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For people determined to get Divine approval for their beliefs and actions, it’s not hard to get the Bible to say whatever you want it to say. You can find justification for just about anything you’d like to do and rationale for hating just about anyone you want to hate. And it’s just those kinds…
Read MoreBernard Brandon Scott doesn’t need a personal God — he needs people… “I get people who say, ‘Well, don’t you need a personal God?’ I don’t have a problem with God language; I have a problem with the reification of God language. God language is the way we talk about these ultimate values, for me.…
Read MoreStephen Patterson thinks that Progressive Christianity is about “being willing to think critically about one’s faith and about the traditions of one’s faith and the resources like the Bible — to think critically about these things and not simply assume that it all has to make sense. Progressive Christianity means you’re free to explore and…
Read MoreSystemic justice is a result-oriented justice Marcus Borg contends that Jesus has something to say about the way we organize ourselves in community — that when a society is structured to serve the self-interests of the wealthy and powerful it is not a just society. “If you have a society in which 1% of the…
Read MoreDoes Scripture have relevance for the 21st Century? Are there lessons in the parables that speak to us about loving our enemies or even labor relations? Amy-Jill Levine says yes. What do you say? Dr. Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, and Professor of…
Read MoreAmerican Muslim Identity Mosques in America are being set on fire. Sikhs, mistaken for Muslims, are cut down in their own Temple. Muslim graves desecrated in Chicago. Violence against Muslim-Americans is getting worse and religious leaders remain silent — especially on 9/11. Aysha Hidayatullah says, “One wonders how Muslims could actually flourish and come into their own…
Read MoreThis week the second of the two major political parties in the United States is gathering to hold their annual convention to nominate a candidate for the presidency. At both conventions one of the topics under discussion is the role religion plays in our life and our politics. Should the Bible inform U.S. lawn? That’s…
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