Jesus in the News - What is the Christian Response to Immigration?

The class was lead by seminarian, Karen Sawyer.

We began with a discussion of our Lenten disciplines and Karen challenged us to to examine what symbol we have that reminds us of God's creation.  

Karen then read the story of the covenant made between God and Noah, and compared the U.S. Constitution to a covenant.  If it is, then what does it is really mean when something is deemed "unconstitutional"?  Is it political posturing or is it really a violation of a covenant?  Our discussion then moved to the issue of immigration and what the Christian response should be to the issue and solutions.  As a country created by immigrants, what is the American response?  Jesus welcomed the stranger.  What do Christians do now?

Jesus in the News - Brian Williams and the evolution of a story

Sunday 15th -

We discussed the different aspects of the "Brian Williams" issue of changing the details of the story.  Is it lying? or is it embellishment? or is it the natural evolution of storytelling?  Does it matter if the community is not harmed?  Does the fact that he is a public figure, should he be held accountable to a higher standard?  Is this just a natural product of the era a "entertainment" news?

Jesus in the News - What is your Call? What is your Dream?

Under the leadership of Karen Sawyer, we examined both the Old Testament reading of the call of Samuel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  We discussed the the issues addressed by King, citing the issues that are still applicable to today's current events.

Karen petitioned all of us to examine and renew our call of service to God and our dreams for our lives and our community.

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UV1fs8lAbg

Jesus in the News - The creation of THEM

resources:
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2014/11/30/driven-to-divide-ferguson-immigration-gay-rights-and-the-myth-of-them/

We reflected on the Pavlovitz blog post on the tendency of human nature to create an enemy in the pursuit of the moral high ground.  We included incidents when we found ourselves doing just that, and when we found ourselves the victim of others.  We commented on the stereotypes that played a role in the recent incidents in Ferguson, Paris and UVA.

We devised a slight variation for this class offering going forward:  we will examine the weekly lectionary readings and tie it into current events.  Next week we will follow this direction with our seminarian, Karen Sawyer, agreeing to lead the discussion.

Jesus in the News - Making time for Sabbath

In an article by Ann Swindell, (annswindell.com), reminds us that honoring the Sabbath is a command from God, "not merely a suggestion."  She writes that our ability (or inability) to rest shows us how much we trust (or don't trust) that God is in control, the God is the maker and sustainer of our lives.  God's command to His people to keep the Sabbath holy was given out of the deep love He has for His children.

The group discussed the difficulty of truly honoring a Sabbath time - a time intentionally set apart to just "be" with God.  We lamented how we have allowed technology control our time and our lives, and how this dependence has not only altered our personal relationships with other people, but also with God.  We wondered whether it is a typically "American" dilemma to be always in touch and that the driving force is a "fear of being left out."  That it definitely not God's plan for our lives.

Next week, the class will join a forum discussion lead by Bishop Keith Whitmore, assistant Bishop for the Diocese of Atlanta and Dean of Anglican Studies at Candler Seminary/Emory University.

Jesus in the News: Biblical movies and Book recommendations

Today we discussed a book presented by Gil Morgan: "Jesus and the Lost Goddess" which chronicles the history of ancient Christianity and the influence of Constantine had on the presence of woman figures in scripture and the early Church.   Our discussion included considering the role woman in Jesus's ministry and the early Church,  and how that role might have diminished by the time of Constantine and throughout the Dark Ages.

In a topic change, we discussed current Biblical movies, specifically the new movie "Exodus", and how, even if Hollywood makes the stories Biblically inaccurate, these movies can still serve as the impetus for Biblical reading, scholarship and discussion.

The article is taken from the RELEVANT magazine by Jesse Carey.  "These movies may not get all of the details right. They may not offer a perfect presentation of the Gospel. They may not even represent traditional Christian values. But what they do offer is an opportunity to engage. They offer an invitation to talk about the Bible and share traditional Christian perspectives—but first we at least have to be willing to listen to ones different than our own."

Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/when-bible-movies-arent-biblically-accurate#1A1sKklwipazqeQy.99

Another book recommendation is "The Breath of God" by Jeffrey Small.

Jesus in the News - Medical Ethics

Yesterday we continued our conversation on a variety of challenges in our society regarding medical ethics: assisted suicide, capital punishment, costs of medical care and decisions faced at the end of life.  We examined the effect that personal decisions have on the greater community, as well as American culture vs. other industrialized nations in regard to health care.

Many thanks to Dr. Tony Hatch and Dr. Kristine Anderson for filling in for me during my absence.