Posted on 03/26/2006 3:57:48 PM PST by PJ-Comix
Dan Wakefield wants to make it clear that he is not calling for "holy war."
True, the title of his new book, The Hijacking of Jesus: How the Religious Right Distorts Christianity and Promotes Prejudice and Hate (Nation Books, $23.95), may sound like a shot across the bow of, oh, about half the churches in America.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
I don't personally know Wakefield but I've seen him around the FIU campus.
A budding freelance journalist from Indianapolis, Wakefield lived in Greenwich Village...
Not that there is anything wrong with that...
Wakefield cites Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo, two Evangelical authors disturbed by the hard-right politics dominant in Evangelical churches.
So Wakefield holds up NUTCASE Tony Campolo as a theological role model. Anyone else out there ever see Campolo speak? Flat out LOON. Oh, and he was the guy that Bill Clinton was laughingly joking to right after Ron Brown's funeral. When Clinton spotted a news camera on him, he INSTANTLY changed his demeanor to one of teary grief. Unfortunately, Campolo didn't know about the change of mood mandated by the news camera and he kept right on laughing.
Oh please, declare a 'holy war'.
I'm still chucking over Wakefield's positive citing of NUTCASE Tony Campolo. Ever hear him speak? He sounds like he is badly in need of a butterfly net.
Never heard that particular nutcase. I doubt if he is that much different than the typical left-wing nutcase.
Mr. Wakefield was baptized as a child at the First Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, and at age nine attended a Baptist Bible School class that led him to choose baptism by full immersion at the age of eleven. During college he became an atheist, and did not return to church until 1980 when he went to a Christmas Eve service at King's Chapel, a Christian church in the Unitarian-Universalist denomination in Boston. He joined that church, served on its vestry and as co-chair of its adult religious education committee, and served on the national board of the Unitarian-Universalist Christian Fellowship.Sounds like he's about as Christian as your average Unitarian.
You never heard of Campolo? He was one of the "spiritual" leaders that Clinton turned to for "advise" on how to overcome his sex addiction for Monica. I bet when the two met in private, they traded dirty jokes. Anyway, Campolo is good for a bellylaugh when you hear him speak since he is such a whack job. Maybe somebody out there can search for some video of Campolo speaking like a loon.
Strange that Chaaaaawncy Mabe didn't mention that bit about Wakefield being a Unitarian.
Ping to read later
The fundamental problem of the "social gospel" is that it is neither social nor the gospel.When a leftist speaks of "society" he means nothing other that government. There is nothing "social" about the destruction of charity by government cooption.
And since the "social gospel" places trust in the benevolance of Caesar, it is not a Christian gospel.
Tony may not fit my notion of a Spirit-filled intimate with Jesus. But he walks the walk a LOT better than a lot of pastors I've met.
He and his group more or less turned some Caribbean country around fairly wholesale via their sacrificial giving and thoughtful interventions.
He and fellow yuppies live on about 20% of their salaries adn devote the rest to well thought-out selfless Christian gifts and works.
And, he certainly seems to believe that Christ came in the flesh; died for our sins and rose the 3rd day etc.--all the basic doctrines of the faith.
He's a sociologist. Has more of a liberal political bent, perspective than I'd prefer by a long shot. But he's not a loon.
Our men's group went through 3 or 4 of his books in Taipei very candidly. We all came away respecting him more than I, at least, did before that.
I don't know about him walking the walk but when he is talking he sounds like a flat out loon. You ever seen video of him TALKING? I admit he is good for LAUGHS but only because he sounds like a complete NUTCASE.
He and his group more or less turned some Caribbean country around fairly wholesale via their sacrificial giving and thoughtful interventions.
Haiti?
His sermons are OK, but when he speaks of social issues, he has a Liberals tendency to confuse God with goverment.
He's deliberately VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING.
He tries hard--and very successfully, I think--to jar folks out of their tidy little boxes theologically and provoke them to Love and Good works.
And, he does that amazingly well.
They discovered that a multi-national corporation owned 3/4 or more of a certain Caribbean nation.
The corp's lands were devoted to sugar cane for export. And the laborers were paid a very poor wage and the whole country was devastated in a rather calloused, very unChristian, very even dysfunctional way. It wasn't even in the corp's interests to be doing things the way they were.
So, Tony and his group bought 2 shares of stock and showed up at the annual meeting with placards and made a big fuss of a demonstration.
The board of directors was impressed enough to give Tony and group an hour or two for a special presentation of their grievances.
The Board of Directors turned out to be Presbyterians. They were loathe to find out the hard effects of their policies on the laborers and the country as a whole.
I think the corporation ended up giving Tony and his group $11 million to implement their suggested changes.
The Marxist leader of the country was somewhat jokingly angry with Tony and his group because they'd taken all the wind out of his sails. He had no more platform to agitate with. Tony and group had not only fixed all the wrongs he was ranting against but had gone beyond them and made things much better even than the Marxist had lobbied and agitated for.
And, the corporation came out ahead in a variety of ways as well.
Tony and his fellow yuppies (6-8 couples and families--living mostly on the same poor section of town block) do this by having one lawn mower betwen them; fewer cars which are shared etc. . . . his son was voted one of 10 best dressed at Harvard though he got all his clothes at thrift shops etc.
But, hey, if you wish to rant against someone living so much more of a personally selfless, sacrificial Christ-like life than average--help yourself. I'm skeptical Christ will agree with your perspective. But I'm sure you can find many who will.
I don't think it was Hati.
He works at being funny. I enjoy his humor. I don't consider him a nutcase at all. Yes, I've seen his videos. I think he does the Body of Christ a great service at challenging man-engineered sacred cows etc.
Further, when he's challenged on something by his Christian bretheren, he is more than willing to meet and work it through to the best of his ability. He doesn't isolate himself in his own holier-than-thou ivory tower and just throw rocks at the opposition. He works hard at genuine resolution producing dialogue.
I know a lot of Christians more flamingly liberal than Tony is.
He at least believes in personal responsibility.
He also believes in Christians being super compassionate. So, he's likely to err in that direction.
Campolo is right out there with Bishop Gene Robinson and The Rowan Williams. He's just more skillful at using Christian vocabulary.
Please show me. I haven't seen him that off the wall by quite a margin.
And WHAT magical Caribbean island are your referring to? I lived in the Caribbean so I would be curious as to its identity.
I don't recall the country--if he disclosed it. He mentioned the company, as I recall. But I've forgotten that. It may have been Gulf Western or Gulf something.
I would not be at all surprised that you and I would have different perspectives on Tony, regardless of the video evidence.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.