Index	Related Video	Commentary	Discussion	References
Reflection. Dorothy Reynar shared a story from her time as psychologist. She notes that Vosper says "the way we live is more important than what we believe." Dorothy comments "... the way we live is what we believe and what we believe is the way we live, even though both sides of this truth may be difficult to discern." MORE.
Related Video
On page 91, Vosper references injustice with Africa as example and Tutu as the voice of religious conscience. Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu speaks to the closing session of the Basic Income Earth Network's 11th International Congress in Cape Town, 4 Nov 06. This 8 minute speech is exactly the sort of sermon about justice, Vosper says we need. Christianity has Creeds. Yesterdays Creeds are often a stumbling block. No one is more qualified to comment on this than Professor Jaroslav Pelikan. He was interviewed by PBS in 2003 at age 80 after the publication of Credo, his last work. LINK. The full program is an hour. And do check out the slide show there on Bach's Bible - found recently in Wisconsin. An edited 12 minutes was presented Monday evening. here Krista Tippett is the hostess of Speaking of Faith, a weekly PBS radio program on spiritual/religious topics. It is archived on the internet and available for podcast. Most worthy. Main Page. Archive.
Commentary - Constructing Christianity - A Brief History of Beliefs
As I try to present the essence of this chapter I am keeping in mind the principle that the way we are formed and determine to think continues through life to influence our assumptions and conclusions As we mature, we evolve a worldview we consider to be true. We define truth for ourselves by ignoring or discarding what does not fit into that worldview. The point from which we begin to think, therefore, is even more significant than what we think. I see Vosper beginning and evolving in her thinking from a starting point that differs from many people of faith. She will appeal to people who want to break free of old an worldview. She's certainly free to do this, and provides us with much to think about. But we should be aware that even if she claims to be open-minded and weighs all sides of an argument, her biases and the limitations of her thinking do show. In order to posit her argument and offer it clearly, Vosper presents one side of a position and resists any compromise from that position. Vosper's Thesis 1. Because of our longstanding need for "security" we humans have constructed what we mean by God, the church, and the Bible. 2. Human reality is changing, however, and we must de-construct/ reconstruct what we mean by God, the church, and the Bible. Five Important Descriptions - Paradigm, Paradigm Shift, Philosophical Construct, Reality, Benefits of Belief Paradigm - A lens through which we view and understand reality that shapes our view of the world. Paradigm Shift - An altered perception of reality caused by a change in our understanding. We see the world and how it works through "a new set of lenses." Philosophical Construct - Philosophical constructs are the thought-patterns we develop to shape our understandings of reality. Humans have been defining their understanding of reality for millennia. The Greek philosophers were the first in our Western tradition to form schools of thought and to set down in writing the constructs that explain broad understandings of reality. Socrates was the first great Greek philosopher, but he was followed by other greats like Plate and Aristotle. We continue to think about reality today using models - or variations of models - formulated by magnificent ancient thinkers like these. Indeed, as we come to know the various Greek schools we realize "There is nothing new under the sun." Reality - Essentially, there are two primary ways of describing reality. We use materialist and/or transcendent starting points of reference. The first sees truth as existing within this world and is concerned only with what is tangible and measurable. The second sees truth as existing beyond this world and is a mere reflection of what is really real. Between these loci of truth are many variables. In essense, we are still debating what Plato and Aristotle debated, with variations on the theme. Benefits of Belief - Why do we believe? My basic response is as follows: We believe in order to be challenged and to find comfort in our lives. Even though believing is not forced upon us as in times past, we continue to be strongly influenced by the environment in which we have been formed. We grow our belief-systems based on life-experience in response to the human need for challenge and consolation. Summery Points of Chapter Two Our need for security births our beliefs We preserve these systems through creed and ritual We use circuitous reasoning to support our need to believe in God, the church and the truth of the Bible Beliefs create and destroy us (Easter Island image) We need to objectively observe the way this plays out by standing outside our religious history. Much of what we learn when doing this is not a happy story Our need for creed and ritual involves blessings and bains Our faith community - is it contextual or counter-cultural? Do we understand that it is embedded in the world, or standing in opposition to the world? Is God, the church and the Bible of this world; from beyond it? or, is there somehow a combination of the two. Human values - do we ground our faith in what is human or what transcends our humanity? I conclude as I started. Our understanding of these things tends to be based on our founding points of reference and principles.
Summary of Discussion Notes
Questions for discussion: 1. Is the "new reality" described by Vosper true for you? 2. What excites/troubles you about this chapter? Feedback: It is good we have a place to talk of these things in a safe environment. We need to find truth through historical research and not simply accept it as handed down to us through "tradition" - no matter how honourable. Who is Jesus for today? What is the Church? The Bible? None of these stand beyond critical assessment. Is Jesus a divine person who models transcendent values, or one to whom we ascribe the best human virtues? Why has so many of these issues been kept secret for so long from people in the pews?
Closing. Dorothy closed the session with a reading from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. HERE.
References Related to Chapter Two
Sep 14 p95. Bill Phipps. His 1997 statement of response to the fuss. The New Creed Sep 14 p96. The New Creed. 1968. Sojourners Sep 14 p97. Jim Wallis is a central figure in the "Emerging Church" movement in America. Here is the website of Sojourners Magazine. (rather worth subscribing to by email) God's Politics is one of his blogs. God's Politics Song of Faith Sep 14 p96. The Song of Faith - A Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada. 2006. 18 pages) Gretta Vosper believes the UCC lost an opportunity in this revision. She expands this in her blog entry Pondering the UCC's Statement of Faith. The Observer published 2 articles. Donna Sinclair of the proceedings, One Faith, Many Shades of Meaning, and Sandra Beardsall from a theological view - Decoding the Bible. Courage to Be Excerpt Sep 14 p110. Paul Tillich was an important voice in the post-war recognition of the need for a different image of god than one that could bless the weapons on both sides of conflict. Here is a scan of some of his good words from "The Courage to Be" on this new view.
Clicking the icon left will activate the e-mail on your machine and direct your comments to us. Comments are welcome and will be posted with usual editorial courtesies. St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jan 2008