Linda Mercadante has spent the last 5 years interviewing people who call themselves SBNR and reports that they respect science but reject scientism and secularism which reduce us to mere physical beings or cogs in a vast machine. The spiritual awakening which produced us, like the SBNR movement, was about getting beyond the trappings and creeds of religion to actual spirituality. We still call ourselves “A movement for wholeness in a fragmented world” instead of merely a denomination. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born out of a church unity movement that was part of what is called “The Great Awakening” which began about the year 1800. Recent estimates identify 20-40% of Americans as being SBNR – that’s more than the membership of all mainline Protestants in America, so maybe we should take notice. Media reports tend to reinforce stereotypes and focus on religious extremes rather than accurately portray religion. These disappointing reports are the sort of thing that many people cite when they explain that they are spiritual but not religious. So as not to pick on Roman Catholics, let me cite a Southern Baptist preacher in North Carolina who did not help his case when he defended his purchase of a 16,000 square foot $1.6 Million estate by saying “it’s not really that great of a house.” Of course, it isn’t always clergy who are poor examples of religious persons–Ken Lay was an active Christian Layman when he committed billions of dollars of fraud at ERON. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.Ī bishop in Limburg Germany (nicknamed “Bishop Bling”) spent $43 million on his new residence/office complex while cutting church staff positions and the Pope recently accepted his resignation. 32They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.Ģ8As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
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