RENEWING CHRISTIANITY
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| How does Renewing Christianity fit in the larger Progressive Vision of creating profound and lasting change in society? ______________________________________________________________ |
A survey of American history reveals that no lasting change in American political and social life has occurred
without being envisioned and then implemented by a grassroots social movement. So far there have been three
major socio-political movements in American history that have had a profound lasting impact: the Abolitionist
Movement, the Progressive Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement. These movements bundled a set of legal,
social and political changes into a cohesive goal. All of our major advances in legal, social, and civic life can be
traced back to these movements.
Right now, various social and political institutions we have relied on to effectively lead the nation have faltered..
Also there are entrenched forces that are currently benefiting from the status quo and will not be dislodged from a
position of power until the public en mass demands better and more competent governance. Vast arrays of
social and economic issues, many of which have global implication, are beginning to exact unacceptable tolls on
the public. These issues range from inadequate education; high rates of incarceration; inadequate health care;
underemployment; mismanaged foreign policy; global warming; and increasing rates of fossil fuel use; the
collapse of infrastructure; continuing social inequalities in regards to gender, race, and sexual orientation;
government sanctioned torture; active and ongoing genocides occurring globally, etc., etc. It is more and more
apparent that only a large scale social movement will be able to address these problems in any meaningful
manner. We need a social movement to draw us out and toward an authentic concern for our future and the
future of others.
There are three primary supports that seem to be in place for social movement to be successful.
1. Media and the arts must provide accurate and moving portrayals of our social, political and economic
realities which compel the public to consider the necessity of organizing in order to change those realities.
Investigative reporting, documentaries, the powerful novel, and the profound series of art instillations are all
examples of contributions by media and the arts in making issues known to the public which then can compel
action
2. A substantial segment of the American Christian Church must proactively engage current legal, social,
economic, and political realities and interpret them in the context of the message of Jesus. After which it must
develop and passionately proclaim coherent theologies that support a movement for positive change and are
successful in compelling individuals to act courageously in the service of the movement. These theologies are
usually successful when they are able to clearly connect the energy and power of the believer’s personal and
spiritual relationship with God in Jesus with the movement for positive change in society.
3. The elite of society, the wealthy, the educated, cultural creatives, and professionals, must propel the
movement by deploying their social and political influence in favor of change and offering philanthropy to those
organizations that are organizing grassroots consciousness and action.
Renewing Christianity intends to contribute to the second of these three supports. We seek to enhance and
inform the proactive engagement of the Christian Church in the struggle for positive change. By actively engaging
our contemporary world with the message and values of Jesus, Renewing Christianity intends to develop and
passionately proclaim the theology we need in order to reawaken the consciousness of the power, presence,
compassion and courage of Jesus. It is that consciousness that will compel individuals to seek out means to
address the challenges we face.
Yet our goals are larger than simply strengthening Christian believers and empowering them with the spiritual
courage of Jesus; we also want to make that courage accessible to the public at large regardless of their
spiritual orientation. In our post-modern world, people from all walks of life are open to learning about other faith
traditions. Many times, people are very comfortable within their own faith tradition but are willing and able to be
inspired by a perspective outside their own tradition. We believe that the cross pollination that occurs as a result
can benefit everyone. Thus, making the message and values of Jesus, along with a consciousness of the
courage of Jesus, accessible to any person--wherever they are on their spiritual journey--can impassion and
inspire such a person to act for positive and life giving change regardless of their religious tradition.
We hope you will join us in this effort to build a future that reflects more of our best hopes and dreams.
Back to Home Back to Vision and Mission
without being envisioned and then implemented by a grassroots social movement. So far there have been three
major socio-political movements in American history that have had a profound lasting impact: the Abolitionist
Movement, the Progressive Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement. These movements bundled a set of legal,
social and political changes into a cohesive goal. All of our major advances in legal, social, and civic life can be
traced back to these movements.
Right now, various social and political institutions we have relied on to effectively lead the nation have faltered..
Also there are entrenched forces that are currently benefiting from the status quo and will not be dislodged from a
position of power until the public en mass demands better and more competent governance. Vast arrays of
social and economic issues, many of which have global implication, are beginning to exact unacceptable tolls on
the public. These issues range from inadequate education; high rates of incarceration; inadequate health care;
underemployment; mismanaged foreign policy; global warming; and increasing rates of fossil fuel use; the
collapse of infrastructure; continuing social inequalities in regards to gender, race, and sexual orientation;
government sanctioned torture; active and ongoing genocides occurring globally, etc., etc. It is more and more
apparent that only a large scale social movement will be able to address these problems in any meaningful
manner. We need a social movement to draw us out and toward an authentic concern for our future and the
future of others.
There are three primary supports that seem to be in place for social movement to be successful.
1. Media and the arts must provide accurate and moving portrayals of our social, political and economic
realities which compel the public to consider the necessity of organizing in order to change those realities.
Investigative reporting, documentaries, the powerful novel, and the profound series of art instillations are all
examples of contributions by media and the arts in making issues known to the public which then can compel
action
2. A substantial segment of the American Christian Church must proactively engage current legal, social,
economic, and political realities and interpret them in the context of the message of Jesus. After which it must
develop and passionately proclaim coherent theologies that support a movement for positive change and are
successful in compelling individuals to act courageously in the service of the movement. These theologies are
usually successful when they are able to clearly connect the energy and power of the believer’s personal and
spiritual relationship with God in Jesus with the movement for positive change in society.
3. The elite of society, the wealthy, the educated, cultural creatives, and professionals, must propel the
movement by deploying their social and political influence in favor of change and offering philanthropy to those
organizations that are organizing grassroots consciousness and action.
Renewing Christianity intends to contribute to the second of these three supports. We seek to enhance and
inform the proactive engagement of the Christian Church in the struggle for positive change. By actively engaging
our contemporary world with the message and values of Jesus, Renewing Christianity intends to develop and
passionately proclaim the theology we need in order to reawaken the consciousness of the power, presence,
compassion and courage of Jesus. It is that consciousness that will compel individuals to seek out means to
address the challenges we face.
Yet our goals are larger than simply strengthening Christian believers and empowering them with the spiritual
courage of Jesus; we also want to make that courage accessible to the public at large regardless of their
spiritual orientation. In our post-modern world, people from all walks of life are open to learning about other faith
traditions. Many times, people are very comfortable within their own faith tradition but are willing and able to be
inspired by a perspective outside their own tradition. We believe that the cross pollination that occurs as a result
can benefit everyone. Thus, making the message and values of Jesus, along with a consciousness of the
courage of Jesus, accessible to any person--wherever they are on their spiritual journey--can impassion and
inspire such a person to act for positive and life giving change regardless of their religious tradition.
We hope you will join us in this effort to build a future that reflects more of our best hopes and dreams.
Back to Home Back to Vision and Mission
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