..“Much of Christianity has not emphasized actually ‘following’ Jesus…we haven’t based our religion on following Jesus and doing what he did. We’ve largely emphasized ‘worshiping’ Jesus.” So that’s what you came here this morning to do, worship Jesus? You do know that Jesus never told you to do that, right? He never told you to worship him, he told you to follow him. One of the most clever ways to avoid actually doing what he did is to make Jesus an object of worship.” ~ Fr. Richard Rohr
“Instead of getting people to agree with certain assertions about various dogmas, doctrines, or “truth claims,” progressive Christianity focuses more upon following a certain, radical way of life; namely, following the counter-cultural, subversive, and life-giving teachings and example of Jesus. The focus is more upon the religion OF Jesus, his actual beliefs, teachings, practices, ways, and lifestyle, than on the religion ABOUT him. In other words, Progressive Christianity focuses more upon orthopraxy (right behavior, actions and relationship) and less upon orthodoxy (right doctrines and beliefs). This is not to say that progressive Christianity is not concerned about orthodoxy. It’s a matter of emphasis. Progressive Christians would rather go to their graves having done their best to live rightly and follow the teachings and example of Jesus, than to have “believed all the right things about Jesus,” but fail to demonstrate or live-out those beliefs.”
~ Roger Wolsey, from Kissing Fish Book.
That I agree with the substance of these two statements will come as no surprise to readers of this blog or perusers of my Facebook posts on: John Hopkinson Theology Page and Theology of Social Justice.
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