GreenPartyVoter

Here's an article about postmodern Christianity. I feel like it's somewhere between the more conservative traditions but not quite in the same place as liberal theology either. The Emerging Church

Try some of these titles.

Oh, I am not the least bit surprised Judy Bloom's books are still being read. In fact a lot of the authors I read as a kid are still being checked out of libraries these days. They are the new classics, or at least have stood the test of time.

You are most welcome. I have yet to read Wifey. Now that I am a wife myself I ought to read it. FWIW, though, I was 14 the year I discovered the Clan of the Cave Bear books while I was babysitting. Those were a real eye-opener. *lol* Let us know what you decide to get your daughter?

Well, congratulations. Jeez it's been about forever since I was her age, but I still remember the card my folks gave me when I turned 13. Judy Bloom books were all the rage then. Remember "Are you there God, it's me Margaret"? The later Anne of Green Gables books had some romance in them, if you thnk she might enjoy those. Avalon books are safe (no, not Avonlea.. this is a Christian publishing company. ) Also some older Regency romances plus the perfection that was Jane Austen might do the trick, but be sure to read the Regencies. Some of them started getting a bit racier from the mid-80s on. You might also sift through this list and see if there is anything appropriate for her. http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/Arts.htm As far as lessons to share, check out these resources: http://www.tcpc.org/resources/articles/tcpc_kids.htm http://www.alassociates.com/ http://www.faithandliferesources.org/ http://www.faithink.com/ http://www.simpleliving.org/ http://www.cokesbury.com/ http://www.smp.org/ http://www.helwys.com/ http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/

(In case you missed it at the blog) Fred, I checked with the designer and we are all set as to the data transfer and format. I thank you for your offer, though, and if you are still interested in helping out later on with searching out new content and whatnot to add, that would be cool. :^)

I found that a lot of the Christian search engines and link directories (and there are many) will not list my website because it's theologically liberal. This means than a lot of other progressive sites can't be found there as well if they don't profess the Nicene Creed. So, what about creating one of our own for progressive faith listings? I'd like to take my very long website and chop it up and put it into a much more user-friendly set up. Would there be anyone here willing to assist in the data entry and content management since a project of this sort would require a team of dedicated participants? It doesn't pay anything other than the knowledge that you are building up an internet ministry. Below is the gathering place where we will all put our heads together, decide on the format of the new site, and sort out who tackles which topic. But I need people who are truly willing to commit some time so as to make it worth while to have a pro designer come in and overhaul the set-up of the site. http://www.livejournal.com/community/thoug...ress/16621.html

This is why I think the internet is SUCH a blessing. Without it I might have no spiritual outlet but my husband's conservative church. With the internet I can get another point of view on subjects, and also talk to people who are more closely aligned with my beliefs. It's nice to be a part of the majority now and then.

David, Except that it does matter that certain groups don't want gays to marry. It's a civil rights issue where a set of people are being denied their civil rights. Religion should not enter into it. It matters if R v W is overturned. If abortion becomes illegal in some states then we will certainly see a return to back alley abortions for those girls and women who can't afford to go out of state, or worse who are afraid to because it is a crime to cross the state line for an abortion. And yes there are groups of Christians who are trying to get evolution out of public schools and I.D. in. Look at what is happening in Kansas even now. And what about the turn to abstinence only programs in public school curricula? We're not seeing abortion or sexual infection rates go down due to trying to encourage teens to adhere to vows of chastity. And finally, I don't think it is plausible to expect people to move out of an area where they find the local culture or politics are not to their taste. It takes money to move somewhere else. And not everyone would want to move away from their families should most of them prefer to stay behind.

I feel threatened because they are trying to turn the USA into a theocracy. I have no trouble with what they believe as long as they only apply it to themselves. But when they want to control a woman's uterus, or who marries whom, or who gets to adopt children, or whether or not science is taught in public schools, or insist that we have a president who is pastor-in-chief.. I have big problems with that.

Do you agree with the idea that it is up to liberal believers to control what fanatical believers do or change the faith somehow and prevent fanatics from coming into existence? I have been hit with this idea more than once by posters on other forums lately, so I finally decided to blog a little about it in terms of why I don't think we are totally responsible for what goes on in our faith and what could be done to lessen the number of fanatics: http://www.livejournal.com/community/thoug...ress/14905.html

Thanks very much. I have just added it.

Are they out there? So far only Joel Osteen & NPR's "Speaking of Faith" have been recommended to me. What about liberal ministers who "podcast" sermons on the web? I am very much interested in finding these resources for myself and my site. Also, would you consider contacting Sirius and XM radio? They have politically left, right, and moderate talk stations so they might consider doing so religiously. (I made of point of explaining that the bulk of what is out there for Christian broadcasting is anathema to theologically liberal folks.) Thanks!

I am not surprised to not hear liberal Christians via the airwaves, but I am very surprised there don't seem to be any doing webcasts.

I have been desperate to find a progressive Christian talk radio station or program. There really seems to be nothing out there, othe rthan Speaking of Faith on NPR.

Well, it looks like I am getting the book a year too late. *g* But hey, at least I am getting it!

Hell is just... NOT. But then I am a pluralistic universalist who believes in Purgatory rather then an eternal Hell.

Thanks, all. From the research I have been doing it looks liek the Access Bible may be a good one for me to start with. I need something that goes easy on someone who hasn't studied the history of her faith and its cukture in detail.

No, I don't necessarily mean Bibles rewritten in PC lingo per se, but I have seen numerous study Bibles out there but none of them ever seem to be put together by liberal Chrisitians. (I currently have 3, the student Bible, The Women's Bible II, and the Couples' Bible) Do any of the more liberal denominations put out their own study Bibles, or are there any generic non-denominational liberal study Bibles in existence? Thanks!

Hmmm... could be from any number of forums I visit, most of which are listed on one page or antoerh of my website.

Ok. I zipped through this book because it was from the library, so I think I ought to get a copy of my own and study it at a more leisurely pace in the future. But here are the thoughts I came away with from the quick-read of this little book: I am glad I read this book. I think it has helped to redirect my search for God and to help me rebuild my faith in Him, so that I move from a fearful relationship with an angry Supreme Master to one with a loving Supreme Parent. I first read the Bible cover-to-cover on my own as a youngster. This was probably not a good thing, as I mostly came away with an impression of an Angry God. And I certainly was in no position to understand at the tender age of 11 the cultural background of the world of the Hebrews or Jesus. The trouble is that in some ways reading about the life of Christ is a bit like reading a mystery. Sure you can read the book again, but you already know whodunit the next time you go back to it, and having that knowledge changes the way you see things from then on. "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" has clarified for me the difference between pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus. Before this when I reread the Gospels and looked over what Jesus said or did prior to his death and resurrection, I looked at it as though He was the post-Easter Godly Jesus the entire time, that He was always God right from the get-go. Now I am looking at Him more in the sense of His humanity as it was recorded in the first 3 gospels. When I stop to think about it, I expect He was a pretty normal kid, and I am not sure that He really saw Himself as God as that point waiting around to be worshipped. Rather I do think He was very much a man constantly in touch with His Father, so I am giving more consideration to the example He set where he showed me how to live and how to be in touch with the Father all the time. (Or at least try to be.) Also, as a woman who was raised in a Baptist church, I was always hurt and angry at the way women seemed to be second class citizens, and folks always seemed to back up the reason for this with Scripture. But Borg's book showed me that there was a possibility that God has a feminine side (His Wisdom or Sophia) and that this idea of femininity was dropped in translations made from the Greek texts. Perhaps that does not mean much to some, but to a girl who heard most of her life how everything was Eve's (and therefore women in general) fault, it meant a lot to me. I also appreciated Borg's information about purity codes and particularly about how Jesus confronted the Pharisees about their mile long lists of who was ok and who was not and how badly they treated those on the "not ok" list. I can see that this type of thinking is still present in many churches today, which is too bad. A relationship with God should not be about following rules, rules, and more rules but rather about his Grace. I wish I had known this years ago, so that I might have actually _felt_ God before now. So I would recommend this book to people who feel that they are just going through the motions at church (or have given up on church altogether) but could use some fresh insight to get their search for God jumpstarted again. It's also good for folks who are just starting out on the path of Biblical scholarship. However, people who believe the Bible is inerrant may be uncomfortable with some of the ideas presented in this book. It doesn't mean they should not pick it up, but they should be forewarned that they may find their beliefs tested.

I am open to the possibility that the Bible is not inerrant. I am open to the possibility that God is far more loving and forgiving than He has been presented to me previously. I am open to the possibility that no one has "the truth" down 100%, but that many religions have bits and pieces of it and that they can help bring you closer to God. I am very glad to have read one of Borg's books, and I look forward to reading more since they back up those possibilities I mentioned above. ~Jen

I've decided to try reading some books on liberal theology, and am hoping to check Borg's "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" from the library tomorrow. (I have a list of a bunch of books folks have recommended to me on the subject on my website now. Please let me know if I am missing any great ones, esp for beginners.)

Howdy, I am new. Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!