This is my major News Years Resolution, but it is also a call I am sensing. I hope that such groups as Sojourners, our blogs here, and others, can join forces and create “RSS Rings” (???) and envision actions to rally for peace in Iraq, true “Compassion” in America, and a more sacraficial giving in emergencies such as the Tsunami tragedy.

But this is an issue that has been simmering in me since 11/2. Resistance is NOT futile, but sorely needed by the Church of Jesus Christ. A new idol, the Church of America, has supplanted the Christ in much of America. They claim that Jesus is not really the Prince of Peace as peace is tradijtionally held; that desperate situations require desperate measures, and that the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount cannot be applied to international relations. To that I say “Blasphemy”. Gnostic heresy, more deadly and serious than it ever was, for now we have such power to destroy life, and do it in isolation from its victims. And now, in this Century, with the great military firewall we have shielding our country from the true effects and costs of war, our citizens can be totally at the mercy of propaganda that says we are succeeding, while those who go there, and have been there, and have died there, know that we are not, and that we blaspheme the name of Jesus by claiming that he led us into this, and that our commander in chief is acting under the guidance of God. Hogwash.

So I want to DO something as an extension; as a RESULT; as an INCARNATE expression of this blog, and of any blog ring such as the one ICTHUS (Vaughn Thompson) suggests

ICTHUS: Progressive Christian Bloggers Network

if you identify with a more progressive Christianity, rooted in a politics of Jesus and the cross, or if you increasingly find your self to be a “resident alien” living in country that thinks its God’s gift to the world, you probably know who you are, you probably blog about these things, and it might be good to network together. Perhaps some good could come out of this. Such a network would be “free” to join but perhaps bloggers could pimp a link back to the Network website.
This is strictly a voluntary effort and I imagine that perhaps there would be a group blog that would be in place to give some voice to Progressive Christian Bloggers. I would take care of setting up a website and other technical details. Anyone who wanted to pitch in to help out with such an effort would be welcome.

This is like the Church of the Saviour’s ecclesiology: the sounding of CALL. I have attempted at various points to do this at a local level, but have not yet found the combination of supportive community (supportive at not only the theological level, but also the personal journey level, and techno-visionary level) to sustain such an effort.

If I have to move to the D.C. area to be closely connected to Sojourners, perhaps a coalition of CBF-For-Peace (the Co-oprative Baptist Fellowship, former Southern Baptists who had to shed their SBC shackles so they could be faithful to Jesus’ call), I will do so, but it is also extremely possible to do this locally, from a base here in Nashville, as a calling supported by my Tent-making profession (also Web related, and hopefully soon, Blog related).