Just Faith Reading List - Introduction to Dissent

The "Just Faith" program is a 30-week session where attendees learn the ropes of "social teaching" or at least the progressive version according to Jack Jezreel, the founder.  Much reading is done, and there is a reading list.  The Just Faith people have put this reading list on Amazon, so that the attendees can just click once to buy the whole kit and kaboodle.  Here it is.  A perusal of this list will tell a lot.  A goodly portion is benign, but there are a few clues contained therein of the real progressive nature of Just Faith. 

One such book is entitled "The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium".  It's by Walter Wink.  A google search of his name reveals that he has written other books.  One is "Homosexuality and the Bible".  A glowing review of this book is to be found on Soulforce's webpage (that says a lot right there, doesn't it?).  Here is a key snippet as he puts his spin on the Old Testament.   He says of Jewish prohibitions against homosexual relations: "One can appreciate how a tribe struggling to populate a country in which its people were outnumbered would value procreation highly, but such values are rendered questionable in a world facing uncontrolled overpopulation." (emphasis mine)  In other words, one can understand the reasons why sodomy was prohibited in ancient Israel, but now that we've got "overpopulation" (another progressive myth) on our hands anyway, there's no real reason to forbid sodomy or other perversions - got that?  Please read that page for other gems, e.g., how he tries to make the claim that St Paul was ignorant of homosexuality.  Now how's this for an article on social justice - entitled "Jesus and Alinsky"?  Is this the sort of man whom Catholics should be studying?


Barbara Ballenger is another interesting author.  Another of her works is to be found on the website of Future Church.  It's entitled "What's the Good Word on Lay Preaching?"  A little below that is a link entitled "Scripture passages that subordinate women - make sure they don't happen in your parish".  What more need I say?

Robert Mcafee Brown (now deceased) seemed to have been quite a proponent of liberation theology.  To be fair,we cannot call him "dissident" as he was Presbyterian, not Catholic.  For one so interested in social justice, he seemed peculiarly indifferent to the life issues and sexual morality that underpin all the issues.  Read here for an article whereby he disregards Jerry Falwell's (also deceased) focus on these matters.

The book by Eknath Easwaran holds Ghandi out to be not only a political leader, but a spiritual leader.  Catholics cannot give that thinking any affirmation whatsoever, without being inherently schismatic.  Read more of his biography and ask again if this man should be held as an authority to Catholics.

We see a book by Sojourner founder Jim Wallis.  Go to the Sojourner website and see the bevy of progressive causes embraced therein: climate change (hoax), open borders,   He trashes the Tea Party movement, too.  He says, "Finally, I am just going to say it. There is something wrong with a political movement like the Tea Party which is almost all white. Does that mean every member of the Tea Party is racist? Likely not. But is an undercurrent of white resentment part of the Tea Party ethos, and would there even be a Tea Party if the president of the United States weren’t the first black man to occupy that office?"  I guess he's never been to Tea Parties.  I have.  I've seen all kinds of races, nationalities there.  Now it's my turn to be bold.  These progressives like to sling race into everything - which is itself racist!  Mr. Wallis, are you reading?

I'll close this rather lengthy post by saying that the books on the Just Faith list may not be too outrageous, but they (and the whole program) do lend undeserved credibility to the more insidious works.  They in fact prime the attendees to be more receptive to liberation theology and progressive dissent.