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

2023-01-02T11:57:41-06:00

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.

Things That Test Our Patience

Last updated on: January 2, 2023 at 11:57 am By C. Don Jones

I sometimes am frustrated by inanimate objects. But nothing puts my patience to the test like people. A counselor says I have a low threshold of tolerance. I agree. Well-laid plans, and even not-so-well-laid plans, are better than no plan. And when they are disrupted, I can really lose it. Maturity has tempered my reactions some. Just let me experience fatigue or be a bit “hangry,” and you may want to avoid my company lest I test your patience. Let... Read more

Philosophy

Spiritual Self Care

Spirituality

2022-12-23T12:55:50-06:00

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.

Christmas Ghosts Frightening The Poor

Last updated on: December 23, 2022 at 12:55 pm By C. Don Jones

Practically everyone reading this will have heard of the famous Christmas ghosts who frightened a rich miser into repentance. The story is so well known that anyone attempting to write a similar story would be accused of plagiarizing Dickens. A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas was released in 1843. It was an instant hit. So much so, that Dickens continued to write Christmas stories the following years. The story published in 1844, The Chimes: A Goblin Story... Read more

Christmas

2022-12-19T15:46:39-06:00

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.

Bringing Them In?

Last updated on: December 19, 2022 at 3:46 pm By C. Don Jones

Will we be bringing liberal secular people back to church? During a discussion I had with a conservative religious pollster, I asked for his analysis of my denomination. He claimed our problem was that the congregations were mostly conservative while the agencies were run by liberals. The problem, he went on to explain, is that liberals do not go to church. If there has ever been a better explanation of “us v them” in the mainline church, I have yet... Read more

Progressive Christianity

2022-12-15T11:46:02-06:00

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.

Losing Advent

Last updated on: December 15, 2022 at 11:46 am By C. Don Jones

Advent is almost over. Thank God! Learning Advent and Christmas were two different seasons was a gift. But it did not change the bitter-sweet experience of the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Perhaps we need to lose some of the traditions churches have during Advent. Christmas Cantata Honestly, how many members of your congregation actually know the meaning of the word “cantata?” They may guess it has something to do with choral music. According to Merriam-Webster, cantatas are compositions for... Read more

Advent

2022-12-12T11:37:05-06:00

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.

Choosing To Close Rather Than Die

Last updated on: December 12, 2022 at 11:37 am By C. Don Jones

A church is choosing to close. But, does that mean it dies? This is the question we have been wrestling with at the congregation where I serve as pastor. Choice appears to be the greatest value in our society. Wishful thinking is second to it. Is this discussion an exercise in the latter. So many people are prematurely dancing on the grave of The United Methodist Church. And there are indeed a few former members of the congregation who are... Read more

Choice

Community

Conscience

2022-12-08T11:34:13-06:00

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.

5 Ways To Keep Politics Out Of Christmas

Last updated on: December 8, 2022 at 11:34 am By C. Don Jones

The County Democratic Party group received a “soft” threat for the Christmas parade. The people claimed they and their friends were going to pelt the float with rotten vegetables. The plea was, “We need to keep politics out of Christmas.” My head almost spun around. This from people who get mad if someone says, “Happy Holidays” to them? But it is possible to keep politics out of Christmas. Here are five ways pastors can avoid anything political this Christmas. Avoid... Read more

Biblical Interpretation

Christmas

Community

2022-12-05T11:32:50-06:00

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.

Watching Luke 5

Last updated on: December 5, 2022 at 11:32 am By C. Don Jones

Watching stories retold as film after reading the narratives is not new for me. But watching while reading is. We are all used to hearing people say, “the book is better than the movie.” I even tongue-in-cheek said this when people talked about The Bible miniseries. Someone even asked, “There’s a book?” And then immediately realized I was baiting them. “Haha, very funny, smartass,” was the reply. What people usually mean when they claim the book is better, is, “The images... Read more

Advent

Biblical Interpretation

2022-11-30T12:20:21-06:00

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.

Walking Uphill

Last updated on: November 30, 2022 at 12:20 pm By C. Don Jones

Hiking, running, and walking are not real to me unless I go uphill at some point. To be honest, I do not run anymore. But I still hike and walk. Sometimes, it is even fun. The ever-increasing arthritis in my knees makes going down hills harder than going up them. Going up hills used to be more difficult though. I would stop for short breaks. Now I rarely ever do that. Some time ago, and I am not sure when,... Read more

Advent

Spiritual development

2022-11-21T16:02:11-06:00

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 And Stressed

Last updated on: November 21, 2022 at 4:02 pm By C. Don Jones

A billboard carries the message for a local church. It includes the words “too blessed to be stressed.” The word “prosperity” rings in my head every time I see it. Prosperity gospel preachers and believers lack imagination. In their world, one cannot both enjoy blessings and live with stress. If a person feels bad, then they conclude that person is not among “the elect.” This lack of imagination means failing at empathy. People would not practice compassion for others until... Read more

Spiritual Self Care

healing

Spiritual development

2022-11-18T13:36:52-06:00

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.

Members Only

Last updated on: November 18, 2022 at 1:36 pm By C. Don Jones

The Members Only jackets of my teenaged years illustrate how I view those times. I, of course, wore an imitation. No label described me as a member of the elite circle. It was the same with my Sears knock off of Izod shirts. I was disgusted with the dragons that stood in place of the alligators. I tore them off. The traces of glue could still be seen on the shirts. People asked, “Why I tore off the alligators.” A... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened to the golden calf?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Taken to Canaan Hidden Set up for worship Burned, ground to powder

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Addiction Advent Afghanistan Anxiety Ascension Sunday Baptism Barack Obama Biblical Interpretation Bigotry Book Banning BSA Buddhism Choice Christmas Church Discipline Community Conscience Conspiracy theories COVID-19 Culture Wars death cults deconstruction Devotional Divine Judgment Donald Trump Earth Day Election Day empathy Environmentalism Evangelism Exploitation of the Poor Faith False Claims fascism Fear Forgiveness Genocide government Grace Gun Violence Halloween Hate Health Hillbilly Elegy Hindu Holy Communion Holy Week Homelessness Hope Identity Integrity Islam Joe Biden John Hagee Kamala Harris Labor Lent Liberation Theology Lies Love Love as action Neurological disorders Non-Christian Religions Online Worship Original Goodness Pandemic Peace Pentecost Philosophy Preaching Progressive Christianity Racism Redemptive Violence Myth Resentment Saint's Days Satire Sobriety social media Spiritual Self Care Spirituality Technology The Kingdom of God The United Methodist Church Theology Transfigurations Sunday Transgender persons Truth Uncategorized Violence Wesleyan Working Class

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 October 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 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 February 2018 January 2018 August 2017 May 2017 November 2016 July 2016 June 2016 November 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 February 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian