4BeanMix

Not sure if members on here have heard, but John Shelby Spong passed away on 12th September, aged 90. According to reports, he died peacefully in his sleep. A great Christian and a great man. Rest In Peace.

Hi all. I read the "Site to continue for 2021" thread. "Cottage industry" sites like this one can't always survive on their own. There are real world costs that need to be taken into account. I for one, would have no issue with an annual fee of $10USD. This seems like a very small amount of money to pay to keep the site going. I hope that the members of Progressive Christianity would see that this is a good resource to have, and paying such a small amount is well worth it IMO.

Hi all. I joined the Christian forums (https://www.christianforums.com) around the same time as joining here. I was curious to know if anyone here is or was a member there, and if so, what were your thoughts ? There are two things I'd like to say, one minor, and one major : 1. The minor point is that I was banned from the site today. I was banned outright, without any warnings. I know the last thing I posted was somewhat OTT (although factually correct), and was in all likelihood the reason I got the boot. Apart from the lack of notification, I am not concerned about the ban, as I was thinking of leaving or just staying away altogether. 2. The major point is that the site has far too much bad and dangerous advice, and some of the sub forums, IMO are little more than hate groups, functioning in an hermetically sealed echo chamber. I lost count of the number of people still condoning conversion therapy, fretting about homosexuality, or whether they should repent for having lustful thoughts about so and so. I could go on. The one person who responded to my OTT post suggested that as per the Bible, the death penalty was the correct punishment for sodomy. Personally, I find it very disturbing that this type of hate speech is given the green light. The sub forums operate in a "safe haven" environment, which, whilst I understand the intent, in reality simply serves to weed out dissenting views, justified or otherwise.

Hi everyone. I was born Catholic, and attended church most Sundays until I turned 18 and started university. That was more than 30 years ago, and in that time, I have not been anywhere near a church, or any other place of religious worship, save for the odd wedding, and increasingly now, the odd funeral. I do not consider myself a practicing Christian per se, but I am interested in the more progressive side of Christianity. I am a "fan" of Matthew Fox and Robin Meyers - each of these men take you to different places and have introduced me to different people. It’s still very early days, but I hope to develop my ideas and readings on some of the names introduced to me in the near future. For now I am quite content to read books and watch videos, presentations etc. online to develop my knowledge further. It is unlikely that I will return to regular church services in the near future. In general, I guess my position is a unique blend of left leaning politics, secular humanism, Creation Spirituality and Progressive Christianity. I have read the 8 points and agree with them to a large extent. Thanks and I hope to see some of you around the forums.