Thursday, November 18, 2010

Richard Rohr Drops the Gloves! I Love It!

Social Justice
 The very fact that Glenn Beck, a national commentator, could get away with criticizing and even mocking the phrase “social justice” without major outcry, shows how comfortable and numbed much of our country and church have become. He dared to infer that it was a non-Christian concept and even sank to calling it socialism or communism. To my knowledge and disappointment, no bishop or church conference has publicly corrected him on this.

Can we not see that the other justice issues we are supposedly concerned about (such as abortion) are one “seamless garment,” to use Cardinal Bernardin’s brilliant metaphor? If social justice is not the foundation of God’s kingdom then it is hardly God’s kingdom at all, but merely tribalism.

Resources of Fr. Richard’s that address this topic include
A Lever and a Place to Stand (CD) and
Contemplation in Action (book)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Carrot On A Stick Christianity - Richard Rohr

ADULT CHRISTIANITY


Paul says in Galatians 3 that the law will kill you, that the law leads to death, and only an experience of the Spirit has any saving power. Jesus says much the same with his mantra, “The law says, but I say. . .” (Matthew 5:20-45). This has had little effect on the church recently.

Many Christians and many clergy are still trapped under the law and remain in the first half of life, spiritually speaking. This is not the gospel, but its most common counterfeit. You always fail if you’re under the criteria of the law because you can never attain something that you already have—namely your daughterhood and sonship in God. The law will send you on a wild goose chase that never ends and usually makes you more and more legalistic. Religion at this level becomes an eternal carrot on a stick held out in front of you. Unfortunately, we see this in many rigid and unhappy Christians. Their disappointment with God and themselves is visible to all but themselves, I am afraid. We can do so much better.



Adapted from Adult Christianity and How to Get There CD

If you are inspired by Richard's Daily Meditations,
please consider attending Loving the Two Halves of Life:
The Further Journey, a conference hosted by the
Center for Action and Contemplation, January 21-23, 2011.