"Faith Against Idols: Racism and White Christian Nationalism through the Eyes of Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Joseph Cardijn" Let me start with a question that should keep us all up at night: What happens when our faith stops following the Gospel and starts bowing down to the idols of race and nation? This is... Continue Reading →
The Revolution Jesus Preached: Living the Sermon on the Mount Today
Insights from Thomas Merton and Joseph Cardijn Let's start with a question that has haunted contemplatives and activists for two thousand years: What if we actually lived the Sermon on the Mount? Not just studied it. Admire it from a safe distance. Or turning it into comforting spiritual quotes for social media. But lived it... Continue Reading →
Who Is My Neighbor? Who Is My Enemy?
Who Is My Neighbor? Who Is My Enemy? I wonder how many times Joseph Cardijn sat with this question. How many sleepless nights did he spend wrestling with it? How many times did he challenge his followers to sit with it as well? Your Neighbor: The Worker Nobody Sees For Cardijn, the answer was clear... Continue Reading →
I say the currency of human contact is stories!
In our world today, how do we understand faith as a paradoxical stance gained through uncertainty rather than certainty? Do we grasp the intricate and often ambiguous relationship between faith, doubt, belief, and resistance? This line of thinking is leading me toward a theopoetic understanding of theology that emphasizes the role of doubt and questioning in authentic... Continue Reading →
Christian Nationalism: What can I do?
First, let's refresh why we are all working with Joseph Cardijn's teachings. Second, let's realize the teachings offer a solid framework for understanding and combating Christian Nationalism, emphasizing grassroots organizing, social justice, and authentic Christian witness, by emphasizing universal human dignity, authentic Catholic Social Teaching based on the Encyclicals, and the use of the method of "See-Judge-Act" that rejects... Continue Reading →
If we genuinely believe that “we are made in the image and likeness of God.” What are we doing about it?
When we understand the meaning of the Universal Christ, are we thinking of Christ in terms of 15 billion years or only of Jesus? The Universal Christ is a concept that transcends time and space, encompassing all of creation. One way we experience the Universal Christ is by understanding the various world religions. This was... Continue Reading →
Christian Nationalism is Idolatry: A Catholic Perspective
The rise of Christian nationalism in America presents one of the most urgent spiritual crises facing the Catholic Church today. Yet many Catholics—including some bishops and priests—have embraced this ideology without recognizing its fundamental incompatibility with the Gospel message. The Temptation of Power When Satan offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" in exchange for worship,... Continue Reading →
Collaboration in the Public for the Public ~ Part II of Are you part of the Praxis Wing?
Looking for ways to get started? I recommend forming Study Groups, Book Clubs, and Discussion Groups. Start small; remember, the early followers of Jesus were small groups that gathered for meals, study, and discussion of Jesus' words. The followers then figured out action plans together. Today, all of this can be done live, on Zoom,... Continue Reading →
Are You Part of the Praxis Wing?
Praxis is all about action. When we look at the method called See-Judge-Act, we may have many members of the JOC movements who specialize in See/Observe and/or Judging/Discerning. But, there is a wing of the JOC movements that I will call the "Praxis Wing," those who are on the ground making things happen, organizing, and leading boots on the ground to bring about... Continue Reading →
Parables and the Medium is the Message
Parables and the Medium is the Message In teaching Social Justice, we should look to the art of creating parables, which remains important today because they serve as powerful teaching and communication tools that are focused on the cultural and generational lines of the people the parable is being shared with in story or visual... Continue Reading →
Innovate ~ Educate ~ Collaborate 
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