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Progressive Christian

2012-11-06T16:47:30-05:00

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.

Pins and Needles, the Election and our Charitable Giving

Last updated on: November 6, 2012 at 4:47 pm By Christy Thomas

I admit it–the polls are going to close in a couple of hours on the East Coast, and I’m already getting antsy to start hearing results. I keep checking my favorite political commentators and statisticians as if their words will assure my comfort and hoped for victory. I’ve been quite careful not to openly state the candidate I hope will win the Presidential election. I think that as a pastor, my role is to encourage people to think carefully about... Read more

presidential election

toxic charity

2012-11-05T13:00:43-05:00

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.

Three Hundred Words to Convince or It Vanishes

Last updated on: November 5, 2012 at 1:00 pm By Christy Thomas

The WordPress blogging challenge for the day, “You have three hundred words to justify the existence of your favorite person, place, or thing. Failure to convince will result in it vanishing without a trace. Go!” My response: Light. We are light, this small community of faith. Grace and forgiveness glue us together, yet hearts and arms open to anyone wishing entrance. The young acolytes solemnly hold their candlelighters. The worshippers see their clear faces shine. Holy smiles race around the... Read more

2012-11-03T10:54:18-05:00

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.

The Day Off and the Quotidian Tasks

Last updated on: November 3, 2012 at 10:54 am By Christy Thomas

I was watching one of those hoarding TV shows recently. I suppose they relax me a bit. This morning, as I was pondering and praying through the day, I became even more away that I am just one step away from seeing my own life spiral out of control as do the lives of the hoarders. One day when I will not do what are occasionally called the “quotidian” tasks–those things that must be done routinely no matter how much... Read more

2012-11-02T11:37:56-05:00

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.

Politics and the Pulpit

Last updated on: November 2, 2012 at 11:37 am By Christy Thomas

So, here is Dallas’s own Robert Jeffress opining about politics and the pulpit. Although he does not name the name, Jeffress makes it clear that Christians either vote for the candidate he clearly supports or they are voting against the biblical values of family and traditional family roles. Now, there are a whole other set of Christian thinkers and writers who affirm a different candidate, whom we shall also not name, believing that their candidate has a far better understanding... Read more

making disciples of Jesus Christ

political process

presidential election

Robert Jeffress

2012-11-01T12:56:17-05:00

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.

Invisible People

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 12:56 pm By Christy Thomas

Last Sunday, I asked people to think long and hard about how they treat others in a way that makes them invisible. I had used a scene from the movie “The Help” to illustrate it. There, the black maids, who made life possible for their white and privileged employers, were also invisible to those very employers. Their employers spoke about their maids as though they were not there and denied them the most basic of courtesies. At the end of... Read more

2012-10-31T14:27:24-05:00

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.

Hurricane Sandy and The Search for Meaning

Last updated on: October 31, 2012 at 2:27 pm By Christy Thomas

The word “normal” will be a long time returning to those in the path of Superstorm Sandy last week. Lives were lost, many made homeless, power is slow to be restored in multiple areas, schools disorganized, mud and debris cover formerly lovely neighborhoods. Hardest hit, as always, are the poor and the disabled. Cold weather has moved in with more storms, increasing the misery and danger. It’s just awful. Right after the storm, the blogosphere exploded with “Blame God for... Read more

Man's Search for Meaning

resurrection

suffering

Victor Frankl

2012-10-24T11:03:05-05:00

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.

On Earth As It Is In Heaven, Initial Reflections on “Everything Must Change” Clergy Retreat

Last updated on: October 24, 2012 at 11:03 am By Christy Thomas

I read this New York Times Magazine article with fascination, drawn into the beauty of the life of people on a Greek island. The writer has been seeking to find the key to their extraordinarily long lives. Their food is simple, homegrown, primarily vegetarian, and herbal teas and homemade wines are consumed daily. Exercise is just a normal part of life, and everyone gets plenty of sleep. However, the researcher affirmed the impossibility of just importing their food, sleep and... Read more

Everything Must Change

Good News of Jesus Christ

2012-10-23T19:44:07-05:00

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.

Choose Contentment

Last updated on: October 23, 2012 at 7:44 pm By Christy Thomas

It’s old news that Lance Armstrong did indeed dope his way to his multiple Tour de France victories. His titles have been stripped from him. Future generations will know him as yet one more infamous athlete who broke the rules to win and was later disgraced when the violations became known. Why? No-brainer to understand that. No matter how great his gifts as an athlete–and he was very, very good–the only way to win that particular competition meant finding every... Read more

2012-10-02T17:40:35-05:00

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.

It’s Pastoral Evaluation Time Again: My Church’s Description of the Kind of Pastor Needed Here

Last updated on: October 2, 2012 at 5:40 pm By Christy Thomas

OK, it’s that time of year again. I am getting frequent email reminders to make sure that I and the SPRC fill out all the evaluative forms so the Cabinet will have adequate information for appointment purposes. One of the open-ended text blocks that the SPRC is asked to fill in reads this way: The qualities and functions of pastoral ministry needed to fulfill the mission and goals of the congregation. Here is the tentative answer from the SPRC at the... Read more

tongue-in-cheek pastor

2012-09-25T14:31:34-05:00

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.

One-Sided Conversations

Last updated on: September 25, 2012 at 2:31 pm By Christy Thomas

I suspect many who fly frequently share one secret fear: that the use of cellphones will be permitted after take-off. Picture the scenario: stuck in a middle seat between two people who are carrying on conversations on either side of you. Both use loud voices because of ambient noise. The phone calls consume the entire flight time, other than take off and landing. Are you nuts yet? All of us have been exposed—and probably exposed others—to the discomfort of overhearing... Read more

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