Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian

2021-05-17T17:43:51-04:00

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.

From Babel to Pentecost–We’ve Come Full Circle

Last updated on: May 17, 2021 at 5:43 pm By Vance Morgan

Jeanne and I once watched a documentary called “Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action,” created, filmed and directed by a man with the fabulous name “Velcrow Ripper.” He is the cousin-in-law of a colleague and friend of Jeanne’s who made the recommendation. The movie was beautifully constructed and filmed, as well as being very thought-provoking. The central thread of the documentary traces various ways in which people seek spiritual growth and reality that are seldom located in traditionally religious frameworks. All... Read more

Bible

Christianity

Development of Western Civilization

2021-05-17T17:15:08-04:00

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 Graduation Day and Pentecost Belong Together

Last updated on: May 17, 2021 at 5:15 pm By Vance Morgan

Today is commencement on my campus. There were no commencement exercises last year–that there will be one this year shows that we are nearing the light at the of a long Covid-19 tunnel. Today’s celebration will be held outdoors on one of our campus soccer fields rather than at the downtown sports arena where it would have been held pre-Covid, there will be fewer in attendance than the thousands that annually pack the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. But it is a live,... Read more

2021-05-15T17:11:30-04:00

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.

Twelve Years Ago, My Life Changed–here’s why

Last updated on: May 15, 2021 at 5:11 pm By Vance Morgan

Exactly twelve years ago today, I headed home from a four-month sabbatical as a Resident Scholar at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville Minnesota. I already suspected then, and I know now, that it was a life-changing sabbatical. Exploring the implications of what happened to me during that sabbatical has been the primary focus of this blog for almost nine years, as well as the inspiration for two books:... Read more

2021-05-16T07:05:48-04:00

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.

Do You Want to be Healed?

Last updated on: May 16, 2021 at 7:05 am By Vance Morgan

My wife Jeanne and I have been enjoying “The Chosen,” a multi-year cinematic life of Jesus that just released the fourth episode of its second season. I’ve seen on Facebook that its creators have been getting lots of raves, but also some serious pushback from conservative Christian elements. I have not made a study of these comments (which would require far too much time on social media), but the gist of those I’ve seen is that “The Chosen” is to... Read more

2021-05-12T12:35:37-04:00

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.

Jesus, Ascension Day, and the Olympics

Last updated on: May 12, 2021 at 12:35 pm By Vance Morgan

It is a reminder of the world we have been living in for more than a year that the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics will begin on July 23, 2021–delayed for a year by Covid-19. A disturbingly common mishap in recent Summer Olympic games has been the failure of U.S. track and field relay teams. Individually, these teams almost always are made up of the best runners, top to bottom, of any nation’s relay contingent. Best times, best individual win-loss records.... Read more

2021-05-10T18:58:45-04:00

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.

Christians Should Pay Less Attention to Their Souls, and More Attention to Their Bodies

Last updated on: May 10, 2021 at 6:58 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

2021-05-07T12:21:05-04:00

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 Mothers Day Reflection: Her Children Rise Up and Call Her Blessed

Last updated on: May 7, 2021 at 12:21 pm By Vance Morgan

I once learned something interesting about giraffes from one of my colleagues. He was lecturing on Roman art and architecture; when discussing the Coliseum, he mentioned that Roman audiences loved to watch novelty battles—between a woman and a dwarf, or a dog and a porcupine for instance. The voracious Roman appetite for more and more exotic beasts and contests produced a variety of combatants from all corners of the empire, including elephants, apes, the great cats, and rhinoceroses. And giraffes.... Read more

2021-05-05T18:30:39-04:00

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.

No One Owns God

Last updated on: May 5, 2021 at 6:30 pm By Vance Morgan

Over the past few weeks, I have received more negative comments on my blog than usual. Most of them have been posted on my blog’s Facebook page rather than on the blog itself; this is undoubtedly because when I pay a few bucks to promote a post on Facebook, it goes more people than the choir that I am usually preaching to. Most of these comments are negatively energized by the (correct) perception that this site, callled “Freelance Christianity,” represents... Read more

2021-05-03T16:54:47-04:00

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.

Because Survival is Insufficient

Last updated on: May 3, 2021 at 4:54 pm By Vance Morgan

“Remember K from our colloquium last year?” my teaching partner emailed late last week. “G [a student in our colloquium this year] is K’s roommate; G tells me that K got a ‘Survival is Insufficient’ tattoo!” The subject line of the email was “Education leaves a mark!” Let me explain. We are in the last week of my “Apocalypse” colloquium; our final text is Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel Station Eleven. Thanks to the tireless efforts of my teaching... Read more

Emily St. John Mandel

2021-04-28T16:14:13-04:00

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.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear–or so we’re told

Last updated on: April 28, 2021 at 4:14 pm By Vance Morgan

After the mass shooting in a Colorado grocery store a few weeks ago, a woman on Twitter posted this: I’ve got to go to the grocery store today. The store has 1 front entrance, & 1 exit out the back. If a shooter came in, I might not be able to escape, & I’m scared to go. Does this mean I need therapy? Or am I an American accepting the reality of mass shootings? Several hundred people responded, the vast... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to 1 John, what three things testify on earth?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving The Spirit, the water, and the blood The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Faith, hope, and love

Books by This Author Books by Vance G. Morgan

See All Titles »

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Advent AI Angels Artificial intelligence atheism attention baptism Baptists beauty belief Benedictines Bible bicycling Big Bird books Bovina Camaldoli hermitage Canada Catholicism cats certainty change Christianity Christmas Collegeville Covid-19 creativity Development of Western Civilization dogs doubt Easter Enneagram Epiphany Episcopal ethics Eucharist evil extroverts Facebook faith family fear flowers forgiveness freedom friends God goodness grace happiness heaven hell history Holy Spirit Holy Week hope human nature humility humor idolatry incarnation introverts irreverence Islam Jeanne Jesus Joe Biden joy Judaism justice Kamala Harris knowledge Lent listen literature liturgy love Marsue Memorial Day miracles movies music mystery mythology NPR Old Testament optimism paradox peace Penguins philosophy piano podcast politics power prayer Protestantism Providence College Religion Rhode Island sabbatical sacrament science seeing silence Simone Weil Socrates soul sports St. John's College stories suffering tattoo teaching technology television theology thinking time tolerance transcendence travel trees trust truth Uncategorized Vermont wisdom wonder writing

Select a Month May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian