tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post1022100901506255072..comments2024-03-24T11:30:08.199-07:00Comments on Can you believe?: Evangelism and enemiesJohan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-80585268397078719702009-06-09T17:04:45.642-07:002009-06-09T17:04:45.642-07:00WEB SITE; GODWHOISGOD.COM IS A GOSPEL TRACT IN OV...WEB SITE; GODWHOISGOD.COM IS A GOSPEL TRACT IN OVER 50 LANGUAGES FOR EVANGELISM TO MUSLIMS, HINDUS AND SIKHS FOR JESUS CHRIST. THANKYOU. JAMES AND HAMSA.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05966639607370096935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-21811411831908018762009-05-12T17:23:00.000-07:002009-05-12T17:23:00.000-07:00Yes, without a "genuine call," it is probably misd...Yes, without a "genuine call," it is probably misdirected energy. And it's worse than that if we're deceived into thinking we've done everything that discipleship requires.<br /><br />On the positive side, Reedwood Friends Church has gained much from responding to the issue of families separated by immigration-related arrests of parents here in the Portland (Oregon, USA) area. What might have been a dutiful exercise in political-statement-writing has become a searching experience for the whole meeting on multiple levels, uniting Bible study, prayer, public expression, a meeting yesterday with Representative Blumenauer, and--not least--consultation and advocacy among other Friends in our yearly meeting. It all began with an individual Friend's cry from the heart during a meeting for worship. <br /><br />When this advocacy began, I vividly remembered a similar cry from the heart around 20 years ago at First Friends in Richmond, Indiana, leading to that meeting's undertaking a ministry of support for war tax refusers, a step that would not have been predicted as "normal" for that congregation.Johan Maurerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-75403683485859825642009-05-12T17:09:00.000-07:002009-05-12T17:09:00.000-07:00Yes, I can agree that there is room for political ...Yes, I can agree that there is room for political statements. But I admit to some frustration in my years of Quakerism at many hours spent drafting and considering statements that probably would not be read except in the context of counting number of messages for and against.<br /><br />I'm not saying that religious communities might not have genuine calls to engage this way. But often I think it is misdirected energy.Bill Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752443575410023776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-83894735304775225142009-05-12T16:45:00.000-07:002009-05-12T16:45:00.000-07:00Bill, I think that there is also room for politica...Bill, I think that there is also room for political statements. For one thing, a well-conceived political statement is a form of evangelism; for another, silence can be misinterpreted; and for another, some Christians are gifted to communicate that way, even as others are clearly NOT.<br /><br />Still, as a community, we should not overestimate the importance of political statements. If that's all we do, we are in danger of implying, as Stone says, that secular politics are the only game in town, and that if we scratch the political itch, we've somehow done enough.Johan Maurerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-83088914617236009142009-05-12T15:23:00.000-07:002009-05-12T15:23:00.000-07:00I've had some chance to think about this issue. I...I've had some chance to think about this issue. I've always been involved in the political stuff. As a Quaker, I was involved in a religious group which did a lot of it.<br /><br />When I joined <A HREF="http://www.crcc.org/section.php?SectionID=164" REL="nofollow">Cedar Ridge Community Church</A>, I wasn't entirely happy with it being a place where it didn't generally do the political stuff as a congregation. But I've come very much to appreciate its approach.<br /><br />If you read the Cedar Ridge vision statement, you'll see it very much points to what Stone is saying, and the Church is very serious about that. Isn't this really much deeper and more likely in the long run to bring about real change than making political statements all the time?Bill Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752443575410023776noreply@blogger.com