Why is Sunshine Cathedral so different from other churches?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I have found Sunshine Cathedral to be one of the most positive churches I’ve ever attended. Growing up Catholic I thought we were to be afraid of God and have a low opinion of ourselves, but the message seems to be the just the opposite here. I never get tired of hearing that God is love and I am good. And you wrap it all up in a joyful celebration that I love being part of. Why is Sunshine Cathedral so different from other churches?

Answer: Well, there are certainly other positive, festive, warm churches in the world. Unfortunately, there are also churches that promote fear, division, and self-loathing. But even those churches tend to care about the needy or at least form communities where true friendships can be formed. So, let’s not be too hard on them.

At Sunshine Cathedral our mission is to be “seekers and students of truth, empowered by spirit, sharing the light with the world.” We seek openly, rather than handing out pre-packaged answers to pre-approved questions. We are students, always learning and willing to allow our learning to take us wherever it might. We find the spirit of God to be life-giving, empowering, the source of hope and joy; and we want to share these realizations with whoever might benefit from them. Because we are non-doctrinal, open and affirming, we might seem different from more theologically rigid or narrow faith communities. We seek to be a “progressive, positive, and practical” church. If we have succeeded in being that for you, then that is a reason to celebrate. Now that you have found a spiritual home at Sunshine Cathedral, help us spread the word about this progressive, positive, and practical faith community. Others need what you have discovered.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.