Salvation

“Salvation involves the whole person, body and soul. Salvation also includes the restoration of wholesome community among Christians. Its effects spill over into the entire social order…

No amount of good deeds in noble social action can earn divine forgiveness. The only way to enter Jesus’ kingdom is by accepting it as a gift (Luke 12:32). But kingdom people embrace kingdom values. Sixteen times the New Testament calls Jesus Savior. Four hundred times it calls him Lord.

We will not receive Christ’s unmerited forgiveness if we persist in rejecting him as Lord of our whole lives. We must ‘work out’ our salvation through lifelong discipleship that pursues purity and justice (Phil. 2:12). The God who made us for community insists that a right relationship with God is inseparable from right relationships with our neighbors.”

- Ron Sider in Churches That Make A Difference: Reaching Your Community With Good News and Good Works

Our Feminist Foremothers on Abortion

“Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them.” - Susan B. Anthony

“When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” - Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” - Alice Paul

“When a man steals to satisfy his hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society - so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged.” - Mattie Brinkerhoff

Source: Feminists for Life

Shane Claiborne Interview

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of doing an interview for the Justice and Compassion blog with one of my favorite author/activists Shane Claiborne. Check out the write-up from my telephone conversation with Shane here.

Praying for My Enemies

On his new website The Jesus Gospel, my friend John Lamoreau lists 10 People to Pray for to Start Changing the World. John invites those of us who follow the Way of Jesus to join him in praying for our enemies each day for one week.

I’ve printed out John’s list and I’m going to start my week of prayer tomorrow morning. I’ll report back on how it goes…

A Time for Repentance

The following quote is taken from a speech given in 1973 by Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) in support of Senate Joint Resolution 183, to proclaim April 30, 1974, as a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. In reading over it, I am struck by how his words apply to our situation today, just as well as they did over 30 years ago.

“We are all troubled by the continual erosion of the American people’s faith and trust in their leadership in all parts of life. The current fuel shortage has caused us to reevaluate the legitimacy of our excessive use of the world’s natural resources. We witness a country torn apart with division and lacking the spiritual foundation that would restore its vision and purpose. We, as a people, through our own acquiescence to corruption and waste, have helped to create a moral abyss that produces a disdain for honesty and humility in high levels of national leadership…

Setting the Captives Free

“What a tragedy it would be if amidst all the movies and memorials celebrating the life of Wilberforce in 2007, Christians missed out on the chance to actually be Wilberforce in 2007—to be used of God to set slaves free, to bring an end to slavery in this generation, and to bring honor to the mission of Christ in the world.”

- from On a Justice Mission by anti-slavery activist Gary Haugen

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“Is this not the fast which I chose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” -Isaiah 58:6

Diana Butler Bass: Paying Respects to Anna Nicole Smith

I highly recommend this profound and beautiful piece by Diana Butler Bass on the passing of Anna Nicole Smith.

I hope it isn’t entirely frivolous to take note of the untimely death of Anna Nicole Smith – although I suspect some God’s Politics readers might think it odd for a Christian blogger to pay respect to the passing of a former Playboy centerfold and tabloid celebrity.

On most days, it probably would not have occurred to me to think about Anna Nicole’s death theologically. However, as it happened, yesterday was not “most days” in the Bass household.