Michael Kimpan
Michael Kimpan works with OPEN Network, a Convergence initiative working to organize and mobilize progressive non-denominational and evangelically-rooted individuals, organizations and communities of faith.
Michael is a prolific contributor to Tony Campolo’s Red Letter Christians website, and has written numerous articles for other in print and online publications such as Relevant Magazine and patheos.com and is currently working on his first book, The Jesus I Believe In (available 2017).
His work has been featured by Advocate magazine, Human Rights Campaign, The Huffington Post and TIME magazine as well as a number of nationally syndicated radio shows and podcasts. Michael lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of Boystown in Chicago and blogs on matters of faith and culture, exploring a more hopeful and hope-filled articulation of Christian faith in an effort to inspire thoughtful conversation and intentional movement toward reconciliation at his blog.
The Jesus I Believe In – Reframing Stories of Faith and Family
What often passes for Good News in our culture today is a far cry from the life Jesus both preached and practiced. Even the terms ‘church’ and ‘evangelical’ have been lost, hijacked by something that looks very little like the Jesus we find in the Gospels. Our inherited stories of both faith and family often come up short. But what we’ve inherited – what we’ve been taught – isn’t the whole story. That isn’t our declaration of ‘Good News.’
The good news is The Jesus I Believe In has no trouble at all disrupting the status quo or with challenging religious authority and privilege. The Jesus I Believe In questions our stories and traditions surrounding the Divine, stands in solidarity with the Other and tips over sacred cows in favor of the Law of Love.
This talk explores what can be salvaged from our stories, and what needs to be left behind.