Friday, March 16, 2012

A Few Propositions

Sometimes on Facebook someone will post a set of sayings by some great historical figure with the implication of proposing that we should be guided by such principles.

While I am neither great nor historical, I thought I would start a list of what I consider basic propositions that guide my life as a Christian living in the real world and specifically in 21st century America; I suppose that I am implying that I think they should guide your life, too.

Remember, now: this is only the beginning of what I suspect will become quite a long list. That I thought of these first is significant, I suppose.

1. "You cannot follow Christ and lay up your treasure on earth to such a degree that you don't care about the poor and the needy."

2. "You cannot love the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself while at the same time thinking only about protecting what is yours while caring not about those who have little or nothing."

3. "You cannot read the great prophets of the Hebrew Bible or read the Gospels of the New Testament without knowing that God has a special place in God's heart and a special place in God's purpose for the poor and that God has some choice words to say about the rich who oppress the poor."

4. "'You cannot serve God and mammon' surely says something important to Christians who talk and live as if the teachings and practices of capitalism are more authoritative than the teachings and practices of Jesus."

Responses are welcomed...

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