Day 1136: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Uniformity of thought and conformity of practice are the pathways to spiritual stagnation.

Good News - Really Good News from Nancy McFarland:

(Jean Charles and family 2018)

Hello Emmaus Community: We just heard that Jean Charles and his family were granted asylum today at their final appearance in Immigration Court. We are so happy for them, and I know he is thankful for all the support from Emmaus which covered a big portion of his legal bills. Love, Nancy

Announcement #2: We are being asked to attend a free seminar on the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement to end the suffering of Palestinians.

From Jewish Voice for Peace:

Last month, the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council protested the Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich’s presence at the Israel Bonds Conference. As part of the protest, the rabbis held a teach-in about the moral imperative of divesting from Israel in the lobby of the conference hotel. When they were kicked out by security, they continued their lesson in the street. Next month, Jewish Voice for Peace rabbis will hold a public teach-in on divestment, including Divestment 101, with the JVP Campaigns team. Please Join us on Thursday, May 4, at 7:00pm ET to learn from JVP rabbis and organizers about the larger strategy of Israel Bonds divestment.

Register now We will cover: How can you divest? What steps can we take to divest from Israel? These questions are critical to advancing a strategy to end U.S. support for Israeli apartheid and violence against Palestinians. If you have been curious about the D in BDS, register now! Divesting from Israeli apartheid is a key step in the fight for Palestinian liberation. Join us. Melissa Nussbaum Freeman Spiritual and Cultural Organizing Manager

PS: This event is free

This Daily Reflection continues the thread from yesterday.

Again, Alice Waco is the one who gave me a flyer about Phillip Gulley who wrote the following:

We’d Resist Conformity

If the church were Christian, personal exploration would be more important than communal uniformity. It’s been said that if two people agree on everything, one of them is not thinking. Unfortunately, the history of the Christian faith is rife with demands for unquestioned agreement, conformity, and loyalty. In such an environment, the freedom to think, consider, and evaluate is inhibited, consequently crippling our ability to grow and mature. Uniformity of thought and conformity of practice are the pathways to spiritual stagnation.

We’d Meet Needs

If the church were Christian, meeting needs would be more important than maintaining institutions. In the face of great human need, the church remains one of the world’s richest institutions. That so many of our resources, and so much of our attention, are spent on our own enrichment and power, at the expense of the poor, is a sad testament to the church’s priorities and a powerful rebuke of Jesus’ radical generosity to the poor and outcast.

We’d Value This Life More

If the church were Christian, this life would be more important than the afterlife. There is no evidence of an afterlife, despite our most fervent wishes and hopes. To make something that can’t be proven the goal of Christianity is unwise and impractical. Rather, our attention should rightly be focused on this life, on how it is lived, embraced, shared, and enjoyed. Christianity should not be about preparing us for an afterlife we have no proof exists. It should be about helping us live this life with the utmost vigor and grace we can muster.

Peace Would Trump Power

If the church were Christian, peace would be more important than power. Few churches are committed to the way and witness of peace. Indeed, that so many of our nation’s resources are spent on military endeavors, often with the enthusiastic support of the American church, is an outright abandonment of the gospel. We are a church that has lost its light and its salt.

We’d Care About Love More Than Sex

If the church were Christian, it would care more about love and less about sex. Why does the average non-churchgoer view Christians as prudish and moralistic? The church’s emphatic concern with the sexual practices of gay and unmarried people seems misplaced when one considers the high rate of divorce among Christians. The Christian faith should teach us how to love one another deeply, trusting that such instruction will empower us to exercise our sexuality in a healthy, nurturing manner. Whether we are gay or straight is secondary. Whether we have the capacity to love deeply and faithfully is of paramount importance.