Categorized | Book Corner, Living, Media, Politics, Religion, The Loony Rightwing
“Patience with God” by Frank Schaeffer
by kellygrrrl
Posted on 08 November 2009 | 2:05 pm 
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Frank Schaeffer joined Laura Flanders on GRITtv to discuss his new book “Patience with God” and explains the dangers of fundamentalism, particularly in its current manifestation through the Republican Party, which he calls the “Party of Sarah Palin.”
Schaeffer’s insight into the Christian fundamentalist movement and history in America is vitally important. Together with his father Francis Schaeffer, he was one of the architects of the modern conservative Evangelical movement. He maintains his position that his father would have disavowed the current fundamentalist tactics, and most importantly, their hatred and vitriol toward homosexuals as well as the exclusionary nature of their rhetoric.
His call for limits to religious freedom are sane and reasonable thoughts on this topic. In an October 22 post, Schaeffer details the dangers of allowing parents to deny a child medical treatment, choosing rather to “pray” for healing. He demands that it is time to put law above religion freedom.
Schaeffer’s point tends toward the dangers of any form of extreme purity in politics and religion.
He does not single out the Christian fundamentalists, though, as he explains his position that the “New Atheist” fundamentalists are tending directly toward the same extremism as all other far-fringe groups.
The most aggressive members of the “New Atheism” movement have quite a bit in common with religious extremists like Pat Robertson and Ted Haggard.
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Member of the National Book Critics Circle, Donna Chavez, reviews Schaeffer’s newest book “Patience with God: Faith for People who don’t like Religion (or Atheism)”
Sphere: Related ContentFormer evangelical Christian political agitator Schaeffer has been born yet again. This time, he has been reborn into what he calls “the Church of Hopeful Uncertainty,” as defined by his belief that the vast majority of people inhabit a middle ground between the two fundamentalist extremes battling one another for followers in the world today. He suffers no one who advocates a devotion so rigid as to include any but the staunchest. He names names but is an equal-opportunity assailant, laying into fundamentalist atheists and religious zealots alike, decrying both for inflexibility and the blatant commercialism in their enterprises. make no mistake, Schaeffer is not proselytizing. He knows, or at least hopes, that with this book he is singing to the choir of millions fed up with or unable to commit to full-blown ateism or stiff-necked religion of any kind. His belief that faith, in God or not, ought to support one’s life, not run it into the ground, strikes, he hopes, a universally appealing chord.
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213,279 Comments Since March 2009 
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I love Frank! I like the Church of Hopeful Uncertainty moniker.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
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..and I do agree with him about the fundamentalists among atheists. With people like Madeline Murray O’Hare or Christopher Hitchens as the leaders, the fundies do themselves no favors.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
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Me too, that is a succinct expression of my own pov on religion and god.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
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I really do think that is what I am going to say when anyone asks what religion I am. It truly does sum it up for many of us!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
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Remember Flip Wilson’s jokes about the ‘church of what’s happenin’ now’?
November 9th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
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He was so funny. Wonder what happened to him….
November 9th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
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Wikipedia says he passed away in 1998.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
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Wow. That long ago! He wasn’t real old.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
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Kinda young, he was 64.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
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Here it is: I am a member of CHURCH–Church of Hopeful Uncertainty and Reasonable Heathens.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
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Oh…the reasonable heathens part really does complete the statement. All the more quotable.
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Sorry to have missed you all…
Night to those who left for the night!
November 8th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
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Hey, Missey.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
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Hiya…
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I’m out too.
Night everyone.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
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Bonne nuit, bg!! Nce job on the front page graphic.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
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Sleep well, have a great ‘morrow.
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Excellent post kel, Schaeffer has such keen perspective. “Party of Sarah Palin” is spot on.
Wish I didn’t have such a good book backlog, this looks excellent. Maybe after the holidays.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
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exactly … mad season is upon us. January we hibernate
November 8th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
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November 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
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That’s when the hobbies take up the days too, I’ll have a couple stained glass pieces commissioned by then, hopefully.
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“Lieberman Suggests Army Shooter Was ‘Home-Grown Terrorist’ ”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125769764441836773.html?mod=rss_Today% 27s_Most_Popular
November 8th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
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Dude has lost it. Unless he’s planning to run as a Republican, don’t know where he’s going with this crap.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
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yup, and there is another senator who is on the intelligence committee that will look into the Ft Hood “Jihadist infiltration in the military” and she wrote the forward to some full wingnut book
I’ll have to find the link for you
November 8th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
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Intelligence Committee. Misnomer.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
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here it is — Rep Sue Myrick (R-NC, again) wrote forward to “Muslim Mafia” – she’s full Bachmann/Beck nutcase
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/muslim_mafia_booster _rep_myrick_im_on_the_hasan_ca.php?ref=fpb
November 8th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
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“We can’t continue to be so politically correct”?! For crying out loud.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
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that’s the rallying cry coming from many a troll today.
I’m out for the eve.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
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Nite kel, I’m off to MadMen but will peek in.
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There was another bomb blast in Goa a few weeks ago…Hindu fundamentalists continue to terrorize Muslims and Christians…the discussion of “Muslim intent” after the events at Fort Hood show what a dangerously precarious mindset is prevalent here in the West as well.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
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It’s here in spades, Babs, sadly.
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Thanks Kel. I enjoyed his book, “Crazy for God” and am looking forward to reading this one.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
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I’ve got it here, and did start in on it but haven’t really gotten completely into it yet. I’ll let you know how it’s going.
November 8th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
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It’s about 3rd down in my stack of Must Reads…do we still have a book corner going?
November 8th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
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we do, Babs, we do. I just posted it on page 1 b/c I thought the interview he gave was really interesting.
It will be moving to book corner shortly