我們是一個基督教國家嗎？
聖經裡沒有提到墮胎或同性婚姻，卻滔滔不絕地談論免除債務、解放窮人和醫治病人。
我們喜歡說我們是一個基督教國家，這不僅在歷史上是不準確的，在神學上是褻瀆了神，而且根本不是事實。看看我們周圍，如果這真的是一個基督教國家，我們會免除學生債務；如果這真的是一個基督教國家，我們會保障每個人的醫療保健；如果這真的是一個基督教國家，我們會愛我們所有的 LGBTQ 鄰居；如果這真的是一個基督教國家，我們會確保這個州和這個國家的每個孩子都有住房、有飯吃、有衣服穿、有教育、有衣服。如果這真的是一個基督教國家，我們永遠不會把它變成一個基督教國家，因為我們知道，團契的餐桌向所有人開放，包括我們的佛教徒、印度教徒、猶太教徒、穆斯林、錫克教徒和無神論的鄰居。
耶穌本來可以開創基督教神權政治，但為了愛, 祂永遠不會這樣做, 在地上的天國是一個多種族、多文化的民主國家，權力真正由所有人共享，在人類史上還沒有實現。
當耶穌被問到他最重要的誡命時，他說：「第一個是愛上帝，第二是愛人如己。」「愛人如己」是因為當我在自己身上看到上帝的形象時，我也會情不自禁地在鄰居身上看到它，無論他們是不是基督徒，無論他們是否信教。在好撒瑪利亞人的比喻中，耶穌明確地將鄰居定義為與我們在種族、經濟、政治和宗教上不同的人。上帝熱愛多元，上帝熱愛多樣, 不單單是讀聖經的基督徒是按照上帝的形象造的, 每一人都是按照上帝的形象造的, 因為我們都被賦與了渴求愛的天性, 及愛所有人的能力.
環顧我們這個美麗的星球，我們真的認為上帝會毫無理由地創造所有這些美麗的人和他們美好的傳統嗎？
通往聖潔的的道路有很多條。伊斯蘭神秘主義者魯米曾說：「每個宗教都有愛，但.... 愛不是宗教。」 上帝遠比我們所謂的人類要超出許多。
上帝不是長老教會教徒，上帝不是基督徒，上帝根本不是名詞，上帝是一個動詞，上帝不是一個存在，上帝就是存在本身。上帝就是愛。
The Bible does not mention abortion or gay marriage, and it goes on and on about forgiving debt, liberating the poor, and healing the sick.
Christian Nationalists like to say that we are a Christian nation, not only is that historically inaccurate, not only that theologically blasphemous, but it’s also just not true. Look around us, if this was truly a Christian nation, we would forgive student debt, if this was truly a Christian nation, we would guarantee health care to every single person, If this was truly a Christian nation, we would love all of our LGBTQ neighbors, if this was truly a Christian nation, we would make sure every child in this state and in this country was housed, fed, clothed, educated, and insured. if this was truly a Christian nation, we would never make it a Christian nation, because we know because the table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors.
Jesus could have started a Christian Theocracy, but love will never do that, the closest thing we have to the kingdom of heaven is a multiracial, multicultural democracy where power is truly shared among all people, something that’s yet to exist in human history.
When Jesus was asked to name his most important commandments, The first is to love God, the second is like it, love thy neighbor as thyself, It’s like it, because when I recognize the divine image in myself, I can’t help but recognize it in my neighbor, whether they are Christians or not, whether they’re religious or not. In the parable of good samaritan, Jesus specifically defines neighbor as someone different from us, racially, economically, politically, religiously. God loves diversity, God loves variety.
Just look around this beautiful planet of ours, do we really think God would make all these beautiful people with all their beautiful traditions for no reasons at all?
There are so many pathways to the sacred, The Islamic mystic Rumi said, “every religion has love, but love has no religion.” God is so much bigger than our human categories.
God is no a Presbyterian, God is not a Christian, God is not a noun at all, God is a verb, God is not a being, God is being itself. God is love.
本屆蕭邦鋼琴大賽另一個受到矚目的現象是亞裔參賽者的佔比相當驚人。第一輪84位參賽者中，亞裔參賽者的比例大約佔60%。晉級決賽的11位參賽者雖然來自7個國家，但除了來自喬治亞的David Khrikuli和波蘭本地鋼琴家Piotr Alexewicz之外，其他鋼琴家不是來自東亞國家，就是擁有亞裔血統。相較而言，其他三大鋼琴賽事雖然也都有為數不少的亞裔參賽者，比例上卻沒有蕭邦大賽如此懸殊。