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Dear Friends,
If ever there
was a time when the world needed the message of religious
liberalism, this is it!
From the desert
mountains of Afghanistan to the belly of North America, religious
fundamentalism is on the move. If ever there was a time… this is
it!
Modern culture
has found itself waning because we have not successfully revisioned
the meaning of religion for the 21st century. If ever
there was a time… this is it!
Those who feel
that THEIR perspective is the ONLY perspective that EVERYONE should
adopt are fanning the flames of sexism, homophobia, racism, and
classism! If ever there was a time… this is it!
Religious
liberals have lost their voice in the public square, while
Protestants continue to define the meaning of terms such as “God,”
“spirit,” “salvation,” and “redemption.” If ever there
was a time… this is it!
So much is at
stake: the progress we have made in civil liberties, the future
state of the world for our children and grandchildren, the values
that underlie our individual freedoms, the very hearts that beat
within our breasts. If ever there was a time… this is it!
The things we
once fought so hard to achieve and now seem to take for granted are
under attack. We are in the midst of a culture war both within and
without our own country. We religious liberals must arise from our
slumber. For if ever there was a time when the world needed the
message of religious liberalism, this is it!
Please take some
time this week to ask yourselves what YOU have done as a religious
liberal to preserve our values. Further, ask yourselves what we, as
a liberal religious institution, SHOULD be doing to preserve our
values. Where, my friends, is our voice? What, my friends, should
that voice be saying? Further, as our canvass gets itself into high
gear this week, think of it as ONE way you can choose to support the
values we hold so dear.
Best
Wishes,
Reverend
Alexander Riegel
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