SanghaToday Blog

As people seek a place where worship is meaningful for them, both St. Lawrence and Carmel UMC devote a lot of energy to the planning and execution of worship. At Fellowship Church, for instance, music plays a significant role, as the choir is an inseparable part in the services; there are vocal and instrumental solos; sermons are inspired accounts of biblical stories in view of current situations filled with clever turns of phrase and shrewd use of present-day foreign literature, which in Colorado is rendered for them by the Denver Certified Translation organizations. On the other hand, the regular reinvention and reinterpretation of the symbols the Catholics bring with them from a variety of sources into this newly-formed Roman Catholic place and the ever-changing pattern of clergy participation is what makes worship at St. Lawrence so exciting. Therefore, Golden Rule Christians may participate in tutoring programs or home-building efforts; they want the church to collect money to send in times of disaster; they like the idea of hosting food pantries or organizing work teams to help senior citizens care for their homes; and they want their churches to be involved in serving the community.

Another relevant argument is the fact that there is an omnipresent approach of religiosity in the United States today and this needs further consideration and discussion. Sociologists cannot afford to dismiss a form of lived religion merely because it does not measure up to orthodox theological standards simply because theologians argue that Golden Rule Christians have no coherent theology, and evangelists might worry about their eternal souls. As it is far too widespread, Golden Rule Christianity is not to be underestimated and the NYC Translation group, which have been involved in the translation of various documents, prove this point. America has always been typified by a strong trait of unorthodox, but spiritual religiosity, says Gregory Thornton, and it is the same spiritual morality that nineteenth-century moralistic works and other religious doctrines owe their success to, he goes on to explain.

Throughout the history of religion in the United States, something similar to Golden Rule Christians seems to have been a fact of life, i.e., it is not governed by beliefs, but is based on practice and experience; God is located in moments of transcendence and in the everyday virtues of doing good; Golden Rule Christianity emphasizes relationships and compassion; the good citizen invests in care for family and friends, tries to provide friendly help in the community, and seeks ways to make the larger world a better place. God is what most Golden Rule Christians are willing to call what is bigger and what they find themselves in the presence of, as religious denominations are what they still identify with. Furthermore, as pointed out by the translator who translated some of the findings for the Houston Certified Translation office, they come to church to find the sacred space and time in which the encounters with God occur. The congregations they prefer are likely to be shaped by the need for thoughtful time, as well as by an emphasis on child-raising and community service.