Beatitudes Blog

You eat? Then read this.

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on May 14, 2008 - 12:49am.

I’m sure you all know someone who you just wish could have more than one body to live in, because she has so much good work to do in the world, she can’t possibly do it all alone in one lifetime. Well, my friend Liz is one of those people.

She suggested the following video to me. She prefaced it with the qualification that, of course, nothing is as simple as a 5-minute video can explain.

And still, the intersections of global poverty, American agriculture, and global capitalist markets need to be addressed from a comprehensive, systemic perspective - ESPECIALLY as the worldwide shortage of grains actually hits US media and affects US consumer habits. There are many layers to this onion of a problem, and there’s not going to be one right way to slice it. Whether you believe that less government regulation (in subsidies) or more governmental oversight (redistributing wealth) is needed, the bottom line is that what’s happening right now isn’t working for a majority of the people who work to get food onto our tables.

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Supporting all our troops...?

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on October 11, 2007 - 7:08pm.

Ciara Durkin, an Army National Guard member from Massachusetts, died from a 'noncombat-related' gunshot wound to the head in a secure area of Bagram Base in Afghanistan.

Before her death, she had alerted family to investigate if something happened to her.

She was the first openly gay soldier killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Read the Boston Globe article about her funeral service by clicking here.

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Peace Churches meet with Ahmadenijad

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on September 27, 2007 - 11:07pm.

Church of the Brethren representatives (those are my peeps!) were among other faith leaders from historic peace churches and other Christian denominations that met with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Church Centre for the United Nations during his recent visit to New York. Read about the summit at the Church of the Brethren Newsline or at Ekklesia.

Ahmadinejad has a lot to answer for, particularly his violent rhetoric, but thanks be to God that he is answering in words and not war. What might our world look like if more national leaders faced academics, faith representatives, and other normal citizens who are affected by their policies - faced them and had to hear the questions we have for them - faced them and didn’t rely on their authority and influence to shield them from the many people who oppose their choices? Thank God, too, that the historic peace churches are joining their voices in the international calls for peace, democracy, and justice.

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Peace Week at PSR

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on September 18, 2007 - 5:16am.

Over here at the Pacific School of Religion, we of Seminarians to End War (SEW Peace) are plunging into a week of memorializing the tragedy of war. (At least the news of Blackwater's scolding is a ray of good news coming out of an otherwise bleak situation!)

Friday, the International Day of Prayer for Peace, will be the culmination of our efforts. If you are in the Bay Area, we invite you to join us for our free, public events all week. The full details of the events can be found at our blog, at sewpeace.wordpress.com. Here is a taste of the week's events to come:

All week there will be a growing art piece on the PSR Quad.

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Top Reasons to (NOT) Date (/Marry/Partner with) a Seminarian

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on September 18, 2007 - 5:06am.

by Audrey and some of her buddies

Top Reasons to Date (/Marry/Partner with) a Seminarian

• Chances are you’ll find someone who shares similar values and/or worldviews with you—especially fellow church geeks.
• He knows a lot. In the Biblical sense.
• She’ll have a friend who can do your wedding for free.
• He probably won’t make enough money to raise your tax bracket.
• The laying on of hands takes on a whole new meaning.
• After all that theological pondering, she can make a stronger argument for atheism than anyone else.
• He’s so glad to get off campus that he’s a cheap date.

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Fox News Attacks the Environment

Submitted by Brethren Priestess on August 1, 2007 - 5:35pm.

(And no one is surprised.)

Here, filmmaker Robert Greenwald presents a succinct video analysis of the coordinated efforts by Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox (now he also owns the Wall Street Journal) to discredit science and public policy efforts to turn back the effects of global climate change.

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