looking for liberal christian church in nova (Reston, Annandale: camp, living)

[stuntmonkey123]

My husband and I are looking for a liberal christian church to attend. Denomination is unimportant. We would like the church to endorse a non-literal interpretation of the bible and be progressive on social matters.

We live in Centreville and ideally don't want to drive too, too far.

Suggestions are very much appreciated!

[SteelCityRising]

I'm piggy-backing onto this thread if you don't mind, as I, too, am preparing a relocation to NoVA and am searching for a church that would welcome my love of Christ with a more contextual interpretation of the Holy Bible. I'm a life-long Lutheran, but to me denomination is likewise unimportant. Maybe you and I will be fellow future congregants?

[stuntmonkey123]

Welcome aboard. I'm having a hard time finding a church like this, and I'm hoping this forum can help me.

BTW, congrats on your upcoming move. We love it in Northern Virginia. We moved here about 10 years ago with the intention of only staying for a few years and have ended up deciding to stay permanently. I grew up in Allentown, PA, which is not too far from you.

[jammininvienna]

Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Vienna. Can't vouch for everyone in the congregation, but I'd put myself in the "progressive" camp and overall we're pretty open-minded -- TOP-notch contemporary worship service (Sundays at 9:00 a.m.) too!

[RJacobs]

Yeah! So glad to see this post and to know the times they are a changin. See you in church!!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by jammininvienna

Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Vienna. Can't vouch for everyone in the congregation, but I'd put myself in the "progressive" camp and overall we're pretty open-minded -- TOP-notch contemporary worship service (Sundays at 9:00 a.m.) too!

I'm very, very intrigued by Emmanuel, and it is only roughly 20 minutes away from my new Reston home. I do have a question though. What are the differences between the "Traditional" and "Contemporary" worship services? Are the traditional ones those that take the Bible in a literal format with the contemporary ones being those that view the good book in a contextual fashion?

[jammininvienna]

The labels pretty much correspond to the music styles, although the Contemporary service is a little less formal overall.

Traditional = organ and choir

Contemporary = drums, keyboards, and screaming guitars. :-)

As for the approach to the Bible, I'd like to think the congregation reflects a diversity of perspectives, which is a good thing.

[SteelCityRising]

My religious perspective is that the Holy Bible is meant to be a guideline for proper living, and it is not to be dissected on a verse-by-verse basis. I like to read a chapter in a book of the Bible, determine its main components, and reflect upon that entire chapter as a means of making me a better Christian. Some people I know will point out one particular verse out of the thousands in the Bible and quote that as some sort of "absolute." I'm inclined to disagree with that. The Bible was written by men, and men (or women) can and do often insert their own biases when they write. I don't view each and every verse in the Bible as being the "word of God" as a result. I try to cogitate a bit the main components or themes and then tie that back to leading a better life. I suppose this is why I like the NIV Bible better than the King James Version.

[MacUser85]

These types of churches exist, but much closer in or in DC. I see one advertised in Clarendon, can't remember the name. I'm sure you could find this in DC.

Northern Virginia is likely a bit too conservative still for this, but they may exist and I just don't know. But heck, go to Clarendon, attend the service and then have a nice brunch afterwards at one of the great restaurants!

[knopfler]

Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale would be a good choice. I think Trinity Episcopal in Manassas may fit the bill too. Several Unitarian churches in the area could work well for you as well, provided you don't mind non-Christians mixed in with the Christians.