Mr Shields - no one ever calls me that

Monday, January 30, 2006

Leadership Blog: Out of Ur: Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question 4: McLaren's Response

Leadership Blog: Out of Ur: Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question 4: McLaren's Response
Often it is in discussing difficult questions that we learn something. One thing that I often learn is how to deal with difficult questions. This article is the fourth in a series of blogs, comments and reponses about how to pastorally respond to homosexuality. Not an easy questions! But some of the response shows great grace amid disagreement and some response shows exactly the opposite.

Brian McLaren is someone that I often disagree with, but who also often shows a great amount of grace to those who disagree with him. I would rather disagree with him than agree with many others.

John H Armstrong : How Should We Respond to Growing Income Inequality?

John H Armstrong : How Should We Respond to Growing Income Inequality?

John Anderson's articles have several times recently dealt with social policy. We seem to have very different priorities. I think that the church should influence social policy and should advocate for "libera" social programs. But in this case I think that the church should work on good education, especially for the poor.


Education is the single biggest predictor of income. So if we want to deal with poverty or shrink the income disparity then we need to deal with education. Education is not fair among children. But a significant portion of the disparity occurs before children enter Kindergarden. So it is not all of the schools fault. This is a place that the church can help. Good parenting, alternatives to standard day care (leave the kids alone with someone that is not prepared to do anything with them), etc. are a very important part of what we as a church can do. Unfortunately most churches view church schools or day care as a money maker or as a way to isolate their children against the world instead of viewing it as a mission of the church.