tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79237252889010744222024-03-18T08:25:40.461-07:00Through These WoodsDan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comBlogger1433125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-3774641599185567062024-03-04T07:10:00.000-08:002024-03-04T07:10:03.579-08:00Forgiveness. Justice. Grace.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4YpGZ1pO_OPZc4Xa1GPX731koNcXcK58cceuup8j9PmT1gugyiyHtwqt-BBmdvV9PbrrCtZWNab57yyYosd5GlpzJN7Qy6hGqtqqfpKx-ikq6e6b_idKA4r9AH0hEamo63nAuA9OmRY0gOqdN1ko-ZYVlvtvtoMkB7g1DQYVVuzJej2gy2G5y9vF3zo/s4812/2024-01%20OP%20Guitarist%20and%20Crow%2012x16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3490" data-original-width="4812" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4YpGZ1pO_OPZc4Xa1GPX731koNcXcK58cceuup8j9PmT1gugyiyHtwqt-BBmdvV9PbrrCtZWNab57yyYosd5GlpzJN7Qy6hGqtqqfpKx-ikq6e6b_idKA4r9AH0hEamo63nAuA9OmRY0gOqdN1ko-ZYVlvtvtoMkB7g1DQYVVuzJej2gy2G5y9vF3zo/w400-h290/2024-01%20OP%20Guitarist%20and%20Crow%2012x16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is in response to a question from Marshal in the next post. I thought it worth promoting to its own post. <br /><br />We were talking about the problems of Penal Substitionary Atonement (that God can forgive us because Jesus "paid the price" of our sin by "shedding his perfect blood" in order to "pay" for our sin.) Without this "blood atonement," the PSA folk reason, no humans could be saved because God has chosen that method through which to "forgive us..." And further, we imperfect humans who "miss the mark" (the literal definition of the term "sin" often used in the Bible) and are, well, imperfect, the "just" punishment (the PSA folk reason) is to be tortured for an eternity in hell (whether it's an actual flaming hell burning us alive forever or the figurative equivalent depends on the specific PSA proponent).<br /><br />I suggested that when we are done wrong, we poor, flawed and imperfect humans often find it within ourselves to simply forgive. WITHOUT a blood sacrifice to "pay" for that forgiveness (a paid for forgiveness sounds much more like a business transaction than any actual loving forgiveness, doesn't it?). And we certainly are able to forgive without killing our own children to "pay" for that "forgiveness."<br /><br />Marshal responded:<br /><br /><i> "It's a premise and you need to prove that this premise results in God
forgiving without having sent His Only Begotten Son to die in our place
in order that we might be redeemed."</i><br /><br />I'd say the reality that we
humans - imperfect though we are, created in the image of God, as we
believe - CAN and DO regularly forgive wrongs done to us - even great
wrongs AND that we do so without any "blood sacrifice" of another to
"pay for" that forgiveness is evidence (if not objective proof) that
simple forgiveness <i>is</i> possible. Because of course it is. I've seen it. <br /><br />Further, I'd say it's evidence of a perfect
all-loving God. For an actual example: HOW does the mother of a murdered child find a way to
forgive the killer? That's a lot. But I've seen it. I've been in the
homes of Nicaraguan families whose loved ones were killed by Contra
soldiers - and they were sitting next to, holding hands with one of
those Contra soldiers. That mother had forgiven that soldier. Glory,
what forgiveness!<br /><br />HOW had she forgiven that killer? HOW had she
welcomed him to her table... <i>as a friend??!</i> Well, this man was from a neighboring
village. She knew the struggles that all Nicaraguans were having at that
time. She also was aware of the anti-Sandinista propoganda being pushed
on to these subsistence farmers and she knew how flawed, imperfect
humans can be misled and misguided. She knew him well enough - took time
to know him and his reasoning - to find it within her to forgive him.<br /><br />Why does that sound like a familiar description of great love?<br /><br /><i>If I speak in the tongues of humans or of angels, but do not have love, <br />I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal...<br />Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. <br />Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.<br />Love never fails...<br />For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; <br />then we shall see face to face. <br />Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, <br /><b>even as I am fully known.</b></i><br /><p></p><p><i>~1 Corinthians 13, often called the Love Chapter</i><br /><br />The
almighty God of the universe, as some of us believe, knows us
personally. Loves us personally. In spite of our "missing the mark" and
shortcomings. IN spite of our deliberate misdeeds. God loves us and
loves us perfectly.<br /><br />Why? Because God KNOWS us perfectly.<br /><br />Like
that Nicaraguan mother who knew the killer of her family well enough
(if not perfectly) to understand his motivations and his mistakes and
what led to that.<br /><br />And so, once that Contra soldier had cut off
his hand and offered her a blood sacrifice from his bloody stump, THEN
Dona Maria could forgive him.<br /><br />Wait. That's not right.<br /><br />No,
once that soldier brought his child to Dona Maria and KILLED that child
to "pay" for his own crimes, THEN Dona Maria could forgive him.<br /><br />Wait! WHAT? No! That's not right. Ew! No! HOW would killing his own son in any way "pay" for HIS wrongdoing??!<br /><br />No!
NO "blood sacrifice" was required. Little Dona Maria forgave that
soldier. She simply forgave him. And God and God's love won out. Love -
true love - never fails.<br /><br />(And I'll tell you a bit more of that
story - Dona Maria had not only forgiven the poor neighboring
farmer/contra soldier... she had forgiven we US citizens who sat in her
house that day, as well. We, who helped pay for the weapons used by that
Contra soldier and who helped pay for the propaganda that had misled
that soldier. Dona Maria, imperfect human that she is, knew of
forgiveness, even over great wrongs. I'm not sure that she ever forgave
the Reagan administration - who had never repented - but she forgave a
lot.)<br /><br />Love never fails, indeed.</p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-31299278555262040052024-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:002024-02-23T17:24:40.521-08:00Still Haven't Found the Answers I'm Asking For...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqUuibY5Os91hTDsHK6nfQp627sXGv4AxAUkVbZSIwMXGA2Xi_nuXPa-itOUprHKUMMu8oe-1pZelnQB5sTHnpFzhC_l4vvY8IKhyphenhyphenym56H6seJtdZOiNS82I_FMeEwFNbmxYPwt3jYg52ZCPK3lR5katjszMczyTLTxv_pRoaTAsiDgwI5JmKPr3UQr0/s1785/Turkey%20Buzzard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="1785" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqUuibY5Os91hTDsHK6nfQp627sXGv4AxAUkVbZSIwMXGA2Xi_nuXPa-itOUprHKUMMu8oe-1pZelnQB5sTHnpFzhC_l4vvY8IKhyphenhyphenym56H6seJtdZOiNS82I_FMeEwFNbmxYPwt3jYg52ZCPK3lR5katjszMczyTLTxv_pRoaTAsiDgwI5JmKPr3UQr0/w400-h299/Turkey%20Buzzard2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In a recent series of posts, Stan at the<i> Winging It</i> blog, toys around with answering some of the questions I've put to him but never gets right down to it. Again, this is not to say anything about Stan. I'm talking about the ideas and ideals promoted by traditionalists who believe in conservative human traditions like the Penal Substitutionary Atonement and being opposed to LGBTQ people, not about Stan specifically. He's not unique in never quite actually answering reasonable questions that his human traditions and theories beg to be answered.<br /><br />Stan asks in a variety of ways...<br /><br /><i>"Is what I'm seeing in Scripture the same thing that God's people has
seen in the past, or am I coming up with a novel or variant version?"<br /></i><br />and...<i><br /><br />" Simple "tradition" or "historic teaching" could be wrong, but if I have "this" interpretation of a text and no one has ever suggested it that way, I'm pretty sure I didn't get that from the Holy Spirit."</i><br /><br />My responses...<br /><br />First of all, the "followers of God," as well as the "rich and powerful"
have a long and clear history of silencing those they perceive to be "heretics." Oftentimes,
its been at its worst when the followers of God became rich and
powerful. Indeed, Jesus and others warn that there ARE "wolves" out
there (not meaning literal wolves - these were people rich in imagery)
who sought power and wealth and used that power and wealth and position
in leadership to silence those they deemed "unclean" or "heretics." <br /><br />From
the pharisees, to actual false teachers (the ones who did it as a
wealth and power grab - because false teachers are not just those who
are honestly mistaken, in a rational or biblical sense), to the rich and
powerful that the prophets, Jesus, Mary and James (and Paul, etc, etc)
warned about, saying, "Is it not the rich who oppress you? ...they will
face judgement, for they are the ones who have killed Jesus..."
(paraphrasing there), to the Roman Catholic church who oppressed and
marginalized the Reformers, to the Protestants who oppressed and
marginalized those they deemed to be "heretics..." throughout church
history, there is a consistent theme of the powerful trying to silence
the reformers and radicals (the ones seeking to stay true to the root of
God's love).<br /><br />The point being,<b> that we may not see a line of
thought throughout church history does not necessarily mean there have
not been people who held those thoughts</b>, for instance, disagreeing with
the PS theory of atonement or being opposed to slavery or supportive of
human rights for all.<br /><br />Secondly, you still have the problem of presuming that ancient peoples,
collectively - some SET or SUBSET of ancient peoples - must have gotten
it "right" throughout the ages, setting aside the reality that cultures
change. Slavery was just accepted back then and "the Holy Spirit" did
not convince anyone to stand opposed to it. Treating women as
non-citizens was just accepted back then... selling or giving your
daughter away in marriage was just accepted back then... polygamy was
just accepted back then... and in each of these cases, the Spirit of God
did not apparently speak to the ancients in a way that sufficiently
convinced them of these abuses of human rights and great atrocities.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />The
reality is that we ARE doing greater things that even Jesus did, as
Jesus promised/taught. We have grown as a race of people to recognize
more fully the notion of human rights that is clearly consistent with
the notion of a perfectly loving, perfectly just God as described in the
Bible. <br /><br />So, "Did ANY ONE of the ancients teach this Thing?" is simply not
a perfect barometer of what is and isn't right. How could it be, given
their silence on the deliberate killing of babies, enslaving people,
abuse of women's rights, etc? That is, your presumption that IF at least some church people (the ones with whom you agree) didn't promote a theory, then that theory can't be of God... it's not rational, nor is it biblical.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />How can
it be? And as always, WHY is it not the case that YOUR heart may be the
one that is deceitful, getting you to buy into the traditions of other
humans with deceitful hearts?<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />Thirdly,
it seems to me that you're mistaken the appearance of a word or phrase
with the idea that a theory is being taught. Yes, Jesus used the word
translated "ransom" ONE TIME in a private discussion with some of his
disciples. But what Jesus didn't do was mention a theory of atonement and certainly not the human theory of atonement that you prefer. <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />Yes,
the author of Hebrews - who, as with many biblical authors - used rich
imagery, imagery with which the Hebrews themselves would recognize...
that author refers to blood and other imagery, saying, "<b>the
law</b> requires that <b>nearly everything</b> be
cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness." But that is not the author of Hebrews saying that this is
in support of the Penal Substitutionary human theory of atonement, which was developed in the 1300s give and take.<br /><br />Also, the text says there that this is what THE LAW requires, but Jesus and Paul and others make it clear that we're not under some set of human laws reflecting what those humans thought God thinks. We are under grace, if we are people who believe in Grace. Indeed, the New Testament teaches and reason supports that the law is death-dealing, whereas grace is life-giving. We are under grace, not the law, EVEN IF the law almost always requires a blood sacrifice.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />And
indeed, speaking of blood sacrifices, there are repeated clarifications
from God's own Self in the Bible that it is NOT blood sacrifices that
God wants, but pouring out our lives in sacrifice... to take care of the
widow and the orphan and immigrants... THAT is what God wants. Blood
sacrifices are just LITERAL symbology, NOT literally what God demands or
is powerless to act or forgive if they are not there. Do you not see
how trying to make that literal makes that blood god subservient to
these rituals, how it makes that god powerless and impotent? As the prophet Isaiah, for one, notes...<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><i>"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?<br clear="none" />says the Lord;<br clear="none" />I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams<br clear="none" />and the fat of well-fed beasts;<br clear="none" />I do not delight in the blood of bulls,<br clear="none" />or of lambs, or of goats...<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />learn to do good;<br clear="none" />seek justice,<br clear="none" />correct oppression;<br clear="none" />bring justice to the fatherless,<br clear="none" />plead the widow’s cause...."</i><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />Do
you see the points? That the point of the blood sacrifices to "atone" for sin were always a symbol, one that people then and now misunderstood. God clarifies in multiple places in the Bible, "I don't WANT your blood sacrifices... rather, embrace grace, side with the poor and marginalized, feed the hungry... THAT is the 'sacrifice' I desire..."<br /><br />And also, that the appearance of a word or phrase does NOT
make a theory or rule? ESPECIALLY in these books with so much clear
imagery. <br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com92tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-53600226732747806882024-02-01T14:53:00.000-08:002024-02-01T14:53:05.210-08:00Atonement in the Gospel of Matthew?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJgJbyf8cQYAFyYg9D8-cQdLe-aPmBvU7-X7pqW2e_3nfzPTnpT297RNvLi8Fp7lwlxRAR8ssGOSUpdk_KcIsXTVCi5wXZdGtuij5e88QXPk1hfW3kABWBNG_PtAXp2ymHhMyDepw33RA1BRV90G-eOdi4bi6Ef47I-zdJ3A7js9jtNgq8gq2we6_fxw/s426/Smack%20Head%20Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="426" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJgJbyf8cQYAFyYg9D8-cQdLe-aPmBvU7-X7pqW2e_3nfzPTnpT297RNvLi8Fp7lwlxRAR8ssGOSUpdk_KcIsXTVCi5wXZdGtuij5e88QXPk1hfW3kABWBNG_PtAXp2ymHhMyDepw33RA1BRV90G-eOdi4bi6Ef47I-zdJ3A7js9jtNgq8gq2we6_fxw/w400-h360/Smack%20Head%20Jesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />Because of many conversations where
I've asked traditional evangelical conservative types, "WHERE is Penal
Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) in the teachings of Jesus?" ... and I've
asked because Jesus said clearly he'd come to preach good news to the
poor and marginalized and we have many of the teachings and sermons of
Jesus contained in the four Gospel books. IF Jesus was preaching PSA,
where is it? And when I've asked that, I've either gotten no answer or a
reference to maybe two verses where Jesus uses a phrase that COULD be
taken as a reference to PSA (if you squint and hope). So, I'm just doing
a pretty quick review of the entirety of the Gospel of Matthew IN
SEARCH OF PSA! Here we go!</i><p></p><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><b><br />Matt 1</b>: we have the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew's genealogy)<br /><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><b>Matt 2</b>:
we find the story of the powerful Jewish king, Herod, who plots to kill
baby Jesus and acts monstrously in his position of wealth and power. We
also find that Jesus and his family become political refugees, seeking
asylum and safety from a mad king. Herod behaves as powerful despots
often do: he orders the mass slaughter of babies to defend his seat of
power.<br /><br /><div><i><span class="ydp69047acctext ydp69047accMatt-2-18" id="ydp69047accen-NIV-23188">“A voice is heard in Ramah,</span><br /><span class="ydp69047accindent-1"><span class="ydp69047accindent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="ydp69047acctext ydp69047accMatt-2-18">weeping and great mourning,</span></span><br /><span class="ydp69047acctext ydp69047accMatt-2-18">Rachel weeping for her children</span><br /><span class="ydp69047accindent-1"><span class="ydp69047accindent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="ydp69047acctext ydp69047accMatt-2-18">and refusing to be comforted,</span></span><br /><span class="ydp69047accindent-1"><span class="ydp69047accindent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="ydp69047acctext ydp69047accMatt-2-18">because they are no more.”</span></span></i></div><br /><b>Matt 3</b>:
We are introduced to John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin. John is already
getting in trouble for calling the Pharisees/Sadducees (the religious
leaders) "<span><span class="ydpbe44e66text ydpbe44e66Matt-3-7" id="ydpbe44e66en-NIV-23200">You
brood of vipers!" and worse. Later on we find that John has a
heart for preaching good news to the poor and marginalized. In trying
to determine if Jesus was "The One," he asked if he was preaching to the
poor (Jesus was, of course). John is a wild, simple-living country
preacher who preached repentance, but the main target for his rebukes
was the Pharisees, the Sadducees and King Herod Antipas (the son of
Jesus' King Herod, the Baby Killer)</span></span><br /><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><b>Matt 4</b>:
Jesus tempted in the desert. Jesus begins preaching, citing Isaiah "for
the people living in darkness have seen a great light..." Isaiah, to
the Jews of the time and today, would be known for calling the people to
not be consumed by wealth, but to follow God by defending the poor and
marginalized. The very "worship" that Israel did was condemned as
worthless, if not being an outgrowth of defending justice for the poor
and marginalized.<br /><br />Jesus begins his preaching with a call to
repentance and welcome to the "kingdom of God," the realm of God, the
beloved community. <br /><br /><i>"J<span><span class="ydpfcda32d5text ydpfcda32d5Matt-4-23">esus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, <br />proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, <br />and healing every disease and sickness among the people.</span></span>"</i><br /><br />This
"good news of the kingdom" is a consistent message/theme from Jesus and
Jesus expounds upon it repeatedly. In Luke we see that Jesus came to
preach this good news to the poor and marginalized. The realm of God is
Jesus' most mentioned theme.<br /><br />Jesus calls his disciples from the normal working class people of the day. People who struggled to get by.<br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /><b>Matt 5-7</b>: Sermon on the Mount. THE single most complete passage that we'd recognize as a sermon.<br /><br />Not
once in this most complete sermon do we have a theme of substitutionary
atonement (a theory that some Christians developed over the
1200-1400s).<br /><br />We do see simple, gracious living promoted, the Light of God in a dark world.<br />In
the context of John the Baptist's and eventually Jesus' ongoing rebukes
of the religious legalists, Jesus makes clear he's not come to take
away the laws, but to fulfill them, to help them be understood rightly.<br />We see gracious, humble ally-ship with the poor being taught (the people Jesus said he'd come to preach good news to)</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">We see simple living promoted and warnings of wealth.<br />We
see Jesus telling us clearly that we can recognize the followers of God
by the way they act (their "good fruit") which is made clear in many
places that this includes how we ally with and for "the least of these."<br /><br /><b>Matt 8-9</b>: Jesus heals an "unclean" leper<br /><br />Jesus heals the servant of a Roman centurion (the "enemy")</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br />Jesus
heals many others (and a reminder that the physical and mentally ill in
that time would be considered unclean and marginalized and would
typically be poor and marginalized)<br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br />Jesus is rebuked by the religious for "daring" to forgive someone (again setting their legalism up and against Jesus' grace)<br /><br />The
religious legalists continue to snipe at Jesus for hanging out with the
marginalized and unclean "sinners." (again, setting their legalism up
and against Jesus' grace)<br /><br />Again and again, more healing and grace
and welcome from Jesus for the "sinners" and marginalized. More
sniping/attacks from the legalists. Making for a clear context between
the protagonist, God, and the way of Grace in opposition to the
antagonists, the Legalists, and the way of deadly and exclusionary
rule-following, rules that ultimately serve to further marginalize the
poor and marginalized (including the women, always).<br />The legalists begin literally demonizing Jesus, saying he was of the Devil. Sounds familiar, yes?<br /><br /><b>Matt 10</b>: Jesus sends out his disciples to preach and share with the Jews (specifically), telling them:<br /><br /><span><i><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-7" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23425"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj">As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’</span></span> </i><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><i>Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy <span><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><span><span class="ydp88356c3dwoj"><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj">drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</i><br /><br />and giving some simple living instructions and instructions on grace. "Freely you have received, freely give..."<br /><br />Jesus
warns them that the Legalists will attack and oppress them, but to go,
anyway. His instructions (other than the warnings about the legalists)
are always about welcome and grace and forgiveness. <br /><i><br />Giving a cup of cold water to one of these...</i><br /><br />A
third of the way through Matthew and no mention of PSA. Many mentions of
"the realm of God," service to/ally-ship with the poor and
marginalized, and simple, grace-full living, of welcoming.<br /><br /><b>Matt 11</b>:
Jesus and John the Baptist stories. John confirms that Jesus is
preaching to the poor and healing, his "evidence" that Jesus was of God.
More preaching about the realm of God and the attacks against it
(clearly a reference to the Legalists):<br /><br /><span><span class="ydp88356c3dwoj"><i>From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence <span><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><span><span class="ydp88356c3dwoj">and violent people have been raiding it.</span></span></span></span></span></span>...</i></span></span></span></span></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><span><span class="ydp88356c3dwoj"><br /><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">Jesus confronts the Legalists:<br /><i><br /><span><span class="ydpb4952cf8text ydpb4952cf8Matt-11-18" id="ydpb4952cf8en-NIV-23478"><span class="ydpb4952cf8woj">For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’</span></span> <span class="ydpb4952cf8text ydpb4952cf8Matt-11-19" id="ydpb4952cf8en-NIV-23479"><span class="ydpb4952cf8woj"><sup class="ydpb4952cf8versenum"> </sup>The
Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton
and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”</span></span></span></i><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><br />The "THEY" who are saying these things aren't the regular "sinners," the poor and marginalized, the sexually active or others typically demonized. It's the Legalists.<br /></span></span></span></div></span></span><br />Jesus
condemns some cities for their refusal to repent, but doesn't give
details. But he does compare them to Sodom and Gomorrah, which the Bible
says were condemned because they were arrogant and didn't care for the
poor and marginalized.<br /><br />In contrast to the Legalists and the
burdens that weighed people down with, Jesus emphasizes the gentle,
welcoming grace and love of God's way:<br /><br /><i><span><span class="ydp9a4e05dctext ydp9a4e05dcMatt-11-28" id="ydp9a4e05dcen-NIV-23488"><span class="ydp9a4e05dcwoj">Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.</span></span> <span class="ydp9a4e05dctext ydp9a4e05dcMatt-11-29" id="ydp9a4e05dcen-NIV-23489"><span class="ydp9a4e05dcwoj">Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.</span></span> <span class="ydp9a4e05dctext ydp9a4e05dcMatt-11-30" id="ydp9a4e05dcen-NIV-23490"><span class="ydp9a4e05dcwoj">For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”</span></span></span></i><br /><br /><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><b>Matt 12-13</b>:
Jesus continues to be rebuked by and to rebuke the Legalists. They
condemn Jesus for "breaking the law" of the Sabbath rest, but Jesus
reminds them ("fulfills the law") that the Sabbath was made for humans,
not the other way around. God is not a legalist cop seeking to punish an
endless number of people for endless transgressions. God is a welcoming
Lover, seeking to give rest and support.<br /><br />More confrontations of
the Legalists against Jesus and vice versa. Jesus again cites the
Prophet Isaiah and his welcoming beloved community where the poor are
not oppressed. MULTIPLE rebukes against the legalists.<br /><br />Still no Substitutionary Atonement mentions.<br /><br />Jesus'
teaches in parables (explaining that the Legalists will not understand
them, so long as they are legalists and not grace-followers/accepters.)<br /><br /><b>Matt 14-15</b>:
Jesus feeds the large crowd of his followers, the poor and working
class who followed Jesus and listened to his teachings. Or rather, the
disciples feed them, as instructed by Jesus.<br /><br />Jesus walks on water. Jesus heals the sick.<br /><br />Jesus
confrontations with the Legalists increase and get more serious. Jesus
heals more people, including the gentile Canaanite woman (triply
unclean, being a woman and a gentile and an enemy of Israel!). Jesus
allows her to teach him about inclusion and grace.<br /><br />Jesus again
cites the radical Isaiah, who condemned the legalists. Jesus feeds
another large crowd of the poor and marginalized and working class who
followed him.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span><span><span class="ydp5c9744fatext ydp5c9744faMatt-10-8" id="ydp5c9744faen-NIV-23426"><span class="ydp5c9744fawoj"><b>Matt 16-20: </b>More
conflicts and rebukes of the legalists, who have begun actively testing
him, looking for justification to have him killed. Jesus tells on
them/tells his disciples it won't be long. More healing.
Transfiguration.<br /><br />Jesus teaches more about grace and humility and welcoming/becoming like a little child.<br /><br /><span><i><span class="ydp9b17c4a1text ydp9b17c4a1Matt-18-2" id="ydp9b17c4a1en-NIV-23730">He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.</span> <span class="ydp9b17c4a1text ydp9b17c4a1Matt-18-3" id="ydp9b17c4a1en-NIV-23731">And he said: <span class="ydp9b17c4a1woj">“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.</span></span> <span class="ydp9b17c4a1text ydp9b17c4a1Matt-18-4" id="ydp9b17c4a1en-NIV-23732"><span class="ydp9b17c4a1woj">Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.</span></span> <span class="ydp9b17c4a1text ydp9b17c4a1Matt-18-5" id="ydp9b17c4a1en-NIV-23733"><span class="ydp9b17c4a1woj">And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><br /></div></span></span></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br />Jesus speaks about the limitless nature of forgiveness and grace.<br /><br />Jesus
speaks about divorce (don't do it). Jesus tells the rich young man that
for him to be saved, he'd need to give up his wealth. Jesus
clarifies/emphasizes: "<i>T<span><span class="ydpa2404f98text ydpa2404f98Matt-19-23" id="ydpa2404f98en-NIV-23786"><span class="ydpa2404f98woj">ruly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.</span></span></span></i>"<br /><br />More parables. Parables about money/wealth and workers, which concludes: <i>"<span><span class="ydpb848e0datext ydpb848e0daMatt-20-16" id="ydpb848e0daen-NIV-23809"><span class="ydpb848e0dawoj">So the last will be first, and the first will be last</span></span></span>"</i><br /><br />THEN,
<i> FINALLY</i>, about 2/3 through the Gospel of Matthew, we find ONE line
where Jesus utters a phrase that COULD be taken to be referring to some
kind of atonement. But it was not part of one of the sermons Jesus
taught (again, Jesus came to preach <b><i>good news to the poor and marginalized</i></b>!), but in a private conversation where the POINT being discussed was humility within the realm of God.<br /><br /><span><i><span class="ydpaa4ed094text ydpaa4ed094Matt-20-24" id="ydpaa4ed094en-NIV-23817">When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers [James/John].</span><sup> </sup><span class="ydpaa4ed094text ydpaa4ed094Matt-20-25" id="ydpaa4ed094en-NIV-23818">Jesus called them together and said, <span class="ydpaa4ed094woj">“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.</span></span> <span class="ydpaa4ed094text ydpaa4ed094Matt-20-26" id="ydpaa4ed094en-NIV-23819"><span class="ydpaa4ed094woj">Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,</span></span> <span class="ydpaa4ed094text ydpaa4ed094Matt-20-27" id="ydpaa4ed094en-NIV-23820"><span class="ydpaa4ed094woj">and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—</span></span><span class="ydpaa4ed094text ydpaa4ed094Matt-20-28" id="ydpaa4ed094en-NIV-23821"><span class="ydpaa4ed094woj"><sup class="ydpaa4ed094versenum"> </sup>just as <b>the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.</b>”</span></span></i></span><br /><br />Now,
IF Jesus had repeatedly, in his sermons and teachings to the poor and
least of these had talked about the need for a blood payment to atone
(as the ONLY way God would be able/willing to forgive people), THEN this
one passage might be taken to speaking of that. But that doesn't
happen. Period. But absent that, this seems, on the face of it, to be
talking about why we should strive to be humble, not seek to be great.
For even God in Jesus came to serve and to pour out his life in service
to others. Absent any other mention of (let alone emphasis upon)
atonement, I don't see this being perforce understood that way.<br /></div><br /><b>Matt 21-22</b>:
Jesus enters Jerusalem in the final escalation between the grace of the
protagonist, Jesus and the legalism of the antagonists, the Legalists.
Jesus arrives humbly upon a mule, not as a triumphant warrior king. The
working class and poor who followed Jesus celebrated his arrival.<br /><br />Jesus
enters the temple and sees the moneychangers cheating
(especially/specifically the poor) inside the temple and drives/chases
them out with a handmade whip. More confrontation with the Legalists.
Jesus sides with the humble children (the least of these) over and
against the wishes of the powerful legalists.<br /><br />More parables.
Legalists plot to arrest Jesus but fear the regular people, who were his
ardent followers. Some of the parables are speaking of the powerful who
will abuse the humble King. When the rich and powerful won't come to
the dinner, the King welcomes the poor and marginalized, in rebuke of
the rich and powerful.<br /><br />More confrontations and plots from the legalists. Jesus teaches the simple, "greatest commandments" - Love God, Love people.<br /><br /><b>Matt 23-25</b>: Jesus gives the Legalists a great deal of hell. Rebukes and condemnation for them and their legalism ways.<br /><br />More
parables, including the Sheep and the Goats, in which Jesus makes clear
that HE is the least of these. "In as much as you do it to them, you do
it to me."<br /><br /><b>Matt 26-28</b>: The Last Supper. Here, in this private conversation with the disciples, we have the <b><i>SECOND</i></b> of only two potential mentions of Atonement. In sharing the supper (in his typical, humble, grace-full way), Jesus says:<br /><br /><div><i><span class="ydpd46fce34text ydpd46fce34Matt-26-26" id="ydpd46fce34en-NIV-24081">While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, <span class="ydpd46fce34woj">“Take and eat; this is my body.”</span></span></i> <p><i><span class="ydpd46fce34text ydpd46fce34Matt-26-27" id="ydpd46fce34en-NIV-24082">Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, <span class="ydpd46fce34woj">“Drink from it, all of you.</span></span> </i><span class="ydpd46fce34text ydpd46fce34Matt-26-28" id="ydpd46fce34en-NIV-24083"><span class="ydpd46fce34woj"><i><b>This is my blood of the<sup> </sup>covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins</b>.</i></span></span></p></div>Once
again, IF in the sermons of "good news for the poor and marginalized"
Jesus had clearly mentioned something like atonement, THEN we might
could envision that this second sentence in a private conversation COULD
be referencing atonement as the modern religionists mean it. But we
just don't have that. Period.<br /><br />From this point on, we have the
final kangaroo court of the Legalists who are enraged at Jesus' way of
grace and inclusion and failure to follow the rules that they thought
were important. Then Jesus Roman trial and capitol punishment
torture/execution by more people in power (although, in his defense, the
cowardly Roman governor, Pilate, at least had the sense to say "I don't
see he's done anything wrong..." and yet, he still had him executed) .<br /><br />In
summation, we don't have ONE single sermon where ANYTHING like the
Penal Substitutionary Atonement theory (theorized by humans hundreds of
years after Jesus' death and resurrection) in the canon of Jesus'
teachings to the poor and marginalized as found in Matthew. <br /><br />IF
we assume that Jesus (who, once again, literally said he'd come to
preach good news to the poor and marginalized) would have, at some point
in at least ONE set of his teachings, seen fit to at least give a
passing mention to something like atonement as theorized by some, it
would be there in his words in his sermons/teachings. It's literally
not.<br /><br />What we do see is a gospel (good news to the poor and
marginalized, remember) full of words of welcome, grace, forgiveness,
acceptance and love to all, beginning with the poor and marginalized AND
we see a gospel full of warnings and rebukes to the legalists, the rich
and powerful. The legalists, the rich and powerful are literally the
antagonists in the Gospels of Jesus - the warning to NOT be like THAT.<br /><br />And
while the "regular people," the poor, marginalized and working class
are called to repentance and to join the Realm of God, the Beloved
Community of Grace, they are never rebuked exceedingly harshly. The
warnings of hell and condemnation are nearly exclusively (exclusively?)
for the rich, powerful legalists.<br /><br />fyi.<br />Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-55617851703494360992024-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:002024-01-05T16:48:52.935-08:00The Beloved Community vs Utter Depravity<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rqgvivD91B8kGexxxxeG5Z3usNgxNiPpxbt182X6KEcW2B1I1-53FCjFuddwp2SbeByEAAH67GlyMmdtc5IJo43DnJ_gQogOzPXagSjhoTHByeaubd7Yc3Ho97VoduE4eXq3rdAWmG91IpU4yQnO8IEEW_nwyTxQcvrfxanumsfgFZ26S2uNeOhkwp4/s2047/51253025356_ce7884a024_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1656" data-original-width="2047" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rqgvivD91B8kGexxxxeG5Z3usNgxNiPpxbt182X6KEcW2B1I1-53FCjFuddwp2SbeByEAAH67GlyMmdtc5IJo43DnJ_gQogOzPXagSjhoTHByeaubd7Yc3Ho97VoduE4eXq3rdAWmG91IpU4yQnO8IEEW_nwyTxQcvrfxanumsfgFZ26S2uNeOhkwp4/w400-h324/51253025356_ce7884a024_k.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;">In a recent conversation about the problems of the traditional religious human view of "fallen humanity" and humans being totally or utterly depraved, I was asked...<br /><br /><span><i>"Think
of the least “imperfect” person you know. Do they get anywhere close to
doing these things!? We don’t even get past the first one; for what
would it look like to dedicate every part of oneself to God?"</i></span></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span>I replied...<br /><br />I'll have to warn you: the least perfect people I know are pretty amazing people.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span>Do they love God and fellow humans with "all their hearts? I don't know how one would objectively measure that. Is there some fool-proof method? I don't think so.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span>But they do clearly love God. As evidenced by their love of God's creation and of our fellow humans.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span>What
would it look like to dedicate every part of one's self to God? I'd say
living a life poured out in love to our fellow humans. As Jesus noted,
when you've aided/allied with the least of these, you've done it to me.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span>So
the good teachers, social workers, justice workers, those who work
with, for, alongside the oppressed, the disabled and marginalized are
literally pouring out their lives in service to God, are they not (by
Jesus' measure)? As with Jesus, John noted in 1 John 4 (and as simple reason supports...)<br /><br /></span></span><i><span class="text 1John-4-16"><b>Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them</b>.</span><sup> </sup></i><span class="text 1John-4-17" id="en-NIV-30621"><i>This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus...</i><br /><br />Wow. Continuing, John said...<br /><br /></span><span class="text 1John-4-7"> <i><b>Everyone who loves</b> has been born of God and knows God.</i></span><br /><span class="text 1John-4-17" id="en-NIV-30621"><br />WHOEVER loves, lives in God. EVERYONE who loves has been born of God. What you do for the least of these, you do for me. In this world, we are like Jesus.<br /><br />Wow!<br /><br />These words are not nothing. For those of us who value the teachings found in the Bible, THIS is the Word of God. Jesus continued by saying that the essence of what God wants is to love God and love humanity. When asked what was the greatest rule, Jesus responded...<br /><br /><i>"</i></span><i><span class="text Matt-22-37" id="en-NIV-23910"><span class="woj">Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ </span></span><span class="text Matt-22-38" id="en-NIV-23911"><span class="woj">This is the first and greatest commandment.</span></span><sup> </sup><span class="text Matt-22-39" id="en-NIV-23912"><span class="woj">And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. <br /><br /></span></span><span class="text Matt-22-40" id="en-NIV-23913"><span class="woj"><b>All the Law and the Prophets </b>hang on these two commandments.</span></span><span class="text Matt-22-39" id="en-NIV-23912"><span class="woj">"</span></span></i><br /><span class="text 1John-4-17" id="en-NIV-30621"><br />I was raised believing in this human tradition of the "utter depravity of humanity," which has been defined as, <br /><br /><i>"</i></span><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i>The doctrine of
total depravity asserts that people are, as a result of the fall, not
inclined or even able to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength,
but rather are inclined by nature to serve their own will and desires
and reject his rule."</i><br /><br />But Jesus and John and basic reasoning say that WHOEVER loves people, acts with kindness, compassion, forgiveness and justice... WHOEVER loves, lives in God. There is no mention of humanity as a whole being "not inclined or even ABLE to love..." Not because of liberal teaching, but from taking the Bible seriously and just using plain common sense, I see so many people out there pouring out their lives in love.<br /><br />Do they do so <i>perfectly</i>? No, of course, not. But then, we are not a perfect people. To expect imperfect people to be somehow perfect is ridiculous. HOW would that happen? It can't, by definition.<br /><br />But the more I see people, in general, the more I find the good and God in humanity.<br /><br />Now, does that mean that confused humans don't lash out in evil violence? That Hamas doesn't decide that attacking innocent people and innocent children is an answer and so, engage in HORRIBLE violence and evil? That white conservatives who feel threatened about losing their power in a nation where they are no longer the dominant movement might sometimes lash out in violence, attacking churches, synagogues, temples, schools and other places? No, clearly, humanity as a whole fairly regularly engages in awful, atrocious behavior.<br /><br />But think about it: Isn't it the case that these cases where such evil and unprovoked violence happens all the more awful because of the scarcity of such overt corruption and misdeeds? Yes, Israel might bomb and bomb and bomb Gaza, killing innocent people, children, aid workers, and destroying hospitals and churches and mosques in the process... but is that the norm? Yes, a crazed liberal might strike out in violence against an innocent person... but aren't these the exceptions?<br /><br />I see my friends and colleagues out there every day, teaching children, healing the sick, standing for justice, working with the disabled, working with immigrants, working with the homeless, working to protect the environment, enjoying God's good creation, going for hikes in the woods, birdwatching, taking their grandkids birdwatching, taking the neighbor's kids out to play a game... there are so many people out there being decent, kind people. "Created in the image of God," "just a little lower than God, "Created to do good works," and I see it every day.<br /><br />I have a neighbor (used to be my neighbor) who is now borderline homeless. He introduced himself to me 20 years ago as "I'm Fred, I am bi-polar and I'm your neighbor..." and that dear man struggles every day. And he's so kind and helpful and if I'm unloading a car and carrying stuff, he'll offer to help. He's a good man who struggles each and every day, but still he is a kind and helpful man. Even in his struggles, I see him regularly helping out with those even more marginalized than himself. My neighbor, Fred.<br /><br />So, when someone asks me to think of the "least imperfect person I know..." as if that's going to be some kind of Aha! moment of realization of the evil of humanity... that just doesn't work. The traditional conservatives have taught me to take the Bible and reality seriously enough that I can no longer buy into this "utter depravity" human theory. I see too many decent, imperfect, wonderful fellow humans.<br /></span></span></div>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-30164975938457305672023-12-20T17:00:00.000-08:002023-12-20T17:00:00.778-08:00Magnificat<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7MHuMmMz4t6ksC6yoJVAU8qzodoqOtmg_heMxQzJeNCGVdCBxazRkjSDGdnz65c8J0UrKWlhgPAgxfWYErJVUb5hLwZ3yC1UPX2wQsRsfdUwmqhHZQr8VJ5aiJELDF-QE0dpkNDb0XeQn2AQZsV6slp4_fFDYlHHhzRWD6QhK53-yR1o2scBvXcQKgQ/s2400/Magnificat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1791" data-original-width="2400" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7MHuMmMz4t6ksC6yoJVAU8qzodoqOtmg_heMxQzJeNCGVdCBxazRkjSDGdnz65c8J0UrKWlhgPAgxfWYErJVUb5hLwZ3yC1UPX2wQsRsfdUwmqhHZQr8VJ5aiJELDF-QE0dpkNDb0XeQn2AQZsV6slp4_fFDYlHHhzRWD6QhK53-yR1o2scBvXcQKgQ/w400-h299/Magnificat1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> My soul doth magnify the Lord.<br /> And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.<br /> For God hath regarded the lowliness of this handmaiden<br />
For behold, from henceforth all generations<br />
shall call me blessed.<br />
<br />
God hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.<br />
<p></p><div class="text_exposed_show">
God hath put down the mighty from their seat<br />
and hath exalted the humble and meek.<br /><br />
God hath filled the hungry with good things<br /> and the rich he hath sent empty away.<br /><br />
God, remembering mercy hath helped God's oppressed servant, Israel...<br />
Glory be to God.<br />
<br />
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be <br /> world without end. Amen.<br />
<br />
<i>~Mary, the mother of Jesus</i></div><div class="text_exposed_show"> </div><div class="text_exposed_show"><i>God has put down the rich and mighty, and lifted up the humble and poor. Happy Holidays, remember the reason for the season ("For I have come to preach GOOD NEWS to the POOR..." ~Jesus, who learned well from his mother)</i> <br /></div>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-75188749603210736952023-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:002023-12-18T12:15:49.927-08:00Life In Three Acts<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKKxjPCm2HYfxtN5HkEX3-0mvv0nZvjWefrdf7xwP29I4nkbNSTFBcmKt1QN8oHYGffCK0ekiV4nY8GTNrEiCQDp4p7zP5_MMvHCrP2BVXSvPBUFOidhRDSqJKJOqR0p7Sv76994wrVDitu7vBcMTLlUPJVokheSPulfs7mfWD9euK3SsNhIxd48nwkE/s4000/Starry%20Starry%20Bigfoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3182" data-original-width="4000" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKKxjPCm2HYfxtN5HkEX3-0mvv0nZvjWefrdf7xwP29I4nkbNSTFBcmKt1QN8oHYGffCK0ekiV4nY8GTNrEiCQDp4p7zP5_MMvHCrP2BVXSvPBUFOidhRDSqJKJOqR0p7Sv76994wrVDitu7vBcMTLlUPJVokheSPulfs7mfWD9euK3SsNhIxd48nwkE/w400-h319/Starry%20Starry%20Bigfoot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a play staged<div class="" dir="auto"><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">by a forest primeval</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I had a bit part</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />I served as the stage manager</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">in a play within a play</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">put on for my own benefit</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />I was also the audience</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />I wrote the plot</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">which included a twist ending</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">which I did not see coming</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />turns out, I was not </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">the author of the play</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">after all, just a patsy</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />Life, in three acts</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">beginning with the denouement</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">they'll never see it coming</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-70116559605324464702023-11-28T15:32:00.000-08:002023-11-28T15:32:25.260-08:00Rosalynn Carter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-MF9vcOVo75heZnZvtaSIHDumywms3K5DfcywduF-8CRRPWnPrLgBpUCUKA5TxJWO950ltkPl6nNQkFaL1jZRXOvYxbqw2gojZIi6h2Opu1rqFdzxq16EAfZl31WotpthB5ppd-WWAfjYyeMk9M6mYi3YU-foaRqQ7TpKUaF-w79IprP6CcVzp0_PTM/s3489/Acorn%20Mouse%20Share.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2937" data-original-width="3489" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-MF9vcOVo75heZnZvtaSIHDumywms3K5DfcywduF-8CRRPWnPrLgBpUCUKA5TxJWO950ltkPl6nNQkFaL1jZRXOvYxbqw2gojZIi6h2Opu1rqFdzxq16EAfZl31WotpthB5ppd-WWAfjYyeMk9M6mYi3YU-foaRqQ7TpKUaF-w79IprP6CcVzp0_PTM/w400-h336/Acorn%20Mouse%20Share.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>The world has lost two great women in the last few weeks: My mother and Rosalynn Carter. She and Jimmy Carter have shown by their lives, by their actions, by their words and by their policies what it means to be a good person and a wise leader. Their basic human decency and integrity were far and away unmatched in modern politics (for at least the past 100 years and maybe ever). They have been exemplary followers of Jesus and we can know this because we are known by our fruit, as Jesus taught.<br /><br />Rest in peace, Mrs Carter.<br /><br />Mrs Carter:</i><br /><br />"The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation."<br /><br />"I believe that one of the most important things to learn in life is that
you can make a difference in your community no matter who you are or
where you live."<br /><br />"People with mental problems are our neighbors. They are members of our
congregations, members of our families; they are everywhere in this
country. If we ignore their cries for help, we will be continuing to
participate in the anguish from which those cries for help come. A
problem of this magnitude will not go away. Because it will not go away,
and because of our spiritual commitments, we are compelled to take
action."<br /><br />"There are only four kinds of people in the world - those who have been
caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and
those who will need caregivers."<br /><br />"True success is not determined by material possessions, but by the impact we have on others."<br /><br />"It's not enough to simply talk about the issues. We must take action and work towards tangible solutions."<p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-16218512471342625862023-10-29T06:47:00.005-07:002023-10-29T06:47:58.290-07:00Memories of Mom...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XaP7aHWDAGQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="XaP7aHWDAGQ"></iframe></div><br /> Mary Helen Basham Trabue, December 24, 1930 - October 26, 2023<br /><br />How can she keep from singing?<br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-45748573078378858062023-09-21T17:05:00.003-07:002023-09-21T17:05:58.505-07:00The Golden Rule: If You Have the Gold, Maybe Give it Away..?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrsbb47X1x8vKZN3i8MGAueset7pSECB-GZu9SR7owEjUMMm-9ttqDUGKINSSuBZhSe5YWi2bevXbtIVEU1YgcCkRFeVw5KG5S9Nvg1soJUXvVEVtSpYFVClxOlLCP7M0q7TWpKLFqpeGXC6wY7iOOtldxkZOQVhfIAS2YrNP-P94mj1Em0JyRndFvyI/s3600/Golden%20Rule1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2718" data-original-width="3600" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrsbb47X1x8vKZN3i8MGAueset7pSECB-GZu9SR7owEjUMMm-9ttqDUGKINSSuBZhSe5YWi2bevXbtIVEU1YgcCkRFeVw5KG5S9Nvg1soJUXvVEVtSpYFVClxOlLCP7M0q7TWpKLFqpeGXC6wY7iOOtldxkZOQVhfIAS2YrNP-P94mj1Em0JyRndFvyI/w400-h303/Golden%20Rule1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i> I heard another story about this line of research that's been going around for a long time - that the data shows in multiple studies that the easiest and most effective way to assist the poor is just to give them money, no strings attached. From NPR:<br /></i><br />The researchers identified about 65,000 households across an
impoverished, rural area of Kenya and then randomly assigned them to
various groups: those who got no help from GiveDirectly and a "treatment
group" of about 10,500 families who got a one-time cash grant of about
$1,000.<p></p> <p>"That's a really big income transfer," notes Miguel.
"About three-quarters of the income of the [recipient] households for a
year on average." It also represented a flood of cash into the wider
communities where they lived. "The cash transfers were something like
17% of total local income — local GDP," says Miguel.<br /><br /></p><p>Eighteen months on, the researchers found that, as expected, the
families who got the money used it to buy lots more food and other
essentials. </p> <p>But that was just the beginning. </p> <p>"That
money goes to local businesses," says Miguel. "They sell more. They
generate more revenue. And then eventually that gets passed on into
labor earnings for their workers."</p> <p>The net effect: Every dollar in cash aid increased total economic activity in the area by $2.60. </p> <p>But were those income gains simply washed out by a corresponding rise in inflation?</p> <p>"We actually find there's a little bit of price inflation, but it's really small," says Miguel. "It's much less than 1%." </p> <p>The study — recently unveiled at a conference of the <a href="https://www.nber.org/">National Bureau of Economic Research</a>
and soon to be available on its website — also uncovered some evidence
for why prices didn't go up: A lot of local businesses reported that
before the cash infusion they weren't that busy.</p> <p>"They may be a
shopkeeper that doesn't really have that many customers [because] it's a
poor area. They may be someone working at a grain mill that only has
one or two customers an hour."</p> <p>So when they suddenly get more
customers, they don't have to take extra steps like hiring more workers
that would drive up their costs — and their prices. In economic
parlance, there was enough "slack" in the local economy to absorb the
injection of cash.<br /><br />====<br /><br />Read more:<br /><br />https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/02/781152563/researchers-find-a-remarkable-ripple-effect-when-you-give-cash-to-poor-families<br /><br />https://www.oecd.org/dev/pgd/46240619.pdf<br /><br />https://www.rienner.com/uploads/553a9642e0c0a.pdf</p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-2777274401708830332023-08-30T13:48:00.005-07:002023-08-30T13:48:36.394-07:00Like Refugees Escaping<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY4hgTkvF_k6E469EY8r1UjYT6msSyNa0JJWW-PjL2imDFIX8KcUwcQ_k47SBBhF73wEoCsjGaN2JTMUzh-xMHx8Q422X9ura3OdzuCXvh3leW9_1JWHoAjPXob8op1qmnprsTUdZrzphxNOPg0PbiXZxfTpPKEGM6q7nbth87n01RLDlscxYnxKzFUM/s3052/Gathered%20Stones%20and%20Cedar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3052" data-original-width="2595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY4hgTkvF_k6E469EY8r1UjYT6msSyNa0JJWW-PjL2imDFIX8KcUwcQ_k47SBBhF73wEoCsjGaN2JTMUzh-xMHx8Q422X9ura3OdzuCXvh3leW9_1JWHoAjPXob8op1qmnprsTUdZrzphxNOPg0PbiXZxfTpPKEGM6q7nbth87n01RLDlscxYnxKzFUM/w340-h400/Gathered%20Stones%20and%20Cedar.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":rrn:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Three hundred years ago</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">religious zealots wanted to kill my family</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">they escaped from Montauban, France </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">on the River Tarn<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Six years ago</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I returned</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">a lost son of Montauban</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />and I walked along the Tarn</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">and gathered stones</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">skipping them across the surface</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">like refugees escaping</div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-58817018454406417502023-08-26T08:08:00.001-07:002023-08-26T08:08:23.758-07:00This is Not Normal<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtMgjS8iJjeIheb2ltcSWXXhFJGjbQ4mu4iqzBTujRN3AGoMCE-o3GzP7ZzSxfLRSnkyVzlYvOFPYOZXBPgufaX8xTVEk3IPzvmy-tBmvGoKHDcY8EaXBb0suYsQfkqw75_ygflLXdtvo0z8UfOrrfdEtIPLbTHbqMFiUgdnVInwF3F5zQz2c3WeaLpI/s3151/AA%20This%20is%20Not%20Normal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="3151" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtMgjS8iJjeIheb2ltcSWXXhFJGjbQ4mu4iqzBTujRN3AGoMCE-o3GzP7ZzSxfLRSnkyVzlYvOFPYOZXBPgufaX8xTVEk3IPzvmy-tBmvGoKHDcY8EaXBb0suYsQfkqw75_ygflLXdtvo0z8UfOrrfdEtIPLbTHbqMFiUgdnVInwF3F5zQz2c3WeaLpI/w400-h328/AA%20This%20is%20Not%20Normal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Just remember<br />if anyone should try to convince you otherwise<br />go with the obvious meaning<br />what you see with your own eyes<br /><br />This is not normal<br />This is not good<br />This is not acceptable<br />This is not a witchhunt<br />This is not the White Man's Persecution<br /><br />This is a man who behaves obviously, overtly bad<br />publicly<br />who by all evidence<br />is psychotically narcissistic and<br />devoid of morality or decency<br /><br />This is just what it seems like<br /><br />A bad man <br />(probably damaged by a privileged, dysfunctional upbringing)<br />who got in trouble<br />because of his own actions<br />and is being brought down<br />by justice officers from across the political spectrum<br />based upon evidence from and testimony of <br />his own allies and former allies<br />conservatives all<br /><br />History will record it just that way<br />because that is what has happened<br /><br />Don't believe anyone who even hints otherwise<br />The data in the real world doesn't support it<br /> <p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-25451329665479218192023-08-24T14:45:00.005-07:002023-08-24T14:45:47.566-07:00He Was Lost<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ89vLBsyqeoeVXOhLK1aR5Te7oFWd_brCWrWNkzfwTY2G1o5TRCcBwtaDO8zIVydWrwqJ0vGamhajFQg7yug7o64js2MIQlL28gb8C5BMS2qYflA74cfwsUSVLU6EyDSXC4AWmR8zlJecFAuhWaY-4HWT2gKXhEK0rEevC_mT2HdeAvi3X02A5DKCJI/s2470/Dark%20Dan%20in%20White%20Woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1859" data-original-width="2470" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ89vLBsyqeoeVXOhLK1aR5Te7oFWd_brCWrWNkzfwTY2G1o5TRCcBwtaDO8zIVydWrwqJ0vGamhajFQg7yug7o64js2MIQlL28gb8C5BMS2qYflA74cfwsUSVLU6EyDSXC4AWmR8zlJecFAuhWaY-4HWT2gKXhEK0rEevC_mT2HdeAvi3X02A5DKCJI/w400-h301/Dark%20Dan%20in%20White%20Woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />He was lost<br />in a late summer blizzard<br />and all the green <br />had turned to white<br />and all the darkness<br />was kept<br />as a balancing scale<br />neither too much<br />nor too little<br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-69302922541135527732023-08-16T18:15:00.002-07:002023-08-16T18:15:21.945-07:00Two Square Inches<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCTJKw66sx3BUObpKtXasStRFhkmKCHWtPkD_ZhqOSOZBtvDn7Z5loIDOQF6usSFXR7sIndCGDnF91e1289VJiWuUvLJGbwZIS7b3iVPtOj_BHPuR3BQwUtt93xbsw8KJBtcNHeZ8-ykr2KxwuxVGIaHA1xaCHXtNPZ4XIvQ5Y9MddHad0yWESzm6NjU/s2974/Snail%20Infinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="2974" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCTJKw66sx3BUObpKtXasStRFhkmKCHWtPkD_ZhqOSOZBtvDn7Z5loIDOQF6usSFXR7sIndCGDnF91e1289VJiWuUvLJGbwZIS7b3iVPtOj_BHPuR3BQwUtt93xbsw8KJBtcNHeZ8-ykr2KxwuxVGIaHA1xaCHXtNPZ4XIvQ5Y9MddHad0yWESzm6NjU/s320/Snail%20Infinity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok8c0UDyCFjH4auvwXWlaNsdUBbJMN_hfqr_omepNUwikXtigQz_l_AY53tfMQhYTKDc1df6ZhXXY-xwhHVzrbhriKFnwsBUtKh5po5lwycUQjjZ8A4i_wRJ78Jnw4KYLCpAVU1ssN8aajixFnaGAgx2FI3FwllN75q165NiY4dDp3EeLcVaknU9rcM/s1825/Tiny%20Green%20Frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="1825" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok8c0UDyCFjH4auvwXWlaNsdUBbJMN_hfqr_omepNUwikXtigQz_l_AY53tfMQhYTKDc1df6ZhXXY-xwhHVzrbhriKFnwsBUtKh5po5lwycUQjjZ8A4i_wRJ78Jnw4KYLCpAVU1ssN8aajixFnaGAgx2FI3FwllN75q165NiY4dDp3EeLcVaknU9rcM/s320/Tiny%20Green%20Frog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I found two square inches</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">in the middle of a medium-sized woods</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">in the middle of a fairly large city</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">and those two square inches contained</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">more beauty and</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">more <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>information and </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">more details to explore</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">than I could have possibly imagined</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">or have time to finish examining<br /><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">And then </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I turned around and found</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">another two square inches</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">that was filled with </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">infinity </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />and I wondered what hope</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I could possibly have to ever </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">understand and comprehend </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">more than </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">two square inches</div></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />And so</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I embraced grace </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">rather than understanding</div><p><br /> </p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-38268387618442393972023-07-20T16:54:00.000-07:002023-07-20T16:54:48.027-07:00Pitting Paul Against Jesus and... the Gospel?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUa0LrK0nVOE18W6RQL8GVsA2_K7b_y0UqxCDTaSY7OwCqi8wjjf3Gg36TQscnd0UgEQTTwWrBzfIEmzIaIid4Oy3oGuwV1z09gfJTlrME2x1JmtgP4bKwDlix-8YyxoL32Jd92jqKZVDA8e9L43awx-OgWCrNaX0qyn-PDv2PxWDPwIMdYikUSj87Vho/s2609/Mandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2278" data-original-width="2609" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUa0LrK0nVOE18W6RQL8GVsA2_K7b_y0UqxCDTaSY7OwCqi8wjjf3Gg36TQscnd0UgEQTTwWrBzfIEmzIaIid4Oy3oGuwV1z09gfJTlrME2x1JmtgP4bKwDlix-8YyxoL32Jd92jqKZVDA8e9L43awx-OgWCrNaX0qyn-PDv2PxWDPwIMdYikUSj87Vho/w400-h350/Mandala.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Stan writes today to once again pit Paul against Jesus. And as always, I'm not picking on Stan and don't want to talk about Stan. I'm talking about the point he is raising and the questions he's ignoring... as has been my experience when talking with more conservative Christians. Stan says...<br /><br /><i>Despite the Pauline Dispensationalists who claim that Jesus taught a
different gospel than Paul or the Social Justice Warriors that argue
that Jesus taught a "good news for the poor" rather than "saved by
faith" gospel, it appears that Jesus and Paul taught the same gospel:
repent and believe and you will have eternal life.</i><br /><br />A few points:<br /><br />1.
Folks like me do NOT believe in a "good news for the poor" <i>rather than</i>
"saved by faith" gospel" - we believe in salvation by God's grace and we
note that <b><i>Jesus said</i></b> he'd come to preach this good news specifically,
literally to the poor and marginalized. That is, this salvation of grace
begins with the poor and marginalized.<br /><br />2. I'm noting that Stan
found nothing in Jesus' words saying anything about the evangelical belief in a
penal substitutionary atonement theory as taught by some human traditions.<br /><br />3.
And, as always, I wonder (and get no answers other than waving away the questions or saying we shouldn't take THESE words literally)... What do you all do with Jesus' continued emphasis on a good news <i>for the poor and
marginalized</i> that came up so frequently and with such emphasis in Jesus'
words? Ignore them? <br /><br />WHY did Jesus say he'd come to preach good news to
the poor and marginalized specifically? <br /><br />What about that good news of
"repentance and faith" (PLUS the blood sacrifice/atonement/angry god
theory) is somehow good news for the poor?<br /><br />4. Here's the thing: I can point to the ways in which a Gospel of Grace that more aligns with Jesus' teachings is good news specifically for the poor and marginalized. In the
salvation by God's grace, where we have a loving God who loves the whole
world and wants to see the whole world saved and who BEGINS that
salvation of grace with/for the poor and marginalized who have traditionally
been ignored and excluded, it IS good news for them in the following
ways:<br /><br />a. They are specifically INCLUDED. Not told they're filthy
and unclean, unfit to be loved by God. They are lovingly invited, welcomed and greeted to the
dinner table.<br /><br />b. When we're following Christ and the early
church's examples, that means, among other things, that they're
literally invited to <i>come and eat</i>. That IS good news specifically for
the poor and marginalized who have been ignored at best and hated and
blamed at worst... they're welcome AND there's food. That's good news
for the hungry and the lonely, abandoned, forgotten and oppressed.<br /><br />c. They/we are welcome not JUST to a dinner, but
to be part of a beloved community, one that begins with grace, love and
welcome. And there's real power in that Church of God that is a beloved
community, welcoming in grace and that's a real difference for the
literally poor, sick, foreigner and oppressed. There's some level of
protection in that community, there's healing in that community in a way
that isn't there in the individualistic, god eat dog world and that is
especially true and important for the poor and marginalized.<br /><br />Do
you see how it's reasonably literal good news for the poor, this
doctrine of welcoming, loving grace? That, as opposed to, "IF God
decides to 'gift' you with 'faith,' then you can be saved and if not,
tough luck for you - poor and rich and in between!" That's the "good
news" of the random one-in-a-million lottery winner, not for the poor and marginalized... I always wonder if they can see how that would not be literal good news for the poor and
marginalized (and truly, it's not good news for most of humanity, at least amongst those evangelicals who insist that "the bible" "teaches" that God will send most of us to burn in hell forever!)?<br /><br />It's a good and important question, though, "What Gospel did Jesus preach?" And I am
certainly down with repenting and believing in Jesus/God... that would
be part of a good news of grace, where we are welcomed and welcome to
repent and forgive. But as you well know, it's not merely believing in
God - even the demons do that, right? So simple "belief" is not what
Jesus was speaking of, right? I'd say that it's affirming/accepting
Jesus' WAY which is the way of grace which is, as Jesus notes, good news
for the poor.<br /><br />Can you see, at least, how some of us find that internally consistent with Jesus' literal words and rationally compelling?<br /><br />For what it's worth, other times this issue has been raised and ignored...<br /><br /><a href="https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2015/08/different-gospels.html">https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2015/08/different-gospels.html<br /><br /></a><a href="https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2018/09/defining-gospel.html">https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2018/09/defining-gospel.html<br /><br /></a><a href="https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-gospel-of-jesus-vs-evangelicalism.html">https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-gospel-of-jesus-vs-evangelicalism.html</a><br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-79486672213756358962023-06-15T18:54:00.001-07:002023-06-15T18:54:45.425-07:00For All the Wise Women in my Life<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3isvGzMbuQgOzUASREMApjyKjQHUdqdgN5iwfvPrNDIT-KVNF7mTVTBaxNn2UPhGFTOxIVB6OX0Di6ayW4t54G3XdJxQ2vfxxpOr5zK2Ok00Dww0WE5Fw13nHQb9Et6DgBFhvW1ZzDPIIbnyczlBoJQbEn3iDgDTqNxGq3ea4YLp-RgtAkKJpv4G2/s2600/Cindy%20Kendra%20Levi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3isvGzMbuQgOzUASREMApjyKjQHUdqdgN5iwfvPrNDIT-KVNF7mTVTBaxNn2UPhGFTOxIVB6OX0Di6ayW4t54G3XdJxQ2vfxxpOr5zK2Ok00Dww0WE5Fw13nHQb9Et6DgBFhvW1ZzDPIIbnyczlBoJQbEn3iDgDTqNxGq3ea4YLp-RgtAkKJpv4G2/s2600/Cindy%20Kendra%20Levi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqch46poxFsoKQr4HZVwmldtHXnNDlq1goZS-HnjCfEuZduo57XJGPPSAkACdsIVo8Taz5wP8LGk9Vu6Gszl5JCJ0JdcfYToUrIytO3xcb_HI2fq4G8GMQu0cT-2xa23cI_rxfzDmNQkudJUhR0YkLMyKsekP7iA3_cFm_Qr-r9XjmB9nhYUsZvVIr/s2048/Wise%20Women3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqch46poxFsoKQr4HZVwmldtHXnNDlq1goZS-HnjCfEuZduo57XJGPPSAkACdsIVo8Taz5wP8LGk9Vu6Gszl5JCJ0JdcfYToUrIytO3xcb_HI2fq4G8GMQu0cT-2xa23cI_rxfzDmNQkudJUhR0YkLMyKsekP7iA3_cFm_Qr-r9XjmB9nhYUsZvVIr/s320/Wise%20Women3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><img border="0" data-original-height="1899" data-original-width="2600" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3isvGzMbuQgOzUASREMApjyKjQHUdqdgN5iwfvPrNDIT-KVNF7mTVTBaxNn2UPhGFTOxIVB6OX0Di6ayW4t54G3XdJxQ2vfxxpOr5zK2Ok00Dww0WE5Fw13nHQb9Et6DgBFhvW1ZzDPIIbnyczlBoJQbEn3iDgDTqNxGq3ea4YLp-RgtAkKJpv4G2/s320/Cindy%20Kendra%20Levi1.jpg" width="320" /></div><br /><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I've attended church </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">ALL my life</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I've heard at least<br /> (AT LEAST) <br />an average of one sermon</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">a week</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">not counting all the sermons lived out</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">in the lives of people I admire</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">60 years x 52 weeks each year</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I've heard in surplus of </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">three thousand </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">one hundred</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">and twenty </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">sermons preached</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">no doubt</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">by dozens or hundreds of preachers</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />For the first ~half of my life</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">all those preachers would have been men</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />For the second ~half of my life</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">almost all those preachers would have been women</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">(including some transgender women)</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />I can say</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">with complete and utter confidence that </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">FAR and away </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">not even close</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">in any way </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">whatsoever</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">the very best sermons I've heard</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">the best preachers and teachers I've heard</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">the most compelling prophets and </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">words of wisdom I've heard</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">have been from </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">women</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />Period</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />And so</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">if it happens that there are some</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">men </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">who believe that women</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">can't teach</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">preach</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">be prophets calling down holy fire</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">and who try to stop words of wisdom </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">from the wisest and strongest</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">well</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />they are damned fools</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />End of my poor sermon</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />A Woman could have preached it better<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6L9oxY_P4uZMtJmGKslu30VLY9hiFnge88tF8Apc0nHZwsKLatEWdPzcDdEKK-A6PzrAzoUmT6nHhr81qE2-943EGTubtMpMoQijNR00C9fyAGv4dl1iSV3nVubTlYNwCzhPh7Kz9sA01tBWOkjwEEWsERjc2EMNz7Vhn99b3a3NZn93kip1Chkg/s2272/2010%20Determined%20Women%20Cindy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="2272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6L9oxY_P4uZMtJmGKslu30VLY9hiFnge88tF8Apc0nHZwsKLatEWdPzcDdEKK-A6PzrAzoUmT6nHhr81qE2-943EGTubtMpMoQijNR00C9fyAGv4dl1iSV3nVubTlYNwCzhPh7Kz9sA01tBWOkjwEEWsERjc2EMNz7Vhn99b3a3NZn93kip1Chkg/s320/2010%20Determined%20Women%20Cindy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com193tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-24429414164512521542023-05-31T17:58:00.003-07:002023-05-31T17:58:45.414-07:00Woke Up This Mornin with My Mind Stayed on Freedom<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="304" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TsziXdKfOsE" width="366" youtube-src-id="TsziXdKfOsE"></iframe></div><br /> "In June 1961, Reverend Robert Wesby (c. 1927-1988) of Aurora,
Illinois, created "I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed On
Freedom" while spending time inHinds County, Mississippi's jail as a Freedom Rider. That autumn, 114 students sang the song at the Burglund High School Walk Out and march to McComb, Mississippi, city hall.
<p></p>The song spread and became part of the civil rights movement,
being one of the most notable pieces among many others. The song is
referred to by Pete Seeger in his 1989 book <i>Everybody Says Freedom.</i>
It falls under the folk music genre, which was popular in the 1930s and
1940s and was revived in the 1960s during the civil rights movement.
Music and singing were an integral part of the movement, many songs
being adapted from earlier religious songs."<br /><br /><i>Many thanks to those heroes who went before.</i><br /><br />Well I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom<br />Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom<br />Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom<br />Hallelu (Hallelu)<br />Hallelu (Hallelu)<br />Hallelujah<br /><br /><br />Oh well I'm walking and talking with my mind stayed on freedom<br />Oh yes I'm walking and talking with my mind stayed on freedom<br />I said I'm walking and talking with my mind stayed on freedom<br />Hallelu (Hallelu)<br />Hallelu (Hallelu)<br />HallelujahDan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-81659598800959474642023-05-24T08:08:00.001-07:002023-05-24T08:08:16.713-07:00New Days Lyrics, by Amanda Gorman<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlfnFZaG1U5ERfZRKr25npCgP3X6lh9t1uoj2tB-LFXgctcX_W5Wj4DlAlZW8xS1mMSUpKO9IwdBh6urbry3t9q6hr_SRsoICGKljKWIA8zr_qqwvs9mUzebEQI0viJ2JPAg5EC-64bKzSliLWdzhxDypCCnJUvfGOT4xXUz6G_GJ7XfWQN4MV29h/s800/Dan%20Reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlfnFZaG1U5ERfZRKr25npCgP3X6lh9t1uoj2tB-LFXgctcX_W5Wj4DlAlZW8xS1mMSUpKO9IwdBh6urbry3t9q6hr_SRsoICGKljKWIA8zr_qqwvs9mUzebEQI0viJ2JPAg5EC-64bKzSliLWdzhxDypCCnJUvfGOT4xXUz6G_GJ7XfWQN4MV29h/w400-h300/Dan%20Reading.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Cowards in Florida are banning books. Shame on them. One of the latest is a poetry book by Amanda Gorman. Shame on them. If you're opposed to powerful words of human liberty, you are free not to read it, but shame on those right wing parents and politicians who abuse their power to try to prevent others from reading words that they fear. <br /><br />Spread her powerful words. Let freedom ring in the backwards hearts of some Floridians!</i><br /><br /><p></p><p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "sans-serif", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">May this be the day</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We come together.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mourning, we come to mend,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Withered, we come to weather,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Torn, we come to tend,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Battered, we come to better.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Tethered by this year of yearning,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We are learning</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">That though we weren’t ready for this,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We have been readied by it.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We steadily vow that no matter</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">How we are weighed down,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We must always pave a way forward.</span></p><p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "sans-serif", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">This hope is our door, our portal.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Even if we never get back to normal,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Someday we can venture beyond it,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">To leave the known and take the first steps.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">So let us not return to what was normal,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">But reach toward what is next.</span></p><p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "sans-serif", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">What was cursed, we will cure.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">What was plagued, we will prove pure.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Those moments we missed</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Are now these moments we make,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">The moments we meet,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">And our hearts, once all together beaten,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Now all together beat.</span></p><p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "sans-serif", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Come, look up with kindness yet,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">But to take on tomorrow.</span></p><p class="sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "sans-serif", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We heed this old spirit,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">In a new day’s lyric,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">In our hearts, we hear it:</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For auld lang syne, my dear,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For auld lang syne.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Be bold, sang Time this year,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Be bold, sang Time,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For when you honor yesterday,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Tomorrow ye will find.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Know what we’ve fought</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Need not be forgot nor for none.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">It defines us, binds us as one,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Come over, join this day just begun.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For wherever we come together,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">We will forever overcome.</span></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-86701092692877384102023-05-08T18:35:00.001-07:002023-05-08T18:35:20.194-07:00Jesus, Paul and the Beloved Community and Concern for "The Least of These..."<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7tEsPCDUkdeCTVBthtG6jRFGO8vtZGSjNOkmZzj3-guh3-9ihA0eoguSuN2-H6hp9uWXI7DFlKe5NbViimFYoIV-PdwUWyEFh4GGrWn9H5XDY28_HuYU91Nr79ARLFM7kqDVmGdOf-AfoSIgLWc4ecf8bR3rGUbhC41NkHnKrHeMiyEji6aR16f3/s2500/Magnificat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="2500" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7tEsPCDUkdeCTVBthtG6jRFGO8vtZGSjNOkmZzj3-guh3-9ihA0eoguSuN2-H6hp9uWXI7DFlKe5NbViimFYoIV-PdwUWyEFh4GGrWn9H5XDY28_HuYU91Nr79ARLFM7kqDVmGdOf-AfoSIgLWc4ecf8bR3rGUbhC41NkHnKrHeMiyEji6aR16f3/w400-h299/Magnificat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In a post at Craig's blog, he suggested I was looking at one verse (Jesus saying he'd come to preach good news to the poor and marginalized) and ignored the rest of the Bible. But indeed, as I've made clear, I'm looking at the ENTIRETY of the Bible,
Genesis to Revelation, and seeing concern for the poor and marginalized
as either THE or at least ONE of the most emphasized points, one of the
most consistent themes. That and the nature of God's Realm (or if you
prefer, God's kingdom) which just circles back around to
God's realm is where the poor and marginalized are welcomed and
protected.<br /><br />And, as noted, the poor and marginalized are
SPECIFICALLY cited by Jesus as WHO his Gospel was for and WHY he had
come. When John questioned if Jesus was the One, Jesus said, "Look, I'm
preaching the gospel to the poor." And on and on he went and on and on
the bible goes. Perhaps you missed it?<br /><br /><i>I also look at Jesus actually sharing and offering The Gospel to people who were NOT in the right groups.</i><br /><br />Well,
of course, I've never said that the gospel was ONLY for the poor.
Indeed, I've repeatedly insisted that this is NOT the case. Just that
Jesus notes that his gospel STARTS with the poor and marginalized, and
others are invited to join. Biblically speaking, throughout the Bible.
You've read it, right?<br /><br />Craig further suggested I was ignoring Paul (Side Note: Often, it seems
religious conservatives pit Paul against Jesus and interpret Jesus
through the lens of Paul's teaching, rather than the other way around -
bad form, says I.)<br /><br /><i>Strangely enough, when Jesus
commissioned Paul the right groups were never mentioned, and Paul also
preached The Gospel to people of all demographic groups.</i><br /><br />Says
Craig. And yes, Paul doesn't seem as overtly and consistently concerned
about or inclusive of the poor, AND YET, we must remember to understand
and interpret Paul through the words and lens of Jesus and not try to
make Jesus subservient to either Paul, or modern conservative notions of
what Paul was saying.<br /><br />Indeed, let's remember that when Paul was
consulting with the elder apostles and leaders of the church (in
Galatians 2) he noted...<br /><br /><i>they (Peter, James, John) recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of<br />preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,<br />just as Peter had been to the circumcised.</i><br /><br />And
WHO were these circumcised and uncircumcised people they were preaching
to? The high-falutin' rich and powerful? Or the regular folk... people
who may have often been quite poor? Do you know?<br /><br /><i>...For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised,<br />was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.<br />James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars,<br />gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship...</i><br /><br />When??<br /><br /><i>...when they recognized the <b>grace</b> given to me.<br />They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.<br /><br /><b>ALL they asked was...</b></i><br /><br />Was WHAT? Wait for it...<br /><br /><i>...was that we should<br /><b>continue to remember the poor,<br />the very thing I had been eager to do all along.</b></i><br /><br />Seems
like the apostles recognized siding with the poor and marginalized was
CORE - the one thing that should not be forgotten (as they had actually
listened to Jesus) AND Paul was totally in agreement with that. "Of
course!" he said. "THE VERY thing I WAS EAGER TO DO ALL ALONG!!"<br /><br />As one traditional Christian website (them proud boys over at Ligonier!) helps illustrate...<br /><br /><i>Paul’s
readiness is not empty bravado, for during his ministry he frequently
exhorted the Gentile churches to help out the poor believers in Judea
(Acts 24:17; Rom. 15:25–27; 1 Cor. 16:1–4)...<br /><br />Giving to the poor
is also, in a small way, an imitation of God. Our Creator gives eternal
life to those who rely on Him alone, and our gifts can help provide
physical life to those who have no finances on which they can depend.<br /><br />Everyone
who claims the name of Christ has the duty to help those who cannot
feed themselves (James 1:27). Let us do what we can to make our churches
the first places needy people, and needy Christians especially, can
find help.</i><br /><br />https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/remembering-poor<br /><br />And Paul, along with Jesus, is keen on warning against the trappings of wealth...<br /><br /><i>For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.<br />It is through this craving that some have<br />wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.</i><br /><br />And...<br /><br /><i>As for the rich in this present age,<br />charge them not to be haughty,<br />nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,<br />but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.<br />They are to do good, to be rich in good works,<br />to be generous and ready to share, thus<br />storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future,<br />so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.</i><br /><br />1 Tim 6<br /><br />And again, emphasizing how sharing with/welcoming the poor is just to be expected...<br /><br /><i>Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor,<br />doing honest work with his own hands...</i><br /><br />Why? Because there's a line in the scripture that says "don't steal..."? No.<br /><br /><i><b>so that he may have something to share with anyone in need</b>.</i><br /><br />Eph 4<br /><br /><i>Remember this:<br />Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and<br />whoever sows generously will also reap generously.<br />Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,<br />not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.<br />And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times,<br />having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.<br /><br />As it is written:<br /><br /><b>“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;<br />their righteousness endures forever.”</b></i><br /><br />2 Cor 9<br /><br />Paul
apparently thought that Psalmist there quoted though that their
righteousness would be clear and endure forever AS they shared with the
poor.<br /><br /><i>Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.<br />Be devoted to one another in love</i><br /><br />As
an aside: WHO are they being devoted to? THE BELOVED. The Beloved
Community of the Church. As you all like to note (when talking about
tenets VERY loosely connected to the bible such as "inerrancy" or "penal
substitution theories of atonement"), the exact phrase doesn't have to
be mentioned, as long as it's clearly there. THE BELOVED COMMUNITY OF
GOD is clearly, directly, indisputably in the bible. IT IS perfectly
clear, if you're not choosing to ignore it. Continuing...<br /><br /><i>Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.<br />Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.<br />Practice hospitality...<br /><br />Live in harmony with one another.<br />Do not be proud, but<br />be willing to associate with people of low position.</i><br /><br />Rom 12<br /><br />If you count Paul as the author of Hebrews, there's this...<br /><br /><i>Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.</i><br /><br />There's that damned loving beloved community again, EVEN IF he doesn't use that term (Craig had objected to King and others using the term Beloved Community to refer to the Realm/Kingdom of God).<br /><br /><i>Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,<br />for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.<br />Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison,<br />and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.</i><br /><br />Echoing Jesus' "the least of these" teaching. Paul (or the author of Hebrews, whichever) DID learn from Jesus, too, after all.<br /><br /><i>Keep your lives free from the love of money and<br />be content with what you have...</i><br /><br />Heb 13<br /><br />Continuing with the Epistles of Paul...<br /><br /><i>Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction;<br />whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.</i><br /><br />WHOEVER
sows - NOT from a desire to pleas the flesh, but to please God - WILL
reap eternal life, says Paul. Why? Good works? No! Because they have
embraced God's grace as is evidenced by their actions. Continuing..<br /><br /><i>Let us not become weary in doing good,<br />for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.<br />Therefore, as we have opportunity,<br />let us do good to all people,<br />especially to those who belong to the family of believers.</i><br /><br />Gal 6<br /><br /><i>we want you to know<br /><b>about the grace</b><br />that God has given the Macedonian churches.<br /><b>In the midst of a very severe trial</b>,<br />their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.<br />For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,<br />and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,<br />they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of<br />sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.</i><br /><br />2 Cor 8<br /><br />That grace demonstrated in sharing with the poor, even FROM the poor.<br /><br />And
I could go on. Paul may not have emphasized working with and for the
poor and marginalized as much as Jesus or the prophets or Jesus' mother
or James... but that same theme is THERE in Paul's writings for those
who aren't closing their eyes.<br /><br /><i>Only, they asked us to <b>remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.</b></i><br /><br />Indeed.
It's almost like Paul and the apostles agreed with Jesus that this
grace of siding/allying with the poor and marginalized was central to
the Gospel which Jesus said he'd come to preach to the poor and
marginalized.<p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-1464006969563949502023-05-05T15:47:00.004-07:002023-05-05T15:47:53.775-07:00How Is This Even an Option?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HpfwAMPHbxhLkUrzl4tR7ETpHZ1YLZ0SVLIKBOm5HSz4yDAy-rhpSc4Bq5peoiPFuZYdkjOz0XpPTah1E5koemsoitRs5p92l8dDGG7w5KfcZ0OlNoNrn7m1hNRIhrwAEuLOW58q3g91v7JmzjAhnxfpwUUPb4N_TqyADeA7S2BMWDNwID0aox-P/s3987/Tearing%20Down%20the%20Walls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2998" data-original-width="3987" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HpfwAMPHbxhLkUrzl4tR7ETpHZ1YLZ0SVLIKBOm5HSz4yDAy-rhpSc4Bq5peoiPFuZYdkjOz0XpPTah1E5koemsoitRs5p92l8dDGG7w5KfcZ0OlNoNrn7m1hNRIhrwAEuLOW58q3g91v7JmzjAhnxfpwUUPb4N_TqyADeA7S2BMWDNwID0aox-P/w400-h301/Tearing%20Down%20the%20Walls1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> How is this Biden border policy - like the Trump policy before it - even an option? I can't see how it's even marginally legal. According to an expert on refugee law:<br /><br /><p></p><h2>Is the policy legal?</h2><p>In 2019, the Trump administration
proposed a rule very similar to that put forth by Biden, prohibiting
asylum for migrants who did not first apply in countries of transit. The courts struck down the policy for violating the 1980 Refugee Act, which guarantees the right of all migrants who reach the United States to apply for asylum.</p><p>A
bipartisan Congress passed the Refugee Act to bring the U.S. into
compliance with its international obligations under the U.N.‘s 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which prohibit returning refugees to any country where their lives or freedom would be threatened.</p><p>In striking down the Trump-era rule, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pointed out
that the Refugee Act is very specific about the circumstances under
which the government can deny asylum for failure to apply in a transit
country. Under the act’s “safe third country” provision, that can happen
only if the transit country is safe and has both a robust asylum system
and a formal treaty with the United States agreeing to safe
third-country status. The court found the Trump administration lacked
all three conditions for imposing such a ban.</p><p>The Biden rule is
somewhat different from Trump’s. It does not apply to individuals who
schedule an asylum appointment at ports of entry through the CBP One
app.</p><p>But this does not make the policy lawful. The Refugee Act
expressly permits asylum seekers to access protection anywhere along the
border – not just at ports of entry. And it does not require
appointments to be made in advance.</p><p>In addition, CBP One has been plagued with significant technical problems, preventing many from even making appointments, and has raised serious equity and privacy concerns.</p><p>And
more importantly, there is no getting around the fact that most
countries of transit neither are safe for migrants nor have functioning
asylum systems.<br /><br />=========<br /><br />This is just wrong and I don't understand anyone going along with it. Seeking asylum is a basic human right.<br /></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-775756707925433662023-04-06T19:08:00.001-07:002023-04-06T19:08:34.419-07:00Sinning Babies is Biblical... Where?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYztjCdd6K1qKVN7a9HN4SVjGEwsMV2sp_xRTZsc3mDlP3Lsj-2O4BSTrkFxaWXT6Ph_DYo01RGfFwBXZxLgSiozTnx0PKBIGgXdKe5FyHfW3hosW2LTMQCICT7v2MioGCwbwNFcFk1qpg6GCtLxxjfwRmo5kc1zhdgeKYfNMYHaBBiU9dNPnne0y/s1122/Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="1122" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYztjCdd6K1qKVN7a9HN4SVjGEwsMV2sp_xRTZsc3mDlP3Lsj-2O4BSTrkFxaWXT6Ph_DYo01RGfFwBXZxLgSiozTnx0PKBIGgXdKe5FyHfW3hosW2LTMQCICT7v2MioGCwbwNFcFk1qpg6GCtLxxjfwRmo5kc1zhdgeKYfNMYHaBBiU9dNPnne0y/w400-h348/Baby.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div>Craig asked me...<br /><br /><i>DO WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE SINNERS, OR ARE WE SINNERS BECAUSE WE SIN?</i><br /><br />I'm
relatively sure I've answered this question multiple times but I'm glad
to do so again, directly and clearly. It's an easy question to answer:<br /><br />Maybe
I'm a simple man, but I think <br />a killer is one who kills, <br />a cheater is
one who cheats and <br />a sinner is one who sins. <br /><br />Period. As simple as that.
We are sinners WHEN we sin. Before we sin, we are literally, by
definition, NOT sinners. Which is why infants are not sinners.<br /><br />Biblically
speaking, "sinners" are ones who miss the mark, who fall short of the
target. Here again, what "target" is it that infants can possibly fall
short of? Trying to apply the term "sinner" to a newborn is just not
rational (or biblical) on the face of it, biblically or just speaking
from standard English (and I'm relatively this is true for all
languages).<br /><br />Do you see how this is at the very least a rational understanding - That those who DO NOT engage in sin ARE NOT sinners?<br /><br />Craig also asked...<br /><br /><i>I
fail to see how it's possible to take "conceived in sin" (or other
similar scriptural language) and somehow conclude that what scripture
REALLY means is "Born 100% free from any sin or any nature to sin". </i><br /><br />1. Is it not possible that it could be figurative, to make a point or for some other reason? Why not?<br /><br />2. That passage - "conceived in sin" - is from ONE place in the Bible... Psalm 51, which also says:<br /><br /><i>"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."<br /></i><br />Do
you think that the ONLY way to understand this line is literally.. that
God literally uses soap and water and washes away sin?<br /><br />3. That
passage also includes this from David (who is the one speaking,
confessing his actual great sin of killing a husband to bed down his
wife):<br /><br /><i>"Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;"<br /></i><br />Does
this mean literally that David did NOT sin against Bathsheeba's
husband, who he had killed? That he didn't sin against his nation for
abusing his power? MUST that line also be ONLY taken literally?<br /><br />4. AFTER uttering those two lines, then David said, of himself:<br /><br /><i>"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."</i><br /><br />David
is speaking of himself and only of himself, literally, in that passage.
Does that mean we should only take it literally about David, OR should
you make it figurative and say that David was speaking of all humanity,
although he literally isn't? If so, why?<br /><br />5. Conversely, another
place that says something similar is Psalms 58 (which is addressed
SPECIFICALLY and literally to oppressive, unjust rulers):<br /><br /><i>"The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies."<br /></i><br />Do
we take this literally... that the ONLY way to understand this line is
that newborns are literally speaking lies? That's observably false, we
can agree on that reality, correct? Why should we take the line about
"estranged from the womb" literally but not the clearly figurative
"infants speaking lies..."?</div><div dir="ltr"><br />Also, literally, it isn't speaking of all humanity but only "the wicked," in a passage written specifically to oppressive leaders (which again, is why it's important to understand the prominence of specifically oppression of the poor and marginalized in biblical teachings).<br />=====<br /><br /><div>Craig...<br /><br /><i>I
fail to see how it's possible to take "conceived in sin" (or other
similar scriptural language) and somehow conclude that what scripture
REALLY means is "Born 100% free from any sin or any nature to sin". </i><br /><br />So, given that there are only TWO places that say
something pretty close to "born in sin," or "born as a liar" and given
that LITERALLY the main passage you're quoting is literally speaking of
David, why is it not possible that David is being figurative or,
somehow, speaking ONLY of himself? Why is it not exceedingly rational
that David was feeling overwhelmingly guilty for murdering a man to bed
his wife and so he moaned and berated himself exceedingly? This is a
common human reaction to being caught in great wrong-doing. On what
basis MUST we assume that David was trying to say this was a reality for
ALL newborn babies (or even for himself)? Because it's what you're used
to thinking?<br /><br />The more I read it, the less rational, less
biblical it seems. At the very least, can you see how others would find
this opinion of yours to NOT be a very biblically deep or rational way
of viewing this passage?<br /><br />Is it possible that because you've grown
up in religious traditions that REALLY emphasize this point, that it's
hard for you to view it any other way, even though it's not an
exceptionally biblical point of view to take?<br /><br />Or consider this: Ezekiel says...<br /><br /><b><i>You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created</i></b>, <br /><i>till unrighteousness was found in you.</i><br /><br />That
passage, for what it's worth, was literally written to one king, who
turned out to be a bad man engaging in oppression. But that bad man,
according to Ezekiel's pronouncement, was BLAMELESS until he did wrong.
(And as an aside, some conservative types say that the passage is a
figurative reference to "the devil/Satan..." which would be saying that
even SATAN was blameless until he did wrong!)<br /><br />Or consider this, from Jesus:<br /><br /><i>“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, <br /><b>for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.</b>”</i><br /><br />If
you take the ONE line in the Bible "We are born in sin..." literally
because, well, it's there (albeit, literally referring specifically to
David who had committed a great crime)... WHY not take this ONE line
literally, when it's coming from Jesus, speaking apparently of literal
children?<br /><br />All of that to say that, while you personally don't
understand why we shouldn't take this passage from David sort of
literally (well, not the part about him speaking specifically of himself
- THAT part we should make figuratively applicable to ALL of humanity,
but the single line, ripped from context, "born in sin," THAT we should
take literally - sort of - to mean that babies are sinners), that you
personally don't understand why we should interpret it the way you
interpret it, that this is not a compelling reason to agree with your
interpretation?<br /><br />Craig...<br /><br /><i>I'm compelled to align myself with what scripture says, not with what you say. </i><br /><br />Literally,
what you INTERPRET/READ INTO scripture what YOU THINK makes sense TO
YOU. Since nowhere - not one single line on one single page in the Bible
- does it say that newborns are sinners. NOT ONE LINE, NOT ONE TIME.<br /><br />Can we agree on that basic literal reality?</div></div>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com80tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-30108280412615586752023-03-24T19:00:00.001-07:002023-03-24T19:00:16.338-07:00A Loving God in the Hands of Angry Sinners<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYuO5CU2vSt1AgINV74FCZa14pmz5VDxZz-emZrsqTkMN_mILXllmDow6JZsfdjrwdwzzAeW2CJahi12pL_eHxje-B7Y0gPVR5F8i2QU4FpE-N15zS92KSmvpIqhO22KDNEzAHmoQ6QbLcYTjqJbZZiHkNROc9LdY-Kh456oC0eaiL2Gd4QjQfIZo/s3369/Angry%20Sinners1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2543" data-original-width="3369" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYuO5CU2vSt1AgINV74FCZa14pmz5VDxZz-emZrsqTkMN_mILXllmDow6JZsfdjrwdwzzAeW2CJahi12pL_eHxje-B7Y0gPVR5F8i2QU4FpE-N15zS92KSmvpIqhO22KDNEzAHmoQ6QbLcYTjqJbZZiHkNROc9LdY-Kh456oC0eaiL2Gd4QjQfIZo/w400-h303/Angry%20Sinners1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I've said it before and I'll say it again: I've become increasingly progressive and liberal NOT because I read a lot of liberal, anti-conservative material, but because I was raised within, listen to and read the arguments of extreme conservative white Christians. (And I need to cite specifically "white Christians" because conservative black Christians often don't hold to the same theology as conservative white Christians).<br /><br />Take the "sin nature" of humanity. These conservatives assure me we are all - ALL of humanity, right down to our newborns! - evil humans intent on rebellion against all that is good and decent and of God. <br /><br />I don't think they understand how shocking a claim this is to a large portion of humanity - that even newborn babies are not innocent of sin, of having a "sin nature," and that this "sin nature" is so bad, so evil, that even newborns are "deserving" of an eternity of torture for having this "sin nature."<br /><br />Now, most of them, I believe, will hedge their bets and say that God will probably give a pass to babies and children up to a certain age, not because their "sin nature" isn't deserving of an eternity of torture, but because, they are guessing, that they haven't reached an age where they can make reasonable decisions not to commit these awful sins that come from this "sin nature."<br /><br />I ask them regularly what they mean by "sin nature..." and never get much of an answer.<br /><br />Are they saying that these newborn babies are imperfect humans who, given a chance to grow up, will make mistakes and "sin," and do wrong in numerous ways? Of course, that comes with being imperfect humans.<br /><br />But what specifically are these infants doing - or going to do - that is SO heinous, SO evil that it deserves to be punished with an eternity of torture?<br /><br />Or what about these conservatives, themselves. What have they done, specifically, that is so evil that the only reasonable punishment is an eternity of torture? Not merely rebukes or temporal punishments for the typical "crimes" of humanity - the being jealous, being greedy, telling a lie, telling 1,000 lies, lusting after a man or a woman... - that the ONLY possible punishment for it is an eternity of torture, something akin to being<i> burned alive forever</i>??!!<br /><br />I ask and get no answers.<br /><br />Or the answers, when I get them, are vague and unsupported and frankly, a bit irrational. "You're committing 'cosmic treason' against God almighty!" <br /><br />"Cosmic treason??" What's that?<br /><br />Ultra-conservative RC Sproul says in an essay on "cosmic treason..." <br /><br /><i>“The sinfulness of sin” sounds like a vacuous redundancy that adds no information to the subject under discussion."</i><br /><br />And he's not wrong. It DOES sound like a vacuous redundancy. He goes on with this nonsense.<br /><br /><i>What I meant by that statement was that even the slightest sin that a
creature commits against his Creator does violence to the Creator’s
holiness, His glory, and His righteousness. Every sin, no matter how
seemingly insignificant, is an act of rebellion against the sovereign
God who reigns and rules over us and as such is an act of treason
against the cosmic King.</i><br /><br />Fine. But says who? Where is the support for this nonsense?<br /><br />Does he know EVEN ONE PERSON - much less proof that it's common amongst humanity - that is deliberately "rebelling against the sovereign God..."? I mean, I'm a fallen, imperfect human just as we all are, and I know a good number of fallen imperfect humans... but I've never met one person who has said anything to suggest that they are deliberately wanting to do evil, or deliberately wanting to rebel against a sovereign God. Where is the evidence for this?<br /><br />I just don't see it and they never provide it.<br /><br />I then have often asked, "What about you? Your children and family? What specifically have they done where they said, in effect, 'I want to spit in the eye of God and commit atrocious crimes that cause harm to people and the world and to God...'?"<br /><br />Again, I get no answers, no response.<br /><br />Maybe it's the case that I just know a better class of people - fallen, though we all may be. I just don't know anyone like this. I can't imagine what it is that I or the people that I've known throughout the years that is SO evil, SO atrocious that the only apt punishment is an eternity of torture, of being burned alive, forever.<br /><br />And when I repeatedly get no answers from the conservatives that I grew up with, the conservatives I know now... I have to think that they simply have no answers.<br /><br />They believe that newborn babies are guilty of having a "sin nature," and that "sin nature" ought to reasonably be punished with an eternity of torture... even though they have no proof of this. They believe that people - themselves included - regularly, naturally engage in cosmic treason, deliberate acts of spitting in the face of God and saying, "I WANT TO REBEL AND DO EVIL..." even though they can't even point to one thing that they've done that supports this crazy-sounding claim.<br /><br />What do we do with that?<br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-89053483739943366462023-03-18T06:54:00.002-07:002023-03-18T06:54:33.600-07:00The God of the Oppressed in the Bible<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPbpTtRq4QGH8-0a25Q59cJApSWpIeeQ1Ly94HRPp_LC9b9TV0TWhJlaW2phlYFRheyWxhTXngyMu0gqNLEVDiqzq_15mS3RJc2A7A199rTqsry-gOzdjTvtbf0LHp4IGaXTAGcT9G_R06FGAL840ldX-5feEuLuYsdqsKznSlh9bBS6MFX_dn20F/s3800/Art%20Squared%20Freedom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3643" data-original-width="3800" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPbpTtRq4QGH8-0a25Q59cJApSWpIeeQ1Ly94HRPp_LC9b9TV0TWhJlaW2phlYFRheyWxhTXngyMu0gqNLEVDiqzq_15mS3RJc2A7A199rTqsry-gOzdjTvtbf0LHp4IGaXTAGcT9G_R06FGAL840ldX-5feEuLuYsdqsKznSlh9bBS6MFX_dn20F/w400-h384/Art%20Squared%20Freedom1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br />God made it clear that God sided with the poor and oppressed and marginalized throughout the Bible, if the authors of the Bible can be trusted. A small sampling...<br /><br />Deuteronomy:<br /><br /><i>But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. <br />Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and <br /><b>the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression</b>.</i><br /><br />Judges: <br /><br /><i>I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you <br /><b>from the hand of all your oppressors;</b> <br />I drove them out before you and gave you their land.</i><br /><br />2 Samuel:<br /><br /><i>And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that <br />they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. <br /><b>Wicked people will not oppress them anymore</b>...</i><br /><br />1 Chronicles:<br /><br /><i>[God speaking] they [Israel] wandered from nation to nation,<br /> from one kingdom to another.<br /><b>God allowed no one to oppress them</b>;<br /> for their sake he rebuked kings:<br />“Do not touch my anointed ones;<br /> do my prophets no harm.”</i><br /><br />Nehemiah:<br /><br /><i><b>when they were oppressed they cried out to you. <br />From heaven you heard them</b>, and <br />in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, <br />who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.</i><br /><br />Job:<br /><br /><i><b>For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;<br /> he has seized houses he did not build.</b><br />“Surely he will have no respite from his craving;<br /> he cannot save himself by his treasure.</i><br /><br />Psalms:<br /><br /><i><b>The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble</b>.</i><br /><br />Psalms:<br /><br /><i><b>You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;<br /> you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,<br />defending the fatherless and the oppressed,</b><br /> so that mere earthly mortals<br /> will never again strike terror.</i><br /><br />More Psalms:<br /><br /><i><b>May God defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; <br />may God crush the oppressor</b>.</i><br /><br />More Psalms, this time apparently speaking directly to the GOP leaders in KY, TN, TX, etc...<br /><br /><i>From their callous hearts comes iniquity;<br /> their evil imaginations have no limits.<br /><br /><b>They scoff, and speak with malice;<br /> with arrogance they threaten oppression</b>.<br /><br />Their mouths lay claim to heaven,<br /> and their tongues take possession of the earth.</i> <br /><br />I could go on and on in Psalms and really, every book, but continuing...<br /><br />Proverbs:<br /><br /><i><b>Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker</b>, <br />but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.</i><br /><br />Ecclesiastes:<br /><br /><i><b>I saw the tears of the oppressed—<br /> and they have no comforter;<br />power was on the side of their oppressors—<br /> and they have no comforter</b>.</i><br /><br />Isaiah:<br /><br /><i>Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:<br />“Because you have rejected this message,<br /> <b>relied on oppression<br /> and depended on deceit,</b><br /> this sin will become for you<br /> like a high wall, cracked and bulging,<br /> that collapses suddenly, in an instant.</i><br /><br />Isaiah:<br /><br /><i>“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: <br />to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, <br /><b>to set the oppressed free and break every yoke</b>?"<br /><br /><br /></i>Isaiah, later quoted by Jesus as to what his ministry was about:<i><br /><br />The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, <br />because the LORD has anointed
me to <b>proclaim good news to the poor. <br />He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, <br />to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners</b>,<span class="p"> <br /></span><span class="p"></span>to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, <br />to comfort all who mourn...<br /></i><br />Jeremiah:<br /><br /><i>If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, <br /><b>if you do not oppress the foreigner, <br />the fatherless or the widow and <br />do not shed innocent blood in this place</b>, <br />and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, <br />then I will let you live in this place...<br /><br /></i>Ezekiel, explaining what the "sin of Sodom"<i> actually </i>was:<i><br /><br /><span class="text Ezek-16-49" id="en-NIV-20812">Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: <br />She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; <br /><b>they did not help the poor and needy</b>.</span></i> <br /><br />Amos:<br /><br /><i>They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and <br /><b>deny justice to the oppressed.<br /><br /></b></i>Zephaniah:<br /><br /><i><b><span class="chapter-1"><span class="text Zeph-3-1">Woe to the city of oppressors,</span></span><br /></b><span class="indent-1"><b><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span></b><span class="text Zeph-3-1"><b>rebellious and defiled</b>!<br /></span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Zeph-3-1"></span></span><span class="text Zeph-3-2">She does not trust in the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Zeph-3-2">she does not draw near to her God.</span></span><span class="text Zeph-3-3" id="en-NIV-22824"><br />Her officials within her</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Zeph-3-3">are roaring lions;</span></span><br /><span class="text Zeph-3-3">her rulers are evening wolves,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Zeph-3-3">who leave nothing for the morning.</span></span><br /><span class="text Zeph-3-4" id="en-NIV-22825">Her prophets are unprincipled;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Zeph-3-4">they are treacherous people.</span></span><br /><b><span class="text Zeph-3-4">Her priests profane the sanctuary</span><br /></b></i><span class="indent-1"><b><i><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span></i></b><span class="text Zeph-3-4"><b><i>and do violence to the law</i></b>.<br /><br />Malachi:<br /><br /></span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Zeph-3-4"></span></span><i>So I will come to put you on trial. <br />I will be quick to testify against
sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, <br /><b>against those who defraud laborers
of their wages, <br />who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and <br />deprive the foreigners among you of justice, <br /></b>but do not fear me</i>.<br /><br />And that's just a <i>tiny</i> sampling from the Old Testament. Let those who have ears, hear.<br /></p><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-13839401223537524302023-03-15T14:13:00.001-07:002023-03-15T14:17:01.509-07:00I Hate Your Religious Festivals, More<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvWhbNf7UrLxEcnK5wwlMmoQu34ICRvGXLb_RuByYln1FN3W8mxQEoO_x_Ede5neX2MBYKrPsWW65ALQkth6fEtMjI7btRbq1iuHfgtKU0uYxnBsdDS9IO4znC8fsvqcWiGEsIwtaPNrQLO_OKPbfy0mhYKgEKUlSPdBObSSPBoiIsZ030nKELIxl/s1280/27128818273_201335b112_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1280" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvWhbNf7UrLxEcnK5wwlMmoQu34ICRvGXLb_RuByYln1FN3W8mxQEoO_x_Ede5neX2MBYKrPsWW65ALQkth6fEtMjI7btRbq1iuHfgtKU0uYxnBsdDS9IO4znC8fsvqcWiGEsIwtaPNrQLO_OKPbfy0mhYKgEKUlSPdBObSSPBoiIsZ030nKELIxl/w400-h295/27128818273_201335b112_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Not that it's likely to matter to people like the conservatives who need to hear this - the ones who routinely think they know what's best for everyone else, better than the experts, better than the people involved and their families and allies, but...</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />I attended a large rally last night with hundreds of LGBTQ, Drag performers, preachers, church folk, city leaders and allies. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />What
we heard is that the LGBTQ community is telling anyone who's listening
that they're living in terror about these anti-trans, anti-drag laws
being pushed by conservatives. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />They told us that these laws WILL kill LGBTQ people, including children. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />They told us that the pretenses of the anti-drag laws are fallacious, built upon lies not supported by reality. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />In
my own Kentucky, for instance, the conservative religious bigots are saying they
have to protect children from sexually explicit performances like Drag Queen Story Hours (DQSH)... but that
simply doesn't happen at DQSHs. It's a lie meant to attack
and demonize, which attacks actually DO cause harm.</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />One
Drag Queen pointed out the false claims that they're "sexualizing" and
"grooming " children, but as she testified - and the crowd roared in
approval - she was NEVER groomed by any LGBTQ people, NEVER harmed by
any LGBTQ people.</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />She
was, however, baptized as an infant, against her will. She was sent to
weekly Bible classes and told what she should believe... she was told
that if she continued this transgender path she was on, she'd be burnt
alive for an eternity... this is what she was told by conservative
zealots. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />Let's talk about who's actually grooming!</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />She
said she was <i>never</i> molested, <i> never</i> harmed, <i>never</i> groomed by LGBTQ
people, no. Instead, the LGBTQ community were the ones who were there to embrace and support her in the
face of the torment she received from conservative bigots. To pick her
up when she'd been beaten down by conservatives.</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />Many
of the speakers talked about how they were so oppressed, demonized and
reviled by conservatives, including those who said they love them -
their family and church family - that they felt it would be better to
just kill themselves. </span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />As children, this is what conservative mistreatment had led them to. According to <b><i>them</i></b>.</span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /><br />Do you all really think you know their situation better than them?<br /><br />Fortunately, at least in large parts of the world and most of the US, the tide has turned against these fundamentalist bigoted ways of thinking. The majority of the US recognizes that of course, LGBTQ folks are their own best experts and that the actual experts agree with them, NOT with the minority view of anti-reason, anti-data bigots who are trying to force these laws on the majority of the states and nation. The old white religious conservatives may win temporary battles, but we will make progress and sooner or later, these hateful religious views will simply die off and be replaced with more progressive ideas.<br /><br />It's really quite simple: Let's stand against those laws that cause harm and for those laws which promote wholesome, healthy lives. Let's stand against religious bigots - even if they don't realize they're bigots, and stand with the marginalized and oppressed.<br /><br />And it should go without saying that any hateful comments made here will be deleted. Any comments that suggest that human rights should be denied to some people will be deleted.<br /><br />Choose to side with freedom, justice and decency. Choose to side for children and families and healthy lives.<br /></span></span><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-11945041956029305632023-03-10T06:32:00.003-08:002023-03-10T06:32:35.979-08:00Them Lyin' Media and Corrupt Politicians!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwa6zKSPisWVkXZPU6Po3ijgdHxjBVSzNMGJL9Vd7aCqhn0B3GpoxM9vdpUhb3fO5a2pw1vC__Cz_FQ0ESyH_dMjehvrf3Vzs5JXH3Dm-zQa5ufC4XEsCJ_urS4aQvjO3ryGBTOME4uO7vCeUtQ4c37NGRGR0sjc-wfeBuD47Sv-OwnZyK7SdoUtN/s2048/49225838606_9e5fc40753_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2048" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwa6zKSPisWVkXZPU6Po3ijgdHxjBVSzNMGJL9Vd7aCqhn0B3GpoxM9vdpUhb3fO5a2pw1vC__Cz_FQ0ESyH_dMjehvrf3Vzs5JXH3Dm-zQa5ufC4XEsCJ_urS4aQvjO3ryGBTOME4uO7vCeUtQ4c37NGRGR0sjc-wfeBuD47Sv-OwnZyK7SdoUtN/w400-h285/49225838606_9e5fc40753_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Far too many conservative extremists have been attacking the "mainstream media" for years, complaining that they're dishonest and shills for liberal causes and knowingly report false claims. This, of course, undermines trust in the reported word and does damage to a free republic in the process. Treating the media as a literal "enemy of the people" of the US is precisely part of the process for authoritarians throughout history. "Don't trust what they're reporting... Trust ME and ONLY ME..." It's a dangerous, twisted road to go down but it's exactly what Trump and his ilk have been doing for years (well before Trump, he's just upped the volume and viciousness). Indeed, Fox News played this same gambit for years. "WE are the fair and balanced ones... Don't listen to any other media!"<br /><br />Of course, wise citizens have always recognized this con for what it is. But then, there are the gullible citizens. The ones susceptible to cons and grifts.<br /><br />So, now that Fox News and Trump's own lawyers and allies are making it clear that they were lying about the "stolen election" claims they pushed relentlessly, and that they KNEW they were lying and that they lied ONLY for the reason of hanging on to profits and power (some of the signs of con artists throughout the centuries)... NOW, will that cause those who whine about unsupported and unsubstantiated claims of reputable media outlets to finally open their eyes and recognized they've been played for useful idiots all along? NOW, will they admit they've been suckered? NOW, will they turn their attacks on Fox News and Trump and his allies for these admitted cons?<br /><br />I have yet to see ANY sign that MAGA country is willing to admit what was always clear and what is indisputably clear now. I have yet to see them condemn Fox News for knowing Trump was an incompetent ass and irresponsible liar and STILL promoting him. Indeed, Fox News acolytes of Trump have made it clear that they literally loathed the corrupt orange idiot. But not one word from any of the Fox Country conservatives out there.<br /><br />What will it take?<br /><p></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7923725288901074422.post-37550318521783023622023-03-07T20:24:00.003-08:002023-03-07T20:45:13.155-08:00Environmental, Simple-Living and Agrarian Wisdom from Liberals<p data-adtags-visited="true"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVfLW0KeADdafVudX0PNdAoMdmHGgtkbooi4wLC-J2hI68185kIXTJxzp9VeuXuKnrmBzYF-nOBBzFkEJ4Ck_N4I-VtA8y6ACwWSxo2WFtD8Qd4bK4DlLPTU_jXGZM9IlXmREyH5KoSRIRZGzODNEToB_hdRYnnXEU3QLJ6Fy630q3hpHLYjy3KXt/s1024/7439360972_8fa6217f84_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVfLW0KeADdafVudX0PNdAoMdmHGgtkbooi4wLC-J2hI68185kIXTJxzp9VeuXuKnrmBzYF-nOBBzFkEJ4Ck_N4I-VtA8y6ACwWSxo2WFtD8Qd4bK4DlLPTU_jXGZM9IlXmREyH5KoSRIRZGzODNEToB_hdRYnnXEU3QLJ6Fy630q3hpHLYjy3KXt/w400-h300/7439360972_8fa6217f84_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />At least two conservative types who have regularly commented here expressed an ignorance of knowledge that liberals are concerned about simple-living, healthy-living, wholesome life concern for rural and agrarian topics. They appear to be wholly unaware of this vast Agrarianism field in progressive writings and expertise.<br /><br />Indeed, the term, Agrarian, itself, is a progressive philosophy regularly espoused by liberals. From Wikipedia:<br /><i><br /><b>Agrarianism</b> is a political and social philosophy that has promoted subsistence agriculture, smallholdings and egalitarianism, with agrarian political parties normally supporting the rights and sustainability of small farmers and poor peasants against the wealthy in society. In highly developed and industrial nations or regions, it can denote
use of financial and social incentives for self-sustainability, more
community involvement in food production (such as allotment gardens) and smart growth that avoids urban sprawl, and also what many of its advocates contend are risks of human overpopulation;
when overpopulation occurs, the available resources become too limited
for the entire population to survive comfortably or at all in the long
term.</i><br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarianism<br /><br />A partial list of philosophers and writers coming from a more liberal or progressive tradition who have written about agrarianism, simple-living, healthy rural communities, etc include these below among many others (with the caveat that not all would fit neatly in liberal/progressive traditions but nearly all would be considered wildly liberal by many modern conservatives):<br /><br />Wendell Berry<br />Aldo Leopold<br />John Muir<br />Henry David Thoreau<br />Rachel Carson<br />Robin Wall Kimmerer<br />Robert Penn Warren<br />Harlan and Anna Hubbard<br />Helen and Scott Nearing<br />Ralph Waldo Emerson<br />Edward Abbey<br />Arundhati Roy<br /><span class="author">Gail Myers and Owusu Bandele<br />Thomas Jefferson (??)<br />Miguel </span><span class="author"></span>de la Torre<br />Ellen Davis<br />Thomas Paine<br />Patty Krawec<br />Edwin Way Teale<br />Martin Luther King<br />Jane Goodall<br />Marjory Stoneman Douglas<br /><br />And I could go on and on. Look up rural environmentalists, agrarianism, liberal environmental writers, indigenous environment, black agrarianism, etc. Some quotes:<br /><br />“The long fight to save wild beauty represents democracy at its best. It
requires citizens to practice the hardest of virtues--self-restraint.
Why cannot I take as many trout as I want from a stream? Why cannot I
bring home from the woods a rare wildflower? Because if I do, everybody
in this democracy should be able to do the same. My act will be
multiplied endlessly. To provide protection for wildlife and wild
beauty, everyone has to deny himself proportionately. Special privilege
and conservation are ever at odds.”
<br /><br />“It is those who have compassion for all life who will best safeguard
the life of man. Those who become aroused only when man is endangered
become aroused too late. We cannot make the world uninhabitable for
other forms of life and have it habitable for ourselves. It is the
conservationist who is concerned with the welfare of all the land and
life of the country, who, in the end, will do most to maintain the world
as a fit place for human existence.”<br /><br />~Edwin Way Teale<p></p><p data-adtags-visited="true"> </p><p data-adtags-visited="true">“Our strategy should be not only to
confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To
shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our
stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness – and
our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the
ones we’re being brainwashed to believe.</p>
<p data-adtags-visited="true">The corporate revolution will collapse if
we refuse to buy what they are selling – their ideas, their version of
history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability.</p>
<p data-adtags-visited="true">Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need them.</p>
<p data-adtags-visited="true">Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”<br />
<br />~Arundhati Roy<br /><br />“Let me outline briefly as I can what seem to me the characteristics of
these opposite kinds of mind. I conceive a strip-miner to be a model
exploiter, and as a model nurturer I take the old-fashioned idea or
ideal of a farmer. The exploiter is a specialist, an expert; the
nurturer is not. The standard of the exploiter is efficiency; the
standard of the nurturer is care. The exploiter's goal is money, profit;
the nurturer's goal is health -- his land's health, his own, his
family's, his community's, his country's..."<br /><br />
“If change is to come, it will have to come from the margins.”<br /><br />~Wendell Berry<br /><br />
“Campaigners for God, Country and the American Way of Life did not
stop when they had crushed radical trade unions and jailed socialist,
syndicalist and communist spokespeople. They also bought out and took
over the communication apparatus...<br /><br />The same men who operated mines, factories and department stores became
owners, directors and trustees of the entire communication apparatus.
Communication, like merchandising and farming became parts of the big
business octopus that was reaching its tentacles into every
profit-yielding corner of American life."<br /><br />~Scott Nearing<br /><br />For a small sampling.<br /><br />=====<br /><br />This was a quickly thrown-together effort. There is, of course, SO much to cover on the topic. I'm shamefully not well-read on LatinX authors on agrarian concerns, but I know enough to know there is much written on the topic. As well as from women and indigenous peoples. But it's a start.<br /></p><p><span class="author"></span></p>Dan Trabuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.com1