Signs of sanity in the US emerging?

[RayThom]

As an atheist there were no questions directly related to my godless mindset. Ergo, I had to improvise by answering everything as a quasi-pseudo-christian. Due to my ideology some of these questions had nothing whatsoever geared toward this lack of belief so I answered what I thought to be "most nearly correct."

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christi ... e-You.aspx

My results (if I were to ever consider myself a christian):
You are A Bishop John Shelby Spong* Christian
A.k.a. a Marcus Borg, Karen Armstrong Christian. Your Christian history begins with the Gospel of Thomas, or at least you'd like to include any and all ancient reports on Jesus in your understanding of the Christian savior. Some people call you a "mainline" Christian, which is an odd moniker since "mainline" is simply shorthand for historic denominational Christianity in America. But for several decades, mainliners like you have not identified with evangelical Christianity and have incorporated liberal theological concepts into the practice of the faith.

* https://www.christiancourier.com/articl ... -nightmare

[Big RR]

I wasn't crazy about the quiz; a good number of questions would have been answered "none of the above" if that choice were presented. but here's my result:

A.k.a. a Rob Bell, Phyllis Tickle, N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, Eugene Peterson Christian. You subscribe to Sojourners or Relevant...or, more likely, Rolling Stone, Paste and The Atlantic. (And maybe even Geez!) Your Christian history is rooted in St. Francis, who leads (through Gandhi) to Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. You emphasize social justice as an element of God's kingdom. You might be "emergent" or "progressive," but you're probably post-evangelical.

Want more? Watch videos with Brian McLaren. See Rob Bell on the resurrection. Read Phyllis Tickle's Lent blog. Read our interview with N.T. Wright.




Not sure what the difference is between emergent, post evangelical or progressive, but I guess I do identify with the emphasis on social justice..

[MajGenl.Meade]

I felt much the same way, Big RR. Kudos to Ray for taking the test - even making an honest attempt at being a bit Christiany, he ended up with the atheist Spong

You are A Billy Graham Christian. A.k.a. a Rick Warren, Beth Moore Christian. Your Christianity emerged with John Calvin and Martin Luther, and was refined in America by D.L. Moody and Carl F.H. Henry. You subscribe to Christianity Today and read Karen Kingsbury and Ted Dekker novels. You've taken the Love Dare. Or not—this category of evangelical Christian is broad and diverse, but is held together by classic evangelical theology, including a high view of scripture and the emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus

.

Who are all these people (obviously Graham/Warren/Spong I know of)?

[Crackpot]

apparently I was not predetermined to take the test. it won't work for me

[MajGenl.Meade]

[Lord Jim]

I've decided that I'm an Atheist...

I still believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and The Truth Of The Resurrection, but that should be no barrier...

I agree with a few things that Christopher Hitchens said, (not about religion, but so what) so therefore my personal decision to call myself an Atheist should be respected...

If I say I'm one that should be good enough...

My decision to accept Jesus Christ as My Lord and Saviour should be no impediment to my ability to be an Atheist...

This is a free country; I have every right to call myself anything I want to...

Next week, I may decide to declare myself a rhinoceros...

And no one will have any right to dispute that I'm not....

[MajGenl.Meade]

No argument there

[Econoline]

CP - I had the same result, but after closing my browser and starting over it worked fine.

I started the quiz with basically the same concerns as Ray, and wound up with the identical result. Wikipedia has a pretty fair article on Spong (who does *NOT* consider himself an atheist, BTW, but rather a Christian reformer), including his 12 Points for Reform of Christianity. I don't consider myself any kind of Christian anymore, but if I did, that's the kind I'd be.




ETA: Jim - I'm sure many in the Tea Party wing of the GOP would already consider you a RINO...

[BoSoxGal]

I'm a Bishop Spong Christian, which comes as no surprise, as he and Karen Armstrong and many similar theologians are on my bookshelf. Had I gone to divinity school (oh how I wish I had!), I'd no doubt have been a very liberal pastor myself.

Instead I went to law school and by the end of that, and then years of being a cog of some kind in the legal system, I stopped really believing in God.

[Gob]

If you tick

The Bible is...

A contradictory and often racist, misogynist, and violent book that has done at least as much harm as good.

You don't get judged. How apt.

[Lord Jim]

I just took Ray's quiz, and found myself associated with some wing bat I have never heard of before who embraces something called "Post Modern Christianity"...

Which sounds like a phrase that was concocted by some New Age Chowder Head from Marin...

"Post Modern Christianity" sounds like a fuzzy brained way of saying "not Christian"...

I may not be a particularly good Christian, (I'm sure I'm not) but I sure as hell ain't a "post modern" one...

[wesw]

well, if Obama is the post racist president.....

nevermind, that s bull too...

[Big RR]

Jim--as I recall, postmodern is a generic term that encompasses a lot of the progressive movement in christianity, eschewing the rigid orthodoxy of the evangelicals and the more orthodox churches in favor of a more studied and reasoned approach to the teachings and theology. I think it includes what is commonly called liberal Christianity and many of the other "progressive" movements the emergent and the post-evangelical movements mentioned in the results I got (but I'm not certain because I haven't had the time to look them up).

So congratulations, you now can call yourself a liberal

[MajGenl.Meade]

...and stop calling yourself a Christian

[Big RR]

In the words of Ronald Reagan, there you go again.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Bartender! Smiley faces all round!

[oldr_n_wsr]

I think the world needs some form of post-modern Islam.

[wesw]

amen