January 2024 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Resending with Date in email: Ferguson Eco Team: January 2024 Environmental Film, "The Doctrine of Discovery, " Flyer
by Ellie Stock 24 Jan '24

24 Jan '24

Greetings again! The previous email text about the January Environmental film omitted the date and time, so, in case you were not able to access the attached flyer, it is now being resent with the info just below. The first film in the 2024 Environmental Film Series hosted by The Ferguson Eco Team will be "The Doctrine of Discovery, Unmasking the Domination Code," and will be shown via ZOOM, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 7:00 PM CT. This film, based on Steven Newcomb’s book PAGANS IN THE PROMISED LAND, explores the religious, political and legal systems that have, since the time of Christopher Columbus, been the foundation and precedent for dominating the peoples, lands and resources of original nations and other citizens in the United States and on other continents. The environmental impact and degradation from the ensuing political oppression, economic exploitation and religious legitimation of the Doctrine of Discovery continues to this day.Conversation to follow the film. TO REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK: https://bit.ly/FETJan2024 or use QR code below. Attached is a flyer for the film. For more information: (314) 521-8418 or carletonstock(a)aol.com HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Ellie Stockelliestock(a)aol.com

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1/18/2024: Progressing Spirit: [regarding Israel/Palestine/Hamas] Rev. Dr. Robin Meyes: An Eye For An Eye?
by Ellie Stock 18 Jan '24

18 Jan '24

Hi Folks,Since I have stopped forwarding the Progressing Spirit newsletter to the list serves, I am just sending part of this particular newsletter as it is very timely regarding the Israel/Palestinian/Hamas situation.Ellieelliestock(a)aol.com By Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | An Eye For An Eye? | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers January 18, 2024 If progressive Christians pride themselves on radical truth-telling, then our time has come, and it will be dangerous. We claim to prize critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning, but what happens when this leads us to conclusions that are effectively censored by the very people we have historically championed and defended? With free speech under withering attack, what will happen to those of us who have long-held unpopular and unorthodox religious beliefs? Just consider our present dilemma. We have long preached that the Palestinian Jew named Jesus was on the side of the oppressed and marginalized and gave his life to stand over against the unbearable oppression of empires and their military might. If we wish to practice what we preach, then how do we speak bravely about the unspeakable horrors of the Israel/Hamas war? We resist the idea that we must choose sides and try to silence our critics, but this is exactly what is happening. The horrific attacks of October 7 have led to the even greater horrors of genocide now underway in Gaza. As civilian casualties pass 24,000, mostly women and children, people are told to evacuate to safe areas and then bombed in the places they were told to go. No one can escape and no place is safe. Mass starvation is now underway. I do not use the word “genocide” lightly, but rather based on what is happening on the ground. Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, believes that there is clearly genocidal intent, which he warned might become genocidal action. This is based not only on Israel’s use of 20,000-pound bombs, which most countries no longer allow in dense urban warfare, but also on the rhetoric of Israel’s military leaders themselves. There has never been a more obvious or deadly example of the difference between vengeance and justice. The slaughter of innocent Jews on October 7 was pure vengeance by Hamas, born of 75 years of military occupation, hopelessness, and hatred. Terrorists are made, not born— because young men with no future and nothing to lose can easily be recruited into martyrdom. Being invisible is sometimes worse than death. The response of Israel is now also an act of pure vengeance, albeit with overwhelming military superiority supplied by the United States. We cannot escape the obvious: We are complicit in every Palestinian death. Many are reluctant to call Israel’s actions genocide, fearing the charge of anti-Semitism, but we have heard the language that makes this obvious. As reported in the New York Times, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant said, “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” Maj. Gen Ghassan Alian added, “Human animals must be treated as such,” adding, “There will be no electricity or water. There will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell.” Another IDF general wrote in a daily newspaper, “The State of Israel has no choice but to turn Gaza into a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in . . . Gaza will become a place where no human can exist.” That word “permanently” sent a shudder through those who study genocide. It is also an indelible irony that this action is being taken by those who were themselves the victims of one of the world’s greatest genocides. Many fear that Palestinians will never return to Gaza and will be slowly expelled from the West Bank by extremist Jewish settlers who capture and occupy Palestinian land illegally and with no criminal consequences. If indeed the total expulsion of Palestinians can be accomplished eventually, then the cruel illusion that was the Two-State solution will be dead. Under the influence of the most corrupt right-wing government in the history of Israel, led by Netanyahu, himself a convicted criminal, extremist voices have advocated moving the entire population of Gaza to the Egyptian-ruled Sinai Peninsula. A rabbi in the Nahal Bigrade spoke to a group of soldiers, saying that it was clear that “this land is ours, the whole land, including Gaza, including Lebanon.” The troops cheered enthusiastically. Again, the ironies here are biblical. Consider people who once wandered in the desert themselves after leaving captivity, forcing their enemies out of the Promised Land and into the desert. Or the unchallenged assumption that God is in the land-grant business solely on behalf of the Chosen while at the same time demanding that everyone interpret the pro-Palestinians chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” as a call for Jewish genocide. For some, it surely is; for others, it is aspirational. Like all humans in exile, just as the Jews before them, Palestinians wish to return after being forced off their lands and out of their homes. Besides, the genocide many believe is now underway in Gaza is not theoretical. It is impossible to overstate the danger of this moment, including the prospect of a larger regional war which has already begun. It will increase the evil that is anti-Semitism exponentially and cleave yet deeper the deadly bifurcation of the Arab world against the West and the West against the Arab world. Recent history taught us that Israel will reap the whirlwind of their response precisely as did the U.S. after 9/11. After an unpopular U.S. president vowed vengeance against “those who knocked these buildings down,” bombs rained down on the mountains of Tora Bora, and two disastrous U.S. military invasions gave birth to ISIS and spawned ten times more terrorist activities than before. You cannot “eliminate Hamas” like you eliminate roaches. It is an ideology, not a country, and it feeds on violence. It will scatter, regroup, and come back stronger. Since we all understand the dangers of misusing scripture by coopting it out of context or twisting it to justify what we are already up to, consider Netanyahu’s call to remember the story of Amalek in Deuteronomy, in which God orders paybacks for Amalek’s attack on the Jews, commanding them, “to kill alike men and women, infants, and sucklings.” Although impossible to imagine, consider how radical it might have been if Netanyahu had quoted Isaiah instead, and his dream of turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks? Christian evangelicals also misuse the passage infamously known as “an eye for an eye” to defend vengeance and capital punishment, but scholars tell us it was intended to limit retribution in a way that was proportionate to the offense. That is, do not poke out ten eyes in revenge for one eye lost, or ten teeth in response to one tooth knocked out. Do not let your desire for revenge cause you to commit an even greater crime against the one who has wronged you. What is more, it is important to remember that the “eye for an eye” passage is one of only a few that the Jewish Jesus cites directly for reinterpretation. He says, in Matthew’s gospel, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, also go the second mile.’” This may sound like nonsense when you have been attacked, and your kin have been murdered and held hostage. But if you want to consider the true counsel of religion, remember that it has always been, and remains to this day, profoundly counter-cultural. It makes holy fools out of those who take it seriously, just as it makes politicians look weak. Yet what does this genocide promise us but even more violence, even more hatred, and even more U.S. complicity in terrorism around the world? The permanent Palestinian occupation is the primary driver of the terrorism in the Arab world. Only systemic changes in this hopeless situation will reduce terrorism and mitigate the obvious belief that some lives are more important than other lives. Now is no time for progressive Christians to stop speaking truth to power for fear of being labeled anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim. Hamas has gotten exactly the response from Israel and the U.S. that it hoped for, and a whole generation of terrorists is waiting in the wings. If we are going to quote MLK Jr., that “hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that,” then we better mean it. If we are going to heed the warning of Ghandi, that “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,” then we are going to have to break the cycle, or at least stop funding it. This terrible moment demands prophetic preaching. The last thing we need now is more coping sermons or self-serving narcissism. No one is exempt from trying, with God’s help, to tell the truth—just as no one is exempt from judgment, including our clever selves. Because if not now, when? If not here, where? If not us, who? It has been said that the first casualty of war is the truth. Surely, the second is the fear that is the mother and father of lying. Reminds me of the “fierce urgency” of the world’s shortest sermon-- Fear not. ~ Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers Read online here About the Author Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers is pastor of First Congregational Church UCC, Norman, Oklahoma, and retired senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC church, Oklahoma City. He is currently a Professor of Public Speaking and Distinguished Professor of Social Justice Emeritus in the Philosophy Department at Oklahoma City University. He is a fellow of the Westar Institute and the author of eight books on religion and American culture, the most recent of which is, Saving God from Religion: A Minister’s Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age. A feature-length documentary chronicles his work on behalf of Progressive Christianity in Oklahoma (americanhereticsthefilm.com) and more information is at RobinMeyers.com | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] The completed life of Jim BIshop
by Ellie Stock 18 Jan '24

18 Jan '24

What a beautiful tribute to Jim Bishop and his movement work in Australia and beyond. As we mourn his death, we give thanks for and celebrate, his incredibly passionate and caring life in missional covenant with Isobel and send our prayers to Isobel and family. May his legacy of chiseling justly and compassionately into the future on behalf of ALL continue through those whose lives he touched. Grace and peace ~Carleton and Ellie Stockcarletonstock(a)aol.com elliestock(a)aol.com On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 04:55:17 PM CST, Jonathan Barker via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: TO COLLEAGUES OF THE ORDER ECUMENICAL – THE COMPLETED LIFE OF JIM BISHOP Isobel has asked us to pass on news of Jim’s death which occurred on Sunday 14th January at the grand old age of 94. We express our heartfelt condolences to Isobel and the family. We anticipate a memorable thanksgiving event to celebrate Jim’s completed life. Look for further details regarding live streaming of the service at Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney on Thursday 25 January at 11.30am (Eastern Australian time). Jim’s passing reminds us of a remarkable period in Australian church history. Jim played a significant role in what became known as the “movement” associated with the Ecumenical Institute. Jim, a Presbyterian minister attended the two-week national conference organised by Australian Frontier (an organisation established by the Australian Council of Churches) held at Wesley College Sydney in January 1967. Joe and Lyn Mathews together with Frank and Aimee Hilliard presented a dazzling diet of Ecumenical Institute courses. Frontier’s Director, Peter Mathews later admitted how amazed but nervous he was with what came out of that event! Jim together with the Rev Ron Denham who also attended the Frontier conference initiated an association of Sydney inner city clergy who collaborated with others around Australia to invite Joe back to Australia for a return visit in October 1967. The International RS-1 was taught in many locations across the country and culminated in a gathering at Otford when a national organisation was established to “renew the church for the sake of the world”. The EI movement in Australia expanded and flourished across the continent in 1968 and a new kind of corporate leadership emerged. The quarterly meetings of the Praesidium (representatives of cadres across Australia attended at their own expense) required a basic polity. Jim played the role of “first among equals” which required him to gingerly negotiate with other strong personalities particularly among the Sydney team. The team assigned to Australia in 1968 from Chicago (Fred and Sarah Buss together with Don Clark) greatly appreciated that their housing in Sydney was provided by the Bishop and other families. At the urging of Chicago, the first Sydney Religious House was established in late 1969 utilising premises provided by St John’s Presbyterian Church in Paddington where Jim was the minister. Jim and Isobel were appointed priors and while sharing that role, it was Jim who came up with most of the ideas as to how things were best done. Given Jim’s individualistic streak we marvel that he was able to gradually adapt to the corporate insights of his colleagues. At the Frontier conference Jim exemplified an Australian reluctance to automatically accept all that was being presented without interrogating things first. Joe Mathews had to get used to parrying Jim’s frequent sharp questions. Scepticism however gradually gave way to admiration and Jim earned Joe’s respect (particularly when it was revealed that both were well acquainted with the theology of H. Richard Niebuhr). We also remember the consternation Jim caused at the Global Assembly in Chicago in 1969 when he insisted that Australian priorities had to be also considered if the Order was to be truly global. Jim exhibited the necessary cussedness required to be heard. While Jim and Isobel and their family took up assignments in several global locations, many of us in Australia will especially remember Jim as “one of us”. Like other former Order members from Australia, he returned to serve in the historic church but doing so having interiorised the radicality of RS-1, the profound insights of order religious life and the unique methods which had shaped us all. For instance, Jim with Isobel for a time served in Whyalla, South Australia a city where EI had already left its mark. When we moved to Bondi Beach in 1996 (Jonathan became minister of the “Chapel By the Sea”) the ground had been well prepared by Jim as he had acted as the interim minister prior to arrival. Jim then went on to serve in a most significant ministry as a Prison Chaplain. We pay tribute to Jim as the unique, unrepeatable gift that he was to history and especially to all of us who knew and loved him. VALE JAMES TREGARTHEN BISHOP – good and faithful servant – well done. JONATHAN AND JANEEN BARKER _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Fw: Ferguson Eco Team: January 2024 Environmental Film, "The Doctrine of Discovery, " Flyer
by Ellie Stock 10 Jan '24

10 Jan '24

New Year's Greetings! The first film in the 2024 Environmental Film Series hosted by The Ferguson Eco Team will be "The Doctrine of Discovery, Unmasking the Domination Code." This film, based on Steven Newcomb’s book PAGANS IN THE PROMISED LAND, explores the religious, political and legal systems that have, since the time of Christopher Columbus, been the foundation and precedent for dominating the peoples, lands and resources of original nations and other citizens in the United States and on other continents. The environmental impact and degradation from the ensuing political oppression, economic exploitation and religious legitimation of the Doctrine of Discovery continues to this day.Conversation to follow the film. TO REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK: https://bit.ly/FETJan2024 or use QR code below. Attached is a flyer for the film. For more information: (314) 521-8418 or carletonstock(a)aol.com HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Ellie Stockelliestock(a)aol.com

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66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023
by Karen Snyder 02 Jan '24

02 Jan '24

It is good to be overwhelmed by the positive to start the year off, isn’t it!?! Karen > Begin forwarded message: > > From: DailyGood <dg-news(a)m.servicespace.org> > Subject: 66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023 > Date: January 1, 2024 at 7:02:47 AM CST > To: karen.snyder10(a)gmail.com > Reply-To: DailyGood <dg-news(a)t.servicespace.org> > > You're receiving this email because you are a DailyGood subscriber. > Trouble Viewing? On a mobile? Just click here <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Fview.php%3Fop%3Dnletter%26qid…>. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.servicespace.org%2Fjoin%2Funsubscribe.php%3Fs…>. > <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-42…> <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-42…> > January 1, 2024 > a project of ServiceSpace <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.servicespace.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8…> > > Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. > > - Daryn Kagan - > 66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023 > Did you know a record number of countries eliminated diseases, from hepatitis C to malaria, this year? Or that a "staggering uptake" of wind and solar energy is making an enormous difference? The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced in October 2023 that global fossil fuel use may peak this year, two years earlier than predicted just 12 months ago. Trees are faring better, too, with 2023 deforestation rates across nine Amazonian countries at 55.8% lower than last year. In education, UNICEF reports 50 million more girls are in school today than in 2015. And around the world, access to electricity increased this year. While sensational stories in the news often informs us of all that's going wrong in the world, Future Crunch reviewed 400 favorite stories of progress to offer up their top 66 list of things that have gone right in 2023. { read more } <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Fmore.php%3Fn%3D10059/0W2I/D16…> > Be The Change > Share a story of something going right in the world. > > COMMENT <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Fview.php%3Fqid%3D10059/0W2I/D…> | RATE <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Fview.php%3Fqid%3D10059/0W2I/D…> <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Findex.php%3Fpg%3Demail%26qid%…> <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/twitter.com%2Fshare%3Ftext%3DRT%2B%2540daily_good…> <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.facebook.com%2Fsharer.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2F…> > > DailyGood <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-42…> is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 154,162 subscribers. There are many ways to help <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.dailygood.org%2Fshare.php/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df4…>. To unsubscribe, click here <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/servicespace.org%2Fjoin%2Funsubscribe.php%3Fstep%…>. > > > Other ServiceSpace projects include: > KindSpring <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.kindspring.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-4…> // KarmaTube <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.karmatube.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-42…> // Conversations <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.conversations.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c…> // Awakin <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.awakin.org/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44668-84c8-426a-…> // More <https://click.pstmrk.it/3/www.servicespace.org%2Fabout/0W2I/D16yAQ/AQ/8df44…>

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Robertson's and Cynthia's updates
by Ellie Stock 02 Jan '24

02 Jan '24

Thanks, Robertson and Cynthia, for your 2023 updates. Great spirit, passion, practical and personal responses, and engagement in your local communities and beyond. Inspiring! Ellie elliestock(a)aol.com

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Happy New Year from Cynthia Vance
by Cynthia Vance 02 Jan '24

02 Jan '24

Happy New Year to all my family, friends and colleagues. Jan 1, 2023 May you continue to be curious, to learn and to respond with clarity to the pressing challenges of our time. My Holiday Gift to you is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut which was given to me and one that I’ve embraced for myself: “Go into the arts. I'm not kidding...They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will receive an enormous reward. You will have created something.” Now, here's my annual report. CONTINUING ACTIVITIES: I still perform with Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort on various recorders, performing courtly, baroque & jazz music. It's all so much fun! I also perform with The Venice Chorale, singing classical and pop music as a tenor. Our new Artistic Director is awesome; he makes us love music so much, encourages us to study it in depth, and creates delightful surprises for our audience. I'm still growing orchids and enjoy taking photos at our Venice Area Orchid Society -- plants which are awarded monthly by our membership. Of course, I must play with my Star and when she barks, we start fetch and catch. However, she won't return the rubber bone to me -- so onto the next one in my pocket. I hike with dear friends in Pineland Park several times a week and continue to kayak with my kayak girl friends -- around the mangrove isles in the Intercoastal Waterway. We take hundreds of photos of nesting birds -- Roseate Spoonbills, Pelicans, etc. When their juveniles exercise their wings I can make some delightful shots. My SonyRX10m4 camera with the 600 mm lens inside continues to delight, taking 24 shots per second. I can take surprising photos that the eye misses! Some are even artful and I post many on Facebook. NEW ACTIVITIES: I've been watching 2 brilliant directors at our Venice Theatre direct rehearsals of 3 plays including Jeff Daniels’ new play, ‘Pickleball’ which was a hoot. I'm also taking acting lessons (learning play analysis & character focus) and receiving positive encouragement (stay tuned for when I put what I've learned into practice). I did write an essay after viewing the profound drama, Black Pearl Sings, and my acting teacher said it was of such excellence that he sent it to the playwright! Sometimes, one's being is touched so much, it compells one to write. I plan to do this more often as I study this engaging artform. I'm now using my new (3rd) IPad 12.9 and ForScore software to download music and use PageFlip Firefly Bluetooth Pedal to turn pages with my foot during recorder performances. Do I tap on the beat - or in between- this does take some coordination! I've also been helping 2 friends with medical research and taking them to appointments and surgeries. Though I've been avoiding politics, I did ask people to sign petitions for the Florida Clean Water and the Women’s Healthcare Rights both which will be now on the ballot next November. They MUST Pass. For more exercise I now attend 2 cardiac classes per week on Zoom, led by a friend I admire who lives in NYC. I've also joined the Venice Isle Book Club and am reading the amazing novel, ‘A Land Remembered’ by Patrick Smith about the struggles and bravery of Florida’s early settlers. I'm sure glad I've always had air conditioning while living in Florida! So, there we are. I'm thankful that my health is good and that I have housing and food unlike so many in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and other places. I naively thought there would not be any more wars, and now we face the horror daily. Let's hope that peace will be restored soon and that the rebuilding will begin. In the meantime, we can support organizations which are helping such as World Central Kitchen (https://worldcentralkitchen.org) I hope you all have an interesting, challenging and delightful New Year. There's so much to learn and enjoy, so many ways to help others, and new thrills around the corner. My best, Cynthia Vance and Star (Check out some photos above)

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