ourCovenant https://ourcovenant.us/ Living better together in our democratic republic Mon, 19 Sep 2022 15:05:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://i0.wp.com/ourcovenant.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-book-c-halfo.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 ourCovenant https://ourcovenant.us/ 32 32 209115776 Conservative Evangelicals – Scripture, Community Building, Pluralism https://ourcovenant.us/conservative-evangelicals/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 20:38:00 +0000 https://demo.flawlessthemes.com/ft-charity-ngo-free/?p=61 Toxic polarization is dividing the conservative evangelical church and others and taking its toll on pastors. There are some evangelical Christian conservatives who are receptive to conspiracies and misinformation and have expressed their anger through confrontation both in and outside the church. However there are also congregation members who are distressed about divisions within the […]

The post Conservative Evangelicals – Scripture, Community Building, Pluralism appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> Toxic polarization is dividing the conservative evangelical church and others and taking its toll on pastors. There are some evangelical Christian conservatives who are receptive to conspiracies and misinformation and have expressed their anger through confrontation both in and outside the church.

However there are also congregation members who are distressed about divisions within the church and beyond. Citizen Data reports 64% of conservatives are concerned about polarization and potentially are amenable to improving the status quo. As part of an initiative to build trust and deepen respect and civility a group of evangelical pastors and others will be invited to develop a discussion guide for table discussions with interested church members connecting scripture to building virtuous communities.

These gatherings will be supported as meetings are expanded within the church to other potentially interested members and also replicated across the US so that a plurality of members serve as public witness and essential moral partners in our democracy.

Podcasts and social media will encourage more pastors and congregations to participate. This has the promise of reaffirming the evangelical community’s commitment to core values and a path to being a force for positive engagement in our pluralistic democracy.

The post Conservative Evangelicals – Scripture, Community Building, Pluralism appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> 61 Community Partnerships https://ourcovenant.us/community-partnerships/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 20:35:00 +0000 https://demo.flawlessthemes.com/ft-charity-ngo-free/?p=59 This is an all-hands-on deck moment that calls for collaborations with organizations working to deepen ties among communities of varied faiths, increase civility and respect for one another and engage in efforts that strengthen civil society and our democratic republic. Our partners will include organizations working across faith communities, theological seminaries and educational institutions, leadership […]

The post Community Partnerships appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> This is an all-hands-on deck moment that calls for collaborations with organizations working to deepen ties among communities of varied faiths, increase civility and respect for one another and engage in efforts that strengthen civil society and our democratic republic. Our partners will include organizations working across faith communities, theological seminaries and educational institutions, leadership associations, houses of worship, national and regional organizations and faith movements, the academy and philanthropy.

The post Community Partnerships appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> 59 An Informed Public https://ourcovenant.us/informed-public/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 20:33:00 +0000 https://demo.flawlessthemes.com/ft-charity-ngo-free/?p=51 We live in an America divided by faith, class, geography, education, culture, political views and race. Many hold stereotyped and exaggerated opinions of their ideological and political opposites. Fifty percent of each political party view members of the ‘other’ party not as opponents, but as ‘the enemy’ and a troubling number of Americans condone the use […]

The post An Informed Public appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> We live in an America divided by faith, class, geography, education, culture, political views and race. Many hold stereotyped and exaggerated opinions of their ideological and political opposites. Fifty percent of each political party view members of the ‘other’ party not as opponents, but as ‘the enemy’ and a troubling number of Americans condone the use of violence in the political arena. While not all Americans hold these views, social and general media tend to focus on the most vitriolic views on each side. Much of this extreme polarization is being nurtured by rampant misinformation and disinformation across a fractured media and social media landscape, through which individuals are able to select news and information that reinforces what they already believe, regardless of its accuracy. Our goal is to support and reinforce accurate reliable information from credible sources, also conveyed by trustworthy messengers. Our work will include identifying the most trustworthy communicators and working together to increase trust and reliance on news and information and one another.

The post An Informed Public appeared first on ourCovenant.

]]> 51