A Useful Simplification Rev. Emerick When mixed together, two historically significant ideas make a toxic cultural cocktail: (1) the idea that everything that happens, will happen, or can happen, is determined by forces above and beyond us - forces like God, the gods, nature, the “divine right of kings” (and the Church), the “Invisible Hand” of laissez-faire, or fate (which is called “pre-destination” in the Church’s teaching); and,   (2) the idea that we are all born rotten to the core (the Church’s doctrine of Original Sin), and therefore we can never do anything intelligent, right, or good. “Christendom” has been serving this toxic cocktail to Western culture for many centuries.  And Western culture has been imbibing the toxic cocktail to the...

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I BELIEVE By Rev. Robert Emerick -The living heart of Jesus' teaching has two chambers: 1) Jesus taught Heaven On Earth now - in this life - he taught us to pray "your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."* and, 2) Jesus taught that The Way - The Jesus Way - to work with God to accomplish this is to love as he loves.** -Making Heaven on Earth through Jesus' Way of Divine Love is God's Way of Life. -Jesus' teaching and example fully express the essential principles of God's will - God's Way - for human life. -The likeness of God*** within all of us - our Soul - is made of...

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Facts Myths The Best Way Forward Rev. Robert Emerick  –   info@bayridgeumc.org     A public presentation to a diverse group of Brooklyn community activists and church members, sponsored by Peace Action Bay Ridge and The Interfaith Peace Coalition,   meeting at The Lutheran Church Of The Good Shepherd, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on June 15, 2013 (Updated on 1/27/14) In 2011, I decided to investigate the conflicting claims being made in political campaigns about how to create jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy.  Over a period of eight months, I compiled data on the major economic indicators from 1900 to 2011, in order to compare them, in order to see for myself what factors have actually coincided with lower unemployment and higher economic...

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