Archive - Dec 2009 - Oct 2016 http://colleagueslist.blogspot.ca/

Friday 6 July 2018

Colleagues List, July 8th, 2018

Vol. XIV No. 2

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

 
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
wholst@telus.net

This email is sent only to a voluntary subscriber list.
If you no longer wish to receive these weekly columns,
write to me personally - waholst@telus.net

Dear Friends,

My Special Item this week is an introduction to a study guide on the book of Revelation by Donald Schmidt of Kelowna, BC. Here is a help to the study of a biblical text that must not be ignored but which should be getting better treatment. Indeed, Revelation has suffered much abuse over the years, and that is mainly because of the ways it has been misunderstood.

The rest of my letter this week contains many interesting news items; thought-provoking articles and quotes.

To those of you reading this from the northern hemisphere I hope you are enjoying a relaxing summer. To all, I wish you good reading.

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

REVELATION -
For Progressive Christians
A Seven Session Study Guide
by Donald Schmidt

Wood Lake Books, Kelowna, BC
June, 2018. 98 pages. $15.00 CAD.
$9.67 CAD Kindle ISBN #978-1-77343-150-5

--

Publisher's Promo:

More material has probably been written about the
biblical book of Revelation than the rest of the Bible
combined – or at least it can seem that way. What’s
more, people who write or talk about Revelation
often have a passion that defies all logic.

They speak vividly and forcefully about plagues, and
judgements, and the end of the world. All interesting
themes – but are they the real concern or message
of Revelation?

Revelation is a powerful book that was written a long
time ago to express a powerful message. Unfortunately,
so many people have played with it and interpreted it
and have found in it only the things they wanted to find,
it’s difficult to “hear” the original intent through all the
interpretation.

Yet, when we set aside the nonsense and speculation,
we find a story of God’s presence with a fractured and
frightened community, with a church that had no idea
what the future might hold, and with a people who
wondered if it was time to give up and abandon what
they believed – all of which makes Revelation a perfect
book to study in our own time and place, because so
many church communities today and so many of the
people who inhabit them are all of those things:
fractured and frightened, uncertain of what the future
might hold, wondering if we should just give up.

Revelation… for Progressive Christians is a seven-
session study guide that invites readers to explore
Revelation as a fun, hope-filled book that contains
a lot of fanciful imagery and symbolic references,
to be sure, but that, at its core, offers words of
assurance and hope to the church and its people today.
 
--

Author's Bio:

Whenever he can choose what to do, Donald Schmidt
likes to spin wool, knit, and weave. In his spare time,
he also works in ministry in a variety of settings. He
has served parishes in Quebec, New York, Vermont,
Washington, and Hawai‘i. He has also worked as an
Associate Conference Minister with the United Church
of Christ, and is a retired United Methodist minister.
Perhaps his favorite ministry has been as an editor and
writer of church resources, for worship, education, and
church revitalization.
 
He has published 3 books, and has had a few pieces
of music appear in various collections around the world.
He also loves to travel, finding that visiting anywhere new
and different can open us up to learn new things about
others and, in the process, ourselves. He is a grandfather
of 8, and father of 3.

--

Author's Words:

The book of Revelation is a powerful document that was
written a long time ago to express a powerful message.
Unfortunately, so many people have played with it,
interpreted it, and found in it the things they wanted to
find that it's a little difficult to "hear" the original text
through all the noise of interpretation.

Sometimes, it seems like more material has been written
about Revelation than about the rest of the Bible combined!
What's more, people who write or talk about Revelation do
so with a passion that defies all logic. They speak vividly
about plagues... and judgement, and the end of the world.
All impressive, but are they as dominant that many of those
people would have us believe?...

Whenever I have led study groups on Revelation in
progressive churches, they have been well attended.
People seem genuinely eager to know what this book is
"really" all about. When I led the study recently at my
church in Kelowna, British Columbia, we anticipated
about a dozen people, but over 30 showed up the first
week.

One of the attendees quipped, "I wonder if there would
be as many people here if Donald Trump hadn't been
elected."

We all laughed. But the comment says a lot about our
general perception of Revelation. We have all heard
stories about the end of the world, about some mythical
beast, or Antichrist with an odd number, about an abyss,
and about some people being chosen while others are
"left behind."

In this study, I invite you to think about the possible
meanings of Revelation within the context in which it
was written. In other words, what did it mean to the
first people who read it? And what might it mean for us
today?

When we set aside much of the nonsense and speculation
from the last several decades, we find a story of God's
presence with a fractured and frightened community,
with a church that had no idea about what the future
might hold, and with a people who wondered if it was
time to give up and abandon what they believed.

Against this reality, Revelation assures these people
that God will never abandon them... The overarching
message is about the presence of Christ as one who
will heal the problems of the earth and its peoples,
and who will offer a new age of inclusion.

In other words, Revelation is not about the end of the
world at some future date... It is possible to see
Revelation as a fun, hope-filled book... The bottom
line is that it was written at a time when it was
extremely dangerous to be a Christian... It was written
to provide hope and encouragement to people who
really needed it, and maybe it can still offer these
things today, as well as challenge us to reflect on how
we live now, as God's people.

...You will always be encouraged to think for yourself.
So don't be afraid of Revelation. Come with an open
mind and open heart, and listen to what God might be
saying to you.
 
--

My Thoughts:

Eight years ago, our Monday Night Study at St. David's focused
on Elaine Pagels' book "Revelations - Visions, Prophecy and
Politics in the Book of Revelation."
 
The study was well attended, and it was particularly satisfying
to see that even when I was unable to be there to co-lead the
group (due to cancer surgery and recovery) there was a lot of
enthusiasm and participation.

(see the design of that study from our ACTS Study web page)

https://tinyurl.com/y9yl9hce

One lesson I learned from dropping in on the class when I could, was that Revelation is too good and important a book to ignore because of biblical literalists, noisy evangelists, and the havoc they sow!


The study guide is divided into an introduction and seven sessions, with several appendices explaining symbolic language and a helpful bibliography. There is a lot of good information contained in less than 100 pages.

This study can be adapted to small and larger group discussion, depending on circumstance.

To my mind, the greatest value of a book like this is that it serves to provide an intelligent and serious approach to a biblical text that has not been treated very well over the centuries, and especially the last several decades.
____
         
Buy the book from Woodlake Books:
https://tinyurl.com/yd2c7twk

Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
https://tinyurl.com/yc93xjhn

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log,
July 1st, 2018

"Elites Profit While Their Nations Drown"
  https://tinyurl.com/yd7yb3sk

--

Martin Marty
Chicago, IL

Sightings,
July 2nd, 2018

"Kill the Indian in the Child"
  https://tinyurl.com/yccvl96o

--

Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX.

Personal Web Site
July 2nd, 2018


--

Mark Whittall,
Ottawa, ON.

Sermons and Blog,
July 5th, 2018


*****

NET NOTES

THE CHURCH OF CHANGING PAKISTAN
Incidents of Violence are Declining

La Croix International,
July 4th, 2018


--

A HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN'S DOUBLE VISION
The Real Reason for a Patient's Negativity

The Christian Century,
June 26th, 2018


--

WHY WHITE AMERICAN EVANGELICALS
VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP
It Was Fear, Power, Nostalgia

Religion News Service
July 2nd, 2018


--

IRISH CATHOLIC EDUCATION IS IN TROUBLE
State Seeks to Control Religious Education

America Magazine,
July 3rd, 2018


--

GETTING OUT OF AN EL SALVADOR GANG LIFE
An Escape Through Joining an Evangelical Church

Religion News Service,
July 2nd, 2018


--

A CHRISTIAN ASSESSMENT OF KING ABDULLAH II
Jordanian Templeton Prizewinner is Much Appreciated


Christianity Today,
July 1st, 2018
 
https://tinyurl.com/yb4oc6fb

--

BILL HYBELS AND WILLOW CREEK CHURCH
HAVE "UNDONE FORTY YEARS OF TRUST"
Former Member, Now a Critic, Speaks Out


The Christian Post,
June 29th, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/y7wwn5tj

--

HOW CHARLES TAYLOR HELPS US UNDERSTAND
THE SECULAR TIMES WITHIN WHICH WE LIVE
Canadian Philosopher Appeals to Many Christians

Christianity Today Podcast

An Evangelical Perspective
June 27th, 2018


https://tinyurl.com/ycxgn5yq

--

JUSTICE IS NOT BLIND FOR INDIGENOUS YOUTH

Globe and Mail,
July 5th, 2018


“To correct its unjust youth justice system, Canada must
shift responsibility for its philosophy and program delivery
to Indigenous professionals. Its ultimate vision should be
to have select institutions led by Indigenous professionals
in every region, with a mandate to decolonize and heal
Indigenous young offenders. This idea has been successful
in places such as New Zealand, fed up with high Indigenous
incarceration rates. When youth learn where they come from,
understand how and why colonization happened and how it
affects them today, and are supported in charting a better
path for themselves, they have more chances to break
cycles of crime.” - Max FineDay

 
--

BANFF DITCHED BIG-BANG FIREWORKS TO PROTECT
WILDLIFE ON CANADA DAY THIS YEAR


Globe and Mail,
July 2nd, 2018


This Canada Day, Banff, Alta., swapped fireworks for a quieter
pyrotechnics display (like you might see at a rock concert), so
as not to terrify the thousands of animals, wild and domestic,
that live in the area. Whether it’s birds, deer, horses, or
otherwise, there’s evidence that traditional fireworks displays
aren’t good for animals.


Low-noise fireworks are also gaining popularity elsewhere –
the Calgary zoo switched in 2012. Tesco, a British supermarket
chain, reported sales doubling as far back as 2009. Further,
quiet fireworks are actually more colourful. Forest critters
would say that’s a win-win for everyone.


*****
 
 
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
 
From Sojourners and the Bruderhof onlne:

Be so very light. Be a gentle whisper.

- Bob Ross

--

These conversations are always so tense, so painful.
People are defensive. We want to believe we are good.
To face the racisms and prejudices we carry forces us
to recognize the ways in which we are imperfect. We
have to be willing to accept our imperfections and we
have to be willing to accept the imperfections of others.
Is that possible on the scale required for change?

- Roxane Gay

--

 
It is not how much we are doing but how much love, how
much honesty, how much faith is put into doing it. It makes
no difference what we are doing. What you are doing, I
cannot do and what I am doing, you cannot do. Only
sometimes we forget and we spend more time looking
at somebody else and wishing we were doing something
else. We waste our time thinking of tomorrow, and today
we let the day pass, and yesterday is gone.
 
- Mother Teresa

--

The healthy body is being constantly renewed. This is
just as true mentally and spiritually. There is so much in
God’s Word about renewal of life that it is strange that
any conscientious Christian would be afraid of change
in his outlook on life or even in his religious ideas. Of
course, the fear is that change would mean loss of faith,
but this is never true if the faith is in the living God and
not in one’s ideas of God. God never changes, but our
minds must be open to new knowledge or grow stagnant.

When we quit growing we begin to die. Renewal can
come to anyone at any time by turning to God in faith.

- Anna Mow

--

I ask all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to view these
things that are happening in our historical moment with
a spirit of hope, generosity, and sacrifice. And let us do
what we can. We can all do something and be more
understanding. If we illuminate with Christian hope our
intense longings for justice and peace and all that is good,
then we can be sure that no one dies forever. If we have
imbued our work with a sense of great faith, love of God,
and hope for humanity, then all our endeavors will lead
to the splendid crown that is the sure reward for the work
of sowing truth, justice, love, and goodness on earth.

Our work does not remain here; it is gathered and purified
by the Spirit of God and returned to us as a reward.

- Oscar Romero

*****


CLOSING THOUGHT - Lin-Manuel Miranda

History has its eyes on you.

(end)

*****

For those interested:


ST. DAVIDS ADULT SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT/ACTS MINISTRY
FALL PROGRAM BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE


ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT FALL BOOK STUDY

A Ten Week Series September 17th - November 26th, 2018
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

"THE BOOK OF JOY"

  Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

Authors: Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $25.00

35 copies of the book will be available for sale.


Hardcover edition - https://tinyurl.com/yd849r6g

Registration and Book Sale begins Sunday, August 26th

Background information on the study book will be
provided here during the next weeks of summer:

--

Other background:

During the 2017-2018 fall/winter two session-term -
Total class registrations: 70
Total books sold: 75

Our best year ever, since we started in 1998!

***


ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR, 2019

East Europe and Russia have been chosen as our destinations!


This will be our fifth Spiritual Travelers Tour, with a
group emerging from St. David's but very open to others.
 
The Tour is entitled: "From Vienna to Moscow"

We plan a twenty-day tour that combines a focus
on spirituality, culture and the relationship between
religion and politics. The tour will run from the end
of April through the beginning of May, 2019.

A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints will soon be published.
 
Our trip sale will begin (with early bird registration 
benefits) beginning in September, 2018 
 
Our Canadian tour company is Rostad Tours, Calgary.

Contact Rostad Tours: http://www.rostad.com/

Follow these notices for weekly updates.

***


ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING STUDY

Ten Sessions September 13th- November 22nd, 2018

Biblical book(s) to be studied this autumn will be 

determined by the class at their first meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 13th with ten sessions following.
Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room

and meeting 10:00 - 11:00 AM.

No charge


Study resource -

"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
  Edited by John Bowker


http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q

*****




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