Volume 3 Issue 7

Summer has arrived in Las Vegas, and a local weather person helped me out with a definition I had not heretofore been aware of. I guess it’s not officially “hot” until it reaches 105 degrees, and so we are anticipating another “warm” day with a high of 104. It is that time of year when we are grateful for it to cool down to 80 overnight, but I haven’t had to shovel the heat once since we moved here in 1996.
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Even if it is entertainment hyperbole, I wholeheartedly agree with critic Richard Roeper when he says of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11”, “Everyone in the country should see this film!” I would go even further to say that viewing this movie is the duty of anyone who considers her/himself to be a patriotic American.
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How the subject of patriotism finds its way onto a website such as ‘Growing in Christ’ is fully explained in the June 21, 2004 cover story of TIME magazine, “Faith, God & The Oval Office”. The three related articles are excellent (Nancy Gibbs is easily one of my favorite reporters), and I strongly encourage your reading of them.
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My web host unknowingly helped me with the decision of whether or not to continue this ministry for another year by automatically renewing my subscription (perhaps this is an omen that GiC will never go away for as long as I have room left on my credit card?). The question has thus changed to one of form and function. At this point the focus will shift to the newsletter itself as the most effective means of communicating that the web site is still available to all who seek a forum for theological exploration and growth.
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Hopefully this site can also serve as a reference tool. To that end, I am providing the following links that I personally find to be both informative and inspiring:
The Sojourners Community evolved into Sojourners ministries in the early 1970s. Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief of “Sojourners” magazine, is renowned for his ability to profoundly articulate the relationship between scripture and social justice. The internet version of his publication, “Sojourners”, may be viewed at: http://www.sojo.net/
Since 1917 “The Witness” has been a voice of gospel justice, based in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. As an independent publishing organization, unaffiliated with the institutional church, “The Witness” proudly serves as a communications and organizing vehicle for the progressive movement within the church: http://www.thewitness.org/
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In the meantime, I am going to proceed with an attempt to draw a meaningful distinction between religion and theology because the mission of Growing in Christ is to address the latter. I am increasingly convinced that so much of the political/sociological turmoil erupting on both the national and global scene is the result of mistakenly treating the two concepts as synonymous and interchangeable. Obviously, I don’t think that they are, and as I’m successful in articulating what I think the differences are they will find their way onto one of the site’s pages.
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Until next time…….Shalom!

Volume 3 Issue 6

The big event has arrived! Rebecca graduates Palo Verde High School this coming Tuesday, June 8, and family and friends are arriving from around the country to help her celebrate. Your e-gratulations may be sent to: beccascreename@aol.com
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The one response received to last week’s query was from daughter Rachel, and she graciously posted it to the Bulletin Board. I promise that I did not threaten to withhold her meager allowance to coerce this submission of her thoughts. An enterprise such as Growing in Christ should always be subject to ongoing evaluation, and any ideas that you may want to add to hers will be most welcome.
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The pervasiveness of injustice—petty to profound—in our society continues to impress me as the critical issue of our time. While this may strike some as a legal or ethical matter, I predictably regard it as rooted in theology. Knowing that renowned theologians from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Dominic Crossan to Marcus Borg have also reached the same conclusion has provided me with a degree of assurance that, should Growing in Christ be “renewed for another season”, the development of a theological response to all forms of injustice would be a worthy focus.
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An identifying characteristic of Truth is its timeless ability to speak to each new generation. I close, then, with these words of John Lennon that meant so much to me in my time and dedicate them to Rebecca for whom the words now having meaning for her in her time:
Imagine there’s no heaven.
It’s easy if you try.
No hell below us,
above us only sky.
Imagine all the people
living for today.
Imagine there’s no countries.
It isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for,
and no religion too.
Imagine all the people
living life in peace.
Imagine no possessions.
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger,
a brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people
sharing the world.
You may say I’m a dreamer.
But I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you’ll join us
and the world will be as one.
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Until next week…….Shalom!