Next Sunday's Heart of Christianity Class, 23 February, 2014

Next Sunday's Heart of Christianity Class, 23 February, 2014
Hi Everybody:
We'll discuss the next two chapters (10 and 11).  Here are some issues and questions to ponder for the discussion.
Chapter 10, The Samaritan Woman
1. P. 106, last 4 lines.  "Jesus is a barrier-breaker...A vision of 'the realm of God' begins to come into view."  Spong ends this chapter by reiterating that God's domain is a realm (not a kingdom), an experience (not a space), where the boundaries of human relationships begin to disappear.  Your thoughts?
AMEN!
2. Pp. 96-99.  As a preface to the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, Spong recounts what the well meant when a man met a woman at a well in ancient Jewish culture.  For me, Spong's thorough research is convincing.  Your thoughts?
3. Pp. 100-103.  As a preface to the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, Spong provides a useful short history course about Samaria and how it came into existence.  I was enlightened.  Your comments?
AMEN!
Chapter 11, The Gentile Official
4. P. 108, top part of page.  Do you think the author of the Fourth Gospel had in mind the bridging of tribal chasms when he used this story of the gentile official?  Your thoughts?
YES!
5. P. 108.  Do you perceive Jesus primarily to be a "barrier-breaker," or something else entirely?  Please explain.
YES AND MORE!
6. Pp. 109-110.  Spong suggests that it is fear of the stranger that is what, in large measure, keeps us from the "transformational moment" of experiencing a new level of consciousness.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?  In this connection, what do you suppose Jesus was trying to do in his ministry?
OPEN EYES, MIND, AND HEART!
7. Pp. 110-111. I thought Spong's short treatise on Jewish identity on these two pages is useful to his purpose of providing a solid context for interpreting the story of Jesus and the gentile official.  Your thoughts?
AMEN!
8. P. 113, 1st line of 1st Parag.  Spong's assertion could be turned into a question: How difficult is it for religious people to embrace an unbounded God?  Is your answer in sync with Spong's?  Explain.
MAYBE!
9. P. 115, 1st line, top of page.  "...we watch as faith is redefined."  Your thoughts about the way Spong treats "faith" on this page?
FAITH HAS NO LIMITS!
10.  Finally, after reading Spong's explanation of the stories about Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and the gentile official, are you sensing that the author of the Fourth Gospel is telling the story of Jesus around characters that he created (i.e., literary devices)?  Please explain.
I look forward to another  robust encounter with all of you discussing the issues, above.  Meanwhile, take good care of yourselves, best wishes and hasta domingo.   Ben

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