January 2013 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Fwd: Elephant Whisperer
by Jeanette Stanfield 20 Feb '13

20 Feb '13

> Dear ones, This story was shared with me and I wanted to share it with you. How amazing our universe and all the creatures in it are. Jeanette > > > > > HOW > DID THEY KNOW? > THERE > IS SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS MUCH GREATER AND DEEPER > THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE. > THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW? > > > Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author > of 3 books including the bestseller, The Elephant > Whisperer, > bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated > elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including > the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in > 2003. > On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony > died. > He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 > grandsons and numerous elephants. > Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed > up at his home led by two large > matriarchs. > Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye > to their beloved man-friend. > A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 > miles to get to his South African > House. > > Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in > awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise > timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence’s > passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the > beloved animals evoked in such an organized > way: > Walking slowly - for days - Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. > > So, > how after Anthony’s death, did the reserve’s elephants — grazing > miles away in distant parts of the park — > know? > “A good man died suddenly,” says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., > “and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing > that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, > almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home.” > “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous > ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect > on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops and > hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. > This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these > elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to > their friend.” > Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, > knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to > that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep > respects honouring their friend who'd saved their > lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights > without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, > making their long journey > back. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

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Re: [Dialogue] Monthly Gathering
by Bill Schlesinger 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

How about some tags on the photo? Old eyes and small pics make it hard to identify folk! Bill Schlesinger Project Vida 3607 Rivera Avenue El Paso, TX 79905 (915) 533-7057 x 207 (915) 503-1014 FAX pvida(a)whc.net www.projectvidaelpaso.org _____ From: dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Doris Hahn Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 11:58 AM To: Colleague Dialogue Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Monthly Gathering Thanks, George. Doris Hahn On Sun, Jan 27, 2013 at 4:41 PM, George Holcombe <geowanda(a)earthlink.net> wrote: We had a great time at the monthly ICA/OE Austin gathering last night. besides the usual suspects, Mike Shaw visited, and the McCabes gave an excellent visual presentation to Indonesia and their old assignment in Bon Toa. George Holcombe 14900 Yellowleaf Tr. Austin, TX 78728 Mobile 512/252-2756 <tel:512%2F252-2756> "...we have the choice: we can gratefully cultivate the relationships that make us part of a vast network, or we can take them for granted and allow them to wither and die." Brother David Steindl-Rast, Deeper than Words Sent from my iPad _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net

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1/31/13, Spong: Malcolm Warnock 1905-2012
by Ellie Stock 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Malcolm Warnock 1905-2012 He was a remarkable man, a superior lawyer and one who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. He had many, many friends and I was privileged to be one of them. I knew him for 35 of his 107 years. More than that, I knew him in some deeply personal settings. I walked with him as his wife Dorothy sank into a state of unknowing. It was the onset of her dementia that caused him to move with her into a setting where she could be cared for and he could be near enough to share time with her every day. The sad thing was that increasingly she was not aware of that care that was constant and deeply loving. Malcolm would go to her room each day to visit, to sit, to eat a meal with her, to play the piano and even to sing to her in the hope that something of his love and concern would be communicated. I will never forget him singing “Annie Laurie” to his uncommunicative wife. I also knew him as an energetic and vigorously competitive tennis player. Malcolm and I played doubles as part of a tennis foursome every Friday morning for almost 20 years. Malcolm was clearly the best of our six players – six because schedule conflicts made two regular substitutes necessary. Whoever teamed with Malcolm generally won. Malcolm is the third of those six players at whose funerals I have been privileged to speak. In effect, Malcolm forced me to retire from tennis, because when he defeated me consistently when he was over 92, I knew I had no future in this game. I knew him as a devoted member of Christ Church in Short Hills, New Jersey. He was a sidesman – that is Christ Church, Short Hills, vocabulary for a lay reader or chalice bearer. He was also the regular narrator at their Christmas Pageant. Though active in his church, Malcolm was an uncomfortable Christian. That is, he was uncomfortable with traditional, ecclesiastical thinking and ecclesiastical language. He knew how to separate the authenticity of his own God experience from the explanation placed on that experience by the ecclesiastical institution – explanations that were to him always both time bound and time warped. So he sat loosely to creeds, to liturgical forms and to doctrinal concerns. In this, Malcolm and I found common ground and became kindred spirits. He was also an avid reader of every book that I wrote over the course of our friendship. Many times, I seemed to articulate in my writing the religious concerns he always had. Yet he was faithful and persistent in his constant quest for truth and for insight, even for that truth and insight that are so often lost in creedal formulations. It was this intellectual and even theological interest that was the glue that bound us together over the years. When our Friday morning tennis court time was up we would sit around a table over coffee and have what was frequently a mini-theological seminar. Over the years, many topics were covered and some of those discussions would find their way into the content of my writing, but without footnotes attributing the ideas to Malcolm. When tennis became a thing of the past with both of us, we still met once or twice a year for dinner and an evening of conversation together. Those times took place primarily in the dining room of the institution in which he was living. They would begin regularly with hors d’oeuvres and drinks served in his room before we would go downstairs for dinner. As the years rolled by those meals became only an annual event. We celebrated Malcolm’s birthday together every June from the time he turned 100 until his 107th birthday this past summer when we saw him for the last time. He was bright, alert and ready to tell us about what had become an annual ritual in which he was honored at the Princeton University graduation as their oldest living alumnus. Malcolm held that title and even set a record that is longer than anyone else in Princeton’s history. He outlived every Princeton alumnus in at least the seven years following his graduation. It was at his 100th birthday dinner that my most indelible memory of Malcolm occurred. He greeted his guests, dressed in his tuxedo, wearing an imposing Abraham Lincoln type top hat on his head, and with his children and grandchild at his side. Christine and I were honored to be among the few non-family members present at this gathering. By this time, I was long retired, but I continued my book writing career and Malcolm had continued to read and to comment on my work. When I published what I presumed was to be my last book entitled, Jesus for the Non-Religious, a title that appealed to Malcolm and with which he identified, I turned my attention to a long held passion of mine to explore the meaning of the claim that we Christians make that death is not the end of our personhood. When we went to this 100th birthday dinner, I had begun what was to be some massive reading of all aspects of this vast subject. I was certainly not sure that this study would ever result in a book, but I knew I would enjoy the exploration. In the course of that 100th birthday gathering, near the end when people were preparing to leave, Malcolm turned to me and out of the richness of our past conversations said, “Well, Jack, what are you working on now?” I responded, “Malcolm, I am trying to find a doorway that will allow me to talk about life after death in such a way that a scientifically trained citizen of the 21st century could respond without turning off his or her brain.” I thought that Malcolm at age 100 might have some existential interest in this subject. I was not prepared for his response. He broke into a loud and a sustained laughter that left me standing with the quizzical smile of one who is slightly embarrassed. I was trying to brace myself for whatever his verbal response might be, but feeling somewhat vulnerable. When he finally ceased his laughter, he replied, “That is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard of you trying to do.” Before I could say a word, he went on to pose what he saw as my problem. “Who are you going to interview for this project?” he asked. “Where are you going to do your research into this subject? Your passport may get you to China” he continued, “but it will never get you to the place where that question can be studied.” Finally, he concluded his comments by saying: “If this turns into a book it will be the shortest book of your career. It will have three lines: 1. Nobody knows, 2. Nobody can find out, 3. The End.” When he finally fell silent and I had a chance to pick myself up off the floor, I offered Malcolm two points in reply. First, the fact is that this subject, which might be called both “the unknown and the unknowable,” has never stopped human speculation. The greatest libraries of the world contain countless volumes in which learned men and women have sought to explore humanity’s ultimate limit and the source of humanity’s deepest anxiety. Some of those volumes have become classics in the literature of the western world. One thinks of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained or Paul Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, for example. More important, however, I told Malcolm, I did not in this project plan to engage in speculation into the unknown. I rather planned to approach life after death through the medium of life itself – about which a great deal can be known. Can I go so deeply enough into the meaning of life that I can touch the limits? Can I discover the edge of humanity where it appears to enter the divine, where time ceases and eternity begins and where the barriers that surround life fade away and we discover that there is a universal consciousness in which we all participate? If I can do that, it will be through that means that I will approach the subject of life after death. Although still skeptical, Malcolm at least began to understand that I was not on a mission to affirm the pious claims of traditional religion or to defend the popular ecclesiastical definitions of God, who seemed to use life after death as a method of behavior control or even to affirm the reality of those now empty realms that we have in the past called heaven and hell. When my study did lead to a book that was published in 2009 under the title Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell, I took a copy of it as my gift to Malcolm when we attended his 104th birthday party and later received from him his imprimatur. Malcolm approved of that book because of who Malcolm was and how Malcolm lived. The only way I know how to approach the subject of eternity is to live fully in the present. The only way I know to discuss timelessness is to engage deeply and fully the gift of time that we now have. The only way I know how to approach the idea of divinity is to be fully human now, expanding all limits, transcending all barriers. I understand God as the Source of life empowering me to live fully; as the Source of love enabling me to love wastefully; as the Ground of Being giving me the courage to be everything I am capable of being. So it is in living fully, loving wastefully and being all that I can be that I experience the presence of God and it was, I am fully convinced, this same God experience that caused the followers of Jesus to view him as one in whom and through whom God was present. So they said of Jesus: “God was in Christ.” What this phrase was seeking to communicate is that somehow, in someway, through some means, they saw the presence of God in the fully alive, wastefully-loving Jesus. This was the God that Malcolm also understood and this was the God with whom Malcolm lived. He worshiped this God of life, love and being by living fully, by loving wastefully and by being all that he could be. To Malcolm, God was not a being to be pleased, so much as God was a verb to be lived. He was a remarkable man. I am glad I knew him. I am confident that in his life he crossed the barrier where time enters eternity, where the human enters the divine and where the consciousness of the universe begins to include the consciousness of this incredible man. ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer George Gardiner from Green Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada, writes: Question: You are of the persuasion that Jesus was deserted by his disciples. Do you believe that is “literally” true? Does that mean you are “literally” selective of the Bible as you accuse the fundamentalists of being? My feeling is this: no matter what we do or accomplish in the “physical” realm ultimately we will make that final journey alone. Regardless of the number of people who are “present” or have taken up “our” cause, we face death one on one. P.S. I hold your work and world view in very high regard. Thanks very much for that and all that you have done for me and those like me. Answer: Dear George, It is not quite as you seem to imagine. I don’t treat anything in the Bible as literally true, for most of it is interpretive material not the work of eyewitnesses. This is especially true of the gospels that are written 40-70 years after the crucifixion and in Greek, a language that none of his disciples spoke. That hardly makes for a literal text. Not to be literal, however, does not mean that the substance of the text is not true. The first gospel, Mark, is quite clear that when Jesus was arrested, all of the disciples forsook him and fled (see Mark 14:50). The later gospels temper that in various ways to whitewash this apostolic abandonment. Mark even has Jesus quote Zechariah (Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered) to justify their abandonment. One does not do that unless the abandonment was real. By the time the gospels were written, the disciples were heroes. Yet the fact of their abandonment was so deep in Christian memory that it could not be omitted, so it was explained and justified as the fulfillment of scripture. Those are the things that have convinced me that the abandonment of Jesus by the disciples is a fact of history. I hope this clarifies your question. Thanks for writing. John Shelby Spong Announcements New events added to the Bishop Spong Speaking Calendar! Like this one: Title: “Eternal Life: A New Vision – Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism. Beyond Heaven and Hell” Apr 12-14 2013 Center for Faith Studies at Countryside Community Event: Friday-Sunday Sat. 9 a.m. Lecture (Registration 8 a.m.) 11 a.m. Lecture Sun. 9 a.m. Worship 11 a.m. Worship followed by Talk Back Session United Church of Christ 8787 Pacific Street Omaha, NE 68114 Contact: Cyndi Kugler Tel: 402 391-0350 x 121 E-mail: cyndik(a)countrysideucc.org Visit the Bishop Spong Speaking Calendar Any questions or concerns, please contact us at support(a)johnshelbyspong.com or 503-236-3545. Copyright © 2013 ProgressiveChristianity.org, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have a membership at our website. Our mailing address is: ProgressiveChristianity.org 3530 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Unit 1 Portland, OR 97214 Add us to your address book ·

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How did the Elephants know?!
by Janice Ulangca 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

Yes - a wonderful story. Thank you, Jeanette. Lawrence Anthony seems young to leave this world. . . but he did a lot with his 62 years. I guess I say "seems young" because I am increasingly in awe of contributions from those in their late sixties - seventies -eighties - nineties. Somehow there is special sweetness in loving choices made as energy fades. Janice Ulangca ----- Original Message ----- From: Suemi Clark To: Colleague Dialogue Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:51 PM Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Fwd: Elephant Whisperer Dear Jeanette, Thank you very much for the wonderful stroy of the Elephants. Hope you are well. Suemi >From Maine From: Jeanette Stanfield <jstanfield(a)ica-associates.ca> To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 12:13 PM Subject: [Dialogue] Fwd: Elephant Whisperer Dear ones, This story was shared with me and I wanted to share it with you. How amazing our universe and all the creatures in it are. Jeanette HOW DID THEY KNOW? THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS MUCH GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE. THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW? Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003. On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons and numerous elephants. Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend. A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House. Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence’s passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way: Walking slowly - for days - Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. So, how after Anthony’s death, did the reserve’s elephants — grazing miles away in distant parts of the park — know? “A good man died suddenly,” says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., “and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home.” “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.” Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects honouring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back. _______________________________________________Dialogue mailing listDialogue@lists.wedgeblade.nethttp://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net

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Archives Spring Sojourn - information request
by Marge Philbrook 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

*Dear Friends and Colleagues, The Chicago ICA-Archives team is pleased to announce four weeks of opportunity for you to volunteer to help in the next phase of the journey of the archives. The Fall Sojourn used the image of “What is the Future of our Past?” and began to figure out how we can share our historical work and wisdom with the world most effectively. Thus, our new image is how our work could engage the interest of future social change agents and researchers. We chose the Town Meeting 76 archive material as a prototype collection and are creating access to it as a discrete, stand-alone collection. We are currently evaluating different data-access software. A web page will be available to you very soon. With this pilot, we are discovering what a collection looks like, what it should contain, and how to make text, video, audio, photos and linksaccessible on line. By April we will know a good deal more and be able to share practical ways that many of you can be part of this archive work. Is it worth it? Just by word of mouth, a Professor at the University of Illinois and two of his PhD students came by to look at the Town Meeting files. They were amazed and indicated they would be back to use these files as a resource. Based on your experience and interest, please select three collections. #1 is to be the one you consider most important. We need individuals to champion collections they are interested in and passionate about.* * By completing this survey, you will significantly help shape our Spring Archive Sojourn event. We will send you the results. You will not need to be physically present in Chicago during the Spring Sojourn in order to work on a team focused on your #1 choice. ------------- Name ______________________ 1. ___________________ 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________ I can come to Chicago the following week(s) Week 1 – April 8-14 _____ Week 2 – April 15-21 _____ Week 3 – April 22-28 ____ Week 4 – April 29-May 5____ Don’t know, can’t say yet ____ Won’t be able to come to Chicago but do wish to participate ______ ---------------------* * We hope you will seriously consider responding to these requests. Please send the information in an email to Marge Philbrook at msphilbrook(a)gmail.com. We will keep you up-to-date on who plans to come to the Spring Sojourn. Grace and Peace, The Archives Advisory Committee*

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Monthly Gathering
by George Holcombe 29 Jan '13

29 Jan '13

We had a great time at the monthly ICA/OE Austin gathering last night. besides the usual suspects, Mike Shaw visited, and the McCabes gave an excellent visual presentation to Indonesia and their old assignment in Bon Toa. George Holcombe 14900 Yellowleaf Tr. Austin, TX 78728 Mobile 512/252-2756 “...we have the choice: we can gratefully cultivate the relationships that make us part of a vast network, or we can take them for granted and allow them to wither and die.” Brother David Steindl-Rast, Deeper than Words Sent from my iPad

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Monthly Gathering
by George Holcombe 28 Jan '13

28 Jan '13

We had a great time at the monthly ICA/OE Austin gathering last night. besides the usual suspects, Mike Shaw visited, and the McCabes gave an excellent visual presentation to Indonesia and their old assignment in Bon Toa. George Holcombe 14900 Yellowleaf Tr. Austin, TX 78728 Mobile 512/252-2756 “...we have the choice: we can gratefully cultivate the relationships that make us part of a vast network, or we can take them for granted and allow them to wither and die.” Brother David Steindl-Rast, Deeper than Words Sent from my iPad

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Re: [Dialogue] A guy named Jack McCarthy died last week. A poet.
by LAURELCG＠aol.com 28 Jan '13

28 Jan '13

I didn't find The Victory or When the Cholesterol Catches up with Me, but I loved I wouldn't Want to be Jesus. Bless his heart. Thanks, Jim, Jann In a message dated 1/25/2013 11:41:43 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com writes: http://standupoet.net/

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A guy named Jack McCarthy died last week. A poet.
by James Wiegel 27 Jan '13

27 Jan '13

I never heard of him until today. Listen to 2 poems -- The Victory and When the Cholesterol Catches Up With Me. http://standupoet.net/ Jim Wiegel ". . . In this whole world i don't know a more sly, more cunning, useful virtue than sheer dizzy pluck!" The Odyssey A Modern Sequel. Nikos Kazantzakis 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353-2401 +1 623-363-3277 skype: jfredwiegel jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com Upcoming public course opportunities: ToP Facilitation Methods, Feb 12-13, May 14-15, Sept 17-18, 2013 ToP Strategic Planning, Nov 5-6, 2013 Facilitation Graphics, March 19, 2013 The AZ Community of Practice meets the 1st Friday of each month 1-4 pm Facilitation Mastery : Our Mastering the Technology of Participation program is available in Phoenix in 2012-3. Current program began on Nov 14-16, 2012 See short video http://partnersinparticipation.com/?page_id=55 and website for further details. AICP Planners: 14.5 CM for all ToP courses

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1/24/13, Spong: Inauguration Day 2013
by Ellie Stock 24 Jan '13

24 Jan '13

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Inauguration Day 2013 Inauguration day in America is a time of transition, the proper moment to articulate the hopes and dreams of the future. These things are more vivid if the one to be inaugurated is just beginning his or her presidency, but even when it is the beginning of a second term for a sitting president, it is still a time to take stock, to look at the issues that will confront this leader and to glimpse with anticipation what the future might mean. I suspect that is doubly so as the nation marks the second term of its first African-American president. The whole inauguration weekend was for me a solemn time of renewed convictions about the strength of our nation. I walked through this weekend in an unusual way, which I would like to share with my readers. This year’s inaugural weekend was framed between the 150th anniversary of the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln on January 1st, 1863, and the celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday on January 21st. President Lincoln prepared this proclamation long before he issued it, but waited for the tide of the civil war to turn in the Union’s favor before making it public. The President’s proclamation and executive power needs to be carried on the wings of a strong political tide in order to be effective. The emancipation of the slaves thus depended upon the recognition that the Union forces would be victorious. Following their success in the Battle of Antietam, Mr. Lincoln decided that January 1st, 1863, was the time to make this defining proclamation official. It was thus our reality in 2013 both to note and to celebrate the fact that 150 years and 20 days later, one who bore a racial identity with the slave people, had been twice elected to head this nation. That is the stuff of human dreams. Without Martin Luther King’s work, the presidency of Barack Obama would also not have been possible. For the inauguration of this African-American president to occur on the birthday of the civil rights leader was an incredible serendipity. The weekend began for me and my wife, Christine, at a gala, a black-tie dinner at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, held to honor and to support the university’s library. That library has, during the years of both my episcopacy and my retirement, been my place of research and study. There I have written some of my books. The administration and faculty of Drew University have welcomed me into their midst and have extended to me the use of that library in remarkable ways. The guests at this library gala were welcomed to the evening personally at the door by the President of Drew, Dr. Vivian A. Bull, and the evening began with a lecture by Dr. David S. Reynolds, the Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His title for this event was: “Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Battle for America.” In his presentation Dr. Reynolds took his audience deeply into the work and impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s life-changing novel that was published in 1852. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was destined to sell more copies than any other book in the United States, except the Bible, in the entire 19th century. This book was also turned into a number of plays that were performed countless times over the last half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century. The estimates are that more people saw the play than read the book. Uncle Tom’s Cabin put a face on the cruelty of slavery that nothing else had ever done before. It galvanized the abolitionist movement and in all probability made the civil war inevitable. This book, not surprisingly, was also resisted deeply in parts of the South. Laws were passed in Southern States banning the book, forbidding its sale and distribution and even making it a crime to possess a copy. One person was actually convicted of this crime and was sentenced to ten years in prison. It was not the first time, nor would it be the last, when the guarantees of the Constitution regarding the freedom of speech and expression would be trampled beneath the power of a virulent and fearful prejudice. Racism dies hard. When Dr. Reynolds was asked if he saw anything similar to this negative response to Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the political arena of today, he pointed to the recent use of the language of “States Rights,” including the claim to the right to nullify federal laws with which the states disagreed, such as the Affordable Care Act and the proposed requirements of a universal background check when purchasing a gun, the banning of assault rifles and their large capacity magazines. At the same time, he pointed to the blatant attempt in the last election to suppress minority votes. It appears that the emotions that led this nation into civil war are still abroad. This evening and this discussion was for us a poignant beginning to the inauguration weekend. On Sunday morning we went to our wonderful parish church, St. Peter’s, Morristown, NJ, where our worship was organized around the observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The adult class focused on the writings of II Isaiah (chapters 40-55) where the prophet portrays the messianic vocation of the Jewish people under the symbol of the one called “the Servant” or “the Suffering Servant.” That book portrayed the role of “the Servant” to be that of the oppressed and powerless members of our society not trying to get even, but accepting and thus transforming and even draining the anger and hostility of the oppressors and the enslavers. The class compared the “power” of an Adolph Hitler or a Napoleon Bonaparte, with the “power” displayed by a Mahatma Gandhi, a Nelson Mandela or a Martin Luther King, Jr., and asked the question whose “power” was it that ultimately changed the world? When we went to worship we found the Emancipation Proclamation printed on the front of our bulletins. We sang Harry Emerson Fosdick’s great hymn “God of Grace and God of Glory,” which asks for the strength and courage necessary for “the living of these days.” We also sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic, We Shall Overcome and Lift Every Voice and Sing, which describes very powerfully what slaves had to endure from their “masters.” The Bible readings for that day included the charge given to Moses in the book of Exodus “to go down to Egypt and to set my people free.” The choir sang Negro spirituals like Ride on, King Jesus, and we were treated to one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard from our rector, the Reverend Janet Broderick, on the lessons learned from the non-violent teachings of Dr. King. All of those things flowed together to prepare me for inauguration day. When that ceremony began the opening prayer was delivered by Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers, a black civil rights leader who was murdered in Mississippi in 1963. The inaugural poem was written and read by Richard Blanco, the gay son of immigrant parents. The benediction was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Luis Leon, a Cuban immigrant, who serves at St. John’s Episcopal Church, across the street from the White House. A diverse nation was on display. For those of us who had lived through those days of transition there was great joy. The climax of the inaugural ceremony was the address from our newly installed president. It focused primarily on domestic affairs, as the world faded into the background with its ten years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan and even the worldwide economic collapse that greeted his first term. It was a moving speech both in content and in symbol. An African-American president began his second term by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., by referring to “Stonewall,” the place where the gay rights movement had begun, by emphasizing the oneness of the people who populate this land, made up, as he said, of those with different skin colors, different genders and different sexual orientations. He called our nation’s leaders not to solve the problems of the ages, but to address the issues “of this day.” He singled out the plight of women who still suffer from vast economic disparities. His critics would later call it a “left-wing” agenda. I call it a “moral vision” for our nation rooted in the values of our American past. As we listened throughout the day, signs of the birth of a new political sensitivity were apparent. Senator Schumer of New York introduced his Republican co-chair of the Inaugural Committee, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, as “my colleague and my friend.” Former President Jimmy Carter reported on former President George H.W. Bush’s health, revealing both a recent telephone call and a longer time friendship. The wife of Republican majority leader, Eric Cantor, had served with Senator Schumer’s wife in picking and tasting the menu for the inaugural luncheon. Small signs, yes, but every long journey starts with a single, small step. When the day was over, the nation settled down to wait for action. I believe we will receive it. My reasons for optimism are these: A far more comfortable and confident president is in the White House, a Senate with an increased Democratic majority has lost its most extreme negative voices to either retirement or to resignation, the House has a decreased Republican majority led by a leader, who now shows signs of being fed up with his far right vocal minority. I expect him, not to surrender his principles, but to seek common ground for the nation’s well-being. All of them see an aroused electorate, weary of political posturing, yearning to see pragmatic action, not continued brinkmanship. Half a step forward is better than no step or even a step backward. Perhaps inauguration day harbors good things to come. ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer Charles Bond from Rockford, Michigan, writes: Question: I understand and support that “you do not think of God theistically,” i.e. what could be called the God of the Old Testament. But, as I have read, the study of theology is based on accepting the fact that a transcendent reality called God truly exists, i.e. there is a God existing outside the material universe, but having an influence or some sort of presence on earth. Do you believe in this concept of a transcendent God and, if so, do the experiences of the disciples and apostles that you attribute to them being transformed into their world-conquering evangelism represent an example of God’s actions here on earth through the mind invasions that produced their seeing an image of Jesus? These concepts seem to me to be a necessary part of including in any “New Christianity.” What do you think? Answer: Dear Charles, Thank you for your letter. It reveals, however, the constant problem we have in trying to develop a working concept of God. Does God exist? Existence is a human category, describing a human perspective. Can God be bound with that kind of vocabulary? Transcendent is another human word that I use, but it is not a word that applies to God. It applies to our experience, to a human awareness that there is something real beyond our ability to know or even to perceive. What we must do is to recognize that we human beings can in the last analysis say nothing about God; all we can describe is our human experience and in that experience, we assert that we believe that we touch “otherness,” transcendence, and the word we have used to identify that experience is “GOD.” Are we simply being deluded? I do not think so. Is there something real that calls us beyond the limits of the human? I believe there is. That is as far as I can go in discussing God. It is not satisfactory to those for whom God is part of their personal security system. It is, however, enough for me because whatever I experience God to be drives me deeper into the commitment to live fully, love wastefully and to be all that I can be. The disciples clearly had an experience of Jesus following his death that convinced them that death could not contain his life and that they could see a God presence in him that was beyond any human boundary. That was resurrection. When they tried to explain it, we got stories of graves that were empty and visions that inspired. The New Christianity will have to see language and theology, creeds and doctrines as pointers to truth not vessels in which truth is somehow captured. ~John Shelby Spong Announcements A Note from Progressive Christianity.org We are pleased to inform our readers that John Shelby Spong's book Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World has been named one of the ten best religious books published in 2011, by Lee Harmon, a well-known religious blogger (The Dubious Disciple). Harmon called Bishop's Spong's book: "A thoroughly enjoyable journey through the Bible, detailing each book's origin and historical setting. Possibly Spong's best." Progressive Christianity.org, Bishop Spong's online publisher, would like to note that this book was a series of columns during the years 2009 and 2010, before it was turned into a Harper-Collins book, so our subscribers got to read the content of this best-selling volume long before the reading public. These essays can be found in the essay archive. Any questions or concerns, please contact us at support(a)johnshelbyspong.com or 503-236-3545. Copyright © 2013 ProgressiveChristianity.org, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have a membership at our website. Our mailing address is: ProgressiveChristianity.org 3530 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Unit 1 Portland, OR 97214 Add us to your address book

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