Quote of Note #228: Vicious Political Leadership

"His fury is without restraint and without magnanimity--and aimed, not at checking the offense, but at starting a pogrom against the offender." D. L. Sayers

Pastor Note #142: Violence & Cruelty in America: Who Is My Neighbor?

"This is a time when followers of Jesus must unwaveringly insist on love of neighbor as a core social value, a value that requires action.  Followers of Jesus in America must assert themselves in making love of neighbor, with its firm rejection of cruelty and violence, the centerpiece of our engagement with the wider society." (click link to read the full essay)

Quote of Note #219: Serving Others, Not Controlling Them

"If self-denial is at the heart of the kingdom [of God], controlling others is anti-kingdom." S. Bezner

Quote of Note #214: The Superficial Faith of Christian Nationalism

"[Christian Nationalism] leads to superficial Christianity rather than to sincere faith and deep discipleship." Wright & Bird

Quote of Note #213: “The Inexhaustible, Inviolable Dignity of Every Person”

"Reclaiming the American idea against all this means returning to the beginning: to our basic commitment to the inexhaustible, inviolable dignity of every person, and to our recognition that an effective and enduring politics can only be built atop this fundamental conviction." B. Sasse

Pastor Note #141: Getting My Bearing for These Times (Cont.): Rejecting Coercion

Coercion can never achieve the kingdom of God. I do not believe it is ever God’s desire or plan that any one group of Christians should aspire to get its hands on the levers of coercive governmental power and use that coercive power to impose its will on its unwilling neighbors. Again, coercion cannot and will never achieve the kingdom of God.