A White Man Makes the Case for Reparations, Part 1
Column by Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer on August, 13 2020Of all the things white allies were willing to activate for, through decades of civil rights movements, reparations were the one thing that even the most committed white leaders have avoided talking about, much less fully committing to.
The “Good Trouble” of John Lewis
Column by Rev. Irene Monroe on August, 6 2020John Lewis, the ‘conscience of Congress’, preached a lived theology and activism of “good trouble.” Good trouble was the work of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and it was an expression of Lewis’s faith. The immediacy of his “good trouble” was heard in his jeremiads, inviting all to action. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” Lewis repeatedly said throughout his lifetime.
Apocalypse Strong
Column by Toni Reynolds on July, 30 2020In my own movement through Christianity I was petrified of the idea of the rapture. The ever-imposing threat of the Apocalypse. It seemed like every year produced mountains of evidence that the plagues had been unleashed, and the prophecies of Revelation were being fulfilled. With some distance from the center of that particular flavor of Christianity, I have noticed that the world is always ending.
A Call to Listen, Lament, Learn & Love.
Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on July, 23 2020I write in the context of the twin global realities of Covid-19; and the increasing rejection of toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and white supremacy – including a growing rejection of religions which are perceived as promoting and maintaining those poisons.
Breaking Free From Supremacy Theology, Part Two
Column by Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt on July, 16 2020White supremacy, in its many systemic forms, continues to keep us all bound. Pandemic or not, the work of Liberation through anti-racism and decolonization continues. For people of faith, this work includes breaking free from supremacy informed theology.
Common Ground
Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on July, 9 2020A democracy is only able to function and prosper if its diverse citizenry shares a common sense of what is good. A political common good, however, is made possible by the presence of common ground; this ground is the Reality of Being, the Essence of all that is. Without spiritual common ground, which is Being, the fragile political common good is a chimera, evident in the cultural blindness to and destruction of the beauty of George Floyd.
Even in 2020, Gratitude is my Religion
Column by Rev. Fran Pratt on July, 2 2020It seems to me that, now, in the fourth month of the pandemic, we need to reach down deep for spiritual, emotional, and contemplative resources. The best one I know is gratitude.
Biblical Billionaires and the Taming of Jesus
Column by Dr. Carl Krieg on June, 25 2020My initial intent in writing this column was to look at how the early church lost the message of Jesus, but both the pandemic and climate change seemed more urgent, demanding immediate attention. Then I realized that lurking behind all of them was the dark but pervasive shadow of society’s rich and powerful, those who expand and protect their interests at any cost.
Playing for Love in the Time of COVID
Column by Rev. Gretta Vosper on June, 18 2020The world has shifted on its axis since my last article appeared in Progressing Spirit. As I write, the number of COVID-19 deaths has passed 400,000, a number that shrinks from the reality experienced around the globe. As countries attempt to reopen their economies, anti-racism protests are sweeping the globe. Immune to neither challenge, we in Canada are little more than a quiet simmer when compared to the legitimate rage being expressed across America and around the world.
The Powerful Medicine of the (Divine) Feminine
Column by Jennifer Berit on June, 11 2020I’m really interested in how we, and by we I mean seekers, teachers, preachers, clergy, laymen, mystics, atheists and everything in between, think and talk about the divine feminine.
Covid-19 and Climate Change: Why Are We Here and Where are we Headed?
Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on June, 4 2020One of the “ultimate questions” humans like to pose is this: Why are we here?
This might seem to be a particularly appropriate question to ask in a time of the coronavirus plague when so much is becoming uprooted, when so many are afraid and suffering and dying.
Let It Fall: Collapse and Ecological Metanoia
Column by Rev. Matthew Syrdal on May, 28 2020For us faith leaders the problem is much deeper than simply ‘green-washing’ Christianity. Our habits of inattention and self-survival stand trial. The “cultural self” has become really good at shutting off the valve to feeling, that organ of perception connecting our own hearts with the heartbeat of a living World.
The Strangeness of Jesus, Equality, and Voting in the U.S.
Column by Rev. Mark Sandlin on May, 21 2020It is difficult to read the teachings of Jesus and come away thinking that some people deserve to have more privileges than others. We are not only suppose to love our neighbors, but we are also suppose to love our enemies – equally.
We Will Never Be The Same – A COVID-19 Reality
Column by Rev. Dr. Velda Love on May, 14 2020How will people of faith show up? Will the knee jerk reactions of shock and awe at the news that African Americans are dying at alarming rates elicit advocacy and activism for long-term strategies to correct structural and systemic injustices? Will people who claim to be Christians consider themselves “woke” because they write a check in support of a food pantry?
Why The Church Must Die – Part 3
Column by Rev. Jessica Shine on May, 7 2020In two previous articles I’ve shared why the church must die, and why I believe it is or has been dying. Some of my fellow readers (People of Color, LGBTQ, differently-abled) have seen what I’ve seen, felt what I’ve felt. Others have been offended or triggered, mostly well-meaning folks of privilege who don’t want things to change. That’s just it – don’t confuse the Church with the church you’re familiar with.
May Our Sins be Washed Away: Why we must continue to remove judgment and dogma from progressive Christian theology.
Column by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine on April, 30 2020To be a progressive, one must have the ability to think for oneself, to examine what they have been told and what they read. To be a progressive Christian means we find the courage to both question and to find our own authentic answer. And that takes bravery. Let’s celebrate our bravery together!
Befriending an Intruder
Column by Rev. Lauren Van Ham on April, 23 2020Since early March, a poem[i] by Kristin Flyntz has been circulating widely wherein she imagines what the Covid-19 virus might be saying. More than once it says, “Just stop. Be still. Listen. Ask us what we might teach you about illness and healing, about what might be required so that all may be well. We will help you, if you listen.”
What Should We Be Learning in the Time of COVID-19?
Column by Brian McLaren on April, 16 2020In the new normal that we can create together, we can lean into a truth that we are all learning in our bones thanks to this crisis: we are all connected, participants in local, regional, and global societies, living in an ecosystem that requires us to seek the common good with one another and with all our fellow creatures.
Fishing to Friending
Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on April, 9 2020Metaphors are powerful, because they describe and prescribe our relationships with one another with so few words. Their power lies in their awesome capacity to evoke a world. Metaphors can manifest and deepen our sense of the Holy Mystery, or they can mask and distort. Oftentimes it is a mixture. But the difference is real, and it matters.
A Grown-Up God for Times Like These
Column by Rev. Jaqueline J. Lewis, Ph.D. on April, 2 2020I was a Christian; I am a Christian. But it became clear to me that God speaks more than one language. Because God wants to be known, I came to believe, by any means necessary, God speaks to the hearts of humans in the ways they can hear, inviting us to come close to be seen, known and loved.
COVID-19 And The World Community
Column by Rev. Irene Monroe on March, 26 2020In a responsible response to the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, church and worship services across the globe are canceled. Traditional Bible study has gone online. Sermons are watched on Zoom, and old videos of singing church choirs have popped up in my inbox. Our global engagement with one another right now is social distancing while staying connected, revealing our acts of spiritual communion.
Faith and Fate
Column by Toni Reynolds on March, 19 2020The below offering was inspired by a conversation with my favorite Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer and the late, great Peter Tosh. Thanks for inviting the Selah, Rabbi. Rest in Power, Peter.
Breaking Free From Supremacy Theology, Part One
Column by Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt on March, 12 2020Even though my context is theologically progressive, I am entangled in supremacy theology. I need to break free. I define supremacy theology as any theological framework that is propped up by systems of oppression.
Parenting the Church
Column by Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft on March, 5 2020Parents and caregivers, you are on the frontlines of the revolution. You are raising humans that will perpetuate white supremacy, or be actively anti-racist. You are raising humans that can break down walls rather than build them. So stop thinking your praying has ended, or your activism decreased.
10 Things Smart Progressive Churches Know About Worship, Part 2
Column by Rev. Fran Pratt on February, 27 2020This article is a continuation of : 10 Things Smart Progressive Churches Know About Worship, Part 1.