a radical on extremists

I almost called this post “an extremist on extremists,” but…

I heard people in Iraq call leaders in the US “Christian extremists,” just as leaders here [USA] speak of “Muslim extremists.” Everyone is delaring war and asking for God’s blessing. One beautiful Iraqi mother threw her hands in the air and said, “Your country is declaring war in the name of God and asking God’s blessing, and that is the same thing my country is doing. What kind of God is this? What has happened to the God of love, to the Prince of Peace?” Her question haunts me.

– Shane Claiborne in The Irresistible Revolution, p.218-219

I read this on Veterans Day but decided to wait a couples of days to post. When I read this I was reminded of the story I heard from the war in Yugoslavia when priests would bless tanks going to battle on both sides of the fron as Serbs fought Croats… how does one make sense of such? how?

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missed the anniversary

Kingdom Travelin turned 2 last week and I missed it… 426 posts and about five daughter blogs…

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points 4 and 5

Christian Humanism

point 4 – The Christian Humanist asserts the rightful place of reason – that Christian theology is rational and the Bible is its main text; with the Story, the Gospel as a rational foundation for knowledge [I hope I have not interpreted him too much].

point 5 – Christian Humanism provides guidelines for Christian Identity which includes education (providing wisdom, not skills – an understanding of Truth – embracing difference while being tolerant of difference – patriotic, but critically – science and technology should serve the common good not themselves… Christianity Identity includes embodied in the world but transcendent in ideals…

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an interesting story

Click here for, what I consider to be, a telling story about the state of history and culture in the former Yugoslavia.

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Christian Humanism: point 3

Point three: Live in hope.

This is not a call for optimism, but it is a rejection of pessimism. The Christian Humanist affirms human potential as the image-bearer of God who has rationality. While recognizing the inherent fallen-ness of man [my clarification], he or she will not live in subservience to evil or totalitarianism (the speaker was active in the anti-apartheid movement).

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Christian Humanism

point 2

Christian Humanists stand in contrast and opposition to that which dehumanizes people.

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