Open Path

Music

By: Deshna

I have been thinking a lot about music lately.  It is a thread that connects the present to the past, a thread that travels from and between culture to culture, a thread that ties us all together, pulling us into community.  What human doesn't love some form of music, now, today, ever? 

When I was a child, I went to church each Sunday.  I enjoyed the sense of community, of extended family, of a web of support, but didn't really connect to the stories of the Bible- it didn't really speak my language.  But you know what did speak to me (other than those great sermons by Pastor Fred)? The music.  The choir, the piano, the violins, drums, the voices.   They brought tears to eyes nearly every week.  My favorite part of church was always when we all held hands, closed our eyes and sang a sweet slow alleluia together.  Even as a child (especially as a child?), I could feel the energy passing through our hands and the music.

Yes, music has been a part of my everyday life since the day I was born.  Isn't that true for everyone in some way?

A few years ago, I was facing one of those moments in life when you question everything, when you climb out of the card board box, as Gretta Vosper says it, and I felt as if everything I knew to be true was shattering. I was scared and confused.  I began walking up to the mountain near our house every day that I could.  One day, at a particular near crazy moment, I was singing quietly to myself as I walked up to Mount Tabor.  As I sang this song that had been a favorite of mine since high school- Closer to Fine, by the Indigo Girls- a song that I have sung thousands of times, whose lyrics I know by heart, all of a sudden the words took on a whole new and expanded meaning for me. 

"I went to the Doctor, I went to the mountains, I looked to the children, and I drank from the fountains...there is more than one answer to these questions, pointing me in a crooked line...and the less I seek my source, the closer I am to fine."

Well, in that moment, singing that song- it was me, it was my story.  I realized how many people all over the world, felt that same way, listening to that same song and feeling like, yeah, that's me.

For I had gone to the Doctor, a few of them actually.

I went to the mountains almost every day seeking answers and solitude. 

I watched my daughter and her friends playing, and I looked for answers in their joy and fearlessness, their way of being completely present.

I have drank from fountains and more. 

And of course, as one must, in order to move on, I realized that what I was looking for was within me, is within each of us. 

I soon saw that there is always more than one answer to the questions you ask.  How can there be one answer, when in each moment there are infinite possibilities?

Lines are rarely straight. 

And finally I understood the words: "the less I seek my source..." as I began to belt out the song, unconcerned what people passing by thought of me.  Sometimes, when you spend so much energy seeking and you are begging for answers, when you are desperate for some connection to something outside yourself, desperate for a relationship with some higher power, the answers will not come and you will be left feeling in want.  You will be left feeling very alone.  Sometimes, the less you seek and the more you pause, the closer you are to fine.

Are We Evolving

By: Fred Plumer

There are a growing number of dedicated thinkers and spiritual leaders who are writing, speaking and teaching of a new world view and new ways to interpret the Christian story in it. Dynamic theologies and renewed Christologies are springing up often stimulated by our scientific and philosophical thinkers, with a few theological revolutionaries thrown into the mix.

These creative people are talking, writing and teaching about a major shift of consciousness. In the words of Michael Dowd, “It is a shift from seeing ourselves as separate beings, placed on Earth,(the world was made for us,) to seeing ourselves as a self-reflexive expressions of Earth, (we were made for the world)…it is a major shift in our understanding of who we are and what we are. It is a shift at the deepest possible level: our identity or sense of self.”

Somehow these folks have been able to find the words and concepts to describe and define this shift, something that many people, particularly young adults, have been feeling for some time but have been unable to find the words or even a point of reference to express it. 

People like Brian Swimme, David Suzuki and Diarmuld O’Murchu are helping us create a whole new world view…actually a whole new universe view. People like Lloyd Geering, Bruce Sanquin, the late Thomas Berry, and Michael Dowd, among others, are helping us retell the Christian story with a freshness and in a contemporary and compelling way. People like Cynthia Bourgeault,   Jacob Needleman, Jim Marion, Greta Vosper are helping us rediscover ways to live it.  And people like Ken Wilbur and others are giving us ways to organize in our pluralistic world and the expanding pluralism in our Christian traditions.

I have had the opportunity to work with many of these gifted folks over the last couple of years and find their enthusiasm, their creativity, their depth and breadth of information more than impressive. Their openness, their positive outlook and faith is outright contagious.  If people sitting in the pews could catch some of this, I believe our churches would be overflowing.

 

One of the aspects of progressive Christianity that makes it unique is its innate openness to other faith traditions, spiritual paths, and scientific inquiry. As progressive Christians we must be unafraid to question our assumptions, even those that we feel define who we are. We must see religion as a path rather than a dwelling place where we have been given all the answers. Can we be a religion that is open to exploring the unknown dimensions of the mind and the multiple dimensions of consciousness? As progressive Christians can we delight in the possibility of an amicable cohabitation of religion and science, an integration and interrelationship of the two, so that both paths are able to resonate with each other, challenge each other, rejuvenate and revitalize each other in ways that have never happened before? Science is ready, maybe for the first time in history. Are you?

On Getting Saved By Jesus

Another interesting email exchange!

To: [email protected]

Subject: On getting saved by Jesus

Hello.

Recently I was saved and found my salvation through Jesus. However, the church I attend (which shall remain nameless), despite having great people in it, has parts that I believe the Bible disagrees with.

As a recent convert, I have questions.

1. Are we supposed to give 10% of our earnings to the Church?

2. What makes Progressive Christianity different from more Bible-based Christianity?

3. Do you consider it a religion?

Subject: RE: On getting saved by Jesus

Although your questions are obviously sincere and important to you they are too large for me to answer in a brief email. Some of the questions that you ask have been debated by religious folks for nearly 2000 years. I cannot do them justice here.

However let me say that Progressives do not treat the Bible as the inerrant "word of God" but see it rather as a document that was created by humans to record their evolving understanding and experiences with the Divine, the Holy, or what we sometimes call God today.  Progressive Christians have by and large abandoned the idea that Jesus died for our sins (atonement theology) and see atonement as part of several mythologies that were prevalent during Jesus' time and were wrapped around the historical Jesus who was probably a revered Rabbi and was killed by the authorities for his radical views.

Yes, to answer your question about earnings, there is something in the Bible about the importance of tithing and over the years that has been interpreted as 10% of pretax earnings by the conservative Christians.  Of course the same Bible says that men should not cut our sideburns,  cannot eat certain foods, should kill our children if they insult their parents and a whole lot of other things that the Bible folks conveniently ignore. Sadly the result has been some very wealthy pastors who got that way off the backs of a lot of people who could not afford it. We do believe in living with a generous heart but not because of the Bible but because we believe in an abundant universe and to share of ourselves gives us satisfaction.

If you are really serious about learning more about progressive Christianity read more of the articles on our website and I suggest that you read three or four of the books that we feature on our site. I would start with The God I No Longer Believe In, The Historical Jesus for Beginners, and Jesus Reconsidered and regarding the Bible, Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman. I would also recommend any book by Marcus Borg, especially his book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time or anything by Bishop Spong.  If you are comfortable with your new salvation than pay your 10% and go no further. However if you are truly interested in learning about how the church changed the Jesus message  than I suggest you do some serious studying.

I leave you with this thought. One of the things that probably got Jesus killed by the authorities was has his belief that one did not have to be cleansed in the temple nor did one need an agent or broker or an intercessor to have relationship with Alaha or God, as we call it today. He told his followers that when they have done harm to another or to themselves the needed to repent. That is to make amends and change their actions and when they did those things sincerely (with heart and mind) they were giving a clean slate by God. It seems very strange to me that an entire religion based on Jesus' life and teachings could be created with the idea that we needed his suffering and death to have communion with God. 

If it make sense to you than go with it in peace.

I hope this is helpful.

Fred