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Stephen Matlock

@stephenmatlock

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“America used to be a Christian nation. And we need to make it a Christian nation again.” I hear these words, or words like them, from my Evangelical acquaintances.⠀ ⠀ I can understand their feelings, even though they are deeply misguided. Not only was America never a “Christian” nation and never was intended to be a “Christian” nation, it can never be a “Christian” nation. It is a secular nation, to use the words of A. Lincoln from his Gettysburg Address, “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”⠀ ⠀ So when Evangelicals attempt to re-create an imaginary past to make a better future, I say “No.” Christians should not make the United States into a “Christian” nation. Not now, not ever, no how, no way . . . ⠀ .⠀ For the full article, click the link in our profile and scroll to the article, “When the Church Becomes the State,” by stephen matlock.⠀ .⠀ 📸 by Humble Lamb on Unsplash.⠀ .⠀ #Equality #Faith #Nationalism #Christianity #Secularism #OurHumanFamily
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While I got “saved” into the Christian faith during the Jesus Movement, I still found the Billy Graham Crusades to be helpful.⠀ .⠀ Yet it felt funny to see Billy Graham side with Republicans. It was discomforting to see how little Graham dealt with the racism of the church — even when I wasn’t aware of what was going on, I remember thinking it odd that Graham would be so, so careful on how he handled Martin Luther King, Jr. and his memory. I found it odd that even while participating in evangelistic outreaches we were always separated by race — and by natural choice. We just did it. (Elsewhere you can read how I chose to participate in this. No one forced me.)⠀ .⠀ Racism is a sin like any other. A sin, though. That has to be clear.⠀ .⠀ It’s not the most powerful sin because all sin is powerful, according to the faith I’m taught to believe. But for white Americans, it is an extraordinarily stubborn sin, resistant to being identified, resistant to being named as wrong, resistant to being called out as wrong, and resistant to being expunged from the life of the holy believer.⠀ .⠀ For the full article, click the link in our profile and scroll to the article “Making the Past the Past” by Stephen Matlock.⠀ .⠀ 📸 by @ClayRivers⠀ .⠀ #Equality #BlackLivesMatter #Faith #Racism #Repentance
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I am very thankful for these people! I will be taking a sabbatical from @flourish_rv for the WHOLE month of March to get some rest, family time, spiritual direction and refreshment .These people have taken on the responsibility of leading while I am away. Grateful for the support and prayers from our church as well. Today they laid hands on me and prayed for me and my family. This March will be month of the “SQUAD”. In my absence we have some AWESOME people/Close SQUAD family who will be coming to @flourish_rv to bless us and preach. 1. Pastor Coté “#iSpitHotFire🔥🔥” Sorens 2. Pastor Darin “D-Brill” 3. Roberto aka “Berto” aka The Mad Scientist Evangelist Gutierrez #SQUAD #Flourish2020 #BuiltOnJesus #BuiltToThrive #BetterTogether
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