That we “exist” as human beings is certain as a fact
Created/evolved through a lengthy process — others say an act

A Creator-God often viewed as the prime reason for “being”
A mystery question that seeks an answer, one that’s not misleading

There is a presence here and now;
A presence with us all;
A presence when we’re trav’ling high;
A presence when we fall.

God is all without being any thing
while being the all in every thing.

God is the perhaps at the edge
of every moment of choosing.

“Voting is irrational.” This jarring statement comes from Paul Woodruff, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas in Austin, in his wise book, REVERENCE: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue. Paul came to USC a few months ago, hosted by my office, to give a series of talks. He’s a person who emanates the virtue that he teaches, speaking with a calm, reflective demeanor. Woodruff posits that unless we understand voting as a ritual, we’ll miss the point of it, and continue to see a decline in voter participation.

Leader: Give thanks for the Lord’s goodness, God’s love is steadfast and forever.
People: God has gathered us from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and rescued us from trouble.

Holy, holy, holy, love now ascending
Early in the morning our song shall rise to you
Holy, holy, holy, joy that has no ending
Giving, forgiving, breathing life anew.

No matter how different someone is from us, they are part of the human family, one of God’s children to be valued and treated with dignity.
ALL: All of life is connected in an interdependent web.

This statement of faith seeks to provide a verbal picture of what The United Church of Canada understands its faith to be in its current historical, political, social, and theological context at the beginning of the 21st century. It is also a means of ongoing reflection and an invitation for the church to live out its convictions in relation to the world in which we live.

A typical interpretation when reading the Book of Revelation is John’s attempt to answer the interminable question: How exactly will God, once and for all, set things right? When will the “sorrow and weeping be no more,” and the “tear wiped from every eye?” After reinterpreting over and over again the imminent end that has been repeatedly put on indefinite hold, it merely begs the question, why the postponement?

When Revelation is instead understood to be political commentary spun in the form of a fantastic allegorical tale that can be reinterpreted and applied again and again, the question in each succeeding era has more to do with asking the question: Who is the Whore of Babylon, and all she represents? How can we be so easily seduced? And have the words and life of the Galilean sage been lost, even from the time John had his nightmarish vision to our own succumbing today? Read more.

- a book of poems by Gretta Vosper As I review my involvement in the progressive Christian movement over the last decade and a half, I face a seeming contradiction. On the one hand, I’m amazed that …

Generous affection is my inspiration for whole relationships. May my narrow mind arise above all limiting expectations; my fearful heart stir with certainties of compassion; and my actions witness to peace.

The influence that adults have on children is profound. But we often don’t realise our importance as role models.

Bathe in muddy Jordan
Seven times to make you whole
Swim in muddy water
Seven times to save your soul

Are you disillusioned by some aspects of Christianity, like having to believe the right things to “get saved”? Like the idea that an all-loving God would sentence anyone to hell? Like understanding an often contradictory Bible? Then meet CLEAR FAITH. Clear away those stumbling blocks to uncover a faith of your own that makes sense. Meet the Jesus we can truly call “brother.” By seeing with new eyes, through a clear lens, we can experience and live with a simple, straightforward faith that is globally inclusive, open, and compatible with a progressive, scientific worldview.

At Grace Church we read Iona’s Creed each week. Despite its beauty, saying it felt like swallowing a big square ice cube so I began to figure out my own Creed. I dug my way through every …

I blamed it on my brother, I blamed it on my sister, I blamed it on my father, I blamed it on my mother. Forgot about my individuality.
Release the fear, the beginning is near. Reflect peace, joy, happiness and bliss.
Find your spirit, find your gods.
In demand for equality. Hold your fist up high, right now is the time to unify.
I know the cure is being pure.
Feel the force, earth wind water fire, gonna take you higher.

The ancient Jews revered wisdom but in our times it often seems religion actually reveres ignorance. This is a crucial aspect of progressive Christianity- we are willing to start a church that rejected all forms of magic or superstition in favor for a fact based spirituality.

Our prison in Guantanamo Bay, Gitmo, is an example of power run amok. Like the Biblical narrative about the Tower of Babel, our faith tradition is rich in anti-empire imagery assuring the faith community that God holds the hubris of empire in contempt. Nations are never really that good as estimating their relative importance in the world. Like the Hebrews when our nation began, we had a fresh memory of what it was like to be bullied by an empire. We sought to create a nation whose moral force was much larger than our military force.