May 2021 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

ESSENTIAL DUBIETY
by James Wiegel 31 May '21

31 May '21

Any one remember the term “Essential DUBIETY”? Trying to figure out mask wearing guidelines and those words showed up. Anyone remember? Jim Wiegel “A revolution is on the horizon: a wholesale transformation of the world economy and the way people live.” Fred Krupp

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Celebrating the Kangs!
by Robertson Work 29 May '21

29 May '21

Dear friends, Please celebrate with me the 89th birthdays and 61st wedding anniversary of Rev. Dr. Kang Byoung Hoon and Mrs. Park Jae Eun!! It is a miracle that Mrs. Park spent the last year in the hospital and has risen again. ............................................. Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/

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Fwd: June 3, 4pm EST: Creation in Crisis. Herman Greene, JD DMin. on Earth Rights Legislation and Emergent Ecozoic Law
by Seth Longacre 22 May '21

22 May '21

Herman Greene will be the speaker on the next Creation in Crisis monthly webinar. I invite and encourage all to join. This may also be of ongoing interest. Seth T. Longacre Ashland, OR I believe that God is in me as the sun is in the colour and fragrance of a flower—the light is my darkness, the Voice in my silence. Helen Keller ———-O0ooo— ———–(——)— ————)–-/—- ————(_/- —-ooo0O—- —-(——)—- —–\-–(– ——\_)- > Begin forwarded message: > > From: "Creation in Crisis, Sponsored by Creation Spirituality Communities" <creationspiritualitygail(a)gmail.com> > Subject: June 3, 4pm EST: Creation in Crisis. Herman Greene, JD DMin. on Earth Rights Legislation and Emergent Ecozoic Law > Date: May 22, 2021 at 04:20:18 PDT > To: sethlongacre(a)gmail.com > Reply-To: gailsransom(a)gmail.com > > Earth jurisprudence, Earth law, ecocentric law . . . all seek to re-think and re-envision the human community within the larger community of life and life systems. > Herman Greene, JD, DMin > > Beyond the long disruption of the Earth process is the refusal of Western industrial society to accept needed restrains upon its quest for release, not simply from the normal ills, but release from the human condition itself. . . . Acceptance of the challenging aspect of the natural world is a primary condition for creative intimacy within the natural world. > —Thomas Berry, The Great Work > > You are invited to join our > CREATION IN CRISIS WEBINAR > > JUSTICE FOR EARTH > EMERGING ECOCENTRIC LAW > > with > Herman Greene, JD, DMin > President, Center for Ecozoic Studies > Co-author of Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law—A Guide for Practitioners > > June 3, 2021 > 1:00 PST, 2:00 MT, 3:00 CT, 4:00 EST > REGISTER HERE <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PoZNmB3ge8SEEsNX74QAbtwtkPn99CbnJ9S60YX9N6m…> > > > We have reached the planetary phase of human development. How will we govern ourselves? When we see the perils of climate change and other environmental degradation, we often think of the economic system as the culprit. We might ask, however, what is the role of law? How does the “rule of law” hinder movement to an ecological age and how might reform of law help? > > There has been much work on these questions over the last 20 years. Earth jurisprudence, Earth law, ecocentric law . . . this line of thought goes by many names. Each of them seeks to re-envision and re-think the human community within the larger community of life and life systems. > > On June 3, Herman Greene, JD, DMin, Board Member of the Earth Law Center, and President of the Center for Ecozoic Studies, will lead our discussion on emerging ecocentric law and the responses that it will require from us. > > ABOUT HERMAN GREENE, JD, DMin > > Herman Greene is founder and president of the Center for Ecozoic Studies in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a thought, imagination, dialogue, and action center for an ecological age. He is co-editor and co-author of Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law—A Guide for Practitioners. He serves on the Boards of the Earth Law Center and the International Process Network, and on the Advisory Boards of the Center for Process Studies and the Institute for the Post-Modern Development of China. He is a retired business lawyer and holds graduate degrees in law (University of North Carolina-JD), theology (University of Chicago-MTh & MDiv, and United Theological Seminary-DMin), and an MA in political science.(Stanford University, > > REGISTER HERE <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PoZNmB3ge8SEEsNX74QAbtwtkPn99CbnJ9S60YX9N6m…> > SEE YOU IN AUGUST! Due to national celebrations in both the United States and Canada during the first week of July, causing many happy COVID free celebrations, our next webinar will be August 5, 2021. Watch for news. See you then. > > > > Your co-hosts for our Creation in Crisis webinars are Penny Andrews (left), DMin UCS, Chaplain, Activist, Permaculturalist, Facilitator for the Work That Reconnects (WTR) and Gail Ransom (right) DMin '10, WU, Mystic, Activist, Musician, Former President of Creation Spirituality Communities. Your input for presenters and administrative support is always welcome. Please contact us through Creation Spirituality Communities. <mailto:contact@csommunities.org> > > > Creation in Crisis is a monthly webinar series featuring environmental activists from a wide variety of situation whose spirituality supports and empowers their efforts. The 90 minute sessions include inspirational readings, music or visual arts, and the opportunity to engage in conversation with the presenter. Webinars are held on the first Thursday of the month at 4:00 EST/ 3:00 CT/ 2:00 MT./ 1:00 PST. > Registration Link For June 3 Webinar with Herman Greene <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PoZNmB3ge8SEEsNX74QAbtwtkPn99CbnJ9S60YX9N6m…> > > We invite you to learn more about Creation Spirituality Communities, > Visit the CSC Website <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PoZNmB3ge8SEEsNX74QAbtwtkPn99CbnJ9S60YX9N6m…> > You can also find us on Facebook as Creation Spirituality Communities or Creation in Crisis > Creation Spirituality Communities | 2972 Wintergreeen, Carlsbad, CA 92008 > Unsubscribe sethlongacre(a)gmail.com <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001LsxFqvXP6sYU8rV9cGF0BA%3D&…> > Update Profile <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001LsxFqvXP6sYU8rV9cGF0BA%3D&…> | Constant Contact Data Notice <https://www.constantcontact.com/legal/customer-contact-data-notice> > Sent by creationspiritualitygail(a)gmail.com <mailto:creationspiritualitygail@gmail.com> powered by > <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE> > Try email marketing for free today! <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE>

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5/20/2021, Progressing Spirit: Dr. Carl Krieg: Big Change; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 20 May '21

20 May '21

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Big Change | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Dr. Carl Krieg May 20, 2021 In his Letters and Papers from Prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in 1945 that the Western world was on the precipice of a new era, an era without religion. God, as the “answer” to unsolvable questions, was continually being put out of a job as science continually extended the boundaries of human knowledge. This prognostication on his part was long before the arrival of Hubble, with its photos of a seemingly endless universe, and quantum mechanics with its suggestion of a multiverse. Religion, for Bonhoeffer, was not the oppressive tool of capitalism decried by Marx, nor the white supremacist perversion current in the US today, but was the genuine article, the common and oft-proclaimed syndrome based on sin, guilt, forgiveness, Christ, and a heavenly Father. This religion, Bonhoeffer suggests, is no longer of any concern to modern western humankind. The world has “come of age”, and if the Christian church is to have any relevance at all, it must speak a religionless language. Fundamentalists have latched onto Bonhoeffer’s earlier works in order to claim him for their own, totally ignoring his later and more challenging reflections, but it cannot be denied that his thoughts in prison point in an entirely new direction. And he was right. Surveys and polls show inescapably what the Christian church bodies know for a fact, and that is that modern people simply do not care about what the church proclaims that they should care about, matters such as sin and redemption and God and the cross and… Bar graphs show a steady decline in the number of people who even care about such ideas. There is one projection that at the current rate of decline, church membership will approach zero in a matter of decades. Some find refuge in asserting that folks today, although not interested in religion, are really quite “spiritual”, and that may be true. But there are also those who coldly follow the facts, concluding that not only are people turning away from religion, but that they are also becoming less spiritual, whatever that might mean. The idea is that pure secularism is on the march, and will not be robbed of its victory. On another note, it doesn’t take a great deal of insight to realize that humanity is destroying not only the planet, but itself as well. Incredible wealth and resource inequality, created and enhanced by greed, power, and violence, is bringing all of us to a state of near collapse. Instead of the tried and proven old religious maxim to love thy neighbor, at least in the US, a whole political party has succumbed to the philosophy of Ayn Rand, the essence of which is to love thyself, no matter the cost to your neighbor or your society. Some argue that it is the loss of religion and the growth of secularism that has brought us to this selfishness and self-destructive situation, blaming secularism as the cause of our immoral leadership and modern social collapse. Following this line of reasoning, what then is the solution? To bring everyone “back to God” and make them religious again? Would that heal our society? Not likely. This may sound a bit naive, but except for the truly corrupt minority, all of us know what needs to be done. We all need to be more loving to one another. Or, to translate that into more specific behavior, we need to be kind to one another. Concerned. Caring. Willing to share. Helpful. The list goes on. Pick your word. And we must become more aware of the opposite. We cannot be egocentric and self-centered. Selfish. Isolated. Uncaring. Greedy. Violent. The situation, therefore, lies plainly before us. Western culture, and I suspect that the East will follow, is becoming increasingly secular as the established churches become more irrelevant. Secondly, humankind is becoming more destructive, both of the environment and of itself. This is not at all to say that secularism causes destruction. In fact, quite to the contrary, it may be that secularism frees us from religious absolutism, thereby enabling us to become less destructive and violent. And thirdly, we all seem to know what the solution is, namely, love, in the most expansive and inclusive sense. What is to be done? Given the enormity of the crisis, let us focus on one little piece of the puzzle, and ask the prisoner’s question: what should the church be doing in this modern world, which has not only “come of age”, but is not aging well? It is slowly dawning upon us that big problems require big solutions, and big changes are happening. Believed incredible but a few years ago, the world economy is moving away from fossil fuel to solar and wind energy. Within a decade the increasing majority of automobiles will be electric. The Green New Deal incorporates practical concepts that can stop and perhaps reverse climate change. Agriculture is slowly moving toward a regenerative model, building soil, growing healthful food and capturing carbon. The unequal distribution of wealth in the US is forcing us to realize that this wealth must be shared. Guaranteed basic income is no longer an irrefutable concept rejected out-of-hand. There is hope. If industry and government are beginning to think new thoughts in a big way, cannot the church do the same? To begin with, the idea that the Christian church has a monopoly on God and the secret for a meaningful life is but a relic of a barbarous colonialism that commanded the world: you must be like us. Even today, evangelicals shout “Our way is the only way! Repent and be saved!” Mainline Protestant denominations fail to clearly differentiate themselves from that propaganda, and the Catholic church still demands obeisance to itself as the incarnation of God. Jesus would be horrified. He was somebody special, to be sure. But he did not die on the cross to appease an angry god and save believers- only believers- from their sin. He did not demand that people believe in him, whatever that might mean. I have described elsewhere the encounter between Jesus and his disciples, and need not repeat that here. The focal point at hand is that the church must stop preaching this religious language to a world that increasingly could not care less, and at the same time be true to what Jesus was about, which is exactly what the world needs and wants- economic justice, social harmony, and personal fulfillment. In addition to changing the basic story line about Jesus, if the church were to take up the challenge and make some really big changes, what could they possibly be? I have pondered that question myself, and here are some changes I would propose for consideration. In the first place, the weekly gathering, perhaps still on Sunday, would no longer be called a worship service. I find it difficult to believe that God needs adulation and adoration. What God desires, if we can believe the prophets and Jesus, is peace and love, justice and righteousness, and not the trappings of religion. So let’s just call Sunday morning a gathering of folks concerned about the deep issues of life. And let’s not limit it to adherents of any one religion, or religion at all, but let the doors be open to any and all who choose to sound the depths of their own humanity with others who do the same. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to invite one’s atheistic family and friends to such a gathering without having to apologize for the archaic and absolutistic Christian God-talk? At different gatherings, the speaker of the day might be a Christian, a Jew, an atheist, a Muslim, or whatever, who would offer a perspective on the meaning of life, including reference to God, or not. If that person were a Christian, the narrative could be about the life and teaching of Jesus and could include the concept of an incarnate God, or not. What so many of us forget is that the early church was filled with a variety of interpretations of who Jesus was. There was no orthodoxy, not one set of beliefs, but many. Because of the variety of persons present, there will be no prayer either petitioning or thanking God. Everyone is free, of course, to speak their mind of self and God, but without imposition on any other. There will be silence. There will be music. There will be food and drink. There will be whatever that congregational gathering, with its particular mixture of persons, decides to do. Who knows what might emerge? But it is time for the church to engage in big change. The alternative to change is a slow drift into oblivion. Big change is essential to the survival of the church- and the world. The world is searching for a model to emulate, a model of how to live together in peace and harmony. The church has the potential to be that model. It is time. ~ Dr. Carl Krieg Read online here About the Author Dr. Carl Krieg received his BA from Dartmouth College, MDiv from Union Theological Seminary in NYC and PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is the author of What to Believe? the Questions of Christian Faith which is in the process of being reprinted, and The Void and the Vision. As professor and pastor, Dr. Krieg has taught innumerable classes and led many discussion groups. He lives with his wife Margaret in Norwich, VT. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader How does one begin the journey of personal transformation? A: By Rev. Deshna Shine Dear Reader, Big question, and one that I won’t really be able to answer in a few paragraphs… but as you ask about the beginning, we will start there, even at the risk of gross oversimplification. Personal transformation begins with going within and getting to know yourself — your thoughts, beliefs, and core patterns that all dictate your reactions and emotions. Until we go within, we are not able to transform or affect our internal world which guides our outer experience. With mindfulness and observation of our inner dialogue we are able to engage in a new way of being. We have the power to create an extraordinary existence by learning how to navigate ourselves and become the architects of our own minds, emotions, and bodies rather than the victims of a ceaseless pre-programmed script. When we become the observers of our human emotional minds, we can detach from identifying as our thoughts and emotions and begin to see them as clues to our patterns, limiting core beliefs, traumas, wounds, and fears. Then we can have compassion for ourselves and begin to make choices about how we want to think and behave. Although radical transformation takes time and practice, stepping out of suffering and pain and opening ourselves to all that is possible in this human experience does not have to be a lifetime challenge. Transformation can actually happen in the space of one moment. It can happen in the moment when we go deep within and dig out the roots of the weed to change our core beliefs and patterns. As we begin to align our minds with the high vibration of divine love and expansion, rather than fear and contracting thoughts, we can establish new patterns of thinking that will benefit us and all those around us. ~ Rev. Deshna Shine Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Deshna Shine is Project Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org’s Children’s Curriculum. She is an ordained Interfaith Minister, author, international speaker, and visionary. She grew up in a thriving progressive Christian church and has worked in the field for over 13 years. She graduated from UCSB with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Global Peace and Security. She was Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org, Executive Producer of Embrace Festival and has co-authored the novel, Missing Mothers. Deshna is passionate about sacred community, nourishing children spiritually and transforming Christianity through a radically inclusive lens. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a non-profit ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit rely heavily on the good will of our donors to help us continue to bring individuals and churches the messages of progressive Christians, Weekly Newsletters, along with the many other resources we provide. For years, the majority of our fundraising came at the end of the year. Looking at various ways to create a more reasonable amount of cash flow we decided rather than having a BIG ask at the end of each year, our more frequent asks give folks a chance to contribute when their funds are more flexible. We think that's a win for everyone. We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org online and going strong - click here to donate today! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Elijah and Elisha (The Origins of the Bible, Part Xa) Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong November 4, 2010 While going through past columns in my series on the origins of the Bible this fall in preparation for their publication next year by Harper Collins under the title Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, I came to a startling realization. I had, in my unit on the rise of the prophets in Israel, moved from Nathan, whom I regard as the founder of the role of the prophets, directly to the writing prophets who run from Isaiah to Malachi. This means that I skipped with little or no notice over two of the most colorful figures in Jewish history, Elijah and Elisha. So huge was this omission that I felt an immediate need to complete my story by focusing on these two figures who exercised in the ninth century BCE such wide authority on the Jewish and, therefore, the biblical story. Hence this is a somewhat out-of-sequence but, I hope valuable, column. The stories of Elijah and Elisha are found in the Bible between I Kings 17, where Elijah suddenly arises in the text, and II Kings 13, where Elisha makes his final appearance and his death is recorded. Contained in these chapters are some of the most dramatic narratives in the entire Bible. While these two figures were on the center stage of Jewish history, they dominated the biblical story in very dramatic ways. I and II Kings record their adventures in a manner that is both fanciful and sometimes even farcical, but always entertaining. Both of these figures also play important roles in the development of the Christian story, causing much of the New Testament to be non-sensical if we do not understand that Elijah and Elisha are lurking in the background. First, Elijah was identified as the one who would herald the coming of the messiah, so he figures prominently in the early gospel portrait of John the Baptist. Mark, for example, the writer who first introduces John the Baptist in the Christian tradition, presents John in Elijah’s clothing, has him fed with Elijah’s diet and locates him in Elijah’s wilderness. Second, in some other parts of the tradition, the messiah was himself said to be a new and greater Elijah and so the story of Elijah, and to a lesser degree Elisha, shapes the content of the Jesus story, particularly in the gospel of Luke. Let me now lift both of these personalities out of the biblical story so that we might examine them closely. Elijah was called a Tishbite because he hailed from Tishbe in Gilead, an area east of the Jordan River in the land called Israel. His emergence into the Jewish story is very dramatic. There was a drought throughout all the land. Elijah seems to have predicted this drought to King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom, the husband of Queen Jezebel, and thus it appears that he was assumed to have been responsible for it. Thus with a price on his head he flees in fear into a hiding place, first to a hiding place by the Brook Cherith in the desert. He is clearly portrayed as being a very special person for it was said of him that God provided for his needs by having the ravens bring him bread to eat during the drought’s resultant famine. When the waters of the Brook Cherith later dried up, he went further east to Zarephath where he had his first dramatic encounter with a widow, who was the mother of an only son. Elijah asked this widow for water and a meal cake but she replied that she was down to her last bit of flour and oil and her plan was to use her meager supplies to make a final meal for herself and her son before they both died in the famine. Elijah assured her that if she did as he requested her supply of flour and oil would never run out. Here we find a regularly recurring biblical theme involving a miraculous feeding in which the food supply seems to expand endlessly. This theme, found first in the Moses story of manna from heaven, will also appear in the Elisha story and will make a dramatic reappearance in the New Testament, where Jesus is said to have taken five loaves and two fishes and they keep expanding until the multitude of thousands is fed. Later in the story, the son of this same widow dies and Elijah is said to have raised him back to life. This is the first biblical story in which one person raises another from the dead. Later, however, Elisha will also raise someone, this time a child, from the dead. Both of these stories will later, in slightly heightened forms will be retold about Jesus of Nazareth in the Synoptic Gospels. This is another example in which the idea of miracles being recycled in the Bible becomes apparent. In the tradition of Nathan, the prophet whom we met when he confronted David, Elijah will now confront King Ahab time after time, winning for himself from Ahab the title of “the troubler of Israel.” The issue between the prophet and the king was whether or not the worship of Baal and Asherah, gods of the fertility cult of the Canaanites, which still exercised great influence in the land and was clearly supported by Queen Jezebel, could live side by side with the God Yahweh, worshiped by the faithful prophet Elijah. Elijah challenged the priests of Baal and Asherah to a duel on Mt. Carmel. Four hundred priests of Baal and four hundred and fifty priests of Asherah were lined up against the solitary and quite heroic figure of Elijah. The contest was to determine which God would respond to the prayers requesting fire from heaven to burn up the sacrificed bull. The priests of Baal and Asherah went first, dancing, chanting and even cutting themselves in pleas to their deities, but to no avail. The fire from heaven never came. Elijah, who must have had a hair shirt of a personality, taunted them from the sidelines with suggestions that perhaps their God were asleep until finally it became his turn to call on his God. Then he poured barrels of water over his altar and the sacrificed animal until the water filled the ditch around his altar, which surely heightened the power of the miracle. One wag, trying to account for the supernatural elements of this story, suggested that while it looked like water that he was pouring, it was really natural gas! Then Elijah called down the fire of God and it came devouring the sacrifice with flames and licking up all the water around the altar. Elijah, clearly the winner in this contest, was not gracious in his victory. He proceeded to cut off the heads of all the “false” priests with his sword and thus he moved quickly to purify the worship of Israel. Calling down fire from heaven appears to be something Elijah could do easily, for he repeated this miracle on two other occasions in the biblical narrative. The story of Elijah’s ascension into heaven at the end of his life is also a very dramatic story, involving a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses and a God-sent whirlwind for propulsion into the sky, all of which we will see later when Luke incorporates these details into his narrative of the ascension of Jesus. Elijah’s hand-picked successor, Elisha, comes next to the Bible’s center stage and we watch as many of the stories in the Jewish tradition, including the stories of Elijah, are now replicated in the Elisha cycle. Miracles are in fact deemed to be recyclable in the Bible. Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha all seem to be able to split a body of water so that each can walk through on dry land. Elisha, like Elijah, has other less admirable qualities. In a fit of anger about being called “bald headed” by some little children, he causes two she bears to come out of the woods to devour them. He appears able to cause an axe head to float on the top of a river so that it could be found. He, like Elijah, can raise the dead and, in addition, can cure foreigners of leprosy by having them wash in the Jordan River. Like Moses and Elijah before him, he had power over the weather and used it to punish the Jews for their sinfulness, especially the unfaithfulness of the king. Elisha was said to be able to cause a barren woman to conceive and this power, reminiscent of the earlier narratives of the births of both Samson and Samuel, will reappear in the gospel stories as background to the virgin birth of Jesus. Yes, these Elijah-Elisha stories are filled with miracles, magic, fantasy and folk lore, all built on what was probably a mere germ of history. They clearly establish the prophet’s role in Israel to be that of speaking with authority in the citadels of political power. These stories demonstrate again and again that no one, not even the king, can escape the moral law of God! Elijah and Elisha flow together in the Bible so that it is hard to keep them separate. Even things commanded for Elijah to do are sometimes completed in the life of Elisha and sometimes even later in Jewish history. It seems obvious that Queen Jezebel’s vow to remove Elijah’s head, as he had done to her priests of Baal at Mount Carmel, finally gets its fulfillment when another queen named Herodias, the wife of King Herod, has John the Baptist’s head removed. As the later gospel of Luke makes clear, many of the themes that he developed in his portrait of Jesus were merely the retelling of Elijah stories magnified and reused to apply to Jesus. These two figures, Elijah and Elisha, are deeply emblazoned in Jewish history and they form a bridge to the writing prophets of the eighth century and beyond, who help to turn the religion of the Jews from the worship of a tribal deity, who is somewhat vindictive and blood thirsty, into a universal presence incorporating into the divine identity a new sense of oneness, the meaning of a transfiguring love, a searing sense of divine justice and ultimately evolving into the creation of` a deity who turns away from the external requirements and begins to assert that worship means how one lives one’s life, not how one practices liturgy. As I roamed once again over the passages of the Bible that contain the stories of Elijah and Elisha, I saw anew just how deeply interdependent the Jewish-Christian story is, how none of it can be viewed literally and how the Hebrew people believed that the divine qualities they attributed to God showed up generation after generation in the lives of the prophets. God’s eternity was thus viewed and experienced in that this divine power to control nature, to command fire, to expand the food supply and even to raise one to new life are constant themes. Elijah shows up once more in the Synoptic Gospels when he appears with Moses and the two of them talk with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. That was the gospel writer’s way of saying that to understand Jesus you must read the Hebrew Scriptures. That is true! ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Find Inspiration & Healing in the Radical Teachings of St. Hildegard with Matthew FoxOnline May 29th - Free Hildegard of Bingen, a 12-century German mystic, was a brash and brilliant medieval abbess who rebelled fearlessly against the patriarchy of church and society. She professed that God was female and male — and existed in all of the Cosmos and everything within it. This mystic, author, artist, composer, herbalist, preacher, and theologian — who oversaw her own monastery high on a hill in rural Germany — knew many centuries ago what is vitally important for us to understand and practice today. READ ON... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Offer of a visit from Duane Elgin, author of CHOOSING EARTH. Sorry for cross posting.
by James Wiegel 19 May '21

19 May '21

This to Robertson Work: Can you check with Duane Elgin about his possible availability tonight? BACK STORY: Rob Work has an online connection with Duane Elgin and mentioned our study group. Duane offered to speak with us. (See emails below). And see you all tonight, on Zoom, 8:00 Chicago time) >>> >>> Time: May 17, 2021 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) >>> >>> Join Zoom Meeting >>> https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86431860640?pwd=RnhjRmNTSDE0U3B2ZzlhR25GYUo4Zz09 >>> >>> Meeting ID: 864 3186 0640 >>> Passcode: 214122 Dear Rob, thanks for making this contact with Duane Elgin (via FaceBook and LinkedIn) and his gracious offer to spend some time with us sharing his wisdom about CHOOSING EARTH. I went to bed thinking it would be helpful to have Duane visit with us midway in the study and answer questions and maybe give a deeper context for Part IV. As I woke up this morning, it seemed it would be even better if Duane could spend some time with us tonight as a part of our getting organized. — 15 minutes or so if he is available. COULD YOU CHECK WITH HIM AND LET ME KNOW?? If so, perhaps you could introduce him as well? The organizing session is scheduled tonight from 8pm to 9:30 pm Chicago time. We will try to go on line a bit early and then will have tech issues, and welcomes to deal with, so any time after 8:15 would be great. I know he has a training session that concludes about 45 minutes before that. A bit about the group. It looks like we will have 20-30 (or so) folks tonight in the session. Pretty much everyone has been active with the Institute and other renewal efforts over the years. Median age is 70+. Mostly North American. Mostly privileged. I think it would be helpful to hear from Duane the aim / intent of CHOOSING EARTH (a movement?); how that is going and hopes and guidance to ensure this study has good impact on us — perhaps answer a few questions as well?? These are some I have, but probably too technical for this. My big question is whether to go through CHOOSING EARTH just as a book study group or use the Facilitator’s Guide they have developed? Whether to keep this as a large group with breakouts or split off to several team sized Several people who have expressed interest have time conflicts, could make most sessions but might miss. How to include them? Let me know if this is possible, and thanks again. Jim Wiegel “We are all time travelers journeying into the future. But let us make that future a place we want to visit. “ Stephen Hawking : >>> >>> Dear Jim and colleagues, >>> Duane Elgin, the author of Choosing Earth, just sent me this message on LinkedIn in response to my request: "I'm happy to join a session. I have highest regards for ICA. I'm happy to answer questions. I would like to learn more about the group that will be attending the zoom meeting. Kind regards, Duane" >>> If you would like to include this in the study schedule, please let me know and I will contact Duane; or you could contact him directly. >>> Best wishes, >>> Rob >>> ............................................. >>> Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF >>> Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ >>> Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/ >>> >>> >>> From: Dialogue <dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> on behalf of James Wiegel via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> >>> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2021 7:23 PM >>> To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> >>> Cc: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> >>> Subject: [Dialogue] Fw: SO FAR, 17 people have responded with interest in studying CHOOSING EARTH over the next couple of months. WE ARE MEETING MONDAY, MAY 17 AT 8 PM CHICAGO TIME TO GET ORGANIZED. JOIN US. >>> >>> >>> 1. Interested so far: Richard Alton, Joyce Bonafield, Milan Hamilton, Ellen Howie, Larry Philbrook, Evelyn Philbrook, Lewis Pierce, Martin Rafanan, David Rebstock, Janet Sanders, Carleton Stock, Ellie Stock, Nancy Trask, Dharmalingam Vinasithamby, Edwin Waters, Jean Watts, Jim Wiegel >>> >>> For the rest of you, send us an email to JOIN US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED. We will only send future notices to those who are interested. >>> >>> 2. Monday, May 17 we will get organized for this. Here is the Zoom link >>> David Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. >>> >>> Topic: My Meeting >>> Time: May 17, 2021 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) >>> >>> Join Zoom Meeting >>> https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86431860640?pwd=RnhjRmNTSDE0U3B2ZzlhR25GYUo4Zz09 >>> >>> Meeting ID: 864 3186 0640 >>> Passcode: 214122 >>> (full link at bottom of this email) >>> >>> 3. Currently we are anticipating 9 sessions, on Mondays, from May 24, starting at either 7:00 or 8:00 Chicago time and running for 90 minutes. We have been in touch with the folks at CHOOSING EARTH and they will let us use their study guide / curriculum if we choose. Jim is going to participate in a facilitator training the next 2 Mondays to get more inside of their approach. >>> >>> 4. Here are Proposed Study Group Sessions based on their outline: does this make sense? >>> Session 0: Getting Organized including Our Aims and Approach, Getting Volunteer Leadership (Session Hosts, Small Group Leadership and Technical Producers) Guidelines for Participation, etc. >>> Session 1: Introduction to Choosing Earth >>> Recognizing our whole systems crisis and several stories of transition. . . .16 >>> Session 2: Three Pathways Ahead >>> Collapse, Authoritarianism, and Great Transition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 >>> Session 3: Stages of Great Transition I >>> The Decades of the 20s, 30s, and 40s and the challenges ahead . . . . . . . . 19 >>> Session 4: Stages of Great Transition II >>> The Decades of 50’s 60’s and 70’s and the timeline for a Great Transition . .19 >>> Session 5: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part I >>> Aliveness, Waking Up, Growing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 >>> Session 6: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part II >>> Reconciling, Communicating, Community Building and Simplicity . . . . . . . . .21 >>> Session 7-8 — Optional: Integration >>> What’s Been Learned? What’s Shifted? What’s Next for You? . . . . . . . . . . . .22 >>> >>> 5. Here is a rough outline for each session: Does this make sense? >>> o Welcoming people on arrival >>> o Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a brief meditation for settling and connecting as a group >>> o Using a check-in process to build group cohesion and shared understanding >>> o Offering both large group and small group inquiries >>> o Facilitating whole group discussions >>> o Describing the reading and exercise assignments >>> o Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a closing process for each session — this could be a prayer, a poem or a simple dedication, like “We dedicate our time together to the well-being of all life.” >>> >>> 6. TECHNOLOGY We are assuming to use David Rebstock's Zoom account. What else will we need? >>> >>> 7. What is our PURPOSE? A month or so ago, the Shankland's suggested some aims: >>> Rational Aim: To stay current on the Climate Crisis and explore points of engagement for each participant Experiential Aim: To have a great time in dialogue with colleagues and nudge each other to be effectively involved. >>> >>> This from the CHOOSING EARTH FOLKS: "step into a deeper understanding of what is needed to move through the greatest transition humanity has ever made — and to rise to the opportunity of becoming a mature, planetary civilization. Recognizing both challenges and opportunities, our goal is to provide a study guide that supports you — both in terms of content and facilitation. >>> >>> and this CAVEAT (more on the existential side): Choosing Earth explores profound changes, threats of collapse, and the real possibility of great suffering for humanity as a precursor to a collective transition. Facing profound change, deep uncertainty and the threat of collapsing civilization are unsettling and anxiety producing. This material can be distressing and evoke feelings of loss, grief, anger, anxiety, and hopelessness. Awakening to these feelings is vital if we are to mobilize our inner wisdom, imagination, and resilience and come to terms with climate disruption, social and racial injustice, economic inequities and more. Therefore, it is important for people to have a degree of maturity, self-awareness and resilience to engage with this material. >>> >>> 8. MATERIALS: You can download a free copy of the book on the CHOOSING EARTH website. Ellen Howie got her librarian to make her a copy! >>> >>> >>> Jim Wiegel >>> >>> The unknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plain sailing. John Lennon >>> >>> >>> 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 >>> 623-363-3277 >>> jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com >>> www.partnersinparticipation.com >>> >>> >>> On Thursday, May 13, 2021, 08:16:28 PM MST, James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >>> >>> >>> David Rebstock and I are quite interested in looking at this. See what you think. Check out the website. We hope to find a number of you who are interested -- as participants, session organizers, small group leaders, and technical producers. JOIN US next Monday at 8:00 pm Chicago time to get ourselves organized!! >>> >>> Home - Choosing Earth >>> >>> Home - Choosing Earth >>> The goal of the Choosing Earth Project is to foster understanding of the magnitude, speed and depth of challenge... >>> >>> >>> The book is available there as a downloadable pdf, or you can purchase it as an ebook at Amazon. There is also a documentary video accessible and several other resources. I have been in touch with the organizers and they have made available a 7 session outline and guide for studying the book. >>> >>> I am hopeful that this can open up a broader conversation, one that can include multiple generations. >>> >>> Here is a 1 paragraph description that speaks. >>> >>> Choosing Earth draws upon a lifetime of research by the author and looks a half-century into the future to explore how our world might evolve into a mature, planetary civilization that celebrates the miracle of life. Decade by decade, it describes stages of great transition that realistically could lie ahead. Where many see the single trend of growing climate disruption producing a catastrophic collapse, Choosing Earth sees a purposeful rite of passage for humanity where we move beyond our adolescent stage of development and into our early adulthood. With greater maturity, we can move from exploiting the Earth and each other to caring for all of life — and a sustainable and purposeful future can unfold. >>> >>> The next paragraph outlines the approach of the book. >>> >>> As further introduction, it is important to add that, to explore this great transition, Choosing Earth develops three perspectives often missing from the current discussion: >>> 1. Look Wide: Look beyond single factors such as global warming and include a wide range of trends including climate disruption, social and economic inequities, resource depletion, species extinction, population growth, and much more. >>> 2. Look Deep: Look beneath the outer trends such as climate change and species extinction to include the inner realities of evolving psychology, values, culture, consciousness, and paradigms. >>> 3. Look Long: Look far into the future — much farther than the short run of the next five or ten years. Trends that are uncertain and ambiguous in the short run become much clearer when extrapolated to the longer run of the next 50 years. >>> By looking wide, deep and long, Choosing Earth constructs a realistic story or scenario describing this great transition. >>> >>> >>> FULL ZOOM LINK. >>> >>> David Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. >>> >>> Topic: My Meeting >>> Time: May 17, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) >>> Every 9 weeks on Mon, until May 17, 2021, 1 occurrence(s) >>> May 17, 2021 07:00 PM >>> Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. >>> Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZUldOutqDgvGdXLzVHkG7IXobCrVXHVwhi0/ics?ic… >>> >>> Join Zoom Meeting >>> https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81832563531?pwd=ejNiWXhLek9PSDhSLzAxY1NDUjRPZz09 >>> >>> Meeting ID: 818 3256 3531 >>> Passcode: 555998 >>> One tap mobile >>> +13017158592,,81832563531#,,,,*555998# US (Washington DC) >>> +13126266799,,81832563531#,,,,*555998# US (Chicago) >>> >>> Dial by your location >>> +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) >>> +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) >>> +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) >>> +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) >>> +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) >>> +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) >>> Meeting ID: 818 3256 3531 >>> Passcode: 555998 >>> Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdI2yt8LY7 >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Dialogue mailing list >> Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net >> http://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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New book on the power of facilitation
by Robertson Work 18 May '21

18 May '21

Congratulations, Martin Gilbraith, on this just released book on the power of facilitation! And it is available at no cost. https://martingilbraith.com/2021/05/18/the-power-of-facilitation-now-availa… [http://img.youtube.com/vi/dCeWB2IO448/0.jpg]<https://martingilbraith.com/2021/05/18/the-power-of-facilitation-now-availa…> The Power of Facilitation – now available!<https://martingilbraith.com/2021/05/18/the-power-of-facilitation-now-availa…> “Facilitation simply works. It is a critical skill needed in government, civil society, and business, if humanity is to deal with climate chaos, ecocide, racism, fascism, and other challenges. Than… martingilbraith.com ............................................. Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/

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Fw: SO FAR, 17 people have responded with interest in studying CHOOSING EARTH over the next couple of months. WE ARE MEETING MONDAY, MAY 17 AT 8 PM CHICAGO TIME TO GET ORGANIZED. JOIN US.
by James Wiegel 17 May '21

17 May '21

1. Interested so far: Richard Alton, Joyce Bonafield, Milan Hamilton, Ellen Howie, LarryPhilbrook, Evelyn Philbrook, Lewis Pierce, Martin Rafanan, DavidRebstock, Janet Sanders, Carleton Stock, Ellie Stock, Nancy Trask,Dharmalingam Vinasithamby, Edwin Waters, Jean Watts, Jim Wiegel For the rest of you, send us an email to JOIN US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED. We will only send future notices to those who are interested. 2. Monday, May 17 we will get organized for this. Here is the Zoom linkDavid Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: My Meeting Time: May 17, 2021 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86431860640?pwd=RnhjRmNTSDE0U3B2ZzlhR25GYUo4Zz09 Meeting ID: 864 3186 0640 Passcode: 214122(full link at bottom of this email) 3. Currently we are anticipating 9 sessions, on Mondays, from May 24, starting at either 7:00 or 8:00 Chicago time and running for 90 minutes. We have been in touch with the folks at CHOOSING EARTH and they will let us use their study guide / curriculum if we choose. Jim is going to participate in a facilitator training the next 2 Mondays to get more inside of their approach. 4. Here are Proposed Study Group Sessions based on their outline: does this make sense?Session 0: Getting Organized including Our Aims and Approach, Getting Volunteer Leadership (Session Hosts, Small Group Leadership and Technical Producers) Guidelines for Participation, etc.Session 1: Introduction to Choosing EarthRecognizing our whole systems crisis and several stories of transition. . . .16Session 2: Three Pathways AheadCollapse, Authoritarianism, and Great Transition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Session 3: Stages of Great Transition IThe Decades of the 20s, 30s, and 40s and the challenges ahead . . . . . . . . 19Session 4: Stages of Great Transition IIThe Decades of 50’s 60’s and 70’s and the timeline for a Great Transition . .19Session 5: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part IAliveness, Waking Up, Growing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Session 6: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part IIReconciling, Communicating, Community Building and Simplicity . . . . . . . . .21Session 7-8 — Optional: IntegrationWhat’s Been Learned? What’s Shifted? What’s Next for You? . . . . . . . . . . . .22 5. Here is a rough outline for each session: Does this make sense?o Welcoming people on arrivalo Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a brief meditation for settling and connecting as a groupo Using a check-in process to build group cohesion and shared understandingo Offering both large group and small group inquirieso Facilitating whole group discussionso Describing the reading and exercise assignmentso Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a closing process for each session — this could be a prayer, a poem or a simple dedication, like “We dedicate our time together to the well-being of all life.” 6. TECHNOLOGY We are assuming to use David Rebstock's Zoom account. What else will we need? 7. What is our PURPOSE? A month or so ago, the Shankland's suggested some aims: Rational Aim: To stay current on the Climate Crisis and explore points of engagement for each participant Experiential Aim: To have a great time in dialogue with colleagues and nudge each other to be effectively involved. This from the CHOOSING EARTH FOLKS: "step into a deeper understanding of what is needed to move through the greatest transition humanity has ever made — and to rise to the opportunity of becoming a mature, planetary civilization. Recognizing both challenges and opportunities, our goal is to provide a study guide that supports you — both in terms of content and facilitation. and this CAVEAT (more on the existential side): Choosing Earth explores profound changes, threats of collapse, and the real possibility of great suffering for humanity as a precursor to a collective transition. Facing profound change, deep uncertainty and the threat of collapsing civilization are unsettling and anxiety producing. This material can be distressing and evoke feelings of loss, grief, anger, anxiety, and hopelessness. Awakening to these feelings is vital if we are to mobilize our inner wisdom, imagination, and resilience and come to terms with climate disruption, social and racial injustice, economic inequities and more. Therefore, it is important for people to have a degree of maturity, self-awareness and resilience to engage with this material. 8. MATERIALS: You can download a free copy of the book on the CHOOSING EARTH website. Ellen Howie got her librarian to make her a copy! Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com On Thursday, May 13, 2021, 08:16:28 PM MST, James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> wrote: David Rebstock and I are quite interested in looking at this. See what you think. Check out the website. We hope to find a number of you who are interested -- as participants, session organizers, small group leaders, and technical producers. JOIN US next Monday at 8:00 pm Chicago time to get ourselves organized!! Home - Choosing Earth | | | | | | | | | | | Home - Choosing Earth The goal of the Choosing Earth Project is to foster understanding of the magnitude, speed and depth of challenge... | | | The book is available there as a downloadable pdf, or you can purchase it as an ebook at Amazon. There is also a documentary video accessible and several other resources. I have been in touch with the organizers and they have made available a 7 session outline and guide for studying the book. I am hopeful that this can open up a broader conversation, one that can include multiple generations. Here is a 1 paragraph description that speaks. Choosing Earth draws upon a lifetime of research by the author and looks a half-century into the future to explore how our world might evolve into a mature, planetary civilization that celebrates the miracle of life. Decade by decade, it describes stages of great transition that realistically could lie ahead. Where many see the single trend of growing climate disruption producing a catastrophic collapse, Choosing Earth sees a purposeful rite of passage for humanity where we move beyond our adolescent stage of development and into our early adulthood. With greater maturity, we can move from exploiting the Earth and each other to caring for all of life — and a sustainable and purposeful future can unfold. The next paragraph outlines the approach of the book. As further introduction, it is important to add that, to explore this great transition, Choosing Earth develops three perspectives often missing from the current discussion:1. Look Wide: Look beyond single factors such as global warming and include a wide range of trends including climate disruption, social and economic inequities, resource depletion, species extinction, population growth, and much more.2. Look Deep: Look beneath the outer trends such as climate change and species extinction to include the inner realities of evolving psychology, values, culture, consciousness, and paradigms.3. Look Long: Look far into the future — much farther than the short run of the next five or ten years. Trends that are uncertain and ambiguous in the short run become much clearer when extrapolated to the longer run of the next 50 years.By looking wide, deep and long, Choosing Earth constructs a realistic story or scenario describing this great transition. FULL ZOOM LINK. David Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: My Meeting Time: May 17, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Every 9 weeks on Mon, until May 17, 2021, 1 occurrence(s) May 17, 2021 07:00 PM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZUldOutqDgvGdXLzVHkG7IXobCrVXHVwhi0/ics?ic… Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81832563531?pwd=ejNiWXhLek9PSDhSLzAxY1NDUjRPZz09 Meeting ID: 818 3256 3531 Passcode: 555998 One tap mobile +13017158592,,81832563531#,,,,*555998# US (Washington DC) +13126266799,,81832563531#,,,,*555998# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 818 3256 3531 Passcode: 555998 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdI2yt8LY7

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Interested in being a part of a group studying CHOOSING EARTH over the next couple of months?
by James Wiegel 16 May '21

16 May '21

David Rebstock and I are quite interested in looking at this. See what you think. Check out the website. We hope to find a number of you who are interested -- as participants, session organizers, small group leaders, and technical producers. JOIN US next Monday at 8:00 pm Chicago time to get ourselves organized!! Home - Choosing Earth | | | | | | | | | | | Home - Choosing Earth The goal of the Choosing Earth Project is to foster understanding of the magnitude, speed and depth of challenge... | | | The book is available there as a downloadable pdf, or you can purchase it as an ebook at Amazon. There is also a documentary video accessible and several other resources. I have been in touch with the organizers and they have made available a 7 session outline and guide for studying the book. I am hopeful that this can open up a broader conversation, one that can include multiple generations. Here is a 1 paragraph description that speaks. Choosing Earth drawsupon a lifetime of research by the author and looks a half-centuryinto the future to explore how our world might evolve into a mature,planetary civilization that celebrates the miracle of life. Decade bydecade, it describes stages of great transition that realisticallycould lie ahead. Where many see the single trend of growing climatedisruption producing a catastrophic collapse, ChoosingEarth seesa purposeful rite of passage for humanity where we move beyond ouradolescent stage of development and into our early adulthood. Withgreater maturity, we can move from exploiting the Earth and eachother to caring for all of life — and a sustainable and purposefulfuture can unfold. The next paragraph outlines the approach of the book. As further introduction, it is important to add that, to explore this great transition, Choosing Earth develops three perspectives often missing from the current discussion:1. Look Wide: Look beyond single factors such as global warming and include a wide range of trends including climate disruption, social and economic inequities, resource depletion, species extinction, population growth, and much more.2. Look Deep: Look beneath the outer trends such as climate change and species extinction to include the inner realities of evolving psychology, values, culture, consciousness, and paradigms.3. Look Long: Look far into the future — much farther than the short run of the next five or ten years. Trends that are uncertain and ambiguous in the short run become much clearer when extrapolated to the longer run of the next 50 years.By looking wide, deep and long, Choosing Earth constructs a realistic story or scenario describing this great transition. Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Interested in being a part of a group studying CHOOSING EARTH over the next couple of months?
by James Wiegel 16 May '21

16 May '21

Nice, Rob. I have been in touch with Coleen his wife -- they have a curriculum / study guide Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com On Sunday, May 16, 2021, 01:19:13 PM MST, Robertson Work <robertsonwork100(a)gmail.com> wrote: Duane Elgin, author of Choosing Earth, is a FB and LinkedIn friend. We are exchanging ideas and resources, and I just asked him if he might be available to join one of our ICA Zoom sessions studying his book to answer questions or make a statement. I will let you know his reply. ............................................. Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/ From: OE <oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> on behalf of Nancy Trask via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2021 10:38 AM To: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com>; Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Nancy Trask <nlt462(a)gmail.com>; Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Interested in being a part of a group studying CHOOSING EARTH over the next couple of months? I’m interested. Thank you, Nancy Trask On Thu, May 13, 2021 at 10:18 PM James Wiegel via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: David Rebstock and I are quite interested in looking at this. See what you think. Check out the website. We hope to find a number of you who are interested -- as participants, session organizers, small group leaders, and technical producers. JOIN US next Monday at 8:00 pm Chicago time to get ourselves organized!! Home - Choosing Earth | | | | | | | | | | | Home - Choosing Earth The goal of the Choosing Earth Project is to foster understanding of the magnitude, speed and depth of challenge... | | | The book is available there as a downloadable pdf, or you can purchase it as an ebook at Amazon. There is also a documentary video accessible and several other resources. I have been in touch with the organizers and they have made available a 7 session outline and guide for studying the book. I am hopeful that this can open up a broader conversation, one that can include multiple generations. Here is a 1 paragraph description that speaks. Choosing Earthdraws upon a lifetime of research by the author and looks a half-century into the future to explore how our world might evolve into a mature, planetary civilization that celebrates the miracle of life. Decade by decade, it describes stages of great transition that realistically could lie ahead. Where many see the single trend of growing climate disruption producing a catastrophic collapse,Choosing Earth sees a purposeful rite of passage for humanity where we move beyond our adolescent stage of development and into our early adulthood. With greater maturity, we can move from exploiting the Earth and each other to caring for all of life — and a sustainable and purposeful future can unfold. The next paragraph outlines the approach of the book. As further introduction, it is important to add that, to explore this great transition, Choosing Earth develops three perspectives often missing from the current discussion:1. Look Wide: Look beyond single factors such as global warming and include a wide range of trends including climate disruption, social and economic inequities, resource depletion, species extinction, population growth, and much more.2. Look Deep: Look beneath the outer trends such as climate change and species extinction to include the inner realities of evolving psychology, values, culture, consciousness, and paradigms.3. Look Long: Look far into the future — much farther than the short run of the next five or ten years. Trends that are uncertain and ambiguous in the short run become much clearer when extrapolated to the longer run of the next 50 years.By looking wide, deep and long, Choosing Earth constructs a realistic story or scenario describing this great transition. Jim Wiegel The unknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plain sailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net -- Nancy Trask(515) 505-0456NLT462(a)gmail.com

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5/13/2021, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Deshna Shine: Divine Mother Letting Go; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 13 May '21

13 May '21

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Deshna Shine May 13, 2021My daughter loads up her arms with her school backpack, her suitcase and her guitar. I help her carry her things downstairs, lingering with her as long as possible before her dad picks her up. I snuggle in next to her on the couch, breathe her in, soak her in with my eyes, trying to notice any details I might have missed. Her legs are stronger now, her softness is leaner, her body has more curves. She has a confidence and a groundedness that is new. She has always been confident, but this is different. I notice all these things and more, but I don’t say anything. I just smile at her and do my best to keep the tears from rising up through my body, into my eyes. She is 17, nearly an adult, and yet. And yet, she is my baby. She is part of me. But she is becoming more and more her own separate self. I celebrate this as much as I mourn it. She goes to her dad's now every two weeks. Two weeks on, two weeks off. That is our new thing. The two weeks she is with us, we get to really settle in with her and enjoy our time together… it almost feels normal again. But then. But then, she goes off to her dad's for two weeks and it feels like there is a hole inside of me. Like I am slowly bleeding out. Someone once said that being a mother is like having your heart walk around outside your body. So, when she is at her dad's, I practice. I practice being whole again. I practice letting her go even more. I have been practicing this since birth, like all mothers do. Every step after their first step is a step further away from us. There is nothing in the human experience like being a mother. It is this profound, all penetrating love at every cell of our body and yet. And yet, we are constantly having to let go. Let go of the new born baby, let go of the pudgy adorable toddler, let go of the curious young child. Some would say that they are still that person. But they really aren’t. Yes, there are pieces, but as they grow, they shed and become new. And as a mother, you grieve the loss of all those shed parts. If I could just hold my baby for an hour or two and fully remember her. As I prepare for the empty nest, as I prepare for her leaving and going out into the world as her nearly fully developed whole self, I celebrate her individuation. After all, that is my job as a mother, and if she is ready to go and is her own unique whole self, then I have done my job well. It isn’t so much an empty nest that I am preparing myself for, though, it is more that I am preparing for my empty self. Being a mother who births their child means that we grow our child from our own body, within our own body, then hold that child on our body, and feed that child from our body. They come into the world very much a part of our body. As they grow, they stay close to our body, but then. But then they start to separate. And it’s good because that is what is meant to happen. They go further and further away from our bodies as they become more and more themselves. I think about Mother Mary and her pride alongside her anguish as her son became more and more himself. A self that threatened the powers that be. A self that would hang for being who he was. What must she have felt when he told her, I must go out into the world and share these teachings. I must share with the world this great love I have experienced. In a Catholic funeral I recently attended, we repeated the mantras of Hail, Mary, "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” All I could think about was Mary seeing her baby hung to die, nails in his hands. How? How can a mother survive this? But even before that, when her young son was merely 12 years old, she nearly lost him, when he stayed behind at the temple for 3 days to listen to the teachers. Eventually, he would leave and become a teacher himself. She had to let him go. Her heart walked outside of her body out in the world. Our hearts walking around outside our bodies. I wonder if this is what God feels. I have never tried to really make sense of God (how can we?) and I rarely put my human feelings onto the Great Mystery of our Source. But as I learn more about the world, as I go deeper within myself, I see God more and more like a Mother. Our Ancient Mother. Our Source. Whom we were once a part of and now we are seemingly separate from. But in truth, we are never separate from our Mother. We are made of Her. Our beginnings came from Her body. God is not separate from nature, but immanent within it. God is also the Unity which holds the universe together and feeds and nourishes it. God as Mother of All exists within all that we are, feeding and nourishing us. When I look at Nature, I see God and I experience the Great Mother. What an incredible display of the Divine available to us at all times. And what happens there? Everything comes from and returns to the Divine Ground.If the Divine Mother God is also the wholeness which transcends the world, then this wholeness includes not only the manifest world, but the “unmanifest” or latent potentialities which have not been realized in nature. For example: Look at the fruit tree in all of its forms and stages - from seed to fruit. First, we have the seed, buried in the darkness, which pushes through the ground to manifest into a new form, then bud forms on the stem and what has happened to the seed? When the blossom bursts out of the bud, the bud seems to disappear. And when the fruit appears, the blossom seems to have been just a temporary illusion compared to the truth of the fruit. They are unique, yet separate, but they cannot exist without the other. The philosopher Hegel illustrates this through analogy to the growth of a plant in his opus, The Phenomenology of Spirit:“The bud disappears in the bursting-forth of the blossom, and one might say that the former is refuted by the latter; similarly, when fruit appears, the blossom is shown up in its turn as a false manifestation of the plant and the fruit now emerges as the truth instead. These forms are not just distinguished from one another, they also supplant one another as mutually incompatible. Yet at the same time their fluid nature makes them moments of an organic unity in which they not only do not conflict, but in which each is as necessary as the other; and this mutual necessity alone constitutes the life of the whole.”When you look at it from a scientific perspective, there is still the space for Divine Ground, or Source, or Great Mother, underlying the universe and guiding its order. Perhaps one can not exist without the other, perhaps there is mutual necessity as we see in all of life. In his article, "Beyond Belief: Divine Knowledge," James Cross writes, “Modern cosmology actually accepts the idea of a quantum void from which the universe was brought into existence at the Big Bang. Physicists think of this void as a cauldron of random fluctuations with particles going in and out of existence. The energy associated with this void is called zero point energy. For some reason the calculations for the amount of energy in empty space is absurdly large. Physicists naturally would not use the term “divine” in describing this void but the quantum void certainly corresponds scientifically to the religious concept that Aldous Huxley calls “Divine Ground”.”The Source from which we are made and to which we return, which is always a part of us, but we feel is separate from us. My daughter has told me she isn’t comfortable with me telling her I miss her every day when she is at her dad's. When I do, she feels sad and guilty. I try to explain to her that I always miss her, even when she is in the other room and that my missing or my sadness is not her responsibility and that I am okay missing her. But she doesn’t get it. Not yet. And so, I ask her, “Is it okay then, if I tell you I love you every day?” She says, “Of course!” So that is what I do. I tell her I am thinking of her, I tell her I adore her, I tell her I love her and I am proud of who she is. But I keep my missing to myself. And I practice becoming more whole. Part of that practice is remembering that she is a part of me and that I am in her always. Like the Divine Mother God, my heart goes with her when she leaves. And yet, I am still whole. I am the Ground, the Seed, and she is the Stem, the Flower and Fruit… but I am intertwined in all that she becomes. Hence my heart is out there blossoming in the sun. Something new and different from the Source she came from, but still deeply connected. And the practice is to remember I am also the flower and fruit, come from my own Mother. Imagine having a whole universe of children, your heart spread out all over this planet. Imagine the yearning, the missing, and the pride. Imagine the love billowing out over the entire creation from our Mother.Does She long for us? Does She celebrate our becoming? Are we the sparks of God moving around this world learning who we are and individuating? Have we forgotten Her? She may be quiet. She may just be showing us her love through the clouds, the sunsets and the dew drops, but we came from Her and She is a part of us, even as She lets us go. ~ Rev. Deshna Shine Read online here About the Author Rev. Deshna Shine is Project Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org’s Children’s Curriculum. She is an ordained Interfaith Minister, author, international speaker, and visionary. She grew up in a thriving progressive Christian church and has worked in the field for over 13 years. She graduated from UCSB with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Global Peace and Security. She was Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org, Executive Producer of Embrace Festival and has co-authored the novel, Missing Mothers. Deshna is passionate about sacred community, nourishing children spiritually and transforming Christianity through a radically inclusive lens. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Elene What is it about the Temple Mount? It seems to always be the flashpoint of conflict in Jerusalem. A: By Rev. David M. Felten Thanks for your timely question, Elene. The current crisis around the Temple Mount has emerged over a pending Israeli Supreme Court decision regarding conflicting claims to land near the site. But this is just the most recent skirmish in a quarrel that goes back millennia. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all gilded the site with layer after layer of sacred significance. Tradition has it that Adam was buried on the site and Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son here. Solomon is alleged to have built his Temple here, Jesus would have walked here, and Muhammad is said to have begun his ascension to heaven from the stone beneath the dramatic golden-domed building people associate with the Temple Mount today, the Dome of the Rock. While there’s scant archaeological evidence for Solomon’s First Temple having been built here, sacred tradition places it beneath where the returning exiles rebuilt the Second Temple that King Herod refurbished in Jesus’ day. After the Romans ransacked and burned Herod’s Temple in 70 C.E., the site was left in ruins for hundreds of years. In 638, then-Christian Jerusalem was conquered by Muslims and the Dome of the Rock was built with a mind toward overshadowing “the competition’s” Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In 1099, the Crusaders besieged the Holy Land and established Jerusalem as the capital of a new Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Al Aqsa Mosque became a palace for the new Christian King of Jerusalem and was later used as the headquarters of the Knights Templar. The Dome of the Rock was converted into an abbey and had a cross placed on top. In 1187, Saladin’s Muslim forces overwhelmed the Crusaders and since then, Muslims have managed the Temple Mount as a waqf, a charitable trust charged with maintaining the site. Today, the Temple Mount is just one of the holy sites that the modern state of Israel honors as sacred for Christians and Muslims. A couple of years ago, my kids and I set aside time in our visit to Jerusalem to navigate the TSA-style security gauntlet required to visit the Temple Mount. Access includes long lines, metal detectors, and the scrutiny of sober Israeli security guards searching people and back-packs for any prohibited religious literature or paraphernalia. In an effort to maintain the fragile status quo, any non-Muslim symbols, literature, or prayers are banned on the Temple Mount. As we gathered with friends to take a quick picture, guards quickly moved in to disperse us. Security protocol deems that any size group may be conducive to prayer breaking out and is therefore prohibited. Because the actual location of the Temple (and therefore the Holy of Holies) is not known, many Jews don’t venture onto the Mount itself. The closest the Jewish faithful can get to this sacred site is the Herodian-era retaining wall that we recognize as the Western Wall. Adding to the ongoing tension over who has ultimate control over the site are some within the Orthodox Jewish tradition who predict a third Temple being built on the Mount to usher in the arrival of the Messiah. Jewish right-wing extremist plans to blow up the Dome of the Rock to make way for that new Temple have, so far, been thwarted. Add to that the controversial recent move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the continued incursion by Jewish settlers into the West Bank, and the humanitarian crisis that is Gaza, and it’s understandable that security measures are in a constant state of high alert. So, what is it about the Temple Mount? Overlapping religious and real estate claims, both ancient and modern, from Muslims, Christians, and Jews. It’s no wonder this otherwise tranquil setting at the center of one of the most revered cities in the world is often rife with tension – if not out in the open, then percolating just below the surface. ~ Rev. David M. Felten NOTE: The answer above responds to a question that touches upon a rapidly unfolding current event. Every effort has been made to assure that the historical and factual details were current as of its writing. As the May 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis continues to escalate, please refer to reliable news sources for the most current information. Read and share online here About the Author Rev. David M. Felten is a full-time pastor at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona. David and fellow United Methodist Pastor, Jeff Procter-Murphy, are the creators of the DVD-based discussion series for Progressive Christians, “Living the Questions” and authors of Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity. A co-founder of Catalyst Arizona and also a founding member of No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, David is an outspoken voice for LGBTQ rights both in the church and in the community at large. David is active in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church and tries to stay connected to his roots as a musician. You’ll find him playing saxophones in a variety of settings, including appearances with the Fountain Hills Saxophone Quartet. David is the proud father of three reliably remarkable human beings. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. 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Challenged My Racism Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong October 14, 2010As I stood in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College recently to witness the unveiling of my portrait to hang in the Hall of Honor, I could not help but look back on my life with wonder. I was raised uncritically in the racist prejudice of the South and yet I had somehow been able to escape its clinging power. How did such a dramatic transition occur? In my mind I began to recall the turning points. I am happy to recognize that two of these turning points occurred in church, which somehow helps me to accept this institution’s constant failure to grapple with its own negative history. The others were personal experiences. Allow me if you will to share with you the key moments of transition on my journey out of racism. First, in my early childhood during Lent every year, my church used something called a “Mite Box” for the children’s Lenten offering. This box derived its name from the story of the Widow’s Mite in the gospels. We were taught to place the coins that came from our Lenten sacrifices into these boxes. Some of us would give up candy for Lent; others ice cream; still others our Saturday trip to the movies. Whatever the “sacrifice,” the money saved became our “mites,” given to aid, we were told, the Christian mission around the world. The impressive thing to me, however, was that on the sides of this “mite box” were pictures of children from all of the nations of the world kneeling in prayer. These children were wearing native clothes and their faces revealed the pigmentation and the ethnic identities of their heritage. There was a Native American child dressed in buckskin; an Asian child with black hair and eyes slanted a little differently; a Dutch child with wooden shoes; black children from the various nations of Africa that we called “The Dark Continent;” a child from the people of the North Pole then called Eskimos, and wearing a fur lined coat and hood. This was my earliest childhood knowledge that enabled me to embrace the fact that there were different kinds of people with different dress, different looks and different shades of color, but all of them were portrayed as praying to the same God. It was an indelible impression. When I started the first grade, I was informed by my mother that I could no longer play baseball with what she called the “Negro” children, who lived on the other side of our woods. I did not understand and was angry, but the decision was final. Segregated fences were erected. In January of 1942 when I was in the fifth grade, my grammar school accepted the invitation of another school in Charlotte, North Carolina, to send representatives to a patriotic assembly they were planning. The strong emotion of patriotism was in the air since this was about a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that plunged the United States into World War II. I was chosen to be one of my school’s delegation. When we arrived it was obvious that this school was for black children. I had no idea at that time that there was such as thing as a “black school.” It had frankly never occurred to me that there were no black children in my school. My consciousness was clearly underdeveloped. In the assembly at that school on that day, however, I had three more indelible experiences. First, we all said the Lord’s Prayer to the same God so I began to wonder why only white people came to my church. Second, we all said the same pledge of allegiance to our flag. This meant that they, like me, were full citizens of this country. Third, when we were asked to stand to sing the national anthem, much to my surprise and confusion that assembly sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which someone told me later was the “Black National Anthem.” Its words spoke of bleeding feet on the march to freedom and the lash of the master on the backs of the slaves. At that time slavery had been presented to me by “good Christians” only as a benevolent act designed to offer the people in Africa “a better life, civilization and a chance to be baptized.” Reality, which was quite different from yesterday’s racist propaganda, was beginning to crack through my comfort zone. I had no classmates of color throughout my educational days in public school or even at the University of North Carolina. It was not until I entered the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1952, to begin my preparation for the priesthood, that I had my first black classmate. A native of Detroit, his name was John Walker and, prior to his death, he became not only the highly-respected Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., but also the vice-president of the Episcopal House of Bishops. While we were fellow students, however, John Walker could not go with me to have a cup of coffee at the local drugstore. For the first time I felt existentially the pain of racism, but it was so entrenched I had no idea how to confront it as I, newly ordained, headed back to my North Carolina home. In 1957, with racial tensions rising, I became the rector of Calvary Church in Tarboro, a wonderful town of 7,500 people in eastern North Carolina. One block away from Calvary Church, which backed up to Panola Street, was St. Luke’s Episcopal Church which faced Panola Street. Panola Street was the dividing line between Tarboro’s white and black populations. St. Luke’s was a black church. In this town in 1957, the gospel was clearly segregated. St. Luke’s had no priest. It has been served long and faithfully for many years by an elderly black priest named The Rev. Dr. Milton Moran Weston, but he was now in his eighties and had finally retired. No one else was available to serve St. Luke’s. So the leaders of this small congregation came to me, the rector of the “white” church, and asked me if I could provide them with worship services, including the Eucharist on two Sundays a month. I agreed and thus began my association with that wonderful congregation. We gathered for worship on the second and fourth Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. I literally went one block away to preach a segregated gospel to this black congregation that never had as many as fifty members. The people of St. Luke’s took me just as I was and they loved and stretched me into being something that I never imagined I could be. One does not lead worship without also becoming a pastor. So I married black couples, baptized black babies; counseled troubled black people; walked through sicknesses with black patients and conducted funerals for black people ranging from an infant who digested poison to the elderly who died of natural causes. Working with black teenagers I began to feel both their despair and their anger. They saw no job opportunities except as domestic workers or manual laborers, which made incentives to stay in school almost non-existent. I also crossed the social boundary that the white community thought was sacrosanct. I went to the rehearsal dinner parties when St. Luke’s couples got married and to wakes at the funerals of the members of this congregation. I was frequently the only white face at these gatherings. In time two things happened. First, increasingly I was invited into the affection of the people of St. Luke’s. They became not parishioners, but friends. I still remember so fondly people like Jesse and Sadie Wilson, Callie Hyman, Betty Forbes Gray, Shirley and John Freeman, Reg and Judy Moss, Helen Quiggless and the wonderful stately and strong Dr. Weston and his wife along with their grandson, Winnfield Crews, whom they were raising. There were many others for whom I became the first white person they had ever trusted. They shared with me family secrets. I knew who they were related to in the white community. I began to embrace the sexual component of racism, that is, the way black women had been used as sexual objects for white men over the decades since slavery. Miscegenation has always been an unadmitted fact of American life from Thomas Jefferson to Strom Thurmond, even in the pious Bible Belt of the South. The second thing that happened was that I quickly came to the attention of the Ku Klux Klan, who saw me breaching the walls of segregation and daring to “socialize with N—ers!” The result was that I and my family underwent hostility and threats from the Klan. In that town and with the members of both of my churches I lived through the tension of the events, both locally and nationally, that engulfed our country in the fifties and sixties. That included sit-ins, public demonstrations, traffic tie ups, the Selma march, the use of fire hoses and police dogs against peaceful demonstrators and the bombing of black churches that killed little children in their Easter finery. In Tarboro I watched a black dentist whom I knew well dare to enter the political process as a candidate for the town council, something that had never happened before. He won and years later was elected mayor. I also knew and respected the sheriff, who was charged with protecting the first black children ordered to attend Tarboro’s heretofore all white schools. He carried out his duties with integrity, even though he opposed that decision with all his being. In that struggle for civil rights, I was called by my priestly vocation to look at human oppression in all its forms: race, gender, sexual orientation and religion and I vowed to oppose any attitude that diminished the humanity of any child of God. It was through St. Luke’s Church that this all became clear to me. I became committed from that time on to work to affirm the fullness of humanity for every person and to stand on the side of any victim of prejudice whatever its cause. In the living out of that vocation I became more deeply and fully human. That was the gift of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Tarboro, North Carolina, to me. More than any other experience that I can recall today that congregation made it possible for me to become the person who would someday be honored by having my portrait hung in the Hall of Honor at the King Chapel. Through this column I express my gratitude and continuing love to that small, but heroic congregation and I salute them with deep appreciation.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World 2021, an engaging, interactive course, is the beginning of your personal journey to a more compassionate world—an opportunity to understand and nurture your own emotions, and to develop your ability to empathize and act with compassion. Online: May 17th - May 22th / $60 READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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