Volume 2 Issue 5

If you are visiting our website for the first time, welcome! You are invited to “sign up” for the weekly newsletter (you may unsubscribe at any time) and consider yourself a part of our growing virtual community of faith. Take a moment to peruse the postings on the Bulletin Board, and feel free to respond with your own thoughts and opinions. The voice of God grows louder with each one who chooses to participate in this theological forum. Our ongoing prayer is that Growing in Christ will inspire you to share this ministry with those you know and love.
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Thanks to all of you who took the time to let me know that you would like to see this site continue for another year. It is gratifying to learn that GiC is filling a need, and it will be my privilege to “carry on” (only with the excellent technical assistance that Matt Piper of WebICX continues to provide). As always, suggestions for how this cyber-ministry might be made more useful and meaningful are welcome.
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Another milestone in the Hanna household will be marked on Friday as Mary and I observe our thirty-second wedding anniversary. I’ve made many changes since 1971, and Mary has patiently and lovingly abided each one. I am grateful for this opportunity to publicly thank her for remaining my best friend “for better and for worse,” and to let her know that after lo these many years I continue to feel the luckiest man on earth!
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There have been a couple of responses to last week’s question which I think will make it worth your while to visit the Bulletin Board. By knowing that there is no such thing as a “correct” answer, I hope that you will feel more inclined to post your own reply to this week’s question: How would Jesus propose that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be resolved?
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Until seeing her this week on Bill Moyers’ NOW, I wasn’t aware that Elaine Pagels has written a new book, “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas”. Regular GiC readers know that I refer often to “The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus” which contains, in addition to the Scholars Version translation, the Coptic Gospel of Thomas. Having read Pagels’ earlier books that focus on the Gnostic texts, I am eager to read her latest work and feel confident in commending her scholarship to those of you who are interested in learning more about this fascinating subject. “Beyond Belief” is available in hardcover for $17.47 from: www.amazon.com
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Until next week…….Shalom!