Words of Jesus

The earliest material in the New Testament would be Paul's Epistles, written 20-34 years after the crucifixion and by a man who did not know the human Jesus. Paul's conversion is dated some one to six years after the crucifixion. From Paul we learn that Jesus was crucified, that he introduced the Lord's Supper and that he was perceived as alive in some way following the crucifixion and little more.

The gospels are written between 70 at the earliest (Mark) and 100 at the latest (John). Yet all four gospels reveal the impact of this Jesus on a variety of people. The Fellows of the Jesus Seminar spent more than a decade going over everything that the four gospels record Jesus as ever having said. When they completed this study, they determined that no more than 16% of the sayings of Jesus are authentic to the man Jesus which, of course, means that some 84% of the sayings attributed to Jesus are not historically accurate. The Seminar did not find a single word attributed to Jesus in the Fourth Gospel (John) to be authentic. The Jesus of John's gospel speaks to the concerns of the Christian Church near the end of the first century, not the literal words of a man of history.

I think I can demonstrate that all four of the gospel writers knew they were not writing either history or biography. Each was interpreting Jesus in the context of their relationship with the Synagogue and their time in history, most especially following the Jewish-Roman War when in 70 CE the city of Jerusalem was leveled by the Roman invaders.

If we looked at the gospels as portraits of Jesus painted by the second or even third generation of Christians and not as photographs or tape recordings capturing his exact deeds and words, I think we would be closer to the truth.

I believe the gospels give us insight into the impact of a man of history and they open the doors for an exploration into the mystery and wonders of God. That is why I treasure them.

– John Shelby Spong

$3 trillion bailout - Summary

Here's the executive summary: The economy's cracks started showing a year ago. Home prices plummeted and foreclosures soared. Financial institutions carrying mortgage-backed securities on their books took an enormous hit. Banks wanted to take fewer risks, so lending to businesses and consumers froze up.

Then things really broke down in September. The government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The collapse of Lehman Brothers sent investors worldwide into a cold sweat.

To combat the crisis, Congress and the current administration have taken a number of steps aimed at boosting the housing market - providing critical liquidity to financial institutions and saving businesses from collapse.

Thus far, the government has pledged as much as $3 trillion for the crisis, although the ultimate cost to the federal budget won't be known for years to come since much of that money is effectively investment.

"You'd have to go back to the New Deal to find something similar to what the government has done to stop the credit crisis," said Jay Bryson, economist for Wachovia. "It's because the alternative was unthinkable: If it failed, there was potential for another Great Depression."

Your $3 trillion bailout

Washington is waging war on the financial crisis. Mr. Obama: You have to see it through.

By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

I like that quote.   Author and foodie Michael Pollan, in his own pithy way, recently distilled the vastness of his victual knowledge into seven simple words of advice:

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

 

From,

How to green your grocery list

05 Aug 2008

 

http://www.grist.org/advice/how/2008/08/05/index.html

Outlawing the Symptom: Our Broken Abortion Strategy

"As an evangelical who believes life begins before birth, I believe our presumed party alliance has become an abusive relationship. If we as followers of Christ truly believed in the agenda of life, why have we not taken seriously the proven correlation between poverty and increased abortion rates? Why have we not spoken out on supportive health care for women and children? Why have we not cried out about preventative education to minimize unplanned pregnancies that frequently lead to termination? And why, oh why, do we not see war, torture, creation care, or the death penalty also as fundamental issues of life?
The question is, will evangelicals expand their understanding of social influences and actually work towards healing the causes, or just wait around to outlaw the symptom?"

Outlawing the Symptom: Our Broken Abortion Strategy, by Matthew Dunbar 11-03-2008

Children and Proposition 8

At school and on sports practice fields, it's become the No. 1 topic of conversation among kids.
By Alexandra Cole, LA Times, Nov 1, 2008

. . . I arrived home to find an election mailer from ProtectMarriage.com in my mailbox. In big bold letters it proclaimed that "teaching about 'gay marriage' will happen in our public schools unless we vote yes on Proposition 8."

The irony is that gay marriage has become the No. 1 topic of discussion on school playgrounds and sports practice fields precisely because of Proposition 8. The political battle has done far and away more to raise awareness of same-sex marriage among schoolchildren than the state Supreme Court's ruling in May ever would have. This last month has been a giant teachable moment on gay marriage -- which is probably not what Proposition 8's backers intended.

Alexandra Cole is an associate professor of political science at Cal State Northridge.

Synderesis

synderesis – noun

1.	innate knowledge of the basic principles of morality.

2.	Christian Mysticism. the essence of the soul that unites with God.

"synderesis." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 23 Oct. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synderesis

Emerging Missional Church

Theology is simply a logical understanding or image of God, but that image is deeply shaped by our the story we have experience, which is different for everyone. And as we engage God’s story we’re always rubbing up against our current perception of reality. And if we don’t have a place to be honest about our own brokenness, about our questions, our angers, about our frustrations and perceptions with God, then we have no place to tear down the obstacles that actually keep me from engaging relationship with God. Emerging Church Weblog, 5 Things We Got Right in the Emerging Missional Church, Posted Sep 28,by Steve Knight

I started this blog so I could "have a place to be honest." I don't know much about the Emerging Missional Church but I am learning. This blog mentions Rob Bell; our previous pastor used some of his videos to supplement his sermon on several occasions. That did not go over well with some folks. I have heard several negative comments about some new things in worship that the young people can relate to. I sometimes get very tired of this kind of thinking that leads towards extinction. Have I mentioned that I am church council chair?

Dying Well

September 24, 2008

One of my favorite websites, Gratefulness.org, posted the Afterword from, Being One with Dying: Showing Up for the Great Matter by Joan Halifax Roshi. I liked this excerpt.

Death urges us to accept and appreciate our lives, to forgive ourselves and others, and to let go as the small self is dissolved into a larger stream of being. From the perspective of Buddhism, this is the greatest opportunity for awakening and freedom.

This also might be good for reading at my funeral. The Swan by Rainer Maria Rilke, Read by Joanna Macy

I do think about death and I appreciate this confirmation that it is not some morbid obsession but a part of life to be ready for. My spouse remarked the other day at how many deaths has occurred recently either to those we know or someone close to our friends. I wrote the list down and it was surprising.

One long time friend was in that group and although the family notified us and other friends, there was a long delay before the service was scheduled and noticed in the paper. Not wanting to pester the family, we checked with each other to be sure we hadn't missed the announcement and wondered if there would be a service. I read recently about some island culture that might keep the body for a year to provide time to make sufficient preparations. It seemed like that was how it was for this family. The kids (along with many friends such as ourselves) had wonderful visits when he was still fully cognizant. No one knew how much time was left but he had time to be with friends and family especially each of his three kids. At his passing, there was no need for his kids scattered around the country to rush back; better to plan for an appropriate time.

Failing Christianity

This is the point in the semester when I figure I have failed the Christians—but not all by myself. Their churches have failed them too, by supporting them to believe things they do not know much about. College students in all other regards, they remain fifth graders in religion. How, when they meet someone who asks them intelligent questions about their faith, will they come up with equally intelligent answers? Keep your class notes, I tell them. You never know when you may need them. Failing Christianity by Barbara Brown Taylor, The Christian Century, Faith matters, June 17, 2008

This is an interesting article about World Religions class. The students are able to learn about other religions but when it comes to their own, the have a tough time with the basics:

With only five class sessions for each religion, I cover the basics quickly: early Christian history, composition and content of the New Testament, the Great Schism, the Protestant Reformation, central Christian doctrines and common religious practices. Faced with so much new information, students often have a hard time formulating their questions.

What is morality?

University of Virginia psychiatrist Jonathan Haidt, in trying to explain to fellow liberals why culture matters in how people vote, said the first rule of moral psychology is this: Feelings come first and tilt the mental playing field on which reasons and arguments compete.
The second rule, which Dr. Haidt says liberals tend to discount, is that morality is in large part "about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions and living in a sanctified and noble way."
As Dr. Haidt avers, move the hearts of men, and their minds will follow. The ability to win the trust and loyalty of the majority is a critical component of leadership. Mr. Obama and Ms. Palin possess unusual degrees of charisma in its older definition - that is, the innate personal authority that makes for an exceptional leader. Given that each candidate weds that gift to distinct value systems, it's by no means clear that their discrete personal characteristics are a distraction from "real" issues.
By Rod Dreher - Dallas Morning News editorial columnist.

John Shelby Spong on YouTube.

I am bookmarking this Burke Lecture: John Shelby Spong till I get a chance to listen to it. I was watching the Microsoft commercials (1) with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld (2) and trying to figure out what the message is. Not being able to understand the point, I thought of doing a search on Bishop Spong as I had earlier found several good videos of Marcus Borg.



I was interested in the Microsoft videos since I love watching the Mac TV commercials. I am not a Mac fanatic though that is the only computer we have bought besides an Apple II. My opinion is based on having a PC a work and Mac at home for about the last 27 years. All I can say is that I am so thankful at work to have inhouse computer support. Although I have done a lot when problems occur it is ultimately their problem to get it working properly again.

Compassion Rising
I discovered Compassion Rising while looking through the schedule for the World Festival of Sacred Music. Another blast from the past, I remember reading Thomas Merton's journal of his trip to Asia but had forgotten he had met with the Dali Lama until I watched this video on their webpage called The Resurrection of Compassion.



I read about his Asian journey and many of Merton's books in the years right after I graduated from college in 1974. I was not acquainted with the Dali Lama until I heard him speak in the early 80's. I was so very impressed with his talk and thought it a bit incongruous to hear this deeply spiritual being while sitting on wooden bleachers in one of the practice gyms at this large university. As I learn more about his personal practice now, maybe the hard seats were appropriate! :-)

Randy Newman might be surprised to see himself mentioned on a progressive spirituality blog. In his five decades of making music that is alternately brilliantly satirical and elegant (and sometimes both), he hasn't often smiled on religion or religious people.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Randy Newman's Harps and Angels and the Fall of the American Empire (by Gareth Higgins)

I like the music of Randy Newman and his satirical take on religious people. I will probably get this album. I first heard about it on NPR, of course.

Norman Doidge is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher at the University of Toronto, and author of "The Brain that Changes Itself." He tells Anne Strainchamps about so-called "wobblers" - people whose balance mechanism in the brain has been destroyed and how the brain can rewire itself to repair all kinds of damage. To the Best of Our Knowledge, Section 1 of THE MALLEABLE MIND, Program 07-08-05-A

I caught the tail end of this interview where he finally says "everything we do changes our brain." That is what they have discovered with meditation so the moral is "Keep it up." It is funny that the LSD guy follows this on the radio show. I think this is much more profound.

Apologists

"So we see that as the culture and ideas changed, so too the apologists adapted their method and their goal. First apologists seek to describe Christianity accurately, then to contend for it philosophically, and finally try to prove it unequivocally."

I saw this in the blog entry Apomogetics by Steve Knight from Emergent Village. I found it an interesting quote because we have a person from our congregation seeking eventual ordination. He sometimes emphasizes certain points that come close to attacking some of the theological ideas I find valuable to me.

"McLaren begins this book in his usual way - Christianity is broke and needs fixing. He paraphrases a quote by Dr. Peter Senge, that Christianity has become a system of belief in a world that is searching for a way of life. Brian also expresses one of his familiar dismays with the modern church - the emphasis on life after death at the expense of life on earth." Finding Our Way Again by Brian McLaren by Tom McCool in Oubache Cohort

These are themes that are familiar to me from Marcus Borg, nice to find them here. More ideas for reading here and in the blog sidebar.

At the end of each chapter, Brian offers the reader some spiritual exercises that can be used individually or in a group. For instance, after the chapter titled Practicing The Way Of Jesus, Brian asks the reader, "To what degree would you describe yourself as a 'Jesus-y' person? What is the story behind your answer?"

Interesting, maybe I will end up doing some of these exercises at church one day.

"When you see a fly flitting around your hair, or your potato salad, you might see an annoyance," Michael Dickinson says. "But in my lab you really see a marvelous machine, arguably the most sophisticated flying device on the planet." from NPR Morning Edition, August 29, 2008, Flies In Danger Escape With Safety Dance, by Joe Palca

I was reminded once more what an amazing world we live in. These annoying creatures have to be studied with high-speed cameras to be able to understand what they do. All like is sacred.

Dictionary.com comes up with some great "Words of the Day." I liked today's word, "peregrination." That is similar to another favorite word, peripatetic, that was an earlier title of this blog (scroll to bottom).

Wendell Berry's 1977 book, The Unsettling of America, had an lifelong impact on me. I have wanted to mention the influence of mentors/authors in this blog. I saw this old article in Grist so I am adding it here. I will try to write more about the specifics of why I found his writing so compelling. It was just about a year ago, I blogged about this interview.

Being religious today often entails actively and purposefully building or rebuilding a community, not simply joining the one you were born into. Against The Grain by Dick Meyer, Community, Choice And Faith, NPR.org August 7, 2008

Another interesting article from NPR. I am thinking about our church as we seek to be welcoming and more faithful. How much of a community is there?

Found another online dictionary,
your dictionary.com with a more complete definition of "afflatus."
June 24, 2008
Afflatus (noun)

Pronunciation: [ê-'fley-tês]

Definition: A strong creative impulse from a muse or higher power, divine or supernatural inspiration.

Usage: The adjective for today's word is "afflatitious" but it has also inspired a more regular family with essentially the same meaning: afflate "to blow upon or inspire" and its noun, afflation "inspiration from mysterious higher powers."

Suggested Usage: An afflatus is usually divine, "Collette played the Bach fugues under divine afflatus as we all sat in awe." However, the ultimate test of an afflatus is simply whether it springs from the supernatural, "Arlene must have been under a Satanic afflatus when she agreed to host her husband's office party."

Etymology: Latin afflatus, the past participle of afflare "to blow on" from ad-, (up) to + flare "to blow." The same connection between blowing and inspiration is seen in "inspiration" itself, based on a Latin word meaning to blow in or inhale. The Proto-Indo-European root from which "flare" derives is *bhle-/*bhlo- which shows little change in Modern English "blow." The same root, though, underlies "bladder," perhaps because of the Celts' proclivity to blow into bladders to make music (as in bag-pipes). Nor is it coincidental that blowhards blather—the stems share the same origin. In Latin, however, the initial [bh] became [f] and this root ended up in a word (flare "to blow") that marks blowing at both ends: as in today's word and, again, in "flatulent."

Meditation, yoga might affect your genes

"To adequately protect ourselves against stress, we should use an approach and a technique that we believe evokes the relaxation response 20 minutes, once a day."

Dr. Herbert Benson on NPR, president emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

I still have not successfully made this a daily habit. 20 minutes is not much.

Theism is not God. It is a human definition of God that assumes that God is a being, perhaps the "Supreme Being," supernatural in power, dwelling outside the world (usually thought of as above the sky), who periodically invades the world in miraculous ways to answer human prayers or to effect the divine will.

Suppose God is not defined as "a being," but is simply experienced as a power, a presence. Then describing that experience is quite different from claiming to know who or what God is. Then the question is, "Are we delusional or is this experience real?" I think God is real and I believe we are in the process of defining our God experience in a new way that will replace the dying theistic definition of the past.

I think of the God experience as the power of life, love and being flowing through the universe and coming to consciousness in human self-awareness alone. I therefore feel that by living fully, loving wastefully and being all that I can be I can make the God experience visible. I also believe that it is my Christian vocation to build a world where all people have a better chance to live, love and to be. It is when I do these two things, I believe, that I am engaging in the essence of worship. - John Shelby Spong

I keep finding Bishop Spong helpful in thinking about what it is I believe. At this point, I really don't have discussions with others about this. I mainly reflect on what happens in church and what I read. I haven't read any books lately so these occasional emails from Bishop Spong usually give me something to think about.

We have to earn silence, then, to work for it: to make it not an absence but a presence; not emptiness but repletion.-- Pico Iyer, "The Eloquent Sounds of Silence", Time, January 1993
My spouse and I became aware of Pico Iyer when we went to see Amy Tan at a local university. The program consisted of Pico Iyer sitting on stage with Amy Tan having a discussion. The emphasis was on him drawing her out with good questions; it was quite pleasant and interesting.
Now we have started to notice his name mentioned or quotes by him. I thought this quote from Dictionary.com Word for the Day was a great use of word that can also mean "eating too much." I was pleasantly surprized when I realized it was quoting Pico Iyer. I can't remember all the other instances but we have become quite taken with him.
I don't remember who was was quoting him in this passage that I sent to my daughter who was planning to go to Europe for summer school for a month.

In his seminal essay, "Why We Travel," Pico Iyer writes, "All good trips are about being carried out of yourself and deposited in the midst of terror and wonder." Travel stretches us so that our mental clothes don't fit anymore; it reminds us over and over that the anchoring assumptions of our youth lose their hold in the global sea. Travel to strange places can make us strangers to ourselves, but it can also introduce us to all the exhilarating possibilities of a new self in a new world.

Postscript: I recently heard about his book, The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and found out there was this interview on one of my favorite shows, Fresh Air from WHYY, on March 26, 2008.

Eknath Easwaran's Thought for the Day

May 24
Living creatures are nourished by food, and food is nourished by rain; rain itself is the water of life, which comes from selfless worship and service.

-Bhagavad Gita

We have been conditioned to look to food for some kind of deeper fulfillment. Food can entertain us, we are told. It is exciting, romantic, adventurous, exotic. Vast sums of money are spent trying to get us to buy a certain brand of potato chip or to prefer one brand of frozen pizza over another. In the midst of this carnival atmosphere, it is easy to forget that the real purpose of food is to nourish our bodies.

Eating together with those we love, eating nutritious food that has been prepared with love - this can nourish our inner needs, as well as our bodies. Taking time at meals to talk to each other and enjoy the meal as a shared sacrament is rare today. People are so busy that even meals have become something to be got through as quickly as possible. We need to slow down, take the time to prepare nutritious meals and rearrange our schedules so that we can be together.
******
The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's book Words to Live By:
(Copyright 1999-2005 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.)
Read the Thought for the Day for any day of the year.

"I was too young to understand anything, and I almost feel like I was spiritually taken advantage of. Throughout high school I did a lot of things that I'm ashamed of now. I was so closed-minded at the time, but I guess it's hard to blame yourself when you're only 15 or 16, when your parents and everyone around you is saying this is how it is."

Layus was still in that state of mind when he enrolled in a private Christian college. But eventually, he says, life started happening.

"Finally I started seeing things a little more clearly. And part of that journey was going to a school like that and hooking up with friends who were feeling the same way. Things have changed, and I've completely abandoned that way of thought. A lot of things have happened in my life as far as being married and having a daughter. Being on the road for 3 1/2 years makes the world a lot more real."

NPR interview with Augustana band frontman and singer Dan Layus

I heard this interview on the way to church yesterday. I have been wanting to post some thoughts about being interviewed by the confirmation class few weeks ago. A few of us were asked if we would be on a panel. Most of the questions were not directed to one person and so we were all given a chance to answer if we wanted. I was a little nervous that I might have to choose between an honest answer or one that isn't so heretical but it turned out not to be a problem.

I did not face that dilemma as the kids were either shy or just not that interested. I had actually thought we might each meet individually with the group so it would be more intimate but maybe that would have been too intense for them. The one question that I remember answering was about my confirmation class experience. I am very positive about that experience but I'll save that for another blog entry.

As I look at that confirmation class and my own now 18 year old daughter, I wonder how you you teach the faith to young folks so that they are prepared for the transition to independence. I trying to remember how Marcus Borg talks about the evolution of how we understand the bible stories.

I suddenly had an insight during the confirmation class panel: It has always been my decision to attend church; my parents sent us when we were young but I kept choosing to continue. As I ponder that reality, I realize I always found something of value. Attending church was never out of guilt. If you listen to the interview cited above you will hear Dan talking about his passion that has found a new outlet. The church failed to capture and hold that passion.

I have been aware of the angry God my whole life but have never believed in such a God. I even remember this theological challenge from a fairly young age. I was walking with a friend and we pondered if it was a sin if your house burnt down with your bible in it. I don't think we were theologically experienced enough to solve this dilemma. But that memory shows me that I have been aware of the angry God concept my whole life. I also can not remember a time when I was fearful of this God. My realization that impelled me to start writing this blog is that I am now expressly saying it makes no sense that a sacrifice was necessary. Who set this up? What kind of God needs to sets up a sacrifice as necessary for the human part of creation to join him when they die. Totally weird.

I Saw God Today was was not only the title of the sermon at church; it was woven in throughout the service. The liturgy really flowed beginning with the call to worship and morning prayer but the spirit of the service had not reached me yet. The Pastor's moments with the children started by asking them what Jesus looked like. After showing them a very traditional picture, he brought out one of Jesus laughing and got their response. He talked about how we have mention in the bible of Jesus crying and prayer but he must have also laughed.

He also talked to them about the baptism that was next in the service and had them stay up on the steps to the communion table to be close to the action. He posed the question, "Why baptize an infant without sin." I think this was more theological than usual for the benefit of the students currently in confirmation class. He talked about baptism as a sacrament and how the presence of God is there in a special way for all of us. Baptism is also a time for all of us to renew out vows.

The adorable infant was great and let the pastor hold him (as long as he kept moving). The baby was also held by the Pastor two more times if I remember right, as a visual aid during the sermon and at the end of the Pastoral Prayer. I thought the Pastor gave an excellent message, summarizing at the end with "We have to look, God's fingerprints are everywhere." I find that is important for me to remember and has become more and more of a daily awareness.

The service seemed very integrated and powerful but I was surprised when I was approached by one of the members after the service. I think she started by telling me that she had never told this to anyone before. "I was given the last rights when I 22 years old as I had polio in my lungs and was not expected to live. Lying in bed, I saw a pure light and Jesus told me "Your time has not come." I have paraphrased and summarized what I remember of her amazing testimony. She has only told her husband and children before so I was extremely honored that she told me. She had tears in her eyes and finally turned and left without saying goodbye. I think she was too choked up to speak. What a powerful moving of the spirit!

Suffering as a primary depiction of life of Jesus during Holy Week to almost the exclusion of everything else was discussed by John Dominic Crosson on Fresh Air. (Can you tell I listen to NPR a lot?) He says Jesus sharing in this suffering could be consoling in medieval times when folks were suffering plagues and invasions when this emphasis apparently became more prominent. LA Times film critic Tim Rutten finds another problem with this medieval articulation of the gospel message,"Gibson's narrative was studded with the kinds of anti-Semitic caricatures once associated with medieval passion plays." Interestingly, a primarily Latino Catholic congregation in our town stages a realistic procession each year that usually makes the paper. Many folks are farm workers or other low wage jobs in the neighborhood around this particular parish.

Crossan in the interview and in his book (with Borg), The Last Week, points out that the intent of Roman crucifixion was as a public warning. It was "a very definite type of capital punishment for those such as runaway slaves or rebel insurgents who subverted Roman law and order and thereby disturbed the Pax Romana."

I brought this out in the Lenten series I taught in recent weeks. As I've mentioned before, it reminds me of John Howard Yoder's The Politics of Jesus. All these authors see the focus being diverted from critical portions of Jesus' ministry. Crosson and Borg do a great job of using the two meanings of passion as the key to understanding how significant this is in how we perceive about Jesus. Hopefully I wasn't too preachy during the Lenten series but helped folks think about the significance of the week's event in the life of Jesus.

The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach about Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan is what I bought today and started reading after being reminded about it yesterday. As I prepared for the leading the Lenten Study and prepare myself for this "week of extraordinary importance for Christians" (Preface page vii), it seemed like the perfect book to use my Christmas gift card on. As I walked out of Borders, I make an impulse purchase with the rest of the money, The Story of Christianity - An Illustrated History of 2000 Years of the Christian Faith. I would like to become more familiar with Christian history. This appears to be a quality book that will be quite useful as a reference on the history of the Christian Church. Spong and others frequently point out that many beliefs were not part of Christian teaching till centuries after Christ. Funny since when I was hanging out with bible-bangers, we sang "Give Me that Old Time Religion" as if the practices came directly from the early church. Now I know more about what diverse beliefs existed until they were declared heretical and suppressed. Also that many of the practices and beliefs of fundamentalism are recent American inventions rather than being true to ancient Christianity.

I have been thinking about how I would like to reread some of my favorite authors from the years just after college. Like I said when I first heard about this book, it reminds me a bit of John Howard Yoder's The Politics of Jesus in talking about what was happening in relationship to the Roman Empire. There is a whole dimension to the political impact of Jesus in a time when the Jewish authorities were allowed to rule as long as proper tribute was paid to Rome.

I will be facilitating at least two more sessions of the Lenten study as the volunteer leader is getting over pneumonia. I was looking for additional inspiration as I read the student book and leader's guide. Searching for Marcus Borg on YouTube, I found Christianity as a Spiritual Path.

Borg's comments on how the modern emphasis in Christianity has become "all about believing" reminded me of the questioner from last weeks session. Lent is a time to talk about spiritual disciplines and our spiritual journey. Borg shows how practice is central to Christianity as a path; "paying attention to the reality of God and our relationship to God."

I then decided to check on a favorite site, Gratefullness.org, for anything Borg. The current reflection by Brother David Steindl-Rast O.S.B. was based on Marcus J. Borg & John Dominic Crossan book: The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem.

Lenten Study - I mentioned at the end of my February 19th entry that we had started a new Lenten series. The leader got sick and so I have ended up being the substitute teacher for lessons 2, 3, and 4. I enjoy the class and the preparation is good for me.

Last night one of the participants, who tends to interrupt the flow of the class by getting off the subject, asked if people of other faiths who don't believe in Jesus are condemned. I tried to get back to the topic by saying that was a good one to ask a theologian. He said he had and they were. The substitute leader from the first week said that she believed in a loving God and that was inconsistent. She certainly redeemed herself from the uncomplimentary comment I made about the Sunday School depth of knowledge. I agreed and added that speculation about other folks distracts us from our faith journey.

The questioner seems to try to make light-hearted comments to make sure it doesn't get serious. I have noticed that the group seems uncomfortable when someone starts talking in a serious way about their faith. If I teach the next class, I am wondering if I should make a comment to respect some of the deep sharing that goes on. I have not noticed this in other classes I have facilitated at our church.

Bart Ehrman, Questioning Religion on Why We Suffer

Fresh Air with Terry Gross had an interesting hour with Bart Ehrman; I had heard his name before but this was a great introduction. As is typical with Terry, it was a very personal conversation; I found it quite interesting as he talked about his personal faith. While the interview started with a review of the premise of the book, he talked about his take on biblical passages and his personal faith journey. I started this journal since I felt I was reaching a new place in my faith journey so I had a special interest in this part of the interview.

Reading the excerpt from his book on the Fresh Air website, his story has some parallels with mine. Raised in a church and then kicking it up a notch with the born again crowd. A more serious study that results in finding a deeper understanding but a move away from the mainstream Christian beliefs. While I have studied more theology than the average church goer, I kind of went to sleep faithwise while he made academics his career. Although he now considers himself an agnostic, I still believe there in God but like Marcus Borg

"I simply could no longer believe the orthodox version of the story"

and as Bishop Spong says at the end of an excerpt in my blog,

the basic Christian message (is) that God calls us to live, to love and to be.

When asked if he believes in the bible, he says mentioned Ecclesiastes (or Ecclesiasticus) on how there this is all there is to life so enjoy it.

"Thanks to multiple sclerosis, one thing after another has been wrenched from my life -- dancing, driving, walking, working -- and I have learned neither to yearn after them nor to dread further deprivation but to attend to what I have."

I was reading this Oct 16 entry quoting from a review of Nancy Mairs' new book by David L. Ulin and realized this is what I am hoping for one of my brothers. He has a progressive disease similar to MS. He has a lot of anger but even before he had the problems with the disease, many folks would say, "It's all about him." It is pretty much impossible to have a conversation where it doesn't become all about him. He is disappointed in his friends that don't call or come by much anymore. One person quipped, "After talking to him on the phone, I want to kill myself." It is not a conversation, he does all the talking. I actually have to push my way into the conversation when I feel it is important to make a point that is helpful to him. He usually thanks me for my advice and for just listening.

The Bible is a developing narrative, portraying the developing God-consciousness in human life. It moves beyond the tribal deity of some of its earlier parts to a universalism that defines God as both Love and Justice, and even calls us to love our enemies. The essential truths of the Bible, useful on all of our spiritual journeys, is that in creation God proclaims that all life is holy, in the Jesus story, the Bible asserts that all life is loved and that through the Holy Spirit, who is said to be "the Lord and giver of life," the Bible issues a call to each of us to be all that we can be. - John Shelby Spong

It has been almost 2 years since I started this blog. I enjoying browsing what has become an interesting collection of my thoughts on faith. It stimulates my thinking and reminds me of what I have found valuable in my faith journey. I get the free emails from Bishop Spong and liked his summary above wherein he answers a question on how to read the bible.

During the last Lenten season, I led a class at our church. There are too many other things going on for me to do it this year but I am attending one using the same series prepared by the Methodist church. After the first session, I do not find myself being stimulated or excited by the study though. I looked back and found the entry from January 26th last year and find my thoughts on lent similar this year.

I do not find Christ's sacrifice as "God's plan" compelling. I find it ridiculous that God set up this crucifixion so that we would have to accept Christ to have eternal life. To be fair, the leader of the class was not able to make it at the last minute and a substitute who does not usually teach was doing her best to lead the study. She could only recite what she learned in Sunday School. The rest of the class could do no better.