Hello, everyone!
I was raised as the daughter of a Baptist minister, was baptized at 10, and then floundered for several decades. At various times, I considered myself a back-slidden Baptist, an agnostic, a secular humanist, a little-c christian humanist, and now -- finally-- a Christian and an Episcopalian.
As many of you surely did, I struggled with the politics of many churches and the politics of my culture (I am a born and raised south Georgia gal). The church of which I am now a part is able to embrace progressive values along with a very structured program of worship -- a concept I would have thought oxymoronic before I experienced it.
Today I googled "progressive Christian forum" because I craved the opportunity to hear about and from other individuals who reconciled a progressive spirit with a true embracing of Christianity. Am hoping that some of your experiences will help guide my own journey, and I am happy to share my own thoughts and experiences as well.
A former mental health administrator, I now write full-time and am just beginning to explore spiritual issues in my work. I will also note that the month after I was confirmed in the church three months ago, I began to accumulate a variety of health issues. My first all too human thought was: Why does God strike me down after I have come back to him? Luckily, my next thought was: How wonderful that I found my way back to God before I had to face adversity. As you can see, I am still taking baby steps in my faith.
I look forward to interacting with many of you.
Pam