Friday, July 24, 2009



I'm still pondering the following quote:

"Abraham Lincoln had it right. Our task should not be to invoke religion and the name of God by claiming God's blessing and endorsement for all our national policies and practices -- saying, in effect, that God is on our side. Rather, Lincoln said, we should pray and worry earnestly whether we are on God's side.

"Those are the two ways that religion has been brought into public life in American history. The first way -- God on our side -- leads inevitably to triumphalism, self-righteousness, bad theology, and, often, dangerous foreign policy. The second way -- asking if we are on God's side -- leads to much healthier things, namely, pentitance and even repentance, humility, reflection, and even accountability."

Jim Wallis

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

3 comments:

Buffy said...

How true. It's a pity more of the nations' leaders haven't thought like this.

Anne said...

wow. That really makes things clear. Great quote.

faerieeva said...

A really great quote. As a newcommer, I always wonder if "God bless America" begs Gods blessing over this wonderful country, or whether it is a declaration. It is wonderful to see how an early president considered that very same issue.