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irenicum
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Name: John
Country: United States
State: Michigan
Metro: Holland
Birthday: 12/17/1964
Gender: Male
Interests: Reading, writing and whatever my short attention span latches onto.
Expertise: Ask me anything theological or political and I may know it; but if I don't, I'll look it up for you. I love doing that.
Occupation: Sales
Industry: Retail
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
8/11/2004
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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| Recent readingsThis past weekend I bought and read a new spiritual biography of Barack Obama called The Faith of Barack Obama. I was pleased with the author's treatment of Obama, since the author comes from a decidedly more conservative evangelical background. He had previously written The Faith of George W Bush and been commended for writing a fair treatment of his beliefs. Stephen Mansfield (the author) of course deals with Obama's more exotic aspects to his background, whether his having lived in Indonesia for several years, or his involvement with Trinity UCC in Chicago. Even in bringing up these more controversial aspects of Obama's past, Mansfield gives a generous, but not fawning, account of those places and events. Obama is a nuanced, complex person trying to communicate a message that likewise reflects a complex time which therefore needs nuanced, complex answers. I new alot already about Obama, but this helped me to see other angles that I hadn't previously considered. That has helped me to avoid the tendency to either idolize him or demonize him. A tendency that seems to run rampant in our day and age. I don't want him, or anyone else for that matter, to be the messiah. I just want a president that will be better than the idiotic criminal we have now. Is that too much to ask for?
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| A new poem and a new blogI have a new blog at I'm an Obamacon.
It's mainly links to interesting articles that relate to
"conservatives" who nonetheless are seeing him as being a better choice
than McCain. I also wrote another poem, more prosie than traditionally
poetic. I hope you like it.
WOUNDS
How many wounds must
I inflict,
before You
afflict me
with Your wounds?
You sear me with
Your hands and feet.
Your brow bleeds
onto me.
As You look down
from above.
I hate You.
You are killing me.
I know You must.
I know why.
I also know
that You love me.
And You're bleeding
into me.
So that I might
bleed too.
Into others,
just like me.
Why is this Your way?
Why must You suffer?
Why must You die?
Why must I?
I know.
You've already told me.
And all those before
and after me.
It's who You are.
It's what You do.
Thank You.
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| North Carolina and IndianaI really, really hope that tonight will finally end the unnecessary
divisions within the Democratic party, so that they (and any sane
person) can confront the real issues facing us.
Economic Crisis: John McCain believes that the multi-national
corporations can be trusted to care for us. Neither of the Democrats
believe this. I agree with the Democrats on this point. As an
Augustinian regarding the human condition, I believe that every human,
and the corporate entities they belong to, are corrupted by the impulse
of selfishness and moral-blindness. Republicans believe in governmental
moral blindness, but they seem to believe in moral purity in regards to
business behavior.
Foreign Policy: Clinton or Obama is an infinitely (yeah, I know it's an
overstatement) better choice than McCain. I used to be a McCain guy. I
gave money to him. He is not the candidate I used to support. Now we
have bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. I don't want to vote for
Armeggedon. The rhetoric of McCain is more dangerous than anything the
Dems.have to offer.
Environment: McCain believes that global warming is a reality. That's
good. But not good enough. Plenty of people believe that global
warming is a reality, but they don't get that the choices we make can
either make it worse or can make it better. McCain believes that we
need more nuclear power, more off-shore drilling, more drilling in
ANWAR. These ALL make the problem worse, even if it make us feel
momentarily better. Solving our environmental common concerns means
that we need to make the choices that truly make our children's future
better. This takes work, time, and a concerted effort to bring us to a
better day ahead.
Health Care: This is a no brainer. Any Democrat is better than just
about any Republican. I have too many friends who are without insurance
or who are about to be uninsured. We have a country that doesn't insure
its citizens more than many undelevoped countries. If Canada and France
and England and even Cuba can insure all of their citizens, then why
can't we?
Obvioulsy there are numerous other issues at work in this election. But these are the ones that hit people where they hurt.
Now we can see how the all-important issues of flag pins, bitterness,
and other crap dredged up to distract us will be presented as the
essentiall issues.
Welcome to the general election!
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| Christians and RaceTonight I saw an exchange between four black Christians and four
Caucasian/white Christians. It was encouraging insomuch as people who
engage with each other end up seeing people, individuals, as those who
are across from them, than stereotypes that can be easily pigeonholed
so as to be ignored. Tonight I saw those willing to listen to those
across a table; willing to listen to a story that's different from
their own. Those who most needed to attend mostly didn't. I'm saddened
by that. Those who did attend, each of them, engaged in the discussion,
and were honest. Of that I'm proud. We, myself included, need to carry
that forward. That's where the Kingdom can be brought into reality.
God's ways are not our own. Of that we can be sure. God will have His kingdom brought forth. But we are called to walk (and work) with Him in that path.
We are each responsible for our actions in this process.
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| Bush's WarI'm watching Frontline's Bush's War right now. It's on tonight and
tomorrow night on PBS. It's providing more of the details of what I
already know is true. I'm recording it, and I'll record tomorrow
night's show too. I also became a member of WGVU two weeks ago and
ordered DVD's of Bush's War and Selling the War. I should be getting
those in a few weeks. I look forward to lending these out to friends
who don't yet get it. My friends who already know all this don't need
it. I know that the Bush crowd is not the real center of what's wrong
in all this, but confronting what is before us is a beginning.
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