St. George’s Episcopal Church
A safe place to figure out what you believe
Progressive
St. George’s has a healthy mix of political viewpoints represented among those who gather on Sunday mornings — so although there are some crossovers, ‘progressive’ isn’t a political term when it’s used in a religious context.
‘Progressive Christianity’ has the specific meaning of belief that God progresses — that God changes, and can be affected by changes in history and humanity. Progressive Christians study scripture in its original historical setting, then interpret it in light of present-day wisdom and experience, rather than believing that it enshrines an ironclad ancient morality.
Connecting with the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew scriptures, and Jesus’ teaching to ‘love one another,’ progressive Christianity today has an emphasis on social justice, human rights, equity and fairness.
Episcopal
Almost all Episcopal churches are progressive. Episcopalians were among the first American Christians to strongly oppose slavery, support civil rights, protest the Vietnam War, ordain women, and perform gay weddings (before they were legal).
In recent years the Episcopal Church has fought for the rights and sheltering of immigrants and refugees, developed antiracism training and other resources to encourage ‘Beloved Community,’ and encouraged eco-responsible collective action. Episcopal bishops have formed a collective for non-violence and taken a stand against gun violence in particular.
From its origins in the American Revolution, the Episcopal Church continues to stand for forward-thinking change and action, continuously seeking a better human society. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry sums it up best: Episcopalians seek to follow Jesus’ Way of Love today.
St. George’s
St. George’s version of ‘progressive’ is in exploring new theological language and innovations in worship. It’s a goal of worship at St. George’s to support the development and deepening of personal spiritual life, guided by two sets of parameters: the basic teachings of Jesus, and the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church.
Jesus’ Top Ten
Love God
Love your neighbor
Give away money and possessions
Forgive
Heal others
Pray
Feed people
Include everyone
Cause justice
Risk everything to do the right thing
Baptism Vows
Continue in the life of the church
Resist evil in all its forms
Repent and confess sins, and amend your way of life
Return to God; renew your faith often
Speak and act like Christ
Seek and serve Christ in all people
Strive for justice and peace
Respect the dignity of every creature
The similarity between these two lists is not coincidental. ‘With God’s help,’ as our vows say, we seek to follow what Jesus taught.
No one is perfect in following these guidelines, including clergy; but we hold them up nonetheless as the aim of both Christian faith and personal ethics.
Needless to say, as we’re a progressive Episcopal Church,
Everyone is welcome
of every political persuasion, gender identification, family configuration, and degree of knowledge and experience of Christianity
The church interior is set up to be especially welcoming for people of any form of neurodiversity:
There’s personal space seating, a creativity table, and fidget helps and comfort aids on hand, as well as room and freedom to move around for large-scale stimming.