Jake Lierman

Child of God

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

John McCain and I didn’t always agree, but he understood that some values transcended parties. He knew that if we got in the habit of bending the truth to suit political expediency or party orthodoxy, our democracy will not work.

John McCain had character. That’s what I think about so much these days because it’s so different from what we see out of the Republican nominee.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Sobered by last night and trying to practice what people call radical acceptance, not of a presidential candidate because surprising things happen. Just plainly sobered by the thought that, with other individuals to choose from, masses of people still hail Trump. He’s what they actually want in a leader. A bully. A verbally abusive, artfully and purposely divisive bully who has all but left the Republican Party unrecognizable. I don’t know. I just can’t understand it. Maybe I’ve got a mental block. But, you who are staunch Republicans, why don’t you care about your own party more than that?

Forgive me. I don’t want to be a repeat performance of my 2016 self. I don’t. I didn’t like her anymore than you did. I intend to deal differently with this. I do not intend to get obsessed. I do not intend to lose more relationships. I don’t intend to talk about this regularly.

As the Scriptures say, I want to seek peace and pursue it. I want to be a person of kindness, love and compassion.

But I’ve got to move to a place of radical acceptance. It was one thing to cast a vote for a party’s only candidate, reasoning the choice as the lesser of two evils. This is quite another thing. This is wide-open-eyed, “we WANT Trump!”

Anyway, this is where we are. We can complain all we want about our leaders but, in this government by the people, at the end of the day and the beginning of November, our candidates are mirrors of ourselves.

[Troy Mooney @TroyMooney]

Why are longtime conservative educators like me (lifelong R voter who voted for Abbott), posting and sharing this video?

Here is why:

Last Fall @GovAbbott recognized the statewide shortage of teachers, calling a special commission to address the issue. He was focused on public ed. But then, at some point he became fixated on vouchers and launched his Private school only tour where he began denouncing public ed calling us “Educrats” and indoctrinators.

His actions were then echoed by many in #txlege who began affirming their west texas donors. They started clout chasing voucher lobbyists (with photo ops, using their catchphrases) and blasting public school supporters as Anti Family and Anti-Freedom.

Then came the actual voucher bills in March.

The bills did not (and do not) actually guarantee any choice for parents. That could be remedied, but instead they created a choice only for the schools.

Further they exempted private schools from all the accountability and other compliance mandates which were being used to criticize schools.

“PubEd test scores are bad”—but voucher bills removed state testing requirements

“PubEd schools have too many admin”-but voucher bills exempted all the compliance, reporting, and mandates that require more admin etc.

Then there were the actual bill hearings where many #txlege used their time to fawn over lobbyists while blasting actual fellow conservative public school leaders

The icing was the recent public admission that the Governor is dangling any raise for teachers as a “carrot” for getting vouchers passed.

So here we are. Me, a long time R voter with Public, Private, and Charter service now finding alignment with the remaining pro public ed republicans and also leading Democrats, but largely abandoned by the state leadership.

[Bridget Eileen Rivera @TravelingNun]

Studies show that queer people who stay in the church are 30-55% more likely to die by suicide than those who leave.

Let that sink in.

We are MORE likely to die if we go to church on Sunday.

Jesus saves.

It’s time for his church to stop killing us.

[Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 @joncoopertweets]

BREAKING: In a SHOCKING move, two Texas Republicans just joined the Democrats to PASS the “Raise The Age” gun control bill out of committee in the Texas Legislature!

That's right – TEXAS!

Don't ever let anyone tell you we can't win. Because we WILL.

The NRA is freaking out, because they know this opens up a huge door for the rest of the country. I know from personal experience that sane local laws can lead to national exposure — and national CHANGE.

We're doing it!!!

More details below shortly on the next steps. 👇🧵

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

There are two kinds of “everyone is welcome” churches:

1. Everyone is welcome to conform to the church’s image of what a Christian looks like.

2. Everyone is welcome to fully embody the unique image God created them to be.

Run away from the first and run toward the second.

[Jake Lierman @JakeLierman]

Any of my Frenship Theatre alumni who are in town… if you’re free on Saturday April 22nd, I’m looking for a few people to help me run a 1A Regional One Act Play competition. If you’re free and willing to donate your time, let me know! 🙂

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

Toxic faith communities…

1. Claim God hates certain people

2. Equate doubt with sin

3. Work to silence dissent

4. Refuse to believe survivors

5. Protect abusers

6. Decry social justice

If any of these are true of your faith community, it’s time to find a new one.

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

When we Christians trade the kingdom of God in for political control, we begin to treat the gospel as a war on our culture, our theology as a weapon, our politics as a way to conquer our enemies, and we pursue vengeance while calling it “justice.”

We trade Jesus in for Caesar.

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

I just can’t imagine a scenario where I meet Jesus face to face and he says…

“You loved people too much and you welcomed too many people into the church.”

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

Some Christians are more offended by the idea of everyone going to heaven than everyone going to hell.

- Rachel Held Evans

[Jake Lierman @JakeLierman]

About 30 seconds in… this explains my mind so clearly.

[Heath Mayo @HeathMayo]

Lots of @BethMooreLPM honesty here: “I wasn’t surprised one iota by Trump. He was exactly who I thought. I felt like it was going to go down ugly for women. I was floored by my own corner of the evangelical world.”

This Christian thanks you, Beth!

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

They may continue to call it “deconstruction,” but in reality, it is simply the willingness to no longer accept damaging ideologies and practices propagated by those in positions of authority.

Deconstruction is simply the practice of critical thinking and upholding human dignity

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

We Christians don’t own truth or morality.

We don’t own our nation or its culture.

We don’t own marriage, family, or human sexuality.

We have convictions about these things, but so does everyone else.

Having deep convictions doesn’t give us the right to impose them on others.

[President Biden Archived @POTUS46Archive]

Let’s give public school teachers a raise.

[Jake Lierman @JakeLierman]

😂😂😂 epic!!!

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

Just realized I grew up being taught that it’s more “biblical” to hear the Gospel preached by a cartoon cucumber than a woman.

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

When we Christians become convinced that only we know the truth, that anyone who opposes us is on the side of evil, and things will only get better if we are in charge of all positions of power, that is when we know we are no longer worshiping God.

We are worshiping ourselves.

[James Talarico @jamestalarico]

In South Korea, teachers are called "nation builders."

Teaching is THE most important profession. Without it, there would be no other professions.

Instead of just calling teachers “heroes,” let’s pay them like heroes.

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

“It’s hard to convince people that a God they can’t see loves them when a church they can see doesn’t seem to like them.”

- John Alan Turner

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

A generation of Christians were told that those from other religions who tie their theology to guns and their nation’s flag are “terrorists,” all while being told that people in our religion who did the same thing are “patriots.”

This is the Christianity we are deconstructing.