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1-25 of 1018 « ‹ Page 1 of 41 › »
  • Friendship, Companionship, Grief, Love

    Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on January, 26 2023

    I lost a very dear friend the day after Christmas.

    I look, out of habit, out of longing, out of love, really, but he is not there. It is as if his singular space – the very soft shape of kindness within my world – has been cut out.

     
    “What’s a progressive Christian understanding of things like astrology, tarot cards, or dream-work? Can one be a Christian and engage with those …

    Answered by Rev. Roger Wolsey
  • All-Loving – A Better Doctrine

    Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on January, 19 2023

    “Good orthodoxy leads to good orthopraxy” is a common aphorism wielded among conservative evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. It’s frequently worded in a more aggressive manner: “without proper orthodoxy, there can be no proper Christian discipleship.”

     

    I'm tired of people making assumptions every time I say I'm a Christian. I feel like I have to say “not …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin
  • More God in Us, Less Us in God

    Column by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin on January, 12 2023

    Few progressive Christians believe that God is something we can truly ever fully understand. Yet, in constantly choosing to anthropomorphize God, we provide ourselves with fertile mental ground for believing we are doing just that.

    I am an Atheist.and wonder why is it that most Christians insist that the Gospels were essentially dictated to (inspired) by God to …

    Answered by Rev. Brandan Robertson
  • The Kingdom of God Within: A Challenge for Progressive Christians

    Column by Rev. Brandan Robertson on January, 5 2023

    At the heart of the Christian faith is the central command of Jesus to love God by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. In other words, the precursor to effectively loving God and effectively loving others is to build a healthy rhythm of self-love.

    With the recent introduction of Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT, how worried should pastors and other writers be about the possibility of being replaced …

    Answered by Rev. David M. Felten
  • A Conversation with Rachel Laser – Part 2

    Column by Rev. David M. Felten on December, 29 2022

    The following is Part 2 of two columns drawn from an interview with Rachel Laser, President of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

    How do we really know what Jesus said?  They get so much wrong.  Is it not a house of cards?

    Answered by Bishop John Shelby Spong
  • A Conversation with Rachel Laser, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State – Part 1

    Column by Rev. David M. Felten on December, 22 2022

    The following is Part 1 of two columns drawn from an interview with Rachel Laser, President of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, December 1st, 2022. It has been edited for length and focus.

    In my studies of different mystical traditions, including Christianity, I have come to learn that Christ was the Spirit of Love and Jesus was …

    Answered by Rev. Matthew Syrdal
  • An Advent Love-Poem to Holy Darkness

    Column by Rev. Matthew Syrdal on December, 15 2022

    Advent is a season especially attuned to the Darkness, and it’s rhythms—not primarily the light. For the Darkness has a strange luminosity all its own, but our eyes must readjust.

    How can we work to improve religious tolerance and increase respect for diversity?

    Answered by Rev. Irene Monroe
  • World AIDS Day 2022

    Column by Rev. Irene Monroe on December, 8 2022

    African Americans are still disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. And the epidemic is heavily concentrated in urban enclaves like Boston, Detroit, New York, Newark, Washington, D.C., and the Deep South.

    In the interest of full disclosure, I am an Atheist.

    Why is it that most Christians …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
  • Holy Envy

    Column by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers on December, 1 2022

    For the last six weeks, my congregation in Norman, Oklahoma, has been reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s wonderful book, Holy Envy:  Finding God in the Faith of Others.

    I consider myself a good person and I want to remain a church-going Christian but I find that living a Christ-centered life can be a …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox
  • In Praise of Thanks

    Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on November, 24 2022

    Thanksgiving 2022.  There is much to be grateful for; and much to be concerned about. 

    I am feeling concerned that life may not really matter and question whether my own life has a deeper meaning and will make any  …

    Answered by Brian McLaren
  • Losing My Place in the Winner’s Inner Circle

    Column by Brian McLaren on November, 17 2022

    Mainline Protestants were part of America’s most successful form of Christianity until the tide began to turn in the late sixties and early seventies, and now, they are no longer the successful majority.

    How can I help my fellow parishioner who, after a long and debilitating health issue, is struggling with feelings of anger and disappointment with …

    Answered by Dr. Carl Krieg
  • The Birth and Death of the Church in the First Century – Part 1

    Column by Dr. Carl Krieg on November, 10 2022

    The history of the church in the first century is both well-hidden and well-studied, and no narrative is guaranteed to be true. The period demands our attention because what really happened then is absolutely crucial to our understanding of both Jesus and the subsequent 2000-plus years of those who would follow him.

    How is it possible to reconcile the beauty, awe, and mystery of the universe and the goodness of God, with the harsh aspects of …

    Answered by Rev. Jim Burklo
  • Time To Take A Stand

    Column by Rev. Jim Burklo on November, 3 2022

    The Big Lie has settled the question of whether or not politics belongs in the pulpits of progressive churches in America.  We’ve got no choice but to speak out and take a stand for the Democrats because the Republican Party has devolved into a cabal that is undermining the institutions upon which our religious freedom depends. 

    How can congregations help their clergy who are facing their own stress and burnout? 

    Answered by Rev. Gretta Vosper
  • Creating Community from the Stuff of Ecclesial Practices?

    Column by Rev. Gretta Vosper on October, 27 2022

    As I write this, 2022 is in its final quarter providing an opportunity to reflect on the tenth anniversary of the worst year of my life. And one of the best. Reviewing our lives is always complicated, isn’t it? Let me share with you.

    How do I move beyond a lifelong belief in a heaven above and a hell below?

    Answered by Rev. Lauren Van Ham
  • The Reconciliations of Autumn

    Column by Rev. Lauren Van Ham on October, 20 2022

    In the Northern hemisphere, we are in the season of Fall and harvest.  It is also the time when a number of cultures and traditions encourage communion with our benevolent ancestors, saints, and spiritual teachers.

    What is the best way to gently question the behavior of a new Pastor who seems to be very fundamentalist in her thinking and …

    Answered by Rev. Fran Pratt
  • It’s Time for Christianity to Ditch Diet Culture

    Column by Rev. Fran Pratt on October, 13 2022

    I no longer practice in the field of nutrition. The farther I went with it, the more deeply I realized that the field is rife with Diet Culture and toxic beauty standards, as well as ableism and health-shaming.

    I have been reading Dr. Spong’s idea that the Gospels were written for the Synagogue worship. Didn’t the Synagogue worship use Hebrew …

    Answered by Rev. Roger Wolsey
  • The Jig Is Up

    Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on October, 6 2022

    What such people meant by this is that they feared that the era of privilege and power for straight, white, wealthy, capitalist men might soon pass unless it becomes vigorously defended.

    My faith seems to constantly be changing. I think it is mostly changing for the better. Some of my more conservative friends seem to think …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin
  • 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.

    I am curious as to why progressive Christians still use the word ” worship” when it comes to liturgies and order of services? Isn't …

    Answered by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D.
  • Christ Heart: Awakening As Holy Mystery – Part 3

    Column by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. on September, 22 2022

    Living 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.

    In your experience, what is most important when being in community with marginalized folks as a white person?

    Answered by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine
  • When The Storm Hits

    Column by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine on September, 15 2022

    I 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.

    I have been trying to form my relationship with Christ, I find my values align with the views of Progressive Christians.  I really don' …

    Answered by Rev. Brandan Robertson
  • The Great Reversion

    Column by Rev. Brandan Robertson on September, 8 2022

    You’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

    It seems like a lot of conservative Christians are using “Freedom of Religion” as an excuse to discriminate against others. Isn’t that the opposite …

    Answered by Rev. David M. Felten
  • “OK, Guru-boy. If There’s No Original Sin and Hell, Why Be a Christian?”

    Column by Rev. David M. Felten on September, 1 2022

    Earlier 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).

    How is it best to gently question the behavior of a new pastor who seems to be fundamentalist in her thinking and does not …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
  • Preaching a Partisan Gospel

    Column by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers on August, 25 2022

    I 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. 

    I was reading the ProgressiveChristianity.org website and (as a Christian myself) was wondering why the message on the 8 points of progressive Christianity has …

    Answered by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox
  • Before & Beyond the Nicene Creed, a 1st and 21st Century Credo

    Column by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox on August, 18 2022

    What might a Creed that represented Jesus’ teachings more, and Constantine’s less, look like?

    Can you offer any advice to pastors and Christians in general who want to speak out on issues that some call political or partisan? …

    Answered by Brian McLaren
  • Thanks, Presiding Bishop Curry

    Column by Brian McLaren on August, 11 2022

    In 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.

    We were having a discussion at church last night about theism and worship. How is the Eucharist relevant if theism is taken away, or more …

    Answered by Dr. Carl Krieg
1-25 of 1018 « ‹ Page 1 of 41 › »

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