Christianity For the SBNR
Audio Only – Video did not record. Text in several days. Evolution and Faith III – Why Care About Other People? Read more
Audio Only – Video did not record. Text in several days. Evolution and Faith III – Why Care About Other People? Read more
In the Exodus texts which Matthew’s story of the Temptations alludes to, the people are learning to trust that God will provide their perceived needs. For Jesus, this training exercise is about stepping back and trusting God to give life meaning and purpose by playing our unique role in the story of God’s universe. This may mean that our individual perceived needs may not be met. Evolution and Faith–Progress of Meaning (Audio – right click to download) Read more
In the Exodus texts which Matthew’s story of the Temptations alludes to, the people are learning to trust that God will provide their perceived needs. For Jesus, this training exercise is about stepping back and trusting God to give life meaning and purpose by playing our unique role in the story of God’s universe. This may mean that our individual perceived needs may not be met. Evolution and Faith–Progress of Meaning (Audio – right click to download) Our gospel... Read more
Abstract Building on the first sermon of the series, which claimed that the core of Christian faith – cross and resurrection – is descriptive of the evolutionary process, this sermon suggests how that might impact our theological language. It puts traditional understandings of the Doctrine of Salvation, the Doctrine of Sanctification and Eschatology side by side with the workings of an “evolutionary Christianity.” A series disclaimer of sorts: There is a lot to be said for the traditional-mythic understanding of... Read more
Abstract The sermon claims that the central event of Christian faith – Cross and Resurrection – is descriptive of the evolutionary process of all creation. What comes from the death is something new and unexpected – novel – like the property of flow that came out of the union of 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom. (Who’d have guess that?) It further describes the activity of God in the Logos as not so much acting upon us, as being... Read more
Thanks for asking. A full answer would take a book – one I’ve made several false starts at writing. So let me point to three ideas that came to mind as I read your post. First is Ken Wilber worship, and its flip side, Ken Wilber hatred. I figure anyone who generates that kind of response deserves a second look. So to those who would right him off having heard one or two things taken out of context, I... Read more
Are you spiritual? That’s a question that gets bandied about quite a bit these days. But what does it mean? For some it means that you “believe in God,” (as broadly defined or undefined as possible), but you don’t identify yourself as part of a particular religious tradition so that you are, by default, spiritual. For some spiritual is an attitude or bearing you have in life, one exemplified by the nuns in Sound of Music (not Maria) – you... Read more
It was Friday night and we were off on an adventure. We drove up 101, made a left-hand turn and wound our way down a country road. Four miles later we made another left turn and travelled along looking for the next turnoff onto a dirt road. It came two miles later. We made the turn and sure enough there was the first cow grating. We bumped and lurched our way down the hill, went left at the fork, over... Read more
Guilty Secret: I like action-adventure – especially like the secret agent variety. The premise of many is a bit disturbing I’ll admit, but they do give you a sense – even if only fleeting – that the balance of good and evil in the world tips toward the good. The problem is that it doesn’t always seek that such is the case. There are moments when the evil in the world gets the upper hand, when it simply cannot be... Read more
When you’re a Christian preacher sometimes you get a real earful concerning the nature of the Christian God. Things like this, “I despise the Christian God with his arbitrary judgments. This God who makes people feel ashamed of who they are and doles out punishments to the guilty. Guilty of what, being human? I want nothing to do with the Christian God. All he does is rip families apart, cause hatred, condone prejudice, send us to war, and let unspeakable... Read more
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