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Progressive Christian

2018-09-06T05:17:51-04:00

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 the Author Meant May Not Matter

Last updated on: September 6, 2018 at 5:17 am By Vance Morgan

At the beginning of a seminar on the books of Exodus and Job from the Hebrew Scriptures with eleven honors freshmen a couple of days ago, we had an interesting discussion about how to evaluate the stories we were (and will be) engaged with. I asked them how much difference the accuracy or inaccuracy the events portrayed made. Does the value of the stories rely on their being “true” in a factual sense? My students tentatively concluded that the value... Read more

2018-09-02T19:16:04-04:00

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.

Whatever Prayer Is For, It Isn’t That

Last updated on: September 2, 2018 at 7:16 pm By Vance Morgan

A week ago, the small Episcopal church that I frequently attend moved its morning services out of the sanctuary into a beautiful August morning, heading a half mile down the road to a town park on Narragansett Bay. A small table in the gazebo served as the altar, as twenty-five or so 8:00 service regulars enjoyed a modest version of taking the gospel into the streets (or at least onto the grass). During the passing of the peace, one of the... Read more

2018-09-02T13:13:30-04:00

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’s Labor Day–What is YOUR Labor Worth?

Last updated on: September 2, 2018 at 1:13 pm By Vance Morgan

It’s Labor Day–an opportunity for each of us to reflect on the value of our labor. Those who read this blog regularly or even occasionally know that I believe I have the greatest job in the world. For those who are finding this out for the first time, let me repeat—I have the greatest job in the world. As a matter of fact, it is so great that I don’t consider it to be a job at all. For me,... Read more

2018-09-02T12:00:59-04:00

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.

Remembering John McCain: How to Move Past a Season of Cowardice

Last updated on: September 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm By Vance Morgan

While the President of the United States tweeted his usual string of petty Saturday morning irrelevancies, then went to play golf, millions of Americans spent some hours yesterday watching the memorial service for John McCain from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. I was one of those millions of Americans, alternating between tears and laughter as a true American hero was remembered and celebrated. I have nothing unique or particularly insightful to offer, but a few themes were present that... Read more

2018-08-29T14:45:58-04:00

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.

Is Planet Earth a Loser?

Last updated on: August 29, 2018 at 2:45 pm By Vance Morgan

My youngest son was born in 1981 and grew up as Americans began, for the first time in my lifetime, to be aware of simple ways, such as recycling, that each of us can contribute to the health and maintenance of our planet. After a picnic at a Wyoming lake with his grandfather and me, my son (then about five years old) noticed that Grandpa had just thrown all of his garbage, including a couple of plastic containers, into the... Read more

2018-08-27T21:18:47-04:00

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.

Happy New Year! The First Day of Classes

Last updated on: August 27, 2018 at 9:18 pm By Vance Morgan

Today is the first full class day of the semester at my college. Everyone has stories, many of them of the horror variety, about the first day of school—mine were full of cognitive and emotional dissonance from my earliest years. On the one hand, I couldn’t wait for school to start—I’ve loved just about everything about the life of learning ever since I can remember. On the other hand, there was all that non-learning stuff that I was not good... Read more

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2018-08-23T11:36:44-04:00

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.

Taking Our Country Back

Last updated on: August 23, 2018 at 11:36 am By Vance Morgan

One of my favorite staff writers for The New Yorker is Rebecca Mead; she’s been writing for the magazine for more than twenty years. Her article in this week’s edition, “The Return of the Native,” is one of her best articles as well as a sobering look at what has happened to our country in the past two years. Rebecca Mead: The Return of the Native Mead was born in England and worked with a green card in the U.S.... Read more

2018-08-23T09:51:41-04:00

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.

Getting Over Original Sin

Last updated on: August 23, 2018 at 9:51 am By Vance Morgan

Last Tuesday, on the sixth anniversary of my blog, I posted my first blog post–an essay that I had written several years earlier at the first writers conference I ever attended. I applied for the conference at my wife Jeanne’s insistence; the extreme introvert in me screamed “No!” but I applied anyways, fully expecting I would be rejected. Hail Frieda, Full of Grace I wasn’t. My assigned workshop was “Literary Essay”; each of the fifteen members wrote daily 500 word... Read more

2018-08-20T18:21:13-04:00

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.

Hail Frieda, Full of Grace

Last updated on: August 20, 2018 at 6:21 pm By Vance Morgan

Six years ago today, after a great deal of resistance, I finally followed the advice of several people whose opinions I respect and began this blog. I moved it to the Patheos platform a year and a half ago. Over a half million visits from 180+ countries later, writing here regularly has provided me with more joy and opportunities for growth than I could have possibly imagined. My latest book, published last year, was entirely a product of several years of... Read more

2018-08-18T08:18:46-04:00

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.

Wrestling With the Story

Last updated on: August 18, 2018 at 8:18 am By Vance Morgan

In Lies We Believe Abut God, Wm. Paul Young (author of The Shack) tells the story of how one of his friends reacted to his speculation that we have the opportunity to choose God even after physical death (just one of many interesting non-orthodox ideas in this fascinating book). His friend’s viscerally negative response let Young know that he “had entered waters that were considered sacred. My intention made no difference. I had stepped on a land mine . .... Read more

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