President Trump the 2nd Christ?
Column by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin on September, 29 2022“President Donald J. Trump, The Son of Man – The Christ.” That’s the title of a book that is pictured in a meme making its way around social media. While it might sound like some kind of satirical production, it is not.
Christ Heart: Awakening As Holy Mystery – Part 3
Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on September, 22 2022Living with Holy Mystery is the spiritual schooling of the soul. The method of the schooling is the spiritual practices that teach us how to become embodiments of the Source: meditation; spiritual exploration; breath, body, and movement; and liturgy.
When The Storm Hits
Column by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine on September, 15 2022I realized I was suffering, creating my own internal storm because of what I feared would come to be, or more accurately, how I would feel when this possibility came to be. It felt like the storm was all around me but really it was within me.
The Great Reversion
Column by Support - Progressing Spirit on September, 8 2022You’ve heard it said again and again- “We’re living in unprecedented times”. There’s extreme polarization, increased bigotry, emboldened racists, and virtual mobs seeking to cancel those who don’t align perfectly with the new orthodoxies of whichever side of the aisle you identify with
“OK, Guru-boy. If There’s No Original Sin and Hell, Why Be a Christian?”
Column by Rev. David M. Felten on September, 1 2022Earlier this summer, I was called out as a heretic and accused of “sitting on Satan’s lap” courtesy of the Institute for Religion and Democracy (the fundamentalist think tank behind the schisms of many of our mainline denominations).
Preaching a Partisan Gospel
Column by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers on August, 25 2022I very much appreciated Brian McLaren’s recent column, Thanks Presiding Bishop Curry, and his thoughtful exploration of the bishop’s advice to find a voice that is non-partisan, and why this is easier said than done.
Before & Beyond the Nicene Creed, a 1st and 21st Century Credo
Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on August, 18 2022What might a Creed that represented Jesus’ teachings more, and Constantine’s less, look like?
Thanks, Presiding Bishop Curry
Column by Brian McLaren on August, 11 2022In his speech, Bishop Curry twice emphasized the need to find a voice that is non-partisan (“this is not partisan,” “not a partisan voice”). We all know why he needed to say this.
Diversion, Dictatorship and the Concentration of Wealth
Column by Dr. Carl Krieg on August, 4 2022It has been shown that wealth actually changes the structure of a person’s brain, destroying a sense of empathy for others while at the same time creating a sense of entitlement.
Christ Heart: Living With Holy Mystery – Part 2
Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on July, 28 2022We are becoming aware of what we are: Boundless love is the Source of life and the longing of the soul. As we live from the Source, we become more curious about life, which means we question, ceaselessly.
When Progressive Christianity Runs Wet
Column by Rev. Jim Burklo on July, 21 2022Now, more than ever, is the time to express our faith forthrightly, publicly, and invitationally.
What the hell?
Column by Rev. Gretta Vosper on July, 14 2022While at theological college, a challenge seized with an eager ferocity, was the imperative attributed to theologian Karl Barth that we preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.
Lectio Writ LARGE!
Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on July, 7 2022I write this essay in the wake of a slate of recent rulings by the US Supreme Court that many progressive Christians, and progressive persons in general, find most troubling.
A Different Kind of Optimism
Column by Rev. Lauren Van Ham on June, 30 2022Recently, I was in consultation with a colleague who is First Nation Cree. Throughout the conversation, there was a steady stream of confidence, curiosity, and hope. Really smiling at one point, my colleague said, “I’m an eternal optimist who comes from a history of despair.”
Christ Heart: Discovery of Holy Mystery – Part 1
Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on June, 23 2022What is a heart alive with compassion and joy and spontaneity? A heart not continually weighed down by drivenness, anger, and fear? A heart at rest?
Transitions
Column by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine on June, 16 2022The Mystery of Life only allows us to move forward. No matter how much we cling to what was or how much we resist, change is inevitable.
Jesus – Queer Theology Incarnate
Column by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin on June, 9 2022In his book “Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology”. The Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng says, “God is the very manifestation of a love that is so extreme that it dissolves existing boundaries.” So, it seems to me, living a life that dismantles existing boundaries is the very definition of being in relationship with God.
When Progressive Christianity Runs Dry
Column by Rev. Brandan Robertson on June, 2 2022I, along with many other progressive Christian ministers I know, have grown increasingly cynical about our faith. We no longer feel that the faith that we’ve evolved to embrace has much of a bearing on our daily lives or an impact on the world.
“Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” at 100
Column by Rev. David M. Felten on May, 26 2022When I first read Harry Emerson Fosdick’s Shall the Fundamentalists Win?, it changed my life. In disbelief, I read portions of it over and over again and looked at the date. I read it AGAIN and thought, “What?” How in the world could he have preached this in 1922 and it STILL be controversial?!
Requiem For Roe V. Wade
Column by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers on May, 19 2022Let’s be honest about the fear that is now driving the culture wars and have brought us to the precipice of losing our democracy. White men on the right fear they are losing everything to the brown and black barbarians at the gate.
What the Disciples Believed About The Resurrection of Jesus
Column by Dr. Carl Krieg on May, 12 2022We don’t know when Jesus was born, but we do know when he died. His birth was linked to existing pagan festivals celebrating the winter solstice, but his death can be dated relatively specifically, and occurred during the Passover Festival, Jerusalem, early April in year 30.
Be Opened: A Post-Easter Reflection
Column by Rev. Matthew Syrdal on May, 5 2022I walked out of our church in ritual silence with the procession at twilight and was met—stunned—by the radiant face of the nearly full moon. I started to weep. Especially tired this particular Maundy Thursday, I was hit by the welling up of unprocessed emotion from a particularly hard year.
“Do you Create or do you Destroy?” Evil at Our Doors
Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on April, 28 2022Not only does our species do great evil with our vast creativity and intelligence, we also do amazing positive things as well. We are capable of the Awesome as well as the Awful.
The Religious Question — and the Human Question
Column by Brian McLaren on April, 21 2022If Jesus was right when he said, in his inaugural address (as found in Luke 4), that the Spirit of God’s agenda is to help the oppressed, the weak, the broken-hearted, those with (in Thurman’s words) their backs against the wall, then no wonder many people are struggling with their religious identity.
The Banjo – A Symbol of Endurance in the Midst of Great Suffering
Column by Toni Reynolds on April, 14 2022
Over the last four years I’ve fallen in love with the banjo. It has been an interesting journey to take up this instrument. I’ …