Comments on: When God Speaks http://www.whatnextgod.com/2007/04/11/when-god-speaks/ Can a liberal be a Christian? Well, I'm sure gonna try! Thu, 08 Apr 2010 03:36:59 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: gb http://www.whatnextgod.com/2007/04/11/when-god-speaks/comment-page-1/#comment-162 gb Sat, 14 Apr 2007 17:33:03 +0000 http://www.whatnextgod.com/?p=31#comment-162 Addofio, Thank you for your words, truly! You actually DON'T sound like you are proselytizing. Faith without community is very difficult, I learned that years ago on the Path to Perfection. Faith without like-minded community is a difficult challenge as well. Something similar is stated in your Sharer's Creed (http://addofio.wordpress.com/sharers-creed/) which I very much agree with. I'm going to blogroll your link. Thank you for the reading suggestions. They sound like something I have interest in at the moment - grace is an incredibly difficult concept to wrap my brain around. I myself have thought that perhaps I need to investigate other modes of faith, other believers in Christianity, because I have learned through experimentation that applied Christianity WORKS - deepens your relationship with God, with others, increases our peace, etc. I'm deep in learning mode right now, so it is a good thing for me to study further (and further). All I truly desire (and this was once something I paid lip service to ) is the Truth and closeness with the Lord and life/afterlife with Him (Him/Her?). Addofio,

Thank you for your words, truly! You actually DON’T sound like you are proselytizing. Faith without community is very difficult, I learned that years ago on the Path to Perfection. Faith without like-minded community is a difficult challenge as well.

Something similar is stated in your Sharer’s Creed (http://addofio.wordpress.com/sharers-creed/) which I very much agree with. I’m going to blogroll your link.

Thank you for the reading suggestions. They sound like something I have interest in at the moment – grace is an incredibly difficult concept to wrap my brain around.

I myself have thought that perhaps I need to investigate other modes of faith, other believers in Christianity, because I have learned through experimentation that applied Christianity WORKS – deepens your relationship with God, with others, increases our peace, etc.

I’m deep in learning mode right now, so it is a good thing for me to study further (and further).

All I truly desire (and this was once something I paid lip service to ) is the Truth and closeness with the Lord and life/afterlife with Him (Him/Her?).

]]> By: Addofio http://www.whatnextgod.com/2007/04/11/when-god-speaks/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Addofio Sat, 14 Apr 2007 15:03:25 +0000 http://www.whatnextgod.com/?p=31#comment-161 I'm wondering if it might not help you if you added some liberal Christians into your spiritual mix. Other people who also don't try to interpret the Bible as if directly dictated word for word by God, and who believe that God will save other peole as well as Christians. They might be hard to find locally--I don't have any idea--but it seems to me that part of your feeling of isolation might be that in a sense you are still isolated even when among fellow Christians. I'm not suggesting that you leave that particular church--but if you could find people to share and talk with who feed these other parts of your soul--even a few--that could help a lot. There are many such people in the world, but they tend to be quieter than more conservative Christians, so it may be harder to locate them. Maybe if you prayed to be led to some. . . There are also churches which are more liberal. With regard to your earlier post on exclusivity--I don't know if you've run across it, but there is a strain of Christian Universalism in the world. A couple of books you might like to read: If Grace Is True: Why God will save every person, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland The Inescapable Love of God by Thomas Talbott The first is more personal. Talbott does a careful Biblical exegesis, that you may or may not find convincing--but at least it shows that Christians have and do interpret things differently from the dominant theology. I was raised Methodist, and swallowed it whole until I couldn't any more. For years I simply avoided church and organized religion of any kind, but eventually, for reasons too lengthy to go into, I decided I needed to seek out others who at least were also on a path of seeking of some kind. I hesitantly went to my local Unitarian church--and found Universalism as an added bonus. UU isn't entirely satisfying for me, and it wouldn't even come close for you I don't think, but even if universalism is not for you--and it isn't for most people--it's emphasis on love and grace might be refreshing for you. I don't mean to sound like I"m proselytizing--I'm just wanting to give you hope that theres are others out there who share your beliefs and concerns, and that you'll find them. I’m wondering if it might not help you if you added some liberal Christians into your spiritual mix. Other people who also don’t try to interpret the Bible as if directly dictated word for word by God, and who believe that God will save other peole as well as Christians. They might be hard to find locally–I don’t have any idea–but it seems to me that part of your feeling of isolation might be that in a sense you are still isolated even when among fellow Christians. I’m not suggesting that you leave that particular church–but if you could find people to share and talk with who feed these other parts of your soul–even a few–that could help a lot. There are many such people in the world, but they tend to be quieter than more conservative Christians, so it may be harder to locate them. Maybe if you prayed to be led to some. . . There are also churches which are more liberal.

With regard to your earlier post on exclusivity–I don’t know if you’ve run across it, but there is a strain of Christian Universalism in the world. A couple of books you might like to read:

If Grace Is True: Why God will save every person, by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland

The Inescapable Love of God by Thomas Talbott

The first is more personal. Talbott does a careful Biblical exegesis, that you may or may not find convincing–but at least it shows that Christians have and do interpret things differently from the dominant theology.

I was raised Methodist, and swallowed it whole until I couldn’t any more. For years I simply avoided church and organized religion of any kind, but eventually, for reasons too lengthy to go into, I decided I needed to seek out others who at least were also on a path of seeking of some kind. I hesitantly went to my local Unitarian church–and found Universalism as an added bonus. UU isn’t entirely satisfying for me, and it wouldn’t even come close for you I don’t think, but even if universalism is not for you–and it isn’t for most people–it’s emphasis on love and grace might be refreshing for you.

I don’t mean to sound like I”m proselytizing–I’m just wanting to give you hope that theres are others out there who share your beliefs and concerns, and that you’ll find them.

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