Monday evening, May 23, we will gather for the third installment of “Living the Questions,” our group exploration of what it means to be an honest, contemporary, progressive Christian.
We will meet in the Social Hall at 6 p.m. for dinner. The session will begin at 6:45 and be finished by 8 p.m.
This installment will ask the question often known as “Christ or Culture?” paraphrasing the title of a 1951 book by H. Richard Niebuhr. The crux of that choice is whether we will use God-stories as theological underpinning, justification and excuse to support the way our world is OR will God-stories be our motivation for reorganizing the world into a more loving, respectful and humane context for all of us.
The session will challenge us to think together about and discuss:
What is the ultimate function of our church?
Is God really omnipotent?
Do we better understand God as a person or a presence?
What does God hope for out of our worship?
Can we hear Bible stories so that their truth does not depend on their factuality?
Living the Questions is a 21-part series to help progressive Christians grapple with our Christian tradition, claim a faith that we can believe in, and together explore what’s next for Christianity. Rather than giving us someone else’s dogmatic answers, “Living…” poses questions for our consideration.
Old First began this journey with sessions in January and February. We then took a break for Lenten Devotions. We pick up again on the 4th Mondays of May and June, before taking a summer break. Obviously, this journey together, with breaks along the way, will take us a few years to complete. The sessions are designed so that you can get started at any time, or join back in even if you missed a few.
We have been asking folks to help prepare a meal before hand, but since we’re getting started on sort of short notice, we will order pizza and ask everyone to throw in a few dollars to cover that cost. If you will be bringing children and need childcare, we need to know by the Sunday prior to arrange for childcare.
