November 2013 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

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by dj.jewell＠comcast.net 11 Nov '13

11 Nov '13

http://porcelainepier.be/reply.mymail.3friend.private.php

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From Mike Tippett: Deadline approaches.
by Jayandem2＠aol.com 10 Nov '13

10 Nov '13

Annual apology to Dialogue recipients if this a second or third copy of this urgent message. Mike This is a final reminder to get your corrections to me ASAP. I need to go to press by the 20th.. Also, why not renew your subscription to the 2014 Edition of the Directory!! Dear colleagues, Please check over your entry in The 2013 Directory. Indicate below any changes necessary. If you don’t have a 2013 Directory and want to see your entry, please email me with your request. For those who aren’t familiar with The Directory, it is a listing of names, addresses, phones and emails and occupations of several hundred people who have been at one time or another associated with the I.C.A., or the Ecumenical Institute, or its programs and projects. If you aren't listed, and want to be, fill out the form below and either mail it to me, or email it. If you want to order a directory, complete the order form and send your check (made out to Michael B. Tippett). In preparation for the Directory, I need input from you. A. In Memoriam: Please let me know of any colleagues that have died since the last Directory was published. Also, if you know the year of death that isn’t listed for a colleague, let me know. B. Cover for the 2014 Directory: For the past several issues of The Directory, I have featured a picture, a written piece, and/or artwork submitted by colleagues. I would like to hold a contest this year for artwork or a photo to put on the cover. If you have something you would like to submit as a cover possibility, send it to me. The first and second place winners will get a free Directory, and the first place winner will be featured on the cover. It will be interesting to see what the response is. REPLY TO THE DIRECTORY EMAIL ADDRESS, WHICH IS: _movementdir(a)aol.com_ (mailto:movementdir@aol.com) THE DIRECTORY REGISTRATION FOR INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES: Please use to update PERSON # 1: Name as it should appear in THE DIRECTORY:________________________________ Date of birth: __________(m/d/y) [optional] Occupation: ____________________________________________________________ (Maximum 45 characters) Office Phone: (__) [____] _______________ Office Fax :(__) [ ___ ] _____________ Bus. E-mail: _________________ (Country Code) [Area or City Code] Local Number PERSON # 2: Name as it should appear in THE DIRECTORY: _______________________________ Date of birth: __________(m/d/y) [optional] Occupation: ____________________________________________________________ (Maximum 45 characters) Office Phone: (__) [____] _______________ Office Fax : (__) [ ___ ]____________ Bus. E-mail: _________________ (Country Code) [Area or City Code] Local Number Home Address: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Home Phone: (__) [____] _______________ Home Fax :(__) [ ___ ]_____________ Home E-mail: _________________ (Country Code) [Area or City Code] Local Number Children living with parents: (Include birth dates, also, if desired) ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Individual or Family listing is FREE! Cost of the Directory is $20.00 for either the booklet form or a CD copy. If you order 2 forms, it will cost $30.00. DEADLINE FOR ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS IS NOV. 7TH **************************************************************************** ******************** ORDER FORM NAME: ______________________________ Email: ________________________ ADDRESS: ____________________________ CITY/STATE/POSTAL(ZIP) CODE/COUNTRY: ____________________________________ Please send me a copy of the directory: [ ] Booklet form [ ] CD Cost of the Directory is $20.00 for either the booklet form or the CD. If you order 2 forms, it will cost $30.00 . The CD will contain In Memoriam and Names and Addresses, etc, in Microsoft Word format. I enclose $___________ (Check/Money Order made out to Michael Tippett) Re: PayPal: I’m sorry, but I can no longer accept PayPal. I’ve had too much trouble with it in the past. Also, I can’t accept Credit Cards. I hope it isn’t too much of an inconvenience to send a check or money order. The CD will contain In Memoriam and Names and Addresses, etc, in Microsoft Word format. Send orders to: Michael B. Tippett, 4676 32nd Court East, Bradenton, FL 34203-3946 USA Phone: (941) 753-5189 Email: MOVEMENTDIR(a)aol.com

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10/07/13, Spong: Part VI Matthew: The Genealogy (1:1-17)
by Ellie Stock 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Part VI Matthew The Genealogy (1:1-17) “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” — that is how the gospel of Matthew begins. The word “genealogy” means “origins,” beginnings. It could thus also be translated the book of the “genesis” of Jesus, the messiah. For “genesis” is what is being described in this opening chapter and Christ is simply the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “machiach,” which means messiah. If the words “genesis” and “messiah” were both used in an English rendition of this text, it would become very obvious that Matthew was a Jew writing to a Jewish audience about the Jewish Jesus to make the claim that he was the expected Jewish messiah. I suspect that all of these things were obvious both in Matthew’s mind and in the minds of the Jewish audience for whom he wrote. Matthew, we will discover later, will divide his teaching of Jesus into five major blocks, just like the Torah was divided into five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. So it should not be surprising that Matthew opens his gospel with his account of Jesus’ “genesis.” Today we will circle back to the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel to examine his view of the “genesis” of Jesus. Matthew’s genealogical narrative begins with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Jesus is to be heir to and the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. In this “genesis,” Matthew will also touch a second major moment in Jewish history. This was their memory of the days of Jewish glory, the golden age of Jewish history, which they had identified with King David. Among his many accomplishments David had begun the plans for the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. His son Solomon had brought this Temple to completion. As the years rolled by King David, despite many character weaknesses, still had his reputation filled with the mythological content of heroes. Ultimately all Jewish dreams of the coming messiah included in them the re-establishment of the royal house of David as the mark of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Matthew touched all of these bases in his “genesis” of Jesus. He was the son of Abraham, the son of David and the messiah for whom the people yearned. The third experience in Jewish history to which this “genesis” would allude was the most painful moment these people ever endured. They called it “The Babylonian Exile.” It came about after the defeat of the Jews at the hands of the Babylonian army that happened first in 596 BCE and then once again a decade later in 586 BCE, when an ill-conceived rebellion broke out in Jerusalem. To pacify the land, the Babylonians moved significant numbers of the Jewish population to the land of Babylon, where they became an underclass of cheap labor. That kind of exile normally ended in the loss of national identity as intermarriage occurred and the people forgot their own biological roots and places of origin. That had been the fate of the Northern Kingdom of Israel when they were defeated by and exiled into the land of the Assyrians in the 8th century BCE. Today, we call them “The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” Matthew, however, was well aware that the defeated Jewish people survived this crisis of the exile. They did it with Herculean efforts to keep themselves apart from the people of Babylonia. They accomplished this by emphasizing those things that made them separate and different. The Jews of the Exile observed the Sabbath by refusing to work on the seventh day of every week; they adopted Kosher dietary laws that prevented them from eating with and thus from fraternizing with non-Jews, and they placed the sign of their Judaism, circumcision, on the bodies of every Jewish male. Those intense efforts at separation paid off and in time these exiles were able to return to their homeland as a cohesive people. This was the time when they began to dream of the one who would someday come to restore the power and the fortunes of the Jewish people. These were the notes that Matthew struck in his genealogy. He wanted his readers to know that Jesus was the son of Abraham, the son of David and the expected messiah. Despite the boring nature of these opening verses this “genesis” was terribly important in developing the purpose of Matthew’s work. Everyone, including Matthew and his original readers, knew that this genealogy was not literally accurate. It was filled with stylized numbers. All of the great moments of Jewish history were divided, said Matthew, by fourteen generations. From Abraham to David was fourteen generations, from David to the Exile was fourteen generations and from the Exile to the birth of Jesus was fourteen generations. What was that about? Since seven was the holy, perfect and lucky number, the generational dividers were double sevens or fourteen in number. It was an interesting, but historically impossible claim to make. The years between Abraham and David were about 900, the years between David and the Exile about 400 and the years between the Exile and Jesus were about 600. If a generation was 20 years, which would be the average measure in a world where the life expectancy was 30-40 years, the separation between Abraham and David would be closer to 45 generations; between David and the Exile, 20 generations, and between the Exile and Jesus, 30 generations. In the line that connected David to the Exile, Matthew claimed to be following the kings of the Southern Kingdom, but he still left out some kings that were actually named in the biblical story in order to produce his rounded symmetry. Matthew surely knew this. The audience for which he wrote would also have known this, for they were both conversant with the Jewish Scriptures and with Jewish history. Thus it would not have occurred to them to think that this genealogy or “genesis” of Jesus was to be treated literally. That would be the later contribution of the Gentiles who became almost exclusively dominant in the Christian church by 150 CE. Lacking the Jewish knowledge and background to read or to understand these basically Jewish gospels, they assumed that they were reading literal history. I repeat a general theme of this entire series. Biblical fundamentalism was born in Gentile ignorance. It is a “Gentile Heresy!” One other detail in this “genesis” must have leapt out at the original Jewish reader. Four women are named in the genealogy of Jesus, all of whom have their stories told in the Bible itself. To include women in a genealogical line of ancestors, whether historical or mythological, was quite rare because in the ancient world, the role of women in reproduction was simply not understood. Western science did not definitively establish the existence of an egg cell in the female until the early years of the 18th century. People thought of reproduction after the analogy of a farmer planting his seed into the womb of Mother Earth. The role of Mother Earth was to nurture the man’s seed to maturity, not to contribute genetically to that seed. Women were thus thought of as the incubators of life, which was a product only of the male. So, in the ancient world, women did not make it into genealogical lines because they were not thought of as primary contributors. Yet, in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, four women are included. They are Tamar, whose story is recorded in Genesis 38; Rahab whose story is recorded in the 2nd and 6th chapters of the book of Joshua; Ruth whose story is recorded in the book that bears her name and especially in chapter three, and the wife of Uriah, who is unnamed in the genealogy, but since her story is told in II Samuel 11, we know that her name is Bathsheba. What are these women doing in the genealogy? What do they contribute to Matthew’s story? What was his purpose in including them? Why did he name these four and not others? Major female figures in the Old Testament like Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel, for example, are not included. These questions simply were not asked before the dawn of critical, biblical scholarship, and since these women were hidden in a genealogy, which is so boring that most people skipped over them anyway, their presence was barely noticed until relatively recently. What can we say about them in this introductory study of Matthew? Our answer involves at least three things. First, each of these women was a foreigner, a Gentile, not a Jew. Matthew will open his gospel with a story of Gentiles in the form of the Wise Men coming to pay homage to the infant Christ Child at the moment of his birth. When he reaches his climax in the final chapter, Matthew will have the risen Christ send his disciples “into all the world,” beyond the boundaries of the Jews “to make disciples of all nations.” So breaking down the barriers that divide Jews from Gentiles is a very important theme of this gospel. It is, therefore, not surprising that in the line that produced Jesus four foreign women find a place in Matthew’s genealogy. Tamar was a Canaanite woman, Rahab a citizen of Jericho, Ruth a Moabite and since Uriah was a Hittite, we must assume that his wife was also. Bathsheba’s name literally meant “daughter (bath) of Sheba” and the Queen of Sheba in the biblical story was certainly a foreigner when she came to visit King Solomon. So the first interpretive clue to the inclusion of these women in the genealogy is that none of them was Jewish, all of them were foreigners, “unclean” foreigners. There was one other surprising clue that comes only when these women’s stories are read in the Bible. All of them were, by the standards of that day, sexually-compromised women. One was guilty of incest, one was a prostitute, one was a seductress and the last was an adulterer. We will turn to their stories next week. Until then ask yourself why Matthew would introduce four sexually-tainted women into the genealogy of Jesus in the verses that form the preamble to his story of Jesus’ miraculous birth? Then recall that the Virgin Birth makes its first appearance in the Christian tradition as the immediate follow on to Matthew’s startling genealogy! It is at the very least a strange way to introduce the Messiah. ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer Pamela Keane, via the Internet, writes: Question: I'm sure you have answered this question many times but I can't find the answer on the website. What do you mean by the phrase you use so often "for the non-religious?" Do you mean those who don't go to church or do you mean those who don't believe in God? Or something else? Answer: Dear Pamela, It is not that easy. Lots of people who do go to church are "non-religious." Lots of people who say they don't believe in God are profoundly spiritual and searching people. What I seek to describe with the phrase "the non-religious" are those for whom the traditional religious images have lost their meaning. There is no God above the sky, keeping record books, ready to answer your prayers and come to your aid. There is no tribal deity lurking over your nation or any other nation as a protective presence. There is no God who will free the Jews from Egyptian slavery; put an end to the Inquisition or stop the Holocaust. If these goals are to be accomplished, human beings with expanded consciousness will have to be the ones to accomplish them. This means that the category we call “religious” is too narrow and limited to work for us in the 21st century. The question I seek to answer is that when we move beyond the religious symbols of the past, as I believe our whole culture has already done, do we move beyond the meaning those outdated symbols once captured for us, or is the meaning still there looking for a way to be newly understood and newly symbolized? The word “God” is a human symbol. I believe though that the word God stands for a reality that the word itself cannot fully embrace and that no human being can define. To worship God in our generation means not that we must move beyond God, but it does mean that we will have to move beyond all previous human definitions of God. So to be “non-religious” is just a way of saying that the religious symbols of the past have lost their meaning. That does not mean the search for God is over; it means the quest for new and different symbols has been engaged. I hope this helps. John Shelby Spong Announcements ProgressiveChristianity.org is hiring! We are are non-profit organization that provides spiritual resources and networking for an evolving faith. Position Available: Business Administrator, Marketing & Communications Education and Experience: BA required MA or MDiv would be an asset Job Summary This position requires an independent and outgoing person with a background in religious studies, marketing and communications to staff an office in downtown Tacoma. Tasks are multi-faceted and include: writing, editing, social networking, donor relations, fundraising, research, web posting, communications, event planning, and accounting. Staffing the office also involves fulfilling orders, answering the phone and administrative responsibilities. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

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The Teilhard Project
by Ellie Stock 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Hi folks, If anyone is interested in learning more about a developing film/websites project about the life. writings, and contemporary implications of the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (French priest, paleontologist, and author whose thinking and writing--integrating science/evolution and religion--were foundational to the paradigm and work of the Institute), check out the info with link below. The task before us now, if we would not perish, is to shake off our ancient prejudices and to build the earth. ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Ellie Stock elliestock(a)aol.com . . . Mary and Frank Frost live in VA near DC. Frank is an award-winning producer especially recognized for bringing religion to the public marketplace through a number of television documentaries on religious and spiritual issues and personalities. Several have already been shown on PBS. Presently, he and his wife/co-producer Mary, are deeply engaged in creating a Television Biography of Teilhard de Chardin. They are well along the way with the project, having already done extensive field work in France, England and just recently, in China. In all three places, they had access to key personalities, archives, geologic sites, etc., all central to Teilhard's life. Their project also includes a website, www.teilhardproject.com, which they hope will provide a way for viewers of their documentary and others to pursue the ideas of Teilhard that interest them in dialogue with others. They are hoping to provide links to [other] sites, encouraging dialogue about evolution and how it enhances our religious convictions. . .

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PEACE LINKS
by David Zahrt 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Jill had a Woman's Retreat at the Persichetti's house in St George the first weekend in Nov. Lin and I drove from Carson City, NV to St. George, UT. Lin attended the Retreat, Luigi hosted and entertained me. We did some hiking at Mt Zion National Park. One of the things he introduced me to was his website < http://www.thinkpeacetoday.org/>. Its astounding! I'm surprised he hasn't let all of us know its available. I think its given me some work to do! Peace, David

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Prayer for the Philippines
by Wilson Priscilla 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

A young man who I knew in the youth group in Chicago years ago (E Eric Hultman) now lives in Korea and spends time with friends in the Philippines. He posted on Facebook this morning that a super typhoon is headed right for Cebu Island. I remember the month that Rodney spent in Sudtonggan on Cebu in 1976. He spent his 50th birthday there. Yesterday would have been his 87th. Rodney was there when the Prathers were there. Quimbys were there part of the time Rodney was...as well as Galbreaths. Please include the Philippines in your prayers today. Does anyone know if we still have colleagues there? I looked up Sudtonggan on Google and was surprised. It looks like it is a suburb now...no longer a village. Praying for all of the folks there. Priscilla Priscilla H Wilson Prairie Village, KS Pris(a)TeamTechPress.com www.teamtechpress.com

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This Is The Most Inspiring Yet Depressing Yet Hilarious Yet Horrifying Yet Heartwarming Grad Speech - Tim Minchin
by frank bremner 04 Nov '13

04 Nov '13

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2013 20:29:00 +0930 Subject: Fwd: Fw: This Is The Most Inspiring Yet Depressing Yet Hilarious Yet Horrifying Yet Heartwarming Grad Speech - Tim Minchin From: atren01(a)gmail.com To: Make sure you watch the whole episode - especially the last 5-6 minutes after it seems to finish. https://www.upworthy.com/this-is-the-most-inspiring-yet-depressing-yet-hila…

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ICA Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS
by Richard Alton 03 Nov '13

03 Nov '13

Dear Colleagues, great way to support ICA’s global work. Every dollar you give will be matched. You give on December 3 by credit card. See below for details Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS: Advanced Special number 3021529: ICA Zimbabwe’s HIV/AIDS project has been chosen as an Advanced Special of the United Methodist Church’s Board of Global Ministries. The Zimbabwe project is a comprehensive community based approach to addressing HIV/AIDS. It starts with a massive push on door-to-door testing followed by working with HIV+ people using a program developed by Stanford University Medical School, Living Well with AIDS, a 7 week program to teach self management skills. Finally, this flows into savings/social support groups called Self-Help Groups. The Zimbabwe project will work with 50 villages involving 500,000 people over the next 3 years. Zimbabwe needs your support: Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the harshest AIDS epidemics in the world. In the last decade the population has decreased by four million, infant mortality has doubled and the average life expectancy for women, who are particularly affected by Zimbabwe's AIDS epidemic, is 34-the lowest anywhere in the world. Zimbabwe has a higher number of orphans, in proportion to its population, than any other country in the world. “The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is participating in UMC #GivingTuesday on December 3, 2013. Gifts made online through The Advance on UMC #GivingTuesday will be matched dollar for dollar, meaning that 200 percent of every donation through your Advance number on December 3 will directly go to impact your ministry. This is a great opportunity for you to reach out through your networks and let them know about this one-day event and how it can support this important work.” Dick Alton, (Richard.alton(a)gmail.com; 773.344.7172) Richard H.T. Alton 166 N. Humphrey Ave, Apt, 1N Oak Park, IL 60302 T:1.773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back Babe Ruth

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Global Buzz
by ICA International 03 Nov '13

03 Nov '13

Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe.....If you wish to SEND a report...send to your ICA contact person OR...go to the members section on the ICA International website Please click the link below for the October issue of the Global Buzz Global Buzz Report: 2013 11 01 or copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar http://ica-international.org/buzz/7dayreport-13/2013-11-01.php ICAI Communications

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Ellen's surgery
by RICHARD HOWIE 02 Nov '13

02 Nov '13

On Oct 30 Ellen had surgery on her back L 2 thru 5 were repaired. She was having much discomfort and weekness in her legs , After having a MRI surgery was indicated. After 2 days in the hospital she is back home recovering. she is doing well.. Dick is chief bottle washer etc. Family is also here for a few days. Prayers are welcomed for a quick recovery. Dick

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