The Center For Progressive Christianity
Progressive Gift Ideas
Meaningful Gifts for the Spiritually Minded

December 2009

In This Issue
Support TCPC
Children Praying a New Story
Butterflyfish Music CD
Lots Of Hope
Mind in the Balance
Thank God for Evolution
Support TCPC by doing some of your holiday shopping in our store

Not only does your purchase help our non-profit organization continue to offer some of the best progressive Christian books, and music, but you can feel good, knowing you are giving gifts that have meaning!  To receive our 10% discount, consider affiliating with TCPC today.

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Asphalt Gospel DVD

For the month of December only
$15.00!
DVD cover
On Easter 2006 six ordinary people left their homes, jobs and families for a journey on foot into the heart of America. Against the background of increasing intolerance from the Christian Right, they spread a message of compassion and inclusion. The story of their 2,500 mile walk to Washington, DC will inspire you and fill you with hope. Excellent for study and discussion groups, youth groups and adult education classes Purchase HERE
"Plato tells the story of captives in a cave, forced to look at mere shadows reflected on the wall for their only glimpse of life and ignorant of the sunlit world beyond their confines.  He says that if somebody were to come to free them and lead them up to the light, they might well prefer to stay in darkness... Nobody likes to change, and religious views are held to more tenaciously than any others.  All a person can do is try to set forth the truth as clearly as he sees it and let the Spirit take it from there."
~ Tom Harpur, from Pagan Christ

book cover Thank God for Evolution (NEW)
By Michael Dowd
$15.00
$13.50 with affiliate discount


Thank God for Evolution presents in a lively and accessible manner the reasons why it is now possible to view evolution as a call to deep integrity; how a dozen scientific disciplines reveal evolution to be measurably creative, rather than meaningless blind chance; practical methods for using evolutionary insights to achieve greater joy and personal fulfillment; and how aligning with evolutionary trends can guide activists and others hoping to make our world a better place.

"Thank God for Evolution, by Michael Dowd, is such an important book we made arrangements to carry it in our store for a limited amount of time.  Not only does this book transcend the battle between science and religion but it embraces the goodness, truth, and beauty of both worlds. I believe it offers one of the pieces of a new Christian paradigm that many progressives have been searching for.  I could not recommend it more than these six Noble Laureates." ~Fred

Purchase HERE
Read review here


book cover Children Praying a New Story
By Michael Morwood
$18.00
$16.20 with affiliate discount

"The wonderful thing about Christian tradition is its many stories. It is just that some have been overlooked or ignored in favor of more dominant stories. It is important that adults who want to help children pray get to know the other stories and tell them alongside the stories that have dominated - in the name of fidelity to Christianity and a deeper appreciation of Jesus and his message. There is, for example, a dominant story about an elsewhere God; there is an even better story about an everywhere God."

"Children Praying a New Story, is one of TCPC's best sellers. In it you will not only find better ways to talk about your religion, your understanding of God and Jesus from a progressive Christian perspective with your children, but you may discover better ways to talk about your faith with others. This is a wonderful book for families to read together." ~Fred

Purchase HERE


CD cover Butterflyfish Music CD
$14.99
$13.49 with affiliate discount


The album is musically vibrant, surprising and exciting: it blends styles as diverse as bluegrass, country, jazz and gospel, in a way that brings out that characteristic joy and lilt and humor of American folk music. And the lyrics (all written by Matt Boulton) are quite wonderful: linguistically inventive, poetically playful, and at times also theologically serious and reflective. Where so many kids' CDs are characterized by attitudes of patronizing banality, it's a tremendous pleasure to hear music like this: music that takes children seriously, music that respects its audience, music premised on the assumption that young children are capable of lively joy, honest reflection, and exuberant aesthetic delight.

Purchase HERE


book cover Lots of Hope, By Gary Wilburn
$19.95
$17.96  with affiliate discount


"Lots of Hope is a discourse on the powerful role that hope plays in the lives of individuals and communities, particularly his own.  "God is not just 'out there' somewhere; God is 'in here' with us, in the makeup of every cell, every motor neuron, every thought, every emotion.

"Lots of Hope, is the second book in a trilogy written by Rev. Gary Wilburn. All three books are very readable and a powerful witness to an informed progressive Christian who has evolved from a conservative Christian into a spiritual progressive. The book has even more impact when you realize that while Gary writes and speaks of "hope," he sits in a mechanized wheel chair suffering from late stages of ALS." ~ Fred


book cover Mind in the Balance, Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Christianity
By B. Alan Wallace
$22.00
$19.80 with affiliate discount


By establishing a dialogue in which the meditative practices of Buddhism and Christianity speak to the theories of modern philosophy and science, B. Alan Wallace reveals the theoretical similarities underlying these disparate disciplines and their unified approach to making sense of the objective world.

"Mind in the Balance is a book for anyone who is interested in comparing the best of Buddhism with the best of Christianity. Alan Wallace, a former Tibetan Buddhist monk and translator for the Dali Lama, is also a brilliant scholar. That being said it is surprising how readable this book is for most people. Interestingly I have been told by a few Christian readers that they learned as much about their own tradition than they did about Buddhism. A fascinating read for anyone interested in a conversation between the two traditions or wants to learn more about their own." ~Fred

Purchase HERE


Ashana Ashana- "Beloved" Music CD
$16.99
$15.30 with affiliate discount


The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Ashana's highly acclaimed debut CD, "All Is Forgiven," "Beloved" is a love song to the heart. Tender, joyful, gentle, and breathtakingly beautiful, the music of "Beloved" is a healing balm for the soul that will lift your spirit and carry you on waves of love into the arms of the Divine. Featuring Ashana's stunning angelic vocals and the luminous sound of crystal singing bowls, the songs on "Beloved" reflect a deep sense of compassion, vulnerability and lyrical sensitivity. Heard on this album is one of the most hauntingly beautiful interpretations of the Lord's Prayer, sung in the original Aramaic, ever to be recorded and an exquisite rendition of the Gaelic prayer, "Deep Peace".

Purchase HERE
Listen HERE


Earl Lectures logoUpcoming Events
Earl Lectures 2010
Spiritual But Not Religious, Chasing the Divine

Pacific School of Religion
Berkeley, CA


What is the essential difference between spiritual and religious? What can religious institutions learn from those who claim to be one and not the other? And what kind of critique can those who call themselves "religious" be asking about the description "spiritual, but not religious"? Join us as Earl Lecturers Matthew Fox, Scotty McLennan, Melissa Wilcox, and Donna Allen explore these vital questions that affect all of us who "chase the divine."
The Earl Lectures are free and open to the public.  Registration for the Leadership Conference workshops is $99 through January 11, $125 after January 11, 2010.
Register Here
Thank You and Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

We hope you have fun shopping, knowing that when you do, you are helping TCPC continue to its mission.  Send this email to friends and family.  After all, meaningful gifts are hard to find!
We hope you enjoy this winter season and that it is filled with light, laughter, and delight.
Blessings!
bethlehem starSincerely,
Fred Plumer, President
And the TEAM at TCPC



[email protected]
253-303-0022
Plumer
253 303-0022