‘Slipping the Moorings’ is a new Memoir weaving faith with justice, ethics and community by Richard Randerson. Books may be ordered from randersonjr@paradise.net.nz for $30 + p&p.
A new study guide to the book is available Here
Continue reading Bishop Richard Randerson Slips the Moorings
On August 14th at 7pm, St David’s, 68 Khyber Pass Road Grafton, is holding its annual Fergusson Lecture with Professor David Galston [a brief CV is below] speaking on Has Religion a Future? The greatness and tragedy of religion. Entry is by koha/donation and no registration is necessary.
On Saturday August 15th, 9.30am – 4pm, St Luke’s, 130 Remuera Road, is holding a seminar and discussion day with Professor Galston. The cost for the seminar [including morning tea and a light lunch] is $30.00.
At the seminar, the morning lecture, is titled Has Jesus a Future? If Christianity is to have a future, it must have something to do with the historical Jesus. This talk will look at the basic humanity of Jesus and what he had to say is the foundation for re-creating a Church for the future.
The second lecture is titled Session Three: Has God a Future? God is a bigger problem than Jesus in that God is historical only in the way that the idea of God relates to human cultural history and systems of thought. As human beings have grown and changed through the course of history, so has God. Is there a future for God as meaningful discourse?
Following lunch, the last lecture of the seminar, is titled: Is There a Post-Christian Christianity? People who take the conclusions of modern scholarship seriously look for ways to experience religious value outside of traditional, supernatural, beliefs. This raises many challenges, including how to relate to Jesus as a human being of history, how to celebrate life within a Christian community, how to talk about the Bible and God in a postmodern and post-theistic age, and how to develop and enjoy new forms of theology.
To register for the August 15th seminar, email Angela Murdoch nzangela.murdoch@gmail.com or post it to Angela Murdoch, PO Box 74-355, Greenlane, Auckland 1546.
David Galston
David is the Academic Director of the Westar Institute, Ontario, Canada, the Ecumenical Chaplain at Brock University, and an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Brock. He is also an Advisor for the SnowStar Institute of Religion (Canada) and the Quest Learning Centre (Hamilton, Ontario). He has played a key role, both in Canada and the United States, in the development of progressive forms of religion and theology, including being a founding member and chair of the Westar Institute’s new Seminar on God and the Human Future. David has published two books (Archives and the Event of God, McGill-Queens Press, and Embracing the Human Jesus, Polebridge Press) as well as written several articles for the Westar Institute magazine The Fourth R and academic
journal Forum.
David will be the guest preacher at a combined St David’s and St Luke’s church
It’s an online group offering “Support | Community | Hope” for current and former religious professionals without supernatural beliefs: The Clergy Project Only “current or former religious professional[s] in vocational ministry” – not lay leaders – can join; never-the-less, the public pages of the website have interesting issues and links.
Read about the Parliament of the World’s Religions – Salt Lake City 2015 http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/
See the latest from the Charter for Compassion on Compassionate Communities http://progressivespirituality.co.nz/interfaith-compassion-community/
Sign the Charter: https://charterforcompassion.org/the-charter
Yesterday I drove past a neighborhood church sporting the sign, “Jesus paid the price… you can keep the change.” Disconcerting was the dissonance between the progressive denomination (United Church of Christ) and the regressive theology invoked (sacrificial atonement). Having walked away from my life in ministry just weeks earlier, I am loathe to jump into a theological conversation and I initially pass on the bait. ”To each their own,” I reply when asked to comment.
Later in the day I received an email from a former colleague, expressing his concern with theological integrity and requesting conversation. Like me, he explains, he believes Jesus about God but does not believe the church about Jesus. With this truth, he asks, how can we stand before congregations uncritically parroting phrases that infer sacrificial atonement? What, he wonders, is the price for claiming that Jesus already paid it?
Before I reply to the theological question, I must confess a personal investment.
Continue reading beyond “our savior” – extract from a blog on “Ponderings” website
“This is our first ever membership campaign. Up to now we’ve been able to build a database of supporters who have contacted us as individuals, signed up for newsletters, or signed the Charter and made contributions to the work of the Charter. We’ve relied on a few generous friends to help maintain our small staff and budget.
“In the last year, however, we’ve grown over 200%, increasing our partners from 150 to 800 and our city initiatives from 60 to 230, but our staff size has remained the same. At the same time, we have increased our on-line presence, the delivery of our newsletters, and weekly conference calls.” Continue reading Charter for Compassion Membership Challenge
Belonging here was a gradual process for me. Becoming more involved meant taking the risk of openness and trust. Fiona McDougal, St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Glimmers of the sacred in the form of individual conversations, moments of connection in worship and shared meals drew me on.
In particular being at the series of services over Easter offered a way to integrate the psychological abuse I had endured at work in Scotland within a larger story. Holding that painful period of my life alongside the story of Jesus’ death, the losses of others in the community, and the pain of the world, on Good Friday has been very healing. Continue reading progressive faith stories: Fiona’s story
“For progressive Christians, the future lies with our willingness to own up to the depth of our own convictions, to proclaim the good news without fear, to live as people deeply touched by the Spirit’s power.” – Rev Dr Margaret Mayman Continue reading Progressive Christianity – “a new kind of community”
Progressive Christianity Aotearoa 