The Courage of his Convictions
I just read this article about the Rev. Gregory Boyd.
It's worth checking out. He's a pastor of megachurch in Minnesota where he preached a series of sermons, "The Cross and the Sword," in which he argued against morphing American values/politics/military campaigns and Christianity together. I haven't read his sermons, so I can't say that I'm endorsing his views, however, I do respect his courage.
He preached these sermons in the midst of a multimillion dollar campaign and lost 1,000 of the church's 5,000 members. One in five! (Now granted, some may have left for other reasons, but that's a number you can't ignore.)
I admit that I hold some fear about expressing my political views as I continue in the ordination process and as I look toward becoming a priest. I don't want others to judge me on my political views and I don't want the pulpit to become a political soapbox. That being said, Rev. John Wesley wrote adamantly and publicly against the evils of the American slave trade; several American dominations split over differences regarding slavery; and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached and advocated against the evils of institutional racism.
Today we look at slavery and racism and say, "That's so obvious! We know that it's wrong!" But many, if not most, church-going Christian Americans didn't used to think so. They used their Bibles to defend it. What remains wrong in our society that good, decent, Christian people refuse to talk about and in fact, endorse? If the Church can't be a prophetic voice in society, who or what can?
If you get a chance, follow the link, read the article, and then share your thoughts here.
One final thought from Rev. Boyd:
I am sorry to tell you that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.
It's worth checking out. He's a pastor of megachurch in Minnesota where he preached a series of sermons, "The Cross and the Sword," in which he argued against morphing American values/politics/military campaigns and Christianity together. I haven't read his sermons, so I can't say that I'm endorsing his views, however, I do respect his courage.
He preached these sermons in the midst of a multimillion dollar campaign and lost 1,000 of the church's 5,000 members. One in five! (Now granted, some may have left for other reasons, but that's a number you can't ignore.)
I admit that I hold some fear about expressing my political views as I continue in the ordination process and as I look toward becoming a priest. I don't want others to judge me on my political views and I don't want the pulpit to become a political soapbox. That being said, Rev. John Wesley wrote adamantly and publicly against the evils of the American slave trade; several American dominations split over differences regarding slavery; and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached and advocated against the evils of institutional racism.
Today we look at slavery and racism and say, "That's so obvious! We know that it's wrong!" But many, if not most, church-going Christian Americans didn't used to think so. They used their Bibles to defend it. What remains wrong in our society that good, decent, Christian people refuse to talk about and in fact, endorse? If the Church can't be a prophetic voice in society, who or what can?
If you get a chance, follow the link, read the article, and then share your thoughts here.
One final thought from Rev. Boyd:
I am sorry to tell you that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.
posted by Michelle | 10:15 PM
1 Comments:
I think I like Rev. Boyd very much.
Post a Comment
<< Home