tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post115136238004262037..comments2023-10-15T04:41:52.695-05:00Comments on Faithful Agitation: The Bible and Politics, pt. 1David Ensignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05404166082971649728noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151930123493789512006-07-03T07:35:00.000-05:002006-07-03T07:35:00.000-05:00Lovely town, Baltimore.Lovely town, Baltimore.David Ensignhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05404166082971649728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151900355659611662006-07-02T23:19:00.000-05:002006-07-02T23:19:00.000-05:00My requisite get-lost-driving-home-for -two-hours ...My requisite get-lost-driving-home-for -two-hours (this time, I inadvertently drove to Baltimore) has postponed my work on this week's session. I'll get something up tomorrow morning/early afternoon.jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06612122058093088732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151806772179679882006-07-01T21:19:00.000-05:002006-07-01T21:19:00.000-05:00Why was Jesus condamned to death? I think most wou...Why was Jesus condamned to death? I think most would agree that the main reason was his strong critical atitude towards the establisment of his own religion and not a conflict with Rome - from this many would find reasons to be antisemithic. But Jesus would have been in conflict with any religious establisment - so we should find reasons not to be antisemithic, rather to understand dangers of Pierre Radulescuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16470498506314399360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151725238751280222006-06-30T22:40:00.000-05:002006-06-30T22:40:00.000-05:00Pierre- The idea that Jesus and crew were a pack o...Pierre- The idea that Jesus and crew were a pack of violent revolutionaries was advanced forcefully by SGF Brandon about 50-60 years ago. His thesis rested on the very Bultmannian argument that the Gospel writers, Luke especially, were trying to hide a great bit of Christianity's origins in order to recommend it to Roman society at large. Nevertheless, that argument has now been almost entirely jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06612122058093088732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151683071577824852006-06-30T10:57:00.000-05:002006-06-30T10:57:00.000-05:00Politics claims itself so often from the Bible. Th...Politics claims itself so often from the Bible. The revers is always true: Bible is always politics. Great is our Lord, and King over all other gods (Psalm 94/95). Peter was wearing a sword in the Gethsemany - does it mean that the group of Apostles was actually a military gang, mixed in all political battles among Judeean sects? Could be true, if we consider the Formgeschichte theory of BultmannPierre Radulescuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16470498506314399360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151632194997495322006-06-29T20:49:00.000-05:002006-06-29T20:49:00.000-05:00Interesting insights so far. It seems that there a...Interesting insights so far. It seems that there are a range of perspectives here, and I hope we can have some constructive discussion. Here are some thoughts that have been prompted by the previous comments:<BR/><BR/>1) Yes, the Bible is usually used very poorly in politics (within or outside of the church). But does that mean it has to be used poorly? Could we come up with an alternative use?jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06612122058093088732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151613552950578212006-06-29T15:39:00.000-05:002006-06-29T15:39:00.000-05:00Great intro Jamie, the mixture of politics and rel...Great intro Jamie, the mixture of politics and religion have been at best confusing in America since the inception of the Constitution. It got worse in the late 1700's when we see great revival preachers using religion and patriotism to appeal to the American soul. The reaction against this is to say "Jesus has nothing to say about society." This is a poor understanding of the Gospel. <BR/><BR/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151603077787544072006-06-29T12:44:00.000-05:002006-06-29T12:44:00.000-05:00I'm not sure what my thoughts are on this yet... O...I'm not sure what my thoughts are on this yet... On the one hand I see that culture is constantly moving and active and that either we get involved in its direction or abandon it altogether. Getting involved we have the chance to balance mere humanistic fads with unshifting scriptural truth. We also have the chance to steward God's gifts to us more deliberately and effectively. On the other hand,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151601126160528912006-06-29T12:12:00.000-05:002006-06-29T12:12:00.000-05:00Maybe God does have some political views. Probabl...Maybe God does have some political views. Probably not in terms of the callous debate that marks the us vs. them nature of our political scene. But I see Jesus' words and actions as profoundly political - in ways that grew out of spiritual principles and values. Jesus (and the Bible in general) had alot to say about an awful lot of politically charged issues: how we treat our neighbor, how we Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151523984897712972006-06-28T14:46:00.000-05:002006-06-28T14:46:00.000-05:00From James...I think the Bible, as an historical t...From James...I think the Bible, as an historical text, is a highly political document. So many stories center around actions that have political subtexts or implications. I see the Bible, in terms of a spiritual guidebook, as political only in the broadest sense. It teaches us how to behave, how to treat others, how to express ourselves, etc., which should influence our political actions and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151503221005385302006-06-28T09:00:00.000-05:002006-06-28T09:00:00.000-05:00I’m getting prepared this morning to run out to a ...I’m getting prepared this morning to run out to a clergy caucus of the Industrial Areas Foundation faith-based community organizing effort. I have friends in the community organizing world who like to say that if you come to the bottom of a cliff and find a rising stack of broken bodies, you need to go to the top of the mountain, find out who is throwing people over the edge and put a stop to it.David Ensignhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05404166082971649728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151500837293674242006-06-28T08:20:00.000-05:002006-06-28T08:20:00.000-05:00From Suzanne - To me, when the bible is quoted in ...From Suzanne - To me, when the bible is quoted in politics, it's used as a club to squash any other opinions instead of being a way to open up your thinking. I'd just as soon never see it used in politics.<BR/>As for politics in the church ... I've seen the same type of thing done. When serving on session (at a different church) it was actually said that if someone felt the budget was too high, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9074608.post-1151414171965129062006-06-27T08:16:00.000-05:002006-06-27T08:16:00.000-05:00CW says, "here's an excellent example of a creativ...CW says, "here's an excellent example of a creative use of scripture in politics: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0626-20.htm<BR/>It's a James Carrol piece on global warming and the Garden of Eden as prophecy.David Ensignhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05404166082971649728noreply@blogger.com