Why I Am a Progressive Christian

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 3:59 pm by Guest Contributor

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Why I Am a Progressive Christian 2013-04-01T15:59:28+00:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This month, Patheos has invited its many, faith-diverse writers to contribute to a new series called “Why I Am A… in 200 words or less.” Here, columnist John Holbert shares why he’s a progressive Christian. (Read more responses to the question here.)

Actually, I was no kind of Christian at all growing up. My family did not go to church; Sunday mornings in Arizona were reserved for TV sports. My parents were Goldwater Republicans; no progressivism there. I attended a non-Christian college and met my future wife there (still married after 43 years). On our fourth or fifth date, she announced, “Well, John, I like you a lot, but I could never marry anyone who was not a Methodist minister.” The call of God became deafening at that moment. I soon found myself in a seminary, and after taking Hebrew further found myself something like a Christian. Yes, Virginia, I found faith in seminary. And, yes, God has a wicked and wacky sense of humor. It was a progressive seminary, so I became a progressive Christian, having little knowledge of anything different. And, it turned out that my wife did not really want to marry a Methodist minister; she in fact wanted to be a Methodist minister. And so about 20 years into our marriage she became one. I meanwhile have just concluded a 33-year stint teaching in that same seminary that I stumbled into 45 years ago. As a beloved colleague was fond of saying: “God moves in a nefarious way God’s blunders to perform.

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