Quotes

Hopefully I will regularly update this with quotes I find:


*The goal is not to read a book; the goal is to read the story taking place all around us.
-Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme

Faith and the Marketplace

I went to a great talk on Wednesday at Harvard with Jim Wallis, Liz Walker, and Rev. Hehir. Here are some of my notes from the event.
*The church can respond to the economic crisis with the power of community and a moral vision.
*The problrem of getting the church to be active in thsi crisis is we are also trying to care for ourselves, to balance the needs of the community and the needs for self. In these hard times we recoil, are timied and threatened, but we need to push through that. The work is greater and the resoucrses are less.
*We need not just an economic recovery but also a moral recovery. Need to identify the causes and the sources for recovery. Need a common good economy.
*Young evangelicals are now more interested in poverty, environment, trafficking, and the economy. No longer a prosperity gospel (which is a heresy), where if you are rich you are favored by God and if you are poor it is because you have spiritual poverty.
*The lesson we can learn from the Prosperity Gospel is that the (progressive/liberal) church needs to lead the coversation, have public discourse.
*A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. We can learn from this, it can be redemptive. Not just go back to business as usual.
*The church can organize and lift up prohetic voices. Hold the government accountible.
*No longer fight about how "small" or "big" givernment is, but what is government obliged to do as an institution? --reach out to the edge of the circle of life and bring them into center. Gov is not devoid of moral responsibility.
*Nationalism is important to relate to our nation and local area, but not captured by this, not only focus of care. The church/religion can help connect local, national and global concerns.
*When church travel and work globally, go in peace, not to proselytize. The Sudan and America are impacted by the same greed. Do the work of justice just for the sake of justice, tell your story.
*Social conscience is a side bar at economic conferences
*The market is like a god, a golden calf: all powerful, all knowning, is angry and must be fed, needs limits and accountibilty.
*Unpack moral issues; what does it mean to be a Christian in this economy? (move your money! 10% is enough)
* Theeconomy is crushing our families, pastors need to speak up, the lack of rules and regs affects our families.
*In competition there are winners and losers, needs limits, there is no more "commons"
*Reframe language such as conversion and redemption. We do need conversion, from greed, and redemption, from this crisis
*Sermon: take bible and cut out all the passages about poverty, what's left is a book full of holes
*To preach to those who are different- where is the common ground?
*Look in unexpected places for vulnerability, often people won't be asking for help
*Institutions to work with: GBIO, Mondrago Coop, Connecticut River Valley Coop