July 2020 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

7/16/20, Progressing Spirituality, Aurelia Davila Pratt: Breaking Free From Supremacy Theology, Part Two
by Ellie Stock 20 Jul '20

20 Jul '20

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#yiv2948850713templateHeader .yiv2948850713mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2948850713 #yiv2948850713templateBody .yiv2948850713mcnTextContent, #yiv2948850713 #yiv2948850713templateBody .yiv2948850713mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv2948850713 #yiv2948850713templateFooter .yiv2948850713mcnTextContent, #yiv2948850713 #yiv2948850713templateFooter .yiv2948850713mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Breaking Free From Supremacy Theology, Part Two | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt July 16, 2020Naming the Messages that Bind Us When I wrote part one of this article, the world was on the cusp of global pandemic. The day it was published, my family and I began our quarantine. Four months later, I am still socially distancing, wearing a mask when I venture out, and pastoring virtually. The world has changed significantly, but also, it hasn’t. COVID-19 has uncovered some long-existing truths concerning the treatment of the most vulnerable in our country. Shared outrage over the Black lived experience has led to months of historic protests all over the U.S. And yet the trauma that people of color in our country carry – especially Black and Indigenous people – is nothing new. White supremacy, in its many systemic forms, continues to keep us all bound. Pandemic or not, the work of Liberation through anti-racism and decolonization continues. For people of faith, this work includes breaking free from supremacy informed theology. Naming these frameworks that prop up the oppression of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) is crucial to our healing. For white people of faith, both naming and understanding how you may be complicit in perpetuating these messages should be a part of your Liberation work. Embodiment Wielding harmful interpretations of the biblical text, supremacy theology has stolen the power of embodiment from us through the glorification of the spiritual and the demonization of the physical. As a result, we live our lives disconnected from our bodies, developing unhealthy relationships with over-work, food, sex, and image. Womxn[1] are especially harmed from this messaging. We’ve been oversexualized from a young age and taught that our bodies were made for two things: childbearing and the sexual pleasure of men. Alongside this message of submission, we’ve also been told not to trust our bodies. This mass indoctrination sustains the justification of violence against us. All of our bodies need freedom and healing from this messaging, but womxn and especially BIWOC[2] have been affected the most. These harms are compounded at the intersection of race because basic human dignity is denied to BIPOC in our society. The murder and lack of justice for Breonna Taylor is but one glaring example of the Black womxn’s experience currently. A white supremacist-informed theology has nourished the roots of our political and social structures, sending the message that black and brown bodies are inferior, untrustworthy and must be policed and subdued. Shame in the guise of humility Supremacy informed theology doesn’t stop at forcing shame upon our physical bodies. Along with the messages around embodiment, we are taught not to trust our voices or experiences. Scripture is used in order to keep us mentally and emotionally bound to patriarchal structures (i.e. “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure”). We’ve also been indoctrinated to adhere to the love and respect myth, sending the message that husbands, male faith leaders, male coworkers, etc. are more competent and capable. Furthermore, when harm from men inevitably befalls us – whether it is emotional, physical, or sexual harm – supremacy theology tells us that we are to blame. This mass manipulation has been used to keep womxn bound to systems of oppression. It’s important to acknowledge that womxn of color, especially Black and Indigenous womxn, continue to bear the brunt of this harm. Valerie Saiving suggested that theology has defined the human condition on the basis of the masculine experience[3]. As a result, womxn will often stifle our impulses when they do not fit the patriarchal narrative. Personally, this has been true each time I neglect cultivating confidence or taking pride in my gifts as a leader. I’ve seen firsthand that suppressing my own thriving does not serve the community I pastor, but I have to work in defiance of a double standard each time I lean into these instincts. Part of breaking free is rejecting the message of shame veiled in the illusion of a “Proverbs 31-woman” humility. I untangle myself from supremacy theology every time I trust my own voice, boldly and without apology. Feminine characteristics as weakness Patriarchy rears its ugly head again, using scripture to uphold and perpetuate toxic masculinity, which frames traditionally feminine characteristics as provocative, distrustful, and weak. This messaging largely informs how womxn are treated within the Church and beyond. I am reminded of a conversation between a male pastor friend and a colleague, in which they pondered why men don’t go to church. My friend suggested that perhaps it’s because one is often required to risk vulnerability by turning inward and facing tough feelings at church. He suggested this is the kind of thing boys are rarely taught to do. Men, therefore, are not practiced in them. His colleague suggested that men don’t go to church when they don’t like the pastor. He suggested that “if the pastor is too feminine” they will be turned off by the church as a whole. In this case, “feminine” was used as shorthand for “weak.” When vulnerability and emotional depth are societal markers of femininity, and when femininity is equated as weakness, everyone suffers. We live half lives as the body of Christ because the fullness of God’s image is blatantly rejected. Yet, this is the kind of thinking that is rampant in the Church. It results in men struggling or refusing to accept the leadership of womxn, resulting in the silencing of prophetic womxn voices. We must disentangle ourselves from this messaging and call out toxic masculinity for what it is: a domination system that perpetuates harmful theological interpretations.The “White and Polite” social construct White culture sets societal norms, including politeness[4]. The concept of politeness is then rooted in Scripture, whether through the “fruits of the Spirit” or through the definition of love (i.e. 1 Corinthians 13.) The power of politeness cannot not be ignored. For BIPOC, when this norm is not adhered to, tone policing and gaslighting will follow. Honesty is reframed as contentious, vulnerability that isn’t “positive” is upsetting, and pain rooted in colonization and racism is either minimized or disregarded. White fragility takes center stage, upholding the dominant culture and preventing BIPOC voices from being heard. When we speak, we speak from the margins. This is a language in and of itself, and we must alter it daily in order to be accepted. The necessity of code switching steals much of our energy. I experience this exhaustion often as a brown woman pastor who navigates a predominately white, southern, Christian context. I have found myself apologizing for being too much. I have spent a lot of time filtering my fire. Interactions with white males have come with the assumption that it is my job to prove my competence before I will be afforded respect. This underhanded litmus test includes abiding by the societal norms of politeness as defined by the dominant culture. If I do pass the test, they hold power over me. If I don’t pass it, I am denied. Either way, I am bound. The more I untangle myself from supremacy theology, the more I realize this is unnecessary and unloving. I must name and reject this way of operating so that I can live into the fullness of my Imago Dei. Racial trauma through the absorption of white shame/guilt As we do this deeply personal work of breaking free, we inevitably discover a long road of anti racist work ahead. Navigating this as a white person looks like listening and learning. It looks like acknowledging privilege, relinquishing power, and decentering whiteness by elevating BIPOC voices. As a non Black WOC[5], my anti racist work also includes a lot of listening, learning and acknowledging privilege. But it also has its own unique set of responsibilities. Navigating this work within a predominantly white world can be difficult. In my context, I am surrounded by incredible white people who are committed to anti-racism work. However, this work brings up a lot of shame and guilt for them. I must take great care to protect my energy, so that I am not retraumatized through the absorption of it. As a pastor of a predominantly white church, I am learning how to make room for their process, while also holding space for myself and other BIPOC, who make up a minority of our sacred community. It is important to acknowledge that we all have different relationships with white supremacy. A non-dualistic, nuanced approach is essential as we work toward the common goal of Liberation. One of our pastors worded this challenge well. He said “When we don’t acknowledge a message’s intended audience, we are assuming audience homogeneity, which really just means we’re assuming everyone is dominant culture / white.[6]” We cannot be color blind. Our collective breaking free is not a homogenous experience. We must voice the many intricacies and intersections. Otherwise, we risk further perpetuating dominant norms. This adds to racial trauma and the continued marginalization of BIPOC through the unwanted absorption of white shame and guilt. The path to healing Naming theological frameworks rooted in oppression is crucial to all our healing. We name them in order to soundly reject them. It was in my sermon writing process that I first woke up to the extent to which I am bound. I spent nearly a decade believing myself to be an imposter, both incompetent and unintelligent. Now, I can name and reject these messages each time they threaten to keep me from my work. Doing so has made me a better pastor and preacher. Most importantly, I am more whole. We name oppressive theology so we can break free from it, both in how we understand ourselves and in how we understand God. The more we untangle ourselves, the more we discover how unnecessary it is for the image of God to be limited, exclusive, or triggering in any way. Because of this realization, we are able to love ourselves and others in a way more reflective of Christ. And we can know without a doubt that God is ever present, both within us and around us. It is the decolonized God who will gently tend to us: loving us, empowering us, and nursing us back to good health.~Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt Read online here About the Author Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt is the Lead Pastor and a founder of Peace of Christ Church. She is a licensed Master of Social Work and sits on the Board of Advocates for the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Aurelia is President of the board for the Nevertheless, She Preached conference and co-chair of the Religious Liberty Council for the Baptist Joint Committee. You can follow her on Instagram @revaureliajoy to keep up with her sermons and writings at the intersection of justice and theology. __________________________[1] An alternative, intersectional term for women inclusive of those who are trans and nonbinary[2] Black, Indigenous and womxn of color[3] Womanspirit Rising, Carol P. Christ & Judith Plaskow, 1979[4] I am speaking specifically from within a U.S. context[5] Womxn of color[6] Rev. Matthew Hanzelka, Pastor of Community Care at Peace of Christ Church | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Jennie I enjoyed the column by Dr. [Thew] Forrester Living Christs of Touch, but John 8:44 has always been problematic for me. For example, in 8:44 Jesus tells the Jews who don't believe in him that they are children of the devil. What is the Progressive commentary on this passage? Is this where some anti-Semitic tropes find a source? Even Luther has vile language that could have come from this. A: By Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D.Dear Jennie,Let me begin by saying there is no commentary which is “the” Progressive one. There is a range of possibilities when interpreting any passage, which is why we continue to return to the scriptures from our ever-changing circumstances to discover different shades of meaning in the texts. Historical context is critical. Those communities of the early Christ movement that are shaped by John’s spirituality felt under attack and on the defensive. We know that Jesus was born, lived, and crucified a Jew. His preaching and healing and table-gathering ministries were for the Jewish people. His earliest followers were overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, Jewish. He was a Jewish Rabbi committed to reforming 1st century Judaism. In the end Pharisaical Judaism would evolve into Rabbinical Judaism and, in a sense, its vision became the primary expression of Judaism and not that of Jesus (although they shared much more in common than many realize). When Jesus’ message failed to take hold within mainstream Judaism, the early Christ movement struggled with its identity. In its fear for survival, John’s community defensively produced some writings that placed harsh blame on Jews, such as in 8.44. This was an ominous development, wherein John’s rhetorical anti-Judaism sowed some seeds of later anti-Semitism. The tragic irony is now quite clear since Christianity is an offspring of Judaism unable to be whole without a complete embrace of its Hebrew ancestry. Inchoate in John’s spirituality, which at times is stunning in its beauty, is the unfortunate distortion of Rabbi Jesus into an “object of belief” that invites later dogmatic orthodoxy and intolerance. This spirituality vacillates between a Logos of Love that would draw us into an ever-deepening realization of Jesus as an embodiment of a spiritual path rooted in direct experience of Belovedness; and, Jesus as an exclusive, divisive, Divine figure. In one way, this is the tension between the gospels of John and Thomas: John tends to make Jesus into an exclusionary fulcrum, whereas in Thomas, Jesus-as-Christ is who we are each called to be. Harvey Cox’s, The Future of Faith, catches what is at stake. In the early Christ movement, experience, not belief, is what captured and motivated the heart. What we find in some passages of John, and not him alone, is the tenacious tug of fear in the face of difficult experiences. This gravitational pull will, in time, all too often draw the Christ movement away from exploring the direct experiences of Belovedness in our lives (which is the heart of Rabbi Jesus’ spiritual path). Instead there will be an increasingly reactive instinct toward a mental dogmatic theology that will draw boundaries that divide, disparage, devalue, and demonize what is not understood.~ Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Read and share online here About the Author Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center of in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including I Have Called You Friends, Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms, and My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You and Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland. Visit Kevin’s Blog: Essential Living: For The Soul’s Journey. | | | | | | | | 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 our FB community today! Spread the word, share with friends. Thanks! | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Origins of the New Testament, Part I: Introduction Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong September 17, 2009I launch today a series of columns that will appear regularly over the next twelve to eighteen months. As I always do in this column, this series will augment the essays that are time sensitive and that seek to illumine contemporary issues through my theological lens. Last week’s column on the health care debate is a case in point. The purpose of this unfolding series is to take you, my readers, deeply into those books that constitute the New Testament. There are twenty-seven in number and together they form the volume that arguably has been the most influential and shaping piece of narrative writing in the history of the world. The earliest book of the New Testament is probably I Thessalonians, generally dated around the year 51 CE, while the latest is probably II Peter, generally dated around the year 135 CE. The influence of this book, while always powerful, has been both positive and negative. On the positive side it is clear that the institution called the Christian Church, which grew out of these twenty-seven books, has inspired quite literally millions of people in many ways. Most of the great universities of the world were begun as part of the Christian Church’s commitment to knowledge and, in particular, to impart to people the saving knowledge of the sacred scriptures. Most of our healing institutions, from hospitals to hospice, arose out of that Christian sense that every human life is of infinite worth, which carried with it the compelling need to alleviate suffering insofar as it is possible. Most of the great art of the ages, at least up until the 17th century, has as its content scenes from these twenty-seven books. These art treasures are of such immense value today that for the most part they are stored in the world’s greatest museums as a constant source of enrichment for the people. Most of the great music of the ages, at least up until the dawn of modernity, was an attempt to put the primary themes of the New Testament into the indelible sounds that we today still recognize and sing. One thinks of the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach and of the Christmas Oratorio, “Messiah” by George Frederick Handel as familiar and much loved cultural treasures. One cannot understand the history of the Western world or explore these cultural artifacts without becoming deeply aware of the impact the New Testament has had on the life of our civilization. There is, however, also a dark side of the New Testament that must be faced and lifted beyond the stained glass accents of antiquity into full consciousness. The New Testament has had victims whose lives have been diminished at best and destroyed at worst by the direct impact of reading from this “sacred” source. I think of the Jewish people who have suffered throughout Christian history because of this book. The words attributed to the Jewish crowd by Matthew in his narrative of the crucifixion, “his blood be upon us and upon our children,” have caused much Jewish blood to flow in everything from the Crusades to the Holocaust. The Fourth Gospel’s use of the phrase “The Jews,” spoken so often through clenched teeth, has not infrequently been used to legitimize anti-Semitism. The portrayal of a man called Judas, a name that is nothing but the Greek spelling of the name for the entire Jewish nation, as the anti-hero of the Jesus story, served to give permission to Christians through the ages to justify their feeling of revenge against this ethnic group of people. Lost in this hostile passion is the truth that Jesus was a Jew, the disciples were all Jews and the writers of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament were also Jews. The only possible exception to this statement is Luke, thought to be the author of both the gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts, who is believed to have been born a Gentile, but to have converted to Judaism and thus to have come through the Synagogue into the Church. This means that when we read the New Testament, we are reading only the words of Jewish writers, interpreting the experience and impact of the Jewish Jesus primarily in the light of the Jewish Scriptures and under the ongoing influence of the Synagogue traditions of the Jews. Yet these books have fueled over the centuries a killing frenzy of anti-Semitism. The single greatest carrier of this hostility has been nothing less than our Sunday school curricula and materials. Jewish people thus have a hard time seeing these twenty-seven books as “sacred scriptures.” The institution of slavery was affirmed throughout history from words in the New Testament. Slavery was practiced in the west by God-fearing, Bible-reading Christians. The popes at various times owned slaves. The section of the United States that fought fiercely to preserve this evil institution was also known as the Bible Belt. It was the Bible-reading people of the South who made lynching legal, who replaced slavery with segregation and who resisted every effort to keep racial justice from being achieved. Much of their justification for this behavior came from quoting St. Paul, who in his letter to Philemon urged the runaway slave Onesimus to return to his master, while simultaneously urging Philemon, his master, to be forgiving to his slave. In the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul, or one of his disciples, instructed slaves to be obedient and masters to be kind. Perhaps it could be said that a kinder and gentler slavery is better than a cruel and harsh one, but it is to be noted that Paul clearly accepted the legitimacy of this cruel institution, making no effort to abolish it and thus legitimizing it in the minds of others for centuries. One wonders how those who were enslaved and their descendents might view the New Testament from which texts were cited to justify both slavery and second-class citizenship. These scriptures were not sources of life to these victims of our prejudice. Women have also not fared well at the hands of these male written, male read and male interpreted books of the New Testament. They have rather fed the deep-seated cultural misogyny of the ages with such admonitions as those found in Ephesians for wives to obey their husbands, or in Corinthians for women to keep quiet in church, or in Timothy where women are forbidden to exercise authority over men. Under the influence of the New Testament women in the Christian world were denied higher education for centuries. As a result they were denied entrance into the professions, denied the right to vote, denied the ability to own property in their own name and denied leadership roles in the Christian world until well into the 20th century. When progress did come for women it was driven by the secular spirit while organized religion as expressed in the Christian Church resisted these changes with scripture-quoting vehemence. In major sections of the world this anti-feminist Bible-laced rhetoric continues to be articulated both officially through ecclesiastical bodies and by individual believers. One wonders how women would ever be drawn to the texts of this book. The same could also be said for the victimization of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender segments of our population. They too have lived throughout history with Bible-fueled hostility that manifested itself in gay bashing and in actual murder. Texts were quoted from Romans that called homosexuality “unnatural” and condemned it, to references in other epistles that mistranslated the Greek word arcenokoitus, which refers to a passive male, as deviant, sodomite or pervert, even though its original meaning appears to have been male prostitutes. There is no doubt that the center of homophobia in the western world today remains the Christian Church, now ghettoized from the mainstream of society, and is regularly articulated by Christian voices from the Pope to Pat Robertson. One wonders how homosexual people could ever appreciate the message of the New Testament. In my experience, I do not find it possible to overestimate the levels of biblical ignorance present today inside the Christian population. Most of these just-cited abuses rise out of that ignorance. Much preaching that emanates from both Catholic and Protestant pulpits not only reflects that ignorance, but also continues to spread it. In this series of columns I will, therefore, attempt to counter this biblical ignorance and to break the grip that it has on much of our population. While seeking to avoid the technicalities of biblical scholarship that seem to amuse so many in the academy, I will try to state clearly how these books came to be written and so endeavor to oppose the rampant literal misunderstanding that embraces so much of our culture today in regard to the Bible. I will go into both the meaning and the key points of each book in the New Testament, as I have done in past years with the books of the Old Testament. I will try to show the differences among the four gospels that reveal more contradictions than most people believe to be possible. I hope you will enjoy the journey. I know I will. One final note. A number of small churches across the English-speaking world now use this column for their Sunday morning adult education classes. These essays are subscribed to by the members of the various classes with extra copies reproduced for visitors so that the class and the discussion can have a common basis for discussion. The leader of the class simply convenes the group and introduces the topic. That leadership role can be constant or rotated so long as the purpose is accomplished to allow people to discuss issues openly, to raise any questions they wish and to engage in any debate that arises. When the group gets too large for discussion, it subdivides into two groups. I am gratified to learn this and rejoice that this column might be an instrument in the New Reformation for which many of us yearn. At the very least I hope people find a richness in this book that small ecclesiastical minds have tried for centuries to hide from the average pew sitter. Have fun!~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Love in Action – Conversations with Andrew Harvey Join Andrew Harvey for a powerful LIVE lecture and Q&A session, Thursday July 23rd at 4pm PT, 7pm ET. Find the meaning you’ve been searching for in this global crisis… and discover how love-in-action, compassion, and sacred activism can reshape your experience of these unprecedented times. READ ON... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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change of address
by Del Morrill 17 Jul '20

17 Jul '20

I have a new e-mail that I created just for OE conversations when they are coming through you. It is delmor87(a)gmail.com <mailto:delmor87@gmail.com> . Please confirm. I became aware that my new address of DHMorr87@outlook might not have gotten to you when Ann Epps, one of our close friends, asked me this week whether we knew John had died quite a while ago. We didn't and were shocked. She must have thought we were Fairweather friends! So, you might keep the outlook address as a 2nd, in case the gmail one comes back or isn't working for some reason. God help me if I have to go through not getting my e-mails again for 2 months from anyone like when my former one with wamail suddenly no was longer functioning. Grace and Peace, and keep well. Del Del Hunter Morrill Facebook.com/del.morrill.85 Location: Earth, USA, Pacific Northwest, Washington State, Tacoma www. www.hypnocenter.com <http://www.hypnocenter.com> We are all united, in "it", creating together, as if we are all part of one vast, single atom. (D.H.M.)

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For David Zahrt's colleagues and friends
by David Zahrt 17 Jul '20

17 Jul '20

Dear Colleagues, Thank you for your messages to our family following David's death on June 29, 2020. We appreciate all of the comments and cards that you sent. He would have liked to be reminiscing with you, I am sure. We have decided to hold a memorial service by Zoom. It will take time to set up the program. We will let you know the date that is planned so that you can join if you wish. Grace, peace, love and hope, Linda and extended families

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A Social Research Tool - Pandemic time...
by sherwoodshankland＠comcast.net 15 Jul '20

15 Jul '20

Hi there OE/EI/ICA/colleagues… Here is a diagram and format for reflection on the current social turbulence, called Finding a Place to Stand for Justice. In Denver we have used it a) to open a Board /Staff Retreat for a non-profit service organization, to reflect on the past three months of work during the Pandemic; and b) to frame the introductory conversation for an online Neighborhood Climate Action Forum (Pilot on July 11th ) In short the diagram is a screen to look at our current reality and then write, reflect or dialogue – or all of the above. You might give it a test drive and let us know how it rides. Best regards, Sherwood From: OE <oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> On Behalf Of Paula Philbrook via OE Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 12:01 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Wendell Refior <wendellrefior(a)gmail.com>; Douglas A Druckenmiller <ddrucken(a)gmail.com> Cc: Paula Philbrook <paula.philbrook(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] ICA Social Research Center Spring 2020 Sojourn Report & Invitation to Engage Lynda, The workshop process in your papers is quite thorough and enlightening. It could also be a research process in itself, if the completed thinking could be pulled together via a web survey or similar tool. I added Doug and Wendel to this return because they might know how it could be done. Paula On Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 8:26 PM Lynda C via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> > wrote: July 2020 Colleagues, In the wake of the social inequality protests, violence and civil unrest, the climate crisis, and the virus pandemic, caring organizations everywhere are seeking effective direction which can be used to shape the New Normal. We invite you to join with the ICA Social Research Center’s work on making the Global Archives inviting and available as a research tool for reshaping organizations and communities. This interactive report <http://globalbuzz.icai-archives.org/pdf2/Spring%20Sojourn%202020%20Report%2…> ICA Social Research Center Spring 2020 Sojourn Report of the May virtual gathering is divided into Nine Research Arenas or Collections. Read the insights for each collection articulated by the 102 persons who participated in the event. Select one collection to focus on: view its video and explore its collection more deeply. Note that the icon on each page will take you directly into that Collection on the website. Then give us your feedback: - What about the collection catches your attention? - What words, phrases or visuals made you want to look deeper? - What needs to be clarified? Added? Reworked? - How would you be willing to assist in this endeavor? You are invited to engage with our team to enhance and expand this work. ○ Do you have archive files that would be helpful to add to the website? If so, please make a PDF copy and e-mail to: ICA Social Research Center at <mailto:globalarchives@ica-usa.org> globalarchives(a)ica-usa.org. ○ What stories could you write to share on the website built on the wisdom of past work? (for examples see Human Development: Majuro for Lee and Leah Early stories; see Institute Foundations for Hilde Betonte stories; see Imaginal Education: Elementary for Jann McGuire story). ○ If you are willing to assist enhancing the website pages, contact the related Collection Guide (see names and e-mail addresses at the end of the report). ○ Invite other people you know to explore the treasure trove of wisdom in these collections for their arenas of engagement in building a better society. ○ Help the work that Marge Philbrook and many others have initiated by making a contribution to the Archives Fund in memory of Marge or other departed archive angels or pledge a monthly gift: <https://www.ica-usa.org/donate.html> https://www.ica-usa.org/donate.html On behalf of the the ICA Social Research Center Team, Lynda Cock USA _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:OE@lists.wedgeblade.net> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net -- Paula Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi

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ICA Social Research Center Spring 2020 Sojourn Report & Invitation to Engage
by Lynda C 15 Jul '20

15 Jul '20

July 2020 Colleagues, In the wake of the social inequality protests, violence and civil unrest, the climate crisis, and the virus pandemic, caring organizations everywhere are seeking effective direction which can be used to shape the New Normal. We invite you to join with the ICA Social Research Center’s work on making the Global Archives inviting and available as a research tool for reshaping organizations and communities. This interactive report ICA Social Research Center Spring 2020 Sojourn Report <http://globalbuzz.icai-archives.org/pdf2/Spring%20Sojourn%202020%20Report%2…> of the May virtual gathering is divided into Nine Research Arenas or Collections. Read the insights for each collection articulated by the 102 persons who participated in the event. Select one collection to focus on: view its video and explore its collection more deeply. Note that the icon on each page will take you directly into that Collection on the website. Then give us your feedback: - What about the collection catches your attention? - What words, phrases or visuals made you want to look deeper? - What needs to be clarified? Added? Reworked? - How would you be willing to assist in this endeavor? You are invited to engage with our team to enhance and expand this work. ○ Do you have archive files that would be helpful to add to the website? If so, please make a PDF copy and e-mail to: ICA Social Research Center at globalarchives(a)ica-usa.org. ○ What stories could you write to share on the website built on the wisdom of past work? (for examples see Human Development: Majuro for Lee and Leah Early stories; see Institute Foundations for Hilde Betonte stories; see Imaginal Education: Elementary for Jann McGuire story). ○ If you are willing to assist enhancing the website pages, contact the related Collection Guide (see names and e-mail addresses at the end of the report). ○ Invite other people you know to explore the treasure trove of wisdom in these collections for their arenas of engagement in building a better society. ○ Help the work that Marge Philbrook and many others have initiated by making a contribution to the Archives Fund in memory of Marge or other departed archive angels or pledge a monthly gift: https://www.ica-usa.org/donate.html On behalf of the the ICA Social Research Center Team, Lynda Cock USA

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Anyone remember Sarah O'Boyle?
by Timothy Wegner 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Sarah O'Boyle reached out to me for help contacting anyone who might have known her family in the Order. Folks can reply on the list or to me off the list, and I will forward to her and you can correspond directly. Also, is there still a second generation community active somewhere? That might be another place for her to connect. If someone can tell me how to join that group, I will pass the information on. Sarah would also like to know the address of the "B" Street house in Lincoln. I am attaching a picture of her family outside of the Lincoln House, singing as usual. Tim Wegner Here is what Sarah sent: Greetings, My name is Sarah O’Boyle. My parents, Robert (now deceased) and Marilyn O’Boyle, joined the Order in 1970, bringing me and my three older sisters, Maureen, Audrey and Becky, to Chicago when I was one-year-old. After two years, we moved to the Lincoln, Nebraska Religious House, where we lived from 1972-74. We moved to our own house in Lincoln shortly after my brother, Dennis, was born. “We decided that our decisions were best made in our family,” as the line from our family song says. We continued our involvement with the Order, and I went to Mexico in 1981 for the Sixth Grade Trip. The adult guides were Joseph Mathews (Jr.), Araceli Mathews, Desmond Avery, Ann Avery and Lorena Cobio (Araceli’s sister). My parents, Becky, Dennis, and I lived in Lima, Peru from 1982-84, during which time my parents hosted meetings and occasionally travelled to the small village of Azpitia to help. At some point, I attended an RS-I course, which was over-my-head. From 1986-89, my parents lived in Santiago, Chile and remained connected to Order people and activities. Though it was half a century ago, I’m seeking information from anyone who may be able to give me insight into my upbringing. I have a few memories of my life in Lincoln, but I’m especially curious about what my life and schedule would have been like in Chicago as an infant and toddler. Does anyone remember my parents? I would appreciate any information, subjective or objective, about the Order in those days. Thank you in advance, Sarah O’Boyle

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FW: Celebration of life for John Weir Singleton, 1931-2020 with attached Word Document
by Lynda C 12 Jul '20

12 Jul '20

From: Rob Singleton <rob.singleton(a)hsc.utah.edu> Date: Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 3:51 PM To: Rob Singleton <rob.singleton(a)hsc.utah.edu> Subject: Celebration of life for John Weir Singleton, 1931-2020 This email is sent on behalf of Louise Singleton- Dear Family and Friends, We plan a virtual Gathering of Gratitude to celebrate the life of John Singleton on August 8 at 11:00 a.m. MDT. The celebration will consist of a service and, after a five minute break, a virtual reception. Details of the service and instructions for how you can participate are contained in the attached Word document. Please register to join the celebration at: http://bit.ly/johnweirsingleton which also contains additional information. With love and appreciation to all of you who made John's life abundant. Louise Rob, Martha, David, and Will Louise Singleton 3101 Old Pecos Trail, Unit 509 Santa Fe, NM, 87505 lrsingleton85(a)gmail.com<mailto:lrsingleton85@gmail.com> J. Robinson Singleton, MD Professor and Vice Chairman for VA Programs, Department of Neurology, University of Utah Chief of Service, Neurology, Salt Lake City Veterans Medical Center Office 801-581-6770 Cell- 801-201-4525

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Catching up on Memories
by Dawn Collins 10 Jul '20

10 Jul '20

Hi Pam and Terry. Thank you, Terry, for your k\ind thoughts of Adam and Kaira on their journeys which took them to Chicago and Greenrise which were significant visits for them. As we embrace our present, we reap the gifts of time into ourselves within this pause to reprioritize the important things in our lives. We have more time to think and muse and envision what might come to be for our world and our daily lives as the 'new normal' comes into being. Like the song from the Scriptures, "...The young see visions and the old dream dreams...". Glad to do my part. Yet I've been called into action in three directions of late in the spiritual and social justice dimensions by friends and colleagues.and expect to answer the Call and join the ranks of actual engagement by Those Who Care. "Miles to go before I sleep" comes to mind as possibility beckons many to come forth and actualize their dreams. We oldsters also have the task of planning the oncoming time of our demise. I have my memorial book, 5 wishes, and Power of Attorney out in plain view where I can tend to the task of preparing for a good death. The words of colleagues on both sides of that transition have been of tremendous help in claiming responsibility for the last dance into Mystery's open arms... I'll be 80 in November and wonder, should I do a one year or three-year subscription to AARP? Shall I purchase toys and books for Christmas now for four good little boys I know? They are two from House Church and two brothers who are grandsons of a neighbor in my senior citizen's building. I'd certainly like to witness their growing years. Will my present writing projects outlive me?? I give thanks for the moment to moment connection to meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Life is good with the yesterday and today and forever Presence in the midst of it all and I'm enraptured with the time I have to know that Presence while I can... I give thanks for The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson, recommended by Nan Grow and Marilyn Crocker. I think J.B. Phillips passed the baton on to him. It is truly a revelation of the Good News in everyday language. I'm sharing this wonderful spirit resource as often as I can within my circle of family, friends, and colleagues. May none of us: Those Who Care, The Beloved Community, and the New Religious have to worry about being worthy of getting on The Glory Train when our time comes. Kindfully yours, dawn We love the Final Reality because the Final Reality loved us first.- 1 John 4:19

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Re: [Oe List ...] Re The Changemakers – Airing on PBS Friday, July 10
by Dawn Collins 10 Jul '20

10 Jul '20

Hi, Lynda. Looks like we zigged when we should have zagged. Adam's documentary team worked on the Facebook presentations of Unladylike 2020. Another team worked on the PBS program. I called around to the family to inform them. We're all looking forward to viewing tomorrow's documentary in any case... Kindfully yours, dawn We love the Final Reality because the Final Reality loved us first.- 1 John 4:19 On Thursday, July 9, 2020, 06:13:00 AM MDT, Lynda C <lynda860(a)outlook.com> wrote: #yiv1599754680 #yiv1599754680 -- _filtered {} _filtered {} _filtered {}#yiv1599754680 #yiv1599754680 p.yiv1599754680MsoNormal, #yiv1599754680 li.yiv1599754680MsoNormal, #yiv1599754680 div.yiv1599754680MsoNormal {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:sans-serif;}#yiv1599754680 a:link, #yiv1599754680 span.yiv1599754680MsoHyperlink {color:blue;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv1599754680 span.yiv1599754680EmailStyle18 {font-family:sans-serif;color:windowtext;}#yiv1599754680 .yiv1599754680MsoChpDefault {font-size:10.0pt;} _filtered {}#yiv1599754680 div.yiv1599754680WordSection1 {}#yiv1599754680 Terry, Jono, our bicycle path planner son, will love this. I particularly enjoyed your play on words about the bike photo “thatspoke volumes.” Looking forward to watching another segment of this documentary series. Lynda. From: Terry Bergdall <bergdall(a)gmail.com> Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 8:00 AM To: Lynda Cock <lynda860(a)outlook.com> Cc: Dawn Collins <collinsdawn747(a)yahoo.com>, Al Lingo <clingojr(a)aol.com> Subject: Re The Changemakers – Airing on PBS Friday, July 10 Lynda, You message about Adam posted on the OE listserv was a gift to our community, in general, and a fabulous one, in particular, to Dawn and Charles. I, myself, was wondering how you discovered this information. About ten years ago, not long after I became CEO at ICA, Adam and his family came and stayed a few days at GreenRise. I had a long extended coffee hour with him on one of those days and was TOTALLY impressed. My last encounter with him and Kaira had been in the Nairobi House in the mid-1980s. He was a young teenager and my memory of him then was one of him being a quiet, well behaved, kid but our interactions were really rather limited. So it was a real treat to discover during his stay in Chicago, and be reminded now, about his substantial nature. Your post was a true manifestations of great care and attention. Therefore, I add my thanks and appreciation to those that have already been expressed by Dawn. FYI, Sister Kaira Jewell also stopped by GreenRise a few years after Adam. I experience her visit, too, as a real treat. See the photo I took of her in her habit as she ended her stay by taking one of the city’s rental bikes to Union Station to catch the train to another city on her journey (see attached). I thought that action was one of self-sufficiency, self-confidence, and adventure, that spoke volumes. Take care, Terry From: Dawn Collins via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] FW: The Changemakers – Airing on PBS Friday, July 10 Date: July 9, 2020 at 00:17:07 CDT To: Lynda C via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Dawn Collins <collinsdawn747(a)yahoo.com> Reply-To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Wow!!! Lynda you are a jewel in the crown of serendipity!!! (Incidentally, Serendip is the old name of Sri Lanka from which the word was coined). Kaira is still thriving there and considering coming to the States for my 80th birthday in November. I hope you and your family are well...I'm sure Adam will be pleased as I am for the fruits of your wondrous intentionality... Kindfully yours, dawn 303 388 1454

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7/09/20, Progressing Spirit, Kevin Forrester: Common Ground; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 09 Jul '20

09 Jul '20

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Thew Forrester, Ph.D. July 9, 2020A democracy is only able to function and prosper if its diverse citizenry shares a common sense of what is good. A political common good, however, is made possible by the presence of common ground; this ground is the Reality of Being, the Essence of all that is. Without spiritual common ground, which is Being, the fragile political common good is a chimera, evident in the cultural blindness to and destruction of the beauty of George Floyd. On one level, common ground is the spiritual space we create as we identify and pursue shared values. On a deeper level, we discover that the ground we share has always already been present. This ground is common because it is the Essence of what we are. Realizing our common ground is a spiritual path that radically changes how we perceive and receive one another. In its absence, fear blindly drives us to survive and we destroy beauty misperceived as threats. During the inquisitorial religious madness of Europe’s Dark Ages, Meister Eckhart perceived with a clarity unlike most. In stark contrast to the prevailing culture he realized that “God is nearer to me than myself . . . He is also near and present for a stone or piece of wood, but they know nothing about this fact.” Amid pervasive and pandemic institutional fear of women and color and laity – of trust in human experience – Eckhart was developing a new language to express the True Nature of the very Ground of Reality; a language expressive of human experience as disclosive of the divine. In this spiritual path the human journey is not to connect a depraved humanity with a distant judgmental God-object, but to realize that the graciously empty Ground of Reality is the eternal Essence of everything, every one, that comes to be. (Here, Eckhart was not far from the Buddhist realization that which is form is emptiness and that which is emptiness, form.) As he surveyed the early 14th century Eckhart beheld a church and its piety riddled with this false perception of creation living at a distance from the divine. This misperception was a dense fog shrouding medieval life, dulling experience, and blinding recognition of Reality. His preaching was ceaseless fire burning through the haze, awakening receptive hearts to the truth that creatures, simply as creatures, are divine. Nature is inherently sacred since it is nothing other than the bodying-forth of God. For the transformed heart “all things become simply God to you, for in all things you notice and love only God.” All that is is nothing other than God manifesting; Reality empty of all egoic identity and striving. Eckhart was rediscovering a largely forgotten truth in the West: to be a human being is to have a heart longing to know the simple truth of its own nature. Recognizing, respecting, and courageously tending to this longing is the authentic human life, which is nothing other than the mystical life. Engaging the mystical life, we undertake the human journey whereby we discover we are blessed from the beginning not by being one with God, but by being of God: breaking through the fog to know directly from our own experience that “God’s ground is my ground, and my ground is God’s ground.” In this discovery is the human realization of our Christic nature. Eckhart identifies three threads that intertwine like the braids of a Celtic spiral creating this spiritual path. As we follow this path we penetrate ever deeper and ever wider into the divine common ground. When we finally break through we taste for ourselves that everyone is nothing but the presence of boundless Being. We recognize each creature is Christ and our response is compassionate reception and a restorative justice that lifts and removes the knee pressed down upon any holy one – and every one is a holy one. Thread One: Letting-Go If we are to experience the ground of Being, we must learn to be in silence and stillness; we need to come to know our shadow and learn to let pass those thoughts and reactions that ordinarily hold our attention. This spiritual practice gradually becomes integral to our daily living. The practice is to let go of images and reactions and passions (realizing emptiness). Letting go is neither denial nor denigration. We learn to release because these occupying attachments contract awareness and cause attention to become stuck on transient phenomena. Creation is so beautiful that our ego wants possession; attention becomes habitually absorbed by minutiae and we miss the subtle presence of Being itself. The heart is discovering how to release what in fact cannot be held. We learn to become aware of the subtle presence of Holy Mystery arising as this spacious moment. As we become less identified with the desires and revulsions of our personalities, gracious space arises. The foreground of mental activity recedes so that the Ground of Reality may manifest. This is not a stingy act of suppression but a kind practice of noticing and releasing and relaxing. We can be surprised that in letting go we might feel a sense of “poverty.” “He is a poor person who wills nothing and knows nothing and has nothing.” Eckhart adds: “true poverty of spirit consists in keeping oneself so free of God and of all one’s works that if God wants to act in the soul, God himself becomes the place wherein he wants to act – and this God likes to do.” As our soul becomes empty of ordinary preoccupations, we experience what Buddhism calls emptiness: the soul is as the sky, boundless space with clouds passing through. For Christians, this emptiness is the spacious presence of Holy Mystery, present as the absence of ordinary preoccupations. In this direct experience of Holy Mystery, names and language can clutter. Eckhart invites us to let go even of God. Language seduces us into believing we know what Reality is. All the names we have learned to address Holy Mystery get in the way of simply being present with Reality. We forget that God, too, is a name, a symbol pointing to a Reality beyond the confines of all names. Beyond every name lies the true fullness of Holy Mystery, which Eckhart calls the Godhead. The Godhead is Holy Mystery beyond all images and names. Godhead arises as boundless, silent, Holy Ground. This spiritual path is not a practice of coming to arrive in the otherness of boundless love, but of being Boundless Love. All divisions burned away. Every form being only empty boundless Holy Mystery. …..You should love God mindlessly, that is, so that your soul is without mind and free …..from all mental activities… You should love him as he is, a not-God, not-mind, …..not person, not- image – even more, as he is a pure, clear One, separate from …..all twoness. Thread Two: Birthing As we grow in our capacity to release, we experience ourselves continually being born anew. The logos (or spiritual dynamic) of this path is that the birthing process never ends. The Mystery is that there is no end state to our spiritual maturation as authentic humans of Being. We continue to discover identifications, fixations, reactions that divide, confuse and fog Reality. Spiritual practice is our continual birthing into spacious awareness, and this birthing is being birthed as Christ. Thread Three: Breakthrough In this spiritual path our practice is breakthrough from the fog of our limited and small sense of self. Just as an infant must leave the mother’s womb to survive and thrive, so too must we shed our small egoic self, our precious personality, and allow our soul to discover her boundless Ground of Being. This death is deliverance. “In this death the soul loses all her desires, all images, all understandings and all form and is stripped of all her being. . . This spirit is dead and is buried in the Godhead, for the Godhead lives as no other than itself.” What the soul discovers is who she has always been from the beginning but did not know. The only path into this awareness has been her willingness to forsake “all things, God and creatures.” The complete surprise is that in realizing the Ground of Being she has returned to the land of her soul. She is home. The soul now knows the most precious Absolute truth: whoever we behold is Holy Mystery beautifully embodied. This means that when the police officer casually placed his knee upon the neck of George Floyd and pressed his face into the pavement, he was grinding the bones of the beautiful face of Holy Mystery into the concrete. Nothing else. Nothing less. Without the breakthrough to common ground a spiritual path through the fog of hatred – not uncommonly expressed a social “niceness” – is not truly possible; the common good becomes hostage to human blindness, and ruthlessly tribal. In truth, we live in a culture where Holy Mystery – contracted by ego into meanness and hatred – is speaking to our heart, asking to become known and realized once again as the land of our soul.~ Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Read online here About the Author Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center of in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including I Have Called You Friends, Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms, and My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You and Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland. Visit Kevin’s Blog: Essential Living: For The Soul’s Journey. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Jillian I would be interested to learn if you think people will return to church and prayer – in a time of chaos and crisis? Do you think people need something to “cling to?” Here in Australia we are also in shut down mode and I fear for those who are already in debt, lost jobs, business closed and the mental health aspect of some. I’ve read of suicides after the Great Depression, share market collapse and you hope that it doesn’t occur again. As I’m an interested political volunteer, I suggested words of hope and encouragement might be needed rather than “Do this or else you’ll die” which is not particularly comforting. Not everyone will die. A: By Rev. Fran Pratt Dear Jillian,It's interesting you ask this question. I personally think it's more a time of "letting go" than of "clinging to." I think this is a moment of collective apocalypse - meaning, a great revealing, or unveiling. And I see, at least here in the US, a lot of structures that need tearing down; and I believe this drawn-out moment is clarifying that reality for many people. Here we are literally tearing down colonialist and exploitative-capitalist monuments. And I think the slowdown of economies is highlighting things we can let go of and feel free to radically re-imagine going forward. I don’t need people to be in church, necessarily. But I do hope that the Church can become a voice for change. I hope it can get over its ego and overcome its centuries-long history of capitulation to empire and active participation in colonization. Again, this is a case of the Church needing to be rebuilt and re-imagined. In many cases, our leaving speaks louder than our staying. I think a lot of folks are realizing that, and also that the Church is not the only sacred space. People are getting creative and making sacred space in zoom calls and protests and marches and distanced outdoor visits. People are learning to “pray with their feet.” Basically, I think people who are doggedly asleep, are mostly going to remain asleep. But I pray that a higher consciousness prevails and is "contagious" in terms of waking up to the Kin-dom of God and its availability to us in this moment. And, I let go of control of other people, while hanging on to compassion and empathy (and indeed hands-and-feet helping) for those who are desperate. I agree that "do this or die" is not helpful, and I've been pleasantly surprised by the messaging I've seen around here that is more along the lines of "we're in this together, we can do hard things, etc." I’ve been encouraged by the response here in the US to the increased visibility of racism and systemic inequity, a badly needed awakening by the white majority. And I hope that the awakening will give way to Right Action, politically and societally. The things I personally cling to are very broad and generous: That the divine is ultimately loving and good. That we are lovingly given free will on this earth. That the challenges we encounter are here to teach us. That we can learn to live inside a paradigm of abundance (Kin-dom) rather than a paradigm of scarcity. That every human is made in the image of the Divine and deserving of dignity and safety. That we have agency and capacity for change. For me, if those are here, then here is Church. I can let go of what doesn’t align. ~ Rev. Fran Pratt Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Fran Pratt is a pastor, writer, musician, and mystic. Making meaningful and beautiful liturgy to be spoken, practiced, and sung, is at the heart of her creative drive. Fran authored a book of congregational litanies, and regularly creates and shares modern liturgy on her website and Patreon. Her prayers are prayed in churches of various sizes and traditions across the globe. She writes, speaks, and consults on melding ancient and new liturgical streams in faith and worship. Fran is Pastor of Worship and Liturgy at Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community! | | | | | | Join our FB community today! Spread the word, share with friends. Thanks! | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Seeking to Understand the Rhetoric of the Health Reform Debate Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong September 10. 2009I went to my local post office in New Jersey last week only to be confronted by a group of demonstrators who had set up a table filled with pamphlets and information about the communist plot to take over health care in America. Several slogans were quite visible on their posters. One said “Stop Socialist Medicine,” another portrayed President Obama with the signature moustache of Adolf Hitler. Some of the available literature hinted that the proposed health care reforms were actually part of a plot to cut medical costs by euthanizing senior citizens. Making a cameo appearance in this new setting was the old abortion issue, with the suggestion that Obama’s health care reform proposal was a not-so-subtle attempt to finance abortion with public funds and thus to violate the consciences of the pro-life minority. People walking in and out of the post office were given the various fear lines and were urged to pick up materials that would validate their wildest charges. What we had witnessed on television at Town Meetings across the country had now appeared in our local community. As an advocate of free speech guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the United States I do not oppose anyone seeking, by whatever lawful means they choose, to win public support for whatever issue they espouse. I do find it interesting to note, however, that while the content of the issues that draw out this kind of paranoid response changes from time to time, the emotions of at least a small segment of the American population that always seems to be threatened to the point of hysteria by changing law, changing practice and even changing consciousness, remain the same. It is not the content of the heath care reform debate, but the reality of these extreme emotions that show up in every period of social transition that I seek to understand today.In order to set this discussion into a context of history, recall that the primary theme in America’s 2008 presidential campaign was “change.” Mr. Obama not only ran on that theme, but he also embodied it. He was an African-American candidate. Never before in the history of the world has a nation chosen as its highest leader a member of a racial minority that had once been enslaved and then segregated by the majority. This was an amazing accomplishment. One obvious sign of that election was that racism, so deep in our national character, was now in a steep decline. If that change was not significant enough, this 47-year-old Illinois Senator represented a new, post-baby-boomer generation. The torch of leadership that had moved from the World War II generation to the Vietnam generation with the election of Bill Clinton in 1992 and in 1996 had now passed rather swiftly beyond Vietnam to a generation skeptical of all wars of aggression and especially the failed wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Obama further epitomized change in his outspoken defense of equality for women in all areas of life and in his clear opposition to any law or practice that calls into question the full rights of America’s gay and lesbian population. His actions and subsequent appointments made these convictions clear and operative. In this election our nation had voted by large majorities to surge forward to embrace a new world. Such a surge, however, inevitably carries many people whose ability to adapt to change is limited into the backwaters of debilitating fear and gives birth to the rhetoric of paranoia that we are now seeing.Prior to this election much of this latent and irrational anger in our body politic had been focused on homophobia, the popular wedge issue during the years of George W. Bush’s administration. That prejudice had, however, run its course and had been largely relegated to the uninformed and increasingly irrelevant religious voices that typically represent the past. There was Pope Benedict XVI, well into his 80s, articulating a long since abandoned theory that homosexuality was an abnormality, a sickness or at least a deviation from the norm that should be changed if possible and repressed if not. There was evangelist Pat Robertson, also an octogenarian, who loses credibility on issue after issue by quoting a literal Bible and by suggesting that God will send hurricanes to punish gay-friendly communities. Finally, there was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, younger but still dated, trying to preserve the last vestige of the British Empire, known as the Anglican Communion, by sacrificing women, gay people and modern knowledge on the altar of Christian unity. These voices of yesterday have no real credibility except among those who inhabit America’s religious ghettoes and among the populations of the third world that have not yet achieved access to the modern world. Few people today buy yesterday’s rhetoric that “the institution of marriage is being undermined by gay lobbyists” or that “acceptance of homosexuality will lead to generalized moral degeneracy.” The day of playing the “homosexual card” to create a winning political strategy has clearly passed. All of the movement is now in the other direction. Vermont has changed civil unions to equal marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Iowa has enacted laws making gay marriage legal. The national assemblies of both the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America have passed resolutions by large majorities opening the process of ordination of deacons, priests and bishops to qualified candidates irrespective of their sexual orientation and asserting that those who live in faithful, monogamous homosexual partnerships are completely acceptable for election and confirmation in any position the church has to offer. These two church bodies are also preparing liturgies suitable for gay marriages to be ready soon.If one looks at the history of fear and paranoia in the body politic of this nation, it is clear that homosexual people simply replaced black people as “legitimate” targets for those ever-present wells of hostility that had nowhere to go when racism began to die. Now it has become equally inappropriate to treat gay and lesbians as outcasts, so the anger, fear and paranoia of those who cannot adjust to a new world had to find another target. The health care debate offered that in spades. Those afraid of change fastened onto this subject with stunning swiftness.The depth of people’s anxiety over change, augmented by the insecurity brought on by the economic turndown and fueled by the powerful industries making fortunes on health care now coalesced to create an epidemic of fear in the debate over the reform of our health care system. So sudden, so hostile and irrational was the depth of the public response that even the Obama administration appeared to be caught off guard. When they recovered their political moorings they revealed a lack of understanding by attacking the absurdities rather than addressing the substance of people’s fears. Now, recognizing that mistake, they have attempted to recapture the initiative by having the president address a joint session of the Congress and to use that opportunity to refocus the debate. The work of reform will now have a chance to move on. To do so at least four principles will need to be faced and addressed. - There is at present enormous waste in American health care. We spend 17% of our gross national product on health care, which is 40% to 50% higher than in any other developed nation, almost all of which have nationalized health care programs. Despite this cost, a significant portion of our population is without heath insurance and even more stand to lose it if they become unemployed. There is no evidence to suggest that this greater cost makes better health care possible and indeed much evidence that it does not. In fragmented “private” systems, tests are regularly duplicated by doctors who do not have access to previous test results. - People need to recognize that they are already paying an enormous premium to cover those who have no insurance. If health care were universal, then the premiums for all people would go down. Hospitals across this land are required by law to care for those who come to them in need of help. This is so regardless of whether they have insurance or whether they are citizens, legal aliens or illegal aliens. The charge that the proposed health reform bill will cover health care for illegal aliens is nothing more than a smokescreen scare tactic. The real issue is that emergency room medical care, which the uninsured are now using, is the most expensive care possible and emergency room doctors have no ability to practice wellness or preventive care. It would thus be far cheaper to offer medical care to all people than to continue the present system. Health care reform must not be held hostage to xenophobic immigration fears. - Reality must be faced in that if no reform of our present system is forthcoming, health care as presently practiced in America will not be sustainable for anyone. Businesses will continue to cut back benefits and will look for reasons to dismiss those with pre-existing conditions that are costly. Health care will become a luxury for the rich and the stability of our entire way of life will be called into question. - Finally the time has come for this nation and our elected leaders to face the fact that universal health care is a moral issue. This administration must claim and defend this high ground if this debate is to be successfully won. Nothing dissipates fear as quickly as successful leadership. Nothing feeds fear more than weak and ineffective waffling. Failure at this moment would be a national catastrophe, an act of surrender to the most irrational voices in the land, the voices of fear, anger and paranoia in the face of change. A note from history may be helpful: when Social Security was passed in the Franklin Roosevelt administration, a similar rhetoric of government takeover, socialism, and communism rang throughout the land. The media voice of that day was not Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity but a Catholic priest named Father Charles Coughlin, but the misinformation was the same. That administration took the heat, passed the program and the rest is history. I pass on to our President the words of a very wise man: “When you do an audacious thing, you do not then tremble at your own audacity.”~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Films for an anti-racist education We’re highlighting a number of films about Systemic Racism. The Power to Heal reveals how Medicare fights racial segregation in the U.S. healthcare system; A Dangerous Idea reveals the gross history of eugenics and ongoing biological nonsense used to justify the pathology of white privilege; and Love & Solidarity explores how non-violent protests lead by Rev. James Lawson have proven an effective strategy. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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