Volume 1 Issue 13

May God forgive that I let my sarcasm run amok with today’s sermon. My only defense is that my line of thought is grounded in the much less cutting PBS Frontline series, “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians”. The home video (4 VHS tapes) is available for $59.98 from www.shop.pbs.org
The text of the series is available online at www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion
This is indispensable material for those of you who seek a fuller understanding of how the most widespread religion in the world got to be that way.
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There are new postings and new replies on the Bulletin Board. There are new additions to “the list” of those who have joined the mailing list. Our virtual community of faith is alive and growing. Congratulations to all who are choosing this avenue of exploring their faith and spiritual identity. And thank you to everyone who is extending the invitation to others to visit GiC!
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As we approach the day of national thanksgiving, may our hearts be filled with gratitude for the abundance and prosperity that is ours. If our appreciation for all that we do have is genuine, our minds will not be as obsessed by the things we don’t. The majority of the world’s peoples would find it hard to understand why every American would not feel moved to fall to their knees with prayers of thanks to God upon their lips this Thursday (and every other day). Let us not be guilty of contributing to such misunderstanding.
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Our family will add to the Thanksgiving Day celebration by observing Rebecca’s 16th birthday! Anyone wishing to send her birthday greetings may e-mail them to: beccascreename@aol.com
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 12

Given current global events, I find it increasingly hard to present an “upbeat” appearance. Perhaps after reading this week’s sermon, you will better understand why I’m not even going to try. As the vicious and evil cycle of violence begetting violence engulfs an ever larger portion of our planet’s population, the inevitable outcome becomes just that. The belief that we should be living every day as if it were our last seems to be taking on greater credence by the hour.
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Michael Moore is known to many as one of today’s most insightful—and inciting—social critics. First achieving widespread acclaim and recognition for his biting documentary “Roger and Me”, his latest effort “Bowling for Columbine” is must-see viewing for anyone who is puzzled by the culture of violence that has become the United States of America. Distribution of the film is limited, and so you may not even have the opportunity to see it in your area. But if it is showing “at a theatre near you,” don’t miss it! More about Moore can be found at: www.michaelmoore.com
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Congratulations to Gary and Jan Bornemeier who were wed today here in Las Vegas. Gary is a charter member of “the list,” and it is hoped that Jan will permit him to continue to spend some of his time swimming in this pool of heresy that is GiC!
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I am so grateful to those of you who continue to respond to my sermons and to be supportive of GiC’s mission. I encourage your more active participation on the Bulletin Board because the thoughts and ideas you send me “privately” are so worthy of being shared with a larger audience. While researching today’s message, I came across this statement by M. Eugene Boring that so aptly describes what I hope is being accomplished through this site:
“Prayer is theology; theology is prayer. Karl Barth rightly affirmed, ‘The first and basic act of theological work is prayer.’ Prayer is a theological act, the fundamental theological act. What one prays for simultaneously shapes and expresses one’s theology. The use of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s church has affected his theology. Matthew’s decision to place the Lord’s Prayer at the center of the instruction of the Sermon on the Mount dissolves the line between worship and theology. Prayer is theology.
“It is less often seen that theology is prayer. Thus Barth’s dictum above is misunderstood if one takes it as piously recommending that one have a moment’s prayer before beginning theological work. Barth’s point (I think Matthew would agree) is that theological work itself, struggling to discern the contemporary meaning of God’s revelatory self-disclosure, even when theological work struggles to affirm that there has been a divine revelatory act or that the God purported to have acted in Christ is truly real—such theological struggle is itself prayer, wrestling with the angel until the blessing comes, even if one goes limping away (Genesis 32). The scribal Matthew comes from the same rabbinic milieu that generated the dictum: ‘An hour of study is in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, as an hour of prayer.’”
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 11

Welcome one and all to Growing in Christ. Our democratic process has been exercised this past week, and once again we are witness to the miraculously peaceful transition of power that was the intention of the ingenious founders of this great nation. Anyone who viewed the PBS presentation of Ken Burns American Stories on Thomas Jefferson had the opportunity to learn of the significant role theology played in the life of this remarkable man. The purpose of Growing in Christ is to explore the role of theology in our own lives, and to learn more about the impact that our worldview has upon our daily activities.
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It took a while, but there’s a good theological debate/discussion forming on the Bulletin Board under the 10/30/02 heading: “…here goes” This is what GiC is all about, and I really hope that more of you will feel free to submit your thoughts and opinions, either in response to this subject or others about which you have questions or feelings. In some of the “private” e-mails I’ve received a few of you have expressed a hesitancy to let your “ignorance” show or to voice an unorthodox point of view. If I’m willing to shamelessly exhibit my ignorance on a weekly basis, and to enthusiastically challenge orthodoxy whenever and however I can, the very least you can do is lend a little support to my lunacy by joining in the fun! I truly believe that the voice of God is finding expression through this enterprise, and that its richness and fullness is amplified by the number of you who choose to join in the chorus!
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This week’s sermon continues to focus on The Sermon on the Mount as found in the Gospel of Matthew. I’m unsure at this point as to whether or not the series will require the rest of my life to complete. It had not been my intention originally to devote this much time to the text which is contained in Matthew 4:23-7:29, but I am personally discovering so much insight into the essence of the Christ that it is now almost an obsession. If, however, I “hear” from the GiC community that it is losing interest and that it is time to move on to something else, I will try. This will be the most genuine way that I can express my thanks to those who take the time to respond to my sermons.
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Some weeks ago I recommended Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, “The Four Agreements”. My lifelong friend, Rob (okay, we didn’t know each other until the seventh grade), has given Mary and me a copy of another of Ruiz’s books, “The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book” (1999, Amber-Allen Publishing Inc.). The paperback is available for $11.20 from www.amazon.com. I’ll be reading it as soon as Mary is finished with it, and will let you know what I think of it.
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Our journey of faith continues into another week. We do not know with absolute certainty what events will occur or what situations will arise, and so it is all the more important that we carry with us the absolute conviction “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NRSV)
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 10

When “Jackass: The Movie” debuts as the No. 1 box-office draw with $22.8 million I begin to wonder from what kind of delusion I suffer to persist in this stealth endeavor that I call Growing in Christ. Anyway, greetings to those of you who have found your way here, whether out of curiosity or amusement. A parishioner once asked me if the final judgment is going to be written or oral. The direction things seem to be headed, we had better hope it is multiple choice.
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Some of you are familiar with the author Philip Yancey (“The Jesus I Never Knew,” “I Was Just Wondering”). Dad tells me that his recent book, “Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church,” is excellent. It’s available from www.amazon.com for $15.37. I’ve ordered it and will be reading it when it arrives. Perhaps others who do the same can exchange their reviews of this and other books that they find worthwhile on the Bulletin Board.
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Speaking of the Bulletin Board (this is nothing if not one of the smoothest segues of all time): The newest posting (“…here goes” 10/30/02) is deserving of your time and attention. The author e-mailed me expressing his surprise that I had actually posted it to the site. I personally disagree with the theology that is expressed but I am pleased that I have the opportunity to demonstrate that GiC is an open forum for all points of view. The only sadness will come from no response at all. William Sloane Coffin Jr. observes that the opposite of love is not hate but apathy.
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The take I have of our readership is that this really unnecessary, but I urge everyone to vote this coming Tuesday (see Coffin above). History is rife with examples of the evil that erupts when leaders do not perceive themselves accountable to the people. Let’s not let our leadership ever believe that such is the case.
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To those who continue to share this site with others, thank you! We achieved a milestone of sorts this last week with over five-hundred “hits” (true, Matt and I have account for approximately 98% of those). We come closer to fulfilling our stated mission with every new visitor. In the week to come, may the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the power of the Spirit be experienced by the whole creation!
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Until next week…….Shalom!