December 2019 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

Joe Mathews Dissertation on John Wesley
by Wendell Refior 21 Apr '20

21 Apr '20

Colleagues - We now have a digital copy of JWM's Dissertation on Wesley. A Study of John Wesley, turned in and rejected by Niebuhr and never rewritten or approved. Wendell Refior for the ICA Global Archives Chapter 1: The Human Constitution https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/21219.pdf Chapter 2: The Life of Love https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/21220.pdf Chapter 3: The Knowledge of Faith https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/21221.pdf Conclusion: Concluding Remarks https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/21222.pdf -- Thanks until later. "To believe what is true for you in your private heart is true for <everyone> -- that is genius." - Emerson in "Self-Reliance" Wendell

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Global Buzz reminder
by ICA International 31 Dec '19

31 Dec '19

Reminder for entries This reminder is for the Global Buzz that will be published January 5th. 2020 (Please send your entries at least a day or more ahead) Please send all your entries by regular e-mail to: inform(a)ica-international.org with your entry as an attatchment. Send details of news items, training programmes, your peer to peer connections with other ICAs, any concerns you may have and of any events that are coming up at your location. Your report can be long or short, but remember that all other ICAs would really like to know about the things that matter where you are, and what you are doing as an ICA. Peter, for ICAI Communications Pour les entrées de rappel Ce rappel est à la Global Buzz qui sera publié le 5 janvier 2020 (Veuillez envoyer vos entrées au moins une journée à l'avance) Veuillez envoyer toutes vos entrées maintenant par courriel ordinaire à : inform(a)ica-international.org avec votre entrée comme un attatchment. Envoyer les détails des articles de nouvelles, des programmes de formation, vos connexions peer to peer avec d'autres CIAS, de toute préoccupation que vous pourriez avoir et de tous les événements qui sont à venir à votre emplacement. Votre rapport peut être longue ou courte, mais rappelez-vous que toutes les autres CIAS aimerait vraiment savoir à propos de choses qui importe où vous êtes et ce que vous faites comme une ICA. Recordatorio de las entradas Este aviso es para el Global Buzz que se publicarán 5 enero 2020 (Favor de enviar sus entradas al menos con un día de antelación) Por favor envíe todos sus entradas ahora por correo electrónico a: inform(a)ica-international.org con su entrada como un archivo adjunto. Enviar detalles de noticias, programas de capacitación, el peer to peer las conexiones con otros convenios o acuerdos internacionales, las preocupaciones que usted pueda tener y de los eventos que se aproximan en su ubicación. El informe puede ser a corto o largo, pero hay que recordar que todos los demás convenios quisiera saber realmente sobre lo que realmente importa, y lo que están haciendo una ICA.

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Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] Fwd: Birthday Witness
by Robertson Work 29 Dec '19

29 Dec '19

A meditation for the Death Team - "When we have freedom, what seemed to be suffering becomes Wondrous Being. . . . Wondrous Being is beyond being and nonbeing. . . . When a leaf is born, we can sing Happy Continuation. When a leaf falls, we can sing Happy Continuation. When we have awakened understanding, birth is a continuation and death is a continuation, birth is an appearance and death is an appearance. People also appear to be born, grow old, and die. . . . With nonattachment we see both birth and death as creations of our mind, and we ride the wave of birth and death. We don't mind birth. We don't mind death. . . . We know that nothing is born and nothing can die. We have the wisdom of no-birth and no-death. We know that there is birth, old age and death, and we also know that these are only waves on which bodhisattvas ride. Birth is okay and death is okay, if we know that they are only concepts in our mind. Reality transcends both birth and death." (pgs 227-228, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh) As for my experience, I have known only living, nothing else. The billions of years of existence before this "I" seems to appear, and the billions of years after this "I" seems to disappear are the continuation, the vast, mysterious ocean manifesting waves that rise and fall. In fact, this self is made up of all that is not the self. There is no separation. I am not only this skin bag and paltry ego. I am a wave rising for a moment, then falling back into the ocean. ................................................................................................ Recent book: A Compassionate Civilization: The Urgency of Sustainable Development and Mindful Activism - Reflections and Recommendations https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546972617 Blog: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/<https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/><https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsonwork/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compassionatecivilization/ ________________________________ From: Dialogue <dialogue-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> on behalf of James Wiegel via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2019 12:15 PM To: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)gmail.com> Cc: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com>; Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Colleague Dialogue <Dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Fwd: Birthday Witness That is to say, thanks, Dick. Thanks all. Sign me up for the death squad . . . Wait, no that’s not right — the death TEAM, that’s it! Was inspired this morning, started a note on my iPad—“If I should die before I wake”. List got long, quickly. Judy and Jenny recommended I assign Calvin, a grandson, to go through the files on my hard drives and sort them . . . He is very good with the DELETE button. Is this wise? With Respect, Jim Wiegel On Dec 16, 2019, at 10:26 AM, James Wiegel <JFwiegel(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. James Baldwin<https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brain…> <https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brain…><https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brain…> With respect, Jim Wiegel On Dec 16, 2019, at 9:09 AM, Jim Baumbach via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: As many on this list have shared, Alice and I have also, as we grow older, experienced painful losses through death. Our personal discussions with each other confronting our eventual passing have raised questions about how we prepare for those times and how to help those we leave behind. There seems to be a stigma that if a person talks about their own death somehow they may be suicidal or at best just sadistic but in general it is taboo in "polite circles." Although we don't dwell on the topic still we don't avoid it and better yet, we embrace it. Planning for our own passing can be an eschatological experience and certainly calls into question who and what we believe ourselves to be. I hope you will let me join the "Death Team." Jim On 12/14/2019 4:59 PM, Richard Alton via Dialogue wrote: Death up Close It has been a rough year. Late in 2018 I fell off my bike and headed to the doctor to make sure I was okay. From a CT scan discovered two lung spots- four months of CT scans, a PET scan and a biopsy, (which caused a collapsed lung) to find out it was nothing the doctors were concerned about. But it generated a lot of thinking about my end of life, and death. Even went to a Church class on sharing what you have done or need to do to get ready for your funeral. Then Jim Stovall, Sally’s brother (10 years in the Order), came down with stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver. They worked on a liver replacement, but Jim’s body became toxic and he died in April of this year. Then in May, Sally (significant other for 14 years) had a major stroke and died- just to give you a feel for this death up close: Sally, nothing basically wrong...just general 70-year health problems... a little issue with high blood pressure but controlled by pills. She was getting ready for a meeting and I came into the bedroom and she was on the bed- said she got dizzy in the bathroom and just barely made it to the bed. She said she had a headache (her speech was a little slurred) and wanted two aspirins- I gave them to her and left her on the bed for 15 minutes- came back and she wanted to eat something- sure- but she could not get up except her left arm- I grabbed her arm but she was not able to make it up- I called ambulance-we got to the hospital- she had a massive stroke with major brain bleeding... from local Western Suburban Hospital took her downtown by ambulance to Rush (Chicago stroke Hospital). Arrived at Hospital by 10:30pm and they determined she had lost most of her brain function. We kept her on a breathing tube until her sister and daughter arrived the next day and pulled tube after a prayer service with her pastor Marti, Pam Bergdall, Carol (sister), Teresa (daughter), George Emerick (Teresa’s father) and myself. Sally lasted about 15 minutes. In a way it was great, it was quick. She was unconscious almost immediately at 730pm Monday night and pronounced dead at 4:27pm the next day, May 21st.. a great life But I wasn’t prepared for the HOLE that was blown in my life with the loss of my partner of 14 years. And in the midst of this emotional loss, I have had to spend the last 7 months taking care of the aftereffects of Sally’s death and re-organizing my life. So, my learnings from these 3 death experiences (I count my lung problem as a near death): 1. 1) In all 3 events I was struck how unprepared we are for death both in handling others deaths or our own. We are overwhelmed by the loss of our loved one to deal with what is the most important event of our or their lives. How can we pay so little attention to expressing the meaning and purpose of this glorious life we have had? 2. 2) Second, death is usually hidden and then burst into our lives. Death is wicked how fast it comes and how it is all consuming and leaves little room for preparation or even thought. Sally’s stroke was unannounced, and she was gone in less that 12 hours. Jim Stovall was in a hospital fighting a losing battle for his life and Sally and his family were totally consumed with his care. It is hidden in that we do not want to even consider this end or admit to our finitude and mortality. The hiddenness from death, from this final power cuts us off from our journey leaves us shocked and disoriented in thinking/preparing to have a meaningful ending 3) What happens is professionals that deal a lot with death step in and organize the readings, the message, the music, the witness, the reception as the family and friends are frozen in losing a beloved one. When you read Matthew’s The Time My Father Died and Matthews gets mad at what the funeral home had done to his father. The issue is not the funeral home but rather Joseph had not thought through his father’s death. In the case of Sally, since I had been thinking about my own death- I asked ICA’s Seva Gandhi to do one of the Memorial Services witnesses to Sally’s life. I asked her to reflect on Sally’s time in the Order, the Ecumenical Institute and Institute of Cultural Affairs. Seva did a great job capturing Sally’s thankfulness for being in a religious community and how she engaged herself as being part of a global servant force that was out to care for the poorest of the poor. I was so pleased that it seemed to hold the depth, wonder and uniqueness of her existence; * Sally loved the religious house and the community, interaction, structures it brought her life. * * Sally loved the town meetings and her engaging the small towns across Utah. She had an amazing memory of those small town meetings and especially the songs. * * It was clear that Sally had found purpose in her life and was sent to make a difference in this world. Others sensed this too. Was pretty obvious when she died on a Tuesday and the next day, Wednesday, we held a prayer service with 100 people showing up and talked and talked about what Sally meant to their lives. And then that Saturday at her Memorial Service 250 people showed up many unknown to us... people were standing in the Church aisles But my lesson learned through all of this is that we need to take ownership of our death and the message (word) it brings to others. I have worked on my funeral: like to have the Daily Office liturgy, DH Lawrence’s Not I, Not I But a New Wind Blowing Through Me read, decided what I like to have read from the NT and the OT and who and what would like have sung plus a witness-one being the ICA. For Sally’s Memorial Service her children pulled together a slide show that was fabulous. Need to do that. I think the basic message is that we need to get our deaths thought through. So 3 deaths (actually Sally’s sister died the year before) and a funeral class has made death up close as a reality. Overwhelming experience; need to bring intentionality and attentionally to our deaths and the death needs to speak the “Word”. So from this experience and dialogue I have joined with others to form a “Death Team” (Pam Bergdall and Seva Gandhi- who says death is always on her mind), We are proposing a quarterly death webinar or more like a death sharing circle to get our deaths in shape...it has been said that facing up to death also makes for a better life. What think you? Dick Alton, RS-1, 1968, born December 14, 1941 -- Richard H. T. Alton One Earth Film Fest ( OEFF) Green Community Connections Interfaith Green Network T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com<mailto:richard.alton@gmail.com> *Save the Date! One Earth Film Festival 2019, March 1-10 http:www.oneearthfilmfestival.org<https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oneear…> Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net<mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net<https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.wedg…> _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net

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Re: [Oe List ...] Merry Christmas
by Del Morrill 29 Dec '19

29 Dec '19

Thanks so much for the lovely present, David. From: OE <oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> On Behalf Of David Yost via OE Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2019 3:26 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: David Yost <dlyost(a)gmail.com> Subject: [Oe List ...] Merry Christmas A Last Minute Gift or a lifetime present. Click on the link below https://vidmails.com/v/C8GuSluaKA -- Grace & Peace David Yost 720-365-6698 "What life means to us is determined not so much by what life brings to us as by the attitude we bring to life; not so much by what happens to us as our reaction to what happens". Lewis Dunning

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Re: [Oe List ...] Birthday Witness
by Sunny Walker 28 Dec '19

28 Dec '19

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Watched a movie on Netflix
by James Wiegel 27 Dec '19

27 Dec '19

Tall girl. Sort of a hallmark version of the long necked girl story. With respect, Jim Wiegel

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12/26/19, Progressing Spirit: Deshna Sharron: Feeling Compassionate; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 26 Dec '19

26 Dec '19

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#yiv9812378278templateHeader .yiv9812378278mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv9812378278 #yiv9812378278templateBody .yiv9812378278mcnTextContent, #yiv9812378278 #yiv9812378278templateBody .yiv9812378278mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv9812378278 #yiv9812378278templateFooter .yiv9812378278mcnTextContent, #yiv9812378278 #yiv9812378278templateFooter .yiv9812378278mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} Dear White Christians | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Feeling Compassionate | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Deshna Charron December 26, 2019 Dear White Christians,1 Today, as I write this, I am feeling compassion for the white fragility out there. There’s a lot of grief connected to it. Yes, something is dying, friends. Because it must. White supremacy must die so we can all be transformed, so we can all be resurrected. Acknowledging our white fragility does not mean we are fragile people... it just means we are aware of the guilt and defensiveness that naturally comes up when we look at our own concepts around race. In response to a year end letter I wrote for ProgressiveChristianity.org2, we received a handful of responses from white people. The letter was focused on letting our readers know about a new initiative our organization is taking, Christian Reparations Resolutions. As progressive Christians this is a foundational necessity for we claim that we know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe and that we strive for peace and justice among all people By reparations in this case, we mean actions that bring about repair. We are not referring to financial reparations specifically, but rather to repentance and actions that move communities toward healing. Reparations can not happen without first acknowledging the harm caused by white Christianity in all its forms, and by repenting, asking for forgiveness, and resolving to do better together with bipoc (Black, Indigenous and People of Color). These Resolutions focus on 3 main roots of disharmony and injustice plaguing our world and Christianity: 1. Repentance for harmful actions, attitudes, and lifestyles as well as reparations for Indigenous peoples. 2. Repentance for harmful actions, attitudes, and lifestyles as well as reparations for People of Color. 3. Repentance for harmful actions, attitudes, and lifestyles as well as reparations for harm to Creation. Here is one of the responses to my letter: “Sorry, but I will not apologize for being of white heritage, and I will not repent for it. I am not privileged, frail, or a racist. I believe we are all created by the Divine Source and conduct myself accordingly in the world. I believe in a more positive attitude about the present and future, which is how I plan to live my life.” My friends, throughout history, the Christian table has been too small and yet the followers of Jesus have always been admonished to make more room. I do not desire to lump all Christians into one box, however, as we continue to use the word Christianity to describe our religion and path, if we want to reclaim that name, it's important to look at it as a whole. As progressive Christians, we are called to the work of transformation that we have witnessed in the incredible life of Jesus. We have been teaching these values from our pulpits, from stages, behind cameras and to our readership. We have been gathering around a table and breaking bread and pouring wine, but that table has historically been too small. We have met a moment in history that demands more of us. Healing and positive transformation are our goals here. We all want to get closer to radical inclusion and harmony. However, to move toward healing and a more fair society, we must first acknowledge where our ancestors and where we have missed the mark or have caused harm. Remember kindergarten? Teachers and parents alike, modeled to us that when harm has been done, intentionally or not, we begin by acknowledging, then we ask forgiveness, then we resolve to do better. Only then, can we ALL fully envision a world that is better than the one we have been handed. We can see into the future, where a rainbow tribe covers the earth, respectful and authentic, as Jesus envisioned. We aren't apologizing for being white. We are seeking restorative justice for the acts that have caused harm done in the name of Christianity. This isn't a new concept, especially for progressives. The historian Roy E. Finkenbine3 documented at the assembling of the United States, black reparations were actively considered and often effected. Quakers in New York, New England, and Baltimore went so far as to make “membership contingent upon compensating one’s former slaves.” In 1782, the Quaker Robert Pleasants emancipated his 78 slaves, granted them 350 acres, and later built a school on their property and provided for their education. “The doing of this justice to the injured Africans,” wrote Pleasants, “would be an acceptable offering to him who ‘Rules in the kingdom of men.’ ”4 But while the people advocating reparations have changed over time, the response from the country has remained virtually the same. “They have been taught to labor,” the Chicago Tribune editorialized in 1891. “They have been taught Christian civilization, and to speak the noble English language instead of some African gibberish. The account is square with the ex‑slaves.”5 After 250 years of slavery, blacks continued to be terrorized and oppressed. Banks refused loans or charged insane interest rates and only allowed blacks to purchase homes in black neighborhoods. Businesses discriminated and continue to discriminate against them. The income gap between black and white households is roughly the same today as it was in 1970. Many well intended white Christians would probably say, aren't we over the slavery thing yet? This is within my own lifetime, so no, we're not 'over it yet'. “This is not surprising. Black families, regardless of income, are significantly less wealthy than white families. The Pew Research Center estimates that white households are worth roughly 20 times as much as black households, and that whereas only 15 percent of whites have zero or negative wealth, more than a third of blacks do. Effectively, the black family in America is working without a safety net. When financial calamity strikes—a medical emergency, divorce, job loss—the fall is precipitous.”6 Many well meaning white Christians may say, well I worked hard for that. Yes, you did. And did they work any less hard? Meritocracy works well for the white community that upholds it, but doesn't make room for others so well. Along with this comes a toxic perspective inherent in white culture that bipoc are lazy or unable to pay their bills. The church has largely remained silent around the issue of the theft of black and native lands. There is more history here than I can go into in one short column. However, the facts are clear. Below is a list of references so that you can do your own research. Modern day Christianity too often is preaching an exclusive Christianity that only allows certain people into the Kingdom. It is the same Christianity that was used to oppress indigenous people all over the world. This Christianity culturally appropriated African stories and mythologies. This Christianity made God white and made Jesus white. Why? To serve the White Roman Empire. This Christianity has been extremely implicit in racism and violence for thousands of years. This Christianity was used in seminaries that would not accept black people. This Christianity used the Bible as a justification for slavery. This Christianity all too often affirmed white supremacy. The Christianity that is shared from Christian pulpits around the world has been used for centuries to preaching to control, suppress, oppress, and miseducate. This Christianity warped a message to tell the world that we are born as sinners and that we need a savior to gain access to God. Yes, I know that this isn't your Christianity. Your Christianity is one that stands up for the oppressed, helps the needy, and seeks to be radically inclusive! Bravo! Yet, people all over the world have been harmed by the Church and by Christianity in general. And still are being harmed by our fragile inability to discuss race openly and to intentionally stand against racism. And acknowledging that might help a little... Isn't that worth it? I believe Christianity must acknowledge its participation in past racism and present silence. Progressive Christianity has always been cutting edge, always seeking to grow in learning and spirit. This is an opportunity for this movement to be a leading example in this world. Please hear me, kind and compassionate Christian. I know you probably didn't do these racist acts. You didn't have slaves, you didn't steal lands, you don't fear others because of the color of their skin. I know that there are many kind hearted social justice oriented Christians, now and in the past, that have made every effort to work toward freedom for all, equality, and who have opened their doors to the needy and the marginalized. I know you have worked in soup kitchens, I know you have opened your church doors to the homeless for meals and a kind face. I know you think you don't see color. And yet, you equate helping the poor and needy with bipoc, as though they aren't able to help themselves. This same rationale was held by people who struggled to see the need to include the LGBTQ community. “We already open our doors, we're already helping the needy.” Othering, instead of seeing bipoc as equals or a needed part of community, is what is hurting us most right now. Some might say that to speak of race or racism is only to create more racism. But that is like saying when you have had conflict with your partner you should just focus on the love and not talk about it, because to talk about it will only bring more conflict. When indeed it is the opposite. When you talk about something hard that has happened it brings it into the light, it allows for understanding, vulnerable repentance, forgiveness, and growth. In Jemar Tisby's important new book, The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism,7 Tisby, president of The Witness, a black Christian collective, writes that, "The failure of many Christians in the South and across the nation to decisively oppose the racism in their families, communities and even their own churches provided fertile soil for the seeds of hatred to grow." It all amounts to what he calls "the American church's sickening record of supporting racism." What can be done to redeem Christianity and move toward healing? “His answer is for Christians to become more aware of the reality of a compromised church, develop relationships with people of races other than their own, and commit to working for reconciliation both individually and as a faith community. He gets more specific: Learn what people really mean when they call for "reparations" to be paid to people whose ancestors were enslaved. Remove Confederate monuments, or relocate them to a museum setting where their history can be interpreted. Understand what is meant by black theology, and learn from the black church.”8 Being not racist is different than being anti-racist. That is what Tisby is talking about when he says that many Christians have failed to oppose the racism in their families, communities and churches. Author, Professor and political activist, Angela Davis9 writes, “in a racist society, which we live in, it is not enough to be non-racist, we have to be anti-racist.” To be anti-racist is to decisively oppose racism. To acknowledge our racism is to bring it into the light. To be progressive and vulnerable enough to be willing to examine our ideas and attitudes, why we do what we do. To ask for forgiveness for the actions of our ancestors is brave and vulnerable. To model new behavior is radical and progressive. As author and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel10 writes: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Bishop Yvette Flunder of City of Refuge11 recently wrote, “we need what theologian Matthew Fox calls a balance of both 'the mystic and the prophet, the lover and the warrior.' It's not enough to be one or the other.” Where is God calling you this season to brave speech? Where is God calling you to sacred self reflection? How is your complicity showing up? Are there opportunities for your to enter into brave conversation with bipoc people? Can you be progressive enough to ask them how you can be a better ally? As a leader, can you invite voices of bipoc that are commonly marginalized to be centered? Does your leadership committee represent your community or the community you desire? Might there be room for someone new? As a parent, who are your children's closest friends? Do they see the importance of anti-racism from your circle of friends? Not talking about race is not the answer. Ignoring the history of how white American Christians have treated bipoc is not the answer. As a friend, are you calling out racist comments and inviting vulnerable conversation? As a white person, you have the ability to ignore the issue of race. People of other skin colors do not. That is our privilege. As a Christian, how are you being in prayer around this? Are you willing to do the hard work today so that we can fully reflect the imago dei tomorrow? So maybe that wasn't you. That wasn't your church, or at least the church you know. That wasn't your Christianity or your story of Jesus. But calling yourself a Christian and not being honest about the history of Christianity is a blind spot a that will impede the healing we need if we want to serve all in our community. Naming our racism and our ancestors harmful actions does not divide us further, it is the first step in spiritual and communal evolution. Vulnerability is necessary for healing. Naming the violent and racist acts done in the name of Christianity does not mean we did those things, it means we are not afraid to acknowledge where our ancestors went wrong and our commitment to do better. Making the table bigger to include the marginalized does not mean there won’t be room for you any longer. Making the table a circle, rather than a rectangle with you at the head does not mean you won’t be heard, or honored, or cherished. It means other people will have an opportunity to also be heard, seen and cherished. I feel you friends. I feel your fear coming up as defensiveness and avoidance. I hold you in my heart today as you navigate your grief. Have compassion for yourself as you battle the inner voices of fragility, of guilt, and of denial. I too, am walking that road and look forward to stretching more fully into the progressive movement following the life example of Jesus. ~ Rev. Deshna Charron Read online here. About the Author Rev. Deshna Charron is Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org and Progressing Spirit and is an ordained Interfaith Minister. She is an author, international speaker, and a visionary. She grew up in a thriving progressive Christian church and has worked in the field for over 13 years. She graduated from UCSB with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Global Peace and Security. She is a lead author and editor on the children’s curriculum: A Joyful Path, Spiritual Curriculum. She co-authored the novel, Missing Mothers. She is the Executive Producer of Embrace Festival. She is passionate about sacred community, nourishing children spiritually, and transforming Christianity through a radically inclusive lens. ******************************* 1I have some misgivings about treating “whiteness” as a homogenous group, however, for the sake of simplicity and for the point of this column, I will do so. 2https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/the-table-is-too-small/ 3https://sites.udmercy.edu/alumni/2019/06/19/lets-talk-professor-roy-e-fink… 4https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparati… 5https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparati… 6https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparati… 7https://www.thecolorofcompromise.com 8https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/color-compromise-calls-american-chr… 9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis 10https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel 11http://www.cityofrefugeucc.org/about-bishop-flunder.html Resources beyond the footnotes: Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization, Heinrichs, Steve Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion, Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice, Mason, Eric The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism, Tisby, Jemar So You Want to Talk About Race, Oluo, Ijeoma | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Margaret I just want to say that the writings of Bishop Spong have been such a gift. They give me hope when I tend to think there is no hope that God can be imagined in ways different from institutional Christianity. I am a firm Christian but know that our thinking can be so limited. Bishop Spong’s writings echoed so many of the ideas that have become part of my faith journey. It was so wonderful to see them in his books and columns. I did not feel so alone. His ideas have nurtured my spirituality in so many ways that I cannot even begin to express. I am so grateful for the Spirit in him that he has shared with so many. A: By Bishop John Shelby Spong Dear Margaret, Thank you for your comments. I find it fascinating to observe what institutional religion does to people. I get letters that say, “You have given me permission to think, to ask questions and to grow.” The implication is that their church communities have denied that permission and enforced it with a message of guilt. Faith in the biblical narrative does not mean giving intellectual assent to propositional statements like those found in creeds and dogmas. All creeds and doctrines are human creations. Faith means having the courage to walk into the new, the strange and the unknown in the confidence that the power and presence we call God is not constrained by the human patterns of yesterday and thus can always be found in the changes that accompany tomorrow. Faith is a journey into the mystery and wonder of God and that journey will always take us beyond the road maps of our human past. Journey well! ~ John Shelby Spong December 15, 2011 Read and share online here. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Origins of the Bible, Part XII: Introducing the Prophet Isaiah Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong September 11, 2008 Bernard Baruch, a Jewish American from Camden, South Carolina, was well known in the first half of the 20th Century as the unofficial advisor to Presidents. He played key roles in the think tanks of Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. As the son of a surgeon who served on the staff of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, dealing with power seemed to come naturally to him. David Gergen, a native of Durham, North Carolina, played a similar role in American history in the last half of the 20th Century as an advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Clinton. Baruch and Gergen are representatives of that rare ability to ride a long political tide and to provide objective analysis in the midst of partisan conflict and thus to guide the ship of state through choppy waters. The biblical figure we call "I Isaiah" played a similar role in the ancient world. His writings are found in Isaiah, chapters 1-39. His life spanned the reigns of four monarchs who ruled in Jerusalem. Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, according to Old Testament scholar William F. Albright, ruled between 783-687 BC, a total of 96 years. Isaiah was center stage for more than 50 of them, a tribute to his longevity. He emerged into public view, he says, "In the year that King Uzziah died" and he lived through one of the most difficult periods of Jewish history. Click here to continue reading. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements | | | | | 7 Days of Rest & Radiant Diversity is an annual global event that takes place the first week of every year. The aim of the event is to begin the new year by co-creating a global unified field of intention and experience dedicated to the healing and replenishment of the planet and all its inhabitants. Join the Charter for Compassion in making 7 Days of Rest a catalyst to beginning 2020 in a reflective and inspiring way. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Re: [Oe List ...] Spirit if Christmas; Hawking quote
by Ellie Stock 26 Dec '19

26 Dec '19

Yes, definitely--it's online. Merry Christmas, Elsa! -----Original Message----- From: Elsa Batica via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Elsa Batica <marosel2000(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Wed, Dec 25, 2019 11:52 AM Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Spirit if Christmas; Hawking quote Thank you Ellie for reminding us that we live in one ball spinning around the sun. Can I share Hawking’s quote? Merry Christmas and praying for peaceful new year. ElsaBatica Sent from my iPhoneBatica & Associates On Dec 25, 2019, at 7:10 PM, Ellie Stock via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS The Christmas Spiritis that Hopewhich tenaciously clingsto the hearts of the faithfuland announcesin the faceof any Herod the world can produceand all the inn doors slammed in our facesand all the dark nights of our soulsthat with Godall things are possible,that even nowunto usa Child is born! - Ann Weems Attached: Stephen Hawking quote. Christmas and New Year's blessings! Carleton and Ellieelliestock(a)aol.com <Stephen Hawkings quote, 2019.docx>_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Merry Christmas
by David Yost 25 Dec '19

25 Dec '19

A Last Minute Gift or a lifetime present. Click on the link below https://vidmails.com/v/C8GuSluaKA -- Grace & Peace David Yost 720-365-6698 "What life means to us is determined not so much by what life brings to us as by the attitude we bring to life; not so much by what happens to us as our reaction to what happens". Lewis Dunning

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Spirit if Christmas; Hawking quote
by Ellie Stock 25 Dec '19

25 Dec '19

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS The Christmas Spiritis that Hopewhich tenaciously clingsto the hearts of the faithfuland announcesin the faceof any Herod the world can produceand all the inn doors slammed in our facesand all the dark nights of our soulsthat with Godall things are possible,that even nowunto usa Child is born! - Ann Weems Attached: Stephen Hawking quote. Christmas and New Year's blessings! Carleton and Ellieelliestock(a)aol.com

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