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Progressive Christian

2018-06-11T13:12:31-04:00

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.

The God of History is an Atheist

Last updated on: June 11, 2018 at 1:12 pm By Vance Morgan

Atheism is a purification Simone Weil Former President Obama loved to quote a hopeful statement from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it tends toward justice.” The quote was so important to the former President that he had it woven into a rug in the Oval Office. The statement is controversial, because it can be used to justify all sorts of ideas (since there are many conceptions of what “justice” amounts to), as... Read more

2018-06-11T11:24:42-04:00

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.

Knowing the Enemy: Some Differences Between Canadians and Americans

Last updated on: June 11, 2018 at 11:24 am By Vance Morgan

Now that we are on the brink of armed conflict with our Canadian neighbors to the north, I thought it might be helpful to share some observations I made about the differences between Canadians and Americans three summers ago. It never hurts to know your enemy! A beautiful day in Toronto in front of me—what to do? Jeanne was tied up last Saturday from 8-5 with work, the reason we were in Toronto in the first place, so the day... Read more

2018-06-08T16:34:54-04:00

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 You Do When No One Is Watching?

Last updated on: June 8, 2018 at 4:34 pm By Vance Morgan

Hey Justin! What if you had a ring that made you invisible when you put it on? Would you use the ring to take the books you’ve been wanting from the kid’s section at the bookstore the next time we go to the mall? No. Why not? Because someone would know. In the summer of 1989, as I prepared for my first PhD-candidate solo flight in the classroom scheduled for the coming fall semester, I solicited advice from anyone and... Read more

2018-06-08T15:11:14-04:00

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.

The Little Red Haired Girl’s Birthday

Last updated on: June 8, 2018 at 3:11 pm By Vance Morgan

Tomorrow is my wife Jeanne’s birthday–join me in celebrating this wonderful event by reading my annual tribute to my very favorite person! The Little Red-Haired Girl Read more

2018-06-06T20:08:50-04:00

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.

I Pardon You

Last updated on: June 6, 2018 at 8:08 pm By Vance Morgan

Pardons are in the news, particularly Presidential pardons. Presidential pardons are nothing new, and everyone seems to believe that the President’s power to pardon is unlimited, but can the President pardon himself? “Yes,” says Trump’s legal team in a twenty-page memo leaked this week, which also argues that the President cannot be charged with obstruction of justice, since as the top justice official in the country, that would be charging him with obstructing himself—which apparently is not possible, although he... Read more

2018-06-04T10:30:16-04:00

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.

Jesus Has a Bad Day

Last updated on: June 4, 2018 at 10:30 am By Vance Morgan

A conversation heard behind the scenes: Dude! Did you see what just happened?? How could I?? I’m in charge of the freaking luggage today and am stuck way back here. Why is the crowd always biggest when I have luggage duty? The big guy just got dissed in front of everyone! Are you shitting me? Tell me! He was already in a pissy mood and this woman kept nagging him and bothering him until he finally put her in her... Read more

2018-06-02T22:12:01-04:00

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 Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Weed

Last updated on: June 2, 2018 at 10:12 pm By Vance Morgan

My family and I spent three years in the middle nineties living in the South—specifically, Memphis. It was my first teaching job after graduate school. As dyed-in-the-wool Northerners, it was not an easy fit, but we were introduced to many new things—including kudzu. Introduced from Asia in the late 19th century as a garden novelty, but not widely planted until the 1930s, kudzu is now America’s most infamous weed, earning the title of “the vine that ate the South.” According... Read more

2018-05-31T21:57:07-04:00

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 Out of the Spiritual Nursery

Last updated on: May 31, 2018 at 9:57 pm By Vance Morgan

Organized religion often is a source of packaged answers and comfortable solutions to important questions about God and ourselves. A odd story from the Jewish scriptures suggests that eventually such answers and solutions must be left behind. Early in the Book of Joshua, the Israelites cross the Jordan River and enter the land that has been promised to them, even though it is already occupied by nomadic tribes and city dwellers who are under the apparently mistaken impression that since... Read more

2018-05-30T07:13:46-04:00

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.

“America First” is a Theological Heresy

Last updated on: May 30, 2018 at 7:13 am By Vance Morgan

Memorial Day week is a time for solemn remembrance. It also tends to be a time in which Americans express their patriotism with flags on their lawns and with slogans like “America First” and “America—Love it or Leave it.” How should persons who profess the Christian faith think about American exceptionalism and exclusivity? This question crossed my radar screen unexpectedly last Saturday morning. As I was doing a bit of minimal cleaning in the house, I had MSNBC’s “AM Joy”... Read more

2018-05-28T06:50:30-04:00

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.

A Memorial Day Question: Is Democracy Overrated?

Last updated on: May 28, 2018 at 6:50 am By Vance Morgan

It is Memorial Day, a great day to honor those who have made sacrifices over the years, including the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, to protect our freedoms. It is also a good day to consider how well we are living out the freedoms that these sacrifices were made for. In an early season episode of House of Cards, then Vice President Frank Underwood, fresh off another policy victory energized by skillful manipulation and lying, turns toward the camera for an... Read more

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