Guess what?!

QUESTION: What does an Alaskan fisherman, a retired So Cal attorney, a truck driver, and yours truly have in common?

ANSWER: The study of Philosophy.

We all have subcribed to various podcasts on iTunes U (click here for an LA Times article). I am not one for "product placement" but this is too great to pass up. iTunes U is a link on iTunes that connects you to hundreds of different university lectures downloadable to your computer and/or MP3 player for free!

Life-long learning is great, and life-long learning for free is even better. But, most importantly, for those seeking God, community, and a life of meaning, iTunes U offers lectures, panel discussions, and sermons from several different seminaries. For example, I listened to a great lecture on liturgy and contemporary liturgical language called "The Lion, the Kiwi, and the Sacred Cow" found on the Yale link on iTunes U.

This is a great resource for the spiritual practice of study - one of the Four Holy Habits adopted by the Episcopal Church's General Convention. Hope you can check it out sometime!

Word to the wise

This icon, named The Hospitality of Abraham and painted by Andrei Rublev (1360-1430), is a depiction of the three angels who come to visit Abraham in Mamre in Genesis 18. Representing a story shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims, for many this icon symbolizes a common dream of hospitality and love for one another across the Abrahamic faith traditions in the name of our God.

Take a look at A Common Word, a Muslim site aimed at increasing understanding of Islam, challenging misconceptions (even those of their own more fundamentalist brothers and sisters), and fostering reconciliation and peace between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Inspired by an open letter, signed by 38 Islamic authorities and scholars, to Pope Benedict XVI in response to his Regensburg address of September 13^th 2006 (quite controversial!). It is a great resource for understanding an Islamic counterpart to our own progressive and inclusive Christianity. Their is a great emphasis placed on love of God and love of neighbor laid out point by point. Check it out! I am sure it will give you hope as it did me!

Affirmative!

Controversy overfloweth in Christian circles around issues of inclusivity and exclusivity. Is Christianity the only way to God? Many Christians believe yes, there is only one way. But there are many voices who proclaim a different vision of the God's perfect love for all of creation which includes more than a simple passing glance at a possibility that other faiths might also be paths to God. The Phoenix Affirmations (for the full version click here) are a series of statements that "articulate what it means to live as a Christian seeking to embody Jesus’ great commandments to love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself." CrossWalkAmerica is an organization founded to live and act out of these principles. For example, affirmation 1 states, "Affirmation 1: Walking fully in the path of Jesus, without denying the legitimacy of other paths God may provide humanity; Matthew 11:28-29; John 8:12; John 10:16; Mark 9:40

I hope you will take some time to check out the rest of the affirmations! Thank you, CrossWalkAmerica!

(photo courtesy of wikimedia)

Restoring friendship and harmony

Reconcile: to restore to friendship or harmony.












Below is an editorial written for our local paper, The Ventura County Star, by our Vicar, Hank Mitchel. The responses to this letter were many and varied. Some who commented were angered by Hank's move toward restoration of friendship or harmony with others from different faiths. Others who commented found much hope in Hank's words, including those from other faiths who have been persecuted by Christians in the name of God. (Special thanks to artist and dear friend, Lisa Dietrich, for the two images shown in this post, Three Person'd God and Bouquet. For more information on Lisa's work, please contact me.)

And now, Hank's editorial:

I heard a humorous little story the other day about the newcomer to heaven who, while being introduced and escorted around on his first evening, noticed there were various doors labeled, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, Christian, and the like – one door for each of the various religious bodies in the world. The newcomer asked what these doors meant and was told that behind each are the folks from that branch of the human family. “They enter through their own door and then all get together on the other side,” said the tour guide. When they got to the door labeled Christian, however, the host said, “Hush,” imploring the newcomer to be quiet. “But why?” asked the newcomer, “Everyone seems to be having a very good time.” Because the Christians think they’re the only ones here and we don’t really want to dissuade them of that thinking.

Unfortunately, the story, though humorous, points up a problem with much of religious practice today. So many people in the world think that their religion is the only way and that all other ways are either wrong or evil. This kind of “I am right, faithful and good while you are bad, unfaithful and wrong” kind of thinking leads to all sorts of misunderstandings, conflicts and even war. It always has.

I am a Christian pastor and as such, I have always believed it was my responsibility not to judge others, but to seek to welcome and love others, in the name of my God. And I am not alone. Countless other Christians as well as people of other faith traditions feel the same way. My faith teaches that the job of all Christians is to live faithfully, following the path offered us by Jesus, a path that is found where ever love of God and love of neighbor are recognized and practiced. It is not now, and nor has it ever been, the Christian’s job to condemn or to deny the legitimacy of the other paths our God might have provided to the people of the world. In fact, I believe we step away from the path of Jesus whenever we claim that Christianity is the only way. It may be the only way for me and millions of others, but I am convinced that it is not the only way my God has chosen to reveal himself to the world.

I write this short editorial as a member of the Conejo Valley Interfaith Association. This group of clergy and representatives of various faith traditions meets monthly for lunch hosted by one of the members, and for almost two decades now, has welcomed religious leaders and teachers of all backgrounds and beliefs. We do not gather to convert each other, only to share with each other. We don’t try to convince each other who is right or wrong. We simply gather to share a meal and some lively conversation, to plan our annual Thanksgiving-Eve Interfaith Worship Service (to which the public is invited), as we listen to and respect each other as fellow travelers, and leaders, on God’s path. To my way of thinking, this association provides a healthy approach to both religious dialogue and to community understanding. As a Christian, I believe Jesus calls me to welcome and to faithfully participate with others, even those who think differently than I, in Christ’s Name.

Anger and Forgiveness

Why Are We So Angry is an article from UTNE that I came across today. The article doesn't seem to have many answers, but it does provide a good deal of food for thought.

And then I came across a website for The Forgiveness Project. Now there is something counter-cultural! If you click on the Stories link you will read story after story after story of people who have somehow, some way, figured out how to forgive those that have caused them great harm, pain, and grief. There is nothing Pollyanna about this site. All the messy stuff of forgiveness is included in the story telling. These are stories of people striving for reconciliation and making the journey with faith and courage. Perhaps we can learn something from these wise ones?

Resource list

Below is a partial list of an annotated bibliography that was handed out to our gathering last Wednesday evening. Enjoy!

Christmastide: Prayers for Advent through Epiphany from the Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle
This is one in a whole series of prayer books for individuals by Phyllis Tickle. She has been an inspiration to many of the laity and clergy in our diocese after her visit with us last December. This series of books simplifies the daily office in such a way that makes possible praying the hours with ease while maintaining the integrity of its prayers. I cannot recommend these books highly enough!

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
A tidy and helpful contemporary approach to centuries old spiritual disciplines.

Open Mind Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Thomas Keating
This is a great primer in Centering prayer. Keating is Roman Catholic and so his writing is informed by his experience. In other words, you may notice some slight theological differences. Anything by Keating is a worthy read.

New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
In my humble opinion, one does not get much better than this text or Thomas Merton generally speaking. This book is digestable – short essays on the spiritual life. An inspiring read!

Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life by Alan Lew
For those wanting to venture into other Abrahamic traditions, this is a great start. Rabbi Lew writes beautifully and incorporates the Hebrew scriptures with scholarly and spiritually deep exegesis as well as practical applications in a very user-friendly way. Solid writing, solid theology, and solid application. This is one of my favorite books of all time!

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting by Marva J. Dawn
I found this book very helpful in structuring a Sabbath practice for myself. Dawn is practical, down-to-earth, and realistic while still extolling the great gifts Sabbath practice gives us.

Spiritual but not religious?

For so many years the spirituality part (prayer, meditation, study) of the Christian faith has been relegated to a few, like the monastics, and the religion part (dogma and doctrine, church buildings and church polity) while available to all has been devoid of the richness that a life of faith can offer. In the past 30 or so years, seekers have discovered a rich tradition of prayer that can be incorporated into a regular spiritual practice. This tradition of prayer moves beyond vocal prayers of petition and intercession (such as, "Dear God, please make my sister well," etc.) and includes divine reading of scripture, Christian meditation, contemplation, etc. The depths to plumb are endless and the growth for the practitioner is marked.

This past week at Epiphany, we began a two-session class that examines different types of spiritual practices that have long been part of our faith tradition. Below is a bit about of what we discussed in our first session.

In theology there are two different "ways" of speaking about God. Via Positiva, or the Positive Way, speaks about God by naming who God is. For example, a favorite song of mine is "God is a girl." That song title is Via Positiva. Our prayers that we used on Sunday are also Via Positiva. We always name God as something - almighty, everliving, holy, gracious, etc.

The flip side of Via Positiva is Via Negativa or the Negative Way. Before I say more, let me clarify that Positive and Negative here aren't qualitative judgments. Think more of these concepts as artistic ideas. Let's say we look at a painting of two birds in flight. The image of the birds is positive space - it is something. The space between the birds that lets us see the birds in the first place, is negative space. It is absence. If there were no negative space in art it would be impossible to see the objects that are painted. The same is true of words on a page. Each letter that I type has its own blank space within it and around it that make it possible for you to read what I write. This is negative space.

The same idea is true for what we say about God. We may say, on the one hand, that God is eternal, but we may at other times say that God is unknowable. This is Via Negativa - to talk about what God is not.

The two "Ways" can be understood in terms of spiritual practice as well. Vocal prayer, chanting, singing, corporate worship, and other individual disciplines like praying with icons, the rosary, praying the daily office aka the divine hours (daily prayer at a set of fixed times each day) are all practices of Via Positiva. In Via Positiva we offer our praise to God, our concerns, and hopes, and whatever else we want to bring before God.

Silence, contemplation, centering prayer, meditation, and even the pauses in between prayers and readings in our Sunday liturgy can be understood as Via Negativa. Or, more simply put, rather than our talking to God, Via Negativa slows downs and quiets in order that God might speak with us and that we might just BE with God.

Next week the focus of our class will be experiencing these different ways in practice and not just in theory. And, in the coming days, we will post more on specific types of practices, as well as web and written resources coming soon. Stay tuned!