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Progressive Christian

2014-03-03T12:31:13-05:00

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.

The Pastoral Life: They Die for Any Reason

Last updated on: March 3, 2014 at 12:31 pm By Christy Thomas

I had just watched the dam deliver her fourth lamb, with help from the foreman of this lovely farm in the Cotswolds. This particular breed of sheep tend to give birth to twins regularly, but quads are highly unusual, and we just happened to be there at the right time to observe. Here’s the video. Be aware that it is “narrated” by the voices of four young children (4-7) who are a bit grossed out by the process, even as they... Read more

united methodist church

2014-02-26T19:17:33-05:00

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.

No More Bookstores

Last updated on: February 26, 2014 at 7:17 pm By Christy Thomas

As I wander through the airport for taking off for London, trying to keep moving for the long enforced the overnight flight, I suddenly realized: no bookstores. I saw one small newsstand with maybe a couple of dozen books, a few newspapers, a paltry stack of magazines, but no expensive, serendipitous shelves of untouched books. No place to stumble upon an engaging read to distract the mind from the drone of the engines. We have arrived in the brave New... Read more

2014-02-25T13:38:02-05:00

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.

My Tiny Protest About Anti-Gay Legislation in Arizona

Last updated on: February 25, 2014 at 1:38 pm By Christy Thomas

I’m just going to add my puny little voice to this situation where a bill has been passed by the Arizona Legislature to permit business owners to deny service to anyone they think may be part of the GLBTQ community. Many have already made eloquent links to this bill and our shameful national memories of refusing service to anyone whose skin wasn’t white enough to pass the color test. Governor Jan Brewer now faces the responsibility to either sign, or... Read more

featured

GLBT

anti-gay legislation; Governor Jan Brewer

Arizona

GLBT

Holocaust

2014-02-24T06:03:09-05:00

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.

Praying for Ted Nugent?

Last updated on: February 24, 2014 at 6:03 am By Christy Thomas

Like many others, I am so deeply troubled by the choice of both Texas and national Republicans to use Ted Nugent as a spokesperson for their views. Try typing into a search engine, “Ted Nugent Pedophile” and see what comes up. To call this man “vile” might be a compliment. He’s simply appalling. Now, I will tell you that I’d never even heard of this person before last week’s dust-up in Denton. I’m not much into pop culture, and never... Read more

The United Methodist Church

Verdi Requiem

2014-02-21T09:27:56-05:00

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.

Church and State: An Impossible Divide

Last updated on: February 21, 2014 at 9:27 am By Christy Thomas

Note: I wrote this yesterday but had not gotten around to posting it yet. Then a friend sent me a link to an article where someone running for office says, “Don’t vote for a Methodist.” Decided it was time. Political party platforms rise from religious understandings of the world. Church and state do not separate in those smoke-filled rooms (actually, with the ban on cigarette smoking, they may no longer be smoke-filled, but they are surely filled with something). The... Read more

politics

religion

religion and politics

religious world view

separation of church and state

world view

2014-02-14T12:57:43-05:00

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.

Blue Cross Blue Shield "Accidentally" Cancelled Coverage

Last updated on: February 14, 2014 at 12:57 pm By Christy Thomas

Well, this has been an interesting morning. I went to my ophthalmologist for my yearly eye exam and handed the receptionist my Blue Cross Blue Shield card and my Drivers License for ID. I sat down to wait and was idly thumbing through a magazine. A moment later, the receptionist came up to me and said, “Your insurance company said your policy had been canceled.” I just looked at her, shocked, and thought about the hefty check I have been... Read more

health care

Blue Cross Blue Shield

health insurance

2014-02-05T11:07:18-05:00

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.

Why Bill Nye Was the Wrong Guy

Last updated on: February 5, 2014 at 11:07 am By Christy Thomas

If you didn’t watch the debate between Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” and Ken Ham, the money and mover behind “Answers in Genesis,”then you can find the YouTube video here. Here is a completely non-religiously based view of the debate. They acknowledged the Nye lost the debate. I thought he did as well but didn’t see the actual verdict. Why was Bill Nye, an excellent scientist and communicator, whose arguments were cogent and well presented. the loser? Because the argument was... Read more

2019-02-26T11:19:08-05:00

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.

Why FaceBook And Robert’s Rules of Order Make Holy Conferencing Impossible: An Alternative Approach

Last updated on: February 26, 2019 at 11:19 am By Christy Thomas

Yet One More FB Explosion For what seemed like the trillionth time, I watched another clergy Facebook conversation degenerate into frustration, name-calling, shut-off, and despair. The few political conversations I have participated while using the same medium have seen similar fates. Why? First, let’s look at Twitter. With a tiny character limit, it became a place to is to make a hard hit with few words and watch the fallout. One-liners rule the day. And one-liners have no space for... Read more

Robert's Rule of Order

The Fifth Discipline

The UMC

2014-02-02T16:21:39-05:00

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.

Girl Scouts, Cookies, The Far Right and Christians

Last updated on: February 2, 2014 at 4:21 pm By Christy Thomas

How we do love to kill one another. I have this vision of a far-right, sure-of-her-righteousness Christian standing with a huge gun, surrounded by bleeding, rotting corpses, saying to God, “Hey–look at me–I just cleaned out all the sinners for you. I’m the only one who was willing to go to the end for you! You and I are going to have a blast throughout eternity without all those sinners around.” This thought sprang into my mind when, between the... Read more

abortion

far-right Christianity

Girl Scout cookies

Girl Scouts of America

Planned Parenthood

self-righteousness

2014-01-29T15:03:25-05:00

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.

Inventing Our Own Religions: We MUST Take this Seriously

Last updated on: January 29, 2014 at 3:03 pm By Christy Thomas

EVERYONE who is concerned for the future of the church needs to read this article. Quick summary: the teacher of a community college class in comparative religions puts her students in groups and give them this assignment: invent a new religion. The author writes, “last semester emerged as a perfect case study of millennial religion,” and then notes: There were several components of religion that were glaringly absent. Not one of them had career clergy who were in charge of... Read more

Millenial Theology; The United Methodist Church

Sam Polk

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