Why Must I Chase the Cat? A Progressive Sermon on Sin.

May 10, 2024 By Roger Wolsey

It may seem like progressive Christianity doesn’t adequately address the reality of sin – or even that it rejects the notion all together. That isn’t accurate. Progressive Christians do tend to understand sin differently than our conservative Christian friends, but that doesn’t mean we reject or deny sin. I wrote about this matter once before on this blog, posting most of the Chapter on Sin in my book Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don’t Like Christianity. Today, I’m posting... Read more

The Zombie Apocalypse And Christian Nationalism

May 2, 2024 By Roger Wolsey

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A prominent theme of U.S. American pop culture over the past decade has been fascination with a “zombie apocalypse.” A movie by that title came out in 2011, and the concept has become a staple of social media memes. Let’s define terms. “Zombie apocalypse is a subgenre of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies.” The plot of that movie was essentially this: months after a zombie plague has wiped out 90% of the American population,... Read more

A Progressive Perspective on a Personal God.

March 7, 2024 By Roger Wolsey

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A Progressive Perspective on a Personal God. A question asked of me and how I responded: Q: Like many, I gave up the grandfatherly-spirit-in-the-sky notion of God along with childhood. The works of Spong, Borg, McLaren, Rohr, Rolheiser, and others have influenced the evolution of my understanding of God to involve less of a theistic “being” and more of a panentheistic [perspective]. I find myself at a loss for the “personal connection.” Jesus called God “Abba” in highly personal terms.... Read more

The Prophecies – Are False.

February 12, 2024 By Roger Wolsey

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It isn’t 2024; Jesus wasn’t born in 1 A.D.; and the world won’t end in 2024.- or any time soon. A.D. comes from the Latin “Anno Domini” means “the year of our Lord” so when we say 2024 whether we know it or not, we’re employing the Christian calendar and we’re saying “the Year of Our Lord 2028 or 2030 A.D. (CE).” B.C. comes from the English “Before Christ.” Wait a minute Roger, did you say that “Jesus wasn’t born... Read more

Grace, Gays, and Aircraft Carriers.

December 21, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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The Vatican is now allowing priests to conduct blessings for same-sex couples. I posted about this yesterday on Facebook, sharing an article from CNN and simply including my go-to remark – “Atta Pope!”- whenever the current pontiff offers words or policy change in positive directions. As a Protestant pastor and proponent of progressive Christianity I feel it is my role to be a cheerleader for progressive change wherever it takes place. However, this is not just some mere “baby step” in... Read more

Mother’s Day on a Stick?

May 11, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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“…Women such as Julia Ward Howe, Anna Jarvis, and Anna Jarvis “Jr.” [the originators of Mothers Day] really ought to be more familiar to us. In some ways, I feel like being a bit of a party-pooper for reminding us of the overtly radical and political origins of this special day. I mean, there’s “nothing more American than baseball, apple pie, and mom.” Why politicize it? Well, because it is political. It is radical. And it is subversive. Sadly, the holiday was co-opted by commercial forces. Anna Jarvis was devastated,... Read more

Loving the Earth is Essential.

April 23, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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Our planet is not well. That’s an understatement. The Earth is in a state of crisis. Human aggravated global warming/climate change is a real and present danger. The frequency and severity of storms, flooding, and wildfires around the world is increasing. We Are to Blame. “Human activities have caused the world’s wildlife populations to plummet by more than two-thirds in the last 50 years, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.” Globally between September 2020 and February 2021, 12.5 million people were... Read more

Discovering Fire – a Fiery Forward For Fungi Fueled Faith.

April 3, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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The new book that I’ve written is a paradox. The topics it covers, and what I have to say about them, are subjective. How this book lands on people depends very much upon which context and subculture they’re part of. For some members of our society, what I’ve written may land with a nonchalant, “Yeah, that sounds right.” Other folks will experience it with a sense of elated pleasant surprise – “Can you imagine – a Christian pastor saying... Read more

Sensing the Sacred – Lectio Divina – a Spiritual Experience of Scripture

March 16, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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…Another contemplative spiritual practice that works well in tandem with centering prayer is LECTIO DIVINA – Latin for “Divine Reading.” What I’m about to say may be new to many – including many Christians: one can do Lectio Divina, a divine reading, of any sort of text – not just the Bible. I want to put this out there first to help those whose eyes might normally glaze over when coming across something that seems to be “about the Bible.”... Read more

Fasting 101.

March 6, 2023 By Roger Wolsey

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A time-honored spiritual practice within the Abrahamic family of religions is FASTING. There are certain special times of the year where fasting is particularly encouraged – the holy days of Yom Kippur, Lent, and Ramadan. In my experience, a higher percentage of Jews and Muslims take those established fasting days seriously. Many Christians only fast one day a year, if at all. That said, there are quite a few Christians who do fast during Lent, or at least who fast... Read more