Part Three: Shared Values, Shared Life, a Renewed Civic Covenant
Here is where I believe a real opening appears. Across cultures, continents, and centuries, wisdom traditions have named remarkably similar public values. These values were not designed to win arguments or decorate sanctuaries. They were shaped to help human beings live together without destroying one another. They functioned as a kind of social contract—shared commitments…
Part Two: Two Bad Options—and the One We Keep Missing
Read part 1 here! Many people sense another danger just as clearly. They have watched some Christians move in the opposite direction—seeking to impose their worldview on others, using law, policy, and cultural pressure to enforce religious norms. In this version of faith, very little is left to conscience. Difference becomes threat. Power replaces persuasion.…
When Our Double Mind Turns Deadly
Our founding documents say that all people are created equal and born with rights that cannot be taken away—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that. But those same documents denied the full humanity of women, Indigenous people, and Black people. From the beginning, we told ourselves two stories at once: All people…
Part One: Faith as a Theme Park
Why the Sacred–Secular Split Leaves People Tired and Divided For most of my 34 years as a pastor, I’ve seen a pattern that keeps repeating. Many people want the church to be a kind of theological Disneyland. It’s a place you visit for inspiration, comfort, and meaning—and then you go home to the real world,…
Awaken to Our Challenges and Rise to Meet Them
As we finish our fundraising campaign, we want to share a quick snapshot of this year. We clarified our mission to “Gathering Neighbors, Growing Trust.” We also expanded our work into three clear areas: local practice and shared tools, media, and public leadership and civic engagement. These changes give us more focus while staying true…
The Power of Sharing Our Stories
Written by Viveka, our Let’s Go Together Program Coordinator Paths to Understanding leans into the foundational human practice of sharing stories as an essential way to prepare the ground of our hearts for connection. One way to summarize our work is to say that we create spaces for people from different backgrounds to share stories with each other. Here are a few examples of how the innate practice of…
A Year of Courage, Kindness, and New Sunrises
As we turn toward the close of the year, I’ve been looking back on the moments that give me hope. Not abstract ideas, not headlines—but real conversations with real people. These three keep coming back to me. 1. “These questions were next level.” At a Potluck Project event in Kirkland, a leader who has been…
Protected: Living On The Edge: Resources
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Governance for Thriving: The Path from Vision to Practice – Part 3
Big ideas like “dignity” and “community” can sound abstract. But when we build them into everyday life, they become real. That’s where PTU’s Theory of Growth comes in: we grow at the pace of relationship and learning. How It Works: Each of these steps builds trust and motivation for the next. Working with Our In-Groups:…