Volume 2 Issue 38

Interviewer Peggy Noonan said to Mel Gibson, “Give me the headline you want to see on the biggest paper in America the day after ‘The Passion’ opens. Replied Gibson, “War ends.” God grant that such may be the fruit of his labors.
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Gibson’s film is unquestionably a cultural phenomenon stirring its own form of passionate controversy. I have attempted to provide a cross-section of opinions and critiques from a variety of sources on the Bulletin Board. Certainly any thoughts you may be inclined to contribute will enrich the exchange of ideas related to the new life that has been given to the ancient story. For continuing “coverage” I recommend: www.sojo.net This is the Sojourners website, and you’ll probably want to bookmark it so that you can continue to return to it.
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The Lenten journey to the Cross began this past Ash Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how the country’s new found obsession with the crucifixion will or won’t influence this year’s celebration of Easter. Again I commend Mel Gibson for stimulating a more genuine interest in the true meaning of this season than I have seen in my lifetime. My hope is that GiC can fulfill its mission as a forum for theological questioning and reflection as we have the opportunity to discover together the resurrected Christ in our midst.
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Birthday greetings to the Rev. Charles Cooper. Even though he was born before I was, if my calculations are correct Chuck reaches the ripe old age of fourteen today. What some people won’t do to stay young!
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 37

“Suppose we hear an unknown man spoken of by many men. Suppose we were puzzled to hear that some men said he was too tall and some too short; some objected to his fatness, some lamented his leanness; some thought him too dark, and some too fair. One explanation…would be that he might be an odd shape. But there is another explanation. He might be the right shape….Perhaps (in short) this extraordinary thing is really the ordinary thing; at least the normal thing, the centre.” --G.K. Chesterton
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A wonderful weekend spent with family and friends is drawing to a close, and a current sermon is once again the casualty. One is in the works, and I am grateful for everyone’s patience with my irregularity. I can tell you that the topic is the authority of Scripture, and I will eagerly welcome any questions, suggestions, or opinions that you, the GiC readership, might want to offer as I develop my thoughts on the subject.
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This coming Ash Wednesday will mark the beginning of Lent, and if for no other reason Mel Gibson should be thanked for sparking more serious thought about the meaning of this season of the Christian calendar than I can ever remember. I have posted several articles to the Bulletin Board that address the controversial “The Passion of the Christ” that is scheduled to open this Wednesday. I am feeling a responsibility to view the film as soon as possible (although I think I’ll pass on the evangelical brouhaha associated with its premier) so that I can intelligently become a part of the discussion that’s already begun. The prejudicial and stereotypical points of view that a scripturally and theologically illiterate society would predictably generate are already surfacing. To avoid falling into such a trap, I commend the following to your reading:
John Dominic Crossan, “Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography”, 1994, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Matthew Fox, “The Coming of the Cosmic Christ”, 1988, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
Hyam Maccoby, “The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity”, 1986, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Jack Miles, “Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God”, 2001, Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
E.P. Sanders, “Jesus and Judaism”, 1985, Fortress Press.
Albert Schweitzer, “The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Critical Study of Its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede”, 1968 [Translated by W. Montgomery, B.D., from the first German edition, “Von Reimarus zu Wrede, 1906], Macmillan Publishing Company
Philip Yancey, “The Jesus I Never Knew”, 1995, Zondervan Publishing
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Also posted to the Bulletin Board this week are some observations by a layperson about Lent and the contemporary Church which were sent to Dad (used with permission), and Dad’s reply. To have to think about religion, spirituality and theology is a novel concept to some, but for others of us it is proving to be one of the single greatest challenges in this process we call “life”. I encourage everyone who is aware of this GiC ministry to begin to participate, to begin to interact, to become a part of this dialogue that centers on the ultimate issue. Only when such an attitude becomes widespread can humankind hope to avoid repeating the tragic mistakes historically borne of ignorance.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 36

“Happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” --George Washington in a letter to the Jewish congregation of Newport, Rhode Island [1790]
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“That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, ‘You toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principal.” --Abraham Lincoln in reply, seventh and last joint debate, Alton, Illinois [October 15, 1858]
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“When a fellow American has more money in his or her pocket they’re more likely to demand a good or a service. And in the marketplace which we have in America, when somebody demands a good or a service, somebody is more likely willing to produce that good or a service, and when somebody produces the good or a service it means somebody is more likely to find work.” --George W. Bush speaking in Grand Rapids, Michigan [January 29, 2003]
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Yesterday, as Mary and I celebrated the thirty-fourth anniversary of our first date (aw, it was on Valentine’s Day) we commented on how much has changed over the years. Not the least of those changes is the diminishing number of those who we knew back then that are still with the same “significant other.” We concluded that apparently neither of us has been bold, creative, or adventurous enough to go out looking for someone new. Or, maybe it’s just that we really love each other. That it’s all about values is undeniable, and GiC continues to examine the nature and source of those values from a theological perspective. It is in that spirit that I invite you to spend a little time at the Bulletin Board where the broad diversity of thought and opinion is free to find expression.
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Even though it’s the epitome of pathological grandiosity, I’m still feeling the need to offer my apology to Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark for openly and publicly supporting his candidacy for the presidency. It was the kiss of death! I have been known to have this same effect on other political figures, sports teams, and almost any other sort of competitive venture such as picking the “quickest” checkout lane at the grocery store. Now that I’ve finally figured out the scope of my influence, I am openly and publicly offering my new found support for Bush-Cheney in 2004!
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 35

“But even in solitude, mindfulness doesn’t come naturally. To attain mindfulness, I awake at four-thirty in the morning and begin to thank God for a new day, a new opportunity to discover Him, to enjoy Him in awe, to serve Him in awe; and then, by His power and grace, to be an instrument of His power and peace in my community and in the world. I am sure that the life of prayer and penance affects not only my immediate visible surroundings but worlds that I cannot dream of.” --Father William McNamara
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I started this Growing in Christ endeavor, in part, to maintain the discipline of preparing a weekly sermon even though I was no longer in the active pastorate. I wondered how long it would take before not having a Sunday morning deadline would catch up with me, and I seem to be finding out. That I miss the immediate feedback of a live congregation is undeniable, and the unresponsiveness of cyberspace seems to be getting the best of me. There is a new sermon in the works, but it’s not going to be completed this week.
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In the meantime, you are welcome to spend some time with the Bulletin Board (there are some new articles posted) and to go into the archives at the bottom of the current Sermon page. A reminder that by clicking on the new “Send this to a friend” link and entering the e-mail address for the persons you would like to receive it, you may now send any particular sermon to those who you believe might find it meaningful. The hope is that this will be an additional tool for spreading the news of GiC to those who don’t yet know about it.
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Please remember that hard copies of the current newsletter and sermon are mailed each week to those without access to the Internet. If you know of someone who would like to receive this mailing, simply send their name and address to me and it will be included in the list. Everyone is invited to participate in this experiment in practical theology. The more input that is received from the wide spectrum of diversity that composes the Creation, the clearer will be our perception of the Creator!
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 2 Issue 34

“To experience a personal cosmology, become a child again—not an adolescent, but a child—and thereby become a player, a playful being in the universe. Believe, as all great teachers have told us to believe, that the universe is friendly; the universe is blessing us constantly. Become unself-conscious (Eckhart defined mysticism as unself-consciousness). If we can learn to delight again and to play again, then we will learn wisdom again. That’s how we accompany God through our journey and through this universe.” --Matthew Fox
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On this high holy day for the religion of football, I thank you for allowing me to take a few moments of your time. May this be a place of sanctuary from the mundane distractions that interfere with a complete and whole connection with our Creator. To this end I share my own thoughts, as well as making available the opinions of others on the Bulletin Board. New this week is Eli Pariser’s thought provoking article, “One Thing That Won’t Be Tackled on Sunday: Issues”, that examines CBS’ decision not to air a commercial sponsored by MoveOn. I will be joining others in boycotting the Super Bowl half-time in order to see the spot on CNN. Why not join me?
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I am so fortunate to have the technical assistance of Matt Piper. I occasionally come up with these bright ideas, but wouldn’t have the faintest idea of where to start to implement them. Matt’s handiwork can be found as a new feature on the Sermons page: “Send this to a friend” By clicking on this link and entering the e-mail address for the persons you would like to receive it, you may now send that particular message to those who you believe might find it meaningful. The hope is that this will be an additional tool for spreading the news of GiC to those who don’t yet know about it. Thanks, Matt!
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Please remember that hard copies of the current newsletter and sermon are mailed each week to those without access to the Internet. If you know of someone who would like to receive this mailing, simply send their name and address to me and it will be included in the list. Everyone is invited to participate in this experiment in practical theology. The more input that is received from the wide spectrum of diversity that composes the Creation, the clearer will be our perception of the Creator!
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Until next week…….Shalom!