Christianity receives a lot of attention in the media, but the most frequently discussed version represents a type of Christianity that sometimes turns people away from the Church. Kissing Fish presents a postmodern systematic theology of Progressive Christianity, a growing movement that reclaims the radical message of the Gospel. This informative, contemplative, and entertaining book will guide you through the beliefs that inspire us to love one another in the transformative way that Jesus proclaimed, including practices that will take your faith to a new level.
Kissing Fish is a unique blend of personal confession of faith and systematic theology. Roger Wolsey offers a manifesto for “progressive Christianity” that aims to break the seeming stranglehold that “conservative Christianity” has on the minds of many, both in and outside the official churches. He writes in a friendly, accessible manner that is deeply grounded in the best of Christian tradition, both old and new. For those young adults who know there is “something more” to life than the deadening drumbeat of empire but have doubts that “Christianity” is where to find it, this book offers a much needed invitation to discover the joy, love, and compassionate justice that lie at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
~Wes Howard-Brook, author of Unveiling Empire: Reading Revelation Then and Now, Becoming Children of God, The Church Before Christianity, and Come Out My People!”: God’s Call Out of Empire in the Bible and Beyond
*******
“Roger Wolsey has written a scholarly yet thoroughly accessible treatise of progressive Christianity. While the intended target audience for this work would seem to be those who have either left the Christian faith or never adopted it at all; the work is filled with pearls of wisdom for all of us, whether associated with Christianity or not. Kissing Fish is truly a remarkable work, serving both as a reminder of the beauty and grace that form the central tenets of the faith, while offering a graceful yet prophetic rebuttal to its more exclusionary tendencies.”
~Roger McClellan, co-founder Progressive Christian Alliance
******
“Roger Wolsey has bitten off a big chunk to chew on: a thorough comparison and contrasting of what is typically called ‘progressive’ Christianity with more well-known forms of Christian expression, typically called ‘conservative evangelicalism’ and ‘fundamentalism.’ In doing so, he exhibits great ambition and it is left to the reader to determine whether or not that ambition has been fulfilled.”
“What makes
Kissing Fish attractive is not so much Wolsey’s theological compare and contrast as it is his weaving throughout the whole work his own spiritual journey. After all, that is the story. It’s not an academic tome, though it brushes up against that. Neither is it a philosophical/theological apologia for Wolsey’s understanding of “progressive” Christianity. Rather, it is story; it is narrative; it is the journey of a young man who begins his story with the profound admission: “I probably shouldn’t be a Christian.” It is the journey of a young man, who being raised in typically mainline Protestantism, who is trying to construct his faith in the shadow of societal and cultural change, a change greatly informed by postmodernist thinking.In the end, Wolsey views “progressive” forms of Christian thinking and being as the genuinely “conservative” ones; to wit, reaching back to the earliest Christian origins (pre-Constantine) to find itself.While I might not share all of Wolsey’s conclusions and characterizations (after all, I am an old man now at this writing and not in his target audience of Gen-Xers or Millennials), this is a thought-provoking, insightful work and we should all be grateful for his insight and his journey. Read it!”
~The Revd. David R. Gillespie, Progressive Christian Alliance Minister
Director of Sacred Journeys: Pastoral Care & Spiritual Direction, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Greenville, SC
Topics:
Progressive Christianity 101,
Spiritual Exploration & Practice,
Theology & Religious Education, and
Western Philosophy. 8 Points:
Point 1: Teachings of Jesus,
Point 2: Pluralism,
Point 3: Inclusive Community,
Point 4: Act As We Believe,
Point 5: Non-Dogmatic Searchers,
Point 6: Peace and Justice,
Point 7: Integrity of the Earth, and
Point 8: Compassion and Selfless Love. Resource Types:
Books and
Read.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.