Category: prophetic

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What Does It Mean To Be Prophetic, Part Four

Dennis

About a week ago, the church I am pastor at voted to become an Open and Affirming congregation, meaning it openly welcomes LGBT persons into the life of the church.  I think it was a big step for the church.  It might help people who were thinking of visiting the church to take a second look. But while I think it was a good thing and while I think it helped stressed God’s love for all, I don’t think it was a prophetic move. Do I think we were trying to witness to the world our intent to be like … Continue reading What Does It Mean To Be Prophetic, Part Four

christianity, church, church life, faith, inclusion, justice, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, mainline churches, ministry, progressive christianity, prophetic, social justice2 Comments

God Is A Concept.

Dennis

When I was in journalism class in high school, I remember seeing a poster in the teacher’s classroom that caught my attention.  It was one of those posters that shows something like a big sky or the stars at night.  At the bottom of the poster were these words: “God Is A Concept.” I really didn’t know what it meant.  I originally thought it was nice to talk about  God.  I remember talking to the teacher about it and while I can’t remember the words she said, the point was made that we didn’t have the same view of God.  … Continue reading God Is A Concept.

church, church life, civility, conservatism, culture, culture wars, Dennis Sanders, discernment, Disciples, disciples of christ, diversity, evangelicalism, inclusion, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, love, lutherans, mainline church, mainline churches, Presbyterians, progressive christianity, progressivism, propheticLeave a comment

Repost: We Can’t Be Friends

Dennis

First off, welcome to all the new visitors who saw my post on Freshly Pressed. Below is a post from last year.  It was about 20 years ago, that I attended a large Baptist church in Washington, DC. The church was an odd mix, or at least it would be odd today. Evangelicals and liberals were somehow able to worship together, along side a healthy dose of members from Latin America and Asia. The church decided at some point to hire a pastor to the join the good-sized multi-pastor staff. The person chosen was a woman with great pastoral care … Continue reading Repost: We Can’t Be Friends

culture, culture wars, forgiveness, gay, gay rights, inclusion, LGBT, prophetic, same sex marriageLeave a comment

Now That We’ve Won (Maybe)…

Dennis

This week’s drama over the issue of same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court has been nothing short of historic.  American society is at a point that I thought wouldn’t come for several years, if not decades.  Same sex marriage might be legal in most of the nation in a few short years. Here in Minnesota, it might be that by the end of the year we might have the right for gay couples to marry.  It means that I can have my relationship with my partner Daniel, recognized by the state and therby able to receive benefits that heterosexual couples … Continue reading Now That We’ve Won (Maybe)…

culture, culture wars, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, mainline church, mainline churches, ministry, politics, progressive christianity, progressivism, prophetic, social justiceLeave a comment

Silence of the Drones

Dennis

Michael Kruse has a good post that deals with my long quest to find out what is truly prophetic and what is just a poser.  Here’s a taste: The Christian Left (or progressives) hold themselves up as the antidote to this unholy alliance between the church and state. They are prophetic. Unlike conservatives who were in the tank for Bush and the Republican Party, they stand unflinchingly for justice. Addressing the issue of torture is a good example. The Bush administration used “enhanced interrogation techniques” like waterboarding. This was torture and torture is never justified, we were told. No amount … Continue reading Silence of the Drones

church life, civility, conservativism, culture wars, Disciples, disciples of christ, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, mainline church, mainline churches, politics, progressive christianity, propheticLeave a comment

Some Thoughts on Politics, Partisanship and Christian Witness

Dennis

As the GOP end their convention in Tampa and the Democrats get ready to gear up in Charlotte next week, I have a few thoughts about Christians and politics: We really take ourselves way to seriously.  There was a time in my life when I happened to be far more vocal on where I lean politically. I still have a political blog,, but I don’t blog there as much as I used to. Politics is still important and needed, but I tend to think it is not the main thing in life- serving God is. We may make too much … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Politics, Partisanship and Christian Witness

Alan Bevere, church, church life, mainline church, mainline churches, politics, progressive christianity, progressivism, prophetic4 Comments

What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic, Revisited

Dennis

Alan Bevere again picks up the the theme of being prophetic in a post today: I have spent some time this week in the Old Testament prophetic books. I do not find it surprising that most prophets are not accepted in their own time. Their cutting words of truth at best fall on stopped ears. Then, in order to reinforce their words, they resort to symbolic acts which, if committed in the 21st century West, would be more than sufficient cause for them to be put away in special places reserved for people who walk naked in public (Isaiah) and who eat … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic, Revisited

Alan Bevere, church, ecclesiology, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, mainline churches, progressive christianity, prophetic5 Comments

What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic?

Dennis

I stumbled across a post by Methodist blogger Allan Bevere on the prophetic nature of the church.  He ends to post like this: As I continue to say– when Christians hear the word “politics” they should not think state; they should think church. For Christians, our politic is church. But that clearly is not what it has been and both the Christian right and the left are guilty of making the church somehow beside the point. Because we have reduced the “political” to partisan politics we have reduced the church to one more social agency and one more culturally acceptable … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic?