Apr 19, 2010
list of seven churches for Paul's letters
reference list: Colosse - Corinth - Ephesus - Galatia - Phillipi - Rome - Thessalonika
Apr 12, 2010
jewels of living from essay series, "This, I Believe"
Many of the world's religions teach the importance of caring for each other, whether it's tending to a close family member or showing compassion for a complete stranger. Click the links below to read how these essayists explore the simple acts of kindness that can enrich our own humanity.
...and from the original essay project in the 1950s (re-created from people in 2005):
fifty thoughtful and inspiring statements of belief by
Harry S. Truman | Helen Keller | Jackie Robinson | Margaret Mead | James Michener
Eleanor Roosevelt ...among others
Harry S. Truman | Helen Keller | Jackie Robinson | Margaret Mead | James Michener
Eleanor Roosevelt ...among others
Apr 6, 2010
dis-Grace vs Grace; Social Justice
Consider the terms disgrace; disgraced; disgraceful. While the root is Grace, somehow there is an imbalance. Grace is about goodness and unconditional love that cannot be earned or compelled. Disgrace is just a Worldly issue of shame or guilt in the eyes of one's peers or even in front of strangers, where the ideal or expected propriety is deliberately or inadvertantly violated. So while grace may touch both worldly and spiritual chords, dis-grace is purely a worldly matter.
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Intent is (almost) Everything: what is in your heart is connected to what comes out of your mouth. Yet intention is not enough since "The Road to Hell [or perdition] is paved with good [but beknighted or misguided] intentions."
Social justice, yes; but legislated, no. Once "love your neighbor as yourself" becomes compulsory and on an institutional scale, then it becomes faceless (no-longer a personal act for Doing God's Will) and the interpersonal accountability of social contact (contract) is broken. So let's make our social life better, but not by government-designed programs, except as a last resort when no heart-derived outreach and social justice is forthcoming locally.
Entitlement receiving or obligatory giving differs from voluntary giving or receiving (birthday; Christmas; greeting card company calendar event); cf. murder 1st-2nd-3rd degree v. manslaughter (victim is equally dead in either case, but deed differs by intent).
Dangers of extreme Left or Rightwing political position or religious group: by taking a position then the process of engaging with the Living Word is foreclosed and the individual or the organization is working under its own direction, rather than to remain open to the Will of God. Compare also how the Living Word is sapped of life when church life is routinized or institutionalized (rationalized for maximum efficiency or convenience). The Board & Committee structure create a status quo stability. By contrast the Ministry Team approach puts decisions and consequences into the hands of those present who are engaged (instead of a consumer model of picking and choosing what one finds appealing, now you are the author of the actions and results - a producer model).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Intent is (almost) Everything: what is in your heart is connected to what comes out of your mouth. Yet intention is not enough since "The Road to Hell [or perdition] is paved with good [but beknighted or misguided] intentions."
Social justice, yes; but legislated, no. Once "love your neighbor as yourself" becomes compulsory and on an institutional scale, then it becomes faceless (no-longer a personal act for Doing God's Will) and the interpersonal accountability of social contact (contract) is broken. So let's make our social life better, but not by government-designed programs, except as a last resort when no heart-derived outreach and social justice is forthcoming locally.
Entitlement receiving or obligatory giving differs from voluntary giving or receiving (birthday; Christmas; greeting card company calendar event); cf. murder 1st-2nd-3rd degree v. manslaughter (victim is equally dead in either case, but deed differs by intent).
Dangers of extreme Left or Rightwing political position or religious group: by taking a position then the process of engaging with the Living Word is foreclosed and the individual or the organization is working under its own direction, rather than to remain open to the Will of God. Compare also how the Living Word is sapped of life when church life is routinized or institutionalized (rationalized for maximum efficiency or convenience). The Board & Committee structure create a status quo stability. By contrast the Ministry Team approach puts decisions and consequences into the hands of those present who are engaged (instead of a consumer model of picking and choosing what one finds appealing, now you are the author of the actions and results - a producer model).
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