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Featured Book
COMING BACK TO EARTH
By: Lloyd Geering
The mainline churches in the Western world are declining, concludes
Lloyd Geering, because they are "all out of step" with the modern
secular world. This is not so much a result of the supposed renegade
behavior of the secular world as the failure of the church to take the
next steps in its path of faith. Abraham left his idols behind to go
out into the unknown. In contrast, the churches reveal a lack of faith
by insisting on an infallible Bible and a set of unchangeable doctrines
tailored to an obsolete worldview. In Coming Back to Earth, Geering
calls upon us to complete the work of the Second Axial Age by bringing
the sacred-banished to an imaginary heavenly realm in the wake of the
First Axial Age-back to earth.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO OR TO ORDER
READ REVIEW HERE
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Featured Event
DC Conference:
June 11-14
Strategies for Liberals and Progressives for the Obama Years;
Creating The Caring Society: A Progressive Alternative to Tea Party Extremism and Corporate Domination of American Politics and Culture
Click Here to Register
Click Here for More Info
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Featured Book
WITH OR WITHOUT GOD
By: Gretta Vosper
God does not answer our prayers. Jesus is not the saviour who saved the
world by dying for our sins. Simply put, Christianity is "love one
another." Gretta Vosper, founder of the Canadian Centre for
Progressive Christianity and a minister in Toronto, believes that the
church, as we have built it and known it, has outlived its viability.
What she proposes in the provocative With or Without God is a radical
change that lies at the heart of faith. The new church she envisions
will play a viable and transformative role in the shaping of a future
society. What will save the church from certain demise, Vosper argues,
is a new emphasis on just and compassionate living. Without this reform,
the church as we know it faces extinction.In a thoughtful and
passionate discourse that speaks to a wide audience, Vosper tackles the
issue that concerns so many of us today: how to find spiritual
fulfillment, comfort and connection in the here and now. In the vein of
Tom Harpur's The Pagan Christ, this is a book that dares to discard old
doctrines but does so with respect and dignity. Vosper imagines a new
church that leads in ethics-fostering relationships, meaning and values
that are solidly rooted in our own best selves.
Click here to read review
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Quick Links...
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Progressive Christian Children's Spiritual Curriculum is here!
MORE INFO
With Spiritual affirmations, fun activities that bring the lessons to heart, and an emphasis on behavior over belief-
not only is this not another curriculum that gives kids
definitive answers on doctrine, but it is also not a curriculum that just tells kids how to behave. Rather, it
gives them actual experiences that help them each discover truth for
themselves.
With lessons on Stillness, Prayer, Forgiveness, Energy, Kindness, Gratitude
Harmlessness, Learning from Mistakes,Patience,
Concentration, Humility, Service, God as Light, and God as Love- this curriculum focuses on a joy filled path, compassion and the wisdom within.
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Greetings!
The Common Dreams 2 conference drew together people
from Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the world to explore
ways that progressive religion including progressive expressions of
other religious traditions besides Christianity can contribute
positively to the common good, so that religion enhances human life
rather than diminishes it. The conference, which was attended by both Fred Plumer and Deshna Ubeda, was rich with inspiration and drew a crowd of around 600 people. We left feeling excited about the future of progressive Christianity as well as hopeful for a richer understanding of this evolving path. Therefore, we felt like sharing with you some of the highlights from the conference. The Conference Planning Team was drawn from an international network
of progressives under the chair of Rev Rex A E Hunt, founding director
of The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought. The first Common Dreams Conference
was held in Sydney
in 2007 when the two keynote presenters included internationally
renowned theologian Bishop John Shelby Spong and ordained interfaith
minister and renowned author Revd Stephanie Dowrick. Common Dreams 2 included such speakers as, Gretta Vosper,Rev Dr Francis Macnab, Dr Val Webb, Rev Professor Sir Lloyd Geering, Rev Dr Margaret Mayman, Dr Gregory C Jenks, Rabbi Aviva Kipen, and Fred Plumer.
These
presenters joined with several other local and international progressive
religious speakers to offer keynote addresses and facilitate small
group sessions and workshops around the Conference theme: Living the Progressive Dream. Enjoy these inspired thoughts and we hope to see you at the next Common Dreams conference in 2013! |
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The Challenge Progressive Thinking Is
Making to the Church
By: Gretta Vosper
 Rev Gretta Vosper is a chair and founder of The
Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity and author of the
provocative, bestselling book With or Without God: Why the
Way We Live is More Important Than What We Believe. Renowned author Bishop John Shelby Spong, and key-note presenter at
Common Dreams 1 Conference in 2007, has called her a "brilliant,
insightful and courageous young woman one of the most exciting voices
in 21st century
Christianity" and the leading voice for a scholarly and
progressive Christianity in Canada. Summary: You'll recall that
chasm that once existed between the pulpit and the pew - one we, the clergy,
relied upon as we spun our theological mysteries and held the hands of the
dying. As that chasm is erased, as more and more people in our pews become
familiar with contemporary Christian scholarship and it is no longer the
exclusive realm of the clergy, we have a choice to make. Will we eradicate the chasm altogether, or
will we merely shift it to the periphery of the church, to beyond the outer
walls of our sanctuaries? The latter keeps us comfortable, strokes our
time-proven scriptures, hymnody, rituals, and the beauty of our language and
the images it describes. But it keeps in
place and, indeed, deepens the gulf between those in the church and those who
have no idea what we are talking about or why it makes a difference. A progressive
perspective is honest. A progressive
perspective is courageous. In this sense, a
progressive perspective utilizes another trait in order to become
accepted. It is respectful. And finally, a
progressive perspective must be balanced. READ PRESENTATION HERE |
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Are We Living the Progressive Faith or Are We Just Dreaming?
By: Fred Plumer, TCPC President
 Summary: I have hope that something very special is
happening in our world and I would like the Christian tradition to be part of
that positive, evolutionary change. But I believe there are things that
progressive leaders, progressive teachers and progressive Churches, have to do
immediately, if that we are going to have a chance to make it work. First thing on the agenda is we need to develop
another whole paradigm for our understanding of God.
Secondly,
it is time to publically reject that whole idea of substitutionary or vicarious
Atonement theories and repent for the harm this religious relic has caused over
the centuries.Thirdly, is time we actually observe and to listen to our young
adults and begin to make changes that reflect their world and their needs
instead of telling them about ours. READ EXCERPTS HERE
READ FULL PRESENTATION HERE |
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Imagining a future for the Bible in
tomorrow's churches and a
post-Christian world.
By: Rev Dr Gregory Jenks
 Rev Dr Gregory Jenks is Academic Dean at St Francis
Theological College, Brisbane, an Anglican priest, and a religion
scholar with a special interest in Biblical Studies, and particularly
Christian origins. Greg's current research interests are focused on
historical Jesus and Galilee in the early Roman period. Summary: Jack Spong has attempted to rescue the Bible from fundamentalism and
Marcus Borg has encouraged us to read the Bible again for the first
time. However, the Bible remains a problematic text for religious
progressives, including Christians and people from other faith
traditions. This presentation will acknowledge the constraints on the
capacity of the Bible to function in the post-Christian global era, but
also imagine some ways in which the Bible may make a constructive
contribution to progressive religious communities in the future.
READ HERE
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Stepping out with the Sacred:
Progressives engaging the
Divine
By: Dr Val Webb
 Dr Val Webb's professional career spans
microbiology, business, public relations, writing, art and theology.
Born and educated in Brisbane, she obtained a graduate degree in
Microbiology from the University of Queensland and worked there in
research. She wrote, Like Catching Water in a Net, Human Attempts to Describe the Divine and Why We are Equal and Florence
Nightingale: The Making of a Radical Theologian.
Summary: In progressive religious thinking, old images of God have been
retired and new metaphors for the Divine within the universe, whether
Energy, Presence, Spirit, Sacred, Ground of Being, Life, have become
more authentic for a scientific world. Yet, in a multi-faith world, we
cannot speak of the Sacred infusing the universe without recognizing It
as that sought and described in all religions. How do we engage this Divine within the
world, or the Divine engage us, if at all, in a multi-faith world? How
do human beings step out with the Sacred in everyday life across
countries, cultures, and religious persuasions?
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Peter Kennedy's First Year In Exile- An Interview
By: Peter Kirkwood
 This interview with rebel Catholic priest, Peter Kennedy, took place
almost exactly 12 months after his departure from St Mary's Parish in South
Brisbane. Since leaving, he and his followers have formed a congregation
outside the Catholic Church that they call St Mary's-in-Exile. In the video, Kennedy refers
to a book of essays recently published about him and his falling out with the
Church. Called Peter Kennedy:
the Man who Threatened Rome, it is no mere hagiography. While
most writers - and it includes heavyweights like Paul Collins, Martin Flanagan,
Hans Kung and Joan Chittister - are in sympathy with him, there is an excellent
chapter by Neil Ormerod, professor of theology at the Australian Catholic
University, who is critical of Kennedy, and points out very clearly why he can
no longer be considered part of the Church. And that is a pity. As the video shows, he is a man of some
eloquence, conviction and charisma, well able to communicate to the broader
culture. In these days of shortage of
priests, and crisis in the Church on a number of fronts, there is an urgent
need for people with his abilities. Peter Kirkwood is a freelance writer and video consultant who worked for
23 years in the Religion and Ethics Unit of ABC TV. He has a Master's degree
from the Sydney College of Divinity. WATCH VIDEO HEREREAD MORE HERE |
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Fred Plumer in Arizona
Is This a Movement or Are We Just Dreaming?
Sunday, June 13th
Here's
a great chance to chat with the president of the Center for Progressive Christianity. Across
the globe progressive Christianity is now being called a "movement." Biblical
and theological scholars are using "progressive Christianity" in their
respective work.. Organizations and bloggers calling themselves progressive
Christians are increasing at an exponential rate. Progressive Christians gather
all over the world in small and large groups. It would be easy to think that
those who have been working in this arena for decades have realized our dream.
Fred Plumer will posit that until we formulate a new, dynamic
Christology, until we really begin to articulate the distinct differences
between progressive and traditional Christianity, and until we speak openly
about the damage that can be done in this world by traditional Christendom
beliefs, we may still be just dreaming. FOR MORE INFO, CLICK HERE |
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Thank you for taking this journey with us as
we continue to encourage the growth and understanding of a Christianity
that is
open, inclusive, just, loving and compassionate. As you delve deeper
into
the heart of this beautiful and authentic spiritual path, we hope you
share it
with those around you, educate those who desire to learn, and most
importantly
let it fill you with light and loving kindness. We are coming into a time in which progressive Christianity yearns for a global community and we hope to provide the resources, networking, and support for those who desire to help create it. We will soon be providing progressive liturgy and sheet music and as always we aim to offer the latest resources for those that choose a path based on intellectual integrity. Whether you are a solo journeyer, or you are forming an intentional community, or you are looking for a progressive group or church, or you just want to connect with people all over the world, we hope you can turn to us for support. And, please let us know what else we can do for you.
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Light and laughter to you today,
Fred Plumer and the team at The Center For Progressive Christianity
center@tcpc.org- 253-303-0022
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