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This book articulates a progressive faith that represents a true marriage of the academic work of the modern biblical critical movement and the historical Jesus work of the Jesus Seminar applied within the life of an active parish.

May we be comforted, God, by your eternal presence — inward, around, among us
As the ground of all being, your creation knows no boundaries

When I am the earth
And the earth is me
God and I are one.

Early Christians too brought great historical stories to their new convictions: stories that had preceded Jesus. Matthew, for example presented Jesus as a revitalized Moses who completed revelations from the Torah. He showed how the new faith emerged with fresh expectations and a novel sense of liberation. But he also showed how it consistently remained within established Jewish law and practices.

The current military operations in Israel and the Gaza strip should disturb all people of faith. The only moral path to a solution between Israelis and Palestinians (Israeli Jewish/Muslim/Christian and Palestinian Muslim/Christian) will be dialogue and negotiation. This is a long and arduous path, but the faith that grounds our traditions can sustain the slow evolution of history. The current conflict is an outgrowth of over a century of opposing narratives and ideological differences that no military operations can resolve.

To God the process, God the life,
To God compassion’s spring,
To God the boundless way of love,
To God in everything.

You are the Process, God,
The movement without end.
You are the Rhythm God,
The dance of loving friends.

I think Christian missionaries should live among the people exhibiting their Christianity in their daily lives. If the people see something in their lives that is missing in their own lives they will ask about it, which gives the missionary permission to tell them about their faith.

For Christians grace is God’s gift of pardon. According to William Barclay the Greek word for grace was originally a military term. When an emperor came to the throne or celebrated a birthday, he would give his troops a donatirim (donation), which was a free gift that they had not earned; it was given out of the goodness of the emperor’s heart. This idea was picked up by the Christian scripture writers when they wrote about the grace of God. Grace is something that is unearned and undeserved – unmerited pardon.

Part 5 of 5 explores how a *factual* view of God and revelation, in light of the trajectory of Big History, clarifies our way into the future and restores the relevance (indeed, necessity!) of unflinchingly bold, science-based prophetic speech.

Part 4 of 5 explores how and why Big History radically transforms our understanding (and experience!) of human nature, chaos, and death—including our relationship to ours and our loved one’s foibles, problems, and mortality.

Big History *synthesizes* science and religion—head and heart—by transcending and including reason and faith, facts and values. Honoring both ‘how things are’ and ‘which things matter’ is essential for human survival. Part 1 explores what BH is, why it is important, and the significance of a global, evidential view of God & religion.

On this summer Sunday, Mark Andrew Nouwen shares about his fundamentalist Christian background, which included countless church services and immersing himself in the Christian sub-culture. He shares how, near the end of Bible College, he eventually questioned and then rejected many of the tenets of fundamentalist Christianity. He concludes by sharing a new vision of what Christianity could be today and the beliefs he holds dear.

Beyond the boxes we create,
Beyond each image we can spawn
The process river flows along
To sweep aside the now outworn.

This, my song, a skeptic’s hymn,
ode to mystery within,
Sung to you no one can prove,
dwelling there, as real as love.

It was a long and complicated evolution
from matter
to life
to consciousness
to self-consciousness.

When our world of thought lies shattered
As its truths fragment and die
We will trust the mystery’s oneness
Held within the Earth and sky.