Friday, March 31, 2017

Can A Juror Be Disqualified For Following Jesus? – Red Letter Christians

Can A Juror Be Disqualified For Following Jesus? – Red Letter Christians: The constitution of our nation specifically states that our governing bodies must not utilize religious tests in determining who can and who cannot serve in government posts. Unless, I am missing something, the courts in Texas ignored that principal when selecting a jury for the trial of Mr. Chris Young. A woman who was being considered as a juror was disqualified in this case, according to a petition filed by his attorneys with the U.S. Supreme Court, primarily because she was involved in outreach ministries of the Baptist Church where she holds her membership.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

1300 Clergy Speak Out Against Discrimination in the Name of Religion – Red Letter Christians

1300 Clergy Speak Out Against Discrimination in the Name of Religion – Red Letter Christians: Around the nation, clergy are rising up in opposition to a leaked copy of a “religious freedom” executive order drafted by the Trump administration that would undermine protections for LGBTQ people, women, and children in foster care.

If enacted, the order would essentially legalize discrimination by protecting individuals and organizations with religious objections to abortion, same-sex marriage, contraception, or supporting LGBTQ children in foster care.

How We Treat Those Who Are Always With Us – Red Letter Christians

How We Treat Those Who Are Always With Us – Red Letter Christians: Jesus meant the OPPOSITE of what we usually take him to mean here. It seems to me that Jesus was actually advocating generosity and action to eradicate poverty, rather than hands-up-in-the-air, shoulder-shrugging apathy.

A New Home for Homeless Christians – Red Letter Christians

A New Home for Homeless Christians – Red Letter Christians: “When we stop focusing on Jesus, we end up talking a lot about things Jesus didn’t talk much about and we don’t talk about the things Jesus had a whole lot to say about.”

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

“I was a stranger and you took me in” – Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Encyclical for the Great Lent 2016 - News | Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE

“I was a stranger and you took me in” – Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Encyclical for the Great Lent 2016 - News | Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE

Lance's Religion Blog: Health Care Reform in Light of Orthodox Theology and the Sanctity of the Human Body

Lance's Religion Blog: Health Care Reform in Light of Orthodox Theology and the Sanctity of the Human Body

Benedict in the Suburbs - Glory to God for All Things

Benedict in the Suburbs - Glory to God for All Things

We need your help

We need your help.

We do things like give out diapers.  Did you know that some mothers must pick between diapers for their child and food for their family?  Sound unfair to me.  And it is.  We also help with things like laundry soap, toilet tissue, and personal care products.  Lots of folks drop things off at our community that we can share, but many of the things we help with, we have to purchase.  That is where you come in.  We need your donations ad have a PayPal account you can use, or you can mail the community a check.  Please help us help others.  Some are homeless and others are near homeless.

We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences

We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences

We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. t if you want peace, work for justice. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities–to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. Too often we talk much about these rights but little or nothing about our duties to our brothers and sisters.
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society — in economics and politics, in law and policy — directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. We are called to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
The Fathers and Mothers of the Church have taught this and handed it down ti us today, unchanged. We need to listen to their words. We also need to listen to the cries of our brothers and sisters who are in pain and never listened to.

Close the Gap: a Fair Say



The problems facing inner-city communities do not result from a lack of effective solutions, but from a lack of power to implement these solutions. Corporations have too much power.  And you and I have too little.

Poverty Quiz | Is poverty getting worse? | Who is poor? | Questions & Answers

Poverty Quiz | Is poverty getting worse? | Who is poor? | Questions & Answers

Mother Maria of Paris: Saint of the Open Door | Incommunion

Mother Maria of Paris: Saint of the Open Door | Incommunion: On January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint along with her son Yuri, the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin, and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. All four died in German concentration camps.

Father Dimitry Klepinin | Incommunion

Father Dimitry Klepinin | Incommunion: Few people today are familiar with the efforts of a small group of Orthodox who, during the Second World War, protected and saved numerous Jews in France at the risk of their own lives, by hosting them and acquiring forged papers for them.

Orthodox Christians Who Saved Jews In The Holocaust - Fr. John Peck

Orthodox Christians Who Saved Jews In The Holocaust - Fr. John Peck: A growing list of Orthodox Christians that rescued Jews during the Holocaust era

Orthodoxy Faith In Action (Discovering Orthodox Christianity)

Orthodox Action

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Building a Communal Church

 “Our first loyalty is to the church, not to American empire. I want
to encourage and cultivate faithful Christian resistance.” That language
is reminiscent of left-wing radicals such as Daniel Berrigan or Dorothy
Day in their critique of American Christianity.

It is. I do not
believe that political and theological conservatives have a monopoly on
the truth. Look, I’m a conservative Christian. But we have been far too
quick to think of the church as the Republican Party at prayer
and to think of America as a new Israel. It’s just not true. I love
this country, which has been a tremendous blessing to me, but it’s not a
New Jerusalem. As Saint Augustine said, any peace we have today is
going to be the peace of Babylon, of captivity. I don’t tell people not
to be patriotic, but I do say, “Don’t confuse patriotism with
nationalism. Always remember that our first loyalty is to God and to
Jesus Christ.”


Building a Communal Church: An Interview with Rod Dreher

Money is their God, not Jesus.

Money is their God, not Jesus.

Monday, March 27, 2017

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community - Photos

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community - Photos

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community

 So whoever said poverty is a gift from God? The Bible says that all good
and perfect things come from God. Poverty is a curse, it is not a
blessing. There are many reasons for poverty, we need to examine the
root cause and start there. And if the church you go to does not do
things for the poor, then get out of that church because there are
plenty of them that do provide for the poor.

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community

He
was more than a revolutionary in this world. He kicked ass in Hell and
trampled death for us. But if we did follow the example He taught us
and followed Himself, we too would be revolutionaries. And that is
exactly what He expects us to do. Are we preparing for the day we stand
before Christ? Or are we just see how comfortable we can be in this
life without ny concern with the next?

We are revolutionaries here at St.Mary's. Want to be one also?
(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community

(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community

Need Something?

We usually have all sizes of diapers, including pull-ups, laundry
soap, baby wipes, dryer sheets, toilet paper, and personal care
products and lots more. Folks keep giving us things, and we keep
sharing what ever we get.
(8) Bulletin Board of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Community