Dear Ron, I read with interest your latest blog , WANTED: A FEW MORE SCHOLARS/POPULARIZERS/ACTIVISTS! I had never even heard the term popularizer, and although I certainly guessed its definition , I looked it up ..
1 to make popular; make attractive to the general public 2 to make or cause to become easily understandable or acceptable
Sir, I know I have been harsh with you for your stand for backing Joe Biden and consequently by default supporting the far left agenda of abortion, LGBTQ , open borders , anti law and order and on and on; the policies that are destroying
America . I have indeed been harsh but not because I hate you ,or my own beloved Mother ,who follows and votes your mindset. The fact is I love you, as a fellow Christian and as man made in the image if God. Therefore I speak thevtruth to you.
Jeremiah the prophet, my name sake, immediately came to my mind as an example of a man that pleased God rather than the general public. Also these verses sum up who Jeremiah was and what his ministry was about.
1 Thessalonians 2:4
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Now I say these things not to hurt you , but if they do and cause you to rethink your work of popularizing , then I rejoice .
One of the biggest problems we face in America right now is the homeless situation . I seriously doubt mixing evangelism with activism ,socialism and popularism will help combat the problem . Cities like LA and SF are in absolute confusion, being overun by a huge homeless problem most of which us due to drug addiction and the consequetial mental illness addiction brings.... self destructive behavior! LA is currently trying to hide the problem for the upcoming Superbowl rather than solve it .This is a pattern . Coddling these people has only made the problem grow. They are allowed to camp ,litter, urinate and defecate any where they want without consequenses. They are not required to obey the law ! Do I hate them because I tell the truth about the problem ? In no way .
Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Most cities had and have Vagrancy Laws which now are ignored or done away with . Enforcing the law rather than supporting self destructive drug addiction is the key . Murders of innocent victims like the UCLA student in LA, are the direct result of left wing politicians and their social Godless policies. It is abundently clear ...
So in conclusion I hope rhis letter makes you rethink your position on popularuzing and politics . You have never responded to me and I invite you to do so .
I'm not a great popularizer. My background is eclectic and I learn by leaps and so communication is a struggle for me. 11.5 years ago, I wrote "Towards a Winner-Doesn't-Take-All Electoral system" that focuses on the one thing needful: subverting the rivalry caused by our winner-takes-all electoral system in the US. This entails US finding a way to evolve our presidential system so neither major party can dominate and minorities who practice the politics of Jesus/Tolstoy/Gandhi/MLKjr can more readily move the center while other small groups who believe compromise in politics is a sin, instead trying to game the system, shall not prevail.
It fits with a vision that I believe is consistent with how Christianity began being radically decentralized and having local rules of faith that they dialogued with each other on. I'd like for the US to have two major parties, each specializing in leadership on a subset of issues; minor parties who champion minority rights & contest the major parties and local third parties(LTPs) who either raise up neglected issues both by MLKjr-like activism and contesting more local election and voting strategically together in other elections or who are vents for extremists that might win some seats but will be locked out of power by the two major parties and their supporters exit threats into minor parties and LTPs.
I'm looking for help in popularizing this, because I believe Trump is God's holy fool and that there will be a Trumplosion that causes us to have a major partisan realignment that will make it feasible to get strategic mix of electoral and campaign finance reforms for the US that together will be greater than the sum of their parts!!
If we had a transformed system with 2 new major parties, a bunch of minor parties and a whole lot of LTPs then it'd be much easier for followers of Christ to make participation in the remaking of the rules that govern our neighbors and ourselves a critical but not central part of how we love our neighbors and ourselves w/o getting entangled in the rivalry among the major and minor parties. We'd affect such, but be more easily resistant to being captured by such.
Ron, I'd like to share with you that your book, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger", changed my life. After reading your book (I read it just last year) I realized I wasn't giving enough and felt convicted. I increased my giving and also radically re-thought where I gave it. I decided to focus more directly on organizations that assisted the poor in practical ways. One of my favorite is "Opportunity".
I am seminary trained and love to write. After reading your book I changed what I was writing about, and decided I needed to focus more on social justice.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that writing needs to be at a popular level to reach people.
It is better to be a popularizer than a scholar. But I see no reason why it can't be combined. Obery Hendricks (Christians Against Christianity, and The Politics of Jesus) does a very good job of that, as does your books.
Thank you for the difference your books have made.
Ron, I have been reading your popular scholarship ever since "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" and appreciate your blogs, this one especially. Your writing has been a model for my own attempts to write in a way that communicate as Jesus did, connecting to the highly educated elite and fishermen at the same time.
This is great coaching. Thanks for bridging not one gap but many in what is described here.
Dear Ron, I read with interest your latest blog , WANTED: A FEW MORE SCHOLARS/POPULARIZERS/ACTIVISTS! I had never even heard the term popularizer, and although I certainly guessed its definition , I looked it up ..
1 to make popular; make attractive to the general public 2 to make or cause to become easily understandable or acceptable
Sir, I know I have been harsh with you for your stand for backing Joe Biden and consequently by default supporting the far left agenda of abortion, LGBTQ , open borders , anti law and order and on and on; the policies that are destroying
America . I have indeed been harsh but not because I hate you ,or my own beloved Mother ,who follows and votes your mindset. The fact is I love you, as a fellow Christian and as man made in the image if God. Therefore I speak thevtruth to you.
Jeremiah the prophet, my name sake, immediately came to my mind as an example of a man that pleased God rather than the general public. Also these verses sum up who Jeremiah was and what his ministry was about.
1 Thessalonians 2:4
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Now I say these things not to hurt you , but if they do and cause you to rethink your work of popularizing , then I rejoice .
One of the biggest problems we face in America right now is the homeless situation . I seriously doubt mixing evangelism with activism ,socialism and popularism will help combat the problem . Cities like LA and SF are in absolute confusion, being overun by a huge homeless problem most of which us due to drug addiction and the consequetial mental illness addiction brings.... self destructive behavior! LA is currently trying to hide the problem for the upcoming Superbowl rather than solve it .This is a pattern . Coddling these people has only made the problem grow. They are allowed to camp ,litter, urinate and defecate any where they want without consequenses. They are not required to obey the law ! Do I hate them because I tell the truth about the problem ? In no way .
Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Most cities had and have Vagrancy Laws which now are ignored or done away with . Enforcing the law rather than supporting self destructive drug addiction is the key . Murders of innocent victims like the UCLA student in LA, are the direct result of left wing politicians and their social Godless policies. It is abundently clear ...
So in conclusion I hope rhis letter makes you rethink your position on popularuzing and politics . You have never responded to me and I invite you to do so .
In Christ , Jeremy Bert
I'm not a great popularizer. My background is eclectic and I learn by leaps and so communication is a struggle for me. 11.5 years ago, I wrote "Towards a Winner-Doesn't-Take-All Electoral system" that focuses on the one thing needful: subverting the rivalry caused by our winner-takes-all electoral system in the US. This entails US finding a way to evolve our presidential system so neither major party can dominate and minorities who practice the politics of Jesus/Tolstoy/Gandhi/MLKjr can more readily move the center while other small groups who believe compromise in politics is a sin, instead trying to game the system, shall not prevail.
http://rationalargumentator.com/issue261/winnerdoesnttakeall.html
It fits with a vision that I believe is consistent with how Christianity began being radically decentralized and having local rules of faith that they dialogued with each other on. I'd like for the US to have two major parties, each specializing in leadership on a subset of issues; minor parties who champion minority rights & contest the major parties and local third parties(LTPs) who either raise up neglected issues both by MLKjr-like activism and contesting more local election and voting strategically together in other elections or who are vents for extremists that might win some seats but will be locked out of power by the two major parties and their supporters exit threats into minor parties and LTPs.
I'm looking for help in popularizing this, because I believe Trump is God's holy fool and that there will be a Trumplosion that causes us to have a major partisan realignment that will make it feasible to get strategic mix of electoral and campaign finance reforms for the US that together will be greater than the sum of their parts!!
If we had a transformed system with 2 new major parties, a bunch of minor parties and a whole lot of LTPs then it'd be much easier for followers of Christ to make participation in the remaking of the rules that govern our neighbors and ourselves a critical but not central part of how we love our neighbors and ourselves w/o getting entangled in the rivalry among the major and minor parties. We'd affect such, but be more easily resistant to being captured by such.
Ron, I'd like to share with you that your book, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger", changed my life. After reading your book (I read it just last year) I realized I wasn't giving enough and felt convicted. I increased my giving and also radically re-thought where I gave it. I decided to focus more directly on organizations that assisted the poor in practical ways. One of my favorite is "Opportunity".
I am seminary trained and love to write. After reading your book I changed what I was writing about, and decided I needed to focus more on social justice.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that writing needs to be at a popular level to reach people.
It is better to be a popularizer than a scholar. But I see no reason why it can't be combined. Obery Hendricks (Christians Against Christianity, and The Politics of Jesus) does a very good job of that, as does your books.
Thank you for the difference your books have made.
Ron, I have been reading your popular scholarship ever since "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" and appreciate your blogs, this one especially. Your writing has been a model for my own attempts to write in a way that communicate as Jesus did, connecting to the highly educated elite and fishermen at the same time.
My personal opinion is that you have made an enormous contribution to the Reign of God on earth.