- Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

HAPPY PUMPKIN MONTH!
by Ellie Stock 10 Oct '22

10 Oct '22

HAPPY PUMPKIN MONTH! Granddaughter, Clara Abigail. Ellie :)elliestock@aol.com

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Indigenous People's Day: Thanksgiving Address
by Ellie Stock 10 Oct '22

10 Oct '22

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY Thanksgiving Address Ganonhanyonh (Words thatCome Before All Else): Haudenosaunee Greetings to the Natural World TheThanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer andinvocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or SixNations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of givingthanks for life and the world around them. The Haudenosaunee open and closeevery social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address. Itis also said as a daily sunrise prayer, and is an ancient message of peace andappreciation of Mother Earth and her inhabitants. The children learn that,according to Native American tradition, people everywhere are embraced asfamily. Our diversity, like all wonders of Nature, is truly a gift for which weare thankful. Whenone recites the Thanksgiving Address the Natural World is thanked, and in thankingeach life-sustaining force, one becomes spiritually tied to each of the forcesof the Natural and Spiritual World. TheThanksgiving Address teaches mutual respect, conservation, love, generosity,and the responsibility to understand that what is done to one part of the Webof Life, we do to ourselves. THE PEOPLE Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles oflife continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony witheach other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one aswe give greetings and thanks to each other as people. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE EARTHMOTHER We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, forshe gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk aboutupon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from thebeginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks. NOW OURMINDS ARE ONE. THE WATERS We give thanks to all the waters of the world forquenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know itspower in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE FISH We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water.They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselvesto us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turnnow to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE PLANTS Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. Asfar as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustainmany life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and lookforward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE FOOD PLANTS With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all theFood Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains,vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other livingthings draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together asone and send them a greeting of thanks. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE MEDICINEHERBS Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world.From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are alwayswaiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us thosespecial few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, wesend greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE ANIMALS We gather our minds together to send greetings andthanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people.We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodiesas food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. Weare glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE THE TREES We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth hasmany families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provideus with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things.Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With onemind, we greet and thank the Tree life. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE BIRDS We put our minds together as one and thank all theBirds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautifulsongs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle waschosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-wesend our joyful greetings and thanks. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE FOUR WINDS We are all thankful to the powers we know as theFour Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us andpurify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. Fromthe four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings andthanks to the Four Winds. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE THUNDERERS Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, theThunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring withthem the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evilthings made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to ourGrandfathers, the Thunderers. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE SUN We now send greetings and thanks to our eldestBrother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west,bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. GRANDMOTHER MOON We put our minds together to give thanks to ouroldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leaderof woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides.By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over thearrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanksto our Grandmother, the Moon. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE STARS We give thanks to the Stars who are spread acrossthe sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light thedarkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel atnight, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we sendgreetings and thanks to the Stars. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE WISDOMKEEPERS We gather our minds to greet and thank the WisdomKeepers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to livein harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. THE CREATOR Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or GreatSpirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everythingwe need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love thatis still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator. NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE. CLOSING WORDS We have now arrived at the place where we end ourwords. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leaveanything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual tosend such greetings and thanks in their own way. NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE. This translation of the Mohawk versionof the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address was developed, published in 1993, andprovided, courtesy of: Six Nations Indian Museum and the Tracking Project Allrights reserved. Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World Englishversion: John Stokes and Kanawahienton (David Benedict, Turtle Clan/Mohawk)Mohawk version: Rokwaho (Dan Thompson, Wolf Clan/Mohawk) Original inspiration:Tekaronianekon (Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan/Mohawk) ~~~~~~~~~~ Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address | Dance For All Peopledanceforallpeople.com/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving...Greetings to the Natural World The Thanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them.

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Fw: THE PRACTICE OF RETREAT Monday, October3, 6:00 pm Chicago Time
by James Wiegel 10 Oct '22

10 Oct '22

We are starting into a series of Mondays looking into RECOVERING ABUNDANCE: 12 practices for small-town (ordinary) leaders. You can browse and buy the book here https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58778793-recovering-abundanceand it is also available on Amazon, Walmart and at Fortress Press in paperback and Kindle editions. A week ago, 15 of us gathered on Zoom to look at the Introduction (click here) and the overall contents of the book. We decided to continue, with different people offering to guide us on different practices. We're gathering at 6:00 pm (Central time) on Mondays starting on October 3. We'll meet via Zoom for an hour and a half or so. Interested? Join us. We'll do a bit of a reprise to get the big picture. Then we will dive into Ch. 1: The Practice of Retreat. Ruth Gilbert is our guide. The author, Andy Stanton-Henry, will be with us again. Here is his website: Recovering Abundance | | | | | | | | | | | Recovering Abundance "What we need is here." -Wendell Berry | | | HERE IS THE SCHEDULE: Introduction 1 Jim Wiegel 6:00 PM (Central time) ( Chicago) October 3: chapter 1: The Practice of Retreat 10 Ruth Gilbert6:00 PM (Central time) ( Chicago) October 10: Chapter 2: The Practice of Discernment 32 Martin Rafanan6:00 PM (Central time) ( Chicago) October 17: Chanter 3: The Practice of Stability 56 Ronnie Seagren, Jim Wiegel6:00 PM (Central time) ( Chicago) October 24: Chapter 4: The Practice of Inventory 77 Sharon Fisher Chapter 5: The Practice of Imagination 97 Chapter 6: The Practice of Organizing 118 Chapter 7: The Practice of Hospitality 137 Chapter 8: The Practice of Grounding 159 Chapter 9: The Practice of Gratitude 179 Chapter 10: The Practice of Generosity 198 Chapter 11: The Practice of Solidarity 217 Chapter 12: The Practice of Memory 239 Here is the Zoom link for Monday, October 3 6 pm Chicago timeJoin Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85869452796?pwd=VGU4SVpGVXBwbUlJNVdYVkxPTmxPUT09 A few excerpts from this first chapter: Come with my by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. Mark 6:31 Have you ever been so caught up in "coming and going" that you didn't have "leisure even to eat"? Sometimes, though, our weariness has nothing to do with manual labor. It has to do with the emotional labor . . .Ordinary leaders have all manner of "lavbors of love" that occupy their minds, break their harts and demand their energy. C. S. Lewis observed in the first half of the twentieth century that "we live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship. Still very true. Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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10/9/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 09 Oct '22

09 Oct '22

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Fw: Monday October 10, 2022. 6:00 pm Chicago time CHAPTER 2 The Practice of Discernment
by James Wiegel 09 Oct '22

09 Oct '22

We are continuing to look into RECOVERING ABUNDANCE 12 Practices for Small-Town Leaders REMINDER: Read Chapter 2: The Practice of DiscernmentMartin Rafanan will be guiding our session If you are interested to join and have not received an invitation, let me know and I will send one Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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OCTOBER Global Schedule Events
by Sunny Walker 08 Oct '22

08 Oct '22

Dear wondrous and ever-learning colleagues, The Global Schedule for October 2022 has several offerings planned already! Our focus this Fall is on multi-part events sharing our learnings and insights. Please check out our offerings at: https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/ We encourage your participation and invite you to *consider offering a presentation, recommending other people to present, or giving feedback by emailing*: icaglobalschedule(a)gmail.com *October 3 -November 23: Common Earth* is holding their Fall sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays in three time slots. This is a FREE 8-week course for those deeply concerned about the climate crisis and growing social and economic inequality. Become a part of the growing community attempting to remove barriers that “prevent us from moving to a post-carbon, caring society”. A hopeful, personally empowering journey. Contact Sarah Patterson at: spatterson(a)commonearth.com or visit www.commonearth.com *BOOK STUDY: On Mondays, October 3-24*, with Martin Rafanan, Ronnie Seagren, and Sharon Fisher leading on October 10, 17, 24. 6PM Central time(US).* Recovering Abundance: 12 practices for small-town (ordinary) leaders**. *Discover a new story for Renewal. Tune in to a new story described by Andy Stanton-Henry through 12 civic-spiritual practices. 4 SESSIONS with Herman Green on* ECOCENTRIC GOVERNANCE AND THE NEW ECOLOGICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT. October 4, 11, 18, 25* 10am Pacific time *OCTOBER 11: Cultural Lab – Social Art and Culture* led by Jan Sanders and David Dunn. Explore the Art of Social Change through the use of ICA’s Social Process Triangles and Jan’s two decades of work with Nepalese colleagues in community development and Social Artistry training. *October 19-November 16: Emerging Civil Society in Authentic Discourse*. Each session focuses on a local Asia Pacific successful or ongoing case study. Explore experiences and deepen discourse toward peace and authentic respect. *NOTE*: Tri-lingual support is offered in English, Chinese and Korean* 4AM Central time.* *October 23-39 : Africa ICA Conference* Africa is on the rise. The theme is Harnessing the Potential of the African Continent in Facilitating Sustainable Development. Click on this link to see the schedule of events and register: https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/ *Sunny Walker* *on behalf of the Global Schedule Team * *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 For Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging inquiries: sunny(a)diversityinnovators.com <sunny(a)diversityinnovators.com>

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Fwd: Fall Gardening
by Sunny Walker 08 Oct '22

08 Oct '22

I saw this from my local garden group just after Ann's poem. Likely not a coincidence.. Sunny Walker, Certified Professional Facilitator | Emeritus Certified ToP Facilitator ToP Mentor Trainer 303-587-3017 sunny(a)virtualfacilitationcollaborative.com ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Jovial Gardens <info(a)jovialconcepts.org> Date: Fri, Oct 7, 2022, 5:29 AM Subject: Fall Gardening To: <sunny.sunwalker(a)gmail.com> 🌱 Jovial Gardens View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/7d001180d8cc/seed-saving-5251833?e=b38f957975> * Leaf Chromatography and Pumpkin Painting!* Leaf chromatography is an experiment that allows us to see the colorful pigments that leaves have hidden inside them. The green leaf color is the chlorophyll, which helps plants absorb the yellow and blue wavelengths of light. Chlorophyll is the main pigment used for photosynthesis, or harvesting energy from sunlight for food for the plants! There are two types of Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll A: Blueish Green Pigment Chlorophyll B: Yellowish- Green Pigment. In the fall, chlorophyll begins to break down, and the other pigments, which have been there all along, are finally revealed. Yellow leaves have pigments called Xanthophyll, orange leaves have a pigment called Carotenoids. Anthocyanins give leaves their intense red and purple pigments. This was a fun experiment for the kids to understand what roll the pigments play in the leaves and plants. The kids then enjoyed decorating their spooky pumpkins! <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> Fall Cider <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> A warm spiced drink with Honey, Apples, Cinnamon, and Cloves for cool fall weather *Harvesting Potatoes* <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> Cover Crops 101 Cover crops are incredibly useful little plants and you should utilize them whenever you have empty space in your gardens and don't plan on planting anything new. They help maintain ideal helpful levels of organic matter and Nitrogen. *Benefits of Cover Crops* - Cover crops reduce erosion of your soil. Having plants in the ground anchors and protects the dirt from rain and wind! - They help combat pesky weeds by already occupying that space. - They keep your soil healthy, encouraging healthy mycorrhizae, critters, and help the soil retain water! If you plant a legume they'll even add nitrogen! How to decide on a cover crop? Winter rye (*Secale cereale)* is one of the most hardy cover crops and can be seeded now and worked into the soil in early spring. Hairy vetch,(*Vicia villosa) *is another very common cover crop which can withstand snowcover! - Here is a great source of general information about cover crops. <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> - Here's a good list of ground cover plants for Colorado. <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> Lastly, be sure to pull your cover crop before it seeds! Don't want all these plants popping up where you don't want them! There are a ton of Fall Events going on around Colorado. Don't forget u-pick farms and orchards for your own harvest! *Here are some links to events around Colorado. * https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Community-Resources/Arts-an… https://kdvr.com/news/local/ultimate-list-of-colorado-fall-events-for-2022/ https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/fall-winter/festivals-events/ https://www.colorado.com/articles/fall-festivals-colorado https://www.milehighonthecheap.com/pick-your-own-farms-orchards-denver/ https://www.pickyourown.org/CO.htm <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> [image: Twitter] <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> [image: Facebook] <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> [image: Website] <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> *Copyright © 2022 Jovial Concepts, Inc., All rights reserved.* You opted in on our website or at an event. *Our mailing address is:* Jovial Concepts, Inc. 5045 W. 1st Ave Denver, CO 80219 Add us to your address book <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/vcard?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa1c7e9f…> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/profile?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa1c7e…> or unsubscribe from this list <https://JovialConcepts.us3.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=e0245e7987b40a87fa…> . [image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…>

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Ann Harrison Avery
by PAUL SCHRIJNEN 07 Oct '22

07 Oct '22

Desmond Avery writes: Ann Harrison Avery, 16 December 1940 - 25 September 2022 Full of gratitude for Ann’s life, we sang ‘For all the the saints’ at her funeral in our local church in rural England the day before yesterday. The church was full, and everybody knew the tune. In his eulogy Paul Schrijnen read this poem Ann had written one previous October: Autumn Joy I like to shuffle through the leaves yellow and brown Beauty all over the ground. I could just keep on looking down. But then I look up at the branches Where the last leaves linger just a few days longer still some green with yellow and gold each tree different black trunk's shape showing through as the tree undresses gradually. Soon it will stand, stark naked against the sky. I remember autumns in other times and other places. - Red maples in a Toronto cemetery, - Virginia creeper in Geneva as scarlet as in Wellingore - Red sumac in Chattanooga on a red-clay lot as it is now on our green garden - A golden forest in a park south of Paris. My mother's birthday is in October - is that why I love autumn? Or is it, that I love the fact, that the colours are always present in the leaf Hidden beneath the chlorophyll, And the idea that the colours of our lives are always within us, waiting to blaze forth as the greenness of youth recedes? The colours are doing just that here now.

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Re: [Dialogue] A photocopy of Joseph Mathews' graduate thesis
by James Wiegel 07 Oct '22

07 Oct '22

Herman Greene is connected into that network Cobb, process philosophy, etc. I am currently enrolled in a course he is leading on living in the Anthropocene era. Jim Wiegel “…the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. Come and let us talk“. The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver > On Oct 6, 2022, at 11:26 PM, rev.bud(a)mac.com wrote: > > Might I suggest that one possible place for JWM’s thesis be the website Religion Online. If I understand R O’s current status, in has been put in the hands of Clarmont School of Theology, and possibly with John Cobb. If any of you out there are in touch with John Cobb, would you say so. I think Cobb would be interested in this attempt to resurrect JWM’s thesis. As well as being the major voice for the Whiteheadian Process theology, Cobb is in the Wesleyan tradition. I think he could be intrigued by an existentialist slant on Wesley. Cobb at 93 would be a contemporary of Matthews > > https://www.religion-online.org/ > Religion Online began with American teachers who were teaching in the ’third world’ and finding text books out of the price range of their students. Putting the thesis here would also make it available to persons world-wide who have been influenced by Matthews and his EI/ICA work. > > See also Thomas Oord: > https://www.religion-online.org/article/types-of-wesleyan-philosophy-the-ge… > > Bud Tillinghast > One who visited CFLC in Easter ’61 only to find the crew I was looking for was just off to Chicago. > >> On 7 Oct 2022, at 00:22, W. J. via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: >> >> Friends, I actually read most of chapter 1 of JWM's dissertation, which is a long haul. (OK, so I speed-read the last part!) >> So here are my thoughts and questions. >> First, does anybody know what happened to the actual boxed hard copy I saw in the Archives office? >> Second, does anybody know whether Wesley Theological Seminary has a hard copy in their JWM archive collection? >> Third, can anyone confirm, correct, or elaborate on the story I heard from Marge (I think) about how JWM refused to 'tweak' his dissertation, and thus never got his Ph.D. degree? Or tell us anything else they know about the origin and/or transmission of the manuscript? >> I would love to hear about this from LiDonna, Sarah B., Fishel, Lingo, Gilles, Walters, Gene, Beret, Aimee, or any others still alive whose memory goes back as far as CFLC and the early days of EI. And anyone else who may have heard this story from Marge. >> Fourth: My own somewhat vague memory is that JWM wrote this at Yale for H. Richard Niebuhr. Is that accurate? >> (see The Founders – ICA Social Research Center) >> Fifth, how can we date the completion/rejection/abandonment of JWM's dissertation? I would guess that it was while he was teaching at Colgate Rochester as an ABD faculty member. Is there a date on the ms. or some kind of documentation? >> Sixth, is there a copyright notice, and if so, who owns the copyright? >> Seventh, who added the running page header that says "Chapter one mathews"? >> It just doesn't strike me as being part of the original typescript. >> Now, for the icing on this cake! >> I for one would vote to do all we can to reconstruct and correct the minutae of JWM's dissertation and produce a .pdf that could be widely available. Perhaps as a freely available document on a theological dissertation website. Or perhaps we could reformat the text with added section subheads (you know, they did that to English translations of the Bible! those subheads are not in the original Greek and Hebrew!) and even add a contemporary Forward. >> Or even publish it on Amazon! >> At age 82 I always contemplate the option of Doing Nothing! So we could just do nothing more with the JWM dissertation. >> Plus, at 82 I'm aware of the mantra, 'Just do it now!' Or maybe later will be too late! >> Because, starting many years ago, it was not considered exactly missionally relevant. Even by JWM. He just moved on. And perhaps he considered all that effort to complete his Ph.D. a misfire. Or a most unfortunate fire! Or whatever. >> But I encourage us to think in terms of this (admittedly bad) analogy: imagine that Picasso doodled a face on a napkin. It's still a Picasso! >> (Please let me know if you have any of his napkins.) >> So here's what I got from reading (more or less) chapter 1. >> We may not actually care very much about how John Wesley used his classical 18th century education and intelligence to understand and describe the human condition in relation to his grasp of the nature of the physical universe and his personal relationship with Ultimate Reality. >> But Joe Mathews did. >> So if you read his dissertation, what you get is Joe's 20th century theological lens applied to understand Wesley's theological world. >> I would venture to add that, IMHO, Mathews has added a significant voice or POV to Wesley scholarship, getting inside Wesley's construction of intimate human reality by placing Wesley's words in the context of his functioning intellectual universe of Western scholarship (from Hume to Descartes to Aquinas, etc.). >> Mathews is charting Wesley's understanding of epistemology (including his perception of divine activity in human experience) and his theological anthropology. >> It's Mathews' reading of Wesley's theological formulation of his personal process of his deepening, transformative experience of 'sanctification'. >> And, of course, it sounds more like Mathews' existentialist theological lingo than Wesley's 18th century theological formulations. >> For example, "the naked givenness of the impression" just doesn't sound like it was plucked from a Wesley sermon! >> In a nutshell, Mathews is 'decoding' Wesley for twentieth century scholarly readers. (Who else reads Wesley's sermons? I ask. Raise your hands, please! I thought so.) >> Maybe that's why it didn't pass muster with HRNiebuhr! >> Anyway, enough blah-blah-blah. >> I vote for resurrecting this hidden/undiscovered gem for the few remaining authentic Wesley scholars to chew on. And/or spit up. >> Any others of us are welcome to join in the fun by charting it. >> Marshall >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Links in the message (1) >> >> The Founders – ICA Social Research Center >> On Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 09:13:01 AM EDT, James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> >> >> Has anyone looked at Slicker's master's thesis? He mentioned it as his formulation of RS-1 when we visited him in 2007 >> 23 Joe Slicker My Masters Degree was RS 1 >> >> >> 23 Joe Slicker My Masters Degree was RS 1 >> >> >> The thought has crossed my mind . . . I wonder whether Joe's approach -- Ecumenical Institute approach -- more on the ethical side, almost coming at theology as an anthropological study -- remember the quote to Msgr. Egan -- we tried to show the church it was about humanness . . . sort of put him outside "real" theology in an academic sense -- or maybe it was just having to type it over again?? >> >> Jim Wiegel >> >> The unknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plain sailing. John Lennon >> >> >> 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 >> 623-363-3277 >> jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com >> www.partnersinparticipation.com >> >> >> On Monday, October 3, 2022 at 10:04:14 AM MST, David Dunn via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: >> >> >> Hi Marshall, Karen and colleagues. >> >> >> I’ve done a quick comparison of the four documents in the Archive (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/. >>>> >>>> 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. >> >> >> — >> >> <DMD email sig photo small-Nov2012.jpg> >> >> "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose" >> >> David Dunn >> 740 S Alton Way 9B >> Denver, CO 80247 >> 720-314-5991 >> dmdunn1(a)gmail.com >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Dialogue mailing list >> Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net >> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net >> >> <DMD email sig photo small-Nov2012.jpg>_______________________________________________ >> Dialogue mailing list >> Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net >> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net >

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10/06/2022, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Roger Wolsey: The Jig Is Up; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 06 Oct '22

06 Oct '22

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screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2064117735 #yiv2064117735templateBody .yiv2064117735mcnTextContent, #yiv2064117735 #yiv2064117735templateBody .yiv2064117735mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2064117735 #yiv2064117735templateFooter .yiv2064117735mcnTextContent, #yiv2064117735 #yiv2064117735templateFooter .yiv2064117735mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Jig Is Up | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Roger Wolsey October 6, 2022The 1960s and ’70s were a time of great social change in the United States. Racial desegregation was officially ended. The Civil and Voting Rights Acts were passed. The two major political parties switched platforms and agendas. Women’s Liberation and Gay Pride were on the rise and a sexual revolution took place, culminating in “The Summer of Love.” In concert with all of this was a profound movement of young people challenging the status quo in many ways – including pushing back against the war in Vietnam. The voting age had been lowered to 18 and many bras and draft cards were being burned. And the US Supreme Court passed the Roe v. Wade ruling. In the eyes of some, the “American way of life” was under attack. What such people meant by this is that they feared that the era of privilege and power for straight, white, wealthy, capitalist men might soon pass unless it becomes vigorously defended. In response, a cabal of far-right conservative politicians and conservative evangelical leaders conspired to bamboozle the masses into thinking that American Christianity needed a revival – and specifically, a revival to get as many Christians as possible to shift their understanding of Christianity such that it was reduced to mean embracing a specific culture that has strong stances controlling human behavior. It wasn’t about theology, it was about imposing specific values. The Moral Majority was formed in large part to trick Christians into thinking that embracing certain, so-called, “family values” is what it meant to be a Christian. Biblically speaking, they sought to get people to think that being anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-marijuana, and pro-capitalism, pro-gun, and pro-American empire is the “shibboleth" for authentic Christianity. It was a call for Christian nationalism. Instead of being a movement of the Holy Spirit it was a mass act of blasphemy, idolatry, and apostate backsliding. An excellent article in Politico.com Magazine supports my assertions and provides details. Billy Graham warned, “It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." Despite that warning, the Southern Baptist Convention was hijacked by fundamentalists in the early 1980s and that denomination became the largest Protestant denomination in the country. Many independent congregations also popped up in storefronts, and in time, as big box mega churches. What they frequently share in common is a wedding of the false gospel of wealth and prosperity and indoctrination into conservative “family values.” In tandem, the Republican party was rebranded - a la Ronald Reagan, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell - as being “God’s Own Party.” Tragically, to this day, many American Christians think that if you’re a Christian you must vote Republican. Simultaneous to all of this was the creation of the Institute for Religion and Democracy – a conservative think tank and political action organization. That organization, funded by far-right conservatives such as Adolph Coors, etc., seeks to undermine the remaining major Protestant denominations – which have tended to be centrist, if not liberal politically. Their mission is to cause conflict, strife, and confusion, divide and conquer, and thus render impotent the prophetic “speaking truth to power’ wings of those denominations. The Wesleyan Covenant Association is the tentacle of the IRD “Hydra” within the United Methodist Church – the denomination of which I am a member and serve as a pastor. Followers of this newsletter are likely aware that the United Methodist Church hasn’t been ”united” in quite some time, and that the denomination is experiencing a split regarding the reality of homosexuality. A new splinter denomination has formed this past spring and it is likely that 10% or more of the UM congregations in the U.S. will defect to that conservative group which doesn’t embrace LGBTQ persons. The new “Global Methodist Church” was intended to yoke the conservative (divided) Methodists in the U.S. with the majority of Methodists in Africa and South America. But reality hit. Leaders of the UM Church in Africa have balked and are indicating that they may not wish to split after all. They woke up and smelled the proverbial coffee. “African bishops claimed the Africa Initiative has ‘lost its original goal of helping The United Methodist Church in Africa’ and instead is ‘working with Wesleyan Covenant Association to destroy our United Methodist Church." And, just a few weeks later, a major study conducted by evangelical Christians in the U.S. came out indicating that 65% of American evangelicals reject original sin; 74% don’t believe the Bible should be read literally; 56% believe God accepts the worship of world religions; nearly half (48%) believe that God changes; and nearly half (43%) deny that Jesus was divine. And yet over 90% have consensus that abortion is wrong and that sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is wrong. Certain conservative leaders within the Divided Methodist Church have been claiming that they aren’t leaving because of views about homosexuality, but rather, that they’re leaving because ‘too many United Methodists hold unacceptable theological stances.’ Clearly, Conservative Evangelical Christians in the U.S. have overplayed their hand. They have discovered that their eyes were bigger than their stomachs and that they are more hat than cattle. No, what is true is that even evangelical Christians aren’t heeding to conservative notions of normative doctrine and theology. What is true is that it’s clear for all to see that the real reason that they are leaving is because of their bigotry, especially their homophobia – and sex phobia in general. “I’m reminded of the movie Footloose (1984) where young Kevin Bacon’s character challenges the strict religious values and traditions of a small town in Texas that has banned dancing. Which in turn reminds me of the joke, “Why are fundamentalists opposed to premarital sex? Because it might lead to dancing!” (Excerpt from my forthcoming book, “Discovering Fire,” p. 18, Chapter 4)What’s clear is that few people wish to be part of “churches” which seek to control, judge, and exclude people who they know Jesus loves and embraces. I’ll close with the words of the late poet Edwin Markham:“He drew a circle that shut me out- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him In!” and those of George Orwell,“They fear love because it creates a world they can’t control.” ~ Rev. Roger WolseyRead online here About the Author Rev. Roger Wolsey is a United Methodist pastor who resides in Grand Junction, CO. Roger is author of Kissing Fish: Christianity for people who don’t like Christianity and blogs for Patheos as The Holy Kiss and serves on the Board of Directors of ProgressiveChristianity.Org. Roger became “a Christian on purpose” during his college years and he experienced a call to ordained ministry two years after college. He values the Wesleyan approach to the faith and, as a certified spiritual director, he seeks to help others grow and mature. Roger enjoys yoga; playing trumpet; motorcycling; and camping with his son. He served as the Director of the Wesley Foundation campus ministry at the University of Colorado in Boulder for 14 years, and has served as pastor of churches in Minnesota, Iowa, and currently serves as the pastor of Fruita UMC in Colorado, and also serves as the "CRM" (Congregational Resource Minister/Church Consultant) for the Utah/Western Colorado District of the Mountain Sky Conference. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Millie My faith seems to constantly be changing. I think it is mostly changing for the better. Some of my more conservative friends seem to think my faith should be more “rock solid” than that. Is it OK to have a frequently changing faith? A: By Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin Dear Millie,I'd go as far as to say not only is it OK, it is essential. I mean, if we are not pleased with how things are or who we are, we need to experience change in order to live a better life, to expand our spirituality, to find greater happiness, to help create a better world. It's just a reality of life, in order to have a better life, our current life must be transformed, be changed. It's true even down to the cellular level. You see, every 80 days or so our bodies replace 30 trillion cells, that is the equivalent of an entirely new you. Life, it would seem only truly exists within the context of change. That is certainly true of our spiritual lives. A healthy spiritual life is about constantly striving to grow into a more compassionate, more caring person who offers their unique gifts in the service of a larger whole. That is impossible without change. Change offers us the possibility of growing beyond our current limitations into the fullness of our divine potential.~ Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He currently serves at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. Mark also serves as the President and Co-executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org. 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 Podcast The Moonshine Jesus Show is on Mondays at 4:30pm ET. Follow Mark on Facebook and Twitter @marksandlin. | | | | | | | | 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 IX. Was There Scandal at the Manger? Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong February 12, 2013The prologue to Matthew’s gospel, which also serves to introduce the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth, is now complete. Matthew writing as he does to the members of a traditional Jewish community, who were also the followers of Jesus, has grounded the life of Jesus deeply into Jewish history. Jesus is the son of Abraham, the heir of King David, in a line produced by those who had lived the various stages of Jewish life. The Jews were a people who had been born free in the persons of the great patriarchs, driven by famine into the land of Egypt where they descended into slavery, broke free once more in the Exodus, wandered through the wilderness reclaiming what they believed was their promised land, established a lasting monarchy, were torn by secession and civil wars, defeated in battle at the hands of the Babylonians and exiled to a foreign land where they believed the songs of Zion could never be sung again. Then, years later, they were finally allowed to return to their homeland, rebuild their ruins, including their holy city of Jerusalem, and even revive their ancient calling to be “a blessing to the nations of the world.” These were the people who produced Jesus, Matthew was saying. It was in this life of Jesus that Matthew believed was to be vested “the hope of the Jews.”In his stage-setting genealogy, however, Matthew had also begun to respond to the critics of Jesus, who at this time were identified primarily with the Orthodox party of the Jewish world. What was the content of their attack on Jesus? I think we find hints of that in various places in the New Testament to which I will turn when we have stitched together the content of this criticism. Then I believe we will discover Matthew’s motive for developing the story of Jesus’ origins in the way that he did. Most especially we will be able to understand just why Matthew included in his genealogy the references to those I have called the “shady ladies,” which suggests that the line that produced Jesus also flowed through incest, prostitution, seduction and adultery.Religion has always been in the business of control. That is why those who cannot abide by its rules face ostracism and excommunication. The religious lines of power are clear. God reveals the divine law to the religious leaders. These religious leaders then claim for themselves alone the power to interpret and to enforce those rules. This means that to disobey the rules is not just to disobey the religious leaders, but it is also to disobey the God who has chosen and empowered these leaders. A religious troublemaker is, therefore, the most direct threat to ecclesiastical power. Religious reformers and religious visionaries are thus thought of as dangerous people. They challenge the security around which the religious community is organized. That is why reformers are banished, tortured and executed, sometimes by being burned at the stake. Prior to this “final” solution, visionaries are frequently attacked personally, becoming the victims of character assassination. One of the ways this character assassination was accomplished in Jewish society in the first century was to attack the reformer or the visionary’s legitimacy. A base-born person might be prone, they assumed, to struggle against the religious rules that defined him or her as untrustworthy.That is why there is so much discussion in the gospel tradition about the “origins’ of Jesus. He was not thought of by the religious hierarchy as a legitimate religious leader. He came from Galilee! Search the scriptures; nowhere will you find a hint that a messiah would rise from Galilee. He hailed from the town of Nazareth. That was “on the wrong side of the tracks.” Nothing good could come out of Nazareth. Where did this man get his knowledge, his power? We know his family, his mother, his brothers and his sisters. Echoes of his inadequate origins are found throughout the gospel tradition. Some even suggested that he might be possessed by demons! “By the power of Beelzebub, he casts out demons,” is the way they put it.Mark, the earliest gospel to be written, makes these charges overt. In chapter three of that first gospel, in which there is no birth story, the family of Jesus is portrayed as becoming alarmed at the reputation that Jesus was accumulating. Believing him to be “beside himself,” that is, out of his mind, his mother and his brothers actually come to take him away. They are rebuked by Jesus who announces that his real family, his real mother and siblings are not his birth and blood relatives, but those who hear the word of God and do it.By the time one arrives at chapter six of Mark, these charges have finally been identified with Jesus’ questionable paternity. A member of the crowd shouts, “Is not this the carpenter?” Note that Joseph has never been mentioned. Jesus is the carpenter in the first gospel to be written. This nameless voice in the crowd then goes on with this identification process and says, “Is not this the son of Mary, the mother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon and are not his sisters here with us?” Then Mark says: “They took offense at him.”Three things must be noted here. First, to call an adult Jewish male the son of his mother was a deliberate insult. It carries with it the implication that his paternity is unknown, that his father is compromised, missing or not identified. It is a charge of being illegitimate. The second thing is that this is the only time that the mother of Jesus is identified by the name “Mary” in any Christian writing before the ninth decade. The final thing to note is that in this, the earliest record we have about the family of Jesus, no father, earthly or otherwise, is mentioned. Joseph does not enter the Christian story until we get to Matthew in the ninth decade and when he is introduced, his role is to name the child and thus to legitimize him.Another hint of Jesus’ questionable paternity is found in the Song of Mary, called “The Magnificat,” recorded only by Luke. In that song, God is said “to have regarded the low estate of his handmaiden” and to have turned her to a state of blessedness. God exalted her, who was of “low degree.” There was no status of lower degree or lower estate in first century Jewish society than an unmarried woman expecting a child.A third scriptural hint that rumors were abroad about Jesus’ questionable paternity is found in the Fourth Gospel in which, once again, the subject is the inadequate origins of Jesus that disqualify him from being able to make the messianic claim that was clearly being made for him. In this passage someone in the crowd shouts at Jesus, “We were not born of fornication.” (John 8:41). The clear presumption of this speaker is that Jesus was.So with Jesus’ origins under attack, with innuendos abroad that he was base-born, a bastard, if you will, and that this is what actually caused him to be a troublemaker, Matthew decides to come to his defense. He will argue that far from being base-born, his life was born holy. God is his father. So, borrowing a popular Mediterranean tradition, which attributed personal greatness to divine origins and to virgin births, Matthew created the narrative of Jesus’ miraculous birth. He then searched the scriptures to find a prophetic text that might point in this direction. He found a verse in Isaiah (7:14). It did not fit but, like many fundamentalists do today, Matthew edited it to make it fit. The text literally said in Hebrew, a young woman is with child. Translated into Greek, the Hebrew word for woman, “almah,” was rendered “parthenos,” in which there is a connotation of virginity, but the phrase “a virgin is with child” is a bit of an oxymoron, so Matthew altered the verse to make it read: “a virgin will conceive.” On the basis of this forced and incorrect rendition of this text, Matthew built the first story of the virgin birth of Jesus to appear in Christian history.The text in Isaiah actually grew out of a time in the 8th century BCE when the city of Jerusalem was under siege by the combined armies of Syria and the Northern Kingdom. The prophet Isaiah wanted to provide a sign to assure Judah’s King Ahaz that Jerusalem would not fall to these enemies and that the Jewish nation would go on. His reference was to the current pregnancy of a woman in the royal family, probably the daughter in law of King Ahaz. The birth of her royal child would be a sign that the nation would endure and that the House of David would not be destroyed. His re-assuring words were: “A woman is with child.” The context makes it obvious that this verse did not apply to someone who would be born 750 years later!Matthew, as a follower of Jesus, was convinced of the holiness of Jesus’ life and of the reality of his experience that God was in and with Jesus in a deep and dramatic way. So he crafted the virgin birth story to support that thesis. Matthew, however, must have known that his reasoning was weak. He was enough of a student of the Hebrew Scriptures to know that the text he had chosen would not bear the weight he had assigned to it. So, in the prologue, he covered his other bases. This life is holy. This life is of God. This life is God’s promised messiah, but if you are not persuaded by my argument from scripture, I want you to know that whatever were the circumstances surrounding his birth, God is capable of bringing holiness through any set of human compromises. Out of a line that contained incest, prostitution, seduction and adultery, this holy life of God has emerged. It is thus a powerful story.Matthew will continue to wrap the Jewish scriptures around Jesus for the rest of his birth narrative. As he does so, the history of the Jewish people and the characters out of that ancient Jewish story re-emerge to bear their witness. Those who possess Jewish eyes will be able to see them. Among these characters will be Moses, the Pharaoh, Joseph the patriarch, Rachel, Isaiah, the Queen of Sheba, Balaam, Balak, Jesse, David, Hosea, Elijah and Joshua. Matthew’s gospel in general, but the birth narrative in particular, must be read through a Jewish lens.To these other texts and biblical characters, we will turn when this series resumes.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements The Wisdom of the Body Buddhist teacher Reginald Ray describes the body as “the last unexplored wilderness.” For the desert monks of the Christian tradition, the wilderness is the place where we can have a radical and intimate encounter with the divine. Join Christine Valters Paintner on Zoom, Saturday, October 22, from 9 am – 12 pm Pacific, 12 – 3 pm Eastern, 5 – 8 pm Ireland & UK time. The e-workshop will also be recorded so that those who cannot attend live can view it at their convenience. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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