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FYI: Film "Atomic Homefront" free to watch through March 18
by Ellie Stock 01 Mar '18

01 Mar '18

Hi Folks, Greetings from St Louis! This is the documentary film in which Carleton Stock has a 5-10 second cameo appearance--about the Westlake Landfill that is contaminated with radio active waste and being threatened by an underground fire from a neighboring landfill in Bridgeton. It was shown on HBO a couple weeks ago. The Westlake Landfill is a few miles from us and we have attended meetings about the issue. The EPA recently made a decision to partially remove the waste, but residents say that is not enough. Perhaps you have had similar environmental issues where you live. Another good documentary dealing with local communities' trying to address environmental issues is "We the People 2.0". Also just rediscovered: "Seventeen Principles of Environmental Justice," written by the First People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991--still very relevant: www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html Ellie :) elliestock(a)aol.com from Union of Concerned Scientists. In case you haven't seen it yet: Please be sure to watch the film Atomic Homefront, which can be viewed for free now through March 18, 2018 on HBO’s website.

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CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY 2017 Revised Edition
by Beret Griffith 01 Mar '18

01 Mar '18

Colleagues, Below is the link to the 2017 Revised edition of The Chronological History of the Ecumenical Institute and The Institute of Cultural Affairs 1952-1988. https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/20197.pdf On page 97 & 98 of the book there are links to the Addendum where you can add information from 1989 through the present directly into the document. Use the link below or click on the "blue" Addendum on either page 97 or 98 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y0IgEUDJLGzZJp_ DVoZ0ZwE4hiLfZ7inTTTmD9nLEdo/edit If you want to purchase a hard copy of the book go to: http://www.lulu.com/shop/beret-e-griffith/a-chronological-history-of-the-ec… With appreciation for your contributions to our work over the years. Beret

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"Journey Reflection" Most Read Blogs (Feb. 2018)
by John C 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

"Journey Reflection" 18 Most Read of 59 Blogs (Feb. 2018) [cid:image001.png@01D3B0B6.B02AAE80] 5,000th "Journey Reflection"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410013> Meaning for You?<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409965> Accepted as One<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409941> A Crucial Roll<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410017> All Are Called!<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409945> Relating To That Presence<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409949> That New Paradigm<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409933> "The Spiritual Ecological Crisis"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409977> "SPIRIT Alone Has No Referent"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409985> Back To Being Right<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409957> "Never Forget..."<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409925> Make Sure She Makes It<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410033> The Scourge of Earth?<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409953> Changemakers<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409989> "The Irresistible Revolution"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409921> Meet with Reverence<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409937> Imagine What Would Happen...<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409917> "Collaborators in Creation"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409909> February Top 30 Viewers: US Canada Mexico France Peru Russia S/Korea Germany Philippines Ukraine UK India Saipan Costa/Rica China Bolivia Portugal Poland Taiwan Netherlands Spain Ireland Romania Belgium Brazil Saudi/Arabia Australia Malaysia Vietnam Italy Total February Blog Views: 23,586 in 56 countries (g/total: 3.9M views @ 192 countries) Grand Total: 5,010 daily posts since 9/2004 @ www.reJourney.blogspot.com<http://www.rejourney.blogspot.com/> Mail Chimp<JR Blogs / sign up for free daily / Google+ Twitter Facebook ***** Above Image: “Dialogue” by Doc Ross, NZ

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FW: "Journey Reflection" Most Read Blogs (Feb. 2018)
by John C 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

"Journey Reflection" 18 Most Read of 59 Blogs (Feb. 2018) [cid:image001.png@01D3B0B5.D0627940] 5,000th "Journey Reflection"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410013> Meaning for You?<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409965> Accepted as One<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409941> A Crucial Roll<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410017> All Are Called!<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409945> Relating To That Presence<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409949> That New Paradigm<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409933> "The Spiritual Ecological Crisis"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409977> "SPIRIT Alone Has No Referent"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409985> Back To Being Right<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409957> "Never Forget..."<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409925> Make Sure She Makes It<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1410033> The Scourge of Earth?<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409953> Changemakers<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409989> "The Irresistible Revolution"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409921> Meet with Reverence<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409937> Imagine What Would Happen...<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409917> "Collaborators in Creation"<https://us8.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1409909> February Top 30 Viewers: US Canada Mexico France Peru Russia S/Korea Germany Philippines Ukraine UK India Saipan Costa/Rica China Bolivia Portugal Poland Taiwan Netherlands Spain Ireland Romania Belgium Brazil Saudi/Arabia Australia Malaysia Vietnam Italy Total February Blog Views: 23,586 in 56 countries (g/total: 3.9M views @ 192 countries) Grand Total: 5,010 daily posts since 9/2004 @ www.reJourney.blogspot.com<http://www.rejourney.blogspot.com/> Mail Chimp<JR Blogs / sign up for free daily / Google+ Twitter Facebook ***** Above Image: “Dialogue” by Doc Ross, NZ

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AAC sojourn notice
by Timothy Wegner 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

Paul Noah asked me to send this Archives Sojourn Notice out the the oe and dialogue lists. Here you are.

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Re: [Dialogue] A confluence of Twins! Did I remember them all??
by Len Hockley 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Thanks Lynda, WENDY HOCKLEY'S TRAVAIL The Hockley Family was interning at the time she took sick in Aug. of '66 and living in an out building on Trumbal. It was a un-operative brain tumor. She was treated on (for free!) at St. Luke's. It was an up and down battle. Being in community was everything. We were able to travel by train to celebrate Christmas with family in MI, but before the end it was very difficult for her to communicate her needs. In Feb on Shrove Tues we took Elaine and the Jets to the train for a trip to Marti Gras. When we returned, Elaine's mother who was caring for Wendy during the trip informed us that Wendy had called out and succumbed to death. The community acted swiftly and decisively. Elaine was taken off the train at midpoint and arrived home by bus late aft. That evening Wendy was laid on our bed on the second floor with her black beret hanging on the bed post while the Order processed up the stairs and around the bed. The next few days was a bee hive of activity; a group to create a liturgy where the double cross on the readose was used for the first time, you may remember Joe Pierce used the symbols in an ei news letter at about that time. a group to plan the memorial event. I was ingeniously assigned to the pit as Bill Grow's assistant to create and print the invitation to go to our entire mailing list. It was quite an event. There were people from as far as Cincinnati OH and Port Huron MI that came for the day. The ceremony started in room A and marched across the open path to the Gym to the heavy beat of a huge bass drum. It's all I remember (symbol is key) except that Slicker read the New Testament and Joe gave the eulogy. Our care as a family was not neglected. We were given time out for a week of renewal as a "new" family which we used to stay at an Indiana winter resort. Praise God, Len On 2/19/2018 4:09 AM, Lynda C wrote: > > We arrived in spring of 1969 and I remember hearing that the double > cross was in memory of little Wendy Hockley. As I recall she was one > of the first deaths in our order community. Now I look at that list > of In Memoriam in our Directory and realize what an immense Crimson > Line we stand on. And one day, we will be like the Shakers who have > now passed into history. Tell us the story of the double cross again > and tell us more about little Wendy. I’m remembering the line from > the /Come Walk with Francis/ song: “Life and death the kingdom come.” > > I think of you and the Greene’s every time one of our children die. > We hold these dear ones and their families in our care as we remember > the joy and delight that each must have brought to their families in > their abbreviated time. Thank you for sharing. > > Lynda Cock > > *From: *Dialogue <dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> on behalf of > ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> > *Reply-To: *ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> > *Date: *Monday, February 19, 2018 at 12:47 AM > *To: *ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> > *Cc: *Len Hockley <LCHockley(a)gmail.com> > *Subject: *Re: [Dialogue] A confluence of Twins! Did I remember them all?? > > Early on we had the Hockley twins, Mark and Wendy. > > Noting that Wendy's death and memorial service brought the double > cross to our altar hanging. > Len > > On 2/18/2018 5:37 PM, Mary Kurian DSouza via Dialogue wrote: > > Thank you for reminding us. > > Greetings and best wishes to each and all of them. > > Mary > > Sent from my iPad > > > On 19 Feb 2018, at 04:24, Lynda C via Dialogue > <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> wrote: > > Celebrating with all these families and remembering these > wonderful young people now assuming their own special places > in the world. Surely would be fun to see the “then and now” > photos on FB. Lynda and John Cock > > *From: *Dialogue <dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net>> on behalf of > ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > *Reply-To: *ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > *Date: *Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 10:11 AM > *To: *ICA Dialogue List <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > *Cc: *Holcombe Wanda <wandah70(a)gmail.com > <mailto:wandah70@gmail.com>>, Kevin Balm <balmkevin(a)gmail.com > <mailto:balmkevin@gmail.com>>, Dhondi Wiegel > <dhondiw(a)gmail.com <mailto:dhondiw@gmail.com>>, Kevin Balm > <kbalm(a)topfacilitators.com > <mailto:kbalm@topfacilitators.com>>, Roxanna Harper > <foxyrox01(a)gmail.com <mailto:foxyrox01@gmail.com>>, Elena > Harper <elenaharper(a)centura.org > <mailto:elenaharper@centura.org>>, Judith Wiegel > <judithwiegel(a)yahoo.com <mailto:judithwiegel@yahoo.com>>, > Shanker and Lisa Wiegel <shankerw(a)yahoo.com > <mailto:shankerw@yahoo.com>>, Marilyn Crocker > <maricrocker(a)gmail.com <mailto:maricrocker@gmail.com>>, OE > List <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net > <mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>>, "raymond(a)spencer.tc > <mailto:raymond@spencer.tc>" <raymond(a)spencer.tc > <mailto:raymond@spencer.tc>>, "lspencer1112(a)sbcglobal.net > <mailto:lspencer1112@sbcglobal.net>" > <lspencer1112(a)sbcglobal.net <mailto:lspencer1112@sbcglobal.net>> > *Subject: *Re: [Dialogue] A confluence of Twins! Did I > remember them all?? > > What a treat to be reminded of the “double treats” all the > twins were to our community. I was always in deep admiration > to the moms who birthed their twins (or any child) while on > assignments in developing nations and to all the couples who > birthed twins and managed parenthood as part of the Order > Comminity🌍🌎🌏 > > > > > ......And to follow some of them as they grew and were loved > by a larger community beyond their parents💗🦋 > > Wanda > > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Feb 18, 2018, at 8:53 AM, James Wiegel via Dialogue > <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > wrote: > > > > This subject line from a recent email . . . Stu & Elena's > 50th Birthday Weekend! > > > > It was 1976. Maliwada village. The Castle at the end of > the road. > > The Harper twins, now turning 50 > > The Balm twins > > The Crocker twins > > > > > And subsequently . . . > > The Spencer twins > > The Wiegel twins (just turned 40) > > > > > > > > Jim Wiegel > > 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona > 85353<x-apple-data-detectors://0> > > Tel. 011-623-936-8671<tel:011-623-936-8671> or > 011-623-363-3277<tel:011-623-363-3277> > > jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com<mailto:marilyn.oyler@gmail.com> > > www.partnersinparticipation.com<http://www.partnersinparticipation.com/> > > > > > Loneliness does not come from having no people around you. > But from being unable to communicate the things that seem > important to you. Carl Jung > > _______________________________________________ > Dialogue mailing list > Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Feb 18, 2018, at 8:53 AM, James Wiegel via Dialogue > <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > wrote: > > This subject line from a recent email . . . Stu & Elena's > 50th Birthday Weekend! > > It was 1976. Maliwada village. The Castle at the end of > the road. > > The Harper twins, now turning 50 > > The Balm twins > > The Crocker twins > > And subsequently . . . > > The Spencer twins > > The Wiegel twins (just turned 40) > > Jim Wiegel > > 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona > 85353<x-apple-data-detectors://0> > > Tel.011-623-936-8671<tel:011-623-936-8671> or > 011-623-363-3277<tel:011-623-363-3277> > > jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com<mailto:marilyn.oyler@gmail.com> > > www.partnersinparticipation.com<http://www.partnersinparticipation.com/> > > Loneliness does not come from having no people around you. > But from being unable to communicate the things that seem > important to you. Carl Jung > > _______________________________________________ > Dialogue mailing list > Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net > > _______________________________________________ > Dialogue mailing list > Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Dialogue mailing list > > Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> > > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net >

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please use just list addresses when posting
by Timothy Wegner 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Quick heads up. It sometimes happens that folks send out an email to their whole address list including the list address(es). This makes the mailing list software paranoid (to anthropomorphize unapologetically, because software programs are clearly sentient beings) because the software is not sure what you, the poster, intends. What happens is that I, the hard-working list moderator, get to decide whether to let the message go to the lists or not. I tend to make random decisions about this. The best practice is to send list messages only to one or both list addresses. If you don't do this, you will have to answer "no and yes" at house church. :-) Tim.

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A confluence of Twins! Did I remember them all??
by James Wiegel 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

This subject line from a recent email . . . Stu & Elena's 50th Birthday Weekend! It was 1976. Maliwada village. The Castle at the end of the road. The Harper twins, now turning 50 The Balm twins The Crocker twins And subsequently . . . The Spencer twins The Wiegel twins (just turned 40) Jim Wiegel 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 Tel. 011-623-936-8671 or 011-623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com Loneliness does not come from having no people around you. But from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you. Carl Jung

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2/15/18, Plumer/Spong: Meeting the Challenge; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Meeting the Challenge Fred C. Plumer As President of the PC.org Board, and until recently, acting Executive Director, I somehow found myself with the job that requires I read all of the comments and complaints from our readers. After I read them, I either respond to them or try and find someone else to do it from our organization. Most of the time I find this part of my job informative and rewarding. The number of readers who write to thank us, or make a positive comment runs about four to one. I enjoy reading how someone felt an article we published changed their life or their perspective. I also like reading how someone who had been struggling with an evangelist friend, found strength to begin to unpack his/her view of religion or their faith journey. I even enjoy reading an email from someone who disagrees with one of our writers or frankly something I wrote in a particular column, but is supportive of our efforts to provide wide a spectrum of positions. However, recently I have heard from a couple of people who wondered why we cannot find anyone like Bishop Spong to write the column. A couple of them let me know they were going to cancel their subscription and one said they would continue taking the articles but put me on notice that we needed to make some changes. For example, one writer took us to task because our author had used a common swear word, even though it was a word the President of the United States had used. That was the point of the article by the way. Another writer complained about the way our writer “trashed the great history” of the Methodist tradition, when in fact the author was a proud, Methodist pastor and had been for over 20 years. His remarks were really about how the Methodists leadership had forgotten their own long term traditions and values. Now please do not think for one moment that we did not expect some blow back when we had to announce that Bishop Spong could no longer write his column. We were not naïve. First of all, Bishop Spong is a brilliant scholar. Not only does he have the depth of someone who studied and wrote his whole professional life, but he was and continues to be a voracious reader. Many other authors wanted Bishop Spong to write reviews of their new books which he often did, but he had to read them. He kept up with what was going on in the world. Secondarily, unlike most scholars, he did not get into a rut. He did his research and if something new came along, or if he had second thoughts on something, he was willing to change. He also has a wonderful way of taking the most complex issues and explaining them in a way that most of us could understand. That is a talent that few people have. Thirdly, Bishop Spong is a man in his eighties who has been writing this column for over twenty years. He had developed personal relationships with most of his regular readers, the vast majority of whom had been receiving his column for at least ten years, many of them longer than that. I wish I could show you some of the emails and notes we were asked to forward to him during his time of recovery. Many of the folks who wrote him during this time period were personal, warm and familiar. They were like someone writing their dear “Uncle John.” Others were not quite so familiar but shared fond memories of a time they heard him speak and how much it had meant to them. And we have no idea how many of them wrote directly to his home. He had six thousand subscribers at one point and it was a loyal group of people, not to mention the over 25,000 Facebook fans. And finally, Bishop Spong could write about someone he knew, or knew about in politics. He would gently, or not so gently, critique his/her actions based on his/her supposed religious claims. Some would call that political. However, Bishop Spong would wrap him/her in a long story and with interesting details and few, if any, accused him of getting political. It was another gift that he brought to the table. Please know that I sincerely appreciate all of these traits in the Bishop, and frankly several more I have not mentioned. He is a dear friend and I appreciate his gifts. However, when we began to think about whom we might want as authors to take up the reigns, we knew it was not going to be easy. I talked with Bishop Spong on several occasions and our organization created a list of potential candidates. You may be surprised to learn that over half of the people on our lists were suggestions or even recommendations by Bishop Spong. Now here is the important point. Our goal was not to replace him. We knew that was impossible. Our goal, rather, was to find younger people when possible, who were already immersed in some type of a religious profession and were “doing” some of the things that Bishop Spong has been suggesting over the years. Our goal was to find people who were no longer struggling with the old time religion and were moving in a new direction. In other words we were looking for practitioners of the way that Spong has been outlining, particularly in his last book, Unbelievable. (I am aware that most of you are still waiting to get your copy…soon I hope.) For most of his career, Bishop Spong was first and foremost a “deconstructionist.” He unpacked the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse to show us just what the writers or story tellers were thinking and the history behind the writings. Some of the time he surprised us and other times he said things that many of us were thinking but never knew just how to explain it. But he used his incredible knowledge of the Bible to show us how far off we had taken the Jesus story. For example in 1990 he wrote a book, Living in Sin. In this book he took on the silliness of our approach to human sexuality based on a false understanding of our Bible. He covered everything from marriage to learning to love the LGBT community, especially in our churches. Then in 1992 he wrote a book called Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism. In this book he demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the Bible was our real problem. Spong challenges the science of many of the fundamentalists’ understanding of the Bible. Then in 1994 he published a book, Born of a Woman. In this book he dealt with the folly of a virgin birth and the church’s poor treatment of women, as a result. In 1996 he wrote Liberating the Gospels. This was a powerful book that helps us see the Bible through the eyes of a Jewish scholar. It frees us to read the Bible with a different perspective, the perspective for which it was intended. In 1999 he wrote, Why Christianity Must Change or Die. I believe this is where he first used the term, “Believers in Exile.” And in this book he demonstrates the limits of the traditional Christian faith and the impact this has had on our failing churches. In 2011 he wrote, Re-claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World and 2013 he wrote book called The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic. In this book he explains that there were at least two people who wrote the gospel during a tumultuous time for these early Jewish/Christians and they were forced to adjust their thinking. This is certainly not a complete list of books Bishop Spong has written over his amazing career, but clearly demystifying the Bible was one of his major focuses. No one can do it better than him. Quite honestly, we have not yet found an author who can match Bishop Spong’s gifts, work ethic, his devotion who was willing to write an article every week, and whom also has a personal relationship with our readers. But we invite you to be open to the journey with us as his endorsed authors begin to create this relationship with you and share their visions and incredible unique gifts. Now before you pick up your pen to write me an angry letter citing different places in one or even several of his books where Bishop Spong was making some suggestions on how we might rebuild Christianity, I know he did that. Someone might even point out his book, A New Christianity for a New World published in 2001. And yes he did begin to make some important recommendations in that book that could be considered reconstruction or rebuilding. However, in his newest book, Unbelievable Spong calls for a whole new way of approaching the Christian faith. It is not totally a new thought for him, but in this book he is being very specific about how he sees a future of Christianity. In this book he spells out twelve theses, starting with the need to recreate our understanding of the word God. He then walks us through the balance of the eleven other theses and an epilogue. At the end of the book he simply asks, “Can Christian theology once again be enabled to interact with contemporary knowledge? Can Christian liturgies be made to reflect reality rather than nostalgia? Can Christianity affirm human oneness while still embracing its radical diversity? Can this faith create a new institutional form that fosters a truth-seeking, universal community?” Bishop Spong calls for change. He challenges us to begin to rebuild a new Christianity and frankly, that is what we are trying to do here. These are the issues we have asked our authors to deal with. We do not need to do any more deconstruction. It has been done, and done well. There are still organizations that are devoted to this endeavor but we no longer see the need for that. We are trying to build something that we can proudly call a New Christianity. This is what we are trying to birth even though we do not yet know what form it will eventually take, what it will look like, or how it will feel. We do know that most of us will not be around to see the end results. That is the challenge we have been given, however, and we accepted it. Over the next several months, we will be asking our esteemed authors to share their perspective on the above questions. I look forward to hearing what they share. I hope you do as well. I am honored and excited to be on this transformative journey with you all. It will take all of us. It will take the wisdom from our elders and the innovation of our younger generations. It will take bravery, creativity and radical trust. I recently came across a quote and I apologize for not knowing the source. I have Googled it and flipped through several books to no avail. But it went something like: We are in a historical transition globally for a new form for the sacred. This is something I shared with our Board two weeks ago, and this is something I am sharing with our authors. And this is something today, I am sharing with you. Thank you for your continued support. And please feel free to let me know how we are doing. ~ Fred C. Plumer Read the essay online here. About the Author In 1986 Rev. Plumer was called to the Irvine United Congregational Church in Irvine, CA to lead a UCC new start church, where he remained until he retired in 2004. The church became known throughout the denomination as one of the more exciting and progressive mid-size congregations in the nation. He served on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC) for five years, and chaired the Commission for Church Development and Evangelism for three of those years. In 2006 Fred was elected President of ProgressiveChristianity.org (originally called The Center for Progressive Christianity - TCPC) when it’s founder Jim Adams retired. As a member of the Executive Council for TCPC he wrote The Study Guide for The 8 Points by which we define: Progressive Christianity. He has had several articles published on church development, building faith communities and redefining the purpose of the enlightened Christian Church. His book Drink from the Well is an anthology from speeches, articles in eBulletins, and numerous publications that define the progressive Christianity movement as it evolves to meet new challenges in a rapidly changing world. Question & Answer Dr. Wallace from the Internet, asks: Question: Our diocese has a linked relationship with one of the dioceses in southern Sudan. Terrible conditions. Our bishop and his wife visited the area (Kajo Keji) for three weeks several months ago. Our diocese has responded generously to pleas for food and other assistance. As it often happens, once caring people become personally exposed to conditions of millions upon millions in the developing world and have an opportunity to compare and contrast, the result - certainly by most Christians I have known - is a strong motivation to respond. In Swaziland in January, I guided our rector through a nine-day tour of conditions and the AIDS situation in Swaziland - same response. My bias as a Christian has been for many years that many faith groups place a significant emphasis and focus on the importance of belief as compared with the importance of behavior.   I recall a number of passages in the New Testament that cite Christ's focus on loving God and our neighbors. From my personal perspective, love of a neighbor and all of its critical interpretations receives much less focus and emphasis in the Church than love of God. What usually occurs after a meaningful experience with poverty, loss of hope and inequity, there is a brief flash of sympathy, often action of some sort - some of which is indeed useful. But sooner or later there seems to be a return for our church leaders to fall back on what appears to me to be some fuzzy interpretations that occurred many centuries ago and would never stand active interpretation.   So, as I challenge church leaders, clergy and congregations, my question relates to how I can encourage them to review one of the essential mandates from Christ - his clear and emphatic emphasis on our responsibilities toward our fellow human beings. Answer: Rev. Mark Sandlin Dear Dr. Wallace, Great question. If I had the answer to it, I'd currently have a bestselling book. But, I don't. It seems to me that we are talking about the difference between two kinds of belief. The first is a belief that is not backed by action. It is basically an opinion. The believer hasn't integrated the belief into who they are. They are merely holding onto it as an intellectual plaything (and I'm not saying that's an entirely bad thing). Given the opportunity to put that opinion into action is typically a positive experience. For most, however, it is only that – a positive experience that reinforces their belief/opinion. It doesn't cause the belief to become more integrated into who they understand themselves to be as a person. That brings me to the second kind of belief. This is belief backed by action. As a matter of fact, it's a belief that's held so deeply, you almost literally have no choice but to act upon it. We'll call it, conviction. For some people, putting a belief/opinion into action can connect with them on a deeper level and move to a point of belief/conviction. This seldom, if ever, happens if people only donate money or specific items. While those are very necessary things, they are charity. Charity is needed and it helps those giving feel like they are doing something good, but it doesn't tend to deeply impact the emotional and theological outlook of a person. If, however, they are hand delivering those items to those in need, we begin to take baby steps toward making charity a thing of justice. Unlike being involved with charity, justice does have a tendency to connect more deeply with people. As you are making contact with those in need, hearing their stories, understanding their struggles, and then possibly taking a stand with them against the systems that oppress them, it becomes personal – you become convicted. I guess what I'm saying is, not surprisingly, if you want to be convicted in your love of neighbor (maybe particularly your marginalized neighbor), a good place to start is in actually getting getting to know them. Just like Jesus did. ~ Rev. Mark Sandlin Read and Share Online Here About the Author Rev. Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He currently serves at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. He is a co-founder of The Christian Left. His blog, has been named as one of the “Top Ten Christian Blogs.” Mark received The Associated Church Press' Award of Excellence in 2012. His work has been published on "The Huffington Post," "Sojourners," "Time," "Church World Services," and even the "Richard Dawkins Foundation." He's been featured on PBS's "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly" and NPR's "The Story with Dick Gordon.” Follow Mark on Facebook and Twitter @marksandlin __________________________________________________ Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Connection between the Crucifixion and the Passover, Part IV In this series of essays, I have tried to push our analysis of the Passover story that anchors the gospel accounts of Jesus, beyond that primitive literalism that so often captures religious systems, so that its real truth can be perceived. This attempt is focused on the goal of discerning what it was that constituted the original and powerful Jesus experience. Something caused those first disciples to come to the conclusion that somehow, in some way, through some means, God had been met in this Christ, and that in Jesus a doorway into God had been opened. In that process, I suggested that the coupling of the story of the crucifixion of Jesus with the Passover story of the killing of the paschal lamb resulted not from history or memory, but from an interpretive, liturgical process. That is, the passion narratives of the gospels were written not in a reporter's language but in the language of worship. The first step was to demonstrate the fact that so many parts of the crucifixion story include symbols that suggest that it occurred in the fall of the year rather than in the early spring. Among those symbols were the leafy branches of the first Palm Sunday, the fig tree that Jesus was said to have cursed because it bore no figs months before its fruit might have been expected, and the Jewish fall festival of Sukkoth that seems to have provided significant content to the Christian narrative. Next I examined the substance and the form of that first passion narrative recorded in Mark, demonstrating that its content came not from eyewitnesses but from the ancient sources of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Its form suggested that it was written to observe a twenty-four hour vigil. It was neatly divided into eight three-hour segments that would carry the worshippers from 6:00 p.m. on what we now call Maundy Thursday to 6:00 p.m. on what we now call Good Friday. Since according to the earliest Christian sources there were no eyewitnesses to the crucifixion, its original purpose was surely not to relate what actually happened on that hill called Calvary. Jesus died alone. We must not forget that authentic note in Mark's gospel that tells us that when Jesus was arrested, all of his disciples, ALL OF THEM, forsook him and fled. When the death of Jesus began to be seen as similar to the death of the paschal lamb of Passover, it was natural that the crucifixion story and the Passover would be blended and the one superimposed on the other. Paul made that connection quite overtly when he wrote in his epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:7), that Christ 'our new paschal lamb,' or 'our Passover' as the King James translators have it, 'has been sacrificed for us.' He then urged the Corinthians to 'celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.' The Book of Exodus suggests only unleavened bread was to be eaten at the time of the Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). Paul makes this reference with no explanation because it clearly had become an accepted part of the Christian understanding of the death of Jesus by the mid-fifties when this epistle was written. Our question thus becomes: What did it mean to the early Jewish Christians to see the death of Jesus as linked to the slaughter of the Paschal Lamb? First, let me relate the biblical story of Passover from the book of Exodus, for I discover that Christians are typically ignorant of the sacred traditions of the Jews. The biblical setting for the first Passover is ancient Egypt. Moses armed, we are told, with the power of God has gone in answer to a call heard in the burning bush to negotiate the release of the slave people from Egypt. The Pharaoh was unmoved by Moses' plea and so God begins a divine reign of terror against the Egyptians that we have come to call 'The Plagues.' First, the Nile was turned to blood and the fish in it died. Next came the plague of frogs, then gnats, then flies, then the cattle became sick and the Egyptians broke out with boils. This was followed by the plagues of hailstones, locusts and darkness. Periodically during the plagues, the biblical story tells us that Pharaoh relented and promised to let the people go whereupon God removed that particular plague. But the narrative says both that 'Pharaoh's heart was hardened' (Exodus 9:34), and that 'God hardened' his heart (Exodus 10:20), thus allowing the plagues to continue their devastation. Finally, in some desperation, the story reaches its climax in the 11th and 12th chapters of Exodus. There God informs Moses of the divine plan for the final and most devastating plague of all. God will send the angel of death throughout the land of Egypt to slay the first-born male in every household. However, a problem arose as to how the angel of death would know the difference between a Jewish home and an Egyptian home lest this angel kill Jews by mistake. Clearly God hated only Egyptians! To solve this problem, God tells Moses to instruct the people of Israel to protect themselves in this manner. Each family is to choose a lamb from its flocks on the 10th day of the month called Nisan. If a family is too small to consume a whole lamb, it is to join its neighbors or to gather single people into extended family groups so that no one is excluded from the feast or put at risk from the avenging God. The lamb to be sacrificed shall be male, one year old and without blemish, says the text. On the 14th day of that month, this lamb is to be slaughtered and the blood from the lamb shall be sprinkled on the Jewish doorposts of those homes in which the paschal feast is to be eaten. This blood would be a sign to the angel of death that this was a Jewish home so that no one within it would be killed. Presumably the angel of death did not have supernatural power, or the ability to discern a Jewish home from an Egyptian home so the angel had to be guided by the sign of blood on the doorpost. Wherever a bloody doorpost appeared, the angel of death would "pass over" that house and thus slay only Egyptians. This is where the term 'Passover' emerges. It was a strange tribal story, in many ways an evil story that portrayed God as hating all those whom the chosen people hate. When this angel struck, death was experienced from the palace of the Pharaoh to the humblest Egyptian household, including even the first-born male animals in the Egyptian flocks. While all of Egypt was in mourning the Jews would ceremonially eat the roasted body of the lamb of God before beginning their escape to the freedom of the wilderness. That is the Passover story in all of its gory details. Now try to imagine a synagogue celebrating Passover in those years following the crucifixion of Jesus at which some of the disciples of Jesus, "The Followers of the Way" they were called, were present as worshipers. As the drama of Passover was reenacted, these early disciples used the liturgical setting to help them understand the meaning of Jesus' death. His death, they had come to believe, had also hurled back the power of death. With his own blood Jesus had pushed the specter of death away from his people. I suspect this connection was first made in a primitive Christian sermon and it went something like this: "Our ancestors once lived in bondage in the land of Egypt. When they made good their escape it was because God had used the blood of the paschal lamb to break the power of death. Now in a similar fashion, we who lived in the bondage of sin have experienced a new deliverance. The blood of Jesus, our new paschal lamb, has been placed upon the cross that was symbolically the doorpost of the world. That blood has broken the power of death that is always the result of sin and is its ultimate punishment, according to the story about the Garden of Eden. So the blood of the new paschal lamb has freed those of us who through this Christ now come out of our bondage into the glorious liberty of the children of God. We will thus be spared the permanence and pain of mortality, for in this Jesus death itself has been swallowed up in victory." The cross thus came to be viewed the moment of deliverance for the followers of Jesus, just as the slaying of the paschal lamb had become the moment of Jewish deliverance. The Christian observance of its founding was celebrated in the liturgy of the Eucharist in every age, just like the Passover was celebrated every year as an observance of the founding of Judaism. Liturgy serves to remind us of who we are, where we have come from and what it is that we have come to believe is our ultimate destiny. In this manner, crucifixion was tied into Passover and by the time the gospels were written decades later, the liturgical interpretation of the cross had been historicized and the crucifixion of Jesus was said to have literally occurred at the time of the Passover. Then quite naturally the liturgy recalling the final hours in Jesus' life became for Christians an expanded version of what the liturgy of the Passover had been for Jews. After the Christian Church became substantially Gentile by the turn of the century, this Jewish background was first ignored and then forgotten. That meant that the description of the founding moment in the Jesus story began to be understood as the account of eyewitnesses. So it was that the story of the cross became literalized as if it were an objective historical account of the founding moment of the Christian faith. To deliteralize this experience is not to destroy it, as traditionalists believe, it is rather to open the experience so that it becomes timeless, and people in every age might enter it. Once the deliteralization process begins, however, it goes on and on. If the story of the cross is not remembered history, if the connection of the Passover with the crucifixion is not literal then is any part of the time frame of the passion story to be literalized? Was the symbol of the three days that was said to separate crucifixion from Resurrection a literal measure of 72 hours? Or is there some new and deeper meaning even there? To that question I will turn next wee ~ John Shelby Spong Originally published February 23, 2005 Announcements Why Christianity Is No Longer Believable – And How We Can Change That Now on Sale! Unbelievable - Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce living Faith Today John Shelby Spong’s final book Unbelievable Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, bestselling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers twelve forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future. Click here for more information/purchase options. Progressing Spirit is getting a new look! We are excited about our new look and format, please check out our new website here.

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Spring Sojourn Invitation
by Timothy Wegner 12 Feb '18

12 Feb '18

Jean Long asked me to send this along: ICA Global Archives SPRING SOJOURN April 22 (arrive) – April 28 (depart) *WHAT NEXT?* *TASK:* Create enticing forms to make our wisdom appealing on the new Archives Website. Working in small teams we will work in several arenas: 1. Website structure continuation 2. Indexing 40 video stories taped during Fall Sojourn 3. Creation of storyboards (templates) and videotaped “elevator talks” for specific collections (program arenas) to make the material interactive and enticing 4. Begin work on indexing the content of 60 JWM talks. Thanks to Michael May these have been transferred to CDs and need table of contents for each One of the gifts of this gathering is that we can also share what colleagues are doing in their locations to carry on “the mission”. Cheap flight sales are on now. No previous archive experience needed. Early registrations get a choice of rooms near bathrooms. *PARTICIPANT PRACTICS:* Location: ICA Greenrise Building Learning Laboratory (aka Kemper Building) 4750 North Sheridan Road Chicago, IL 60640 Sleeping rooms on the 8th floor – Couples - $45.00; Singles – ($30.00 per bed) Food - $25 per day for 3 meals (Monday through Friday) Parking fee - $7.50/day: $45.00/Sunday - Saturday Registration fee - $30.00 to cover conference materials and expenses To register: e-mail reception(a)ica-usa.org For additional information, contact Jean Long (720-633-5008) Jean.long512(a)gmail.com

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