I did not grow up a progressive Christian. I grew up a conservative Christian. I do not disparage that; it is part of my life that I fully embrace and is part of my journey. I suspect this is true…
Discovering the human Jesus opens new possibilities for becoming more like Jesus
Ironically, when I believed Jesus was God I didn’t take him seriously. But when I let him be an imperfect, but courageous and compassionate human being, I discovered a compelling interest in becoming like him.
Who is your Messiah: the one who welcomes all to the table or the one who excludes?
Do we want the suffering servant Messiah of the Gospels? Or do we prefer the vengeful, conquering general of Revelation 19? The Messianic image we are drawn to reveals a great deal about what is in our hearts.
What can we learn from being offended?
I’m not sure any of us really become so God-like and divested of ego that we don’t get offended. So the question is: What are we going to do about it?
What does it mean to be pro-life?
I share the concern of conservative Christians for the unborn. Pro-life means that all life (at all developmental stages) should be honored, respected and valued. But when did the unborn become more valuable than the born, especially those born into tragic life circumstances?
The struggle to know God’s will through scripture
Jesus offers us a model of how we might struggle with our sacred texts and bring our own personal, intuitive, common-sense experience of God to bear on our interpretation and application of scripture.
The sacredness of doubt (It can lead to a beautiful God.)
I hope more Christians will see that the boxes in which they have confined God are way too small to inspire an expansive and gracious vision that would motivate and empower them to love others the way God “so loves the world.”
That old-time religion is not what you think
In post-Constantinian Christianity emphasis on living out the values of Jesus and walking in the way of Jesus were replaced with an emphasis on holding to right beliefs about Jesus. The contrasting emphasis was so stark it was like two different religions.
What the Church needs is a new reformation
If Christianity is to be a force for good in the world by helping to heal our deep psychic, personal brokenness, to restore estranged relationships often marked by betrayal and contempt, to transform us into more loving, compassionate persons who care for others, then Western Christianity, and American Christianity in particular, must undergo a new reformation.