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Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] TWC and selfcare
by Robertson Work 16 Jul '22

16 Jul '22

Wonderful to hear about your work with the Denver ANCA and the summer film series, Milan. I appreciate that Linda reminds us often on Facebook of the number of days left to radically reduce carbon in the atmosphere in this critical decade. We can each make a positive difference in the lives of those around us and in our own life. And as Margaret Wheatley says, we each need an "island of sanity" to live on and with while we do what we can and enjoy this precious life. Robertson Work Earth activist and author Books and bio: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF ________________________________ From: Milan Hamilton <mellowmilan2(a)gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2022 11:04 AM To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: ICA Dialogue <Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Robertson Work <warkers(a)msn.com> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] TWC and selfcare Thanks for the encouragement Rob. We here in Redlands are working with the Denver ANCA model, thanks to my lovely wife, Linda. Your mention of Doughnut Economics brought up the summer film series we are doing here. The first two got good reception and brought out some new volunteers: Facing Adversity, Choosong Earth, Choosing Life, the Duane Elgin film, and Breaking Boundaries, narrated by David Attenborough. The August preview will be The Sequel, based on David Fleming’s work, features briefly Raworth an Doughnut Econimics. Milan Sent from my iPhone On Jul 16, 2022, at 7:48 AM, Robertson Work via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: Dear colleagues, In these chaotic, stressful times, we often dwell in warm memories of the past, sadness in the present, or dread of the future. Our OE/ICA teachings invite us, as you well know, to live in the present in mystery, consciousness, care, and tranquility, and to help create a better future through our every thought, word, and deed. I know that some of my colleagues are doing or supporting wonderful initiatives to awaken people to climate change adaptation and mitigation, such as in the Denver region, help the homeless, such as Kaze Gadway in Albuquerque, defend women's rights and representational democracy, and much more. I would love to know what you are doing, are planning to do, or hoping to do, so that we can learn from and support one another. One small example, in the past few months I have been part of a group of local citizens here in the mountains of western North Carolina discussing and taking action in the Swannanoa watershed to create a safe, just, social and economic foundation and space for all the people while not overshooting the ecological ceiling. We are using the model of Doughnut Economics developed by Kate Raworth of the UK. I understand that Karen Troxel and Jan Sanders discussed this model in a recent ICA calendar event. Sometimes I use ToP methods with the group. You might be interested in using the Doughnut in your local area. The model is attached to this email. Please let me know if you would like further info. Of course, whatever we are doing or not doing, we need to take good care of our body-mind to stay present, grateful, happy, and healthy. For example, I practice mindful breathing throughout each day to care for myself so that I might be available to help others. What are some of your practices of self care? In love and gratitude for this life, Rob Robertson Work Earth activist and author Books and bio: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazo…> [doughnut-economics-summary-doughnut-model.jpg]_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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TWC and selfcare
by Robertson Work 16 Jul '22

16 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, In these chaotic, stressful times, we often dwell in warm memories of the past, sadness in the present, or dread of the future. Our OE/ICA teachings invite us, as you well know, to live in the present in mystery, consciousness, care, and tranquility, and to help create a better future through our every thought, word, and deed. I know that some of my colleagues are doing or supporting wonderful initiatives to awaken people to climate change adaptation and mitigation, such as in the Denver region, help the homeless, such as Kaze Gadway in Albuquerque, defend women's rights and representational democracy, and much more. I would love to know what you are doing, are planning to do, or hoping to do, so that we can learn from and support one another. One small example, in the past few months I have been part of a group of local citizens here in the mountains of western North Carolina discussing and taking action in the Swannanoa watershed to create a safe, just, social and economic foundation and space for all the people while not overshooting the ecological ceiling. We are using the model of Doughnut Economics developed by Kate Raworth of the UK. I understand that Karen Troxel and Jan Sanders discussed this model in a recent ICA calendar event. Sometimes I use ToP methods with the group. You might be interested in using the Doughnut in your local area. The model is attached to this email. Please let me know if you would like further info. Of course, whatever we are doing or not doing, we need to take good care of our body-mind to stay present, grateful, happy, and healthy. For example, I practice mindful breathing throughout each day to care for myself so that I might be available to help others. What are some of your practices of self care? In love and gratitude for this life, Rob Robertson Work Earth activist and author Books and bio: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF

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7/14/2022, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Gretta Vosper: What the hell?; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 14 Jul '22

14 Jul '22

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and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 .yiv6626033066mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent, #yiv6626033066 .yiv6626033066mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templatePreheader{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templatePreheader .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent, #yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templatePreheader .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateHeader .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent, #yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateHeader .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateBody .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent, #yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateBody .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateFooter .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent, #yiv6626033066 #yiv6626033066templateFooter .yiv6626033066mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | What the hell? | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Gretta Vosper July 14, 2022While at theological college, a challenge seized with an eager ferocity, was the imperative attributed to theologian Karl Barth that we preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. We, some of whom may not have paid quite enough attention to what ministers actually did before packing ourselves off to seminary, believed we were the first generation to ever hear that bold challenge as clearly as it had been made. We, better than any of the ministers who had stepped into the pulpits of the past, would bring the word of God to the joys and sorrows of the headlines, reminding our parishioners that faith wasn’t about what happened long, long ago in a dusty backwater far, far away, but what is happening right here, right now, in our hearts, our relationships, our families, communities, countries, and the world. Barth, however, had made it clear that our task wasn’t to just address the issues of the day; it was to engage those issues through the strength and power of the Bible. We were to wrestle with the realities that wrestled with our communities by exploring them through the biblical text, its stories, its central themes, and its greater truths. It wasn’t good enough to just take a position on a local rights issue or a growing global crisis. As those invested with the responsibility of interpreting the Bible for our times, we were to return to that Bible with weekly regularity and build our contemporary position on its ancient words and promises. The rise of the use of the Common Lectionary – now the Revised Common Lectionary – made the challenge Barth set for clergy awfully difficult. The lectionary is a collection of texts sorted and set out for use in congregations over the course of three years rather colourlessly named “A”, “B”, and “C”. It includes the major festivals – Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, etc. – weaves through both testaments, the psalms, and epistles, and is meant to put the significant elements of the biblical story before congregations on a cyclical basis. (Which is why it had to be revised rather early in its history: the first team of experts forgot there were women in the Bible. Tut. Tut.[1]) Some clergy use the lectionary as a disciplinary measure, driving them away from their favourite texts and forcing them to address some of the more challenging elements of the biblical narrative. Since its initial incarnation as the Common Lectionary in 1983, the use of a shared lectionary has quickly become the norm in mainline pulpits and its use favoured in theological seminaries. I once spoke with a theological graduate who hadn’t been told that the lectionary was a tool, not a requirement, so prevalent has its engagement become. But imagine trying to explore some of today’s headlines using a set of texts chosen in an overly-lit, windowless room in an urban ecclesial office building far away from any imagining of whatever hell might break out at any moment or several years in the future. This week, the US reels from an Independence Day mass shooting and the implications of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade by a predominantly Christian Supreme Court; Russian military forces continue to bomb Ukraine, directing military attacks toward civilian neighbourhoods, universities, and essential public infrastructure; the collapse of a glacier due to climate change in Italy kills seven hikers while Canada’s Northwest Territories evacuate communities from waters rising as the result of extreme heat; several ministers in the UK government resign after it is made known that their leader didn’t think allegations of sexual misconduct made someone unsuitable for the role of party whip – and that leader finally, but indignantly, resigns; the Israeli government refuses to release the body of a deceased Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli soldiers just weeks after their killing of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the violent disruption of her funeral procession; millions of Somalis brace for another famine ten years after 250,000 died of hunger; Cebu City in the Philippines is flooded, yet again. Etcetera. Etcetera. With all that in one hand, what would you want your minister to have in the other to help you wrestle with the realities gripping this little blue-maybe-turning-brownish dot we share? The lectionary gives you this (some of you will have heard one or more of these readings on July 10th): - Sara learns she’s going to have a child in her dotage - the psalmist reminds those who despise evildoers that they get the prize – easily interpreted as a nod-of-the-hat to the self-righteous - Paul, who apparently knows little to nothing of Jesus, shares his vast understanding of the Christ and his willingness to suffer for him - and Jesus puts Martha in her place when she gripes about having to do all the work (thanks for that, bro’) There are a couple of other readings – a piece from Amos that would sear the skin off anyone even thinking of doing something they might regret and another nod-of-the-hat kind of psalm wherein the righteous are encouraged to taunt the evil-doers as the bad guys get their comeuppance. Some might venture into the Amos passage, but we love stories and my money is on your having heard about Sarah, Mary, and/or Martha, yet again. (Please do write and let me know how the Amos sermon went if you preached or heard that one. I’m intrigued.) And so the title of this article. “What the hell?!!” The world is stumbling its way from one self-made disaster to another while ignoring some of the greatest systemic threats to our survival. And those congregating for worship or religious practice within any religious tradition, rather than being encouraged to wrestle with the one most important news-item-that-never-(okay-rarely)-makes-the-news – the scientific fact that today’s CO2 reading is 417.21ppm and its consequent extinction-level threat – are wrapped in liturgical, textual, ritual, and communal practices that anesthetize us to the reality we are swimming and dying in. As religion ever has done. As it ever shall do? We become as gods, creating and destroying the world around us at will. The enticing promise – old as time and realized in one way or another in every age humanity has known – isn’t quite so enticing, however, when we see its ultimate potential: the end of the diverse wonder that has evolved on this planet, from microbe to primate, flora, fauna, single-cell, and ecosystem, humanity and anything else in its plundering way. For some, that is a great thing. The end of the world wraps them in a theological story that is the culmination of a belief system to which they are fused. For many of us, however, that is not the worldview in which we have pitched our tents and yet, we walk along its edge, only peering into the abyss when we can bear it, and rarely on a Sunday morning. So what the hell happens now? What the hell do we do with a Bible that could not imagine the future in which we live? What the hell do we do with stories of a divine being who bred in us a fervent love of life but jubilantly refused to give us the tools to manage it? What the hell do clergy hold in their hands as they seek to master the alchemy of the Sunday sermon if reality is too terrifying and the Bible no longer able to provide the light with which we once illumined our petty lives? What the hell can they offer their congregations in the burning light of these fiery days? I wonder how Karl Barth would have preached this cataclysm. His theology was fired in the crucible of Nazi Germany, the values of which he entirely rejected. In many ways, the existential threats are paired with their fundamental refusal to cherish the diversity of life. But could he, only a few decades later, hold to his belief that we can understand and interpret the world through the lens of the Bible when the world seems poised on self-destruction of an entirely different order? Could he? Rather than hold to the claims, the theology based on them, and the beliefs forged over centuries, I prefer to think he would stand aghast, exclaim “What the hell?!!”, and challenge us to wrestle things out upon the razed ground of our biblical heritage. We hold the stuff of that ground in our hands. It is what I attend to and explore – the space in between: the space in between you and me, in between us and the world around us, in between the named and the unknown, in between accepted and emergent ideas, in between rules and their increasingly urgent need to be broken, in between science and the ephemeral, in between gravity and dance, in between defiance and hope. The Bible guided us to that space, but the space is ours and within it, our task is to wrestle with a reality that threatens us all. What the hell else can we possibly do?~ 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.[1] Subsequently, a much-welcomed “inclusive language” version was initially published in the 1980s but I do not think – and could stand corrected – that the project was undertaken by the committee. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader What are the requirements to be considered a progressive Christian? A: By Rev. Roger Wolsey Dear Reader,We need to begin by reminding ourselves that there were two different lineages and starting points within the umbrella known as progressive Christianity. All of them spring forth as responses to post-modernism. The original form of it, known as “progressive Christianity,” was an evolution from mainline liberal Christianity and was an heir of the Social Gospel movement. Examples of this include the work of Jim Adams, Jim Burklo, Fred Plumer, John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, David Felton, Jeff Procter-Murphy, and Diana Butler Bass. The other form of it was originally known as “emerging Christianity” and similarly, was a response to post-modernism – but within the evangelical world. That cohort of thinkers had a different starting point and tend to maintain some more conventional views about theology but as the years have passed, there has been less of a gap between the two sub-movements. They are known for their efforts in “deconstructing.” With that said, to answer your question, in short, there aren’t any. Pretty much by definition, progressive Christianity seeks to avoid any particular set of creeds, doctrines, or dogmas that persons who identify as progressive Christians “must” adhere to – rather the opposite of fundamentalism and conservative evangelicalism. That said, there have been some attempts to create working definitions, lists of tendencies, etc. E.g., “Progressive Christianity is a post-liberal approach to the Christian faith that is influenced by postmodernism and: proclaims Jesus of Nazareth as Christ; emphasizes the Way and teachings of Jesus, not merely His person; emphasizes God’s immanence not merely God’s transcendence; leans toward panentheism rather than supernatural theism; emphasizes salvation here and now instead of primarily in heaven later; emphasizes being saved for robust, abundant/eternal life over being saved from hell; emphasizes the social/communal aspects of salvation instead of merely the personal; stresses social justice, environmental protection, and non-violence as integral to Christian discipleship; takes the Bible seriously but not necessarily literally, embracing a more interpretive, metaphorical understanding; emphasizes orthopraxy instead of orthodoxy (right actions over right beliefs); embraces reason as well as paradox and mystery — instead of blind allegiance to rigid doctrines and dogmas; does not consider homosexuality to be sinful; and does not claim that Christianity is the only valid or viable way to connect to God (is non-exclusive).” The Board of Directors of the ProgressiveChristianity.Org is switching from having an “8 Points of Progressive Christianity” (which itself had several iterations over the years) to the soon-to-be-released new version “Core Values of Progressive Christianity”: By calling ourselves Progressive Christians we mean we are Christians who: 1. Believe that following the way and teachings of Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life, even as we recognize that the Spirit moves in beneficial ways in many faith traditions. 2. Seek community that is inclusive of all people, honoring differences in theological perspective, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, class, or ability. 3. Strive for peace and justice among all people, knowing that behaving with compassion and selfless love towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe. 4. Embrace the insights of contemporary science and strive to protect the Earth and ensure its integrity and sustainability. 5. Commit to a path of life-long learning, believing there is more value in questioning than in absolutes. ~~~ It should be said that progressive Christianity tends to hold such stances and positions loosely and understands them as works in progress that are open to being modified and changed as new information warrants. At a minimum, it can be said that a significant percentage of progressive Christians: * are fully LGBTQI+ inclusive and reject homophobia, transphobia, etc. * embraces contemporary science * embrace women’s role in the leadership of the Church (as clergy, bishops, etc.). * reject racism * reject the notion that Christianity has a monopoly on God and how God operates in the world Many, if not most, also: * reject classism and Christian nationalism And rather a lot also reject the substitutionary theory of the atonement, the notion of original sin, the concept of hell as a place of punishment after people die, the virgin birth, a physical resurrection of Jesus, and literalism as a primary way to understand the scriptures. And quite a few are open to diverse understandings of the Trinity and/or divinity of Jesus. It should also be said that progressive Christianity isn’t progressive politics – though there is often much overlap. I hope this helps! Blessings to you on your journey in faith,~ Rev. Roger Wolsey Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Roger Wolsey, a United Methodist pastor, 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. He values the Wesleyan approach to the faith and, as a certified spiritual director, he seeks to help others grow and mature. Roger served as Director of the Wesley Foundation campus ministry, University of Colorado for 14 years, and currently serves as the pastor of Fruita UMC in Colorado. | | | | | | | | 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 "Think Different-Accept Uncertainty" Part XVII: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part Two Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong September 20, 2012It is certainly a fact of history that a man named Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans somewhere around the year 30 CE. This crucifixion came during the procuratorship of a Roman official named Pontius Pilate, who was in his Judean post according to Roman records between the years 26 and 36 CE. What role the Jewish religious authorities played in this crucifixion is very unclear. At the very least we know that, as a conquered people, Jews did not have the power to execute. The crucifixion was clearly a Roman act done in the Roman manner of execution. The Romans, not the Jews, were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. The crime for which he was put to death was both religious (blasphemy) and political (sedition).The real question is: how many of the familiar details that surround his crucifixion were also literal events that actually happened and were recorded by eyewitnesses? The answer is probably very few! The only records we have are in the New Testament and the relevant books were written 40-70 years after the event they purport to describe. They were also written in a language (Greek) that neither Jesus nor any of his disciples spoke, read or wrote. The gospels were written to create faith and to interpret the Jesus experience, not to record what actually happened. Yet over the years of Christian history these narratives have been mistakenly treated as history. Today I will try to look at the story of the crucifixion in a very different way.First, we need to be aware that the story of a traitor named Judas Iscariot is highly suspect. The name Judas did not appear in any written Christian materials until the 8th decade of the Christian era and when it did appear, the title “Iscariot,” which means “political assassin,” was already attached to it. Paul, writing between 51 and 64 CE, had clearly never heard the story of a traitor being one of the twelve. When Paul suggests that the Risen Christ was seen by “the twelve” on the third day after the crucifixion, it is clear that Judas is still among them (I Cor. 1:1-6). When we analyze the other details that have been written into the biblical biography of Judas we discover that every one of them is based on a traitor story in the Old Testament. Judas thus appears to be a literary composite of all the known traitors in Jewish history. History, he is not!When we turn to the first biblical narrative of the crucifixion that is in Mark, we discover that it is made up of material developed to be used liturgically during a 24-hour vigil service of worship to mark the anniversary of Jesus’ death, that is, it is designed for use on Good Friday. This liturgical pattern clearly developed very early, since it is reflected in Mark who wrote about two generations after the crucifixion. In Mark’s narrative we can see the vigil’s outline of eight three-hour segments: The first segment begins with the words, “When it was evening” (Mark 14:17), which means that it began at sundown or about 6:00 p.m. Jesus, we are told, gathers with his disciples for the Passover meal. We know that the Passover observance included games and frivolity in addition to the meal and that it also offered the opportunity for the patriarch of the family to tell the story of the flight to freedom of the Jews from Egypt to the gathered family members. We also know that it normally lasted about three hours and concluded with the singing of a hymn. In Mark’s story at the meal’s end, the disciples sing a hymn and go out into the night. It is thus now 9:00 p.m.They went immediately to a place known as the Garden of Gethsemane where Mark tells us that Peter, James and John could not watch with Jesus for one hour, two hours or three hours without falling asleep. Worshipers at this liturgy would, at this time, be having the same problem. Jesus then emerges from the garden. It is obviously now 12:00 midnight.The kiss of the traitor is made by Mark to occur at the stroke of midnight, so the darkest deed in human history is said to have been performed at the darkest hour of the night. Mark has this act of betrayal continue before the symbols of Jewish authority, the high priests and leaders of the Sanhedrin. The rejection of Jesus was interpreted by Mark to have been a corporate act of the whole nation. That is reflected in the fact that Mark has given the name of the nation to the traitor, since Judas is simply the Greek spelling of Judah. The full account of the betrayal act thus takes three hours in this liturgy, so it is now 3:00 a.m.The watch of the night that begins at 3:00 a.m. and lasts until 6:00 a.m. was known as “cockcrow.” Into that slot of time, Mark has written the story of Peter’s threefold denial, one act of denial for each hour until the cock crows to announce the arrival of the morning.Right on cue, Mark says, “When morning came” or at about 6:00 a.m., Jesus was taken to Pilate. There before the representative of the Roman Empire, we have a description of the presumed interrogation that supposedly led to his condemnation. Included is an account of flogging, mocking, a purple robe, a crown of thorns and the introduction of one named Barabbas, all of which are described in detail. Another three hours in the vigil is over so it is now 9:00 a.m.Mark announces that fact, again right on cue, by saying that they crucified him at the third hour or at 9:00 a.m. and Mark describes that scene with details that, as we mentioned earlier in this series, have been taken out of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. The details from Psalm 22 include the hostile crowd telling him to come down from the cross if he is what he clams to be; the dividing of his clothes and the “casting of lots” for his tunic; while the details from Isaiah 53 include the two thieves, one on each side of him and his silence before his accuser, both of which are said to fulfill the words of Isaiah 53, where it is written that the “servant” would be “numbered among the transgressors” and would remain silent in the face of his enemies. Then, at the sixth hour, or after three hours on the cross, Mark tells us that “darkness covered the whole earth” to announce the next segment of the vigil.That means it was now 12:00 noon. This is not, obviously, literal darkness. If one believed, however, as Mark and those who were observing this twenty-four hour vigil did, that Jesus was “the light of the world,” his death would plunge the world into total darkness. Mark tells us that this darkness lasted while his life hung in the balance from the sixth until the ninth hour. That is from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m., at which time Mark has Jesus utter the cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” which is the first verse of Psalm 22 and then Mark says: he bowed his head in death. It is now 3:00 p.m.In order to complete the 24 hour vigil, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mark tells the story of Jesus burial in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, a ruler of the Jews and thus a rich man. Isaiah 53 had said that his servant figure would be “with a rich man in his death.” Mark gives narrative form to that word in developing the Joseph story. Joseph was an important patriarchal ancestor to the people of the Northern kingdom, the non Judah citizens, so Mark uses that knowledge to portray Jesus as bringing together the Jewish nation in his death. None of this is history, it is interpretive liturgy written to be acted out in observance of the death of Jesus.Mark also in this narrative tells us the story of Barabbas, a name that literally means son (bar) of God (Abba). So Barabbas is a second “son of God” in the passion narrative. In that narrative, the son of God, named Barabbas, is set free. The other son of God, Jesus, is crucified. People not familiar with Jewish patterns of worship need to know that in the liturgy of Yom Kippur, there are two animals that are brought to the high priest. One, normally a lamb, is sacrificed as an offering for the sins of the people; the other, normally a goat, is set free to bear the sins of the people away. The first creature is called the “Lamb of God” and represents the people’s yearning to come into a sense of oneness with God. The second is called the “scapegoat” and on it the sins of the people are symbolically carried away, leaving them at one with God. By introducing Barabbas into the passion narrative, Mark is interpreting the crucifixion through the lens of Yom Kippur. Those unfamiliar with Jewish worship will never understand Mark’s style of writing or see that he never intended his narrative to be thought of as literal history.Many people are so clearly trapped inside the mindset of believing that the gospels must be read literally and that their account of Jesus is biography that they feel there can be no other way to read them. So when their literal understandings are challenged, they seem to believe there is nothing left. The gospel writers, however, were surely aware that they were using Jewish words and Jewish images that were so familiar to their original audiences that there would be no chance they would misunderstand their intentions and treat their narratives literally. Instead they wrote to interpret the profound and moving God experience that they believed they had encountered in the person of Jesus. It was a transformative, eye-opening, consciousness-raising, life expanding experience. It was real, indeed more real than anything they had ever known before, but it was also beyond the power of human words, time bound as they are, to capture. When we, today, peel away these interpretive layers, we discover, not that the story has been destroyed, but that the reality is more than ever we imagined. Everything that matters is left and we are now pointed beyond the explanations of antiquity and into the wordless wonder of the presence of God.When the Christian movement reached the time of the writing of the Fourth Gospel (95-100) this is so deeply a part of the Christian understanding that this work presents us with the least literal and at the same time the most profound portrait of Jesus in the entire New Testament.Do not fear the death of literalism. Its death opens the door to the meaning of Jesus that literal words actually block and impede. “Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” is the doorway into a new Christianity in a new world.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements The Gift of Forgiveness with Deborah Briggs Starts June 18th - Online - 4 Weeks During this workshop, we will explore the impact of our beliefs about forgiveness, begin the healing process and recognize the powerful ways that the things we saw as negative can be transformed into the foundation for living more fully. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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7/07/2022, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Roger Wolsey: Lectio Writ LARGE! ; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 08 Jul '22

08 Jul '22

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Lectio Writ LARGE! | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Roger Wolsey July 7, 2022 I write this essay in the wake of a slate of recent rulings by the US Supreme Court that many progressive Christians, and progressive persons in general, find most troubling. It feels to many of us that our nation has taken several steps backward and it may even feel as if we have turned our clocks back 50 or more years. Indeed, many of the readers of this forum were social activists in the 1960s-1980s, and it may feel to some that their hard work has slipped through their fingers like sand and that their efforts to improve society have been in vain. It is at times like this that turning to spiritual practices that have been time- tested and proven can be of help. I’d like to invite us to turn to a practice known as Lectio Divina. This Latin term literally translates as “divine reading” and is said to have begun during the era of the Desert Fathers/Mothers and, as with Centering Prayer, was largely kept within monastic and priestly circles until Vatican II opened things up to the masses (and to non-Catholics). This practice has largely been an approach to experiencing the Bible, which appeals to the full person – not just the head. It doesn’t dismiss more scholarly approaches to studying the Bible, yet it intentionally seeks to help us to experience the Divine (God) in a mystical way via taking in the sacred texts in a way that gets right to our hearts - and our guts. It invites us to experience how Spirit might be speaking to us personally and uniquely in a given moment in time. Lectio Divina isn’t particularly concerned about “who wrote the texts, for whom, at what time, in what socio-political circumstance, and/or what editorial changes may have happened over the years, etc.” Rather, the approach invites us to get into the text like how we can check our critical brains when we take in a Hollywood movie and simply allow ourselves to experience the film and let it move us. Lectio Divina generally involves reading a selected portion of scripture (for example, a psalm or a parable) aloud (by ourselves or with others) and to “hear/experience” it several times with several different lenses. The first reading might begin with the invitation to notice “what word or phrase” jumps out to us upon hearing it. You pause a bit to feel and reflect before going on to the other readings. The second reading might begin with the invitation to “notice how you feel in your body upon hearing the text.” A third reading might begin with an invitation to “notice what your senses feel/pick up upon hearing the text. What does your skin feel? What sounds do you hear? What do you smell? Taste? etc.” A fourth reading may invite you to “notice what emotions you experience upon hearing the text.” A fifth reading might begin with, “do you sense the text inviting you to do anything? If so, what?” An example that might be appropriate for our consideration at this time could be Micah 6:1-8 Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord. 6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV) What I feel compelled to do today, however, is to invite us to expand the application of the Lectio Divina approach to include more than just approaching the Bible. I’d like to suggest that this is also a marvelous way to take in a painting, a song, an encounter with an animal in nature, and so much more. Specifically, I’d like to invite us to experience the benefit of experiencing stories in the news with this multi-layered approach. What would it be like for us to employ a Lectio Divina approach to the following stories in the news? “The Supreme Court on Friday stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, a fundamental and deeply personal change for Americans’ lives after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. The court’s overturning of the landmark court ruling is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals, in Washington, and at the ballot box. Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday’s majority, urged colleagues to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex, and the use of contraceptives. Pregnant women considering abortions already had been dealing with a near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after roughly six weeks in Texas. Clinics in at least eight other states — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia — stopped performing abortions after Friday’s decision. In Ohio, a ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat became the law when a federal judge dissolved an injunction that had kept the measure on hold for nearly three years. And Utah’s law was triggered by the ruling, going into effect with narrow exceptions. Abortion foes cheered the ruling, but abortion-rights supporters, including President Joe Biden, expressed dismay and pledged to fight to restore the rights. Protests built into the evening in a number of cities, including thousands demonstrating against the decision outside the barricaded Supreme Court. Thousands more chanted “We will rise up!” in New York’s Washington Square. At the White House, Biden said, “It’s a sad day for the court and for the country.” He urged voters to make it a defining issue in the November elections, declaring, “This decision must not be the final word.” Outside the White House, Ansley Cole, a college student from Atlanta, said she was “scared because what are they going to come after next? ... The next election cycle is going to be brutal, like it’s terrifying. And if they’re going to do this, again, what’s next?” Source AP News ~~~ The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Constitution provides a right to carry a gun outside the home, issuing a major decision on the meaning of the Second Amendment. The 6-3 ruling was the court’s second important decision on the right to “keep and bear arms.” In a landmark 2008 decision, the court had said for the first time that the amendment safeguards a person’s right to possess firearms, although the decision was limited to keeping guns at home for self-defense. The court has now taken that ruling to the next step after years of ducking the issue and applied the Second Amendment beyond the limits of homeowners’ property in a decision that could affect the ability of state and local governments to impose a wide variety of firearms regulations. The decision, which came as Congress advanced the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in almost 30 years, involved a New York law that required showing a special need to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. The state bans carrying handguns openly, but it allows residents to apply for licenses to carry them concealed. The law at issue said, however, that permits could be granted only to applicants who demonstrated some special need — a requirement that went beyond a general desire for self-protection. Gun owners in the state sued, contending that the requirement made it virtually impossible for ordinary citizens to get the necessary license. They argued that the law turned the Second Amendment into a limited privilege, not a constitutional right. The court agreed with the challengers and struck down the heightened requirement, but it left the door open to allowing states to impose limits on the carrying of guns. "The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not 'a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees,'” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the majority opinion. "We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need." In the ruling’s most far-reaching language, Thomas said concern for public safety isn’t enough to justify new gun controls. “The government must affirmatively prove that its firearm regulation is part of the historical tradition that delimits the outer bounds of the right to keep and bear arms,” he wrote. Experts on gun laws said that part of the ruling sets a high bar for further gun restrictions. Source AP News. ~~~~ On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach in Washington state that was placed on paid leave after praying on the field’s 50-yard line after games. The decision blurs the line between church and state in public schools, with the high court holding that the coach’s actions were protected by the 1st Amendment. For some coaches like Johnson captaining LAUSD programs, that line has long been hazy. Johnson’s reaction to the ruling was one of surprise. Not at the verdict — at the case in general because he says a few words of prayer with his Dorsey group before every game. “Every step of my way, going through this game, we’ve prayed,” said Johnson, a former Dorsey and USC standout running back. “I’m a spiritual guy, I’m definitely a religious guy. So I don’t want to push anything on [the team] — just more so just pray for the team and for their safety and things of that nature. I think that’s pretty much universal.” “From the story [of the case], it sounded like the players felt pressured to participate, and I wouldn’t want any player on my team to feel any pressure to participate before or after a game. — David Wiltz, Dymally football coach After warmups, directly before the kickoff, the Dons gather as Johnson prays for their comfort. For their safety. For the other team’s health. Prays, he says, because faith and togetherness are rooted in a physical sport based around feeling like “somewhat of a warrior.” “You look at old war movies, and they used to pray before they go to war,” Johnson said. “It’s more of a combat-type sport.” Los Angeles schools Supt. Alberto M. Carvalho told The Times the district’s policy already made clear that employees are allowed to pray, but on their own time and in their own place. The district forbids prayers that would make students feel compelled to join, Carvalho said. Eight to 10 years ago, Lorenzo Hernandez and Garfield High held pregame moments of prayer similar to Johnson. But over time, as they became more “conscientious” of the imposition of religion, he said, those moments melted away into the team’s nonreligious pep talks. Public school coaches, Hernandez said, had to be more careful, free of the specific religious affiliation of so many private or charter institutions. …. …Venice High’s Angelo Gasca was adamant coaches of public schools can’t enforce religious beliefs and that the Supreme Court ruling wouldn’t change that view, but he also wouldn’t and hasn’t stopped his players from organizing their own pregame moments of prayer. Dymally’s David Wiltz was firm it wouldn’t be right to lead his athletes in demonstration, but if 80% to 90% of his team came to him and asked for teamwide prayer, he said he’d likely explore that under the high court’s latest decision. Issues only arise, said Taft assistant principal Neezer McNab, when there is any kind of pressure on the team to conform. It’s the reason some coaches would still be hesitant or unwilling to involve the team in any sort of religious activity. Source LA Times Finally, I invite us to experience provocative words of great writers and orators with this approach. I offer these for our consideration: “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” ~ Frederick Douglas (1857) “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.” ~ Rev. Theodore Parker (1853) Blessings to us all as we discern, notice, feel, and take action through this spiritual practice. ~ Rev. Roger Wolsey Read online here About the Author Rev. Roger Wolsey is a United Methodist pastor who resides in Grand Junction, CO. Roger is the 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, and 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 A Reader Does it really matter which religion you follow as long as you are a good person and help others? A: By Rev. Lauren Van Ham Dear Reader, In a word, “no.” But I get up to 500 words for my answer, so I’d like to offer a little bit more here… The deeper etymology of the word, “religion” is not historically certain but the Latin term, religiō, breaks down into re (again) and ligare (bind, connect). Religion is the practice of returning again (and again) to that which offers connection. In this light, it feels particularly important to emphasize that one’s religion provides a sense of connection, by which I mean relationship and belonging. When performed on their own, the rites of religion can feel formulaic or empty. It is in community, where religion provides meaning and offers collective guidance for the growth and transformation of all involved. In Matthew 18:20 (ESV), we read, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them;” and the “Triple Gem,” (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), is a core teaching in Buddhism. “Sangha,” means community and the triple gem teaches that honoring the Buddha and studying the texts (Dharma) becomes most useful when it is brought to life in relationship with others (Sangha). How do we un-learn harm and embody practices that allow us to be, “a good person?” I believe it is through being in relationship -- making mistakes and practicing forgiveness -- with others. And how do we learn what is truly helpful in our intentions to “help others?” I believe it is by making time to really listen to the stories and experiences of those who have different perspectives or who are living in social locations that are not my own. In this way, we might experience true spiritual maturation together. Not only that but having people to sing, dance, pray, work and share meals with makes life a lot more joyful! Honoring life cycles and celebrating rites of passage with reverence and togetherness is religion done well. As we find our way on the path we are called to travel, these are some ingredients for finding and tending our religious home. ~ 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! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Watch on Facebook or Youtube Watch Part 1 Here | | | | I bet that you, like me, are getting lots of political emails and texts that are fundraising in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. I have to admit, I'm a little tired of every major event being used to fundraise for politicians – but not this time. This time it is more than necessary because of the absolutely draconian ruling from the court. I'm more than glad to contribute to folks who will actually fight for reproductive rights. I bet most of you are as well. I hope you also see that because this is being framed nationally as a Christian issue, we need Christian organizations who are willing to stand up and say that Christians should actually support reproductive rights. That's exactly what we are doing. This week we are launching a new conversation series called “Things That Matter.” In the first two episodes, we are on “The Spirituality of Reproductive Freedom.” We are very excited to be able to bring this new resource to you! So, my ask is simple, if you believe that it is important for progressive Christian organizations to speak up on the topic of reproductive freedom, please consider donating to help sustain our efforts. Even better, become a monthly contributor. Help us bring even more of this needed content to you and other progressives. Thank you, Rev. Mark Sandlin President and Co-Executive Director ProgressiveChristianity.org 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 "Think Different–Accept Uncertainty" Part XVI: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part One Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong September 6, 2012 Somewhere between a third and forty percent of each of the four gospels in the New Testament is concerned with the last week in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Clearly, that was the focus of the gospel narratives – that was the emphasis of their message. Mark’s gospel has even been described as “the Passion narrative with a prologue.” John’s gospel devotes 9 of its 21 chapters (12-21) to the events of the last week in Jesus’ life, telling the story of the final meal as early as chapter 13. Even though these gospels were written forty to seventy years after the crucifixion, there is no doubt that the cross was still the center of the Christian message. Throughout most of Christian history, these passion stories have been regarded by the followers of Jesus as the accounts of eyewitnesses and therefore as historically trustworthy. The details drawn from these descriptions of the final events in Jesus’ life were liturgically burned into our memories and the narrative of the crucifixion has become, next to the account of Jesus’ birth, the most familiar part of the Christian story. Most of us know the general outline and even the details. It begins with the triumphant march into Jerusalem, which is celebrated on Palm Sunday, and then moves to the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of the moneychangers; the elaborate preparations for a meal that was soon identified as “the Last Supper” held in a borrowed space that became known as “the Upper Room;” the journey to the Garden of Gethsemane; the betrayal by Judas with a kiss followed by the arrest; the trial before the Jewish authorities; the threefold denial by Simon Peter marked by the crowing of the cock; the trial before Pilate; the release of Barabbas; the mocking of Jesus with the purple robe and a crown of thorns; the flogging ordered by Pilate; the journey to Calvary; the bearing of the cross by Simon of Cyrene; the crucifixion; darkness at noon; the cry of dereliction, “My, God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” the death of Jesus, and finally the burial assisted by one known as Joseph of Arimathea. Hymns have been composed for use in churches through the centuries, which served to enforce these vivid biblical images. One thinks of “Go to dark Gethsemane,” “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” and many others. Christian art, from the masterpieces that hang in the great museums of the world down to “the Stations of the Cross” found in humble country churches, all served to familiarize us with the major aspects and the unforgettable quality of this Christian narrative. The question still needs to be raised, however, as to just how much of this story is history? How much of it was a later attempt to portray Jesus as the literal fulfillment of the scriptural expectations? How much of this material was created in an effort to make history conform to already established lines of interpretation? After all, each of these accounts was written between two and four generations after the events they purport to describe. In the first 1800 or so years of Christian history there was little questioning of the accuracy of these narratives, but in the last 200 to 300 years new sources of scholarship, combined with a critical approach to the study of the Bible, have opened these texts to us in many new ways and from this new knowledge dramatically new conclusions have forced themselves into our conscious minds. This scholarship began primarily in Germany but has worked its way into all of the Christian academies of the world. The results have been salutary, deepening the faith of some, and rocking the literalism of others. The first insight from this new scholarship came when the dates of the major writers of the New Testament were discovered and we were then allowed to begin to read the books of the New Testament in the order of their writing. Clearly the story grew over the years. Paul was first, writing all of his authentic epistles between the years 51-64. If we read Paul without the insights of the later gospels we discover that Paul had never heard the story of one of the twelve being the traitor. Paul did not portray the crucifixion as happening at the time of the Passover. Paul reveals no knowledge of an adventure in the Garden of Gethsemane and appears never to have heard of the roles that Pilate; Barabbas or Peter might have played in the story of the cross. He did not know of any “words” spoken from the cross; darkness at noon, or of a tomb of Joseph in which Jesus was buried. He does interpret the cross as part of a plan of salvation: “He died for our sins,” Paul wrote. He also suggests that this crucifixion was “in accordance with the scriptures,” by which he meant the Old Testament for there was no New Testament until well after the time of Paul’s death. That phrase also makes it clear that the attempt to see Jesus as the fulfillment of all Jewish expectations had been an early and regular part of the way the followers of Jesus processed the Jesus experience. When Mark, the first gospel, was written in the early 70s, he undercut the literal reading of this story by telling us that when Jesus was arrested, “all the disciples forsook him and fled.” There were apparently no eyewitnesses! Mark was the first to mention Judas Iscariot, the denial of Peter, or the story of Barabbas. We know now that Mark was the first to write a story of the crucifixion (Mark 14:17-15:47), but when we read this original narrative we discover that it is not an eyewitness account at all, it is an interpretation of the death of Jesus based on two passages out of the Hebrew Bible. The first is Isaiah 53, written in the 6th century BCE, and the second is Psalm 22, written probably in the 5th century BCE. From these two sources, Mark draws most of the details of his story. From Psalm 22 he gets the cry of dereliction, “My God, Why?” the mocking attitude of the crowd, and the division of Jesus’ clothes by rolling dice for his tunic. From Isaiah 53 he gets the image of Jesus’ silence before his accusers; the story of the two thieves crucified with him, one on each side, and the account of Jesus being with a rich man in his death, which Mark develops into his story of Joseph of Arimathea. Despite years of having been taught that this original story of the cross was an eyewitness account, we now know that it was never intended to be that. Matthew, written about a decade after Mark, copies most of Mark’s story making only a few editorial additions. Judas not only becomes darker, but Matthew has added other details to the Judas story. Only in Matthew is the price of betrayal put at thirty pieces of silver, only in Matthew does Judas repent and try to return the money, hurling it back into the Temple when it was refused, and only in Matthew does Judas then go and hang himself. Even these details do not appear to be memories of what actually happened, but were rather borrowed from other traitor stories in the Hebrew Scriptures and deliberately written into the Judas narrative. In Zechariah, for example, the shepherd king of Israel is handed over for thirty pieces of silver to those who buy and sell animals in the Temple, and then the silver is hurled back into the Temple. In the stories around King David, a man named Ahithophel, who ate at the king’s table, betrays King David and when his trickery failed, he went out and hanged himself. Luke, writing about a decade after Matthew and also with Mark in front of him on whom he too relies, discovers that Isaiah 53 says that the “servant,” a mythological literary creation of this unknown author who dominates the writing of II Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55), was said to have made intercession for his tormentors. So Luke writes this detail into his story by having Jesus pray for those tormenting him: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke also takes the two thieves, who were introduced without commentary by Mark and who had both joined in tormenting Jesus in Matthew, and turns one of them into being penitent. To him, Jesus then speaks the words of assurance, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke also dismisses the cry of dereliction, “My God, Why?” and replaces it with words of trust and confidence, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” When we come to John, written near the end of the first century, some 65-70 years after the crucifixion, a very different story of the passion emerges. There is no agony in the garden of Gethsemane over whether or not Jesus will “drink this cup.” It was “for this purpose” that I was born,” John’s Jesus states. In John, Jesus’ mother appears for the first time at the foot of the cross where she is commended to the care of the “beloved disciple,” a figure of whom none of the previous gospels appear ever to have heard. The story of the authorities coming to hasten the death of the victims by breaking their legs is told by John for the first time, noting that Jesus was spared this final indignity because he was already dead. This, John says, fulfilled a prophetic word that “none of his bones were broken,” a reference to the lambs used in Jewish worship at both Passover and Yom Kippur. According to John, these frustrated authorities then thrust a spear into the dead body of Jesus, drawing from the wound both water and blood and fulfilling for John the words written in Zechariah, “They looked on him whom they pierced.” So, by tracing the details through their writing in history from Paul (51-64) through Mark (72), to Matthew (82-85), Luke (88-93), and John (95-100), we watch the story grow and we begin to embrace both how and for what purpose the details were added to the story of the cross. This was the first insight into just how few of the recorded events in the account of Jesus’ crucifixion were remembered history. There are some other things worth noting. Judas is even exonerated in the later gospels of Luke and John when it is suggested that he is under the control of Satan and thus not responsible for his behavior. In a similarly dramatic way, Pilate is portrayed in a more and more sympathetic way as the time passes. He is pictured as finding no fault in Jesus and as seeking to find a way to release him. How much of this story is actual history and what are the implications if it is not? Those will be the questions I will address when this series continues. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Wild Goose Festival July 14th - 17th We hope you'll make an effort to catch up with us at the Wild Goose Festival! The ProgressiveChristianity.org-sponsored podcast "The Moonshine Jesus Show" will be broadcasting live from the Goosecast Stage on July 16 at 4:15 p.m. EST. Join our Co-Executive Directors Mark and Caleb as they pour a drink and delve into the theology and politics of "Thor: Love & Thunder." There will be free themed cocktails in Moonshine Jesus jugs for the first 20 listeners, as well as beer koozies, shirts, stickers, and live music. Join us! READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Global Schedule of upcoming events
by Sunny Walker 06 Jul '22

06 Jul '22

Greetings and salutations! *We invite you to investigate the following items:* *The Global Schedule* for July -October 2022 has several offerings planned already! Our focus this next few months is on multi-session events sharing our learnings and insights. *See all the details:* https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/ *From July 12 to August 23*: *ICA Canada is presenting the ever-more-popular “Courage to Lead” youth (ages 13-15) study series* on Tuesdays at 11am to 12:30 pm Eastern time (US and Canada). Having just completed an adult course with mostly African participants, this course has spread far beyond Canadian borders! Question: How does the “Christian revelation” apply in an inter-religious context? *Saturday, July 16* at 11am Central time, *Gene Marshall will lead a discussion, as Joe Mathews commented, on* “*the notion that Christianity for the 21st century will take on a secular religious form*.” Coming on *Sundays starting July 24*!! *A most exciting series of events looking at how the work of ICA’s are related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)*. *How is your work related to these important global goals*? Our first events to be hosted in Spanish with English translation! 8pm UK, 9pm Spain, 3 pm eastern (US and Canada). The vision is to follow this with two SDG’s each month, looking at where there are common interests and possibly identifying donors for the needed work. *October 3 -November 23*: *Common Earth* is holding their upcoming 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 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 *Click on this link to see the schedule of events and sign up:* 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*

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Our movies
by Nancy Trask 05 Jul '22

05 Jul '22

I collected this list of our movies with their YouTube links. Thought you might like to see them as well. If there are others, please share! The Courage to Care, narrator: Sir Richard Attenborough, about The International Exposition of Human Development. https://youtu.be/RQ5swKNePDs The World of Human Development, Narrator: Sir Ben Kingsley, (1977) part 1, about ICA’s Human Development Projects. https://youtu.be/YbaDWIHXLuY Fifth City Chicago (1983). World of Human Development, (Part 2?) Narrator: Oprah Winfrey. https://youtu.be/JJ9fFR9QK0E Women of the World: The Unfolding Promise, slide compilation and narration/narrative by Sunny Walker, movie format by Frank Knutson (1984?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BvL8bAkRDE&list=FLbHKH7K2p2wvDn2oLCBH3CA&i… Nancy Trask -- “If you love it enough, anything will talk with you” ~George Washington Carver

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Fwd: Remembering A Civil Rights Swim-In: 'It Was A Milestone' : NPR
by Nancy Trask 04 Jul '22

04 Jul '22

Here's the Story Corps reminiscence by Charles (Al) Lingo & his friend who were involved in the "Swim-In" which ended in the hotel worker dumping acid in the pool. I think 1964. We've probably shared it before, but not for awhile, and it's so worth remembering now & then. Nancy Trask ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Nancy <nlt462(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Jul 3, 2022 at 6:06 AM Subject: Remembering A Civil Rights Swim-In: 'It Was A Milestone' : NPR To: Nancy Trask <Nlt462(a)gmail.com> https://www.npr.org/2014/06/13/321380585/remembering-a-civil-rights-swim-in… Sent from my iPhone

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6/30/2022: Progressing Spirit: Rev. LaurenVan Ham: A Different Kind of Optimism; Spong revisitd
by Ellie Stock 30 Jun '22

30 Jun '22

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A Different Kind of Optimism | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Lauren Van Ham June 30, 2022 Recently, I was in consultation with a colleague who is First Nation Cree. Throughout the conversation, there was a steady stream of confidence, curiosity, and hope. Really smiling at one point, my colleague said, “I’m an eternal optimist who comes from a history of despair.” Wow. And yes. And why then, I wondered, is my inner optimist in hiding? My optimism has been tempered by the stories I see and hear about the despair that has been, the despair that is present, and the predicted despair, yet to come. But, Lauren, you’re a chaplain. Isn’t there a different kind of optimism that might be helpful right now? There is and I’ll get to that, but it’s so important to look first (eyes and heart wide open) at what is happening to life everywhere right now. Whether it’s the most recent IPCC report or progress updates on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the current data makes it clear that the necessary global commitments, or the required changes in human behavior and infrastructure, will not happen in time to keep global warming within 1.5 °C (and not even under 2°C); nor will we reach the SDGs by the 2030 target. The consequences will continue to be devastating and interrelated. They will be interrelated because everything is interrelated. Our living system is interrelated. And, the SDGs are interrelated. Just as soil, birds, and trees work together to create a healthy ecosystem, gender equality, job security, and clean water work together to create healthy communities. At first glance, the 17 SDGs seem obvious and in line with everything we were taught in kindergarten or religious education: “Goal 1: No Poverty,” “Goal 2: Zero Hunger.” But there are interdependencies within the 17 goals that become more uncomfortable and less convenient: “Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production,” Where are our teachers for this practice? “Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.” What kind of economic growth? What about economies that aren’t dependent on that “growth” word? In his encyclical letter, Laudato Si (2015), Pope Francis wrote, “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.” Although the word, “sustainable” has become tricky, “integral” offers greater clarity, does it not? Sometimes, caring for Earth looks less like planting a garden and more like helping girls stay in school. And tending our communities might mean buying locally but it’s also about divesting wisely, relinquishing excess, and thoughtfully considering what land stewardship or “ownership” means to us individually, and collectively. Working to restore Earth and taking good care of one another are always related. Integrally. Relationships and systems that are truly sustaining involve some back and forth; there is tending, reciprocity, and flow. Again, from the Laudato Si: “The time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.” Think controlled burns in our neglected forests. Of course, this requires trust and a belief in sufficiency and enough. It asks us to consider endings and deaths like our own. It’s a huge unlearning for most of us, and we’ve no time to lose. What is your relationship to growth? Excess? Enough? And what are we each doing about our answers, individually and across the greater web of relationships? Since its release in December 2020, an international scholars’ warning[i] to slow and prepare for societal disruption and breakdown has been signed by over 500 scientists and scholars in dozens of subjects, from over 30 countries. In the midst of extreme temperatures, flooding, supply chain disruption, food insecurity, wars, political divisiveness, refugee camps, and wavering economies, the letter advises, “Only if policymakers begin to discuss this threat of societal collapse might communities and nations begin to prepare and so reduce its likelihood, speed, severity, harm to the most vulnerable, and to nature.” Thankfully many faith groups are not waiting for the policymakers. Important, life-preserving work is being done by houses of worship and spiritual communities in the form of disaster preparedness, and by becoming cooling centers or resilience hubs in their neighborhoods. The scholars’ letter continues, “Some of us believe that a transition to a new form of society may be possible. That will involve bold action to reduce damage to the climate, nature, and other people, including preparations for major disruptions to everyday life… We have experienced how emotionally challenging it is to recognize the damage being done, along with the growing threat to our own way of life. We also know the great sense of fellowship that can arise.” And this brings me back to a different kind of optimism. Within every world religion, there is the mystical and the prophetic. We are instructed and inspired by both. Recall those mystical moments when you have been “right-sized” by a mountain summit or the stars at night; and the reverence that comes alive in us with the “hush” that permeates a cave, cathedral, or seashell when held to our ear. This reverence places us within the family of all beings. We are finite and we are a part of the infinite. And consider the prophetic: the messages that call us home to our ancient knowledge, or propel us toward care for future generations. Prophetic wisdom is engaged reverence! When we bring reverence into our actions, we create resilience. And when we do this in the community, we experience connective, collective resilience. What can we be doing to create more of this, right now, in our homes, neighborhoods, and cities? I suspect that it is this kind of reverence-invites-resilience that my colleague meant when he described feeling optimistic. So often, in the stories of those whose ancestors survived forced relocation, enslavement, or genocide, there is a quiet, steady source of trust…hope? Resilience? What if our inspiration came from our reverent awareness that our one temporary existence is amazingly precious and… enough? Encounters with reverence (spiritual practice) encourage us to live and give fully, especially because we know that we will not always be in this body, contributing and experiencing in this way. Can that be more fantastic than fearsome? More optimistic than pessimistic? The state of our world is calling us on a journey of uncertainty. A number of us are creating circles of support and looking for more and better ways to become adaptive in the face of great change and significant loss. As it has always been for those living close to Earth, let’s ask for reverence and resilience combined to be our optimism. Because when facing despair, if another more resilient, deeply loving, and directly caring way is possible, isn’t it who we are and what we believe to choose it? ~ Rev. Lauren Van Ham 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. [i] I encourage readers to watch a 4 min video of the letter being read by some of the signatories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0frHoqXLB0&t=35s | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader Is it possible that religion has less to do with what’s true and more to do with where and when you were born? A: By Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Dear Reader, Everything that is, as it is, as it arises at this moment, is what I call Reality. With each moment, Reality arises completely anew. On a macro scale, we can say that Reality is refracted by each culture. This means that each culture, constituted by the shared meanings and values (such as religion, art, etc.) of its people, sees Reality from a certain perspective. This cultural perspective is quite complex, being enriched by social systems (such as education, politics, science, communication, etc.) and unique persons. Each person emerges as an enculturated being, with their genetic disposition formed by their culture and its myriad systems. Truth is a claim both individuals and cultures make about their experience of Reality. A religion is one cultural force that helps a given group and its members make sense of their experience of Reality within the context of their culture. An Indian Hindu might interpret her spiritual experience as a vision of Krishna; a Roman Catholic in Mexico might interpret a similar experience as a vision of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a Zen Buddhist might interpret it as a vision of Avalokiteshvara. Each spiritual experience is a personal perception refracted through the religious-cultural lens of our formation as a human being. To the degree that an experience discloses Reality as it is, it speaks or embodies truth – in this instance the dimension of Reality might be the strength of love. Where religion becomes lost is when exclusive claims are made about a culturally embedded experience of Reality. Each perspective embodies truth and is partial. Where we are born is where our personal journey begins but not where it ends nor even where our most formative experiences might occur. Religion does have to do with where and when we are born. Religion has to do with what and how we learn, and how curious and open we are. Buddha, Jesus, Marguerite Porete, Rumi, Julian of Norwich: each of these teachers was greatly shaped by their time and place of birth, but none of them was completely determined by them. Their curious hearts led them to question the assumptions of their cultures and to see with new eyes what was possible for the human being. So it is with each of us. ~ Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Read and share online here About the Author Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including I Have Called You Friends, Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms, and My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You and Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland. Visit Kevin’s Blog: Essential Living: For The Soul’s Journey. | | | | | | | | 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 "Think Different—Accept Uncertainty" Part XIV: Analyzing the Miracles Attributed to Jesus Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong August 2, 2022 When most people think of the miracles included in the gospels, they usually think of a broad series of apparently supernatural acts. They tend not to be familiar with the intimate details of the biblical narrative. When those details are revealed, questions are inevitably raised as to the purpose the gospel writer had in mind when he was writing, and the possibility that these stories were never meant to be taken literally rises substantially. Allow me to illustrate that with some easily discovered biblical data. I begin with the most miraculous of the biblical claims. Did Jesus literally raise people from the dead? A search of the gospel texts reveals these biblical facts. The gospels suggest that three different people are called by Jesus from death into life, but only one of those stories occurs in more than one of the gospels. That is the account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter. It makes its first appearance in Mark (5:21-24, 35-43), a book written in the early seventies. The details in this original narrative tell us that Jairus was a “ruler of the synagogue,” who comes to Jesus beseeching him to heal his daughter “who is at the point of death.” Jesus begins to move toward Jairus’ home. As he does so, there is another healing miracle, the story of the woman with an issue of blood, inserted by Mark to take up the time during which they were on the way to Jairus’ house. Having completed that episode the journey continues only to be interrupted by Jairus’ servants coming to inform the synagogue ruler that the child has died and he is not to trouble the “teacher” any longer. Jesus, apparently unmoved by this report, speaks to Jairus telling him not to be fearful, but to believe and so the journey continues. Arriving at the house, Jesus is greeted by a host of mourners, who are weeping and wailing. He asks them why they are mourning, informing them that the child “is not dead but sleeping.” The mourners laugh at him. Closing the door on the mourners, Jesus goes with the child’s parents and his disciples into the child’s room. He takes the child’s hand and commands her to rise. She does. Mark then tells us that she is twelve years old. Jesus orders them to give her food and departs leaving behind him a trail of wonder and amazement. That same story is told next with only slight variations by Matthew (9:18-26) writing in the mid-eighties and then once again by Luke (8:40-56) writing in the late 80’s to early 90’s. Both Matthew and Luke incorporated substantial portions of Mark into their gospels and so we are not surprised to find the story not only repeated in each, but in exactly the same context of events, that is the message of the child’s sickness, the journey, the healing of another on the way and then word of the child’s death. It is obvious that in these three accounts we have a single story in three slightly different versions. For help in understanding this story, we turn to a remarkably similar episode that was said to have occurred in the life of the prophet Elisha recorded in the book of II Kings (4:8-36). In that story, Elisha raises a child of about twelve from the sleep of death. The only difference is that for Elisha the child is a boy, not a girl. In each story, there is a message sent to the “healer” while he is a long-distance away. In both stories, the healer continues to the child’s house, and goes directly into the room where the child is lying on the bed. Elisha is said to have done mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, stretching himself on the body of the child. Jesus is portrayed as taking her hand and speaking the word of healing. In each story, the child is restored to health. Could it be that this Jesus story was originally nothing more than a re-telling of an Elisha story as if it had occurred in Jesus’ life as a way of relating Jesus to the tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures and claiming for him the status of being a new Elisha? I think that is highly likely. The only other raising from the dead story that occurs in the synoptic gospels is told in Luke (7:11-17). In this miracle account, the only son of a widow is restored to life by Jesus in the village of Nain. There is little doubt that this man is dead, for his body is on the funeral bier in a procession toward his place of burial. Yet once again by looking at an older Elijah story (I Kings 17:24), we find remarkable similarities. There we discover that Elijah was also said to have raised the only son of a widow from the dead. We also know that Luke will draw on more than one occasion from the Elijah stories to relate his understanding of Jesus. Is that what this raising of the dead story, found only in Luke, is all about? I believe it is. There is only one other raising from the dead story in the gospels and it is the very dramatic account of the raising of Lazarus recorded only in the Fourth Gospel, a work that is generally dated at the end of the first century, ca. 95-100 or 65-70 years after the crucifixion. The details are these: It is a public, not a private act. Jesus’ disciples, his friends, and even his enemies are present. The person, who is to be raised, is not only dead but he has been buried for four days. John’s text even warns Jesus that there will be an odor if the tomb is opened. Jesus, nevertheless, orders the stone covering the mouth of the cave to be removed, and then he literally calls Lazarus out of the grave. Lazarus comes like a walking mummy, bound by the grave cloths in which he has been wrapped and from which he must be freed. If such a credibility-stretching episode had really occurred, ask yourself whether it is likely that no one in that public gathering would mention it for more than three generations before John writes it down. I will return to this story in this series next week but suffice it now to say that no biblical scholar today regards the account of the raising of Lazarus as history. So this brief analysis reveals that the three gospel stories of Jesus raising someone from the dead might mean something quite different from that arrived at by reading them as literal history, an insight confirmed again and again as we look at the miracles of Jesus more closely. The next category of miracles, attributed to Jesus, is what we call “nature” miracles: Jesus walking on water, stilling the storm, and feeding the multitude with loaves and fishes. A close look at these narratives also yields new possibilities for non-literal interpretation. Most people are not aware, for example, that there are six separate versions of the feeding of the multitude story in the four gospels. There are two in Mark, two in Matthew, one in Luke, and one in John. Since Mark and Matthew are older than Luke and John, it looks like the multiple accounts of the feeding stories are the earlier tradition. So we look first at Mark and Matthew. The symbols present in these narratives then begin to pop out of the text. In Mark, Jesus, on the Jewish side of the lake, feeds 5000 men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish. Afterward, twelve baskets of fragments are gathered up so that “nothing is lost.” Then Jesus moves to the Gentile side of the lake and proceeds to replicate the experience, but this time he feeds 4000 people with seven loaves and a few fish, and afterward, seven baskets of fragments are collected. The numbers employed: five loaves, 5000 people, and twelve baskets of fragments on the Jewish side of the lake and seven loaves, 4000 people, and seven baskets of fragments on the Gentile side of the lake scream at us not to read these narratives as literal history, but as symbolic feedings, perhaps as early Eucharists. By the time we get to John’s gospel those eucharistic connections are clear since John has Jesus liken his flesh to the manna that fell on the starving Israelites in the wilderness, making it clear that these stories are related to the Moses accounts in which God feeds the children of Israel with heavenly bread. Thus it becomes apparent that these feeding stories are not to be understood as literal happenings, but as interpretive narratives being retold about Jesus, the “New Moses.” I wonder how many people who sit in the pews have ever been invited to view miracles from this non-literal perspective. Moving on to the miracles of healing, let me illustrate this same non-literal approach by looking at just one narrative, the restoration of sight to a blind man from Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). This miracle story is unique because the first application of the hands of Jesus on the eyes of this blind man was not successful, at least not completely. After Jesus anointed this man’s eyes with clay and spittle the blind man can see only “trees walking.” Only with the second laying on of hands was his sight fully restored. If this is really a miracle story then why was Jesus’ power inadequate the first time? The literal mindset is buffeted by these questions, but a look at the context in which this story appears in Mark offers a powerful clue. Mark places this story just before the account of Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. In Peter’s confession he says the right words “You are the Christ,” but he clearly does not know what they mean. When Jesus begins to tell him what the Christ role is to be – suffering, rejection, and death — Peter objects eliciting from Jesus the stern rebuke: “Get thee behind me Satan, for you are not on the side of God, but of men.” Peter is surely portrayed as a blind man who begins to see but not clearly, and a second experience must precede his full entry into both faith and sight. It should not come as a surprise when we discover Peter hails from Bethsaida. Is this then really a miracle story, the account of a supernatural healing of a blind man? I do not think so, nor do I think that this is what Mark intended us to understand as we read his gospel. Mark is rather writing a parable about the conversion of Peter, a blind man who has to be led to seeing and thus to faith in stages. There are many more things that I can say about the miracle stories of the gospels, but I will devote only one more column to this subject to allow me to deal more fully with the fascinating story of the raising of Lazarus. For now let me say bluntly that I no longer think that the miracles of the gospels have anything to do with what we once called the miraculous. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Watch on Facebook or YouTube | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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6/23/2022, Progressing Spirit: Kevin G Thew Forrester, Ph.D.: Christ Heart: Discovery of Holy Mystery; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 23 Jun '22

23 Jun '22

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christ Heart: Discovery of Holy Mystery | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. June 23, 2022 What is a heart alive with compassion and joy and spontaneity? A heart not continually weighed down by drivenness, anger, and fear? A heart at rest? A heart wholly embodied, not walled-off in pain and searching for someone or something to hurt? I call this the Christ Heart, a heart awakening as Holy Mystery. Buddhism speaks of realizing Buddha Heart. In Christianity there is Christ heart: a human being awake and alive and engaged with the world in its suffering and its longing to be free. Looking and Longing Once we have separated and individuated ourself from our primary caretaker – who most often is our mother – our sense of who we are becomes a conglomeration of the many object-relations in our life. We have an ever-evolving sense of our self in ever-changing relationships and there is the affective bond, or felt-feeling, between the two. One feelings we long for most – and it is more than a feeling – is that of fullness, rest, completion: all qualities of love. In the language of spiritual poetry, our young heart is searching for the Holy Land, the New Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, of the soul. There are many names in poetry, all signifying that the deepest longing of the human heart is universal. We are searching for that object that will fully and completely satisfy the soul. We are longing for that something that will bring us rest, allow us a secure inner peace, and set us free from being driven by oh so many things. This, at least, is how the spiritual journey initially is experienced and understood. We long to sense in our bones that we are whole, complete, beautiful – perfect as we are with all our imperfections. We are seeking love; love that abides without fail, and that invites our soul into wondrous exploration of this present moment, and all such moments, whatever they might be. This is true freedom. The capacity to be the truth of what we are regardless of circumstance. This is love without conditions. Boundless love. I find it helpful to distinguish three stages in the human spiritual journey: Discovery of Holy Mystery, Living with Holy Mystery, and Awakening as Holy Mystery. The spiritual journey is the unfolding path of becoming an authentic, free, spontaneous, and thriving human being. The fruit of this journey, in our awakening as Holy Mystery, is also the realization of being Christ Heart. We awaken as compassionate, joyful, persons aware that all creatures are innately good because their true nature is Holy Mystery. In this initial reflection we’ll plumb some of the meaning of Discovery. Discovery of Holy Mystery For most of us there is an early experience of love touching our being. Maybe it’s when a neighbor gazed gently into your eyes as they lifted you from the pavement after having fallen and badly skinned our knees. As their eyes met yours there was simple kindness, generosity without measure. Although you couldn’t name it at the time, you felt safe in a pool of boundless love in their kind, gentle eyes. Or perhaps a friend or parent embraced your shoulder as you slumped under the weight of having failed to be accepted into a group or club or team. Or there was a time you laid upon the soft July grass, grounded upon mother earth, relaxing as the endless azure sky bathed your being. We each have our experiences. Each of these is an initial experience of boundless love that unfolds without end. Love is not a thing but the texture of life itself – the fluid fabric of being. Life-as-love is graciously enfolding our being and inviting us to trustingly unfold. We have an inchoate sense that we are whole, we are complete, and we are beautiful. This incipient feeling of innate goodness then rubs up against our daily experiences of being not enough, inadequate, incomplete, and dissatisfied. Love as the fluid fabric of being tends to recede into the chimeric realm of faded memory. Our soul has been partially awakened, however, in these powerful experiences of grace. They remind us, not consciously for the most part, that we arise from a Source that is good, and at that arising, we are primordially whole – regardless of what the culture and our ordinary mind may say. The truth of our nature is that we are complete. We are beautiful. We lack nothing. We are beings of love unfolding. It is only because we have this deep sense of Reality that we recognize our ordinary self’s relentless drivenness as somehow misguided. Without consciously knowing it, we have encountered Holy Mystery, which is boundless love forever unfolding. We have tasted, touched, heard, and smelled something extraordinary in an utterly ordinary encounter. A traditional word for this encounter is sacrament. Life is pregnant with love since love is the fluid fabric of being. Creation ceaselessly gives birth in and through ordinary acts of intimate care and generosity. Reality is Holy because in its essence it is always whole. But our conventional self doesn’t feel or believe that to be true. We believe our inner critic that we are deficient. But in the recesses of our being there is a soul-compass that knows true north. That soul knowledge is what invites us to continue our search. Discovery is about trusting our longing to realize the truth about our nature. Our hearts know, without knowing, that there is something more to life than our conventional self would have us believe. This something more is not a thing that fills a hole we believe we have. It is not a thing that satisfies our dissatisfaction. The more is a less. The more is the realization, the awakening, to the truth about who and what we are. We need less than we believe because the truth is that we are always already whole. We need less in the sense that to discover what is already true about our being we need to divest ourself of our daily preoccupations and develop a consciousness that is pruned from distraction and more focused. At the start of our spiritual journey, we are slowly realizing there is more to life than being driven to do and accomplish and succeed. There is more to life than winning the admiration of parents and friends, and the accolades of colleagues. There is more to life than our regular stops to fill ourself up from being depleted from the daily grind. Our early encounters with being touched – being graced – by someone’s love, or some creature’s beauty, draw forth our heart to begin the spiritual journey. We want to discover the Source of our self. We want the moon to press her face once more upon our being. We want to drink in those azure waters of sky and sea so that they fill every pore and touch every cell of our being. We want to flow as easily as a river to the sea, nurturing and caressing all in its path. We long to discover as conscious adults, to know with an awake heart, that we are beloved beings; we are the fluid fabric of being. A discovery that allows the encrusted layers of deficiency, shame, guilt to fall away like exhausted autumn leaves. When Jesus makes his way down to the Jordan River, allowing John to bathe his body in those living waters, his journey is the human sojourn of the heart to discover the Source of our being. I don’t know when he was touched as a boy by the eyes or hands or voice of love. Maybe he received kindness in the eyes of Mary, a river of love coursing through the difficult life of being a Jewish boy of unknown paternity. Maybe there was an uncle or aunt or village elder who took him under their wing. We don’t know. But there was an early encounter, or encounters, with love that held his heart and beckoned it forth. Jordan is Jesus’ discovery of Holy Mystery. What is your Jordan, or Jordans? It’s important for us to identify and appreciate our discovery of love – boundless and unfolding love. Maybe it was when a friend stood with you without question during your divorce? Maybe it was during a walk on the beach at dusk alone? Maybe in the tears of loss of a partner? Maybe at an open-air concert as a lone note of the oboe lighted upon your breast? Maybe as you stood side-by-side to thwart the construction of an oil pipeline. When we discover Holy Mystery, we begin to truly awaken from our slumber. We are beyond an unconscious fleeting encounter. We are standing in the river of life with our heart open. We are vulnerable, soft, receiving with our soul what life is giving in the moment. We are aware of the ordinary being pregnant with extraordinary simply as it is. The question that now arises is how shall we live with Holy Mystery in the next moment? ~ Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Read online here About the Author Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center of in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including I Have Called You Friends, Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms, and My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You and Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland. Visit Kevin’s Blog: Essential Living: For The Soul’s Journey. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Frank What are some essential steps that can be taken to improve America's gun problem? A: By Rev. Mark Sandlin Dear Frank, If we take seriously our call to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, it is far past time to act. We must protest in the streets. Over and over again we must demand our elected officials do the things we already know will make a difference. Things like banning assault rifles; requiring background checks, training and licensing, and gun insurance; reducing easy access to dangerous weapons; requiring waiting periods; campaign finance reform; and holding manufactures responsible for irresponsible marketing and sales. We also need to do more to reduce situations that can end up with folks deciding that a gun is their best option. That includes a reduction of poverty and food insecurity, politicians that work to unite us rather than work to divide us, access to affordable or free healthcare for all people; police who have received deescalation and anti-racism training; supporting healthier ideas of masculinity; and a stronger emphasis on trauma care in our health systems. For Christians a lot of the things we need to do are things we should already be doing. We must work more actively and lovingly for our neighbors. There are far too many of them dying unnecessarily because of guns and because of our nation's lack of will to do something about it. We must live more honestly into the humanistic and spiritual call to make care of our neighbors a primary mandate in our lives, because far too many hearts have been shattered as a loved one's life is ended with a bullet. There are certainly many other things that can be done, but this is a pretty good starting point. As you probably picked up on, I believe we all need to take seriously our call to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and to act on it, demand change, and to never let up until our neighbors are safe. ~ Rev. Mark Sandlin Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He currently serves at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. 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! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We’re so excited to announce that ProgressiveChristianity.org was recently named the top Progressive Christian blog on the internet by Feedspot! A group of panelists looked at web traffic, content, social media, and overall impact and decided that this organization was doing the best job on the internet of promoting Progressive Christian values. While we're thrilled about this news, we know there's a lot more we can do! We are currently preparing an updated version of our study guide, finishing the final year of our Joyful Path Curriculum, launching new podcasts, expanding our social media reach, and working on diversifying the voices featured on our site so that we are an even better reflection of Progressive Christian values. If we’re going to continue to do this work, we need your help and support. Could you make a small donation to help us with this important work? $10 or $20 can help us reach tens of thousands of people on social media! Have you considered becoming a sustaining member of ProgressiveChristianity.org by making a recurring donation? Sustaining members help keep this organization afloat! Thank you so much for helping to make us the top Progressive Christian Blog! The Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines Co-Executive Director, ProgressiveChristianity.org 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 Spong Revisited "Think Different–Accept Uncertainty" Part XV: Was Lazarus Raised from the Dead? Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong August 2, 2012 Before leaving my brief analysis of the miracle stories of the New Testament, I want to look at what is probably the best known miraculous act attributed to Jesus in the entire gospel tradition. That is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is a narrative told only in the Fourth Gospel (John 11), which means it does not appear in the Christian tradition until near the very end of the first century, between the years 95-100. Because it is in John’s gospel only, we need to be aware of the role it plays in that gospel. From chapters 2-12 there is in John what scholars now refer to as “The Book of Signs.” In this section John records seven signs around which he will tell his story of Jesus. The first one is the account of Jesus changing water into wine at Cana in Galilee and the last one is the story of the raising of Lazarus. By calling these otherwise apparently supernatural acts “signs” John was, I believe, indicating that they should not be viewed as miracle stories, but as narratives that point beyond themselves to something of great meaning and significance. That was John’s way of saying that these “signs” are not to be literalized. When we turn to the actual narrative of the Lazarus story itself, there are many other things that look as if they are meant to be warnings that this story is not to be read literally. First, there is the biographical detail that Lazarus is introduced as the brother of Mary and Martha, who live in the village of Bethany. That is a strange detail because Mary and Martha are well known figures in the gospel tradition, but nowhere has it ever been suggested up until this moment that they had a brother named Lazarus. The second detail in John’s story that causes questions to be raised is that Jesus is notified of Lazarus’ sickness and, we are told, he deliberately refuses to go to him until the report comes of his death. The death of Lazarus was, said Jesus, for the purpose of the “glory of God” that the son of man “might be glorified by means of it.” That is interpretive language, used in an attempt to make sense retrospectively of the meaning of the Jesus experience. It is not the language of a reporter describing a supernatural event that was supposed to have happened in history. The third thing that is noteworthy in this story is that although no actual person named Lazarus has ever before been mentioned anywhere in the Christian tradition, when he appears here we are told that he was especially close to Jesus. In this narrative an intense emphasis is placed on how much Jesus loved him. When Jesus is first informed of Lazarus’ sickness the words used are: “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” When the crowd observes Jesus weeping with grief, the text quotes the bystanders as saying: “See how he loved him.” Again and again in this narrative we are told that the relationship between Jesus and Lazarus is very, very close. Yet, none of the earlier gospels have ever heard of him. To add to this mystery two chapters later this gospel introduces an enigmatic, but crucial figure around whom John will weave the story of the crucifixion and the resurrection. John calls this figure “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and he is known in biblical circles as the “beloved disciple.” In John’s gospel the “beloved disciple” is beside Jesus at the Last Supper. Peter has to go through him to get his question to Jesus. He is the one at the cross with Jesus and the one to whom Jesus’ mother is commended. He is the first person to stare into the empty tomb and to believe that its inability to contain Jesus was a sign of triumph and resurrection. He was the first to recognize Jesus by the Sea of Galilee in John’s epilogue in chapter 21. So both the figure of the “beloved disciple” and the figure named Lazarus raised from the dead, appear in the mind of the author of this gospel to be deeply linked in Jesus’ affections. Both must, therefore, be seen as major, even pivotal figures in John’s attempt to proclaim a new understanding of God in the life of Jesus. This leads us to the conclusion that in all probability neither of these figures was a person of history. A close reading of the Fourth Gospel raises the prospect that this author creates a whole string of literary characters through whom he seeks to tell the Jesus story. Many of them are, like Lazarus and “the beloved disciple,” characters about whom no one has ever heard before John writes. I think of such figures as Nathanial, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman by the well, the Gentile official whose child is healed, the man crippled for 38 years and the man born blind. It is the literal reading of John’s gospel that has led us over the centuries to think of these figures as people of history. They are, I am now convinced, no more of history than Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes or Harry Potter. To understand John’s gospel we must begin to see this ability to create memorable characters as a mark of his literary genius. With the non-historical nature of Lazarus now before us we turn to John’s story and read it for the “high drama” it is. These are the details: Jesus arrives in Bethany well after the funeral of Lazarus has been completed. Indeed he has been buried for four days. John informs us that the crowd of mourners is still there. This crowd includes some who are followers of Jesus, some who are his critics and some who are his sworn enemies. This “sign” is going to be performed in public with hostile witnesses present. When Jesus first arrives he is berated by both Martha and Mary for not coming quickly when he received the urgent message. “Lord, if you had been here our brother would not have died,” they say. Jesus is then made by John to engage in a long conversation with Martha about life after death. In that conversation, John injects the last of his “I AM” sayings. “I AM” is the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush in the book of Exodus. John takes this holy name and places it onto the lips of Jesus over and over again. Only in John’s gospel does Jesus say such things as “I AM the bread of Life,” “I AM the living Water,” “I AM the Good Shepherd.” “I AM the door,” “I AM the vine,” “I AM the Way” and in this episode Jesus is made to say: “I AM the Resurrection.” Even more enigmatically in other places in this gospel Jesus is quoted as having said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” and “when you see the son of man lifted up, you will know I AM.” So whatever else we do with this story we need to read it inside its Johannine context. The final thing to notice is the heightened miraculous character of this story. Lazarus is not only dead, but he has been buried for four days. Martha warns Jesus that there will be an odor if the grave is opened. Jesus, nonetheless, accompanied by a great crowd goes to the tomb, rolls back the covering stone and calls to the dead man: “Lazarus, come forth.” To the amazement of the crowd, a mummy-like figure appears bound in burial cloths, struggling to get free. Jesus says: “Unbind him and let him go.” What is the response to this scene? Some believed, said John, but many more conspired to put Jesus to death. Indeed in John’s gospel this is the event that brings on the crucifixion. John in this episode even has Caiaphas the High Priest, speak these words: “it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people.” From the story of the raising of Lazarus onward the death of Jesus is inevitable in the Fourth Gospel. If this story is not literal, then what does it mean and from where did John draw the details. Earlier in this series, we noted the parallels between the story of Elisha raising a child from the dead and Jesus raising the child of the synagogue official named Jairus, from the dead. We also noted that the story of Elijah raising from the dead the only son of a widow is reflected in Luke’s account of Jesus raising from the dead the only son of a widow in the village of Nain. In the Hebrew Scriptures, however, there is no parallel to the raising of Lazarus. So no interpretive help flows from that source. There is, however, a parable in the synoptic tradition, told only by Luke, in which there is a character named Lazarus. He is a beggar who dies and goes to the “bosom of Abraham,” a Jewish synonym for heaven. His adversary in this parable is a rich man, sometimes called Dives, who also dies and he goes to a place of torment. Once there, Dives asks Abraham to send Lazarus to him with water. Abraham responds that one cannot get there from here. Dives then asks Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers lest they too come to this place of torment. To this Abraham responds, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.” Dives counters this by saying if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent. To this Abraham speaks the key word that unlocks John’s story. “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets neither will they be convinced even if one should rise from the dead.” John has taken this Lucan parable and has made its meaning come true as an event in history. Lazarus is raised and they are not convinced. Instead this story is the catalyst that leads to the crucifixion. John never intended this to be viewed as history. This is an interpretive story told in the midst of the tension between the followers of Jesus and the synagogue authorities over how Jesus is to be understood. We must learn to read the Bible without imposing our frightened literalism on it. That is not only an important task, but a deeply rewarding one. The Lazarus story is not a miracle; it is a “sign.” ~ Bishop John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Now, more than ever, our world desperately needs compassion. And we especially need it in our families and communities. You are invited to join us for a highly interactive, experiential and inspiring introductory workshop on Compassionate Listening. Online June 27, 2022 - July 25, 2022 READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Kitty's obituary & funeral info
by Terry Bergdall 17 Jun '22

17 Jun '22

Here is a link to Kitty's obituary with info about her funeral on Wednesday, June 22. https://www.wenbanfh.com/obituaries/Kathryn-Kitty-Fish-Cole?obId=25104891#/… <https://www.wenbanfh.com/obituaries/Kathryn-Kitty-Fish-Cole?obId=25104891#/…>

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