Monday, November 4, 2013

Saint Paul School Theology ~ Monday, 4 November 2013 ~ Faculty Focus November 2013


Saint Paul School Theology ~ Monday, 4 November 2013 ~ Faculty Focus November 2013
In This Issue:
New Book by Tex Sample
Speaking Schedules
Our Mission:
Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition and committed to inspiring passion for ministry in diverse Christian bodies, 
Saint Paul School of Theology educates leaders to make disciples for Jesus Christ, 
renew the church, 
and transform the world. 
Upcoming Events:
November 9, 2013
Saint Paul Academy
Dr. Mike Graves
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
November 13, 2013
Saint Paul Academy
Dr. Hal Knight, Dr. Mike Graves and Leigh Precise
Greater Kansas City Campus   
November 19, 2013
Saint Paul Academy
Dr. Amy Oden
Greater Kansas City Campus 
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Food, Faith & Community: What is Healthy Eating?
Think back a moment to a truly memorable meal - one where the food was excellent, the company stimulating and lively, and bond of friendship or family strong. What made it so? Was it the sense of being able to be fully in your own skin? Was it the sense of connection between food, between people - a feeling that "this is the way it should be?"
In his book Food and Faith, Norman Wirzba asks: Why did God create a world in which all living creatures need to eat? The answer, it seems to me, is that God creates the need to eat in order to call us into communion with God, whether that presence manifests itself in growing food, sharing food, or breaking the bread of the Lord's Supper. It reveals that we are in fact a membership of the whole, a shalom of earth community where the wheat and the grapes and the tomatoes and the chicken are grown both to enjoy life and to give us their nutrition. If one examines Scripture it can be argued that God intended food both for delight and for sharing. That is, we were created to eat in order to delight in the eating in our lives, and also to share that eating and our food with others. We need to share - when we do not, something is missing. 
This basic insight - that God has endowed our food with some elements of God's own goodness - points towards a number of practices that the church has historically maintained as spiritual guideposts. Christianity can, of course, be thought of as a way of life as much as a system of doctrine. Without such practice, we would miss countless opportunities to get in touch with God, each other, and our shared planet. It saddens God when we fail to recognize the beauty of food, of creation, of each other and even of ourselves. 
These practices are ways of living in a healthy manner.
1. Saying Grace.
For the Christian this is a moment of gratitude in which we acknowledge our dependence on God and the goodness of that "which we are about to receive".
2. Sharing with others - hospitality.
Most churches and denominations have hunger programs and also maintain the ideal of radical hospitality. 
3. Fasting. 
This allows us to see how little we absolutely need in a consumer world. We become sympathetic with those who are genuinely hungry. 
4. Feasting. 
Feasts abound throughout Scripture as a way of celebrating the goodness of life and also of bonding with other people. 
5. Honoring the body. 
God has given us embodiment as a primary form of our existence and counsels us to maintain the health of our bodies through a balanced diet, careful exercise, adequate sleep, and careful hygiene. 
6. Preparing food - yes, cooking. 
Preparing food is an activity that is best shared, and obviously it can be a joy in itself. We have the example of Jesus preparing breakfast on the seashore for the disciple as a resurrection appearance (John 21). 
7.The Eucharist/Lord's Supper/Communion. 
All of the practices contribute an aspect to Communion - gratitude, sharing, honoring others, hospitality, and feasting, to name a few. Some have claimed that the Eucharist is a model for all our eating. 
8. Gardening or the growing of food. 
Gardening is the activity where we come closest to recognizing just how much we are creatures dependent on natural forces. Millions of people grow their own food and are increasingly buying local produce. 
The practices I have described above are historic Christian activities which invite you to focus on shared activities that address our fundamental human needs. When they are combined and practiced they become a way of life. 
Exerpt from article published in Church Health Reader, Summer 2013. Dr. Shannon Jung is the Franklin and Louise Cole Professor of Town and Country Ministries at Saint Paul School of Theology, Greater Kansas City. Recent books include Moral Issues and Christian Responses and Hunger & Happiness.
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Human Nature, Interest, and Power
A Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought
Dr. Tex Sample has a new book published entitled, Human Nature, Interest, and Power: A Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought (Cascade Books, October 2013).
This book criticizes three basic concepts in Reinhold Niebuhr's social thought: his views of human nature, interest, and power. Attention is directed especially at the way Niebuhr's concepts lack sufficient historicity, obscure social and political dynamics, and, finally, lack adequate descriptive power. An alternative to each of these concepts is offered and used as a way to open up social thought to more complex analysis, more concrete and material uses, and a discussion of implications for alternative direction and action.
Dr. Tex Sample is the Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at Saint Paul School of Theology (Greater Kansas City area). He is a freelance speaker and workshop leader in the United States and overseas.
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Faculty Speaking Schedules November 2013 
November 7 - 10 
Dr. Stan Basler, Visiting Professor of Restorative Justice and Prison Ministries
Dick Conner Correctional Center, Hominy, OK 
November 7th - 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm
November 8th and 9th - 6:30 am to 8:30 pm
November 10th - 7:00 am to 4:00 pm
November 9 
Dr. Mike Graves, Professor of Preaching 
Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00 pm -3:00 pm "Bible and Old Testament Art Tour"
November 10
Dr. Jim Brandt, Professor of Historical Theology 
Atonement Lutheran Church, Overland Park, KS, 9:45 am
Preaching and Presiding
November 10
Dr. Mike Graves, Professor of Preaching 
South Summit Christian Church, Lee's Summit, MO, 10:00 am
Preaching
November 13
Dr. Mike Graves, Professor of Preaching 
Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS, 6:30 pm -8:00 pm
Saint Paul Academy: "Seminary 101"
November 16
Dr. Mike Graves, Professor of Preaching 
First Christian Church, Olathe, KS, 9:00 am
Preaching for Leadership Retreat
November 17
Dr. Jim Brandt, Professor of Historical Theology
Atonement Lutheran Church, Overland Park, KS, 9:45 am
Preaching and Presiding
November 17 
Dr. Mike Graves, Professor of Preaching
Park Hill Christian Church, Kansas City, MO, 9:00 am
Preaching
November 19
Dr. Amy Oden, Professor of Early Church History and Spirituality
Saint Paul School of Theology, Leawood, KS, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
"Unbending Ourselves: Ancient Christian Voices on Welcoming the Stranger"
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Saint Paul School of Theology
4370 W 109th St, Suite 300 
Overland Park, KS 66211-1397 
913-253-5000 
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2501 North Blackwelder Ave 
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone number: 405-208-5757
Fax number: 405-208-6046 
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