Volume 1 Issue 1
When Easter and Beyond debuted last March, I wasn’t real sure what the “beyond” would look like. Well, here it is! A website designed to provide a forum for the free exchange of theological and spiritual ideas in the hope that sharing in such an experience will cultivate a more fully-developed, mature faith in all who participate.
I am so deeply indebted to Matt Piper of Web Information Consulting eXperts for his extraordinary commitment and skill. I’ve had only to wonder if something could be done, and Matt transforms it into something real. You are invited to learn more about WICX by going to their website: www.webicx.com
The purpose of the Newsletter, which I hope to publish weekly, is to promote a sense of community, even if it is a virtual community located in cyberspace. As I’ve said before, the people who compose “the list” are remarkable in many ways, and the diversity of thought and point of view is indeed something to be celebrated.
The Bulletin Board will be a place to post the wide array of offerings brought to the site by the community. Because I have this deep-seated need to be in charge J I am going to maintain control over what gets put on the bulletin board, but you will have to trust that the decision will not be made on the basis of whether I agree with the theology or not. The intent is to be as inclusive as possible without sacrificing moral integrity (i.e. I don’t plan to be posting much Aryan Nation ideology, etc.). If you wish to contribute an item, just send it to me at RevMAH@aol.com
The Sermons get to be my little showcase. After all, I’m the one paying for all this! In my first “newsletter” I confessed to being presumptuous enough to think that someone else might be interested in what I think about matters of faith. I also admitted to needing to maintain the discipline of weekly preparation now that I’m no longer an active parish pastor. Perhaps the nicest feature of this new approach is that you won’t even have to bother with ‘delete’ when you don’t have to sign on in the first place!
The Philosophy section will be an ongoing project to develop the thesis that Christ is a universal—or, as Matthew Fox would say, a cosmological—phenomenon. In an ever-shrinking world, we can no longer afford to engage in exclusivity. Many of the progressive, contemporary theologians are helping us to come to a richer, fuller understanding of Buddha as Christ, of Mohammed as Christ, and yes, of Jesus—the Jew—as Christ! Here will hopefully be found the explanation for how we may all look forward to Growing in Christ!
Your feedback is most welcome! As I said before, this cyber-ministry that I’ve embarked on gets kind of lonely. I’d be less than honest if I said I don’t miss getting to look out at the congregation each week to see who my stirring message was lulling to peaceful slumber. More importantly, I truly believe that our faith (or lack thereof) is being tested as never before. We need to engage in the theological conversation, because it is the one thing that will ultimately affect us all.
Until next week…Shalom!
