Weekly Recap for Tuesday, October 11, 2016 from ProgressiveChristianity.org of Gig Harbor, Washington, United States "Words and actions have consequences - choose them wisely. This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week." for Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Last Week At ProgressiveChristianity.org ...We delved into the topics of: Bishop Spong's 12 Principles, The Meaninglessness of Life, Being Strong for Women and Differences.
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Responding to Bishop Spong’s 12 Principles and the Future of Religion
Matthew FoxA recent national poll on millennial thinking (defining millennials as ages 18 to 34), found that millennials have very little confidence in establishment institutions. Indeed, more trust the military (55%) far more than organized religion—25%. This is a generation after all that has grown up with news of pedophile priest scandals and their cover-up by institutional religious leaders, as well as the collapse of the economic titans and their economy.
It strikes me that Bishop John Spong’s prophetic questioning of Christianity’s dogmas and structures would sit quite well with these young people, one might even say that he is posing the questions that they are asking about when it comes to organized religion. In this way he is and has been a prophetic voice (when, as Rabbi Heschel point out, the primary work of the prophet is to interfere) interfering with taken-for-granted religious doctrines for decades. He has dared to criticize religion and envision a different future for Christianity even while remaining part of the church structure. This takes quite a lot of doing and dancing! No wonder he has stayed so young! Now he is calling for a “New Reformation” and has laid out 12 principles that are equally challenges to the religious status quo.
I will respond to Spong’s 12 principles here with a brief comment by myself in italics working out of the Creation Spirituality lineage.
1. God
Understanding God in theistic categories as “a being, supernatural in power, dwelling somewhere external to the world and capable of invading the world with miraculous power” is no longer believable. Most God talk in liturgy and conversation has thus become meaningless. I talk about a panentheistic God, which is non-theistic, but is a God who is in all things and all things are in God. Also the apophatic God, the God of “superessential darkness” who “has no name and will never be given a name” (Eckhart) is demanding to be revisited.
2. Jesus – the Christ
If God can no longer be thought of in theistic terms, then conceiving of Jesus as “the incarnation of the theistic deity” has also become a bankrupt concept. The historical Jesus was a supreme teacher of action and contemplation and of Compassion and our shared work of Divinity. There is also the Christ of the Creeds that Spong wants to create distance from. But the third nature of Christ –The Cosmic Christ archetype–, the light in every being, names the inherent God-like-ness of each and every being, ourselves included. It finds a parallel concept in the “Buddha Nature” understanding in the East and in the “image of God” concept in Judaism. (1)
3. Original Sin – The Myth of the Fall
The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which we human beings have fallen into “Original Sin” is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense. Jesus never heard of original sin—no Jew has. Original Blessing displaces original sin, since for 13.8 billion years our species has been blessed by choices of the universe that resulted in our existence as well as the rich and blessed world in which we live. Sin is the refusal to say Yes and Thank You for that original blessing.
4. The Virgin Birth
The virgin birth understood as literal biology is impossible. Far from being a bulwark in defense of the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth actually destroys that divinity. According to Otto Rank, the archetypal meaning of the Virgin Birth is that it distinguished the goddess religion Christianity from other goddess religions of the Mediterranean area by insisting that this divine son did not have intercourse with his mother but left home to preach a radical teaching of justice and compassion.
5. Jesus as the Worker of Miracles
In a post-Newtonian world supernatural invasions of the natural order, performed by God or an “incarnate Jesus,” are simply not viable explanations of what actually happened.Thomas Aquinas says that the greatest miracle of all is a virtuous life—in that regard Jesus incarnated and taught this most important miracle. Miracle is about “marvel” and the greatest of all marvels is existence itself (Eckhart: “Existence is God.”)
6. Atonement Theology
Atonement theology, especially in its most bizarre “substitutionary” form, presents us with a God who is barbaric, a Jesus who is a victim and it turns human beings into little more than guilt-filled creatures. The phrase “Jesus died for my sins” is not just dangerous, it is absurd. If life is a blessing and not a curse and our origins are a blessing then at-one-ment with the Divine is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching and accomplishment, not atonement. Another word for “at-one-ment” is mysticism, the experiencing of oneness with the Divine.
7. The Resurrection
The Easter event transformed the Christian movement, but that does not mean that it was the physical resuscitation of Jesus’ deceased body back into human history. The earliest biblical records state that “God raised him.” Into what, we need to ask. The experience of resurrection must be separated from its later mythological explanations. Frequently I ask audiences to shut their eyes and then raise their hands if they have experienced the presence of a loved one after they died. Often 80% of the audience have had such experiences. If we have had them in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, what is to deny that people who loved Jesus might have had similar experiences in the first century?
8. The Ascension of Jesus
The biblical story of Jesus’ ascension assumes a three-tiered universe, which was dismissed some five hundred years ago. If Jesus’ ascension was a literal event of history, it is beyond the capacity of our 21st century minds to accept it or to believe it. Buckminster Fuller used to say “anyone who is still using the words ‘up’ and ‘down’ is 500 years out of date.” The basic dynamic of a curved universe and a curved earth is in and out, not up and down. In what way did Jesus go out and how deeply has his message traveled into our souls and culture after his exit from this plane?
9. Ethics
The ability to define and to separate good from evil can no longer be achieved with appeals to ancient codes like the Ten Commandments or even the Sermon on the Mount. Contemporary moral standards must be hammered out in the juxtaposition between life-affirming moral principles and external situations. In my recent book on evil, “Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil and Soul and Society” I take the 7 chakras of the East and compare them to the 7 Capital sins of the West to come up with a new language and understanding by which to confront evil. In the thirteenth century Thomas Aquinas also rejected lists of commandments and instead based his ethics on an invitation to a virtuous life.
10. Prayer
Prayer, understood as a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history, is little more than an hysterical attempt to turn the holy into the servant of the human. Most of our prayer definitions of the past are thus dependent on an understanding of God that has died. I have defined prayer as “a radical response to life” whereby we say Yes to life (our mystical self) and No to injustice (our prophetic call).(2)
11. Life after Death
The hope for life after death must be separated forever from behavior control. Traditional views of heaven and hell as places of reward and punishment are no longer conceivable. Christianity must, therefore, abandon its dependence on guilt as a motivator of behavior.Einstein says no energy is lost in the universe and Hildegard of Bingen says that no beauty is lost in the universe. Eckhart says that at death life dies but being goes on. In what forms does being go on? Some say Reincarnation; others Regeneration; others Resurrection. Truth is these are not that far apart. Aquinas says there are two resurrections in life: The first is waking up in this lifetime and if we undergo that we do not have to worry about the second.
12. Judgment and Discrimination
Judgment is not a human responsibility. Discrimination against any human being on the basis of that which is a “given” is always evil and does not serve the Christian goal of giving “abundant life” to all. Any structure either in the secular world or in the institutional church, which diminishes the humanity of any child of God on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation must be exposed publicly and vigorously. There can be no reason in the church of tomorrow for excusing or even forgiving discriminatory practices. “Sacred Tradition” must never again provide a cover to justify discriminatory evil. Science assists us in recognizing the immense diversity of creation and of human backgrounds and preferences. We cannot develop our capacity for discernment or for judgment and growing a conscience without consulting science.
Rev. Matthew Fox
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About the Author:
Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 32 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 60 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are Original Blessing, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, The Reinvention of Work, A Spirituality Named Compassion and Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times.
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1. See David Mevorach Seidenberg, Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World (NY: Cambridge Univ Press, 2015).
2. See Matthew Fox, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life (NY: Jeremy Tarcher, 2001).
READ ON ...
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It strikes me that Bishop John Spong’s prophetic questioning of Christianity’s dogmas and structures would sit quite well with these young people, one might even say that he is posing the questions that they are asking about when it comes to organized religion. In this way he is and has been a prophetic voice (when, as Rabbi Heschel point out, the primary work of the prophet is to interfere) interfering with taken-for-granted religious doctrines for decades. He has dared to criticize religion and envision a different future for Christianity even while remaining part of the church structure. This takes quite a lot of doing and dancing! No wonder he has stayed so young! Now he is calling for a “New Reformation” and has laid out 12 principles that are equally challenges to the religious status quo.
I will respond to Spong’s 12 principles here with a brief comment by myself in italics working out of the Creation Spirituality lineage.
1. God
Understanding God in theistic categories as “a being, supernatural in power, dwelling somewhere external to the world and capable of invading the world with miraculous power” is no longer believable. Most God talk in liturgy and conversation has thus become meaningless. I talk about a panentheistic God, which is non-theistic, but is a God who is in all things and all things are in God. Also the apophatic God, the God of “superessential darkness” who “has no name and will never be given a name” (Eckhart) is demanding to be revisited.
2. Jesus – the Christ
If God can no longer be thought of in theistic terms, then conceiving of Jesus as “the incarnation of the theistic deity” has also become a bankrupt concept. The historical Jesus was a supreme teacher of action and contemplation and of Compassion and our shared work of Divinity. There is also the Christ of the Creeds that Spong wants to create distance from. But the third nature of Christ –The Cosmic Christ archetype–, the light in every being, names the inherent God-like-ness of each and every being, ourselves included. It finds a parallel concept in the “Buddha Nature” understanding in the East and in the “image of God” concept in Judaism. (1)
3. Original Sin – The Myth of the Fall
The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which we human beings have fallen into “Original Sin” is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense. Jesus never heard of original sin—no Jew has. Original Blessing displaces original sin, since for 13.8 billion years our species has been blessed by choices of the universe that resulted in our existence as well as the rich and blessed world in which we live. Sin is the refusal to say Yes and Thank You for that original blessing.
4. The Virgin Birth
The virgin birth understood as literal biology is impossible. Far from being a bulwark in defense of the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth actually destroys that divinity. According to Otto Rank, the archetypal meaning of the Virgin Birth is that it distinguished the goddess religion Christianity from other goddess religions of the Mediterranean area by insisting that this divine son did not have intercourse with his mother but left home to preach a radical teaching of justice and compassion.
5. Jesus as the Worker of Miracles
In a post-Newtonian world supernatural invasions of the natural order, performed by God or an “incarnate Jesus,” are simply not viable explanations of what actually happened.Thomas Aquinas says that the greatest miracle of all is a virtuous life—in that regard Jesus incarnated and taught this most important miracle. Miracle is about “marvel” and the greatest of all marvels is existence itself (Eckhart: “Existence is God.”)
6. Atonement Theology
Atonement theology, especially in its most bizarre “substitutionary” form, presents us with a God who is barbaric, a Jesus who is a victim and it turns human beings into little more than guilt-filled creatures. The phrase “Jesus died for my sins” is not just dangerous, it is absurd. If life is a blessing and not a curse and our origins are a blessing then at-one-ment with the Divine is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching and accomplishment, not atonement. Another word for “at-one-ment” is mysticism, the experiencing of oneness with the Divine.
7. The Resurrection
The Easter event transformed the Christian movement, but that does not mean that it was the physical resuscitation of Jesus’ deceased body back into human history. The earliest biblical records state that “God raised him.” Into what, we need to ask. The experience of resurrection must be separated from its later mythological explanations. Frequently I ask audiences to shut their eyes and then raise their hands if they have experienced the presence of a loved one after they died. Often 80% of the audience have had such experiences. If we have had them in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, what is to deny that people who loved Jesus might have had similar experiences in the first century?
8. The Ascension of Jesus
The biblical story of Jesus’ ascension assumes a three-tiered universe, which was dismissed some five hundred years ago. If Jesus’ ascension was a literal event of history, it is beyond the capacity of our 21st century minds to accept it or to believe it. Buckminster Fuller used to say “anyone who is still using the words ‘up’ and ‘down’ is 500 years out of date.” The basic dynamic of a curved universe and a curved earth is in and out, not up and down. In what way did Jesus go out and how deeply has his message traveled into our souls and culture after his exit from this plane?
9. Ethics
The ability to define and to separate good from evil can no longer be achieved with appeals to ancient codes like the Ten Commandments or even the Sermon on the Mount. Contemporary moral standards must be hammered out in the juxtaposition between life-affirming moral principles and external situations. In my recent book on evil, “Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil and Soul and Society” I take the 7 chakras of the East and compare them to the 7 Capital sins of the West to come up with a new language and understanding by which to confront evil. In the thirteenth century Thomas Aquinas also rejected lists of commandments and instead based his ethics on an invitation to a virtuous life.
10. Prayer
Prayer, understood as a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history, is little more than an hysterical attempt to turn the holy into the servant of the human. Most of our prayer definitions of the past are thus dependent on an understanding of God that has died. I have defined prayer as “a radical response to life” whereby we say Yes to life (our mystical self) and No to injustice (our prophetic call).(2)
11. Life after Death
The hope for life after death must be separated forever from behavior control. Traditional views of heaven and hell as places of reward and punishment are no longer conceivable. Christianity must, therefore, abandon its dependence on guilt as a motivator of behavior.Einstein says no energy is lost in the universe and Hildegard of Bingen says that no beauty is lost in the universe. Eckhart says that at death life dies but being goes on. In what forms does being go on? Some say Reincarnation; others Regeneration; others Resurrection. Truth is these are not that far apart. Aquinas says there are two resurrections in life: The first is waking up in this lifetime and if we undergo that we do not have to worry about the second.
12. Judgment and Discrimination
Judgment is not a human responsibility. Discrimination against any human being on the basis of that which is a “given” is always evil and does not serve the Christian goal of giving “abundant life” to all. Any structure either in the secular world or in the institutional church, which diminishes the humanity of any child of God on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation must be exposed publicly and vigorously. There can be no reason in the church of tomorrow for excusing or even forgiving discriminatory practices. “Sacred Tradition” must never again provide a cover to justify discriminatory evil. Science assists us in recognizing the immense diversity of creation and of human backgrounds and preferences. We cannot develop our capacity for discernment or for judgment and growing a conscience without consulting science.
Rev. Matthew Fox
-------
About the Author:
Matthew Fox holds a doctorate in spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has authored 32 books on spirituality and contemporary culture that have been translated into 60 languages. Fox has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His work is inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and has awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. He has helped to rediscover Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas. Among his books are Original Blessing, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, The Reinvention of Work, A Spirituality Named Compassion and Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times.
————————————————————————————————————————————
1. See David Mevorach Seidenberg, Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World (NY: Cambridge Univ Press, 2015).
2. See Matthew Fox, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life (NY: Jeremy Tarcher, 2001).
READ ON ...
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The Meaninglessness of Life
Frank LeskoI have to admit that my favorite part of the Bible is the book of Ecclesiastes. It is famous for the passage which forms the song Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger and popularized by the Byrds–“There is a time for every purpose under Heaven.”
Yet, many Christians keep the book at arm’s length. Some even wonder why it is even in the Bible at all. It is the proverbial red-headed stepchild. A lot of folks don’t know what to do with it. It’s kept around because it’s in the Bible and we are loyal to the biblical canon. In other words, we are stuck with it, but we just sort of keep it… over there.
It could have been written today. It’s message is extremely modern. Qoheleth is struggling with a sense of existential angst. Everything seems futile. All our hard work seems to amount to nothing. Generations of people come and go. He struggles with the purpose of life.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t struggled with those very same questions.
Case in point: I have known my grandparents. I know something about my great-grandparents (at least some of them), but with the exception of a detail or two, that’s as far back as my history goes. I barely know anything about the very people I come from just a few generations before me. Yet, I imagine they had joys and sorrows. I imagine they achieved much and failed a lot, too. Yet, they came and went. It’s wrong to say they have no enduring legacy, because I’m here–but the details of their lives have been all but lost.
It’s easy to wonder, like Qoheleth does, what’s the point of it all? Do we just eat, drink and be merry and make the most of our short time? Qoheleth seems to have tried that. Yet, just looking for temporary pleasures doesn’t bring him fulfilment, either. It reminds me of another song: U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Nothing seems to satisfy him.
Qoheleth commits himself to hard work. He is as industrious as anyone, having achieved more than most. He gets some satisfaction from a job well done, but that doesn’t last. He sees the false pride that is underneath the pursuit of “heard work” (Eccles. 4:4). This is not the prosperity Gospel. He is still empty.
Do we fall into despair? Do we just give up?
It’s probably good that Ecclesiastes just sort of hangs there, unresolved. We like everything wrapped up in tidy little boxes, but the spiritual journey is one of struggle. The Bible is not ultimately a book of easy answers but rather of toiling with the deep questions. The Book of Ecclesiastes makes perfect sense in light of that.
The paradox is: You just can’t get to the answers without agonizing over the questions for a while.
We do ourselves a tremendous disservice when we attempt to resolve all questions as quickly as possible. Great spiritual masters tell us that God often speaks to us in the spaces between our words and our thoughts. If we seek easy answers and don’t leave space for God, we may be missing a lot–that’s true even if we fill that space with God, because all we are doing is filling that space with what we think of as God–our own conceptions and voice–which actually can drown out God’s voice.
It is almost as if the writer of Ecclesiastes in desperation reaches some kind of breakthrough. Sometimes you have to be pushed to your utter limits to break into the liminal space necessary for change and growth. The writer realizes that this is indeed a world of dust–and that’s okay. We have to trust God in that.
It is an enormous challenge to face this. It is good to realize this, though, as that forces us to grow. It forces our true self to grow through the shell of the false self, so we can live our true nature. But those are some major growing pains and they hurt. It is normal to experience a monumental grieving process, because there is a lot at stake–virtually everything we know gets carried off in the wind like so much dust.
In the Gospels, Jesus is continually calling on us to discern between what is eternal and what is not. Jesus calls us to let go and be not afraid. He tells us that there is reason to hope in this, even if–or maybe especially if–we hang onto hope by the skin of our calloused fingertips with our last bit of strength. He tell us that what is lasting is not of this world–it is of the Kingdom. All worldly pursuits, all riches, even the emotional “riches” of pride–maybe especially so–come from dust and return to dust. At best they are meaningless, at worst they are distractions that keep us from finding true meaning.
You have to realize that this world amounts to nothing more than dust in order to really understand the message of Jesus. We are not supposed to build a permanent home for ourselves here. Jesus made that quite clear.
Everything of this world does perish. Qoheleth is right in discovering this.
The rest of the story (in the voice of Paul Harvey), however, is that everything of God does not perish. When it is all said and done, all that remains is faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). That is exactly why it behooves us to let go of everything false to live into this Truth: Give up everything and be with the poor in faith, hope and love. If we were not so attached to our possessions, our wealth and our worldly sense of security, we would probably do this rather easily. It involves us shedding our false self to let the Kingdom within shine. Jesus shows us the Way: He continually ignored worldly titles and statuses and instead encountered anyone and everyone in peace and recognized their dignity. He is in and with the poor. That is where Jesus is and that is where his Church ought to be.
Our religious structures can be a barrier for this true spiritual journey, too. When we think our church is the only “right” one, when our doctrines are the “best,” then we can actually stop listening to God and listen only the echo chamber of our own conclusions. Make no mistake–God can speak to us through religious doctrines and structures, but when they become a false idol then the religious tradition that could have pointed us to God now stands in the way.
READ ON ...
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Yet, many Christians keep the book at arm’s length. Some even wonder why it is even in the Bible at all. It is the proverbial red-headed stepchild. A lot of folks don’t know what to do with it. It’s kept around because it’s in the Bible and we are loyal to the biblical canon. In other words, we are stuck with it, but we just sort of keep it… over there.
It could have been written today. It’s message is extremely modern. Qoheleth is struggling with a sense of existential angst. Everything seems futile. All our hard work seems to amount to nothing. Generations of people come and go. He struggles with the purpose of life.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t struggled with those very same questions.
Case in point: I have known my grandparents. I know something about my great-grandparents (at least some of them), but with the exception of a detail or two, that’s as far back as my history goes. I barely know anything about the very people I come from just a few generations before me. Yet, I imagine they had joys and sorrows. I imagine they achieved much and failed a lot, too. Yet, they came and went. It’s wrong to say they have no enduring legacy, because I’m here–but the details of their lives have been all but lost.
It’s easy to wonder, like Qoheleth does, what’s the point of it all? Do we just eat, drink and be merry and make the most of our short time? Qoheleth seems to have tried that. Yet, just looking for temporary pleasures doesn’t bring him fulfilment, either. It reminds me of another song: U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Nothing seems to satisfy him.
Qoheleth commits himself to hard work. He is as industrious as anyone, having achieved more than most. He gets some satisfaction from a job well done, but that doesn’t last. He sees the false pride that is underneath the pursuit of “heard work” (Eccles. 4:4). This is not the prosperity Gospel. He is still empty.
Do we fall into despair? Do we just give up?
It’s probably good that Ecclesiastes just sort of hangs there, unresolved. We like everything wrapped up in tidy little boxes, but the spiritual journey is one of struggle. The Bible is not ultimately a book of easy answers but rather of toiling with the deep questions. The Book of Ecclesiastes makes perfect sense in light of that.
The paradox is: You just can’t get to the answers without agonizing over the questions for a while.
We do ourselves a tremendous disservice when we attempt to resolve all questions as quickly as possible. Great spiritual masters tell us that God often speaks to us in the spaces between our words and our thoughts. If we seek easy answers and don’t leave space for God, we may be missing a lot–that’s true even if we fill that space with God, because all we are doing is filling that space with what we think of as God–our own conceptions and voice–which actually can drown out God’s voice.
It is almost as if the writer of Ecclesiastes in desperation reaches some kind of breakthrough. Sometimes you have to be pushed to your utter limits to break into the liminal space necessary for change and growth. The writer realizes that this is indeed a world of dust–and that’s okay. We have to trust God in that.
It is an enormous challenge to face this. It is good to realize this, though, as that forces us to grow. It forces our true self to grow through the shell of the false self, so we can live our true nature. But those are some major growing pains and they hurt. It is normal to experience a monumental grieving process, because there is a lot at stake–virtually everything we know gets carried off in the wind like so much dust.
In the Gospels, Jesus is continually calling on us to discern between what is eternal and what is not. Jesus calls us to let go and be not afraid. He tells us that there is reason to hope in this, even if–or maybe especially if–we hang onto hope by the skin of our calloused fingertips with our last bit of strength. He tell us that what is lasting is not of this world–it is of the Kingdom. All worldly pursuits, all riches, even the emotional “riches” of pride–maybe especially so–come from dust and return to dust. At best they are meaningless, at worst they are distractions that keep us from finding true meaning.
You have to realize that this world amounts to nothing more than dust in order to really understand the message of Jesus. We are not supposed to build a permanent home for ourselves here. Jesus made that quite clear.
Everything of this world does perish. Qoheleth is right in discovering this.
The rest of the story (in the voice of Paul Harvey), however, is that everything of God does not perish. When it is all said and done, all that remains is faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). That is exactly why it behooves us to let go of everything false to live into this Truth: Give up everything and be with the poor in faith, hope and love. If we were not so attached to our possessions, our wealth and our worldly sense of security, we would probably do this rather easily. It involves us shedding our false self to let the Kingdom within shine. Jesus shows us the Way: He continually ignored worldly titles and statuses and instead encountered anyone and everyone in peace and recognized their dignity. He is in and with the poor. That is where Jesus is and that is where his Church ought to be.
Our religious structures can be a barrier for this true spiritual journey, too. When we think our church is the only “right” one, when our doctrines are the “best,” then we can actually stop listening to God and listen only the echo chamber of our own conclusions. Make no mistake–God can speak to us through religious doctrines and structures, but when they become a false idol then the religious tradition that could have pointed us to God now stands in the way.
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What do people gain from all the toil
at which they toil under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun goes down,
and hurries to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south,
and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they continue to flow.
All things are wearisome;
more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
or the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been,
in the ages before us.
The people of long ago are not remembered,
nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
by those who come after them[Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 (NRSV)]
Visit “The Traveling Ecumenist” HereREAD ON ...
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Upworthy Video about being stronger for women and choosing our words and actions wiselyThe poetry in this intense video speaks to being stronger for women and choosing our words and actions wisely.
The poetry in this intense video speaks to being stronger for women and choosing our words and actions wisely.
We Are The Lions (Spoken Cinema™) -------
Liturgy Selection
DifferencesFaith communities can be a “safe place for uncomfortable conversations.” The topics are uncomfortable because they make us confront our basic assumptions and unconscious prejudices. With whom can you have “uncomfortable conversations”?
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Faith communities can be a “safe place for uncomfortable conversations.” For example, in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, many congregations have embarked on a conversation about race, or gun violence, or stereotypes and profiling, or any of the host of issues underlying that situation. The topics are uncomfortable because they make us confront our basic assumptions and unconscious prejudices. But being willing to talk about them is the beginning of broadening our understanding, the first step to ever having the world be different. With whom can you have “uncomfortable conversations”?
Responsive Reading by Dawn Grace Peters One: God of many names and faces, we have come together for a little while; some to worship, some to lay down burdens, some to find a moment of rest.
One: God of many names and faces, we have come together for a little while; some to worship, some to lay down burdens, some to find a moment of rest.
Many: Emmanuel, God-with-us, we come with all our differences; seeking common ground, and respite from our cares.
One: God who walks with us, we have come on journeys of our own, to a place where journeys meet.
Many: Here, in this place, let us take time to enjoy our togetherness; for when paths cross and pilgrims gather, there is much to share and celebrate.
All: In the name of the Holy One, our Guide and Companion, Amen.
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Prayer for Light by Claralice Wolf
O God
We have said, “Your word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path.” Sometimes it seems more like a flickering candle.
O GodPrayer for Light by Claralice Wolf
O God
We have said, “Your word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path.” Sometimes it seems more like a flickering candle.
We have said, “Your word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path.” Sometimes it seems more like a flickering candle.
We ask for your presence tonight with us here in this place.
We ask for wisdom as we discuss difficult issues.
We ask for the bright light of your truth to shine in our hearts and minds, that our worship of You may include our intellects as well as our love. Amen.
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Eternal Fury Fires the Saints by Andrew Pratt
Eternal fury fires the saints,
who shake and rattle, push and shove,
who challenge every bland excuse,
who seek for justice, work for love.
Eternal fury fires the saints,Eternal Fury Fires the Saints by Andrew Pratt
Eternal fury fires the saints,
who shake and rattle, push and shove,
who challenge every bland excuse,
who seek for justice, work for love.
who shake and rattle, push and shove,
who challenge every bland excuse,
who seek for justice, work for love
They make the world turn upside down,
they are a catalyst in pain,
they reach into our deepest hurt,
they bring the dead to life again.
And here is God, and here is love,
incarnate in this present place,
so close to grief in every age,
to channel healing faith and grace.
To listen, wait and weave as one,
to tell the stories that we know,
this is the calling that we share,
to let God’s scary gospel show:
God hangs beyond the edge of hope,
outside the church, beyond the walls,
outside the doors that keep us in,
our neighbour Christ still sings and calls.© Andrew Pratt 8/2/2011
Tune HERONGATE or O WALY WALY
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Events and UpdatesExperience a Single Faith Tradition
The Chaplaincy Institute
Berkeley, CA
Offered each month of the year, these 5-day courses are designed to inspire and educate people who are called to serve in an Interfaith capacity in our increasingly diverse world or for those who are interested in learning more about a specific faith tradition.
Participants immerse themselves in a deeply creative and nurturing environment to develop and deepen their personal theological perspectives, while also expanding their capacity to serve the spiritually and culturally diverse world in which we live; or simply to gain a greater understanding of those from different cultures or faith paths than theirs.
Experience a Single Faith Tradition by The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith MinistriesOffered each month of the year, these 5-day courses are designed to inspire and educate people who are called to serve in an Interfaith capacity in our increasingly diverse world or for those who are interested in learning more about a specific faith tradition. Participants immerse themselves in a deeply creative and nurturing environment to develop and deepen their personal theological perspectives, while also expanding their capacity to serve the spiritually and culturally diverse world in which we live; or simply to gain a greater understanding of those from different cultures or faith paths than theirs. Many individuals enroll in Thematic Module Intensives to discern their call to ministry or chaplaincy, prior to applying to our Interfaith Studies Certificate Course. Some attend because they have an interest in increasing their knowledge and understanding or particular faith tradition.
January
Catholic & Orthodox Christianity
February
Earth Based Traditions
March
Mahayana Buddhism
April
Mystical Judaism
May
Mystical Islam – Sufism
June
Protestant Christianity
July
Islam
August
Theravada Buddhism
September
Judaism
October
Spiritual Psychology I
November
Hinduism & Sikhism
December
Spiritual Psychology II
Click here for a calendar of upcoming modules.
From a Student: “I wanted to thank you so much for the incredible experience I had at ChI. I am still processing it, but it was really life-changing for me. The experience of being in such a vibrant and compassionate community felt for me very much like being a winter crocus blossoming through the snow, from rich soil into the sunlight. I felt so nourished and alive. And I believe that everyone there felt something similar, in whatever way he or she needed all managed with a real undercurrent of joy and compassion that radiates throughout the entire program. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you.” -Elizabeth, after attending the Hinduism and Sikhism module as a single module student.
Click here for more information
The Chaplaincy Institute
1400 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 14
Berkeley, California 94709, United States
(510)843-1422
www.chaplaincyinstitute.org
offic@chaplaincyinstitute.org
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FacebookTwitterWebsiteEmailYouTubeOur mailing address is:
ProgressiveChristianity.org
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