May 2023 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

Joe Crocker's Passing
by Mari Crocker 05 May '23

05 May '23

Dear Colleagues on the Long March of Love, Just a note to say my beloved Joe passed on to the "next chapter" yesterday at 5:41 AM, after a nearly 48-hour, post-stroke journey. Ben, Jon and I were with him for most of that time, and it was a deeply meaning-filled experience of remembering with gratitude. All 4 grandchildren and both daughters-in-law were able to visit early in the process of our “watching, waiting and standing present". The staff at Watson Fields were amazingly loving and supportive during our sojourn, and gathered to witness Joe's “send-out” into the funeral hearse, accompanied by the singing of Amazing Grace. God gives, and God takes away, and we give thanks. Grace and Peace, Marilyn

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Compassionate Conversations on Substack
by Robertson Work 05 May '23

05 May '23

Just in case any of you would like to read and dialogue with me on my just-launched "Compassionate Conversations" on Substack. Just click, subscribe, read, and respond. It's free. Hope to see you there. https://open.substack.com/pub/robertsonwork/p/a-conversation-about-compassi… [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep…]<https://open.substack.com/pub/robertsonwork/p/a-conversation-about-compassi…> A conversation about Compassionate Conversations<https://open.substack.com/pub/robertsonwork/p/a-conversation-about-compassi…> After around ten billion years, our planet appeared. Then after four billion additional years, our species emerged. Then following some fifty thousand years, you and I appeared. And after forty-five years of being a community developer, group facilitator and trainer, decentralized governance policy adviser, innovative leadership professor, consultant, and public speaker, I became an author and activist. What about you? open.substack.com Robertson Work Books and bio: https://www.amazon.com/Robertson-Work/e/B075612GBF Blogsite: https://compassionatecivilization.blogspot.com/ Substack dialogue: https://robertsonwork.substack.com/<https://robertsonwork.substack.com/p/a-conversation-about-compassionate>

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5/4/23 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 04 May '23

04 May '23

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Granddaughter Molly entertaining the breakfast crowd
by James Wiegel 04 May '23

04 May '23

Watch the video. Anyone recognize the venue? Jim Wiegel “…the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. Come and let us talk“. The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver

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3/03/2023, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Roger Wolsey: Progressive Christianity & Psychedelics; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 04 May '23

04 May '23

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screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv9902936775 #yiv9902936775templateBody .yiv9902936775mcnTextContent, #yiv9902936775 #yiv9902936775templateBody .yiv9902936775mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv9902936775 #yiv9902936775templateFooter .yiv9902936775mcnTextContent, #yiv9902936775 #yiv9902936775templateFooter .yiv9902936775mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} By Rev. Roger Wolsey | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Progressive Christianity & Psychedelics | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Roger Wolsey May 4, 2023There. I said it. I know I’m not the first, and I surely won’t be the last. It’s time to embrace and promote. My way of proclaiming the good news of psychedelic plant medicines as part of our salvation and healing is writing. For some members of our society, what I've written may land with a nonchalant, "Yeah, that sounds right." Other folks will experience it with a sense of elated pleasant surprise - "Can you imagine - a Christian pastor saying these things?! Amazing! Cool! Who knew?!" Yet, for many people in the circles I run in - the circles of organized religion and Christianity - what I have written will ruffle at least as many feathers as it smooths. One swath of Church and society will receive it with cordial welcome, while another swath will feel it to be too provocative, "too outside the bounds," with some seeing it as threatening. Some will attack and reject both the book and me as the one who wrote it. Alas, I felt called to write this book and I could do no other. Not writing it simply wasn't an option. The following is an excerpt from the Foreword of Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices That Transform Lives …Because of my own ministry at the intersection of Christianity and the entheogenic* use of psychedelic plants such as psilocybin mushrooms and San Pedro cactus and the empathogen MDMA, Chapter 6 was particularly compelling for me. In addition to making accessible the extensive medical research around mental health issues, Roger places these plants and their use squarely within the healing ministry of the Church. Christians are called to be healers; Jesus was a healer and told his disciples they would do greater things than he did. With sufficient training and a process of discernment, the sacred substances Roger writes about in Chapter 6 should be in the toolkit of every Christian who feels called to be a healer... ~ The Rev. Hunt Priest, The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, and Executive Director of Ligare: A Christian Psychedelic Society. *Entheogen is a neologism to designate psychoactive substances employed in culturally sanctioned visionary experiences in ritual or religious contexts. (Carl A. P. Ruck) Scholars of religion often call psychedelic substances entheogens, from the term "god within" — (Jeremiah Creedon) And these are excerpts from the Conclusion of the book: There are universal longings that are shared by all humanity. Among these is the longing to heal from our wounds and to develop and grow to be at our best. We long to increase our capacities to weather the challenges of life and to feel a sense of peace and equanimity that can be maintained through the challenges of life. We long to mature, be resilient, and relate to our loved ones and strangers with as much love, care, and authenticity as possible. We long to understand ourselves and our tendencies to not live up to these ideals. We long to be compassionate toward ourselves and others when we aren’t at our best. And we long to know that we aren’t alone in these longings. We aren’t. …While engaging in spiritual practices such as the ones described in this book can, and do, make a significant difference, it is also true that Great faith doesn’t come out of great effort but out of great surrender.[14] Our salvation is a co-creative collaboration between Creator and Creation. Ultimately, all salvation/healing is a gift, yet gifts are only received to the extent that they’re accepted, opened, and used. …John Wesley promoted what works to help people, and he made a point to recognize that there are many means and modalities available to provide this help: “I have purposely set down (in most cases) several Remedies for each Disorder; not only because All are not equally easy to be procured at all Times and in all Place: But likewise, because the Medicine which cures one [person], will not always cure another of the same Distemper. Nor will it cure the same [person] at all times. Therefore, it was necessary to have a Variety.”[18] Wesley yearned for Christians to not experience unnecessary divisions and strife about matters that people of faith can agree to disagree about… …I realize that it’s a stretch for some readers to recognize the validity of each of the practices and lineages described in this book. It may seem to some that I’m calling Christians and other religious people to become “ecstatic dancing, tarot card reading, psychedelic plant medicine users.” Let me share Mohamad Safa’s truthful words: Teaching kids about frogs isn’t grooming them to become amphibians. Reading a book about Einstein won’t make your kid smarter. Acknowledging that some kids have two dads isn’t “trying to make them gay.” It’s helping them learn about the world around them. [An open mind is the thing that terrifies some most of all.][21] Indeed, and the same is true for teaching people about: rock & roll, sexual education, astrology, Tarot cards, the Enneagram, ecstatic dance, psychedelic plant medicine, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, shamanism, Lectio Divina, centering prayer, and fasting. The late Rev. “Mr.” Fred Rogers said, “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.”[22] It’s time for us to mention these matters. It’s time for religion and the rising culture to engage in needed conversations. …In many ways, life is a steady parade of “big asks” that come our way. It’s appropriate and healthy to be discerning. It’s important to accept that we won’t all embrace the same big asks at the same time. And yet, time is of the essence and taking too long to adapt and adopt is detrimental and harmful. We Christians who embrace the heritage of John Wesley have an advantage in that we have the tool of “The Wesleyan Quadrilateral”[23] to help guide us. If we prayerfully take Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience fully into consideration when we ponder theological, social, and scientific matters, it can only lead to better, wiser, and more godly and moral conclusions. And, if we hold our conclusions loosely without turning them into rigid dogmas, it allows us to continue to grow and adapt as a church during ever-changing times. …I offer the following additions as we close: It’s also a big ask for Western Christianity - especially for conservative evangelical Christianity to concede that God is meaningfully working in people’s lives in ways that those of that form of the faith have little familiarity.[24] It’s even a big ask for centrist, progressive-leaning, mainline denominations to come on board with yoga, authentic relating, and consider supporting the legalization and normalization of psychedelic plant medicines.[25] And, it’s also a big ask for many people who identify as agnostic, pagan, and/or spiritual but not religious to recognize that there are certain spiritual practices within the realms of organized religion - and within Judaism, Islam - and Christianity in specific - that are truly life-giving and transformative in the lives of many. It’s a big ask to concede that Spirit, the Universe, the Field of Love is at work “even there” too. [End] I now offer these words from someone whom many consider to be a sage and reasoned soul who cares very much about helping Christianity be relevant in today's world: "Discovering Fire is full of warmth, crackle, and gentle luminosity. If you feel you've been shutout in the dark, around this campfire you'll find welcome, sanity, and serenity. All of Roger Wolsey's fires may not be right for you, and he doesn't prescribe them: he just shares — with humility and honesty — what experiences and practices have brought him light and warmth on his spiritual journey." ~ Brian D. McLaren The spiritual practices that I describe aren't "my” fires - they're practices that have been life-giving and transformative in the lives of many people. I'm aware that I'm currently a bit of a rarity as a Christian pastor talking about use of plant medicine and endorsing it. So far, two states in the U.S. have legalized use of psilocybin for recreational use (Oregon and Colorado), yet millions of people across the nation are partaking in various forms of psychedelic plant medicine. I'm not promoting the recreational use of psychedelic plant medicine, but rather the sacred, prayerful, ceremonial, and therapeutic use of it to help God's people to heal from trauma, depression, and more. I'm not just on the vanguard of religious people normalizing psychedelics in society, I'm an advocate for a full host of spiritual practices. Practices ranging from centering prayer, Lectio Divina, fasting, and labyrinth walking - to dream-work, shadow-work, breath-work, authentic relating; ecstatic dance; being deeply present in, and to, Nature; and reading and writing Poetry. These - and many other ways that we can be working with Spirit in helping people in doing "all the good we can to all of the people we can as long as ever we can" - and doing no harm; doing good; and deepening in love with God. ~ Rev. Roger Wolsey Read online here About the Author Rev. Roger Wolsey is a certified Spiritual Director, United Methodist pastor, and serves on the Board of Directors of ProgressiveChristianity.Org. He is the author of Kissing Fish: Christianity for people who don’t like Christianity. His new book is Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices that Transform Lives. Visit his website here. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader How do you keep your spirits and attitude positive amidst the political turmoil and social unrest affecting our country today? A: By Rev. Brandan Robertson Dear Reader,This is one of the most timely and yet hardest questions to answer. Most of us spend a lot of time consuming media that reminds us that our nation is divided, that there is an uptick in xenophobia, and nearly constant existential threats to our very existence. Is it any wonder that we are more depressed and anxious than ever? But in reality, our world is not much worse than it has always been- there have always been crimes, hate, fear, and existential threats- the difference is that now we are inundated with them in real-time, and so everything seems so dire. Now, I don’t want to make light of some of the threats we face- the climate crisis, for instance, is something we’ve not experienced in human history, and the costs of our inaction are high. So we should be anxious and moved to take action on an issue like that. On the other hand, we should each try to make a practice of stepping back and disconnecting. I, for one, have turned off notifications on the many news apps on my phone and turn on the “Do Not Disturb” feature from 6 PM onward to ensure that I am not constantly hearing all of the bad news that’s constantly thrown at me. Also, despite the major threats we face, the truth is that humanity is making progress- things are objectively better, by almost all standards, in 2023 than they were 100 years ago. The values of justice, equity, democracy, and collective flourishing are growing around the world, and even when we face moments of regression, the general trajectory remains toward progress. Keeping a perspective of hope and measured optimism is essential if we’re going to keep up the momentum we need to continue realizing our vision for the common good. So take time to step back and consider the progress we’ve made, turn off the inflow of bad news, and step out into the world ready to work together to heal our divides and be an agent of progressive change.~ Rev. Brandan Robertson Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted spiritual thought-leader, contemplative activist, and commentator, working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal and the author of Nomad: A Spirituality For Travelling Light and writes regularly for Patheos, Beliefnet, and The Huffington Post. He has published countless articles in respected outlets such as TIME, NBC, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Dallas Morning News. As sought out commentator of faith, culture, and public life, he is a regular contributor to national media outlets and has been interviewed by outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, SiriusXM, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Associated Press. He leads Metanoia, a digital spiritual community at MetanoiaCenter.org | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a non-profit ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit rely heavily on the good will of our donors to help us continue to bring individuals and churches the messages of progressive Christians, Weekly Newsletters, along with the many other resources we provide. For years, the majority of our fundraising came at the end of the year. Looking at various ways to create a more reasonable amount of cash flow we decided rather than having a BIG ask at the end of each year, our more frequent asks give folks a chance to contribute when their funds are more flexible. We think that's a win for everyone. We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org online and going strong - click here to donate today! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | | | | Don't miss the next Episode of PC.org's Executive Directors Mark and Caleb on: The Moonshine Jesus Show - every Monday at 4:30pm Eastern Time – watch live on Facebook,, YouTube, Twitter, Podbean | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Part XIV Matthew The Sermon on the Mount: Sinai Revisited Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong February 20, 2014Matthew is portraying Jesus as the New Moses who went to the top of a new mountain to deliver a new interpretation of the Torah. He is not a reporter for a local newspaper covering an event that actually happened. Matthew is quite specific in his gospel that Jesus is not delivering a new Torah! He was far too deeply Jewish to think that way. Indeed, he has Jesus say that not one “jot or tittle,” not one comma or period in the Torah is to be set aside by his re-interpretation. For Matthew the Torah will find its ultimate meaning and its fulfillment in the life and teaching of Jesus; that is what he is claiming. So, if the Sermon on the Mount is the time for Matthew to revisit Mt. Sinai and to understand Moses and the Torah in a new way, it behooves us to become familiar with the Exodus story in which the Torah was originally said to have been given. One can hardly understand Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus as the new Moses on a new mountain, if we do not know much less understand, the original story of Moses on Mount Sinai.The Jewish method of keeping the great events in Jewish history alive in every generation was to bind these events into their liturgical year. In this way, the essential meaning of these events in history could be celebrated annually, the origins of the tradition re-read or retold and the understanding of the people newly refreshed as the past is liturgically incorporated into each successive generation. This is what both liturgy and liturgical calendars are designed to do. That is why worship almost always celebrates the crucial moments in the religious history of the worshiping people.The first liturgical event in the Jewish year was Passover observed on the 14th and 15th days of the month of Nisan, the first month in the Jewish calendar according to Leviticus. Fifty days later, the second major celebration of the Jewish liturgical year arrived in their calendar and was observed. Some called this day “Pentecost,” which literally means 50 days, as in from Passover. It was also called “The Festival of Weeks,” because it was celebrated on the first day after the passing of 49 days or seven weeks. The Hebrew word for “weeks” is Shavuot, so that is also a name by which this day was known. Shavuot celebrated that biblical moment when the people of the Exodus, wandering in the wilderness somewhere between the Red Sea and the Jordan River, entered into a covenant relationship with the God who had delivered them from Egypt. This event took place at the foot of a mountain called Sinai. It marked the time when God was supposed to have given the Torah to the people through Moses. This annual Shavuot celebration came to be observed liturgically with a twenty-four hour vigil, divided into eight three-hour segments. As part of this vigil, the Exodus story would be read in all its fullness. Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Psalter, was created to be used on this day. Its 176 verses were divided into an introduction and seven segments of three stanzas each, thus providing a reading from the Psalter for each of the eight parts of the 24 hour worship vigil. Two of the eight verses of the crucial introductory stanza of Psalm 119 began with a word that was translated by the word “blessed” or “happy.” The body of this Psalm was a hymn of praise to God for the beauty and the wonder of the law, the Torah. Thus it was that this annual celebration of Shavuot kept the Sinai experience current in every new Jewish generation.There were other major feast and fast days in the liturgical year: Rash Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth and Dedication (or Hanukkah), all of which, we will learn later, shaped Matthew’s gospel, but it is Shavuot that forms the background for Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, our current focus. It was Matthew’s intention to portray Jesus in the role of the New Moses, the one who fulfills the Torah and the prophet that Moses promised would someday come. Before we can understand this connection fully, we must go back to the original Exodus story and fix the Sinai experience in our minds. When we do, Matthew’s Sermon will open up with a new intensity.Moses and the children of Israel had arrived in their wilderness wanderings at the foot of Mt. Sinai in the land of Midian. There Moses was reunited with the members of his family, whom he had left at the call of God to lead the people of Israel out of slavery and into freedom. His wife Zipporah and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, came out to greet him. Perhaps even more important to this story is the account that Jethro, the priest of Midian and not coincidentally Moses’ father-in-law, was part of the welcoming party. Jethro was portrayed as being impressed with Moses’ successes. This was to be a meeting of two holy men – perhaps two distinct religious traditions – that needed to come together, but in this narrative, they already appear to overlap significantly. After a brief family reunion, Moses and Jethro entered into a long conversation. Moses recounted to Jethro all the things that “the Lord had accomplished.” The crossing of the Red Sea and the story of manna from heaven were clearly in the background. Jethro rejoiced in these achievements and “blessed the Lord.” Then in an act of mutual recognition, the two “holy men” proceeded to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. Aaron, the high priest of Israel, joined Moses and Jethro and “all the elders” of Israel ate bread together with the two leaders. The religion of Israel and the religion of Midian were coming together.The next day, Moses sat in the seat of judgment to hear all the disputes that had arisen among the people on this journey. It was his role as the tribal leader to render a decision in each dispute. The case load was so large that this “court” lasted from morning to evening. Jethro watched this process with increasing dis-ease. Later he shared his feelings about this process with Moses in private. Moses defended this process, saying that this was his way of teaching the people “the statutes of God.” Jethro countered by saying that one person cannot be the sole judge for an entire nation. Then he said to Moses: “You must teach them the statutes of God and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.” The way to do this, Jethro continued, was to divide the people into groups of 1000 and choose leaders for each group of 1000 from among those “who fear God and are trustworthy; people who hate a bribe.” Then, Jethro continued, you must further divide the groups of 1000 into groups of 100, then 50 and finally 10, with chosen leaders over each of these smaller units. Disputes that cannot be settled at the 10 level will be passed to the leader of the 50 level. If they cannot be settled at the 50 level, they will be passed to the leaders of 100 and then to the leaders of 1000. You, Moses, will then deal only with those issues that cannot be decided by the leaders of the units of a 1000. Moses agreed to this plan and this organization was set up.There was still a problem, however. By what standards would these smaller unit judges make their decisions? Only Moses seemed to know what the law of God was. Is every judge to render decisions based on the opinion of that judge alone? How could the confusion of their interpretations be avoided when these judges made different decisions? A unified nation needs a unified body of law, an objective standard on the basis of which judgments are to be made. It was not enough that Moses talked to God alone to discuss the divine will; that will must be revealed to all the people and then codified for all to read and to learn. While it was clear that this need was apparent, there was still the political problem that unless the law of God flowed through Moses, the authority of Moses would be undercut. So Moses laid down the process by which the law of God could flow through Moses to the people. It was to be a dramatic scene of divine revelation.Three new moons later, after the escaping former slave people were encamped at the foot of a mountain in the wilderness of Sinai, it was said that God called Moses to come up the mountain to confer. In that consultation, God offered a covenant or contract to the people: “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession.” I will turn you into “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation,” The people agreed that this was what they wanted. Moses then took their consent back to God. Then the plan was made whereby the will of God would be revealed to the people in a very dramatic, awe-inspiring moment. God was coming to speak through a cloud so that the people could hear the divine will for themselves.The people consecrated themselves for two days by washing their garments and refraining from sex to make themselves ready for the divine Epiphany that was to occur on the third day. Boundaries were set around Mt. Sinai; people who transgressed these boundaries would do so on pain of death. All was in readiness.When the third day arrived, the book of Exodus informs us that there was thunder and lightning and then a dark cloud covered the mountain. The people watched as the mountain was covered in smoke and fire and then the mountain quaked as the trumpets blew louder and louder. Next Moses called to God and God came down from the sky to the mountain. God instructed Moses to bring Aaron up. The high priest must also be validated. That was how the words of the Torah were said to have entered human history. In Shavuot the will of God became objective law, but Moses was the means of the revelation. Aaron and the priests were now in the loop of authority. An objective standard had been created to which every one who judged could appeal for authority. The only way the law could be altered was for a new Moses to reveal a new insight into the law and in the process be validated by all the people as a new deepening of an old revelation. That was what Matthew was claiming when he portrayed Jesus as delivering the Sermon on the Mount. Indeed Matthew created the Sermon on the Mount to validate the claim that Jesus was the New Moses. We will look at the Sermon in detail when this series resumes.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Transformative Travel Online: May 8th - June 2th All we need to do is open our hearts and minds, follow a few road-worthy practices, try a few tricks of perspective, and be curious and respectful wherever we go. Then we can discover what the ancients called 'the soul of the world. Read On... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Copyright © 2021 ProgressiveChristianity.org, a 501(3)c. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 4810 Pt. Fosdick Dr. #80, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 253-507-8678 - contact(a)progressivechristianity.org You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. | | | |

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FW: FW: Joe Crocker's Passing
by ballardica＠gmail.com 04 May '23

04 May '23

fyi From: Kamala Parekh <kamala.parekh(a)gmail.com> Sent: Monday, May 1, 2023 7:04 AM To: John Ballard <ballardica(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: FW: [Oe List ...] Joe Crocker's Passing Dear Jack and Louise, So heartbreaking to hear about dear Joe's passing away...we always remember his big booming voice, warm smiles and keen intellect. We feel fortunate that we were together in Maliwada and learned so much from his experience and wisdom. May the Lord give Marilyn and the family peace that passes all understanding. Thanks for sharing this news with us . Love n regards. On Sun, 30 Apr 2023, 06:16 , <ballardica(a)gmail.com <mailto:ballardica@gmail.com> > wrote: Hi Vinod and Kamala, I am sorry to have to forward this bad news to you. Please see below. Grace and Peace, Jack From: OE <oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net> > On Behalf Of Mari Crocker via OE Sent: Friday, April 28, 2023 4:01 PM To: ICA-OE Listservs <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Mari Crocker <maricrocker(a)gmail.com <mailto:maricrocker@gmail.com> > Subject: [Oe List ...] Joe Crocker's Passing Dear Colleagues on the Long March of Love, Just a note to say my beloved Joe passed on to the "next chapter" yesterday at 5:41 AM, after a nearly 48-hour, post-stroke journey. Ben, Jon and I were with him for most of that time, and it was a deeply meaning-filled experience of remembering with gratitude. All 4 grandchildren and both daughters-in-law were able to visit early in the process of our “watching, waiting and standing present". The staff at Watson Fields were amazingly loving and supportive during our sojourn, and gathered to witness Joe's “send-out” into the funeral hearse, accompanied by the singing of Amazing Grace. God gives, and God takes away, and we give thanks. Grace and Peace, Marilyn

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Kierkegaard Library - St. Olaf College
by Beret Griffith 03 May '23

03 May '23

Colleagues.... The Kierkegaard Library serves as the official repository for Kierkegaard's work and of the books from Kierkegaard's personal library. You might enjoy an online tour. https://wp.stolaf.edu/kierkegaard/ An article by Marino. https://iai.tv/articles/we-must-imitate-zelensky-not-just-admire-him-auid-2… Gordon Marino is a very interesting character. He is also a boxer and a boxing trainer/coach. There is a lot about him on-line. https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/featured-boxing-articles-boxing-news-videos-rankin… Here is a New York Times article on Marino. It is a rare treat to be in his Elder Collegium class. presence. https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/boxing… Beret * Statement: The Hong Kierkegaard Library serves as the world’s official repository for books by Soren Kierkegaard as well as those influenced by his authorship. * *T**The Hong Kierkegaard Library serves as the world’s official repository for books by Soren Kierkegaard as well as those inoffers programs and courses aimed at stimulating and e study of Kierkegaard among St.Olaf students and faculty, as well as domestic and international scholars. The Kierkegaard Library is both a Special Collection and a Center for Research and Publication and as such, it fosters an intellectual community highly conducive to reflection on faith and values.**he Hong Kierkegaard Library serves as the world’s official repository for books by Soren Kierkegaard as well as those influencing ry offers programs and courses aimed at stimulating and nurturing the study of Kierkegaard among St.Olaf students and faculty, as well as domestic and international scholars. The Kierkegaard Library is both a Special Collection and a Center for Research and Publication and as such, it fosters an intellectual community highly conducive to reflection on faith and values.* *Tary serves as the world’s official repository for books by Soren Kierkegaard as well as those influencing and influenced by his au**The Hong Kierkegaard Library serves as the world’s official repository for books by Soren Kierkegaard as well as those influencing and influenced by his authorship**thorship*

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In ’68 or ’69, I recall my excitement listening to the Latin American penetration report.
by Ken Fisher 03 May '23

03 May '23

James, In ’68 or ’69, I recall my excitement listening to the Latin American penetration report. I’m sure that you heard it too. Still on the West Side. As I recall, the team included: Addingtons, Loudermilks, Barringers, Lela Jahn and Jim Campbell. Both Lela and Jim had been LA missionaries before joining O:E. It was the process and content of the reporting that was so captivating. No travelogue. Using the art form method, it was a constant foray to the profound. e.g. mestizo culture. We took the entire morning. From that point on, I wanted to find ‘the profound’ in any trip I was making - especially to another culture. Here we are, 55 years later. Ken

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When did JWM encounter the writings of Soren Kierkegaard?
by Ken Fisher 03 May '23

03 May '23

Dear Colleagues, One of my favourite quotes comes from my Canadian friend and Order colleague, Gay Kennedy. “When you're dead, you’re dead for a long time.” I think SK would appreciate her irony. My partner, Mary Farrar and I are going to Copenhagen in July for eight days to visit her family. We are also in the process of structuring a Soren Kierkegaard pilgrimage. Beret Griffith suggested that I post our inquiry on the listserv seeking your input. Part I - When did JWM encounter the writings of Soren Kierkegaard? I’m curious about the connective tissue between JWM & SK. When did Joe encounter SK? The fruit of that encounter has been astronomical. 1. ‘Philosophical Fragments’ - David F. Swenson, 1936. Revised by Howard V. Hong. “I always reason from existence, not toward existence, whether I move in the sphere of palpable fact or in the realm of thought.” [from Getting to the Bottom of Top – existentialism & phenomenology] At that time, Joe was an undergraduate at Asbury. 2. 'The Sickness Unto Death' - Walter Lowrie, Princeton U., 1941, was just published when Joe was at Union. “By relating to its own self and by willing to be itself, the self is grounded transparently in the Power which constituted it.” 3. 'Shaking the Foundations’ connecting ‘separation' to ‘despair', was published in 1948, the same year that Joe was at Yale Graduate School with HRN. Mathews, Joseph Wesley was born on October 8, 1911, in Breezewood, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of James Donaldson and Laura (Wilson) Mathews. Education Bachelor of Arts, Asbury College, Willmore, Kentucky, 1936. Bachelor of Divinity, Drew University, 1939. Student Union Theological Seminary, New York City, 1939-1941. Student Yale Graduate School, 1948. Career Professor of philosophy and religion Colgate University, 1948-1952. Professor of Christian ethics, Perkins School Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1952-1956. Dean of studies, Christian Faith and Life Community, Austin, Texas, 1956-1962. Dean, Ecumenical Institute, Chicago, 1962-1977. Executive Director, Institute Cultural Affairs, to 1977. National lecturer theology, ethics, education, 1948-1977. Part II – Colleagues that I know of, currently engaged in Soren Kierkegaard reflections include: · Michael May – Interior Mythos Journeys Michael is a lifetime devotee. Attached is his ‘One Second to Choose’. I subscribe to his 57 modules of ‘The Life Journey’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQyUjNOlU7Q michael(a)storywarrior.net <mailto:michael@storywarrior.net> …When everything seems to storm in upon me, when everything totters, when all depends upon bending without breaking, when from a full heart I can say: “all God’s gifts are good when received with gratitude,” I have overcome the world. (CMT) —Soren Kierkegaard · Gene Marshall – Realistic Living. At 90, Gene just published The Thinking Christian – Twenty-Three Pathways to Awareness. It is available on Kindle. Attached is his Ecstatic Human Living triangle. gwesleymarshall(a)gmail.com <mailto:gwesleymarshall@gmail.com> From Chapter 11, The Doorway of Despair. Tillich’s use of the word “despair” alludes to a book written a century earlier by Søren Kierkegaard—The Sickness unto Death. Kierkegaard’s book on despair is perhaps the most profound volume ever written on that topic. Tillich and Kierkegaard agree that the manifestations of sin are best described as a state of human consciousness called “despair.” They also agree, I believe, that this despair is a result of our hopeless attempts to flee Profound Reality, or to win a fight with Profound Reality, or at least to justify ourselves with an active or passive sort of resignation that protests that Profound Reality is “no damned good.” Kierkegaard’s perspective on sin also clarifies the word “faith.” Sin is the opposite of faith, where “faith” is understood to mean trust in that inescapable Profound Reality in relation to which sin is an estrangement. Faith, so understood, is not a belief of the mind, but an action of the entire person. Faith is a “true deed” that alters our whole life, says Rudolf Bultmann. Faith is the deed of leaping into a radical realism in response to Profound Reality. Tillich also clarifies that faith begins as the deed of “accepting our acceptance” (our forgiveness) from the Ground of Being from which we are estranged and in relation to which we are in despair. Such faith is a choice to pass through the doorway of despair into our authentic life. Marshall, Gene Wesley. The Thinking Christian: Twenty-Three Pathways of Awareness (p. 233). Wipf & Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition. · Beret Griffith – Beret is connected with Gordon Marino, a philosopher at St. Olaf College near the twin cities. Professor Marino is the author of Kierkegaard in the Present Age and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, American Poetry Review, and many other periodicals. Marino is also the Curator of the Hong Kierkegaard Library. beretgriffith(a)gmail.com <mailto:beretgriffith@gmail.com> · David Dunn – His current inner environment activism is inspired by SK and others. dmdunn1(a)gmail.com <mailto:dmdunn1@gmail.com> Part III – Ken Fisher & Mary Farrar At 80, here I am, in a new, intensely romantic partnership with Mary Farrar, 82, a Kingston, Ontario environmental activist, facilitator of Indigenous Reconciliation, and protector of heritage buildings. With my village being less than an hour away, we spend three-quarters of our time together in either of our homes. After 11 months, when together, we start our day with 20 minutes of silence, finding our state of being in the Other World charts, (Mary is absolutely fascinated,) and a brief study. Right now, the latter is GWM’s Great Paragraphs of Protestant Theology. What a treat to explore our enthusiasm for spirit in this fashion. 60 years ago, Mary had an ‘illegitimate’ daughter in Copenhagen. They reconnected many years ago, and now Hannah herself is a grandmother. Mary and I are going to Copenhagen for 8 days in July for her to meet her great-granddaughter and for me to meet her Danish family. We are also devoting part of that time as a pilgrimage to Soren Kierkegaard. Fortuitously, Hannah is connected to an SK scholar associated with the SK Museum. For inspiration, Michael May is sharing his SK documents and enthusiasm with us. Perhaps naively, and certainly in a non-Kierkegaardian fashion, I am curious to discover if there are specific locations in Copenhagen that are settings for some of his spirit insight. For example, I could imagine finding a place in the harbour where these words could be paired. "The formula that describes the state of the self when despair is completely rooted out is this: in relating itself to itself and in willing to be itself, the self rests transparently in the power that established it.” (Hong’s translation) And then from a recent biography, Philosophy of the Heart by Clare Carlisle, p. 147. 10 Repetition: A New Philosophy of Life The season has turned, control of the country has changed hands, and he looks out from new windows, but the night sky is unchanged. And he can imagine the sea, close by, resting on this quiet night. He tries to open his soul to the sea, deep and transparent beneath the stars: it is possible for a few moments, to let himself ‘rest transparently in God’, as he has described the experience of faith in The Sickness unto Death. This is one of his favourite thoughts. ‘When the sea exerts all its might, then it is precisely impossible for it to reflect the image of the heavens, and even the smallest movement means that reflection is not quite pure: but when it becomes still and deep, then heaven’s image sinks down into nothingness,’ he wrote in 1844. ‘Just as the sea, when it is still, deep and transparent longs for the heavens above, so does the heart that has become pure long for the good. And as the sea reflect the vault of heaven in its pure depths, so does the heart that has become pure long for the good. And as the sea reflects the vault of heaven in its pure depths, so to does the heart that has become still and a deeply transparent reflect the heavenly sublimity of the good in its pure depths,’ he wrote last year, 1847. There is always longing in this stillness – a longing that touches what it longs for, and desires it all the more. When he lets his longing for God fill and expand his soul, everything else is silenced. Ken & Mary - New Year’s Eve in Costa Rica - Abelard & Heloise? One Second to Choose by Michael May Ecstatic Human Living - GWM - The Thinking Christian Ken Fisher 1070 Elizabeth Street - Box 75 Sharbot Lake ON K0H 2P0 Canada 613.203.0180 kenfisher1942(a)gmail.com Ken Fisher @KandPtrail

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5/3/23 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 03 May '23

03 May '23

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