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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Faith Without Certainty
When we watch a movie like Star Wars, we immediately know that it is fiction. No one tries to hitch a ride on the Millennium Falcon or tries to order a working light saber from Amazon. Sadly, however, many modern religious people read biblical myths as if talking with a snake in the Garden of Eden or following Moses through a divided Red Sea is something that actually happened. This sermon attempts to help us all to interrogate the myths that help us to define morality in the modern world.
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USA at War with Russia and Iran
Similar to the WWII generation, we are living in a time facing dramatic changes that may end up being good but which also have the potential of being catastrophically bad. As Eric Holder recently warned, there is no cavalry coming to save us. Storied institutions like the Supreme Court and the Congress have demonstrated their willingness to side with a fascist trend led by Donald Trump. We, persons of conscience and compassion, must be the cavalry the world is waiting for.
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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!
Customer Reviews
A voice of reason
I love Dr. Ray’s sermons because he is mature and frames religion in a way that I can stomach. I’m quite allergic to using the barbaric torture and death of Jesus getting used as the doorman/gate keeper of a magical posthumous existence. I also love the perspectives of Bishop John Shelby Spong. From a Salvationist perspective I’m an atheist that says ‘No thank You’ to using the suffering of another to be accepted by a God. But Salvationism defines God for Salvationists, not the rest of humanity. I look forward to Dr. Ray’s pod casts and am so grateful to him for framing this ‘God’ in a way that respects base common sense. I can’t recommend him enough. 🙏😊😊😊
Good Sermons, But a Reactive Preacher
While Reverend Ray preaches a good sermon, many of which have strong social justice messages, should you plan on posing questions or having a different perspective to Roger himself - Watch Out! For off the pulpit Rev Ray is very reactive and easily offended, quick to judge and often more inclined towards doubling down on the righteousness of his stances than being open to having a civil discussion.
Social Justice Meets Faith for the New Millennium
Excellent talks, which occasionally hold up a mirror to the incongruencies of what people of faith, say they believe and what they do. Always illuminating on yoking together our history as it effects the present and how to grow, build, and emancipate our beliefs as we become more aware and compassionate and how to put our faith into meaningful action.