Do you know anyone in the so-called “Church Alumni Association,” that growing organization filled with former church members who are no longer motivated and inspired by traditional explanations of spiritual truth? Or do you sometimes yourself feel like a “believer in exile,” a spiritual seeker struggling to straddle two worlds, one with modern concepts, symbols, and science, and another with confusing creeds, unmoving liturgies, and archaic language?
If these questions, both framed by phrases coined by Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong, trigger either a positive response or serious curiosity, consider participating in FPC’s Summer Book Club as it discusses Spong’s new book Unbelievable: Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today. With the boldness of a modern day Martin Luther, Bishop Spong calls for a new reformation within the church, posting twelve challenging theses ranging from the need to reimagine the nature of God, to why original sin is an inadequate way to understand human behavior, to how resurrection has more to do with spiritual wholeness than unthinkable biology.
Facilitated by John Harrington, this discussion group will meet each Wednesday noon, June 6 – July 18 in the Parlor. Feel free to bring a sack lunch. Participants should obtain a copy of the book through their preferred book outlet.
