NYT and AU Won’t Cite Supreme Court Cases to Support Their Position The New York Times has joined in the chorus of disappointment over the House’s recent legislation enabling “houses of worship” to apply for National Disaster Relief funding from FEMA in the event their buildings are damaged or destoyed in any way. Similarly to… Read more
Tag: Church/State
Taxes Go to Rebuild Houses of Worship
Taxes Go to Rebuild Houses of Worship Yesterday, Wednesday February 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 592, which will amend a previous bill to enable houses of worship to apply for federal reparations aid from FEMA. Here’s a couple things to keep in mind first: The bill it is amending already allows federal monies to… Read more Taxes Go to Rebuild Houses of Worship
Congressional Chaplains Attend Anti-Obama Breakfast before Inaguration
Congressional Chaplains Attend Anti-Obama Breakfast before Inaguration As the Presidential Inaguration is quickly approaching, Congresspersons are preparing an event called “The Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast”. On the surface it seems like a well-intentioned, toothless form of civil religion. But a closer look at the schedule and featured speakers shows that it’s slated full of Obama… Read more Congressional Chaplains Attend Anti-Obama Breakfast before Inaguration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBPJ4bh7Z4 When I question how religion intersects with politics in America, some are tempted to accuse me of being anti-American. So I can really relate to this excellent response from pastor and theologian, Greg Boyd. Boyd says that being Kingdom minded means being “trans-national”. He also says that the history of the Church is to… Read more
Church Politics Just as Ugly as State Politics
Church Politics Just as Ugly as State Politics An excellent piece that navigates how church politics are influenced by the public sphere over dogma and polity. Heady stuff, but it hits the sweet spot of the cross-over between Church/State. Enjoy!
Congregants get what Cardinals Don’t
Congregants get what Cardinals Don’t Amen to that!
One Take on the Religious Neutrality of Secular Government
Will Herberg was a widely respected sociologist and theologian. He began his life as an ardent Marxist atheist, just as his parents were. Later in life he rediscovered his Jewish heritage while at the same time was introduced to Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr’s influence on Herberg cannot be overstated. Herberg would have converted to Christianity if… Read more One Take on the Religious Neutrality of Secular Government
Separating Religion from Political Parties, Part One:Why Christianity Should Have Nothing to do with the Republican Party (or any of them…) This is the first of several posts I’m planning on why people of faith should not be joined at the hip with any particular political party. Paul Ryan would like for the voters to… Read more
In Guns We Shall Not Trust
A Call for Sanctuaries to Become Sanctuaries Psalm 20:7 (NIV) 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. One of my main objectives in beginning this blog was to provide a space for reasonable discussion of a healthy separation of Religious Institutions and State. I believe people… Read more In Guns We Shall Not Trust
Do You Think Guns Should Be Allowed in Church? PREVIEW: This week’s post is on gun control and places of worship. Well let’s stipulate: Assume legal open carriers are at question. Should they or do they have the constitutional right to bring their guns into church? Better yet… do you think legal open carriers should… Read more