Are there any churches I fit into?

[halfling]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science. I know there must be many identifying Christians who believe science is an excellent tool of learning truth and who are prepared to interpret the Bible non-literally.

I guess I just feel a lot of fear around trying to explore the elements of Christianity that did speak to me because other elements of it made me feel so much shame. Are there any groups or "churches" or people who study the Bible as a guide in a spiritual life but who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

Thank you in advance, I hope my questions are not offensive to any one in this forum.

 

[Winken]

You may want to attend a non-denominational Christian assembly. They generally do not have rules, regulations, things you "must" do, other than confess Jesus as Savior.

 

[Fish Catcher Jim]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science. I know there must be many identifying Christians who believe science is an excellent tool of learning truth and who are prepared to interpret the Bible non-literally.

I guess I just feel a lot of fear around trying to explore the elements of Christianity that did speak to me because other elements of it made me feel so much shame. Are there any groups or "churches" or people who study the Bible as a guide in a spiritual life but who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

Thank you in advance, I hope my questions are not offensive to any one in this forum.

Greetings @halfling ,
The best choice you could ever make is to seek The Father and find out where He wants you.
This is where you will find the Growth you need and the Provision you need and where Grace will abound unto you.
Blessings

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science. I know there must be many identifying Christians who believe science is an excellent tool of learning truth and who are prepared to interpret the Bible non-literally.

Catholics take the Bible seriously but also take science seriously. We learned a lesson back with Galileo that some other groups of Christians have still yet to grasp. The Bible is true if we understand it correctly. Good science is also true and it is crazy to deny it to protect a favorite interpretation of the Bible.

I guess I just feel a lot of fear around trying to explore the elements of Christianity that did speak to me because other elements of it made me feel so much shame. Are there any groups or "churches" or people who study the Bible as a guide in a spiritual life but who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

Catholics do have rules, but considering the whole Bible there are only a few handfuls of verses of the Bible that one must interpret in a particular way. We can follow different sorts of spirituality based on our individual temperaments. The intellect is surprisingly free within the Catholic Church to pursue truth wherever it lay.

 

[SkyWriting]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science. I know there must be many identifying Christians who believe science is an excellent tool of learning truth and who are prepared to interpret the Bible non-literally.

I guess I just feel a lot of fear around trying to explore the elements of Christianity that did speak to me because other elements of it made me feel so much shame. Are there any groups or "churches" or people who study the Bible as a guide in a spiritual life but who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

Thank you in advance, I hope my questions are not offensive to any one in this forum.

Unitarian Universalists have diverse and inclusive beliefs

 

[PloverWing]

Most of the mainline Protestant churches embrace science as a legitimate way of knowing about the world and encourage their members to ask questions and think critically about their faith. The mainline churches include the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. (Note that all of these churches have conservative counterparts, so look carefully at congregations' denominational affiliations when visiting.) The Friends (Quakers) are also very open to exploration and diversity. The Catholic Church, while much stricter in doctrine, definitely embraces modern science, as chevyontheriver has noted.

The CF forum "Whosoever Will May Come" has a number of participants who belong to mainline Protestant churches. You may find that a good forum in which to discuss some of your questions and concerns.

I wish you blessings in your search.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

you won't have much trouble finding what you're looking for.

 

[Radagast]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science.

I'm a Presbyterian of a conservative type, and a scientist, so I'm not sure what you mean.

... who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

OK, you've lost me there.

 

[PloverWing]

By the way, this:

There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science.

reminded me of part of my own spiritual journey. As I came into my adult faith, I had to find an expression of Christianity that didn't involve lying to myself. I've mostly found it, I think, but the journey was not easy.

 

[sfs]

As others have noted, there are a variety of churches you might try. You also might look into some people online that address issues like the ones you mention: Peter Enns (Old Testament scholar), Rob Bell (former pastor, author), The Liturgists (kind of hard to describe). All of them have podcasts, Bell and Enns have popular books and Enns has a blog.

 

[Serving Zion]

Hi there - I grew up in two churches, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but have long been inactive in the Church. I don't have the same feeling of connection to a Divine source as I did when I was a child or a teenager, and I miss it, but I don't see how the Christianity I grew up with can lead me back to that feeling of connection. There were aspects of Christianity that made me feel like I had to lie to myself in order to belong, especially when it came to ideas about the Absolute Truth of the Bible and a denial of science. I know there must be many identifying Christians who believe science is an excellent tool of learning truth and who are prepared to interpret the Bible non-literally.

I guess I just feel a lot of fear around trying to explore the elements of Christianity that did speak to me because other elements of it made me feel so much shame. Are there any groups or "churches" or people who study the Bible as a guide in a spiritual life but who aren't set on having any one interpretation or who are open to other guides (even from other religions) in their spiritual life as well?

Thank you in advance, I hope my questions are not offensive to any one in this forum.

I am one of those people that you are looking for, because I recognise your candour. A lot of people that I share the gospel with in public say the same thing you have said, that they find most Christian folk have this "taught" quality about them. What you are looking for, is really thoughtful people who like to sort out what's true and what's not while recognising that Jesus Christ is central to that pursuit.

The Lord has been leading me to attend many different churches over the last eight years without becoming a member or devotee of any one or another. In fact this is the way that He has assigned for me to practise my faith. I have yet to find any one church that operates impeccably according to my knowledge of the scriptures (so as to say that I have been able to truthfully find a fault in every church according to scripture - not that it is always worth raising! 1 Corinthians 10:23).

So there is no perfect church on earth today (AFAIK!). Yet, there are churches that I can recommend, and indeed that I recognise as being of good stock. It is because their fruits show they have remained of good conscience in God's sight (whereas consider John 13:20 vs Matthew 23:39). It is contrition, essentially, whereas the knowledge is yet growing until perfection (John 12:35, 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Ephesians 4:10-16).

So I say you should keep going around as many congregations as you can until you have found the one that is representing Him faithfully, that it will be the right place for you to belong (Proverbs 27:17, Galatians 5:9). It isn't a quality that belongs to any one denomination or another, it is all about love and righteousness that keeps the people in fit condition as vessels for The Holy Spirit. Jesus said you will know them by their fruit, and that we would be known by this: our love for one another.

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Love is patient and kind, does not dishonour others, does not keep records of wrongs, always perseveres, always trusts. It is gentle, not self-seeking, always looking out for the good of others.

This is the gospel booklet that I share: www.adonai-reigns.life/the-gospel.

 

[Albion]

Believing in science and thinking that everything in the Bible wasn't meant to be taken literally (which doesn't mean that it is to be considered erroneous) doesn't put you at odds with most Christian denominations.

However, the overall impression we take from your message is that you are a liberal Christian. As such (or if so), most of the mainline denominations are generally tolerant of disagreement on non-essential doctrines, but they still probably would require more of you than you are hoping for. Churches that probably would be close to what you are looking for, though, would include the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ (formerly called Congregationalists), traditional Friends (Quakers), and the Unitarian Universalists.