The Heritage Christian School & Principal Tim England

John Milton is known to most of us as writer of the epic poem Paradise Lost, but Milton also wrote excellent and thoughtful prose. In some ways, he was a progressive Christian, centuries before Progressive Christianity became a popular term. His work Areopagitica is a classic defense of intellectual freedom�one which had a strong impact on the framers of American Constitution and the ideals they held most sacred.

We were reminded of Milton and his Areopagitica on hearing about Tyler Frost. Tyler is the student at the Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio who was suspended by Principal Tim England for deciding to attend his girlfriend’s prom. England justified his decision by saying: �At a prom there will be many young ladies who will be dressed in the current styles, which would be low cut dresses and things like that, and there will be dancing. How does a young man protect his mind and not have wrong thoughts or lustful thoughts in a situation like that?”

Milton, not to mention folks like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, would have a simple answer to Tim England’s question. In Areopagitica, Milton teaches us that the lesson of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden is that today our knowledge of what is good is dependent on our knowledge of evil�and that a cloistered virtue that never ventures out to see its adversary is unworthy of praise.

If Milton were to play along with Tim England�s dubious claim that dancing and popular music are inherently evil, he would say that by trying to keep Tyler Frost from attending the Findlay High School prom, England is bringing impurity into the world, not innocence. True virtue is purified by the trials it confronts, not by the trials it avoids.

���

Jesus, Dostoevsky & The Grand Inquisitor

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s parable of The Grand Inquisitor, Jesus reappears on Earth during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Although the crowds adore him, he is promptly thrown in prison and sentenced to death. While in his cell, Jesus is visited by the Grand Inquisitor who says that he must kill him, even though he knows that he is truly Jesus Christ. The Inquisitor defends Jesus’s death sentence because:

Instead of giving a firm foundation for setting the conscience of people at rest for ever, you chose all that is exceptional, vague and enigmatic; you chose what was utterly beyond the strength of others, acting as though you did not love them at all; you who came to give your life for them! Instead of taking possession of people’s freedom, you increased it, and burdened the spiritual kingdom of mankind with its sufferings for ever.

The Inquisitor says that the Church, by giving people strict rules and telling them exactly what to believe in, is saving them from suffering the burden of making choices and doing them a greater service than Jesus ever did.

Instead of debating with the Inquisitor, Jesus remains silent and at the end simply kisses the old man on his “bloodless” lips. Shocked, the Inquisitor releases him from the cell and sends him away, telling him never to come back into the world.

That Jesus chooses not to argue or debate with the Inquisitor is perhaps the most important part of this parable. In the Gospels, Jesus is conspicuous for never getting into tit-for-tat theological debates or arguments. Instead, he simply speaks his mind when confronted with hypocrisy¹ and answers the questions asked of him by his disciples, the scribes, and others.²

Why was Jesus against arguing? Because he realized that the “winner” of an argument is a momentary champion. When it comes to personal beliefs, lasting changes of heart never come not from persuasive rhetoric. They only arise from inner awakenings.

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life.

To read about M. Scott Peck, Buddha, and The Road Less Traveled, please go to: Life is NOT Difficult.

1. “Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you: ‘This is a people that honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from me; But vainly do they worship me, for they teach but the precepts of men.’” Matt 15:7-9 [↩]
2. “Teacher, are we right in paying tribute to Caesar or not?” Seeing through their deceitfulness, Jesus said to them: “Show me a coin. Whose head and title are on it?” “The Emperor’s,” they said; and Jesus replied: “Well then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Luke 20:21-25 [↩]

Progressive Christian Resolutions

When Progressive Christians look toward their lineage, few find sympathy with the old Calvinists of 18th century New England. Jonathan Edwards� sermon �Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God� is one of the last things we equate with the tenants of Progressive Christianity. And yet Jonathan Edwards, like all of us, is a complicated individual. While going off the rails at times (okay, a lot of the time), at other junctures he sets his wheels on a path worth admiring. Edwards was one who believed in laying down resolutions, and following them diligently. The following resolutions are taken from his famous list of 70, and ones which all Progressive Christians could benefit from:

1) Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

2) To live with all my might, while I do live.

3) To be endeavoring to find fit objects of charity and liberality.

4) That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

5) Never to speak evil of anyone�

6) To do, always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace.

7) To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.

8) Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness, and benignity.

9) To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind.

10) Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak.

��

To read about the renegade progressive Christians at St. Mary’s Brisbane, please go to: Support St. Mary�s Brisbane & Fr. Peter Kennedy

Jesus & Miguel de Unamuno – Solitude & Society

Jesus tells us we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we are born of both water and spirit¹. Most of us can work out what Jesus means by born of spirit but born of water is a bit trickier. The literalist will just say, “Oh, he must mean baptism,” and leave it at that. But Jesus never wanted us to leave his words just at that. He infused all of his teachings with many levels of meaning, discernible to those who have the ears ready to hear it.²

As well all know, Jesus liked using parables to teach. Sometimes these parables are explicit, such as in the parable of the prodigal son, and other times they are implicit. For Jesus, water is a natural element that is a parable in itself. For example, if we look at Jesus’s life as depicted in the Gospels, we see that it echoes the flowing in and receding back of the ocean’s tides. Jesus would repeatedly flow out into society to teach, spread the gospel of Christ, and share fellowship with his neighbors, only to recede back into himself, into lonely places to pray³.

If we are truly to realize Christ in its fullness, we should remember that both solitude and society are essential. The artist, poet, or musician who spends their life creating great works yet ignores regular fellowship with his community is as spiritually off-kilter as the good hearted soul who dedicates their life to helping others yet ignores that solitary inner dialogue which is essential to self-growth. Solitude and society are like a tidal river, each side continually feeding the other. Or in the eloquent words of the Spanish author and statesman Miguel de Unamuno:

Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers [and sisters] in solitude–in solitude and only in solitude can you know yourself as a neighbor, and as long as you do not know yourself as a neighbor, you can never hope to see in your neighbors other I’s–It is solitude that makes [us] really sociable and human.

——

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life.

To read about Teilhard de Chardin and the inherent goodness of the world, please go to: Having Faith in the World.

1. “In truth I tell you,” exclaimed Jesus, “unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can someone,” asked Nicodemus, “be born when they are old? Can we be born a second time?” “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you owe your birth to water and spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:3-5 [↩]
2. “Nothing is hidden unless some day it comes to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. 23 Let all who have ears to hear with hear.” Mark 4:22-23 [↩]
3. The story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses; But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray. Luke 5:15-16 [↩]

Teilhard de Chardin & Having Faith in the World

The 20th century Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a remarkable figure in that he was both a highly trained scientist and defender of the Christian faith–someone who realized that the entire structure of Christ’s mythology had to be reworked to fit new scientific discoveries. Having forged that new structure through the crucible of his own experiences and knowledge, he not only strengthened his faith in humankind’s divinity but his faith in the Father’s kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.

Unlike most of his Catholic contemporaries, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin did not see the world as something inherently corrupt (as being in a fallen state) but as inherently good. By viewing the world in such a way, Teilhard was less likely to experience those crises of faith that so often afflict more orthodox Christians, whose Christ mythology demands that they leave reason at its doorstep. For Teilhard not only are you and I “the light of the world” (Matt. 4:14) but the world is a light unto itself.¹ The following quote is a profound summation of his faith:

If, as a result of some interior revolution, I were successfully to lose my faith in Christ, my faith in a personal God, my faith in the Spirit, I think that I would continue to believe in the World. The World (the value, the infallibility, the goodness of the World): that, in the final analysis, is the first and the last thing in which I believe. It is by this faith that I believe. It is by this faith that I live, and it is by this faith, I feel, that at the moment of death, mastering all doubts, I shall surrender myself.

——

To read about Tarrou, Albert Camus, Carl Jung and whether one can be a saint without God, please go to: The Godless Saint.

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life.

1. Throughout my life, through my life, the world has little by little caught fire in my sight until, aflame all around me, it has become almost completely luminous from within – Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu [↩]

Heaven in a Wildflower

To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower. Those are lovely sentiments from the brilliant 19th century poet William Blake–some folks may even take inspiration from them. But few of us actually are changed by such words. They simply strike our fancy for a moment, as we smile at their profundity. Then our thoughts eventually turn back to the problems and annoyances of daily life. One expects that William Blake well knew the impotency of words in manifesting change in others, and thus penned his lofty verse simply for himself–a way of honoring his personal relationship with God and celebrating the magnificence of creation.

As we’ve elevated famous artists to the rank of nobility, enshrining their works in museums, immortalizing their lives in books, and lavishing them with money and praise, we have forgotten that art is ultimately a democratic endeavor to be pursued by everyone–for it is through art (be it painting, writing, sketching, crafting, building, carving, sewing, or what have you) that we grow closer to God and begin to truly see the world as He sees it–a co-creator within His creation.

When we work diligently, patiently, and lovingly at our art/craft (whatever that may be), we slowly approach that destination which the novelist Lawrence Durrell said was the ultimate goal of all true artists: developing a personality which transcends art. This transcendent personality is the one we find realized in Jesus of Nazareth, who having achieved union with the Father thru Christ not only saw heaven in a wildflower but in every living thing, including the worst sinners among us.

It was then by the force of that personality (and not his words alone) that Jesus became a “fisher of men,” truly capable of transforming the lives of others.

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life

Worship Services & How Progressive Christians Worship

When Progressive Christians talk about How We Worship, the discussion usually centers on the goings-on inside the Church walls. While Sunday worship services have an important role to play, what matters even more is the worship that happens during the course of our every-day lives. This daily interactive worship with our immediate neighbors and our inner divinity (Christ) concerned Jesus more than the performance of rituals.

Washing the feet of others (i.e. humbling ourselves in service to our community) is the kind of worship activity that mattered most to Jesus–much more than public hallelujahs¹ and orthodox practices such as recognizing the Sabbath or submitting oneself to formal baptism, a ritual which he told John that they must “suffer” for religion’s sake² not because God demands it–because, after all, rituals only point toward spiritual truths; they are not truths in and of themselves.

When we Christians focus too much on worship rituals in defining “how we worship” we run the risk of elevating the metaphor to God-ordained law, just as the Pharisees did with the Sabbath. Progressive Christian Reverends should begin using the power of the pulpit on Sunday mornings to begin talking more about the daily bread of worship: worship that includes being better stewards of the Garden; caring better for the bodies God has granted us; listening closer for the sound of the Holy Spirit as it struggles to make itself known within us and others; and attending more generously to the needs of family, friends, co-workers, and community as a whole.

“

1. “When you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward! – Matthew 6:5 [↩]
2. “Suffer it be so for the present,” Jesus answered, “since it is fitting for us thus to satisfy every claim of religion.” Matthew 3:15 [↩]

John – Gospel 2 – Jesus Turns Water into Wine

Two days after this there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother was there. 2 Jesus himself, too, with his disciples, was invited to the wedding. 3 And, when the wine ran short, his mother said to him: “They have no wine left.” 4 “What do you want with me?” answered Jesus. “My time has not come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 There were standing there six stone water-jars, in accordance with the Jewish rule of ‘purification,’ each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants: “Fill the water-jars with water;” 8 And, when they had filled them to the brim, he added: “Now take some out, and carry it to the master of the feast.” The servants did so.

9 And, when the master of the feast had tasted the water which had now become wine, not knowing where it had come from—although the servants who had taken out the water knew—10 He called the bridegroom and said to him: “Everyone puts good wine on the table first, and inferior wine afterwards, when his guests have drunk freely; but you have kept back the good wine till now!”

11 This, the first sign of his mission, Jesus gave at Cana in Galilee, and by it revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; but they stayed there only a few days. 13 Then, as the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 In the temple courts he found people who were selling bullocks, sheep, and pigeons, and the money-changers at their counters. 15 So he made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and bullocks as well; he scattered the money of the money-changers, and overturned their tables, 16 And said to the pigeon-dealers: “Take these things away. Do not turn my Father’s house into a market-house.”

17 His disciples remembered that scripture said: ‘The zeal of thy house hath consumed me.’ 18 Upon this the Jews asked Jesus: “What sign are you going to show us, since you act in this way?” 19 “Destroy this temple,” was his answer, “and I will raise it in three days.”

20 “This temple,” replied the Jews, “has been forty-six years in building, and are you going to ‘raise it in three days’?” 21 But Jesus was speaking of his body as a temple. 22 Afterwards, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the passage of scripture, and the words which Jesus had spoken.

23 While Jesus was in Jerusalem, during the Passover festival, many came to trust in him, when they saw the signs of his mission that he was giving. 24 But Jesus did not trust himself to them, since he could read every heart, 25 And because he did not need that others should tell him what people were; for he could of himself read what was in them.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 3.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 4 – Christ Is The Living Water

Now, when the Master heard that the Pharisees had been told that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (Though it was not Jesus himself, but his disciples, who baptized), 3 He left Judea, and set out again for Galilee. 4 He had to pass through Samaria, 5 And, on his way, he came to a Samaritan town called Shechem, near the plot of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s spring was there, and Jesus, being tired after his journey, sat down beside the spring, just as he was. It was then about midday.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water; and Jesus said to her: “Give me some to drink,” 8 For his disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 “How is it,” replied the Samaritan woman, “that you who are a Jew ask for water from a Samaritan woman like me?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans). 10 “If you knew of the gift of God,” replied Jesus, “and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me some water,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

11 “You have no bucket, sir, and the well is deep,” she said; “where did you get that ‘living water?’ 12 Surely you are not greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us the well, and used to drink from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle!” 13 “All who drink of this water,” replied Jesus, “will be thirsty again; 14 But all who drink once of the water that I will give them shall never thirst anymore; but the water that I will give them shall become a spring welling up from within—a source of everlasting life.”

15 “Give me this water, sir,” said the woman, “so that I may not be thirsty, nor have to come all the way here to draw water.” 16 “Go and call your husband,” said Jesus, “and then come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” answered the woman. “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’” replied Jesus, 18 “For you have had five husbands, and the man with whom you are now living is not your husband; in saying that, you have spoken the truth.”
19 “I see, sir, that you are a prophet!” exclaimed the woman. 20 “It was on this mountain that our ancestors worshiped; and yet you Jews say that the proper place for worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Believe me,” replied Jesus, “a time is coming when it will be neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, that you will worship the Father. 22 You Samaritans do not know what you worship; we know what we worship, for salvation comes from the Jews.”

23 But a time is coming, indeed it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father spiritually and truly; for such are the worshipers that the Father desires. 24 God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship spiritually and truly.” 25 “I know,” answered the woman, “that the Messiah, who is called the Christ, is coming; when once he has come, he will tell us everything.” 26 “I am he,” Jesus said to her, “I who am speaking to you.”

27 At this moment his disciples came up, and were surprised to find him talking with a woman; but none of them asked ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’ 28 So the woman, leaving her pitcher, went back to the town, and said to the people: 29 “Come and see someone who has told me everything that I have done. Can he be the Christ?” 30 And the people left the town and went to see Jesus.

31 Meanwhile the disciples kept saying to him: “Take something to eat, Rabbi.” 32 “I have food to eat,” he answered, “of which you know nothing.” 33 “Can anyone have brought him anything to eat?” the disciples said to one another. 34 “My food,” replied Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work.”

35 “Do not you say that it still wants four months to harvest? Why, look up, and see how white the fields are for harvest! 36 Already the reaper is receiving wages and gathering in sheaves for eternal life, so that sower and reaper rejoice together. 37 For here the proverb holds good: ‘One sows, another reaps.’ 38 I have sent you to reap from that which you have spent no labor; others have labored, and you have entered upon the results of their labor.”

39 Many from that town came to believe in Jesus—Samaritans though they were—on account of the woman’s statement: ‘He has told me everything that I have done.’ 40 And, when these Samaritans had come to Jesus, they begged him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 But far more came to believe in him on account of what he said himself, 42 And they said to the woman: “It is no longer because of what you say that we believe in him, for we have heard him ourselves and know that he really is the Christ, the savior of the world.”

43 After these two days Jesus went on to Galilee; 44 For he himself declared that a prophet is not honored in his own country. 45 When he entered Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, for they had seen all that he did at Jerusalem during the festival, at which they also had been present. 46 So Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.

Now there was one of the king’s officers whose son was lying ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had returned from Judea to Galilee, he went to him, and begged him to come down and cure his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus answered: “Unless you all see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” 49 “Sir,” said the officer, “come down before my child dies.” And Jesus answered: “Go, your son is living.”

50 The man believed what Jesus said to him, and went; 51 And, while he was on his way down, his servants met him, and told him that his child was living. 52 So he asked them at what time the boy began to get better. “It was yesterday, about one o’clock,” they said, “that the fever left him.” 53 By this, the father knew that it was at the very time when Jesus had said to him ‘Your son is living’; and he himself, with all his household, believed in Jesus. 54 This was the second occasion on which Jesus gave a sign of his mission on coming from Judea to Galilee.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 5.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 9 – I am the Light of the World

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth. 2 “Rabbi,” asked his disciples, “who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither the man nor the parents,” replied Jesus; “but he was born blind that the work of God should be made plain in him. 4 We must do the work of him who sent me, while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Saying this, Jesus spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he said, “and wash your eyes in the pool of Siloam” (a word meaning ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed his eyes, and returned able to see.

8 Upon this his neighbors, and those who had formerly known him by sight as a beggar, exclaimed: “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 “Yes,” some said, “it is”; while others said: “No, but he is like him.” The man himself said: “I am he.”

10 “How did you get your sight, then?” they asked. 11 “The man whom they call Jesus,” he answered, “made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: ‘Go to Siloam and wash your eyes.’ So I went and washed my eyes, and gained my sight.” 12 “Where is he?” they asked. I do not know,” he answered. 13 They then took the man, who had been blind, to the Pharisees.

14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and gave him his sight. 15 So the Pharisees also questioned the man as to how he had gained his sight. “He put clay on my eyes,” he answered, “and I washed them, and I can see.”

16 “The man cannot be from God,” said some of the Pharisees, “for he does not keep the Sabbath.” “How is it possible,” retorted others, “for a bad man to give signs like this?” 17 So there was a difference of opinion among them, and they again questioned the man; “What do you yourself say about him, for it is to you that he has given sight?”

18 The Jews, however, refused to believe that he had been blind and had gained his sight until they had called his parents and questioned them. 19 “Is this your son,” they asked, “who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he can see now?”

20 “We know that this is our son,” answered the parents, “and that he was born blind; 21 But how it is that he can see now we do not know; nor do we know who it was that gave him his sight. Ask him—he is old enough—he will tell you about himself.”

22 His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that, if anyone should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, they should be expelled from their synagogues. 23 This was why his parents said: ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

24 So the Jews again called the man who had been blind, and said to him: “Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man.” 25 “I know nothing about his being a bad man,” he replied; “one thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I can see.”

26 “What did he do to you?” they asked. “How did he give you your sight?” 27 “I told you just now,” he answered, “and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Surely you also do not want to become his disciples?”

28 “You are his disciple,” they retorted scornfully; “but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; but, as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

30 “Well,” the man replied, “this is very strange; you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has given me my sight! We know that God never listens to bad people, but, when we are god-fearing and do God’s will, God listens to us. 32 Since the world began, such a thing was never heard of as anyone giving sight to a person born blind. 33 If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all.”

34 “You,” they retorted, “were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?” So they expelled him.

35 Jesus heard of their having put him out; and, when he had found the man, he asked: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Tell me who he is, sir,” he replied, “so that I may believe in him.” 37 “Not only have you seen him,” said Jesus; “but it is he who is now speaking to you.”

38 “Then, sir, I do believe,” said the man, bowing to the ground before him; 39 And Jesus added: “It was to put men to the test that I came into this world, in order that those that cannot see should see, and that those that can see should become blind.”

40 Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said: “Then are we blind too?” 41 “If you had been blind,” replied Jesus, “you would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, you say, ‘We can see,’ so your sin remains.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 10.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Top Progressive-Liberal Christian Websites

The Progressive Christian Alliance: The PCA hopes to provide a venue for those individuals who feel somewhat out-of-step with their home congregations to raise their own voices in a more progressive message; for progressive congregations to join their voices with other progressives across denominational lines without sacrificing their own denominational identity; and for independent churches to form a stronger denominational bond with other like-minded congregations without compromising their identity.

The Center for Progressive Christianity: From its inception, the focus of TCPC has been primarily about rethinking and re-conceptualizing the theological and Christological foundations of the Christian faith. The leadership of the organization was and has remained convinced that our supporters and readers are expressing a deep desire to find resources and constructive ways to understand and teach what the newest science, biblical, sociological and historical scholarship has to say about the Christian religion and ways to integrate that information into one’s faith and to create healthy, dynamic Christian communities.

Crossleft: A grassroots organization created to address questions like: What if our faith and our politics could clearly come together? What if we were no longer made to feel like we had to choose? What if we, as progressive Christians, could help to reframe the ongoing conversation about faith?

Progressive Christian Network of Victoria: This progressive Christian network provides opportunities for sharing experience, knowledge and resources among members and other interested persons; organizes seminars, colloquiums and discussions. Coordinates and promote speaking tours by eminent international and Australian thinkers and teachers; and interacts with kindred bodies at the national and international level to pursue common aims.

The Progressive Christian (formerly Zion’s Herald): One of the oldest truly progressive religious publications in the United States, created in 1823. It’s had a largely Methodist and New England identity but today is a national bi-monthly with an ecumenical/interfaith editorial outlook. Since reviving in 2000 in its current magazine format, it has earned national/international recognition, and is reaching a growing readership across the U.S.

The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship: Serves Christian Unitarians and Universalists according to their expressed religious needs; upholds and promotes the Christian witness within the Unitarian Universalist Association; and upholds and promotes the historic Unitarian and Universalist witness and conscience within the church universal.

Westar Institute: An independent research and education organization that promotes religious literacy by promoting and disseminating contemporary biblical and religion scholarship to a wider audience. Through its well known Jesus Seminar project, Westar has made a significant contribution to the rediscovery of Jesus’ distinctive vision of life under the divine domain.

Radical Faith: Thinking about Christianity inevitably involves a degree of technical detail which many find off-putting. Radical Faith attempts to step back from the technical trees to take in the wider forest of faith. In short, it tries to narrow the gap between theology and the ordinary Christian.

The Effective Living Centre (ELC): The Centre grew out of a vision that people appreciate space for reflection, learning, new beginnings, vitality and joy. The vision is based on these core values: there is growth and learning throughout life; the integrity and value of each individual and community grouping must be respected; there is richness and diversity among citizens and within families; the sacred and creative dimensions of life are an integral part of living. All ELC programs are pro-active and respect clients’ belief systems.

Common Sense Christianity: An online resource for books, articles, reviews and other materials that explore ways to “hold Jesus central in our faith-lives, without calling him God or adopting doctrines developed for the Roman Empire — and without abandoning modern science, ignoring suffering in the world, or pretending that we have all the answers.”

Faith Voices for the Common Good: Faith Voices seeks to educate the wider public about the shared values, issues, and ethical concerns of religious people and their organizations. It enhances community interconnections among its diverse member organizations to coordinate efforts to educate others about major social issues. We make use of a powerful new technology, Synanim, an internet system that educates through dialogue and collaborative creation of ideas.

Emerging Church: 2009 Spring Conference

The Center for Action and Contemplation has announced its Spring 2009 conference, titled The Emerging Church: Conversations, Convergence and Action. The 3 day conference will be held at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22, 2009.

The Emerging Church conference should be of interest to all those involved in the progressive Christianity movement. Speakers will include Brian McLaren; CAC founder, Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM; Phyllis Tickle; Alexie Torres-Fleming; and Shane Claiborne. In this first large gathering of Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and other Christians seeking to explore this emergence and convergence together.

Attendees can expect to be inspired by provocative dialogue with spiritual leaders and engage in in-depth conversation about our shared quests for:

* a fresh understanding of Jesus
* spirituality that links contemplation and action
* social justice
* holistic mission
* authentic community

For more information about The Emerging Church: Conversations, Convergence and Action conference, please go to www.cacradicalgrace.org

John – Chapter 16 – The Spirit of Truth

“I have spoken to you in this way so that you may not falter. 2 They will expel you from their synagogues; indeed the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think that they are making an offering to God. 3 They will do this, because they have not learned to know the Father, or even me. 4 But I have spoken to you of these things that, when the time for them comes, you may remember that I told you about them myself. 5 I did not tell you all this at first, because I was with you. But now I am to return to him who sent me; and yet not one of you asks me: ‘Where are you going?’”

6 “Although your hearts are full of sorrow at all that I have been saying to you. 7 Yet I am only telling you the truth; it is for your good that I should go away. For otherwise the Helper will never come to you, but, if I leave you, I will send him to you. 8 And he, when he comes, will bring conviction to the world as to sin, and as to righteousness, and as to judgment; 9 As to sin, for people do not believe in me; 10 As to righteousness, for I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 As to judgment, for the spirit that is ruling this world has been condemned.”

12 “I have still much to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. 13 Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes it will guide you into all truth; for it will not speak on its own authority, but it will speak of all that it hears; and it will tell you of the things that are to come. 14 It will honor me; because it will take of what is mine, and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said that he takes of what is mine, and will tell it to you. 16 In a little while you will no longer see me; and then in a little while you will see me indeed.”

17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another: “What does he mean by saying to us: ‘In a little while you will not see me, and then in a little while you will see me indeed’; and by saying ‘Because I am going to the Father’? 18 What does he mean by ‘In a little while’?” they said; “we do not know what he is speaking about.”

19 Jesus saw that they were wanting to ask him a question, and said: “Are you trying to find out from one another what I meant by saying: ‘In a little while you will not see me; and then in a little while you will see me indeed’? 20 In truth I tell you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will suffer pain, but your pain shall turn to joy.”

21 “A woman in labor is in pain because her time has come; but no sooner is the child born, than she forgets her trouble in her joy that a baby has been born into the world. 22 You, in the same way, are sorry now; but I shall see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. 23 And at that time you will not ask me anything; in truth I tell you, if you ask the Father for anything, he will grant it to you in my name. 24 So far you have not asked for anything in my name; ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”

25 “I have spoken to you of all this in proverbs; a time is coming, however, when I shall not speak any longer to you in proverbs, but shall tell you about the Father plainly. 26 At that time you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I will intercede with the Father for you; 27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came out from the Father, and have come into the world; and now I am to leave the world, and go to the Father.”

29 “At last,” exclaimed the disciples, “you are using plain words and not speaking in proverbs at all. 30 Now we are sure that you know everything, and need not wait for anyone to question you. This makes us believe that you did come from God.” 31 “Do you believe that already?” Jesus answered.

32 “Listen! A time is coming—indeed it has already come—when you are to be scattered, each going his own way, and to leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have spoken to you in this way, so that in me you may find peace. In the world you will find trouble; yet, be of good cheer! I have conquered the world.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 17.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 19 – Jesus Carries His Cross

After that, Pilate had Jesus scourged. 2 The soldiers made a crown with some thorns, and put it on his head, and threw a purple robe round him. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying: “Long live the King of the Jews!” and they gave him blow after blow with their hands.

4 Pilate again came outside, and said to the people: “Look! I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find nothing with which he can be charged.” 5 Then Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe; and Pilate said to them: “Here is the man!”

6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” said Pilate. “For my part, I find nothing with which he can be charged.”

7 “But we,” replied the Jews, “have a law under which he deserves death, for making himself out to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard what they said, he became still more alarmed; 9 And, going into the government house again, he said to Jesus: “Where do you come from?”

10 But Jesus made no reply. So Pilate said to him: “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do not you know that I have the power to release you, and the power to crucify you?” 11 “You would have no power over me at all,” answered Jesus, “if it had not been given you from above; and, therefore, the man who betrayed me to you is guilty of the greater sin.” 12 This made Pilate anxious to release him; but the Jews shouted: “If you release that man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who makes himself out to be a king is setting himself against the Emperor!”

13 On hearing what they said, Pilate brought Jesus out, and took his seat upon the bench at a place called ‘The Stone Pavement’—in Hebrew ‘Gabbatha.’14 It was the Passover preparation day, and about noon. Then he said to the Jews: “Here is your King!” 15 At that the people shouted: “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”

“What! Shall I crucify your king?” exclaimed Pilate. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests; 16 Whereupon Pilate gave Jesus up to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17 And he went out, carrying his cross himself to the place named for a skull, or, in Hebrew, Golgotha.

18 There they crucified him, and two others with him—one on each side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had these words written, and put up over the cross: ‘JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ 20 These words were read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and they were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 The Jewish chief priests said to Pilate: “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews’, but write what the man said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’” 22 But Pilate answered: “What I have written, I have written.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares—a share for each soldier—and they took the coat also. The coat had no seam, being woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said to one another: “Do not let us tear it, but let us cast lots for it, to see who shall have it.” This was in fulfillment of the words of scripture: ‘They shared my clothes among them, and over my clothing they cast lots.’ That was what the soldiers did.

25 Meanwhile near the cross of Jesus were standing his mother and his mother’s sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved, standing near, he said to his mother: “There is your son.” 27 Then he said to that disciple: “There is your mother.” And from that very hour the disciple took her to live in his house.

28 Afterwards, knowing that everything was now finished, Jesus said, in fulfillment of the words of scripture: “I am thirsty.” 29 There was a bowl standing there full of common wine; so they put a sponge soaked in the wine on the end of a hyssop-stalk, and held it up to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he exclaimed: “All is finished!” Then, bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.

31 It was the preparation day, and so, to prevent the bodies from remaining on the crosses during the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a great day), the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. 32 Accordingly the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and then those of the other who had been crucified with Jesus; 33 But, on coming to him, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water immediately flowed from it.

35 This is the statement of one who actually saw it—and his statement may be relied upon, and he knows that he is speaking the truth—and it is given in order that you also may be convinced. 36 For all this took place in fulfillment of the words of scripture: ‘Not one of its bones shall be broken.’ 37 And there is another passage which says: ‘They will look upon him whom they pierced.’

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus—but a secret one, owing to his fear of the Jews—begged Pilate’s permission to remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him leave; so Joseph went and removed the body. 39 Nicodemus, too—the man who had formerly visited Jesus by night—came with a roll of myrrh and aloes, weighing nearly a hundred pounds.

40 They took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen with the spices, according to the Jewish mode of burial. 41 At the place where Jesus had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a newly-made tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because of its being the preparation day, and as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

To read the next chapter in the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 20.

Excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Testament Gospels). A faith book especially suited for Progressive Christianity workshops, Bible Study Groups, Unitarian Christians, and all who seek a richer life.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

John – Gospel 20 – Doubting Thomas

On the first day of the week, early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been removed. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter, and to that other disciple who was Jesus’ friend, and said to them: “They have taken away the Master out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!” 3 Upon this, Peter started off with that other disciple, and they went to the tomb. 4 The two began running together; but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first.

5 Stooping down, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but did not go in. 6 Presently Simon Peter came following behind him, and went into the tomb; and he looked at the linen wrappings lying there, 7 And the cloth which had been upon Jesus’ head, not lying with the wrappings, but rolled up on one side, separately. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went inside too, and he saw for himself and was convinced. 9 For they did not then understand the passage of scripture which says that Jesus must rise again from the dead.

10 The disciples then returned to their companions. 11 Meanwhile Mary was standing close outside the tomb, weeping. Still weeping, she leant forward into the tomb, 12 And perceived two angels clothed in white sitting there, where the body of Jesus had been lying, one where the head and the other where the feet had been. 13 “Why are you weeping?” asked the angels. “They have taken my Master away,” she answered, “and I do not know where they have laid him.”

14 After saying this, she turned round and looked at Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 “Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” he asked. Supposing him to be the gardener, Mary answered: “If it was you, sir, who carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away myself.” 16 “Mary!” said Jesus. She turned round, and exclaimed in Hebrew: “Rabboni!” (or, as we would say, ‘Teacher’).

17 “Do not hold me,” Jesus said; “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my Brothers, and tell them that I am ascending to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.” 18 Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Master, and that he had said this to her.

19 In the evening of the same day—the first day of the week—after the doors of the room in which the disciples were had been shut for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said: “Peace be with you”; 20 After which he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Master.

21 Again Jesus said to them: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me as his messenger, so I am sending you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit; 23 If you remit anyone’s sins, they have been remitted; and, if you retain them, they have been retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came; 25 So the rest of the disciples said to him: “We have seen the Master!” “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands,” he exclaimed, “and put my finger into the marks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

26 A week later the disciples were again in the house, and Thomas with them. After the doors had been shut, Jesus came and stood among them, and said: “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas: “Place your finger here, and look at my hands; and place your hand here, and put it into my side; and do not refuse to believe, but believe.” 28 And Thomas exclaimed: “My Master, and my God!” 29 “Is it because you have seen me that you have believed?” said Jesus. “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed!”

30 There were many other signs of his mission that Jesus gave in presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book; 31 But these have been recorded that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God—and that through your belief in his name you may have life.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go toThe Gospel of John – 21.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

The Lord’s Prayer In Aramaic

There have been many translations of The Lord’s Prayer in hundreds of languages. But the one which perhaps is most fascinating to Christians is the translation in Aramaic, the language which Jesus spoke.

The following is an Aramaic translation of The Lord’s Prayer, the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him how to pray, the prayer which is the Rosetta Stone for understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic

Abwûn:
Oh Thou, from whom the breath of life comes,

d’bwaschmâja:
Who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.

Nethkâdasch schmach:
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.

Têtê malkuthach:
Your Heavenly Domain approaches.

Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d’bwaschmâja af b’arha:
Let Your will come true – in the universe just as on earth

Hawvlân lachma d’sûnkanân jaomâna: Give us wisdom for our daily need,

Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna daf chnân schwoken l’chaijabên:
Detach the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma) like we let go the guilt of others.

Wela tachlân l’nesjuna:
Let us not be lost in superficial things,

Ela patzân min bischa:
But let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.

Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l’ahlâm almîn.
From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act,
the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.

Amên: Sealed in trust, faith and truth.

——–

What is the Lord’s Prayer? It is a short prayer, but one that is filled with layers of esoteric meanings. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life to begin discovering the prayer’s hidden messages. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

If you would like to read The Lord’s Prayer in a Latin translation, please go to: The Lord’s Prayer in Latin.

The Lord’s Prayer In Greek

There is a humorous story about an American congressman who, fighting for the sanctity of the English language, exclaimed that if English was good enough for Jesus Christ it’s good enough for him! As most of us know, Jesus did not speak English. His native language was Aramaic. And the Gospel scriptures were written in Greek.

For those curious, the following is a Greek translation of the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him how to pray, the prayer which is the Rosetta Stone for understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

ΠΑΤΕΡ ΗΜΩΝ Ο ΕΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΙΣ
ΑΓΙΑΣΘΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΟΝΟΜΑ ΣΟΥ
ΕΛΘΕΤΩ Η ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ ΣΟΥ
ΓΕΝΗΘΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΘΕΛΗΜΑ ΣΟΥ,
ΩΣ ΕΝ ΟΥΡΑΝΩ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙ ΤΗΣ ΓΗΣ
ΤΟΝ ΑΡΤΟΝ ΗΜΩΝ ΤΟΝ ΕΠΙΟΥΣΙΟΝ
ΔΟΣ ΗΜΙΝ ΣΗΜΕΡΟΝ
ΚΑΙ ΑΦΕΣ ΗΜΙΝ ΤΑ ΟΦΕΙΛΗΜΑΤΑ ΗΜΩΝ,
ΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΗΜΕΙΣ ΑΦΙΕΜΕΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΟΦΕΙΛΕΤΑΙΣ ΗΜΩΝ
ΚΑΙ ΜΗ ΕΙΣΕΝΕΓΚΗΣ ΗΜΑΣ ΕΙΣ ΠΕΙΡΑΣΜΟΝ,
ΑΛΛΑ ΡΥΣΑΙ ΗΜΑΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΟΝΗΡΟΥ.
ΑΜΗΝ.

For those who cannot read Greek. Here is a transliteration of the above text.

Pater hêmôn ho en toes ouranoes;
hagiasthêtô to onoma sou;
elthetô hê basileia sou;
genêthêtô to thelêma sou,
hôs en ouranô, kae epi tês gês.
ton arton hêmôn ton epiousion dos hêmin sêmeron;
kae aphes hêmin ta opheilêmata hêmôn,
hôs kae hêmeis aphiemen toes opheiletaes hêmôn;
kae mê eisenenkês hêmas eis peirasmon,
alla rhysae hêmas apo tou ponerou.
hoti sou estin hê basileia kae hê dynamis kae hê doxa eis tous aeônas;
amên.

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer & how God is with us today. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour Book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

If you would like to read The Lord’s Prayer from the King James version of The New Testament, please go to: The Lord’s Prayer in King James English.

 

The Lord’s Prayer – In Latin Translation

It really is a shame that we no longer teach Latin in our schools, for Latin has a grace, beauty, and music that English has a difficult time rivaling. This is not to say that Latin is better than English, only that each language has different strong points; and gracefulness is one area where Latin usually triumphs.

The following is a Latin translation of The Lord’s Prayer , the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him how to pray, the prayer which is the Rosetta Stone for understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We suggest that it be read it out loud for full appreciation.

PATER noster, qui es in caelis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut
et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo.
Amen.

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer & how God is with us today. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour Book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

If you would like to read The Lord’s Prayer in a German translation, please go to: The Lord’s Prayer in German.

The Lord’s Prayer: In Pennylvania Dutch (Deutsch)

The Lord’s Prayer played a strong role in the services and worship of the Germans who settled in Pennsylvania. Pastor David, the director of LivingHour.org, numbers his ancestors among these German settlers. In homage to them, we offer a Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) translation of The Lord’s Prayer, the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him how to pray. It is this prayer that Jesus advises us to pray instead of making requests for specific things, as God already knows what we need.

The Lord’s Prayer

Unsah Faddah im Himmel,
dei nohma loss heilich sei,
Dei Reich loss kumma.
Dei villa loss gedu sei,
uf di eaht vi im Himmel.
Unsah tayklich broht gebb uns heit,
Un fagebb unsah shulda,
vi miah dee fagevva vo uns shuldich sinn.
Un fiah uns naett in di fasuchung,
avvah hald uns fu’m eevila.
[Fa dei is es Reich, di graft,
un di hallichkeit in ayvichkeit.
Amen.]

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer & how God is with us today. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour Book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

To read The Lord’s Prayer in a Greek translation, the language in which the New Testament was written, please go to: The Lord’s Prayer in Greek.

« Previous Page