Comments for Reconciliation Blog http://edwardg.wordpress.com So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:22:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on Culture Clash: Bratz vs. Barbie by ティファニー 指輪 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/culture-clash-bratz-vs-barbie/#comment-8608 Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:22:57 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=447#comment-8608 Perhaps I could have fixed but I gave it to someone who beads.
Tiffany releases new and uniquely designed silver jewelry every single
year.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Aly http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8586 Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:19:44 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8586 Good reflections- thank you! I was going to e-mail you but couldn’t find a link.

Thought you might want to share this book trailer of “Where are the Christians?” and your opinions on it and its premises. Noticed you made a post about a similar topic. Super interesting!

Enjoy! Keep writing!

Aly

]]> Comment on The Sad State of Illinois Prisons by Chicago News Rag http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/the-sad-state-of-illinois-prisons/#comment-8555 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:54:36 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1289#comment-8555 [...] The Sad State of Illinois Prisons (edwardg.wordpress.com) [...]

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by C http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8546 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:10:14 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8546 Thank you for this thoughtful article. I found it as I was thinking through this issue this morning. I had read more of the context of the sermon after being surprised by the reactions of those who wanted to exclude Giglio. I hate that this group wanted to exclude him and wish the President’s original plans of including him had not been thwarted so that Giglio would not have been discouraged from participating.

Your point about the assumption of what Dr. King would say on this issue is poignant. I wish he were alive to speak to this stalemate today. I am a white, conservative, Southern Baptist woman in my late 30s who was born in the city where Dr. King met his untimely death. I was deeply moved by visiting the National Civil Rights Museum as a high school student, there at the site of the Lorraine Motel. Maybe it played some role in the time I lived and taught in Africa after college graduation and before starting a family though I have never considered that until this moment. I was incredibly moved by President Obama’s first national speech, prior to his presidency. Though I disagree with him on many issues politically and have not voted for him because of his political stands, I respect him and have been moved to tears by seeing his victory, the obvious love within his family, his concern for people and his desire for inclusion. He is a likable figure. I honestly WISH he had different policies so that I could have voted for him.

My favorite moment of the inauguration was when this familiar stanza of “My Country Tis of Thee” rang out so beautifully: “Our Father’s God, to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing. Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light. Protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King.” May it be so. May wisdom be granted to all of our leaders, deep love for those who disagree and understanding to know how to proceed with their responsibilities in the polarized climate of our country.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Edward Gilbreath http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8535 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:56:36 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8535 “If the faith is to mean anything, Christians have to get their heads screwed on straight about these most basic issues of love and justice, spirit before letter, etc.. or else, why bother?” I agree, Josh. What I’m suggesting is that individuals from both sides of the issue need to be willing to hear each other as real people and not react to the (dehumanizing) labels. I believe President Obama’s original plan in putting those different people on the platform together for his inauguration was a way of beginning that kind of real human engagement. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m putting the onus on only one side — that’s not my intention. I do believe, however, that all of us could do a better job at extending grace, listening, and resisting the impulse to immediately define those with whom we disagree as one-dimensional labels.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Josh Magda http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8533 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:12:58 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8533 I feel it to be a very straightforward comparison. Nothing was said about dehumanizing another with whom we disagree, however, you should recognize that it is exactly what comments such as Giglio’s do to an entire category of people, comprising hundreds of millions of Gods children worldwide. If I were to lambast Black people with a ludicrous Biblical exegesis, such as Blacks are descended from Ham and therefore cursed, argue for segregation as a consequence, say that integration is destroying America, and then turn around and say we should “love” Black people- I’m sorry, if that is Love than we have a very different understanding of what Love is. In the best of the Biblical tradition, Love is recognition of the fundamental, irrevocable dignity of another, expressed in acts of compassion and justice. And If incarnate Love is at the heart of the Christian faith, which I believe it is, those in the Church seeking to overcome centuries of hatred and intolerance perpetuated in the name of the Prince of Peace represent the authentic voice of the tradition, no matter how much of a numerical minority they can at times seem. If the faith is to mean anything, Christians have to get their heads screwed on straight about these most basic issues of love and justice, spirit before letter, etc.. or else, why bother? We can love another with whom we disagree while still finding their message appalling and unChristlike, and doing everything in our power to dislodge the seeds of hatred from our hearts and public life that create unecessary suffering.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Edward Gilbreath http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8532 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 04:29:41 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8532 Thanks for your comment, Josh. I’m not so sure it’s such a straightforward comparison. I haven’t heard the audio of Giglio’s sermon, but my understanding is that his remarks were made in the context of a larger statement in which he also encouraged his church to welcome gay and lesbian people with God’s love. This makes the situation a bit more complicated and nuanced than if he were simply spouting blatant homophobic (or white supremacist) rhetoric. And that’s really my point. It’s easy for folks on either side of polarizing issues to track down old tapes and videos, play a snippet, and then proceed to judge a person’s entire character by a 30-second sound bite. If all we’re after is promoting our agenda and smearing the other fella, then that’s effective. But what good does it do? At the end of the day, we’re still going to be divided. What if we actually took the time to listen to the whole tape?

If folks on different sides of an issue immediately write the other parties off without trying to understand where they’re coming from or why they hold that view, then we’ve decided that those people on “the other side” are not important enough for us to do the hard work of listening to them, grappling with the issues, and hopefully loving them — even if we may disagree. I know this is easier to write than to live out, but I cannot see any way to move forward without treating those with whom we disagree as real people and not just depersonalized labels.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Josh Magda http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8529 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:43:46 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8529 If Pastor Giglio was a white supremacist arguing for segregation or worse, would you consider him an appropriate representative of the Christian faith at the presidential inauguration in a multicultural nation? Homophobia, like racism, is a great evil, it destroys lives, and is not an acceptable Christian option.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by Edward Gilbreath http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8527 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:40:28 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8527 A good reminder. Thanks, David, for your feedback.

]]> Comment on Haunted by Lincoln, MLK, and Louie Giglio by David Popham http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/haunted-by-lincoln-mlk-and-louie-giglio/#comment-8526 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:58:44 +0000 http://edwardg.wordpress.com/?p=1331#comment-8526 Thank you for this article – very insightful. I would ask though, that we all remember that Christianity in America is not a monolithic entity. As a Christian minister I have had absolutely no trouble supporting Obama and the direction of his administration. A great article, but please don’t stereotype all Christians as on one side of the cultural divide.

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