Weekly Recap for Tuesday, January 26, 2016 from ProgressiveChristianity.org of Gig Harbor, Washington, United StatesDo you think Progressive Christianity is an Oxymoron? This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week.
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A Primer on Progressive Faith and Politics
Timothy Murphy
As we enter the 2016 election year ... it’s important to consider the relationship between progressive faith and politics.
READ ON ... As we enter the 2016 election year and primary voting gets under way in the next few weeks, it’s important to consider the relationship between progressive faith and politics.
From the tradition I work out of, and with a name like “progressive Christians,” it’s not surprising that many people assume that means Christians who are Democrats, likely even those who “feel the Bern.” Not so! Progressive faith is rooted in a theological commitment.
We believe that salvation is first and foremost a this-worldly, collective change from the problems of this life more than an individualistic afterlife after-party. Whether you call it theSocial Gospel or something else, it means that our faith is meant to address the domination and oppression that communities experience as death-dealing. It means offering liberation and healing not just post-mortem, but right here, right now.
We believe that the truest calling of being church or living out Jesus’ way of compassion and justice means being in solidarity with oppressed communities. Learning from them and supporting their struggles are holy activities. This obviously has strong social, and by extension political, implications. Ending poverty, fighting militarism, dismantling white supremacy (Martin Luther King’s classic trifecta), as well as protecting the planet, affirming LGBT rights, and standing with religious communities being discriminated against (like Muslims) is the calling of every progressive person of faith.
What that doesn’t mean is that progressive Christians are shills for the Democratic Party. You can be a counter-cultural Green, a political independent, or a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (like Cornel West). Others prioritize expressing their civic engagement beyond voting through protesting party rallies like Black Lives Matters activists. I know an anti-racism trainer who is a born and raised Republican who votes in their primaries (let’s call this transformation from within). It’s even possible to feel an affinity for extra-American political parties, such as Greece’s Syriza Party or Podemos of Spain.
The key insight of progressive faith, whether Christian or otherwise, is a healthy skepticism of any one political figure acting as a messianic savior. Even a politician who prioritized all the issues and policies we advocate is not the solution to our world’s problems, because we know that strong social movements are what push our political system to address issues elected officials would sooner avoid. Some politicians are more open to being pushed, and some are more resistant. But the vast majority of long-lasting change happens when there is sufficient popular pressure to do the impossible, thanks to our moral imagination, whether through leading uprisings like the People Power Revolution that helped end the Philippines’ political dictatorship in the 1980s, pushing against political inertia through the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina, or challenging our economic system to move away from obscene income inequality and wealth disparities going forward.
Progressive faith trusts that the world can be healed from much that ails it, another system of living together is possible, and we have to fight and struggle together in love to help birth that coming Commonwealth into Divine existence.
Just don’t expect any person to single-handedly save the world. Except maybe Jon Snow.
About the Author:
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy is Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting
www.progressivechristiansuniting.org
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Progressive Christianity is Not an Oxymoron
As we enter the 2016 election year ... it’s important to consider the relationship between progressive faith and politics.
READ ON ... As we enter the 2016 election year and primary voting gets under way in the next few weeks, it’s important to consider the relationship between progressive faith and politics.
From the tradition I work out of, and with a name like “progressive Christians,” it’s not surprising that many people assume that means Christians who are Democrats, likely even those who “feel the Bern.” Not so! Progressive faith is rooted in a theological commitment.
We believe that salvation is first and foremost a this-worldly, collective change from the problems of this life more than an individualistic afterlife after-party. Whether you call it theSocial Gospel or something else, it means that our faith is meant to address the domination and oppression that communities experience as death-dealing. It means offering liberation and healing not just post-mortem, but right here, right now.
We believe that the truest calling of being church or living out Jesus’ way of compassion and justice means being in solidarity with oppressed communities. Learning from them and supporting their struggles are holy activities. This obviously has strong social, and by extension political, implications. Ending poverty, fighting militarism, dismantling white supremacy (Martin Luther King’s classic trifecta), as well as protecting the planet, affirming LGBT rights, and standing with religious communities being discriminated against (like Muslims) is the calling of every progressive person of faith.
What that doesn’t mean is that progressive Christians are shills for the Democratic Party. You can be a counter-cultural Green, a political independent, or a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (like Cornel West). Others prioritize expressing their civic engagement beyond voting through protesting party rallies like Black Lives Matters activists. I know an anti-racism trainer who is a born and raised Republican who votes in their primaries (let’s call this transformation from within). It’s even possible to feel an affinity for extra-American political parties, such as Greece’s Syriza Party or Podemos of Spain.
The key insight of progressive faith, whether Christian or otherwise, is a healthy skepticism of any one political figure acting as a messianic savior. Even a politician who prioritized all the issues and policies we advocate is not the solution to our world’s problems, because we know that strong social movements are what push our political system to address issues elected officials would sooner avoid. Some politicians are more open to being pushed, and some are more resistant. But the vast majority of long-lasting change happens when there is sufficient popular pressure to do the impossible, thanks to our moral imagination, whether through leading uprisings like the People Power Revolution that helped end the Philippines’ political dictatorship in the 1980s, pushing against political inertia through the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina, or challenging our economic system to move away from obscene income inequality and wealth disparities going forward.
Progressive faith trusts that the world can be healed from much that ails it, another system of living together is possible, and we have to fight and struggle together in love to help birth that coming Commonwealth into Divine existence.
Just don’t expect any person to single-handedly save the world. Except maybe Jon Snow.
About the Author:
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy is Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting
www.progressivechristiansuniting.org
---------------------
Progressive Christianity is Not an Oxymoron
Mark Sandlin
Jesus was progressive, not actually Christian, but he did start the whole movement.
READ ON ... They said I was…
a radical.
a liberal.
anti-American.
a tree hugger.
a peacenik.
a socialist.
a progressive.
But I was just following Jesus.
Contrary to what some may tell you, progressive Christianity is not an oxymoron. We have a long tradition of progressive ancestors going all the way back to Jesus – yes, Jesus was progressive, not actually Christian, but he did start the whole movement.
History is important. It informs us, inspires us and it can even comfort us. It can also become an anchor. At its worst, history can encourage us to get stuck in comfortable ruts and can even be used to manipulate contemporary realities.
One constant about history is that it’s always ours. Who we are as individuals, communities and even as nations is a direct response to our history. Yes, our identity is a response to environment, to experience and any number of things; but, undeniably, a big piece of who we are is a response to our history. Sometimes it shapes us for better, sometimes for worse, but either way it shapes us.
Progressive Christianity has a long line of forefathers and foremothers who have gone before us and shown us the way. They have shaped us individually and as a faith tradition — hopefully for the better.
It would be sheer folly to try to record, list, and enumerate the countless progressive followers of Christ who have played essential roles in our history. And, while many of our brothers and sisters on the right would have you believe otherwise, the progressive Christian community has been around since the earliest days of the Church.
Although many a fundamentalist (both conservative and progressive) may be oblivious to this truth, the Christian Left is a place of broad diversity in heritage and in theological perspective. While it is fairly difficult to be a conservative Christian and be pro-choice (difficult, not impossible), it is very easy to be a progressive Christian and be either pro-choice or pro-life – happens all the time. We frequently find strength in diversity, not in conformity.
Inclusivity and open-mindedness are two defining characteristics of the Christian Left. That is not to say we don’t take what we believe very seriously. We do. A great deal of thought, study and spiritual energy goes into arriving at any conclusion for progressive Christians. We just don’t demand that everyone adhere to some either/or, black/white version of our beliefs. We do, however, expect that people’s theological beliefs are thoughtful and sustainable under logical scrutiny. Rationality is key.
Because of this formula, when we arrive at a conclusion which we believe to be rational, biblically based and the desire of God… we are passionate about it. Very passionate about it. So much so that frequently, we tend to change the world.
Progressive Christians or members of the Christian Left, don’t actually see ourselves as “progressive” or “left.” All we are trying to do is follow the teachings of Jesus and God’s desires for humanity.
Unfortunately, that gets labeled progressive these days. But, we think of ourselves simply as convicted Christians. We are just following Jesus.
____
Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church and co-founder of The Christian Left.
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What Do I Think I’m Doing When I Pray?
Jesus was progressive, not actually Christian, but he did start the whole movement.
READ ON ... They said I was…
a radical.
a liberal.
anti-American.
a tree hugger.
a peacenik.
a socialist.
a progressive.
But I was just following Jesus.
Contrary to what some may tell you, progressive Christianity is not an oxymoron. We have a long tradition of progressive ancestors going all the way back to Jesus – yes, Jesus was progressive, not actually Christian, but he did start the whole movement.
History is important. It informs us, inspires us and it can even comfort us. It can also become an anchor. At its worst, history can encourage us to get stuck in comfortable ruts and can even be used to manipulate contemporary realities.
One constant about history is that it’s always ours. Who we are as individuals, communities and even as nations is a direct response to our history. Yes, our identity is a response to environment, to experience and any number of things; but, undeniably, a big piece of who we are is a response to our history. Sometimes it shapes us for better, sometimes for worse, but either way it shapes us.
Progressive Christianity has a long line of forefathers and foremothers who have gone before us and shown us the way. They have shaped us individually and as a faith tradition — hopefully for the better.
It would be sheer folly to try to record, list, and enumerate the countless progressive followers of Christ who have played essential roles in our history. And, while many of our brothers and sisters on the right would have you believe otherwise, the progressive Christian community has been around since the earliest days of the Church.
Although many a fundamentalist (both conservative and progressive) may be oblivious to this truth, the Christian Left is a place of broad diversity in heritage and in theological perspective. While it is fairly difficult to be a conservative Christian and be pro-choice (difficult, not impossible), it is very easy to be a progressive Christian and be either pro-choice or pro-life – happens all the time. We frequently find strength in diversity, not in conformity.
Inclusivity and open-mindedness are two defining characteristics of the Christian Left. That is not to say we don’t take what we believe very seriously. We do. A great deal of thought, study and spiritual energy goes into arriving at any conclusion for progressive Christians. We just don’t demand that everyone adhere to some either/or, black/white version of our beliefs. We do, however, expect that people’s theological beliefs are thoughtful and sustainable under logical scrutiny. Rationality is key.
Because of this formula, when we arrive at a conclusion which we believe to be rational, biblically based and the desire of God… we are passionate about it. Very passionate about it. So much so that frequently, we tend to change the world.
Progressive Christians or members of the Christian Left, don’t actually see ourselves as “progressive” or “left.” All we are trying to do is follow the teachings of Jesus and God’s desires for humanity.
Unfortunately, that gets labeled progressive these days. But, we think of ourselves simply as convicted Christians. We are just following Jesus.
____
Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church and co-founder of The Christian Left.
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What Do I Think I’m Doing When I Pray?
Donna Compton
‘Leaning into the good.’ That’s what prayer is to me-
READ ON ... I have been thinking about the nature of prayer. I pray- a lot and for a lot of people and situations. However, I am not very superstitious and don’t believe in magic, no matter how godly. Some of the dearest people in my life think it is very quaint for an otherwise relatively intelligent person to pray. So, what do I think I am doing when I pray?
The answer wakened me this morning. ‘Leaning into the good.’ That’s what prayer is to me-mentally, spiritually, and even sometimes physically, leaning into the good.
I have worked for years as a hospital chaplain. I have seen the most horrendous things happen to the nicest people. I have seen young people die who should not and elderly people linger when all they wanted to do was to ‘go on.’ I have seen doctors stand at the side of a patient’s bed and say, ‘there is no medical reason why this person should be alive.’ In my experience, prayers from all sorts of people matter- from those who think they must say prayers according to the very strict dictates of their faith with just the right words to those of no particular faith at all whose prayer is more in the nature of a simple “Oh, God help us.”
The laws of physics exist and we are subject to them. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, including automobiles. Gravity is part of our lives and when we fall we sometimes break. Organisms eventually weaken and die. God does not ‘do’ physics or biology to people. We are part of the great systems of the universe and its laws apply to us. But love and compassion are just as powerful and compelling as the laws of physics. In any given circumstance, we may not know what is best and right and true and even possible. What we think is best may not be. But when we pray, we lean into the good- a good beyond our limited knowing- and beyond what we think is possible.
We may want, with all our hearts, for a loved one to come back to us- to recover from a deadly illness or injury. But, if they did, they might not come back to a life they would want or we would want for them. At some point, we lean into the good- whatever it may be – beyond our knowing. So, for each of you who ask, and for many of you who don’t, I will ‘lean into the good’ in my prayers for you and ask, humbly, that you do the same for me when your thoughts turn my way. Peace
Romans 8:26 “In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit knows our need and at the right time intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groans too deep for words.”
___
Donna Compton is a retired hospital chaplain, is Disciples of Christ ordained, attends an open and affirming UCC, and preaches for two Unitarian Universalist churches regularly.
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Weekly Liturgy
‘Leaning into the good.’ That’s what prayer is to me-
READ ON ... I have been thinking about the nature of prayer. I pray- a lot and for a lot of people and situations. However, I am not very superstitious and don’t believe in magic, no matter how godly. Some of the dearest people in my life think it is very quaint for an otherwise relatively intelligent person to pray. So, what do I think I am doing when I pray?
The answer wakened me this morning. ‘Leaning into the good.’ That’s what prayer is to me-mentally, spiritually, and even sometimes physically, leaning into the good.
I have worked for years as a hospital chaplain. I have seen the most horrendous things happen to the nicest people. I have seen young people die who should not and elderly people linger when all they wanted to do was to ‘go on.’ I have seen doctors stand at the side of a patient’s bed and say, ‘there is no medical reason why this person should be alive.’ In my experience, prayers from all sorts of people matter- from those who think they must say prayers according to the very strict dictates of their faith with just the right words to those of no particular faith at all whose prayer is more in the nature of a simple “Oh, God help us.”
The laws of physics exist and we are subject to them. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, including automobiles. Gravity is part of our lives and when we fall we sometimes break. Organisms eventually weaken and die. God does not ‘do’ physics or biology to people. We are part of the great systems of the universe and its laws apply to us. But love and compassion are just as powerful and compelling as the laws of physics. In any given circumstance, we may not know what is best and right and true and even possible. What we think is best may not be. But when we pray, we lean into the good- a good beyond our limited knowing- and beyond what we think is possible.
We may want, with all our hearts, for a loved one to come back to us- to recover from a deadly illness or injury. But, if they did, they might not come back to a life they would want or we would want for them. At some point, we lean into the good- whatever it may be – beyond our knowing. So, for each of you who ask, and for many of you who don’t, I will ‘lean into the good’ in my prayers for you and ask, humbly, that you do the same for me when your thoughts turn my way. Peace
Romans 8:26 “In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit knows our need and at the right time intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groans too deep for words.”
___
Donna Compton is a retired hospital chaplain, is Disciples of Christ ordained, attends an open and affirming UCC, and preaches for two Unitarian Universalist churches regularly.
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Weekly Liturgy
Week of: January 17, 2016
The Bible
“We take the Bible seriously, we just don’t take it literally.”
READ ON ... “We take the Bible seriously, we just don’t take it literally.” A library of stories, poems, histories, gospels, letters, prophecies and devotional writings, the Bible records the struggle of our Judeo-Christian ancestors to understand their world, their God, and the challenges and joys of being a human being. Those challenges and joys are pretty much the same today, and so the Bible has much to teach us. The cultural particulars from two thousand years ago are, on the other hand, not the same today, unless we choose to revert to them.
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Worship Materials: Bible Sunday
From the Festive Worship collection by William L. Wallace
THEME The death of words and the birth of images
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION
1. O God when the words of scripture clutter our brains, help us to turn to the stories and when the stories fail to touch our hearts, help us to move beyond the analysis of the surface to the interplay of the known and the unknown, through the medium of the symbol.
2. BEFORE READING THE BIBLE
Awaken my imagination and devotion, O God, so that as I read the words of scripture the people, events and teachings may spring to life and enable me to meet you face to face.
3. AFTER READING THE BIBLE
Holy Spirit, as I reflect on these words, give me the understanding to translate them into the setting of today’s world and the courage to live them out in the circumstances of my own life.
4. O God, the mystery beyond all words, as we read the Scriptures help us to discriminate between what reflects your wisdom and what simply records the inadequate understandings and destructive behavior of human beings.
HYMNS
Sowing limits what we harvest. (BL)
We need a cross. (BL)
What can the prophet Jesus teach us. (BL)
Behind the world of images. (BL)
In the world of nature’s weaving. (BL)
How liberated are those. (BL) (Chant Paraphrase of the Beatitudes)
God of Sky and God of Earth. (BL) (Modern Lord’s Prayer)
My spirit shall rejoice. (BL) (Paraphrase of the Magnificat)
How happy are those. (BL) (Hymn Paraphrase of the Beatitudes)
Of the multitude of words.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
Come let us dwell in that place.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
The Way of Life, Reflections on the Words of Jesus.(STS1)
God is beyond all words. (STS1)
As we give we shall receive. (STS1)
O God of Earth and God of Sky. (STS1)
What is the pattern. (Modern Ten Commandments (STS1)
The last shall be first. (STS2) (Sayings of Jesus)
Singing the Sacred Vol 1 2011, Vol 2 2014 World Library Publications
CHILDREN AND TEENS SONGS
If you want to be happy. (SYSJ)
Which code can assist us? (Modern Ten Commandments) (SYSJ)
Great life-force, God of all nurture. (Modern Lord’s Prayer) (SYSJ)
POEMS / REFLECTIONSGOD’S WORD
To our poverty you bring your word of hope,
To our wealth you bring your word of warning,
To our loneliness your word of belonging,
To our pride your word of judgement,
To our strength your servant Way,
To our weakness you bring your power.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
Perhaps the most fundamental distinction in the understanding, of language is between language used as sign i.e. pointing directly to a surface reality and language as a metaphor, symbol, myth, pointing to something deeper than the surface. Without this awareness all language whether written or spoken can become very confusing. It is only this second use of language that is capable of conveying something of the depth of spirituality.
UNOBSERVED
While the preacher assiduously labored
to catch both God
and congregation in his word cage
Christ crept into the aisle as a small child
making a cross with kneelers.
SCRIPTURE
Within the words of Scripture
I find the Inner Word,
The Christ,
The one who is the key,
The one who is the scales
In which I weigh
All other words.
Some words are rich with meaning
Others, like fools gold,
Sparkle but are devoid of real value.
Some are history viewed through the mythic mind-
Some are songs to a vengeful God‑
Some are stories of oppression
Cast in the simplicity of victor and vanquished.
But all can be measured
Against the Way of Christ.
All have lessons
Of what to do and what not to do,
Of what to believe in and what not to believe,
All reveal our inner selves
So we see
The oppressed and the oppressor,
The wise one and the fool,
The solemn and the clown,
The lover and the betrayer.
For we are the devout and lusty David,
The Pharisee and the Publican,
The Mary and the Martha,
The mystic John and the intellectual Paul,
We are the Judas and the Good Samaritan,
The fruitless fig tree and the tree of life.
We are the dying and the rising,
The lover and the beloved.
We are part of the mystery beyond all names
Made in the image of God.
So for me in the sacred book
There is the wonder of life and death
The wisdom of the simple and the complex.
And everywhere, when I allow myself,
I can see the ever-loving, ever-radiant Christ
In the faces of the many.
WORDS AND STORIES
How shall the tree live without roots?
How shall the words live unless they are immersed in the soil of
their deeper meaning?
Help me O God to journey into the depths,
To look behind a Hebrew centered view of History,
To look behind the pre-scientific mind,
To look beyond the God of armies,
The God of Sacrifice,
The God of Ransom,
The God of the ‘chosen’ exclusive few
And to see the inclusive Christ
in whom male and female,
oppressed and oppressor,
rich and poor,
learned and simple,
pious and profane are one.
To see not just the individualized branches
and leaves of the ethical, political and ideological
diversity of human beings
But also the one soil in which we are all rooted
and grounded;
The common human experiences
and the sense of amazement and awe
which in a multitude of ways
these experiences generate.
So let us look behind the history to the stories
and in the sharing of stories find our diverse oneness.
FOCUS FOR ACTION
Text and image © William Livingstone Wallace but available for free use.
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Bible Study on Climate Justice
Submitted by Luciano Kovacs by ProgressiveChristianity.org
WORLD STUDENT CHRISTIAN FEDERATION
Universal Day of Prayer for Students 2010
Bible Study
RENEWING THE EARTH: CLIMATE JUSTICE AND EQUITY
SCRIPTURAL TEXT
Psalm 104: 30: “When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth”THE CHALLENGE
The reality of global climate change, resulting from the impact of accumulated human activities, make the renewal of the earth an urgent imperative. To renew entails rebuilding the disintegration and repairing damage. The harm done to the environment cannot be addressed rightly, adequately and in an enduring way without the implementation of climate justice policies.
“When the policies and activities of one country or generation harm both other nations and later generations, they constitute serious injustices. Recognizing the broad threat posed by anthropogenic climate change, advocates for an international climate policy development process have expressly aimed to mitigate this pressing contemporary environmental threat in a manner that promotes justice.” [1]
Responding adequately to climate change has remained an onerous task for world leaders, policymakers and for individuals.
ENVIRONMENTAL THEOLOGYFor the Church, the concept of environmental responsibility and climate justice stem out of its theology, ethics and spirituality. When theological and spiritual perceptions are weak or distorted, human attitudes and behaviors are likely to treat creation with levity and laxity.
In the beginningThe opening chapters of the book of Genesis describe an unfolding process of creation, at the end of which; “God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good” (Genesis 1: 31).Creation was pleasant to dwell in, at peace and in harmony with itself and its Creator. Human responsibility for creation is recorded in Genesis 2: 15 – “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it”. Cultivation, the care and guarding of the environment, was and still remains humankind’s fundamental privilege and responsibility.
Adam and Eve
With sin, which is the gratification and promotion of the human self beyond that appropriate to it, came disharmony and distortions to the earth. For example, what is recorded in Genesis 3:6 – “The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too” resulted in Gen. 3: 17 – “And he said to the man, Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse…”
Cain and Abel
Cain’s answer to the question “Where is your brother Abel?” (Genesis 4: 9) to which he replied– “How should I know? … Am I supposed to look after my brother?” got the reprimand from God – “Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again”. (Genesis 4: 11). The case of Cain and Abel is a clear demonstration that we are not only to care about ourselves but to consider how the things we do affect others, directly and indirectly.
The Flood
The destruction of every living creature on the earth with the flood was because “The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil” and “Cruelty and violence have spread everywhere.” (Genesis 6: 5, 13). Their thought patterns and plans brought evil, cruelty and violence to others. The preservation and replenishing of the earth was made possible through Noah; a just man/a righteous man (Genesis 5:9).
In other words Noah did the right things.
Sin and the creationThe environmental crisis the world is facing today is one big demonstration of the gravity of the destructive power of sin and how extensively this can affect the well-being of others. Our own and our society’s attitudes and behaviors have a direct impact on creation.
The personal and corporate question then will be what kind of meaning and spirituality do other created things bring to us when and if we encounter them? Is our world one which revolves around us, or do we consider that we share the earth with others? Is there an understanding that the purpose of the earth is for the common good of all that exists in it – from the past, the present and for future generations? Does creation exist to serve us only or do we equally have a responsibility to serve, save, replenish and renew it?
THE CALL FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE AND EQUITY
The flow of water in streams and rivers points us to the flow of life, as we drink it and use it in numerous aspects of our lives. Water is a major constituent of the human body and other living things. Rain waters the ground and causes plants to sprout. Tragically widespread pollution of water from fuel combustion, toxic waste and oil spillage means that millions are unable to have safe drinking water.
The top soil we stand, walk and play on is not only the source of our daily food, but the means of livelihood for 70 – 80 per cent of the population of most developing nations who engage in subsistent farming. Of equal importance is that these first few centimeters of earth are home to numerous living organisms and creatures who share the soil with us. When climatic conditions blow or wash off this top soil it brings untold hardship, suffering and death to many people, livestock and other creatures.
The poorest people of the world are already suffering the effects of a changing climate. Though these poor folk have done the least to bring about the present climatic conditions, they have been the first to feel the impact of it and bear the brunt of its devastations.
Some of the facts to consider as we think about atmospheric justice and equity are[2]:
Today’s rich nations are responsible for global warming. Industrialized nations, where only about 20 percent of the world’s population resides, have emitted far more greenhouse gas emissions than developing nations. Rich countries therefore face the biggest responsibility and burden for action to address climate change.
Rich countries therefore must support developing nations adapt, to avoid the polluting (i.e. easier and cheaper) path to development—through financing, debt cancellations and technology transfer.
The world’s poorest countries account for just 0.4 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. 45 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are produced by the G8 countries alone.
The environmental consequences of the policies of industrialized nations have had a large, detrimental and costly effect on developing countries — especially the poor in those countries, that are already burdened with debt and poverty. Developing world debt and poverty has diverted immense resources from sustainable development. It is unfair to expect the developing world to make emissions reductions in the same way.
Industrialized nations should owe over 600 billion dollars to the developing nations for the associated costs of climate changes. This is three times as much as the conventional debt that developing countries owe the developed ones. Some researchers have called this the “natural debt” of the North, as against the financial debt of the South.
Developing countries will also be tackling climate change in other ways. Market and energy reforms to promote economic growth. Development of alternative fuels to reduce energy imports. Aggressive energy efficiency programs. Use of solar and other renewable energy to raise living standards in rural locations. Reducing deforestation. Slowing population growth; and switching from coal to natural gas to diversify energy sources and reduce air pollution.
A COMMON OBLIGATION
The challenge to care for the environment, our common heritage, is a collective and universal duty belonging to all humanity. This responsibility is not just for the present but also to protect the interest of future generations. It is a responsibility that concerns us individually, the Church, communities, nation states and the international community.
To renew the earth we must be in solidarity with one another because we are all in this together. All the stakeholders must get involved. We need to make strong commitments to adopting more environment-friendly lifestyles. For us as students, we need knowledge-building programmes about the effects of climatic change and what needs to be done. Political advocacy will also be necessary to set the standards for best practices in emissions by industries, developing environmental policies, enacting climatic regulatory laws together with compensations for climatic damages caused. The Church should also bring issues of climatic change, justice and environmental responsibility and spirituality into her worship life.
May the Spirit of God breathe on us so that new life will come to the earth. Amen.
Bible study prepared by the Reverend Ejike Okoro (Nigeria) on behalf of the Africa Region, formatted and edited by IRO
[1] Preview of “Atmospheric Justice: A Political Theory of Climate Change” by Steve Vanderheiden (Winner of the 2009 Harold and Margaret Sprout Award of the ISA’s Environmental Studies Section)
[2] Gleaned from various sources including: Ecological Spirituality, Eco-justice Notes, Eco-Ministries Newsletter 24/4/09, Climate Justice and Equity by Anup Shah 2009, World Bank, Transport Economics and Sector Policy Briefing, quoted in Collision Course: Freetrade’s free ride on the global climate, New Economics Foundation 2000, The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, World Resources Institute report 2003, Center for Science and Environment 2002, Christian Aid report 1999, Down to Earth magazine 2007.
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Bible Study Prayer by Claralice Wolf
Good Shepherd,
We are a small flock of Your disciples meeting here in this little room. We come with our questions, our doubts and suspicions, our fears and worries. We come with a hunger to know the truth.
Be in this place with us. Help us to hear Your voice still ringing down through the centuries. Help us to discern what You still have to say to us today.
O Shepherd and Lamb, come. Amen
The Bible
“We take the Bible seriously, we just don’t take it literally.”
READ ON ... “We take the Bible seriously, we just don’t take it literally.” A library of stories, poems, histories, gospels, letters, prophecies and devotional writings, the Bible records the struggle of our Judeo-Christian ancestors to understand their world, their God, and the challenges and joys of being a human being. Those challenges and joys are pretty much the same today, and so the Bible has much to teach us. The cultural particulars from two thousand years ago are, on the other hand, not the same today, unless we choose to revert to them.
Worship Materials: Bible Sunday
1. Without an overview of the Bible it is very easy to gain an erroneous impression of what the Bible is all about.
2. Look behind the words to the people.
read more2. Look behind the words to the people.
Bible Study on Climate Justice
The reality of global climate change, resulting from the impact of accumulated human activities, make the renewal of the earth an urgent imperative. To renew entails rebuilding the disintegration and repairing damage. The harm done to the environment cannot be addressed rightly, adequately and in an enduring way without the implementation of climate justice policies.
read moreBible Study Prayer
Good Shepherd,
We are a small flock of Your disciples meeting here in this little room. We come with our questions, our doubts and suspicions, our fears and worries. We come with a hunger to know the truth.
read moreWe are a small flock of Your disciples meeting here in this little room. We come with our questions, our doubts and suspicions, our fears and worries. We come with a hunger to know the truth.
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Worship Materials: Bible Sunday
From the Festive Worship collection by William L. Wallace
THEME The death of words and the birth of images
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION
- Without an overview of the Bible it is very easy to gain an erroneous impression of what the Bible is all about.
- Look behind the words to the people.
- If all of the Bible is a word from God for us today, then we should reintroduce slavery, sanction genocide as practiced by the Israelites on the Canaanites, support the killing of live animals in religious ceremonies and exalt the victim mentality as a sound psychological practice.
- The major theme of the Bible is the experience of love; forgiving love, transforming love, love made flesh in human beings.
- Behind the words of scripture there is always the Word made flesh.
- It is not how much of the Bible you know but how much of it you understand that really matters.
- If the Bible is the final word of God does it mean that God has not spoken for 2000 years?
- It is important to understand the Bible with your head but even more important to experience it with your heart.
- What the Bible meant to its writers may not necessarily be what the Spirit is now saying to the Church through these words.
- To make sense of the Bible today it is necessary to view it in relation to the world view out of which it arose and to contrast this with our current worldview.
- When viewed from the differing perspectives of ancient world views and modern world views the Bible at times seems particularly irrelevant. The constant factor however is human beings, their glory, their failures and their developing understanding of God.
- To say that every passage from the Bible is what the Spirit is saying to the Church is at best a misguided statement, at worst a deliberately misleading approach to scripture if it is intended to be taken literally.
- To move from reading the Bible to praying the Bible is an important step in the Christian spiritual journey.
- Deeper than the historicity lies the meaning of the myth.
- The value of Biblical Readings in services of worship would be greatly increased if each passage had an explanatory introduction, possibly including how that passage relates to other portions of the Bible especially to the life of Christ.
- Behind the words the stories; Behind the stories the images; Behind the images the mystery.
- God is present in all things but supremely in the mystery.
- The symbol stands at the point of intersection of the known and of the mystery.
- When the words break the truth emerges.
- Words can never capture mystery – they can only point to it.
- Christian hymnody speaks of at least four books which we should read in order to encounter God: 1. The book of sacred stories (The Bible and the stories of the pilgrims) 2. The book of nature. 3. The book of the continuing Presence of God. 4. The book of the Inner Christ.
- Without the symbolic image we are the prisoner of the literal interpretation of the words. It is only imagination and silence that can free us from the tyranny of words.
- An empowering way to read the stories of the Bible is to ask in what ways do I embody all of the characters in this particular story.
- The wonder of the Bible is that it is about ordinary people, not perfect ones.
- Sermons become alive when the words evoke images and the images access life, the life we all share, exemplified in the life of Christ.
- Within the history of Western Civilization there is probably no person who has been more widely misunderstood and misrepresented than Jesus of Nazareth.
- It has been said that we see in other people what we want to find in them and that Jesus is no exception.
- To fully receive the word of God we must not only hear it in our own tongue but also within the context of our own culture.
1. O God when the words of scripture clutter our brains, help us to turn to the stories and when the stories fail to touch our hearts, help us to move beyond the analysis of the surface to the interplay of the known and the unknown, through the medium of the symbol.
2. BEFORE READING THE BIBLE
Awaken my imagination and devotion, O God, so that as I read the words of scripture the people, events and teachings may spring to life and enable me to meet you face to face.
3. AFTER READING THE BIBLE
Holy Spirit, as I reflect on these words, give me the understanding to translate them into the setting of today’s world and the courage to live them out in the circumstances of my own life.
4. O God, the mystery beyond all words, as we read the Scriptures help us to discriminate between what reflects your wisdom and what simply records the inadequate understandings and destructive behavior of human beings.
HYMNS
Sowing limits what we harvest. (BL)
We need a cross. (BL)
What can the prophet Jesus teach us. (BL)
Behind the world of images. (BL)
In the world of nature’s weaving. (BL)
How liberated are those. (BL) (Chant Paraphrase of the Beatitudes)
God of Sky and God of Earth. (BL) (Modern Lord’s Prayer)
My spirit shall rejoice. (BL) (Paraphrase of the Magnificat)
How happy are those. (BL) (Hymn Paraphrase of the Beatitudes)
Of the multitude of words.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
Come let us dwell in that place.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
The Way of Life, Reflections on the Words of Jesus.(STS1)
God is beyond all words. (STS1)
As we give we shall receive. (STS1)
O God of Earth and God of Sky. (STS1)
What is the pattern. (Modern Ten Commandments (STS1)
The last shall be first. (STS2) (Sayings of Jesus)
Singing the Sacred Vol 1 2011, Vol 2 2014 World Library Publications
CHILDREN AND TEENS SONGS
If you want to be happy. (SYSJ)
Which code can assist us? (Modern Ten Commandments) (SYSJ)
Great life-force, God of all nurture. (Modern Lord’s Prayer) (SYSJ)
POEMS / REFLECTIONSGOD’S WORD
To our poverty you bring your word of hope,
To our wealth you bring your word of warning,
To our loneliness your word of belonging,
To our pride your word of judgement,
To our strength your servant Way,
To our weakness you bring your power.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
Perhaps the most fundamental distinction in the understanding, of language is between language used as sign i.e. pointing directly to a surface reality and language as a metaphor, symbol, myth, pointing to something deeper than the surface. Without this awareness all language whether written or spoken can become very confusing. It is only this second use of language that is capable of conveying something of the depth of spirituality.
UNOBSERVED
While the preacher assiduously labored
to catch both God
and congregation in his word cage
Christ crept into the aisle as a small child
making a cross with kneelers.
SCRIPTURE
Within the words of Scripture
I find the Inner Word,
The Christ,
The one who is the key,
The one who is the scales
In which I weigh
All other words.
Some words are rich with meaning
Others, like fools gold,
Sparkle but are devoid of real value.
Some are history viewed through the mythic mind-
Some are songs to a vengeful God‑
Some are stories of oppression
Cast in the simplicity of victor and vanquished.
But all can be measured
Against the Way of Christ.
All have lessons
Of what to do and what not to do,
Of what to believe in and what not to believe,
All reveal our inner selves
So we see
The oppressed and the oppressor,
The wise one and the fool,
The solemn and the clown,
The lover and the betrayer.
For we are the devout and lusty David,
The Pharisee and the Publican,
The Mary and the Martha,
The mystic John and the intellectual Paul,
We are the Judas and the Good Samaritan,
The fruitless fig tree and the tree of life.
We are the dying and the rising,
The lover and the beloved.
We are part of the mystery beyond all names
Made in the image of God.
So for me in the sacred book
There is the wonder of life and death
The wisdom of the simple and the complex.
And everywhere, when I allow myself,
I can see the ever-loving, ever-radiant Christ
In the faces of the many.
WORDS AND STORIES
How shall the tree live without roots?
How shall the words live unless they are immersed in the soil of
their deeper meaning?
Help me O God to journey into the depths,
To look behind a Hebrew centered view of History,
To look behind the pre-scientific mind,
To look beyond the God of armies,
The God of Sacrifice,
The God of Ransom,
The God of the ‘chosen’ exclusive few
And to see the inclusive Christ
in whom male and female,
oppressed and oppressor,
rich and poor,
learned and simple,
pious and profane are one.
To see not just the individualized branches
and leaves of the ethical, political and ideological
diversity of human beings
But also the one soil in which we are all rooted
and grounded;
The common human experiences
and the sense of amazement and awe
which in a multitude of ways
these experiences generate.
So let us look behind the history to the stories
and in the sharing of stories find our diverse oneness.
FOCUS FOR ACTION
- If the way to wisdom lies less in the surface meaning of words than in a dynamic interaction with their depth through the medium of symbol, what effect should this have on the way I read the Bible?
- In what way could I involve my intuition, my dreaming, my playfulness and my creativity in my reading of the Bible?
Text and image © William Livingstone Wallace but available for free use.
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Bible Study on Climate Justice
Submitted by Luciano Kovacs by ProgressiveChristianity.org
WORLD STUDENT CHRISTIAN FEDERATION
Universal Day of Prayer for Students 2010
Bible Study
RENEWING THE EARTH: CLIMATE JUSTICE AND EQUITY
SCRIPTURAL TEXT
Psalm 104: 30: “When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth”THE CHALLENGE
The reality of global climate change, resulting from the impact of accumulated human activities, make the renewal of the earth an urgent imperative. To renew entails rebuilding the disintegration and repairing damage. The harm done to the environment cannot be addressed rightly, adequately and in an enduring way without the implementation of climate justice policies.
“When the policies and activities of one country or generation harm both other nations and later generations, they constitute serious injustices. Recognizing the broad threat posed by anthropogenic climate change, advocates for an international climate policy development process have expressly aimed to mitigate this pressing contemporary environmental threat in a manner that promotes justice.” [1]
Responding adequately to climate change has remained an onerous task for world leaders, policymakers and for individuals.
ENVIRONMENTAL THEOLOGYFor the Church, the concept of environmental responsibility and climate justice stem out of its theology, ethics and spirituality. When theological and spiritual perceptions are weak or distorted, human attitudes and behaviors are likely to treat creation with levity and laxity.
In the beginningThe opening chapters of the book of Genesis describe an unfolding process of creation, at the end of which; “God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good” (Genesis 1: 31).Creation was pleasant to dwell in, at peace and in harmony with itself and its Creator. Human responsibility for creation is recorded in Genesis 2: 15 – “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it”. Cultivation, the care and guarding of the environment, was and still remains humankind’s fundamental privilege and responsibility.
Adam and Eve
With sin, which is the gratification and promotion of the human self beyond that appropriate to it, came disharmony and distortions to the earth. For example, what is recorded in Genesis 3:6 – “The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too” resulted in Gen. 3: 17 – “And he said to the man, Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse…”
Cain and Abel
Cain’s answer to the question “Where is your brother Abel?” (Genesis 4: 9) to which he replied– “How should I know? … Am I supposed to look after my brother?” got the reprimand from God – “Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again”. (Genesis 4: 11). The case of Cain and Abel is a clear demonstration that we are not only to care about ourselves but to consider how the things we do affect others, directly and indirectly.
The Flood
The destruction of every living creature on the earth with the flood was because “The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil” and “Cruelty and violence have spread everywhere.” (Genesis 6: 5, 13). Their thought patterns and plans brought evil, cruelty and violence to others. The preservation and replenishing of the earth was made possible through Noah; a just man/a righteous man (Genesis 5:9).
In other words Noah did the right things.
Sin and the creationThe environmental crisis the world is facing today is one big demonstration of the gravity of the destructive power of sin and how extensively this can affect the well-being of others. Our own and our society’s attitudes and behaviors have a direct impact on creation.
The personal and corporate question then will be what kind of meaning and spirituality do other created things bring to us when and if we encounter them? Is our world one which revolves around us, or do we consider that we share the earth with others? Is there an understanding that the purpose of the earth is for the common good of all that exists in it – from the past, the present and for future generations? Does creation exist to serve us only or do we equally have a responsibility to serve, save, replenish and renew it?
THE CALL FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE AND EQUITY
The flow of water in streams and rivers points us to the flow of life, as we drink it and use it in numerous aspects of our lives. Water is a major constituent of the human body and other living things. Rain waters the ground and causes plants to sprout. Tragically widespread pollution of water from fuel combustion, toxic waste and oil spillage means that millions are unable to have safe drinking water.
The top soil we stand, walk and play on is not only the source of our daily food, but the means of livelihood for 70 – 80 per cent of the population of most developing nations who engage in subsistent farming. Of equal importance is that these first few centimeters of earth are home to numerous living organisms and creatures who share the soil with us. When climatic conditions blow or wash off this top soil it brings untold hardship, suffering and death to many people, livestock and other creatures.
The poorest people of the world are already suffering the effects of a changing climate. Though these poor folk have done the least to bring about the present climatic conditions, they have been the first to feel the impact of it and bear the brunt of its devastations.
Some of the facts to consider as we think about atmospheric justice and equity are[2]:
Today’s rich nations are responsible for global warming. Industrialized nations, where only about 20 percent of the world’s population resides, have emitted far more greenhouse gas emissions than developing nations. Rich countries therefore face the biggest responsibility and burden for action to address climate change.
Rich countries therefore must support developing nations adapt, to avoid the polluting (i.e. easier and cheaper) path to development—through financing, debt cancellations and technology transfer.
The world’s poorest countries account for just 0.4 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. 45 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are produced by the G8 countries alone.
The environmental consequences of the policies of industrialized nations have had a large, detrimental and costly effect on developing countries — especially the poor in those countries, that are already burdened with debt and poverty. Developing world debt and poverty has diverted immense resources from sustainable development. It is unfair to expect the developing world to make emissions reductions in the same way.
Industrialized nations should owe over 600 billion dollars to the developing nations for the associated costs of climate changes. This is three times as much as the conventional debt that developing countries owe the developed ones. Some researchers have called this the “natural debt” of the North, as against the financial debt of the South.
Developing countries will also be tackling climate change in other ways. Market and energy reforms to promote economic growth. Development of alternative fuels to reduce energy imports. Aggressive energy efficiency programs. Use of solar and other renewable energy to raise living standards in rural locations. Reducing deforestation. Slowing population growth; and switching from coal to natural gas to diversify energy sources and reduce air pollution.
A COMMON OBLIGATION
The challenge to care for the environment, our common heritage, is a collective and universal duty belonging to all humanity. This responsibility is not just for the present but also to protect the interest of future generations. It is a responsibility that concerns us individually, the Church, communities, nation states and the international community.
To renew the earth we must be in solidarity with one another because we are all in this together. All the stakeholders must get involved. We need to make strong commitments to adopting more environment-friendly lifestyles. For us as students, we need knowledge-building programmes about the effects of climatic change and what needs to be done. Political advocacy will also be necessary to set the standards for best practices in emissions by industries, developing environmental policies, enacting climatic regulatory laws together with compensations for climatic damages caused. The Church should also bring issues of climatic change, justice and environmental responsibility and spirituality into her worship life.
May the Spirit of God breathe on us so that new life will come to the earth. Amen.
Bible study prepared by the Reverend Ejike Okoro (Nigeria) on behalf of the Africa Region, formatted and edited by IRO
[1] Preview of “Atmospheric Justice: A Political Theory of Climate Change” by Steve Vanderheiden (Winner of the 2009 Harold and Margaret Sprout Award of the ISA’s Environmental Studies Section)
[2] Gleaned from various sources including: Ecological Spirituality, Eco-justice Notes, Eco-Ministries Newsletter 24/4/09, Climate Justice and Equity by Anup Shah 2009, World Bank, Transport Economics and Sector Policy Briefing, quoted in Collision Course: Freetrade’s free ride on the global climate, New Economics Foundation 2000, The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, World Resources Institute report 2003, Center for Science and Environment 2002, Christian Aid report 1999, Down to Earth magazine 2007.
---------------------
Bible Study Prayer by Claralice Wolf
Good Shepherd,
We are a small flock of Your disciples meeting here in this little room. We come with our questions, our doubts and suspicions, our fears and worries. We come with a hunger to know the truth.
Be in this place with us. Help us to hear Your voice still ringing down through the centuries. Help us to discern what You still have to say to us today.
O Shepherd and Lamb, come. Amen
---------------------
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Events and Updates
A Weekend Seminar with Biblical Scholar and Writer,John Dominic Crossan
The theme for the seminar is “The Power of Parable: How Parables by Jesus became Parables about Jesus.”
READ ON ...A Weekend Seminar with Biblical Scholar and Writer, John Dominic Crossan
The theme for the seminar is “The Power of Parable: How Parables by Jesus became Parables about Jesus.”
John Dominic Crossan, a native of Ireland, was educated both there and in the United States. He was a member of a 13th century Roman Catholic religious order 1950-1969, and an ordained priest 1957-1969. He taught at DePaul University, Chicago, 1969-1955, and is now a Professor Emeritus in its Department of Religious Studies.
Crossan is widely known for his work with the Jesus Seminar, for which he was Co-Chair 1985-1996 as it met to
debate the historicity of the life of Jesus in the gospels. He was Chair of the Parables Seminar 1972-76, and 1993-1998 was Chair of the Historical Jesus Section within the Society of Biblical Literature.
He has lectured widely to lay and scholarly audiences and has written twenty-seven books on the historical Jesus, the apostle Paul, and earliest Christianity.
Click Here for Registration Form
Start:Events and Updates
A Weekend Seminar with Biblical Scholar and Writer,John Dominic Crossan
The theme for the seminar is “The Power of Parable: How Parables by Jesus became Parables about Jesus.”
READ ON ...A Weekend Seminar with Biblical Scholar and Writer, John Dominic Crossan
The theme for the seminar is “The Power of Parable: How Parables by Jesus became Parables about Jesus.”
John Dominic Crossan, a native of Ireland, was educated both there and in the United States. He was a member of a 13th century Roman Catholic religious order 1950-1969, and an ordained priest 1957-1969. He taught at DePaul University, Chicago, 1969-1955, and is now a Professor Emeritus in its Department of Religious Studies.
Crossan is widely known for his work with the Jesus Seminar, for which he was Co-Chair 1985-1996 as it met to
debate the historicity of the life of Jesus in the gospels. He was Chair of the Parables Seminar 1972-76, and 1993-1998 was Chair of the Historical Jesus Section within the Society of Biblical Literature.
He has lectured widely to lay and scholarly audiences and has written twenty-seven books on the historical Jesus, the apostle Paul, and earliest Christianity.
Click Here for Registration Form
February 19, 2016
End:
February 20, 2016
Location:
The Good Shepherd UCC of Sahuarita Arizona
17750 S. La Canada
Sahuarita AZ
Contact:
Rev. Ed Hunt
Organization:
The Good Shepherd UCC
Website:
http://thegoodshepherducc.org/Events.php
Telephone:
(520) 648-3424
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View all upcoming events here!
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