Themes

• Amazing GraceAutumn ConceptBlueBlackExcelFalling LeavesIsland After SunsetPlatinumTwenty TenVidiyalWordPress ClassicWordPress Default

Tags

barack_obama beauty climate_change death_penalty earth faith follow_jesus forgiveness god grace human_dignity human_rights humility interrogation iraq jesus justice love movie peace politics poverty prayer revenge rule_of_law stoney terrorism torture united_church_of_christ war

• Recently Written

  • illegal to love your neighbor in arizona?
  • easter sunrise 2010
  • full moon at dusk
  • merry christmas!
  • check out my updated recommendations page
  • heaven can wait
  • a spring delight
  • the furious longing of god
  • turning the page on torture
  • easter sunrise

• Recent Comments

  • data recovery: As someone said the people who get to go to heaven are the ones who get right with God. But if we make...
  • Vicky Silvers: I am an editor for Christian.com which is a social network dedicated to the christian community. As I...
  • a Believer’s Journal: invitation of the state’s clergy and other leaders in the immigration reform...
  • Georgy N: Hi, I am Georgy from India and I own a christian blog at turnbacktogod.com I came across your blog today...
  • Sharyn: my nephew Chris suffered a horrific brain injury on the job. He was conscious upon arrival at the hospital...

• Admin

  • Log in
  • Wordpress
  • XHTML

Subscribe

sharing the wealth?

Posted on November 12, 2008 | Filed Under politics 

A good editorial in the latest issue of The Christian Century: American Pie

In the course of discussing tax policy with an unlicensed Ohio plumber, Barack Obama suggested that “spreading the wealth around” a bit more would be good for the country. Obama was trying to explain why he wants to impose a modest tax increase on people who make more than $250,000 a year while reducing taxes on those making less than that amount. John McCain and his supporters immediately seized on Obama’s remark as a sign that Obama favors a socialist form of income redistribution.

The notion that …

at our worst … and best

Posted on July 2, 2008 | Filed Under justice, torture 

Three Iraqis and a Jordanian filed federal lawsuits Monday alleging they were tortured by U.S. defense contractors while detained at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

The lawsuits allege that those arrested and taken to the prison were subjected to forced nudity, electrical shocks, mock executions and other inhumane treatment. They seek unspecified payments high enough to compensate the detainees for their injuries, and to deter contractors from such conduct in the future.

“These innocent men were senselessly tortured by U.S. companies that profited from their misery,” said lead attorney Susan L. Burke, of the Philadelphia law firm …

shame on burger king!

Posted on December 17, 2007 | Filed Under justice, ucc 

From a UCC Justice and Peace Action Network newsletter:

You probably also know that after much work and a successful boycott, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) won an agreement with Taco Bell for improved pay, better working conditions, and greater dignity for tomato pickers. CIW also signed similar agreements with McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silver’s, and A & W Restaurants.

There is great momentum within the fast food industry to improve conditions for farm workers but Burger King is refusing to join this movement.

Burger King’s actions are threatening to undo a hard-fought victory on behalf of exploited farm …

the president we want … in a word

Posted on December 13, 2007 | Filed Under politics 

We hosted a pre-caucus house party this evening at our home during which I asked our guests to express what it is they are looking for in a presidential candidate in one word. Their answers make quite a list!

integrity
compassion
inspiration
honesty
justice
humility
diplomacy
reconciler
character
change
moral

I do hope and pray that our next president will be marked by attributes like these!

seeing gray

Posted on September 27, 2007 | Filed Under beauty, justice, the natural world 

Writing in Sojouorners magazine (In the prison-industrial complex, is there hope for redemption?), Nancy Hastings Sehested, a Baptist minister and prison chaplain, describes a North Carolina maximum-security prison this way:

Colorful flowers mark the path to the gatehouse. Then the stripping away begins in earnest. It is a gray day every day in this prison. Gray walls, gray floors, and gray ceilings. The gray uniforms worn by the men can fade their faces into obscurity. The blue uniforms of the staff can create the same effect. Holding a gaze is crucial in seeing the person beyond the clothing. A simple …

a prayer for good friday

Posted on April 6, 2007 | Filed Under death penalty, justice, spirituality 

Lord Jesus, forgive us for all the ways we deny you …

… by remaining quiet in the shadows, not daring to speak our faith in the public arena
… by quietly going about our own business, while neglecting to wonder what your business might be
… by being more American than Christian, more the children of our culture than the children of God
… by adopting a lifestyle and a system of values that are indistinguishable from the rest of the world, pursuing wealth instead of justice, accumulating things instead of sharing generously, protecting ourselves whatever the cost instead of showing mercy whatever …

secret proceedings

Posted on March 8, 2007 | Filed Under justice, torture 

From a March 8, 2007 article by Andrew Buncombe in The Independent:

Campaigners have condemned the Bush administration’s plan to proceed with secret proceedings [Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT)] against 14 “high-value” terrorism suspects currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. The suspects include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of organising the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The military tribunals, scheduled to begin tomorrow, will take place behind closed doors and away from the scrutiny of the media. Hundreds of previous hearings held to determine the formal status of the prisoners have been open to reporters. None of the suspects will be able to …

keep looking »

Comments