ScottPaeth's blog

"There is nothing anti-intellectual in the leap of faith, for faith is not believing without proof but trusting without reservation. Faith is no substitute for thinking. On the contrary, it is what makes good thinking possible. It has what we might calll a limering effect on the mind; by taking us b eyond familiar ground, faith ends up giving us that much more to think about. Certainly Peter and Andrew and James and John, in deciding to follow Jesus, received more to think about than had they stayed at home. And so it is with all of us; if we give our lives to christ, if we leave fammiliar territory and take the leap of faith, what we recieve in return fills our minds altogether as much as it fills our hearts."

For the second time, major television networks have rejected ads by the United Church of Christ, on the grounds that they are too controversial. The particular ad in question, the so-called "Ejector Seat" ad, depicts people being literally thrown out of church for being unusual, inconvienient, or unpleasant.

At the same time, however, Focus on the Family is being permitted to air an ad promoting its own perspective. Apparently, according to ABC, which is airing the ad, FotF isn't "controversial."

This post originally appeared at Scott Paeth's Semi Daily Blog

Apparently the fine folks over at the Rovian Conspiracy have noticed my humble little blog here, as a result of my post on "imposing Christianity." To recap: Missouri, where I spent many happy hours when I lived in Quincy, IL, is considering a resolution to make Christianity the "official majority religion." The Rovians have been so kind as to locate the actual text of the resolution, so that we may quote it in full:

If you're not familiar to the NPR show "Speaking of Faith," I would highly recommend checking it out. I've got it set up to download as a Podcast, but you can listen to it at their website, or (if you're lucky) get it on your local NPR station.

What Is Progressive Christianity?
A Workshop with the Rev. James Rowe Adams, founder of the Center for Progressive Christianity

Saturday, March 25 from 9:30am to 12pm
Saint Mary's Episcopal Church
306 South Prospect Ave., Park Ridge.
To Register Call 847-823-4126

James Rowe Adams is the author of "From Literal to Literary: The Essenntial Reference Book of Biblical Metaphors" and "So You Think You're Not Religious: A Thinking Person's Guide to Church."

I'll probably have more to say in the coming months about the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but for now I want to point out Larry Rasmussen's excellent essay in the latest Sojourners about what Bonhoeffer's theology, life and resistance mean today. I suggest reading the whole thing, but here are several key points:

From Bono's (yes that Bono!) remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2006:I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside.  One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.

For me, at least, it got in the way.  Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God’s second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…

Since Slacktivist has been updating his Left Behind ultra-mega-mondo review on a fairly regular basis lately, I haven't been making reference to the new entries, but there's a good and important passage in this week's entry that's worth drawing attention to:

Whenever I'm called upon to defend my religious faith before secular progressives, or my progressivism among evangelical Christians, I find myself falling back upon the thought of one particular and very influential Christian theologian -- Walter Rauschenbusch.

It's true. The cat is out of the bag: I'm a Social Gospeller. I wish Walter Rauschenbusch were alive today, or alternatively, that he had successors worthy of his legacy. The Social Gospel just makes so much sense to me as a Christian, it reflects so thoroughly the Christian commitment to social justice that I have come to believe is central to my faith, that I cannot look at my Christian convictions except through lenses that were crafted by Walter Rauschenbusch.