Writing for our website, I have a “primary audience” in mind — people checking us out from a safe distance via the internet before they dare visiting. Sooner rather than later, we hope to add a “members’ sign-in section” for “insiders” (with a photo directory, prayer lists, governance updates, etc.). But much of what is published so far can be understood as a “101 Introduction to Progressive Christianity” and to this particular faith community.
Check out our “trying to explain” communion and preaching and baptism and “what we believe” for people without much church experience! (If you have suggestions or questions, please feel free to let me know.) And recommend our website and all it offers to your friends — you can post it on your Facebook
page — sharing this faith you’ve found or, better, that has found you!
Imagining the doubts someone unfamiliar with the Christian story or the church’s faith and practice might have, I suspect the Bible looms large. It’s disputed territory, fought over in the culture wars of our ideological times. What people think church demands they believe about the Bible can be a stumbling block.
But we can’t give up on or let go of the Bible just because other Christians explain and use it differently. It’s central to our faith too. God’s sacred gift to us too. The Bible is worth understanding and explaining!
I’ve been working on the text for a page I’d like to add to our website, “The Bible (on-line).” I imagine this page under three tabs, “Worship,” “Learn,” and “Connect.” It’s way too long for an E-pistle, even too long for a website page (sorry!). It’s not yet a published page, but I have it set up so you can check it out already. Do you think this information could help people who are put off by either what they fear the Bible says or what they think the church says about the Bible? Please be my editors, and tell me what you think…
See you in church,
Michael
P.S. If you want to receive our E-pistles electronically each week, or if you know anyone who would like to receive our E-pistles, please let our church office know.