How Can We Leave the World a Better Place?

Hey everyone. Was invited to preach at our church again. You can check out the sermon here.

September Meeting Recap

We had a good discussion of the way kingdom ethics intersect with the politics of the empire. Using health care reform as a proxy for similar ethical dilemmas, we discussed why some Christians on both sides of the issue adopt un-Christ-like attitudes toward brothers and sisters on the other side of the issue. We pondered why Christians are so quick to assume that "their position" on an empire issue is the "correct" position and how emergent believers might act to change Christian culture...

Here is a thought-provoking article about health care reform, that goes beyond the current political debate. It is long, but worth reading.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200909/health-care

At the end of the meeting we discussed the possibility of changing the date of our meetings from the last Thursday of the month to the second Thursday of the month. We hope this change will allow some additional people to join our conversation.

Starting in October, We'll meet on the 2nd Thursday

Starting in October we're going to try meeting on the second Thursday of the month. We hope the change will allow some additional people to participate. Go ahead and mark your calendar for October 8, November 12 and December 10. Hope to see you soon.

Next Meeting Thursday, Sept 24

We'll meet at Escape at 7:00 PM. Check out the links in JD's post dated August 27 and we'll continue our discussion of kingdom ethics versus empire politics.

Health Care Article Links

Here is the David Gushee editorial we discussed.

And here is Brian McLaren's response.

Here is McLaren's response to the questions of an opponent of proposed health care reforms.

And then McLaren's explanation for supporting Obama despite his pro-choice stance.

Next Meeting Thursday August 27

We'll meet at Escape at 7:00 PM. Get an early start on the fall by catching us up with what you've been doing! Hope to see you there.

Final Jesus and Empire Post

You can find it here.