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Winds and Waves reminder for December
by ICA International 16 Dec '18

16 Dec '18

Any problem reading this message please click or paste this URL in your browser's address bar http://windswaves.icai-archives.org/new-ww/ en français en español November 2018 This is a reminder for entries to our new Winds and Waves Magazine We are delighted to invite you to share your stories here via this link medium.com/winds-and-waves We also welcome videos that show the work you are doing. And we would be delighted if you would share stories from Winds and Waves on your own social media networks. For information about how to work with Winds and Waves on Medium: Please see attachment here Please be sure to send this invitation on to your ICA members and friends, colleagues, partners, family, so they too can participate. You can get further information by contacting us at icawindandwaves(a)gmail.com Best wishes, Robyn, Dharma, Roma, Rosemary, Isabel, Peter, for W&W team Published by The Institute of Cultural Affairs International, 401 Richmond Street, West, Toronto, ON. M5V 3A8, Canada All rights reserved. For more information or to unsubscribe, email: inform(a)ica-international.org

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Re: [Oe List ...] OE Digest, Vol 81, Issue 8
by Lawrence Philbrook 16 Dec '18

16 Dec '18

Dear Dick Thnak you for the witness At the Asia gathering we had a dialogue about Mission purpose and values This week we continue this focused on ICA Taiwan one line in your witness spoke to me about one key uniqueness in our expectation of ourselves I think the core of the core is the ability to give a witness.. to stand present to one’s life and the amazing things revealed or that happen to one…the mystery at work in one’s life. Yesm One of the core values/responsibilities to sustain and continually rediscover is that this journey is a choice I make with my life and choose to join others in that calling and to share my experience. In the last 3 weeks I have taught two Spirit of Facilitation programs one in Taipei, including colleagues from around the Region and Taiwan, and the second last week in Beijing. In each we explored Responsibility as the tension between Freedom and Obligation, how that shows up as a facilitator and in our lives. One requirement of this sharing is that we as trainers witness as to how this experience shows up as a struggle in our lives. Lat night one of my co-teachers said to me “I found this SOF in Beijing a breakthrough in my understanding of myself as a Christian and as a facilitator. My responsibility is not a burden it is a choice.” Merry Christmas and Happy new year With love and respect, Larry Sent from Mail for Windows 10 From: oe-request(a)lists.wedgeblade.net Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2018 6:02 AM To: oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net Subject: OE Digest, Vol 81, Issue 8

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Notes for 6/24/18 Event (Mark 4:33-41)
by Dawn Collins 15 Dec '18

15 Dec '18

I think it was in June of this year, yes, Sunday, the 24th when I pondered over a worship service based on the Scripture of Mark 4:35-41 (NT) which also illustrated perfect love which casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Let us Go to the Other SideThe children received their rendition in the story of the little loon that was fearful when Mama left it alone to go for his food.while the water in the lake soon tossed and the sky became dark. The little loon was hungry and wanted to go home. Where was home? Where was mama loon? Showers came down and the little loon started to cry and his body shook. Finally, mama loon appeared, the little loon ate and they kickflipped in the dark all the way home. Isn't it good to have someone to help us when we're afraid and when we can learn to help each other? That's what we do when we worship together with who's helping us and seek and pray for God's guidance to help ourselves and others. So Jesus tells the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side". For this was after a time full of teaching and miracles and they are looking forward to a time of rest. The multitudes have come to the shore before them and probably had their boats ready to receive more of the good things they'd experienced. Lo, a windstorm arose and swamped the disciples' boat but Jesus was asleep in the storm on a pillow. They awakened him crying, "Teacher, do you not care we are perishing?" He woke and rebuked the wind saying, "Peace be still!!" The wind dropped and there was a dead calm. "Why are you so afraid, have you no faith?" The disciples responded amongst themselves, "Who then is this man that the wind and sea obey Him?" The pastor interjects, "What are you afraid of? What do you do when you are afraid? What's an appropriate, wise response? Do you find you're afraid of a source of danger or difficulty of things that really are of peril? When you work through them you might find they're not particularly valuable things to spend your energy on. The story is familiar to many, let me rehearse the scene. Matthew has an additional piece that captures the imagination. Peter, who's a kind of show off after the water walking exercise probably displays a false bravado. The popular culture has appropriated images of "put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee". We understand images of followers in a boat threatened by wind and storm. The story resonates on this level which is familiar to us. No wonder the Christian message has appealed to those living in South East (Alaska)--a fishing culture in a maritime port of the world. And Juneau is a place of abundance and wonders of attraction, yet the sea is so vast and my boat is so small, yet without your help, I'm afraid. This story resonates on this literal level as well and we can't nor should we deny or ignore living in this land where our life depends on the great gifts of the sea for sustenance and the need for each other and spiritual sustenance. Life on the sea is a scary proposition for those who come with a cast and join in on the blessing of the fleet, "Oh God, be with us. in the midst of our peril and need for each other." It's part of our human need. We encounter the image of the storm replete with challenges, dangers, perils, unsafe and scary amid our peril where we need help! We know there are situations where we need help where we need each other for spiritual and physical help where we gather for comfort. Whatever trials and tribulations befall us, we share them with friends and neighbors and those on this planet we have never met. We know where to turn for help to God and God's people who come to our shores out of violence and pain needing help uncertainty, will we help? They come seeking new life from all corners out of living in darkness and peril fleeing war and rumors of war. "Oh God our help in ages past our help for years to come". May we be helpers called forth (like Mr. Rogers) such helpers that children and others might be with us in the Presence that cares in time of grief and sorrow. Yet part of the message of today's reading operates on a different level divergent of the message of thanksgiving and awe. Not in contradiction but quite divergent from this message which calls for God's Presence at a time when the guy in charge seems to not be paying attention. There's a big problem here. Read with me again, as often portrayed: A great windstorm arose and the waves were beating against and swamping the boat. Jesus is in the stern asleep and the disciples woke him up for they were afraid of the storm. IT DOES NOT SAY THAT! The disciples were MAD at Him because he was not agitated over the storm...He's SLEEPING! The disciples' response is, "Don't you care for us?" Never says they're afraid which is a curious response, maybe not. I've had that experience, I think, "They may not want my help. May not understand me even if my intentions are good. Doesn't seem to be helping." There's a whole history producing peoples reaction. Some.times you may not have the best interest of the person in charge when you're used to being told what to do. This makes things worse. Disciples reaction here could have been, "Lot of help you are. Did you notice what's happening out here!" It's understandably not a story of fear we expect By then Jesus being the "nonanxious Presence" does not get drawn into their drama and says to the sea, "Peace Be Still", and the winds cease and the sea is calm, in a nutshell, the sea is calm. Did you ever notice that? After He stills the storm, Jesus asks, "Why are you afraid?" The disciples are filled with great awe and wonder at the Presence of this One in their lives. Another translation (from the Greek) which appears two other times in Scripture is este or timid. Jesus asks, "Why are you timid?" Or from a double translation, They were afraid with a terrible fear after Jesus calmed the storm. They were far from exclaiming at that point, "Who do you think you are just cavalierly making the wind cease?" I suggest in addition to the real fear of storms manifested in our lives we need help with and comfort for the capacity to learn and grow and move through grief and sorrow to pick up the pieces and carry on. In addition to this, there are things in our lives we fear and we take it out on those who want to help us make it better to lead us to constructive responses. Jesus's capacity to make life "more than" offers life and life more abundantly. Many of you know the illustration of the frog in the pot of water when the heat is turned up gradually burns to death. We need help to live togetheer and use our resources justly to care for the planet. There is a storm in our midst of enmity, violence, distrust, strife we've become so used to and are in danger of boiling ourselves to death. These are problems we can fix. We cannot deal with the thought of leave me alone or go into withdrawal of the drug of choice which numbs us. Nor can we think we have a nest egg for ourselves to care or our selves (Don't go messin' with me, Jesus)! The key is to understand this level of the story. It's really in the first verse on "that day" where Jesus had previously taught in parables to the crowds (which they sent home save those who accompanied them in their boats) and explained the meaning later with the disciples before they embarked in their vessel to the other side. Jesuis taught in paraables that bring us growth rather than the empire's version of the cedars of Lebanon. So it's not a funny story about the chicken getting to the other side but it is a theological statement about the oneness of humanity whose primary division in first century Palestine was between the Jews and God. They get in the boat. Why? To go over to the other side. Theere was a Jewish and Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was a Jew and his ministry was to the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is manifesting here humanity is one. There is no "Others". Every child is created as a human being in God's image. NONE to be excluded. There are no throw away people. And the disciples said, "You have filled us with great fear." They were afraid to do what Jesus called them to do, to live in community with "them". That's my point sisters and brothers, we know that fear calls us to not point the finger of aspersion but energizes us to be who we are. We know God's Presence in our midst and there are some people who are hard to deal with. Some may think the main one is the guy upfront with the funny clothes . It takes work to live the abundant life on Earth that our God has given us where we have all we need and have the oportunity to continue on the journey. To be with the process and live and move and be together in peace and compassion making use of the just distribution of our resources in loving relationship with all creation. It's also scary and I pray for our desire, openness and willingness and capacity to continue to move into od's future together in this side, the other side and all sides. May it be so. -Former Pastor Phil Campbell's (recently retired) sermon given at Northern Light United Church in Juneau Alaska this past summer

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Interesting article -- especially for Social Process collection -- common religion triangle and Inner life/other world and all
by James Wiegel 15 Dec '18

15 Dec '18

The Return of Paganism: Maybe there actually is a genuinelypost-Christian future for America. By Ross Douthat OpinionColumnist Dec. 12, 2018 Here aresome generally agreed-upon facts about religious trends in the United States.Institutional Christianity has weakened drastically since the 1960s. Lots ofpeople who once would have been lukewarm Christmas-and-Easter churchgoers nowidentify as having “no religion” or being “spiritual but not religious.” Themainline-Protestant establishment is an establishment no more. Religious beliefand practice now polarizes our politics in a way they didn’t a few generationsback. What kind ofgeneral religious reality should be discerned from all these facts, though, ismuch more uncertain, and there are various plausible stories about whatearly-21st century Americans increasingly believe. The simplest of these is thesecularization story — in which modern societies inevitably put away religiousideas as they advance in wealth and science and reason, and the decline ofinstitutional religion is just a predictable feature of a general late-modernturn away from supernatural belief. But thesecularization narrative is insufficient, because even with America’s churchesin decline, the religious impulse has hardly disappeared. In the early 2000s,over 40 percent of Americans answered with an emphatic “yes” when Gallup askedthem if “a profound religious experienceor awakening” had redirected their lives; that number had doubledsince the 1960s, when institutional religion was more vigorous. A recent Pewsurvey on secularization likewise found increases in the share of Americans whohave regular feelings of “spiritual peace and well-being.” And the resilienceof religious impulses and rhetoric in contemporary political movements, even(or especially) on the officially secular left, is an obvious feature ofour politics. So perhapsinstead of secularization it makes sense to talk about the fragmentation andpersonalization of Christianity — to describe America as a nation of Christianheretics, if you will, in which traditional churches have been supplanted byself-help gurus and spiritual-political entrepreneurs. These figures cobbletogether pieces of the old orthodoxies, take out the inconvenient bits andpitch them to mass audiences that want part of the old-time religion butnothing too unsettling or challenging or ascetic. The result is a nation whereProtestant awakenings have given way to post-Protestant wokeness, whereReinhold Niebuhr and Fulton Sheen have ceded pulpits to Joel Osteen and OprahWinfrey, where the prosperity gospel and Christian nationalism rule the rightand a social gospel denuded of theological content rules the left. I wrotea whole book onthis theme, but in the years since it came out I’ve wondered if it, too, wasincomplete. There has to come a point at which a heresy becomes simplypost-Christian, a moment when you should just believe people who claim theyhave left the biblical world-picture behind, a context where the newspiritualities add up to a new religion. Which is whylately I’ve become interested in books and arguments that suggest that thereactually is, or might be, a genuinely post-Christian future for America — andthat the term “paganism” might be reasonably revived to describe the newAmerican religion, currently struggling to be born. Afascinating version of this argument is put forward by Steven D. Smith, a lawprofessor at the University of San Diego, in his new book, “Pagans andChristians in the City: Culture Wars From the Tiber to the Potomac.” Smithargues that much of what we understand as the march of secularism is somethingof an illusion, and that behind the scenes what’s actually happening in themodern culture war is the return of a pagan religious conception, which washalf-buried (though never fully so) by the rise of Christianity. What is thatconception? Simply this: that divinity is fundamentally inside the world ratherthan outside it, that God or the gods or Being are ultimately part of naturerather than an external creator, and that meaning and morality and metaphysicalexperience are to be sought in a fuller communion with the immanent worldrather than a leap toward the transcendent. Thispaganism is not materialist or atheistic; it allows for belief in spiritual andsupernatural realities. It even accepts the possibility of an afterlife. But itis deliberately agnostic about final things, what awaits beyond the shores ofthis world, and it is skeptical of the idea that there exists some ascetic,world-denying moral standard to which we should aspire. Instead, it sees thepurpose of religion and spirituality as more therapeutic, a means of seekingharmony with nature and happiness in the everyday — while unlike atheism, itinsists that this everyday is divinely endowed and shaped, meaningful and notrandom, a place where we can truly hope to be at home. In popularreligious practice there isn’t always a clean line between this “immanent”religion and the transcendent alternative offered by Christianity and Judaism.But clearly religious cultures can tend toward one option or the other, and youcan build a plausible case for a “pagan” (by Smith’s definition) tradition inWestern and American religion, which in his account takes two major forms. First, thereis a tradition of intellectual and aesthetic pantheism that includes figureslike Spinoza, Nietzsche, Emerson and Whitman, and that’s manifest in certainhighbrow spiritual-but-not-religious writers today. Smith recruits Sam Harris,Barbara Ehrenreich and even Ronald Dworkin to this club; he notes that we evenhave an explicit framing of this tradition as paganism,in the former Yale Law School dean Anthony Kronman’s rich 2016 work “Confessionsof a Born-Again Pagan.” Second,there is a civic religion that like the civic paganism of old makes religiousand political duties identical, and treats the city of man as the city of God(or the gods), the place where we make heaven ourselves instead of waiting forthe next life or the apocalypse. This immanent civic religion, Smith argues, isgradually replacing the more biblical form of civil religion that stampedAmerican history down to the Protestant-Catholic-Jew 1950s. Whether in thesocial-justice theology of contemporary progressive politics or the trans-humanistprojects of Silicon Valley, we are watching attempts to revive a religionof this-world, anew-model paganism, to “reclaim the city that Christianity wrested away from itcenturies ago.” Thesedescriptions are debatable, but suppose Smith is right. Is the combination ofintellectual pantheism and a this-world-focused civil religion enough todeclare the rebirth of paganism as a faith unto itself, rather than just acultural tendency within a still-Christian order? It seems tome that the answer is not quite, becausethis new religion would lack a clear cultic aspect, a set of popular devotions,a practice of ritual and prayer of the kind that the paganism of antiquityoffered in abundance. And that absence points to the essential weakness of apurely intellectualized pantheism: It invites its adherents to commune with auniverse that offers suffering and misery in abundance, which means that it hasa strong appeal to the privileged but a much weaker appeal to people who neednot only sense of wonder from their spiritual lives but also, well, help. However,there are forms of modern paganism that do promisethis help, that do offer ritual and observance, augury and prayer, that dopromise that in some form gods or spirits really might exist and might offersuccor or help if appropriately invoked. I have in mind the countless New Agepractices that promise health and well-being and good fortune, the psychics andmediums who promise communication with the spirit world, and also the world ofexplicit neo-paganism, Wiccan and otherwise. Its adherents may not all beequally convinced of the realities that they’re trying to appeal to andmanipulate (I don’t know how many of the witches who publicly hexed Brett Kavanaughreally expected it to work), but their numbers are growing rapidly; there maysoon be more witches in the United States than members of the United Church ofChrist. What ancientpaganism did successfully was to unite this kind of popular supernaturalismwith its own forms of highbrow pantheism and civil-religiosity. Thus the elitesof ancient Rome might reject the myths about their pantheon of deities as justcrude stories, but they would join enthusiastically in public rituals thatassumed that gods or spirits could be appealed to, propitiated, honored,worshiped. To get afully revived paganism in contemporary America, that’s what would have tohappen again — the philosophers of pantheism and civil religion would need tobuild a religious bridge to the New Agers and neo-pagans, and together theywould need to create a more fully realized cult of the immanent divine, anactual way to worship, not just to appreciate, the pantheistic order theydiscern. It seemslike we’re some distance from that happening — from the intellectuals whomSmith describes as pagan actually donning druidic robes, or from Jeff Bezosplaying pontifex maximus for a post-Christian civic cult. The 1970s, when aD.C. establishment figure like Sally Quinn was hexing her enemies,were a high-water mark for those kinds of experiments among elites. Now,occasional experiments in woke witchcraft and astrology notwithstanding,there’s a more elite embarrassment about the popular side of post-Christianspirituality. Thatembarrassment may not last forever; perhaps a prophet of a new harmonizedpaganism is waiting in the wings. Until then, those of us who still believe ina divine that made the universe rather than just pervading it —and who have a certain fear ofwhat more immanent spirits have to offer us — should be able to recognize theoutlines of a possible successor to our world-picture, while taking comfortthat it is not yet fully formed. Ross Douthat hasbeen an Opinion columnist for The Times since 2009. He is the author of severalbooks, most recently, “To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future ofCatholicism.” COMMENT OF THE MOMENT jim kunstler commented December 12: Saratoga Springs, NY Andrew Sullivan got it right inNY Magazine this week when he noted that Wokesterism is the replacement du jourfor Christianity. It has its sacred characters (identity groups) and a notionof original sin (white privilege), and requires sinners to apologizeabjectly... but is absolutely unforgiving. That’s how crazy we have become. Comments 1280 LES commentedDecember 12 As Epictetus, thegrand old man of Greco-Roman philosophy pointed out two thousand years ago itis one thing to talk about philosophy/region and it is another thing to livethe teaching and seek truth. Middleman Eagle WI USADec. 12 One of the principle drivers of apost-Christian future is people's need to experience their sexuality withoutthe horrible schism imposed on it by the Christian religion. I once visited anexhibit of sexuality in art in Hamburg, Germany and what struck me the mostabout it was the sad evidence of how Christianity had literally driven a linethrough the center of the body, and above the navel was 'for God,' and below,the devil. People who chose their sexuality over church-sanctioned pietyliterally danced with the devil. Such demonization continues today, in subtler,but still life-destroying forms. This and Christianity's own hypocrisies aboutsexual behavior within their institutions have left many of us to walk awayfrom the faith of our upbringing to find compassion and spirituality in otherways and other communities and fellowships. North Carolinacommented December 12 Thecountry is moving away from organized Christianity because people aredisillusioned, defeated, and dismayed by the total corruption of our religiousleaders whether from the Catholic Church or the Protestant churches, see theFort Worth Star Telegram's investigation into sexual misconduct at nearly 1,000churches and organizations affiliated with the independent fundamental Baptistmovement across 40 states and Canada, in which 168 church leaders have been “accusedor convicted of committing sexual crimes against children.” You simply can't bea part of organized religion without encountering human corruption on a massivescale. And it is this corruption, this hypocrisy that ultimately drives peoplefrom churches and organized religion. That is not going to change. Instead,people are going to find other places to connect to the universe, their planet,their family and friends, and themselves to the greater and find God or Goddessout there away from men who are completely corrupt. Kjensen commentedDecember 12Burley Idaho Another pathetic attemptby Mr. Douthat to lament the decline of organized religion. For me it can'tcome fast enough. As for the resurgence of so-called paganism, with its newageism, self-help gurus, revival of ancient religions, it's really the same oldthing that is embodied in the popes, prophets, and the priests that Mr. Douthatwishes were still absolutely preeminent in our society. Yes, in my opinion,these new age religious movements are the same old charlatans just cut from adifferent bolt of cloth. Ron commentedDecember 12 FloridaDec. 12 Douthat uses the term “paganism” to describevarious New Age and Wicca movements, but he says almost nothing about thepaganism of the Religious Right. Was Nazism, with its symbolism, mass gatherings,and return to a “greater” Teutonic past, pagan? Undoubtedly. And why was itessentially pagan and anti-Christian? Because it exalted the nation state andits leader above all moral considerations. Does that sound familiar? Do we seethat today? Donald Trump and his millions of faux Christian, evangelicalfollowers are the real pagans of our time. (Note that Trump even refused—or wasunable—to recite the Apostles' Creed at G. H. W. Bush’s funeral.) doughboy commentedDecember 12 Wilkes-Barre,PA Douthat’s continued use of pagan hides the origin of that term.When Christianity received the official backing of the Roman emperors, itturned on all other religions. Their attacks on Roman, Greek, Egyptian, etcreligion introduced the term pagan to undercut these practices. CatherineNixey’s The Darkening Age and Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Minddetails the harm that this zealotry did. The murder and dismemberment ofHypatia in Alexandria in 415 and the closing of Athens’ Academy in 532 are buttwo illustrations. The Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli wrote, “Theanti-intellectual violence of the Christianized Roman Empire managed to suffocatealmost every development of rational thought for many centuries.” This trenddid not end in the early centuries. The execution of Giordano Bruno in 1600 andthe Inquisition continued the suppression. Blaise Pascal wrote, “Men never doevil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religiousconviction.” This animus remains today whenever atheists protest religioussymbols on public land. How many members of Congress are declared atheists?“Pagans” are neither ignorant nor stupid. Symmachus, in the face of theChristian onslaught, challenged the new faith when he said, “We see the samestars, the sky is shared by all, the same world surrounds us. What does itmatter what wisdom a person uses to seek for the truth?” Kaye commentedDecember 12 Connecticut I grew up second-gen in a Neopagan religion. Like mostsecond-gen individuals in new religious movements, I tend to be moreconservative (religiously, not politically) than people who are convertsbecause I was raised in an environment where there were correct and incorrectways of doing worship. This article assumes that "paganism" is amercurial thing that is just "not Christianity." The term paganism isstill sometimes used as a religious slur in opinion pieces describing aperson's lack of morality, and the term is adapted to fit ideas ranging fromatheistic pan(en)theism to the New Age movement. I rarely ever use the term — Icall myself a polytheist. While like a Roman elite I don't believe in theliteral truth of myths, I believe in gods. Almost all of my worship isconducted in the home. Another correction: "explicit neo-paganism"offers help and sense-making practices. Wicca has a moral code based onnon-harming. Polytheist revivalist religions like Hellenism, Asatru, ReligioRomana, and Kemetism draw from the wealth of philosophical and moral writingsin antiquity to offer grounding and solutions to devotees regardless of theissues they are confronting in their lives. We have a resurgence of people inboth Pagan Studies (ex: Chas Clifton) and philosophy (ex: Edward P. Butler, whodoes polytheologies and engages in dialogue with ancient writers like Proclusand Iamblichus). Neopagan movements are not bereft of 201- and 301-level sense-makingpractices at all. dogma vatcommented December 12 Washington,DCDec. 12Interestingcommentary, but a bit over my head. However, I'll say this- modern life ismaking us weak, lonely people. Too many choices, too much freedom andopportunity, along with the eradication of our Judeo-Christian identity hasdecimated families and enabled our culture to be filled by grunting, flatulentcreatures like our current president on the right and woke religious zealots onthe left. These folks are turning the established order of decency upside downand turning this country into the idiocracy many have feared. We need religionbecause the alternative seems to be Donald Trump or wokeness or something elsethat is totally incoherent. Walter L. Maroneycommented December 12 Manchester NH A couple of fundamental misunderstandings here, Ross. First, weare not supposed to be a Christian Nation. Our founders conceived of our polityas determinedly secular. It was not until the Great Awakenings of the early tomid 1800s that Christianity assumed the character of a shibboleth in our publicdiscourse. And the "Under God" and "In God We Trust" memesare Twentieth Century inventions, which have only been part of our nationalfabric for about 70 of our nearly 250 year history. Second, for all your talkof heresy, you miss the obvious fact that American Evangelical Protestantism,with its Prosperity Gospel doctrine and its perverse twisting of the doctrineof election into an us vs. them political/social context (we are the elect onEarth, all others are hellbound) is itself the foremost Christian heresy of ourtime. Jocelyn commentedDecember 12 Vista, CA There are many troubling aspects to this essay, but perhaps themost troubling is the author’s assertion that what paganism (and this term, asapplied to the wide range of practices and beliefs referred to here, is notunproblematic) may appeal to the wealthy and well-off, but what those who areimpoverised and suffering need is help. I was nodding along until it becameclear that what he meant by “help” is belief in divine intervention and/or anafterlife. This completely misses the point that an understanding of the worldas infused with divinity calls - in fact, obligates - us to take better care ofit and one another. Christianity has not historically done a good job of this,and has, unfortunately, used promises of heaven and threats of hell to keeppeople from seeking a more harmonious relationship with one another and theplanet as a whole in this lifetime. To judge what he calls paganism through thelens of Christianity both misses the point, and attempts to colonize the termand practices associated with it, turning them into just another Christiansect. Emma commentedDecember 12 IndianaThere is thisinteresting notion at the end of the article -- that there is comfort that the"old way" dictated by the Bible and its interpretation have not beeneclipsed by paganism. I find the opposite comforting. The old way, which serveda specific societal master and has been used in every era as a cudgel against racial,religious (ironically), and sexual minorities, was not wholly positive. Itshould be comforting that the essence of spirituality in the global north isbeing reworked in a more equitable fashion. You will probably find that today'sspiritual adherents are unwittingly closer to the teachings of Jesus than thereligious zealots that claim to be so godly in their actions. LJ commentedDecember 12 MA Overlooked in your essay is the individualizing of spiritualpractices—so Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus may attend a meditation or“satsang” group together, for example. Or non-Jews adopt Kabbalah traditions,etc. People are cobbling together practices from various religions andactivities to express and develop their spiritual sides (even Non-believers canappreciate a walk on the beach....) The commonality all the “great” religionsshare is that the foundation is Love, and that all we are here to “get,”whether Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, Muslim, Humanist, Capitalist, Marxist,etc., is to love one another. That is the sum total of the Game of Life. jim kunstlercommented December 12 SaratogaSprings, NY Andrew Sullivan got it right in NY Magazine this week when henoted that Wokesterism is the replacement du jour for Christianity. It has itssacred characters (identity groups) and a notion of original sin (whiteprivilege), and requires sinners to apologize abjectly... but is absolutelyunforgiving. That’s how crazy we have become. Androculuscommented December 12 Far Left Don't worry, Ross, Catholicism and paganism can exist side byside, as they have for centuries in New Orleans. Good Catholics here, withoutconflict or contradiction, can also practice Voodoo, because the two religionscompliment each other. In fact, they are so interrelated that the saints of one(Virgin Mary, St. Patrick ) are seen as the gods and goddesses of the other(Maitress Erzuli, Dambala Wedo). Just let people be, Ross; they can figure outwhat makes them happy or gives them comfort. Joseph Hubencommented December 12 Upstate NY Pagan? Witches? Neither existed as concepts before Christianityand the “demonization” of all beliefs or ways of life that was not “Christian”as defined by “Christians”. Is Douthat condemning or demonizing or belittlingall non-Christians? Are all Hindus or Buddhists or Taoists pagans? They allpre-dated Christianity and were designated pagan by early “Church Fathers”.“modern societies inevitably put away religious ideas as they advance in wealthand science and reason, and the decline of institutional religion is just apredictable feature of a general late-modern turn away from supernaturalbelief.” Supernatural belief is protected by the First Amendment. So is“putting away religious ideas” in favor of science and reason. Could theclinging to “religious ideas” be the real problem? In the world today we allrecognize that religious fervor is the source of global terror. And wheredenial of science and reason are incited to prevent remedies to global warming,poverty, hunger and disease they have the “unintended” consequences we livewith? Marx said religion is the opiate of the people. He was wrong. Religion isthe enemy of reason and science and the exploited wedge that justifies savagecruelty. Dave commentedDecember 12 Boston As a scholar of Religious Studies, I’m sorry to report that it’smy opinion that Mr. Douthat’s propositions are rather uninformed. He iscaptivated by a picture of religions as a set of discrete beliefs about thenature of the divine or supernatural. This way of thinking about religion is aproduct of 19th century taxonomies, a mode that still has a lot of popular pulltoday but that is generally discredited in scholarship. More troublingly, heseems to think that it makes sense to speak about what “we Americans” believe,relying upon an uncritical assessment of vaguely worded polls. The UnitedStates is and always has been composed of an incredible diversity of beliefs,making such generalizations about allegedly epochal shifts extremely difficultto make with any accuracy. More often than not, these kind of generalizationsreflect the preoccupations of the one making them, rather than anything aboutthe actual state of affairs. David Patincommented December 12 Bloomington,IN To the list of religious trends in the United States inDouthat’s first paragraph I would have added a political party that teams upwith a religious denomination to force the tenets of that faith on everyoneelse. Yet it isn’t just forcing the tenets of their faith on everyone else,it’s also declaring that anyone who doesn’t agree with their dogma is somehowless American than they are. And from some of the more extreme members of thisRepublican/Religious Party, those who don’t believe just like them are bringingabout the decline of the United States. That this forcing of faith on othersmight possibly be contributing to the secularization of the United Statessomehow Ross Douthat can’t imagine. esp commentedDecember 12 ILL Confusing. Does one have to choose between "religion"or paganism? Can't one just "be". Be spiritual, yet not have a tag,like "religious" or pagan? Can't people exist spiritually withoutreading "self-help" books, or reading a religious text like the Bibleor worshiping nature. Or perhaps people could find some things helpful in"self-help" books, a religious text, and/or a walk in nature. Wisdomcan be found in all of these without having to be "religious" or"pagan"? Do we need to worship something? Ellen commentedDecember 12 Williamburg One of the benefits of paganism is that most forms of it arenature and earth centered in belief. In a time of climate change provoked byneglect and abuse of our shared environment, we could use more religion thatoffers respect for Mother Earth and the natural processes that have allowedliving forms to largely thrive until our time. candideinnccommented December 12 spring hope,n.c. I chuckled at the characterization of the burgeoning secularistsin America as being the gullible victims of "self-help gurus andspiritual-political entrepreneurs." Oh my goodness, no, Mr. Douthat! We donot need shamans and priests to encourage us to be skeptics. We are actuallycapable of rational thought, all under our own power. We are not littlechildren who are indoctrinated with the superstition that if we are good littleboys and girls, we will go up in the sky back in the arms of Mommy and Daddy,all under the benevolent supervision of the great, long bearded patriarch skydaddy. We are fully capable of distinguishing between fables and reality underour own power. PJ commentedDecember 12 Salt LakeCity Thank you Mr. Douthat for another challenging and interestingread. I too think about the decline of Christianity in the United States, buthave not come across a lot of anecdotal evidence suggesting the rise ofpaganism. No doubt you are better versed in theological studies than I am, butI would bet I interact with far more individuals than you do as I work as an ERclinical social worker. I rarely meet individuals who claim to be Pagan, thoughI have met 1 or 2 Wiccans over the course of many years. I meet manyindividuals who express spirituality and also disdain for organized religion ofany sort. The fact that they search for God in nature, the universe, and notinside a church, does not mean they are Pagan - which would be traditionallydefined as believing in many Gods. I rarely meet individuals who believe inmany Gods... The more likely hypothesis, I believe, is that people are beingpushed out of Protestant, Mormon, Catholic, and other Christian churchesbecause those religions continue to line up more with the political right,their values and prejudices, than the values and teachings of Jesus Christ. Ilong for the fellowship of religion, the ceremonies and rituals, but I will notpay tithes to any church that excludes people because of their identity, and isloyal to the political right. A kind man once told me: "if there were atrue church of Christ in our midst, there wouldn't be people dying in ourstreets from the cold". There are... reaylwardcommented December 12 st simonsisland, ga Douthat misidentifies what's happening to religious, inparticular Christian, institutions: it isn't a rise in secularization butsectarianism, the sectarianism practiced by the growing movement of independentevangelical churches. One is either a member and believer, or one isn't reallya Christian. These churches are usually led by a highly charismatic minister, acultish figure who determines the beliefs and practices to be followed and whohas unquestioned authority, both as the result of his or her charisma and theabsence of any hierarchy above him or her to which to answer. The onlyauthority above the minister is God, and the minister is the mediator betweenthe minister and his followers. These are by far the fastest growing Christianchurches, and their increasing numbers come at the expense of mainlineprotestant churches (Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.). It's not a big leap fromsuch cultish churches to a political cult, which helps explain Trump'soverwhelming popularity and support among the members. Didier commentedDecember 12 Charleston,WV Perform this experiment. Over the next few months, visit severalmainline Protestant churches where you live. Don't worry; they will welcomeyou. But, what you will generally see are older congregations, empty pews, andlarge structures in need of repair. The membership of mainline Protestantchurches and particularly regular church attendance is cratering. I read anarticle recently that said, demographically, there are only about 23 Eastersleft for mainline Protestant churches. But, as I've sat in many of thosechurches for the last few years and looked around, and heard the few leftdecrying their decline, something has occurred to me. What if this isn't whatGod wants? What if hierarchical organizations and large buildings were amistake? Something that satisfied human aspirations, but not spiritual ones.There will always be those, like me, whose lives are, in part, a search for thedivine, but it is time to look and listen and reevaluate what it means to be asearcher. I will still go to church because it is there I find something --even if it is one I have never attended before -- that I cannot personally findelsewhere. But, I do not begrudge those who choose a different path. Icelebrate the journey, the search for the divine. Norwestercommented December 12 Seattle Douthat suggests that Judeo-Christian religions offer"help" where paganism does not, in a "universe that offerssuffering and misery in abundance." Christianity may offer opium tosufferers, but it does nothing to allay suffering and misery in any permanentway. No religion does. As Harris says, only when we recognize that there is nosupernatural solution and we humans are accountable for solving our ownproblems will we actually band together and solve them. In the mean time, we'llthrow bones at the poor, fight over magic books, fail in stewardship of ourplanet and waste time, money and resources on superstition, incense and prayer,none of which have any real benefit whatsoever. Paul commentedDecember 12 Richmond VA Call me a pagan, but the idea of a divine that pervades theuniverse strikes me as much more meaningful and profound than the notion thatthis is all the result of the snap some celestial magician’s fingers. If wedon’t seek the divine within us and all things, we’ll never find the divinewithout. Relying on an external divinity, though, leads inevitably to thewidespread practice of what Niebuhr called “bad religion” — religion thatreserves the ultimate sanction for itself. That road starts with the Crusadesand leads remorselessly to 9/11. Jim Wiegel “That which consumes me is not man, nor the earth, nor the heavens, but the flame which consumes man, earth, and sky." Nikos Kazantzakis 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353 623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com

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Witness- Birthday
by Richard Alton 15 Dec '18

15 Dec '18

*Oh My God, Life* …the things that happen in life are astonishing..being driven to and fro by the mystery.. a few recent examples I attended part of the ICA USA Board meeting last month. We broke up into small groups and I was in a group with John Cock II. He and I were in Kenya together. I think it was John’s 9th grade trip. I was impressed to hear him rattle off the villages he worked in: Kwangware, Kamweleni and Mugumwoini...just like he had been there yesterday. John was a great addition. Probably, the first Board member literally born into the organization- now an urban engineer with a focus on bike trails. Had his middle school daughter with him. I wonder when she is going abroad. The afternoon I was there, the Board brainstormed ICA core values- things like community development, ToP methods, being a learning organization, even poverty, chastity and obedience. I struggled with this question of core values. I think the core of the core is the ability to give a witness.. to stand present to one’s life and the amazing things revealed or that happen to one…the mystery at work in one’s life. Like on Halloween night I was coming home late at night on my bike and ran right onto a big pile of leaves- it knocked me off my bike, split my lip and banged up my ribs. I made it home but the next day was having trouble breathing so went to the hospital. They performed a CT scan. There were no broken ribs, but the scan showed that I had spots on my lungs...so this all happened to catch my attention about my lungs... and on Halloween (the Day of the Dead). The second part of my Halloween leaf event: it seems the leaves grabbed my phone- so the day after the fall, I could not find my phone- that really hurt. I went back to all the places I had been including the leaf place but no phone. Finally, after I had given up Sally asked me, “doesn’t Apple have an app that will help you find a lost phone?” so on my computer I found the lost apple link and sure enough on the screen map there was a flashing signal. It was about a 100 yards from where I fell. So I follow the map and there is my cell on the curb like it had been waiting for me… think those leaves put it there. Is this not The Other World in the midst of this world…a Visit to the Land of Mystery? These Visits seem to come in 3s. I work on the One Earth Film Fest through which we show environmental movies all over greater Chicago and engage people in conversation and action in response to the films. So I received an email from a Dexter Watson at St Malachi/Precious Blood Parish about showing a movie. I set up a meeting with Dexter on the Westside of Chicago. It turns out Dexter is not only the parish coordinator but also the former Alderman of the area. And yes, Fifth City is in his former Aldermanic area. In fact, one of Dexter’s favorite people and a mentor was the late Verdell Trice, the head of the Fifth City Auto Center and board member of the Preschool. Dexter even tried to have a street named after Verdell at one time. This is the second time I have been driven back to 5th City. You know we are going to have a great film fest event there. Dick Alton, introduced to the mystery in December,1968 and working with the mystery on the future of planet Earth ever since. Oak Park, Illinois -- Richard H. T. Alton One Earth Film Fest ( OEFF) Green Community Connections Interfaith Green Network T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com **Save the Date! One Earth Film Festival 2019, March 1-10* http:www.oneearthfilmfestival.org Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2

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George Howard, the 'Methodist Meltdown', and the UMC General Conference 2019
by W. J. 14 Dec '18

14 Dec '18

I wasn't there @ the UMC's disastrous 2016 General Conference. But here's an account from Rev. Bryan Butcher, who was. Turns out that where we are as the UMC is entirely due to (you guessed it!) our colleague George Howard. Who, like Superman, managed to stop the runaway train with his bare hands. Plus a lot of clout! "But you don't have to be an actuary to understand United Methodist math. Barring an appeal from the most trusted and respected American United Methodist in all of Africa (thank you George Howard), the era of Book of Discipline "fuzzy enforcement" would have been over. Parts of the A&W Plan, which is essentially the new "Accountability Option", were speeding toward consideration on the floor of General Conference, while the previous forms of the "Local Option" and the more-complicated-than-algebra "Autonomous-Affiliated-Jurisdictional-Or-Whatever-It-Is Option" languished in committee. Only George's motion, which swung enough African delegation votes after Adam Hamilton's motion failed, stopped that train from reaching the station. "Which brings me back to the subject of United Methodist math. "In 2019 virtually the same delegations from all the various conferences from around the world will convene in St. Louis to take up what George Howard's motion delayed for three years. At that gathering the same three options - accountability, local, and the other one - will finally come up for vote. Only this time, the progressive wing of the denomination is more defiant and the conservative wing is more organized and determined. "The math will be the same." I don't know whether even George Howard can stop this runaway train. In time. This time around. Next February. Marshall If you're at all interested in the Methodist Meltdown, read more from Bryan Butcher here:https://um-insight.net/in-the-church/a-way-forward/six-things-united-m… Why Centrist and Progressive Clergy Need To Have "The Talk" With Their Lay Leaders | | | | | | | | | | | Why Centrist and Progressive Clergy Need To Have "The Talk" With Their L... Bryan Bucher Centrist and progressive United Methodists need to plan, as the Wesleyan Covenant Association has, for the possi... | | |

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half price books at ICA store
by Lynda C 13 Dec '18

13 Dec '18

In case you missed the ICA-e News today, with its amazing story of the 5th year of CSLN ( Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network), go back and look again. Of other interest is this special sale of ICA books in stock...maybe for a Christmas gift. Lynda C. With more than fifty years of leading human-centered community development and social change movements worldwide, there is a lot to know about ICA. Thankfully, much of that history and unearthed insights have been documented, organized, and published by ICA colleagues. Now through the end of January, 2019, use the code IMPACT when purchasing through the ICA online store to get 50% off classic texts such as Pilgrimage<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xSlxnmrGAR1jN7TPqsJPBgwDjDawT2xdVKZNlWkbr-i…>, The Circle of Life<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xSlxnmrGAR1jN7TPqsJPBgwDjDawT2xdVKZNlWkbr-i…>, and A Chronological History of the EI &ICA<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xSlxnmrGAR1jN7TPqsJPBgwDjDawT2xdVKZNlWkbr-i…>. Please note that only books in the ICA Classics category are eligible for this discount. Visit our store<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xSlxnmrGAR1jN7TPqsJPBgwDjDawT2xdVKZNlWkbr-i…>

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Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] Man on fire is on PBS here in Arizona next week
by Ellie Stock 13 Dec '18

13 Dec '18

The DVD can also be purchased. Ellieelliestock(a)aol.com -----Original Message----- From: James Wiegel via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Thu, Dec 13, 2018 11:58 am Subject: [Dialogue] Man on fire is on PBS here in Arizona next week https://www.pbs.org/video/man-fire-trailer-uvtw81/ Jim Wiegel401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353Tel. 011-623-936-8671 or 011-623-363-3277jfwiegel(a)yahoo.comwww.partnersinparticipation.com When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. "But that is not what great ships are built for." Clarissa Pinkola Estes_______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net

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Man on fire is on PBS here in Arizona next week
by James Wiegel 13 Dec '18

13 Dec '18

https://www.pbs.org/video/man-fire-trailer-uvtw81/ Jim Wiegel 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353 Tel. 011-623-936-8671 or 011-623-363-3277 jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. "But that is not what great ships are built for." Clarissa Pinkola Estes

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Progressing Spirit: 12/13/18, Lauren Van Ham: The Medicine of Intimacy: an Advent Challenge; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 13 Dec '18

13 Dec '18

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!important;line-height:150% !important;} }@media screen and (max-width:480px){ #yiv4553886032 #yiv4553886032templateBody .yiv4553886032mcnTextContent, #yiv4553886032 #yiv4553886032templateBody .yiv4553886032mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;} }@media screen and (max-width:480px){ #yiv4553886032 #yiv4553886032templateFooter .yiv4553886032mcnTextContent, #yiv4553886032 #yiv4553886032templateFooter .yiv4553886032mcnTextContent p{ font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;} } In what ways will I choose to become more intimate this holiday season and in the New Year? | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Medicine of Intimacy: an Advent Challenge Column by Lauren Van Ham December 13, 2018At the beginning of November, I dizzied myself in a dervish with 7500 participants at the Parliament of World Religions. In a series of keynote presentations spanning Peace & Reconciliation, Climate, Women, Indigenous Voices, and the Next Generation, one unifying message was consistently offered, “Humans have caused this.” Whatever the challenge before us, it is our species who has created the conditions for our current reality.Not an easy pill to swallow. And we might well agree that this is part of the problem: we’re not swallowing. Many of us are able to read the headlines or hear the news while simultaneously numbing out to, “business as usual:”“Conservationists have issued a demand for urgent international action after a major report uncovered an unprecedented crisis in nature that threatens to devastate the world economy and imperil humanity itself.”i“Last Friday, just hours after the last funeral of a victim of the Pittsburgh shooting, a man with a history of misogyny online walked into a yoga studio and killed two women in Tallahassee. Just a few months earlier, one of the women killed at the yoga studio, and her father were among the many families that swarmed Florida’s state capitol after the Parkland high school massacre in February that left 17 students and teachers dead. Reports have said that several of the Thousand Oaks survivors had escaped the mass shooting that left 58 people dead at a Las Vegas country western festival last year.”ii“The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only 12 years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.”iiiThis is NOT business as usual. We are being asked, right now, to embed in all of our day-to-day activities, behaviors and actions that care for one another, for all species, and for the generations to come. We created this complexity – in all its genius, and in all its messiness – and now we are the ones to bring ourselves into a safer, sustainable reality. There is no guarantee that we can, or will. Understandably, the level of release and reinvention before us can feel so daunting – so frightening – that disconnecting or compartmentalizing becomes a natural default.We know we can be a fear-prone species, and we have been sold a story that thrives on “independence,” but is that who we are really? The antidote is intimacy. Intimacy with ourselves, and with one another. Somewhere along the way, intimacy became VERY unpopular. It’s not nearly as convenient as anonymity, and it requires an investment of time when many of us anxiously confess that we have none.In the days of Advent, and in the darkening days of the Winter Solstice, we enter the womb (a very intimate space) so that we can better perceive and embrace Emmanuel, “God with Us.”In that fecund darkness, we’re encouraged to welcome our fears, vulnerability and disbelief. I’m thinking of Mary, a virgin, who was told by an angel that she would be impregnated by the Divine; or Joseph, being shown in a dream, that he was to name his immaculately-conceived son, “Jesus;” and those shepherds shaking (!!!) as they were directed by celestial visitors to go to Bethlehem. In each of these, the individual faces the unexpected, an uncomfortable disruption in business as usual.During one of the sessions I attended at the Parliament, a presenter told the room, packed with enthusiastic listeners, that she no longer uses Amazon…and that she’s inviting her congregation to do likewise. The room fell s-i-l-e-n-t. And reading this right now, some of us might feel a similar welling-up from within, “Not my Amazon!!”But isn’t this a rigorous example of our loss of intimacy? Being seduced by an apparent convenience over a possibly transformative connection? What are our alternatives?Maybe like you, my morning coffee is more than a caffeinated beverage, it’s a ritual that I call, “ordinary/extraordinary.” It’s so mundane, it’s sacred. Knowing this and not wanting to be unappreciative, I traveled to Guatemala in 2011…to make it intimate.This is Raniero, and his niece, Flor. Raniero coordinates a Fair Trade coffee cooperative in Guatemala that supplies parts of Europe and a large grocery chain in the US with fair trade coffee beans. Upon landing in Guatemala City, Raniero and Flor drove me out to the shores of Lake Atitlan to meet Maria Luis.To find her, we scrambled up a steep, jungle-covered mountainside. Maria Luis, very much at-work, was expecting us and smiled as she shared the story of her organic, fair trade coffee cherries (beans), start-to-finish. She gestured up the slope, explaining the land was hers and that she oversees a women-owned collective.In the months between the planting and harvest, she and the women cook and sell their meals for folks in town. That year, the profits from their coffee crop were to be pooled to create a covered structure to better support their catering business.Caressing the coffee cherries in her basket, Maria Luis gently laughed, “My husband left a long time ago… he said he couldn’t understand me.” I wept as I listened. I was so touched by her vision, by the pride she held for her work, by the joy she exhibited in sharing her life with strangers. A cherry slipped from her basket and I scrambled to pick it up.These coffee cherries were suddenly worth a fortune. They were funding Maria Luis’s sons’ dreams of attending college! Never again could a bean fall to my floor and find its eternal fate beneath my refrigerator. Intimacy is defined as “being familiar or belonging together.” Since returning home from Guatemala, I cringe a little watching our country’s many abandoned, unfinished cups of coffee. Warm, strong memories of Maria Luis remain. New Testament scriptures this season declare,“And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” – John 1:14Fair Trade is one way – in a growing collection of others – to practice the medicine of intimacy, to feel the Divine living here among us. The movement exists to ensure farmers and artisans receive a just wage, that their villages and towns retain some of the profits, and that the land supporting these endeavors is tended in a life-sustaining way both for today, and decades to come. Fair Trade is built on personal relationships between the workers, distributors and buyers. It’s not only wonderfully intimate, it’s also a powerful vote for an economic model that values equality, working together and restoring Earth’s resources. And like all movements, Fair Trade works best when lots of us play.Humans have caused this. And God is with us. Intimacy lives here among us, patiently and enthusiastically waiting to be employed. Here is my Advent Challenge for all of us:In what ways will I choose to become more intimate this holiday season and in the New Year?Be creative! Lean in to relationships – especially the ones that raise fear or threaten inconvenience. Ask for help from the Divinity present all around you. We can’t do this alone and we’re not supposed to. It’s Intimate.~ Lauren Van Ham Click here to read online and to share your thoughtsAbout the Author Lauren Van Ham was born and raised beneath the big sky of the Midwest, Lauren holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Naropa University and The Chaplaincy Institute. Following her ordination in 1999, Lauren served as an interfaith chaplain in both healthcare (adolescent psychiatry and palliative care), and corporate settings (organizational development and employee wellness). Her passion and training in the fine arts, spirituality and Earth’s teachings has supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Lauren’s work with Green Sangha (a Bay Area-based non-profit) is featured in Renewal, a documentary celebrating the efforts of environmental activism taking place in religious America. Her essay, “Way of the Eco-Chaplain,” appears in the collection, Ways of the Spirit: Voices of Women. Lauren tends a private spiritual direction practice and serves as Dean for The Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley, CA.************************************* i https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/30/global-wildlife-populations-fal… ii https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/11/08/the-thousa… iii https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not… | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Jack What gets me miffed is using the word Christ without ‘the’ before it. The lack of this preposition before Christ denotes exclusivity, something, I’m definitely sure God also gets miffed at. This is a Greek word added to Jesus’ name in the early years of Christianity and had the preposition ‘the’ used. Who are we to be so arrogant that we can limit an infinite God to only Jesus, when we know in our hearts that the God-man has been on the earth more times in different guises than we can count. So, we need to get honest and not be hypocritical, since that action is the one action that God finds the most difficult to forgive. A: By Rev. Roger Wolsey Dear Jack,That’s a truly interesting question and take on things you’re presenting. I hear you. As many have put it, “The Cosmic Christ” transcends Christianity and is something that is, has always been, and always will be. Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on this. So, dropping “the” as part of the Christ can lead people to think that it’s a uniquely Christian concept and personage.That said, a case can be made that the concept of the Christ is in fact a Judeo-Christian one. The word “Christ” comes from Χριστός, Christós, a Greek word meaning “[the] anointed [one].” It is the equivalent of the Hebrew word masiach, or Messiah. With this in mind, to be the Christ, or Messiah, is to be “the anointed one of God” – literally, to have oil poured on one because God has chosen the person for a special task. This Hebrew concept came to refer specifically to a title for the savior and redeemer who would bring salvation to the whole House of Israel. Christians, of course, have expanded this understanding of salvation to include Gentiles, not just Jews.Let’s consider the following insights of a more conservative Christian writer:“Priests and kings were anointed, and occasionally prophets. Kings were anointed during their coronation rather than receiving a crown. Even though prophets and priests were anointed, the phrase “anointed one” or “the Lord’s anointed” was most often used to refer to a king. For instance, David used it many times to refer to King Saul, even when Saul was trying to murder David and David was on the verge of killing Saul to defend himself: Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’S anointed (mashiach), to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’S anointed (mashiach)” - 1 Samuel 24:6. The overriding biblical imagery of the word “Messiah” or “Christ” is that of a king chosen by God. Often in the Old Testament, God would tell a prophet to go anoint someone and proclaim him king. The act of anointing with sacred oil emphasized that it was God himself who had ordained a person and given him authority to act as his representative. I remember being quite surprised when I first learned this. If you would have asked me to describe Jesus’ identity, “Son of God” or “Suffering Savior” would have been my two best guesses. “King” didn’t even make the list. While Jesus also has a priestly and a prophetic role, the prominent idea within the title “Christ” is actually that of a king.”So the Christ is not merely a term that is synonymous for all other demi-gods that have been part of global culture, but a very specific “god-man” (who is often thought of as being a mere human who God has chosen for a liberating role to play). But again, we do well to recall the various persons who were considered by the Jewish people as being anointed messiahs and saviors.Moreover, some would contend that placing “the” in front of Christ also limits how this aspect of God shows up in the world, because “the” refers to a singular – as opposed to “them/they.”But back to your point that we’d do well to have a more humble and generous understanding of The Christ, let me close by sharing these words:“from a progressive Christian perspective, Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and all who follow Jesus’ way, teachings, and example — the way of unconditional love, of radical hospitality, of loving-kindness, of compassion, of mercy, of prophetic speaking truth to power, the way of forgiveness, of reconciliation, and the pursuit of restorative justice – by whatever name, and even if they’ve never even heard of Jesus, are fellow brothers & sisters in Christ and his Way. To the extent that other world religions are about instilling, fostering, and nurturing those universal values – we see [the] Christ in them.”In The Christ,~ Rev. Roger Wolsey Click here to read and share onlineAbout the Author Rev. Roger Wolsey is an ordained United Methodist pastor who directs the Wesley Foundation at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is author of Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don’t like christianity; The Kissing Fish Facebook page; Roger’s Blog on Patheos “The Holy Kiss” | | | | | | | | This Rabbi On That Rabbi A modern Portland, Oregon rabbi explains Jesus’s messages in a 6-Part Video Series. View this exclusive video content below. Part 3 Heaven (on their minds) Heaven. It’s quite a large concept. Whether you believe in Heaven or not, it behooves you to think, “What did this idea mean to this group of people who so long ago seemed so obsessed with it as a concept?” The people of the ancient Near East had Heaven on their minds. What did they understand by this concept and what can we use the idea of Heaven to mean to us in our lives? The birth of the idea of Heaven in the ancient Near East In the beginning books of the Bible, there was Earth, and there was water below, and there was water above. No early book of the Bible makes any reference to a place called Heaven where the good get rewarded or another place where the wicked are punished. How did the firmaments above become a destination for the blessed? Is this land of judgment even what Jesus and his contemporaries were thinking and talking about? Let’s look at this for a moment. The Gospels in the New Testament are not very detailed with accounts of Heaven as the location where God’s justice would be meted out. This is understandable because the early Hebrew books in the Bible also have different notions of God than do the later books. Early descriptions of God did not include God being either everywhere or all good. As you know, the God depicted in the very earliest books of the Bible represent a more jealous totalitarian ruler who has to ask the first humans to reveal to him their locations. (While I’m a big fan of reading these lines metaphorically today, their original readers tended not see these words as such.) But God’s character changes. God becomes more of a constitutional monarch (in Abraham’s time) and then a body-less, name-less deity of history (in Moses’ time). It is only much, much later – the Babylonian exile of 586 BCE – that the character of God becomes accepted and understood to be omnipresent and omnipotent – everywhere existing and in control of everything. There is an interesting effect that this notion of God brings with it – theodicy: the question of how bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. The solution to this problem probably has its origins around the time of the Maccabees – 132 BCE – when so many “good Jewish men” who were fighting the Greek culture were being killed. It seemed awful to the average person that they should not be given some place of eternal and reverential rest. God will make it alright in the world to come, was the solution to this dilemma. Martyrdom could now make sense to the average person. It could serve a redemptive and holy purpose. The idea of a life after death was not a new idea. After all, we know that the Egyptians buried their loved ones with possessions to take to the next land. But while this more ‘modern view’ was contemporaneous to Jesus’s time, it was not what Jesus was talking about. when he spoke of heaven. What Jesus meant by Heaven When Jesus referred to Heaven, he was not talking about a location in the beyond. The Kingdom of Heaven (used by Matthew as synonymous with The Kingdom of God) that Jesus was talking about was a reality to be experienced here on earth, in the here and now. Heaven is not above and beyond in a different land. It’s here. We see much evidence of this. We can see this clearly as Jesus is recorded having told his disciples how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The gospels of Luke says the Kingdom of Heaven is not without, but it is within a person. Luke 17:20-21 When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Thomas 3b The kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are and who experience that poverty. Let me paraphrase Jesus to try to help us get our minds around the notion of a location. Jesus’s words could have been something like this: “If you have a mystical experience, if you see that the kingdom is within, if you are born in spirit, if you are born from above, then you will be in the Kingdom of Heaven – you will be in the Kingdom of God.” Hebrew and Heaven There is a Hebrew phrase that might help: irat ha’shamiyim. These two words often get translated to the phrase: “the fear of Heaven.” And, indeed, that is a good translation of those two words. The word “SHaMayim” meant the firmaments above, and Heaven is a good enough translation of that. “Ira” is a biblical notion for ‘fear.’ Except the phrase, “fear of Heaven,” wasn’t ever a phrase that was supposed to mean we should be scared of not getting into an eternal place of salvation. That notion of Heaven as a resting place for good souls to have eternal life had yet to be developed. “Fear of Heaven,” as a phrase, meant (and is still used to mean) someone who believes that God is in control of their life. Ask any rabbi you can find. You will get the same explanation: irat ha’shamiyim or ira shmaiyma is a designation of a person who believes, in the sense of a surrendering of one’s will to that of God. Words are limited. The word Heaven – no matter what our contemporary culture uses it to mean – was used as a synonym for living a religious experience of this world. When the phrase is used in the Lord’s Prayer it means . . . The Lord’s Prayer, famous throughout all of Christendom, has an interesting couplet that shows this notion of Heaven being a place on earth, an experience. The specific words in question are “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” It is best to look at those lines as a question and answer. “Thy kingdom come?” – When is the kingdom coming? “Thy will be done.” – The kingdom is coming and will be here when “God’s will is being done.” This is a Jewish notion, a very Jewish notion: that Heaven on Earth is not something that we are waiting for – it is not a waiting for a savior to make this world a better place for us ,but that it is something incumbent upon us to bring to pass. In conclusion When will it be Heaven on Earth? When we see that it is Heaven on Earth and when we will it to be so. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and take care of those who are in need That’s when we will experience Heaven on Earth. That’s what Jesus was talking about. That is the meaning of the Bible in Jesus’s time. It is a picture of peacefulness, of feeling a sense of salvation - a word which comes from the word ‘salve’- a wonderful feeling of healing and wellbeing. It is not surprising that we describe in with the word ‘Heaven’ an uplifting and transcendent experience. It is not that we’re going to get a room upgrade in the world to come, but that our experience in this life will be evermore blessed. With Love, Rabbi Brian Rabbi Brian is the C.E.O. of Religion-Outside-The-Box, an internet-based, non-denominational congregation nourishing spiritual hunger. Find out more about newsletter, podcasts, videos, and other good ROTB.org is doing for thousands every week. This Rabbi on That Rabbi is a co-production of Religion-Outside-The-Box and Progressing Spirit. This is a 6-part video series also available for purchase here, it is made available to our subscribers to purchase as a gift or for a study group - the course contains six videos and audios along with their written companion PDFs. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited Miracles in the Bible, Part II Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September 6, 2006 There is a great desire among religious people for quick answers to complex issues. “What is the meaning of prayer? What do you believe about life after death? Do you believe in Miracles?” These are questions that I am often asked when giving lectures, where I am limited to only a few minutes for each response. The fact is that none of these questions can be competently addressed until I have unloaded the dated and inoperative assumptions out of which they so frequently have arisen. It is, for example, difficult to address questions about prayer, God or miracles until some time is spent clearing out the intellectual debris about what prayer is not (adult letters addressed to a Santa Claus-type God), or what God is not (a supernatural parental Mr. Fixit in the sky), or what miracles are not (divine intervention to rescue us from peril). When I hear someone talk about the miracles that they believe have happened in their lives, I wonder if they have ever stopped to think about the hundreds of thousands of people who lived in similar circumstances where there were no miracles.This long and roundabout introduction is designed to warn my readers that, if this series of columns on the miracle stories found in the Bible is to be worthwhile, I will have to prepare the ground to give us the context in which the real issues can be addressed. Only then can appropriate understandings be formed. I intend to go slowly into this process for the theological implications that are involved are serious. I will be happy if I can lead my readers to at least one new insight in each column as I pursue this topic periodically through the coming fall.I begin by challenging some common but uninformed ideas. Most people assume that the Bible is filled with stories of supernatural happenings and miraculous interventions. Yet in the whole of the Bible, miracle stories are found in only a very small number of places. Indeed there are only three cycles of stories in the entire biblical drama that contain widespread accounts of supernatural miracles. First, miracles are encountered in the Moses-Joshua narratives in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) followed by the Book of Joshua in which Moses’ successor is said to be able to act with the power of Moses. It is too early in this study to draw any conclusions about connections between the miracles attributed to Moses and those attributed to Jesus, but we might note that Moses is mentioned in the gospels 37 times, in the book of Acts 19 times, in the Pauline epistles 8 times, in non-Pauline epistles, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews, 13 times and once in the book of Revelation. That at the very least gives us some sense that the two narratives were not completely separate from each other.The miracles attached to Moses are almost all nature miracles and some of them are quite bizarre. Moses, for example is said to be equipped with the ability to turn his staff into a snake, to stick his hand into his tunic and to pull it out filled with leprosy and then to return it to his tunic in order to pull it out clean. These were signs supposedly given him by God so that he could successfully negotiate the release of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. When these miracles proved to be inadequate for that task, Moses’ power over nature was heightened into the stories of the plagues that were inflicted on Egypt, beginning with turning the Nile River, the lifeline of the Egyptian economy, into blood and ending with the killing of the firstborn male in every Egyptian household on the night of thePassover. Nature miracles continued to mark the life of Moses after the Exodus from Egypt with the splitting of the Red Sea being the best known. There were also the stories of the miraculous raining down from heaven of bread called manna upon the starving Israelites in the wilderness and the miraculous flight of quail to provide “flesh to eat” that would balance their diet.It is interesting to note that in each of these miracle stories, Moses was the instrument of God’s supernatural power. That power did not reside in him. It is also worth noting that some of those Moses stories reveal a use of supernatural power that would, by our standards today, be declared to be acts of immorality. The enemies that God seems to hate are the same ones that the people of the Jewish tribe hate.The plagues inflicted by an angry God, are designed to destroy the lives of those who are the enemies of the tribe for which this God is the tribal deity. That is simply not worthy divine behavior. The biblical portrayal of God as passing through the land of Egypt indiscriminately murdering the firstborn male in every Egyptian household on the night of the Passover, needs to be named for the immoral act that it is. So my study leads me to challenge the assumption that if something is described as a miracle it is necessarily either good or moral.Joshua, Moses’ chosen successor, was also said to have been endowed with Moses’ same God-given power, so nature miracles also appear to mark his life. Two of these miracles are quite well known. First Joshua, like Moses, splits a body of water so that the people of Israel could pass through it on dry land. This occurred in Joshua’s invasion of the land of Canaan. Following that “miraculous” crossing through the flooded Jordan River, Joshua then proceeded to rout in battle the Canaanites, whose ancestors had lived on that land for literally hundreds of years.The Bible provides Joshua with the moral pretext that God had promised Abraham that this land would be the possession of his descendants. If such a promise were given, it would have been about 1850 B.C.E. Joshua is dated about 1200 B.C.E. So for some 650 years no one had told the Canaanites that they were squatters on Jewish land! That is obviously not a God the Canaanites would have had any interest in worshiping.However, Joshua was not through with nature miracles for just a few chapters later in the book that bears his name, Israel is at war with the Amorites. Israel is winning the battle, but the sun begins to sink in the west and that will provide the Amorites with sufficient cover of darkness to escape death at the hands of the Israelites. So Joshua prayed to God and God stops the sun in the sky, the first recorded instance of daylight-saving time, for the sole purpose of allowing Israel to slaughter more of their enemies. Is that an appropriate divine intervention? Could the Amorites ever worship so vindictive a deity? If we defend the literal occurrences of the supernatural, then we have to face the question as to whether God-sanctioned actions might sometimes be evil. That is a conclusion few people entertain when they think of the miraculous.The second series of miraculous biblical accounts is found in the Elijah-Elisha cycle of stories recorded between I Kings 17 and II Kings 13. Once again, we note that these are primarily nature miracle stories. Elijah is portrayed as having the ability to call down fire from heaven to ignite his sacrifice in a duel with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel after which Elijah calmly beheads them all. Later, Elijah uses this heavenly firepower to burn up his enemies. Both Elijah and Elisha are said to be able to manipulate the forces of nature sufficiently to produce a drought. Both Elijah and Elisha have stories told about them in which they too are able to split the waters of the Jordan River to walk across on dry land.Healing miracles, however, do make their appearance in the Bible in this Elijah-Elisha cycle. These two prophets are also said to be the first people in the Bible who have the power to raise the dead back to life. Elijah, like Moses, exercised enormous influence on the development of the sacred story of the Jews and this influence is seen in the fact that Elijah’s name receives mention 27 times in the gospels, once in a Pauline epistle and once in the epistle of James.So long before the time of Jesus, we discover that miracles are not something unknown in the Jewish faith story, but that they are limited to the two major heroes of Judaism, Moses, the father of the law and Elijah, the father of the prophetic movement as well as their immediate successors. When we do turn to examine the miracle stories attributed to Jesus, we find that they fall into three categories: nature miracles, healing miracles and raising the dead miracles, and that each category has been previously introduced into the biblical story in these two earlier cycles of miracle stories. Some intermingling of these three traditions would not be surprising.A second popular assumption that needs to be questioned, arises when we realize that it was not until some 40 to 70 years after the earthly life of Jesus came to an end, that the gospels were written. They are not eyewitness reports. Can we find any evidence of miracles being associated with Jesus before the gospels were written? The fact is that we cannot. There are no miracle stories in Paul who wrote between 50 and 64. Had Paul never heard of this tradition? Had he heard about it and dismissed it as not authentic? Was the miracle tradition added to the memory of Jesus well after the fact? Giving at least some credibility to this latter possibility, we note that there are no miracle stories in either the Q document or the Gospel of Thomas, which are the only other two sources that at least some scholars think might be earlier than the gospels.For now I ask you simply to absorb these facts and to entertain these questions. It is too early for conclusions.Nothing has yet been proved. An argument from silence is not a strong argument. However, if Paul had no need to buttress his claims for the presence of God as the operative force in the life of Jesus, at least I think we might suggest that the power of Christ was not originally attached to his ability to do miraculous acts. That raises the possibility that miracle stories were added to the memory of Jesus for some purpose other than that they were recordings of things that happened. We will revisit this possibility again before this series is complete.That is as far as I can go this week. I hope the discussion is beginning to intrigue my readers.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | | |

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