Spiritual, not religious–another view

Amy Thompson Sevimli‘s perspective on the piece by Lillian Daniel:

What I have found, however, is that the phrase is almost always a gateway into a deeper conversation about their spirituality (even if it is about sunsets). It is an opportunity for them to talk about their faith and their experience of the church — which, by the way, has usually been negative.

And this:

Instead of fully engaging those outside our churches, we sit back and wonder why the mass of spiritual but not religious people don’t walk through our doors. But honestly, why would someone who can read our condescending views of their sense of spirituality want to come to church at all?

My earlier take, here.

Allah: A Christian Response

An interview with Miroslav Volf, author of Allah: A Christian Response.

My sense, though, is that today’s exclusions stems from fear and from the need to generate enemies so that we can justify our own need for violence. Clearly, concern about “creeping sharia” in the United States is absurd; chances that sharia will be implemented in the United States are only slightly better than that Martians will invade. And yet people are really exercised by the perceived threat of Muslims “taking over America.” A few exceptions notwithstanding, there is no real enemy to speak of, but people create the enemy. Why? Because they harbor enmity and are plagued by fear and resentment. This is a deeply unchristian stance. We are supposed to love enemies and, if possible, make friends of them; we are not supposed to manufacture enemies so we can have targets for our fears and resentments.

For confirmation of much that Volf says, one only need read the comment thread.

Still more on Dominionism and the Religious Right in 2011

A thoughtful conversation between Sarah Posner and Anthea Butler concerning the various movements that influence politicians like Rick Perry. Both caution against careless dismissal or over-exaggerating.

Frank Schaeffer on Michele Bachmann’s “anti-feminism.

Greg Metzger offers a roadmap to the media discussion of the religious right in recent weeks here and here.