Welcome back to “What’s Next on Views of America!

Here’s what caught my eye… Today, we talk about Baptist Preachers and Wishful Thinking as we discuss lust for power.

Did you hear about the Baptist preachers… so upset over the Epstein files … that theystopped laying hands on Trump … and settled for wishful thinking?!

Background:

 Martin Luther famously criticized the greed of the clergy, particularly in their pursuit of wealth from the dying and the rich. He described priests and monks as following wealthy individuals like "dogs following a piece of meat" or, more crudely, as though they were carrying bedpans to catch every "dropping" of an offering. 

Clergy of Luther’s era hovered  around the deathbeds of the wealthy, to exploit the dying, pressuring them to leave theirestates to the church in exchange for promised spiritual favors.

So, it is today with pastors who hover around politicians and the powerful, feeding their own belly while neglecting the poor.

JPB

Today we talk about  “Transactional Christianity” aka "The Prosperity Gospel" as the link between a  faith based on love and grace to that of Christian nationalism,  a belief system based on health, wealth, success as the sign of God’s presence, using violence & force if necessary.

When Transactional Christian theology is nationalized, it suggests that a country (often America) is uniquely chosen by God. Any perceived decline—economic, moral, or cultural—is interpreted as spiritual failure, demanding militant restoration. Transactional Christianity travels in the cocoon of its own agenda, like that of a Christian tour bus visiting the war zone of a slaughter it started in the name of Jesus.

In contrast, Jesus said,  “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (Gospel of John 18:36).

Mass layoffs of federal worker's is trading gold for fools gold. Today we reflect on this practice, which will make us cringe in the coming decades. See the complete story at Gold Standard Traded for Fool's Gold.

In today's episode we tell the story about a newly discovered immigrant half-sister who brings with her an unexpected gift. God's teachings to us in Leviticus 19 and Hebrews 13 provide the basis for our own blessing in our treatment of immigrants in the United States. See the blog The Secret Gift of Immigration for full content and discussion.

What's Next for Christians in America? Pastor Jim gives voices to the issues that intersect faith and American life. In today's broadcast, we discuss the shuttering of the Voice of America and pastor Jim's creation of Views of America as he invites fellow pilgrims to embark on a journey of Wild Faith. Along the way, we will wrestle with subjects and issues where the path, while not easy, will be worth it.

See "Voice of America Gagged" as the blog inspiration for today's podcast.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
-Proverbs 31:8-9