Nowhere has this tendency flourished more colorfully than in American Christianity. It’s no surprise that Christianity has, over the centuries, succumbed to interpretations of the gospel that conform more closely to our very human fears and desires. As hard as we may try, we are all influenced, even seduced, by another list:īlessed are the winners … the successful … the wealthy … the powerful … the great … the healthy … the beautiful … the comfortable … These precepts couldn’t be more different from the world’s – and particularly our American – notion of bliss. The Beatitudes offer a vision of true happiness, blessing, and divine favor that still startles us, no matter how many times we’ve heard the words:īlessed are the poor in spirit … they who mourn … the meek … they who hunger and thirst for righteousness … the merciful … the clean of heart … the peacemakers … they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness … (Matthew 5:1-12) Last Sunday’s gospel reading from Matthew featured one of the most famous “listicles” of Christianity: the passage from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus defines blessedness. In various forms, it has shaped President Trump and millions of others since our country’s beginnings
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