we number in the millions…

“Sometimes reality isn’t reality, it’s just volume.

The loudest people get to write the story that everyone hears, the one they come to believe is the only story. In this way, they get to define what is true for those looking on, who may not hear anything else…

Right now there is a story being written about Christians… that is becoming the singular story…

But that is not our story.
There is another story.
There is a different kind of Christian here.
We are such people.

We are Christians who have no tolerance for prejudice that denies the inherent worth of a human being based on their identity or gender or pigmentation or orientation or land of origin or faith tradition…

You may not realize such Christians still exist anymore, in fact on many days we begin to feel as though we are a terribly endangered species too… Make no mistake though, we number in the millions and we are as grieved as you are by those using God to do damage to the poor and the vulnerable—and we are committed to pushing back against it.”

Read extracts from John Pavlovitz’s blog on our page:  Sometimes reality isn’t reality, it’s just volume.

---

We are the Christian Left – John Pavlovitz

Lockdown Liturgies

Are you missing your faith community? Do you wish you could find some progressive, inclusive, contemporary liturgy while you can’t get to your regular church service?

This time of government or self-imposed isolation is ideal for polishing off those projects we’ve had in mind for a while: stash-busting for crafters, jigsaw-making for puzzlers, housework for procrastinators…

Various worship leaders and liturgists are sharing their Lockdown Liturgies with us, and here at Progressive Christianity Aotearoa we’ve collated the ones which have been emailed or links we’ve been directed to; you’ll find them here: Liturgy in a time of isolation.

We’d love to hear from you with prayers, poems, reflections, blessings from your faith community during this strange new reality. Email spiritandfaith@outlook.com or share via our Facebook page.

Hallelujah! For we are the Easter People, embodying the risen Christ in word and deed.

Dan Barker quote

“The next time believers tell you that ‘separation of church and state’ does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using the word ‘trinity.’ The word ‘trinity’ appears nowhere in the bible. Neither does Rapture, or Second Coming, or Original Sin. If they are still unfazed (or unphrased), by this, then add Omniscience, Omnipresence, Supernatural,Transcendence, Afterlife, Deity, Divinity, Theology, Monotheism, Missionary, Immaculate Conception, Christmas, Christianity, Evangelical, Fundamentalist, Methodist, Catholic, Pope, Cardinal, Catechism, Purgatory, Penance, Transubstantiation, Excommunication, Dogma, Chastity, Unpardonable Sin, Infallibility, Inerrancy, Incarnation, Epiphany, Sermon, Eucharist, the Lord’s Prayer, Good Friday, Doubting Thomas, Advent, Sunday School, Dead Sea, Golden Rule, Moral, Morality, Ethics, Patriotism, Education, Atheism, Apostasy, Conservative (Liberal is in), Capital Punishment, Monogamy, Abortion, Pornography, Homosexual, Lesbian, Fairness, Logic, Republic, Democracy, Capitalism, Funeral, Decalogue, or Bible.”
― Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist

16 Ways Progressive Christians Interpret the Bible

by ROGER WOLSEY

Extract:

”9. We seek to read passages in context – within their chapter, within their book, within their genre, and within the over-arching thrust of the Bible.

10. We seek to read the passages with consideration of the historical socio-political contexts, frequently of oppression, which they were written in.
11. We employ a hermeneutic of compassion, love, and justice. (Which Jesus utilized). A hermeneutic is “an interpretive lens” and intentional filter. The hermeneutic of love seeks to see the forest for the trees and that allows the spirit of the law to trump the letter of the law (which Jesus modeled).

New year, new ideas?

Recently added to this site are:

a link to “Worship Words“, a great UK-based resource offering free progressive worship resources using inclusive language! Liturgists are welcome to contribute to it, too; and

a new prayer by Rev Ken Irwin, “e Te Atua God, you come to us as Te Hou the wind…”. You might like to keep it in mind for Pentecost.

And here’s a great quote from Mark Searle, from the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference, about The Liturgical Year : te Whakaritenga e Tau:

“Picking up the liturgical calendar to see “where we are” in time, and “who we are”, according to the liturgical year is like choosing to ride the carousel of sayings and stories, songs and prayers, processions and silences, images and visions, symbols and rituals, feasts and fasts in which the mysterious ways of God are not merely presented, but experienced, not merely perused, but lived through – the challenge is to address ourselves to the liturgical year on its own terms, the terms of the imagination.”

May this year bring you many blessings!

from the conference: “ecology, theology & revolution”

Rev Dr Susan Jones’ introductory talk is now online. Susan welcomed attendees of the 2018 Common Ground conference with an overview of the conference’s theme and a brief history of “progressive” Christianity. Her presentation placed the “environment and ecology” message of the conference in the context of theology and the revolution we need to be a part of. Link to Ecology, Theology, Revolution

Also online is Susan’s Sunday morning reflection at St Andrew’s on The Terrace, for “Planet Earth Sunday” in the Season of Creation.

 

Peace at last?

A hundred years on, it’s time to lay World War 1 to rest and focus forward on constructing the peace, suggests Ian Harris. Read the entire article here.

Presentations & resources

You can now download resources (in pdf format) from our Common Ground 2018 Conference “Creation: ecology, theology, revolution”: presentations by Prof Martin Manning and Dr Emily Colgan, along with the Conference Songbook – new and original progressive hymns – and a link to the movie, “Living the Change”.

Faith, not belief

Two new resources added to the website:

Ian Harris’s latest ODT article: Say goodbye to belief and welcome to faith

A liturgical resource Affirmation of Faith—Living as if we matter by liturgist Bronwyn Angela White

---

Books by both these writers will be on sale at the Common Ground 2018 Conference, 7-9 September, St Andrew’s on The Terrace, Wellington – along with titles from  St Andrew’s Trust for the Study of Religion and Society) including Ian’s “Creating God, Re-Creating Christ” (SATRS, 1999)

New resources on website

Check out these recently-added liturgical resources – hymn lyrics, prayers, reflection:

Let us reach down deep inside us – Susan Jones

We bring these prayers and gifts of money – Susan Jones

Hiroshima Sunday Reflection – Paul Barber

We give thanks for wise women and wise men – Wendy Matthews

Bless the creator who calls and inspires us! – Susan Jones

Raindrops pizzicato – Bronwyn Angela White

---

Image © bronwyn angela white

IMAGE © bronwyn angela white, Kapiti / Wellington, NZ

Image © bronwyn angela white

 Unless captioned differently, all photographs are © bronwyn angela white

More Good Books

Check our updated list of Good Books you might enjoy reading and reviewing. Enjoy the covers collage at the end of the list, which includes some titles not listed.

You can also see the latest from Philip Garside Publishing Ltd, and pre-order:

Being Christian in the Twenty-First Century
by Sam Gould
Written to help struggling and doubting Christians develop an understanding of Christianity that avoids literalism, creeds, and doctrines – all factors which seem to be driving people away from the church – this book is well suited for individual or group study, complete with a study guide and sample lesson plans. It responds to the call for theological reform advocated by many contemporary clergy and religious leaders.

Conference speaker Grant Robertson

We’ve added the bio of Hon Grant Robertson to our website. Grant will give the first speech at the conference. You can read his bio here.

“Witness to Change, Reflections on Reaching 100” – Lloyd Geering book launch

Emeritus Professor Sir Lloyd Geering is launching his latest book “Witness to Change, Reflections on Reaching 100″ (Steele Roberts Aotearoa Publishers 2018)

Friday 17 August at 6.00 pm
Conference rooms 1 & 2 
St Andrew’s Conference Centre
30 The Terrace, Wellington (elevator available for those who need it)

Details on our Events pages

evolving vs progressive

Are self-identified “Progressive Christians” guilty of exclusivity and conceit?

Rev Dr John Bodycomb writes, “There is now a much larger clearly observable ‘movement’, for it is as such that progressive Christianity is best understood. I have likened it to a flood moving slowly but relentlessly over the cultural landscape. It is pluriform and cannot be stereotyped, although its critics are apt to do so.”

He prefers “evolving christianity” to “progressive christianity”. Find out why in his article, “One Man’s Assessment of Progressive Christianity”.

Faith and belief in NZ

Faith and belief in New Zealand: McCrindle Report May 2018

The latest research on faith and belief in New Zealand has just been released: commissioned by the Wilberforce Foundation, undertaken by Australian research company McCrindle. It explores attitudes towards religion, spirituality and Christianity.

Mike’s blog about the report makes interesting reading – as does the report itself.

Mike Crudge lives in Auckland and is the Director of the Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning, that provides ongoing professional development and support for church leaders throughout New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand’s Baptist theological college.