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1) Do you consider yourself to be a progressive Christian? Why or why not?

 

Yes, but too bad that there are other kinds... this 'progressive' identity has to exist in relation to ... 'regressive'?? Anyway, my politics aren't exactly mainstream and I'm deeply committed to positive change. My scholarly background is fun [ny] and diverse - I'll stop there.

 

2) Where do you live? If you're under 18, please don't be any more specific than your city and do NOT give us your school or your last name. Its not safe

 

An hour outside of Vancouver BC, Canada.

 

3) What do you do for a living? What do you do outside of your wage-earning job?

 

HR exec for an organization that cares for individuals with special needs. Am also a yoga instructor and avid fitness buff. I love hanging out with my husband and am totally co-dependant with our dogs and cat.

 

4) How did you find out about these boards?

 

Surfing when I shoulda been working...(like, um, now)

 

5) What are you looking for as you post here?

 

Not much. I'm here to read and listen. Actually not entirely true - I'd like to connect and maybe agree more often than disagree with others for a change. Disagreeing makes me sleepy :)

 

6) What on Earth do you think this icon means?

 

too cute. reminds me of being a teenager and doodling in class.

 

7) Tell us anything else you want to about yourself

 

I *love* going to church, love Thomas Merton, Vanda Scaravelli, great films, Japanese beer, Wendell Berry and Kent Haruf. I'd like to run a marathon next year... and.. I'm with Shawn - I really appreciate a good hamburger.

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*Waves Hello* My first post, I thought this would be most appropriate.

 

1) Do you consider yourself to be a progressive Christian? Why or why not?

 

It's very hard for me to call myself Christian at all. It is something I have newly come to. When I was younger I was shunned by my peers because my parents didn't attend church with me. After that experience I left the church and sought a spiritual home in other religions, but after a long (almost 5 years!) search I'm back home again. Since this is who I am, I'd say I identify most with "progressive" or "liberal" Christianity.

 

2) Where do you live? If you're under 18, please don't be any more specific than your city and do NOT give us your school or your last name. Its not safe

 

Right-out-side-Atlanta, Georgia

 

3) What do you do for a living? What do you do outside of your wage-earning job?

 

I'm a Student, so I don't have a perminent job, although I have been known to earn a buck by working in a head shop, as a memeber of an OSHA and EPA accredidation team, and as a free-lance writer. B) In my spare time I am the resident Properties Misstress with my school Theatre, I work with local charity organizations, am the president of G.O.D. (Gregarious Order of Dadaists), attend concerts when I can, and read (just about) everything on religion/spirituality I can get my hands on. (oh, and I write, too.)

 

4) How did you find out about these boards?

 

I was looking for a liberal church, or an alternative worship group in my home town. There aren't any, so I'll have to keep looking!

 

5) What are you looking for as you post here?

 

Open-mindedness. Living in the South I've been told SOOO many times that I'm going to Hell because I don't believe the Bible is perfect. It, like the people who wote it, is fallable. You must take everything it says with a grain of salt.

 

6) What on Earth do you think this icon means? :ph34r:

 

It looks like a scared little kid peeping through the mail slot on a door.

 

7) Tell us anything else you want to about yourself

 

I am a living history re-enactor (of the Pre-Civil War flavor), and I love history, art, religion and politics ( I have fun dinner conversations, maybe that's why I'm still single...). Both my parents are artists, so I have grown up in a fairly liberal household. I am a music Junkie and have diverse tastes, I like everything from goth/metal/punk (AFI) to Celtic ballads (Clannad and Clandestine). I am trained in Disaster and Terrorism Responce Management by the US Gov. (LONG story), and I hope to go to grad school...eventually! And, to forewarn, I am AWFUL at spelling, that whole spell-check generation, so just be aware.

 

Peace

Brekke

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  • 2 weeks later...

1) Do you consider yourself to be a progressive Christian? Why or why not?

Yes I do because I do not believe in the traditional dogma that most mainline churches require...I would also call myself a seeker, willing to look outside Christianity also.

2) Where do you live?

On the Delmarva Penninsula, about 7 miles inland from Ocean City Maryland. This is a very conservative area! <_<

 

3) What do you do for a living?

I am a librarian... B)

 

 

4) How did you find out about these boards?

While searching for information about John Shelby Spong's speaking schedule I stumbled upon it.

 

5) What are you looking for as you post here?

Other seekers, questioners, believers who feel that within Christianity there is still hope and meaning. I consider myself, at this point in my life, as Spong calls us a "believer in exile" as I have not found a place to worship in that even comes close to a progressive approach! <_<

 

6) What on Earth do you think this icon means?

Definitely a ninja

 

 

7) Tell us anything else you want to about yourself.

I was raised a liberal Roman Catholic but left the church in 1996 because I could no longer listen every week to the priests going on and on about pro-life and anti birth control (anti woman, is the real issue) while the rest of the world starves, kills each other in wars or in family/community violences and other issues of faith that I disagree with. I could not longer call myself a Roman Catholic as I had lost all faith in the Church but not in the Christ of my understanding. This Jesus loves everyone, excepts everyone, creates no boundries and expects nothing but us to love one another! :)

 

I read many books by various biblical scholars - I have read most of Spong's books, Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, Matt Fox, Karent Armstrong and right now I am starting a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln called Holy Blood, Holy Grail. This book was recommended to me by someone else who had read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Dan Brown used this book for some of the theories brought up in both of these books. (theories about who Mary Magdalene really was in addition to some other "radical" ideas ) :rolleyes:

 

Anyway, that is all for now!

 

Peace

Lisa

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  • 3 weeks later...

1. I consider myself a liberal and I have recently reconciled myself with Jesus.

I was not raised in any faith but Eckankar had the strongest influence on me because it was my Grandmother's belief system. I was raised to believe that all faiths are valid...but I had this huge problem with Christianity, so in an effort to remove my own hypocrisy, I began studying Christianity.

I fell into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and this increased my momentum to understand Christianity which uses quite a bit of Egyptian/JudeoChristian symbolism in its rituals and I needed to be comfortable with Christian symbolism in order to effectively do the work. For years Christianity was synonmous with stupid in my mind. The only exposure I got was in history books and on the Sunday morning television all this combined with living in the South synergestically created an extreme revulsion toward it. I discovered a book called "Meditations on the Tarot" written anonymously and approved by several Catholic theologians, which is in my opinion the best Tarot book I have ever read. Then I found Mary Scott's (?) "Rennaissance of the Spirit", Smoley's "Inner Christianity" ,Pagels "Gnostic Gospels" and Jung's "Aion" and slowly my attitudes toward Christianity started warming up considerably. I did a research paper on the Mass (I had never been to one in my entire life up till then) and found attending Mass and studying it very moving....I also did research on the Virgin of Guadalupe that I found very impressive.....

I fell in love with a Presbyterian minister, who I met after praying in the chapel at work (I work at a Hospital)........while I could accept and admire him exactly as he was....I was merely a "project" to be altered.....but the experience made me realize that my "ideal" masculine image is that of Jesus. I wanted a man that was that ethical, loving, and compassionate....and while my minister was not totally these things (he seemed to be stuck in Piaget's preoperational thinking stage; egocentric and centratic) I did realize that I was falling in love with the projection of my own animus. Jesus was at the center of my being. The kingdom of God was within. While I can not hold this realization 24 hours a day....I got enough to radically alter my life...and most especially alter my prejudices toward Christianity. In Astrological terms a woman's spirit is represented by her Sun sign which for me was Pisces.........the symbol of the fishes....the birth of Jesus ushered in the Piscean Age. My personal connection to the Spirit was through recognizing Jesus Christ as my savior...........but certainly in a radically different way than most people thought of it.

 

2. I live in East Tennessee.

 

3. I am a medical transcriptionist and going to school full time.......I wanted to go into Unitarian Ministry or Psychology but I have not decided......I thought about Episcopalian as I adore the Mass....but I do not agree with creeds.........I am a non-creedal Christian.....just as comfortable (and often times much much more comfortable) with a Pagan, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist as a Christian.....depending on the Christian.

 

4. I surfed on to these boards.

 

5. I am looking for interesting people, informative discussions, and mind blowing experiences.

 

6. That icon looks like a terrified Muslim woman.

 

7. Does anybody think that perhaps Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development dovetails nicely with Pauls three categories of people? I can not remember the name of the first category but the other two are Psychikos, and Pneumaticos. The Bible is supposedly written for the Psychikos and not the other two.........the first group are little more than animals and are innocent/stupid and won't get it and the last (Pneuamaticos) completely fulfill it by embodying it. You could say transcend it.......they don't need rules anymore. I am not necessarily a Pauline Christian but is anybody out there familiar with these categories?

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:o Hello to All!!

1) As for me I'm not sure what to call myself. Progressive is a word I'm trying to relate to these days. For so long I think I've been stuck in a horrible choke hold. I came to the realization that I was without any kind of Real Spirituality what so ever. I am definately seeking the truth at all costs. I see this world changing around me everyday for the worst. I need fellowship with postive people. I've had my fair share of the negative ones. Ive been the worst of the worst and for some reason I'm still alive today. I only hope to be exactly what my Heavenly Father would want me to be. Ive tried it my way, I seek his way now.

2)I live in Fontana Ca.

3) I am now a full time at home Dad.

4) I am new to this world so to speak. I no longer go to BARs,etc....

5) I am looking for others who are seeking TRUTH and PEACE from the Instructions of our CREATOR. People who can help me discuss what the prophets taught, and the Important Message of our Messiah.

6) I agree with the Ninja theory...

7) My name is Kevin. I'm 34 years old. I am a changed man that works constantly to shed my old traditions of self loathing, selfishness, hate, manipulation, and just about anything else that stands in the way of LOVE, and the true definition of it. I am an Addict and Alcoholic. I have been sober for two years now. I have been in and out of treatment centers, jails, and even prison. I had had enough!!!! I feel very fortunate to have listened to a still small voice in my heart. I have read the Bible a couple of times. I read the Quran also and feel it is in agreement with the Bible. Ive also started to check the original text of the bible to the many translations that are available. Oh, and I've reasearched fairly well the bible codes. All of which I read, study, and would love to hear what others know. I'm very grateful for any postive fellowship that I may find on this board.

 

Anyhow I hope and pray I havent scared anyone away,

you can all expect nothing but kindness and respect

from me always,

 

Sincerely,

Kevin

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Welcome Kevin:I congratulate you on your progress so far, and welcome you to this TCPC message board community.

 

May I also welcome you to look into our Book Group! Tune in to "What about Books on the Board. We are reading Spong's "Why Christianity must Change or Die" which will give you a different slant on the Bible as a reference for this post-modern age we seem to be in. I am reading A Course In Miracles at the moment which up dates much of the ancient material from Jesus's more recent views.Check it out!

In God I Trust,

Jeep

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  • 2 weeks later...
1) Do you consider yourself to be a progressive Christian? Why or why not?

 

Yes, in that my mind and heart are open to inquiry.

 

2) Where do you live? If you're under 18, please don't be any more specific than your city and do NOT give us your school or your last name. Its not safe  :(

 

Northeast Florida

 

3) What do you do for a living? What do you do outside of your wage-earning job?

 

Currently I'm halfway to a MDIV degree at a very conservative seminary. I am looking to transfer to a more progressive one. I became a certified candidate for ordination in the UM church, but decided to discontinue as I found that I could not support many of it's positions and practices. So, I'm sort of in the wilderness at the moment trying to figure out where to go from here!

 

4) How did you find out about these boards?

 

Web Search

 

5) What are you looking for as you post here?

 

A community of like-minded people for support, encouragment, and dialogue. IT would be fantastic to discover actual people in my area that would want to meet face to face. Believe me, here in NE Florida, progressive Christians are hard to find!

 

6) What on Earth do you think this icon means? :ph34r:

 

Have no idea, but it's cute.

 

7) Tell us anything else you want to about yourself  ;)

 

I'm addicted to chocolate

 

~ Lib

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Hi all. Here are my answers:

1.) Yes. I believe that I don't know and you don't either.

2.) I live in Weaverville North Carolina

3.) I am an aerospace machinist and I also teach Tae Kwon Do

4.) I was just out surfing one day

5.) new and interesting perspectives

6.) Stealth emoticon (what's he thinking?)

7.) I am a work in progress

This should be interesting.

Kenny :)

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Dear Friends

 

It's so stimulating visiting this site but culturally so ... unlike anything i'm familiar with.

 

(It's the old delusion that just because we in GB/IRL this side of the atlantic share a language with you US/CDN-ites we can expect to think the same!)

 

I'm still amazed at the individualism/isolation; the power of literalism and fundamentalism; the cheerful eclecticism and consumerism (denomination-hopping)

and the totemic status of bishop spong. It's livelier than Europe and more

generous but, as a gifted but not too bright Welsh football hero of mine put it when he moved fom Liverpool FC to Juventus of Turin ,'it was like a different country'!

The north American debate is simply different.

 

... I'll look in now and then to see how you are getting on but i'm handing in my card as a tcpc person.

 

Yours in Christ

 

Gerard Kiely

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Guest admin

Thank God there is no TCPC card to hand in ;)

 

Actually, you might consider hanging out more with the European TCPC-related group - the ones in Britain call themselves "open" Christians - they may be a bit more understandable or palatable to you... you can find the worldwide groups at progressivechristianity.net

 

At any rate, feel free to tease us North Americans or provoke us any time - I'm sure your ideas would be food for thought.

 

Best,

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Gerard:

Interesting that you have decided that there are not parallel universes here. In reading Don Cupitt, and being an earnest student of C.S.Lewis in past years, I could decide the same in a way. Bt I have not given up on GB and please do not do so on US and TCPC. Look at what is happening in NZ.

 

Jeep

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1) Do you consider yourself to be a progressive Christian? Why or why not?

 

Yes, I think. I consider myself a Progressive Christian because I don't believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible. I don't believe that Jesus IS God, but that he is an ultimate messenger and the avenue for my education. I believe that Jesus led by example and following his *teachings* are at the center of Christianity

 

2) Where do you live? I live in the Midwest

 

3) What do you do for a living? What do you do outside of your wage-earning job? At home mom, work part time outside the home - nothing worth mentioning in that regard. In fact, I'm at work now. ;)

 

4) How did you find out about these boards? The TCPC Website.

 

5) What are you looking for as you post here?

Broadening my understanding of Christianty and trying to find a way to reconcile my intellect with my faith.

 

6) What on Earth do you think this icon means? :ph34r: Uhhh, that would be John Ashcroft. :P

 

7) Tell us anything else you want to about yourself

 

In time...

 

Thanks!

Edited by mzmolly
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