I'm usually pretty sad when great journalists leave the field, but I was overjoyed to see you joined ACLU as Comms Director. So grateful for the advocacy you're doing.
For me, the “far side of the creek” brings loneliness also, but never a wish to cross back. Those beliefs are lost to me and it doesn’t bring me sadness. The people, however, the fellowship…That is something else altogether. I am happy that you still have your faith even though mine is gone. And I’ve shared this with a family member who I think will find comfort in it. Thanks, Paul.
It has indeed been awful at the State House, certainly this week but really since they returned in January. As someone with deep South Carolina roots and a lot of extended family here, I am well aware of the kind of folks who show up at the State House to demand laws forcing everyone to live their way or be punished and demeaned. I am also aware, though, of the majority of South Carolinians for whom preventing trans kids from accessing medical care and banning all abortions are definitely not priorities. I know that racism is deeply engrained here, but most folks don't object to telling a more realistic history of our people than the proposals now being made in Columbia would allow. Winthrop poll results consistently show that the State House is noticeably to the right of the South Carolina population, something that is made possible (even inevitable) by gerrymandering and the dominance of primary elections in deciding our representation. Our representatives truly represent only the people who show up to vote in majority party primaries, which includes some perfectly sane people but also some of the most deluded and angry folks anywhere around. People who want sane governance, whether "conservative" or "liberal," must learn to vote in every election, especially primaries.
Thank you. Love: I’m for Jesus, not Roman government; for Moses not Egyptian govt, I’m for HT not REL. Tyr the Unitarian Church. Also I suggest you listen to these two albums: Folkways: A Vision Shared (Jesus Christ the song) and Mermaid Ave by Billy Brag & Wilco. Both tributes to Woodie Guthrie - the great American song writer. You have lots of kindred souls, maybe not in your home town. But we’re out here. You are doing important work in the belly of the beast.
I feel your sadness about the situation in this country. It is perplexing how someone like Trump can elicit so much religious fervour, but when examined more closely it's more about hate and control, not love or being Christ like at all. It saddens me that people now routinely make hideous comments on Nextdoor about anyone who even reads a newspaper. Will newspapers be banned in our schools next? We are moving in that direction. Heck, people want to dismantle our court system, because it dares to prosecute their new savior, someone who has total disdain for law & morality. It's sad they don't see the hypocrisy but their hate clouds reason. It's sad how religion has been weaponized to hurt others. Jesus would not be happy with any of this, nor would our founding fathers. You are in the right place and fighting for others out of love and compassion, not out of hate and a need to suppress others. I understand missing a sense of a loving community wanting to do good that religion once was for many, unfortunately many churches have lost this focus. What you are doing now definitely has the focus of doing good & hopefully will help others see the light, so to speak.
Garbage from a woken and broken progressive, disordered in terms of natural law and emotionally redefining thousands of years of human history. Uneducated African tribes know the natural law definitions of a moral culture which progressive moderns attempt to negate as they desire to cancel historical cultures.
Paul, you are still young while I am old. I'm still an active member of a congregation, but you and I share the same concerns. Check out on-line Doubters' Parish by Reverend Dr. Martin Thielen. I think you will like his monthly publications.
I’d like to ask a sincere question. Which “Jesus” do you love? I find it interesting that you say you are for Jesus and not the Roman Government; for Moses and not Egyptian govt., etc. Jesus’ enemy was not the Roman government or the Egyptian government. His enemy was and has always been Satan, the father of lies and deception. To love Jesus is to follow his commands, John 14:21a “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.” 1 John 2:4 says, “If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.” Why is it inappropriate to keep children from being exposed to books that are full of things that would lead them into sin - disobedience to God’s commandments? Matt 18:6 says, “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Is it truly book banning, or giving children access only to literature that is appropriate for their age and development? These books are not being burned in bonfires in the streets as the Bible was in Nazi Germany. If a parent truly wants there kid to read pornography, they are free in this country to get it from the public library or on Amazon and read it to their kids at bedtime. Are the “virtues” you are claiming here Jesus’ virtues? Are you loving the real Jesus or a version of him created in the image you prefer? Please consider carefully. This is not about what church you go to or not, this is about allowing God to be the arbiter of truth, of right and wrong, and not falling for Satan’s deception that you can act as your own god (see the Garden of Eden). We must not judge Jesus by what people say, but do the reverse by judging people by what Jesus says. If we love Jesus, we will repent of our sins and keep his commands (as the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow him), all of them, not just the ones we like and scrap the ones that don’t seem fair. If we love Jesus, we will want to see his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. There is no pornography in heaven. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Creeks have nothing to do with it. God loves you and wants you to make Jesus the Lord of all of your life, because he knows that his truth is the only thing that can set you free. Please consider carefully. You are never on the far side of the creek when Jesus is only a prayer away.
wow being so closely tied to a community is so rare these days, that's great that you're staying
re: deconstruction -- i enjoyed this book recently: death to deconstruction, reclaiming faithfulness as an act of rebellion by a singer from a christian hardcore band
Beautiful work once again, Paul. Anytime you bring words here, the world is richer for it.
Your last graph sent me back into the pages of Nietzsche's The Anti-Christ and some of the most powerful writing on Jesus through an affirmative lens that perhaps rhymes with your own.
From sections 34 & 35:
The ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is a condition of the heart – not something that comes ‘upon the earth’ or ‘after death’. The entire concept of natural death is lacking in the Gospel: death is not a bridge, not a transition, it is lacking because it belongs to quite another world, a merely apparent world useful only for the purpose of symbolism. The ‘hour of death’ is not a Christian concept – the ‘hour’, time, physical life and its crises, simply do not exist for the teacher of the ‘glad tidings’. … The ‘kingdom of God’ is not something one waits for; it has no yesterday or tomorrow, it does not come ‘in a thousand years’ – it is an experience within a heart; it is everywhere, it is nowhere…
This ‘bringer of glad tidings’ died as he lived, as he taught – not to ‘redeem mankind’ but to demonstrate how one ought to live. What he bequeathed to mankind is his practice: his bearing before the judges, before the guards, before the accusers and every kind of calumny and mockery – his bearing on the Cross. He does not resist, he does not defend his rights, he takes no steps to avert the worst that can happen to him – more, he provokes it…. And he entreats, he suffers, he loves with those, in those who are doing evil to him. His words to the thief on the Cross contain the whole Evangel. ‘That was verily a divine man, a child of God!’ says the thief. ‘If thou feelest this’ – answers the redeemer – ‘thou art in Paradise, thou art a child of God.’ Not to defend oneself, not to grow angry, not to make responsible.… But not to resist even the evil man – to love him…
--
May the perhaps rare yet real South Carolinian Nietzschean Christian raise a coffee cup on a weekday morning to you soon.
I'm usually pretty sad when great journalists leave the field, but I was overjoyed to see you joined ACLU as Comms Director. So grateful for the advocacy you're doing.
For me, the “far side of the creek” brings loneliness also, but never a wish to cross back. Those beliefs are lost to me and it doesn’t bring me sadness. The people, however, the fellowship…That is something else altogether. I am happy that you still have your faith even though mine is gone. And I’ve shared this with a family member who I think will find comfort in it. Thanks, Paul.
It has indeed been awful at the State House, certainly this week but really since they returned in January. As someone with deep South Carolina roots and a lot of extended family here, I am well aware of the kind of folks who show up at the State House to demand laws forcing everyone to live their way or be punished and demeaned. I am also aware, though, of the majority of South Carolinians for whom preventing trans kids from accessing medical care and banning all abortions are definitely not priorities. I know that racism is deeply engrained here, but most folks don't object to telling a more realistic history of our people than the proposals now being made in Columbia would allow. Winthrop poll results consistently show that the State House is noticeably to the right of the South Carolina population, something that is made possible (even inevitable) by gerrymandering and the dominance of primary elections in deciding our representation. Our representatives truly represent only the people who show up to vote in majority party primaries, which includes some perfectly sane people but also some of the most deluded and angry folks anywhere around. People who want sane governance, whether "conservative" or "liberal," must learn to vote in every election, especially primaries.
Thank you. Love: I’m for Jesus, not Roman government; for Moses not Egyptian govt, I’m for HT not REL. Tyr the Unitarian Church. Also I suggest you listen to these two albums: Folkways: A Vision Shared (Jesus Christ the song) and Mermaid Ave by Billy Brag & Wilco. Both tributes to Woodie Guthrie - the great American song writer. You have lots of kindred souls, maybe not in your home town. But we’re out here. You are doing important work in the belly of the beast.
I feel your sadness about the situation in this country. It is perplexing how someone like Trump can elicit so much religious fervour, but when examined more closely it's more about hate and control, not love or being Christ like at all. It saddens me that people now routinely make hideous comments on Nextdoor about anyone who even reads a newspaper. Will newspapers be banned in our schools next? We are moving in that direction. Heck, people want to dismantle our court system, because it dares to prosecute their new savior, someone who has total disdain for law & morality. It's sad they don't see the hypocrisy but their hate clouds reason. It's sad how religion has been weaponized to hurt others. Jesus would not be happy with any of this, nor would our founding fathers. You are in the right place and fighting for others out of love and compassion, not out of hate and a need to suppress others. I understand missing a sense of a loving community wanting to do good that religion once was for many, unfortunately many churches have lost this focus. What you are doing now definitely has the focus of doing good & hopefully will help others see the light, so to speak.
And the song My Hometown by Bruce Springsteen. The story is ultimately- despite the problems, I’m staying in my hometown.
Garbage from a woken and broken progressive, disordered in terms of natural law and emotionally redefining thousands of years of human history. Uneducated African tribes know the natural law definitions of a moral culture which progressive moderns attempt to negate as they desire to cancel historical cultures.
Paul, you are still young while I am old. I'm still an active member of a congregation, but you and I share the same concerns. Check out on-line Doubters' Parish by Reverend Dr. Martin Thielen. I think you will like his monthly publications.
I’d like to ask a sincere question. Which “Jesus” do you love? I find it interesting that you say you are for Jesus and not the Roman Government; for Moses and not Egyptian govt., etc. Jesus’ enemy was not the Roman government or the Egyptian government. His enemy was and has always been Satan, the father of lies and deception. To love Jesus is to follow his commands, John 14:21a “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.” 1 John 2:4 says, “If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.” Why is it inappropriate to keep children from being exposed to books that are full of things that would lead them into sin - disobedience to God’s commandments? Matt 18:6 says, “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Is it truly book banning, or giving children access only to literature that is appropriate for their age and development? These books are not being burned in bonfires in the streets as the Bible was in Nazi Germany. If a parent truly wants there kid to read pornography, they are free in this country to get it from the public library or on Amazon and read it to their kids at bedtime. Are the “virtues” you are claiming here Jesus’ virtues? Are you loving the real Jesus or a version of him created in the image you prefer? Please consider carefully. This is not about what church you go to or not, this is about allowing God to be the arbiter of truth, of right and wrong, and not falling for Satan’s deception that you can act as your own god (see the Garden of Eden). We must not judge Jesus by what people say, but do the reverse by judging people by what Jesus says. If we love Jesus, we will repent of our sins and keep his commands (as the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow him), all of them, not just the ones we like and scrap the ones that don’t seem fair. If we love Jesus, we will want to see his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. There is no pornography in heaven. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Creeks have nothing to do with it. God loves you and wants you to make Jesus the Lord of all of your life, because he knows that his truth is the only thing that can set you free. Please consider carefully. You are never on the far side of the creek when Jesus is only a prayer away.
You write with power and tenderness, wisdom and humility. Grateful for your words, your work, your witness
Awesome stuff. Dorothy Day would be proud.
wow being so closely tied to a community is so rare these days, that's great that you're staying
re: deconstruction -- i enjoyed this book recently: death to deconstruction, reclaiming faithfulness as an act of rebellion by a singer from a christian hardcore band
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Deconstruction-Reclaiming-Faithfulness-Rebellion/dp/0825447348
Beautiful work once again, Paul. Anytime you bring words here, the world is richer for it.
Your last graph sent me back into the pages of Nietzsche's The Anti-Christ and some of the most powerful writing on Jesus through an affirmative lens that perhaps rhymes with your own.
From sections 34 & 35:
The ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is a condition of the heart – not something that comes ‘upon the earth’ or ‘after death’. The entire concept of natural death is lacking in the Gospel: death is not a bridge, not a transition, it is lacking because it belongs to quite another world, a merely apparent world useful only for the purpose of symbolism. The ‘hour of death’ is not a Christian concept – the ‘hour’, time, physical life and its crises, simply do not exist for the teacher of the ‘glad tidings’. … The ‘kingdom of God’ is not something one waits for; it has no yesterday or tomorrow, it does not come ‘in a thousand years’ – it is an experience within a heart; it is everywhere, it is nowhere…
This ‘bringer of glad tidings’ died as he lived, as he taught – not to ‘redeem mankind’ but to demonstrate how one ought to live. What he bequeathed to mankind is his practice: his bearing before the judges, before the guards, before the accusers and every kind of calumny and mockery – his bearing on the Cross. He does not resist, he does not defend his rights, he takes no steps to avert the worst that can happen to him – more, he provokes it…. And he entreats, he suffers, he loves with those, in those who are doing evil to him. His words to the thief on the Cross contain the whole Evangel. ‘That was verily a divine man, a child of God!’ says the thief. ‘If thou feelest this’ – answers the redeemer – ‘thou art in Paradise, thou art a child of God.’ Not to defend oneself, not to grow angry, not to make responsible.… But not to resist even the evil man – to love him…
--
May the perhaps rare yet real South Carolinian Nietzschean Christian raise a coffee cup on a weekday morning to you soon.