What might be the best sort of Church for me?

[QuickChickBrickStack]

Just wanted a bit of advice really, I'm realising that I probably need to move on from the church that I currently go to. I became a Christian a year ago having been through quite a tough time in my life. A good friend who goes to my current church suggested I come along and see if it helped. I have found it a very positive experience on the whole - I have made lots of wonderful friends there who have been very kind and supportive to me.

It is a charismatic, evangelical church, which in some ways I enjoy - I like the worship for example, but I'm finding that my personal beliefs don't fit into the way that people at church see the world, and because I'm pulling apart in my head lots of what is being said in the sermon-y bits, it's putting a barrier in the way of me letting go and feeling like I can believe what is being said.

One thing is that the belief at my church is creationist and discounts evolution. They see the story of Adam and Eve as historical fact (whereas I see it as allegory) and the view of everything in the bible is very rigid.

The thing that has made me realise that I really need to find a new church though is the view of sexuality. There was a petition at church that we were encouraged to sign against gay marriage. I talked it over with an elder and some other people very involved in the church a couple of days ago. It is something I feel quite upset about, and I feel stops a lot of gay people thinking that Christianity has anything to offer them. Basically the view of the senior people in my church is that homosexuality is a sin. They would welcome any gay person that came to church, and would love them, but it would be a case of loving the sinner but not liking the sin.

I just cannot see homosexuality as a sin. I can't. Some people very dear to me are in committed same sex relationships and it doesn't make sense to me that it would be sinful - especially as I have known some of them from a young age and seen the whole painful "coming out" process.

I know from previous threads on here that not all Christians see same sex relationships as a sin - so I'm wondering what sort of church would be more sympathetic to same sex relationships and gay marriage.

So basically, I'd like to find a church that has lively worship, not too much on the bells and smells, where it evolution is seen as a possibility, where stories like Adam and Eve aren't seen as true fact, and where same sex relationships are not seen as sinful.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

I would suggest you try to visit other Churches in your area. Don't just go for lively charismatic ones, give them all a chance and gently find out if their beliefs more closely fit yours. If nothing else it should help you understand there is more than one way to worship God, and a very wide range of beliefs especially on homosexuality and creationism.
You may also make some good friends along the way even if their style of worship isn't ideal for you.

society of friends, Quakers,

try a few different meetings as they all have different dynamics.

but you might find what you are looking for.
www.quaker.org.uk/

Other churches like yours, a bit evangelical but more liberal.

I agree with all of your points as does my dh and he goes to a Methodist church, I go to a slightly livelier C of E church.

I would also suggest trying some different churches to see where you feel the "best fit". I ended up at the United Reformed Church, which suits me down to the ground. It has a pretty liberal theology, I think, accepting that not every word in the Bible is true, for example, and very much focussed on humanity and justice. Big discussions going on about same sex marriage and I have been greatly encouraged by the attitude and view that God makes us the way we are and that we are talking about real people, not some hypothetical example.

I hope you find a place of worship where you feel at home.

You are right, there are lots and lots of Christians where the theology is more liberal (and dare I say more intelligent).

There will be churches that are at the modern/charismatic end of worship style and the liberal end of theology, but they will be relatively rare.

United Reformed Church or Methodists perhaps?

You may also find you get some good contacts by googling for "emerging church" and "post evangelical" in your area - it is impossible to generalise about what you might find, but in many parts of the country there are groups which identify under these phrases who are trying to find a middle way between extremes which you may find helps you to find a new spiritual home.

I am having this same dilemma tbh. I have left the CofE and contemplated going back to the Methodists, until their official statement on Teh Gays which I disagreed with.

Marking place in case anyone has a more tolerant church to offer. For me it isn't enough that a congregation/priest be pragmatically tolerant. I need the church organisation to be not a bunch of sickening fucking bigots actually Christian and Christ-like about the issue. WWJD and all that.

Thanks for the ideas folks -it's given me some ideas of where to try first. Good luck LLJ4 trying to find something too