POWER AND POWERLESSNESS
RIGHT AND LEFT
The point that must be remembered is that most of political and church history has been controlled and written by people on the Right because they are normally the people in control. One of the few subversive texts in history, believe it or not, is the Bible. The Bible is a most extraordinary text because again and again it legitimates not the people on the top, but invariably the people on the bottom—from Abraham to Moses to Jeremiah to Job to John the Baptist to Jesus.
After a while you might get tired of the rejected son, the younger son, the barren woman, the sinner, the outsider always being the chosen one of God! It is the biblical pattern—which we prefer not to see. It takes away our power to exclude “the least of the brothers and sisters” because that is precisely where Jesus says he is to be found (Matthew 25:40)! If indeed women, blacks, other religions, gays, and other “outsiders” Lare “least” in our definition, it seems that gives them in fact a privileged and revelatory position! They are not to be excluded, but honored. Jesus takes away from us any possibility of creating any class system or any punitive notion of religion. Unfortunately, thus far, it has not worked very well.
from Richard Rohr
A Lever and a Place to Stand: The Contemplative Stance, the Active Prayer
pp. 98-99
10 comments:
Tell that to Obama about creating a class system.
I don't reject any of them. I reject liberation theology cloaked as Christianity.
The Bible I read doesn't "honor" the gay life.
Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, job, John the Baptist, etc. were all godly men and were not "on the bottom."
U.S. poverty rate heading toward the highest rate in 50 years. It seems none of the poverty programs have worked, just made a nation of dependency. Thanks Democrats! Obama now says you don't have to work to receive benefits.
One hopes that your ranting helps you make it through the day since so little of it is based in reality.
Anon 11:35, Abraham was a nomad who heard voices, Moses led a slave revolt of the poorest of the poor, Jeremiah ended up in a pit-a total failure, Job lost everything he had thru no fault of hs own, John the Baptist lived in poverty and fed in prison. God stands on the side of and chooses/prefers to work with the poor and rejected.
Abraham might have been a nomad, but he was a wealthy nomad. Moses grew up in a palace, Job was a very rich man, his wealth was restored, and then some. Jeremiah was not a "total failure." He did his job that God assigned to him as did John the Baptist.
LJ and his liberation theology tripe.
I can't imagine anyone saying the great prophet,Jeremiah, a "total failure." Shame on you.
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