When a person begins a journey, it is usually helpful to consult one or two maps. Maps provide the traveler with a general path to follow and a little understanding of the terrain. A person doesn’t need to stay on the path all of the time. There are going to be opportunities to go exploring and head off the beaten path, but maps do provide a sense of direction.
As I progress on my journey toward a sane faith, one map that has been helpful to me is a book entitled Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity, by David M. Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy. This is a large map and it covers a lot of territory, but that is its strength. It allows the traveler to see a variety of roads and destinations, but it only wets the appetite. The book doesn’t describe the paths and places in such detail that the person making the journey doesn’t still feel the need to stop to stop and explore for himself or herself.
From my perusal of this map, there are definitely places I want to go and stay awhile. While I’m there I want to poke my nose in to as many nooks and crannies as I can for the thrill of discovery and also for a greater understanding of the world in which I’m walking. Frankly, there are, also, a few areas describe in this book where I don’t want to go at this time in my journey. I’m not ready or willing to ask the questions that are necessary for that part of the journey. The book, though, gives me the freedom to do that.
This is not a definitive text on progressive Christianity, and it is not meant to be. It is, though, a good, solid introduction that invites the reader to take a few more steps in the journey.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
