another Real Christian
Apr. 1st, 2005 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonAlmost saved this 'til tomorrow so no one would mistake it for an April fool, but it was too interesting to save.
Think I've found another Christian leader that I can respect - a thoughtful, progressive sort of along the lines of John Shelby Spong:
I first heard about Davidson Loehr on Air America's Ring of Fire archive from 3/24, discussing the relationship between fundamentalism and fascism and now both seem to be creeping along in 21st century America.
Yes, that's right, I said "fascism" and "America" in the same sentence, but before you cry Godwin, read over his sermon, Living Under Fascism and his essay The Fundamentalist Agenda, in which he discusses possible historical/biological reasons why religious fundamentalists are all the same and why fascism may be human society's "default setting" - and why liberalism is still the better way to go.
What's more, he offers solutions - ways NOT to feed the machine and better ways for liberals to frame the "moral" debate ("enlarge our understanding of who belongs in our in-group").
I'm inclined to take this guy seriously because he combines a strong faith (which despite my own irreligiosity, I DO respect, if that faith is humane and come to sanely and thoughtfully) with critical thinking, and he's got an educational background in the philosophies of both religion AND science (unlike many fundies of all stripes who I suspect have never actually read their respective Good Books).
Seriously, they're both interesting reads. Please feel free to discuss here - I'd love to get a debate going.
Think I've found another Christian leader that I can respect - a thoughtful, progressive sort of along the lines of John Shelby Spong:
I first heard about Davidson Loehr on Air America's Ring of Fire archive from 3/24, discussing the relationship between fundamentalism and fascism and now both seem to be creeping along in 21st century America.
Yes, that's right, I said "fascism" and "America" in the same sentence, but before you cry Godwin, read over his sermon, Living Under Fascism and his essay The Fundamentalist Agenda, in which he discusses possible historical/biological reasons why religious fundamentalists are all the same and why fascism may be human society's "default setting" - and why liberalism is still the better way to go.
What's more, he offers solutions - ways NOT to feed the machine and better ways for liberals to frame the "moral" debate ("enlarge our understanding of who belongs in our in-group").
I'm inclined to take this guy seriously because he combines a strong faith (which despite my own irreligiosity, I DO respect, if that faith is humane and come to sanely and thoughtfully) with critical thinking, and he's got an educational background in the philosophies of both religion AND science (unlike many fundies of all stripes who I suspect have never actually read their respective Good Books).
Seriously, they're both interesting reads. Please feel free to discuss here - I'd love to get a debate going.
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-02 11:11 pm (UTC):( Also, IMHO a lot of people still believe in the "American dream" - if you're good, pious, and work hard, you'll be one of the rich people, and that simply isn't so anymore - if it ever was.
I think liberals ought to point out that these wingnuts ARE nuts - and use words like "extreme", "fanatical" and "dangerous" while they're at it. Too long have progressives been trying to reason and play nice with people who WILL NOT do the same.