- Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Re: [Dialogue] A photocopy of Joseph Mathews' graduate thesis
by David Dunn 29 Oct '22

29 Oct '22

Hi Marshall, Karen and colleagues. I’ve done a quick comparison of the four documents in the Archive (https://icaglobalarchives.org/resources/ <https://icaglobalarchives.org/resources/>) and the photocopy of JWM’s thesis that I have. The four documents in the Archive are the four chapters of JWM's thesis. A quick survey suggests that the only parts of the thesis missing from the Archive copy are the Title page, the comprehensive Table of Contents, the Introduction to the thesis and a few footnotes. This means that we’ll have the entire thesis with the addition of scans of the Table of Contents (2 pages), the Introduction (4 pages) and the cover. A few good copy editor souls need to compare the PDF against the photocopy to correct the numbering of a few of the footnotes and other typos that might appear—easy corrections in the PDF I’ve forgotten whose photocopy I copied (my copy is at least a second generation copy), but that means that there is likely at least one 2nd generation copy in someone else’s hands. In any case, we’re close to having a pristine PDF of the entire thesis. This was a pleasing experience of network intelligence. David > On Oct 2, 2022, Karen Snyder wrote: > In light of it being about John Wesley, it either is JWM’s doctoral thesis or something he wrote related to it. You can see what we have presently in the Archives under Periodicals here related to his doctoral thesis: https://icaglobalarchives.org/resources/ <https://icaglobalarchives.org/resources/>. > > If it is different, than it should be added here as well. Are you able to scan it? If not, send it to Chicago, and we will scan it. We do scanning four days a week so it would be done immediately. Once scanned and added to the Periodicals, it is available for anyone to read it who wishes to. > On Oct 2, 2022, Marshall Jones replied: > So David's precious xerox is probably copied from this original. > I think the typescript is also available in a digital scan on-line. — "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose" David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 720-314-5991 dmdunn1(a)gmail.com

13 19

10/29/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 29 Oct '22

29 Oct '22

1 0

10/28/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 28 Oct '22

28 Oct '22

3 2

10/27/2022, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Gretta Vosper: Creating Community from the Stuff of Ecclesial Practices?; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 27 Oct '22

27 Oct '22

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and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 .yiv7307105045mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent, #yiv7307105045 .yiv7307105045mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templatePreheader{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templatePreheader .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent, #yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templatePreheader .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateHeader .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent, #yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateHeader .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateBody .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent, #yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateBody .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateFooter .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent, #yiv7307105045 #yiv7307105045templateFooter .yiv7307105045mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Creating Community from the Stuff of Ecclesial Practices? | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Gretta Vosper October 27, 2022As I write this, 2022 is in its final quarter providing an opportunity to reflect on the tenth anniversary of the worst year of my life. And one of the best. Reviewing our lives is always complicated, isn’t it? Let me share with you. Late in 2011, my chest was beginning to feel snarly. The next morning, Saturday, I went to a walk-in. The doctor, who didn’t know my history, wouldn’t prescribe the medications I suggested. End result: five months off work, massive antibiotics, huge doses of prednisone, and the final insult: thrush. Yep. When I do sick, I do it big. On one of my many visits to my own doctor’s offices, I pointed out a walnut-sized lump in my abdomen. They ordered a scan. End result: five months of terror, major abdominal surgery to remove a cancerous tumour that had grown to the size of a 2-litre pop bottle, and more time off work. I was wretched. To top that off – and this is the point – the surgery took place the same week my second book, Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief, was published. You can imagine how well that went. But the craziest part was that being so out of it for so many months, I’d been unable to convince my publisher to properly title the book. I mean, it isn’t even about prayer. It simply uses the various forms of prayer churches employ as a tool to explore the basic needs of the human heart and so, too, its community. I had wanted it to be titled With or Without Prayer, We’re All the Answer We’ve Got but they thought that too derivative of my first book. Perhaps I should have asked them to call it Without Church (Or Reasonable Facsimile), We’re All F*&ked, because that’s what the book is really about. (To say nothing of the fact that I would have been way ahead of the curve on all those provocatively titled “F-word” books! Gah!) The declining trend of the intervening decade brings home to us just how fragile church communities have become. Pews filled by previous generations are barely warmed by younger ones. Denominations’ acceptance of accelerated decline undermines singular attempts at the revitalization of congregational life and invites the question addressed last year by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA): “Is an empty church … a problem or an opportunity for a municipality?”[1] The ICMA’s question is an important one made more urgent when we step back and consider the breakdown of the cohesive nature of community in our neighbourhoods, cities, states, and countries. I don’t think I need to get into just what that breakdown is because most of us are aware of it. One of my neighbours has a F(insert maple leaf)CK TRUDEAU sticker on their truck window; neighbours further south hear chants aimed at some guy named Brandon and are similarly unnerved; across the pond, civil protests are now illegal and peaceful protesters jailed, some remaining behind bars even after the government initiates the very programs the incarcerated had demanded. It isn’t all happening on the other side of the computer or television screen; on a daily basis, we are affected by or witness to the growing rifts in what was once a robust social fabric built around somewhat mutual goals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to quote just one nation’s ideal. But what are those common goals in a world where personal consumption seems to be humanity’s greatest and most fiercely protected “liberty”; the “pursuit of happiness” equivalent to coming out on top when comparing ourselves with others, today’s most virulent form of entertainment; and the meaning of life reduced to whatever gets the most likes on TikTok where “influencers” publish ever more egregiously inappropriate videos to celebrate whatever millionth follower they just earned.[2] The rise of anti-this-or-that groups waving national flags as a symbol of rebellion[3] proves the point. With established communities unable to reflect their individualistic values, they are drawn through online channels to right-wing conspiracy theories and activism, when perhaps they just needed a community, no matter what the beliefs of that community might be.[4] The question of whether social breakdown results from the decline of congregational life or vice versa or if they unravelled entirely independently, I leave to those in academia who might be more confident drawing conclusions. But I do believe there’s a link and that it goes back to the elements about which I wrote in Amen. Those, and a couple or three generations of care-less-ness toward the common goals that held communities together. In Amen, I used the acronym “ACTS” to identify the different kinds of prayer that emerged within Christianity to address the basic needs of the human spirit.[5] They are Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. - We have a deeply rooted need to bow before the wonder of life, beauty, the fragility of relationship, the interwoven simplicity and complexity of nature and the million other wonders we encounter in and through existence: Adoration - Standing in relief against those wonders, we realize how often we fall short of mirroring or enhancing them with our own lives. We recognize the great opportunity to account for the crevasses we create in relationship, in our own hearts, in the world around us and, in doing so, find ourselves restored and upright, dignity intact, possibilities fresh before us: Confession and Assurance of Pardon - We experience gratitude for the unlimited do-overs and pardons we’ve already welcomed and those we’ll find ourselves in need of again, of the many joys in our lives, and the relationships we cherish, both challenging and wonder-filled: Thanksgiving - Confident of our worth, we raise our voices and put voice to needs, ours and those of others, the dreams we know will make this world a better place, and the courage that will sustain us as we work to make these dreams reality: Supplication These are our prayers. These are the pieces of ritual that have sewn our hearts back together over and again, the hearts of our riven communities, our warring nations, and our broken world. And they worked. They really worked. Just not in the magical way we pretended they did. They worked by opening our eyes to ourselves, to our neighbours, to our world. And whenever that happened, the real-life magic began. Church helped make that happen by leading us through a liturgy that convicted us, forgave us, inspired us, and challenged us to name our needs rather than focus on our wants. How do we do that now? As congregations shrank, tried new things, shrank more, and finally closed, what did we salvage other than the potential held in the real property? What do we hold sacred to the point of adoration, reminding ourselves weekly, if not daily, that adoration means maintaining reverence for and commitment to something bigger, much bigger, than ourselves? Where do we do the work of examining our complicity in the breakdown of family and community, in our destruction of the natural world, the loss of innumerable species, known and as yet unknown, and in our limitation of the hopes of tomorrow’s children by the consumption of the resources they will need not to thrive, but just to survive? How often do we pause, acknowledge we can expect nothing in this life, while humbly acknowledging how unbelievably privileged we are, however great or meagre are our life’s accomplishments, accoutrements, and relationships? And finally, to whom do we express our deepest desires? Not for a shortened timeline for delivery of the new fill-in-the-blank, but for release from the fear that we got all the important things wrong and that it’s too late to change that? The courage to change a life of security and enough for a life of radical joy and service? The will to invest our all in the fight for climate justice rather than head off to the luxuries of a boomer retirement? The impudence to hammer a political sign into our lawn or knock on the door of the neighbour with the F(insert maple leaf)CK TRUDEAU sticker on their truck and invite them to chat with us over coffee? It’s only when we really articulate those ideas, put them outside ourselves, and hear them twirl about in the air around us that we begin to consider the possibilities they might unleash. Matthew Fox breaks down the word “community” in one of his ICS meditations. ‘The word comes from two Latin words – cum munio – that mean “to share a common task”’ [6]. We become community when we share a goal and work together to achieve it. Or maybe the reverse: we work together to achieve a goal, and in the process, become community. Whatever. The point is, we create – or become – community when we want to do something enough to hang out with the people who also want to do it. Our predecessors in the Christian church wove community of thin air. Sometimes, of course, that community came together around the work of feeding the poor and ministering to the ill. But I believe that much of that community was built as we gathered to do the work of binding up our tattered lives, bleeding out our failures, mending our broken hearts, and patching our dreams back into wholeness. We all needed it whether we knew it or not. And we all experienced the wholeness made of coming together for that common task, the community that strengthened us all. It may be too late to save the church community you gather with on Sundays. It is never too late to be about the work of creating community whether in church or outside of it, whether on Sunday mornings, or Thursday evenings, or on zoom whenever. You have the ancient code – ACTS – that may be the key to building its core. You have the right to belong to it. You have the right to create it. And you have the power. Oh yes, you absolutely have the power. P.S. I forgot to mention why 2011 a best year as well as the worst. It was because of the amazing surgeons at Princess Margaret Hospital. They removed that four-pound tumour over the course of a long and delicate surgery, and they’ve checked up on me every year since. And that, of course, is why I am still here, ten years later, making 2012 one of my best years ever. ~ Rev. Gretta Vosper Read online here About the Author The Rev. Gretta Vosper is a United Church of Canada minister who is an atheist. Her best-selling books include With or Without God: Why The Way We Live is More Important Than What We Believe, and Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief. She has also published three books of poetry and prayers. Visit her website here and her Blog here. [1] Reinhard, Richard, “Redeveloping Houses of Worship.” PM Magazine, April 1, 2021. https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/redeveloping-houses-worship, accessed October 19, 2022.[2] If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a deep breath and give thanks.[3] Personal opinion: Co-opting national flags has got to be the best, most effective, and most devastating, anti-government marketing scheme E.V.E.R. Just sayin’. [5] I speak of the human spirit without belief in its pre-existence or enduring personal nature but simply as that essence of human life that emerges from within the physical stuff in which we are individually wrapped and influences a life and the lives of those around it.[6] Fox, Matthew, “On the Breakdown of Community,” https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/2020/09/26/on-the-breakdown-of-c…, accessed October 19, 2022. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Jane One suspects that some institutional churches are still AFRAID if reality demands that scriptures are not to be taken literally. Why? A: By Rev. Lauren Van Ham Dear Jane,Turn upside down. I’m kidding. But only sort of. Things we learned as children can be hard stories to shake as adults. But since we learned them as children, I recommend un-learning them with some childlike curiosity. For example, what are your thoughts about heaven and hell? Are they actual destinations? Have you visited them already during your life, here, on Earth? If so, what “took” you to hell? How did you find yourself in heaven? Next, I invite all of us to consider the value of polarities. Having a sense of “hot,” or, “left” allows us to appreciate “cold,” or “right.” When we know where north is, we can usually find south. This is useful but it leaves out so many other locations like the liminal, the both-and, the inward, the circuitous, and so forth. It is high time we use more curves and circles in how we talk about our experiences. Our tree and plant relatives offer another invitation. They need the soil where their roots receive nourishment and transmit messages to one another. A lot happens in the hidden, cool darkness! And we know, of course, that they also need the rain that falls, and the sun that encourages them to bear fruit, pouring forth with life. In my desire to imitate these wise beings, I might say that our souls ground us in the depths, inviting us to tap into a vast root system, while our spirits encourage us to reach, unfurl and expand. So now, what value is up, and what about down? Fairytales have done a fantastic job of suggesting bad and good, naughty and nice, but the teachings of Jesus consistently invite us to befriend our foes and to do the gritty work of loving here and now. Heaven, hell, and all the other experiences, too. ~ Rev. Lauren Van Ham Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Lauren Van Ham, MA was born and raised beneath the big sky of the Midwest, Lauren holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Naropa University and The Chaplaincy Institute. Following her ordination in 1999, Lauren served as an interfaith chaplain in both healthcare (adolescent psychiatry and palliative care), and corporate settings (organizational development and employee wellness). Lauren’s passion for spirituality, art and Earth's teachings have supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Her essay, "Way of the Eco-Chaplain," appears in the collection, Ways of the Spirit: Voices of Women; and her work with Green Sangha is featured in Renewal, a documentary celebrating the efforts of religious environmental activists from diverse faith traditions across America. Her ideas can be heard on Vennly, an app that shares perspectives from spiritual and community leaders across different backgrounds and traditions. Currently, Lauren tends her private spiritual direction and eco-chaplaincy consulting practice; and serves as Climate Action Coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI), and as guest faculty for several schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | | | Don't miss the next Episode of PC.org's Executive Directors Mark and Caleb on: The Moonshine Jesus Show - every Monday at 4:30pm Eastern Time – watch live on Facebook,, YouTube, Twitter, Podbean | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited What the Gun Debate Reveals about the Republican Party and Political Leadership Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong April 18, 2013Something seems to be missing from the equation or perhaps I am just not smart enough to understand the dynamics. The fact is I don’t get it! Perhaps there is something subliminal going on that will in time be revealed. For the life of me, however, I find it difficult to understand why the intelligent people, elected to the Congress, are having such a hard time deciding whether or not to vote for universal background checks as a prerequisite for buying a gun. I do not understand why there is a debate on whether to limit a magazine clip to ten bullets on a gun sold to a civilian. Are ten bullets without reloading not sufficient for anyone’s personal use? I do not understand why any private citizen needs to own an assault weapon?While I was trying to make sense out of these questions and the behavior of our elected officials, I watched as a group of Republican senators sought to block the Senate from even being able to debate, much less pass any gun reform legislation. Led first by four of the regular right-wing grandstanders in the Senate, who were enhancing their image with the Tea Party types, they were soon joined by 11 others including the Senate Republican minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. It then became the position of the majority of the Republican senators, when 31 of the 45 of them voted in an attempt to prevent this bill from even being considered by the legislative wing of our government. Are there that many senators who are that out of touch with the people of this country? Is this now the official position of the Republican Party? With every poll of our citizens showing majorities ranging from 91% to 56% in support of the various provisions of this gun reform law, I am driven to the conclusion that something irrational has become the point of view of one of the major political parties in this nation, which means that something dreadful is going on in my country!I try to listen to these people’s arguments, seeking to discover some semblance of rationality, but it eludes me. In this legislation I see no attempt to revoke the second amendment’s guarantee of a citizen’s right to bear arms. I see only an effort to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of mentally sick and clearly distorted members of our society by requiring universal background checks before a gun can be purchased. People getting drivers’ licenses at least have their criminal records checked. I see no effort to take guns away from hunters or gun club members. I have never been convinced, however, that hunters or gun club members need assault weapons or unlimited magazine capacities to carry out their activities. These might be essential to an army confronting an enemy seeking to destroy this nation, but does any private citizen need a howitzer, a bazooka, a machine gun or a missile launcher.I understand why people who live in non-urban areas, separated by distances from police protection or even from their nearest neighbors, might need to arm themselves against possible intruders, but action-activated spot lights, alarm systems and well placed cameras can provide far more effective security and at a much cheaper price and if that security system were supported by a shotgun, a rifle or even a six shooter, sufficient protection to alleviate all fear would be accomplished. More than that seems to me to reflect rampant paranoia.I listen to gun lobbyists suggest that only a society armed to the teeth will ever be a safe society and I find no facts that bear out this claim. America has more guns per person in our population than any other developed nation in the world. If guns make us safer then why does this nation also have the highest murder rate of any developed nation? Among regular gun victims are our children. What kind of nation is it that does nothing when school children are regularly lost to gun-carrying killers? No place appears to be safe from violence. University students at Virginia Tech, a campus with its own security forces, who are in fact well-armed, were murdered in their classrooms by a mentally-disturbed former student, who had access to a high magazine attack weapon. A member of congress, Representative Gabby Gifford, addressing her constituents in her home state of Arizona, was shot as were others meeting with her, including children, who came to “meet the congresswoman,” were killed. Members of a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin were murdered by an armed psychopath while gathering for worship. Children at school in Columbine, Colorado, were slaughtered by armed disgruntled students, and children, six and seven years old, in Newtown, Connecticut, were senselessly murdered by a young man with an attack weapon, who had just killed his mother. Innocent, unnamed, urban teenagers are regularly caught in the crossfire and killed in some of our crime-ridden, drug infested cities. How many must die before our elected leaders develop an effective response?Political and transformative figures have also been victims of our violent society. One thinks of such leaders as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, George Wallace, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Ronald Reagan who have been hunted down and shot by a wide variety of potential killers. How is it possible that some of our political officials think that limiting access to killing weapons compromises civil liberties more than protecting the potential victims of gun violence? Are not murdered people rendered devoid of every civil liberty?Are our elected leaders so afraid that if they had to cast a vote on this bill they would either lose their seat in the Senate or close off from themselves forever the lucrative support of the gun lobby? Is that fear more compelling than protecting the innocent from gun violence? Is there no issue worth risking one’s Senate seat? Then why did these people seek election in the first place: Since all but two of those who threatened to block any vote on these issues were Republicans, we must ask whether there is anyone in the Republican Party willing to speak out against this vote-dodging behavior of their leaders in congress?Has Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, by embracing that attempt to prohibit even a vote on these issues, not sacrificed any leadership potential that he ever possessed? This is the same national leader who stated some four years ago that his top priority was not to help lead the country through the worst economic crisis since the depression or to help bring an end to two wars that were instrumental in bringing the economy to the edge of bankruptcy, but it was rather to limit his political opponent to being a “one-term president.” Does that statement not border on irresponsibility, if not treason? What does leadership mean?That is not the only bizarre act that now plagues this party. During the last presidential election in states where the Republicans controlled the governor’s office and both houses of the state legislatures, which included states from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Ohio to South Carolina, efforts were made by a variety of barely legal means, to suppress minority voting. Is that the way democracy works? Are they willing to subvert this democracy in order to gain political power? Why were they not worried about the civil liberties of minority voters? Is this the party of Abraham Lincoln who, for his efforts to end slavery lost his life, and as a result once had the fierce loyalty of the great majority of America’s black voters? Is this the party of Theodore Roosevelt? Is it even the party of Ronald Reagan?This is, however, the same Republican Party that wants to limit the health care options available to women in the workplace, to mandate invasive ultra-sound procedures for women seeking a legal abortion, whose representatives denied that a woman could get pregnant from “legitimate” rape, all in order to force women to conform to the narrow religious agenda of these spokespersons. Was it not the presidential candidate of this party who wanted to “self deport” illegal immigrants by seeing to it that they received no support, no jobs, no education and no health care? Do they really believe that in the last presidential election they lost by huge majorities, the votes of women, young people, African-Americans and Latinos only because they did not communicate their policies well? Or do they think no one was listening? I suggest they communicated quite well and that these voters did not like their message! I wonder whether or not this party has, out of its fear of losing power, become suicidal, or does it simply suffer from a death wish? Is this party destined to go the way of the “Whigs?” Does it not recognize that a two-party system vying for the support of the majority is what makes this country work?The gun vote in congress is a matter of life and death to many people. It is a vote both about public safety and about what kind of a nation we are becoming and what kind of nation we want to be. When leaders get so far out of touch with the people they were elected to serve and when the people begin to feel that they cannot make these leaders hear their voices the seeds of revolution are at that moment being sown.If Senator McConnell, along with Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, just to name the most vocal of those who tried stop even a vote on the gun bill, are in fact the face of the modern-day Republican Party in the United States, then this party has no future. I urge other Republicans in the Senate, in the House and Republican governors around the country to separate themselves from their current congressional leadership and to call their party back to their constitutional role of responsible opposition. That is the only way Republicans will have a chance to share in tomorrow’s leadership in America. ** A message to my readers: After the deadline for the publication of this column the terrorist bombing at the end of the Boston marathon occurred, leaving many of us enraged, saddened and despairing about the levels of violence that apparently engulf the world. It also put the content of this column into a new perspective. Our prayers go out to the victims and our thanks go to the first responders, but our hopes to build a better world remain in tact. When all the facts become clear we will look again at what this new terror episode means to our churning understanding of what it means to be human.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Matthew Fox Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality Join Matthew Fox Online November 17th from 4 pm to 6 pm (Pacific Time) for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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10/26/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
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26 Oct '22

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10/20/2022, Progressing Spirit: The Rev. Lauren Van Ham, MA: The Reconciliations of Autumn; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 20 Oct '22

20 Oct '22

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and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 .yiv2666314508mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent, #yiv2666314508 .yiv2666314508mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templatePreheader{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templatePreheader .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent, #yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templatePreheader .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateHeader .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent, #yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateHeader .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateBody .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent, #yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateBody .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateFooter .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent, #yiv2666314508 #yiv2666314508templateFooter .yiv2666314508mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Reconciliations Of Autumn | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Lauren Van Ham, MA October 20, 2022In my role as Climate Action Coordinator with the United Religions Initiative, I have the great joy of meeting with others who have made it their work to learn from and care for Earth. So many, around the world, are striving to protect the biodiversity that remains, to harvest and conserve water, and to regenerate soil by planting trees, composting food scraps and so on. Others are standing with the next generation in protest and divesting from fossil fuel. This is happening amidst the cascade of economic instability, extreme weather events, food insecurity, fragile democracies, intensifying systemic oppression, gun violence… Held collectively, this expanding list is being called the “polycrisis.” And it certainly is. As we inch closer to blowing past the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C, these inter-related crises are difficult to rank in order of importance. There are more and more utterings of, “It’s too late.” Ugh… how does that feel in your body? It is too late if your home was in the fire’s path in Australia, France, Greece, the US. It is too late if you are from Pakistan or Puerto Rico. It is too late for so many species who lived in Earth’s rainforests. It is too late for the people of Jackson, Mississippi or the coastlines of Florida. The too lates will keep coming. So will the blame and the predictions used as attempts to control. None of this feels good. Despair is understandable; so is our grasping for certainty. In the Northern hemisphere, we are in the season of Fall and harvest. It is also the time when a number of cultures and traditions encourage communion with our benevolent ancestors, saints, and spiritual teachers. The season we are in encourages us to delight in Earth’s generosity even as the abundance of summer crunches and decays at our feet. Autumn invites us to gather up the goodness for sharing in the dark nights ahead, to marvel at creation’s ability to make useful that which has fallen, wilted or stopped breathing, to thank the layers upon layers of life that have offered themselves for the very moment in which we find ourselves. Last week, in a conversation with one of my mentors, she reminded me again of the rich resources supporting me in my efforts as an eco-chaplain. So many passionate thinkers, writers, artists and teachers are here with us when we take care to name them, to honor their offerings. One example is Lynn White, Jr., who in The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, an essay from 1967, observed, “Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecological crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not. We must rethink and re-feel our nature and destiny.” Yep, 1967. Using today’s language, we have other phrases we use to describe the patriarchy, white supremacy, colonizing and oppressive patterns that have tinctured our economy, academy, science, technology, etc. but the invitation in this passage remains fresh and relevant. As more of us awaken to the reality we have created, to the damage we have caused, it is only natural that we would sound the alarm. Every week, there are more and more of us arriving to ponder, assess, problem-solve. This is good and never, “too late!” It is also really important (and I’m saying this to myself), to embrace the ones who have supported this awakening for a long time already. In this time of gathering Earth’s abundance, I encourage us to honor the promptings from Black Elk. Rachel Carson. George Washington Carver. Jesus. Teilhard de Chardin. Add your favorites here! Assuming Lynn White, Jr. is right (he has my vote), I feel excited about what is being asked of each one of us as people of faith, seekers of meaning, devotees of spiritual growth and life-affirming community. Religion’s Latin root is religiō. Re means “again,” and ligare means “bind,” or, “connect.” Who or what are we binding ourselves to? Our teachers, whether humans or trees, old or more ancient still, have always been urging us to reconnect with creation (an elaborate web of relationships) and Earth’s cycles. I suspect we have often tried to rise above relationships and Earth’s cycles because endings are painful. And pain is painful. But isn’t this what spiritual community is for? To help us prepare for and to be with the joys and the sorrows of our lives -- not just in theory, but in a caring container for the very real moments? When I teach Eco-ministry, I use a concept called “Deep Adaptation.” Deep Adaptation is an agenda and international social movement which offers a framework and questions to support us in adapting to the unraveling of western industrial lifestyles. The final question in the series pertains to reconciliation. Reconciliation asks us, “How might we live and die well -- and with love -- by acknowledging that we are part of the cause and part of the solution?” Or, in a slightly different version, “With what and whom shall we make peace as we awaken to our mutual mortality?” Around us, ecosystems are collapsing, and so are human spirits. Our invitation is to be with the pain of that; our challenge is to be with giant uncertainties; and our responsibility is to re-bind ourselves in life-affirming relationships. We can help one another do this. We don’t need to control the uncertainty with explanations or forecasts. And we need not blindly “hope,” waiting for business as usual to intervene or repair. Instead, we get to embrace Autumn as it helps us appreciate the paradox of death/life, both/and, abundance/ancestors/rebirth. The polycrisis is not inviting our inaction but rather our engagement (this is where I remind everyone to *please* vote). And our spiritual practices give us the courage and curiosity to see ourselves within the entanglements of this moment. Here are a few lines from her longer, “Spell for the Fall Equinox,” by Adrienne Maree Brown, let your leaves fall down and sing to your ghosts nourish life with everything you release ours is not the only life on earth nor the only death let your altars hold the earth and the sky, and sea… the half earth grows dark inviting you to rest the hungry earth needs the dreams that only come with depth ~ Rev. Lauren Van Ham, MA Read online here About the Author Born and raised beneath the big sky of the Midwest, Lauren holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Naropa University and The Chaplaincy Institute. Following her ordination in 1999, Lauren served as an interfaith chaplain in both healthcare (adolescent psychiatry and palliative care), and corporate settings (organizational development and employee wellness). Lauren’s passion for spirituality, art and Earth's teachings have supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Her essay, "Way of the Eco-Chaplain," appears in the collection, Ways of the Spirit: Voices of Women; and her work with Green Sangha is featured in Renewal, a documentary celebrating the efforts of religious environmental activists from diverse faith traditions across America. Currently, Lauren tends her private spiritual direction and eco-chaplaincy consulting practice; and serves as Climate Action Coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI), and as guest faculty for several schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader What is the best way to gently question the behavior of a new Pastor who seems to be very fundamentalist in her thinking and does not like to be questioned? A: By Rev. Fran Pratt Dear Reader, I think the answer to this depends on how much energy you have for the conversation. We know arguing rarely changes anyone’s mind. I’m of the opinion that, as the Christ said, “They who have ears to hear, let them hear.” Not everyone is ready to give up fundamentalism. Many people find identity and certainty in that paradigm that comforts them. You can kindly suggest books that advance other ideologies and theologies, but there’s no guarantee she will read them. My advice is to practice forgiveness. Go to John 20 and read the words of the Christ who said “Whatever you forgive is forgiven; whatever you retain is retained.” Sometimes, the best thing we can do is relinquish any illusions of control over other people’s thinking and actions. To forgive is to accept that people are the way they are. I personally would have no tolerance for sitting under the authority and preaching of a pastor whose values and theology don’t align with mine. That’s not to say that pastor is of no worth - certainly she is a beautiful child of God. But my boundary is not to be in tacit support of harmful paradigms, while still maintaining a loving posture toward people whose thinking I dislike. I would say, “peace be with you,” and go somewhere I can remain moored in my own internal peace. Only you can know if you should leave that pastor’s sphere of influence. In my experience, people who are dug into fundamentalist theological paradigms aren’t usually open to change, until some personal experience gives them the insight they need to get curious. Trust the Spirit to speak to Her beloved and give her insight when the time is right. Remain curious and loving, and ground yourself in forgiveness.~ Rev. Fran Pratt Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Fran Pratt is a pastor, writer, musician, and mystic. Making meaningful and beautiful liturgy to be spoken, practiced, and sung, is at the heart of her creative drive. Fran authored a book of congregational litanies, and regularly creates and shares modern liturgy on her website and Patreon. Her prayers are prayed in churches of various sizes and traditions across the globe. She writes, speaks, and consults on melding ancient and new liturgical streams in faith and worship. Fran is Pastor of Worship and Liturgy at Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | | | Don't miss the next Episode of PC.org's Executive Directors Mark and Caleb on: The Moonshine Jesus Show - every Monday at 4:30pm Eastern Time – watch live on Facebook,, YouTube, Twitter, Podbean | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Birth of Jesus, Part XI. Matthew Weaves Together Proof Texts from Isaiah, Micah, Hosea and from an Unknown Source Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong April 11, 2013Christianity was born in the synagogue and the original followers of Jesus were primarily observant Jews. They gathered in the synagogue regularly on the Sabbath for worship. A major part of that worship consisted of reading, learning about and becoming conversant with the sacred scriptures as the Jews understood them. Each Sabbath there were three major scripture readings observed by the synagogue pattern of Jewish worship. The first, the longest and the most important, came from what the Jews called the Torah. This part of the Hebrew Bible was also called “The books of Moses.” In Jesus’ day, it was generally believed that Moses was the author of the Torah books, named Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These writings were the Jewish “Holy of Holies” and in the stricter, more orthodox synagogues, the requirement was that the entire Torah must be read in the synagogue on the Sabbaths of a single year. To accomplish this, the Torah lesson would of necessity consist of the reading of five to six chapters of our present text as the first lesson. It would take a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes to read a passage of that length. In more moderate or “liberal” synagogues this requirement was loosened and the Torah was allowed to be read over a three-year cycle. The second lesson would come from that portion of the Hebrew Bible that the Jews called “The Former Prophets.” These are the books that purport to describe Jewish history after the death of Moses, and include those works known as Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel and I and II Kings. At an earlier point in history, these latter four books were all called the books of Samuel or I, II, III and IV Samuel. It was a later interpolation to call the last two I and II Kings. These books covered Jewish history from the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, around the year 1200 BCE, to the defeat of the nation of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people in the land of Babylon beginning in 586 BCE. They were not as important as the Torah so there was no specific deadline by which to complete them. The third synagogue scripture reading was from what the Jews called “The Latter Prophets.” That title referred to the books we now call Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the books from Hosea to Malachi, which were all on a single scroll and were referred to by the Jews as “The book of the Twelve.” Christians tend to call them “The Minor Prophets.” Please note that Daniel did not come into the canon of Jewish Scripture until about 165 BCE and, as a late arrival, was not generally included in synagogue readings. When one notes the length of these four books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve, we discover that they are about the same length and each tended to be read one chapter a week, one book a year, so the four books would be rotated over a four year cycle.. The singing or reciting of selected psalms would break up and separate the various scripture readings. Following these three readings, the members of the congregation would be invited to comment on the readings. This was the context in which the followers of Jesus began to wrap their memories of Jesus around and into the stories from the sacred text of the Jews. In time, stories originally written about Moses or Elijah would be retrofitted and then retold about Jesus, thus linking him to the spiritual power of his Jewish ancestors. On other occasions, words from one of the prophets or from one of the psalms would illumine an experience they had once had with Jesus and a tradition would be started in which Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures began to meld into each other. We will see this reality occurring over and over as we work through the gospels. For now all I want to demonstrate is that these themes are a major part of the birth narratives and we cannot read them intelligently unless we recognize the process that created them. We have noted already that the story of a wicked king named Pharaoh, who tried to put to death the infant Moses as God’s promised deliverer, was repackaged and told by Matthew as a Jesus story in which a wicked king named Herod tries to put to death God’s promised deliverer named Jesus. Matthew then goes on to wrap his narrative of Jesus around a series of carefully chosen texts that suggest that the history of the Jewish people is somehow being relived through Jesus and that the words of the Hebrew Scriptures find their fulfillment in him. Matthew is much like a country preacher trying to bend the biblical text to the needs of his sermon. In his birth story, Matthew utilizes texts from Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Hosea and, finally, from an unknown or yet to be identified text. I will examine each in brief detail. All of them are, at the very least, enormous stretches in literal accuracy. The first one is Isaiah 7:14 that we have heard numerous times in our Christmas pageants. Out of the darkness or even off stage, the voice of the prophet is heard saying, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.” The first and major problem with Matthew’s use of this text is that he did not quote it accurately. Was this an honest mistake or a deliberate attempt to make the text say what he needed it to say to suit his literary purposes? No one can finally say, but I suspect the latter when I put these words from Isaiah into their original context. Isaiah actually writes in Hebrew: “Behold a young woman is with child!” It is rather difficult to claim one is a virgin when one is expecting a baby. Indeed, the word virgin appears nowhere in this verse from Isaiah. The context is this. Two kings, Pekah from the Northern Kingdom called Israel and Rezin, the king of Syria, are in siege positions outside the walls of Jerusalem. They have made war on Judah and its king named Ahaz, because he has refused to join their alliance against Assyria. Their goal in this war was to topple Ahaz, put a puppet king on to the throne of Judah and then to have Judah’s military strength added to their alliance designed to hold off the Assyrians. King Ahaz is atop the walls of Jerusalem inspecting its defenses when he is met by Isaiah the prophet. First, Isaiah assures the king that Jerusalem will not fall to “these smoldering stumps,” which is what he calls Pekah and Rezin. Ahaz is not convinced. Isaiah then says to him: “Ask a sign of God.” and God will convince you that you will be delivered. Ahaz refuses to ask. Irritated, Isaiah says well you will be given a sign whether you like it or not. “Behold a woman is with child.” This baby soon to be born into the royal household will be the heir to the throne, a sign that this kingdom will endure. Isaiah goes on to say that before this baby is able to eat curds and honey and before he is old enough to choose between good and evil, these kings before whom Ahaz was quaking at this moment will be long gone. The facts of history are that the land of Judah was destined to work out a treaty with Assyria that left Judah a vassal state, but still alive, while both Syria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel were destroyed by Assyria. This text in Isaiah had nothing to do with predicting the birth of the messiah almost 800 years later! Matthew was stretching his interpretive powers wildly by using the text the way he did. The second text from the prophets, which Matthew weaves into his story, comes from Micah. When the wise men (I will discuss them in the next column in this series) stop to ask directions at the palace of King Herod, the king consults his chief priests and scribes to determine where it is that the messiah is to be born. One of the images so important to the Jews was that messiah must be a descendant of King David and thus heir to the Jewish throne. Part of messiah’s task was to restore the throne of King David. Micah the prophet refers to Bethlehem as the town out of which David emerged to rule the land of the Jews. The messiah must follow the same pattern. So in the opening narratives of Matthew, the birth of Jesus was shifted from Nazareth, where he was surely born, to Bethlehem, so that the messianic claim can be made and the words of the prophet Micah affirmed. Next, when Matthew proceeds to tell the story of King Herod slaughtering the boy babies in Bethlehem in his move to destroy the promised deliverer, he relates this to another tragic moment in Jewish history when the Assyrians conquered and destroyed the Northern Kingdom, made up, according to tradition, primarily of the descendants of Joseph, the son of Rachel, who was said to have been Jacob’s favorite wife. Thus Jeremiah portrays Rachel, the tribal mother of the Northern Kingdom, as weeping for her children who are now lost forever. Matthew sees in that story a prediction of the deaths of the children at Herod’s hand. It was not even a close fit. Then Matthew says that when Joseph was forced to flee from Herod’s wrath, he took Mary and the Christ Child to Egypt. Once, God had to call God’s son (the Jewish people) out of Egypt. Now Matthew quotes Hosea, who was referring to Moses and the Exodus, to refer to Jesus, who is also called out of Egypt, since messiah must relive the history of the Jews. In Matthew’s final birth narrative biblical quotation Joseph took Mary and the Christ Child to live in Nazareth. This, Matthew said, was to fulfill the words of the prophet that “he will be called a Nazarene.” Such a prophetic expectation cannot be found anywhere in scripture. The closest we can come to it is in Isaiah 11:1 where the prophet writes “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse (David’s father) and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” It is another text used to prove that messiah must be related to David. The word “branch” in Hebrew is “nazir” or “nezer.” It sounds a bit like Nazareth, but “close” is all Matthew needed. Matthew stretched all of his texts, but this last one was stretched to absolute fantasy. My point is to show how the debate waged in the synagogue as the followers of Jesus sought to understand him, his relationship to the concept of messiah and his relationship to the Jewish Scriptures. We are reading here a first century Jewish interpretation of Jesus. We are not reading history. There is a difference.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements The Future of Christianity 2-Evening Mini Conference Online and In-person Read On ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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10/20/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 20 Oct '22

20 Oct '22

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A new just "popped up" opportunity for all of you
by Sunny Walker 19 Oct '22

19 Oct '22

"Brief" Intro to Social Artistry Capacities from Jan Sanders. Link to information in Drive <https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/195RKG1VPhIxWQ6qGva7ThG7bEMGHqiCI/ed…>or see on the Global Schedule (ICA Archives Events page). On behalf of the Global Schedule Team *Sunny Walker * *She/her/hers* *On **Arapaho, Cheyenne, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) tribal land* Certified Facilitator (Also Certified ToP Facilitator) ToP Methods Mentor Trainer - Upcoming Courses <https://www.top-training.net/w/> Virtual Facilitation Collaborative Senior Facilitator sunny.sunwalker(a)gmail.com 303-587-3017 For virtual facilitation inquiries: sunny(a)virtualfacilitationcollaborative.com www.virtualfacilitationcollaborative.com

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