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An invitation to attend the ICA Organisation Sustainability Team meeting 6 April
by Kevin Balm 05 Apr '22

05 Apr '22

Dear Colleagues We’d love to have any of you join the next meeting of the ICA Organisation Sustainability Team, Wed, 6 April at 12 noon Lome time which is 6am ET (apologies for the very early hour). The Zoom link is <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/706881427> https://us02web.zoom.us/j/706881427 Our work on an assessment tool based on the Social Process Triangles continues. Since our last post (below) we have a list of brainstormed questions for each of the 9 arenas (see brainstorm of questions and other info here: <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeF_lWg8Rj2UeAccxB1olew_zq3mzN6UkDHHlu3…> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeF_lWg8Rj2UeAccxB1olew_zq3mzN6UkDHHlu3…) At the 6 April session we plan to work in three groups (assuming sufficient numbers) to organise the brainstormed questions in an ORID sequence, editing and adding questions as necessary to finalise 9 conversation constructs that could be piloted by a few ICAs. Thanking you in anticipation, The ICA Organisation Sustainability Team From: Kevin Balm <balmkevin(a)gmail.com <mailto:balmkevin@gmail.com> > Sent: Monday, 7 February 2022 12:30 PM To: ICA Dialogue <dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net> > Subject: FW: An invitation from the ICA Organisation Sustainability Team Dear Colleagues The ICA Organisation Sustainability Team is one of several teams initiated at the ICAI July 2022 General Assembly. The team focused on developing a set of triangles in the style of the Social Process triangles as a comprehensive screen for describing the sustainability of an ICA organisation. This is an invitation to colleagues from Member ICAI organisations and the wider ICA community to engage in this next phase of the team’s work. At its most recent meeting the team turned its attention to developing a self-assessment tool based on the triangles. Our current image is the self-assessment would take the form of a series of Focused Conversations on each of the dynamics of Economic Sufficiency, Organisation Resilience and Mission Relevance. The team developed a template and applied it to one of the nine arenas (page 1 of document via the link below). Firstly, we want to ask you to brainstorm questions to frame each of the nine conversations (page 2 of document via the link below). A draft template for ‘Funding Diversity” has been developed as an example. You can see the draft and contribute your questions in all 9 arenas in this Google document link: <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeF_lWg8Rj2UeAccxB1olew_zq3mzN6UkDHHlu3…> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeF_lWg8Rj2UeAccxB1olew_zq3mzN6UkDHHlu3… Secondly, you are invited to attend the team’s next meeting, 2 March 2022 at noon Lome, Togo time (GMT+0) to help refine the design of the conversations. Thank you. The ICA Organisation Sustainability Team

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An interim report
by James Wiegel 04 Apr '22

04 Apr '22

Follow this link to see the work we have been doing trying to get a focus on the human factor in the swirl of social change ahead of us this century. We have one remaining work session, this coming Tuesday at 8 am Toronto time. Let me know if you would like to join us on Zoom. Social Change Conversation 2021-22 | | | | | | | | | | | Social Change Conversation 2021-22 | | | Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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April Global Schedule
by Sunny Walker 02 Apr '22

02 Apr '22

Dear colleagues, The Global Schedule for April has already provided several opportunities for engagement and there is more to come. We encourage your participation and invite you to consider offering a presentation, recommending other people to present, or give feedback by emailing: icaglobalschedule(a)gmail.com On March 24-June 16: ICA Canada is presenting the ever-more-popular “Courage to Lead” study series on Thursdays. April 11 -June 1: Common Earth is holding their Spring sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays. Contact Sarah Patterson at spatterson(a)commonearth.com. April 16: Gene Marshall leads the discussion on “Biblical Theologizing Made Simple”. 11am Central time/9am Pacific time. *Join us Tuesday, April 26 for a dialogue with Joy Jinks co-founder of Swamp Gravy and Will Murdock Artistic Director. Swamp Gravy is an example of an art-based community revitalization strategy. Swamp Gravy is Georgia’s official Folk-Life Play. Jan Sanders will host and lead a closing reflection on cultural transformation through the arts.* March 17/18 we held two events to support the Ukrainian peoples in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue to share your support and concerns on Social Media and on the ICAI website. Click on this link to see the schedule of events: https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/ Your Global Schedule Team

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ICA Research Access - You Tube
by Beret Griffith 01 Apr '22

01 Apr '22

More connections.... Beret https://www.youtube.com/user/icaresearchaccess

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3/31/2022, Progressing Spirit; Rev. David M. Felton: “Move Over Genesis"; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 31 Mar '22

31 Mar '22

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!important;padding-bottom:9px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{padding-right:18px !important;padding-left:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnImageCardLeftImageContent, #yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnImageCardRightImageContent{padding-right:18px !important;padding-bottom:0 !important;padding-left:18px !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcpreview-image-uploader{display:none !important;width:100% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 h1{font-size:22px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 h2{font-size:20px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 h3{font-size:18px !important;line-height:125% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 h4{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 .yiv5675390061mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templatePreheader{display:block !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templatePreheader .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templatePreheader .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateHeader .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateHeader .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateBody .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateBody .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateFooter .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent, #yiv5675390061 #yiv5675390061templateFooter .yiv5675390061mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | “Move Over Genesis" | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. M. David Felten March 31, 2022 “Science is handing us an origin story, and we’ve barely begun to understand its mythic dimensions." ~ Jennifer Morgan As if we don’t already have enough problems in this country, the last few years have seen us slipping closer and closer to becoming a “post-truth society.” Facts just don’t seem to matter anymore. Everyone from flat-earthers to Climate Change deniers to anti-vaxxers dismiss peer-reviewed Scientific evidence as just some egghead’s “opinion.” The new mantra seems to be, tell a lie enough times and people start to believe it’s the truth. And the status-quo inertia of most of our religious institutions is part of the problem. Long sidelined as boring and irrelevant, the mainline churches of many of our upbringings are serving primarily as crumbling hospice centers for the palliative maintenance of obsolete religious thought. On the other hand, evangelical and fundamentalist churches continue to try and outdo one another in their extreme adherence to archaic and toxic worldviews on everything from race and gender to science and history. In both cases, low information religious enthusiasts are being exploited by unscrupulous religious leaders and politicians to promote a way of thinking that misrepresents the very fabric of reality. As many Christians are raised (along with Alice in Wonderland) to embrace the virtue of believing “six impossible things before breakfast,” they are conditioned to believe that God will love them more if they believe that God created the world in six 24- hour days, or that there was a real ark, or that Mary was a literal virgin. In fact, the number of Americans who DO embrace a literal Genesis is shockingly high. The latest Gallup poll indicates that 40% of Americans believe that God “poofed” us into existence in our present form in the last 10,000 years or so. Many deny the theory of evolution based on a misguided belief that they have to choose between the Bible and “Godless science.” After all, as anyone who’s read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy knows, God created fossils that only SEEM to be 150 million years old. They’re really only 6,000 years old and God is testing true believers to see if they’ll believe the evidence OR the Bible. Overall, various polls suggest that the likelihood of one’s belief in creationism (born of a literal interpretation of Genesis) increases with the frequency of church attendance — specifically at conservative and evangelical churches (the very same institutions that are the breeding grounds of post-truth favorites like “Q-anon” and “the Big Lie”). If this kind of thinking remained isolated in a hermetically sealed silo of regressive Christian thinking, fine. But people who have been programmed to think this way have now risen to leadership positions across the country. The influence of a post-truth “Biblical” worldview has resulted in legislation that discriminates against Transgender athletes, bans classic literature from school libraries, deputizes anti-abortion vigilantes in Texas, and, in the name of “academic freedom,” attempts to put the quackery of creationism on the same level as evolution, the core animating principle of modern biology. In the last few years, literally dozens of anti-science, anti-LGBTQIA+, and socially regressive bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country. Punitive Means Most recently, Senator Rob Standridge of Oklahoma (himself a product of fundamentalist Christian private schooling) has introduced SB 1470, the “Students Religious Beliefs Protection Act.” The proposed act would allow parents to sue teachers for $10,000 (“per incident, per individual”) and be banned from teaching if they teach anything that upsets their religious students’ tender sensibilities. Anything that is perceived to have anti-religious content is suspect, especially “sciency” stuff like evolution, climate change, or the big bang. But subject matter that touches on LGBTQIA+ issues and reproductive rights are also in Sen. Standridge’s sights. Worse yet, the bill specifically makes it an offense for teachers to upset students “by commission OR omission.” That means a science teacher’s failure to teach creationism as a legitimate alternative to evolution can also lead to fines and expulsion from the teaching profession. To the casual observer, it’s all just one more frustrating tug-of-war between two tribes of irreconcilable world views. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Recently, hundreds of faith communities around the globe observed “Evolution Weekend” to correspond with Charles Darwin’s 213th birthday on February 12th. Coordinated by Dr. Michael Zimmerman’s The Clergy Letter Project, Evolution Weekend seeks to create a pro-science religious witness as a counter to the dominant narrative that religion is always and forever opposed to science and its discoveries. The Clergy Letter Project website has a place for clergy of numerous faith traditions to not only sign on as a supporter in principle, but to commit one’s faith community to participating in annual Evolution Weekend events. The site also includes liturgical resources, hundreds of sample sermons, and a variety of helpful links. For this year’s focus, participants were encouraged to focus on the theme, “The Pandemic, Climate Change and Evolution: How Religion and Science, Working Together, Can Advance Our Understanding.” As a United Methodist, I’m proud to say that the United Methodist denomination officially endorses the Clergy Letter Project and its “reconciliatory programs between religion and science.” Why a pro-science group of clergy? Because the world needs the witness of religious leaders who are humble enough to admit that 1) religions have been wrong before and 2) that science is a means to a deeper sense of spirituality. Wrong Before The practice of any religion requires it to adjust its worldview to account for reality, otherwise it’s bound to go the way of the religions of ancient Egypt or Greece. Back in the 17th century, Galileo was convicted of heresy for suggesting that the earth revolves around the sun, just like Copernicus said. “That’s not what the Bible says!”, the church argued. But guess what? Copernicus was right and the Bible is wrong (and it only took the church 350 years to admit it). Deeper Spirituality On previous Evolution weekends, my congregation has considered the humbling fact that human beings share 98% of our gene sequence with chimpanzees. Even more humbling, we share 50% of our gene sequence with bananas. We’ve learned how the creation stories in Genesis are great stories that were written in very particular times for very particular purposes – neither of which has anything to do with history OR science. And we’ve learned how trying to force Genesis to “prove” things it was never meant to “prove” is a shallow excuse for spirituality. Then there’s recalibrating one’s worldview from the 6,000 year old literal interpretation of Genesis to the 14 BILLION year saga of “Big History.” Doing so not only grounds a person in reality, but shifts one’s awareness away from the self-centered idea that creation is “all about us.” To see ourselves as a tiny, interconnected part of a much bigger, grander, and awe-filled story is a healthy exercise in humility. So, as we try to slow the slide into a full-on post-truth society, we need to both resist the effort of fundamentalist Christians trying to make Genesis into something it’s not and model a spirituality of embracing the mythic awe and wonder of cosmic evolution that science is revealing. Over twenty years ago, Carl Sagan chided the religious by asking: “How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, ‘This is better than we thought! The universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed.’ A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge.” Such a religion will embrace science, evolution, and Big History as integral parts of its identity and spirituality. The 14-billion-year, science-based tale of cosmic genesis — from stardust to the formation of galaxies and the origin of life to the eventual development of consciousness is the true story of us. To paraphrase cosmic theologians Brian Swimme and Thomas Barry, we come from the stars – and the stuff we’re made up of is nearly 14 billion years old, forged over time into a unique, never-to-be-repeated expression of a Universe that is now conscious of itself. Now THAT’S a creation story. As people of faith who take the Bible seriously but not literally, we need to have the confidence to say the Bible is wrong. It was never meant to be a science book. We need to call out those people who pervert the Bible to further wacky ideas like a flat-earth or a six-day creation or a literal flood. Jesus taught his followers to love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and MIND — even when using our minds means having to change our world view to keep up with and defend reality.For a sermon on this topic, follow THIS LINK. ~ Rev. David M. Felten Read online here About the Author Rev. David M. Felten is a full-time pastor at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona. David and fellow United Methodist Pastor, Jeff Procter-Murphy, are the creators of the DVD-based discussion series for Progressive Christians, “Living the Questions” and authors of Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity. A co-founder of Catalyst Arizona and also a founding member of No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, David is an outspoken voice for LGBTQ rights both in the church and in the community at large. David is active in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church and tries to stay connected to his roots as a musician. You’ll find him playing saxophones in a variety of settings, including appearances with the Fountain Hills Saxophone Quartet. David is the proud father of three reliably remarkable human beings. Visit his website here. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader Today's news is full of statements that say Christianity is dying and that is a good thing. Can't we believe in a larger vision without losing Church and Christianity that continue to bring solace and community to so many? A: By Gretta Vosper Dear Reader,The Christianity that many who read this newsletter know is one that has been expanding over time. We’ve embraced new ideas and released older ones, our understandings becoming less fixed, less exclusive. But we have watched, too, as conservative expressions of every faith have become increasingly dogmatic or entrenched in concepts that are, in our eyes, restrictive and judgmental of others. Humanity itself is on the verge of its own demise; some scientists say we may have only eighty years before we become our own ghosts. Many who are familiar with fundamentalism may recognize and resonate with “end of times” theologies, strengthening Christianity and other religions in their most dangerous iterations as we burn our only home to the ground. Arguing a progressive form of religion against dogmatism will be of little use in these crucial years. Rather, let’s slip under the fences built by the divisive belief systems of faith to join one another in a common field that unites us: a place where the values of justice and love, courage and gentleness, en-coeur-agement and hard work thrive and are welcome. These concepts affect us all, regardless of our religious or non-religious beliefs. You are already very skilled at engaging beyond Christianity. Unless your understanding requires you to witness it regularly, continue, as you have been, tucking Christianity away into church events where it is welcome and expected. Leave it there and begin bringing values into more significant places in your relationships and conversations. Ultimately, this is what I have to say to you on this matter: If you would save your belief system before you would save your neighbour, then I cannot help you. But if you would change your belief system to save your neighbour, then put your energy into saving your neighbour now and let Christianity fend for itself. It is, literally, now or never.~ Rev. Gretta Vosper Read and share 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. | | | | | | | | 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! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Learning to Persevere Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was asked what advice she’d give to young people during her confirmation hearing this week. She shed a few tears as she recalled that she’d had a tough time adjusting to life at Harvard after coming from a public school in Miami. What was her advice? “The first semester I was really homesick. I was really questioning, ‘Do I belong here?’ ‘Can I make it in this environment?’ And I was walking through the yard in the evening and a black woman I did not know was passing me on the sidewalk and she looked at me and I guess she knew how I was feeling, and she leaned over as we crossed and said, ‘persevere.’ I would tell them to ‘persevere.’ Perseverance is certainly powerful advice for those who are facing the realities of racism, classism, and sexism in America, as Ketanji Brown Jackson did as a student (and continues to face as a judge). However, the willingness to persevere through difficult times is something that we all must learn to embrace. ProgressiveChristianity.org is persevering, but we need YOUR help. We’re a small organization that strives to make a large impact and we are funded through donations. Could you make a one-time or recurring donation to support the work of Progressive Christianity? Even a gift of $20 would make a huge difference! Thank you for your generosity and for helping us persevere! The Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines Co-Executive Director ProgressiveChristianity.org Progressing Spirit 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, Podme | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited “Think Different – Accept Uncertainty” Part VII: The Corruption of Human Life According to the Bible Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong March 22, 2012In the beginning all was good, said the oldest biblical story of creation (Gen. 2:4b-3:24). That goodness was symbolized by the portrait of life in the Garden of Eden, a garden that contained everything for which a human being could yearn. There was ample water, fruit and vegetation. The author of the story even asserted that this garden contained precious metals like gold and precious stones like onyx. Exactly why this original couple might have needed either gold or onyx is not stated, but they were universally viewed as valuable so the garden was made to contain them. The second symbol of this original perfection in the narrative was that the two human beings, the man and the woman, lived in perfect harmony with God. This harmony was symbolized by the fact that each day “in the cool of the evening” God came out of the sky to have a daily walk with God’s friends, Adam and Eve. In those pre-air conditioned days, God knew better than to come out in the heat of the day. That time was reserved for “mad dogs and Englishmen!” God ventured forth, probably with a straw hat and cane, only in “the cool of the evening.” When God first placed the man and the woman into this garden, the author tells us, there was but a single restriction. The first couple was to have access to all of the plants and trees of the garden save for one. There was a tree, planted by God, known as the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The man and the woman were forbidden to eat from the fruit of this tree. This restriction was not just divinely imposed, but it was severe carrying with it a terrible price. God had promised them that if “you eat of the tree in the midst of the garden, you will surely die!” For a while all went well in Eden, says the text. Human beings, however, know the lure of “forbidden fruit.” So it was almost inevitable that one day, the woman, clearly defined by the male author of this story as the weak link in the created order, was found to be looking at this tree, perhaps fantasizing about what the fruit might be like to her taste buds. Fantasies are often the first step toward crossing a boundary. A serpent, the personification of all evil desires, approached Eve in this vulnerable setting. The serpent was smart and knew just where to aim its thrust into the vulnerabilities of this woman. “It looks tasty, doesn’t it?” said the serpent. “Yes, Mr. Snake, it surely does!” “Why don’t you try it?” the serpent continued. “I could not do that,” Eve replied. “God said that if we eat of the fruit of this tree, we will surely die.” “Oh, you won’t die Miss Eve,” the snake continued, weaving the tempter’s spell, “the reason that God has forbidden this fruit is that God knows that if you eat of the fruit of this tree, you will be as wise as God and will know the difference between good and evil. God doesn’t want anyone to compete with the divine prerogative.” It was a subtle temptation. You can be more than you are, Eve. You can be as wise as God. So Eve thinks about it until her hubris wins out. She plucks the fruit and bites into its substance. Not content to be alone in this act of disobedience, she hurriedly calls Adam over and offers him a sample. Both then eat and in that act of disobedience, this story asserts, evil is born. The world and life itself, which were created to be good, were now corrupted, fallen. Sin had made its entrance into Paradise and would become a constant source of corruption. At that moment, the ancient biblical narrative tells us, the eyes of the man and the woman were opened. Adam and Eve began to see things they had never seen before. They discovered, for example, that they were naked and so they felt shame. Driven by this shame they scurried to make “fig leaf aprons” to cover their exposed bodies. Their walk with God in the cool of the evening, to which they had always looked forward with pleasure, now became a source of dread. It is one thing to walk with a friend, it is quite another to walk with one who has become your judge. So, as the hour of the divine stroll neared, Adam and Eve, in a wonderfully primitive and naïve way, decided they would hide from the all-seeing God in the bushes of the garden. They had just created a game called “Hide and Seek” and had decided that God was “It.” So into the security of the bushes they plunged. When God arrived in the garden for the daily walk with God’s friends, God recognized that something was different. Adam and Eve were nowhere to be seen. So God called out to the man, who in that patriarchal era, would be perceived as the one clearly in charge, “Adam, Adam! Where are you?” Since this was the first time that the game “Hide and Seek” had ever been played in human history, Adam did not quite understand the rules. So, when God called him, Adam stood up in the bushes, raised his hand and said, “Here we are, Lord, hiding in the bushes!” “What in the world are you doing in the bushes?” God asked, before it slowly dawned on the divine consciousness that something was terribly amiss. Then God asked, “Have you eaten of the fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden?” In response to this question, the human capacity to rationalize guilt leapt into full bloom. “It was not I, Lord,” said Adam. It was that woman. You know, Lord, the woman that you made.” Adam obviously wanted to include God in the guilt. The woman then in turn defended herself by blaming the tempter, the serpent. The result, however, was obvious. The goodness of God’s creation came crashing down. God, now cast in the role of judge, proceeds to do just that. He sentences the guilty and these punishments were used by the ancient Jews to explain observable phenomena that seemed to them to have no other explanation. The punishment given to the serpent was that for all eternity, it would be condemned to crawl on its belly and eat the dust of the earth. The punishment given to the woman was that she would experience the pain of labor in childbirth. The punishment given to the man was that he would, from that day forward, have to scratch his meager living out of the ground that frequently brought forth more thorns and brambles than it did food to eat. That was not all. Their punishment also required that they be expelled from the Garden of Eden and thus banished from the presence of God. They could no longer be “at one” with God, making the quest for atonement a driving human need. Communion with the divine was broken. They now lived in a state of alienation and since they were no longer able to live in Eden, they had to dwell “East of Eden,” to borrow a phrase from John Steinbeck. The final punishment was probably the most terrifying. Each of them would die. It was, said this story, now the destiny of all living things to be finite not infinite, mortal not immortal, separated from God not one with God. For human life death had an extra dreadful dimension. All living things die, but only self-conscious human beings know that this is their destiny and so they have to plan for it, anticipate it, and get themselves emotionally prepared for it. The ancient biblical story also says that once the man and the woman were expelled the gates of the Garden of Eden were closed and locked and an angel with a drawn sword stood at the entry, barring any human attempt to return. The corruption of human life was now complete. No life escaped this evil. Human beings were forever after to be born into this fallen status. The fact that everyone died meant that everyone lived “in sin” and was, therefore, guilty. Human beings could do nothing to overcome the fall except to wait patiently for God to come to their rescue. Augustine thus took this ancient story and not only literalized it, but also built an entire theological system around it. Within this theology, he would place the story of Jesus with which most of us are familiar. This theology had several parts. It was rooted in the perfection of God’s creation. It assumed, however, that human beings had destroyed that original perfection with an act of disobedience. That act had corrupted the entire human enterprise. It was this “original sin” that stained irreparably all of life. Original sin was passed on from generation to generation. No one could escape it. No one could save himself or herself from it. All anyone could do was to wait in silence for a divine rescue, for a savior who would come from God, one who was not infected with our sinfulness, one who could redeem us from our “fall”. That yearning for rescue became the lens through which these western Christian Gentiles read and interpreted the messianic dreams of the Jews. When Christianity became the established religion of that western Gentile world, it was within this theological understanding of human life that the Christ story was told. Jesus was God’s rescue operation. His death on the cross was the payment that God required for our sins in order to accomplish our salvation. We developed a mantra inside Protestant Christianity that proclaimed that “Jesus died for my sins!” The Eucharist in Roman Catholic Christianity became the liturgical reenactment of the moment when Jesus paid the price that bought us salvation, so this liturgy was referred to as “the sacrifice of the Mass.” In time believers even developed a fetish about the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. Protestants wanted to be made clean by bathing in the blood of Jesus. Catholics wanted to be cleansed internally by drinking the blood of Jesus. This was the way that traditional Christianity told the Jesus story. It is still deeply implanted in our minds, in our hymns, in our prayers, in our liturgies and in our sermons. What is wrong with this story? Everything! It is bad anthropology and it is not true. Can we find a new way to tell the Christ story apart from this scheme? I hope so, for if we cannot Christianity will surely die. We will put flesh on both of these assertions when the next installments in the series play across our computer screens.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Poetry for Inspiration and Wellbeing – 2022 Taught by one of the longest-serving poetry editors of a major national literary journal in American history, this online course includes mini-lectures, videos, polls, Q&A, and written exercises and reflections, as well as peer review. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Rare footage
by James Wiegel 31 Mar '22

31 Mar '22

1973 Fifth City Decade of Miracles | | | | | | | | | | | 1973 Fifth City Decade of Miracles | | | Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com On Thursday, March 31, 2022, 07:44:25 AM MST, Frank Knutson via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: ❤ _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Burna and David recommend two Easter concerts streaming from London
by David Dunn 30 Mar '22

30 Mar '22

Hello everyone. I want all music lovers to know about a stunning choral ensemble from London that Burna and I fell in love with during the pandemic lockdown—VOCES8. VOCES8 will stream two Live From London Easter Concerts on April 14 and 17. Burna and I subscribed to six choral festivals that the VOCES8 singers and the VOCES8 Foundation organized during the 2020–21 lockdown. A dozen or so choral groups and/or chamber orchestras from the UK, Europe and beyond participated in each festival. We fell in love with the VOCES8 sound, the group's personalities and what felt like real friendship—all streamed live over the internet. We are really looking forward to their upcoming Easter concerts. The concerts are April 14 (The Sacred Veil) and April 17 (Requiem Novum). The concerts will be streamed at noon Eastern Time and will be available on demand through the end of April. You can purchase tickets for one or both concerts at the Live From London website. You’ll pay $32 (£24) for the two concerts and about half that for a single concert. About the music. The LFL website says, "As the calendar turns to resurrection and the hope beyond, LIVE From London presents two very personal pieces as its exclusive Easter meditation – both from the heart and pen of poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri.” Many of you will know Eric Whitacre, who writes some of the most gorgeous music I’ve ever listened to. The poet Charles Silvestri and Whitacre have been close friends for many years. From the website. ‘The Sacred Veil’ by Eric Whitacre, performed by VOCES8, pianist Christopher Glynn, cellist Emma Denton and conducted by Eric himself is a last rite of love and friendship, exploring the journey of pain and loss through the words of the deceased (Julia Lawrence Silvestri), her husband (Charles Anthony Silvestri) and their friend (Eric). Intimately filmed from The VOCES8 Centre and broadcast on Thursday 14 April, the much-awaited collaboration between choral superstars Eric Whitacre and VOCES8 will unveil a newly pared-down approach to the piece, lending it yet more immediacy and poignancy. From the website. In contrast, on Easter Day (Sunday 17 April), LIVE From London unveils Mårten Jansson’s new work ‘Requiem Novum’. As the tombstone is rolled away, Mårten’s ‘Response of Hope and Wonder’ offers a comforting voice from beyond the veil. Charles Anthony Silvestri’s poems are woven between the traditional movements of the Requiem Mass giving a new reading to its texts, whilst Mårten’s expansive score evokes the beauty of sweeping Swedish landscapes just as much as the wonder of eternity. Celebrating the release of the world premiere recording by soprano Anna Dennis, The VOCES8 Foundation Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Barnaby Smith. Click here <https://vimeo.com/675947511/c13bb78898> for the Live From London Easter Concerts trailer. (Do Google or YouTube searches for Eric Whitacre’s and Mårten Jansson’s music and Charles Anthony Silvestri’s poetry.) Click here <https://livefromlondon.org/> for the Live From London web site for more information and to buy tickets for the streamed, online concerts. Let me know if you have questions. If you attend (online or in person) I’d love to hear about your experience. All the best to all. David PS. VOCES8 was on tour in North American last month. Burna and I took our colleague Louise Singleton to their concert in Santa Fe, NM. — "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose" David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 720-314-5991 dmdunn1(a)gmail.com

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PHOTO
by Frank Knutson 28 Mar '22

28 Mar '22

Found this in Archives . . . The good old days @ 5:30 A.M. ❤ Manage Manage

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3/24/2022, Progressing Spirit: Gretta Vosper: Journaling to Ourselves; Spong revisted
by Ellie Stock 24 Mar '22

24 Mar '22

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screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv3725370042 #yiv3725370042templateBody .yiv3725370042mcnTextContent, #yiv3725370042 #yiv3725370042templateBody .yiv3725370042mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv3725370042 #yiv3725370042templateFooter .yiv3725370042mcnTextContent, #yiv3725370042 #yiv3725370042templateFooter .yiv3725370042mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Journaling to Ourselves | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Gretta Vosper March 24, 2022 Left Behind Following my mom’s death, I became the keeper of several of her journals. I’ve not yet had the courage to read them. Maybe it’s because they seem too personal. Or maybe I’m afraid of finding out what she really thought of me, or how I may have hurt her with my too-busy life and consequent inattentiveness. In any case, receiving them drove me to make a serious commitment: burn your diaries before you die. You don’t want any evidence left behind. History Saved Through the Day to Day Journals have long been an important part of our lives and a door into the lives of others. Consider some of the best known which have been published in book form. Powerful wartime reflections: The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, and her contemporary’s, A Girl's Life in the Siege of Leningrad by the lesser-known teenager, Lena Mukhina. The latter is a tale of sudden hardship that may soon be repeated in a Russia shunned by the world. Mark Twain’s, The Innocents Abroad is a travelogue more than a diary, but very much worth the knee-slapping read. (His Letters from Earth is definitely not a diary but another rollicking bit of fun that is totally worth your time.) Charles Wesley’s journals cover the work he and his brother, John, undertook to spread the gospel both in England and further afield. Some of what Charles wrote about the period the brothers spent in America, however, was written in code and only recently deciphered using the King James Bible as a cipher. What Charles wrote in code was that he had serious problems shaking rumours of sexual indiscretions and suffered not insignificant arguments with his brother. Charles fled back to England within a few months only to have the rumours continue to dog him. Many presidential memoirs are, no doubt, based on diaries of a sort. Recently, we’ve been able to peek into the lives of both Barack and Michelle Obama. And, of course, it’s worth mentioning that Donald J. Trump’s presidential memoir came in the form of a coffee table photo diary, Our Journey Together. There is no end to the interesting comparisons you can make there. I have never kept a diary for any length of time. I’ve purchased so many beautiful, empty books over the years that were to become diaries and hold my deepest thoughts and darkest worries. But nothing ever took beyond a page or two. I was too busy, I told myself. Or couldn’t think of anything profound enough to dignify by writing it down. (Once, I even bought ugly, cheap notebooks so that I could get over that last hurdle. Still didn’t help.) Maybe I was bored with myself or exhausted. Or maybe I was too afraid that I might get offed by a bus one day before I’d had a chance to burn my most humiliating entries. I don’t know. The whole diary thing just never got off the ground. So now, I have a lot of beautiful, and a few ugly, empty books, the first page or four torn out, awaiting something. Anything. A Different Daily Log Three years ago, I started a different kind of journal and I’m completely surprised that I have filled three books and am on my fourth. Really! Amazing, eh? It’s not about my thoughts, though. It’s about the things for which I am grateful. A gratitude journal. Something I don’t worry will be left behind if that bus catches up with me. I pick the book up each night, just as I’m ready to go to sleep, put on some gentle music and consider my day from a positive point of view. Somewhere, I picked up the idea that writing three things down was a significant goal, so that’s what I started with that. When I mentioned my intention to a friend, they wondered if I wouldn’t quickly run out of things to say. Although I’m certain I’ve repeated myself many times, usually there have been more things I’ve wanted to record than the three slots I allow myself. So much so that I decided about a year in to add another section: WWW. What Went Well. WWW was inspired by a teacher on Insight Timer, the meditation app that I use. Having already started the process of writing down what I was grateful for, moving into writing about what went well seemed to be a good addition. Sometimes the WWW is about having successfully wrestled through a big problem. Sometimes it’s about getting in some exercise. Sometimes it is about just surviving the day. That’s all. And that’s enough. Only once have I ever written “Nothing”. And that day, it was absolutely true. But for every day other than that one, even the days I’d normally have screamed, “Nothing’s gone right today!”, I’ve been able to find something that went well and been grateful for it. I used to go to bed thinking about all the things that I still needed to do. Now I think about what went well. And, about a year ago, I added another section, this being a less specific thing for which I am grateful. Something broader than “The movie ‘Ladies in Black’”. Last night it was “The promise of Spring”. Other times “Poetry”, “The feel of water”, “Climate change resistors”. There are always more things to write down. The Dark Side With three years of experience with gratitude, I’ve embarked on another aspect of the journaling project. This one follows from my reading of Matt Haig’s novel The Midnight Library. The midnight library is a place between life and death where all the lives that might have been for a person, every life that, had a different decision been made, would have spun off from the life that has been led in real time - and there are possibilities for innumerable different decisions in every single day – is written out in a book. The library is filled with thousands and thousands of books about the lives that might have been lived by a single person. The protagonist, Nora Seed, finds herself in the library in the moment between life and death and has the chance to choose another book to enter a different life and see if that one would be more worth living. Before she can choose, however, she must read one book, a book that is different from all the others: The Book of Regrets. You know where I’m going because you’ve been there at least once or twice in your life. You and I and everyone else, except those identified as sociopaths, have regrets. We’ve made mistakes. We intentionally and unintentionally made decisions that weren’t in our or others’ best interests. We been hurt by our decisions. We’ve hurt others. We live with regret, if not every day, at least some of the time. Over this past year, as my health has taken me to very challenging places, I have sat in those places of regret and allowed them to overwhelm me. It’s not a pretty place, believe me. But it was a place that, at those times, I needed to be. Too often, we flee from regret and avoid it at all costs. Our world, our faith, our belief system, brings us hope over and over again, but more and more, we can grab the hope and avoid the condemnation. Yes, we can access Catholic Confession and Absolution, participate in the Prayers of Confession and Assurance of Pardon offered in many traditional Protestant churches, release our anxieties through emotive self-condemnation in evangelical choruses, or experience the atonement of Yom Kippur though the Jewish tradition, among others. But we rarely face the remorse that we have woven deep into our hearts and, for the most part, hidden there. As the world becomes increasingly secular, even these traditions fade, and regret is no longer attended to as it has been in the past. I believe this absence of a normalized process for attending to regret is the loss of a significant element of our wholeness, of coming together of out severed pieces into one, the good and the bad, the joy-filled and the suffering. Riven by injustices, bad choices, resentments, callous decisions, our hearts need the healing that our traditions once made available; indeed, the practise of attending to our errors was prescribed. Attending to regrets will not be an evening, just before bed, undertaking. It needs reflection, engagement, time, and deep appreciation for its reality. My hope is that, as I explore my regrets, they will become normalized. Not in the sense of not worth notice. In the sense of, “This, I recognize. This, I can address. This, I can lift from my heart, hold, attend to, come to understand.” Regret is a part of me as it is a part of you. Finding ways to acknowledge our mistakes, forgive our complicities, release the bloated self-blame we’ve hung onto is important. Just as, if not more important than a regular attentiveness to that for which we are grateful. Room for Regret I am so convinced of this need to be present to our regrets that I am beginning to form the concept for a project I’m calling Room for Regret. My intention is to invite others to record their regrets, moving through the process of attention, understanding, and forgiveness or atonement, and to allow me to collect them. Ultimately, I envision a physical and a virtual installation of the project, an ephemeral portrayal of the movement toward the grace we give ourselves, the witnessing of our own becoming whole. We evolve through the work we do in the course of our too-short and too-harried days. Embracing that for which we are grateful is our evolution toward joy. Witnessing to that which went well is our evolution toward self-worth. Acknowledging that which we regret is an evolution toward wholeness. These are the things that our faith traditions have offered us. These are the things we might learn to offer ourselves and others. And through these complex paths, might we find peace, ourselves, and one another. If you would like to participate in the Room for Regret project, please contact me at room.for.regret(a)gmail.com.~ 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. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader There is chaos and confusion at the Ukraine border. Reports about racism distract the world’s focus on the Ukrainians’ hardship. Racism can’t be in every situation. Do you think it’s all a misunderstanding since patience and tempers would be short? A: By Rev. Irene Monroe Dear Reader,Russia has invaded Ukraine. European countries bordering Ukraine have welcomed its traumatized neighbors – an open-arm welcome in stark contrast with Black international students left out in below-freezing temperatures for days without life-saving humanitarian assistance. Ukrainian police and border security officials’ double standard demonstrate that Black lives don’t matter. A deluge of footage and posts on social media show the mistreatment of Africans: taken off trains and told to walk to the border; chased back from the border in specific countries; hit by police armed with sticks as white Ukrainians were allowed entry; moved to the back of the line and told to wait; or simply flat-out told by border officials they were “not tending to Africans.” Despite an order that all women and children are allowed to leave Ukraine, Black mothers, many of whom lived in Ukraine for years, were physically prevented from getting on trains and buses. Poland might as well erect America’s classic Jim Crow “white only” placard, since its double standard toward Africans has been on full display. Polish nationalists have attacked Africans and made false claims of theft and crimes. “One group of Nigerian students having been repeatedly refused entry into Poland have concluded they have no choice but to travel again across Ukraine and attempt to exit the country via the border with Hungary,” according to a Twitter account representing the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The hashtag #AfricansInUkraine arose on Twitter to draw attention to the double-standard and mistreatment, because mainstream media hadn’t been covering the abuses. Anti-Black racism is global. When wars erupt in European countries, African diaspora Blacks have difficulty being safe or getting back to their home country – especially if the country they are in is anti-America. Russia’s Ukraine invasion helps the world see what our inhumanity toward each other looks like. Also, it highlights the persistence of a global racist social order even in a humanitarian crisis. Sadly, anti-Black racism will also be part of Ukraine's war narrative, because everyone has the right to cross international borders during a conflict, notwithstanding their religion or racial identity.~ Rev. Irene Monroe Read and share online here About the Author The Reverend Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on NPR's WGBH (89.7 FM). She is a weekly Friday commentator on New England Channel NEWS. Monroe is the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, Guided Walking Tour of Beacon Hill: Boston’s Black Women Abolitionists. A Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist; her columns appear the Boston LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle, and the Boston Globe. Monroe states that her “columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.” Her papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College’s research library on the history of women in America. Click here to visit her website. | | | | | | | | 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, Podme | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited “Think Different - Accept Uncertainty” Part VI: Understanding the Source of Evil Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong March 15, 2012Bad theology is inevitable when it is based on bad anthropology! That is, the way we understand human life always determines the way we understand God. This becomes very clear when religious people begin to grapple with and to try to explain the source of evil. One does not have to argue today about the reality of human evil. Stories documenting that reality find daily expression on the front pages of our newspapers and are the lead stories on all news telecasts. Though an evil presence is all but universally acknowledged, defining what constitutes evil can, however, still vary widely and explaining the source out of which evil flows has been a major debate throughout the ages. The source of evil has been portrayed in a variety of mythological ways. All people, however, seem to know intuitively that there is something deep in our lives, out of which hostile, spiteful, defensive and sometimes killing impulses flow. The depth of this reality oft times surprises us. It is as if it overwhelms our cultivated self image. Many of us are hesitant to own evil as something that is part of ourselves. St. Paul, for example, saw evil as an external force that somehow held him in its grip. He explained its presence by saying, “It was sin, working death in me through what is good.” (Rom. 7:13). Later, but in a similar vein, he explained that when he knows what is evil and still chooses to do it: “It is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me” (Rom. 7:17). In Persia, where the Jews first ran into a radical dualism that divided the whole of reality into two realms, one good, one evil, another definition was operating. Creation was a mixture of two competing and eternal powers, not just the beginning of God’s good world, as the biblical story of the Hebrews had maintained. Life was a mixture of good and evil, light and darkness, spirit and flesh and heaven and earth. This dualistic idea found a major place in the writings of Plato, who describes human beings after the analogy of a charioteer being drawn by a pair of horses, one representing the higher aspiration of the soul and the other representing the lower yearnings of the flesh. The task of the charioteer was to steer these competing forces so that the higher nature always led the lower. Deep down in this theological divide that separated dualism from the biblical witness was their mutually exclusive images of God. For the dualists good and evil were equal divine forces contending for dominance. This counter force might be called the devil, Satan or evil, but it was portrayed as possessing a status equal to and independent of God. For the Jews, to whom God was both ultimate and one, evil was not an independent power, but a corruption of the original goodness of God’s creation. This Jewish conviction was expressed in the Shema, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one,” and it was grounded in the Commandments where it was written, “I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other Gods before me.” This meant that for the Jews evil had to be understood as a corruption of that which is good. So, in the Jewish tradition, Satan was not an independent creature, but a fallen angel cast out of heaven by God for leading a revolution against God and human life was not evil in its origins, but became evil through an act of disobedience that corrupted the goodness of God’s creation forever. Although these ideas were present in the mythology of the Jewish stories of their origins, they did not get developed in a systematic way until the fourth century of the Common Era and then by the hand of the most significant Christian theologian in the first twelve hundred years of Christian history. His name was Augustine. He was the bishop of a North African town known as Hippo. Today he is canonized, both in fact and tradition, and is widely referred to as simply St. Augustine. Augustine had an interesting personal history before he was converted to Christianity. Much of that history he has chronicled in a book called “The Confessions.” He was captured, he says, by “the lure of the flesh.” He had many lovers and lived with one of them long enough to father a son by her. He identified himself as a Manichean, which meant that he was a follower of Mani, a Middle Eastern dualist. Finally, however, inspired by the witness of his Christian mother, whose name was Monica, and under the influence of a Christian leader named Ambrose, he became a Christian and put his enormous intellectual gifts into the service of his newly-adopted faith. He assumed that it was his task as a Christian theologian to explain all mysteries. One of those mysteries to be explained was the source of evil in a world that Christians believed was created by a good God. To accomplish this task, he went to the scriptures of the Judeo-Christian tradition, which he believed, as the Christians of that day did, that these words were the “Word of God” and, therefore, that they held the key to the understanding of all things. Augustine knew nothing of the source or background of these scriptures, but assumed it was his job to mine them to discover ultimate truths. In that sacred text Augustine found two quite different stories of creation side by side in the book of Genesis. They were actually written in two different eras about 500 years apart and under very different circumstances. He blended them, however, and used them as his starting place in the definition of evil. From the first story (Gen. 1:1-2:4a), he took the idea of the perfection of creation. This was the “seven day” story, which suggests that God, the source of all that is good, created out of nothing the earth, the sun, the moon and all forms of living things from plants, fish and birds to the “beasts of the field” and “every creeping thing that creeps upon the face of the earth.” Then late on the sixth day, to complete the act of creation, perhaps as its crown and jewel, God made human life. God made this human life both male and female, presumably as equal expressions of the divine image. To this newly minted couple God gave stewardship over all things and commanded them to be faithful and to multiply. This story ends with God pronouncing everything that God had made to be good. There was no dualism here between good and evil. All was good, all flesh, all desires, all creatures. Because creation was now complete it was assumed to be perfect. Nothing can be perfect if it is incomplete or still evolving. Completeness was established in this narrative when it announced that on the seventh day of that first week, God rested from all the divine labors and thus established the Sabbath day of each week thereafter to be a day of rest for all creation. This familiar narrative was a product of the period in Jewish history known as the Babylonian captivity, which would date it in the late 6th century BCE. It was written to accomplish two things. First, the writer, who was a member of a group we now refer to as “the priestly writers,” wanted to have a Jewish story of creation that could be placed as a contrast alongside the Babylonian story of creation. Second, this writer wanted to establish the peculiar Jewish Sabbath day custom as a defining mark of all Jewish people and to cause that practice to distinguish the Jews from all other people. The Jews must become, this author believed, people who refuse to work on the seventh day of the week and, in the separateness of that existence, keep themselves from losing their identity by intermingling and ultimately intermarrying with members of other ethnic groups. Only in a strictly observed separation could the continuity of the Jewish people be guaranteed and only in separation could they fulfill what was, they believed, their God-given vocation, namely to be the people through whom all the nations of the world will be blessed. That was their calling, their messianic role and their divine, historical destiny. This hymn of creation was designed to affirm the oneness of God, the goodness of creation and to justify the stance of separation in which their hope of survival as a people rested. When this group of “priestly writers” later compiled the sacred scriptures of the Jews, an action that also took place in and following the Exile in the late sixth and early fifth centuries BCE, they placed this story of the earth’s beginnings as the first chapter of the first book of their sacred story, the first chapter of what they would later call “The Torah.” This meant that it had to push a much earlier story of creation into a secondary position. That displaced story of creation, which was written some 400 to 500 years earlier, was much more primitive and reflected its more ancient origins. It was quite different and even quite contradictory when compared with the newcomer that now preceded it. In the first story, the creation of living things came in an orderly manner from plants to animals to human life. In the second story, the man was created first out of the dust of the earth and even after God had created a beautiful garden in which the man could live. Then came the creation of all the animals, which were designed to give the man companionship, and finally, when none of the animals seemed capable of meeting the man’s needs for companionship, God created the woman. The woman in this story was thus not coequal as in the earlier story. She was quite secondary, made out of the rib of the man. She was created to be the male helpmeet and support person. The man had the power to name her as he had named all the other animals, which meant that he had the power to control her. The names of this man and woman were Adam and Eve. The garden in which they lived was called the Garden of Eden. In both stories the perfection of creation was asserted, but how evil entered this paradise was yet to be told. The Jews would come down on the side of evil being the corruption of that which was good. St. Augustine would put these two stories together and make them the basis of his explanation of evil and just why it was that all human beings were corrupted, why they died and why they needed to be rescued and saved by an intervening deity. I will turn to that story next week.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Healing the Divide: METOO To WETOGETHER April 23rd - June 4th - Online This 7-week course creates a safe forum where we can awaken a deeper empathy and understanding and begin to discover practical pathways towards healing and transforming our relationships. Together we can begin to reform relations between women and men, and people of all genders, without blame or shame, and move through the often unspoken, unconscious attitudes, fears and reactions around gender and sexuality, to reclaim the mutual harmony and reverence that is our birthright. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Anniversary ahead
by James Wiegel 23 Mar '22

23 Mar '22

Judyand I will mark our 51st anniversary next Monday, March 21,2022. Every so often we run across notes from our rehearsal dinner afew days before our wedding – shared wisdom, advice and stories from those present toguide us as we set out on our marriage journey. We re-read those notes with much appreciation. Now, a half century later, with several decades (perhaps) ahead of us, what wisdom, advice, insights, and stories might you offer to help us do well in the journey ahead? This broad “family”of which you are a part has been a warm and useful treasure for us. Thanks in advance. Jim Wiegel Theunknown is what is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat. Unknown is what is. Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing. John Lennon 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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