Being Faithful In A Democracy

The Psalmist reminds us that anyone who does not love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul and strength--who does not uphold the cause of the oppressed, give food to the hungry, lift up the bowed down, watch over the foreigner, and sustain those in need—is not to be trusted.

In fact, the “founding fathers” of our own country were running from a king. Now they were doing it largely because they wanted land and money, but they knew that kings were not to be trusted. They aimed for a representative democracy, and instituted checks and balances to keep the presidency from becoming a monarchy.

The founding fathers weren’t all Christians, but they knew the danger of kings.

Elane O'RourkeNovember 5, 2024Comment

What We Can Do

On Thursday Hurricane Helene came onto the mainland, pouring out the water it had sucked up in the overly warm seas of the Caribbean. Without mercy the storm hit Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee, dumping 11 inches in 2 hours in Atlanta, and as much as 2 feet in Asheville, North Carolina. It burst dams, flooding islands and towns across thousands of miles with feet of water. It is a catastrophe of devastation and flooding that Buncombe County’s assistant emergency services director called “biblical.”

And some will say, “The Lord was not on their side.”

Elane O'RourkeOctober 3, 2024Comment

Why the corruption of American Christianity isn't as uniquely horrible as it feels.

When culture and theology conflict, culture wins. Here’s why.

Elane O'RourkeFebruary 25, 2021body, soul, mind, spirit, environment, will, miraculous you, institutional Christianity, culture, theologyComment

Being okay with being angry

Anger is a natural, even primal, response to fear. But if we sit with anger long enough, it can become a more insidious creature like hate or revenge, or lead to lasting feelings of sadness or depression.

Good for me

I think I knew there was a difference between “good” and “good for me” as an infant at lunchtime. Pudding is good. Peas are good for me. I like things that are “good.” I tolerate things that are “good for me.”

Devotional, MeditationBenton StokesJanuary 27, 2021good, peace, love, goodforme, devotional, scripture, exvangelical, progressivechristian, lgbtq, queerchristian, faithfullylgbtComment

Permission to shine

“We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Marianne Williamson

Devotional, MeditationBenton StokesJanuary 26, 2021humility, light, shine, devotional, scripture, exvangelical, progressivechristian, lgbtq, queerchristian, faithfullylgbtComment

Threatening F's or Inspiring A's

I’ve also had teachers who phone it in. They talk like they’re experts on the subject, but then leave it up to the textbook to teach it. Instead of inspiring A’s, they threaten F’s. I learned a lot more from teachers who love to teach.

Devotional, MeditationBenton StokesJanuary 25, 2021jesus, teacher, devotional, scripture, exvangelical, progressivechristian, lgbtq, queerchristian, faithfullylgbtComment

God gets there first

When Jonah (finally, reluctantly) showed up in Nineveh, he wasn’t acting alone. When have you ever seen even a dozen people fall to their knees before a sidewalk prophet? There were other, bigger forces at work.

Choosing to be content

There were times I felt like I had little, living in my parents’ basement, working all the time, and not seeing an end to my financial struggles. But in reality, I always had everything I needed. And eventually, after seeking help, working hard, and minding my spending, I crawled out of debt.

Benton StokesJanuary 23, 2021debt, plenty, contentment, satisfied, stress, scripture, faithfullylgbt, lgbtq, exvangelical, trust, perspective, choosing, satisfactionComment

Perseverance: One big fun, awkward party

It’s also encouraging to remember that others are pressing on through their own hard stuff…one big fun, awkward party.