Thursday, December 12, 2013

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush — Why Pope Francis Is TimeMagazine's Person of the Year


Good representative expression of why Pope Francis is becoming a pivotal figure. He is energizing the peace and social justice movement in Christianity and submerging religious conservatism, which has been dominant at least in the media if not in actual influence. Ideologically, this is the worst nightmare of TPTB, since it has the potential of transforming the ideological frame that keeps them in power. This is a big deal and has the potential for catalyzing a new fair deal.

The Huffington Post
Why Pope Francis Is TimeMagazine's Person of the Year
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush | Senior Religious Editor and Baptist pastor

16 comments:

mike norman said...

I am an atheist, but this pope makes me want to become a Catholic.

Unknown said...

You should read the Bible first. I was raised Catholic and though it's supposed to be based on the Bible, the Roman Catholic Church isn't.

There's little I agree with Franko about but suspicion of the RCC is one of them.

But we'll see. At least this Pope is shaking up the PTB and that's good for something, I suppose, unless it's a effort to preclude or co-opt genuine reform. Remember that FDR claimed to welcome the hatred of the banking system but ended up saving it.

Matt Franko said...

Francis weighing in on these issues may have got some attention of young Ryan and some of the RCs in the GOP and have them now openly attacking the libertarian/neo-confederate crazies in the GOP and now compromising with the Dems at least in the Budget Committee...

The Cruz gop people are some sort of Evangelical/Pentacostal zealot faction... but Rubio is still with them looks like and Id assume Rubio is a RC so who knows... maybe Rubio doenst even know what the heck is even going on out there as the Frank Luntz focus group data on Pope Francis hasnt come out yet...

Situation is in flux for sure and I'd point to Francis as the one who started all of this...

Francis is breaking the balls of TPTB for sure and has a lot of heads doing 360s.... fun to watch!!!

rsp,

Matt Franko said...

F,

I wouldn't say I was 'suspicious' of the RCC but rather I just dont think they add much to the situation outside of even more indignation...

We have plenty of indignation to go around today... virtually no one is happy with outcomes these days...

What we need is high profile focus on SOLUTIONS... and it looks to me like the Vatican is just as in the dark about how we turn this around as any other mainstream institution... and this is more than disappointing to me.

We just have to settle for the pleasure of watching Francis bust TPTBs balls on this... and hope that this will at least foment some sort of introspection or wider ranging search for solutions by TPTB...

which may lead them towards the truths revealed thru the MMT work which I look at as the basis for a solution for the economic insecurity that the world currently suffers from....

Paul wrote:

"1 Now concerning the times and the eras, brethren, you have no need to be written to,
2 for you yourselves are accurately aware that the day of the Lord is as a thief in the night -- thus is it coming!
3 Now whenever they may be saying "Peace and security," then extermination is standing by them unawares, even as a pang over the pregnant, and they may by no means escape." 1 Thes 5

I'd assume by "security" he meant 'economic security' too... so I see things ultimately getting better before all of this is over...

rsp,

Unknown said...

Oh, there is a solution alright since we don't, for example, have to dig gold out of the ground to implement it.

But there is a wrong "solution" too: "666" and then seven years later, the Second Coming of Christ.

What will your fate be if you helped bring in the "666" money system? That's why you're a fool to ignore the Old Testament and for example, it's ban on usury and profit taking. The common stock approach to private money, which you sneer at, requires neither usury nor profit taking.

Matt Franko said...

F,

"profits" are just savings... dont tell me your view of scripture doesnt allow savings either????

Some sort of creation in the image of God we would be if we didnt also save like He does... rsp,

Unknown said...

The Pope is running a serious risk of getting himself dead. I assume he is taking precautions but how long can he continue this?

Unknown said...

Investment is the Biblical ideal, Franko, or have you never read Matthew 25:14-30?

As for "profit", in the Bible profits are good but profit taking isn't. Common stock as private money allows profit without profit taking since the profits can be allowed to accumulate in the number and value of the shares without ever touching ("taking") the assets.

Btw, my capra included "666." You should worry that it refers to you.

Unknown said...

@Ben J,

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

Psalm 23, etc.

Matt Franko said...

F,

Not me.... Looks like this guy has another competing 'biblical money code' tho doesn't look like it is as simple as 666 ... Maybe check him out (tip: don't buy it!):

https://www.newsmaxstore.com/newsletters/uwr/biblical-money-code-disc.cfm?promo_code=15282-1&gclid=CKv47d2qrLsCFag7OgodB1QAXg

He is sure doing a lot of internet ads lately... If he is advocating for common stock as money that might be a tip off for you ....

RSP,

Unknown said...

If he is advocating for common stock as money that might be a tip off for you .... Franko the Fascist

There's not a hint about common stock as private money in that ad so you're trying to smear by false association. That's something the Devil would do, btw.

The Rombach Report said...

"profits" are just savings..."

Huh? Can you elaborate?

The Rombach Report said...

I was born and raised as a Catholic but have distanced myself from the Church owing to its tarnished brand and other reasons. Aside from making a case for compassionate capitalism, I think the Pontif was a good pick for Time magazine "Man of the Year" because he has shown that he knows how to make heads roll.....

One of the first high profile actions taken by Pope Francis just 6 months into his reign was to indefinitely suspend German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst otherwise known as the “Bishop of Bling” for his luxurious lifestyle which includes a museum, conference halls, a chapel and private apartments ultimately valued at EUR 31 million.

Hopefully, actions like this will put the fear of God into the hearts of the Church hierarchy who have become primarily concerned with authority, rules, political power, wealth and palaces, rather than with the real teachings of Jesus in the Gospels.

"Whatever you have done to even the least of these, you have done it to me," said Jesus, Matthew 25:40.

Apparently we have a Pope who is unabashedly signaling that he understands that the essence of Christianity is what Matthew wrote about in the Gospels

Matt Franko said...

Ed,

You sell something for $100 that cost you $80 to produce and you "keep" or "save" the $20...

You can either keep these profits in currency/bonds or spend them on CAPEX....

I know this isnt the "NIPA" definition of "savings" but mathematically it is the same thing imo...

F is trying to go back to the old ways of Israel which we can see back thru the scriptural accounts that way eventually became corrupted via TPTB back then and that type of system failed...

imo what ever "power" or whatever worked to corrupt the leadership of Israel back then is the same thing we are up against today... and simple "rule changes" arent going to work just like back then....

We need a change in what Tom calls 'collective consciousness' maybe I would call it 'faith', Roger looks at it as 'a full view of options' ... but I think it is all the same thing... and we seem to be headed in the right direction the Pope is just applying a 'cattle prod' imo which I guess is needed...

getting off the metals was a BIG step which was a long time coming towards where we are headed imo... now that we have thrown off that yoke, and are no longer under those authorities it is still left for us to find our OWN authority again and this seems to be the 'work in progress' ...

Paul taught "11 Now that in law no one is being justified with God is evident, for the just one by faith shall be living..."

so imo we dont need more "rules" we need more "faith" or "belief" to get there.... seems to be building but albeit slowly still at this point....

rsp,

Unknown said...

F is trying to go back to the old ways of Israel ... Franko

Our ways are supposed to be an IMPROVEMENT on the Law but your ideas can't even MATCH the Old Testament wrt justice.

Tom Hickey said...

'profits'are just savings...'

Huh? Can you elaborate?


There's spending of income for consumption and investment and the residual of unspent income is saving. Profits (retained earnings) count toward saving (unspent income) until invested or distributed to ownership and spent. Generally speaking only a portion of distributed profit is spent and a good deal gets saved.