Missionary Renegade: Weekly Recap for Tuesday, 9 June 2015 from ProgressiveChristianity.org of Gig Harbor, Washington, United States

Weekly Recap for Tuesday, 9 June 2015 from ProgressiveChristianity.org of Gig Harbor, Washington, United States - How do you feel about offensive advertising ... did this church go too far? Read Eric Alexander's response below. Thank you for your support and interest!

Last Week At ProgressiveChristianity.org...
We delved into the topics of Islam, Ideas, Mary Magdalene and One World.
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A Storm of Islam? Or of Hate Speech?Eric Alexander
Flanked by the charm of purple flowers, red bricks, and the slogan of “Imagine,” Bellevue Baptist Church did what churches sometimes do best, which is to bundle a message of deep contention and division into a pretty little package with a saintly little bow. But this cannot be the message of the Church going forward.A Storm of Islam? Or of Hate Speech? by Eric Alexander

Flanked by the charm of purple flowers, red bricks, and the slogan of “Imagine,” Bellevue Baptist Church did what churches sometimes do best, which is to bundle a message of deep contention and division into a pretty little package with a saintly little bow. But this cannot be the message of the Church going forward.
In the same month that a “Muhammad Art Exhibit” took place near Dallas, TX, and a follow up anti-Muslim rally was organized in Phoenix, Bellevue Baptist Church also participated in an act of aggression towards followers of Islam. The Muhammad Art Exhibit was put on by the American Freedom Defense Initiative under the guise of free speech, with the obvious ulterior motive to taunt Muslims. Similarly, Bellevue’s sign may have been primarily focused at attracting others of like thinking, but they didn’t seem to mind deeply offending local Muslims in the process.
I kindly wrote to Bellevue’s Pastor Paulding to see if assumptions about the sign were correct. I told him I was writing an article about it, and asked if he could help me understand the purpose of such a message. But his assistant replied that he had chosen not to respond to my inquiry. In the court of public opinion that verified the suspicions, but we may never know for sure.
In the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brandenburg v. Ohio, First Amendment rights were clarified to ensure that the government could not prevent inflammatory speech, unless that speech was likely to incite “imminent lawless action.” As a writer I am of course an ardent supporter of the First Amendment, and I realize what a slippery slope its questioning can become; but we do have a social responsibility to at least wrestle with that dilemma. If taunting religious folks with images which they may consider blasphemy is not illegal, perhaps we can at least start calling it clearly unethical and immoral? The following tweet from @TheGoodGodAbove seemed especially relevant:

There is also a core component of understanding the power of symbols in these situations. Antagonization via the use of symbols such as crosses, American flags, stars of David, images of the Prophet Muhammad, and Nazi Swastikas can be deeply offensive to those groups who hold an emotional connection to them. Waving a swastika in the face of a man whose parents were murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp would be an act of aggression toward that man, which could possibly escalate into “imminent lawless action.” Likewise, a Muhammad Art Exhibit has the same possible outcome, knowing that some sects of Islam feel the call to defend against it at any means necessary – as was proven recently in Texas and Paris. It doesn’t make the retribution of violence in the least bit justifiable, or tolerable, or defensible, but we should still question why some groups feel the need to stir that pot in the first place?
Offensive church signs could also fit into this category. In fact, in the case of Bellevue Baptist’s Church sign we find an additional dynamic. The question could be asked about the degree by which the American government, which protects against discrimination of religious classes, should tolerate religious hate speech from those same religious institutions that enjoy its tax breaks.
In 2011, Snyder v. Phelps upheld the constitutional rights of the Westboro Baptist Church to practice hate speech by a vote of 8 – 1, provided it wasn’t in violation of Brandenburg v. Ohio. This was a questionable ruling given the fact that Westboro Baptist Church was known to practice acts such as picketing the funerals of gay murder victims as shown in the image below. This ruling proves that the interpretation of U.S. anti-discrimination laws can become cloudy when hate speech does not encroach on legal acts of discrimination, such as employment law and consumer transactions like those being debated in Indiana’sapplication of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Unfettered free speech, similar to the right to bear arms, is nice in an ideal world. But some boundaries seem to be prudent in the realm of reality in which we live. The question to all Americans is how far our universal freedoms should need to be stretched? I’m not proposing a specific answer here, I am only proposing a serious conversation. I am not proposing that we outlaw cartoons about religious prophets, but surely we can work to deescalate acts of coordinated hatred toward our brothers and sisters of varying sexual orientations and religious traditions – especially by churches and other tax exempt organizations. If not through legal means, at least through universal human ethical etiquette. The organization holding the Mohammad Art Exhibit should not be lauded as a gutsy exercise of free speech, but rather as a bullying act of childish taunting.
In the case of Bellevue, and their tagline of “Imagine.” We might wonder what exactly they were imagining? When most of us hear the word imagine we think about John Lennon’s famous line “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.” The Bellevue sign seems to be completely contradictory to that sentiment.
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Ideas MatterJim Burklo
Happily, things are changing in the world of evangelical Christianity. There’s been a lively environmental movement in that community for many years in the U.S.Ideas Matter by Jim Burklo
Starting today, 5/4/15, I’ll be at a conference nearby at Pomona College called Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization, which will draw about 1,500 participants from around the world, including many from China. I got involved in it because, for my whole career as a pastor, I’ve been much influenced by the core subject matter of this event: the work of Alfred North Whitehead and the scholars such as Charles Hartshorne and John Cobb who followed him in what is known as “process thought”. Whitehead was an early 20th century mathematician and philosopher who also delved into theology. He was convinced that quantum mechanics necessitated a new philosophical system that would be complementary to the new physics. His work does not fit neatly into the tradition of analytical philosophy that prevails in most universities. He described a universe consisting of relationships rather than of discrete objects. He viewed the cosmos as something like an ecosystem. He imputed a kind of aim, purpose, and choice-making quality even to subatomic events. For him, God was the process of creativity coursing through all events. As such, God was omnipresent, but neither omnipotent nor omniscient, because creative possibility precluded such determinism.
Throughout my career, his ideas have provided a framework for my preaching, teaching, writing, and personal spiritual practice. The neo-orthodoxy of Karl Barth, taught to us in the Presbyterian seminary where I studied, had no appeal. It was an elaborate apologetic for taking the fanciful stories of the Bible literally. I needed an alternative structure of theology that was compatible with science and common sense, a scaffold on which the traditions of Christianity could be re-interpreted for our time. “Religion in the Making” by Whitehead, and his other works, gave me what I needed.
The same is true for many other theologically progressive Christian pastors and teachers. Whitehead’s ideas have mattered to us, and to the people we serve in our churches and in the wider public. Whitehead’s understanding of the ubiquitousness of aim and purpose and choice at every level of the cosmos, not of a universe set in determinate motion by a Prime Mover – his understanding that reality is a web of relationships, not a cosmic billiard table with balls bouncing off of each other – these ideas have suffused progressive Christians with a worldview that is fundamentally ecological. It has made us allies with others working for a new global civilization that lives in harmony with nature. Process thought is not a merely speculative exercise. It is not a matter only for obscure journals and ivory-tower disquisitions. It is a set of ideas that matter in the real world, structuring the thoughts that form the words that direct the hands to build cities where birds and humans breathe the same clean air.
In 1980, President Reagan appointed James Watt as the US Secretary of the Interior. Watt’s actions to weaken environmental regulations were a direct consequence his embrace of fundamentalist Christianity. He believed that the soon-approaching end-times at Jesus’ second coming mooted any need for long-term environmental protection. Many members of Congress share these ideas today. Ideas that matter: ideas that influence whether or not life on this planet will survive or thrive.
Happily, things are changing in the world of evangelical Christianity. There’s been a lively environmental movement in that community for many years in the U.S.. A few weeks ago, I hosted a meeting bringing evangelical and progressive environmental activists together with a young scholar at USC, Emma Bloomfield. Her PhD dissertation in communications is about the rhetoric used by evangelical “creation care” activists. I was most impressed with what she learned about dispensationalism – the evangelical/fundamentalist belief systemsregarding the “end-times”. “Creation care” evangelicals tend to interpret the second coming of Jesus in a manner distinctly different from the ideas that shaped James Watt’s environmental policies. They expect that when Jesus returns, he’ll want to know if Christians were good stewards of the earth. The ideas of “creation care” evangelicals matter: they can influence other evangelicals to re-interpret dispensationalism in a way thatleads to better practical outcomes for the planet.
To get a sense of what “Seizing the Alternative” is about, get connected to our website,www.pandopopulus.com, which will continue long after the event as a platform for sharing ideas that matter.
JIM BURKLO
Website: JIMBURKLO.COM Weblog: MUSINGS Follow me on twitter: @jtburklo
See a video interview about my new novel, SOULJOURN
See the GUIDE to my articles and books
Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California

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Poem to Mary MagdaleneMary Ellen Feagan
Mary Magdalene, did you defer to Jesus?
Did you say, “Yes, my Lord, whatever You want, whatever You say?”Poem to Mary Magdalene by Mary Ellen Feagan
Mary Magdalene, did you defer to Jesus?
Did you say, “Yes, my Lord, whatever You want, whatever You say?”
Did you pay close attention to him, closer than to your own self
to sense what he needed and wanted, his hunger and thirst?
Did you take care of him first, before you?
Did you, Mary Magdalene, take care of Jesus at your own expense?
Did you serve him, wash his shirts, when you were too tired?
Did you walk with him when your feet hurt?
Did you listen to him talk, sort our his choices
while voices in your head said, “What about us?”
Well, a woman has needs, problems to solve, too, and stories to tell.
Did he listen to you, take lovely care of you, too?
What did you do with Jesus, Mary Magdalene?
“Oh, Mary Feagan,” says Mary Magdalene.
“I’m glad you are asking me these questions.
Yes, Dear, at first I did defer, for I adored Jesus more than myself.
But Jesus preferred me alive, strong and present
So we slowly found ways to feel equal.
He wanted to know me, too, hear all the words of my songs.
He adored me, also, you see, and over time
I found the same divine source in myself.
We didn’t force things. It wasn’t easy for me to speak up
and he was such a great presence, not to mention great talker.
But we knew we were setting a model for others.
We knew, precious Mary, my namesake
another truth more important.
We knew we were both the same essence of Love.
© Mary Feagan, 2013
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Weekly LiturgyWeek of: May 31st - June 6th, 2015
One World
The future does not call for us all to be the same, but to survive we will need to learn tolerance. And then we will need to teach it to our children.One World
Week of May 31, 2015
Our planet is the same size it’s always been, and yet it is shrinking at an astonishing rate. Trade, travel, the Internet, instant news from places you’ve never heard of… daily we realize what a small world this is and how connected we are to almost all of it. Maintaining physical isolationis possible only in remote jungles; maintaining religious isolation is increasingly more difficult. The future does not call for us all to be the same, but to survive we will need to learn tolerance. And then we will need to teach it to our children.

Worship Materials: One World
From the Celebrating Mystery collection by William L. (Bill) Wallace
THEME The Inclusive Pluralism
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

The establishment of justice and peace, inclusiveness and awareness may seem an impossible dream, but it is only those who are motivated by such a vision who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to create a better world.
The choice before human society is either increasing fragmentation or a new and more inclusive form of pluralism.
True sacredness is never exclusive.
Unity is not simplicity but the inter-weaving dance of life’s infinite variety and apparent oppositions.
True inclusiveness is neither syncretistic nor reductionist.
Community is always a dialectic between individual freedom and communal responsibility.
The inter-action of aloneness without alienation and togetherness without oppression is one of the major dynamics in a healthy society.
We need a society in which awareness replaces ideology.
We are moving into an age of the proliferation of small communities and the breakdown of coordinating institutions. Our task will be to create non-authoritarian, non-hierarchical, slimmed-down forms of co-ordinating structures if we are to avoid fragmentation.
The individual without community is selfish.
The community without individuality is oppressive.
Between the two lies freedom.
When we discover the ‘we are’ within we can more easily be aware of the ‘we are’ without.
For those who have glimpsed the unitive complexity of the mystery, plurality is not the enemy of unity.
It is only by unmasking and releasing our fears that we will gain
the security that enables us to relate to people who are quite different from us without feeling threatened or angry.
To work for the unity of humankind can bring peace to the heart,
but it can also lead to conflict with those whose power and position depends upon separation and division.
The space in which all human beings are relatively free to have their own beliefs, their own culture and their own religious expressions, cannot be created solely by intellectual discussion, but must involve the sharing of the deepest experiences for therein lies our common humanity.
When people gather, spirit grows, either the spirit of life or the spirit of destruction, the spirit of empowerment or of dependency.
To see the differences is to view the surface –
To see the similarities is to encounter the depth –
To hold both together is to find healing and life.
Mystery incarnate is both within and beyond culture.
The TRINITY as a model for pluralism:
The NON-INTERFERING, COMPASSIONATE PARENT, a community in which the strong do not impose upon the weak.
The VULNERABLE CHILD, a community in which the weak enlighten the strong.
And the SPIRIT OF ONENESS, a community in which all share equally in the inter-weaving dance of spirit.
In a world of over-consumption, we must move from a preoccupation with the production of goods to the rewarding of services, such as clowning and the writing of poetry.
It is only vulnerable strength that can unite us in one empowering whole.
Access to oneness is less by the use of the intellect than by the imagination and the sharing of our personal stories.
The more you seek “One Way” the more you create many ways.
Sensitivity without inclusiveness can be destructive.
The fragmented circle easily becomes a source of divisive wedges.
The highest mountain of bliss is the point where all lines become one.
When we move beyond the definitions to the mystery itself what formerly seemed divided becomes one.
Manipulative evangelism is a denial of the true nature of the “evangel”
Working for the unity of humankind brings peace to the heart but can lead to conflict with those whose power and wealth depend upon separation and division.
To be able to view the mountain from two different sides is much more liberating than only looking at it from one side.

PRAYER
O God of all of the vast varieties of humankind, help us to move beyond the exclusiveness of an ‘either / or’ mentality to the inclusiveness of a ‘both / and’ way of thinking that venturing behind the definitions to the mystery and beyond over-simplifications to complexity we may become immersed in your all embracing reality.
HYMNS
The darkness and the light. (BL)
Within the shadows of our thinking. (BL)
We the many all belong. (BL)
We are always part of the other. (BL)
When we discern Earth’s fractured face. (BL)
When the world reveals a fractured face. (BL)
Deep in the human heart. (BL)
No outcasts were condemned.
www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundlesslife
O God how can there be one world?
www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundlesslife
The right time has come.
www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundlesslife
There is but one village.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
I wash my hands.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
Between our thoughts.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
Deep in our minds.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
Which place can we call home? (STS2)
Singing the Sacred Vol 2 2014 World Library Publications
SONG
Sing of a sacred circle.
http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling
REFRAIN
In creating space for each other. (BL)
POEMS / REFLECTIONS
IT SEEMS WE ARE STUCK
It seems we are stuck,
At the present moment,
In the adolescence of the human race.
In place of the child-like acceptance of the shackles
Of oppressive dependency inducing
Institutions
We have exalted competitive acquisitiveness
Where more is better and the individual
Is the measure of all things.
How then are we ever going to be willing
To consume less of the dwindling resources of the Planet?
How then are we ever going to exercise population control
When we are biologically programmed to reproduce
And are opposed to voluntary euthanasia?
How then are we going to limit GNP
When our economic systems demand that it increase?
Only by reaching a new level of maturity which embraces
Sustainability,
Inter-dependence,
Shared ownership
And an acceptance that human beings
Are not the be all and end all of the Cosmos.
This new humility and inclusiveness
Will begin to fulfill the prophetic and mystical
Message of the Christ so long diluted
Or misinterpreted by the Church
And society as a whole.
THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY
If we followed the biddings in Romans 12:2 ‘do not conform to the standards of this world but be transformed in your minds’, we would be in a position to offer an objective critique of society as a whole. However, to gain such an assessment of the church it would be best to listen to those outside it.
Part of the bonding that holds society together is the communal myths. Ceremonies sustain these myths but usually do not provide any analysis of them. Empowerment comes through holding together the power of the myth and the power of analysis. Without this dialectic ceremonies (e.g. worship services) can perpetuate mental, emotional and societal captivity.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ?
What would happen to me
If I abandoned
the idea
that my way of
thinking,
living,
being,
is the one way to
fullness of life?
Would I drop into an abyss of anonymity,
uncertainty,
non being,
or is there something
deeper,
fuller,
space where dispirit parts
reside in complex unity,
place of non threatening connection,
divine diversity,
integrated complexity,
infinite variety
like the bifurcation
of stream and vein,
root and branch,
part of the
laughing,
dancing,
flow of the River of Life
besides which grow
the trees
for the healing
of the nations. (Rev. 22:2)
BEYOND THE TRIBE
How can I grow beyond the tribe
with its exclusiveness,
its fiery designation and protection of boundaries,
its limitations on thought,
its power struggles and
its hierarchy.
First I must find
the tribal image
in my mind
and watch it operate in
my religion,
my politics,
my economics,
my culture
and even my spirituality.
The God of the tribe
may have nurtured me well in the past
but now I must move on to
a more all-embracing unconfining deity
if I am to be a fit citizen
of One World
DOGMA DIVIDES – STORIES UNITE
Dogma divides – stories unite,
So I have been told.
And that seems to be true
Because we Western people
Tend to judge things
As either right or wrong.
If I am right
Then you must be wrong,
If you have a different point of view!
What a superficial view of truth!
What an oversimplification of life’s complexity!
What an alienating perspective on other people!
If only we could hear the story behind the dogma,
The story behind the interpretation,
The story that binds us together.
At their deepest level
Stories are about the joy and pain
Which we all share.
In the telling of such stories
Barriers dissolve
For in our human nakedness
We are one flesh,
One heart,
One vibrant particle
Of God’s spectacular Universe.
AWAKENING
In all and through all there is the I AM as Mechtild of Magdeburg said
‘the day of my spiritual awakening was the day I saw and knew I saw all things in God and God in all things’.
In that awakening we perceive that the many and the one are two faces of the one inclusive nurturing and life giving reality.
THE CREATION OF TRUE COMMUNITY
according to Acts 2:42-46
Learning from the Apostles= valuing the transmitted wisdom. Learning to think critically and creatively
Taking part in the fellowship= developing skills in human relationships
Sharing the breaking of bread and meeting in the temple= develop bonding between people and between people and the earth within the framework of their relationship with the mystery
Holding all things in common= sharing of material wealth, sharing of spirituality and sharing the stories of the heart
In other words, a community where positive attitudes are encouraged and practiced. An inclusive community where all feel at home regardless of differing view points and cultural customs.
FOCUS FOR ACTION
If I were to acknowledge that other religions, other political and economic systems could, in their own way, be just as right as those which I have adopted what would that do to my sense of security?
Would I want to move back into a more exclusive position or could I move forward into the cloud of unknowing?
If truth is more situational than absolute, where does that leave the authority of institutions which claim to be guardians of absolute truth?
How could I help other members of religious institutions or groups which I belong to make some of the above changes?

LOGO NOTE: At the heart of the mystery all the separate boxes disappear and all is one, all is love.
Text and graphic © William Livingstone Wallace but available for free use.

Changing Church
Orion Pitts, Director of Music & Administrator, First United Lutheran Church, San Francisco
Published: August 20, 2013. Original Link here

Orion Pitts
Over the years, I have become much more discerning about the music and the texts that we use. There are many—MANY—hymns that I have dearly loved since childhood, that I just will not use any more, because the theology in them does not reflect an experience of the Divine that I wish to perpetuate. So I constantly ask myself whether my love for those hymns comes from the text and meaning, or whether it’s a connection to the tune. We use many familiar tunes with many different texts. It can be challenging for congregations, but they adapt. Ever since I’ve been dedicated to inclusive language, I’ve become more and more discerning about texts. What a gift to be no longer blindly following along like sheep, but rather to be asking myself, “What am I saying here? What am I teaching?”
These comments reveal the importance Orion Pitts gives to the selection of hymns for his congregation to sing. Since 1995, Orion has served as Director of Music at First United Lutheran Church in San Francisco. When Orion became music director, this church had a policy on inclusive language that included the statement: “We believe that language shapes the way we perceive the Divine.”
This inclusive language statement expressed his own beliefs, Orion says. “This fit in just fine with my own experience of God, which is neither male, female, nor in any way anthropomorphic, but rather as Source integral to all that is. That does not mean that in our worship language we cannot refer to that Source as ‘He’ or ‘She’ or ‘Creator’ or ‘Creating’ or ‘Lover’ or ‘Friend.’” Orion further acknowledges that biblical writers “reflected the dominantly patriarchal society in which they lived, and too often that has been used as a force for exclusion rather than reflecting the all-encompassing source of love that is the God whom Christ revealed.”
Prior to serving at First United Lutheran in San Francisco, Orion served as choir director/organist in various Lutheran, Episcopal, and Presbyterian congregations in New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina. His eclectic career also includes serving as Professor of Theatre/Chair of the Department of Theater at Newberry College in South Carolina and pianist in the US Navy Band. He earned a BA degree in Music Education from Lenoir-Rhyne University, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Rutgers University, and a certificate in Interspiritual Wisdom from the Spiritual Paths Institute. In addition, he has done graduate studies at Westminster Choir College and the University of Hawaii.
Orion tells about awakening to the power of language in hymns. “While in graduate school and rooming with some other church music majors, I was playing the hymn known as ‘Once to Every Man and Nation’—it goes on to say, ‘comes the moment to decide, in the strife oftruth with falsehood, for the good or evil side.’ A roommate, who was far more astute than I, stopped me, and he said, ‘Do you really believe that?’ Well, I’d never really thought about it; I just liked the tune.”
Continuing to expand his thinking, Orion has been on what he calls a “ceaseless journey to the Spirit, with an intense interest in mysticism and Christian meditation.”He comments on expansive sacred language and symbolism as signs of humanity’s spiritual growth. “I think that the spiritual trajectory of human history is toward an ever-greater expansion of humanity realizing its all-encompassing spiritual nature. What does that mean? It means that the story of humanity is one of not limiting itself to the spiritual revelations of the past, but rather continued growth outward—with many, many bumps along the road—to full realization of all creation as a manifestation of God. Therefore, what we are doing, or experiencing now, in ever-widening uses of language and symbolism, is growing, maturing outward as the Spirit guides us toward full realization. In the never-ending attempt to realize (‘realize’ meaning not ‘to understand’ but rather ‘to experience fully in every moment’) our God-nature, the more that we get beyond the limiting view of God as a being—male, female, or otherwise—the closer we get to full realization. And that is the church’s role.”
To implement these beliefs in the worship services of his church, Orion avoids exclusively male references, balances female and male divine names, and often gives precedence to the female Divine. “We attempt to avoid exclusively male gender references to God as frequently as possible, and that is not easy. Beyond that, when we do make gender references, we include both female and male, God as ‘Mother’ as well as ‘Father,’ and we avoid the pronouns ‘He’ and ‘Him’ in reference to God. We frequently will stress the feminine to the exclusion of the masculine; and that’s okay; with two thousand years of an exclusively masculine tradition, it may take another two thousand to rectify that situation.”
Calling God “Mother,” Orion believes, changes some traditional views to open new understandings. “The image of God as ‘Mother’ opens up a whole dimension of the nature of God for us to know and grasp. The all-pervasive historical Christian God as a judging, angry, powerful, destructive figure does a disservice to our concept of God—and has served to create for Christians a feeling that we are shameful beings who are lost and must grasp onto the Jesus of the cross for salvation. That is not at all what Jesus taught. Jesus taught that we are all beings suffused with Love, and that Love is God. The angry, vengeful God that condemns us to a need for salvation comes from what others said about Jesus, not from Jesus’ own teachings.”
First United Lutheran Church, committed to inclusive and expansive language for more than twenty years, welcomes female references to Deity. Orion says that he only gets negative feedback, usually from some of the men, if he allows too many masculine references, such as “Lord” or “Kingdom,” to slip into the music in a worship service.
The church’s commitment to inclusive language has often proved challenging because members have varied interpretations of “inclusive,” Orion acknowledges. “For the first four or so years in my position as music director here, I was happily plugging along using inclusive resources and textual changes that reflected my understanding of what that commitment meant. Then at some point in some exploration of our identity, we engaged in a discussion of our inclusive language commitment. It became clear during that process that nearly everyone in our church community had different interpretations of just what ‘commitment to inclusive language’ meant. It involved details of such things as specific textual references, traditions, and comfort level. So, we’ve continued that dialogue regularly, and practice a balancing act that remains sensitive to many different concerns and understandings.”
In this “balancing act” Orion consults numerous hymnals, other worship resources, and the internet in selecting hymns. He also creates new texts and alters existing texts. Here are two examples of traditional texts in the public domain that Orion has altered to meet the varied interpretations of inclusive language in his church:
Sanctus
Original Version: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.Hosanna in the highest.Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.
Orion’s Altered Version:Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,heaven and earth reveal your glory,blessed God of Love.Sing hosanna in the highest, holy Adonai!Sing hosanna, hosanna,God of heavenly peace.
Irish Blessing (combines 2 traditional blessings)
Original Version: May green be the grass you walk on;may blue be the skies above you;may pure be the joys that surround you;may true be the hearts that love you.May the road rise to meet you;may the wind be always at your back;may the sun shine warm upon your face;may the rains fall soft upon your fields.And, until we meet again,may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Orion’s Altered ConclusionAnd, until we meet again,may God hold you in the palm of Her hand.
Another priority for Orion is worship music inclusive of many faith traditions and cultures. He has compiled what he calls the “Global Mass,” with resources from various faith traditions and cultural musical styles such as Buddhist, Sufi, Jewish, Native American, Japanese, Cameroon, and South African. One example is his altered version of “Sanctus” to this Japanese melody.

Another example is his putting the text of the traditional Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”) with the Buddhist chant “Om Mani Padme Hum.

Orion comments on his use of this piece in worship services: “The congregation has the option of singing either text, and they may do that simultaneously, and sing it as a chant throughout the distribution of communion. It’s accompanied only by chime and gong, and may have the melody line played quietly on piano, organ, or guitar, etc. Our congregation has no problem with singing a Buddhist chant during communion—it does not ‘harm’ God or Jesus, or threaten our faith; it does have the potential to broaden and enhance it however, and celebrates the all-encompassing Love that unites us; that is, God.”
Interfaith dialogue and collaboration are priorities for his congregation, Orion says. “We are currently engaged in a ‘Summer Celebrating Pluralism.’ In the context of our regular order of worship each Sunday, we have a guest speaker from a different faith tradition who tells us about that faith tradition during the sermon time and provides one reading.” Among the faith traditions featured have been Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha’i, Wicca, Religious Science, Humanism, and Swedenborgian. In addition, one of the guest speakers was Maria Eitz, the first woman to be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the San Francisco Archdiocese. On the church’s website under “Interfaith Awareness” is this statement: “We believe our wisdom will only be enhanced by continued conversation with all of our neighbors. Together we work for peace, justice, and the good of all people and all creation.”
The church’s interfaith commitment is rewarding for Orion. He relates an experience he had while leading a children’s group in music. “I wanted to make sure they understood the significance of the Day of Pentecost. So I asked this group of kids who’ve grown up in First United Lutheran: ‘What’s the third most important day of celebration in our church after Easter and Christmas?’ One bright seven-year-old piped up right away: ‘Hanukkah!’ I smiled, knowing that our commitment to interfaith community was having an impact.”
Not all churches and areas of the country are as progressive as his, Orion recognizes. “It does make things difficult when we travel outside this area to encounter ideas and practices with which we are no longer familiar, and thought had gone away long ago. It teaches us that there is much work to be done.” The main challenge Orion faces in his location is that many people have rejected any form of religion or spirituality because they are unaware that “old concepts and ideas” have changed.
Changes in the church, however, come slowly, Orion acknowledges. “The institution of ‘the Church’ is very slow to undergo change, but it is already happening. We see that in the desperation that many today feel as they see the old forms of belief that they have clung to for so long slipping away. But to give some very clear, and non-contemporary examples, most Christians today can fully understand how non-Christian the behavior and beliefs were that brought on the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Far too many, however, do not see the very real reflection of those same beliefs in examples today, including exclusion of certain groups or persons as unworthy of God’s love. ‘Progressive’ Christianity recognizes that the love of God is reflected only in peace, and in doing those actions that heal all humanity and bring us together under an all-loving force known as God.”
Because of the slowness of the church to change to these progressive beliefs and actions, Orion has often considered leaving. But he believes that “the Spirit is working in and through” him to keep him engaged in the church. “It’s so much a pattern of and in my life; I don’t cling to it, but it’s just inside me.”
In Orion’s expansive vision for the future of the church, language and imagery will be inclusive of both female and male, varied faith traditions, and varied cultures. He envisions every Christian worship environment looking something like that of Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran in San Francisco. His vision includes embracing “broad concepts of the Divine” and embracing what diverse spiritual traditions “have to teach us about our own.” The creative, prophetic ministry of Orion Pitts and First United Lutheran contribute to making this vision of a transformed church reality.

A Creed of Peace by Richard Holdsworth
I believe in faiths of compassion
And I nurture benevolent hopes;
I treasure loves without borders
And value simple truths
I believe in the peace of One Peace;
Redeeming, unending, sublime
For my peace is always your peace
As your peace is always mine
Peace makes us One with each other
Where faiths, hopes and loves combine

READ ON ...

Events and Updates
Dancing on Waves of Grace | Sacred Dance Festival
July 24th - 29th - Erie, PA
On the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, come dance on waves of grace with the Sacred Dance Guild. This six-day festival of sacred dance will include in-depth classes, eclectic workshops, inspiring concerts and joyful special events.Dancing on Waves of Grace | Sacred Dance Festival

On the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, come dance on waves of grace with the Sacred Dance Guild. This six-day festival of sacred dance will include in-depth classes, eclectic workshops, inspiring concerts and joyful special events.
PROGRAM
FRIDAY, JULY 24
Registration: 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Opening Celebration: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
SATURDAY, JULY 25
Classes: 6:30 am – 4:00 pm (including In-depth Class samplers)
Festival Concert: 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
SUNDAY, JULY 26
Classes: 6:30 am – 11:30 am
Pop-Up Workshops: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Trip to Chautauqua w/ flash mob (optional): 12:30 pm – 10:00 pm
MONDAY, JULY 27
Classes: 6:30 am – 4:00 pm
“A Taste of Erie” Banquet: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
TUESDAY, JULY 28
Classes: 6:30 am – 4:00 pm
Faculty Concert: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
Closing Celebration: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Registration Fees
The full package includes all festival events except Chautauqua trip.
Full package – SDG Members & Affiliates: $485 USD
Full package – Non-members: $545 USD
Full package – Youth (21 and under): $385 USD
Day rate – Members/Affiliates/Youth: $120 USD
Day rate – Non-members: $135 USD
Early bird special: The first 60 full-week registrants will receive $60 off the full package registration! Register today!
Chautauqua Trip: $60 USD – includes transportation, lunch, winery tour, concert and dinner in Chautauqua.

Images

Start:
July 24, 2015
End:
July 29, 2015
Location:
Mercyhurst University on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania
Contact:
Wendy Morrell
Organization:
Sacred Dance Guild
Website:
www.sacreddanceguild.org
Email:
admin@sacreddanceguild.org
Telephone:
1-877-422-8678