Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Saved From Salvation

Saved From Salvation: A Journey from Fundamentalism to a Ministry of Spiritual Humanism
latest book by Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

Saved From Salvation by Durrell Watkins, DMin (2014). Saved From Salvation chronicles a journey from fundamentalism to a ministry of spiritual humanism. The book is divided into three sections: (1) "The Winding Road Between Absurd Certainty & Infinite Possibilities" (2) "Sexuality & Spirituality" and (3) "So What, Now What? A Humanistic Spirituality".
The first section shares an interreligious journey from fundamentalist Christianity through Catholicism, the arts, Pentecostalism, Buddhism, Goddess/Nature spirituality, Anglicanism, Energy Healing, and "New Thought" all leading to blended and inclusive ministry in Metropolitan Community Churches. The second section tackles homophobia and heterosexism, looks at the bible and human sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular, and the spirituality of celebrating one's innate nature. The final section looks at non-theistic religion, progressive Christianity, liberating language, prayer, and the ministry that affirms the sacred value of all people and that seeks to build community rather than enforce stale, antiquated dogmas. The final pages offer a real hope, a genuine faith, a practical spirituality that can be shared by believers and skeptics, Christians and non-Christians, seekers of truth and makers of meaning of every type. 
The author affirms on the penultimate page of the final chapter, "I am so committed to the church of honest inquiry, the cathedral of fearless searching, the chapel of mind expanding ideas, the temple of indomitable hope, that I have spent my life so far believing in and building up worship communities, churches of the free spirit, churches of the open mind, churches that affirm and depend on human potential..."
Saved From Salvation is for anyone who has been through the religious wringer and still hopes to be part of a thriving, thoughtful, inclusive, spiritual community,and for all who have found such a community and wish for it to be a shining model of what shared spirituality can achieve.

Saved From Salvation 
Lulu Press 2014
Available at Amazon.com

2 comments:

Kittredge Cherry said...

Love the title, love the concept! I’m excited that your journey includes the arts, Buddhism, Goddess/Nature spirituality, and New Age spirituality as well as the more common paths. I’ve read other tales of transition from fundamentalism to LGBT-affirming progressive Christianity, but none of them include these other paths, which have also been important in my own life.

The title reminds me of an experience that Audrey had when we first joined MCC around 1986. Neither of us had any experience with Christian fundamentalists. We attended a “Womanspirit” gathering where everyone was brainstorming about what subjects we should address at future meetings. Audrey innocently suggested “salvation” as a topic -- and everyone else immediately attacked, launching into angry diatribes about how they had been wounded by fundies preaching salvation. It was shocking and mystifying to us. Now I understand that they needed to be saved from salvation.

Kittredge Cherry said...

I also want to salute you for the quote, “I am so committed to the church of honest inquiry, the cathedral of fearless searching…” I just read it out loud to Audrey, and she loved it too. You have a really wonderful way of putting it in words.