Against or Through? With or For? But or And? Skits for worship

What wisdom I have Awakens me to my blindness. I cannot see light itself: What I know of light Is only an alluring shadow Of what it is and does.

The lyrics of the hymns and praise and worship songs of the church are, outside of the Bible, the way most people establish their belief system, which is reflected in the way they think about and live their faith. The lyrics may be good or bad, perceptive or trite, and may or may not teach sound theological concepts. Christians should carefully consider what they are singing because it shapes their theological perspective whether they realize it or not.

The "sixth sense" in popular culture is a reference to paranormal powers of perception. But I sense it's something deeper than clairvoyance. It's not some kind of superpower. It is our ability and propensity to have a relationship with the underlying essence of all reality. There's a subtle way in which we can know what we cannot know, touch what we cannot touch.

For deeper love we spread the bread I won’t be full till all are fed Till every soul has home and bed The rest of us can’t move ahead

Do the right thing, do the right thing, do it all the time, do it all the time. Make yourself right, never mind them. Don't you know you're not the only one suffering. I hear a higher calling, better here than there I guess so long.

We crouch with Mary on the straw of our messy lives letting go of everything but this moment.

"you who delight me" is in two parts: poems of love—secular and spirited writing about people, places and events; and words of spirit and faith—inclusive language, contemporary liturgies for individual contemplation and progressive faith communities.

Video about the new book: Zealot- The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan

Francis Macnab has been teaching the place of Faith in psychology and theology, in health and growth for decades. He claims that the churches have lost vast numbers of people because their Old Faith has lost empathy and relevance in the 21st Century. He advocates the need for a New Faith.

Before the Beginning, Being, The Egg, Simply, infinitely being, Unimpeded, and Bang! The Word.

The book stirred my blood. It inspired me to work harder to change history, not just lament current repetitions of old, bad patterns.

...a review by Jim Burklo of "We All Breathe" by Gretta Vosper

The battle for growth is not just conceptual or “spiritual.” It is also practical – monetary, social, interpersonal, etc. “Culture wars” and the growth boundaries they often represent, are not separate from practical issues like making a living and social relationships but are intertwined with them. It is similar with religious and other belief systems.

Lend your ears, lend your hands, Lend your movement, anything you can. Come to teach, come to be taught. Come in the likeness in the image of God. Cause, you can be like that. With all that humbleness, and all that respect.

This poem results from my week of intense conversations with friends and students about the nature of life, death, and grief.

This report examines an American religious movement called progressive Christianity and what it can tell us about religion in the modern world.

How do I believe? (How do I understand faith that seems to conflict with science and pluralism?) What should I do? (How do my actions make a difference in the world?) Whose am I? (How do my relationships shape my self-understanding?)

What has become clear among these liberal and progressive clergy is that although we do not know fully what the movement is or where it will wind up, we know that we are called to be there.

The public may learn something important about Romney by understanding more about Mormonism, or it may learn nothing relevant to its decision about his candidacy. But that is a decision voters can make only when they have the information.

As ubiquitous as this concern for other peoples’ salvation is, however, is it wise? I believe such questions betray a Christian myopia that can prove humorous (at best) and insulting (at worst) to people of other faith traditions. 

The books of the New Testament are not the infallible words of God. The texts were in a state of flux during the faith s early centuries. We can and should build on that flexible tradition.

When will candidates learn that the cover-up is always worse than the deed itself? Buried in the middle of Mitt Romney's religious mea culpa was a twist of logic that would take a knotssmith (like me) to untangle. He asserts that there are some questions about faith that a candidate should answer. Then he carefully chooses the one question that allows him to sound the most like an evangelical Christian. "What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind."

Regarding Heaven and Hell; Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for? - Robert Browning. An evangelical pastor of a mega-church, Rob Bell, creates a stir when he writes a little book, suggesting when it comes to a place called heaven, there's room for everyone. What the hell?

Ehrman's Forged delivers a stunning explication of one of the most substantial yet least discussed problems confronting the world of biblical scholarship.

Out in Suburbia has just been re-released on DVD and is still selling to colleges, universities, and libraries. To  celebrate, we'd like to offer our fans a home video price.

The diversity inherent to ancient Israelite religion is often overlooked—particularly within university lecture halls and classrooms. This textbook draws together specialists in the field to explain, illustrate and analyze this religious diversity.

We have much to be excited about here at ProgressiveChristianity.org- new staff, new projects, new website, new liturgy. Here is a summer's end update from the President.

Soul Searching In 1907, a physician name Duncan MacDougall from Haverhill, Massachusetts, set out to not only prove the existence of the human soul, but that it had a physical presence and substance, much like the heart and lungs, flesh, bone and blood.  With the use of a large scale he recorded the weight of terminally ill patients at the moment of death, and discerned a drop of ¾ of an ounce.  He deduced the fleeting soul not only existed, but left the body for who knows where, weighing a mere 21 grams. The human heart has always longed to believe little ‘ol me is made up of something more than the dust of the earth, to which all mortal flesh returns.  It has been part of the stuff of religious thinking since the beginning of human thought.  For all its persuasive power to drive human beings to believe what cannot be known, and behave in the most radically extreme ways sometimes, the promise of an afterlife and immortality often remains void of much critical examination. This commentary build on the earlier article, "Moving Heaven and Hell," which can be found in the Center's Library.

A Story Poem for Proper 16, connecting the question, "Who do You Say that I am?" with Romans 12.