God's Politics Blog http://blog.sojo.net A Blog by Jim Wallis and Friends Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:29:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Some Final Reflections on Deadly Viper and Zondervan Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite, and Zondervan acted in a decisive manner yesterday.  Zondervan issued a statement that boldly declared their intention to pull the book off the shelves.  Their actions were courageous and buck against business conventions, but they uphold…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/some-final-reflections-on-deadly-viper-and-zondervan/ Tim Burton and Belief 091120-big-fishWhile touring the press preview for the Tim Burton exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), I felt transported to a mythical land of whimsical horror and fantasy. This exhibit brought up memories of my Wittenburg Door interview with Daniel…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/tim-burton-and-belief/ Deadly Viper Backlash: Doing the Right Thing is Only the First Step In case you hadn’t heard, Zondervan made a major announcement yesterday regarding the Deadly Viper Character Assassins book that was the source of so much anger and controversy recently. Effective immediately, Zondervan undertook the courageous step of permanently removing all the books from…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/deadly-viper-backlash-doing-the-right-thing-is-only-the-first-step/ Thoughts on Zondervan’s and Authors’ Statements After Pulling of Deadly Viper Products As many of you know, several Asian-American leaders and I have been in dialogue with both the authors of Deadly Vipers and the publisher, Zondervan, over a controversy I’ve written about here and here. I know that many who have followed along…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/thoughts-on-zondervan-and-authors-statements-after-pulling-of-deadly-viper-products/ Tremendous Act of Repentance by Zondervan Zondervan Statement Regarding Concerns Voiced About Deadly Viper: Character Assassins from Moe Girkins, President and CEO:

Hello and thanks for your patience.

On behalf of Zondervan, I apologize for publishing Deadly Viper: Character Assassins.  It is our mission to offer products that glorify…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/tremendous-act-of-repentance-by-zondervan/ Dinesh D’Souza, the New Atheism, and Constantinian Christianity Last week at the Innovative Evangelism Conference, I got a chance to hear Dinesh D’Souza speak to a standing room only crowd. Many in the crowd were fellow evangelists, but there were a few seekers and skeptics present as well.
Dinesh D’Souza…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/dinesh-d%e2%80%99souza-the-new-atheism-and-constantinian-christianity/ The latest news on Health Care, Housing, Nuclear Weapons, Rights of the Child, Pakistan, Iran, and Select Op-Eds. Climate Change. With less than three weeks remaining before negotiators gather in Copenhagen to hammer out a global response to climate change, a rapid-fire succession of countries are unveiling national plans that serve as opening bids for reining in heat-trapping emissions.

Immigration. Immigration enforcement officials said Thursday that they were expanding a program for auditing companies that might have hired illegal immigrants and had notified 1,000 companies this week that they would have to undergo such a review.

Afghanistan. The United States is developing a set of benchmarks to ensure that Afghan President Hamid Karzai keeps a promise delivered at his inauguration to fight corruption and inefficiency.

Quote of the Day. “The State Duma hasn’t yet ratified the protocol banning capital punishment because many in Russia support the death penalty. The society needs more time to ban the death penalty. But the government structures support a ban on capital punishment.” Mikhail Krotov, Russian President Medvedev’s envoy to the Constitutional Court, on a decision by the Constitutional Court that effectively outlawed the death penalty by continuing a moratorium until the nation fully bans executions. (AP/Boston Globe)

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/daily-news-digest-2009-11-20/ Prayer of the Day: The Lord’s Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come: your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/prayer-of-the-day-2009-11-20/ Verse of the Day: Stand, Look, and Ask Thus says the Lord:

Stand at the crossroads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way lies; and walk 

in it,

and find rest for your souls.

- Jeremiah 6:16

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]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/verse-of-the-day-2009-11-20/ Voice of the Day: Brenda Salter McNeil Although it is not always socially acceptable, not always popular, we are called to the ministry of reconciliation. We have been entrusted with a specific message — that Jesus Christ died to reconcile us to God and to each other. The…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/20/voice-of-the-day-2009-11-20/ Build, Don’t Destroy in Afghanistan: An Open Letter to President Obama 091119-afghanistanYour voice is being heard. Already, thousands of you have signed a letter and contacted the White House urging a new way forward in Afghanistan. Today, Sojourners staff will be meeting with White House officials to hand-deliver the following letter. I…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/the-future-belongs-to-those-who-build-an-open-letter-on-afghanistan-to-president-obama/ The Mammogram Panic, or, False Positives Are No Picnic Inhale through your nose (be sure your abdomen moves, not just your chest). Exhale through your mouth. Slowly, now …

OK, let’s talk about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation that women begin getting mammograms at age 50 instead of 40,…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/the-mammogram-panic-or-false-positives-are-no-picnic/ Unseen Privilege: The Overlooked Gender Dimension of the ‘Deadly Viper’ Conversation In the eight years I worked specifically with Christian Asian American college students, I knew that my gender would get in the way. I was not a pastor – youth, English ministry, college, women’s ministry or otherwise. I was not a seminary…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/unseen-privilege-and-the-overlooked-gender-dimension-of-the-deadly-viper-conversation/ The latest news on Financial Reform, Unemployment, Immigration, Housing, 9/11 Trial, Climate Change, Iran, North Korea, Mideast, and Select Op-Eds. Afghanistan. Hamid Karzai was sworn in today for a second-five year term as Afghanistan's president, assuming leadership of a war-battered nation and a government that the West is demanding be cleansed of corruption.

Health Care. Democratic leaders in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled their proposal for overhauling the health care system, outlining legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit.

Cuba Policy. A battle over Cuba policy is escalating in Congress, with proponents saying they have their best chance in years of repealing the ban on U.S. tourist travel to the island.

Quote of the Day. "Thanksgiving is coming, and many Americans are struggling to meet their basic food needs. Being thankful is not enough this year. Christians need to say thanks and seek justice for those at risk of hunger." Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics on this week’s USDA report that 17 million households -- 14.6 percent of all homes in the United States -- were "food insecure." (Associated Baptist Press)

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/daily-news-digest-2009-11-19/ Prayer of the Day: Created Equal You created us, O Maker of heaven and earth; you created us equal before you. And just as all of us have sinned and fallen short of your glory, so did you send your Son to die for all of…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/prayer-of-the-day-2009-11-19/ Verse of the Day: “Grow into salvation” Rid yourselves of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation — if indeed you have tasted that the Lord…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/verse-of-the-day-2009-11-19/ Voice of the Day: Morton T. Kelsey Genuine Christian love is forged against the anvil of our selfishness and possessiveness… It is important to remember that love is more than a feeling. It is active and transitive. The real test of my loving is not that I…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/19/voice-of-the-day-2009-11-19/ Biden on the Bailouts: ‘Socialism for the Rich, and Capitalism for the poor’ 091118-biden-daily-showJoe Biden admitted last night on The Daily Show that the billions of dollars we’ve spent on big bank bailouts is “socialism for the rich, and capitalism for the poor.” No kidding. There’s been much consternation related to the bailout of Wall Street. And even though ...]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/18/biden-on-the-bailouts-socialism-for-the-rich-and-capitalism-for-the-poor/ Low-Hanging Fruit in the Fight Against World Hunger The World Summit on Food Security ended today in Rome, with words about cutting hunger, but no real progress on one of hunger’s key causes: speculation.

On the summit’s opening day, the Pope spoke condemning “greed, which causes speculation to rear its…

]]> http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/18/low-hanging-fruit-in-the-fight-against-world-hunger/ Obama’s Bow and R-E-S-P-E-C-T 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…

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