On the Road

As we ready for the coming of the Christ, hear these words of a pilgrim....

"Some of us walk into Advent tethered to our unresolved yesterdays, the pain still stabbing, the hurt still throbbing.  It's not that we don't know better; it's just that we can't stand up anymore by ourselves.  On the way to Bethlehem, will you give us a hand?""

(Ann Weems in Kneeling in Bethlehem)

Reformation Sunday

With Reformation Sunday coming in just a few days, the following saying by Nelson Mandela really hits the spirit of the celebration.

Witness, also, the ground breaking Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification a document created, and agreed to, by the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation in 1999, as a result of extensive ecumenical dialogue. It states that the churches now share "a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ," one that brings together the Protestant affirmation of the primacy of faith and the Catholic affirmation that good works demonstrates that faith.  To the parties involved, this essentially resolves the conflict over the nature of justification which was at the root of the Protestant Reformation.

See it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Declaration_on_the_Doctrine_of_Justification

Support Prop 1 for an Austin medical school and new community health facilities.  See this helpful letter from  UT https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b57qtekSi-SVApOzaVISsZZiefYwq4Vyo2IITAOZYto/edit

The Conversation Prism

Take a look a visual portrayal of the Social Media universe.  No wonder it seems confusing!

1024x768 (1024×768):

'via Blog this'

‘No Religion’ on the Rise: 19.6% Have No Religious Affiliation - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

‘No Religion’ on the Rise: 19.6% Have No Religious Affiliation - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life:

'via Blog this'
Fascinating insight into the religious drift in America.  Are we after quite a delay following in the path of Western Europe?

"However, a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, conducted jointly with the PBS television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, finds that many of the country’s 46 million unaffiliated adults are religious or spiritual in some way. Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%). More than half say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth (58%), while more than a third classify themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious” (37%), and one-in-five (21%) say they pray every day. In addition, most religiously unaffiliated Americans think that churches and other religious institutions benefit society by strengthening community bonds and aiding the poor.

With few exceptions, though, the unaffiliated say they are not looking for a religion that would be right for them. Overwhelmingly, they think that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in politics."

The Future of American (Liberal) Christianity

A well done article by Dr. Bass that summarizes a great of research she's been doing and that reaches some unexpected conclusions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-butler-bass/can-christianity-be-saved_1_b_1674807.html

Following the horrible shootings of so many in Aurora, CO, Dean Marshall's Message to Brite Divinity School  Students, Faculty, and Staff:



As the news of last night’s tragedy in Aurora, Colorado moves through our community, I want to invite everyone to remain steadfast in prayer and reflection:
·         For those whose lives were lost, their families and friends who saw them head out to a night of fun and then were struck by the violence of their death;
·         For those who were caught in the crossfire and who witnessed the very real violence of a gun ringing out in a movie theatre and who now are attempting to make sense of lives lost and saved;
·         For the gunman whose actions make no sense to many of us and whose soul is held in the palm of God’s hand, and for his family and friends;
·         For those who are pastors and leaders of faith communities whose presence, voices, and wisdom are needed so desperately at moments like this;
·         For those who continue to seek ways to counter violence and hatred with justice and love

May those of us who claim the love, mercy, and grace of God:
·         Stand in faith with the grieving and the lost;
·         Stand in solidarity with those seeking healing in the midst of fear and pain;
·         Stand in hope as we live out our commitments to end violence

In the name of the One who carries the suffering of many,
Amen