Back in October 2006 I shared a post that really turned me onto Barack Obama. I thought it was fitting to re-share this now that just about everyone has declared him the presumptive DNC nominee.
The story is an excerpt from a speech from which was delivered at the Sojourners/Call to Renewal-sponsored Pentecost conference in June 2006. (emphasis mine)…
Continue reading Sen. Barack Obama :: on faith (or why I liked him in the first place)
From e-mail:
A new bill in Congress called the Global Security Priorities Resolution (H.R. 1045) would shift tens of billions of dollars from nuclear weapons funding into projects which alleviate global poverty.
Cosponsored by Congressmen Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Dan Lungren (R-CA), the resolution calls for reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1000 deployed/3000 total weapons each by 2015.
It further stipulates that some of the financial savings from such a move would be redirected to the Nunn-Lugar program, as well as $6.5B to “child survival, hunger, and universal education” programs worldwide in an attempt to address the root causes of terrorism.
While the resolution does not advocate complete nuclear disarmament, it sets the proposed actions within the context of our NPT Article VI obligations to pursue nuclear weapons elimination. The Global Security Priorities Resolution is an excellent vehicle for outreach to more conservative members of Congress, and helps to link the elimination of nuclear weapons with vital human needs.
Faithful Security has formally endorsed the resolution, as have the following religious organizations:
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Union for Reform Judaism
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Evangelicals for Human Rights
United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Catholic Relief Services
Mennonite Central Committee U.S./Washington Office
Can you take a moment to send a note to your Representative asking him or her to sign on as a cosponsor? Click here to send a quick email.
There are many other ways that you can help the resolution move forward. Visit the Faithful Security website for statements from prominent endorsers, the full text of the resolution, and other resources. Consider writing a letter to the editor about the resolution, or invite other national religious groups to endorse this important legislation.
Need more ideas? Email us at info@faithfulsecurity.org.
The first step is gathering Congressional cosponsors, so click here to send your Representative a note.
Blessings,
Tyler Wigg Stevenson and Jessica Wilbanks
Love this!
A graphic designer named Steve has partnered with World Vision to sell 50,000 t-shirts and raise $1,000,000 to help China.
On Monday, May 19, one week after the China Earthquake, reports surfaced estimating that 50,000 lives would be lost in this tragedy—our vision is hope. One by one, fifty thousand hand drawn tally marks create the “x†on your shirt, each one representing a life that has passed, and connecting it with a life that has committed to help rebuild. Your shirt is a symbol how one person, multiplied 50,000 times, can do something amazing.
Love it! “Be the difference you wish to see in the world!”
Love your neighbor – even if they’re halfway around the world.
Outgoing SBC President Frank Page suggests that the Southern Baptist Convention should make some changes or the denomination will see a drastic reduction in numbers.
From the MondayMorningInsight:
“If we don’t start paying attention to the realities … by the year 2030, we will be proud to have 20,000 rather than 44,000 Southern Baptist churches.” That’s a quote from outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page recently. According to a report in the Tennessean.com, Page believes the 16.2 million-member convention faces the same challenges that bedeviled other Protestant denominations — lower birthrates, aging demographics and a culture increasingly hostile to Christianity. In response, churches tend to circle the wagons and hang on for dear life.
“You’ve got massive numbers,” he said, “maybe not a majority but massive numbers of evangelical churches out there, yes, Southern Baptists also, who are small groups of older white people holding on till they die.”
Page says more outreach is needed in the SBC. He further suggests that the convention must embrace diversity if it hopes to survive. It must be more welcoming to ethnic groups and younger generations.
From Tennessean.com:
One of Page’s major tasks as president has been to change the public image of the convention. Too many people perceive Southern Baptists as mean-spirited, angry conservatives, he said. That image, he believes, is based on political talking heads and Republican culture warriors, and not on the actions of ordinary Southern Baptists.
He’s particularly angered at the actions of Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based congregation known for spewing hatred toward homosexuals and for protesting at military funerals.
“People have said, ‘Does it bother you that they are called Baptist?’ ” he said. “I say, it bothers me even more that they are called a church. Remove the Baptist from the issue or the argument. To call yourself a church should hold you to a very high calling and high standard that they do not live to.” …
While Page teaches that homosexual behavior is sinful, he also focuses on other sexual sins. If a couple comes to the church and is living together, the church insists the couple gets married before they can become members. And the church has gay people who attend, but are not members as well. Page says the church is not going to turn anyone away.
“We have people that are living together, we have homosexuals who come here, and who are not joining, because they are loved and cared for and they hear the Gospel,” he said. “We say you are welcome here. Do we have some requirements for membership? Yes. We are not going to back off those. But if you don’t meet those or don’t want to meet those, we are still going to love you.”
That kind of attitude exists in many Southern Baptist congregations, Page says, and that gives him hope for the future of the convention.
He describes himself as cautiously optimistic, believing that most Baptists would rather love their neighbors than bash them with the Bible.
(side note: The Nick & Josh podcast have a great interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church. Listen to Pt 1 & Pt 2)
a. We fertilized the yard Friday evening. I say we – I mean Laurie. 🙂
b. Mowed, edged and watered the lawn yesterday.
c. Dwight Kurt Schrute is the featured Office character for June on my wall calendar.
d. “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.” – Dwight K Schrute
e. Pagan Christianity? is a real eye opening book.
f. Did you know, realize that tithing is never mentioned or commanded in the New Testament?
g. You never find first-century Christians tithing.
h. In truth (according to Frank Viola and George Barna), biblical tithing (Lev. 27:30-33, Num. 18:21-31, Deut. 14:22-27, Deut. 14:28-29, Deut. 26:12-13) was commanded to Israel and was actually 23.3 percent – not 10 percent.
i. First-century Christians simply gave what they could in order to benefit the poor, the fatherless, the widows, the sick, the prisoners and strangers.
j. “Discovered” a new word Saturday morning at breakfast :: heritickle adv. pronounced: hair-i-tick-al meaning: 1. an idea that goes against traditional doctrine or beliefs but sounds so good to the ears and soul. example: “Brian preached a heritickle sermon yesterday morning.” 2. a doctrinal idea or theology that makes you laugh out loud. note: spelling may very from person to person, but the primary definition and pronunciation remains the same. variations include: haritickle, harry-tickle and hiaritiacle.
k. It’s really humid out today and at 8:17 a.m. I already have the sleeves rolled up on my shirt. Do I really need to be wearing long sleeved shirts to work?
l. I’m planning to attend Theology Live tonight – wondering if anyone will join me.
“if God didn’t take you home the minute you were born again than he has a purpose for your life and I can promise you it involves somebody else.”
Brian Treadaway