In many ways, our lives are defined by both the questions we ask and the questions we answer. To be sure, life can unload on our plate its fair share of insubstantial questions as when the voice from the drive through speaker asks, “Do you want fries with that?” While your waistline and heart might find this a pertinent question, life also has more hefty questions like the down-on-the-knee-will-you-marry-me kind of questions. What you ask and how you answer particular questions can have a substantial impact on your life. This is true not only for our romantic lives but for our spiritual lives as well.
For this reason, our church will be taking a serious look at questions next month. Beginning on September 9th, we will start an advertised worship series entitled “A Church That Loves Questions.” Over the course of five weeks, each sermon will consider one question in depth. Here is the lineup of questions:
September 9th: How Can a Church Love Questions?
September 16th: How Can a Church Embrace Science?
September 23rd: How Can a Church Find Spiritual Growth in Social Justice?
September 30th: How Can a Church Think Critically about the Bible?
October 7th: How Can a Church Support Marriage Equality?
To complement this worship series, we will begin on September 16th an adult education series entitled “Living the Questions.” This is a DVD-based series that explores topics relevant to the formation of a progressive Christian faith. It features acclaimed thinkers like Marcus Borg, Helen Prejean, and John Shelby Spong. Our church is fortunate to have the Rev. Dr. Ed Martin help lead this series.