God's Politics Blog » Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net A Blog by Jim Wallis and Friends Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:29:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Obama’s Bow and R-E-S-P-E-C-T http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/18/obamas-bow-and-r-e-s-p-e-c-t/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/18/obamas-bow-and-r-e-s-p-e-c-t/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:10 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=13513 091118-obama-bow-japanThe gospel according to Aretha Franklin says:  “R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me.”

Biblical wisdom teaches: “Give everyone what you owe him.  If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/18/obamas-bow-and-r-e-s-p-e-c-t/feed/ 29 Freedom from Fear in the Health-Care Debate http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/10/freedom-from-fear-in-the-health-care-debate/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/10/freedom-from-fear-in-the-health-care-debate/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:30:48 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=13257 There comes a moment when we can say a word or speak a concept so often that it loses meaning and simply becomes sound.  The concept becomes exhausted, thin, one-dimensional.  Such was the case with the word and the concept…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/10/freedom-from-fear-in-the-health-care-debate/feed/ 50 Tuesday’s Elections Don’t Change the Fierce Urgency of Now http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/06/tuesdays-elections-dont-change-the-fierce-urgency-of-now/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/06/tuesdays-elections-dont-change-the-fierce-urgency-of-now/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:25 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=13147 In the wake of Tuesday’s elections where the Democrats lost governor’s races in New Jersey and in Virginia, some observers are advising President Obama to scale back his agenda.  Health care and energy and education and banking reform and war…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/06/tuesdays-elections-dont-change-the-fierce-urgency-of-now/feed/ 23 The Health-Care Roller Coaster Rolls On http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/29/the-health-care-rollercoaster-rolls-on/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/29/the-health-care-rollercoaster-rolls-on/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:10:37 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=12912 We continue the roller coaster ride that we hope will end with universal or near universal coverage for health care in the United States. Those of us who favor, at the very least, a public option had reason to be…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/29/the-health-care-rollercoaster-rolls-on/feed/ 25 Is Obama’s Peace Prize Premature? http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/is-obamas-peace-prize-premature/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/is-obamas-peace-prize-premature/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:30:19 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=12341 Just peace theory proceeds from the premise that peace is a day by day effort.  It is a process that requires vision, skill, and courage.  The Nobel Committee awarded its 2009 Prize for Peace to President Barack Obama.  He had…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/is-obamas-peace-prize-premature/feed/ 44 The Conservative Bible Project, Jesus, and Hell http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/the-conservative-bible-project-jesus-and-hell/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/the-conservative-bible-project-jesus-and-hell/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:31 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=12315 There is a conservative project to translate the Bible to reflect a conservative ideology. Among other things, it wants to end inclusive language and put more emphasis on the existence of the devil and of hell.  Why?  We do not…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/09/the-conservative-bible-project-jesus-and-hell/feed/ 28 Health Care: Human Right, Civil Right, Privilege, or Market Commodity http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/06/health-care-human-right-civil-right-privilege-or-market-commodity/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/06/health-care-human-right-civil-right-privilege-or-market-commodity/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:55:54 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=12229 What is health care?

Is it a human right, civil right, privilege or market commodity? Is it a public good, moral obligation, government obligation, job benefit, or individual responsibility? Ought it be subject to the profit motive and or to government…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/10/06/health-care-human-right-civil-right-privilege-or-market-commodity/feed/ 50 A Prayer for Derrion Albert http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/30/a-prayer-for-derrion-albert/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/30/a-prayer-for-derrion-albert/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:30:49 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=12045 Every dawning day we wake to the news of human violence against humanity.  We see images of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who’ve traveled a long way from home to fight terrorists.  We hear the news of a roadside bomb…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/30/a-prayer-for-derrion-albert/feed/ 12 Applying Just Peace Theory to Obama’s UN Speech http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/25/applying-just-peace-theory-to-obamas-un-speech/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/25/applying-just-peace-theory-to-obamas-un-speech/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:00:19 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11936 Just peace theory is the middle way between pacifism and just war theory. It recognizes the moral force of nonviolence and the goal of a world that solves its disputes through nonviolent means. At the same time, just peace theory…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/25/applying-just-peace-theory-to-obamas-un-speech/feed/ 3 Peace Day and Our Fearless Obligation http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/21/peace-day-and-our-fearless-obligation/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/21/peace-day-and-our-fearless-obligation/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:12 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11755 Jesus taught fearlessness.

Thus, to follow Jesus means to live a faith that takes us beyond our anxieties, beyond our deepest fears and troubles to a place of perfect trust. To follow the Prince of Peace is to commit to the…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/21/peace-day-and-our-fearless-obligation/feed/ 25 Love Your Political Enemies: A Response to Jimmy Carter’s Comments on Racism http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/17/a-response-to-jimmy-carters-racism-comments-love-your-political-enemies/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/17/a-response-to-jimmy-carters-racism-comments-love-your-political-enemies/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:42 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11687 I love my fellow citizens who have taken to the street against President Obama and his plans for health-care reform.  I love those who carry signs that compare him to Hitler and depict him as the Joker in Batman.  I…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/17/a-response-to-jimmy-carters-racism-comments-love-your-political-enemies/feed/ 41 My Reaction to Obama’s Speech? It’s a Start, but I Want More http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/10/my-reaction-to-obamas-speech-i-want-more/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/10/my-reaction-to-obamas-speech-i-want-more/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:20:07 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11550 I am a voracious woman.

There was much in President Obama’s speech on health care that I appreciated. He has taken us a long way toward getting to a better health-care system. However, I wanted more. He spoke about regulations on…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/10/my-reaction-to-obamas-speech-i-want-more/feed/ 28 Why the U.S. Ranks 37 Among World Health Systems, Plus Four Alternative Models http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/09/why-the-us-ranks-37-among-world-health-systems-and-the-four-alternative-models/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/09/why-the-us-ranks-37-among-world-health-systems-and-the-four-alternative-models/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:30:37 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11504 The United States is the richest nation on earth.  It has some of the best-trained physicians and best medical facilities on earth.  It is a leader in medical innovation and medical education.  However, when the World Health Organization studied the…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/09/why-the-us-ranks-37-among-world-health-systems-and-the-four-alternative-models/feed/ 25 Judgment Day: Does Matthew 25 Apply to the Health-Care Debate? http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/03/judgement-day-does-matthew-25-apply-to-the-health-care-debate/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/03/judgement-day-does-matthew-25-apply-to-the-health-care-debate/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:30:54 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11388 Yesterday, I heard a Christian leader say that the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 is not a reason for Christians to support universal health care guaranteed by their government. His argument was that this text is Jesus’ instruction to…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/03/judgement-day-does-matthew-25-apply-to-the-health-care-debate/feed/ 24 Remembering Sen. Edward Kennedy http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/26/remembering-senator-edward-kennedy/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/26/remembering-senator-edward-kennedy/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:30:13 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11138 I woke up this morning planning an essay for God’s Politics about love and fear. It will be another essay in support of health-care reform. This issue has commandeered my pen.

I woke up this morning to the news of the…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/26/remembering-senator-edward-kennedy/feed/ 4 Life, Liberty, Happiness, and Health Care http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/19/life-liberty-happiness-and-health-care/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/19/life-liberty-happiness-and-health-care/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:30:21 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=11005 The Declaration of Independence says:

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness –…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/19/life-liberty-happiness-and-health-care/feed/ 16 To Whom Much is Given http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/12/to-whom-much-is-given/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/12/to-whom-much-is-given/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:30:23 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=10867 We learned the story in Sunday school: 

The rich ruler comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus tells him to keep the commandments.  The ruler says that he has kept the commandments since his…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/12/to-whom-much-is-given/feed/ 9 Health Care is a Human Right http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/03/health-care-is-a-human-right/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/03/health-care-is-a-human-right/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:01 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=10603 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), article 25 paragraph 1 says: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care,…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/03/health-care-is-a-human-right/feed/ 25 Stuck on Stupid http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/28/stuck-on-stupid/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/28/stuck-on-stupid/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:10:17 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=10503 Here we go again.

The hyper-media — the 24/7 cable television added to the blogosphere added to the mainstream media, with time to fill during the summer doldrums — has misread a sentence and used it to pump up the volume…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/28/stuck-on-stupid/feed/ 14 Health Care and Structural Violence http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/24/health-care-and-structural-violence/ http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/24/health-care-and-structural-violence/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:10:06 +0000 Valerie Elverton Dixon http://blog.sojo.net/?p=10395 Just peace theory recognizes that there is more than one kind of violence. There is subjective violence that individual persons commit and there is structural violence, the violence that political, economic, social, cultural, and religion systems commit against individuals. America…

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