Well presented and a good representation of a commonly accepted orthodox Christian faith and a well thought out apologetic. Having been a Christian-based believer for decades and an avid student of the Bible, I understand your position and know it to be one in which many have found great comfort. On the other hand, though your journey has brought you through a firsthand experience with a progressive view of faith, my journey has led me to a more nuanced view of Divinity and expanded divine revelation along the same journey. I have no wish to challenge you with respect to a position in which you thrive; where you have found strength in your relationship with God. From my personal perspective, as discoveries are made over the years, all areas of knowledge typically progress and often require an adjustment to one's understanding of the universe and its reality as one moves toward reconciling what is learned with what has been traditionally believed. Though it is typical to resist such new revealed knowledge, it is also a principal presented in Scripture that all that could be spiritually known during the the time Jesus dwelt upon the earth was not the end of revelation, but the beginning of a relationship to know God even more profoundly. Thus, the Spirit would lead into all truth. For me, to consider that the apex of knowledge of God and man's relationship occurred and was sealed up 2000 years ago and was comprehensively contained in the writings of multitudes of varying authors over and extended period of time, is not completely satisfying. Indeed, a cursory study of events leading up to the compilation of the writings that make up the modern Bible text will show that such a compilation did not in fact come to a tentative conclusion until some time after the close of the first century A.D. Since that time much has been learned about these writings and the understanding of the universe. For me, a more life-giving view of the Christian faith allows for God to permit discovery of what has been hidden in the past so that we can participate in an expanding knowledge of the mysteries of creation. Perhaps an historic example could be found in the accepted belief that the earth existed at the center of the universe. Galileo found that was not the case and was resisted vehemently on his view that the sun actually held such a position of "honor". Personally, it seems to me that it was more productive for the church to reconcile its beliefs with progressive knowledge than attempt to deny that knowledge its rightful place in the scheme of God. A problem, as I see it, with demanding that revelation was complete at the end of the New Testament period, is to deny God to be bigger than our minds can conceive. From a fundamentalist past it has been satisfying to me to progress in a small way to recognize that, even when sincerely convinced of a position, that sometimes it is even more life-giving to use one's God-given ability to think as a path forward to a deeper relationship with the Divine. This is not to say there's no satisfaction on any part or state of one's spiritual journey, but just an invitation to see if there may be some new discoveries that might at first be disconcerting but in the end be a better picture of our place in the vast depth of God's being. Scary? Maybe, but sometimes growth requires growing pains.
Thank you FATHER for revealing the TRUTH to the simple😇. I spend my days that I have left Thanking GOD For what HE has done !😇. I stopped attending church 10 yrs ago , I see not much change . 🧐.
Over the past 50 years, biblical lethargy alongside a minimal commitment to Jesus Christ has primed society to lean towards a progressive Christian worldview. Christians today MUST return to the simple worldview of the first and second century believers. BELIEVING/LOYALTY in and towards Jesus Christ and the completeness of what He accomplished in His death and resurrection MUST be grasped, nurtured and lived out in the lives of EVERY believer.
Alisa, I would like to listen to you reading through and commenting on classical Christian texts such as Augustine's Confessions, Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses, or The Cloud of Unknowing by an anonymous monk. I realize you have significant concerns around progressive Christianity, but maybe it is American Evangelicalism that is far removed from the orthodox tradition. Maybe the hermeneutic of modernism that Evangelicalism is dependent on and founded upon is not the hermeneutic the saints of old passed that on. Put another way, if you were to find yourself in an Eastern Orthodox church that doesn't believe in original sin and believes in both apokatastasis and theosis, would you deem them "progressive" or "unbiblical"? Genuinely curious.
Progressive Christianity is a very dangerous term. For there are those who seek to conquer & divide through intellectuality & miss the Spirit! Led by the Carpenter-not indoctrinated. Remember- Sin is destructive! God is creative. Follow 🕊
I have no doubt that there are those who are divisive and "intellectually" dishonest and one should be aware of such characteristics and traits. That can hold true for whether one professes to being progressive or not. However, being progressive does not necessarily translate into one missing the Spirit. Maybe properly evaluating one's relationship to God, the universe and others is not in the sole possession of a just one worldview.
@@jerryabenson6822 In Scripture we are introduced to one of the few religious ceremonies Christ teaches!!?! Judge yourselves! 1 Corinthians 11.17-34 ESV🕊
As Alisa states "The evangelical church was RIPE for a progressive Christianity" We must ask WHY is that??? Is that because "historic" Christianity has failed affect the culture in any meaningful way? Is it because many Christians know the creeds and the doctrines they have been taught and have very little connection to the heart of God? Of course they are hungry for more.
I'm sorry to say but justice throughout the old testament was always to be given to those who had no one to stand in the gap in Israel vs Egypt. Read isaiah 1:17 and the like. Isaiah 1:17 ESV learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. And in regards to God being in all things read 1 Corinthians 15:28 ESV When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. Then follow the links. The Bible is a self interpreting book we need not use other books to understand it but it does help to learn the history of the culture and surrounding cultures. The Bible is without error. However many churches throughout the history of the church has abused or use the Bible to abuse the people using the word of God as a weapon. Jesus problem was nit with those going astray but with those abusing the people with the word of God thinking they were doing Gods will. He was gentle with those who were ignorant and going astray. Transformation is the proper term (the old passing away and the new coming in).
The problem with deconstructing Christianity is that it is done through the prism of Critical Theories which is a postmodern concept that's been coopted by the Cultural Marxists with the goal of weakening and destroying Western institutions and Western values. The concepts you talk about, goodness and justice and oppression, are low hanging fruit for the Marxists since their definition of each is vastly different than the Western definition of each. Deconstructionism depends on this very insipid sleight of hand.
Alisa is totally misrepresenting "deconstruction". People have genuine questions and concerns they want answered. They are NOT denying or explaining away the basic teachings of Christianity, but looking at them through a wider lens. Most of the people who go through this process of exploration and often painful struggle come out stronger in their faith and their love for God / Jesus. And more excited to share the Good News with those around them.
You are wrong. Deconstructionism is just Critical Theory for religion. It is a destructive process that eshews objective truth for lived experiences and it relentlessly looks for oppressor/oppressed relationships within whatever institution it infects. She understands deconstruction quite well and isn't trying to mislead folks about it in the way I suspect you are trying to mislead.
