Date: May 24, 2022
Speak Up Against White Christian Nationalism
The United States is not God’s chosen nation. The United States is a nation and not a church. These truths are under attack and responding to the attack needs the […]
RPLI Posts
Date: May 17, 2022
What is the End Game?
From the day Vladimir Putin told his military to invade Ukraine, the world has been asking what is Mr. Putin’s end game. Is it to claim a couple of regions? […]
Date: May 10, 2022
Ethics and Public Health
I think we should expect public health to be premised upon some version of utilitarianism, promoting the greatest good for the greatest number and minimizing pain and suffering. I think what we have seen is a principle of “my freedom” exercised without regard to the freedom of anyone else–as long as the freedom we’re talking about is the freedom to remain unmasked.
It was both disheartening and angering to see Christian pastors denigrating public health practices as secular tyrannies and attacks upon freedom. If Christian principles meant more, at least the way that Paul wrote about Christian principles, we would have seen much more concern for the weakest and most vulnerable. Instead, we saw and still see something that looks a lot more like Nietzsche’s world where are the strong scoff at the vulnerable. No person invoking religious principles should resonate.
Date: May 3, 2022
Help Me Plan Public Ceremonies of Grief and Lament
The most recent statistics are these. Worldwide, while the official death total is around 6 million people, it is estimated that up to 20 million people have died from COVID-19. […]
Date: April 28, 2022
Committing Faith in Public: Braver Angels
It has become cliché to note that America is highly polarized. Polarization has become something like the weather: something to complain about rather than act on. Braver Angels is an organization dedicated to depolarize America and to revive the spirit of our democracy.
One cannot imagine a more important contribution to reviving civic faith of America and in America than helping citizens of opposing views to know each other. Here in Oklahoma, we have a Braver Angels alliance. In this episode of Committing Faith in Public, senior vice president at Oklahoma State University (Tulsa) Chris Benge and All Souls Unitarian Church pastor Barbara Prose talk about the alliance to which they give leadership.
Date: April 27, 2022
Imperial Christianity Again
The following is an excerpt from Patriarch Kirill’s sermon on “Forgiveness Sunday” on the Orthodox Church calendar. For eight years there have been attempts to destroy what exists in the […]
Date: April 19, 2022
History is Not Linear. It is Not Even Quite Cyclical.
Movements and ideas travel history in loops that end in different places from where they began. Sometimes the loops are virtuous and sometimes they are vicious. Today, I am afraid […]
Date: April 13, 2022
Committing Faith in Public with Loren Richmond
What does one do with the master of divinity degree these days? The answer is not necessarily simple! In this episode of committing faith in public, the Rev. Loren Richmond […]
Date: April 5, 2022
The Immorality of Hidden Costs and Deferred Maintenance
In cities such as Tulsa and states such as Oklahoma, drivers are used to bouncing on the roads. Potholes, cracks, and crumbles are everywhere. When I drove Oklahoma’s roads often, […]
Date: March 29, 2022
What Good Does Punishment Do?
“I’m going to teach you a lesson!” exclaims an angry stranger who felt disrespected by another driver right before he pulls the trigger. Why do we punish? Even if we […]