#pentecostal leader

[robinlynnemabin]

Gilbert Earl Patterson was an American Holiness Pentecostal leader and minister who served as the National Presiding Bishop and Founder of the Bountiful Blessings Ministries and Chief Apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Incorporated.  Bishop G. E. Patterson was born September 22, 1939 to Bishop and Mrs. W. A. Patterson, Sr. in Humboldt, Tennessee.  He has been a gospel Minister for over forty years, having accepted his calling at age 17.  He was ordained as an Elder in the Church of God in Christ in 1957 by Bishop J. S. Bailey in Detroit, Michigan. 

[padrebaldo]

👇🏻🇮🇹🇫🇷🇪🇸🇬🇧👇🏻 🇮🇹 « Se togliamo Gesù, che cosa rimane del #Natale? Una festa vuota. Non togliere Gesù dal Natale: Gesù è il centro del Natale, Gesù è il vero Natale! ». —  Papa Francesco 🇫🇷 « Si on enlève Jésus, que reste-t-il de #Noël ? Une fête vide. N'enlevez pas Jésus de Noël : Jésus est le centre de Noël, Jésus est le vrai Noël ! » - Pape François 🇪🇸 « Si quitamos a Jesús, ¿qué queda de la #Navidad? Una fiesta vacía. No saques a Jesús de la Navidad: ¡Jesús es el centro de la Navidad, Jesús es la verdadera Navidad! ». - Papa Francisco 🇬🇧 « If we take away Jesus, what remains of #Christmas? An empty party. Don't take Jesus out of Christmas: Jesus is the center of Christmas, Jesus is the real Christmas! » - Pope Francis  #leadership #pentecote #pentecoste #carisma #charismatique #pentecotiste #evangelique #catholique #chretien #cristiano #cattolico #rinnovamento #renewal #leader #carismatico #evangelico #cattolica #cristian #fede #foi #faith #evangelizzazione #evangelisation https://www.instagram.com/p/CmOurb2qmO5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[peaches2217]

I had lunch with my pastor today. I literally don’t think it could’ve gone any better. I’m… still in total disbelief, honestly.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so heard by a religious leader in my life.

Over an hour and a half, we nibbled on scones and coffee and talked theology and spirituality and general morality. I ended up telling her everything: my traumatic experiences growing up in church, being outed by the pastor and then cast out, meeting my girlfriend and coming to grips with my gender identity and wrestling with the God I was raised to believe in vs. the God I’ve come to believe in.

She cried. She dismantled all the homo/transphobia I’ve experienced with scripture and historical knowledge and context of said scripture. She shared her own experiences — turns out we were both raised Pentecostal, so she’s intimately familiar with the sort of ideology I’ve been fed my whole life. She decried the breach of trust I experienced with my pastor as both spiritual and humanitarian betrayal. She gave me a rundown of the recent history of the United Methodist church: it split when the church ruled last year to legitimize queer identities and marriages, and the church I’ve joined is one of the churches that didn’t join the split and decided to practice full inclusion.

She asked if the name I go by is my deadname and if I wanted her to call me anything else. I told her no, my birth name is unisex, so I’m still happy with it! But I do wanna change my middle name to Elijah. She said it was fitting; Elijah grappled with depression and fear yet chose to place his faith in God through all of it. I admitted that I hadn’t really thought of it that way. She encouraged me to go back and read his story again.

Before we left, she asked if she could pray with me. She opened by addressing me as “she” in that prayer… and then stopped and asked what pronouns I wanted to go by. I said “He, if that’s alright.” The remainder of the prayer, I was “he” and “him” and “his”. It was made clear to me, in no uncertain terms, that I was welcomed into her church exactly as I am.

I thanked her again for not turning me away, and she started crying again, just clasping my hands and telling me she was glad I found this church. I told her I was equally glad.

[jikupikus]

trans!curly / jimcurly / mdni

In all ways Curly is someone who Jimmy wants to be.

He’s kind, he’s handsome, he’s a leader, and people respect him. He knows what to say and when to say it, and others listen to him like how a dog listens to a master. Curly doesn’t even demand esteem, he just gets it, and it pisses Jimmy off.

It’s been that way for a while, and all Jimmy can do is stomach it. He doesn’t know what happened, what strings Curly had to pull, but he tugged those strings and is now sitting pretty on his pedestal looking down from his rosy spot onto the other crew members– onto Jimmy.

The worst part about it is that Curly isn’t even a man, or at least not one in the technical sense. Jimmy remembers when he was a scrawny little girl with poofy long blonde hair that his mom wouldn’t allow him to straighten or cut. He remembers Curly’s braces, and how he would mispronounce words and stumble over his sentences. He remembers the skirts he had to wear because he wasn’t allowed to wear pants, or anything “revealing” for that matter that wasn’t what his stuffy fucking Pentecostal parents approved of.

They met at a church that Jimmy didn’t attend with a chain link fence surrounding the perimeter overlooking a busted white trash trailer park. His mom used to talk shit about that church and how fake everyone is, how they will say “bless your heart” to her when she was on the front porch hitting the glass pipe right before CPS showed up in Jimmy’s front lawn with a nosy cop the next day.

“Remember when my mom used to have a nasty meth addiction and get so addled that she’d accuse us of stealing her spoons?” Jimmy says off handedly one day in the cockpit.

“I don’t think she liked me much,” Curly muses, brow puckering. “Then again I don’t think she liked anyone.”

Jimmy leans over in his chair, his brows creeping up his forehead. “No, she didn’t. I think the meth fried her brain,” he says. “The only time she didn’t do meth was when she was pregnant with me.”

Curly looks over, a smirk playing on his lips. “What did she do instead?”

Jimmy’s face fell, but he played it off. Curly didn’t mean anything by it, maybe. He definitely did, actually. Jimmy crosses his arms, affronted. So much for playing it off.

Sometimes Jimmy’s emotions got the better of him like now, but he can’t help the visceral annoyance that creeps up in him like an invasive vine.

“You fucker,” Jimmy spits. “She wasn’t clean, as you know. I don’t know why you had to go there, but heroin.”

Curly’s eyes flit over to Jimmy, expression apologetic in its own manipulative way. He hates how Curly wilts at any backlash; it’s pathetic in how he behaves like a kicked mutt at any ounce of criticism.

Maybe he’s a little too hard, maybe. Whatever, Curly can just deal with it.

“I… didn’t know. Sorry. I was just joking”–

“Shitty joke,” Jimmy states flatly. “Don’t know why we can’t have a conversation where you don’t make a comment at my expense. It’s kind of annoying.”

Curly’s mouth draws into a taut line, obviously affected by the weight of Jimmy’s words and how they land so heavily on his shoulders. He twists the knife regardless.

They’ve always been that way together, and Curly has always been too sensitive for his own good. Too appeasing, placating. He has never told Jimmy no nor has he ever defended himself. Jimmy thinks his leadership is ill-placed because even if he is well respected and people listen to him, he’s a big fucking pushover. It’s goddamned irritating.

He found that out when they were kids, when Curly forked over his sour gummies because Jimmy threatened to beat his nose in with a rock. Not once did he claim that Jimmy couldn’t hit a girl, nor did Curly ever use any method of defense. He gave up just like that.

Curly is the same now as he was then.

Jimmy sighs, arms unraveling. “Relax. I’m not mad or anything. Don’t get so worked up over something so trivial.”

Curly deflates. He drags his hand down his face, smoothing out the lines of exhaustion that creases his skin around his nose. Dark circles paint his eyes from lack of sleep, his normally bright blue gaze dull and lacking life.

“I guess I’m more sensitive than I normally am. I haven’t slept well at all since we’ve disembarked, maybe averaging one to two hours of sleep a night.” Curly explains himself to Jimmy. It’s another compulsive habit of his, one that makes Jimmy’s heart swell.

He likes that he can wiggle his fingers in the cracks of Curly’s otherwise pristine surface. Curly is riddled with small, hairline cracks, and Jimmy knows exactly how to chip away at his vulnerabilities.

Jimmy will claw his way up Curly’s pedestal and drag him down to his level.

“You need to relax, Captain,” Jimmy presses. He takes Curly’s hand off the center console, holding it in his own rough, calloused palm as his heavy lidded gaze lingers on his friend.

Curly drags his hand out of Jimmy’s grasp and stretches. “I don’t know how to relax,” he says. It isn’t a complaint, but the truth.

In all actuality, as Jimmy knows, Curly is a tightly wound ball of anxiety. During their more intimate moments when there weren’t eyes and ears trained on them, Curly has said so himself.

Only the cockpit and sleeping chambers lack cameras. Jimmy swivels his chair, now facing the door.

“I can help you relax,” Jimmy says, turning his thoughts over in his head. “If you’ll let me, that is. If you won’t shy away like you always do. If you won’t deny me like you did when we were shitty hormonal teenagers.”

Curly’s face flares pink.

[cafejulii]

How Albert, William, and Louis Reflect The Holy Trinity in Christianity

(a 3 part analysis series that I had made year ago on another social media platform but would like to post here because why not)

P3: Louis

Louis serves as a reference to the Holy Spirit, the final part of the Holy Trinity - the one who continues on the word and mission of the Savior through the Apostles, despite the Savior no longer being present in the world

As William was "dead" the M16 required a leader; a leader who could uphold the values of the Moriarty Plan, however, in a way that worked more in the shadows rather than in a direct way such as the Lord of Crime. Thus, Mycroft offered Louis the lead position as "M" in the M16 so that he may not only be able to atone for his sins, but ensure the security of the "beautiful world that [William] has created" and make sure that it remains "alive and unstained". Louis serves as a phenomenal leader, as he is effectively able to execute his plans with the assistance of the rest of the team, providing them guidance based on the principles taught to him by his older brother, strengthening both the bond and resolve of the Mi6 as a whole.

This reflective of what the Holy Spirit did for the Apostles, as the purpose of the Holy Spirit coming upon them and the rest of the world was "...to bring good news to the poor...to proclaim the release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind [and] to let the oppressed go free." These are all things that Jesus had done throughout his lifetime to create a better world [just as William did] that must be maintained even though both saviors are no longer present. Christ may not be directly on Earth during this time, but the power of the Holy Spirit serves as the driving force of the apostles, for gifts of the Holy Spirit [wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord] ultimately result in the resolve that the Apostles have towards the continuation of Christ's mission, despite knowing that they may perish while completing it.

The interesting thing about Louis,though, is that he was only able to show his full potential the moment that William and Albert were no longer in the picture. This was not because he did not dearly care for his older brothers or did not trust them, of course, but it is simply because both William and Albert took the majority of the lead roles during the era of the Lord of Crime. Since the beginning, it was always intended that Louis was to be the one to live in the New World and maintain it. William even went as far as to shield Louis from the main plan entirely by not allowing him to go on missions for the longest time. Though this was done with the intent that Louis would enter the New World without his hands stained with blood, he did not fully accept the role given to him, as he insisted on being present throughout the plan as it was ultimately their mission, not just William's.

Gradually, Louis was able to secure his spot as a major asset to the Moriarty Plan, for as the series progresses, he is seen more and more on field missions. It is to the point that by the time he can assume the title of M, his brothers were no longer around to hinder his progression as a leader by assuming leadership positions themselves, however, he was around them enough to know the attributes of a good leader. As a result, he was more than capable of directing not only the M16 but the Moriarty Household, as he [alike the Holy Spirit] is now the most present/ influential force of the Trinity.

Just as bits and pieces of the works of the Holy Spirit were seen during Christ's life, the full power of the Holy Spirit was only able to come on the day of Pentecost, as the phenomenon and the operation of the Holy Spirit were able to come solely when the main mission of Christ was completed. [aka William's Mission]. As I mentioned before, the Holy Spirit was then to bestow its power on the Apostles, becoming the most influential being in their lives..."But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:26

—————-

Though my last portion of analysis diverts from Louis specifically and onto the Moriarty Brothers as a whole, I must tell you of this theory I have had ever since I formed the connection of them being a reference to the Holy Trinity. Since Part 1 of Yuumori is reflective of Salvation History in the New and Old Testaments (ending with the Apostles carrying on the mission and word of the savior), my thought is that Part two will then be related to the parts of Salvation History that are yet to come, specifically of the prophecies stated in the Book of Revelation. (The last book in the Bible that tells of the apocalypse that will ultimately bring about the New Heaven and the New Earth)

As the Moriarty brothers had reformed British Society and are working to maintain it, my theory is that now they are attempting to reform world society as a whole as the atonement for their sin due to the crimes they committed in England [just as how the eventual goal of Salvation History is the redemption of the entirety of the human race] This reformation will be done not in the killing of those directly in power, though, but through the acquirement of information that will affect the outcome of world events in favor of the ultimate good [as seen in Chapter 57].

I refer to the Apocalypse specifically, as Louis mentioned a feeling of "sensing the sparks that wil embroil the entire world into war", which is possibly may be a reference to The World War. Though WWl started in 1914, a while away from the current setting, Yuumori often strays away from complete historical accuracy so there may be a possibility of the creators starting the war earlier for the sake of continuing the narrative. Such destruction can very well be considered apocalyptic, as the estimated amount of casualties in World War 1 totaled to around 20 million.

Due to this, I believe that The Brothers will work to either stop World War 1 or prevent it from happening entirely by acquiring information that will alter the course of history, and give the entire human race, not just England, the vision of the beautiful world in which William had created.

Though a bit of a stretch, there is also evidence to this theory stated by Sherlock, as he has the feeling that William is planning something big again despite his main mission being completed. (and after all, who is better able to predict William's actions than Sherlock?)

—————

And finally, notice how despite the Moriarty brothers being three separate people while having three separate roles still refer to themselves as The Lord of Crime (Lord being singular)?

This reflects how the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirt are three beings in one despite having different physical forms and different roles in Biblical Scripture!

Anyway that is all for now <3

I hope those who have seen this enjoyed this mini series!

disclaimer: I am an ex-christian, however, I had been raised in the faith and just happened to keep a large interest in scripture despite the fact I have departed from the church. Do correct me if there is any misinformation.

[theexodvs]

“Cult” (n.) and “cultic” (adj.)

There is great confusion when describing certain groups and movements as "cultic." Since the most famous examples of cultic groups and movements in living memory include the Manson Family, People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate, the popular conception of a cult has become a centralized group with one leader with a type-A personality. This is not how most cultic groups take shape.

"Cultic" and "centralized" are not synonyms. They are entirely different concepts, and whether one group or movement is one has no bearing whatsoever on whether it is the other.

The United Pentecostal Church International and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World are both cults. They are part of the Oneness Pentecostal movement*. Note, the UPCI and PAW are not in fellowship with each other and have no official relations. This is because this movement is decentralized, encompassing various different groups that are united in few if any ways besides (some) similar teachings. Whatever leadership and governance model they have, shared or contrasting, is secondary, because Oneness Pentecostalism as a set of doctrines is itself cultic, meaning any group that espouses it is a cult by definition.

Christian Identity is a more pronounced example of a cultic movement that is decentralized. It is a white supremacist group that teaches that white people are the descendants of the ancient Israelites, and that "gentiles" (people who aren't white) can never be saved. Its footprint is almost entirely made of websites, prison gangs, and local congregations, which are not in fellowship with each other or with any larger group. I would hope any decent person would be opposed to this movement and its teachings, but an attempt to treat "cultic" and "centralized" as synonyms might keep one from recognizing CI as something that should be avoided.

Other decentralized movements that are cultic include the Word of Faith movement, the Men's Right Movement, dispensationalism, neurodiversity, the Sovereign Citizens movement, BDSM, the New IFB, kinism, and the Black Hebrew Israelites. Every group that is part of these is a cult, thought they may not be in fellowship with other groups within the same movement.

*The Oneness Pentecostal movement is not representative of Pentecostalism as a whole. Most of the world's Pentecostals belong to the Assemblies of God which has taught the Trinity for its entire existence. Pentecostalism is not necessarily cultic. Oneness Pentecostalism is.

[eretzyisrael]

by Daniel Greenfield

The mob besieging the synagogue on Pico Boulevard past which a children’s parade had recently passed to celebrate the Lag Baomer interregnum between the biblical Passover and Pentecost came accompanied by all the infrastructure developed over the years of leftist riots.

The younger leftist thugs wore ski goggles and masks, carried skateboards and metal water bottles, ‘legal’ weapons typically seen during Antifa clashes, and some were likely among those who had previously terrorized Jewish students at the UCLA terror encampment. And it did not take much time before they were assaulting Jewish community members in the neighborhood.

The terrorist supporters had brought their own legal aid with them in the form of the sneering ‘observers’ from the National Lawyers Guild, a Communist Cold War era organization, in their caps and shirts. They also had human shields in the form of activists in black face masks holding up handwritten signs claiming that they were Jewish and opposed to the Jewish State.

A handful of women (who were by far the minority) circulated between the Jewish community members and the LAPD officers and the terrorist supporters to also provide cover for the repeated terrorist assaults in the ‘chicks out front’ doctrine from the Marxist riots of the 1960s.

In a small scale recreation of the Gaza war in the middle of Los Angeles, Muslim teenagers and men masked in keffiyahs gathered near an alley and launched sorties, attacking Jewish community members, then using bear spray to cover their retreat, hiding behind the women, the leftist activists and the ‘Jewish’ opponents of Israel who turned around and played victim.

The stakes might be smaller but here was Hamas, here were the Jewish targets, and here also was the support infrastructure of leftists activists, lawyers and ‘journalists’ covering for them.

The whole Islamic terrorist strategy of Jihadists masking up, attacking and then hiding behind human shields was playing out on a normal street between two synagogues, a tailor shop, a dress shop, a watch repair place, and several restaurants.

The microcosm of clashes outside the synagogue became a citywide and then a national story. Public officials were forced to condemn it, but the media, led by the LA Times, whitewashed the attacks, quoted officials from CAIR, whose leaders had celebrated the Oct 7 atrocities by Hamas, and then editorialized against security for synagogues and a terror mask ban.

By the time the LA Times, the rest of the media and the leftist allies of the Islamic thugs were done, attacking a synagogue and assaulting Jewish community members had become a virtue.

Much as the only person to face serious charges after the Hamas encampment at UCLA terrorized Jewish students was a Jewish high school student, so too the only person arrested by the police when terrorist supporters attacked a synagogue was a Jewish community member.

The ‘Israel’ model was playing out the same way in L.A. And it can play out this way anywhere.

That is the most important lesson of the assault on a previously unknown synagogue in a neighborhood that most people ignore while passing between Santa Monica and Downtown LA.

[missanthropicprinciple]

Fic Self-Recs

Tagged by @sharky857 <3 Thanks!

Fic authors self rec! List your favorite five fics that you've written, then tag at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

Take to the Skies by cephalopod_groupie

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 23,055 Fandom: Pacific Rim (2013) Characters: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, Stacker Pentecost, Hannibal Chau Summary: A Pacific Rim WWII AU where Hermann Gottlieb is a Squadron Leader in the R.A.F. and Newton Geiszler is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Angst and romance ensues in a time of war.

2. A Hunting We Will Go by cephalopod_groupie

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences (basically G) Word Count: 6,206 Fandom: Crossover: Ghostbusters (1984)/Granada Holmes Characters: Egon Spengler, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson Summary: Egon Spengler suddenly finds himself in Sherlock Holmes' London, but before he can work out how to leave he may have some busting to do. (Please note, Granada Holmes is not a category on this site, but even though I sought to emulate Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's style of writing I had Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke's Sherlock and Watson in mind.)

3. Spikethwaite Hall by cephalopod_groupie

Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 5,269 Fandom: Pacific Rim (2013) Characters: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, Mako Mori Summary: For the 2020 Newmannn Secret Santa exchange. I decided to go with the Jane Eyre AU. The novel is set between 1760–1820 but I’ve set this story in about 1847, the year Jane Eyre was published. Needless to say I’m not copying the plot of the novel and Hermann isn’t problematic and/or keeping a wife in the attic. Significantly less angsty than a Brontë novel.

Hermann Gottlieb is the mysterious and peculiar master of Spikethwaite Hall located on misty moors. Newton Geiszler is the cheery new gamekeeper who arrives upon the scene who disrupts everything from Gottlieb's niece's schoolwork to the master's own brooding.

4. The Ghost of Gottlieb Mansion by cephalopod_groupie

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 9,826 Fandom: Pacific Rim (2013) Characters: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, Mako Mori, Tendo Choi Summary: Halloween AU where Hermann is the ghost of the old Gottlieb mansion. Newton with his usual lack of self preservation visits the mansion and decides/has to stay the night. He's kinda scared but he copes with a running commentary like the ghost is real and can actually hear him. Hermann's been kind of lonely so he actually just sits around and listen to Newt prattle on. Started with an old pinkieblues prompt.

5. Just a Thought by cephalopod_groupie

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 27,985 Fandom: Pacific Rim (2013) Characters: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb Summary: Newton and Hermann have many fantasies about each other. [Originally published October 10, 2014. People actually made fan art of this one, which made me so happy.]

Tagging: @dollsome-does-tumblr @spengnitzed @problemwithtrouble and whoever else I forgot!

[gayleviticus]

there are many issues with evangelical worship music culture, but i think some of its core principles are really important and should honestly be the case in all churches:

Everyone participating in singing - i feel like this is especially big in an age where there is so much passive entertainment we consume constantly. singing as an active act of prayer is important i think; turning up to church to hear the fancy choir sing is aesthetically nice but i fear it turns church into yet another act of Consuming.

Easy to sing songs - I don't know anything abt music theory, i don't know if it's the type of songs chosen or the fact evangelical churches actively select worship leaders to help guide the audience, but the music in a lot of more liturgical churches just feels harder to sing? i would always get confused when i'd see people be like 'oh people don't like singing hymns bc nobody reads sheet music anymore' cus like you absolutely dont need sheet music or any musical knowledge to sing hillsong.

Audible lyrics. Mostly a result of 2 but I feel like even if evangelical CCM can be vapid and meaningless, the fact you're engaged and audibly singing the words should mean a closer engagement with what it means. Whereas some fancy church choirs have beautiful angelic voices where it's impossible to make out what the actual words are.

there's probably no reason churches that don't sing contemporary worship music can't do these things, whether they're singing 19th century methodist hymns or 17th century choral songs or biblical psalms. but i feel like these are core principles behind evangelical/pentecostal CCM in a way they aren't necessarily for other types of church worship, and i do appreciate that.

[3rdeyeblaque]

On November 26th we venerate Elevated Ancestor & Hoodoo Saint Mama Sojourner Truth on the 140th anniversary of her passing 🕊

An abolitionist, Womens’ Rights activist, & itinerant evangelist, Mama Sojourner Truth truly lived up to her name as one of the fiercest, relentless, & unstoppable pro-abolitionist voices of the 19th Century.

Given the name, Isabella, at birth, Mama Truth was born around 1797 to Dutch-speaking enslaved parents on Colonel Ardinburgh Hurley's plantation in Ulster County, NY. The actual date of her birth remains unknown. At the age of 9 she was sold away from her parents. She was passed through the hands of several slavers across NY State before ending up with the Dumonts. As was the case for most enslaved folks in the rural North, Isabella was forcibly isolated from other slaves and suffered physical & sexual abuse at the hands of the Dumonts.

Alone in the nearby woods, she found peace. Here, she'd speak to Spirit/God. Inspired by her many conversations with Spirit, one day in 1826, she walked away from Dumont Farm to freedom. Although the journey tempted her to return to the Dumonts, she stayed the course after she was struck by a vision of a man she identified as Jesus, during which she felt "baptized in the Holy Spirit," and thus gained the strength & confidence to push on. Like countless Ancestors before her, Isabella called on Spirit & supernatural forces for the power to survive her conditions.

Eventually, she married & birthed 5 children. On July 4, 1827, the NY State Legislature emancipated the enslaved, including Isabella & her children. Yet the Dumont family who "owned" her, refused to comply. Before dawn the next morning, with her youngest baby cradled in her arms, she sought refuge 5 miles away with an abolitionist family. During her time there, she converted to Pentecostal and joined their local Methodist church.

She later then moved again, this time with one of her eldest sons, Peter, in NYC wherein by day she worked as a live-in domestic. Here she found & joined a religious cult called, The Kingdom. It's leader, Matthias, beat Isabella and forced her to take on the heaviest workload. Soon thereafter she became a Pentecostal preacher. Her faith and preaching along with her life story as an emancipated slave drew the attentions of abolitionists & women's rights crusaders. Her speeches were not political by nature. They were based on her unique interpretation - as a woman and a former slave -of the Christian Bible.

On June 1st 1863, Sojourner Truth was born. Isabella took on this new name for herself as she headed East to, “exhort the people to embrace Jesus, and refrain from sin". She lived in a utopian community called, The Northampton Association for Education & Industry, which was devoted to transcending class, race, & gender. She preached at camp meetings for a few years before the community was dissolved. Even though the community lasted less than five years, many highly influential & reform-minded individuals visited the Northampton community; including prolific abolitionist leaders such as Frederick Douglass & William Lloyd Garrison.

Through these connections, she began to speak at public events on behalf of slave abolition and women’s rights. Eventually, this compelled her infamous 1851,“Ar’nt I A Woman” speech at a Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, OH. This was a significant moment in the sociopolitical climate of the country at the time because, for the first time for most, "slave" became equated to women & "woman" became equated to Black. She became increasingly involved on the issue of Women's suffrage, but eventually separated her voice from leaders such as Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton one they asserted that they would not support the Black vote if Women were not also granted the same right.

In 1857, Mama Truth purchased a house with the help of friends in a small Spiritualist community called, Harmonia, near Battle Creek, MI. Here she lived thriving the years of supporting hwrself thrift paid speaking events, selling photographs of herself, publishing her book titled, "Narrative of Sojourner Truth" which was written by an amanuensis, as she was illiterate.

Once the Civil War began, Mama Truth pushed for the inclusion of Blacks in the Union Army, which was not intitially the case. She then poured her energy into gathering food & clothing supplies for the underserved volunteer regiments of Black Union soldiers. This is when the plight freed slaves captured her attention, as many of whom were living in refugee camps in Washington D.C.. Mama Truth embarked on a round-trip journey from her home near Battle Creek,MI to D.C. to meet with President Abraham Lincoln to discuss the conditions of the freedmen refugees in D.C. & across the North.

After the Civil War, she championed the idea of a colony for freed slaves out West where they could galvanize their desires to become self-reliant. Mama Truth garnered numerous signatures for her petition urging the U.S. Government to provide land for this endeavor. Although she presented this petition to then President Ulysses S. Grant, her mission never materialized. Nevertheless, in the Fall of 1879, a large migration of Southern freedmen ventured westward to start begin life anew. Mama Truth saw this as God's Divine Plan for our people. Despite her old age, Mama Truth traveled to Kansas to help them. Four years later, Mama Sojourner Truth passed away at her home near Battle Creek, MI. She was believed to be 86.

"How came Jesus into the world? Through God who created him and woman who bore him. Man, where is your part? But the women are coming up blessed by God and few of the men are coming up with them. But man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on him, woman is coming on him, and he is surely between a hawk an' a buzzard." - Sojourner Truth @ the 1851 Ohio Women's Convention.

We pour libations & give 💐 today as we celebrate Mama Truth her selfless service and pioneering vision for the freedom & self-determination of our people. May her life be a reminder of: the power of stillness & deep meditation, to lead with Spirit, & the grit of perseverance that's alive in our blood.

Offering suggestions: woodland soil, water, Pentecostal prayers/ scripture, read/share her speeches & written words.

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[kemetic-dreams]

How Igbo customs checkmated wife battering

•Modernity neglected them

•Blame pentecostal churches; they destroy marriages — Ogbuefi Ray Ifeme

•They encourage conduct of marriage ceremonies in Igboland with soft drinks, instead of palm wine

•We use diviners to mete out punishment to wife batterers — Igwe Ukuta

•No Igbo community tolerates wife battering — Anaso

By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Ikechukwu Odu, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie, Ugochukwu Alaribe & Nwabueze Okonkwo

ENUGU — Domestic violence, particularly wife battering, has become rampant in the society today, including Igboland.

The death of popular gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, allegedly in the hands of her husband, brought to the fore what some women undergo in their marriages.

This was not so in the past because in Igboland, they had customary ways of checkmating such acts.

In Nri Community in Anambra State, for instance, they included precautionary traditional rules to checkmate it as one of the items in the marriage list of requirements.

And at the marriage ceremonies, the groom is made to pay what they called ego otiti okpili, which literarily translates to ‘money for punishment’ of proposed groom, if he dared molest the wife.

The money, in essence, is like an advance payment by the groom to the in-laws, to hire youths in their kindred to deal with him if he molests or abuses their daughter in the course of the marriage.

And to ensure that the groom understands the implication, in the course of the ceremonies, he would be called to step out; the elders would dutifully explain to him what the money is meant for and ensured that he understood what he is paying for. The groom basically consents in advance, to thorough punishment if he beats his wife.

The traditional ruler of Iggah community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Herbert Ukuta, said his community use diviners to mete out punishment to men who beat their wives. The monarch explained that the degree of the punishment is usually determined by the severity of injury inflicted on the wife and the cause of the violence.

According to him, it is a taboo in his community for men to batter their wives, no matter the provocation. He said that he has also initiated an orientation programme in the community, which has helped to enlighten his subjects on causes of domestic violence which has been guiding them to avoid such.

“The traditional punishment for wife beaters is always determined by diviners in my community. The severity or otherwise of the punishment is determined by the degree of injury inflicted on the wife and the cause of the violence. Sometimes too, it is the wife who beats the husband but it is a taboo in my community for husbands to beat their wives.

“Instead of beating the wife, I normally encourage my subjects to report their wives to their parents or church leaders, as the case may be. If the church or the parents fail to resolve the problem, it is brought to the clan for settlement.

The middleman interacts with both families and if any of the parties going into the marriage has any problem, he or she complains to the middleman. If worst comes to worst, you don’t even return somebody’s daughter to the family, it must be through the middleman and the same middleman will return the dowry to the man if the issue cannot be settled.

GIF by noonlight-stims

“Women are gold to Igbo men. It is now that we see Igbo men touch our ladies, be it in marriage or whatsoever. The reason is that we have city marriages now. You will see a girl today, the next day she is married to a man whose parents she doesn’t know. Somebody will stay in London and a marriage will be organised on his behalf here.

Middlemen don’t come into marriages now, even the kinsmen will just come, collect their entitlements and go. This is where the problem lies.

“Unfortunately, Osinachi’s husband is from my maternal home, Ukpor. He is not a responsible man. If he was a true Igbo man, he wouldn’t have maltreated his wife and again, religion messed up our marriage institution in Igbo land.

“You can hardly find a man or woman who would be there for the other because each will be dragging on gender equality. It is religion that is the problem. In Igbo customs and traditions, the man is the head of the family and the woman is the neck, so, we respect them.

“My maternal grandfather had 32 wives. My mother was the last daughter. Out of those 32 wives, majority didn’t bear children for him. They married those days for farming and to show how brave one was.

The church, particularly the Pentecostal denomination, has bastardized our tradition. White wedding is not even acceptable to us in Igbo culture and tradition. Religious marriage is not for the Igbo because the priest won’t pour libations to the ancestors; neither will he settle the kinsmen. That is the problem.

These days, women give out their daughters in marriage which is not traditional in Igbo land,” Ifeme said.

The traditional ruler of Ogrute Autonomous community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Wilfred Ekere said that it is a taboo in Enugu-Ezike. He, however, regretted that customs and values of the community have been bastardized by the people.

He noted that the predominance of autonomous communities threw up traditional rulers who don’t know the tradition, custom and culture. They dictate to the people, neglecting the oldest men who are the custodians of tradition and culture.

According to him, the tradition in his community requires that anybody who beats his wife would bring a goat, a carton of stout, malt, two gallons of palm wine and food for cleansing.

In addition, any woman beaten by her husband will have to go back to her father’s house and the husband will come for her for peaceful discussion with drinks and kola nuts. He, however, regretted that the traditional law which ought to be binding on every member of the community, is now based on family acceptance.

“Our tradition has been bastardized by the people. The law is now made according to family. We have effective law for domestic violence and wife battering as prescribed by our forefathers. Wife battery is a taboo,” the monarch said.

In Atuegwu community, Nnewi South Council Area of Anambra State, Mr. James Anaso, the President-General of the town union, said that it is usually one of the conditions given to a suitor in his area that on no account should he lay hands on their daughter no matter the circumstances.

According to him, should a daughter from the community report on any physical abuse by her husband, the leadership of the village would not hesitate to send emissaries to the family of her husband with a serious warning.

[driftwithme]

If there's a moment from Pacific Rim that rotates in my mind nonstop is when Raleigh challenges Pentecost to let Mako fight him.

Through the movie, he's being fairly passive EXCEPT when he's speaking to the Marshall. He takes care of not reacting too badly to the provocations he receives, be them incidental or not. He answers to both Newt, Mako and Herc with advice, ignoring Chuck as much as he can because he knows Chuck won't listen.

That's the post-Knifehead Raleigh, wise and always self-regulated, patiently analyzing the moment, gently guiding others or keeping his silence if convenient. He is more mature, older in both age and experience.

He's still a leader though. He is more subtle about it, maybe, but his presence is equally felt and it impacts just as hard as before his brother died. He's the type to use his body language to communicate: smiles and hard glares, a hand on the shoulder or leaning into the other's personal space, puffed chest and wide stances, a tilt of the head, turning the other way, etc. This Raleigh takes care on not going to hard on others, just in case.

It's only when Pentecost gets involved that we're allowed a peak at his old self, confident and loud and open in a way that sucks the air from the room and commands attention.

"Don't think your brightest can cut it in the ring with me?"

Even if it's phrased nicely, it's an open jab to Pentecost, but not to Mako.

He knows 1. that she wants to fight him and 2. that she might kick his ass. He is not trying to disrespect Mako with what he's saying. In fact, if I remember correctly, the Marshall called Mako "one of the brightest" not "the brightest". Earlier on the room scene, Raleigh evaluated her: she has almost everything to be a pilot, except the experience. He knows that. He wants to offer her the chance. He's showing major respect for her skills!!!

A good punch minds its target when thrown and we know the Beckets were some of the best throwing punches. And in that moment, Raleigh was not a has-been, not a man full of grievance paying for the consequences of his actions.

He was young and bold, the gambler that he was when Yancy was alive. Cocky, raising his chin and speaking like he was in a card game with the best hand. Completely unbothered by the bet.

Don't YOU think YOUR brightest can cut it in the ring with ME?

Raleigh is putting in doubt the judgment of the Marshall, the reputation of the program and he's basically elevating himself, all in one phrase. If the person considered the best on the jaeger program by the Marshall himself can not defeat him on a spar... then they're pretty fucked up, because he hasn't touch a jaeger in 5 years.

It's also full of irony. Are you telling him that the best candidate won't even spar with him? Isn't it the last chance? End of the world type of situation? Why's the Marshall holding back and why can't Mako fight him? Kinda funny, Raleigh could have taken it as an insult to his skills, but knows it's not that either. There his emphasis in "this is not a fight, it's more like a conversation" speech.

The fucker is also inviting the whole public in attendance to think like him, addressing the elephant in the room and pressuring Stacker.

My point is: Raleigh can take control over any situation if he wants to. That's not something he can forget how to do. He's a natural leader and people wants to follow him, they respect and admire him. Has-been or not, Raleigh is the protagonist of course, but also he's the Stacker parallel. Doesn't care about orders if there's lives on the line, plays dirty whenever he needs to, knows when to stay silent but also knows when to pressure to get what he wants, commands from loyalty and respect and not from fear...

Raleigh is not afraid of going toe to toe with the Marshall, to the point Stacker has to put the kid in his place after he tells them about his decision of grounding Mako. I think that most people don't get to see that version of Raleigh nowadays. Anyone could mistake his calmness for submission, but it's not.

It's what some writers get wrong about him in fics and other media. This man is not weak or broken or letting people step over him. He is in total control, in every moment, in every situation-- and if he let's someone take over, it's because he wants them to.

[padrebaldo]

👇🏻🇮🇹🇫🇷🇪🇸🇬🇧👇🏻 🇮🇹 « I libri mi piacciono perché non strillano, sono silenziosi, eppure dicono un sacco di cose ». —  DANILO PENNONE 🇫🇷 « J'aime les livres parce qu'ils ne crient pas, ils sont silencieux et pourtant ils disent beaucoup de choses » - DANILO PENNONE 🇪🇸 « Me gustan los libros porque no gritan, son silenciosos, pero dicen muchas cosas » - DANILO PENNONE 🇬🇧 « I like books because they don't scream, they're silent, yet they say a lot of things » - DANILO PENNONE #leadership #pentecote #pentecoste #carisma #carismi #charisme #charismes #charismatique #renouveau #pentecotiste #evangelique #catholique #chretien #cristiano #cattolico #rinnovamento #renewal #leader #carismatico #evangelico #cattolica #cristian #fede #foi #faith #evangelizzazione #evangelisation https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzMRjLqPzK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[azspot]

Socialists and other reformers used the term “Christian” to refer to their hopes of reforming the nation in the interests of the common good. Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps and Laurence Gronlund’s Cooperative Commonwealth got Americans talking about big questions like, “What does it mean to follow Jesus?” and “How do we design a Christian society?” In the Gilded Age North, to use the term “Christian” was to push the conversation toward ideals that did not quite exist on the ground. Edward Bellamy liked the term. Meanwhile, church leaders were fighting over minutiae. Presbyterians and Methodists were still fighting over predestination. Baptists sand Methodists were still fighting over the correct way to perform baptisms. Holiness -Pentecostal revivalists traveled circuits and held regular summer revivals which celebrated prophecy and the gifts of the spirit. Wealthy brick-and-mortar churchgoers would sometimes agree to disagree about predestination, but many did not even acknowledge these revivals as “Christian” worship experiences. When organizations used the term Christian–like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union or the Young Men’s (and Women’s) Christian Association–they made an aspirational statement about the possibility of overcoming denominational divisions in the interest of the common good. For some, these were radical ideas.

Woodrow Wilson’s Christianity And Ours

[transtheology]

Allen, 50, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, says his upbringing was “religiously diverse.” Throughout his childhood and teen years, his family members attended Baptist, Pentecostal and Seventh-day Adventist churches. Like many of his church’s congregants, he often stood in pews listening to the words of pastors who condemned people like him. But those leaders, he said, were often surrounded by LGBTQ members who made the church’s choirs livelier, helped with collections and filled the seats. Those ​​dynamics, combined with sermons that decried non-heterosexualities as abominations, are part of the reason Allen sees himself as more than a leader of a Black or gay church. More than a preacher, Allen describes himself as an abolitionist whose job is to spread a message of freedom and acceptance, two elements that he argues are the fundamentals of Christian belief. “I grew up in something that called itself a church. [It] couldn’t have been a church,” he said. “Jesus Christ didn’t say anything about gay people and said everything about liberating people. From all types of oppression, [including] sin.” At Vision, churchgoers are encouraged to embrace their faith through education, community support and the encouragement of political activism. Its ministries focus on providing food and clothing collections for the homeless, HIV and AIDS testing and support, and addressing health and wellness, particularly for Black LGBTQ members. The church also works to develop spaces that nurture those who have been turned away by their families, a common problem facing its transgender members.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Payton Armstrong at MMFA:

Former President Donald Trump, his family, and close advisers including Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and Alina Habba have embraced influential right-wing prophetic Christian media, participating in interviews on programs that have asserted that Trump has “the anointing” from God and with a figure who has prophesied the deaths of his critics. Notably, Clay Clark — who co-founded the ReAwaken America tour that is reportedly “a petri dish for Christian nationalism” and hosts prophets as headline speakers — has boasted that “Trump’s inner circle is embracing the prophets,” and stressed that “we are going to need to make sure he is surrounded by both prophets and pastors that aren’t afraid to work together.” Trump has told a leading prophetic media program, FlashPoint, that “we’re with you 1,000%,” while his daughter-in-law and Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump has told extreme prophets that “we love you” and “on behalf of our whole family, thank you for all of the prayers, thank you for believing in my father-in-law, and for fighting alongside of us.”

Right-wing Christian prophets who frame Trump as an instrument of God have a growing influence in Republican politics

Christian prophets are “religious leaders with followings among Pentecostal and charismatic Christians who claim the ability to predict the future based on dreams, visions and other supernatural phenomena.” In recent years, these figures have hailed from a once-fringe movement called the New Apostolic Reformation, which is “a set of leadership networks whose leaders call themselves modern-day apostles and prophets and believe they are commissioned by God to take over the world.” NPR further described that the movement “seeks to take dominion over politics, business and culture in preparation for the end times and the return of Jesus.” Experts and scholars have also documented how pro-Trump prophets “were central to the mobilization of Christians for the Jan. 6 insurrection, and many apostles, prophets and NAR symbols were present around the U.S. Capitol that day.” [Politico, 2/18/21; Religion News Service, 5/6/24; NPR, 8/9/11; The Conversation, 1/12/21]

Ahead of the 2024 election, prophetic Christian media figures are continuing their support for Trump by portraying him as an instrument of God’s will who is protected by “the anointing.” Reuters recently reported that “with Trump now facing dozens of criminal charges as he pursues a second term, some Christian media are bolstering his support by portraying him as an instrument of God’s will who faces persecution by his foes. While the people making these claims are largely outside the mainstream in Christian media, they have amassed significant online followings and their messages reverberate across radio shows, cable TV and streaming platforms that reach millions of Americans every day.” [Reuters, 3/22/24]

According to religious scholar Matthew Taylor, prophetic outlets are “some of the most radicalizing media spaces” and they “are not being paid close attention to by the mainstream media.” In an interview with On the Media, Taylor — who has written extensively on the role of prophets in the January 6 attack on the Capitol — noted that “some of these Christian media ecosystems and niche cultures are not being paid close attention to by the mainstream media,” even though they are “some of the most radicalizing media spaces, especially charismatic Christian media spaces where Trump support is assumed.” Taylor added that “there are millions of people following them” and “we have not paid close attention to the Christian leaders who were as instrumental in what occurred on January 6th as some of the politicians and activists that we know by name.” [WNYC, On the Media, 4/19/24]

Leading prophetic media include the Victory Channel’s FlashPoint, streaming outlet Elijah Streams, and the ReAwaken America tour, which regularly features prophets like Julie Green and Amanda Grace as headline speakers. FlashPoint is a panel-style program that is helmed by self-described prophets and platformed conspiracy theories about voter fraud in the lead up to January 6. Prophets on the program have claimed that Trump has “the anointing” on him and that God will inflict natural disasters on the U.S. in response to Trump’s multiple criminal indictments. Elijah Streams is a far-right streaming outlet that hosts pro-Trump prophets who falsely prophesied that Trump would win reelection in 2020. The ReAwaken America tour is a “a petri dish for Christian nationalism and pushes the idea that there’s a battle underway between good and evil forces,” according to PBS, which also added that it’s a “recruiting tool for an ascendant Christian nationalist movement that’s wrapped itself in God, patriotism and politics.” Julie Green is a self-described prophet who streams on Rumble and has prophesied the coming deaths of elected officials, including: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). Amanda Grace is a self-described prophet who also streams on Rumble and claims to receive messages from God. She has spread bizarre conspiracy theories, including the claim that the 2024 eclipse was a “prophetic warning of repent, or God is going to destroy the entire city,” because the path of totality went over “Eagle Pass, Texas, where this immigration clash is happening, where a major battle of the Civil War was fought.” [Media Matters, 7/18/23, 10/12/23, 8/17/22; NPR, 11/3/22; Politico, 2/18/21; Charisma, 3/14/24; Twitter/X, 6/6/23, 2/23/23; PBS, 10/7/22]

Donald Trump, his family, and MAGA allies in recent years have increasingly embraced far-right Christian Nationalist media outlets such as The Victory Channel and Elijah Streams.