Progressive Faith Sermons - Dr. Roger Ray Dr. Roger Ray
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- Religion & Spirituality
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Sermons from the Community Christian Church of Springfield, MO.
We are believers in Jesus Christ who accept all people without judgment and who desire to work and worship as a community striving for social justice.
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Hyperbole, Hysteria, and Hypocrisy
The claim that the coming election is "the most important election of our lifetime," has been sadly over used and possibly worn out to the point that people easily ignore those of us who are urgently crying "wolf" about the November 2024 election. This message attempts to state the stark reality of the risk to democracy and individual freedoms at stake in this election. Please, listen to it and share with every voter you know.
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Why No One in the Bible Accepted Jesus Christ as their Personal Lord and Savior
Two great periods of revivals saved the Christian religion from extinction in the United States. The Great Awakening, near the birth of our nation, and The Second Great Awakening that came along with the western expansion, the Civil War, and the end of slavery. Much of what modern American Christians think is a biblical faith is actually the echos of revivalist preaching based on a very poor reading of the writings of John Calvin.
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The First Easter
Easter, as it has been taught to us through traditional modern sermons, is, as Bishop John Shelby Spong described it, simply "unbelievable." Stepping back from the "yippee, we're all gonna live forever" myth, this lecture tries to treat the first Easter in a historical context with a critical discussion of early Christian writing.
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This is Not Normal
THIS IS NOT NORMAL! Cultural values we worked hard to correct over the past century are slipping back into what is being allowed to become normative language, thinking, and voting. North Carolina's GOP nominated candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, who enjoyed more than 60% of the vote in the primary, has publicly denied the holocaust, insisted that the Nazis were "not that bad," is opposed to women's right to vote, to LGBT+ rights, and he even insists that the Sandy Hook School shootings were a hoax. This man is currently the lt. governor of NC and is tied for the governor's election in November. America, we have to push back on these ideas and make certain that it is clear that theses are not acceptable cultural values and that for the sane among us, this simply is not normal!
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Redemptive Suffering
The sad news of Alexey Navalny's death in prison brings to mind many who have chosen personal sacrifice as a way to raise awareness in the public's mind or to confront the evils of governments through the centuries. Navalny takes his place along side the likes of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and others whose names remain written on our hearts. There is a kind of suffering that can be redemptive. We might wish that such sacrifices were unnecessary but, alas, they almost always are.
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How Much Does it Cost Me?
32 of the 33 developed nations in the world have universal healthcare. Why is the United States the only outlier? We spend more on healthcare than any of the other nations, why can't we get the distribution system to be more fair? We also have between five and ten times as many of our citizens in prison, than any of those other developed nations. Why have we not managed to address the roots of poverty (which is what causes most crime) as those other nations have?
Obviously, it is some combination of heartlessness and greed of a very short sighted sort. Our country needs to wake up to some very obvious economic and social facts. And while we are at it, let's also consider supporting the news and educational sources that help us to see the world with new eyes.
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Customer Reviews
Great Sermons !!
Great Sermons!! He spends time explaining faith and connecting it with actual events... It makes faith relevant again!!
the sermons i SHOULD have heard in church…...
but didn't. and now i can and do. sermons that are relevant and challenging. no more of the soft and fluffy mamby pamby warm pablum of happy happy theological "believe this and you got your ticket to heaven". these sermons are gritty and real. if you don't want to THINK as you listen to a sermon, then pass these by. but if you are serious about being a follower of Jesus' life and His teachings, these sermons are spot on. even as a fairly committed atheist, i find these sermons worthwhile, as they pass on much of the pie in the sky when you die with your invisible friend stuff, and focus on how what Jesus was all about is for us to become fully and best HUMAN, which is what atheists would have for this species of homo sapiens, also. call me, if you will an "atheist for Jesus"…...
highly recommend!
I was raised Catholic but as I got older I felt that somewhere along the way the Church seemed to forget the actual teachings of Jesus. I am grateful to have found these sermons and Rev Ray's church through their online presence. It's refreshing to listen to messages of social justice, charity and acceptance. Love them.