Clipmarks | Social gospel Clips

'Pull Your Pants Up' Movement Draws Critics, Supporters

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:53:50 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

For a small but increasing number of Americans, the song “Pull Your Pants Up!” by gospel rap artist Dooney “Da Priest” is not just a song.

“It’s a movement,” as the rapper told the Jackson Clarion Ledger of Mississippi last week after his album “Pull Your Pants Up!” released.

And with new laws recently passed or being considered in a handful of U.S. cities, it might be.

City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who proposed the sagging ban in Jackson after talking with Young, further told the newspaper: "Young people are emulating the dope boys, gang bangers and criminals they see and the community doesn't want them to go down that road."

There are some, however, who oppose the “movement.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, for example, said the new policy in Flint gives police authority to conduct unconstitutional searches and seizures, promotes racial profiling, violates due process and interferes with individuals' freedom to express themselves in their appearance.

Tags: social, fashion, free speech, music, legal

Mystery solved

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:59:09 GMT

clipped by: sillysam

Clip Source: article.nationalreview.com

Over the past few years, however, more and more young and forward-thinking pastors have begun to look at community organizations such as the Developing Communities Project in the far south side [where Obama himself worked, and first encountered Pfleger, SK]...as a powerful tool for living the social gospel, one which can educate and empower entire congregations and not just serve as a platform for a few prophetic leaders. Should a mere 50 prominent black churches, out of thousands that exist in cities like Chicago, decide to collaborate with a trained and organized staff, enormous positive changes could be wrought....

Mystery Solved
So it would appear that Obama’s own writings solve the mystery of why he stayed at Trinity for 20 years. Obama’s long-held and decidedly audacious hope has been to spread Wright’s radical spirit by linking it to a viable, left-leaning political program, with Obama himself at the center.

More "good news" from Pfleger

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:21:13 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Wow. I think you have here an insight to some tremendous hatred. If this is the social gospel, it is far more insidious than I previously thought. This is disturbing.

Clip Source: michellemalkin.com

More video of Rev. Michael “Vanilla Ice” Pfleger’s race-baiting sermon last week at Trinity United Church of Christ has emerged on YouTube. Boy, was he on a roll. If you thought his bug-eyed, Jeremiah Wright wannabe mimickry of Hillary Clinton’s “white entitlement” was over the top, you’ll love the new excerpts in which Pfleger inveighs that “America is the greatest sin against God.”

My question is: What will it take for the Catholic Church to cut themselves loose of this racial huckster? “Have the balls” to fire him already. (See also Catholics against Pfleger.)

[Video]

Wright is Right: A podcast

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:12:07 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: ruinsofempire.blogspot.com

Click to Play

Where in I engage in a full throated defense of Rev. Wright, Black Liberation Theology and the truth. Take it or leave it!

Tags: wright, right, obama, theology, social gospel, truth

Jesus Discourse (in part) on Relgion

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:28:09 GMT

clipped by: patrock2

Clip Source: urantiabook.org

And all this clearly indicates the difference between the old religion and the new. The old religion taught self-sacrifice; the new religion teaches only self-forgetfulness, enhanced self-realization in conjoined social service and universe comprehension. The old religion was motivated by fear-consciousness; the new gospel of the kingdom is dominated by truth-conviction, the spirit of eternal and universal truth. And no amount of piety or creedal loyalty can compensate for the absence in the life experience of kingdom believers of that spontaneous, generous, and sincere friendliness which characterizes the spirit-born sons of the living God. Neither tradition nor a ceremonial system of formal worship can atone for the lack of genuine compassion for one's fellows.

Tags: religion, urantia, jesus, god, spirituality, spirit

Pope sends video to U.S.-- I come to share the hope of Christ

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:31:23 GMT

clipped by: Efrain Alvarado

Clip Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com

[Video]

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2008 / 10:16 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI is just days away from arriving in the U.S. for his first visit. In anticipation of his arrival he released a video message today saying he is coming to share the message of hope in Christ with all those living in the U.S.

“Christ our hope”, the theme for the Pope’s visit was also central to the Pope’s address. "Together with your bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: 'Christ our hope'. ... Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. ... Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings.”

Tags: pope, catholic, hope, christ, jesus, benedictxvi, gospel

"Social Gospel" At The United Church Of Christ

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:01:47 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: >>>>>>>POLITICAL CARTOON<<<<<<<<<<<<
Pastor Jeremiah Wright, who has become part of the national political dialogue in recent days, is viewed favorably by 8% of voters nationwide. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 58% have an unfavorable view of the Pastor whose controversial comments have created new challenges for Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign.

http://ucctruths.blogspot.com/

Clip Source: www.townhall.com

Tags: political cartoon, jeremiah wright, barack obama, judgment

The unexpected monks

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:14:49 GMT

clipped by: hayesstw
clipper's remarks: We've been talkibng about having a synchroblog on the new monasticism, and suddenly it seems to be popping up all over the place.

Hat-tip to Paul Grabill for this link.

Clip Source: www.boston.com

Some evangelicals turn to monasticism, suggesting unease with megachurch religion - and the stirrings of rapprochement with the Roman Catholic Church.

In an era in which televangelists and megachurches dominate the face of American evangelicalism, offering a version of Christianity inflected by populist aesthetics and the gospel of prosperity, the rise of the New Monastics suggests that mainstream worship is leaving some people cold. Already, they are transforming evangelical religious life in surprising ways. They are post-Protestants, breaking old liturgical and theological taboos by borrowing liberally from Catholic traditions of monastic prayer, looking to St. Francis instead of Jerry Falwell for their social values, and stocking their bookshelves with the writings of medieval mystics rather than the latest from televangelist Joel Osteen.

US Catholic have It. Right last 9 Elections!!!

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:58:10 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: This sort of social thinking and preoccupation with social solidarity and a "preferential option for the poor" are woven into the fabric of even casual parish life. It's this background that has tended to make Catholics swing voters: uncomfortable with the sort of litmus-test left that once kept Pennsylvania's pro-life Democratic governor, Bob Casey, from speaking at a national convention, as well as the talk-show right that assumes opposition to abortion means approving the war in Iraq.

There's also an increasing awareness among the Catholic hierarchy that America's political right has consciously used the abortion issue to cut the church off from most of the positions it traditionally holds in American society. That may be one reason that, in its last statement on the political obligations of Catholic voters, the Vatican warned: "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Deciphering the Catholic 'swing vote'

The church's history of nuanced social views frees members from litmus-test voting

one in four Americans is a Roman Catholic

Catholics are casting 25% of all the primary votes

now constitute the only true "swing vote" among discrete electoral groups

evangelicals still tend overwhelmingly to vote for the GOP

African Americans and Latinos remain reliably Democratic, as do nine out of 10 Jews

Catholics are the pendulum -- and they consistently swing toward the winner

Catholics have gone for the winner of the popular vote in nine consecutive presidential elections

since 1972, they've supported five Republican candidates and four Democratic ones

there's every indication that the Catholic pendulum is likely to swing away from the Republicans in November

Unlike evangelicals, Catholics have a long tradition of theologically nuanced social thought on which to draw

social gospel

national health insurance

support for unions

opposition to restrictive immigration

"living wage

Tags: usa, president, election, christian, vote

The Unexpected Monks - Boston Globe

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:57:47 GMT

clipped by: Soninmyeyes

Clip Source: www.boston.com

Some 100 groups that describe themselves as both evangelical and monastic have sprung up in North America

Clip Source: www.boston.com

All share a common frustration with what they see as the overcommercialized and socially apathetic culture of mainstream evangelicalism.

Clip Source: www.boston.com

They embrace ecumenism over doctrinal debate, encourage female leadership, and care far more about social justice and the environment than about the culture wars.

They are not interested in extreme isolation or asceticism

Missio Dei is one of many groups that have deliberately made their homes in struggling urban neighborhoods. In addition to their routine of prayer and worship, they serve vegan meals to people on the street and offer hospitality to those who need it.

Tags: new monastic, church, christian, evangelical, social, religion, revolution, change, community, monk

The HiJacking Of Jesus

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:54:58 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "A very large church in New York where I've spoken before did not want me to come and talk about this book. They said that after several guest ministers spoke against the Iraq War, people had left the congregation and threatened to resign their membership. These issues have become really matters of keeping your job."

The religious right feels threatened by the Social Gospel of Jesus for a number of reasons. One, IMO, is that they are more concerned with an afterlife than they are with practicing what Jesus said. What could be more Christ-like than universal health care?

Clip Source: www.thenation.com

How is it that so many in the ranks of the Christian right are missing the message of love in the New Testament?

They've missed the words of Jesus

If you were to do that, then there would be a much greater focus on the Sermon on the Mount, treating your neighbor as yourself, helping the Samaritans and everything else that was in Jesus' message.

What do you think is so attractive about the theology of the religious right? Is it simply the "sophisticated marketing" and plethora of services and activities that you found at the mega-churches, or is it something in their message?

I think also that it's the belief factor. While I'm not sure what it is now that they believe in--since they don't believe in a lot of the messages of Jesus--they do have a strong belief in whatever they conceive of as Jesus and his resurrection.

The Social Gospel Movement

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:04:51 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.thomasbrewton.com

The Social Gospel movement was, and today’s religious left is, just a disguised version of atheistic, materialistic socialism. Then as now, its adherents view the political state as the only effective agent for aiding the downtrodden, sick, and aged. A tangential appeal to Christian doctrine is employed, not to urge individuals to live in true Christian love, caring for others one-on-one, but to raise taxes in order to shift those missions to government.

It is a philosophically materialistic, rather than spiritual, movement. The aim is, not to bring salvation through the Gospel, but to bring money and material goods through the ever more collectivized political state.

We see it in the religious left’s appeals for higher taxes on the rich. We see it in their support for a socialistic, one-world-government regulatory power to force compliance with Al Gore’s delusional campaign to curb man-made greenhouse gases.

Aiming For A More Moderate Image

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:49:08 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: It's definitely a step in the right direction but will it go like this quote from the article:

"Then it becomes about anger and pride. It becomes the negative motivation of trying to say what we are not.:

I personally commend former President Carter for trying to promote social justice. I DON'T think it's a "lost cause". I just doubt that some Southern Baptists are going into this with an open mind. But Jimmy Carter is never going to give up and that is what makes him such a special person.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The three-day meeting of more than 30 groups — known as the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, which begins on Wednesday in Atlanta — is a result of efforts by former President Jimmy Carter to draw together long-divided Baptists.

The meeting’s statement of shared purpose, known as its covenant, calls for Baptists to focus on their traditional values, like “sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ,” and to work together on social issues like fighting poverty. It does not create a new denomination.

“I would like to see a demonstration that Christians who have different backgrounds and different political and theological orientations and geographical locations can come together in the spirit of unity,” Mr. Carter said, “not just for Baptists, but for Christians all over the world.”

Tags: you, go, jimmy

Campolo: Cure for activist burnout

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:14:13 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: I'd better read this book.

Clip Source: blog.beliefnet.com

Far too often, activists do little to nurture their souls. Consequently, they "burn out."

It was out of deep concern for the spiritual condition of social justice activists that I teamed up with a young professor from Spring Arbor University, Mary Darling, to write The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism and Justice.

n this book I, along with my co-author, endeavor to present ways to renew the energies of social activists by tapping into spiritual practices of Catholic mystics that we Protestants often ignore

First, we explore what Ignatian spiritual directors call centering prayer.

Secondly, I practice Lectio Divina.

Next, there is a practice called "The Prayer of Examen."

In the book Mary and I go into these exercises in depth and attempt to show how biblically prescribed and spiritually valid mysticism has motivated leaders such as John Wesley and George Whitefield to proclaim a holistic gospel.

Tags: activism, st ignatius, campolo, spiritual disciplines, burnout

The theology of American empire

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:15:40 GMT

clipped by: hayesstw
clipper's remarks: Blames Reinhold Niebuhr's theology for neoconservatives

Clip Source: www.fpif.org

American foreign policy is built on a deep foundation of Christian theology.

When it comes to foreign policy, we are all influenced by theological foundations that we rarely see.

For example, few Americans have read the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, the most influential American theologian of the 20th century. Many have never even heard the name. Yet Niebuhr’s thought affects us all. In the 1930s, he launched an attack on the liberal Christianity of the Social Gospel, a movement that powerfully influenced U.S. foreign policy in the first third of the 20th century. The liberals were starry-eyed fools, Niebuhr charged, because they trusted people to be reasonable enough to resolve international conflicts peacefully. They forgot the harsh reality of original sin.

Niebuhr would have been pained to see what the neoconservatives have done with his ideas. Their theory starts out from his own premise: All people are born naturally selfish and impulsive.

Tags: political theology, politics, theology, reinhold niebuhr