Faith
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Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
Barry Ensign-George
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Christine Hong
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Rachel Held Evans on the Mainline Church
Rachel Held Evans has posted three really interesting blog posts on her relationship with the church. The first two were 15 Reasons I Left Church and 15 Reasons I returned to the Church.
She comes out of Evangelical background that is reflected in her reasons for leaving and returning. Apparently a lot of mainline Christians read her reasons for leaving the church and thought, "Your problems would be solved by becoming part of a mainline congregation that doesn't have those problems." I have to admit that I wondered about that myself. So Rachel's third post is The Mainline and Me that addresses whether disaffected evangelicals might find a home in mainline Christianity.
I found her discussion to be very insightful. She speaks of the strength of mainline Christianity and why it is attractive. But then she notes why it is not the answer:
I speak from my own experience, because, while there is much I love and appreciate about mainline denominations, when I visit, I always leave feeling like something’s missing.
I miss that evangelical fire-in-the-belly that makes people talk about their faith with passion and conviction.
I miss the familiarity with scripture and the intensive Bible studies.
I miss the emphasis on cultivating a personal spirituality.
I miss sermons that step on a few toes.
I am speaking in gross generalizations here, but in my experience, going from evangelicalism to the mainline can feel a bit like jumping from one extreme to the other:
She thinks the answer could come with congregations that combine these evangelical emphases with mainline emphases on embracing science, being able to express doubts, finding freedom of political affiliation, being open to women in leadership, sacramental practice, etc.
So what do you think? What possibilities are there for Presbyterian congregations to embody these emphases that are often experiences as poles?
- Posted at 11:14 a.m.
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