Here is an excellent article on the Gretta Vosper fiasco, "Unsuitable" Gretta Vosper is Why Mainline Denominations Are Dying by Christian Chiakulus.
Christian is a Christian Atheist.
Despite the fact that people do not want Christian Atheists to exist, they do. There are more of us than you may think. There is no school of Christian Atheism or denominational hierarchy. Christian Chiakulus said he came to the label by himself:
When I first took the label of “Christian atheist” for myself last year, I felt at once liberated and nervous. Liberated because I finally found a phrase that seemed to encapsulate who I am and what I believe, and nervous because I wasn’t sure how the Progressive Christian community I had been trying to join would react. Would I be accepted? Ignored? Laughed at? Puzzled over?
A part of my uncertainty had to do with the fact that I had come to this label on my own, not following the lead of any theologian or clergy before me. While I eventually did learn of people like Thomas Alter, William Hamilton, and Gretta Vosper, their writings had no influence over my initial “conversion,” if you will.
The United Church of Canada is tone deaf to what people really think and has circled its wagons around beliefs and theology. Christian writes:
At the end of the day, their concerns are over language and belief, which are really just methods of control. Vosper dislikes using the term “God” because she feels that for some people it may act as a barrier between themselves and the type of universal love God actually stands for. The Conference is ultimately missing the forest for the trees.To illustrate, a commenter on one of my Facebook posts wrote:
As I get older, I understand less and less about the need for religions/churches to adhere to labeling. "I am a Christian, does that make me good? I am a Muslim, does that make me bad?" If I have to define myself, I guess it would be a seeker. Seeking what? Peace and calm for myself and helping humankind in any way I can. Where can I go to learn this - Christianity, Islam, Native American beliefs, Buddhism, Dr. Seuss, Monet, Bach, Pink Floyd, Atheism, and so much more. I think if you really need to label, go to Office Depot, they have one on sale for $24.99.I think I have found a new cause.
