Progressive Christianity

[close] Jesusians of Ithaca (pronounced "Je-SOOZ-i-ans") is an in-person discussion group for the greater Ithaca/Tompkins County community, for those who are interested in learning about and following the teachings of Jesus (compassion, charity, forgiveness, non-violence, welcoming the marginalized of society, etc.), but who don't necessarily believe he was the messiah, performed miracles, died for our sins, rose from the dead, etc. We will view and discuss brief videos, magazine articles, columns, blogs, and books. This GoodReads group will be a place for us to us to compile our "wish list" of books to read either as a group or individually. Open to adults of all ages, orientations, and religions (or lack thereof). Not affiliated with any church or religious institution. There is no cost to join but a free-will donation is encouraged to offset the cost of using the space.

[close] Praxis UCC is a new progressive Christian community gathering in the eastern Metro Atlanta area to worship, serve, and explore our faith together. Our call is to grow in relationships with God, each other, and the community around us. We welcome people of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, immigration statuses, residential situations, and ability levels as inherently valuable children of God. Our Progressive Christian Book Group meets each month to tackle a different book. Last month we discussed “Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but not Literally” by Marcus Borg.

[close] For Christians who enjoy reading cutting-edge theology, emergent ideas, and ways to carry the way of Jesus Christ into the 21st century, without the baggage of fundamentalism and conservative Christianity.

[close] Many people happily make their way through the stages of spiritual development within a faith tradition until one day they hit a question or life situation that challenges everything they believe. For Christians this is often one of the following: the scale of pain and suffering in the world; the contradictions in the Bible and biblical criticism; evolution and science; the role of women in the church; or some other crisis of faith. Most of us admit the limitation of our tradition and either try to find a way to reconcile our questions with our faith, or we jettison our faith all together. We look to books for solace. We find answers and want to share them. This is a place for us to do just that, to share the books that have helped us move beyond our limited faith perspective into a wider view of the world. This is not a forum for apologetics, debates over theological chestnuts, or evangelism. If you are trying to convince us that your way is the best or only way, you are not welcome here. This is a place of tolerance and sharing where everyone can discuss what they have learned during and after their crisis of faith.