:14-29 Today in the narrative lectionary we begin a look at the book of Ephesians. And for today what I want to say about this passage is simply that it is in many ways the elevator version of Christianity. It talks about our being chosen […] Written by Barbara Barkley July 19, 2021July 19, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Light in the Darkness—How to Face Our Pain & Love Others The pandemic has been hard for everyone. More and more, we saw the brokenness in ourselves and our world. We tried escaping through entertainment, pleasure, work, or school. Even in many places across the country where COVID restrictions are being lifted, and campuses are reopening soon, many things are still difficult with no easy solutions. […] Written by intervarsity July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian The Uncomfortable In-Between I first saw children picking through trash in India. Two boys stood in a parking lot, amidst a thirty-foot by thirty-foot collection of colorful litter thick enough to hide what was underneath it. Eight cows foraged next to them, looking for leftover food. The boys, about eight and ten years old, were collecting recyclables, working […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 14, 2021July 14, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Mother Earth Has Suffered Enough: We Need Stronger Methane Rules Recently, I testified for a public hearing on a proposed methane rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I shared that I am a Dine woman from the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, governance chair for United Methodist Women’s national board, and former tribal Prosecutor for the Navajo Nation. I testified on behalf of […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 13, 2021July 13, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Violence & Victory The Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) understood that in order to seek justice we must lay down the idol of victory. The second of their 10 commandments says, “Remember always that the non-violent movement seeks in Birmingham justice and reconciliation—not victory.” Scores of us who follow Christ applaud this statement. But it takes […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 11, 2021July 11, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian 3 Roots of Discrimination in God’s Church You may be surprised what people deem as secular society is not where I’ve experienced the most discrimination as a person who is differently abled. Whether it was dark years facing not getting a ministry job due to my speech and body impediment or receiving hurtful patronizing remarks about my disability by well meaning Christians, […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 10, 2021July 10, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Community Rewritten, Creativity Rediscovered: JP's Story “Why won’t you give these things to me, God? I’ve done so much for you!” I asked during my senior year of high school. It honestly felt like my aspirations were falling apart right in front of me. Let’s rewind things back to my freshman year of high school. My parents and I moved to […] Written by intervarsity July 9, 2021July 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian To Get Our Nation Back On Track, We Need A ‘Holy Recovery’ As I look at the status of our nation today, with families struggling to make ends meet and being denied fair wages, I’m reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “audacity” to believe in a future where everyone has enough. It’s a deeply biblical vision. In one of the most famous stories in the Bible, word […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 9, 2021July 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
General Christian Blessing a Cultural Threshold A threshold is not a simple boundary; It is … a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up. This is one reason such vital crossings were often clothed in ritual. John O’Donohue, To Bless The Space Between Us If the poet philosopher John O’Donohue were still alive, […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 9, 2021July 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Wash Away Your Old Ways of Thinking I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will […] Written by Paul Tautges July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Jesus, Justice, and the Suffering of the Marginalized One of the most important and revelatory developments in American society in the last few years has been the new perspective society has adopted regarding deep seated systematic forms of prejudice and oppression. Whether it has been the Me Too movement that brought to the forefront the tragic and even violent level of gender inequality […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Wash Away Your Old Ways of Thinking I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will […] Written by Paul Tautges July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Jesus, Justice, and the Suffering of the Marginalized One of the most important and revelatory developments in American society in the last few years has been the new perspective society has adopted regarding deep seated systematic forms of prejudice and oppression. Whether it has been the Me Too movement that brought to the forefront the tragic and even violent level of gender inequality […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Replacing Weakness with Strength I have been well-aware of the trauma I have suffered at different times in my life and the impact that it has had on me. The creation of fear, feeing there’s something wrong with me, insecurity, feeling that I’m not worthy of love or that love is conditional. Those are certainly core emotions/perspectives that have […] Written by Ronald Hirsch July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Unveiling :: Imagination and creativity In previous posts, I’ve been using the metaphor of veils to explore how we so often seem to get blinded, unable to see this moment just as it is without all our opinions, judgments, fears, and assumptions getting in the way. But what if we like playing with veils? I certainly do! Whether I’m creating […] Written by Stephanie Noble July 30, 2021July 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Christian Right and the Decline of White Evangelicalism The headlines tell the story. White evangelicals are in decline and now find themselves “outnumbered” by mainline Protestants Survey: White mainline Protestants outnumber white evangelicals, while “nones” shrink The unlikely rebound of mainline Protestantism “Jesus was definitely a Republican”: Why some younger evangelicals are leaving the faith The Christian Right Is in Decline, and It’s […] Written by Red Letter Christians July 30, 2021July 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Navigating Rough Waters Every morning when the Dalai Lama wakes up, he begins his morning practices with a prayer from Shantideva: “May I be a guard for those who need protection; a guide for those on the path; a boat, a raft, a bridge for those to cross the flood; may I be a lamp in the darkness; […] Written by Jack Kornfield July 30, 2021July 31, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Understanding & Honoring Gen Z The first time I thought seriously about the “new generation” was in 2012, my freshman year of high school. I was asked to discuss what would soon be known as Generation Z, also called iGens or Zoomers. With today’s teenagers and early twentysomethings starting to have a significant presence in society, I am pushed to […] Written by intervarsity July 30, 2021July 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
