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5/11/17, Felton/Spong: Marking the 100th Anniversary of Fundamentalism in America by Bullying Religious Minorities: Spong revisited: Terrible Texts III
by Ellie Stock via OE 11 May '17

11 May '17

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Marking the 100th Anniversary of Fundamentalism in America by Bullying Religious Minorities By David Felten How a “Fact or Fiction” Campaign Continues the Tradition of Betraying the Message of Jesus The Back Story Right after Easter in 2015, I arrived at church as a fellow staff member was going out the door saying, “I’m going to get a picture of one of the banners.” “What banners?!” I’d come in the back way to town and hadn’t seen that down the main street of Fountain Hills, eight churches had posted large identical banners overnight: “Progressive” Christianity: Fact or Fiction?” The next day, those same eight churches (that’s a lot in a town of only about fifteen churches!) – the fundamentalists, break-away evangelical Lutherans (LCMC), and Presbyterians (ECO) – also published a half-page newspaper ad in the local Fountain Hills Times and arranged for both an article and an OpEd piece to appear in the paper. Hailed as a “landmark series” and an “unprecedented step” that demonstrate[s] in a very real way the unity of the ‘body of Christ’, the effort was the work of the “Fountain Hills Ministerial Association,” a group of churches whose pastors had already publicly condemned Progressive Christianity in general as “one of the tools the enemy" and me in particular as a heretic, apostate, and liar. The local Presbyterian pastor confirmed that the six-week series of coordinated messages were meant to push back against the progressive Christian movement. “Frankly, we think Progressive Christianity is misleading a lot of people,” he said. As Pastor of the then only openly “Progressive” Christian Church in town, (welcoming of LGBTQ folks, embracing of science, in dialogue with other religions, etc.) and author of a popular book on the “Wisdom of Progressive Christianity,” it seemed clear who the series was aimed at. Friends of The Fountains like best-selling author Diana Butler Bass (and others who keep a finger on the pulse of the national religious scene) said that they’d never seen anything like this before: a coordinated smear campaign/attack by a majority of the churches in one town against a single other church. It was a sensational and unusual enough event that the local Fox 10 News reporter even came out to do a story – which propelled the affair into the news cycle around the country. Soon it was being podcasted about and blogged about across the internet and written about in news outlets from The Christian Century to the secular media around the world. One of my favorite blog posts was by author John Shore, who dubbed the other churches the “Gang of 8.” He observed that this was more mature than what he wanted to call them in the first place, which was “Churches Rallying Against Progress” (C.R.A.P.). The content of this anti-Progressive Christianity sermon series was nothing new, drawing directly from the well-established Fundamentalist playbook: inerrant Bible, Virgin Birth, physical resurrection, and a six-day creation, among other threadbare claims. And while the proponents of this dogma would like to imply that their doctrines are original to Jesus himself, it turns out that they’re based in a controversy barely 100 years old. The Back Back Story Just over a hundred years ago, The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth was published and distributed all over the world. Consisting of 12 volumes, The Fundamentals contained 90 essays written by 64 authors from several denominations. Union Oil Founders Milton and Lyman Stewart (also founders of the fundamentalist BIOLA University), financed millions of volumes being sent out free of charge to pastors, evangelists, Sunday school teachers, and missionaries around the world. What began as a not-so-anonymous vanity project became an all-out movement to save conventional Christianity. The Fundamentals was compiled and distributed in the run-up to war with Germany, when suspicion and fear towards all things German was running high. Physics in the hands of Germans like Einstein and the alarming new science of psychology advanced by Austrian Sigmund Freud posed what seemed a very real threat to the status quo of not only culture and religion, but reality itself. For religious conservatives, liberal German theology and its “Higher Criticism” was the primary concern. Unleashing elements of the scientific method on the Bible posed a threat to the simple souls of the American faithful. A major flashpoint in the developing controversy between the “Modernists” and those who would come to be called “Fundamentalists” was a debate in the New York Presbytery of the Presbyterian church over the doctrine of the literal Virgin Birth. Several candidates for ordination were hesitant to affirm their full embrace of the historicity of the doctrine. So, in 1910, legislation was passed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church declaring that five doctrines were “necessary and essential” to the Christian faith: 1. The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit and the inerrancy of Scripture as a result of this. 2. The virgin birth of Christ. 3. The belief that Christ’s death was an atonement for sin. 4. The bodily resurrection of Christ. 5. The historical reality of Christ’s miracles. These five propositions would become known as the “Five Fundamentals” and, no surprise, were at the heart of the six “essential” beliefs lifted up by the Fountain Hills “Gang of 8” (the main addition being that “Christ is the only way” and that non-believers are going to Hell). So, just over a hundred years later, the “Five Fundamentals” and The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth , are still playing a central role in the task of what Fundamentalists consider to be “drawing a line in the sand” regarding their faith – a faith noticeably lacking in any emphasis on Jesus’ teachings or example (but I digress!). So, out of fear over changing cultural norms and contemporary understandings of Jesus’ life, eight churches in Fountain Hills decided to do exactly what Jesus would have wanted them NOT to do: gang up on people who are different and demonize them as heretical, apostate, and dangerous. As blogger John Shore wrote, And if there’s one message the Gang of 8 is successfully communicating, it’s that they’re feeling threatened. Threatened they are, and threatened they should be. For the Christianity they represent is, in a word, ruinous. It holds that the “unrepentant” LGBT person is destined for hell, that wives must be subservient to their husbands, that Christians alone can enjoy a heavenly afterlife. The Christianity they preach and teach feeds off fear, exclusivity, anger and victimizing “the other.” And right now, in Fountain Hills, Arizona, that “other” is The Fountains UMC.” In the end, the bottom line at issue here is fear. Well, and bigotry. As The Fountains shares its facilities with a Reform Jewish congregation, works with the nearby mosque, and sponsors a monthly PFLAG meeting, it shouldn’t be surprising that trying to discredit The Fountains hit the bigotry trifecta. The thinly-veiled anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Homophobia of conservative Christianity could all be conveniently concentrated and camouflaged in the garb of pious theological moralizing. And the go-to solution for many who are feeling threatened? Bullying, plain and simple. But the good news is that the bullying backfired. The unanticipated consequences of the “Fact or Fiction” campaign included a sincere interest in the principles of Progressive Christianity by seekers who had never known there was an option to the fundamentalism of their birth. The Just Desserts I was already pretty used to accusations from my fellow clergy, having already been referred to in OpEd pieces in our local paper as, among other things, a vicious liar, hypocrite, and reprobate (it was my first “reprobate”!). But the congregation was a bit anxious at first. While it seemed like all the “respectable” voices in town were ostracizing us, it didn’t take long for them to hear themselves being called “worse than Satan,” “Like a computer virus that needs to be wiped out,” and compared to the Nazis for them to come around and say, “Now Hang on a second! Who are these people to be saying such things? Fellow Christians? Seriously?” In the end, the congregation was galvanized in a way it had never been before. Add to that the biggest summer attendance we’ve had in anyone’s memory, the story being picked up literally around the world and, by the end of the summer, being recognized by a national United Methodist organization with their annual “Voice in the Wilderness” Award, and it was hard to imagine anyone NOT wanting to be shunned by their Fundamentalist neighbors. We really could never have afforded that kind of advertising otherwise! But in the “there’s no such thing as bad publicity department,” let me close with two anecdotes from that summer: The first was on the launch Sunday of the anti-Progressive Christian sermon series. The Fountains had a record-breaking crowd including United Methodist Bishop Bob Hoshibata and his wife, Greta, several LGBTQ groups, two Muslim groups, Buddhists, Jews, and even atheists. And then, across the back row, all lined up in their immaculate suits and ties, the Bishop and his elders from our neighboring LDS ward. The Mormon Bishop and I were laughing with one another that if anyone should have theological differences, it would be us. But we had gone out of our way to include our Mormon neighbors in our interfaith events and our youth groups had met together – and when they saw we were being ganged up on in a way that was all too familiar to them, they were there to support us. This simple act of solidarity was not lost on the congregation. The second happened later in the summer. A woman came to The Fountains and introduced herself after church as being from one of the “Gang of 8” churches. She said, “The more my pastor preached against Progressive Christians, the more I realized I was a Progressive Christian.” She had never really known there was an option – she didn’t know that her doubts and uncertainties were shared along with compassionate, thoughtful people who shared her hopes and hunches about the world. An Intellectual Contagion Harry Emerson Fosdick famously preached that “stagnation, not change is Christianity’s most deadly enemy.” But the stagnation of the status quo continues to hold generations of people in its grip. Fear of the intellectual contagion of Progressive Christianity continues to motivate otherwise kind and compassionate people to betray the message of Jesus, excluding who their pastors tell them are “unclean” and blemished. In the final analysis, it was the support of fellow Progressive Christians and the encouragement of those who had faced similar exclusion that strengthened the members and leadership of The Fountains to not only persist, but flourish in the face of controversy. So in a world where Fundamentalist Christians seem to dominate the secular public’s impression of Christianity as anti-intellectual, bigoted, judgmental and reactionary, the more important it becomes for Progressive Christians to come together, networking with one another and establishing relationships that strengthen us for the moments when we find ourselves being dismissed or bullied. There are countless people out there for whom the message you and I share would be like a breath of fresh air – but they just haven’t heard it. And when they do, they just can’t believe there really is a movement that welcomes all people, that respects other religions, that works for justice, that seeks to confront racism and prejudice in all its forms, and works to heal the world. As Progressive Christians, we have the freedom to loosen our grip on the obsession with certainty and work together to adapt our understandings, our language, and our goals toward embracing the core value of expanding our spiritual horizons. Together, we can go deeper, ask the tough questions, and explore the ways we can be a catalyst for new spiritual directions. Despite the noisy critics, we can make the world a better place. ~ Rev. David M. Felten Read online here About the Author David Felten is a full-time pastor at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona. David and fellow United Methodist Pastor, Jeff Procter-Murphy, are the creators of the DVD-based discussion series for Progressive Christians, “Living the Questions”. A co-founder of the Arizona Foundation for Contemporary Theology and also a founding member of No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, David is an outspoken voice for LGBTQ rights both in the church and in the community at large. David is active in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church and tries to stay connected to his roots as a musician. You’ll find him playing saxophones in a variety of settings, including appearances with the Fountain Hills Saxophone Quartet. David and his wife Laura, an administrator for a large Arizona public school district, live in Phoenix with their three often adorable children. Question & Answer Mark from Cheyenne, WY writes: Question: If you do not favor conversion activity, how do you interpret the Great Commission? Answer: By Matthew Fox I think there is a big difference between favoring conversion activity and preaching good news. Now what we call the "Great commission" is found differently in all four gospels and many Biblical scholars believe these are add-ons to the gospels that reflect more the goings on and practice of the early Church and its liturgical rites than the exact words of Jesus after the Easter event. Be that as it may, I recommend sitting down with all four versions of this injunction to get a feel yourself for the diversity of tone and words and meaning found therein. For myself, I most appreciate the Markan words because they take us beyond the human and they emphasize the "good news" while saying nothing about conversion. Says Mark: "Go out to the whole world" (this theme is found in most all the other pericopes as well so it shows this injunction very likely followed the early church's expulsion from the synagogue) and its going out to the gentile world and beyond to "proclaim the good news to all creation." This raises the obvious question: What is the good news that all creation is eager to hear? Mark certainly sets Jesus' teaching and ministry into a more-than-human context, a cosmic context therefore. And clearly it is not about converting so much as "proclaiming good news." The "whole world" is a big place (today we know our universe is made up of two trillion galaxies!) so there is plenty of space to roam in. While Matthew's "Great Commission" talks about teaching the commandments Jesus has taught, at the heart of these are love of God and love of neighbor and vice versa. Our neighbor is not restricted to the two-legged ones, but all creation deserves to hear that humans are busy loving all creatures--not destroying other creatures in narcissistic fits of greed and violence that end whole species while endangering human generations that follow with a depleted earth. Whether the story of the Good Samaritan or the teaching of Matthew 25 that others, especially the needy, are other Christs, it is clear that Jesus' teaching is indeed trying to stretch our meaning and practice of love and compassion. That's the Great Commission and the Great Commandment(s). ~ Matthew Fox Read and share online here About the Author Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 32 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 60 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the FleshTransforming Evil in Soul and Society, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved and Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest ________________________________________________ Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Terrible Texts: Be Fruitful and Multiply and Subdue the Earth – Part III Subdue the earth! It is an enemy to be conquered not a home to be treasured! Life is an eternal battle for survival between the human creature and the hostile environment. These are the assumptions that shape the primary religious tradition in the Western world. Today we are paying the price of those assumptions. It is as if the environment has launched a counter attack against its abusers. In many areas of our life the limits of abuse seem to have been reached. The prospect of the human species surviving for thousands of years is today an open question. The human future seems to be no more than an even bet. Sometimes just the attempt to raise human consciousness to the dangers now confronting our common environment is rejected as nothing more than “doomsday preaching.” Those whose vested interest lies in not facing reality continue to live in denial. It is an ultimate expression of that sickness that thinks that the comfort of homo-sapiens is the only value to be served. “Subdue the Earth” is accepted among fundamentalist Christians as a divine command since it appears in a book that these believers insist, contrary to massive data, is “The Word of God.” The biblical setting of this “Terrible Text” calling us to “subdue the earth” enters the sacred narrative in the seven-day creation story. Written by the priestly writer during the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th Century B.C.E., it is one of the newer parts of the Old Testament. This story makes no bones about the fact that every beast, every bird, every fish and everything that “creeps on the earth” is to be subjugated to the domination of human life by the commandment of God (Gen 1:28-30). It is overtly anthropocentric. This relatively recent narrative was then merged with the older stories about Adam, Eve and the Garden, which tell the story of the fall from grace plunging the human being into a struggle with the hostile environment. Prior to the act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, all human needs were filled. But that cosmic act of violating God’s single command to refrain from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil resulted in expulsion from that paradise. The punishment handed out to the woman included pain in childbirth, and for the man the constant need to scratch from the earth a meager living. The divine words used are quite harsh: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you Is there something about Western religion itself that predisposes its adherents to environmental disaster? Do such texts as “Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth” arise out of something far deeper and more basic in our faith tradition? Why is it that among non-Western religious traditions, the concept of having a religious duty to subdue the earth would be considered a strange and alien idea? In many Eastern worship traditions God is envisioned as a universal spirit or divine presence that cannot be separated from the world. This God is a life force flowing through every living thing, not a distant ruler or a great chief in the sky, who is somehow separate from the world of human experience. Perhaps this distinction might open our eyes to a significant clue, which seems to be so deep in the western religious tradition, that violating the environment and exhausting the world’s resources have become realities that we still seem to think are blessed by God. In Buddhism, for example, God is not an objective presence standing over against the world perceived as subject. Buddhism seeks wholeness or at least a sense of harmony with the whole. That is quite different from seeing human life as called to subdue, to conquer and to exercise authority over the world. In the biblical tradition the claim is made that we know God by divine revelation since God comes to us from outside. Through the sagas of the Bible, God’s divine name is changed from time to time. Yet this distinction always remains. Yahweh became the dominant name for God after the conquest of Canaan and was defined against the fertility cults of the Canaanites and their God who was called Ba’al. Perhaps the most dramatic Ba’al story is the conflict on Mt. Carmel in which Elijah; the prophet of Yahweh first stood down and then slew the priests of Ba’al (I Kings 18:20-40). Contemporary readers of this narrative need to understand that this was a conflict between Yahweh, an overwhelmingly male deity, who lived above the sky, and Ba’al, a deity identified with the agricultural fertility cycles and thus one who was perceived as far more a part of the life of the world. Ba’al actually began his divine career as the consort to Astarte or Asherah who was a fertility goddess. It was only as the concept of the deity as feminine declined in the ancient world that Asherah was de-emphasized and the male consort Ba’al emerged as the primary Canaanite deity who was locked in a mortal struggle with the God of the Jews. While Ba’al was identified with the cycles of nature Yahweh was understood as a deity who invaded history. Yahweh may well have begun as a kind of supernatural tribal deity, but later evolved into being the chief ruler over the entire world. In the Judeo Christian tradition, it was in this image of God that human life was said to have been created. Human beings were said to be the God look alike, to whom was assigned the divine task of exercising dominion over all living things. Israel’s God was said to have created all things out of nothing. This made the world both subservient and answerable to this external divine power who lived in a sphere located beyond the sky. As the Scriptures unfolded, in addition to a heavenly dwelling place, God established a symbolic dwelling place in the midst of the people. First, it was in a mobile tabernacle that was carried by the Jews during their days in the wilderness. That was symbolized by the fact that the tabernacle was connected to heaven by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The tabernacle was in effect a colony of heaven. When the permanent temple was built and dedicated the Shekinah – God presence, perhaps God’s spirit or even God’s light – was sent as the sign of God’s willingness to make that place the earthly home of the Holy One. This God remained, however, primarily the all-powerful creator who viewed the world from outside it. God could fill the world but was never to be identified with it. The world was a creature that neither possessed its own holiness nor participated fully in the holiness of God. So the idea was born in this religious tradition that we human beings, like God, were not really part of this world. We were made to rule the world in God’s name, to have dominion over it and ultimately to make sure that it served our needs as those made in God’s image. This was the attitude, I submit, that enabled the anthropocentricism found in the Bible to be developed. Out of this anthropocentricism, I believe, there arose the insensitivity to and destruction of our common environment, and the human unwillingness to curb our breeding practices. Only a deity who was not part of the world could order the human creature to be fruitful and to multiply and subdue the earth as if the earth was an enemy. I call this definition of God “Theism.” God is a supernatural being, external to the world, who periodically invades the world in a miraculous way. Theism is the dominant definition of God in the Bible and, through the Bible it has become the dominant definition of God in the Western world today. The proof of that is seen in our language, which defines a theist simply as one who believes in God, and the only alternative is to be an a-theist. A theistic God can be thought to manipulate the weather to create the great flood, to engage in political conflict by slamming the Egyptians with plagues and then splitting the Red Sea during the Exodus. This God shapes morality by dictating the law at Mt. Sinai. This God raises up prophets in Israel to speak the divine word. This is also the God, who, in the “fullness of time,” invaded the earth in the person of Jesus and lived among us. So powerful was this “external to the world” God image that it captured the life of Jesus. Jesus came to be seen not as a God infused human being, but rather as a divine visitor who came from heaven. As a divine visitor, Jesus needed a mythological landing field, which is how the miraculous birth tradition of the virgin entered Christianity. He also needed a launching pad in order to make his exit. That is how the story of Jesus’ cosmic ascension became part of the tradition. Between his miraculous entry into the life of the world and his miraculous exit from it, this Jesus was said to have done other God-like things, like walking on water, stilling the storm and expanding the food supply, all of which can be shown as God attributes in the Old Testament. There was also present among the Jews, the hope that when the Kingdom of God dawns in human history, the signs of that kingdom will become apparent. The prophet Isaiah (chapter 35) described those kingdom signs as the blind seeing, the deaf hearing and the lame walking. Therefore, it was quite natural that stories about these kingdom signs would be attached to Jesus and even expanded to include “the dead rising.” The dominant theistic understanding of God shaped the way this “god life” of Jesus was remembered. It was Charles Wesley who, in his 1739 Christmas carol, captured this meaning best when he wrote that far from being human, Jesus was a life that had been “veiled in flesh,” so that we could “the Godhead see.” It is this theistic understanding of God that allows us to view the earth as profane, even secular. This theistic God who is imaged only in human beings has literally drained the holiness out of the life of this world, rendering it an enemy to be subdued. This theistic God allows us to pretend that, like God, we too are separate from this world, that we are the only creatures who are holy and that the world and all that is in it was made for our benefit. One can dominate and subdue a world that is not holy. One can view all life as created for human benefit only if you assume that holiness is external to this world. The theistic understanding of God opens the door to separating the world from holiness because the God, who is the source of holiness, is separated from this world. So long as we view God through the lens of theism, we will see the world as an object, even as an enemy, against which we must struggle to survive. Ideas do have consequences and we are living today with the ecologically disastrous consequences that derive from an anthropocentric view of human life based on a theistic understanding of God and creation. If we are going to overcome our looming environmental holocaust, then the proper place to begin might be to jettison the theistic understanding of God. For most Western people that is an almost unthinkable possibility. Yet I believe it is the essential first step toward both a theological reformation and a realistic hope for a human future. Can the theistic understanding of God be abandoned? The answer to that question is yes but it will mean that we must engage and overthrow the powerful vested interest that religious institutions have in preserving the theistic God who is the source of their authority. The only place I know where we can begin this task is to return to the scriptures to see if theism is the only way there is to envision God. Are there minority voices hidden in our religious past that have been all but drowned out by the claims of the theistic organized religion? Perhaps the environmental crisis that is upon us will be the catalyst to force us to enter this new and radically different understanding of God. If we are successful in this effort, we will inaugurate a reformation so radical that the whole superstructure of organized religion in the Western world, with its intricate authority claims will crumble before our eyes. That means many will vehemently resist it but without it I am more convinced that there is neither a Christian nor a human future. In my next column, I will attempt to lift out of the scriptures a different portrait of God, a God beyond theism. It is a minority view which I believe must soon become a majority view or we have no future. My hope is that it will lead us to a new vision of what it means both to be human and to live in harmony with the world. ~ John Shelby Spong Originally Posted September 2003 Announcements The Seventh Annual Death and Afterlife Conference READ ON...

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Fwd: Richard Rohr Meditation: Grace Is Key
by Herman Greene via OE 08 May '17

08 May '17

Some of you have found Bishop Spong helpful as he seeks to uncover the facts of the Christian tradition. Recently I have been reading Richard Rohr's meditations. I find them very helpful. You may subscribe to these daily meditations. I think he does a pretty good job of explaining RS-1 here. "*Death is not just our one physical dying, but it is going to the full depth, hitting the bottom, going the distance, beyond where I am in control, and always beyond where I am now.** "* Amazing Grace. Herman ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Center for Action and Contemplation <Meditations(a)cac.org> Date: Mon, May 8, 2017 at 2:00 AM Subject: Richard Rohr Meditation: Grace Is Key To: Herman Greene <hfgreenenc(a)gmail.com> Grace is found at the depths and in the death of everything. No Images? Click here <http://email.cac.org/t/d-e-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-a/> <http://centerforactionandcontemplation.forwardtomyfriend.com/d-nljyuhuyh-19…> Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation [image: Image of trees in a forest with daylight breaking through.] Resurrection *Grace Is Key Monday, May 8, 2017 (Feast of Lady Julian of Norwich)* *The goodness of God fills all the gaps of the universe, without discrimination or preference.* God is the gratuity of absolutely everything. The space in between everything is not space at all but Spirit. God is the “Goodness Glue” that holds the dark and light of things together, the free energy that carries all death across the Great Divide and transmutes it into Life. When we say that Christ “paid the debt once and for all,” it simply means that God’s job is to make up for all deficiencies in the universe. What else would God do? *Grace is what God does to keep all things God has made in love and alive—forever. *Grace is not something God gives; grace is who God *is.* If we are to believe the primary witnesses, an unexplainable goodness is at work in the universe. (Some of us call this phenomenon God, but the word is not necessary. In fact, sometimes it gets in the way of the experience, because too many have named God something other than grace.) *Death is not just our one physical dying, but it is going to the full depth, hitting the bottom, going the distance, beyond where I am in control, and always beyond where I am now.* No wonder it is scary. Such death is called “the descent into hell” in the early Apostles’ Creed, while in other sources, “the pit,” “the dark night,” “Sheol,” or “Hades.” We all die eventually; we have no choice in the matter. But there are degrees of death before the final physical one. If we are honest, we acknowledge that we are dying throughout our life, and this is what we learn if we are attentive:* grace is found at the depths and in the death of everything. *After these smaller deaths, we know that the only “deadly sin” is to swim on the surface of things, where we never see, find, or desire God or love. This includes even the surface of religion, which might be the worst danger of all. Thus, we must not be afraid of falling, failing, moving “down.” *When you go to the full depths and death, sometimes even the depths of your sin, you can always come out the other side—and the word for that is resurrection. *Something or someone builds a bridge for you, recognizable only from the far side, that carries you across, either willingly, or even dragging your feet. Something or someone seems to fill the tragic gap between death and life, but *only at the point of no return.* None of us crosses over by our own effort or merits, purity, or perfection. We are all carried across by an uncreated and unearned grace—from pope, to president, to princess, to peasant. The tomb is always finally empty. There are no exceptions to death, and there are no exceptions to grace. And I believe, with good evidence, that there are no exceptions to resurrection. *Gateway to Silence:* Alleluia, alleluia, amen! *Reference:* Adapted from Richard Rohr, *Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-r/> *(Jossey-Bass: 2013), xx-xxii. Read the spring edition of CAC’s spiritual, literary journal *Oneing*: *Transformation* featuring Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, Wm Paul Young, David Whyte, and others *Limited copies of past issues are available:* *Evolutionary Thinking Perfection Innocence Emancipation Evidence Transgression Ripening* Purchase individual editions of *Oneing* at store.cac.org <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-y/>. *Daily Meditations: Rebuilding Christianity “From the Bottom Up”* Drawing from his own Franciscan heritage and other wisdom traditions, Richard Rohr reframes neglected or misunderstood teachings to reveal the foundations of contemplative Christianity and the universe itself: God as loving relationship. Each week of meditations builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time! Watch a short introduction to the theme “From the Bottom Up” (8-minute video)—click here <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-j/>. If you’ve missed earlier messages, explore the online archive <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-t/>. Feel free to share meditations on social media: go to CAC’s Facebook page <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-i/> or Twitter feed <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-d/> and find today’s post. Or use the “Forward to a Friend” link at the top of this message to send via email. For frequently asked questions—such as what versions of the Bible Father Richard recommends or how to ensure you receive every meditation—please see our email FAQ <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-h/>. Did someone forward this message to you? Sign up to receive CAC's free daily, weekly, or monthly emails for yourself by clicking here! <http://email.cac.org/t/d-l-krjditt-nljyuhuyh-k/> Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations are made possible through the generosity of CAC's donors. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. 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GREETINGS FROM WASHINGTON, DC!; Fwd: TODAY People's Climate March live More . . .
by Ellie Stock via OE 06 May '17

06 May '17

<div id="AOLMsgPart_1.1.2_a8a0e47c-a32d-44f7-b0c2-595197b1ddf6"><div id="aolmail_role_body" style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #010101" class="aolReplacedBody"> Hi Folks, Greetings from Washington, DC, where shortly, we will be participating in the People' Climate March. If you are not able to join a local msrch, Democracy Now is live streaming the event--see link below. We arrived last week to participate in Ecumenical Advocacy Days, this year's theme based on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on Vietnam that focused on the triplets of racism, militarism, and materialism. We also participated in the DC March for Science--about 120,000 in the rain, but it was a good event. Monday was Lobby Day--visiting congressional offices. While here we gave a presentation on The Doctrine of Discovery at the Oblates Residence with their Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee. Also doing PC (USA) Earth Care presentations at Potomac PC and Westminster PC, Marie Sharp's church. Off to the march--hopefully connecting with Dick Alton and Sally Yost who will also be there. Ellie Stock ☺elliestock(a)aol.com See below for live streaming of march... Opportunity to watch The People's Climate March life today; a selection of informative articles, some disturbing/some encouraging; practical things we can do. <table class="aolmail_MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <td style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 9pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" valign="top"> TODAY Watch the People's Climate March Live <table class="aolmail_MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; MARGIN: auto -2.25pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-table-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-table-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-table-left: left" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <td style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 9pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0.25in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.25in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" valign="top"> Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and team will provide special live coverage of the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="aolmail_MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <td style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" valign="top"> <table class="aolmail_MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; MARGIN: auto -2.25pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-table-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-table-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-table-left: left" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <td style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 9pt; PADDING-TOP: 9pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.25in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.25in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> <table class="aolmail_MsoNormalTable" style="WIDTH: 100%; BACKGROUND: #515050; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <td style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 13.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 13.5pt; PADDING-LEFT: 13.5pt; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 13.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" valign="top"> Watch LIVE tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. ET at <a title="http://democracynow.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7c55dbbfa32e54174906…" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://democracynow.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7c55dbbfa32e54174906…">democracynow.org</a>. Or tune in live on: FSTV (Dish Network 9415 & DirecTV Ch. 348) Link TV (Dish Network 9410 & DirecTV Ch. 375) WHUT-TV (Ch. 32.1 & 32.2 in Washington D.C.) Check your local Democracy Now! station for listings.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/04/27/100-clean-energy-bill-laun…"></a><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/04/27/100-clean-energy-bill-laun…" target="_blank">https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/04/27/100-clean-energy-bill-laun…</a> <h1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 3pt; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt" align="center">100% Clean Energy Bill Launched by Senators and Movement Leaders</h1> Legislation comes ahead of Peoples Climate March on April 29th 27 April 2017 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ecowatch.com/salt-lake-city-makes-historic-commitment-to-100-per…"></a><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/salt-lake-city-makes-historic-commitment-to-100-per…" target="_blank">http://www.ecowatch.com/salt-lake-city-makes-historic-commitment-to-100-per…</a> <h1 style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 22pt">Salt Lake City Makes Historic Commitment to 100% Renewables by 2032</h1> 14 July 2016 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/3/27/14922516/trump-executiv…"></a><a href="http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/3/27/14922516/trump-executiv…" target="_blank">http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/3/27/14922516/trump-executiv…</a> <h1 style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Trump’s big new executive order to tear up Obama’s climate policies, explained</h1> 27 March 2017 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176269/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_do_afric…"></a><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176269/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_do_afric…" target="_blank">http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176269/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_do_afric…</a> Tomgram: Michael Klare, Do African Famines Presage Global Climate-Change Catastrophe? 20 April 2017 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/dapl-developer-spills-drilling…"></a><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/dapl-developer-spills-drilling…" target="_blank">https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/dapl-developer-spills-drilling…</a> DAPL Developer Spills Drilling Fluids Into Wetlands While Constructing Another Pipeline The latest incident is just another ding on Energy Transfer Partners' spotty record 20 April 2017 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/trumps-buy-american-order-look…"></a><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/trumps-buy-american-order-look…" target="_blank">https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/trumps-buy-american-order-look…</a> Trump's "Buy American" Order Looks Weak as DAPL Company Pushes Back "As with Trump's campaign promises, the executive order is full of loopholes that are designed to protect Wall Street interests and multinational corporations—at the expense of American workers and communities." 20 April 2017 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/06/scient…"></a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/06/scient…" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/06/scient…</a> Climate change is literally turning the Arctic ocean inside out 6 April 2017 On the release of Methane <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39957-release-of-arctic-methane-may-be-a…"></a><a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39957-release-of-arctic-methane-may-be-a…" target="_blank">http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39957-release-of-arctic-methane-may-be-a…</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.greenoptimistic.com/giant-methane-release-20170401/%23.WQCERb3W…"></a><a href="https://www.greenoptimistic.com/giant-methane-release-20170401/#.WQCERb3WHIV" target="_blank">https://www.greenoptimistic.com/giant-methane-release-20170401/#.WQCERb3WHIV</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40311-great-barrier-reef-reaches-termina…"></a><a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40311-great-barrier-reef-reaches-termina…" target="_blank">http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40311-great-barrier-reef-reaches-termina…</a> <h2 style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 39.6pt">Great Barrier Reef Reaches "Terminal Stage" as CO2 Levels Rise at Record Rate</h2> 24 April 2017 Also on Great Barrier Reef - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127170-mass-bleaching-hits-great-barr…"></a><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127170-mass-bleaching-hits-great-barr…" target="_blank">https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127170-mass-bleaching-hits-great-barr…</a> * * * * * * * * * * * * * From a recipient - helpful reminders on some of the things we can personally do, or help convince our governing structures to do. The fossil fuel industry receives a lot of criticism these days, and rightfully so. But in the final analysis, we are the ones who support the energy industry and it is our standard of living that will need to change. So contemplate what you can do for the cause Personal Actions End our love affair with the automobile Ride more trains and buses Car pool Walk and bike more Turn off the air conditioner in the summer and dial the thermostat down in winter Become vegetarians or vegans Refill plastic bottles with tap water Discontinue using aluminum cans with and without carbonation Maximize use of reusable bags and products Recycle junk mail Forego fast junk food Go to “slow food”; Recycle maximally, especially aluminum cans Drive and accelerate more slowly Climb more stairs Plant more trees Forego use of spray cans Ride more trains and buses Repair, mend and alter as much as possible Buy solar panels Compost as much as possible Last person out of the room turn off the lights Eat and farm organic Ride more trains and buses Fly fewer planes Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Use manual tools instead of power tools Share more Use rakes rather than leaf blowers Decrease use of bottled water and refill plastic bottles with tap water Maximize reusable bags and products Push rather than power small mowers Replace lawns with vegetable gardens Stop fertilizing and mowing lawns Compost as much as possible Minimize use of disposables (Pampers, Ikea furniture); Maximize high efficiency LED and solar powered lighting; Limit endless gadgets Use motion lighting, where appropriate Local Government Actions Reorganize cities, building taller residences with a smaller footprint (the end of suburbia) Institute a carbon tax Promote car pooling subsidize and expand mass transit Expand bike paths Have shareable (zip) cars Ban electric outdoor signs; Eat and farm organic Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Eliminate approximately 50% of all street lighting and office lighting in unoccupied buildings eliminate “fast junk food”; go to “slow food replace Federal Government Actions Ban gasohol Rein in the militaries for defense only and outlaw war Discontinue night baseball Make electronics, house wares, furniture, etc to be as durable and long-lived as possible Recycle maximally Make appliances to be as energy efficient as possible Discontinue aluminum cans Ban electric outdoor signs Maximize solar and wind power; Change from petroleum based fertilizers to regenerative agriculture Reverse deforestation, plant more trees Restrict spray cans Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Promote zero population growth with free condoms and family planning world-wide End yearly auto model changes; Proscribe junk mail Scrap the mission to Mars ~ Bonus ~ <h1 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 3pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt">This Is What It Will Look Like [projected] When Mar-A-Lago Disappears Under Rising Seas . . . </h1> <img border="0" width="621" height="326" id="aolmail_MA1.1493466781" src="https://mail.aol.com/webmail/getPart?uid=30306200&partId=1.2&scope=STANDARD…"> </div> </div>

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ICAI Global Buzz
by ICA International via OE 06 May '17

06 May '17

Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe.....If you wish to SEND a report...send to your ICA contact person OR...go to the members section on the ICA International website Please click the link below for the latest issue of the Global Buzz Global Buzz Report: May 2017 or copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar http://globalbuzz.icai-archives.org/7dayreport-17/2017-05-01.php ICAI Communications

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5/04/17, Matthew Fox: Earth Day 2017: The Return of Healthy Religion?; Spong Revisited: The Terrible Texts II...
by Ellie Stock via OE 04 May '17

04 May '17

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Earth Day 2017: The Return of Healthy Religion? By Matthew Fox There is such a thing as “fake news”; and “fake science;” and there is also, we must make clear, such a thing as “fake religion” and certainly of “fake Christianity.” I would maintain that all those persons and institutions political and corporate that are in purposeful denial about climate change are in direct contradiction to everything Jesus taught and tried to teach.(1) As John’s epistle says, how is it possible to love God if you hate your neighbor? The Gospel celebrates the Good Samaritan who cared about his suffering neighbor. Our neighbor is not just our two-legged neighbor but other neighbors as well who face extinction today and who bear names we have assigned to them such as “elephants;” “tigers;” “polar bears;” “rainforests” and much more. If we are waging war against them by our narcissistic life-styles and anthropocentric agendas and are busy committing ecocide we are hating them. And of course in hating them and destroying them we are hating our own descendants, our own great grandchildren and many more humans not yet born. When will the nonsense stop? When will the denial stop? The nonsense will stop when religion wakes up to what its real job is. The real job of religion is this: To give thanks. To teach gratitude, a gratitude that is born of Awe, of what rabbi Heschel calls “radical amazement.” Were you radically amazed this summer to learn that science has now moved on from understanding the universe is several hundred billion galaxies big to being two trillion galaxies large? Isn’t that cause enough for awe and wonder? Heshcel reminds us that “the universe is not just here; it shocks us into amazement.”(2) Are you shocked everyday by the wonders of our existence, the beauty of Mother Earth and her generous bestowing of diverse beings with which we humans are invited to play and learn and delight and sometimes use wisely? Heschel teaches that there are three ways to respond to creation: 1. Exploit it. (We’ve been pretty adapt at that the past 300 years and we are now paying the price). 2. Enjoy it. 3. Accept it with awe. It is this last option that is the spiritual option. You do not have to be a believer to travel that deep route. Many atheists have found this truth out on their own. But no religion is worthy of the name if it is not actively engaged in instructing its followers that this—accepting with awe—is the heart of what constitutes mysticism and healthy religion. As Mary Oliver put it in a recent talk in San Francisco: “I have learned three things about life and want to share them now that I am in my 80’s and an elder: First, pay attention. Second: Be astonished. Third: Share your astonishment.” Some twenty years ago I was invited to deliver a talk at the Schumacher Lecture Series in Bristol, England. Preceding my talk Lester Brown, who was then head of Worldwatch Institute, spoke. He ended his talk by declaring that we had twenty years left to change our ways as a species or the planet would not recover from the damage we were doing. And he added: “The Number One obstacle to an Environmental Revolution was: Apathy.” I was very struck by this statement since apathy is a spiritual problem. Indeed, it is one of the capital sins, what our ancestors called “acedia” which was far too narrowly defined during the industrial revolution as “sloth.” It is much more than sloth. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century defined acedia this way: “The lack of energy to begin new things.” This lack of energy has many names today; among them are: boredom; inertia; depression; despair; not-caring; indifference; apathy; and even “couchpotatoitis” (A word invented in our time because the sickness is so prevalent). Aquinas also offered the medicine for this sickness when he said “zeal comes from the intense experience of the beauty of things.” You can see here the deep connection between cosmology—an invitation to re-experience the deep beauty of things—and survival. Between cosmology and ecology (Thomas Berry says “ecology is functional cosmology.”) Albert Einstein wrote that we are entering a third phase of religion and that is a cosmic religion. It is only this awakening, he felt, that would bring peace between nations and peace in our relationship to nature, a relationship that takes us beyond nationalisms and sectarianisms and anthropocentric projections onto Divinity. This is one reason the archetype of the Cosmic Christ is returning in our time—or ought to be.(3) A Cosmic Christ is a Green Christ just as certain as “ecology is functional cosmology.” Carl Jung says that archetypes return when they are needed. The word “return” is significant in this context because for decades lazy thinkers have been saying that a “Cosmic Christ” is something “New Age.” I beg your pardon! The teaching of the Cosmic Christ is found in the earliest Christian writings, namely in St Paul’s letters and in the Gospel of Thomas as well as other places and in all the most powerful events in the Gospels that early Christian movement enshrined into its biggest Feast Days. Think the Nativity, the Baptism of Jesus (after all the “sky opened up”), the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost — all these moments are set in a cosmological context. Far too often they have been interpreted in a narrow and narcissistic sense of “Am I saved?” How easily we have reduced religion to mere psychology when in fact it is essentially about cosmology (creation) and the sacred. A number of years ago the great Biblical scholar Krister Stendahl came up to me during a workshop I was leading on Creation Spirituality and said, “Remember: The word basileia (which we translate as “kingdom of God”—a term that all agree lies at the heart of Jesus’ message and that carries deep political implications since it contrasts to the Empire of Caesar in his day) can be perfectly well translated as creation.” The Kingdom/Queendom of God is creation itself; and creation is the Kingdom/Queendom of God. Pre-modern thinkers like St Francis, Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart and Thomas Aquinas knew this but few modern theologians have understood this. It was Aquinas who said Revelation comes in two volumes: Nature and the Bible. Nature is being despoiled today because religion has wrapped itself up in a Bible book and ignored the Nature book which of course we need scientists, not exegetes, to properly translate for us. A year ago last January I was invited to be part of a gathering in Florida about climate change and the rising of the seas. It began with a presentation by a scientist who showed slides of Florida today; then ten years from now; then twenty years and thirty years from now. With each slide a whole section of Florida was chopped off. Chop/chop/chop. I was left with the distinct impression that one ought not to invest in real estate in Florida. Rubber boots? Yes! And lots of rubber dingys too. At the very time our conference was meeting Florida boasted TWO candidates for President of the United States who were in denial about climate change—Senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush—as well as their sitting governor who has forbidden any state employee to use the term “climate change” in his or her communications (a warning recently released by our federal government as well). Meanwhile, in Southern Miami, you walk down the street and there is six inches of water on the sidewalk! Climate change is not just about getting your feet wet; it’s about what happens when sea water overruns our fresh water aquifers. When that happens crops die and humans cannot survive. Climate change is not a Republican vs Democrat issue. Nor is Ecology. Or it should not be. To have an entire political party adopt Denial constitutes a Scandal of the First Magnitude. Thomas Aquinas teaches that to choose to be ignorant of what one ought to know about is a deadly (or “mortal”) sin. Meister Eckhart declares that: “God is the denial of denial.” What this means is that if we or our institutions—including political, media or religious institutions—traffic in denial God is absent. Truth is absent when denial reigns. And the sacred is no place to be found. In my book on Evil, recently released with a new preface and a forward by Deepak Chopra, I make the point that the opposite of evil is not the good. The bad is the opposite of the good. The opposite of Evil is: The Sacred.(4) A society or religion that has lost its way because it is distancing itself from the Kingdom of God, from Sacred Creation, is complicit in Evil. The good news is that a time like ours is a time to awaken us to the revelation of the Sacred once again. To see every creature as another Christ. As Thomas Merton put it, “Everything that is is holy.” A New Reformation invites the church to shed its anthropocentrism and narcissism in favor of the true Kingdom/Queendom of God, sacred creation. In times like these our varied vocations take on special meaning. True religion’s task is not just to wake up to the Sacred but also to defend it. That is why an authentic spiritual adult today is both a mystic (lover) and a warrior (or prophet) who defends what one cherishes and stands up to Evil. May this Earth Day 2017 give birth to many such mystics and prophets. ~ Matthew Fox Read the essay online here. About the Author Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 32 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 60 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the FleshTransforming Evil in Soul and Society, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved and Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest Footnotes: (1) As an example of politicians being hypocritical, see my “Is Ryan a Religious Hypocrite? A Priestly Letter to Speaker Paul Ryan from Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox” in www.tikkun.org. (2) Abraham Joshua Heschel, Who Is Man? (Stanford, Ca: Stanford University Press, 1965), 87. (3) For a spiritual exercise to hasten the return of the Cosmic Christ see Bishop Marc Andrus and Matthew Fox, Stations of the Cosmic Christ (San Francisco: Tayen Lane Publishing, 2016). (4) Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society (Berkeley, CA: North American Press, 2016). Question & Answer Reader from the Internet writes: Question: What does progressive Christianity have to say about the concept of hell that seems so central to so many other forms of historic and current Christianity? Answer: By Roger Wolsey Dear Reader, That is an excellent question and we progressive Christians really would do well to have some thought out responses when our more evangelical friends ask us about these matters – as well as our agnostic, atheist, and spiritual but not religious friends ask us this same question. As with so many things, progressive Christianity doesn’t have any official stance about this, but it does seem to be the case that most progressive Christians do not have a concept of hell as part of their faith and practice. I cannot speak for all of progressive Christianity, but I can share how this progressive Christian understands things – hell isn’t even part of the Bible and shouldn’t be a part of Christianity. To be blunt about it, let me repeat, Hell isn’t Christian – or Jewish. It’s pagan. “The modern English word Hell is derived from Old English hel, helle (about 725 AD to refer to a nether world of the dead) reaching into the Anglo-Saxon pagan period, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *halja, meaning “one who covers up or hides something”.[2] The word has cognates in related Germanic languages such as Old Frisian helle, hille, Old Saxon hellja, Middle Dutch helle (modern Dutch hel), Old High German helle (Modern German Hölle), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish helvede/helvete (hel + Old Norse vitti, “punishment” whence the Icelandic víti “hell”), and Gothic halja.[2] Subsequently, the word was used to transfer a pagan concept to Christian theology and its vocabulary[2] (however, for the Judeo-Christian origin of the concept see Gehenna). Some have theorized that English word hell is derived from Old Norse hel.[2] However, this is very unlikely as hel appears in Old English before the Viking invasions. Furthermore, the word has cognates in all the other Germanic languages and has a Proto-Germanic origin.[3] Among other sources, the Poetic Edda, compiled from earlier traditional sources in the 13th century, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, provide information regarding the beliefs of the Norse pagans, including a being named Hel, who is described as ruling over an underworld location of the same name.” Jesus didn’t speak of Hell, but rather, of Gehenna, as a potential punishing realm for those deemed unworthy. Gehenna was the name of the burning garbage pits outside of Jerusalem. Jesus was speaking in hyperbole in such instances – as a teaching tool to help some people be motivated to do right in this life; i.e., as a metaphorical stick. That said, he rarely spoke about “the stick” and spent far more time offering “the carrot” – describing the kingdom of God/Heaven and the merits and blessings of living in godly ways that demonstrate we’re living “kingdom lives” in God’s beloved community and realm. “The truth of the matter is that there is not one single word in the Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts of the Bible that means hell. …hell is a man-invented, pagan, unchristian, heretical belief that was first embraced and christianised by Roman Catholicism, and incorporated into the Bible by Jerome through his Latin Vulgate in the early history of Christianity.“ As a Jew, Jesus likely believed that human souls go to “sheol” – a nebulous, ethereal, and neutral realm that is thought to lie beneath the surface of the earth. Sheol being the place where all souls reside/rest/sleep until the judgment day where, in the Christian case, “Jesus returns to judge the quick and the dead.” But even those who go to hades, according to Revelation, don’t experience “eternal suffering” as “hell” itself becomes swallowed up and obliterated". That said, I – along with many other Christians – am agnostic about the afterlife. I don’t know if there’s a heaven or a hell. I rather suspect that the only hells that exist are the ones that we create and allow at this time – and there are far too many of those. I don’t follow Jesus in order to go to heaven when I die -- or conversely, to avoid going to hell. That’s a cheap form of faith that is really nothing more than fire insurance. I follow Jesus here and now for the sake of experiencing salvation (which means “wholeness” and “healing”) here and now – and to help others do the same. To the extent that I think that salvation has anything to do with what happens after we die, I believe in universal salvation. William Barclay wrote a classic essay arguing for this showing how this is biblically based. See: “Why I am a Convicted Universalist” For many progressive Christians, going to heaven after we die, isn’t the cake, it’s merely the icing on the marvelous cake that is life’s majestic pageant here and now. We’re called to live “kingdom lives” (lives in sync with and that reflect God’s Beloved Community) – now – trusting that whatever happens afterward will take care of itself. To those who say that it’s important to hold fast to Jesus’ teaching about “eternal” life. It is my understanding that the koine Greek words “perisson/perissos” that are often translated as “eternal” in English also mean “abundant/full” and so it’s as much about a state and quality of being here and now as it is about infinite perpetual time. With this in mind, I tend to emphasize our invitation to experience abundant life by following the way and teachings of Jesus. ~ Roger Wolsey Read and share online here About 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 Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Terrible Texts: Be Fruitful and Multiply and Subdue the Earth – Part II For most of Western history, our attention has been given primarily to the task of maintaining the growing human population. Only in relatively modern times, has our focus begun to turn to giving some attention to the process of slowing down the birth rate. That would prove to be a new and very different battleground. One of the reasons that birth control had trouble gaining traction was that it confronted a major enemy in organized religion. The leadership of the Christian Church attacked vigorously any procedure that separated sexuality from procreation, arguing that this would lead only to moral anarchy. Having claimed for itself the right to define and to defend public morality, the Church’s very self-image was at stake. The lines of battle were thus drawn between new moral issues that resulted from an exploding population and traditional moral issues that emerged when sex was separated from procreation. Sex has always been feared by organized religion. Great efforts have been exerted by religious traditions to keep this powerful force under control. Ancient religious systems, especially those shaped by the cycle of agriculture, tried to co-opt sex to serve its fertility needs. Temple prostitutes, both male and female, became part of their liturgies. The Western Catholic tradition made the suppression of sex a prerequisite for the holy life of both the ordained and the Religious. The implication was that bodies were unclean, even loathsome, and physical desire was called the mark of the evil one. Marriage itself was regarded as a compromise with sin while virginity was installed as the highest virtue. It was St. Paul who proclaimed that ‘sin dwells in my members, making me do what I do not want to do.’ He spoke of a war that went on inside him with his mind following one law and his body another. “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death,” he asked. That plea was later used to equate celibacy with holiness. The Church had come a long way from the Creation Story in which God was portrayed as creating ex nihilo – out of nothing, and calling good all that God had made, including bodies with their sexual desires. The battle in religious circles over birth control was, therefore, a battle that pitted a religion of control and repression against a religion that celebrated the goodness of creation. It was not between morality and the breakdown of morality, as many religious spokespersons even today like to assert. That battle is now entering its final stages. Does a universal and morally required birth control mean that organized religion, which has historically opposed it, has to die? That is the anxiety that underlies the sexuality debate going on in religious circles today. First, a very brief history is essential. Primitive attempts at birth control have been around since the dawn of time, motivated primarily by the inconvenience of an unwanted pregnancy. There is even a biblical story about a man named Onan who did not want to produce an heir by his deceased brother’s widow, so he practiced what came to be called ‘coitus interruptus’ and, as the Bible said, “spilled his seed on the ground (Gen. 38).” This ‘seed’ was thought of as the ‘source of life’ and its ‘holiness’ was not to be wasted. Religious negativity toward masturbation finds some of its roots here. Before DNA evidence could trace parenthood so precisely, the only way a man could guarantee the legitimacy of his own offspring was to keep his wife confined in a place where no opportunity for indiscretion existed. That too was a form of birth control. There were also techniques developed to produce a “spontaneous abortion” but none of them was particularly satisfactory or safe. The only sure method of birth control in those days was abstinence and the primary force undergirding abstinence was public opinion, enforced by the moral pronouncements of ecclesiastical leaders. Hence in the Western world, the Christian Church staked its claim to being the guardian of this powerful sexual force, which they believed had to be controlled, or public morality be doomed. Birth control was, therefore, the implacable enemy of the church. But when human circumstances changed, each of these claims was called into serious question. Before the defeat of most of humanity’s natural enemies our human future required a high birth rate. Given the casualties among young males in both war and the hunt, the excessive number of women in the tribe could be cared for only with a system of multiple wives, so polygamy was not only encouraged it was said to have been blessed by God. The Bible is, of course, filled with stories that illustrate this principle. The patriarchs of Israel’s history, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, all had numerous wives. The great split in Jewish history between the Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom called Israel was explained by the fact that Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Since women were considered to be the property of men multiple wives were a sign of wealth and power. Alliances were frequently sealed when one king gave his daughter to the harem of another king. The Bible tells us of Solomon’s 1000 wives and concubines. The day had not yet dawned when the male imposed stereotype of the female was thought of as immoral. Women’s feelings were given no consideration since controlling the woman’s body for the sexual benefit of the male was the only priority. When monogamy, reflecting an increasing appreciation of women, became the norm the growing sense of a woman’s worth made family planning even more important. Some natural processes of birth control were called moral by the Church. These included the fact that pregnancies were thought to be less probable while the mother was nursing so postponing the weaning process resulted in better spacing for the children. Then religious institutions began to encourage couples to practice periodic sexual withdrawal for pious reasons. A couple might give themselves to prayer and abstinence for the forty days of Lent, for example, which would, not coincidentally, take the woman out of production temporarily. There was also a widespread use of mistresses, especially post-menopausal mistresses, who posed no threat of pregnancy and whose presence meant that wives could be spared the regular risk of childbirth. The double standard of morality allowed this and no word of disapproval from the Church was forthcoming. None of these practices committed the cardinal sin of separating sexuality from procreation. In the 20th century, however, many things coalesced to produce a dramatic sexual revolution. There was first the development of the sanitary napkin, which did more to free women than has yet been fully understood. The inhibiting bustle was replaced by form fitting dresses worn by the “flappers” of the 1920s when they did “the Charleston.” Next there was the rise in various emancipating forces: the suffragette movement, the opening of the doors of higher education to women and their subsequent entry into the work force. These new freedoms led to new career opportunities for women that made family planning increasingly necessary. The need for effective birth control grew. A safe, relatively efficient condom was developed. This was by every measure the most successful method of birth control yet devised and one is not surprised to discover that condoms are still today readily available through dispensers in almost every public rest room in America. World War II’s male shortage greatly expanded women’s role in the work place from which they would never depart. Finally, ‘the pill’ was developed and birth control was now convenient, safe and fully effective. These were the forces that created the era of sexual freedom that appeared to justify the worst fears of the most righteous moralists. The 60’s were a decade of rampant sexual experimentation. The pill separated women once and for all from their male imposed biological definitions. The pill also began finally to affect population growth. Every nation in the developed Western world today has slowed its birth rate substantially with some nations like Italy no longer even reproducing their present population. The people of the Western world simply threw off the repression of Western religion. The Protestant churches, by and large, adapted to these new realities and no longer condemned “family planning.” The Roman Catholic Church held firm to its condemnation of all “unnatural” means of birth control only to see its constituency abandon the church’s teaching on this subject almost totally. Polls indicate that Roman Catholic women in the developed nations practice birth control in exactly the same percentages (90% +), as do Protestant women, Jewish women and non-religious women. Papal teaching on this subject is simply ignored. The only place where the traditional sexual teaching of the Church fuels emotion today is on abortion, which I regard as nothing more than the last gasp of the birth control battle. Abortion would be minimal today if sex education and birth control were available to all of our citizens. But, of course, conservative Catholic and Protestant Churches would never allow that. The population of the world continues to explode today only in the third world where poverty, ignorance and traditional religious teachings combine to produce a senselessly high birth rate that results in starvation and shocking infant mortality. Relief efforts to feed these children, without a corresponding program of education and birth control, will only guarantee a population explosion in the next generation that will make infant mortality even worse. The time has come for the Christian Church in all of its forms to recognize that its traditional negativity to birth control has itself become immoral and that limiting births has become a new virtue. Religious teaching must turn from its fear driven moralism and concentrate on deepening relationships, articulating a new responsible human maturity and recovering the essential goodness of life. The day has come when people no longer believe that God commands them to “be fruitful and multiply.” This ‘terrible’ text must be named for what it is and the literal understanding of the Bible that gave this verse such force be jettisoned. Human survival means that we must cease our outrageous over-breeding, and learn to live in harmony with this world, not as the dominators of life but as an essential part of a fragile ecosystem. To examine the origins of that sense that human beings were meant to have dominion over all the world will be my topic next week as we continue to examine this particular ‘terrible text.’ ~ John Shelby Spong Originally published September 3, 2003 Announcements It is not too late! Sign up for the most exciting festival coming to Portland, OR this week. Come for all 3 days, 1 day or 2 - you may even choose just the evening activities and music. Presentations by over 30 Leaders, Teachers, Authors, Theologians, and Activists plus Live Art, Music and Performance. Click here to go to Embrace Festival website Any questions or concerns, please contact us at support(a)progressivechristianity.org or 253-507-8678. Copyright © 2017 ProgressiveChristianity.org, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have a membership at johnshelbyspong.com. Our mailing address is: ProgressiveChristianity.org 4810 Pt. Fosdick Dr. NW #80 Gig Harbor, WA 98335 Add us to your address book If you are a paying subscriber, you may login and cancel your account. This email was sent to elliestock(a)aol.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences ProgressiveChristianity.org · 4810 Pt. Fosdick Dr. NW · #80 · Gig Harbor, WA 98335 · USA

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"Journey Reflection" Blog Posts (April 2017) most read
by John C via OE 30 Apr '17

30 Apr '17

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Re: [Oe List ...] GREETINGS FROM WASHINGTON, DC!; Fwd: TODAY People's Climate March live More . . .
by via OE 29 Apr '17

29 Apr '17

Thank you, Ellie, for being there on our behalf. I talked to my congressman's office this week. (Devin Nunes himself). as well as offices of Senators Boxer and Harriis. Have a meditation group coming this afternoon to pray and meditate on behalf of our Mother Earth. Eighty-two degrees here today. I watched the movie, "In the Light of Reverence" last night, a documentary about sacred sites of Lakota (Devil's Tower in the Lakota Black Hills), Mt. Shasta in the Winnemem Wintu tribal area, and the Four Corners of the Hopi in northern Arizona. Peabody Coal Co. has had a pipeline from there taking coal slurry to Los Angeles since before 2001, when the movie was made. The desecration shown in the movie and "resource" extraction are done deals. The last words of the commentator were, "Technology is going to destroy humanity." Blessings, Jann McGuire -----Original Message----- From: Ellie Stock via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; oe <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Sat, Apr 29, 2017 8:03 am Subject: [Oe List ...] GREETINGS FROM WASHINGTON, DC!; Fwd: TODAY People's Climate March live More . . . Hi Folks, Greetings from Washington, DC, where shortly, we will be participating in the People' Climate March. If you are not able to join a local msrch, Democracy Now is live streaming the event--see link below. We arrived last week to participate in Ecumenical Advocacy Days, this year's theme based on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on Vietnam that focused on the triplets of racism, militarism, and materialism. We also participated in the DC March for Science--about 120,000 in the rain, but it was a good event. Monday was Lobby Day--visiting congressional offices. While here we gave a presentation on The Doctrine of Discovery at the Oblates Residence with their Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee. Also doing PC (USA) Earth Care presentations at Potomac PC and Westminster PC, Marie Sharp's church. Off to the march--hopefully connecting with Dick Alton and Sally Yost who will also be there. Ellie Stock ☺ elliestock(a)aol.com See below for live streaming of march... Opportunity to watch The People's Climate March life today; a selection of informative articles, some disturbing/some encouraging; practical things we can do. TODAY Watch the People's Climate March Live Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and team will provide special live coverage of the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. Watch LIVE tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. ET at democracynow.org. Or tune in live on: FSTV (Dish Network 9415 & DirecTV Ch. 348) Link TV (Dish Network 9410 & DirecTV Ch. 375) WHUT-TV (Ch. 32.1 & 32.2 in Washington D.C.) Check your local Democracy Now! station for listings. https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/04/27/100-clean-energy-bill-laun… 100% Clean Energy Bill Launched by Senators and Movement Leaders Legislation comes ahead of Peoples Climate March on April 29th 27 April 2017 http://www.ecowatch.com/salt-lake-city-makes-historic-commitment-to-100-per… Salt Lake City Makes Historic Commitment to 100% Renewables by 2032 14 July 2016 http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/3/27/14922516/trump-executiv… Trump’s big new executive order to tear up Obama’s climate policies, explained 27 March 2017 http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176269/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_do_afric… Tomgram: Michael Klare, Do African Famines Presage Global Climate-Change Catastrophe? 20 April 2017 https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/dapl-developer-spills-drilling… DAPL Developer Spills Drilling Fluids Into Wetlands While Constructing Another Pipeline The latest incident is just another ding on Energy Transfer Partners' spotty record 20 April 2017 https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/20/trumps-buy-american-order-look… Trump's "Buy American" Order Looks Weak as DAPL Company Pushes Back "As with Trump's campaign promises, the executive order is full of loopholes that are designed to protect Wall Street interests and multinational corporations—at the expense of American workers and communities." 20 April 2017 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/06/scient… Climate change is literally turning the Arctic ocean inside out 6 April 2017 On the release of Methane http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39957-release-of-arctic-methane-may-be-a… https://www.greenoptimistic.com/giant-methane-release-20170401/#.WQCERb3WHIV http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40311-great-barrier-reef-reaches-termina… Great Barrier Reef Reaches "Terminal Stage" as CO2 Levels Rise at Record Rate 24 April 2017 Also on Great Barrier Reef - https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127170-mass-bleaching-hits-great-barr… * * * * * * * * * * * * * >From a recipient - helpful reminders on some of the things we can personally do, or help convince our governing structures to do. The fossil fuel industry receives a lot of criticism these days, and rightfully so. But in the final analysis, we are the ones who support the energy industry and it is our standard of living that will need to change. So contemplate what you can do for the cause Personal Actions End our love affair with the automobile Ride more trains and buses Car pool Walk and bike more Turn off the air conditioner in the summer and dial the thermostat down in winter Become vegetarians or vegans Refill plastic bottles with tap water Discontinue using aluminum cans with and without carbonation Maximize use of reusable bags and products Recycle junk mail Forego fast junk food Go to “slow food”; Recycle maximally, especially aluminum cans Drive and accelerate more slowly Climb more stairs Plant more trees Forego use of spray cans Ride more trains and buses Repair, mend and alter as much as possible Buy solar panels Compost as much as possible Last person out of the room turn off the lights Eat and farm organic Ride more trains and buses Fly fewer planes Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Use manual tools instead of power tools Share more Use rakes rather than leaf blowers Decrease use of bottled water and refill plastic bottles with tap water Maximize reusable bags and products Push rather than power small mowers Replace lawns with vegetable gardens Stop fertilizing and mowing lawns Compost as much as possible Minimize use of disposables (Pampers, Ikea furniture); Maximize high efficiency LED and solar powered lighting; Limit endless gadgets Use motion lighting, where appropriate Local Government Actions Reorganize cities, building taller residences with a smaller footprint (the end of suburbia) Institute a carbon tax Promote car pooling subsidize and expand mass transit Expand bike paths Have shareable (zip) cars Ban electric outdoor signs; Eat and farm organic Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Eliminate approximately 50% of all street lighting and office lighting in unoccupied buildings eliminate “fast junk food”; go to “slow food replace Federal Government Actions Ban gasohol Rein in the militaries for defense only and outlaw war Discontinue night baseball Make electronics, house wares, furniture, etc to be as durable and long-lived as possible Recycle maximally Make appliances to be as energy efficient as possible Discontinue aluminum cans Ban electric outdoor signs Maximize solar and wind power; Change from petroleum based fertilizers to regenerative agriculture Reverse deforestation, plant more trees Restrict spray cans Promote conference calls and web cams, fewer meetings Promote zero population growth with free condoms and family planning world-wide End yearly auto model changes; Proscribe junk mail Scrap the mission to Mars ~ Bonus ~ This Is What It Will Look Like [projected] When Mar-A-Lago Disappears Under Rising Seas . . . _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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4/27/17: Wolsey: Is Jesus the Only Way?; Spong revisited: The Word Of God?
by Ellie Stock via OE 27 Apr '17

27 Apr '17

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target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Homepage</a> <a style="color: #4487cf;text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">My Profile</a> <a style="color: #4487cf;text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Essay Archive</a> <a style="color: #4487cf;text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb2…">Message Boards</a> <a style="color: #4487cf;text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Calendar</a></h5></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" id="aolmail_templateBody"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" class="aolmail_bodyContent" style="background-color: #ffffff;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> <div style="color: #000000;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 16px;line-height: 150%;text-align: left;"><h1 style="color: #003d4a;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 34px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;">Is Jesus the Only Way?</h1> <h3 class="aolmail_null" style="color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 26px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;">By Roger Wolsey</h3> <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…"><img align="left" alt="roger_wolsey copy" class="aolmail_wp-image-49773 aolmail_alignleft" height="156" style="border: 0px;width: 115px;height: 156px;margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="115" src="https://johnshelbyspong.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/roger_wolsey-copy.jpg"></a>As a progressive Christian pastor and author I frequently receive critical pushback from conservative and fundamentalist Christians who adamantly declare that the only way to experience salvation is by giving intellectual assent to certain specific truth claims about the life of Jesus. Scratch that, they don’t generally care about his life, their focus is primarily upon Jesus’ death and his resurrection. Their message boils down to “Unless you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that he physically rose from the grave, you are a heretic, and will go to hell when you die.” There are numerous problems with this line of thinking from a progressive Christian perspective. 1. The lack of emphasis upon Jesus’ 30-33 years of life – his way, teachings, and example. 2. Reducing the faith to a cerebral matter of what individuals accept as accurate information. 3. The view that salvation is largely a matter of where we’ll go when we die. 4. The idea that it is Jesus’ death on the cross that allows anyone to experience salvation. And 5. The notion that hell is even a Christian concept – it isn’t. I addressed all of these matters in full and in depth in my book <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Kissing Fish</a>. I’ve frankly avoided addressing these matters as a blog as they are complicated and require, and are worthy of, much back-story, nuance, and sophisticated discourse. However, it’s become clear that there’s a need for a briefer synopsis. So the following is my attempt to put this all into a nutshell. Here we go. Re: points 1 & 2, It’s a damn shame and tragedy that so many Christians focus on Jesus’ death and not on his life. Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ is a keen example of this distortion of authentic Christianity. The idea that simply accepting X, Y, and Z about Jesus’ person, death, and resurrection is what matters – and not focusing on his teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, and looking at his actual ways of practicing his religion in interacting with and relating to people – is missing the forest for the trees (and only a tiny number of trees at that). It’s an epic adventure in missing the point. One can believe “all the right things” and not be able to love their way out of a wet paper bag. It’s loving that matters. (<a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">1 Corinthians 13</a>) Re: 3 & 4, in Hebrew, salvation means healing, wholeness, and well-being. To remind us, Jesus was a Jew who practiced Judaism. Yet conservative Christians disregard (don’t even seem to know) that and instead distort salvation to believing or accepting certain intellectual assertions. Jesus saved (provided salvation to) numerous people long before he was killed – it’s right there in the Gospels, read them for gosh sake. This reality clearly undermines the conservative premise that no-one is saved but for Jesus’ blood shed on a cross. In the Gospels, salvation is experienced when someone accepts God’s healing, grace and love and responds in ways that show it. Jesus also referred to this state of being as experiencing “abundant/eternal life” and living in “the kingdom of God.” Conservative and fundamentalist Christians subscribe rigidly to the substitutionary or penal theories of the atonement – that Jesus died as our proxy/substitute and took on a the violent death that each of us should receive, and/or that Jesus received the punishment that’s intended for each of us “wretched sinners.” First of all, there has never been a Church Council that has declared that any one theory of the atonement is “the one, true, right one.” Second, the theology that is associated with those theories of the atonement posits an angry, judgmental, wrathful, blood thirsty God & understands humans as incapable of anything but sin and evil. Put me on record as rejecting that pagan god – 100% percent. Yes, I’m aware that there are parts of the Bible that might suggest such a view of God. To which I’d remind us that a) God didn’t write the Bible, b) it consists of 66 books, written by many people over many years, and c) not a few of the verses within some of those books contain bad theology that reflect pagan influences of the cultures that surrounded those ancient peoples (e.g., Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman). Finally, there are numerous other theories of the atonement that are biblically based and have been embraced by Christians since the very birth of the faith. Most progressive Christians tend to embrace the Christus Victor or the <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb2…">Moral Influence</a>/Moral Exemplar theories of the “at-one-ment.” I prefer the latter, i.e., that Jesus is our model who shows us how to truly live a Godly life and thus experience and know salvation wholeness and abundant/eternal life here and now – and beyond. It is by loving others and receiving their love; forgiving others and receiving their forgiveness; by treating others justly and receiving their just treatment; and by being reconciled with others – that we know and experience salvation. Salvation is a Divine-human co-creation that we receive and participate in. What prompted today’s essay was coming across the following image/meme on social media. It reads “CONTRADICT They can’t all be true. – John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ <img alt="john 14 6" class="aolmail_wp-image-49848 aolmail_size-medium aolmail_alignleft" height="120" width="300" style="border: none;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;height: auto;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" src="https://johnshelbyspong.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/john-14-6-300x120.png"> The person who posted that meme went on to add: “All the religions of the world are true because they’re all basically the same.” This refrain, commonly repeated by people, reflects a fundamental ignorance of the world’s religions. The religions are not the same because their core beliefs contradict each other. Here are a few examples: -most Hindus believe in the existence of an atman (i.e. soul) that is reincarnated after death; Buddhism denies this – Islam teaches that Jesus Christ never died on a cross; Christianity teaches that if Jesus never died and rose again, the whole Christian faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15) -Hinduism affirms (or permits) the worship of many gods; Judaism strictly prohibits this and requires that only one God be worshiped. Given the contradictions in the world religions, all of them cannot be true. The most important question then becomes which, if any of them, accurately describe the true nature of reality?” That person runs an evangelical “apologetics” platform which seeks to defend and explain “the Christian faith” to non-believers. The short description on their About page humbly states “A place to explore the ultimate questions of life from a Christian worldview.” Fair enough, it is *a* Christian worldview. And yet, the page’s true colors come out in the General Description “…defense of the Christian worldview.” Yep, he thinks he’s championing THE Christian perspective. Not so humble – or accurate. Okay, let’s address the points made in his post. Yes, there are some factual differences among and between the major world religions. The points chosen to highlight are tellingly ones that reflect his idealized Christo-centric priorities — what various religions teach that pertains to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Sure, Muslims don’t think Jesus was killed, and Buddhists and Hindus don’t believe in resurrection. And Hindus have many gods to worship and Jews only one. So what? Those are hardly what Jesus and his message are all about. In other words, the things that conservative Christians tend to think are the essential foundations – aren’t. Christians are called to follow the religion of Jesus – not the religion about him. <img alt="coexist" class="aolmail_wp-image-49849 aolmail_size-medium aolmail_alignleft" height="110" width="300" style="border: none;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;height: auto;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" src="https://johnshelbyspong.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/coexist--300x110.jpg"> The graphic featured is one that is an obvious play and attack on the many variations of the symbolic COEXIST slogan featured on bumper-stickers across the land. Such bumper-stickers are meant to convey a sense of appreciating the diversity of world religions and a deep valuing of all of them – including the common ground among them. They’re an invitation to remind us of a higher calling to “pray well with others.” The meme at hand, however, seeks to convey that the members of the various religions are at odds with each other and can’t play well in the sandbox of life together. Indeed, he’s saying that they’re “contradictory and in opposition to the Truth.” And yet, many of us who live in the 21st century know full well that seemingly contradictory things can both be true – at the same time. It’s called paradox – something that conservative and fundamentalist Christianities can’t fathom due to their still operating via the mindset of the modern era. Light, for instance, can be understood as being a particle — or as a wave. Both perceptions are true – at the same time – even if they seem contradictory. Similarly, one can see that each of the major world religions are true, and one can understand that famous/infamous passage where Jesus is presented as saying “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) as celebrating the uniqueness and distinctiveness of Jesus *and* also celebrating the universal common ground that exists among many religions. Progressive Christianity is the post-modern-influenced evolution of historic mainline Liberal Christianity. While not to be equated with postmodernism, it honors contemporary people’s capacities to see and honor multiple truths at the same time. One might say that 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 Christ in them. This is also true for secular NGOs. We might also say that on a surface level, all of the major world religions are the same. On a deeper level, all of those religions are very different. And on a still deeper level, all of those religions are the same. That said, we’re rather enamored by the uniqueness of the Jesus story and we invite others to join us in sharing in that specific life-giving journey — even if we feel no dire need to convert anyone. It is this non-exclusive approach to our faith that many young adults find compelling. So progressive Christianity is evangelistic even as it’s not. Evangelical platforms such as this one seem to be motivated by anxiety. They’re concerned about many of the people “going to hell” and they’re concerned about Christianity dying. Progressive Christians, instead, invite us to simply be as faithful as we can <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">and not worry about “the Church dying.</a>” We have no fear of death for we follow a savior who gave it all up for the sake of others – and who invites us to pick up our cross and follow him – and be willing to die. Indeed, if we do anything to “attract” people out of desperation on our part, it’ll be fruitless. It’s like dating someone who is insecure and anxious — not attractive. Let’s just boldly (and paradoxically) be who were are — and maybe even more so — yes, more so. ~ Rev. Roger Wolsey, Director, Wesley Foundation at University of Colorado – Boulder p.s., In my book <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Kissing Fish</a>, I stated that “each of the major world religions are like wells, and if you go deep enough into any of them, you’ll hit the same aquifer and Source.” I firmly believe that. However, I’m particularly drawn to the well of Christianity. I don’t literally think that all religions are *exactly* the same. German, English, Korean, or Swahili are all valid, effective, languages, but they aren’t exactly the same. The same is true for the major world religions. There are differences to be sure among the religions – but to the extent that they each seek to foster increased love, compassion, justice, mercy, etc – they’re doing the same work and helping people connect with themselves, each other, and beyond. That said, IMO, those various religions have differing capacities and histories in doing those particular things. Christianity, at its best, is a particularly effective vehicle for helping people become more loving and just. One of the key reasons that I’m a Christian is because of its long history of prophetically speaking truth to power and seeking to challenge and change unjust social systems. Many of the Asian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism) have tended to avoid saying that there is right and wrong or good or bad. Such a philosophy can reduce personal suffering via letting go of certain mindsets. That said, they also tend to result in moral quietude in the face of mass injustice and end up fostering increased social suffering. Case in point, the many centuries of the oppressive caste system in India. However, Buddhism does have a strong vein of fostering compassion and, like Thomas Merton before me, I’m a better Christian by seeking to weave in the best of Buddhism into my practices. Christians would do well to humbly concede that Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on compassion, loving, truth, or justice – and indeed, there are many, many places where the Church as shown noted patterns of falling far short of our aspirations. The meme discussed here presents a polarized either/or perspective. It’s the sort of non-spiritual, non-mystical, unrealistic, and dysfunctional mindset that progressive Christianity seeks to help people place in the dustbin of history. Read the essay online <a target="_blank" style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">here</a>. </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> <div style="color: #000000;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 16px;line-height: 150%;text-align: left;"><hr> <h2 style="color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 30px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;">Question & Answer</h2> Georgina of Leland, Lancashire, U.K. writes: <h4 style="color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 22px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;"> Question:</h4> "How can I help other people have the experience of a living relationship with God?" <h4 style="color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 22px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;">Answer: By Gretta Vosper</h4> <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://"><img alt="Gretta Vosper" class="aolmail_wp-image-49753 aolmail_alignleft" height="144" style="border: 0px;width: 116px;height: 144px;margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;float: left;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="116" src="https://johnshelbyspong.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Gretta-Vosper-copy-2…"></a>Hi Georgina, The most enduring challenge faced by those who want to help others have the experience of a living relationship with God is our utter refusal to come up with a succinct definition of god that everyone will agree upon. Further complicating the challenge provided by the sheer number of ideas we are left with about the god we call God, is our assumption that everyone else shares the same idea we have. I think it was Peter Jennings, in a convocation address to Carleton University, who named our penchant for assuming that even people we know nothing about believe exactly the same way that we do, “the Vanna White Syndrome”. I don’t usually think in terms of a relationship with God; rather, I would consider relationships to either increase the god in the world or destroy it. My beliefs about god are wrapped up in that which, by virtue of my humanity, I am compelled to create in the world. It is the goodness that is mine to bring about, the delight that is mine to share, the healing that is mine to commence, the justice that is mine to demand. When I do these things, I create god in the world. The relationship aspect of it is what is built between me and myself, another person, the planet, or a generation I will never live to meet. When what we create in relationship with one another or ourselves is sacred, by which I mean something so crucial to the dignity of our humanity that we cannot risk denigrating or losing it, then we have created god. Relationships that honour the beauty and human dignity of the other are relationships that increase god. And, goodness knows, we need more of those relationships. It isn’t too hard to figure out what the opposite of those relationships would be like. Any time we refuse to bring love, caring, compassion, we refuse to create god in those relationships. It may be that you cannot be compassionate with someone else because being compassionate with yourself is the priority at that moment. Honour that. But when we choose to use someone for our own purposes or put someone down because they are not like us, then, using my definition, we reduce the god in the world. Or, in secular terms, we reduce the good in the world. We can ill afford to diminish good in the world. Living beauty, goodness, and truth into all the relationships you possibly can would, in my opinion and experience, be the perfect way to provide a living – in a very real sense – relationship with God for another. The strength of what you create together will provide lasting benefit to you both in situations you may never realize. It is a win win situation for both of you. And the world. A win, win, win! I don’t use the word “god” with many people in my life anymore. I’ve mostly added the extra “o” and moved onto the use of “good”. It makes it easier to explore, especially when understandings of what constitutes good diverge. When they do, we are much less sensitive about exploring our different understandings than we are when those differences are couched in ideas about the god called God. I would encourage you, Georgina, to continue to place goodness – god, if you must – in your relationships but carefully consider what the consequence of demanding that your family, friends, or acquaintances think and speak and order their universes as do you. Have a vibrant conversation about what good might be, but let that enrich your relationships without the requirement of language that discomforts many people. I think that, if you do, you will not only witness the strengthening of “go(o)d” in your own world, you will witness it strengthening the lives of those around you. ~ Gretta Vosper Read and Share Online <a target="_blank" style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Here</a> About the Author The Rev. Gretta Vosper is a United Church of Canada minister who is an atheist. Her best selling books include <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">With or Without God: Why The Way We Live is More Important Than What We Believe</a>, and <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…">Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief</a>. She has also published three books of poetry and prayers. _________________________________________________ <h2 style="text-align: center;color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 30px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;">Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited</h2> The Word of God? <img alt="Spong" class="aolmail_wp-image-49832 aolmail_alignleft" height="107" style="border: 0px;width: 101px;height: 107px;margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;float: left;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="101" src="https://johnshelbyspong.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Spong-283x300.jpg"> “This is the word of the Lord” That is the liturgical phrase used in Christian churches to mark the end of a reading from the Bible. It is a strange, even a misleading, phrase. Yet Sunday after Sunday it is repeated, reinforcing in the psyches of worshipers a rather outdated attitude toward Holy Scripture. In many of its details, the Bible is simply wrong! Epilepsy is not caused by demon possession. David did not write the Psalms. The earth is not the center of the universe. On other issues of great public concern, the Bible is no longer even regarded as moral. Its verses have been used to affirm war, slavery, segregation and apartheid. It defines women as inferior creatures and suggests that homosexual persons be put to death. Church people try to ignore or suppress these biblical deficiencies, but when the Scriptures are read to a listening congregation the response is increasing incredulity. Still they respond, “This is the word of the Lord.” Outside the church, this presumed authority of Scripture is generally ignored. Secular people live in a post-religious world where the idea that a literary work, written between 1000 B.C.E. and 135 C.E., can be “the Word of God,” is simply too far-fetched to believe. This obvious ecclesiastical power play is no longer even passively accepted as benign. One has only to chart the evil and pain that many people have endured in history because someone regarded the Bible as the “Word of God.” That claim is no longer regarded as valid. In a series of essays that will appear periodically over the next few months in this column I will examine some of the more frightening examples of these tragedies. My purpose will be quite specific. I will be seeking to call the Christian Church in all of its forms to look closely at what it is, overtly and covertly, teaching its people about the Bible and at the enormous gap that exists between what biblical scholars know and what the leaders of the churches actually say to their congregations. If our clergy do not really believe what they are saying, and if our liturgies affirm things that the scholars universally reject, then something is clearly amiss in contemporary Christianity that does not augur well for a Christian future. First, we need to state some basic biblical facts. The people who wrote the books in the Bible did not think they were writing “The Word of God.” That is a quite elementary but singularly important place to begin. In regard to the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah or the Books of Moses, scholars have known since the 19th century, that they are not the work of a single hand. They are rather a compilation of at least four strands of Jewish writing that were composed over a period of some 500 years. Those strands were first, the Yahwist document, written in the tenth century B.C.E. and sometimes called the Hebrew Iliad, which reflects the national history of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The second was the Elohist document, written in the 9th century B.C.E. and sometimes called the Hebrew Odyssey, which reflects the national history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. After the fall of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E., these two national stories were woven together into a single narrative. The third document was the product of one known as the Deuteronomic writer, composed in the late 7th century B.C.E., and consisting of the book of Deuteronomy and a general editing of the newly merged national Jewish story. The fourth source of the Torah was not so much a document as it was an expansive editorial commentary applied to the entire faith story by those called the Priestly Writers and written during the Babylonian Exile somewhere between 586 and 450 B.C.E. That is the process, briefly described, that produced the oldest part of the biblical story. One can identify the places where these versions of the story were woven rather inexactly together, producing many of the conflicting details in the Torah itself. The Sabbath day law, for example, developed during the Exile, is read back into the manna in the wilderness story to make sure that the miraculous food was not gathered on the seventh day in violation of the Sabbath. The ritualistic laws governing sacrifices were used to alter the Noah story so that during the 150 days on the ark, Noah could offer the proper sacrifices without destroying that species. Finally, there are three versions of the Ten Commandments in the Torah. The oldest one, from the Yahwist document, is found in Exodus 34. The version with which most of us are familiar, found in Exodus 20, comes from the Elohist document but was significantly doctored by the Priestly Writers. The third version is in Deuteronomy 5 and though close to Exodus 20 has some revealing differences. The Deuteronomic version of the 4th Commandment makes the reason for rest on the Sabbath, not that God rested from the work of creation and thus hallowed that day, but that the Jews should remember that they were once slaves and that even slaves need a day of rest. The seven-day creation story, with which the Bible now opens, was written by the Priestly Writers well after the Deuteronomic document had been completed. The idea that the Bible came into being in some sort of miraculous way and is either the literal dictation of God or even the “inspired message of God” is simply not supportable on its face. The Bible is a profoundly human, deeply flawed, tribal history that has created as much pain as blessing in our world. Moving on to the Hebrew prophets, this analysis produces a similar difficulty. The prophets tended to explain every disaster that befell the chosen people as the direct result of their laxity in obeying God’s laws or in their inability to worship God properly. God seemed to have little more to do than to organize the whole universe so as to teach the chosen people how to be faithful or to demonstrate the dreadful price that unfaithful ones would have to pay. When we turn to the first part of the New Testament to be written, we need to register the fact that Paul’s letters were just that, letters. They are time bound and time specific. They express irritation at and praise for the behavior of the actual recipients. They were composed in a dialogical manner in order to address real issues bothering real people in real time. When Paul wrote in anger, “I hope those who bother you will mutilate themselves,” was that the Word of God? Surely it was nothing more than the word of Paul! Similarly, when Paul suggested that a woman’s head must be covered in public worship, he was expressing a cultural norm not a universal principle. When Paul said, “I forbid a woman to have authority over a man” or when he suggested that those who do not worship God properly would have their sexual identities confused, does one really want to suggest that this badly dated bit of human ignorance is to be reverenced as the voice of God? Later the Gospel writers would violently twist out of context the writings of the prophets to prove such things as the literal accuracy of the Virgin Birth or to demonstrate that the ancient prophets supported the doctrinal and creedal development of the 4th and 5th Centuries of the Common Era. Jerry Falwell, in a published book, has suggested that the divine nature of Jesus is “proved” by the fact that he fulfilled in a very specific way, the messianic expectations of the prophets. That attitude, however, has been revealed by modern biblical scholarship to be nothing less than profound ignorance. The idea that a God, living somewhere above the sky, would drop hints into the texts of writers, some 800 years before the birth of Christ, determining exactly what Jesus would do in the 1st century, is fanciful enough. But when one adds that God would need to guard these divine hints through the centuries when these texts were copied by hand, protect them from destruction in war and guide the minds of Jewish decision makers centuries later to include these prophetic works in the Jewish Canon of Scripture, the elements of miracle and magic become heightened to incredibly superstitious levels. Next, one needs to understand, that contrary to the way Christian theology has interpreted the Gospels from the 2nd century on, Jesus did not miraculously live out these prophetic expectations. It was exactly the other way around. The story of Jesus was crafted some 40 – 70 years after that earthly life came to an end, to make it conform to the biblical expectations! Micah, for example, did not predict that the birth of Jesus would occur in Bethlehem. That was the way that later Christians interpreted Micah. Jesus’ birth, which probably occurred in Galilee, was shifted to Bethlehem in order to make the birth of Jesus fulfill this expectation. The story of Jesus’ crucifixion was, likewise, deliberately and liturgically shaped by their authors who had Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 in front of them as they wrote the passion narrative. We forget, conveniently I would suggest, that the earliest Gospel, Mark, says that when Jesus was arrested, all of the disciples “forsook him and fled.” Jesus died alone with no eyewitnesses. The Gospel writers later wrote the story of his death to “reveal the fulfillment of Scripture.” A great part of the crisis in faith today derives from the fact that the authority once claimed for the Bible cannot and should not be sustained in the light of modern knowledge. How important then is this traditional view of the Bible to the future of Christianity. Can this view of Scripture be abandoned without Christianity, as we have known it, not also collapsing? That question remains to be answered but it will be the present in the background of many columns written during the coming year. Stay tuned! ~ John Shelby Spong Originally Published July 16, 2003 </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> <div style="color: #000000;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 16px;line-height: 150%;text-align: left;"><hr> <h2 style="color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 30px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;text-align: left;">Announcements</h2> <div style="text-align: center;color: #000000;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 16px;line-height: 150%;"><a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…"><img align="center" height="161" style="border: 0px;width: 500px;height: 161px;margin: 0px;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="500" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b51b9cf441b059bb232418480/images/78e0e30e-518…"></a> May 4 - 6, 2017 people from all over the world will gather in Portland, Oregon to share knowledge and wisdom, learn from each other, celebrate, be inspired, and find the tools needed to create and enliven local movements within our communities. Together we will explore sacred oneness, Christ Consciousness, Buddha Nature, eco-spirituality, social justice and the way of universal and personal transformation that honors the Divine in all. </div> <h3 class="aolmail_null" style="text-align: center;color: #4487cf;display: block;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 26px;font-weight: normal;line-height: 100%;margin-top: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 10px;margin-left: 0;">3 Day In-city Festival Event Including:</h3> <div style="text-align: left;color: #000000;font-family: Georgia;font-size: 16px;line-height: 150%;">Presentations by over 30 Leaders, Teachers, Authors, Theologians, and Activists Live Art, Music and Performance Ceremony and Ritual Celebration, Dance, Entertainment Sacred Community Social Gathering Networking Learning/Workshops/Breakouts Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation, Dance, Drum circles Village Marketplace with art, music, books, crafts, and more!</div> <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…"><img height="128" style="border: 0px;width: 300px;height: 128px;margin: 0px;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="300" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b51b9cf441b059bb232418480/images/5e2d0853-408…"></a> <a style="color: #4487cf;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://johnshelbyspong.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b51b9cf441b059bb23…"><img height="280" style="border: 0px;width: 500px;height: 280px;margin: 0px;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;outline: none;text-decoration: none;text-transform: capitalize;display: inline;" width="500" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b51b9cf441b059bb232418480/images/c0d8ce24-9e1…"></a> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="600" id="aolmail_templateFooter" style="background-color: #FDFDFD;border-top: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" class="aolmail_footerContent"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" valign="middle" id="aolmail_social" style="background-color: #FAFAFA;border: 0;"> <div style="color: #707070;font-family: Arial;font-size: 12px;line-height: 125%;text-align: center;"></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" valign="middle" id="aolmail_utility" style="background-color: #FDFDFD;border: 1px dashed #d3d3d3;"><div style="color: #707070;font-family: Arial;font-size: 12px;line-height: 125%;text-align: center;"><div class="aolmail_vcard"><div class="aolmail_adr"><div class="aolmail_street-address"></div></div></div></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" valign="middle" id="aolmail_utility"><div style="color: #707070;font-family: Arial;font-size: 12px;line-height: 125%;text-align: left;"></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></center><center> </center></div> </div> <style type="text/css">#AOLMsgPart_2_28d8e90f-ab5d-431e-bdfc-209c2cdc85cb td{color: black;} @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .aolReplacedBody table#aolmail_canspamBar td{font-size:14px !important;} .aolReplacedBody table#aolmail_canspamBar td a{display:block !important; margin-top:10px !important;} } </style>

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Global Buzz reminder
by ICA International via OE 25 Apr '17

25 Apr '17

Reminder for entries This reminder is for the Global Buzz that will be published May 5th. 2017 (Please send your entries at least a day ahead) Please send all your entries by regular e-mail to: inform(a)ica-international.org with your entry as an attatchment. Send details of news items, training programmes, your peer to peer connections with other ICAs, any concerns you may have and of any events that are coming up at your location. Your report can be long or short, but remember that all other ICAs would really like to know about the things that matter where you are, and what you are doing as an ICA. Peter, for ICAI Communications Pour les entrées de rappel Ce rappel est à la Global Buzz qui sera publié le 5 Mai 2017 (Veuillez envoyer vos entrées au moins une journée à l'avance) Veuillez envoyer toutes vos entrées maintenant par courriel ordinaire à : inform(a)ica-international.org avec votre entrée comme un attatchment. Envoyer les détails des articles de nouvelles, des programmes de formation, vos connexions peer to peer avec d'autres CIAS, de toute préoccupation que vous pourriez avoir et de tous les événements qui sont à venir à votre emplacement. Votre rapport peut être longue ou courte, mais rappelez-vous que toutes les autres CIAS aimerait vraiment savoir à propos de choses qui importe où vous êtes et ce que vous faites comme une ICA. Recordatorio de las entradas Este aviso es para el Global Buzz que se publicarán 5 Mayo 2017 (Favor de enviar sus entradas al menos con un día de antelación) Por favor envíe todos sus entradas ahora por correo electrónico a: inform(a)ica-international.org con su entrada como un archivo adjunto. Enviar detalles de noticias, programas de capacitación, el peer to peer las conexiones con otros convenios o acuerdos internacionales, las preocupaciones que usted pueda tener y de los eventos que se aproximan en su ubicación. El informe puede ser a corto o largo, pero hay que recordar que todos los demás convenios quisiera saber realmente sobre lo que realmente importa, y lo que están haciendo una ICA.

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A footnote to the Lent–Easter journey
by David Dunn via OE 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

A footnote to the Lent-Easter Journey To the extent that we grow into the Genesis affirmation that all creation is good, the Lenten-Easter journey is transformed and transforming. Jesus’s “Lenten Journey” was toward Jerusalem and a confrontation of history, politics, and spirit at the Cross. He wasn’t practicing giving up stuff or penitence for his human frailty. He was practicing discernment of his own life calling and seeking the courage to offer his life to that mission. Lent is about discovering our highest and best selves and the focus of our engagement. It’s a time of opening to what is emerging within us and a season of exploring what keeps us from wholehearted self-offering. Easter is the joyous celebration of the eye-popping inner realization that the Power of Being Itself—the God-Christ-Spirit Word that brought matter to life with energy at the moment of creation—is behind and within all opening, exploration, discovery, and becoming. Lent is the practice of discerning how Creation is transforming our lives and Easter is the celebration of Creation’s infinite grace-filled supply of uplifting and life-giving spirit within flesh. April 18, 2017 David — "Mystery, possibility, and the power to choose” David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 720-314-5991 dmdunn1(a)gmail.com

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