Sunday, July 11, 2010
July Meeting Recap
Thanks to everyone who participated in the conversation on July 8th. Terry says that the group didn't get to most of the questions, so we'll continue this conversation at our August meeting. Make plans to join us on August 12th as we discuss "Is Jesus the victim of identity theft?"
Monday, July 5, 2010
June 2010 Meeting Recap
We had another stimulating and insightful cohort meeting June 10th. We had the pleasure of two new faces. Ruth Ann, Clay's wife, and Catherine, Joseph's wife, joined us for the first time. It was great to see new faces and old friends once again!
Our focus was the third question posed in McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity - "Is God Violent?" In general, most felt that God as we understand him (or her) is a kind and compassionate God. A God that was seeking deep and spiritual connections. In many ways, a God who we see through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We also noted that God cannot be confined to our views and perceptions. Surely the creator of all that is seen and unseen can react to mankind as he (or she) deems necessary.
What appears to be changing as much as scripture's view of God is our ability to allow God's spirit to take charge of our lives and lead us to a deeper relationship for those who seek him. Christ in so many ways represents this view. His message regarding the Kingdom of God and a constant growing relationship with God is leading us to a deeper spiritual relationships that we feel is God's desire. In general, this is not the behavior we would expect from an angry God or one that uses violent episodes to get our attention.
Below are a few other associated items we touched on as well ...
* Some commented that the question is best stated as ... Is God Violent Today?
* In our discussion of Noah and the flood, we had an interesting discussion that offered the possibility that the story was more a parable than an actual event. A way of communicating the importance of listening and obeying God's word. As a parable, the view of God and the emphasis takes on a much more understandable and compassionate nature.
* It was also noted that the flood didn't really change things! Soon after Noah's descendents were in the same despicable situation that created the need for the flood in the first place.
* We also discussed the three levels of consciousness found in Polynesian culture. 1) First, you must be aware of your feelings for yourself. You need to be aware and at peace with who you are. 2) Once this is in place, you can extend your focus to those around you - your brothers. 3) Only after one has a good grasp of yourself and relationships with your brothers are you then able to develop a healthy and fulfilling relationship with God. In striking similarity to the basic themes of the "Good News" message and ministry of Jesus Christ.
* One person noted that their conscious self was focused on Christ ... "Jesus saved me from living for myself!"
* We also had several other discussions revolving around the evolutional nature of scripture and our developing views of God. We also alluded to McLaren's use of Spiral Dynamics to explain the Bible's changing view of God. We also briefly mentioned the upcoming (June 18-19th) Dallas Faith Community Outreach Workshop where Don Beck will be presenting more on Spiral Dynamics as well as a full-day workshop.
Lastly, we discussed the nature of Emergence in general. We see a growing number of people from all faiths and beliefs that are asking some of the same questions that McLaren has posed. This appears to be a spiritual movement that binds us together even though in some cases we may have very different views and feelings. It's a movement that seeks to understand and embrace spiritual diversity rather than exclude those who appear to be different. Our cohort is very excited about the many possibilities this "ongoing emergent dialogue" offers.
Thanks Clay for these notes!
Our focus was the third question posed in McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity - "Is God Violent?" In general, most felt that God as we understand him (or her) is a kind and compassionate God. A God that was seeking deep and spiritual connections. In many ways, a God who we see through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We also noted that God cannot be confined to our views and perceptions. Surely the creator of all that is seen and unseen can react to mankind as he (or she) deems necessary.
What appears to be changing as much as scripture's view of God is our ability to allow God's spirit to take charge of our lives and lead us to a deeper relationship for those who seek him. Christ in so many ways represents this view. His message regarding the Kingdom of God and a constant growing relationship with God is leading us to a deeper spiritual relationships that we feel is God's desire. In general, this is not the behavior we would expect from an angry God or one that uses violent episodes to get our attention.
Below are a few other associated items we touched on as well ...
* Some commented that the question is best stated as ... Is God Violent Today?
* In our discussion of Noah and the flood, we had an interesting discussion that offered the possibility that the story was more a parable than an actual event. A way of communicating the importance of listening and obeying God's word. As a parable, the view of God and the emphasis takes on a much more understandable and compassionate nature.
* It was also noted that the flood didn't really change things! Soon after Noah's descendents were in the same despicable situation that created the need for the flood in the first place.
* We also discussed the three levels of consciousness found in Polynesian culture. 1) First, you must be aware of your feelings for yourself. You need to be aware and at peace with who you are. 2) Once this is in place, you can extend your focus to those around you - your brothers. 3) Only after one has a good grasp of yourself and relationships with your brothers are you then able to develop a healthy and fulfilling relationship with God. In striking similarity to the basic themes of the "Good News" message and ministry of Jesus Christ.
* One person noted that their conscious self was focused on Christ ... "Jesus saved me from living for myself!"
* We also had several other discussions revolving around the evolutional nature of scripture and our developing views of God. We also alluded to McLaren's use of Spiral Dynamics to explain the Bible's changing view of God. We also briefly mentioned the upcoming (June 18-19th) Dallas Faith Community Outreach Workshop where Don Beck will be presenting more on Spiral Dynamics as well as a full-day workshop.
Lastly, we discussed the nature of Emergence in general. We see a growing number of people from all faiths and beliefs that are asking some of the same questions that McLaren has posed. This appears to be a spiritual movement that binds us together even though in some cases we may have very different views and feelings. It's a movement that seeks to understand and embrace spiritual diversity rather than exclude those who appear to be different. Our cohort is very excited about the many possibilities this "ongoing emergent dialogue" offers.
Thanks Clay for these notes!
July 8 meeting
On Thursday, July 8 we will meet at 7:00 PM at ESCAPE in Allen to discuss McLaren's next question: Who is Jesus and Why is He Important? You are welcome to join the conversation, whether or not you have read McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity.
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