Recommended Reading and Listening 3-24-16 edition

Recommended Reading and Listening

CCCUCC in the News Earlier this year, CCCUCC hosted an event for families with transgender children and their allies.  At that event was the creator of a podcast from here in KC who interviewed me and others re: our advocacy for LGBTQ people.  The podcast is  Unblocked--take a listen and subscribe to it. Good quote from CCCUCC member Jan Parks who chairs the Education Task Force of MORE2 about KCMO's inconsistent use of tax abatement to spur development. MORE2 in the News CCCUCC is one of the congregations in MORE2, a coalition of faith communities working for racial and economic equity.  One of the organizations in MORE2 is AIRR (Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation.   Here's a story about their monthly marches for immigrant rights.  If you want more information, contact CCCUCC's own Martyn Howgill. "Recruiting to Fight Social Injustice"--a nice article  and video story on FlatlandKC and KCPT's Beyond Belief A good story on KMBC about MORE2's "honest conversations on race" Faith and the Election Season It's an ugly election season to say the least, and religion plays a huge part in the ugliness.  Here are some articles I found interesting as I try to make sense of this political time we are living in. Political Xenophobia: Back and Stronger Than Ever: A History of American Nativism How Christianity Explains Trump How Kasich's Religion is Hurting Him With Republicans Will the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Be a Realigning Election? by CCCUCC's own poli-sci prof Michael Smith The Rise of American Authoritarianism  Donald Trump and the Death and the Death Knell of White Supremacy Evangelicals' Support of Trump Shouldn't Come as a Surprise Here's Who Supports Donald Trump and Why What Jesus Wouldn't Do How Ted Cruz Lost the Evangelical Vote The Violence of Donald Trump: There's an Undercurrent of Violence Bubbling Underneath Each Trump Event Defining Disgraceful Why Donald Trump's Glitzy Style is Attracting Evangelicals  Race and Racism This is a great essay which explains in a non-threatening way what privilege looks like and what happens when we lose it. "America has locked up so many black people it has warped our sense of reality" "A Quick Summary of Why Only White People Want to 'Make America Great Again'" God and American Culture Kansas Violence Poses Theological Dilemma for Mennonites--Wow! An inspiring story of how a Mennonite community responds to a mass shooting--without offering easy answers or solutions but rather love and grief in the face of violence The Passion a modern re-telling of the original Holy Week aired on TV last Sunday night.  I felt this critique pretty much nailed my thoughts about it. "Christianity Doesn't Need More Cynics: It Needs More People Selling Hope" Misc. Stuff I think is Cool Books that help children grieve the death of a pet--I have Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant which is on this list and it's awesome. I love reading those tacky church signs with awful religious puns.  This sarcastic and satirical story imagines what would happen if one of those church sign messages brought religious revival to an entire town.   Change is Inevitable but Transformation is Optional--a great essay by Amy Butler, pastor of Riverside Church in NYC Good news for small churches--at least the innovative ones.  "In the age of Megachurches, Sometimes Less is More" A Cancer Survivor Designs Cards She Wishes She Had Received From Her Friends