Monday, December 8, 2014

Highlights: Angry Christianity

What is a little old, but still extremely important. 
Two Questions Christians Need to Ask Ourselves During Mid-Term Elections by Carson T. Clark
"It seems to me we American Christians have a propensity toward confusing our temporal, national citizenship with our eternal, covenantal citizenship. ...The narratives in which we root our lives and find meaning point not to the great, incarnational Kingdom that will transform the world but to lesser, insidious politics that evidence our enslavement to the world."

What is a learning moment.
What to Do About Angry Christianity by Todd Deatherage
"Angry discourse can certainly motivate and stir people to action, but we as Christians are called to live differently. Shouldn’t we resist the urge to be a part of the angry mob rather than proudly trumpet our affiliation with it?"

What needs to be reevaluated and learned from.
Are Women Leaning In? Not at Evangelical Organizations by Richard Stearns
"A new survey about women in leadership positions at evangelical organizations puts into stark relief the differences between what we believe and what we practice. The study found that more than 90 percent of evangelical men and women believe that “men and women [should] have freedom to pursue their gifts and callings without regard to gender roles.” Yet, in practice at these organizations, women hold just 20 percent or less of leadership positions. It is because God created men and women equally, yet uniquely, that we need women to be fairly represented in the leadership of Christian organizations."

What makes good points.
#Blessed. by Jamie the Very Worst Missionary
"We've created a culture in which we measure God's “blessings” in terms of dollars and cents, comfort and pleasure, wealth and well-being. So, if we're happy and healthy and have everything we need, then we're blessed, and we should thank God on social media. We tend to ignore the secondary message this sends to those who are unhappy or unhealthy, or for whom things are just generally crappy. Too bad, so sad, if your life sucks, you're #NotBlessed. The third unintended takeaway we get when we slap the word "blessed" on every aspect of our own upward mobility is that God's blessings obviously belongs to the rich, and must be doled out to the poor as the rich see fit. The richer, the #Blesseder."

What changed my perspective.
My Failure, White Christians, and Unintentional Racism by Beyond the Picket Fence
"Purchasing fair trade items does not make us heroes. Selling fair trade items does not mean we are "lifting people out of poverty." In fact, it might not even mean we're being fair. It hopefully means we are thoughtful business people and responsible consumers - which is a great thing to aim for, as long as we don't delude ourselves into thinking it's something else."


What helped me learn.
When We Doubt - The Wilderness Between Our Mountaintop Experiences by Larry Largent

"God’s initial response to our doubt, the response that happens while we are still in the middle of the wilderness — that response, it is all about grace! It is a response that says, “Yes, you have found yourself steeped in the dark night of the soul but you are my chosen people, my chosen prophet, and I have called you out for a purpose. Let me sustain you for forty days, or forty years, or the rest of your life, but through this time of hardship.”"

Tweets




One year ago: My November Reading List
Three years ago: Crying at a Concert
Five years ago: Poor Stop Sign...
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