This Week on the Social Gospel Blog with Rev. Paul J. Bern: Why You Should Never Back Down From Authoritarians
(Part one: Luke chapter 18, verses 1-8) Last week when we finished up the 17th chapter of the gospel of Luke, Jesus had explained to the apostles some of the things that would happen at the time of the Rapture of the church. “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it”, Jesus explained to his apostles, “and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” So whoever lives only for themselves will be dead for eternity and eternally condemned, while those who live for and dedicate their lives to following Jesus Christ and his teachings will achieve immortality in the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These two ultimate fates of humankind are polar opposites of one another. This week as we move on to chapter 18, Jesus is exhorting his apostles to enrich their prayer life, and then gives them an illustration of how this can be done. So let's go to the first verse of Luke chapter 18 as we continue from last week.
Read full storyA 2,000 year old Teaching From Christ Proves to Be Still Relevant
Christ's Teaching on Faith, Forgiveness, and Mercy. (And, how they all work together for the benefit of everyone) (Luke chapter 17, verses 1-19) For this week’s installment of our ongoing study of the writings of the apostle Luke, we find ourselves moving on to chapter 17 of his version of the Gospel. When we left off last week, Jesus was expounding on his story of Lazarus and the rich man, and the folly of the pursuit of riches and 'prosperity'. He also made it known that worship of false gods – like material goods, fame and “the good life” would only come to an end with the eternal condemnation of that person. Today we again find Jesus and his apostles in a teaching session, which is apparently in a different time and place than the end of chapter 16, but presumably soon after. So let's all begin right from the top.
Read full storyWhat Heck is the Social Gospel, and Why Should I Care? What's In This for Me?
The Publication of this Blog and the Reasons For Its Existence, or Why I Blog About the Bible and the Social Gospel. First, if you’re here for the very first time, welcome! I am absolutely delighted that you have come to join us. There are literally many hundreds of followers spread out all over the blogging world and on my new website located on “Google My Business”, which can be found right here. This blog is promoted by Rev. Paul J. Bern and the Social Gospel Worship and Learning Center. This ministry and on-line church have existed since 2015, and its headquarters is well located near the center of downtown Atlanta, GA.
Read full storyThe Reasons for America's Labor Shortage Aren't What You Think
Or, why we need to increase wages if we ever want to resuscitate the economy. Here you have it in a nutshell – national strike. That’s what the US economy is facing. That’s why people aren’t working. They’re just not calling it a strike. People are fed up to here with dull, dead-end jobs that serve no useful purpose except to make someone rich. People are staying home and drawing unemployment, and some have started side businesses to replace their old incomes. It’s just that nobody is calling it for what it is – a peaceful revolt within the American workplace.
Read full storyThe Story of a Crooked Manager and a Cashless Society
Also known as the “Parable of the Shrewd Manager”. (Luke chapter 16, verses 1-15) Last week when we left off at the end of chapter 15 of Luke's gospel, we concluded the story of the wayward son (or “Prodigal Son” with due respect to my King James readers) with my account of the triple meaning of that story Jesus told. Don't forget how I applied that as we read and shared comments about these meanings Jesus deliberately inserted for our enrichment. Only when we discover these hidden things of God do we begin to grasp the enormous scope of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So today as we move on to Luke chapter 16, we find ourselves at another time and place, although the Bible doesn't specify either one. So here we go starting at verse 1:
Read full storyHow Christianity Lost Jesus, and why It's Imperative That We Re-establish Our Relationship With Him (Part 2 of 2)
Christ Hasn't Forgotten About Us. It's Actually the Other Way Around. Yet in Exodus chapter 22, verses 25-27 it says, “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate.”
Read full storyHow Christianity Lost Jesus: It's Not About Religion, It's All About Real Faith (Part 1 of 2)
How Christianity Lost Jesus, and Why We Must Get Back to Him. It is one of the glaring contradictions of organized religion. How did Christianity – a religion based on the teachings of a pacifist who said 'love your enemy' and who defended the poor, the outcast, and the most vulnerable – become so twisted and misrepresented? Why did dominant Christian institutions, such as the Vatican for example, amass obscene wealth and immense power? How could the last 3 US presidents – George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, who claimed to be devout followers of Jesus – unleash the fearsome might of modern American military technologies and firepower to slaughter people in faraway lands who were likely innocent? This latest commentary of mine traces this Christian mystery to the chronology of when the books of the New Testament were committed to writing.
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