Progressive Christianity - what do we mean?
Our congregation encourages others to join us in following the way to God that we have found in the life and teaching of the historical Jesus.
Our congregation respects people who have found other ways to God and we acknowledge that their ways are as true for them as Jesus is true for us.
Our congregation shares bread and wine in Jesus' name as a continuation of holding up an ancient vision for all people to be welcomed at the same table.
We do not insist that people become like us in order to be acceptable but invite people of all sorts to participate in our spiritual life and our social life--- including but not limited to:
<> Believers and agnostics,
<> Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
<> Children, women and men,
<> Those who are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender,
<> Those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope,
<> Those of all races and cultures, of all classes and abilities.
Our congregation thinks that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is more important than the way we talk about our beliefs.
We value questioning more than answering because we find more promise in the quest for understanding than we do in absolute certainty.
We form community to equip ourselves for the work of justice and peace for all people and to bring hope to the oppressed and despised.
We recognize that being followers of Jesus can be
costly because Jesus calls us to resist evil actions, that may result in the
loss of familiar privileges - this is an honored tradition of the church where
it has been most faithful.
All Saints is a member of the Center for Progressive Christianity (www.tcpc.org)
and the newsletter from this Center is available on the Information Table.