Welcome, officially, to the St. Paul's reading group

Hi all.

If you're new to this blog, welcome. If you've been trolling this site for a while, welcome back. And if you're new to church, you are most welcome here.

While the ostensible focus of this study group is Diana Butler Bass's book Christianity For the Rest of Us, this group and this blog are really designed for people in the parish and beyond to share their own faith journeys, how theirs intersects with the story of St. Paul's, and how this journey together might transform both themselves and the church.

It should go without saying, but it bears worth repeating: this is not a judging community. We lift up all stories as emblems of God's work in our lives; God is not limited to membership or doctrine, but works wherever God wants. So we honor God's overflowing spirit and all of us who manifest that abundance, however it looks.

With this in mind, I'd like to post a few ground rules for this blog. These "rules" are designed to help each of us engage one another as children of God, not as targets of particular ideologies or theologies. I hope these are not seen as restrictive, but rather as frameworks and opportunities through which participants can feel both safe and challenged, and write without fear but with anticipation for full engagement.

Ok, here are a few ground rules:

1. In either a blog proper or comment to a blog, you **must** provide some kind of identificatory mark. "Anonymous" comments will not be accepted. Anyone who comments should be able to stand by them by name.

2. This is not a place for any sort of ad hominem attack. Such criticisms will not be accepted by the moderator. We are a community that challenges one another, but we will not allow anyone to question the "faith" of anyone.

3. While the book is not a prerequisite to writing, please note that many of the participants will want to exchange ideas that permeate from the book. While blogs and comments from those who haven't read the book are welcome, we hope that the conversation prompts you to READ THE BOOK! If, at a particular point, it becomes clear that someone posts without any interest in engaging from a grounding in either the book or in constructive dialogue, the moderator reserves the right not to accept blogs or comments from this person.

4. The blog is many things, but perhaps the most important quality to blogs is to imagine wildly and boldly. Dream God's dream, even if it sounds absurd. We want to hear and see how you think God's reign looks like to you. Be brave!

5. Most importantly, pray before you blog.