The prevailing paradigm on this planet has been that of race: white, black, brown, yellow, red, epidermis.
Probably, that is because racist America is its predominant power.
Jesus' paradigm was not racist; instead, it was based upon personal righteousness. Under it, a person's exterior characteristics were less important that a person's inner virtues. Such he taught repeatedly in the Gospels, to dull-witted disciples.
Many in power purport and profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. But, in their works they are reprobate, and their hearts are far from him and his teachings. Instead, such ones find it provident, prudent, and profitable to hide behind Jesus Christ's teachings and example, all the better to exploit others with, to rule, and to control, subverting the Savior for self-gain.
I have chosen to follow Jesus in my calibration of human character and capability, not that of my native land.
As a consequence a person's or a people's commitment to love, truth, justice, wisdom, fairness, beauty, knowledge, virtue, and godliness--all inner characteristics--mean more to me than a person's or a people's commitment to race, religion, color, class, wealth, family, nationality, power, age: all such being outer, imposed, extrinsic determinants.
This is not to say that anything or anyone is meaningless, or any less.
It is to say that my personal scale is weighted by righteousness, and in that light, I view and assess all else.
Monday, November 24, 2014
MY CONFESSIONS
MY CONFESSIONS 
The prevailing paradigm on this planet has been that of race: white, black, brown, yellow, red, epidermis.
Probably, that is because racist America is its predominant power.
Jesus' paradigm was not racist; instead, it was based upon personal righteousness. Under it, a person's exterior characteristics were less important that a person's inner virtues. Such he taught repeatedly in the Gospels, to dull-witted disciples.
Many in power purport and profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. But, in their works they are reprobate, and their hearts are far from him and his teachings. Instead, such ones find it provident, prudent, and profitable to hide behind Jesus Christ's teachings and example, all the better to exploit others with, to rule, and to control, subverting the Savior for self-gain.
I have chosen to follow Jesus in my calibration of human character and capability, not that of my native land.
As a consequence a person's or a people's commitment to love, truth, justice, wisdom, fairness, beauty, knowledge, virtue, and godliness--all inner characteristics--mean more to me than a person's or a people's commitment to race, religion, color, class, wealth, family, nationality, power, age: all such being outer, imposed, extrinsic determinants.
This is not to say that anything or anyone is meaningless, or any less.
It is to say that my personal scale is weighted by righteousness, and in that light, I view and assess all else.
The prevailing paradigm on this planet has been that of race: white, black, brown, yellow, red, epidermis.
Probably, that is because racist America is its predominant power.
Jesus' paradigm was not racist; instead, it was based upon personal righteousness. Under it, a person's exterior characteristics were less important that a person's inner virtues. Such he taught repeatedly in the Gospels, to dull-witted disciples.
Many in power purport and profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. But, in their works they are reprobate, and their hearts are far from him and his teachings. Instead, such ones find it provident, prudent, and profitable to hide behind Jesus Christ's teachings and example, all the better to exploit others with, to rule, and to control, subverting the Savior for self-gain.
I have chosen to follow Jesus in my calibration of human character and capability, not that of my native land.
As a consequence a person's or a people's commitment to love, truth, justice, wisdom, fairness, beauty, knowledge, virtue, and godliness--all inner characteristics--mean more to me than a person's or a people's commitment to race, religion, color, class, wealth, family, nationality, power, age: all such being outer, imposed, extrinsic determinants.
This is not to say that anything or anyone is meaningless, or any less.
It is to say that my personal scale is weighted by righteousness, and in that light, I view and assess all else.