Abundant Lives: A Progressive Christian Ethic of Flourishing invites sociologically informed engagement in human well-being based on Jesus’ command to love God, our neighbors, ourselves, and our enemies.
From The Collective with Rick Gregory
Watch Episode 20 of The Awakened Collective with Rick Gregory as he interviews Special Guest Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, author of The Great Digital Commission.
Sermon: Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
Jesus was not crucified for telling people to love God and our neighbors. He was killed for challenging the authorities of that time. He challenged the Jewish authorities, and he challenged the Roman authorities.
(Moving from “Ought” to “How To”)
So what about loving our enemies? What do we normally feel, what do others who have modeled destructive behavior and attitudes expect us to feel and what can we possibly feel? Why should we choose not to feel what virtually everyone expects us to feel?
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by and because of their ancestors—known and unknown—who came before them.
I’m not sure why we can be so idealistic about human love when human love is profoundly imperfect and so often unreliable.
What I know is that I need to not beat myself up for having a hard time when I’m having a hard time.
by Robert P. Jones
Native American racism, then goes even deeper to the historic Christian documents that have infected not only Christian teachings but also have been fundamental principles embedded in laws, policies, decisions, and cultures ever since to the present. His research and documentation are extensive, unnerving, and compelling reading.
by Judith Lewis Herman, MD
Herman says every survivor she interviewed or worked with has wished above all for the following: Acknowledgment and vindication, apology and amends. Those 4 things are what justice looks like for the people directly affected.
When they sang together, you could hear the harmony that should define this country’s relationships across race.
At a party, when a woman, without giving notice, anointed Jesus with perfumed oil,
by Sarah Augustine
ince the Doctrine of Discovery undergirded everything about colonialism, its consequences are ongoing.
Fierce love pursues peace through nonviolence
If we want peace, it has to start with us. We must uproot violence from our language, in the ways we relate to one another.
The cross, the symbol of the Christian faith, has been the subject of much theological discussion through the ages.
To what extent do churches accommodate the values of their worshippers and merely give them a sense of comfort, and to what extent do churches set high standards and encourage Christian growth and social commitment?
If we want peace, it has to start with us. We must uproot violence from our language, in the ways we relate to one another.
"We transgenders here feel a bit more human because the fact that Pope Francis brings us closer to the Church is a beautiful thing," Carla Segovia, 46, a sex worker, told Reuters. "Because we need some love."
At the heart of the Christian tradition, we say there is “faith (πίστις, ‘pistis’ Gr. - trust), hope (ἐλπίς, Gr. elpis = meaning expectation, in a positive sense), and love ( ἀγάπη Gr. ‘agapé’ ‘love’ or φιλανθρωπία Gr. ‘caritas’ = charity).
When AARP Massachusetts was looking to honor the state's top volunteer, Paul's and Charles's names rose to the top. They have made a difference in the lives around them, sharing their knowledge, experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of our community.
So why do we persist in comparing ourselves to others? And suffering the frustration that results?
Every parent and educator will welcome the blend of multicultural tales, biographies, universal spirituality, and original fun adventures of children who could live on your street. Expansive, respectful, real, and warm with kindness, these stories offer possibilities for life to children and adults who feel in their heart that they belong to a larger reality.
You get no racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no classism…no negative stuff at all from Progressive Christians. You get positive people doing positive things.
There are a few words I have had “allergies” to over the years. Words like discipline, obedience, and accountability. Some have a more intense allergic reaction than others, such as difficulty breathing, maybe getting itchy or nauseous. Of course I jest, yet they are words that have produced some measure of tension in my body because of previous life experiences.
The world is full of people promising ‘instant enlightenment’ or writing self-help books on ‘Happiness Now!’ Some claim to have a hotline to God which no one else possesses, or a special insight which no one else has received. Anyone who claims to know it all, probably knows very little.
Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times
Moss takes the words from our ancient Scriptures and prophetically applies them to our most urgent moral battles and choices; in ways that makes the Bible come alive again.
A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World
We are living in a world divided. Race and ethnicity, caste and color, gender and sexuality, class and education, religion and political party have all become demographic labels that reduce our differences to simplistic categories in which “we” are vehemently against “them.”
Our Politics Made Easy & Ready For Action
It does not matter how Progressive or Lefty you are. One can have a very enjoyable conversation with the most Right-Wing of relatives or friends. It is all about the approach.