Shuck and Jive


Saturday, July 04, 2009

A New Reformation, Part 6: Rockey

In my collection of lists for A New Reformation I have so far used lists from the big names (Funk, Fox, Spong) and from groups (TCPC, Creation Spirituality). I think the reformation of the church will come from regular folks who articulate their ideas.

This latest is from Allison Rockey, who blogs at iAllison. Here is her list of ten beliefs that I found resonates with me and with many progressive Christians. This is from her previous blog.


Ten Beliefs of This Progressive Christian

1) I believe that interfaith dialogue is essential to understanding the world and to know Truths my tradition has missed or omitted.

2) I believe stories found in the Bible, when understood as metaphor and myth can be used to teach me profound Truths.

3) I believe there are as many ways to be Christian as there are people in the tradition.

4) I believe the way I understand Jesus, as a radical activist, and a compassionate teacher, shows more about my way of viewing the world than it does any “truth” of Jesus. The truth is he lived a long time ago, and the records are not clear.

5) I believe religion should lead you to more questions than answers.

6) I believe my tradition causes me to question social values of the day, and to push society to be more inclusive. That being the case I believe Christianity should be on the forefront of fighting for the human rights of people who are gay, lesbian, and transgendered.

7) I believe religion is only one piece of the pie, and should not be confused with history, science, psychology, or other important disciplines. All are needed for a balanced life.

8) I believe much hatred has been caused by the interpretation of Christianity by some throughout history and today; leading to wars, bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. This one belief alone has caused me to turn my back on Christianity many times, and constantly question why I am connected at all.

9) I believe the following of a religious or spiritual tradition with the support of a community can lead to great transformation of individuals and cultures. This one belief alone has caused me to stay within Christianity hoping to be a part of this transformation of consciousness, the next great awakening.

10) I believe no one knows what happens after this life, and if we spent even half as much time bringing the peace to this world what so many hope for in the next, we could experience heaven on earth.

Perhaps you have a list of your beliefs or have found a list from others. I can't promise I will post them, but I may if I like them!

Part 5, Spong
Part 4, Creation Spirituality
Part 3, TCPC
Part 2, Matthew Fox
Part 1, Robert Funk




2 comments:

  1. This list resonates with me too! How wonderfully she stated all of these! *applause*

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was impressed with the honesty and clarity.

    ReplyDelete