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[sjmattson]

Pacifism may have flaws…but violence, genocide, murder, killing, and death aren’t one of them.

[sjmattson]

Now would be a good time for American Christian theology to appreciate the peaceful power of Anabaptism.

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Before you judge Judas for betraying Jesus for a few silver coins, ask yourself if you would betray the ideals of Jesus for the sake of winning a presidential election?

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“What does it profit a Christian if their preferred presidential candidate wins the election but they lose their soul in the process?!”

—probably Jesus if He were to manifest Himself on earth today

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The U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are not divinely inspired documents that were written by God.

Instead, they were written by people who were slave-owners complicit in the genocidal slaughter of indigenous people.

[sjmattson]

God doesn’t talk about blessing America. But the Bible quotes Jesus about who actually is blessed by God:

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matt 5:3-10 NLT)

The poor, humble, mourners, justice-seekers, merciful, pure of heart, peacemakers, and those who do right—these are the people God blesses.

May we strive to be more Christlike rather than more American.

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There are many variations of how people practice the Christian religion, but it seems that the more the religion is centered on Jesus, the more loving and humane the faith. The less it’s focused on Jesus, the less loving and humane it becomes.

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The problem with much of modern pastoral ministry is that hundreds of work hours will be dedicated to the production value of a Sunday service, not nobody is willing to make a 15 minute visit to the local nursing home.

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The most important theological concept to understand about God is that God is love. Love is the point of God’s existence. Love is the point of your existence. God created you because God loves you.

[sjmattson]

Trying to be like Jesus shouldn’t induce anxiety or a fear of failure, but rather, it inspires us to be our better selves for the sake of loving others.

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Kindness is truly an amazing virtue. In my opinion it’s one of the highest virtues—to strive for kindness.

Instead of wealth, fame, health, or power, to choose to seek kindness is the most holy and selfless of virtues.

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Dear churches and ministries, despite having imperishable eternal worth, getting ‘jewels in your heavenly crown’ isn’t a living wage.

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Enemies require so much emotional energy and cause so much stress and anxiety.

When God said to love your enemies, it’s not just for the benefit of your enemy, it’s also for your own mental health.

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No government can follow the Prince of Peace while it worships the god of war.

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I’ve seen countless Americans post about how a sports team misuses its money. But I rarely see Americans post anything about how their very own money is spent by the government on weapons and wars that result in the death and suffering of countless people across the world!

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Governments are horrible peacemakers. That’s one of the biggest theological problems with having a patriotic faith.

Governments have militaries and weapons that kill countless lives—people that are all made in the image of God. To then try to sanctify this violence as being holy is the grossest kind of sacrilege.

[sjmattson]

One of the best things is the privilege of witnessing a random act of kindness done in public given from one stranger to another.