"If one who takes the clothing off another is called a thief, why give any other name to the one who can clothe the naked and refuses to do so? " Basil the Great (for full quote click link below)
Tag: Christian discipleship
Pastor Note #145: What Makes for the Blessed Life?
"Blessed are those who force their way to the front of the line; they will get to run things their own way." (For full post, click link below.)
Quote of Note #234: True Biblical Justice
"I've come to understand that justice is an act of reconciliation that restores any part of God's creation to its original intent, purpose, or image." J. Perkins
Quote of Note #232: A Kingdom without a Cross
"Christian nationalism is impoverished as it seeks a kingdom without a cross. It pursues a victory without mercy. It acclaims God's love of power rather than the power of God's love." Wright & Bird (click link below for full quote)
Quote of Note #231: The “First Law of Prayer”
"There should be in our prayers an astringent honesty with ourselves, so that we may be honest with God, for God sees the secrets of our hearts, and God well knows when we are conventionally asking for blessings which we have no real desire to receive." Wm. Barclay (click link below for full quote)
Quote of Note #230: Church & State in Tension
"We know also from our reading of history, that a certain tension between the Church and State is desirable. When Church and State fall out completely, it is ill with the commonwealth; and when Church and State get on too well together, there is something wrong with the Church." T. S. Eliot (click link for full quote)
Quote of Note #229: To Build Something Beautiful Together
"I'm an old man, and this is one of my dreams: that my descendants will one day live in a land where people are quick to confess their wrongdoing and forgive the wrongdoing of others and are eager to build something beautiful together." J. Perkins (click link for full quote)
Pastor Note #144: Jesus vs. Brutality & Inhumanity
"To truly follow Jesus is to follow the lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:6), not the roaring lion “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)."
Pastor Note #143: Coercion & the Kingdom of God
Here’s an important diagnostic question for American Christians to ask themselves: “Does my vision for the kingdom of God rely on coercively imposing righteousness on my neighbors?” Said another way, “Do I see the kingdom of God as something that should be forced upon people against their will? Are people coerced into the kingdom of God or invited into it?”
Quote of Note #227: Camouflaged Racism
"Racism is designed to be invisible to white people . . . so when they are confronted by the reality of racism, it can offend their sense of personal innocence." J. Tisby
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 