As the new year begins, we will start a new series looking at what it means for us to be Progressive Christians. 2020 election has demonstrated the worst example of the religious influence on society. The hatred we have witnessed from Christian evangelicalism had only been shown by terrorist groups, such as the Taliban.
Ranging from welcoming immigrants, women’s rights to their bodies, providing economic support to those suffering from the pandemic, practicing basic safety practices to mitigate infecting others, and exercising simple basic human decency, the Church has been on the wrong side of every important social issue. In the middle of the global pandemic, the greatest health crisis the world has faced in more than a century, which has claimed more than 330,000 lives in the US over 1.7 million people around the world already and expected to take millions of more lives, churches are suing for the right to hold indoor worship services without any regards to creating “super spreader events.”
How we approach the question of “common good” is the fundamental difference between Progressive Christianity and conservative evangelicalism. By definition, religion is a “folk tale” or “stories of the people,” and it is about how a community of people expresses their identity, spirituality, and value.
We will ask ourselves questions that will help us focus our ministry and push us to be a better example of God’s people in our community. Let us work to be a church that reflects the love and grace of Jesus so we may indeed be the agents of hope in our community.
Let us be Hope on Union.
Pastor Sunny
