Website review: Harpers.org/ExcerptTheChristianPara...
louieK discovered this in Christianity
•92 reviews since Jul 27, 2005
christianity, religion, christian
•harpers.org/ExcerptTheChristianParadox.html
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Reviews of this website
louieK discovered 37 months ago- What's so Christian about the U.S.?
- hapagrrl rated 3 months ago
- this was beautifully said.
- EvanCarroll rated 18 months ago
- From the page: "Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline," Is this a comment at children's lack of historical understandings, or their unwillingness to study Christian-mythology which for good reason has been removed from the educational arena.
- earl1940 rated 19 months ago
- A good article about the image of themselves in the minds of many Americans, and the reality. Coming from this background myself and then to Europe years ago, I find this article pretty much on target. A good read. "And therein is the paradox. America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior. That paradox--more important, perhaps, than the much touted ability of French women to stay thin on a diet of chocolate and cheese--illuminates the hollow at the core of our boastful, careening culture." Thanks to http://timoteo63.stumbleupon.com/ for this one.
- Timoteo63 rated 19 months ago
- The Christian Paradox How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong Posted on Thursday, September 15, 2005. What it means to be Christian in America. An excerpt from this report appeared in August 2005. The complete text appears below. Originally from August 2005. By Bill McKibben. Sources Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline, but it probably doesn't matter all that much in spiritual or political terms. Here is a statistic that does matter: Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that "God helps those who help themselves." That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. The thing is, not only is Franklin's wisdom not biblical; it's counter-biblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message, with its radical summons to love of neighbor. On this essential matter, most Americans--most American Christians--are simply wrong, as if 75 percent of American scientists believed that Newton proved gravity causes apples to fly up. Asking Christians what Christ taught isn't a trick. When we say we are a Christian nation--and, overwhelmingly, we do--it means something. People who go to church absorb lessons there and make real decisions based on those lessons; increasingly, these lessons inform their politics. (One poll found that 11 percent of U.S. churchgoers were urged by their clergy to vote in a particular way in the 2004 election, up from 6 percent in 2000.) When George Bush says that Jesus Christ is his favorite philosopher, he may or may not be sincere, but he is reflecting the sincere beliefs of the vast majority of Americans. And therein is the paradox. America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior. That paradox--more important, perhaps, than the much touted ability of French women to stay thin on a diet of chocolate and cheese--illuminates the hollow at the core of our boastful, careening culture.
- abstracti0n rated 19 months ago
- Interesting stuff. I agree at the very least that most Americans who call themselves Christians have no idea what Christ actually taught.
- slykitty0 rated 19 months ago
- So to be a "good Christian," I must embrace socialism. Hmm.. I don't remember that verse, but whateva. =)
- puddintain2006 rated 19 months ago
- From the page: "Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels."
- SchreiberBike rated 19 months ago
- originally posted 2006/01/19
The Christian Paradox
How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong
Originally from August 2005.
By Bill McKibben.
This is a very significant article which has helped shape my thinking about what I should do with my life. It is an excellent description of the United States, which thinks of itself as a "Christian Nation", but which is not.
I don't have any belief that Christianity is meant to be easy or even fun. But, I do believe in doing the right thing.
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On reading this again, I am more convinced of its importance. I kept thinking of quotes I would like to pull out to put here, but instead, I ask you to take the time to read the essay.
- originally posted 2006/01/19
- michellepotter rated 19 months ago
- At first this article seemed interesting, as I agree that many professing Christian Americans do not *act* like Christians. In fact, I recognize that church in Phoenix -- I attended it for 4 months while living outside Phoenix and went home still struggling with the sermon nearly every week. However, this article is written from a clearly slanted viewpoint, stretching to make the facts fit the argument. The claim about American's lack of generosity is preposterous, the author's lack of understanding of some Christian doctrines obvious, and Beth Moore (at least) misrepresented. (Believing God is not a study about "living a full life" in the wordly sense -- it's a study of Abraham and other Biblical figures who "believe[d] God rather than only believe[d] in Him.") Furthermore, the author points out many statistics that reveal a true problem with the American character, but fails to address the decidedly anti-Christian modern movements (such as feminism and the sexual revolution) that led to such disasters. To say that American Christians are simply hypocritical (though we often are) without mentioning the influence of an increasingly secular culture is incredibly misleading.
