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

2015-03-26T14:11:09-04:00

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 Naturalistic Resurrection

Last updated on: March 26, 2015 at 2:11 pm By Bruce Epperly

There is no getting around Easter if you belong to the Jesus movement. Jesus’ first followers were transformed by their encounters with the Risen Christ. Once fearful, they became courageous; once uncertain, they became confident in that Jesus was unique, the savior of humankind, victorious over sickness, sin, and death. The power of the resurrection to transform lives can’t be denied by any honest observer. The narratives of Jesus’ resurrection – not to mention the resurrection experiences themselves – has... Read more

Uncategorized

2015-03-25T06:07:10-04:00

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.

Practicing Resurrection in an Ambiguous World

Last updated on: March 25, 2015 at 6:07 am By Bruce Epperly

Affirming the resurrection doesn’t come easy for many of us. Frankly, many of us find it difficult to celebrate life these days. Holy Saturday, the time of uncertainty and waiting, the experience of suspense and the provisional nature of life, seems a far more realistic assessment of the human and cosmic condition than the bursting forth of new life on Easter. Even devout Christians, reflecting on Easter Sunday, struggle for a realistic and life-transforming message to affirm. According to Jesus’... Read more

Uncategorized

2015-03-22T09:05:21-04:00

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 Adventurous Lectionary – Palm and Passion Sunday – March 29. 2015

Last updated on: March 22, 2015 at 9:05 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Palm and Passion Sunday – March 29. 2015 Bruce G. Epperly Mark 11:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 (or 15:1-47) Palm Sunday is a challenging holy day in the life of the church. Many congregations join palms and passion, hoping to counteract diminishing attendance at Holy Week services. It is believed that folks need to experience the Cross before the ecstatic celebration of Easter. Apart from experiencing Christ’s suffering, Easter lacks gravitas and promotes an unrealistic prosperity... Read more

Uncategorized

2015-03-19T20:51:44-04:00

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.

Reclaiming Good Friday: Salvation without Divine Violence

Last updated on: March 19, 2015 at 8:51 pm By Bruce Epperly

What do you do with Good Friday and the Cross when you’ve abandoned the centrality of the doctrines of substitutionary atonement and the divine necessity of Jesus’ death? Like many progressive Christians, I grew up hearing the mantras “Jesus died for our sins,” “Jesus died so that we might have eternal life and escape God’s wrath,” “Jesus paid the price for our salvation,” and “sin deserves death and Jesus stood in our place.” Recently, I saw a billboard with the... Read more

Uncategorized

Good Friday

process theology

Progressive Christianity

substitutionary atonement

2015-03-19T13:19:34-04:00

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.

Mary as One of Us: A Conversation with Denise Bossert’s Gifts of the Visitation: Nine Spiritual Encounters with Mary and Elizabeth.

Last updated on: March 19, 2015 at 1:19 pm By Bruce Epperly

In her new book, Gifts of the Visitation, Denise Bossert chronicles her adventures in discovering the role of Mary as a spiritual guide and model for her own spiritual formation. Her journey takes her from evangelical Protestantism to an orthodox understanding of Roman Catholicism. Along the way, she encounters Mary as a unique spiritual figure, divinely chosen and yet freely human. I am perhaps an interesting commentator on Mary’s role in the spiritual life and Bossert’s engaging text. I appreciate Denise... Read more

2015-03-17T17:58:11-04:00

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 Grace of Interdependence: A Response to Jamie Arpin-Ricci’s ‘Vulnerable Faith’

Last updated on: March 17, 2015 at 5:58 pm By Bruce Epperly

As a child growing up in the Salinas Valley in California, I grew up singing that grand evangelical hymn “Just as I Am,” popularized by the Billy Graham Crusades. Jamie Arpin-Ricci’s Vulnerable Faith brought me back to the revival meetings and evangelical theology of our small town Baptist church. While I no longer hold the theology of my childhood, there is still much truth in the hymn’s recognition that we are lost apart from grace. That’s the point of Vulnerable... Read more

2015-03-15T08:38:34-04:00

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 Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 22, 2015

Last updated on: March 15, 2015 at 8:38 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 22, 2015 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-12 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20—33 What is it like to have God’s law written on our hearts? For most of us, there is a dissonance between God’s vision and our behaviors and attitudes. Often God appears as an external agent, ready to judge us for our imperfections or as the voice of conscience alerting us when we’ve gone astray. Jeremiah promises a different kind... Read more

Uncategorized

2015-03-08T17:29:27-04:00

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.

Encountering Jesus for the First Time: Responding to Richard L. Black’s Maximus

Last updated on: March 8, 2015 at 5:29 pm By Bruce Epperly

“Be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) These words capture the spirit of Richard Black’s Maximus. The book is about the gradual and then quantum transformation of a Roman general and his closest friend and colleague’s from military men to lovers and followers of Jesus. “This world” of past certainties must give way to an emerging spirituality, a faith without boundaries and fences, straining to be faithful to God’s movements... Read more

Uncategorized

2015-03-09T15:06:30-04:00

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.

The Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 15, 2015

Last updated on: March 9, 2015 at 3:06 pm By Bruce Epperly

Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 15, 2015 Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 Today’s passages raise a variety of questions. Though they speak of divine rescue, they also suggest a dark side to divinity. God causes suffering or may be the source of punishment that far exceeds our misdeeds. These passages invite us to consider the relationship between grace, punishment, and personal responsible. Is God the source of punishment? Or, do certain... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary

2015-03-03T06:19:58-05:00

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.

Adventurous Lectionary – Lent 3 – March 8, 2015

Last updated on: March 3, 2015 at 6:19 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Third Sunday in Lent – March 8, 2015 Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19 I Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 Today’s readings join theology, ethics, spirituality, economics, and public policy. They suggest that religion and politics really do mix, but in ways that baffle liberals and conservatives alike. While the Hebraic wanderers lived under the rule of a proto-theocracy, their understanding of the relationship of God and values is not a historical aberration. Even secular and pluralistic societies promote... Read more

Uncategorized

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which letter is addressed "to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jude 2 John Galatians James

Books by This Author Books by Living A Holy Adventure

See All Titles »

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 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 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 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian