Why does the universe exist rather than nothing? How did humanity come to be on this remote blue speck of a planet? What happens to us after death? - Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Sullivan is a journalist who writes for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. The week prior to Easter Newsweek ran an article by Sullivan, including a contemporary picture of Jesus on the cover, called "Christianity in Crisis - Forget the Church, Follow Jesus."
All "you know what" broke loose among some national church leaders. I was hoping my minister hadn't seen it because I didn't want him to be burdened by one more thing at Easter. Especially when it was leading into our United Methodist World Conference.
The United Methodist Church, like other mainline denominations, is struggling here in the United States.
I, personally, loved Sullivan's article. It made me think. It made me feel. He talks about power-mad leaders, both in the church and in politics who use Christianity to push their agendas.
That's not what Jesus was about. Here are some quotes from the article:
Jesus' doctrines were the practical commandments. Not simply love one another, but love your enemy and forgive those who harm you; give up all material wealth; love the ineffable Being behind all things.
And, get this:
Above all: give up power over others, because power...requires the threat of violence, and violence is incompatible with the total acceptance and love of all other human beings. That is the sacred heart of Jesus teaching.
Christianity itself is in crisis...the fastest-growing segment of belief among the young is atheism.
What do we do? Andrew Sullivan suggests that we look at folks who went back to living the way Jesus lived..Folks like Saint Francis of Assissi.
As Jesus was without politics, so was Francis...The saints became known as saints not because of their success in fighting political battles...They were saints purely and simply because of the way they lived.
The point was how Jesus conducted himself through it all; calm, loving, accepting, radically surrendering even the basic control of his own body and telling us that this was what it means to truly transcend our world and to be with God.
Jesus, like Francis, was a homeless person, as were his closest followers. He possessed nothing - and thereby everything.
By the way, I shouldn't have been concerned about my minister. He did read the article. He wasn't one bit intimated by it. In fact he agreed with much of it. I know this because he preached on it on Easter Sunday.
***
Andrew Sullivan is a journalist who writes for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. The week prior to Easter Newsweek ran an article by Sullivan, including a contemporary picture of Jesus on the cover, called "Christianity in Crisis - Forget the Church, Follow Jesus."
All "you know what" broke loose among some national church leaders. I was hoping my minister hadn't seen it because I didn't want him to be burdened by one more thing at Easter. Especially when it was leading into our United Methodist World Conference.
The United Methodist Church, like other mainline denominations, is struggling here in the United States.
I, personally, loved Sullivan's article. It made me think. It made me feel. He talks about power-mad leaders, both in the church and in politics who use Christianity to push their agendas.
That's not what Jesus was about. Here are some quotes from the article:
Jesus' doctrines were the practical commandments. Not simply love one another, but love your enemy and forgive those who harm you; give up all material wealth; love the ineffable Being behind all things.
And, get this:
Above all: give up power over others, because power...requires the threat of violence, and violence is incompatible with the total acceptance and love of all other human beings. That is the sacred heart of Jesus teaching.
Christianity itself is in crisis...the fastest-growing segment of belief among the young is atheism.
What do we do? Andrew Sullivan suggests that we look at folks who went back to living the way Jesus lived..Folks like Saint Francis of Assissi.
As Jesus was without politics, so was Francis...The saints became known as saints not because of their success in fighting political battles...They were saints purely and simply because of the way they lived.
The point was how Jesus conducted himself through it all; calm, loving, accepting, radically surrendering even the basic control of his own body and telling us that this was what it means to truly transcend our world and to be with God.
Jesus, like Francis, was a homeless person, as were his closest followers. He possessed nothing - and thereby everything.
By the way, I shouldn't have been concerned about my minister. He did read the article. He wasn't one bit intimated by it. In fact he agreed with much of it. I know this because he preached on it on Easter Sunday.
***
