The Ordinary Goodness Of Andre Trocme and Le Chambon
A French village that helped Jewish refugees during WWII because the villagers were anchored in the bible - and the pastor who anchored them so. Sometimes lately it feels so much like many aspects of the church use the bible as a club - in both senses of the term: you're in or you're out depending on how you view it (see the next couple of links), and as something to beat others over the head with.
Because A Twitter Thread This Long Would Be Annoying
Kristen Kobes Du Mez wrote and published a book called Jesus and John Wayne. To say it was taken badly by the Evangelical establishment is an understatement:
Saving Inerrancy From The Americans
Or: how the American evangelicals treat "the inerrancy of scripture": as the centre and sum of theological orthodoxy. If you don't talk about it precisely the right way, then you're obviously not a Christian.
I've been seeing that quite a bit in my own faith traditions, tbh. If you don't have 'the correct' view on The Sexuality Stuff, then obvs you're not really a Christian... And it works on the other foot, too re: refugees and compassion. I mean, some of my fellow Christians are, frankly, awful people. But they're still Christians.
Building Strong Towns
America - indeed, most of the world - has been growing in population and building at a tremendous pace. But the thing missing from the world we're building is the concepts of resilience and sustainability. The 'Strong Towns' movement is advocating for a radically different way of looking at how we develop the world around us with an eye towards longevity. Note: this specific movement appears to be something of a marketing machine, I have no idea how it's going - the original article was written in 2015.
Alan Kohler: Neoliberalism is at the heart of the Omicron shambles
Basically, the pursuit of moar money is what had most of Australia in the grip of an omicron wave over the summer.
Back To Normal Isn't Enough
Or: when the world didn't work for most before, why are we trying to go back to it? US-based.
If we are to ‘live with’ COVID-19, we must decide what we really value
Another contemplation on the pressures and values of society in the face of COVID-19. I think this one is UK-based.
How To Be A Good Indigenous Ally
The Psychology Behind Why We Hatefollow People
I didn't even know this was a thing.
( sidenote )
The Case For Being 'Ordinary'
'Extraordinary' is overrated. Here's how to embrace the power of an ordinary life.
The impact of inheritance
I know, not everyone has an inheritance coming to them, but still, this is about the transfer of money and security.
The Gospel, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights
A better way for 'religious freedom' to go: hand in hand with all the other human rights, including sexuality, gender, race, the freedom to seek asylum, and possibly even the right to a clean environment. I particularly like that it's addressing that sometimes these rights will abut up against each other and require negotiation, and sometimes no agreement can be reached. But in order for any discussion of rights to be taken in good faith, we need to stop looking at it as a zero-sum game/
Life In A Degrowth Economy
Or: there are a lot of economidiots out there who have forgotten that the resources of the world have limits.
How To Want Less
Going against evolutionary biology, because evolutionary biology doesn't give a damn about your emotions.
A French village that helped Jewish refugees during WWII because the villagers were anchored in the bible - and the pastor who anchored them so. Sometimes lately it feels so much like many aspects of the church use the bible as a club - in both senses of the term: you're in or you're out depending on how you view it (see the next couple of links), and as something to beat others over the head with.
Because A Twitter Thread This Long Would Be Annoying
Kristen Kobes Du Mez wrote and published a book called Jesus and John Wayne. To say it was taken badly by the Evangelical establishment is an understatement:
My book tells the story about how Christian patriarchy, white Chr nationalism, & Am militarism became so closely intertwined that now, for many Am Christians, to critique one aspect is perceived as an attack on Christianity itself.
Saving Inerrancy From The Americans
Or: how the American evangelicals treat "the inerrancy of scripture": as the centre and sum of theological orthodoxy. If you don't talk about it precisely the right way, then you're obviously not a Christian.
I've been seeing that quite a bit in my own faith traditions, tbh. If you don't have 'the correct' view on The Sexuality Stuff, then obvs you're not really a Christian... And it works on the other foot, too re: refugees and compassion. I mean, some of my fellow Christians are, frankly, awful people. But they're still Christians.
Building Strong Towns
America - indeed, most of the world - has been growing in population and building at a tremendous pace. But the thing missing from the world we're building is the concepts of resilience and sustainability. The 'Strong Towns' movement is advocating for a radically different way of looking at how we develop the world around us with an eye towards longevity. Note: this specific movement appears to be something of a marketing machine, I have no idea how it's going - the original article was written in 2015.
Alan Kohler: Neoliberalism is at the heart of the Omicron shambles
Basically, the pursuit of moar money is what had most of Australia in the grip of an omicron wave over the summer.
Back To Normal Isn't Enough
Or: when the world didn't work for most before, why are we trying to go back to it? US-based.
If we are to ‘live with’ COVID-19, we must decide what we really value
Another contemplation on the pressures and values of society in the face of COVID-19. I think this one is UK-based.
How To Be A Good Indigenous Ally
The Psychology Behind Why We Hatefollow People
I didn't even know this was a thing.
( sidenote )
The Case For Being 'Ordinary'
'Extraordinary' is overrated. Here's how to embrace the power of an ordinary life.
The impact of inheritance
I know, not everyone has an inheritance coming to them, but still, this is about the transfer of money and security.
Ultimately, inheritance — money of any kind, really — is most vital in its role as a solid foundation. Everyone deserves that. We’d be better off if America wanted it for Americans as much as some Americans want it for their own kids.
The Gospel, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights
A better way for 'religious freedom' to go: hand in hand with all the other human rights, including sexuality, gender, race, the freedom to seek asylum, and possibly even the right to a clean environment. I particularly like that it's addressing that sometimes these rights will abut up against each other and require negotiation, and sometimes no agreement can be reached. But in order for any discussion of rights to be taken in good faith, we need to stop looking at it as a zero-sum game/
Life In A Degrowth Economy
Or: there are a lot of economidiots out there who have forgotten that the resources of the world have limits.
How To Want Less
Going against evolutionary biology, because evolutionary biology doesn't give a damn about your emotions.
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