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Progressive Christian

2018-10-23T06:21:49-04:00

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.

Assisting the Absent God: Helping to Repair a Broken World

Last updated on: October 23, 2018 at 6:21 am By Vance Morgan

Every once in a while someone posts a comment on my blog that reminds me of why I dedicate so much time, thought, and energy to my writing. A while ago, a person new to following my blog posted just such a comment. He was actually commenting on a post that I wrote several months ago, in which I (as I often have) expressed my confusion about why evangelical Christians are so supportive of Donald Trump. Here’s what he wrote:... Read more

2018-10-17T14:42:32-04:00

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.

The Chapel and the Man Cave: Bridging the Gap Between Faith and Intellect

Last updated on: October 17, 2018 at 2:42 pm By Vance Morgan

About a month ago I received an email from my friend Marsue, brief and to the point. “I just finished the craziest book and thought of you,” she wrote. “It might appeal to your philosophical side.” The book was Patricia Hampl’s The Art of the Wasted Day. I have learned over the years to take Marsue’s book recommendations very seriously; my first encounter with any number of my favorite authors—Barbara Brown Taylor, for instance—has been because of similar emails from... Read more

2018-10-17T12:49:37-04:00

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.

Does a Christian Have to be Certain About Anything?

Last updated on: October 17, 2018 at 12:49 pm By Vance Morgan

If we remembered that water takes its color from the vessel containing it, we would not interfere with the beliefs of others, but would perceive God in every form of belief. James Carse Once a number of years ago, in the early days of a four-month sabbatical at an ecumenical institute, I presented an overview of my sabbatical project to my fellow institute resident scholars during our weekly scheduled seminar. In its early stages, my project was an intended exploration of... Read more

2018-10-14T15:51:03-04:00

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 Rich People Can’t Get Into the Kingdom of Heaven, and other inconvenient truths

Last updated on: October 14, 2018 at 3:51 pm By Vance Morgan

Dear Dr. Morgan: I’m writing to let you know that I won’t be in class today at 11:30. Our lacrosse match on campus that was scheduled for yesterday was rescheduled for today at 3:30. Our pre-game prep starts at 12:00, so I won’t be able to make class. I know that I have already missed a couple of classes this semester [four, as a matter of fact], but I’m hoping this won’t be a big problem. My academic advisor’s email address... Read more

2018-10-13T19:17:41-04:00

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 People of Faith and Atheists Can Agree On

Last updated on: October 13, 2018 at 7:17 pm By Vance Morgan

About half way through the 1989 film “Field of Dreams,” Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) and Terrence Mann (played by James Earl Jones) are in the bowels of my beloved Fenway Park. Ray has brought Terry there in an attempt to involve him in a ludicrous scheme that Mann is trying to resist getting sucked into. Mann was a major player in the 60s civil rights and anti-Viet Nam protests who now, twenty years later, is tired of being... Read more

2018-10-11T06:08:31-04:00

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.

How to Live Autumn

Last updated on: October 11, 2018 at 6:08 am By Vance Morgan

Autumn is my favorite season, and October is my favorite month. This is not surprising for a native New Englander—fall weather is the best that the Northeast has to offer and October promises cloudless skies, reducing temperatures, turning leaves, and no humidity. I love it. But those of us fortunate enough to be living the academic life welcome October for more reasons than beautiful weather. By the time this month arrives, the fall semester has been in session for a... Read more

2018-10-05T13:00:36-04:00

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.

Call Her “Doctor”–She’s Earned It (and so have I)

Last updated on: October 5, 2018 at 1:00 pm By Vance Morgan

According to the gospel accounts, Jesus had little regard for traditional honorifics, titles, or the ways in which we construct human pecking orders. He criticized the Pharisees for their concern about externals rather than the heart, promised that in the kingdom of heaven “the last shall be first,” and criticized his disciples as they jockeyed for position in his inner circle and competed in order to establish who was Jesus’ favorite. I get all that. But over the past week,... Read more

2018-10-05T13:00:55-04:00

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.

It Don’t Matter

Last updated on: October 5, 2018 at 1:00 pm By Vance Morgan

It’s been a rough couple of months at our house, as two members of the family passed away. Our beloved dachshund Frieda died a bit over three weeks ago–I haven’t been able to write about that yet (although I will eventually). A month or so before that, I received a call at the office from Jeanne–she said “Ezekiel died.” “How do you know?” I asked. “He’s floating on his side on top of the water and isn’t moving.” Ezekiel lived... Read more

2018-10-03T21:42:46-04:00

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.

Professional Wrestling, the Liberal Agenda, and Jesus

Last updated on: October 3, 2018 at 9:42 pm By Vance Morgan

One of my many fond memories of my sons’ youth was our early Saturday morning routine. Their mother worked the night shift at a nursing home; I would wake the boys up around 6:00 and throw them in the car as I went to pick her up (she didn’t drive). Upon returning and seeing their mother off to bed, I would cook the boys breakfast and we would settle in for television fare that was even better than the cartoons... Read more

2018-10-01T20:09:58-04:00

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.

Doctor Ford, Judge Kavanaugh, and the Book of Proverbs

Last updated on: October 1, 2018 at 8:09 pm By Vance Morgan

A couple of Sundays ago, it was my turn to be lector at the Episcopal church I attend. I got there early to take a look at what I would be reading and saw that the first reading, from the Hebrew scriptures, was from Proverbs 31, starting with verse 10. “A capable wife who can find?” Shit, I thought. In a world of #MeToo, lack of respect for women who do not immediately report sexual abuse and rape, and old... Read more

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