God called — S/He left a message …
… Actually, three different messages today from faith-based groups. Two of them obviously think God’s pretty progressive, and their mid-October events are planned accordingly. The third thinks S/He’s against mandatory year-round schools, because they’ll mess up Vacation Bible School. Their event is this Sunday. For details, read on below the fold –
Message No. 1 is from the NC Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality. (Marriage equality means equal treatment under the law for straight and gay couples. Somebody remind me why that’s an issue for the conservatives?) They’re having an ecumenical service at Pullen Baptist Church in Raleigh on October 14, with the Rev. Dr. James Forbes–from NYC’s Riverside Church–in the pulpit. Starts at 10:30 am, lunch and Q&A with Forbes at 12. That should be good.
Message No. 2 is from the “Faith & Money Conference” sponsored by Duke University Chapel, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, Good Work, Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Sabbath Economics Collaborative, Self-Help Credit Union, and the NC Council of Churches. It’s also October 14, 9 am-4:30 pm, at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Durham. It’s about investing your money, or your church’s money, so that it does some social good. And it features theologian Ched Myers, who is not as famous as Forbes, but is a star when it comes to “discipleship economics.”
Message No. 3 is from the conservative pews, namely Called2Action, which as mentioned is joining forces with the anti- mandatory-year-round schools crowd. The meeting they’re pitching — Sunday, 2 pm, in the Apex Town Hall complex — isn’t explicitly about defeating the $970 million school bond issue in Wake County. But many of the C2A folks prefer religious schools (and vouchers) to public education, so it could be a, what, marriage made in heaven? They probably think so, anyway.