I'm Anthony Gifford

[Anthony Gifford]

Hello, others on a journey.

     I'm an older, ex-clergy, in need of others with which to share and walk. For many years I tried, mainly without success, of changing churches from within and am now only on the 'edges' of local churches. I've written a bit (CHURCHES: A Time To Die - Hope For New Life) and do speaking where I'm invited.  But with my book out, I rarely get the chance to speak at churches. I take 'The Kingdom of God' very seriously, knowing that what Jesus said and did CAN happen. Nothing else for me really matters. The world now needs real SHARING that only love brings, no matter how God is understood. If this isn't the basis for understandings, they need be discarded, NOW. 

    I live near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Are there any nearby who'd like to meet? Of course, any, anywhere are welcome to meet me here. 

   Thanks for your time. Live well and love more by sharing. 

[thormas]

Welcome Anthony, I look forward to conversations.

tom

[PaulS]

Welcome Anthony,

I hope you enjoy participating here.  Would love to catch up but a bit of a trek from Oz I'm afraid!

Cheers

Paul

[JosephM]

Welcome to the community Anthony. There are more ex-clergy here.

Enjoy your stay here.

Joseph

[BillM]

Welcome, Anthony.

I'm a progressive whose background is Christianity. Though I've never been clergy, I was trained for it in Bible College and spent many years as a Sunday School/Small Group leader. In my journey, I've moved past supernatural theism, a stance which usually puts me outside of the walls and borders of churches and many forms of Christianity. Like you, I still have a passion for the dream that Jesus called "the kingdom of God", but I've given up any hope of the institutional church or of institutional Christianity helping that dream "come to earth as it is in heaven." I find myself much more at home amongst agnostics and many non-theists than I do amongst the religious or churched. To me, the kingdom is not what we believe, it is not our theology, it is not our doctrines and dogmas. Rather, it is what we do, it is how we live. As you say, the sharing that only love brings.