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
Relationships and Religion

2025-06-27T13:14:13-04:00

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.

Are We Making This Too Hard?

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

All of my life I have observed how many religious institutions have kept Christ just out of the reach of people. Preachers scream out His name from the pulpit followed by ‘Just As I Am’ and people come to the altar. Jesus gloriously saves all who come. Then the bidding for your soul begins. “Yes, you are saved”, they say, “but now you gotta…” And then it begins. I have been there, done that and oh, buddy do I... Read more

2025-06-27T13:14:14-04:00

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.

I Am Not A Christian

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

I know the title of this article is going to freak some of you out…but hear me out. I am a follower of Christ but I do not like any religious label. Jesus did not call his followers Christians. He called them disciples and friends (John 15:15-17). The early church called themselves ‘The Way’ (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The term “Christian” is only used three times in the Bible, in Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter... Read more

Politics and Religion

balance

body soul spirit

organized religion

reconnecting our spirit

2025-06-27T13:14:15-04:00

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.

How Can Jesus Claim To Be The Only Way?

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

Jesus clearly said He was THE WAY, as in the one and only way. He did not declare His way to be another way but boldly said I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. Now most religions acknowledge that Christ was a good man, a teacher sent from God, etc. but when He declared Himself to be the way, the truth and the life that made Him to either be who He said He was or a lunatic!... Read more

Education and Religion

balance

born again

organized religion

reconnecting our spirit

2025-06-27T13:14:16-04:00

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.

What Do Christians Mean ‘Jesus Is The Answer’?

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

Don’t get mad or just dismiss when a Christian says Jesus is the answer to this culture of hate and fear. Let me try to explain to those who just blanket reject the idea that Jesus is the answer and explain why it is a viable solution or at least a step in the right direction. When Christians say things like this they are sharing experientially things they have witnessed in their own lives and the lives of others... Read more

2025-06-27T13:14:17-04:00

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.

Closer Than Your Next Breath: Recognizing God’s Omnipresence

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

There is nothing more important than the air we breathe to us surface dwellers on Earth. Most cannot hold their breath for longer than 30 seconds to 2 minutes. There are exceptions of course and at this writing, Budimir Šobat (Croatia), a 56-year-old free diver, has proven he’s unrivaled at the skill. On March 27, 2021, he broke the record for the longest time breath held voluntarily (male) with a staggering time of 24 minutes 37.36 seconds. Wow! We cannot see... Read more

Recreation, Outdoors and Religion

reconnecting our spirit

2025-06-27T13:14:18-04:00

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 Everywhere God: Discovering Divine Presence in Creation

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

God Is Everywhere! I strive to never let a day go by that I do not allow my bare feet to feel the earth beneath my feet. There is something about your bare feet walking upon the surface of this planet that is like your skin touching the skin of your closest friend as you walk. I do not wish to be of some city with paved streets. It is out in the wild where I feel most alive. It... Read more

Recreation, Outdoors and Religion

2025-06-27T13:14:19-04:00

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.

God in the Rain: Finding the Divine in Everyday Life

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

The Omnipresence of God One of my favorite inspiring movies is V For Vendetta. There is one character in the movie named Evey that is arrested and they shave her head and when she is released she is standing in the rain looking upward and she says something that stuck with me “God is in the rain.” It is so true. God is everywhere. He is in the rain. He is in the water. He is in the... Read more

balance

body soul spirit

born again

reconnecting our spirit

2025-06-27T13:14:20-04:00

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.

Fire and Faith: Lessons from the Wilderness of Life

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

Do you know what I have found out about spirituality? That the less I try to understand it the better I understand it. People historically have tried to conjure up, wind up, pay up and work up something into an image or religion and call what they have invented God for a long time. The reality is true spirituality is not something we can put on the shelf of a church to be taken down on Sundays. True spirituality... Read more

2025-06-27T13:14:21-04:00

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.

Finding God in Nature: A Sacred Call to the Wild

Last updated on: June 27, 2025 at 1:14 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

0 Comments

Spring, Life, and Spirituality Have you ever thought about nature having a spiritual side? I know all too well the power of the Creator and the creation. To think that creation, nature and the great outdoors are just something to enjoy as leisure and recreation is to miss out on a whole dimension of what it truly is. Here in North America as well as in other parts of the world the Earth is tilting closer to the sun’s exposure... Read more

2024-04-04T17:52:22-04:00

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.

Where Did All The Religions Originate From?

Last updated on: April 4, 2024 at 5:52 pm By Benjamin Raven Pressley

True Spirituality is more all-encompassing than most think. It is also more universal than most think. God has been God before the beginning of this planet. So, in the beginning, picture a great ether in perfect harmony and balance. It was not some impersonal force but indisputable and pure truth that was and is. I use the term ‘ether’ quite often but you may call call it ‘the mind of God’ or the omnipresence of God if you wish. Just... Read more

Education and Religion

reconnecting our spirit

walking spiritually

religion

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

After my test ended, I received double what I lost, except for one category where the number remained the same. What was restored equally?

Select your answer to see how you score.

His children His wealth His servants His flocks

Books by This Author Books by Raven's Writing Desk

See All Titles »

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category balance body soul spirit born again occult organized religion reconnecting our spirit self-improvement Uncategorized walking spiritually

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

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian