tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post2473860738771843345..comments2024-03-28T09:52:15.415-04:00Comments on Common Denominator: The ButlerKen Schenckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09745548537303356655noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-90362395527585329532013-08-31T13:57:28.098-04:002013-08-31T13:57:28.098-04:00Oh. So I guess for historical reasons I need to l...Oh. So I guess for historical reasons I need to look at the Old Testament. There I see Rahab, the prostitute who risked her own life to hide our spies. Although Rahab and her family were spared because of her faith, our people destroyed the rest of her city and every living thing in it. But that was back then. Nowadays God calls us to be His ambassadors of reconciliation; to 'destroy' our enemies by loving them and leading them to grace through faith in Christ. All of them. We are to regard no one from a worldly point of view (2 Cor. 5:16-21). Our reconciliation is quite different than the world’s deceptive way of appearing to reconcile by employing (exploiting) the token black person, or token foreigner, or token female... <br />We can love others like that only by grace through faith found in the forgiveness of the resurrected Christ, who remains the way, the truth and the life; and only by the Spirit after He has helped us yank the planks out of our own eyes. <br />SusanSusan Moorehttp://thecommonlanguage.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-64042214921810660432013-08-31T13:00:22.827-04:002013-08-31T13:00:22.827-04:00I want to add that I actually thought the portraya...I want to add that I actually thought the portrayal of Reagan was generally positive. In the movie, Reagan gets the black workers in the White House equal pay to the white workers. In the movie, Reagan gives money to people anonymously on the sly. I thought the invite to the dinner was portrayed as sincerely generous and warm on the part of Nancy Reagan. <br /><br />And even if Allen felt honored historically to sit there, we miss the entire point if we don't see the striking contrast between his friends waiting on him and where he was now sitting, a parable of the contrast blacks have experienced for most of American history and of white privilege. Focus, focus, don't get distracted by the shiny ball of diversion.<br /><br />So I think those who idolize Reagan have overreacted. True, no explanation was made of Reagan's stubborn refusal to impose sanctions on South Africa. But I think the movie accurately portrayed the way that doggedness was experienced by many Americans at the time, no doubt including some African-Americans.Ken Schenckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745548537303356655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-64398519703646758962013-08-31T09:17:45.799-04:002013-08-31T09:17:45.799-04:00I love how Jesus breaks the chains of every prejud... I love how Jesus breaks the chains of every prejudice that imprisons us. To learn how to be free from prejudice, we consume Him (Taste and see that the Lord is good..." psalm 34:8). I love the story of when He went to the well and waited. He waited for a particular person. But not just any person, but a woman from Samaria. And this Samarian woman was also soaking in sexual sin. He proclaimed His word to her and asked her to bring to Him one person. In her excitement of hearing and accepting His word (that was 100% pure truth), she was made by grace 100% pure free; and brought to Him her town. Thus the first recorded evangelist was born: A woman who led men to freedom in Christ (John 4).<br />"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Eph. 5:25-27).<br />Susan Moorehttp://thecommonlanguage.com/wordpress2noreply@blogger.com