Liturgy As Corporate Spiritual Practice Of Embodiment: Part II

Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on January, 10 2019

A Wisdom text has the capacity to foster the soul’s growth or unfolding, helping her to realize that she is an utterly unique expression of Being that is present as boundless love.

Some Resources for Hope in a Time of Doomsday Messaging

Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on January, 3 2019

 
As we enter a new year amidst the dire warnings from the United Nations and even Trump’s own administration about the peril humans and the rest of …

The Sound of Silence: Valuing the “Via Negativa”

Column by Joran Slane Oppelt on December, 27 2018

It is by first passing through and celebrating our sense of awe, wonder, gratitude and joy that we are able to enter into darkness and the mystery of The Void. This is what carries us through the other side into a new season of creation and reinvention. This is the lantern that we bring with us into the cave, that burning ember — or promise of the birth of the Christ child within — that gives us hope.

Liturgy As Individual Spiritual Practice of Embodiment – Part 1

Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on December, 20 2018

In my last column, “Terrifying and Terrible Texts: Knowing the Difference between Study and Liturgy,” I offered a basic and broad and personal vision of liturgy as “essentially a spiritual practice wherein we gather together to experience becoming embodiments of Being in the present moment.” We gather as unique personal jewels of Life. This vision begins my response to Bishop Spong’s query in Unbelievable: can Christian liturgies be made to reflect “reality rather than nostalgia.” Let me now develop this further in three ways: liturgy as personal spiritual practice of the individual; a reformed liturgical church year; and examples of eucharistic prayers (personal practice in a communal context) informed by this new vision of liturgy. This column will focus on liturgy as personal spiritual practice of the individual, which is the foundation for the subsequent essay on church year and eucharistic prayers.

The Medicine of Intimacy: an Advent Challenge

Column by Rev. Lauren Van Ham on December, 13 2018

At the beginning of November, I dizzied myself in a dervish with 7500 participants at the Parliament of World Religions. In a series of keynote presentations spanning Peace & Reconciliation, Climate, Women, Indigenous Voices, and the Next Generation, one unifying message was consistently offered, “Humans have caused this.” Whatever the challenge before us, it is our species who has created the conditions for our current reality.

The Baby and the Bathwater?

Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on December, 6 2018

Christmas is upon us. What is Christmas? How are progressive Christians to understand it? Can we even celebrate it at all?

Our Deepest Roots

Column by Rev. Gretta Vosper on November, 29 2018

At this time of year, we turn toward traditions that go deep into the backstories of our lives. The Christmas narrative serves as a foundation for our own narratives, those of our families of origin and those of the families we have created for ourselves. They are good. They are bad. They are beautiful. They are ugly. And we feel compelled to participate whether the stories are healthy or horrible. It’s what we do, right?

A Conversation with Bishop John Shelby Spong: Part 3 “On Conservatives, Liberals, and the Way Forward”

Column by Rev. David M. Felten on November, 22 2018

David Felten: You’ve talked about how hard it is for people to grasp what is meant when we’re talking about atheism or non-theism. There’s another word that a lot of people aren’t completely happy with but it’s the one we’ve kind of been shackled with. Is there a word other than “progressive” we can use – another approach?

A Conversation with Bishop John Shelby Spong: Part 1 “On Small Minds and Big Ideas”

Column by Rev. David M. Felten on November, 8 2018

The following is taken from an interview with Bishop John Shelby Spong on September 18th, 2018. Recorded at his home in Richmond, Virginia, it has been edited for length and thematic focus.