+ Thanks to Presbyterian Voices for Justice (the brand new name of the merged Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia), I discovered that USA Today offers "Where have all the Protestants gone?" by Oliver Thomas.
Excerpt 1: "'By valuing the individual quest for faith,' says the Rev. John Lindner in the fall issue of the Yale divinity journal Reflections, 'Protestant practice has resulted in a drift toward the self-authentication of truth, suspicion of ecclesiastical authority and an outbreak of freelance spirituality, launching generations of seekers.' Read steeple dropouts. This has helped fuel the increase in New Age movements as well as in the number of Americans who refer to themselves as 'spiritual but not religious.' Denominational labels and loyalty mean little to such people."
Excerpt 2: "Religion professor and Presbyterian elder Peggy Cowan sees something else — something that could help churches connect with a generation of seekers who might consider portions of the Apostle's Creed on par with Harry Potter. 'Theological exploration,' she calls it. With Jesus as their tutor, successful churches in post-modern America must be willing to affirm that all theology is provisional in light of the mystery of God."
+ Click here to see all of my "Reformed And Always Being Reformed" (Semper Reformanda) posts.
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2 comments:
I really dig that second excerpt. It reminds me of the 'Contemplative Catechism' curriculum I developed for the Free Episcopal Church.
The catechism covers the traditional documents (Apostles' Creed, Lord's Prayer, Decalogue), but instead of rote memorization, these texts are used as a "launchpad" for Lectio Divina.
It bears noting that today is the Feast of St. Gregory of Nyssa, an early mystic who contributed to the development of Lectio Divina in The Life of Moses.
Thanks Barrett for your thoughtful comment. I love the last line of that excerpt: ... (we) must be willing to affirm that all theology is provisional in light of the mystery of God."
One of my favorite provisional theologies is QUANTUM THEOLOGY by Diarmuid O'Murchu. Alan Watts challenged all of the "control freak" theologians in MYTH AND RITUAL IN CHRISTIANITY.
love, john + www.abundancetrek.com + "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." -- Albert Einstein
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