Episode 173: An Open Letter to the Church | The Imagination Episode
Some topics come up in these podcast conversations again and again, and that gets our attention. They frustrate us but also feel like obvious opportunities: areas where the church we love could take a step forward, and even small changes might make a big difference. In Episode 173, Cynthia and Susan call out a few of their frustrations and imagine possible responses that would feel like real progress.
Notes & Quotes:
Beyond Belief, by Russ Hinckley
The LDS Church Offers Resources for Those with Questions, Latter-day Faith podcast, Episodes 171-2, by Dan Wotherspoon
Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming, by Peter Enns
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, by Valarie Kaur
A Special Note from Fr. Richard: The Christian Contemplative Movement, by Richard Rohr, CAC, 11/14/2023
Restoration: God's Call to the 21st Century World, by Patrick Q. Mason
“In Jesus, we see an example of how to resolve conflicts between competing laws: people win. Take care of the people.” —Russ Hinckley
“Like a frail plant that needs careful tending and constant protection from sun and wind, perhaps the real problem wasn’t me but the fragile, unsustainable version of Christianity I had been told was my only option.” —Peter Enns
“Ritual can take many forms, it does not require being part of a faith, or spiritual tradition, it requires an act of imagination and co-creation. For thousands of years people have innovated within their spiritual traditions, to breathe life into them, reviving old rituals with new energy and meaning.” —Valarie Kaur
“I have been thinking lately how the search for God and the search for our deepest selves ends up being the same search.” —Richard Rohr
“The ongoing Restoration means that every generation, and every person, must rediscover the gospel of Jesus Christ for themselves. The pioneers' Restoration was for the pioneers. Your grandparents' Restoration was for your grandparents….. The church has to be alive, has to breathe, has to keep the faith with the tradition while remaining alive to the present workings of the Spirit.” —Patrick Q. Mason