BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

Point Eight:  By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we are Christians who recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.

The very first thing I notice about this point is how it flies right in the face of current day “health and wealth” televangelists, who often promise that if folks will just accept Jesus, everything in their lives will become rainbows and lollipops.  The truth is that whenever people widen their circle of concern, they will find demands on their resolve and risks to their status.  Followers of Jesus cannot expect to be any more successful or popular than Jesus was, and like his first disciples, we have to learn to give up any hope of being favored or special. 

According to The Center for Progressive Christianity’s study guide, genuine concern for  other people includes resisiting any forces that would drain their energy, deny them substance, rob them of dignity, or destroy their hope.  Progressive Christians believe that the resistance to evil in society, rather than the enhancement of our social position, has always been both an obligation and an opportunity for whose who follow Jesus. It is an obligation because it is a way to test our commitment.  It is an opportunity because when we put ourselves at risk on behalf of another sinner because of our compassion, it can be one of the most direct paths to an experience of the Realm of God or that absolute sense of connectedness we crave, but so often miss.

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday