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Progressive Christian

2019-04-29T09:19:14-04:00

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.

Come Holy Goose

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 9:19 am By Vance Morgan

According to the reading from John’s gospel at church a couple of days ago, one of the first things Jesus did when he appeared post-resurrection to the disciples (minus Thomas) was to breathe on them and say “receive the Holy Spirit.” Christians traditionally have imagined the Holy Spirit as a dove because the accounts of Jesus’ baptism in all four Gospels include a dove descending. We have mourning doves in my neighborhood—I hear them cooing at me frequently, as they... Read more

2019-04-27T17:52:18-04:00

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.

Why Doubt Is My Favorite Virtue

Last updated on: April 27, 2019 at 5:52 pm By Vance Morgan

The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty Anne Lamott In the lectionary, the Second Sunday of Easter is “Doubting Thomas Sunday.” I was taught as a young Baptist kid to consider Thomas as a loser because he would not believe reports of Jesus’ resurrection until he had seen and handled the man himself. But over the years, Thomas has become one of my spiritual heroes, and doubt (along with irreverence) has become my favorite virtue. Here’s why. Michel de... Read more

2019-04-24T19:11:53-04:00

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.

Getting Jesus Out of the Tomb (and keeping him out)

Last updated on: April 24, 2019 at 7:11 pm By Vance Morgan

During his Easter Sunday homily, my friend Mitch—the rector of the Episcopal church I attend—told the story of Gladys, a life-long pillar of her Congregational church, one of only three churches within a seventy-mile radius in her area of the rural Midwest; the other two were Lutheran and Roman Catholic. One fateful Easter morning, Gladys arrived with her three children in tow, ready for Easter festivities. The homily was given by young man who, according to Gladys, was “too smart... Read more

2019-04-23T05:17:15-04:00

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.

What Do We Hope For?

Last updated on: April 23, 2019 at 5:17 am By Vance Morgan

“Now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.” These words from the apostle Paul are heard at many, perhaps most, weddings. Everyone wants to believe that love is the greatest, especially on their wedding day. Faith seems to be part of my DNA—challenging it, trying to get rid of it, redefining it, being confused by it, and generally struggling with the “f-word” (as I call it in the classroom) has shaped me for as long... Read more

2019-04-19T09:10:43-04:00

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.

Now I See You: An Easter Reflection

Last updated on: April 19, 2019 at 9:10 am By Vance Morgan

Easter Sunday–the most triumphant day on the Christian liturgical calendar. According to New Testament scholar and theologian N. T. Wright, “The practical, theological, spiritual, ethical, pastoral, political, missionary, and hermeneutical implications of the mission and message of Jesus differ radically depending upon what one believes happened at Easter.” That very well may be true–and it’s a problem for me, since I’m not sure what I believe happened at Easter. I believe in resurrection. I believe in the beauty of the... Read more

2021-03-20T20:12:38-04:00

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.

God Is With Us: A Good Friday Reflection

Last updated on: March 20, 2021 at 8:12 pm By Vance Morgan

During the college basketball season, Jeanne and I frequently watch a replay of the Providence Friars’ most recent game (when we win) the next day. The moment to moment drama can be tense in replay, even when we know what the outcome will be. We never watch a loss the next day—why submit ourselves voluntarily to an experience that we know ends badly? Even the worst of times can be weathered and perhaps appreciated when one knows that things work... Read more

2019-04-17T02:26:00-04:00

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.

Staying Awake: A Holy Thursday Reflection

Last updated on: April 17, 2019 at 2:26 am By Vance Morgan

Some people can sleep anywhere. One of those people was a student in one of my seminars a few semesters ago. Bob (his name has been changed to protect the innocent) is a bright but apparently less-than-motivated student whose verbal work, such as participation in seminar, vastly exceeds his written or objective work, such as reading quizzes and the midterm exam. He’s one of those students who always has something to say that is relevant and insightful, carefully crafted to... Read more

2019-04-16T06:15:57-04:00

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.

Is the Time of Religion Over?

Last updated on: April 16, 2019 at 6:15 am By Vance Morgan

What is bothering me incessantly is the question of what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ really is, for us today. The time when people could be told everything by means of words, whether theological or pious, is over, and so is the time of inwardness and conscience—and that means the time of religion in general. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters from Prison One day a few springs ago, I spent a day as an outside reviewer for the Liberal Arts Program at... Read more

2019-04-13T10:48:26-04:00

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.

Blessed Is He Who Comes: A Palm Sunday Reflection

Last updated on: April 13, 2019 at 10:48 am By Vance Morgan

Today is Palm Sunday, one of the most dramatic days on the liturgical calendar. But there is one reported event attributed to Palm Sunday that it makes an appearance in the liturgy every Sunday. And each time I say or sing this part of the liturgy, I remember a beloved colleague. Rodney Delasanta was one of best teachers and colleagues I ever had the privilege of knowing. Rodney was a true Renaissance man—a Chaucer scholar, family man, sports fan (especially... Read more

2022-06-21T15:58:53-04:00

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.

Why Christianity is a Mundane Religion

Last updated on: June 21, 2022 at 3:58 pm By Vance Morgan

“What’s the difference between chili con carne and chili con queso?” I ask my freshman students. “One is chili with meat, the other is chili with cheese,” they reply, wanting to know why I would ask a stupid question with such an obvious answer in the middle of a class on the Gospel of Luke. As I often do, I give them a quick lesson in etymology (because, as I have told them many times, words are cool). “The Latin... Read more

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