September 2021 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

9/30/2021, Progressing Spirit, “White Too Long” - A Conversation with Robert P Jones, Part 1; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 30 Sep '21

30 Sep '21

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | “White Too Long” A Conversation with Robert P Jones, Part 1 | | | | | | | | | | Interview by Rev. David Felten September 30, 2021 The following is Part 1 of a series drawn from an interview with Robert P. Jones, author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity on September 9th, 2021. It has been edited for length and focus. _______________________ David Felten: Your latest book, White Too Long, lays out the complicity of American Christianity with white supremacy, particularly within the church of your upbringing, the Southern Baptist Convention. Do you really mean the white supremacy I’m thinking of? Robert Jones: I think when most white people hear the words “white supremacy,” they conjure up grainy, black and white images of people in robes burning crosses in the 1920s. And what that does is distance us from anything we might call “white supremacy.” What we really need to be talking about is what Professor Eddie Glaude calls “white supremacy without all the bluster” — or without the costumes. So, what I mean by white supremacy is acknowledging that we have been born into a society with a deliberately unlevel playing field, and that has been built with the assumption that white lives are more valuable than others. David Felten: It’s so baked into the status quo, people don’t see it. Robert Jones: But it’s right in front of us. The country was set up very intentionally and overtly to justify giving better jobs, better schools, and better places to live to those who claim to be white. And if you’re any kind of honest student of American history — or if you just know your own family's history (if you're white) — you can see it clearly. There's not a city in the country where you can't see the legacy of racially motivated zoning, where there were “whites-only” areas of the city. The whole history of public schooling in the country was set up to benefit those who could claim to be white at the expense of others. David Felten: And as long as we’re thinking about white supremacy as hoods and burning crosses, we get a pass. We can say, “That's not me!” Robert Jones: Right. That’s nothing to do with me. But these other things are much closer to home, including police violence disproportionately affecting African-American men, mass incarceration, and other things that are still going on that we tend to not put in the category of white supremacy. David Felten: The light you shine on the founding of the Southern Baptist Convention is pretty shocking. The largest evangelical denomination in the country founded on justifying and defending slavery? Robert Jones: Yeah, at its height, it had 16 million members, making it the largest not just evangelical denomination, but the largest denomination of any kind in the country. I begin the book—it’s the first sentence of White Too Long, with this basic fact: “The Christian denomination in which I grew up was founded on the proposition that chattel slavery could flourish alongside the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its founders believe this arrangement was not just possible, but also divinely mandated.”[i] David Felten: And that never came up being raised in the SBC? Robert Jones: I was never taught what the “Southern” in Southern Baptist Convention meant. I just assumed it was an innocent geographical marker — not that it meant an allegiance to a Southern way of life that included owning other human beings. That's the meaning of the “Southern” in Southern Baptist that's still there today. David Felten: It's as if the Methodist Episcopal Church South had never died. Robert Jones: It’s worth noting that both the Methodists and Baptists split in the same year and it was these white Christian denominations splitting over the issue of slavery, with the Southern factions justifying slavery biblically, that was the dress rehearsal for the political splits that finally led to the Civil War. David Felten: It was a righteous cause because it's in the Bible. Robert Jones: Absolutely. Plus, I had an MDiv from a Baptist seminary and a PhD from Emory University (a good Methodist seminary) and through all that education, was, I frustratingly, never taught anything about this thing called the “doctrine of discovery,” the underpinning of white supremacy. David Felten: And that goes WAY back! Robert Jones: Yeah, it was a 15th century set of doctrines promulgated by the Pope that justified and blessed the expeditions of Columbus and all the others. It basically said that if you were from a European nation with a Christian king and you encountered other lands not occupied by Christian people, you had the blessing of the church and the power of the state to dominate those lands and those people. David Felten: So, the founders of the SBC and the Methodist Episcopal Church South were able to pick up on that as further justification for their white supremacy. Robert Jones: Yeah, there's a straight through-line. The same doctrine that justified the forced removal and genocide of Native Americans justified slavery. And what's underneath it all is the belief that European Christians were God's chosen people and their lives were more valuable than others’ lives. David Felten: White Too Long introduces us to some of those pretty influential “chosen” people who’ve otherwise been lost to history. Robert Jones: One of the folks that I didn't know about before I started doing research for the book is a guy named Basil Manly Sr. He was not only the architect of the secessionist movement in Alabama, he was the architect of the Southern Baptist Convention and went on to found Southern Seminary, which today remains as the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. As the official “Chaplain of the Confederacy,” he was one of the leading proponents of preaching about God's blessing on the Confederacy, the Southern way of life, white supremacy, and how slavery was justified as part of God's will. David Felten: He was also present at Jefferson Davis’ inauguration and did the invocation. Robert Jones: Yeah. It tells you how tight he was. He was actually the only person in the carriage with Jefferson Davis and the vice president of the Confederacy when they were brought up to the Capitol. He held the Bible during the oath of office and gave the “consecrating prayer,” casting a vision of the Confederacy as the ideal expression of God's will for human society on earth. David Felten: And after the Civil War, the SBC and other denominations, including Methodist, continued to justify and promote white supremacy. What did that look like? Robert Jones: Well, there were all kinds of contortions. The Methodists come back together in the early part of the 20th century to mend their North and South rift. But what they did to preserve the power of white bishops within the denomination was to put all of the African-American churches in one non-geographical district. Instead of mixing the African-American churches into the districts where they geographically belonged, they put them in this one anomalous thing called the “Central District,” so that all the African-Americans were represented by one bishop (as a way of watering down power) and keeping all the other districts segregated. David Felten: So, they used political tactics to guarantee segregation and the supremacy of whites. Robert Jones: Plenty of churches had restrictive covenants that in their official minutes declared themselves as whites-only congregations. In fact, doing research for the book, I think one of the more heartbreaking things I realized about my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, is that the last thing the great civil rights worker, Medgar Evers, did before he was assassinated in 1963, was an organizing effort trying to integrate the white churches in downtown Jackson. David Felten: And one of those churches was the Methodist church where the mayor was a member. Robert Jones: That's right. The Methodist church had the mayor and the Baptist church had the governor. The governor, Ross Barnett, was one of the most segregationist governors in the 20th century. He was simultaneously running an overtly segregationist campaign while serving as the superintendent of the men’s Sunday School program and was wildly loved by the church. When he was elected, they had a special sanctification ceremony and gave him a big pulpit Bible. The person who gunned down Medgar Evers, Byron De La Beckwith, was a white, Episcopalian member in good standing at a church in Greenwood, Mississippi. He’d been writing letters to the editor in the Mississippi delta papers saying, “If any African-Americans try to attend my church, I'll be waiting on the steps with a gun.” David Felten: So it’s not just Baptists and Methodists. Robert Jones: No. It's worth noting that both Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis weren't Baptists. They were Episcopalians. David Felten: And Lee and Davis still have pews at the Richmond church where John Shelby Spong served as rector many years ago. Robert Jones: Yeah. It's deep. I think that's the thing we're having to wrestle with, is how deep this is in the DNA of white Christianity in the country. David Felten: When I heard you speak at a UCC church in California, you were intentional about saying, “Hey, you Progressives are not clear of this. You can't just wash your hands and say, ‘Well, we're Progressives and we’re the good guys.’” Robert Jones: Yeah, I would say that if you were reading the written documents that were issued by the National Council of Churches, or by the Methodist social principles or denominational advocacy offices, you’d think that Methodists were everywhere in the civil rights era. And some were. Pastors lost their jobs because they stood up for civil rights. But I think these big denominational level statements are never fully taken up at the local congregational level. I think that's the work that has to be done. "Coming Up:" For the statistics exposing the challenge before us and some practical suggestions about how to dismantle the white supremacy inherent in white Christian America, see Part 2 of David Felten’s interview with White Too Long author, Robert P. Jones. ~ Rev. David M. Felten and Robert P. Jones Read online here About the Authors 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. Robert P. Jones is the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute[ii] (PRRI), and the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, winner of a 2021 American Book Award. He writes a weekly #WhiteTooLong newsletter dedicated to the work of truth-telling, repair, and healing from the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity: robertpjones.substack.com *** Get your FREE copy of White Too Long!*** Three signed copies of Robert P Jones’ White Too Long will be given away to three lucky readers of ProgressingSpirit.com. Just add a comment with the hashtag #whitetoolong to the comments below or on the Progressive Christianity Facebook page and you’ll be entered in the drawing to win! [i] Jones, Robert P. White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. Simon & Schuster, 2020, page 1.[ii] https://www.prri.org/ | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Susan Do your beliefs include that you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior in order to go to heaven; and, in the end, those who do not accept Christ, no matter how much good they have done on earth, will go to hell? A: By Skylar Wilson Dear Susan, Thank you for your question. I experience the Universe as a single non-dual event that we now know has expanded over 13.8 billion years up to this point. I interpret Jesus Christ, planet Earth, and all of the elements, animals, plants, fungi etc. as being an embodiment of this cosmic process. I resonate with the idea that the Cosmic Christ, the Tao, Buddha Nature etc. is the vital thread of Spirit that moves through all things and that the historical Jesus, among others, experienced this and reflected it within his community. Within this living cosmology, there is no heaven or hell that exists as a place outside of Creation. The life giving impulse of Creation and the beauty of planet Earth itself is everlasting life and Heaven. This level of connection cannot be taken away but we can easily lose touch with it when we identify with the pain and trauma that is also inevitable in life. To reiterate, Hell is identifying with our wounds and suffering to the point where we forget that we are completely loved and connected to life. Heaven is a metaphor for how good life is when we live and act from the knowing that we’re completely connected and can feel each part of this world reaching out to us and holding us in unique, strange, and alive ways. Heaven and Hell can be very real places in a psychological sense but are not places outside of our lives here and now. I believe that we create heaven and hell through our choices. When we choose to act from connection and love, with empathy and compassion while opening to the pain of suffering within ourselves and in the world then we are participating in creating Heaven. ~ Skylar Wilson Read and share online here About the Author Skylar Wilson, MA is the founder of Wild Awakenings, a conscious community of change-makers dedicated to the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. He has led wilderness rites of passage journeys as well as ecological restoration teams for 18 years, specializing in creating sacred wilderness immersion experiences and interfaith ceremonies. Skylar is the cofounder and co-director of the Order of the Sacred Earth, a network of mystic warriors and activists dedicated to being the best lovers and defenders of the Earth that we can be. Skylar is the coauthor of the book by the same title as well as the co-host, with Jennifer Berit, of the podcast: "Our Sacred Earth" on Unity online radio. Skylar works closely with schools and organizations including the Stepping Stones Project in Berkeley, CA over the last 8 years while guiding organization-wide retreats, mentoring youth, group leaders, parents and elders. He also produces transformational events for thousands of people around the country including the Cosmic Mass, an intercultural healing ritual that builds community through dancing and the arts. | | | | | | | | 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! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A couple of weeks ago, we lost our dear friend, Bishop John Shelby Spong, one of the patron saints of Progressive Christianity. His life and work were such an inspiration to so many of us and his guidance was instrumental in helping to shape our organization. He will be deeply missed, but his theological writings live on with ProgressiveChristianity.org through his former newsletter, now known as Progressing Spirit. One of the things that I value most about ProgressiveChristianity.org is that we both preserve the work of theological giants like Bishop Spong, as well as, continue his legacy by empowering up-and-coming thinkers to share their invaluable insights. We create a space that advances the conversation and promotes an intellectually honest theological approach that empowers people rather than imprisoning them in outdated theological models. If you would like to help us continue the Progressive Christian Movement, please consider making a recurring gift or a one-time donation in memory of Bishop Spong. Your generosity makes all the difference. Blessings, Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, Co-Executive Director ProgressiveChristianity.org Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org 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 Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection Part I: Setting the Stage Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong May 25, 2011 Through this column during the weeks before Good Friday, I did a series on the story of the cross and its meaning, seeking to call you, my readers, into a more interpretive way of reading the passion narrative. I focused on the developing nature of that narrative and sought to show that when the first narrative account of the crucifixion was actually written in Mark around the year 72 CE, it was filled not with references to eye-witness reporting, but with quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, especially from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. It was, I concluded, never intended to be literal history or something based on first-hand data. The original purpose was thus not to tell us what actually happened, but to interpret the meaning of what happened. Once we stopped seeing these words as literal history, the door was opened to plunge into a radically new understanding. So we noticed that the account of Judas Iscariot was an 8th decade addition to the Jesus story, one about which Paul, who wrote between 51 and 64, knew nothing. We examined the placement of the crucifixion story into the celebration of the Passover and suggested that this was a contrived interpretative technique, rather than a literal memory. We saw that the character we call Barabbas, whose name literally means “Son (bar) of God (Abba),” now paired with Jesus, also the son of God, was suggestive of the two animals in the liturgy of Yom Kippur, one of which was slaughtered while the other was set free and thus we saw how Yom Kippur had been used to interpret the death of Jesus liturgically. These insights, while surprising no one in the academies of Christian scholarship, are always surprising and sometimes even troubling to those who have generally assumed that in the story of Jesus’ death as written in the gospels, they were actually reading history. They were not, nor was that ever the intention. The gospels are written 40-70 years, or between two and three generations, after the time of the crucifixion and they reflect a long interpretive process in which the memories people had of Jesus were wrapped inside Jewish messianic expectations that then became the way the Jesus story was understood and interpreted. As Paul noted in I Corinthians 15, Jesus died “in accordance with the scriptures.” Now in this post-Easter time of the Christian year, I would like to subject the resurrection stories of the New Testament to the same sort of critical biblical analysis, recalling that St. Paul also said that Jesus was raised “in accordance with the scriptures.” Perhaps in the process of this series, we will learn that in freeing theological truth from the biblical text, something does not have to be literal to be understood as true and that the experience of the resurrection has little to do with a body being resuscitated from death back into life. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus means something far different and far more significant than that. So I plan five, maybe even six columns that will run periodically over the next ten weeks or so. I am aware that this column is used in Adult Education classes in a number of churches across this nation and around the world. I hope this series will prove to be fruitful to those readers in particular. Once again, we begin this biblical probe by examining the books of the New Testament in the order in which they were written, which means we study the New Testament in this order: First, we read Paul (51-64), then Mark (70-72), Matthew (82-85), Luke (88-93) and John (95-100). Only in this way can we watch the story grow and gain insight into its original meaning. Paul, primarily in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, written ca. 54-56, is very spare in giving us any Easter details. Quite literally the only thing Paul says is that Jesus “was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” Note there is no reference in Paul to a tomb, to a stone being rolled away, to the women coming at dawn on the first day of the week, to a messenger who makes the resurrection announcement and finally no hint of the appearance of Jesus physically at the tomb to anyone. All of these details will be added only in the later gospels. Paul does, however, give us a list of those who, he says, had the raised Christ “manifested” to them, or the list of those to whom the resurrected Jesus “appeared.” The word that we translate “appeared” or was “made manifest” is very loose. Does it mean a physical sighting or a transforming experience? Does it mean a seeing with human eyes or the birth of a new awareness? Is its primary meaning physical sight, second sight or insight? Is it different from the account of Moses “seeing” God in the burning bush? Paul gives us no details. The list of witnesses, however, might provide some clues. So might other texts in the Pauline corpus that cannot possibly be read as physical bodily resuscitation stories. In Paul’s list, there are six separate manifestations. First Paul says, he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to “the Twelve” and then to the 500 brethren at once. That seems to be the first list. Then a parallel list is recorded in which he appears to James then to “the apostles” and finally to Paul himself. Both sets of witnesses beg more questions than they answer. Cephas is no surprise, he is always listed first among the twelve, and perhaps that position is a direct result of being the first one to “see” the raised Christ. I will examine that possibility later. “The Twelve” is a surprise, but only because Judas is clearly still among them. Paul seems not to know the tradition that one of the twelve was a “traitor.” Judas is first introduced in Mark (70-72) and when Matthew (82-85) gives the first written narrative of the resurrected Jesus appearing to his disciples, the Judas story has been factored in, so in that gospel Jesus appears only to the eleven! No corroborating data anywhere identifies the “500 brethren” to whom Paul says he appeared “at once” so they continue to be shrouded in mystery. Then in his parallel list he starts with James. Who is he? There are three James’ in the New Testament: James, the son of Zebedee, James, the son of Alphaeus, and James, the brother of Jesus. Which James does Paul mean? The only James that Paul ever mentions elsewhere in his writing is James the brother of Jesus so he becomes our best guess. Then Paul says he appeared to “the apostles.” Who are they? They are clearly not “the Twelve,” who have already been listed. So they have to be a different group, but who? By the time the gospels are written, “the Twelve” are called “the apostles,” but not so with Paul. Finally, please note that Paul claims that he himself was one who also “saw” the raised Christ. Could this possibly mean that the resurrection was conceived of by Paul as a resuscitation of a deceased person? Hardly! Paul’s conversion, according to the best reconstruction that we can put together was no earlier than one year and no later than six years after the crucifixion. The gospel writers collectively assert that no resurrection appearances in any physical sense took place that long after the crucifixion. Mark tells us of no appearance of Jesus at all, not even to the women in the garden, but he does hint that the disciples will see him in Galilee, which is a 7-10 days’ journey from Jerusalem. Matthew contradicts Mark and says the women did see Jesus in the garden at dawn on Easter day and then he relates a story of Jesus appearing to the disciples in Galilee that appears to come much later and in which Jesus comes out of the sky as one who has been both transformed and glorified. He is clearly not a resuscitated body who has returned to life in this world. Luke says appearances of the raised Christ continued for as long as forty days after Easter and then terminated with the ascension. John says the ascension took place on Easter evening after the tomb was found to be empty by Mary Magdalene that morning, and that the Jesus who appeared to the disciples was an already transformed and ascended Jesus, who was not bound by time and space. Indeed he could walk through walls. So what kind of seeing was Paul talking about when he included himself in his list of witnesses? How are we to understand this suddenly, rather complicated Easter story? Easter is obviously not quite as simple as literalists suggest, when they demand that belief in the resurrection must mean belief in the physically raised, resuscitated body of Jesus from the dead. It is clear to me that this is not what the Easter experience was about at all. What is not so clear is what it was about. So that is what I shall seek to explore in this series of columns. I will take the entire New Testament and search it for clues, remembering that all of the books that constitute the Christian Scriptures were written only in the light of the Easter experience. Not one verse of the New Testament was written prior to Easter and not one verse was written except inside the meaning of Easter. Every word of the New Testament was created 30 to 70 years after the fact of Easter. I will present my data in response to four very elemental questions that I will ask of my biblical sources. They are: Who? Where? When? and “How? Whatever the Resurrection was, who stood at the center of this life-changing experience? Who was the first to understand? Who opened the eyes of others so that they could understand? Is there evidence throughout the New Testament that points in a single direction? Where was the crucial person to whom the reality of Easter dawned in the mind of this critical observer? The gospels are divided between Galilee and Jerusalem. Are there other narratives in the New Testament that make it clear that it was one and not the other? When did this “appearance” occur? Easter may be timeless, but the Easter experience occurs in a human mind at a particular moment of time? Is “three days” a measure of physical time or is it a symbol? Finally, in what context did Easter dawn? How did this context frame the experience? Can we enter that interpretive context today and see Easter’s meaning with new eyes? That is the outline of where I hope to go over the next few weeks. I hope you will want to journey with me for this is the only website I know, which seeks to open the minds of people to a non-literal, but profoundly real way to hear the Christian story. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Be Fearless. Inspired. Unstoppable. For Change Online weekend retreat with Linda Tucker and Andrew Harvey Exploring LionHearted Leadership™ and Sacred Activism October 15th – 17th READ ON... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

1 0

923/2021, Progressing Spirit, Skylar Wilson,: Water~Spirit~Activism; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 23 Sep '21

23 Sep '21

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Water~Spirit~Activism | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Skylar Wilson September 23, 2021 Water is life. Without it, the vast majority (if not all) of life on Earth would not exist. The story of water begins with the birth of the Cosmos, when Hydrogen gas was created. A little later (about two hundred and fifty million years), the pregnant bellies of mother stars grew Helium from Hydrogen while creating Oxygen and Carbon. These new elemental babies were then released out into the universe as their creators exhaled their final breaths. The first water molecules formed in space about 4.5 billion years later when Hydrogen and Oxygen found each other, around the same time that Earth came into form, barren and lifeless at first, until water found its way home in its constituent elements on meteors. And then came life. Water is therefore aptly associated with birth, fertility, and renewal; it is a way back to our Source. It is our Origin Story. It is the voice of Spirit and a map by which to orient ourselves here and now from the most ancient star ancestors to the creeks gurgling down the mountains behind my home. In part, I am reflecting on renewal both because as I am writing this it is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and because of all of the devastating floods and hurricanes that have wreaked havoc on so many places around the world over the past month. Water can obviously be as destructive and deadly as it is life giving. Earth is 71% water. When we humans are born, we are made of approximately this same percentage. We are made in Earth’s image; created within Earth’s watery imagination. Born into life through a series of cosmic processes of explosive passion and grace. As we age however, the amount of water within our bodies decreases, eventually dropping to as low as 39% (1). As fat grows in our bodies, water decreases and we often can become less connected to our cosmic source. As many of us continue to dry out and become distracted and overworked, our superficial identities and roles solidify. It is so easy to forget our watery beginnings and therefore lose touch with the cosmic and earthly powers that flow through us. As one of the four elements essential to our understanding of life (in science as well as in all of the traditional philosophies, from east to west and north to south), water carries the most gravitas. The creation of aqueducts in ancient Greece and Rome contributed to improvements in agriculture and the emergence of the Western mind. In the United States, the average family uses 300 gallons of water per day. Every year trillions of gallons are lost because of pipe leaks (2). It’s well documented that the Incas of Peru engineered complex and efficient water systems that allowed for their empire to grow through peaceful assimilation. A new study published in Nature Sustainability shows how a 1,400 year-old method of diverting water can sustainably provide more water to Lima (approximately 40,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water per year) than the modern methods being used today (3). As we look for ways to sustain free access to the cosmic gift of water, a relatively small group of greedy and powerful people with corporate shields are buying up water rights to control and starve entire nations. In May, 2000, Fortune magazine wrote, “Water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century: the precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations”(4). This crass commodification of water tells me that we are no longer present to this precious resource in the ways that Water, and we, deserve. At the current rate of consumption, waste, pollution, and corporatization, the life that we know and love will not exist much longer. The only way to pull back the seat of our attention toward the inner waters will be the Great Shift in consciousness. A move from materialism toward connection where we can access our feelings, our power, our emotions, our moods, intuitions and dreams in more visceral ways that can guide us toward fluid, effective and creative activism. To facilitate this comprehensive shift in consciousness, we can integrate some of the ancient healing modalities. In the Ayurvedic system of India, water is seen as cohesive, cooling, soothing, and lubricating, that can balance body, heart, mind and soul when used intentionally. Similarly, in Chinese medicine, water is the element that holds and cleanses one’s vital essence. In the body, this process occurs primarily through the kidneys as they maintain the balance of water while filtering out waste and toxins. They therefore have a yin-like receptive quality as they produce, store, and regulate fundamental substances such as qi (vital energy), blood, and bodily fluids, and transform them. Can we humans become the kidneys of the planet and clean and restore the watersheds and wetlands that are our larger body? In a Christian context, water plays a pivotal symbolic role. Contemplate for example this quote from the Gospel of John, “He who believes in Me...From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). And: “...whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14). These concepts of “living water” and “a well of water springing up to eternal life” coming from the “innermost being,” represents an immediate connection to a living Cosmos, a living Earth, and a connected humanity. This understanding is also apparent in the Book of Revelation: “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life...and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2). Is this revelation something that we can use to transform how we see and participate with “the river of the water of life” to heal our connection with the water cycles, the living world and our humanity? Lao Tzu puts forth in the Tao Te Ching that water is the ultimate metaphor for this process; water is soft and flexible, and yet powerful enough to erode metal, stone, and mountain ranges. Flowing water symbolizes change, the only constant in the Universe. Matthew Fox describes this process as “a mystical awakening” and “a global religious awakening” in his book The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: “The mystical awakening, an awakening to a living cosmology, to a Cosmic Christ alive and vital in all creatures and in all humans…This new birth will cut through all cultures and all religions and indeed will draw forth the wisdom common to all vital mystical traditions in a global religious awakening...” (5). All of humanity and all mystical traditions rely on water as their fundamental and unifying thread. The coming of the Cosmic Christ, the Tao, Buddha Nature, and you and I are involved in a process of opening fully to water and protecting it for all humans and for our plant and animal relatives. Our relationship with water is our common touchpoint to a living cosmology. Water is our gift from the stars. It is the catalyst for our collective awakening. Billions of humans have been baptized with water, channeling the Spirit of our cosmic origins. What does it mean to become like water? Perhaps it has to do with holding space for cleansing, for what we’re being asked to dissolve within ourselves and our communities. To be with the pain of loss. As we let go, we are held within water’s flow again. This practice of becoming like water may involve wallowing in puddles, sipping water slowly with gratitude, listening to rivers, prancing through the rain at midnight, or surfing the waves of the ocean with dolphins. It could mean moving to higher ground and to moist landscapes where there’s protection from fires and floods. It could mean joining with the Order of the Sacred Earth community and its network of Earth activists (6) and holding circles and councils that foster deep listening, receptivity, trust, a space to grieve and to find connection. It could mean committing your life to the outpouring of love and service (7). It could mean calling and writing mayors and senators, or supporting the righteous efforts of the indigenous Water Protectors battling Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline. Or better yet, finding out how your water is being managed in your local watershed. But whatever you do, let your own inner waters guide you. Water represents the connection between an individual soul, our communities, the Tree of Life, and a collective ecological consciousness born of our Cosmic origins. It’s the Spirit of the Universe as it flows through us. Are we learning to swim through the birth canal of this new and ancient understanding in a felt way that’s messy and terrifying, exhilarating and purifying? Are we learning to quench our soul’s most essential organizing instincts by becoming flexible and receptive, like water? Is water guiding us through a rite of passage into the deepest connections with the Universe? I think so, and it’s time to get wet! ~ Skylar Wilson Read online here About the Author Skylar Wilson, MA is the founder of Wild Awakenings, a conscious community of change-makers dedicated to the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. He has led wilderness rites of passage journeys as well as ecological restoration teams for 18 years, specializing in creating sacred wilderness immersion experiences and interfaith ceremonies. Skylar is the cofounder and co-director of the Order of the Sacred Earth, a network of mystic warriors and activists dedicated to being the best lovers and defenders of the Earth that we can be. Skylar is the coauthor of the book by the same title as well as the co-host, with Jennifer Berit, of the podcast: "Our Sacred Earth" on Unity online radio. Skylar works closely with schools and organizations including the Stepping Stones Project in Berkeley, CA over the last 8 years while guiding organization-wide retreats, mentoring youth, group leaders, parents and elders. He also produces transformational events for thousands of people around the country including the Cosmic Mass, an intercultural healing ritual that builds community through dancing and the arts. References: - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-percentage-of-the-human-body… - https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water - https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/ancient-water-system-in-peru-could-fi… - http://www.pauldonahue.net/who_owns_earths_water.html - Fox, Matthew. The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: the Healing of Mother Earth and the birth of a Global Renaissance. Pg. 5. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. - http://www.orderofthesacredearth.org - Fox, Matthew. The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: the Healing of Mother Earth and the birth of a Global Renaissance. Pg. 5. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. - http://www.orderofthesacredearth.org - Wilson, Listug, Fox. Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action. New York: Monkfish Books, 2017. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader How can Christians get a firm foundation with scripture that has been influenced by the spirit of political influence by Kings and Popes and transcriptionists who were influenced by governments? A bit of a crisis of faith here. Can there still be a Divine Jesus without true historical knowledge of Him? A: By Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox Dear Reader, I would substitute for your words “without true historical knowledge of Him” the words “with only partial historical knowledge of him.” What we know historically about Jesus is not nothing. Indeed, in our lifetimes many Biblical scholars (along with anthropologists and others) have worked hard to separate the words and teachings we can be certain about from Jesus’ mouth from those that seem to have been added after he died. The gospel writers did not hesitate to put words into his mouth but that is not entirely a negative thing. It tells us what he triggered in his followers and it tells us how he lit a fire in them that resulted in a lot of creativity. Isn’t this how history works even in our day? A speaker excites people and they tell others about it and invariably misquote and make up things and project their feelings and stories into the picture they are relaying to another? As a teacher, that is very much my experience. Often people will quote me but misquote me; or cite someone I cited and get it wrong. But enthusiasm is not always a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing—a sign of life and spirit therefore. But exactness is not always part of the big picture. What all this tells me is the truth of what we call the incarnation of divinity in Jesus. That he was a full and real-life human being with all that entails in terms of limits and making of friends and betrayal by friends and making of enemies and being misquoted while he lived and afterwards. All these imperfect realities match our life experiences also, they are all part and parcel of the vulnerability Jesus represents: Not only did God become human--God became vulnerable to an imperfect world. Like us. So the fact that Scripture is “influenced by Kings and popes and transcriptionists and translators and imperfect and mistaken human beings” is an invitation to look deeper than the literal to the stories and teachings that instruct us in how to live and why. It is also an invitation to look at some of the contemporary Biblical scholars that are discovering many dimensions to the background surrounding the Scriptures. For example, just this week I received a new book by New Testament scholar Bruce Chilton on a fellow and dynasty that played a big role in the life and death of Jesus. The book is called The Herods: Murder, Politics, and the Art of Succession. As one commentator puts it, “the Herodian policies and intrigue shaped the worlds of early Judaism and Christianity.” And another, “the relevance for Jesus and the origins of the Christian Church can hardly be exaggerated.” Keep studying; keep asking good questions; learn to hunt and gather for meaningful answers and interpretations and trustworthy scholars and mentors and ever deeper questions. ~ Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 35 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 74 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship (called The Cosmic Mass). His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are A Way To God: Thomas Merton's Creation Spirituality Journey; Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Times; Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times; Stations of the Cosmic Christ; Order of the Sacred Earth; The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times; and Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic – And Beyond. To encourage a passionate response to the news of climate change advancing so rapidly, Fox started Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | | | This Week's Featured Author Remembering Bishop Spong June 16, 1931 - September 12, 2021 Read a few of the tributes that have been written on the death of Bishop John Shelby Spong. Read More ... | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Examining the Story of the Cross, Part VII: What Judas Iscariot Meant in the Eighth, Ninth & Tenth Decades of Christian Development Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong April 21, 2011 Last week we began a biblical analysis of Judas Iscariot. First, we noted that Paul, who wrote and died before any gospel had been written, was totally unaware of the tradition that one of the “twelve” played the role of the traitor. Not only is there no mention of this when Paul wrote the account of Jesus being “handed over,” but also when Paul described the experience of resurrection on “the third day,” he said that Jesus was seen by the “twelve.” Judas is still among them, a fact that would have been inconceivable if he had been the traitor. Next we looked at how the Judas story, introduced into the Christian narrative by Mark, the first gospel writer somewhere between the years 70-72, grew and developed as new details were added when each successive gospel was written, until the Fourth gospel completed the New Testament’ Judas portrait somewhere between the years 95-100. Finally, we took those developing gospel details and, guided by them, began a search of the Hebrew Scriptures for other tales of traitors to see if in those Jewish sources any of the things said later about Judas were present. We discovered that every single detail in the New Testament’s account of Judas could be accounted for in this manner. This suggests that the story of Judas is not that of a person of history, but of a mythological creation. One other detail that needs to be noted is that while Judas, the symbol of the Jewish nation, grows darker and more sinister as each successive gospel is composed, Pontius Pilate, the symbol of the Roman authorities, grows more and more benevolent. Pilate is portrayed as struggling to have Jesus released, offering Barabbas in exchange, washing his hands publicly and announcing that “I find no fault in him.” Keep in mind that the gospels were written 40-70 years after the crucifixion. They are not eye witness accounts, but interpretive portraits and we must not pretend that they are describing things that actually happened; they are seeking to interpret what the death of Jesus meant and to find in it the salvation purpose that they assumed his death accomplished. With that in mind, it is also essential to be cognizant of the history of that time and to embrace the context in which the gospels were composed and how the story of a traitor named Judas might have emerged. The Jewish people were conquered by the Roman Empire about 65 years before the birth of Jesus, thus breaking the oppression of the Syrians and beginning the period of oppression at the hands of the Romans. As a conquered people the Jews displayed the entire gamut of responses that subjugated people always display: some sought to cooperate with their conquerors, some endured this oppression passively and some resisted in every way they could. The general population of Jews admired these resisters calling them “freedom fighters.” The Romans on the other hand regarded them as “terrorists.” In fact these rebellious Jews tended to organize themselves as guerrilla warriors and set up camp in the natural hideouts of the hills of Galilee to harass their conquerors with a series of hit and run attacks. From these hiding places they would swoop out on small contingents of Roman soldiers, destroy them and then fade back into those hills. They were a nuisance to the Romans, but a costly nuisance. Emboldened by their guerrilla successes, these “patriots,” who were also known as “the Zealots,” decided in 66 AD that they were sufficiently strong to attack the Romans directly and to drive them out, thus securing Jewish freedom once again. So they began activities that looked more and more like general warfare and less and less and less like sporadic guerrilla tactics. It was a military gamble that in retrospect proved to be quite foolish. The Romans responded with maximum force and began to neutralize the Galilean hills, but they were unable to destroy the guerrilla bands since moving a heavily-armed Roman force into those hills was all but impossible. When the hostilities escalated, however, the Romans under a commander named Vespasian decided that they had to attack and destroy the heart of the Jewish nation. The Galilean guerrillas could not continue without support from Judea and Jerusalem. So invading Judea with a powerful military force, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and in the year 70 CE, breached the walls, cracked the defense perimeter and moved into the Jewish capital city. The Romans went through Jerusalem in that year like the Russians went through Berlin in 1945. Not one stone was left on another. When the smoke of battle cleared, the nation of Judea no longer existed, the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Temple had been razed to the ground as all Jewish resistance was crushed. Those who managed to escape retreated into the desert to a fortress named Masada, where they held out until the year 73 when they too were finally destroyed. Josephus, a Jewish historian, tells us that the defenders at Masada, knowing that if they were captured alive death by crucifixion awaited them, engaged in an act of mass suicide until not a Jewish soldier was still alive when the Romans finally entered the fort. This war unleashed enormous hostility on the part of the Romans toward all Jews for having brought this war upon themselves and upon Rome. Within the Jewish community the members of the Orthodox party, who controlled the worship of the Temple and who had in fact supported the guerrilla fighters, were held particularly responsible for bringing this disaster upon the Jewish nation. The Roman authorities, however, did not distinguish one Jew from another. Revisionist Jews, a category that at that time included the disciples of Jesus who were called not Christians but the “Followers of the Way,” sought to find a way to separate themselves from the Orthodox Party for the sake of their own survival, lest they be tarred with the same brush with which all Jews were being tarred by the Romans. How better to do that than to make the villain of the Jesus story someone who bore the name of the Jewish nation by shifting the responsibility for the death of Jesus away from the Roman officials, who alone had the power to execute, and to portray the Romans as crucifying Jesus, but only under pressure from the Orthodox Party of the High Priest and Sadducees. This meant that the same people who had been responsible for the war against Rome were now said to have been also responsible for the death of the founder of their own movement. They would thus portray Jesus not as a revolutionary – “My kingdom is not of this world,” – and at the same time portray Pilate, the Roman governor, in increasingly benevolent terms seeking to set Jesus free. The principle these “Followers of the Way” were trying to establish was that “if your enemy is also my enemy then we should be friends.” To frame the Jesus story as an act of betrayal by the Orthodox party of the Jews accomplished these goals. So Matthew’s gospel can portray Pilate as seeking Jesus’ release but being thwarted seeking to remove his guilt by announcing: “I am innocent of the blood of this just man.” At the same time characterizing the Jews as a “mob” at the foot of the cross, saying words that would fuel anti-Semitism through the centuries: “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” This group thus began a process of separating the followers of Jesus from the Jews that ultimately resulted in the “Followers of the Way” being excommunicated from the synagogues around the year 88 CE and pushing Christianity rapidly into becoming a Gentile movement. Ultimately they sought to deny the Jewish womb that had given them birth. Soon fierce hostility toward the Jews became a primary mark of Christianity and its intensity grew in the first centuries of Christian history. The Church Fathers, Polycarp, Irenaeus, John Chrysostom and Jerome, among many others, filled their writings with a blood-curdling anti-Semitism. To them the Jews were “vermin unfit for life” and “Christ-Killers.” Forced conversions, the kidnapping and subsequent baptizing of Jewish babies enabled them to use a law prohibiting a Christian child from being raised by “infidels,” to make legal the separation of Jewish children from their parents. Good Friday became a day of peril for Jews as Christian emerged from their churches and cathedrals filled with wrath for what “the Jews had done to Jesus” and seeking revenge by beating Jews, destroying Jewish property and sometimes killing Jews. The Crusades were filled with anti-Semitism – so was the Inquisition – Martin Luther added fuel to the fires of hatred with his diatribes against Jews and his call for the burning of synagogues. The Holocaust was the final incredible explosion of the anti-Semitism poured into the blood stream of Western civilization by Christian people. It all began I now believe when out of their need to survive the hostility of the Romans following the Jewish-Roman war the Christians created the character of Judas making him the quintessential Jew and using him to shift the blame for the death of Jesus away from the Romans, where it surely belonged, and onto the Jews, which allowed Christians to justify their anti-Semitism for centuries. The stereotype of a Jew from the character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” to the images of Jewish people as money grubbing bankers is all derived from the portrait of Judas who would do anything for money. Because Jews were not allowed in Christian Europe to own any land, they became bankers and jewelers and in the process this anything-for-money reputation was enhanced. The facts are that Jesus was put to death by the Romans, but his death was blamed on the Jews for political reasons. Judas was the vehicle for accomplishing this. It is never too late to roll the prejudices of ages back. It is never too late for Christians to bow in apology before our Jewish brothers and sisters and to beg forgiveness. It is never too late to be vigilant against anti-Semitism whenever it lifts its ugly head. As we come to observe Good Friday this year in the name of the Jewish Jesus, I invite my fellow Christians to join me in doing just that. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements “Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us Into the Sacred” Free/Online October 7th Victoria Loorz, Cofounder of Seminary of the Wild & The Wild Church Network will invite participants to uncover the wild roots of their faith and encourage a deepened commitment to a suffering Earth by falling in love with it — and calling it church. Read On... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

1 0

Remembering Lee Early
by Karen Snyder 17 Sep '21

17 Sep '21

Today, Tuesday, August 17, we celebrate the life and death of Lee Early. Lee was a man who stood tall through everything - literally and figuratively - whether it was working in community development in the Marshall Islands, facilitating planning with executives in corporations, loving his wife and three daughters and their families, or boosting social connections and self-confidence in his golf game. Plans for a memorial are pending. If you wish to contact Leah Early, she can be reached at leahearly(a)comcast.net <mailto:leahearly@comcast.net>.

6 5

draft of a listserv email invitation
by David Dunn 16 Sep '21

16 Sep '21

Hello friends. Jan Sanders and I have been collaborating on creative projects for over a year now. As we transcribed Jan’s oral history into stories for her nieces and nephews we realized that we wanted to explore these experiences in greater depth and breadth with colleagues. We were surprised by the knowing and energy that appeared. Our story telling morphed into a creative publishing venture related to action research in cultural transformation. Our first project: Rituals in the Field: Nepal—tells the story of a transformative event Jan and Richard Sims created during a Social Artistry training seminar in Dhulikhel, Nepal in 2008. This first Rituals in the Field explores the foundations and layers of experience and meaning when the methods of Social Artistry are interwoven with ICA’s Technology of Participation and the legacy of our intentional community. When we shared this first project with ICA’s Global Research Network, one member commented, “I see that we can now self-publish our own work.” Perhaps others will be moved to describe how their own life experience speaks into our world today. We’ve discovered that collaborating in this kind of project has been empowering, fruitful and fun. We hope that you’ll be inspired to find a partner for doing your own self-publishing related to cultural transformation. Click here <https://indd.adobe.com/view/f88415dc-4443-4088-a9f4-33e3a8764d23> to view Rituals in the Field: Nepal in an online version that will open in your web browser. Right and left arrows allow you to flip through the pages. Click the [Cloud-Down Arrow] icon in the lower right hand corner of the Rituals in the Field web page to download the PDF version. The PDF is interactive. See the navigation note below the content links box on the cover. Enjoy and give us feedback. Jan Sanders and David Dunn — "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose" David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 720-314-5991 dmdunn1(a)gmail.com <mailto:dmdunn1@gmail.com> — "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose" David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 720-314-5991 dmdunn1(a)gmail.com

1 0

Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Our ever-dwindling Listserve
by Ellie Stock 16 Sep '21

16 Sep '21

Wow! Thanks, Milan! Very moving. Ellie :) -----Original Message----- From: Milan Hamilton via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: ORDER LISTSERVE <oe(a)wedgeblade.net> Cc: Milan Hamilton <mellowmilan2(a)gmail.com> Sent: Thu, Sep 16, 2021 12:24 pm Subject: [Oe List ...] Our ever-dwindling Listserve I believe it was Ken (Fisher?) who coined this greeting in response to Joe Ayers completion: “our ever-dwindling Listserve.” This was one of those “intrusions”into my psyche that resulted in the following poem and Googling the Henry V speech. It made me reflect on the stages of grief and where am I. Not only are we dwindling in numbers but the species of our beloved home are dwindling even faster. I get up every morning and dutifully tick off another of the days of this decade remaining (3,395 today) to have to reduce our carbon emission by the proverbial 45-50% in order to have a livable earth. And get just a little more angry/sad/resigned/accepting. I think I am cycling between resignation and acceptance currently. The response this particular notice and comment from Ken generated in me led to the following. I share it for the edification of the remnant. Milan H. A Chair at the TableSt Crispin's Day SpeechThe St Crispin's Day speech is a part of William Shakespeare's history play Henry V, Act IV Scene iii(3) 18–67. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, which fell on Saint Crispin's Day, Henry V urges his men, who were vastly outnumbered by the French, to recall how the English had previously inflicted great defeats upon the French. The speech has been famously portrayed by Laurence Olivier to raise British spirits during the Second World War, and by Kenneth Branagh in the 1989 film Henry V; it made famous the phrase "band of brothers".[1] The play was written around 1600, and several later writers have used parts of it in their own texts.WESTMORLAND. O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England That do no work to-day! KING. What's he that wishes so? My cousin, Westmorland? No, my fair cousin; If we are mark'd to die, we are enough To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour As one man more methinks would share from me For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is call'd the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian." Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day." Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words— Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester— Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, >From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be rememberèd— We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.AddendumAh we privileged few that in a land of myst’rySat at table, men and women, facing one anotherWhile girding ourselves for battles of the spiritMore fierce than those we’d face outsideOur hallowed halls where, singing songs familiarAnd others learned from theologians’ wordsWould stir our hearts and lead us into placesNone believed we’d ever tread.We century twenty band of timid soulsInspired first to save the Church by teachingHer to love the World a parish at a time;Then audacious though it seemed to all but weOn fire with Consciousness flowing like a riverTurned our gaze upon a suffering world four billion then,Now nearly eight before we blinked an eye, ours not G-O-D’s.Climbing the Mountain of Care, we thought could demonstrateAnew a balanced triangle, a band of twenty-four, a humanizing threadOf hope beyond hope to the poorest of the poor,Not realizing yet that they were Us, the ones in need.But wait, opportunity knocks, maybe only this once in a lifetime chance:The bicentennial of the good old USA! Are you ready for this?Yes! Said We, let us conduct five thousand Town MeetingsAnd by the way, let’s make it several thousand more around the world.Town Meeting ’76! Was off and running. Of course, we did it,One in every county of the land belov-ed. Ours not G-O-D’s.And who knows how many in the world belov-ed, G-O-D’s for sure.What a historical ride on which we privileged few were taken:Painful years ahead, decisions, decisions, decisions.Sendouts galore! Broken chains of Care! Did I sign up for this?Oh Yeah! You did! And now you get to reap the fruits of your labor.Now the Sea of Tranquility’s becoming clear.Just got an E-mail about Audrey’s Joe, not the first of us to go to the Mystery’s embraceBut there’s always one that wakes you up, not so?I knew Audrey! No, I don’t mean I knew Audrey, exactly. But I knew AudreyBack in nineteen-sixty-nine, Academy, and Summer 70.This feeling washed over me, of being one of the privileged onesWho knew Audrey and Joe, and the others of us who’ve gone to the Mystery’s care:My friend Terry, who “recruited” me, George and David, who taught me,And Bob, who mentored me and was my friend, and Audrey, who I knew in ’69.Chairs are missing at the table; we are dwindling one by one;Yet the stories as they leave us, telling us their work is done,Join with saints of all the ages, beckoning, beckoning, to leave out not a single one.I’m not naming any more of us, you know who you are. Except for that other Joe, who more importantly, knew me. Remember Joe?Joe used to say that when he went, all of us who went on ahead would wait hey--At the Pearly Gate hey.So, we could all march in together hey.Ah, we privileged few who were there on Crispin’s Day Milan HamiltonSeptember 15, 2021 Sent from my iPad_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

2 1

Song: Take Care and Build the Earth; Re: Our ever-dwindling Listserve
by Ellie Stock 16 Sep '21

16 Sep '21

Below: a song companion (adapted from Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night") to Milan's poem... TAKECARE AND BUILD THE EARTH Donot go gentle into that good nightSoulsshould burn at close of day Rageagainst the dying light Againstthe darkened maze Warriorswounded and worn Yettrusting and unalarmed Winkat the moon Thoughit smile too soon Insilence sing rebirth Takecare and build the earth Donot go gentle into that good march Soulsshould burn at resting’s end Rageagainst the journey’s arc Againstlife’s chosen bend Warriorsattentive and armed Yetvulnerable and scarred Tiptoe to stars Thoughthey beckon too far Instillness dance clown’s mirth Takecare and build the earth Donot go gentle into that good life Soulsshould burn at hopeless days Rageagainst the endless strife Againstthe Mystery’s Way Warriorsfilled with dreams Ofvictories unseen Embracelightning’s touch Thoughconsuming too much Belovedones endure Takecare, and build the earth ejhs Adapted from Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" Ellie Stockelliestock(a)aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Milan Hamilton via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: ORDER LISTSERVE <oe(a)wedgeblade.net> Cc: Milan Hamilton <mellowmilan2(a)gmail.com> Sent: Thu, Sep 16, 2021 12:24 pm Subject: [Oe List ...] Our ever-dwindling Listserve I believe it was Ken (Fisher?) who coined this greeting in response to Joe Ayers completion: “our ever-dwindling Listserve.” This was one of those “intrusions”into my psyche that resulted in the following poem and Googling the Henry V speech. It made me reflect on the stages of grief and where am I. Not only are we dwindling in numbers but the species of our beloved home are dwindling even faster. I get up every morning and dutifully tick off another of the days of this decade remaining (3,395 today) to have to reduce our carbon emission by the proverbial 45-50% in order to have a livable earth. And get just a little more angry/sad/resigned/accepting. I think I am cycling between resignation and acceptance currently. The response this particular notice and comment from Ken generated in me led to the following. I share it for the edification of the remnant. Milan H. A Chair at the TableSt Crispin's Day SpeechThe St Crispin's Day speech is a part of William Shakespeare's history play Henry V, Act IV Scene iii(3) 18–67. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, which fell on Saint Crispin's Day, Henry V urges his men, who were vastly outnumbered by the French, to recall how the English had previously inflicted great defeats upon the French. The speech has been famously portrayed by Laurence Olivier to raise British spirits during the Second World War, and by Kenneth Branagh in the 1989 film Henry V; it made famous the phrase "band of brothers".[1] The play was written around 1600, and several later writers have used parts of it in their own texts.WESTMORLAND. O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England That do no work to-day! KING. What's he that wishes so? My cousin, Westmorland? No, my fair cousin; If we are mark'd to die, we are enough To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour As one man more methinks would share from me For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is call'd the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian." Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day." Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words— Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester— Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, >From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be rememberèd— We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.AddendumAh we privileged few that in a land of myst’rySat at table, men and women, facing one anotherWhile girding ourselves for battles of the spiritMore fierce than those we’d face outsideOur hallowed halls where, singing songs familiarAnd others learned from theologians’ wordsWould stir our hearts and lead us into placesNone believed we’d ever tread.We century twenty band of timid soulsInspired first to save the Church by teachingHer to love the World a parish at a time;Then audacious though it seemed to all but weOn fire with Consciousness flowing like a riverTurned our gaze upon a suffering world four billion then,Now nearly eight before we blinked an eye, ours not G-O-D’s.Climbing the Mountain of Care, we thought could demonstrateAnew a balanced triangle, a band of twenty-four, a humanizing threadOf hope beyond hope to the poorest of the poor,Not realizing yet that they were Us, the ones in need.But wait, opportunity knocks, maybe only this once in a lifetime chance:The bicentennial of the good old USA! Are you ready for this?Yes! Said We, let us conduct five thousand Town MeetingsAnd by the way, let’s make it several thousand more around the world.Town Meeting ’76! Was off and running. Of course, we did it,One in every county of the land belov-ed. Ours not G-O-D’s.And who knows how many in the world belov-ed, G-O-D’s for sure.What a historical ride on which we privileged few were taken:Painful years ahead, decisions, decisions, decisions.Sendouts galore! Broken chains of Care! Did I sign up for this?Oh Yeah! You did! And now you get to reap the fruits of your labor.Now the Sea of Tranquility’s becoming clear.Just got an E-mail about Audrey’s Joe, not the first of us to go to the Mystery’s embraceBut there’s always one that wakes you up, not so?I knew Audrey! No, I don’t mean I knew Audrey, exactly. But I knew AudreyBack in nineteen-sixty-nine, Academy, and Summer 70.This feeling washed over me, of being one of the privileged onesWho knew Audrey and Joe, and the others of us who’ve gone to the Mystery’s care:My friend Terry, who “recruited” me, George and David, who taught me,And Bob, who mentored me and was my friend, and Audrey, who I knew in ’69.Chairs are missing at the table; we are dwindling one by one;Yet the stories as they leave us, telling us their work is done,Join with saints of all the ages, beckoning, beckoning, to leave out not a single one.I’m not naming any more of us, you know who you are. Except for that other Joe, who more importantly, knew me. Remember Joe?Joe used to say that when he went, all of us who went on ahead would wait hey--At the Pearly Gate hey.So, we could all march in together hey.Ah, we privileged few who were there on Crispin’s Day Milan HamiltonSeptember 15, 2021 Sent from my iPad_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

1 0

9/16/2021, Progressing Spirit, Remembering Bishop John Shelby Spong
by Ellie Stock 16 Sep '21

16 Sep '21

| | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong June 16, 1931 – September 12, 2021 | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Today we are honoring and remembering Bishop Spong. We are sharing just a few of his thoughts and wisdom, more can be found at Progressive Christianity.org and Progressing Spirit. We also have remembrances from those of us who have known him simply as "Jack". Unassuming and humble, he changed the face of Christianity forever. We love him and will miss him, and know that he will live on in all of our hearts. | | | | | | | | | | | | My heart sank when I was notified that Jack Spong died yesterday. In the 30 years that I have known Jack, he has had a tremendous impact on my ministry, our organization, PC.org, and the progressive Christian movement. He was a humble, but precise scholar. He was my mentor, guide, and teacher; but mostly he was my friend. His work will live on in the lives of many and continue to provide an intellectually honest approach to the history of Christianity and the impact on our daily lives. My thanks to Jack and his wonderful partner in life, Christine, for the difference they have made. ~ Rev. Fred C. Plumer | | | | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong provided a much needed place for those of us who did not connect with traditional theology. He began to awaken within me (and, I suspect, many others) this “thing” that knew much of what I’d been taught in church was not necessarily the actual Gospel even though it frequently was taught as if it were. Spong helped demystify the Bible for me, helped wrestle it from the overtly possessive hands of literalist, and helped reposition it from a rulebook handed down from God to the guidebook from our spiritual ancestors about what a healthy spiritual life looks likes that it was mean to be. He gave us a spiritual home. He gave us permission to ask difficult questions and to expect non-hypocritical answers. He grew our faiths in ways we never could have imagined. He now joins those who know what is next and most assuredly is experiencing the Divine embrace. I give thanks for his life and how this world is better off because of it. We love you, Bishop Spong. You will be deeply missed. ~ Rev. Mark Sandlin | | | | | | | | | | | | I encountered Bishop Spong’s work for the first time when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from a secular university. At that point in my life, I was striving to reconcile my faith with my newfound exposure to the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation. When I picked up Bishop Spong’s books, I found an approach that helped to liberate me from more traditional ways of thinking about the divine mystery. In Bishop Spong’s life and writings, I have continued to find the inspiration to stand against Christian fundamentalism. Well done, good and faithful servant. ~ Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines | | | | | | | | | | | | Bishop Spong came into my life in the early 1970s when one Sunday he showed up at the church I attended — St Mark’s Episcopal Church, located on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Our church, headed by Rev. Jim Adams, welcomed skeptics and helped those among us who had trouble with a literal translation of the Bible find an approach to Christianity that fully used our brains and our hearts. Spong was a strong supporter of Adams, and in the 1990s encouraged him to establish The Center for Progressive Christianity, now known as ProgressiveChristianity.org. Spong’s open mind, scholarship, courage, and spiritual insights opened Christianity to new generations of followers. We pledge to continue that journey. ~ Janice Gregory | | | | | | | | | | | | Jack Spong was one of my giants. He has been a tremendous influence on my life as a pastor and theologian. I first learned of him upon reading his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism and recall being notably struck by his obvious scholarly competence, his persuasive argumentation, and his clear passion for the well-being of Christianity and the Church. His writings helped embolden me as a firm liberal Christian. As I've aged and become a voice within progressive Christianity and an author myself, I've come to make more room for paradox, mystery, and increasingly feel less of a need to understand everything, let alone know all the answers. May we honor Spong's legacy and may God bless our efforts to increase love and justice in a world that needs it. ~ Rev. Roger Wolsey | | | | | | | | | | | Click here to find Bishop Spong's books and videos and more on ProgressiveChristianity.org. Click here to find/access his Archived Writings and Articles on Progressing Spirit. | | | | | | | | | | | We are filled with gratitude to Bishop Spong for his courageous stands on issues of justice including gay and lesbian peoples and much more, and his efforts to save Christianity from itself. And we are in his debt for his critically acclaimed writings that teach us to grow up as people, as a believing people and as a Biblical people. His writings and courage and Biblical insights will continue to inspire many for generations to come. Also, his model of leadership that is not afraid to speak out and to lead and to absorb the knocks that come with critical thinking and leadership uplifts us all. I am happy to share wrote me in the year 2000 on the occasion of my 60th birthday. ~ Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox | | | | | | | | | | | | Whether welcoming the excluded, inspiring people to totally reevaluate everything they thought they’d ever known, or driving Fundamentalists to distraction, Jack Spong’s example and teachings demanded a response. Even in death, as haters fill online forums with scorn, Jack is living up to his cousin William’s advice: “The way you really get to the public is by having the right enemies, not the right friends. The friends don’t do you that much good, but the right enemies attacking you really do open up the possibilities.” Thanks, Jack, for modeling the kind of ministry that will continue to change the world! ~ Rev. David Felten | | | | | | | | | | | | Our Abraham is now gathered to his people. Fully and finally gathered into blessed memory of us all in the global progressive Christian movement. And gathered to folks far beyond our circle. Because, to put it in his own words, John Shelby Spong “lived fully and loved wastefully”, spilling out his compassion beyond boundaries of creed and culture. Jack Spong was a mentor to us all in the progressive Christian movement. His generosity of spirit – and that of his wife and partner, Christine – nurtured generations of progressive Christian leaders. I am grateful for their active encouragement in getting my books into print. And we’re all grateful for the legacy they created in Progressing Spirit, the theological journal of ProgressiveChristianity.org. May we ever and always “gather him to his people” by carrying his commitments forward! ~ Rev. Jim Burklo | | | | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong was and will remain a hero to me. An extremely brave revolutionary, a social justice warrior, and a deeply faithful and spiritual human, Spong demanded that Christianity become radically inclusive if it were to remain relevant and true to the teachings of Jesus. One of the first religious faith leaders to come out in support of gay marriage, he also spoke on the national news channels and programs about Hell not being real and against the idea of Original Sin and the need for Atonement. He called for the right for women to be ordained and he lifted up a compassionate and authentic Christian path. He changed the face of Christianity for the better. He will be forever missed. ~ Rev. Deshna Shine | | | | | | | | | | | | I grew up in a sector of Christianity where Bishop Spong was portrayed as the epitome of theological evil, often by people who had never read his books or listened to him speak. When I found myself similarly characterized, I had the chance to meet many people whose Christian faith had survived because of his work. We were interviewed together and I remember thinking, "How could anyone speaking extemporaneously utter such complex, graceful, insightful, and yet clear and intelligible sentences?" Driven by a clear-eyed desire for truth and a compassionate commitment to justice for all, he was willing to be mistreated for those commitments. He challenged the Christian inheritance, not to harm it, but to expose its misunderstandings and mine it for its most enduring treasures. ~ Brian McLaren | | | | | | | | | | | Watch Bishop Spong's Sermon: What a New Christianity for a New World will Contain | | | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong is one of the pioneers and patron saints of the progressive Christian movement. His commitment to asking questions, embracing science, and integrating modern knowledge with a robust understanding of Christian faith helped to create a space within the Church for an ever increasing mass of people who were otherwise pushed out of religious communities because of their own skepticism. His work and witness will endure for generations to come, and his spirit of compassion and curiosity will continually inspire seekers on the ever winding spiritual journey. He will be sorely missed. ~ Rev. Brandan Robertson | | | | | | | | | | | | It is impossible to number those who will mourn the death of Bishop John Shelby Spong. His direct influence, perhaps, if one could create an algorithm related to the sale of his books or size of his audiences. But those whose lives, understanding of Christianity and its expression, and passion for truth was shifted by a sermon preached by a Spong-read pastor, an unexpected broadcast lecture or hearing the sixth degree of either retelling, are as uncountable as stars on a clear summer night. Bishop Spong shone a light on faith, and in so doing, set our minds on fire. ~ Rev. Gretta Vosper | | | | | | | | | | | | Martin Luther King said there are two types of leadership: those that are thermometers, which measure the temperature in the room and do nothing, and those that are thermostats, which change the temperature. Bishop Spong was a church leader who unapologetically changed traditional Christian Theology to welcome the dispossessed, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the damned into the Kingdom of God. And in so doing, Spong called attention to biblical eisegesis and agenda-driven theologies that bring about present-day social injustices and institutional ills. Spong’s calling reflected the unending struggle to give voice and visibility to those relegated to the margins of society. ~ Rev. Irene Monroe | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Facebook | | | | Twitter | | | | Website | | | | Email | | | | YouTube | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

1 0

9/14/2021, Progressing Spirit: **Special Edition** - Bishop John Shelby Spong, June 16, 1931 - September 12, 2021
by Ellie Stock 15 Sep '21

15 Sep '21

**Special Edition** - Bishop John Shelby Spong, June 16, 1931 - September 12, 2021#yiv6132225248 body, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248bodyTable, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248bodyCell{min-height:100% !important;margin:0;padding:0;width:100% !important;}#yiv6132225248 table{border-collapse:collapse;}#yiv6132225248 img, #yiv6132225248 a img{border:0;outline:none;text-decoration:none;}#yiv6132225248 h1, #yiv6132225248 h2, #yiv6132225248 h3, #yiv6132225248 h4, #yiv6132225248 h5, #yiv6132225248 h6{margin:0;padding:0;}#yiv6132225248 p{margin:1em 0;padding:0;}#yiv6132225248 a{word-wrap:break-word;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnPreviewText{display:none !important;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ReadMsgBody{width:100%;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass{width:100%;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass p, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass span, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass font, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass td, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248ExternalClass div{line-height:100%;}#yiv6132225248 table, #yiv6132225248 td{}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248outlook a{padding:0;}#yiv6132225248 img{}#yiv6132225248 body, #yiv6132225248 table, #yiv6132225248 td, #yiv6132225248 p, #yiv6132225248 a, #yiv6132225248 li, #yiv6132225248 blockquote{}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templatePreheader, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateHeader, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateBody, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateFooter{min-width:100%;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248bodyCell{padding:20px;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnImage, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnRetinaImage{vertical-align:bottom;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent img{height:auto !important;}#yiv6132225248 body, #yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248bodyTable{background-color:#999999;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248bodyCell{border-top:0;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateContainer{border:20px solid #084c9e;}#yiv6132225248 h1{color:#606060 !important;display:block;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:28px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 h2{color:#404040 !important;display:block;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:22px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-.75px;margin:0;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 h3{color:#606060 !important;display:block;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:18px;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-.5px;margin:0;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 h4{color:#808080 !important;display:block;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templatePreheader{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-top:0;border-bottom:1px dotted;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248preheaderContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248preheaderContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent p{color:#606060;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12px;line-height:125%;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248preheaderContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent a{color:#007fff;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateHeader{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-top:0;border-bottom:0;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248headerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248headerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent p{color:#606060;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:14px;line-height:150%;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248headerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent a{color:#007fff;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateBody{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-top:0;border-bottom:0;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248bodyContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248bodyContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent p{color:#111111;font-family:Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:16px;line-height:150%;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248bodyContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent a{color:#008080;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv6132225248 #yiv6132225248templateFooter{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-top:0;border-bottom:0;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248footerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248footerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent p{color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:11px;line-height:125%;text-align:left;}#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248footerContainer .yiv6132225248mcnTextContent a{color:#606060;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline;}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 body, #yiv6132225248 table, #yiv6132225248 td, #yiv6132225248 p, #yiv6132225248 a, #yiv6132225248 li, #yiv6132225248 blockquote{}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 body{width:100% !important;min-width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnRetinaImage{max-width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[id=yiv6132225248bodyCell]{padding:10px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContentContainer]{width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnBoxedTextContentContainer{max-width:100% !important;min-width:100% !important;width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table[class=yiv6132225248mcpreview-image-uploader]{width:100% !important;display:none !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 img[class=yiv6132225248mcnImage]{width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageGroupContentContainer]{width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageGroupContent]{padding:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageGroupBlockInner]{padding-bottom:0 !important;padding-top:0 !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 tbody[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageGroupBlockOuter]{padding-bottom:9px !important;padding-top:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table[class=yiv6132225248mcnCaptionBottomContent]{width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardRightImageContent]{padding-right:18px !important;padding-left:18px !important;padding-bottom:0 !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardBottomImageContent]{padding-bottom:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardTopImageContent]{padding-top:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardRightImageContent]{padding-right:18px !important;padding-left:18px !important;padding-bottom:0 !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardBottomImageContent]{padding-bottom:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnImageCardTopImageContent]{padding-top:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table[class=yiv6132225248mcnCaptionRightContentOuter] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent]{padding-top:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 table .filtered99999 :last-child td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnImageCardTopImageContent, #yiv6132225248 .yiv6132225248mcnCaptionBottomContent:last-child .yiv6132225248mcnCaptionBottomImageContent{padding-top:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnBoxedTextContentColumn]{padding-left:18px !important;padding-right:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent]{padding-right:18px !important;padding-left:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 table[id=yiv6132225248templateFooter]{max-width:600px !important;width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 h1{font-size:24px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 h2{font-size:20px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 h3{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248mcnBoxedTextContentContainer] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent] p{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 table[id=yiv6132225248templatePreheader]{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248preheaderContainer] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent] p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:115% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248headerContainer] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent] p{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248bodyContainer] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent] p{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td .filtered99999 td .filtered99999 , #yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248footerContainer] td[class=yiv6132225248mcnTextContent] p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:115% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6132225248 td[class=yiv6132225248footerContainer] a[class=yiv6132225248utilityLink]{display:block !important;}} | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong June 16, 1931 – September 12, 2021 Bishop Spong provided a much needed place for those of us who did not connect with traditional theology. We love you Bishop Spong. You will be missed! | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | ProgressiveChristianity.org and Progressing Spirit Mourn the Death of Bishop John Shelby Spong There are few theological giants who shape the way that entire generations relate to their sacred texts. Bishop John Shelby Spong, through his intelligence, kindness, and love of scripture, did just that. Bishop Spong showed Christians who were ready to give up on their faith an authentic, intellectually honest approach to biblical interpretation that allowed many to remain engaged in their faith communities while demanding more theological rigor from both the pews and the pulpit. Bishop Spong was particularly closely associated with Progressive Christianity.org. He served as an advisor to us for many years and helped us to shape the Progressive Christian Movement. When he retired from writing his newsletter, now called Progressing Spirit, he entrusted ProgressiveChristianity.org with its care and trajectory. His life’s work was pivotal to empowering Christians to delve more deeply into their questions and not to accept easy answers and half-truths. His impact on the theological landscape of Christianity cannot be overstated. While Christians all over the world mourn his death, Bishop Spong wrote, “I prepare for death by living.” He knew whatever waits for us beyond this life is beyond our knowledge or control, so we must focus on living the best life we can in the here and now. His life was well-lived and genuine. “Death is ultimately a dimension of life through which we journey into timelessness,” he reminded us. He has now transitioned into timelessness and will be deeply missed. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Click here to find Bishop Spong's books and videos and more on ProgressiveChristianity.org. Click here to find/access his Archived Writings and Articles on Progressing Spirit. | | | | | | | | Watch our Website and Facebook Page for further details on his Memorial Service. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Facebook | | | | Twitter | | | | Website | | | | Email | | | | YouTube | | | | | | | | | | | Copyright © 2021 ProgressiveChristianity.org, All rights reserved. You have subscribed to our Weekly Essay and/or Q & A emails. ProgressiveChristianity.org4810 Pt. Fosdick Dr. #80Gig Harbor, WA 98335 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences | | | | |

4 3

Society, Spirit & Self
by Robertson Work 14 Sep '21

14 Sep '21

[cid:58a81c85-a31c-48fb-ba00-76329ea2896d] Dear OE/EI/ICA family, Am excited to share with you sixty-five essays written from 1966 to 2021. Here is the book's Amazon URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578977001 I think that you will enjoy my reflections on experiences, ideas, and methods of the ICA and the OE, as well as many others related to societal, spiritual, and personal transformations. If you read the book, please share your reflections, and post a review on Amazon. This is the paperback. The e-book will be released in a few days. Soon it will also be available on other online platforms and through your local bookshop. Thanks to Tina Spencer, David Elliott, and Elsa Javines Batica for your pre-publication reviews. Please stay safe, healthy, and happy, Rob ............................................. Author page for my books: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Website: https://www.robertsonwork.com/

2 1

9/09/2021, Progressing Spirit: Matthew Fox: Jennifer Hereth, an Artist-Prophet For Our Times; Spong Revisited
by Ellie Stock 09 Sep '21

09 Sep '21

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jennifer Hereth, an Artist-Prophet For Our Times | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox September 9, 2021 I remember my class on twelfth century spirituality taught by the late and great Pere M. D. Chenu, o.p., in the Institut catholique de Paris in 1968. I recall how he would bring large picture books of Cathedrals with their sculpture and stained glass to class and say, “there’s no way of understanding twelfth century spirituality without understanding its art.” Today I ask a question: “Is it possible to understand 21st century spirituality without looking at today’s art?” And if so, to whom should we turn? I highly recommend turning to artist/activist Jennifer Hereth who, during the recent pandemic enclosure time, looked back at her life’s work as an artist and teacher of art and activist who has visited Syrian refugee centers and Sri Lanka war-torn villages as well as the rugged streets of Chicago where she lives to gift us with a spiritual testament for our times. She calls her book An Artist Responds to Political Injustice and it is a true Testament to our troubled times. Not only her paintings and project, but her stories and telling of the process that moves her to act and paint is included. There is art theater, as when she heard on arriving at her class at the College of Dupage one Monday morning that 147 college students had been slaughtered by rebels in Kenya in the courtyard of their college on the previous Saturday. What to do about it? Together, she and her students decided to organize a “die-in,” a participatory performance. One hundred forty seven students and staff lay down in their college’s posh theater lobby, each with a number on their chest. As a drummer kept the beat, Jennifer called out each number solemnly. A Sacred ritual indeed. How to respond to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and congress’s ultimately refusing to pass any gun violence protections? Hereth painted a stained glass church window with two guns lying together in the form of a cross amidst bulls eyes and bullets and blood. The title of the painting? “My Gun is my God.” A blunt naming the idolatry that rules a big chunk of our culture. How to speak to human trafficking? Hereth painted a picture titled “Children are required to have sex 20 to 25 times a day” and paints a victim’s face along with 25 men, many of them old and out of shape, with their penises erect, lining up in a kind of “counting line” that “keeps track of the daily sexual partners this little girl has to endure, like a prisoner would keep track of the day in prison” on his prison wall. In response to the news that young girls were being sold by their fathers as suicide bombers, she pictured the suicide bomber-sold-girls on a series of baby bibs and onesies. In response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, she created a series of artworks titled “White Lies Madder” which refers to the little “white lies” white people tell themselves to avoid the truth of continued and systemic racism in our county. One painting depicts a black man in a graduate hat in a prison uniform with this caption: “The Tales white people tell themselves so they don’t have to listen to the truth of black reality in America.” Truths such as the fact that while some young black people do graduate from college, many still go to prison. When the truth came out about the American government holding babies in cages, she responded as a mother herself: “Think how hard it is to let a stranger hold your baby”—much less take them away from you. Her response happened when she found a pile of discarded wooden painting frames and with her college students created a series of small cages. Each student spent time in the cages. “Some of the young men could barely fit inside. No one liked being caged.” They presented a performance piece of it in the lobby of the school, but college administrators were not pleased with the cages on display in a public spot and complained that they were “ugly”! Noted Jennifer, “Yes, caging humans is ugly.” They moved the cages to an art hallway further away and created a performance that was filmed by the school newspaper. It consisted of connecting the cages with wrapping paper and yellow police tape while people were in them. The caution tape was written in Spanish, “Cuidado, Caution, a warning.” One of Hereth’s most talked about and utilized pieces was a series of 88 cards called Teenage Archetype Card Deck: 88 Cards for Therapists & Teachers. The cards have been translated into Russian and utilized in inner city settings in America and around the world. Hereth lectured on them at Xian University in China and students responded by creating their own rap songs about the themes that they raise. The purpose of the cards is to evoke conversation around the pictured archetype. Adults dealing with teen-agers in therapy have employed it as a unique tool that gets young people to talk about their feelings. Among the archetypes depicted are these: Broken; Outsider; Sissy; Jock; Emo; Illusionist; Phoenix: Wise One; Sisyphus; and many more. When the card deck was published in the Ukraine, Jennifer traveled there and gave a workshop on the use of the card deck to thirty-five therapists. Teaching the cards in grade schools, high schools, colleges and to adults in many cultures, she concludes that “this is a good tie to emphasize global or universal thinking.” 88 Archetypes are that kind of thing. All profits from the sale of the cards go to the Bessie Coleman Fly Girls and Boys foundation, a Denver based non profit committed to helping minority girls and boys become airline pilots. The profession is very underrepresented when it comes to people of color and learning to fly can be very expensive. I have often maintained that there is a profound connection between art and justice and art and spirituality. Indeed, “art as meditation” has been a required course in every program I have created in my master and doctor of ministry degrees over a 45 year period beginning at Mundelein College in Chicago and then at Holy Names College in Oakland and then at my University of Creation Spirituality and the YELLAWE program for inner city teen agers in Oakland. I have also included it in numerous workshops and retreats over the years. I fully concur with Hildegard of Bingen that “there is wisdom in all creative works” and with Walter Bruggemann in his classic work on The Prophetic Imagination and with M.C. Richards in her classic work, Centering: In Pottery, Poetry and the Person. I have hired literally hundreds of artists over the years to teach art as meditation and with powerful results. Indeed, both M. C. Richards and, in full transparency Jennifer Hereth, have been part of my faculty. Whether artists teach movement as meditation or mask-making or clay or sculpting or painting or chanting or Tai Chi or massage or singing or circle dancing or any other art as meditation form, the balance and dialectic between the rational brain and the intuitive brain bring depth and insight to the students. It also prepares them to be both prophets and mystics with an alive spirituality. Many artists I have hired have thanked me for bringing their vocation in tune with their deepest values and spiritual practice. One, who taught movement as meditation, said to me one day, “this is the first time in my life that I have been able to teach and be completely truthful about my work with my students because it is the first time I am able to use the word ‘spirituality’ in my work. Few schools allow you to use that term but it is what all my art and vocation is about.” Art as meditation is indeed the “way of the prophets” and Jennifer Hereth’s life and work confirms it. I hope all ministers, teachers and therapists study her brilliant book, as An Artist Responds to Political Justice, and respond in their own way with their own imagination and their own students, parishioners or clients. One of the first things the fascist Pinochet did on becoming dictator was to fill the stadium with “enemies” he rounded up including artists and musicians. When the most famous folk singer in the country led the prisoners in the stadium with his guitar, Pinochet’s soldiers guarding the stadium took him aside and broke his ten fingers; when he could no longer play but sang anyway and the stadium with him, they proceeded to cut his tongue out as well. Then he stood up and swayed to music sung by others in the stands and the thousands stood up and swayed with him. There is a reason why fundamentalist christofascists who won a school board victory in New Hampshire a number of years ago, put out the word that as their first decree, “henceforth the word ‘imagination’ must never again be used in a public-school classroom.” Long live prophetic artists! * See Jennifer Hereth, An Artist Responds to Political Injustice (Charleston, S.C., Palmetto Publishing, 2020), pp. 36f., 56f., 48f., 39, 75-79. ~ Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox Read online here About the Author Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 35 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 74 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship (called The Cosmic Mass). His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are A Way To God: Thomas Merton's Creation Spirituality Journey; Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Times; Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times; Stations of the Cosmic Christ; Order of the Sacred Earth; The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times; and Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic – And Beyond. To encourage a passionate response to the news of climate change advancing so rapidly, Fox started Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Hugh I just finished Bishop Spong’s book arguing for Matthew as 1st century synagogue liturgy. I found the arguments very suggestive and in some cases quite persuasive (I have never been a literalist). Accepting that the Gospel accounts of events in Jesus and the disciples’ lives are nonhistorical creations intended to reach Jews in a traditional Jewish liturgical framework, what *did* Jesus do and say that made the God’s presence in human life so clear to his followers, that it was worth teaching about in synagogues 50 years later? Are there particular nuggets from the Gospels that seem more likely to be “based on a true story? A: By Dr. Carl Krieg Dear Hugh, In many ways I feel unqualified to answer your question, which is an excellent one. Although I have read about Bishop Spong’s thoughts on Matthew I have not read the book, so on that you know much more that I do. The heart of your question pertains to the person of Jesus, what he said and what he did and how that impacted the disciples. I think it is very important to differentiate between the first disciples and the second generation converts who later joined the nascent community. What happened when Jesus met and gathered those who first followed him? What were the elements of those encounters? We really don’t know. My own guess is that they saw in him both what it meant to be a fully human being and they also experienced through him who God was. It was not that he did or said anything in particular, but who he was. He was a whole person in whom the disciples could see who they really were and could become. Because Jesus was not self-centered the divine could shine through him, and so the disciples discovered not only who they were but also who God was. [For a more detailed analysis, I refer you to my article Jesus and the Void, in progressingspirit.com.] The written gospels, all of which appear in the second half of the century, do not offer reliable first hand accounts of these “callings”. Indeed, they do not even mention the fact that there were women in the group probably equal in number to the men. It is difficult if not impossible to find those “nuggets” that would explain the power of Jesus’ person. Everyone would love to know what Jesus actually said and did. Even a scholarly gathering like the Jesus Seminar had to cast ballots on the probability of authenticity. We just don’t know. What we do know is that a small community followed him, and that despite the fact that Jesus was crucified, they were convinced that he was alive again in their midst, and that is what excited them and compelled them to tell the story. But then matters changed. As the disciples died a new generation of followers arose and the thinking and organization of the “Way” changed dramatically. The written gospels took shape in different locales with different purposes, and so also did other Christian writings of the same period. Much of that writing makes it painfully obvious that a reaction to the revolutionary impetus of Jesus and his disciples had set in. If Jesus had manifested equality of caring and sharing in the community of friends, much of the later writing rejects that vision, epitomized in the warning of 1 Timothy that slaves obey masters, women obey men, the church obey the bishops, and everyone obey the rulers. Not what Jesus had in mind. Allow me to add some speculative suspicion. It does not seem to me that any “belief” at all about Jesus was the first reaction of the disciples. They did not believe anything about Jesus. They experienced him, and that is quite different from “believing in”. My guess, contrary to common opinion, is that they did not even originally believe that he was the messiah, even though messianism was rampant. We might then ask when and why messianic conceptualization was applied to Jesus? It seems to me, and this is my speculative suspicion, that when the rich and powerful, who oppressed the poor for their own greedy benefit, saw that the Jesus movement revolution was not going away, they interjected and guided any belief that would transform the impetus for justice now to justice in the future, epitomized in a future returning messiah. I refer you here to my article Biblical Billionaires and the Taming of Jesus, Progressingspirit.com. ~ Dr. Carl Krieg Read and share 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 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. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | | | This Week's Featured Author FLASH SALE - DVD VERSION! 50% OFF YEAR 1 AND YEAR 2 USE COUPON CODE: TEACHDVD Are you searching for a way to connect children with an authentic spiritual experience that is inclusive, creative and multi-layered? A Joyful Path is truly progressive curriculum that is nature centered, joy-full, compassionate, and intelligent. This behavior over belief curriculum is non-dogmatic, inter-spiritual, and heart centered with an emphasis on the teachings of Jesus and how to follow them in today’s world. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Examining the Story of the Cross, Part VI: The Enigma Called Judas Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong April 14, 2011 The anti-hero of the Christian story in general and of the crucifixion story in particular is one who is known as Judas Iscariot. Scorn and ridicule have been heaped on this figure over the centuries of Christian history. Much anti-Semitism has flowed from the depiction of this character. No one anywhere names his or her child “Judas.” The name itself has become the synonym for betrayal, for being stabbed in the back. The phrase “thirty pieces of silver” is referred to in print time and time again in the context of other incidents of traitorous behavior. When Judas is depicted in Christian art he is portrayed in dark and sinister tones. Events in western Christian history from the Inquisition in the 14th century to the expulsion of the Jews from or the ghettoizing of Jews in almost every country of Europe at one time or another, to Martin Luther’s call for the burning of synagogues, to the violence and killing frenzy of the Holocaust in the 20th century are all rooted substantially in the biblical portrait of Judas and through him applied to all Jewish people. It does not escape notice that the name Judas is identical with the name Judah, by which the entire Jewish nation was called, Judas being simply a Greek spelling of that name. Given this history, what can we then say about the literal biblical character known as Judas Iscariot? Can 21st century people, employing the critical tools of biblical and historical scholarship now available to us, cast light on this figure? I think we can. The first questions we need to raise are very basic. Is Judas actually a person of history or is he a mythical character, a symbol that the original writers and hearers of the gospels would have understood, but whose meaning escaped later non-Jewish readers? To begin to answer these questions, I turn first to the record regarding this figure in the New Testament itself and see what light a critical study of those various books might say about this major character in the Jesus drama, which the gospel writers were creating forty to seventy year after the crucifixion. I begin with the earliest Christian writings that we possess the authentic epistles of Paul, all of which can be dated between 51 at the earliest and 64 at the latest. This makes them just 21 to 34 years after the crucifixion, which makes these Pauline writings the closest writing we have to the historical events surrounding the crucifixion. They are also one or two decades before the first gospel (Mark) was written and four to five decades before the last gospel (John) was completed. So our first task is to examine what Paul, the original New Testament writer, had to say about Judas Iscariot. The answer surprises many. Paul said nothing about Judas. Not a single, solitary mention of his name! Pressing deeper we ask if Paul says anything about an act of betrayal. The answer to that question is vague, since it depends on how one Greek word is translated. In I Corinthians, written in the mid-fifties (54-56) Paul says in chapter 11, “On the night that Jesus was handed over, he took bread.” Paul then proceeds to relate the story of the institution of the Christian Eucharist, known as “The Lord’s Supper.” Note three things about this single reference. First, there is no indication in his text whatsoever that Paul identified the meal with a Passover meal. This identification would come later only when the gospels were written. Second, the word used in this single text is properly translated “handed over” not “betrayed,” which means that the idea of betrayal was based on a later, harsher rendering of that word. In the Pauline text by itself here is no indication that this “handing over” constituted an overt act of betrayal. At the very least it is not as strong a word as people have assumed in Christian history Thirdly, there is no sense in this original reference to the handing over of Jesus that it was the work of one of ‘the twelve.” So the first question we face is what do these omissions mean? Could Paul simply have assumed the truth of what came to be thought of as the “traditional view” of betrayal without actually mentioning them? That would be in the category of possible but not probable! An act as painful and scandalous as betrayal at the hands of one of the twelve would be hard to ignore. If such a tradition were known could it possibly have been omitted? I do not think so ,which leads me to suggest that it was not known. Recall that Paul was a student of the law as well as an educated rabbi and a rigid observer of Jewish liturgical forms. The words “handed over” are quite passive and do not seem to imply a planned act of traitorous behavior such as that described in the gospel accounts where Judas has contact with the Temple authorities well in advance of the act and even agrees on the amount of the payment that he is to receive for his cooperation. The clinching argument for me is that Paul, just four chapters later in the same epistle, describes the resurrection appearances by saying: “He (Jesus) first appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the twelve.” Note “the twelve!” Judas is still present. Could the traitor still be part of the intimate band of disciples if he had brought about the death of their leader? That is to me inconceivable! So, I conclude that in the writings of Paul there is no hint that one of the twelve was the traitor, which means that the Judas story has to be a story that developed after Paul’s time and is thus not an original part of the tradition. Recall that thirty years later Matthew would say that Jesus appeared only to “the eleven.” All of these data point to the probability that betrayal at the hands of one of the twelve named Judas was not a fact of history, but an interpretive addition to a developing tradition. When Paul was forced later to defend his own apostleship, an activity that permeates his authentic writing, would it not have helped his cause to refer to the defection of one of the twelve, to bolster his apostolic claim as one whom he said “was born out of due time?” Having filed these first seeds of doubt, based on contemporary biblical insight, I now turn to the gospels and trace in them the development of the story of Judas. Lining up the gospels in the order in which they were written and focusing only on what each gospel says about Judas, we discover that between Mark, dated in the early 70’s, and John dated in the late 90’s, the figure of Judas grows more and more evil. Judas is mentioned for the first time in written history in chapter three where Mark introduces the twelve and identifies Judas as the one who betrayed him. It is of interest to note that both Luke and John tell us of another one of the twelve who is named “Judas,” but who is not Iscariot. It appears that a good Judas is also in the Christian memory in the 1st century. When Mark first describes Judas‘ traitorous act, he does so in a fairly low key fashion. In this first gospel Mark mentions no bribe and no stated motive; he does say, however that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss at midnight. Then Judas disappears from Mark’s story and is never mentioned again. Matthew, the second gospel to be written (82-85), builds on Mark’s story, but he now supplies the motive, a bribe of thirty pieces of silver. Matthew goes on to tell us that Judas repented and hurled the thirty pieces of silver back into the Temple and then went and hanged himself. The Judas story is clearly growing. Luke, writing about a decade after Matthew, explains Judas’ actions as having been done at the impulse of “the devil.” John, writing between 95-100, suggests that Judas was a thief and that he would do anything for money. John also says that when Judas left the upper room to do the dastardly deed, he walked out of light into darkness. At that moment “it was night.” says the Fourth Gospel. As the years go by Judas grows darker. Next, we take all of the biographical details found in gospels about Judas and search the Hebrew Scriptures about other traitors in Jewish history to see if we can see any literary connections. The result of this search is that every detail attributed to Judas in the gospels is present in earlier stories of traitors in the Hebrew Scriptures. First we look at the Genesis story of Joseph being “handed over” by his brothers, a band of twelve, to be sold into slavery in Egypt. The brother who decided to receive money for this deed was named Judah. I do not think that is coincidental. In the David cycle of stories in the book of II Samuel the king was called “The Lord’s Anointed,” the same word that would later be translated “messiah.” He was betrayed by a man named Ahithophel, who also broke bread with King David around the table just as Judas was portrayed as doing at the last supper in the gospel narratives. This same Ahithophel, when he recognized the consequences of his actions, was said to have hanged himself. That detail is added to the Judas story by Matthew. The idea of being betrayed with a kiss is also found in the David cycle of stories when Joab, David’s military Chief of Staff was replaced after Absalom’s rebellion by a man named Amasa, Joab sought out his successor under the guise of congratulating him. When he found him, he drew Amasa by the beard to give him the kiss of friendship only to disembowel him simultaneously with a dagger. Mark has Judas kiss Jesus in the Garden to fulfill a signal given to the Chief Priests. Luke, writing in the book of Acts, suggests that Judas died not by hanging, but by falling down and having “all his bowels gush out.” Is the literary fate of the betrayed Amasa at work here? Finally, in Zechariah 9-14, the Shepherd King of Israel is betrayed to those who are traders in the Temple for thirty pieces of silver, which was then later thrown back into the Temple, just as Matthew says Judas did with his thirty pieces of silver. A study of Hebrew sources reveals Judas as a composite of Old Testament traitors described in the Bible. Perhaps Paul did not know about the Judas story because it had not yet been developed. The Judas story grows darker as the years go by because not being history it is still being created. Every detail in the gospel portrait of Judas can be found in earlier biblical traitor stories. Is it then not possible that Judas is a literary figure, a corporate symbol developed for an interpretive purpose to serve some apologetic Christian need? I think this conclusion is both possible and probable. What purpose would such a story serve? I will turn to that question next week and seek to address it then. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur • Holy Day Service Online September 10th at 6:15PM (PT) A digital age, adult conversation and service about forgiveness, atonement, re-centering, remembrance, and celebration. No dogma, no creeds, nothing you need to pretend to believe in. Interactive. (If you want to interact. You can also just watch.) Service conducted almost exclusively in English. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

1 0