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December 19, 2011
A Plea for Love Despite Violence

John Helmiere was severely beaten by Seattle police while demonstrating peacefully with Occupy West Coast at the Port of Seattle. Despite his experience, he urges Christians to practice love and non-violence.

July 14, 2011
With Liberty for Casey and Justice for … ummm

Our anger at the verdict in the trial of Casey Anthony for the murder of her daughter, Caylee, needs to be directed is at a legal system that gives preference to the law above justice, and to those who profit from that status quo.

We have a legal system in America, not a justice system.

"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  Mark 2:27

November 8, 2011
Why Jesus Would Occupy Wall Street

Theologian Aaron Saari draws intriguing comparisons between the aims of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As the Occupy Wall Street movement grows, an increasing number of Republican legislators and media personalities are claiming that the members are overwhelmingly anti-Semitic. From Newt Gingrich to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck to Bill Kristol, the charge of anti-Semitism is becoming a common trope.[i]

November 4, 2011
Give Them Something to Eat

Thomas L. Shanklin reflects on the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in light of Jesus' teachings of radical hospitality shown in Matthew 14:15-18.

"When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' Jesus said to them, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.' They replied, 'We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.' And he said, 'Bring them here to me.' "
-- Matthew 14:15-18 (from "The Feeding of Five Thousand," NRSV*)

October 3, 2011
No Nukes?

Abolition 2000, a coalition of some 2,000 organizations that want to abolish nuclear weapons, met recently in Geneva, Switzerland to rate progress in the global anti-nuclear movement.

Ask anyone if they can imagine a world without nuclear weapons, and as polls indicate, most will say they can. This is true even in countries that possess nuclear weapons according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons or ICAN, a new civil society initiative dedicated to the hope of a nuclear free world.

However, governments that possess nuclear weapons send a different signal. Their policies and expenditures say that "well...perhaps someday...but certainly not in our lifetimes."

September 22, 2011
Church and State

Church and state intersect in plenty of ways this week, from the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a labor case on the "ministerial execution" to the barbarity of state-sponsored executions.

There's lots of church-state intersection in Faith and the Common Good on this first official day of fall, so let's get right to it.

* * *

A case involving the firing of a teacher with a disability from a religious school has gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in what many see as a test of the traditional "ministerial exception" regarding hiring practices for religious organizations.

September 19, 2011
Gay Union Ban

Some 800 United Methodist clergy and laity have signed letters urging the denomination's Council of Bishops to uphold the ban on gay unions in the United Methodist Church.

More than 300 United Methodist clergy and 500 laity have signed letters urging the Council of Bishops to take a public stand supporting the denomination's position on marriage and homosexuality.

The letters respond to the pledges to bless same-sex unions signed this summer by more than 900 active and retired clergy across the United States.

September 6, 2011
Deny Them Their Victory

The National Council of Churches' 2001  interfaith statement “Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response to Terrorism” has become a historic expression of America's breadth of belief, including noted denominational leaders, theologians,  scholars, prominent pastors and everyday believers from both major and minor religions.

As part of its observance of the tenth anniversary of the Sept., 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, The National Council of Churches has revived a statement of pastoral concern and peacemaking signed by nearly 4,000 people of faith in the weeks after the attack.

August 31, 2011
Fear, Inc.

A new report from the Center for American Progress outlines the forces and funding behind Islamophobia in the United States.

By Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang , Scott Keyes, Faiz Shakir

August 23, 2011
Pipeline Protest Continues

Arrests continue in the Tar Sands Action demonstration at the White House as people of faith and environmental activists urge President Obama to deny a license to the Keystone XL Pipeline from the Canadian tar sands to U.S. refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rev. Jim Antal, Massachusetts Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ, was one of 65 people from across the United States and Canada arrested at the White House Aug. 20, 2011, the first day of a two-week sit-in aimed at pressuring President Obama to deny the permit for a massive new oil pipeline. More than 2,000 more people are expected to participate in the Tar Sands Action by joining in daily acts of civil disobedience through Sept. 3.

August 22, 2011
Putting Their Bodies on the Line

Opponents of a proposed oil pipeline through America's heartland are risking arrest for the next two weeks in daily sit-ins at the White House.

More than 100 activists, including people of faith, have been arrested since Aug. 20 at an ongoing sit-in outside the White House seeking to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from crossing the United States. Some 2,100 people, including actress and environmental activist Darryl Hannah, have signed up to participate in the daily demonstrations through Sept. 3.

August 1, 2011
Fear Not

Do Washington's antics over America's financial future have you ready to "duck and cover?" Then take heart from the darkly comic wisdom of Pastor Dan about what's truly of value in life.

Caution: The following column contains expletives suitable only for grown-ups.

 

From: Pastor Dan

To: Anyone Tempted to Despair And/Or Mess Themselves in Fear

July 19, 2011
'Vital' for United Methodists?

The United Methodist Church has unveiled its "Vital Congregations" website, a new tool designed to reverse the denomination's declining membership by focusing on statistics as recommended by the controversial "Call to Action" report. Although mandatory for all congregations, the process has drawn resistance and rejection from commentators who view it as the wrong approach.

The United Methodist Church has unveiled its "Vital Congregations" website, the new tool designed to implement recommendations for saving the declining denomination found in the controversial "Call to Action" report.

July 8, 2011
What Does It Take to Be Community?

What does it take to be Community? It's a simple question. It's basic and clear. As a current situation in Chicago shows, why is it so difficult?

June 20, 2011
Monday Mail: Wild weather, women's wages & world politics

Along with extreme weather effects, a Supreme Court decision on women vs. Wal-Mart and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Sudan, this issue of Monday mail mourns the passing of a Big Man.

Good morning, campers. It's 84 degrees at 9 AM in Dallas, feeling like 88 and promising a heat index around 102 degrees F later today. We have extreme fire danger warnings, high wind warnings, and high pollen warnings. Over the weekend a "rave"-style music festival in 104-degree heat resulted in the death of one person and dozens hospitalized, affected by the extreme conditions.

June 17, 2011
Faith & the Common Good June 17, 2011

Anti-Muslim sentiments, immigration and abortion top religion news headlines.

 

June 14, 2011
Faith & the Common Good June 14, 2011

A new three-days-a-week feature gleans the latest news and information on ways that beliefs are influencing public issues and policies.

May 28, 2011
Should small financial institutions fear the CFPB?

Investor's Business Daily states the American Bankers Association is not happy with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to come. With the new Dodd-Frank Act rules expected, small banks are worried that CFPB bureaucracy will drown them out of business. It's the kind of change small banks cannot see a good reason in which to consider.

Enforcement expected to occur soon

May 13, 2011
Leaving Faith Organizations out in the Cold

Through a month-long fast this spring and continued effort, faith leaders are advocating for political leaders to do the right thing with the federal budget and spare millions of vulnerable Americans from deep budget cuts that threaten their well-being and lives.

Reprinted with Permission from Center for American Progress

April 29, 2011
Ten Real-World Commandments for Americans

 

The public debate about the federal budget is an opportunity to reflect on our values as a nation. Do we follow the law of love, or the way of greed? 

1)  Thou shalt not separate social from personal responsibility: thou art thine own keeper, and the keeper of thy brothers and sisters, too.

2)  Thou shalt provide all children with basic survival needs for health, food, shelter, and safety even if it means bending the rules.

3)  Thou shalt honor thy aged fathers and mothers by guaranteeing them comprehensive health care and a livable minimum pension and by paying their caretakers a living wage. 

April 19, 2011
Supreme Court OKs State Funding Scheme for Religious Schools

The recent Supreme Court decision allowing Arizona to issue vouchers for religious schools significantly undermines the constitutional protection of the First Amendment against government establishment of religion.

Reprinted by permission from Religion Dispatches. Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved

 

April 13, 2011
Godspeed, Glenn Beck; Adventures in Democracy

Many hands make things work , whether it be ousting a broadcast bloviator or advocating for economic justice.

Ah, the sweet scents of spring without the noxious notes of Glenn Beck's fulminations!

As with all success, many "parents" are claiming to have had a hand in stopping the pugnacious pundit. Faith in Public Life credits its own activist arm, the former NCC-based Faithful America online action site, along with Jewish Funds for Justice, Sojourners, Media Matters, Color of Change and "the entire Stop Beck effort" for getting Glenn off the airwaves.

April 4, 2011
Join the National Teach-In on Austerity, Debt and Corporate Greed

Here's how to join in the April 5 National Teach-In on Austerity, Debt and Corporate Greed (and How You Can Fight Back). Participants may join with others on campuses around the country or watch individually online. TPC users will be able to join in an online discussion after the live webcast.

Technical instructions for attending the National Teach-in on Debt, Austerity and How People Are Fighting Back were detailed over the weekend to the more than 200 college campuses and other sites hosting webcast of the event from Judson Memorial Church in New York City.

April 1, 2011
Title VII and Titus I

Discrimination against an unmarried pastor who can't get a job shows that people who work for churches need workers' rights under federal law.

March 24, 2011
A Saint for Our Troubled Times

Murdered more than 30 years ago, Archbishop Óscar Romero continues to inspire Christians who struggle to live out Christ's reign of love and justice in the world.

 Archbishop Óscar Romero has been one of my personal saints for decades. Whenever I am daunted by the perils and pressures of trying to pursue a Christian way of love and justice in these troubling times, I remember Romero's sacrifice. March 24 is the anniversary of the archbishop's 1980 assassination, an appropriate time for Christians to pause and remember who he was and the circumstances of his martyrdom.