Tuesday, May 23, 2006
If We Build It ...
The Network of Spiritual Progressives conference ended Saturday evening and my middle-aged bones are only now recovering from too many long, late, spirit-filled evenings in a row. The conference drew about 1,200 people and considerable media attention as well as progressive commentary. It drew from me the conviction that now is the time to build a network of spiritual progressives in Northern Virginia. Read up. If you're interested, let's connect on it.
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6 comments:
from the Ten Comittments Page
"Shema Yisra'el, YHVH (adonai) Eloheynu, YHVH (adonai) Echad.
Hear, you who struggle to connect to God: The Power of Healing and Transformation is the ultimate reality and shaper of the universe, the Transformative Power unifies all being as One spiritually-alive, mutually inter-dependent, awesome and fantastic totality."
Really hit home for me ... its exactly how I struggle ... looking to find a place for God and Religion in my life ...
Hi David,
I'm kind of busy, I will come back to make a larger comment. Unfortunately neither next Sunday a chance for me to come at the church - I will be in NY.
I added a link to your blog on mine.
Please, have a look at http://updateslive.blogspot.com/
It's Romanian mixed with English, but you'll find some interesting stuff, pictures, some comments about China, Da Vinci, the magic realism - most of them in Romanian, sorry :)
Pierre
From Bryan:
I didn't know much about the Network so I decided to read up on it and it sounds really cool! I also read the commentary and it speaks to me deeply in that I really agree with it; it made a lot of sense.
Here are some concerns: where will we go with this? Specifically, if we join a network or develop a progressive network, where will it take us? Are we just speaking about political action?
I guess what I mean is that I want to make sure that what CPC does, that what I do is firmly grounded in faith in Jesus Christ, in Christianity, and that I'm doing God's will, however difficult that may be to discern at times. I hope I don't offend anyone because I don't mean to at all...
I guess if I'm honest with myself...I struggle with huber- progressiveness.
For me personally, I struggle daily on how to connect with God appropriately? openly? boldly? I know that the prayers, energy, and thoughts of the community have carried me through some challenging times of late. I have never felt so connected to God through these efforts. The power is overwhelming and reassuring all at once.
I am always weighing how much I can reveal of my faith publicly. I firmly believe in the separation of church and state, so I struggle with the concept of becoming immersed into government issues with a faith-based or spiritually-based organization. BUT, the separation of church and state hasn't happened, and, perhaps, through spiritually-progressive organizations we can strike a balance of respect and fairness.
From Bryan:
Karen, do you have a hard time expressing your faith to your friends at church or do you mean in your life outside of church?
I think it would be awesome to sit down and get to the nitty-gritty and talk about our collective faiths, what we believe in...even if it is way different. I think it would be awesome to talk about our fears, our concerns, our doubts, our encounters with God, why we think God is so cool...how else can we depend and rely on eachother...how else can we help eachother grow?
I feel we are called to be here for one another, to lift eachother up and help eachother through rough times, through fears, through anger, and share in great times too. I think it's how we all can help eachother grow as people and grow in our faith.
I would never judge you if you felt a certain way or thought differently than I did. I just want you to know that.
On a different note: I guess I have another thing to say too. I think the Christian community focuses too much on differences within the community. There are factions, denominations, conservatives, liberals...I know we are not called to be uniform, because God obviously likes variety...look at the world...but we are called to be unitied. But we aren't united. We are fighting with eachother. We are thinking of ways to combat one another. Perhaps the way to "combat" the Christian Right is to engage them in our commonalities? We should all focus on what we have in common as a gaint community of faith, not how we are vastly different.
I come again. What I perceive as a danger should be that NSP is an assembly of small groups, each one with its own agenda. Same sex issues, pro choice issues, environmentalists, gun control and the like.
But probably this danger is not a capital one. It would not allow the creation of a vision - what progressive spirituality offer to the people of faith.
But, on the other hand, it will be something like "jam-session theology"- which I like.
So probably we should join the thing. That's what I think.
thanks,
Pierre
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