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Adult Formation Class The Adult Sunday School will be reading "What Does a Progressive Christian Believe: A Guide for the Searching, the Open and the Curious" by Delwin Brown. Mr. Brown is the dean emeritus of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and is a Methodist layman. The book seeks to be, in a sense, a "first installment" in developing a dialogue toward a systematic theology for "progressive Christians." That is to say, all religious systems need to evolve a paradigmatic worldview which in a holistic way answers the questions faced by all theological systems (who is man, who is God, who is the Christ, what is sin and salvation, what constitutes authority, what is the Church and so on.) Whether one defines oneself as conservative or liberal, fundamentalist and literalist or charismatic/Pentecostal; there needs to be a worldview around these central questions which binds together those who adhere to that system. The newly emerging "progressive church" needs a conversation which moves it toward a holistic and integrative statement of how we understand these things. Such a dialogue will not likely be concluded in our lifetime but it is worthwhile to explore the questions. I anticipate that this class will be a challenge for some as it will force you to question what and how you believe what you believe − but then again, that's the ingredient of a worthwhile class and so I look forward to the conversation. The book is available in our bookstore for $14. The class begins Sunday, Sept. 14th at 9:30 in the Martin Luther King room (middle room) upstairs over the patio. Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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