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When we created The Christian Left as a Facebook group back in 2009, within weeks we started seeing people arrive saying, “John Fugelsang sent us over to your group!” We did a search and discovered John was a kindred spirit. We watched his comedy bits on YouTube and loved them! We reached out to John and that began a 15-year friendship. Now John has written a book! It will be out in August! We can’t wait to read it! The video at the bottom of this post is one of John’s comedy performances. We were in the audience when he performed the routine. It’s one not to be missed!  -- The Christian Left
A headline from a December 25, 2024 article by Joseph A. Wulfsohn says, “Bill Maher slams liberals cutting off family for the holidays over politics: ‘F---—off’” A member of The Christian Left team loves his MAGA father. He has tried very hard over the last 20 years to maintain a relationship with him. His dad is 83 and he retired 25 years ago. He’s consumed a steady diet of Rush Limbaugh, Fox “News,” Tucker Carlson, and other conservative entertainment daily for as long as it's been around, since the days of Bill Clinton. After the first 50 conversations ended with his father screaming, issuing the common insults, and saying "bulls---" over and over, he tried to establish a boundary with his dad when they talk or get together. No politics. Period. Ever. But how do you get together with family when topics of life’s struggles inevitably come up? Conversations about life’s struggles lead to matters of politics most of the time. The following is a short conversation our colleague recently had with his father. It’s a list of insults he’s heard from him all his life. What is a person to do with this? How do you move forward in a relationship with a person who views you this way? What if you don’t want to “cut them off?” None of this is easy, and we know Trump 2.0 is going to make matters like this far worse. We would like to start a conversation about it. What do people do? How do they react? What do you do when toxic Republican brainwashing affects family relationships? There are no simple answers to this problem. We’re looking for serious, thoughtful dialog. If you have input please reply on the comment thread on the social media post.  You can participate in the conversation about this blog post on our Facebook page here.
President Biden delivered a 17-minute farewell address to the United States on Wednesday. Below is a full transcript of his speech. My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and a hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year. This plan was developed and negotiated by my team, and it will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed. Because that’s how it should be: Working together as Americans. This will be my final address to you, the American people, from the Oval Office, from this desk, as president. And I’ve been thinking a lot about who we are and, maybe more importantly, who we should be. Long ago, in New York Harbor, an ironworker installed beam after beam, day after day. He was joined by steel workers, stonemasons, engineers. They built not just a single structure, but a beacon of freedom. The very idea of America was so big, we felt the entire world needed to see the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after our Civil War. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person but by many people, from every background, and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She’s on the march. And she literally moves. She was built to sway back and forth to withstand the fury of stormy weather, to stand the test of time because storms are always coming. She sways a few inches, but she never falls into the current below. An engineering marvel. The Statue of Liberty is also an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation, a soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart. And yet, through good times and tough times, we have withstood it all. A nation of pioneers and explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by force. A nation of immigrants who came to build a better life. A nation holding the torch of the most powerful idea ever in the history of the world: that all of us, all of us are created equal. That all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness. That democracy must defend, and be defined, and be imposed, moved in every way possible: Our rights, our freedoms, our dreams. But we know the idea of America, our institution, our people, our values that uphold it, are constantly being tested. Ongoing debates about power and the exercise of power. About whether we lead by the example of our power or the power of our example. Whether we show the courage to stand up to the abuse of power, or we yield to it. After 50 years at the center of all of this, I know that believing in the idea of America means respecting the institutions that govern a free society — the presidency, the Congress, the courts, a free and independent press. Institutions that are rooted — not just reflect the timeless words, but they — they echo the words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Rooted in the timeless words of the Constitution: “We the People.” Our system of separation of powers, checks and balances — it may not be perfect, but it’s maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years, longer than any other nation in history that’s ever tried such a bold experiment. In the past four years, our democracy has held strong. And every day, I’ve kept my commitment to be president for all Americans, through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history. I’ve had a great partner in Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s been the honor of my life to see the resilience of essential workers getting us through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the heroism of service members and first responders keeping us safe, the determination of advocates standing up for our rights and our freedoms. Instead of losing their jobs to an economic crisis that we inherited, millions of Americans now have the dignity of work. Millions of entrepreneurs and companies, creating new businesses and industries, hiring American workers, using American products. And together, we have launched a new era of American possibilities: one of the greatest modernizations of infrastructure in our entire history, from new roads, bridges, clean water, affordable high-speed internet for every American. We invented the semiconductor, smaller than the tip of my little finger, and now is bringing those chip factories and those jobs back to America where they belong, creating thousands of jobs. Finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for millions of seniors. And finally doing something to protect our children and our families by passing the most significant gun safety law in 30 years. And bringing violent crime to a 50-year low. Meeting our sacred obligation to over one million veterans so far who were exposed to toxic materials, and to their families, providing medical care and education benefits and more for their families. You know, it will take time to feel the full impact of all we’ve done together. But the seeds are planted, and they’ll grow, and they’ll bloom for decades to come. At home, we have created nearly 17 million new jobs, more than any other single administration in a single term. More people have health care than ever before. And overseas, we have strengthened NATO. Ukraine is still free. And we’ve pulled ahead in our competition with China. And so much more. I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people, and I wish the incoming administration success. Because I want America to succeed. That’s why I’ve upheld my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power to ensure we lead by the power of our example. I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed. That’s why my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had. Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal, and it helped put us on the path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century any nation the world has ever seen. We’ve got to do that again. The last four years, that is exactly what we have done. People should be able to make as much as they can, but pay — play by the same rules, pay their fair share in taxes. So much is at stake. Right now, the existential threat of climate change has never been clearer. Just look across the country, from California to North Carolina. That’s why I signed the most significant climate and clean energy law ever, ever in the history of the world. And the rest of the world is trying to model it now. It’s working, creating jobs and industries of the future. Now we have proven we don’t have to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy. We’re doing both. But powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interests for power and profit. We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our grandchildren. We must keep pushing forward, and push faster. There is no time to waste. It is also clear that American leadership in technology is unparalleled, an unparalleled source of innovation that can transform lives. We see the same dangers in the concentration of technology, power and wealth. You know, in his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. He warned us that about, and I quote, “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power.” Six days — six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well. Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families and our very democracy from the abuse of power. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time, perhaps of all time. Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy, and our security, our society. For humanity. Artificial intelligence even has the potential to help us answer my call to end cancer as we know it. But unless safeguards are in place, A.I. could spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy, how we work, and how we protect our nation. We must make sure A.I. is safe and trustworthy and good for all humankind. In the age of A.I., it’s more important than ever that the people must govern. And as the Land of Liberty, America — not China — must lead the world in the development of A.I. You know, in the years ahead, it’s going to be up to the president, the presidency, the Congress, the courts, the free press, and the American people to confront these powerful forces. We must reform the tax code. Not by giving the biggest tax cuts to billionaires, but by making them begin to pay their fair share. We need to get dark money — that’s that hidden funding behind too many campaign contributions — we need to get it out of our politics. We need to enact an 18-year time limit, term limit, time and term, for the strongest ethics — and the strongest ethics reforms for our Supreme Court. We need to ban members of Congress from trading stock while they are in the Congress. We need to amend the Constitution to make clear that no president, no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office. The president’s power is not limit — it is not absolute. And it shouldn’t be. And in a democracy, there is another danger — that the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division. Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning, and people don’t feel like they have a fair shot. We have to stay engaged in the process. I know it’s frustrating. A fair shot is what makes America America. Everyone is entitled to a fair shot, not a guarantee, just a fair shot, an even playing field. Going as far as your hard work and talent can take you. We can never lose that essential truth to remain who we are. I’ve always believed, and I told other world leaders, America will be defined by one word: possibilities. Only in America do we believe anything is possible. Like a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, sitting behind this desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States. That is the magic of America. It’s all around us. Upstairs in the residence of the White House, I’ve walked by a painting of a Statue of Liberty I don’t how many times. In the painting there are several workers climbing on the outstretched arm of the statue that holds the torch. It reminds me every day I pass it of the story and soul of our nation, and the power of the American people. There is a story of a veteran — a veteran, a son of an immigrant, whose job was to climb that torch and polish the amber panes so rays of light could reach out as far as possible. He was known as the keeper of the flame. He once said of the Statue of Liberty, “Speaks a silent, universal language, one of hope that anyone who seeks and speaks freedom can understand.” Yes, we sway back and forth to withstand the fury of the storm, to stand the test of time, a constant struggle, constant struggle. A short distance between peril and possibility. But what I believe is the America of our dreams is always closer than we think. And it’s up to us to make our dreams come true. Let me close by stating my gratitude to so many people. To the members of my administration, as well as public service and first responders across the country and around the world, thank you for stepping up to serve. To our service members and their families, it has been the highest honor of my life to lead you as commander in chief. And of course, to Kamala and her incredible partner. A historic vice president. She and Doug have become like family. And to me, family is everything. My deepest appreciation to our amazing first lady who is with me in the Oval today. For our entire family. You are the love of my life and the life of my love. My eternal thanks to you, the American people. After 50 years of public service, I give you my word, I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands — a nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it, too. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor. - President Joe Biden, January 15, 2025  Sen. Joni Ernst expressed doubt and skepticism about Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary ... then she didn't. That is very troubling. Turns out the swarm of MAGA attacks against Ernst changed her mind and served as a warning of what’s in store for anyone who express skepticism of Trump's personnel choices.
The process of "advice and consent" appears in Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution to describe the Senate's role in the nomination and confirmation process for federal appointees. Trump and his MAGA militia have all but eliminated the process via harassment and threats. Throw in Elon Musk's money and threats to "Primary" office holders and we'd call this a full-fledged constitutional crisis. When one considers virtually unlimited PAC money thanks to "Citizens United" and it's a very well-funded constitutional crisis. Plenty of thought has already gone in to this crisis. We highly recommend reading the following articles and watching the linked video. Things are moving rapidly. It could be now or never when it comes to preserving the American experiment. We don't say so lightly. Trump’s Brownshirts (Robert Reich Substack) Wiki (Sturmabteilung) Trump allies adopt new strategy for nominees: Make the doubters pay (Politico) 'Swarm of MAGA attacks' making Hegseth confirmation seem more likely: report (Alternet) Is Trump Building an Army of Modern Blackshirts? (The Nation) Biden pardons won’t stop Trump from seeking revenge against Jan 6 Committee members - Marc Elias (Youtube) Marc Elias is one of the the nation's foremost experts on the topic of elections and constitutional law. There are few, if any people with more expertise. His website, "Democracy Docket" is one of the best sources of information available. -- The Christian Left  Countering Christian Nationalism
Join Sojourners for an online conversation: Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. EDT Register Here Eroding civil rights. Undercutting democratic norms. Endorsing violence to maintain power. Upholding white supremacy. Distorting faith for political gain. Every day seems to bring a new example of the threat of rising Christian nationalism but how do we dismantle it? In this online panel from Sojourners magazine, Christian nationalism experts and faith leaders will explore the hopeful actions that can counter this deadly set of beliefs. Panelists will explain what Christian nationalism is (and isn’t), offer examples of actions to help end it, and articulate a path forward that neither stifles the participation of people of faith in public life nor threatens a vibrant, democratic, and just future for all. "Sojourners is an ecumenical Christian media and advocacy organization that works towards social and racial justice. Sojourners publishes an award-winning magazine, produces daily news and commentary on sojo.net." Sojourners is a promotional partner with The Christian Left. We have the highest respect for everything they do. -- The Christian Left
Important Update: In the recent Live Event for 'Christians For Kamala' Charles Toy mentioned 'one of our biggest concerns about the upcoming election.' He said it was the top blog post on our blog. Since this post is now the top blog post we're going to link the 'Top Concern' post here so it doesn't get lost if people are looking of for it. The topic is too important to get lost. Here is that link: "Our Biggest Concern for the 2024 Election."
We were recently asked to participate with "Christians For Kamala." We were honored to be asked and we agreed to do everything we can to help.
The first live event took place on August 12th, and it was a great success! The Youtube video of the entire event is above. The Christian Left was represented by the Founder Charles Toy, (2:59:45 in the video), Co-founder Mark Sandlin, (1:57:35 in the video), & official Action Partner Doug Pagitt, with Vote Common Good, (2:39:37 in the video). Two outside links were mentioned by Charles Toy in his segment. We're linking them here for your convenience. Here's the link to the outstanding documentary, 'God and Country,' (which is now steaming on Amazon Prime and most streaming outlets) and here's the link to the POLITICO article, 'The Real Origins of the Religious Right.' This article is the best summary out there of what really happened. Here's the website for "Christians For Kamala." You can still sign up to participate in all future activities and make a contribution if you're able. Our History We've spent the last 15 years serving Christian progressives and their allies. In 2009 we looked around and determined it was a very underserved community. We decided we wanted to dedicate our lives to 'being the change' we wanted to see in the world. Our core message has been centered on one concept, as Christians we need to get back to the words, teachings and life of that guy at the center of our faith, Jesus. Christianity in the US has gone off the rails in a big way. Lately, the notion of "Christian Nationalism," has become a serious problem. We can't say enough about the new documentary film, "God & Country!" It echoes sentiments we've expressed for 15 years! We've worked with most of the commentators featured in the film. It's available to stream now. Please check it out by following the link in this paragraph. We promise you'll be glad you did! Over 15 years we have built a community across multiple social media platforms: • The Christian Left Facebook Page (our main platform), 375K followers; • Progressive Christians & Friends Facebook Page (2nd Facebook Page), 139K followers; • The Christian Left X (Twitter) Page, 19K followers; • The Christian Left Instagram Page, 18K followers; • The Christian Left Threads Page, 8K followers; • The Christian Left Website; • The Christian Left Blog (5,000+ Unique Visitors per Month); • The Christian Left Email List; • The Christian Left & Sojourners Magazine. We'll be spending all the days leading up to the election doing everything we can to help Kamala Harris get elected. We will engage with our community members on all of the above platforms. The Christian Left Facebook Page is where most of the action happens. We can't say it enough. It's an honor to be working with "Christians For Kamala." 
-- The Christian Left
Trump Loyalists Refusing To Certify The Election If He Loses No one explains it better than the great Rachel Maddow. Maddow: Pro-Trump administrators are already in place to subvert the 2024 election Maddow points out frightening truth about Trump's lack of concern about votes Additional information can be found in a recent, well-researched article in Rolling Stone. The article is linked directly below. This is information everyone needs to be aware of. People in positions where they can do something about this need to address this problem well before Election Day. After that, it will be too late. These Swing State Election Officials Are Pro-Trump Election Deniers "Nearly 70 pro-Trump conspiracists are election officials in key battleground counties — and they are poised to make a giant mess on Election Day" By Justin Glawe - Rolling Stone, July 29, 2024 Here's another article: Get Ready Now: Republicans Will Refuse to Certify a Harris Win Trumpist county election officials are preparing to throw the process into chaos. We've been asking as many people as we can what can be done about this. So far, one valuable bit of knowledge we've gained is the name and website of the person who probably knows more than anyone else in the country about this problem: Founder of Democracy Docket and Partner at Elias Law Group, Marc Elias. We strongly encourage you to visit his website and read over the articles he's written. Here's the direct like to Democracy Docket if the above link doesn't work for you. https://www.democracydocket.com/author/marc_elias/ Update August 14, 2024 Rachel has been talking about the following report and she announced it a couple days ago when it came out. She says it's important for everyone to read. "A legal roadmap to protect the 2024 election including from 35 officials who have refused to certify results." "In this report, CREW identifies 35 rogue election officials across the country who have already refused to certify election results and may be in a position to do so again. The report focuses on the eight states where county officials have unlawfully refused to certify elections since 2020: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The report also identifies the legal remedies available to state and federal authorities, as well as voters, to protect the certification of the 2024 election." Link to the website where you can download the report as a PDF is below. https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/election-certification-under-threat/ -- The Christian Left
WE'RE IN THE MAY ISSUE OF SOJOURNERS MAGAZINE! Sojourners is the oldest and largest magazine in the nation catering to Christian progressives. A few months ago they reached out to us with a proposal for a promotional partnership. The first result of the partnership is a full-page ad in their May, 2024 issue featuring The Christian Left! We couldn't be more excited about it!   Here's the full-page ad from page 38 of the magazine.  Stay tuned for more exciting news about our promotional partnership! -- The Christian Left
Don't take our word about Charlie Kirk. Read all about his litany of lies here. Charlie is a fake "Christian" of the most dangerous variety. He travels around to churches and brainwashes the members with lies that have absolutely nothing to do with anything Jesus said or did. Charlie says you can't be a Christian and vote for a Democrat. Here he is in action. Go to 51:47 in the video: Charlie is against most of what Jesus taught, therefore he is against Jesus. He is to be avoided like the disease he is. Pray for his soul, but avoid him.  Like most fake "Christians" Charlie likes to harp, and harp, and harp about things Jesus either never talked about, or spoke about but Charlie and the gang don't get: Abortion and Homosexuality. Meanwhile Charlie ignores the bulk of the main topics Jesus spoke about.
Typical. Neither of Charlie's fav' topics are settled Theology, not even by a long shot. (See more on this here, and here). The main points Jesus made over and over ARE settled Theology. Charlie ignores them. A fundraiser was started on our behalf by our action partners at Vote Common Good in late 2022. We appreciate everyone who has contributed to the fund! Contributions to the goal amount passed the halfway mark in June. Can you help us chip away at this goal so we can wrap up the fundraiser and resume our normal activities? We don't have outside funding other than you. We're not sponsored by any church or corporation. We've always been grassroots and we've always operated on a shoestring budget. The link just below will take you to the fund. You can also click on the graphic below. Thanks so much. Please help us dig out of this hole once and for all.  |
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