FOREWORD

Have you ever had questions about your faith that you were reluctant to ask? If you did ask a question of your pastor or adult Bible study leader, did you receive an answer like, “you simply have to believe by faith. There are things that we just don’t have an answer for?” As you got older, did certain aspects of the Bible or what you were hearing not ring true? This book is a collection of sermons from a progressive theological standpoint. In other words, they try to answer some of those nagging questions that you may have had, but were reluctant to ask or, if you did ask, received an unsatisfactory answer.

The purpose of this book is to challenge you, not to upset you. Depending on your faith or religious background, you may feel that some of the concepts in this book are heretical. But heretical by whose standards? It is a fallacy that just because a way of thinking or belief is different from ours it couldn’t possibly be correct. Perhaps a family or friend disagrees with you. Perhaps the only denomination with which you are acquainted literally interprets the Bible and claims it has the only truth. Or perhaps you are familiar only with a denomination that rules by fear, not faith!

Religion is a function of culture. Religion is also a function of the family within that culture. A native American that was raised in a basically agricultural area would have a different way of looking at God/Great Spirit than a Native American raised in a basically buffalo-oriented culture. A Hindu raised in the culture of India will have a different way of looking at God or their Gods than an Alaskan Eskimo. We have a tendency to form a picture and relationship of God based on our family interactions and the cultures in which we were raised. For example, a child who is abused by a father could have a difficult time forming a relationship with a God that is spoken of only in patriarchal terms. If we were raised in a “religious” family, we either accept what we were taught as children, or we reject it as we mature. The issue of cultural norms can challenge the moral and ethical beliefs of an individual regardless of a religious upbringing.

The issue of a person’s belief in God is never, in my humble opinion, based on what a denomination or church teaches. I have spoken with individuals who are members of a strict denomination who are afraid to question anything, even when they know in their hearts that something is not right. I have also spoken with very spiritual people who are no longer members of any denomination because for them a personal, spiritual connection with God is what is most important, not that they belong to a church. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to determine whether we want a connection with God, and what form that connection will take. No person can give faith to another. But faith based on fear and doctrine will never survive.

The most basic issue of faith is how it affects what we do in our daily lives, how our faith affects our decisions, how we view our trials and temptations, our triumphs and defeats through the eyes of faith. Here, again, literal interpretation and fear can play a major part in how we view our lives. But so can the love that Jesus showed to others and his very real devotion to God.

For purposes of this book, I am referring mainly to the development of  Christian faith. But the concepts, I hope, can be applied to the development of faith, basically. This book is not a scientific or theological treatise. It is a collection of concepts contained in sermons written for the person in the pew who may wish to think about his/her faith in a new or non-threatening way. Some of the sermons deal with “traditional” doctrines of the faith. Others are simply about  dealing with life. I have included references for those who wish to read more about these concepts on their own as many of the concepts have grown from my own reading. This book is written for the person who has an intellectual curiosity that also carries over to his/her faith. If you are afraid to question your faith, do not read this book. If you sincerely want to think about your faith in new ways, if you want to develop a new way of looking at God, of determining what you want your relationship with God to be, then read on.

Rev. Janis K. Doleschal