LinksRoundup
There’s a new Walter Brueggemann site up. A great resource!
http://www.walterbrueggemann.com/blog/
Back in February, Adam Hamilton wrote one of the shortest yet most helpful pieces on the church’s struggle over human sexuality … here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/on-homosexuality-many-christians-get-the-bible-wrong/2013/02/13/2443d062-761f-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_blog.html
An important update on our global climate – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/opinion/sunday/climate-warnings-growing-louder.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fopinion%2Findex.jsonp
If you haven’t read my book Everything Must Change, this wouldn’t be a bad time to do so.
A great piece from Southern Baptist Ed Stetzer. May more and more people share the generous spirit he articulates here. Quotable:
Don’t be so lazy to assume that the worst of a group represents the entire group. They hardly ever do. Perhaps a better idea is to meet them, learn about them and treat them as your neighbor.
Want to visit the Middle East from your own home? Here’s an excellent chance, through an interview with Alick Isaacs. http://www.middleeastexperience.com/meet-alick-isaacs-on-may-22nd/#.UZpi1ZW–K9
And here’s an important new book on Israel and Palestine by Michael McRay who lived there as an agent of peace: https://wipfandstock.com/store/Letters_from_Apartheid_Street_A_Christian_Peacemaker_in_Occupied_Palestine
A few months ago, I spoke in Memphis and met the good people of Church Health Center. If you’re looking for a fascinating embodiment of the oft-used but seldom-defined term missional, I’d say these folks are a great place to start. On staff there is Stacy Smith – a gifted leader and the co-author of a book I really enjoyed, suitable for clergy of any gender: Bless Her Heart: Life as a Young Clergy Woman.
My friend Shane Claiborne wrote a powerful piece about the death penalty recently. It makes an obvious connection between that issue and a well-known Bible story – one I had never recognized. Read it here. Shane introduced me to Heather Beaudoin and the work of EJUSA, a group drawing attention to one of the most under-acknowledged justice issues in America. You can learn more and sign a related petition here.
Sheldon Good contributes to a thoughtful and challenging article on terrorism and US foreign policy, here. Quotable:
This nation has always struggled to align its ideals with its historical reality, climaxing in movements to abolish slavery and uphold citizenship and voting rights for women and minorities. That struggle continues as the nation deals with its new position as a global empire, the clear aggressor in its conflicts abroad. But it will come down to our collective efforts if we are to reverse the momentum that brings that war home, with all of its violence and evil. It is not just our liberty or our security that is at stake, but our humanity.
A great article and a great conference on peace-making … which should be an essential part of Christian formation.
Finally, here’s an article and interview about one of my recent trips.