"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.)
Tag: political culture
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 #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)."
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
Prayer Note #70: Love instead of Anger, Fear, Violence, & Cruelty
“Lord, I live in a world of anger, fear, violence, and cruelty. It is hard for me not to be swept away and molded by these ugly passions that swirl around me. . . ."
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 #224: Theocracy–the Worst Form of Government
"I am a democrat because I believe that no man or group of men is good enough to be trusted with uncontrolled power over others." C. S. Lewis
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.
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 