Open and relational theology offers a better framework for imagining how humans might imitate God.

Step back a bit and think about it.  Neither you nor I, as believers in law and order, want to see an innocent man put to death.  Let’s put the blame for this miscarriage of justice where it belongs – on people’s belief in God!  Let the people deal with the consequences of their primitive ideas. 

People often think that the Bible is obscure, hard to understand, and irrelevant. But today’s reading from Ephesians seems as fresh and accessible as when it was first written some 2,000 years ago. The passage is straightforward. It is a list of don’ts and do’s, a kind of inventory of spiritual virtues.

In Roger's book Discovering Fire, he doesn't advocate for thoughtless religious syncretism, but he does recognize that our lived experiences often transcend the neat boxes of religious or spiritual categories.

Why did God make it so difficult? There is no answer to this question. In the book of Job, God inflicts pain and suffering but refuses to explain why. God is a profound mystery, transcendent, beyond human comprehension. So what does God give us? Instead of the big experience described by Paul, we get brief glimpses into a reality of goodness and love.

Ninety-five percent of the human population is left-brain dominant. A 2013 study sampling 160,000 Americans showed that 37% of Americans are left-brained, while only 29% are right-brained. In only 34% of participants did the two hemispheres exert equal influence on decision-making.

Several accounts envision Jesus himself as divine light: so, in the Gospel of John, he declares that “I am the light of the world,” and, in Thomas, “I am the light of the world, the light that is before all things; I am all things; all things come forth from me; all things return to me. Split a piece of wood and I am there; lift up a rock and you will find me.” 

Immediately after the horrific assassination attempt on former President Trump, people of faith began claiming that God protected him. For example, Franklin Graham unequivocally pronounced, “God spared his life.” But that popular affirmation raises difficult questions, which even Graham acknowledged.

If you think God is a Christian, then you are mistaken. He isn’t a Muslim or a Hindu, either. We can't pin labels on God; he is not a tribal or sectarian deity; too often, organized Things have changed a little for Catholics in the papacy of Francis, but there is still an element of defending the faith, like soldiers in a fortress, watching out for those who question and debate too much. Too often, Christian churches have adopted an ‘either-or’ philosophy – you are either right or wrong, either with us or against us.

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives in consideration of Apple TV's hit show bassed on the book of the same name, "Dark Matter."

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives in consideration of "A Quiet Place: Day One," the prequel of the critically acclaimed movie "A Quite Place."

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives in consideration of the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series on it's 35th anniversary.

Due to our privileged place of dominion over the planet, we have the responsibility to unite other creatures in Christ to the best of our ability. We don’t have the technology or knowledge of ecosystems to successfully intervene in violence between animals, but we can certainly eliminate our own violence toward them.

Similarly, we have recently learned that all of life on planet Earth has likely originated from a single source. Instead of thinking of life as having beginnings and endings, we might reconceptualize life as being a single entity (perhaps something like a virus) that moves from beings to beings.

Paul Levy is one of our greatest evolutionary mystics and someone whom I believe understands deeply and precisely our current extreme situation.

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives n consideration of "IF," a live-action animated fantasy comedy film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski.

Our next-door neighbor has a butterfly sanctuary in her backyard, where monarchs come to lay their eggs

Singing Fierce Gratitude: Daily Poems of Abundance, Generosity, and Gratitude is a reminder to savor, to feast, and to share the abundance of God's goodness.

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives in consideration of Disney's latest animated "Star Wars: Tales" anthology: "Tales of the Empire."

A key term coined by Tom underlies this and his other books: God is amipotent – love + power - attracting all toward goodness and creativity, and not omnipotent – directing and controlling the cosmos. 

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives of Marvel Comics revival of Episode 1 of the star Wars saga, "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" on its 25th anniversary.

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives of Marvel Comics revival of Prime Video's smash hit, "Fallout (Season 1)."

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives of Marvel Comics revival of Zack Snyder's Star Wars-like space opera, "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.."

Science and Religion should never be in conflict, as Dr. James, a Ph.D. scientist and Christian mystic, carefully demonstrates. He employs many personal experiences in the science realm and in the Christian realm to show how the two are wonderfully complementary—as long as each remains in their respective places.

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives of Marvel Comics revival of "X-Men: The Animated Series" (1992–1997), "X-Men '97."

Join Mark and Caleb for this live recording as they enjoy a themed drink (or two) and bring their high-octane progressive Christian perspectives of the multiple Oscar award winning movie, "Poor Things."

Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller offer an open and relational vision of God. This vision makes sense, fits our experience, and is livable. The open and relational view aligns with our deep intuitions about love and freedom.

The central focus of Jesus’ message was to announce the imminent coming of the kingdom of God. This is what he was sent to do. (Luke 4: 43-44) This kingdom would be on earth for the people of Israel. (Matthew 10: 5-8) Although Jesus gives few details on how this kingdom would operate.

It is widely known among biblical scholars that The Book of Job is an outlier among other biblical books in that it provides overt criticism of established Ancient Hebrew beliefs and doctrines.

If you think God is a Christian, then you are mistaken. He isn’t a Muslim or a Hindu, either. We can't pin labels on God; he is not a tribal or sectarian deity; too often, organized religions make God absurdly small and petty in order to fit their own prejudices and small-mindedness.