My beliefs and perspective may be thought of as subscribing to the Progressive, Feminist, and Queer Theologies. As the German-American Lutheran pastor and scholar, Rev. John H. W. Stuckenberg, the first one to coin the term, Progressive Christianity, said, "I favor a progressive Christianity based on the living teachings of Christ and his Apostles. I am opposed to the stagnation created by religious dogmatism and traditionalism, and wish none of my possessions to be used in the interest of this stagnation." Some of the key principles of my faith are the following.
I believe in a triune God of three substances: God, the Parent, the Child, and the Holy Spirit/Consciousness. While some believe in a unitarian God, I respect those beliefs, and I’m grounded by my Christian belief. That’s what I love and learned in MCC. Diversity is respected, and although we don’t exactly believe the same things, we love and respect whatever works for each of us. I believe God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. I believe that God doesn’t have a specific gender, so using the pronouns “she” or “they” sometimes is a way to unbox God from our preconception and compartmentalization. It’s also a way of pushing back against centuries of sexism. I believe that God is the creator of all things and all living beings, found here on Earth and beyond. In Genesis 1: 1-3 NRSVUE, it says, “When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’” Based on recent quantum physics findings, this has been true. I believe God is immanent since he/she is among us, not some far-away, old, bearded man over the clouds. God can be felt within us. In Luke 17: 20-21 NRSVUE, it says, “…The kin-dom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kin-dom of God is among[b] you.” God is not some tyrant king, but a loving and supportive Creator, Parent, Sibling or Friend, or whatever representation a person feels closest to the Divine. God values our free will and freedom. God is infinite and eternal. Unlike the traditional view, I believe that God is not vindictive or punitive. I resonate with Marcian’s view of God that the god of the Old Testament, who is wrathful, vindictive, and punitive, is different from the God of the New Testament, who sent Jesus to liberate us from oppression and who taught love, compassion, and justice. Everyone has the capacity for self-redemption and restoration. However, I disagree with his view that Paul is the only apostle who understood that difference. When it comes to sin, I agree with Rita Nakashima Brock, a Japanese-American feminist scholar, Protestant theologian, activist, and a non-profit organization leader, when she said, “Sin is a sign of our broken-heartedness, of how damaged we are, not of how evil, willfully disobedient, and culpable we are. Sin is not something to be punished, but something to be healed.” According to Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng, an Episcopal priest, theologian, and attorney, “…there is such real harm that comes from sin talk. People get hurt and get killed. I think if we’re more rooted in being confident in God’s love for us and Christian doctrines, it helps us to have armor, and these attacks can bounce off.” There is one living God, in Spirit and in Truth, who comes in different names depending on language and culture.
I believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Immanuel, who is “God with us”, who invites us to his open table. He makes everyone feel like a part of his community. He restores the queer joy of our relationship with God. He was born to Mary more than 2,000 years ago and preached as early as 12 years old. A description of his life between 12 years old until he was 30 is not included in the Bible we have today. However, there are various theories of what he might have done. Mark 6: 3 NSRVUE says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” Many Christians believe that Jesus might have followed the footsteps of his foster Father, Joseph, before starting his ministry in Galilee at the age of 30. That’s why he is fully human yet fully God, ministering to the sick, the blind, the crippled, the confused, the brokenhearted, those who are lonely, and those who were considered outcasts of society. He fed the hungry and delivered humanity from their self-destructive behaviors. He prophesied against the ills of society. He was ridiculed, flogged, crowned with thorns, then crucified, died and was buried. He was transfigured and ascended into Heaven. Luke 24: 51-53 NRSVUE says, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and[b] returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”
I believe in the Holy Spirit of God, through Jesus, thus being One, baptizing us to be part of the larger family of God and the priesthood of all believers and making us unique with spiritual gifts, intelligence, talents, and skills. The Holy Spirit was made known to the followers of God during Pentecost. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be a healing presence in this hurting world. It gives us grace “to change one’s mind” (Greek translation: metanoeō/μετανοέω) to bring about transformation. In MCC, we believe transforming ourselves to transform the world—talking less, but doing more.
I believe I was wonderfully and unconditionally made by God’s radical love. I was made in God’s spiritual image and likeness, having no gender, yet from whom all genders come, but existing as Spirit and Truth. God created me as both spiritual and sexual. God continues to restore me whenever I fall short. God makes me a steward of their creations and a co-creator of new things in the evolution of humanity.
I believe the Bible is written by humans who
were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but are not necessarily infallible or
inerrant, as scientific, historical, and philosophical truths continue to be
discovered. There is a tendency to worship it instead of God. I believe the
Church is the Body of Christ, consisting of different and essential parts.
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