Session 12, Practicing Resurrection

WE ARE CONTINUING the series through "Reclaiming the World."  The next sessions help us consider some more "big picture" pieces of faith journeys and include sessions on Restoring Relationships; The Prophetic Jesus; Evil, Suffering & A God of Love; The Myth of Redemptive Violence; Practicing Resurrection; Debunking the Rapture; and "Reclaiming the World."  Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00am or on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm!


FOCUS: While much has been made of Jesus’ literal and physical resurrection being the core historical event of Christianity, the Biblical texts themselves present conflicting evidence. For many today, the resuscitation of Jesus’ body is less important than the idea of resurrection as a credible and meaningful
principle for living.

Resurrections of Jesus

“…and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.”   – Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:14

Even as Jesus’ virgin birth and healing miracles are embraced as metaphor, the resurrection remains for many the one core, non-negotiable, and historical fact at the heart of Christianity. Yet the only way one can maintain an unquestioning literal interpretation of the events surrounding that first Easter is by steadfastly
avoiding the reading of the Bible.

Paul, author of our earliest New Testament writings, tells us nothing of the third day’s events jumbled together later by the gospel writers. Instead, he opts for trying to explain the “idea” of resurrection to the Corinthians with a tortured discourse on its importance. Evidently having been asked how a body is raised,
Paul bursts out in response with “You fool!” before explaining that “It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:44) Nowhere does Paul speak of Jesus’ body having been resuscitated or of his having interacted with the disciples as he is portrayed twenty to fifty years later in the gospels. He does, however, proclaim that regardless of the details, the events of Easter reversed the outcome of humanity’s actions and character. He attributes knowledge of this to Jesus having appeared in visions to select witnesses – himself included.

As Paul died before any of the gospels were written, he never had a chance to read any of the various accounts. If he had, he would have undoubtedly written a letter of protest over their many inconsistencies.

Starting with our earliest gospel, Mark, the Risen Christ fails to make an appearance. Mark’s abrupt and unexpected ending verges on the anti-climactic: the women find the tomb empty, are instructed by a young man to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to meet Jesus, but instead scatter in fear and tell no one anything. That’s it. The end. No angels, no soldiers and no Jesus appearances.


Such a cliffhanger was simply too much for later writers, so over the years a variety of new endings were written to “flesh out” Mark’s unsatisfactory finish. Several of these now appear in most Bibles as footnotes or as the “shorter” and “longer” endings of Mark. So we’re left with the account written closest to the action being woefully short on any of the details we’ve come to associate with Easter.

As Matthew and Luke wrote their gospels some fifteen to twenty years later, they each had a copy of Mark in front of them. We know this because they copy much of Mark almost verbatim. What is interesting is what they choose to change about the stories to reflect other information they might have had or to fit into their own theological agendas.

Even a casual reading of Matthew and Luke reveals a number of changes: Mark’s young man is transformed into a supernatural angel in Matthew – and two angels in Luke! Matthew has the women embracing the resuscitated body of Jesus at the tomb and appearing to the disciples out of the sky on a Galilean
mountaintop. Luke places the action in Jerusalem and not in Galilee. Although Luke’s Jesus can appear and disappear seemingly out of thin air, he also does his best to prove he is not a ghost by eating, teaching, and having the disciples investigate his wounds. Matthew doesn’t feel a need to explain how the risen Jesus, at some point, is no longer with the disciples. But Luke, still centered in Jerusalem and in a dramatic preparation for his sequel, Acts, introduces the story of the Ascension. But even Luke is inconsistent, placing the Ascension on Easter itself in his gospel account but forty days later in Acts.

The moving account in John enhances the physical nature of Jesus’ body even further with Mary mistaking him for a simple gardener and Jesus having to insist that she not “cling” to him. Jesus ascends at this point only to appear to the disciples later that night in the Upper Room. A week later he appears to the disciples again, this time to upbraid “doubting” Thomas (and any readers of like mind) for their lack of faith. In a much later Galilean appearance, the disciples have returned to their nets. Jesus materializes to direct them in a great catch of fish and ends by empowering Peter to be on about feeding his lambs. John ends by assuring readers that:

“… there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”  – John 21:25

 The above seems especially true when considering the resurrection accounts, according to which Jesus did many things and events transpired that were mutually exclusive of one another. As we become familiar with the texts themselves, it’s obvious that stories developed over time and that none of the accounts can be claimed as definitive – or historical.

Yet something happened in the days following the crucifixion that transformed the disciples from uncertain followers to heralds of the Jesus message, evidently willing to die for their convictions. While we will never know the details of how the Jesus of their daily lives became the Christ presence of their future, the gospel
accounts are testimony to people’s hunger to know more.

Although painfully obvious, the inconsistencies of the gospel accounts have proven oddly insignificant to generations of believers. Through willful ignorance or just plain not paying attention, the stories of this supposedly ultimate and defining moment of the faith have been synthesized into supporting various notions of resurrection as a physically resuscitated body. Looking back through the lenses of time and tradition, it’s clear to see how even Paul is now almost impossible to read without the influence of the later gospels distorting and redefining his original meaning.

"...Thomas did not believe the resurrection [John 20:25], and, as they say, would not believe without having ocular and manual demonstration himself. So neither will I, and the reason is equally as good for me, and for every other person, as for Thomas."  – Thomas Paine, Age Of Reason

Whatever happened in the days following the crucifixion, the followers of Jesus were propelled into a new way of living and relating to this Galilean peasant they had been following. They were compelled to re-evaluate their Jewish heritage in ways that accounted for their experience of Jesus, both in his temporal life and as a spiritual presence in the present.


With only the gospel accounts as our guide, we, too, are left to re-evaluate our heritage in ways that account for the clearly non-historical resurrection stories and our experiences of a spiritual presence we call the Christ.

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

What evidence points to the physical resurrection of Jesus being a legendary, late-developing tradition?

How would making the resurrection about believing “some extraordinary thing that’s against all natural laws” not make any sense to preenlightenment pagans?

How would Paul have demonstrated the benefit of the resurrection to his listeners?

Why is the resurrection of Jesus “the most radical idea that humans have ever come up with?”

The disciples have to 1) put together the message of the kingdom with 2) the experiences of Jesus’ appearances before what could happen?

According to Varghese, how does the resurrection support the work God calls us to do?


Why does the power of resurrection “upset entrenched authority of any kind?”

How is resurrection more than simply victory over death – or even the spiritualized notions of sin and evil?

When considering Jesus’ death and resurrection, how does the notion of the spirit of Jesus dwelling in us strengthen us for new life in the here and now?

How is “the expenditure of our life for the community” a form of the resurrected life?

Session 11, The Myth of Redemptive Violence

WE ARE CONTINUING the series through "Reclaiming the World."  The next sessions help us consider some more "big picture" pieces of faith journeys and include sessions on Restoring Relationships; The Prophetic Jesus; Evil, Suffering & A God of Love; The Myth of Redemptive Violence; Practicing Resurrection; Debunking the Rapture; and "Reclaiming the World."  Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00am or on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm!


FOCUS: The most potent religion in Western culture is not Christianity, but a belief in the redemptive power of violence. Although Jesus inaugurated a new order based on partnership, equality, compassion and non-violence, his example and teachings have been eclipsed by an emphasis on a human unworthiness that demands and defends the need for Jesus’ violent, suffering, atoning death.

Red in Tooth and Claw

“We are going to deal theologically with the problem of violence forever because it is intrinsic to our inheritance. The question for God for all of us who follow this God is whether we can resist that stuff that is intrinsically present in our existence.”  – Walter Brueggemann in Living the Questions

Tennyson wrote that despite any love we may profess of God, despite our claims to revere love as Creation’s final law, we, and nature along with us, are “red in tooth and claw.” After countless generations of ruthless competition for survival, it’s our nature as human beings to carry within us the primal urge to act out in violent ways. We are a violent species – and as a practical matter, violence more often than not “works.” So if a turn to violence can get the desired result, why bother with any namby-pamby alternative?

According to Bill Nelson, myths are not “true” or “false.” The question one must ask of a myth is, is it alive or dead? In 1966, John Lennon was vilified for claiming that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. While he was probably right, he could have also said that the Myth of Redemptive Violence is more popular than Jesus. From even the most cursory evaluation, it’s clear that the Myth of Redemptive Violence is not only alive and well, but has completely eclipsed Jesus’ teachings, example, and the basic principles of Christianity. In fact, the Myth of Redemptive Violence managed to infiltrate the writings and teachings of
Christianity from such an early date, that many people are unable to separate one from the other.
 
In his seminal article on the subject, The Myth of Redemptive Violence, Walter Wink describes how violence essentially functions as a god, enjoying faithful obedience from its followers and seeming to come through when all else fails. First captured in writing around 1250 B.C.E., the Myth of Redemptive Violence is at the heart of the Babylonian Creation epic called the Enuma Elish. The epic tells how the very order of the universe is established through “god on god” violence with the defeated female deity being dismembered and her corpse strewn about to create various elements of the cosmos.

“The simplicity of this story commended it widely, and its basic mythic structure spread as far as Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Germany, Ireland, India, and China. Typically, a male war god residing in the sky fights a decisive battle with a female divine being, usually depicted as a monster or dragon, residing in the sea or abyss (the feminine element). Having vanquished the original enemy by war and murder, the victor fashions a cosmos from the monster’s corpse. Cosmic order requires the violent suppression of the feminine, and is mirrored in the social order by the subjection of women to men and people to ruler.”  – Walter Wink, The Myth of Redemptive Violence

As opposed to the Biblical witness of Yahweh creating human beings from the dust of the earth and animating them with the very breath of God, our Babylonian origin is owed to an extreme act of violence. In order to create servants for the gods, the god Marduk executes a fellow god to use his blood to create human beings. Marduk then establishes a divine hierarchy in which a strict adherence to order is upheld through violence and the threat of violence. Obedience is the supreme virtue and is enforced in the daily ordering of human relationships: women subdued by men, slaves subdued by masters, peasants under kings,
people under rulers, laity under the priests (pardon that visual image).

Essentially, the Myth of Redemptive Violence is what Wink calls, “the original religion of the status quo.” It not only exists to legitimate power and privilege, it perpetuates the value of ideas like peace through war, security through strength, and the notion that fear can only be overcome through domination.

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

What are some of the characteristics of the “radical community” Jesus inaugurated?

According to Crossan, “substitution” or “suffering” is not the point, sacrum facere is. Explain.

What was Anselm’s rationale for “coming up with” substitutionary atonement?

What’s wrong with the image of “Jesus, the Divine Invader” dying for our sins?

What part does love play in communicating the message that there’s nothing you can ever do or be that will separate you from the love of God?

Hauerwas describes God overwhelming us not with violence, but “with a beauty that is so deep, it’s frightening.” Explain.

According to Scott, what is the definition of “death” in the New Testament? What are its consequences?

What rationale does Crossan give for the radical claim that God is nonviolent?

How does the “postponed violence” of God betray our hope of wholeness?

Hauerwas claims that Christians should be committed to the heart of the Gospel: non-violence. Explain.

What are the implications of Christians actually practicing non-violence?

How is the violent execution of Jesus a warning about our behavior in the 21st century?

Session 10, Evil, Suffering & a God of Love

WE ARE CONTINUING the series through "Reclaiming the World."  The next sessions help us consider some more "big picture" pieces of faith journeys and include sessions on Restoring Relationships; The Prophetic Jesus; Evil, Suffering & A God of Love; The Myth of Redemptive Violence; Practicing Resurrection; Debunking the Rapture; and "Reclaiming the World."  Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00am or on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm!

FOCUS: If God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-good, how do you explain and respond to the existence of so much suffering and evil in the world?

The Problem of Evil

“Whatever the status of evil in the world, I know that the only God in whom I can believe will be a God found in the midst of evil rather than at a safe distance from it; suffering the evil rather than inflicting it."    – Robert McAfee Brown

Ever ask, “What did I do to deserve this?” or “I wonder what she did to deserve that?” Perhaps you’ve heard someone claim that, “The poor are poor because they’re lazy!” or “AIDS is a punishment from God” or “so-and-so is suffering because of…fill-in-the-blank.” The problem is, no matter how many people repeat them, these statements are still false.

The truth is, life is hard. If we look at the way the world really is, we see that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. That’s just the way it is. And that’s probably why struggling with the reality of evil and suffering in the world has been one of the foundational questions of existence from time immemorial.

If God is all-loving, all-good, and all-powerful, how can evil exist? For some, the reality of evil is the best argument against God's existence. "With all the evil in the world, how can you believe in God?" How can it be so? Libraries of books have been written on the problem of evil, the source of evil, and why the innocent suffer. Out of all this effort, one thing seems clear: God cannot be all of anything. As grating as this is to the spiritual sensibilities of many, perhaps it is time for a paradigm shift recognizing that which seems painfully obvious: rather than all-loving, all-good, and all-powerful, understanding the Divine simply as loving, good, and powerful will have to be enough.

The Greek word for evil, kakos, suggests a lack of something, of being not quite whole. Yet at times, evil seems to be anything but lacking. Even the most faithful have cried out in despair, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It's not evident when you're in the midst of the pain, struggle, and injustice how anything good could ever come of it. But time and again, the evidence suggests that often even the most horrific evil can be redeemed – even in some small way. Suffering is transformed into endurance, mourning into dancing, and darkness into light. But despite the glimmer of hope, the problem of evil endures. Each new disaster, abused spouse, or ruthless injustice brings with it the painful questions of God’s absence in the midst of tragedy and why the innocent suffer.


To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

Describe the characteristics of the “conventional wisdom” or the “domestication of reality” represented in Deuteronomy and Proverbs.

Describe the characteristics of the voice of protest found in the book of Job and Ecclesiastes.

What can you say about the “wildness and the splendor and utter magnificence of undomesticated reality?”

Varghese says for one to claim the “luck of the world – wealth, prosperity, comfort, power” as a sign of God’s love is profoundly heretical. Explain.

What is the “price of good” that Cobb describes?

According to Brueggemann, what is the “metaphorical benefit” of 9/11?

In what ways might our organizations – the principalities and powers – be compromised by a tendency to expediency?

“Han” can be relieved through a variety of practices. Explain.

Reflect on Brueggemann’s statement: “Voiced pain becomes a public fact that requires the re-arrangement of social power.”

Parker says that God is “the power of life, the power of creativity, the power of the Spirit in community, the power of justice…”. To what end?

Session 9, The Prophetic Jesus

WE ARE CONTINUING the series through "Reclaiming the World."  The next sessions help us consider some more "big picture" pieces of faith journeys and include sessions on Restoring Relationships; The Prophetic Jesus; Evil, Suffering & A God of Love; The Myth of Redemptive Violence; Practicing Resurrection; Debunking the Rapture; and "Reclaiming the World."  Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00am or on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm!

FOCUS: Jesus was a troublemaker. He said and did things that were upsetting to agents of the political and religious domination systems that oppressed the weak and downtrodden. In this way, Jesus stood firmly in the tradition of the prophets of Hebrew Scripture – those who offered a clear and challenging “alternative script” to the status quo.

Like a Prophet of Old
It’s no accident that the words most frequently recorded in Hebrew Scripture are: “Do not be afraid.” Neither is it an accident that the second most frequently recorded passage in Hebrew Scripture is the admonition to “care for the orphan, the widow, and the stranger.” The prophets tell us that the duty of the people of God is to care about and be the advocates for the poor and powerless. It should be no surprise, then, that according to the Gospels, Jesus’ first concern is for those in the community who are most vulnerable and have no voice. This compassion Jesus exhibits is hardly original – the same passion underlies all of the Hebrew Scriptures.

“[Jesus] opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’" – Jesus quoting Isaiah in Luke 4:17b – 21

Yet speaking out on behalf of people who have no power or advocates has never been popular with respectable society. While it’s clear that the prophets and other Biblical sources make care for the downtrodden the duty of the people of God, it has always been much easier to make the spiritual life about following specific rules and embracing whatever priorities the community deems as reputable. Confronting the shortcomings of one’s culture or society has never been a popular path..

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

In claiming the mantle of the prophets, Jesus claims a variety of ministries and actions. List and discuss some of these prophetic characteristics.

According to Varghese, what are some of the traits of Jesus’ ministry that set him apart from the prophets of old?

How do anger and righteous indignation play into the expression of a prophetic voice?

How do the admonitions of the Sermon on the Plain characterize the prophetic life?

How does Ehrlander’s cartoon sync with your experience?

According to Flunder, it is essential for the “personal piety piece” and “justice work” to be brought together. Explain.

Describe the observations and practices of Mahatma Gandhi that have been influential to Mel White.

Session 8, Restoring Relationships

THIS IS THE BEGINNING of the next seven (7) sessions under "Reclaiming the World."  The next sessions help us consider some more "big picture" pieces of faith journeys and include sessions on Restoring Relationships; The Prophetic Jesus; Evil, Suffering & A God of Love; The Myth of Redemptive Violence; Practicing Resurrection; Debunking the Rapture; and "Reclaiming the World."  Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00am or on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm!

FOCUS: There are three Biblical “macro-stories” that shape the whole of the Biblical narrative: Bondage and Liberation, Exile and Return, Sin and Forgiveness. Each representing a different facet of the human  condition, they demonstrate what is necessary for the restoration of relationships on a variety of levels.

Re-Ligio-ed

Rootless. Alienated. Estranged. Meaningless. The human condition can be a desperate mix of questions about the basics of “being.” In fact, the longing for a sense of connection is at the root of the English word, “religion.” The Latin re-ligio means to re-link; to reconnect. To help reconnect, re-link, and restore people to relationship with one another and to the Divine is at the heart of religion’s intended purpose. Our stories, rituals, ceremonies and traditions grow out of our collective effort to systematize our understanding of just what it takes to be “religio-ed.”

At the heart of the Biblical tradition is the notion that truth doesn’t come to us primarily as fact, creed, or scripture. It is best conveyed through story. As our spiritual ancestors endeavored to sort out the process of reconnection, they did so by developing three major themes – what Marcus Borg calls Biblical “macrostories.” For the ancient Hebrews enslaved in Egypt, the problem was bondage. Since what was needed was liberation, the tale of the Exodus became one of the most important stories for ancient Israel. For those removed to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem, the problem was exile. The solution was maintaining a sense of identity in a foreign land, and if possible, a journey of return. For those grounded in the institution and rituals of the Temple, the problem was sin and guilt. The solution was forgiveness. Individually and collectively, these stories serve as the thematic wellspring from which stream the major stories of the Biblical tradition.

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

Describe some of the characteristics of the Exodus story and how it speaks to the human need for liberation from bondage.

What are some of the “isms” and concrete expressions of bondage from which Carcaño has been liberated?

How does the Passover Seder affirm that the Exodus story is “true” about us?

List some of the cultural messages that, as a matter of course, subject us to bondage.

Describe some of the characteristics of the story of the Babylonian exile and how it speaks to the human need for a return from exile.

How do the “Priestly” story and Temple sacrifice speak to the human need for forgiveness from sin?

In what ways might the dominance of the Priestly story and the doctrine of the atonement diminish the broader Biblical message?

Bill Nelson claims that Jesus was against the sacrificial system of the Temple Cult of Israel. Explain.

As described by Borg, list the function and benefits of the three different stories in speaking to the diversity of the human predicament.

Session 7, Out into the World: Challenges Facing Progressive Christians

FOCUS: There is a reformation afoot in Christianity – a re-visioning of the traditional understandings of Jesus, the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and the Christian life as a whole. Long held ideas of divinity and of faith are changing and evolving to reflect 21st century thought and spirituality. Inspired by these fresh insights, progressive Christians can claim a distinctive voice by being in solidarity with the poor, countering the idolatry of wealth, practicing nonviolence, and by seeking justice and inclusivity in a culture dominated by fear.

A Progressive World

“Stagnation in thought or enterprise means death for Christianity as certainly as it does for any other vital movement. Stagnation, not change, is Christianity’s most deadly enemy, for this is a progressive world.”        – Harry Emerson Fosdick (1922)

For medieval Europeans, it was understood that famines and plagues were sent by God as punishment for sin. Wars were divine earthly retribution. Feudalism, absolute monarchy, and slavery were ordained by God. In the not too distant past those seeking medical help submitted themselves to physicians who slit the skin to “bleed” patients and let the bad “humours” escape. The Bible was cited in turning women away from the polls and relegating African Americans to church balconies. The invention of the lightning rod was vehemently denounced by clergy as unwarranted interference with God’s use of lightning.

How the world has changed! Today, we take for granted wireless phones, ease of travel, education for our children, and miracles of medicine. Daily work and life are inconceivable without our computers, cars, comfortable homes, and instant communication. We’ve long-since left the idea of a flat earth and a three-tiered cosmos behind – and we wouldn’t dream of going back a thousand years. And yet many Christians today make it proof of their faith and a litmus test of their relationship with God that they embrace thousand-year-old religious ideas – and are proud of it.

In virtually every field of human endeavor, new discoveries are praised. Not so with religion. In no area of life other than religion is the denial of progress held up as a virtue. Somehow, the way it was in days-gone-by holds a mysterious authority over people. 21st century believers faithfully recite creeds reflecting arcane fourth century questions with little thought given to the political and theological terrain that spawned the creeds in the first place.

When the Bible is held up as a final authority trumping all other arguments, it is good to remember that the early church didn’t have any Bible beyond Hebrew Scripture. It was a small gathering of people who sought a deeper understanding of and relationship with the divine. Across the Mediterranean, they gathered in small communities around the teachings and person of Jesus and thus developed the foundations of what we know as Christianity out of their own experience and insight.

What most people “know” about the Bible or understand about religion today has been cobbled together out of assumptions, insecurity, and long-held half memories that have little basis in rational thought. That being the case, the resistance some people have to expanding their religious horizons can be fiercely irrational. New understandings are feared and discredited: “don’t mess with what I’ve believed since I was a child!”

But even the Bible is full of examples of changing perceptions and descriptions of the divine/human relationship. Not only does the character of Jesus change from one Gospel to the next – sometimes profoundly – but the very nature of the Divine changes over the course of the Biblical story. While wandering in the desert, the Hebrews carried God around in a box. When that proved vulnerable to enemy attack, God was promoted to a throne in the sky above. The God known as Yahweh evolves from a tribal mountain God beating up on Pharaohs and passing down culture-bound rules into a universal God who shows grace to all – a God that Paul had difficulty convincing James, the brother of Jesus, and Peter himself to accept.

The whole of scripture is awash with change, change, and more change. Yet the fallacy that Christianity is a static belief system offering absolute truths for the true believer remains the overwhelmingly predominant message preached and believed by many in the West today.

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     According to Varghese, what are the characteristics of being “authentically” Christian?

     If progressive Christians need to “get a message” and be intentional about sharing the faith that we have, what are some of the core points of that message?

     Describe some of the ways Townes suggests that we can “live our faith.”

     According to Mel White, what do we need to “let go” of?

     Why might claiming “what we’re not” be a bad strategy for progressive Christians?

     Elaborate on how being centered in “Spirit and Wisdom” and “Compassion and Justice” express the core values of the Christian Life.

     According to Brueggemann, what are the three definitive marks of the church which have been kept “secret” and for which so many have been hungering?

     Why is “being in solidarity with the poor” often a characteristic of vital faith communities?

     Describe what Flunder calls “the last real blind spot on the Body of Christ.”

     Levine suggests that we “try to see through each other’s eyes” and still reach an agreement that leads to wholeness for real people. Discuss.

Session 6, A Passion for Christ: Paul the Apostle (Nov. 7 and Nov 11)

FOCUS: Little of what most people think of as Christianity has been untouched by the legacy of Paul’s writing and influence. The many understandings of his interpretation of Christianity continue to be re-examined in the 21st century.

"Perhaps no single person is more responsible for the existence of Christianity as we know it today than that balding preacher from Tarsus whom we know as Paul.

Idolized by some as the conduit through which God dictated an eternal and unchanging moral code and discredited by others as a misogynist crank, Paul is without question one of the most controversial figures in the history of Christianity. But one thing can’t be questioned: his passion for Christ and his apparent willingness to risk life and limb in propagating his interpretation of Christ’s message and purpose. As very little, if any, of what most people think of as Christianity has been untouched by the influence of this itinerant tentmaker, a thorough examination of the changing understandings and significance of Paul’s writings and ideas is critical to a faithful expression of Christianity today.


The Legacy of Paul
From “opposing Cephas to his face” (Galatians 2:11) to stick-waving threats (1 Corinthians 4:21), it is abundantly clear from his own writings that Paul was never a stranger to controversy. His writings continue to spark controversy and debate to this day. Very little is known about this prolific writer of nearly a quarter of what has come to be known as the New Testament. What most people think we know about his life actually comes from Luke’s Acts of the Apostles. Acts conflicts in chronology and theological content in so many ways with the authentic writings of Paul as to be profoundly suspect in offering an accurate account of his life. According to Luke, his name was Saul when he was born in Tarsus of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He may have been born to a Roman family who was committed to his Jewish education and upbringing. According to Luke, the young Saul studied in Jerusalem with Rabbi Gamaliel and persecuted those on “The Way" as heretics before experiencing a profound life-changing encounter with the Christ on the road to Damascus. As uncertain as these Lukan story elements are, they nonetheless express the conviction that Paul straddled two very different worlds and was uniquely situated to translate the universal message of a local Jewish sect into language that the whole world could embrace.

But his biography is by no means the most controversial aspect of Paul’s life. Reviled and discredited for writings attributed to him, he has the dubious honor of being one of the most admired and hated proponents of Christianity. Women, slaves, Jews, and homosexuals are just some of the many groups who can point to Paul's writings as having provided fodder for those who would defend an unjust and cruel status quo.

Much of what Paul is held negatively accountable for is, in fact, the work of others. Letters attributed to Paul have introduced the idea of Jesus as the divine savior from sin and set the foundation for a church that administers sacraments and ordains clergy. Likewise, Paul’s writings have been the springboard from which theologians have woven complex theories of blood atonement and recast the faith we now call Christianity into a religion “about” Jesus rather than the religion “of” Jesus. The first step in sorting out Paul’s social, theological and ecclesiastical legacy is to establish exactly what can be attributed to him and what cannot.

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     Flunder points out that Paul was a man in transition. Explain.

     What are some of the benefits Levine describes Paul using in promoting his message to the people of his day and age?

     According to Varghese, what was Paul’s passion?

     According to Cobb, what is so crucial about Paul’s message?

     What are the seven authentic letters of Paul?

     The role of women is just one example of a teaching that is confused by later authors claiming Paul’s authority. Explain.

     Describe the attributes and purpose of what Crossan calls the “three different Pauls.”

     According to Nelson, what did Paul warn against when considering “the letter of the Law?”

     Describe some of the characteristics of Paul’s message and its similarity to the “alternative wisdom” taught by Jesus.

     Name two ways in which the notion of “Christ crucified” challenges conventional wisdom.

     Elaborate on how the concept of “pistis” being mistranslated as “faith in Jesus” (as opposed to the “faith of Jesus”) has shaped Christianity as a whole.

Session 5, Lives of Jesus

FOCUS: From divergent opinions on Jesus’ “program” to the reasons for his having been killed, the many portrayals of Jesus in the gospels, in various traditions, theologies, and the arts, amount to a Jesus who lived many different lives – each of which helps us in teasing out what it means to be a disciple of this mysterious and profoundly significant phenomenon called Jesus of Nazareth. 

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?
Truth be told, there are as many Jesuses as there are disciples of this remarkable first-century figure.  Regardless of how faithful one is to the portrayals of Jesus by any particular denomination or tradition, no two people understand or relate to Jesus in exactly the same way. This is one of the reasons the Bible includes four different versions of the story of Jesus’ life and why 2nd and 3rd Baptist churches have spun off from the 1st Baptist Church.

From apocalyptic firebrand to mystical faith healer to political insurrectionist, the various images of Jesus are celebrated and defended by true believers of every theological and political stripe. Walk into the narthex of any number of Protestant churches and you’re likely to find the sentimental blue-eyed, pink-skinned Jesus of artist Warner Sallman gazing beatifically upon your comings and goings. Enter the neighboring Catholic church and you’ll probably find the image of a beaten, bleeding, emaciated man suffering on a cross.

From the Gospels to illustrated Bible storybooks to portrayals in film, Jesus has been the subject of considerable “spin” over the ages. Each tradition and each individual puts their own emphasis on this remarkable figure. For many middle-class Americans, the ideal Jesus is the gentle, upstanding, right-thinking (and often somewhat androgynous) suburbanite with good posture. The notion that Jesus might have been a short, dark, Middle-Eastern peasant rabble-rouser is so far from many people’s capacity to comprehend, that all reason is rejected in favor of the gauzy Aryan visions of early childhood. A blond-haired, blue-eyed
Jesus, meek and mild, is such a stalwart icon of Western culture, that to suggest anything contrary or corrective to that image is tantamount to heresy.

A Discovery Channel special utilizing the latest in forensic technology reconstructed what Jesus might have looked like, based on mosaic representations and the actual skull of a first-century Jew. The result fomented an outcry from commentators far and wide with accusations of “revisionism” and “political-correctness” run amok. Columnist Kathleen Parker was so distraught that she fretted that the Jesus she knew as a child was being replaced by “the kind of guy who wouldn't make it through airport security.” She goes on to say,

“Given the tendency of academic research to steer conclusions away from
anything that might be construed as Aryan or, heaven forbid, Falwellian,
it's easy to imagine that biblical revisionists won't be satisfied until they
discover that Jesus was really a bisexual, cross-dressing, whale-saving,
tobacco-hating vegetarian African Queen who actually went to the temple
to lobby for women's rights.”

                                                         April 1, 2001 Orlando Sentinel

Non-Caucasian Christians have long been dissatisfied with the Aryan Jesus. Be it Asian, African, South American, or Native American, cultures all over the world have represented Jesus metaphorically as “one-of-them.” Douglas Andelin’s rendering of Jesus on the cover of Bishop John Shelby Spong’s “Liberating the Gospels” appears as a disheveled Jewish peasant. The National Catholic Reporter awarded Janet MacKenzie’s Jesus of the People, an image of Jesus modeled on an African American woman the winner of the "Jesus 2000" international art competition.

The portrayal of Jesus as some sort of sweet guy-next-door is a sentimental misreading of the Bible. Jesus didn’t attract everyone far-and-near. He was a peasant who likely attracted peasants. As represented in the gospels, he was radical enough to make even many of the liberals of his day, the Pharisees, uncomfortable.

Dom Crossan explains that there’s really only one Gospel in the Bible and four “according to’s,” – this  because the life of Jesus has too much meaning to be limited to only one telling that followers would be tempted to literalize and venerate. The four “according to’s” give us a glimpse of four very different understandings of who Jesus was; despite efforts to the contrary, they defy synthesis and harmonizing."

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     Levine describes some of the likely characteristics of Jesus. Make a list.

     Borg suggests several generalizations about Jesus that have a “fairly high degree of probability.” List them.

     What are some of the subversive & marginal characteristics of Jesus’ life and ministry described by Flunder, Scott, & Prejean?

     What borders did Jesus cross in the gospel of Mark? To what purpose?

     What are some of the characteristics of the “Kingdom of God?”

     Why would the alternative vision of Jesus’ Kingdom be so treasonous or threatening?

     Describe the differences between the pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus and their implications for Christian belief.

     Why does Borg consider the empty tomb a “distraction” from a relationship with Jesus as a figure in the present?

      Nakashima-Brock suggests that the early church was much more preoccupied with Jesus’ Divine-Human nature than it was with the “atonement.” Why?

      Describe some of the layers Flunder bemoans as obscuring the real Jesus.

Session 4, Stories of Creation (Oct 7 and 10)

Focus: How one perceives the creation stories is not only critical to the way one looks at the Bible, but how one understands the purpose of creation, the essence of human nature, and the attitude one takes toward the environment in which we live.

The ancient Hebrews who composed what we now know as Genesis were brilliant storytellers – and although their writings have for generations been thought to explain the “how” of what happened historically, their stories are much deeper and richer when they are properly understood metaphorically as wrestling with the “whys” of human life.

When we delve into these ancient stories, we catch a glimpse of the answer to the eternal question, “What’s the meaning of life?” We are reminded that we are made in the image of the Divine – the one who brings order out of chaos and finds joy in the act of creating.

Creation as Story

In the beginning, God may have created the heavens and the earth, but not even the Bible is daring enough to claim exactly how it happened. In fact, Genesis begins with two distinctive creation stories that are impossible to synthesize or string together into consecutive events with any integrity. Neither one was ever meant to give a scientific account of how creation happened. Instead, they offer theological claims about the characteristics of the creator and poetic explanations as to why human beings are the way we are.

Each story grew out of different eras and reflects the purposes of two different “schools” or authors. Genesis 1 is the product of authors that scholars have dubbed the “Priestly” writers. Their rhythmic liturgical order of creation grew out of their experience in Babylonian exile sometime after 586 BCE. As a product of the exile and the apparent defeat of Yahweh by the Babylonian Marduk, it has even been suggested that Genesis 1 is a kind of “resistance literature” created to claim Yahweh’s superiority over all of creation. The second story, beginning with Genesis 2:4, is believed to have its roots in much older folk-stories of creation. The editors of this story refer to the creator with the name “Yahweh,” the distinctive Hebrew name for the Divine. As such they have since come to be known collectively as the “Yahwist.” The two sources present the story in totally
different styles. Where the Priestly author is interested in how things are organized and presents the origin of all things with a structured list, the Yahwist is a wonderful storyteller, often emphasizing humor and relationships as a vehicle for making theological points. Overall, the authors never intended to answer the analytical Greco-Roman question of “how?” but instead, in typical rabbinic fashion, set out to address the much more important question of “why?”

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     According to McKenna & Fox, what are some of the purposes of creation stories in general?

     Rossing suggests that the false conflict between creation and evolution is distracting us from what we should really be spending our energies on. Explain.

     The Bible’s stories of creation can’t possibly be God’s stories of creation. Explain.

     Levine points out that Genesis 1 is “clean” and orderly, while Genesis 2 is more “messy.” What are some of the defining characteristics of the two stories? What do the stories say about “partnerships” between creation, human beings, the Creator, etc.?

     One of the major themes of the second Genesis creation story is “the Fall.” How has that concept been helpful or detrimental to the spiritual enterprise of Christianity?

     A more traditional, dogmatic Christianity makes sin and redemption the focus of the Eden saga. Describe how Nelson’s suggestion that failure to accept responsibility for one’s own actions is an equally persuasive thematic emphasis.

Session 3, Thinking Theologically (Sept 30 and Oct 3)

Focus: While family, education, social class, and geography all contribute to how we think about God, our experiences and perceptions along life’s journey also shape our thinking. Being comfortable with ambiguity, metaphor, and uncertainty help us get the Divine “out of the box” and rethink theological ideas that have
become barriers to our further spiritual growth.

"Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an account of a journey of faith. The sojourner, named Celie, discovers new ways of understanding religion and of imaging the Divine. In one of her letters to a friend, Celie writes, "She say, ‘My first step from the old white man was trees. Then air. Then birds. Then other people. But one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling like a motherless child, which I was, it come to me: that feeling of being a part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed.’"

"To ask the questions of how the divine is intertwined with the world is to think theologically: How do we understand the unfathomable mystery that we've come to call God? Is there a God whose character and ways of relating to the world can be explained in ways that make sense? As Bill Nelson has suggested, even the word “God” itself is a “very slender word that simply covers our shivering ignorance.” Exploring these and other questions and concepts are at the heart of thinking theologically – a practice in which we all engage, whether we know it or not."

Re-thinking Some Long-Held Ideas
"Reading the Bible closely, it becomes clear that there’s no one way of understanding who God is and how God relates to the world. The Bible is the witness of generations of faithful people recording their own understandings of the divine in their particular time, place, and culture. This theological pluralism reveals changing, developing, and sometimes conflicting ideas about God.

"The Bible itself represents a variety of perspectives, each reflecting different understandings of God. The challenge of thinking theologically is about maintaining a creative tension between ideas that generate dialogue, not absolute certainty. At its best, thinking theologically is not about facts, but about wrestling with often abstract ideas and concepts.

"Traditional understandings of Christology, Atonement, and the Incarnation are all in flux. In fact, many people find these concepts to be quite irrelevant to contemporary spirituality. Two of the major ideas that continue to cause conflict among people of faith are the language we use for the Divine and the notion of “omnipotence.”

"Many of us get in a rut with our language about or image of God that is narrow and constricting. As our life experience broadens our understanding, some of us become conflicted over whether we can believe at all. Harry Emerson Fosdick, the celebrated preacher at New York’s Riverside Church, was fond of telling of the day a distraught student exclaimed, "I don't believe in God!" Fosdick replied, "Tell me about this God you don't believe in; chances are I don't believe in that God either." In the 1920s, Fosdick predicted that we would continue to lose generation after generation of the brightest and best young people because they have the impression that they are expected to believe “just so” in order to be a true Christian.

"Yet images and ideas used to express the Divine by Christian mystics, theological thinkers, and in scripture are as many and varied as there are experiences of God. The Biblical writers use a rich pallet of metaphors and poetic language to point toward what is ultimately a mystery. The Divine is described as a potter, a cup (of cool water), a path, a safe place, a rock, a burning bush, an eagle, and a whirlwind – all wonderful metaphors that help us assign a variety of attributes to the Divine without being the exclusive last word.

"One of the most common images of God is as a father. Listening to many prayers and liturgies, one might think it was the only image of God in scripture. However, God is also imaged as a mother in Deuteronomy 32:18; "You forgot the God who gave you birth,” as "a woman in labor" in Isaiah 42:14, and as a comforting mother in Isaiah 66:13. Is God a mother? Yes. A father? Yes. A rock? Yes. A wind? Yes. Everything we use to refer to God is simply a limited, human effort to explain the unexplainable. To be aware of our language and its implications is a great exercise in thinking theologically – remembering that the language we use to describe the Divine will directly influence how we relate to the Divine."

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     Crossan asks four questions of 21st century Christians: What is the character of your God? What is the content of your faith? What is the function of your church? What is the purpose of your worship? Describe how you might have answered these questions as a child or young person compared to your understanding today.

     Cobb discusses Omnipotence as an unbiblical concept that misrepresents the nature of the Divine.  Describe the advantages of seeing God as a persuasive, relational power over the unbiblical notion of omnipotent, coercive power.

     What are some of the alternatives to using even the word “God” to describe the Divine?

     Describe Borg’s stages of pre-critical naïveté, critical thinking, and post-critical naïveté.

     According to Varghese, what are some of the characteristics of “thinking theologically?”

     How does the hope gained from thinking theologically different from simply thinking optimistically?

Session 2, Taking the Bible Seriously (Sept 23 and 26)

FOCUS:   The authority one places in the Bible plays a critical role in one’s worldview and understanding of the Christian life.

"Its influence has been recognized for centuries. It has been quoted and misquoted, used and abused, appealed to and discredited. While American Presidents quote 'a house divided against itself cannot stand' and 'from those to whom much is given, much is required,' Biblical texts have also been used to oppress women, support slavery, justify wars, and today, bolster White Supremacy and other discriminatory movements.

"Preachers try to bring the text alive, classes and small groups provide vital places of discovery. Personal study allows the Bible to speak to an individual’s situation. But what is it exactly that we’re looking for? The Bible is so big, so intimidating, it’s difficult to know where to start. It’s hard to know what to believe or what not to believe…"

The Book “by” Jesus?
"Before leaving for seminary, a young theological student was taken aside by an evangelical pastor and was told in the hushed tone reserved for the imparting of great wisdom, 'You’re going to read a lot of books ABOUT Jesus – don’t forget to read the book BY Jesus!'

"And therein lies what is perhaps the greatest divide among Christians: the authority one places in the text of the Bible. It’s important because how you understand the Christian life depends on how you read the Bible.
How much “authority” do you give scripture? How do you determine the level of trust you place in any written material, for that matter? As perhaps the best-selling, least read book of all time, the Bible needs to be re-examined by most of us. It is not something to be "believed" in, as though it has some magical powers, but to be in relationship with, as one would be with any person or cause or issue to which we give allegiance in this life.

"In his bestseller, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg writes, 'the Christian life is not primarily about believing the right things or even being good. The Christian life is about being in relationship with God which transforms us into more and more compassionate beings, "into the likeness of Christ."'  Likewise, having a 'relationship' with the Biblical text that grows and changes has more spiritual and intellectual integrity than performing the mental gymnastics necessary to cling to the notions of the Bible one learned in Sunday School. The degree to which a person venerates or critiques what has come down to us in the form of the Bible has wide-ranging implications for the way one interacts with others, the world, and the idea of the divine.

"As a record of various peoples’ experience of God’s faithfulness and human infidelities, the Bible is full of colorful characters, lying, cheating, sex, hate, war, sex, betrayal, murder, sex, letters, poetry, history, sex, great ideas, lousy ideas, and more sex. Read closely, a variety of theological voices is revealed — sometimes harmonious, other times a cacophony of contradiction. For example, most people don’t realize that there are two flood stories in Genesis: the familiar one where God has Noah collect the animals two by two, and the other where they are collected seven by seven. We only hear about the first story because seven by seven would clutter up the simplicity of the illustrations in children’s books and murals. Yet many people are afraid that if they admit that there are contradictions in the Bible then the whole thing has to be dismissed as a worthless lie. So, a simple defense was concocted as a bulwark against letting the evidence sway people
once their minds were made up."

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. Because of copyright law, we are not able to make the materials available here. Another option would be to purchase a copy of Felten and Procter-Murphy's newly-released book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity from your local bookseller.

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     Biblical inerrancy is the idea that the Bible is without error in its original form, while infallibility holds that the Bible is inerrant on issues of faith and practice but not history or science. How might unquestioning belief in these ideas affect a person!s day-to-day living?

     Borg suggests that a more historical and metaphorical approach to the Bible provides a way for non-literalists to be Christian. How does this sync with your experience?

     Name some of the “discrepancies” that Levine mentions.

     Rossing, Brueggemann, & McKenna speak of the Bible as “inspired,” as an “act of faithful imagination,” and as “sacred.” Describe their understandings.

     Borg describes the Bible as a “lens through which we see God.” What implications does this metaphor have for the Bible’s “authority”?

     How might looking at the Bible as the “fourth member of the Trinity” be bordering on idolatry?

     According to White, what are some of the negative ramifications of “going literal” with the Bible?

     Geering suggests that literalists are the “enemies of the Christian tradition.” Elaborate.

     Describe what Borg means when he says, “The Bible is a human product and a response to the experience of the Sacred.”

      What are some of the “triggers” that move people from a literal reading of scripture to a more metaphorical approach?

Session 1, An Invitation to Journey (Sept 16/19)

FOCUS: Faith is not a destination, but a journey.

A Spiritual Journey
“To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”
                         – Robert Louis Stevenson

"People know that at its core, Christianity has something good to offer the human race. At the same time, many have a sense that they are alone in being a “thinking” Christian and that “salvaging” Christianity is a hopeless task.

"What many have longed for is a safe environment where they have permission to ask the questions they’ve always wanted to ask but have been afraid to voice for fear of being thought a heretic. Living the Questions provides a context where people can be liberated from stagnant clichés and pursue their questions and seek to inform their understanding as part of a life-long spiritual journey.

"Through exposure to provocative theological and spiritual insights and the engagement of small group conversation, participants in Living the Questions will experience how profoundly important the journey itself is."

To receive a complete copy of the text used for the first session, please contact Pastor Marj at daytonfirstcong@gmail.com.  It will be sent as an email attachment for your perusal as opposed to printing multiple pages, a stewardship practice. (BECAUSE OF COPYRIGHT LAWS, WE CANNOT POST READINGS THAT ACCOMPANY THIS STUDY. Authors David M. Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy have published Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity just this year, and it contains the materials to be used. Order from your local bookstore and follow along!)

Questions to be considered in light of the video and readings:

     How does Mel White define “fundamentalism?”

     What evidence do you see of fundamentalists of various faiths organizing themselves into political blocs? Be specific.

     How have “killing certainties” crippled the church’s faithfulness to the Gospel?

     Describe the advantages of being on a spiritual journey over “arriving” at the truth.

     Spong describes the journey into Mystery as going beyond the literalization of scripture, creed, dogma, doctrine, and words. Explain.

     What does Flunder mean by the “either/or” God?

     According to Fox, how is “not knowing” one of the important dimensions of living in today’s world?

     What part does risk-taking play in the spiritual journey?
     
     Virtually all of the DVD contributors admit to having grown increasingly comfortable with uncertainty and suspicious of those who claim to have all the answers. Describe your personal experience of this phenomenon.  

Launching "Living the Questions"

 
LIVING THE QUESTIONS 2.0 begins on
Sunday, September 16 (and concurrently on Wednesdays, beginning September 19)

People know that at its core, Christianity has something good to offer the human race.  At the same time, many have a sense that they are alone in being a "thinking" Christian and that "salvaging" Christianity is a hopeless task. What is needed is a safe environment where people have permission to ask the questions they've always wanted to ask but have been afraid to voice for fear of being thought a heretic.

Living the Questions is a DVD and web-based small group study exploring beyond the traditions and rote theologies in which so many people and local churches seem to be stuck.  Ideal for Christian invitation, initiation and spiritual formation, Living the Questions will help seekers and "church alumni/ae" alike in discovering the significance of Christianity in the 21st Century and what a meaningful faith can look like in today's world.

Some of the voices heard will be: Marcus Borg, Rita Nakashima Brock, Walter Brueggeman, John Cobb, Yvette Flunder, Matthew Fox, Hans Kung, Amy-Jill Levine, Cynthia Langston Kirk, Meagan McKenna, Helen Prejean, Tex Sample, John Shelby Spong, Emilie Townes, Winnie Varghese, John Bell, Mel White, Barbara Rossing, Culver "Bill" Nelson, and Siyoung Park.

1. An Invitation to Journey

2. Taking the Bible Seriously

3. Thinking Theologically

4. Stories of Creation

5. Lives of Jesus

6. A Passion for Christ: Paul

7. Out into the World: Challenges Facing Progressive Christians

All are welcome to join one or both sessions -- the series will run concurrently on Sunday mornings at 9:00am and again on Wednesdays at 6:30pm, beginning September 16 and 19 respectively.

Please contact the church office if you have questions at either daytonfirstcong@gmail.com or 509-382-2471.

A Covenant with Every Living Thing (for June 27 and July 1)

Mountain bluebird nesting box, Patit Road

"The Biblical narrative affirms the interconnectedness and interdependence between creatures within God's creation. Nowhere is this more evident that in the story of Noah and the flood. After a protracted period of wickedness, God was 'sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart'. So God warned Noah that God was sending a terrible flood to destroy the earth, and that he should prepare for it by building an ark.
"But as every Sunday school child knows, God did not instruct Noah to save only himself and his family on the ark. Rather, God said: 'Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth.'
"We are all, quite literally, in the same boat--each creature playing its own unique, essential role in the future of the earth. We might not understand the role of each creature, why the unclean animals as well as the clean animals serve a purpose. But God asks Noah, and us, to protect them on the ark anyway, because God has intertwined our futures.
"After the terrible flood was over, God made God's first covenant with humanity, well before the covenant with Abraham or with Moses. ...Biblical covenants are not just unilateral promises on God's part. They always invite a response. As Noah's heirs, we inherit this covenant with God and the other earth creatures.

John Muir wrote, "The man of science, the naturalist, too often loses sight of the essential oneness of all living beings in seeking to classify them in kingdoms, orders ... species ... etc... while the eye of the poet, the seer, never closes on the kinship of all God's creatures, and his heart ever beats in sympathy with great and small alike as 'earth-born companions and fellow mortals' equally dependent on Heaven's eternal love."

• How do we as individuals respond to God's covenant?
• How do we as a faith community respond to God's covenant?
• What's the difference between a food chain and a food web?
• How do you experience yourself in the food web?

Made In the Image of God (for June 20 and 24)

"Often framing his arguments with biblical imagery, John Muir became a zealous advocate for the preservation of natural places and an opponent of the forces that threatened them...

John Muir, Yosemite, naturalist and founder of Sierra Club

 "The Bible is full of John Muirs--called by something deep within themselves to act in behalf of God's purposes. We recall the young David, the smallest of his brothers, bravely confronting the massive Goliath with only a slingshot; Moses, the stutterer, answering God's call to lead God's people to freedom from oppression; the wild and untamed John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus; the woman at the well running to tell the people about the living water.




"So, too, are we called to reach within ourselves and to become advocates for God's purposes for the earth. In the creation stories, we get our first idea of what God had in mind for our relationship with the rest of creation ... long before God created humans, God created the rest of creation, declared it good and blessed it.

"When God created humans, God did give us a special place within creation. However, this special role was not necessarily a place of honor or privilege but a place of special responsibility. God created us to bear God's image in creation. In the ancient tradition in which the creation stories were written, the concept of image was used when a person stood in as a representative of a ruler or a god. To be in one's image meant to represent the ruler's or god's interest, to act in accordance with its will. Similarly, we were created to 'image' God's purposes in creation. And what are those purposes? Genesis tells us God's purposes for creation are harmony and wholeness and goodness. To image God, we bestow on every creature the blessing that God bestowed upon it."

• What does it mean to bear God's image in the world?
• What is God's desire for creation that we are to image?
• How does our being made from the earth itself intersect with our being created in God's image?
• What does it mean to have dominion over other creation?
• Are you living a life now that images God's desires for creation?

"Think about John Muir in terms of the early Hebrew prophets who were able to take the long view instead of getting caught up in day-to-day squabbles. They promoted a vision for the future that was oriented towards God's desires, not ours.

• What role did Muir's religious upbringing have on his view of God?
• How did his view on God change when he immersed himself in nature?
• What compelled him to be such an activist for the earth?
• Does Muir offer any clues to how we might relate to creation or how we might advocate for creation?
• Did Muir go too far in worshiping creation rather than the Creator? Is there a difference?

Consider these words from the Psalms (104:10-13, CEB):

You put gushing springs into dry riverbeds.
    They flow between the mountains,

        providing water for every wild animal—
        the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Overhead, the birds in the sky make their home,
    chirping loudly in the trees.

From your lofty house, you water the mountains.
    The earth is filled full by the fruit of what you’ve done.

(The above materials are taken from a study compiled by Earth Ministry for use with the "National Parks: America's Best Idea" series produced by Ken Burns on PBS.)

God in Nature (for June 13 and 17)

"While the idea of setting aside lands as park preserves was just getting started in the 19th century, religion was going outdoors as well. Responding tot he 18th century impersonal 'Clockmaker' concept of God, 19th century America saw a religious reawakening. Prominent preachers traveled around the country leading large, passion-filled outdoor revivals. Thousands of families would travel long distances and then camp out in order to attend these gatherings....

"Many of us have found equally rich spiritual experiences while camping or hiking in the national parks or simply by taking in a sunset or sitting by a stream. What is it about the natural world that allows us to experience the Divine so directly? What is it about the towering mountains that evoke the transcendent God while the smallest wildflower pulls us into an intimate relationship with God?

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

"The Scriptures might offer some clues to answering these questions. [See Psalm 18:2, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, and John 7:37-38, for starters.] This is not to say that the Scripture writers thought God was the rock or the water, but rather God makes God's self known, God reveals God's self, through God's creation. God came to Moses in a burning bush. When Elijah did battle with the prophets of Baal, God appeared through fire. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove.

"The Scripture writers used natural images to describe God because that is how they experienced God. Their first understanding of a God who cared for and nurtured them came from God's provision through the earth of the most basic elements--food and water--without which there would be no life.

"The Medieval mystics had a deep connection with the earth as well, and they too, found God in nature.

Apprehend God in all things,
for God is in all things.
Every single creature is full of God
and is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature--
even a caterpillar--
I would never have to prepare a sermon.
So full of God is every creature. --Meister Eckhart

"Deep within each of us too is a memory of our own creation, when God reached into the soil and created us from the earth itself. We also carry the collective experiences of our forebears who lived in intimate relationship with the earth and the earth creatures. And so the natural world is a coming home, a returning to a place that is familiar and known, deep within us.

"What [John Muir] means is that wildness is an essential part of ourselves that our ordinary lives tempt us to forget. And by losing touch with that essential part of ourselves, we risk losing our souls. And so for him, going out into nature, to these parks, is how we recover ourselves, remember who we truly are, and reconnect with the core roots of our own identity, our own spirituality, that which is sacred in our experience. --William Cronon

• What are some of the ways natural images have been used to describe God in the Bible? Why do you think there are so many?
• What are some ways Jesus used natural or agricultural images? Why do you think he used so many?

More verses of Scripture that offer thoughts:
     Psalm 18:12-14       Psalm 36:8-9     Psalm 42:7     Isaiah 44:3
     Luke 4:14     Acts 2:4  

Consider why there are so many natural ways of talking about God and Jesus in the Bible, particularly using water.

"Discuss the concept of a "thin place" where the veil between God and us is so thin that we can feel God's presence. Describe how the early mystics and the Celts lived closely engaged with the natural world. Explain how they found glimpses of God in the natural world. 

• Have you ever had a sense of this thin place in the natural world?
• What is it about the natural world that gives you the space and quiet to experience God?
• When you are in the natural world, do you feel a sense of union with creation? Do you feel yourself as a part of something bigger than yourself? Do you have a sense of coming home?
• Are there more ways that we can more intentionally put ourselves in this thin place more regularly? 

(The above materials are taken from a study compiled by Earth Ministry for use with the "National Parks: America's Best Idea" series produced by Ken Burns on PBS.)

The Creator and Creation (for June 6 and 10)

Grand Canyon National Park

There is of course no sense at all in trying to describe the Grand Canyon. Those who have not seen it will not believe any possible description. Those who have seen it know that it cannot be described...  It is not a show place, a beauty spot, but a revelation. The Colorado River made it; but you feel when you are there that God gave the Colorado River its instructions. The thing is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in stone and magic light.  J.B. Priestly




If you have a moment, take five minutes and sketch an experience you have had in a national park where you sensed God was present. If not a national park, maybe a state or county park, or simply an experience in a natural spot.  (No judgment on the drawing abilities!)

How did you know God was present?

This week, think of a place that is sacred to you -- even in our cities there are parks and such where people gather. How well do you know that place? What lives there? What creatures visit regularly? Give it a name. Go there if possible. Is there anything different since the last time you visited this place? Notice textures, smells, sounds, movements ...  Ask yourself: Is God here?

Consider the story of creation as found in Genesis 1:1-25.  If you have a chance to watch the PBS Series The National Parks: America's Best Idea, consider the following questions in relation to what you saw and to your experiences of nature.

• What did you notice about the film?
• Were there parts that you found moving or provocative?
• Were there parts that bothered you?
• Did you see aspects of the creation stories in the film?
• Does God love and value all aspects of creation? What about those that cause harm or bring disease?
• Did God create the non-human creation solely for our human benefit or does it have a purpose beyond us?
• Why did God create beauty? What purpose does it serve?
• Why is it important that the national parks are accessible to all, regardless of class, ethnicity, and religion?

Consider this statement by writer Dayton Duncan:  I think that deep in our DNA is this embedded memory of when we were not separated from the rest of the natural world, that we were part of it. The Bible talks about the Garden of Eden as that experience that we had at the beginnings of our dimmest memories as a species. And so when we enter a park, we're entering a place that has been ... like it once was. And we cross the boundary and suddenly we're no longer masters of the natural world. We're part of it.... We've come back to a place that is where we came from.
Do you agree that we have within us an "embedded memory" of the Garden of Eden and that in the national parks "we've come back to a place that is where we came from?" What does this say about our relationship to the rest of creation?


Consider the psalmist's words (104:1-5):  Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. You set the earth on its foundations,m so that is shall never be shaken.

(The above materials are from session 1 in resources produced by Earth Ministry.)