Comments on: Being the Body: How to Forge Real Community, Part 5 (Conclusion) http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html Looking for the 1st century Church in 21st century America Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:37:15 +0000 hourly 1 By: Billhttp://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32031 Bill Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:24:56 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32031 It's one of my pet issues also. We are in agreement and I also have been down the self-employed road. But the all-encompassing item for me is loving one another as Jesus has loved us. It is my opinion of all the commandments Jesus and the apostles gave us the commandment to love one another is the one the church has great difficulty keeping or a great unwillingness to keep. I am beginning to think we are more unwilling than unable. It may be unfashionable (and to some anathema) to talk about keeping commandments because we think Jesus didn't give commandments. Too bad, He did. Somehow I can't seem to find a healthy, redemptive, restorative alternative to loving God and loving others. Thanks Dan. Blessings. It’s one of my pet issues also. We are in agreement and I also have been down the self-employed road.

But the all-encompassing item for me is loving one another as Jesus has loved us. It is my opinion of all the commandments Jesus and the apostles gave us the commandment to love one another is the one the church has great difficulty keeping or a great unwillingness to keep. I am beginning to think we are more unwilling than unable.

It may be unfashionable (and to some anathema) to talk about keeping commandments because we think Jesus didn’t give commandments. Too bad, He did. Somehow I can’t seem to find a healthy, redemptive, restorative alternative to loving God and loving others.

Thanks Dan. Blessings.

]]> By: Dan Edelenhttp://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32028 Dan Edelen Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:38:36 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32028 Bill, If you hang here long enough, you'll see that this is one of my pet issues. In my line of work as a freelance writer, I'm technically unemployed if I don't have a solid set of clients and jobs always in the queue. So I depend very much on the network of people I know and their networks. So yes, this issue means a great deal to me. As to "throwing the unemployed under the bus," it's bad enough to be treated like cattle by modern business when trying to secure a job, but it's even worse when your supposed safety net of people looks the other way and whistles idly. Been through that too many times, too. Bill,

If you hang here long enough, you’ll see that this is one of my pet issues. In my line of work as a freelance writer, I’m technically unemployed if I don’t have a solid set of clients and jobs always in the queue. So I depend very much on the network of people I know and their networks. So yes, this issue means a great deal to me.

As to “throwing the unemployed under the bus,” it’s bad enough to be treated like cattle by modern business when trying to secure a job, but it’s even worse when your supposed safety net of people looks the other way and whistles idly. Been through that too many times, too.

]]> By: Billhttp://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32019 Bill Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:35:35 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/11/being-the-body-how-to-forge-real-community-part-5-conclusion.html#comment-32019 I like your comment #10. While I am not currently unemployed, I have been, at least twice. My experience with those periods of unemployment was nothing as you describe. I did receive some help from those who knew my plight but never once did a church band together and help me find employment. We pride ourselves on our individualism and free market society and those have a tendency to replace compassion in the economy of the American church. Don't get me wrong, I like free markets economically speaking. But unemployment brings suffering and we seem to collectively have an aversion to pain or suffering of any kind and we tend to throw the unemployed under the bus or keep them at arms length or push them on the mercy of the free market. These things are a far cry from the compassion and hospitality Jesus models and COMMANDS us to exercise. The church that is properly influenced and appropriately responsive to the needs of the unemployed and the compassion of Christ will band together and help and obey the command to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Good #10. I like your comment #10. While I am not currently unemployed, I have been, at least twice. My experience with those periods of unemployment was nothing as you describe. I did receive some help from those who knew my plight but never once did a church band together and help me find employment.

We pride ourselves on our individualism and free market society and those have a tendency to replace compassion in the economy of the American church. Don’t get me wrong, I like free markets economically speaking. But unemployment brings suffering and we seem to collectively have an aversion to pain or suffering of any kind and we tend to throw the unemployed under the bus or keep them at arms length or push them on the mercy of the free market. These things are a far cry from the compassion and hospitality Jesus models and COMMANDS us to exercise.

The church that is properly influenced and appropriately responsive to the needs of the unemployed and the compassion of Christ will band together and help and obey the command to love one another as Jesus has loved us.

Good #10.

]]>