Religion and Science

Religion and science have been in the news for centuries. Pew Research has some new interesting articles about Religion and Science in the U.S. There is also an interesting article about how our brains are wired for faith.

Choices: Theological Reflections on Living and Dying

On October 18th and November 1st, we got the pleasure of talking with Clauda Ricks Hubbard, UM Elder, Chaplain at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. We discussed what messages our culture sends about death and living. It is a very important topic to discuss, but one that we many times avoid. Many personal experiences were shared with the group. One participant wrote later, "I think people have to remember that a Memorial service of some kind is REALLY important for the ones YOU leave behind.. whether it is a simple dinner, open house, family-only service or the full blown visitation.. and I thought the comments about watching the casket "go to the bottom" was great.. and the legal papers necessary for last wishes and organ donation were great information to me...I have had several people in my immediate circle of friends lose their parents this year,whom are in their 60's.. and I think the unexpected deaths are particularly difficult to deal with. Thanks for all the heartfelt stories and comments this morning."

Another important message that was mentioned that when our children turn 18 years old, they are legally an adult. If the young adult is in an accident, parents do not have the right to make certain decisions at that point without "durable power of attorney."

The Center of Bioethics has a great informational website including forms to complete for Kansas and Missouri concerning Durable Power of Attorney and Healthcare Treatment Directive. Check out the Caring Conversations link. If you have not thought about your death and how you would like things handled, now is the best time to start.

Nutrition Part II

We met this morning and found that Julie-Ann's patients have indicated that her view of a diet is just spit out anything that tastes good...she denies it, but it got everyone working with her this morning. We talked about different heart diseases and the role of cholestrol in these diseases...after that discussion Julie-Ann helped us discover foods that were good for us and our heart and others that were not. Imagine my chagrin when I found out that baked beans and refried beans should not be on my diet...luckily I like black beans, which are good for me. The group today was very active and had quite a few questions for Julie-Ann. She had a good impact on me today...I had salad for lunch and then cooked us up a lean pork roast and some vegetables for dinner. I know it is hard, but we all need to pay more attention to these issues of health and diet and exercise...because the healthier we are able to stay the more we will have to give to our families, our community, our church, and our God.

Nutrition

Julie-Ann Dutton joined us for the first time last week beginning a four week series on nutrition. Last week her class centered around a review of the science behind nutrition. The chemical structure of macronutrients and how they are metabolized, and a discussion of the micronutrients that are also essential. She also provided recommendations for a balanced diet. The second session will be held on the 27th and will focus on heart disease and nutrition, including a review of the disease, the relationship between diet and disease. She will again close with recommendations for a heart healthy diet. Come join us and see how eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can help you to worship at St. Paul's a bit longer...and stay healthier while you do.

RETHINK EVANGELISM

Sorry about this being a bit late, but I have been travelling to El Paso and Atlanta...not an excuse, just a reason. Last week we discussed RETHINK Evangelism...or Witnessing...depending on which publication from the United Methodist Church you read. As Pastor Jim chose Evangelism for his sermon, I will use the same word. If you're reading this blog, then you probably were very comfortable with the class last Sunday. We chose to look at this topic of communicating our faith with others from a modern perspective and examined some of the social networking/communicatino tools that are common in today's world. A quick tour through blogs, wikis, tweets, and a dose of delicious left some bewildered and others energized. The reality of life in 2009 is that social communication tools are here to stay for the foreseeable future and they, or their different iterations, will be common forms of communication that we as an organization need to master. This blog is not yet reaching as many folks as we would like, but it is an example of the uses of this technology. Here we can express our opinions and discuss what went on in class on Sunday...with a wiki we could collaborate on different projects within the church. I think a Confirmation wiki might work well with our teens...this week we are discussing the question of "who was Jesus?"...that could easily be done on a Wikispaces page and the kids could contribute their ideas throughout the week or for a couple of weeks. It might allow for a bit deeper thought in the long run. The real question from the class is how can we, as Christians and as members of St. Paul's, use these tools to reach others for Christ or help to affirm our faith to others. Once upon a time my bosses thought of email as a passing fad...they figured to wait it out...we need to avoid trying to wait out these social communication tools, things are going to move more in this direction...not less. Pastor Jim couldn't make the class, but he and I are going to sit down so I can acquaint him with some of these tools...I have my Powerpoint slides available for anyone who is interested. Have a great Saturday and go K-State!

Rethink Leading - Good to Great

Another good Sunday and another RETHINK Church discussion. This week we focused on RETHINK Leading, a discussion centered around what kind of leaders do our churches need and how do we either find them or develop them. I thought the discussion this week was very fruitful and almost everyone got involved in discussions of issues like "what is leadership" and "what is the difference between leadership and management". I meant to ask a question and forgot..."do we need leadership or just good management at St. Paul's"? As a vehicle to discuss these issues, I used a book by Jim Collins entitled "Good to Great" which discusses the growth of 11 companies from the Fortune 500 that Collins and his researchers identified as being head and shoulders above the other "industry leaders". There were many interesting pieces of information in the book, but its focus was really on the type of leader they found in each of these 11 companies. The "Level 5 Leader" as Collins termed them were an amazing amalgamation of humility and overwhelming drive for their organization to be successful. Avoiding the celebrity status of Lee Iacocca or Jack Welch, these leaders were more "plow horse than show horse" and focused solely on the success of their organization. The amazing information that comes from Collins' research shows that the celebrity CEO hires from outside the company rarely had lasting power, but these humble leaders who were more worried about their organization than their own compensation package had lasting impacts that propelled their organizations into long term gains well beyond the market average performance. While we are not a profit organization, the idea of a humble leader who is focused on their organization and the people in it sounds like our kind of Christian leader. After the session someone looked at me and asked if I thought Jesus was a Level 5 Leader...before I could answer his wife informed him that obviously he was as he was ultimately humble and dedicated his life to the growth of his Church. I love it when all of you do my job better than I can. Have a wonderful week and this weekend we'll look into RETHINK Church once again.

Joshua

On Sunday, September 6, 2009, we discussed some elements from the book Joshua, by Joseph Girzone, and compared them to our church. We were trying to "Rethink Relationships". The current topic of conversation around town was the new fellow in the old cottage at the edge of town. No one knew much about him except that his name was Joshua and he was a plain man. He kept pretty much to himself, which piqued everyone’s curiosity. It was a small town. Because relationships were so tightly knit in the village, a stranger had little hope of ever becoming a part of it. People were not considered from there until they had lived in the town for at least 15 years.

Do we have "small town" mentality at St. Paul's?

Joshua had a very close relationship with God. "Going to bed was a ritual. He would kneel at his bedside for the longest time talking to God, sometimes silently, sometimes out loud. When he prayed like this it would frequently last far into the night. His position rarely changed. Most of the time his hand would rest on the bed relaxed, one hand resting on top of the other, his face peaceful, his open eyes looking into the dark as if seeing something no one else could see." "To him God was not just a phantom humans concoct to fix their imaginations on, but a real being present before him who responded to every thought and plea.It was as if he was enjoying a dialogue with a dear friend, with someone he loved intensely, and someone who was intimately involved in his life, who controlled circumstances, made decisions, even decisions with which Joshua sometimes strongly disagreed. It was almost as if he and God planned the next day in every detail."

Do you see the face of God when you pray? Is God your best friend? The one you cannot wait to tell really good news or the one you really need to talk to when things are not going so well.

Joshua taught that it is important for people to realize that "God's prime concern is people, not religious structures. They exist merely to channel God’s word to people. But it is people that God cares about. He wants them to understand their lives and to find happiness. He wants nothing from them except that they allow themselves to grow. God’s law is not a code arbitrarily imposed on people to restrict their freedom unreasonably. It was intended as a guide to happiness. Over the centuries religious leaders have twisted the law into a code that is irrelevant to man’s nature and thereby restricts the natural freedom people should enjoy. This is what makes religion seem like a burden to people rather than something in which they should find joy and comfort. The word religion means to “bind up”, that is not what God wants to do. God created people to be free and to enjoy the existence he gave them. All that God wants is that we love him and love one another and in doing that, find happiness.”

Have you heard the message of Love?
Do you share the message of Love?
Do you live the message of Love?

Joseph Girzone has written several books. Please check out his website http://www.randomhouse.com/features/girzone/index.html.

Church was meant to bring people closer to God...Is it working?

Books

We added a new element to the blog. There is a bookshelf on the right column at the bottom. Currently, it it displaying several books that deal with the topic of privilege, power, and race. I highly recommend any of these books if you are interested in reading more about this topic.

Rethink Boundaries

On Sunday, August 31, 2009, we discussed "White Privilege". Power and privilege are prevalent in the social systems of the United States. Our history supports the structures that are in place today. In the United States Senate, there are 7 women, 2 Hispanics, and 1 Black. There have only been 6 Black male senators in the entire history of the U.S. Senate. Three of the Black senators came from one state...Illinois. Although the representation in the House of Representatives is much better, it is still telling that old, white men still control the decisions made in this country. However, the idea here is not to point fingers, but to help people understand how their power and privilege are freely bestowed upon them just because of their gender, status in life, and color of skin. That does not mean that all white men have an easy time in life. They do not! However, the social systems give people privilege as they are perceived by others as belonging to privileged groups or social categories. It is only those in the privileged category who can assist others in the non-privileged category. Just this week in a workshop where I was the presenter, I, a white female, was ignored and a white male directed a question to a white male in the room. The good thing was that others saw the action. That is the first step, awareness,...to see the privilege and power at work in our lives. I challenge you to sit and watch who responds first in meetings or dinner groups, who talks over who, and who is completely ignored. Yes, we live in a wonderful country with many freedoms, but we also have a responsibility to make it better. Remember Henry Louis Gates, listen to his interview on Black American Web.com.
What will you do with your PRIVILEGE to help those who are disadvantaged today?

Rethink Church: A Lifestyle and a Conversation, Not a Program!

This week Ronelle Neperud started our six week series on RETHINK CHURCH by presenting a short overview of what it is and what it means to St. Paul's United Methodist Church. We talked about what it would be like if "church" was a verb...something you did instead of place you went. She indicated to us that "to engage in ministry with people who currently have few (or no) connections to the church requires a new way of doing and being the church". After discussing this communication concept we looked at the demographics of the areas around St. Paul's, considering how we could reach out to those with "few (or no) connections to the church" in those areas. A short video of her introduction is included in this post.


During the next six weeks we will continue this examination of RETHINK CHURCH, with classes that will RETHINK BOUNDARIES, RETHINK GRACE, RETHINK LEADING, RETHINK EVANGELISM, and RETHINK SHARING.

The Deuteronomist and Priestly Author: Documentary Hypothesis Week 3

This week we took an in-depth look at the Documentary Hypothesis’ Deuteronomic (D) and Priestly (P) authors. As with J and E, we best understand these authors by understanding the world in which they lived.
After the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell, Judah was overshadowed by the neighboring power of Assyria and, after some time, Babylonia. Tribal leadership gradually disappeared and the power of even the kings was undermined as Judah fell into near vassal state status to its neighbors. Twice during this period, kings moved to centralize religious authority in Jerusalem and to eradicate the worship of Baal and Asherah in favor of monolatry of Yahweh. The first king to do so was Hezekiah. After Hezekiah died, King Manasseh let the reforms lapse. Forty years later, King Josiah reinstituted the reforms.
Judah fell to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. The Temple was destroyed and the Jews were sent into exile. King Cyrus of Persia ultimately let the Jewish people return in 538 BCE and the second Temple was constructed in the years thereafter.

The books attributed to the Deuteronomist (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings), speak extremely highly of King Josiah, elevating him to almost the same level as Moses. The Deuteronomist measured all the kings of Israel by their adherence to the centralization of religion in Jerusalem and their fidelity to Yahweh. In both of these measures, Josiah and Hezekiah perform best.
The Priestly author brought a new view of God to the Pentateuch. His God was much more cosmic rather than personal. The Priestly God was just but not merciful. Finally, the Priestly author held the Aaron and the Aaronid priests consistently in high esteem.By careful examination of many clues within the stories of D and P, scholars have developed profiles of both the Deuteronomist and Priestly authors:

Deuteronomist: a male associated with court of King Josiah, writing primarily in the time of King Josiah, and intimately familiar with the prophet Jeremiah. Richard Friedman argues that the Deuteronomist may be Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch.

Priestly Author: an Aaronid priest or priests, who wrote after the exile. Friedman argues that the Priestly author should actually be placed much earlier pre-exile in the time of King Hezekiah.

Ultimately, the Pentateuch provides a rich tapestry of theology, history, and politics interwoven through the stories of the four authors and pulled together by several redactors. In the Pentateuch, God is cosmic and beautiful, personal and intimate, true and just, and merciful and full of grace.

The Yahwist and Elohist: Documentary Hypothesis Week 2

This week we took an in-depth look at the Yahwist (J) and Elohist (E) authors posited in the documentary hypothesis. In order to understand who they were, we have to first understand the worlds in which they lived.
At the time of the Yahwist and Elohist, the Hebrew people were divided between two kingdoms, Israel in the North, and Judah in the South. It was Israel that broke away from the United Kingdom due to actions by King Solomon and King Rhehoboam. Specifically, Solomon lost two territories in the North (Phoenicia and part of present day Syria), traded additional territory in the North to Phoenicia in exchange for building materials, imposed heavy taxes and implemented strict mandatory public service requirements on the people. When Rhehoboam came to power and pledged to continue these policies, Jeroboam led Israel in secession from Judah and divided the kingdom. For 200 years, the Northern Kingdom of Israel never achieved political stability with its monarchy. Additionally, Jeroboam made several moves which upset the religious order of the time: moving Israel’s primary religious center from Shiloh to Dan and Beth-El, promoting non-Levite priests and establishing a new set of religious holidays.
It was in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, that the document hypothesis proposes the Elohist lived. The Biblical stories written by the Elohist represent a decidedly Northern perspective. They speak highly of Northern heroes like Joshua, are located around Northern cities such as Shechem, Peni-El and Shiloh, and fail to mention Southern treasures such as the Ark of the Covenant.
The Yahwist, by contrast, tells stories of Southern heroes such as Caleb, locates his (or her) stories around Hebron and Jerusalem, and calls out specific practices of the North as breaking covenant with Yahweh (e.g. building calves of molten gold in Dan and Beth-El).
By careful examination of many clues within the stories of J and E, scholars have developed very complete profiles of both the Yahwist and Elohist:
Elohist: a male Levite priest, in the line of Moses (a Mushite), who lived in Shiloh in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Yahwist: a scribe in Jerusalem, probably male, in the line of Aaron (an Aaronid), who wrote after 848 when Edom split from Judah.

Understanding who these authors are helps us to frame the context of their history, their politics, and their theology and to at least explain some of the discrepancies that occur in their Biblical stories. Next week we’ll take a look at the Deuteronmist (D) and Priestly (P) authors who wrote several hundred years later and much closer to the time of the exile.

Who Wrote the Bible? Documentary Hypothesis Week 1

The first week in our study of the documentary hypothesis of the Pentateuch took us through a brief review of various traditional and current scholarly attributions of the books of the Old Testament, an overview of the documentary hypothesis, and a walk through the historical development of the hypothesis. We started with a discussion about how context has changed the telling of our contemporary American history. e.g. We considered the 1941 story of Geo. A. Custer in “They Died With Their Boots On” vs. Arthur Penn’s 1970 “Little Big Man”. Custer represented America’s most heroic military traditions in the run-up to WWII. In the middle of the Vietnam War, his story showed the folly of America’s imperialism. In this same sense, understanding when and where the Biblical authors lived helps us to understand what they were trying to tell the world in their own stories.
At its core, the documentary hypothesis proposes that four authors plus several editors are responsible for the writings that make up the Pentateuch – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These authors are: the Yahwist (J) who wrote in Judah between 850 and 722 BCE; the Elohist (E) who wrote in Israel around the same time; the Priestly author (P) who wrote either shortly before or immediately after the exile in Jerusalem; and the Deuteronomist (D) who wrote in Jerusalem immediately before the exile.
The documentary hypothesis was formalized in 1876 by German theologian Julius Willhausen and his basic framework survives as mainstream thinking about Pentateuch authorship today. That said, Willhausen built his hypothesis on a significant amount of work that occurred in the two centuries before. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes was the first to reject Mosaic authorship in the 17th century. In the 18th century, J and E were first recognized as separate sources. Another German theologian, William Martin Leberecht de Wette, recognized the Deuteronomist as a separate author in the early 19th century. Finally, Herman Hupfeld separated P and E in the mid-19th century, setting the stage for Willhausen’s hypothesis.
Next week we’ll take an in-depth look at the Yahwist and Elohist, two authors writing at roughly the same time in two separate kingdoms.

New Report - Mormons

It is has been a few weeks for us to blog. Jim and I have been traveling. I gather all kinds of information for my courses at KSU and one of the resources I use is Pew Research. I found this article concerning Mormons interesting. I know that I am not alone in my research for information on other religions.

If you are interested in reading more about religion, this link might also interest you: http://pewforum.org/. Find something you would like to discuss. Leave us a comment!

The Post-American World

Our final examination of Zakaria's book started with a rapid discussion of India, focusing on its economic growth and the fact that it started nearly 20 years after that of China. India is still on a growth curve and will continue to move towards being the third largest economy in the world by about 2050. Beyond this second example of the rise of the rest (and a country we will study this fall in depth), Zakaria lays out what he sees as the major problem with America today...not cultural decay or economic decadence...but what he refers to as a "can do" country with a "do nothing" political system. Our problem is, according to Zakaria, that our political system has been hijacked by partisan politics, partisan media, special interest groups, and an economic elite who not only can't get anything done...they don't want to. The final chapter of The Post-American World lays out some rather simple routes for us to not only survive as the world moves forward, but routes to even greater prosperity. We are, after all, still the world's largest economy and will be for year's to come. His main point is that while we are the superpower...the one hegemon in the world...we are not the only country in the world. We have a responsiblity to the world to use our power to mediate and solve problems, not cause them through unilateral decisions that fly in the face of the international community. Our politicians and diplomats feel no need to listen to other countries point of view...we are the world's strongest country, but we are stronger than the rest of the world. Zakaria believes the path to continued success in The Post-American World is working with the growing world and the groupings of power (such as the European Union) to use our power to pursue peaceful resolutions that are fair to all. Being a better neighbor and friend, according to Fareed Zakaria, is the key to prolonged greatness for the United States.

Lincoln: Man or Myth

We had a good final night for the class, examining the latter stages of the Civil War from roughly Fredericksburg on. The discussion of Lincoln's inability to find the right commander for his army and his attempt to stay out of the military side of the war led to a myriad of Union commanders. McClellan, Pope, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade were all called to lead the Army of the Potomac...with mixed success. They either couldn't beat General Lee or had what Lincoln called a case of the "slows" and wouldn't follow Lee's army. Lincoln's movement from emancipation as a war aim to a moral campaign was discussed and was shown vividly in our examination of his short, but powerful speech at Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address was only moments long and Lincoln wasn't even the featured speaker, but while he said that no one would long remember what he said that day...he was very wrong. This short speech has been immortalized in American History and culture...along with his moving Second Inaugural Address...are two of the finest pieces of oratory in our short history. In the end, we took that short ride with Lincoln and Mary to Ford's Theatre and came to understand John Wilkes Booth's plan and his motives. Our final discussion of Lincoln's legacy to this country and his mortality...a man who was imperfect as we all are, but one who was dedicated to his principles and those that he believed defined this country. Many people find different things in Lincoln, but I have found a man who can be respected and appreciated. A man who is not a giant or a genius, but an honest man who did the best he could to accomplish the tasks set before him...though he himself often doubted his ability to do so.

The Post-American World

The class yesterday focused on Zakaria's description of how the Non-western World fell behind the Western World after the Renassiance in Western Europe. I think his point about focusing on GDP per capita as a measurement, rather than just GDP, makes sense as we try to examine the modernization of societies and economies. The other point that he makes in the chapters examined for this lesson deals with the definitions of "western" and "modern", which many would argue are the same basic idea. He uses quotes from Samuel Huntington, who believes the two are very different, to support his position that they can overlap but being western does not necessarily make a nation modern and being modern does not necessarily make a nation western. While most nations that he would consider western are also modern, the two terms do not always have to overlap. Zakaria uses two examples from the Non-western World, China and India, to accentuate his arguments. This week we looked at China and how it has changed and grown and modernized...specifically in the last 30 years. When I published the economic figures for China since 1978 (economic growth of 9% on average per year for the last 30 years - doubling the size of their economy every eight years) a number of people just shook their heads in amazement. It will be interesting to see if Zakaria is right in his belief that China is not looking to become the other superpower in another Cold War, but seeks to take its place in the world by hard work and economic growth without the trappings of superpower interference. His example of the World Bank refusing to loan Nigeria the $8M they needed to fix their train system because of questions about corruption in the Nigerian bureaucracy...and China stepping in to give them a $9B loan to rebuild the entire train system but with no strings attached and no scolding. The World Bank represents the interests of the Western/Modern World trying to discipline a non-western, developing country...while China represents the quiet giant of the non-western world helping a developing country make itself more able to compete in the world market. How will such actions reshape the political and economic landscape of our world? How will we as a nation deal with a country which approaches its relationships with others in such a way? Will we be willing to break our normal paradigm and not lean again on our blatant power politics? Hope to see many of you next week for our last class in this series. We'll look at his second example, India, and then bring this interesting book to a conclusion.

2009 Annual Conference Report

Lincoln: Man or Myth

I apologize for going over time tonight, sometimes I don't pay enough attention to the clock. I know that quite a bit of time tonight was spent on the war and not specifically on Abraham Lincoln, but I believe that it is hard to understand the momentus nature of what he had to do if you don't understand the massive, violent nature of the Civil War. I again owe Royce Ann a debt of gratitude for sharing that four minute video of the war with me...I believe it is easier to understand the war and its flow if you can visualize the general nature of the actions and that video does a great job of showing that flow. It is normally difficult for people to comprehend that it took until August 1862 before the Union got a victory that Lincoln could use to launch the Emancipation Proclamation, but that is the reality. Up until then the Union had lost at every turn... Royce Ann mentioned driving home that it helped to see how successful Grant and Sherman were in the West and I realized that I had left out recognition of Henry Halleck. While Grant and Sherman were the operators in the western theater, the strategic decisions were made by Halleck. Because of this success, he was brought to Washington by Lincoln to be the Commanding General and supervise George McClellan until McClellan was fired. He and Lincoln then brought Grant and Sheridan east later and they carried the fight to Lee...in the interim Lincoln went through a variety of commanders for the Army of the Potomac...Burnside, Hooker, Meade...all whom eventually lost the president's confidence. Next week we'll look at Lincoln's relationship with Grant and the last two years of the war. I promised you the links for the sites I mentioned so here we go...the four minute video can be found at http://www.idkwtf.com/videos/latest-videos/the-civil-war-in-four-minutes , the Civil War maps from West Point are at
http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/american_civil_war/index.htm , and the Teaching Civil War with Technology site is at http://blog.teachthecivilwar.com/ . I hope that you are enjoying yourselves...remember, if you have questions you can post them here and I'll answer them as soon as possible. The picture at the top is a famous Matthew Brady photo of Lincoln and McClellan (the little squirt looking at President Lincoln) at the Army of the Potomac's camp on the site of the Battle of Antietam.

The Post-American World

Thanks for joining us this morning, I enjoyed the class a great deal. We started with Royce Ann presenting information from a children's book...If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World's People (by David J. Smith, 2008 updated version)...and I think a few of you wondered what it had to do with Zakaria's book. Hopefully, after we finished you saw the connection. We in the U.S. have seen ourselves as the center of the world for many decades, but we are a fairly small percentage of the world's population. As we have been successful in creating open markets and world trade, the "rise of the rest", as Zakaria puts it, has meant that more political and economic power is being concentrated in countries other than the U.S. We are now living in a world where there are more stock markets than just Wall Street and where banks all over the world can be affected by things that happen in the U.S. The "American World" has been one in which we were the most important relationship for every country...where our writing of history was the only one we really cared much about. A world in which there was one superpower, who felt free to act as it wished, without much of a care as to how the remainder of the world viewed our actions. Zakaria writes that Iraq may have changed that...the fact that we could conduct that war without regard to the desires of most of the world's nations merely served to point out how dangerous a one superpower world was for the average country. Now, with other economies growing at solid rates their views on world questions will have to be taken into account. Though China and India will have lower per capita Gross Domestic Product than the U.S. for many decades, considering there is about 2.5 billion people between them they will wield signicant influence as they continue to modernize and grow. Zakara closes the chapter we looked at today by giving the United States credit for the actions that led to the open markets throughout the world...by removing the competition between economic systems with demise of the Soviet Union...but notes that we are the ones that are struggling the most to globalize.
Let's face it, most of us can't speak any language but English and many don't think there is any reason for us to learn. We expect foreign countries to accept our international companies with open arms, yet chafe at the idea of foreign countries plying their business in the U.S. Think about this example...which I forgot to use in class...certain legislators from Kansas had an absolute fit when a French aviation company, in partnership with a U.S. company, won the bid for a large fleet of Air Force tankers. They raised so many problems that the bid was disqualified and the competition restarted. They complained the U.S. military aircraft should not be built in other countries and that those jobs should remain here. Though the French/American aircraft would have assembled in Georgia they used the patriotism card to kill the legally won contract. I wonder how we would react if Boeing was not allowed to sell to any other countries' military? Would we scream if NATO countries determined that U.S. manufacturers could not compete in their equipment competitions. Zakaria is laying a foundation to show us how we must change to live in this Post-American World...we are very comfortable in our American World...but the world is quickly catching up to us. Come next Sunday and we'll get deeper into these questions and others.

Lincoln: Man or Myth

Thursday night's class focused on the belief structure that created Lincoln politically. We discussed the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to his interpretation of man's moral obligations and what the United States should be. We worked through the thorny dichotomy of his racist public pronouncements and his vehement opposition to slavery. While many thought his soft on slavery because of his views on the inferiority of Blacks, he campaigned under the slogan that "If slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong"...seems like he was pretty explicit during a time when slavery was the most contentious issue of the time. Think the abortion debate and multiply the intensity by 100X. I probably talked too much tonight, but will try to provide more opportunities for the class members at the end of class next week.

The Post-American World Part One

I apologize for the technical problems today and hope that everyone came away from the class having gained an initial idea of what Zakaria's book is about. While there are those that disagree with him, he adamantly believes that the U.S. is positioned to prosper by playing a different role in the global economy and political structure. We'll look more closely at his thoughts in the next three weeks and on the final class discuss how we feel about his conclusions. I recommend the book, at least for a thoughtful presentation of an important subject. Remember, often reading books that disagree with your point of view just provides you a better perspective on your own ideas...so whether you agree or disagree with his ideas, you would probably benefit from a reading of it. Here's his photo, you may well have seen him on TV.

Lincoln: Man or Myth

I appreciate the group that came out tonight for our first class. Hopefully, you all got something out of it. Since I wasn't able to pinpoint the date of the Lincoln Memorial, I checked once I got home. I was pretty close...the statute was completed in 1920 and the Memorial unveiled in 1922. I didn't think the scars had healed enough in the 19th century to be able to put one together any quicker. I attached the original photo that Bob showed us is now on the new five dollar bill. It was also taken by Matthew Brady on the same February day as the original photo on the old five dollar bill. I hope you came to see tonight that Lincoln was a complicated man...with his own faults and challenges...but one who has been interpreted by others based on what they needed him to be.

Welcome to St. Paul's Adult Education Blog

June 14th - Turkish Raindrop House

Mr. Fatih Ozcan spoke to us again today and told us more about his country and how Islam is incorporated into Turkish society. He discussed customs, politics, gender issues, and education. He fielded a number of questions from the audience, specifically discussing the issue of headscarves for women...surprising to many of us, women who wear headscarves are almost discriminated against for education, work, and political office. I think many of us thought the discrimination might have gone the other way. My favorite point from the class today was his discussion of what he called "religious gardens" which exist in Turkey. He showed photos of some of these gardens, which have a common entrance into a garden that then allows individuals to decide which house of worship they wish to attend...because the gardens may have a Jewish Temple, an Islamic Mosque, and a Christian Church adjacent to them. At lunch today we commented on how, in this country, we're not sure we could get three Protestant denominations to show that much tolerance.

June 7th - Raindrop Turkish House

Fatih Ozcan, a volunteer from the Raindrop Turkish House, spoke to about 20 members of St. Paul's this morning at 9:30. He shared with us about the ministry of the Institute for Interfaith Dialog (IID) and the teachings of Falhullah Gulen, a Turkish scholar and philosopher, who works for peace and justice throughout the world. Fatih gave an interesting talk, making a particular point that I found very accurate...he indicated the term "interfaith dialog" may not be totally appropriate, as religions don't talk - people do. He offered up a better term when he proposed the use of "interfaithful dialog" instead. Fatih will be back again next week, so join us at 9:30. If there is anything specific you would like him to cover, let me know via the comment below and I'll relay it to him.

Calendar for June 2009

Sunday Morning Classes: (9:30 am)

June 7th and 14th - Raindrop Turkish House - Raindrop Turkish House is a non-profit, educational, charitoable, social and cultural organization founded by Turkish-Americans in Houston in 2000 and now it operates in six states: Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Next to being a home to Turkish-Americans, Raindrop Turkish House addresses their social and cultural needs and helps them integrate into this multicultural society better. The mission of Raindrop is to introduce Turkish culture into American society and cultivate friendship and promote teh understanding of diverse cultures through its unique services to the community, through dialog and corporation. For two weeks, Mr. Fatih Ozcan will be helping us improve our understanding of Raindrop's mission and Turkish culture. Bridge - Front Classroom.


June 21st - July 12th - The Post-American World - Jim Martin will facilitate this four week examination of the best selling book by Fareed Zakaria. This future looking volume follows Thomas Friedman's tremendously successful book, The World is Flat, and examines the changes in our world as the rest of it catches up with America in economics, technology, and education. As one reviewer stated, "This book isn't about America's decline, it's about how it can deploy its unique strengths to prosper as the rest of the world does so as well." Of particular interest are mini-studies of India and China, which set the stage for larger regional studies classes in the months to come. Bridge - Front Classroom.


Evening Classes:

Mondays, June 15th - July 27th - 7:00 - 8:30 pm - Living the Questions - Due to the busy summer months, this class has been cancelled. We will look to try it again in the Fall.

Thursdays, June 18th - July 9th - 7:00 - 8:30 pm - Abraham Lincoln: Who was he and why is he in the news so much now? - With the election of President Obama, the historical figure of Abraham Lincoln has returned to occupy a more prominent place in our political discussion. Was he the Great Emancipator? Was he a great president? Is the public image projected of him accurate or an embellishment? Jim Martin will facilitate this course and attempt to help all comers get at answers to these questions.

May 17-May 31: “Methodist 101.”

What do you know about the United Methodist church? If you are new to the United Methodist church, or just curious, join Jim Darby and Royce Ann Collins, and explore the structure and beliefs of the United Methodist church. Bridge classroom, front area.

May 3-May 31: “Countering Pharaoh’s Production-Consumption Society Today.”

In the bible, Pharaoh exploited the Israelites through slavery. Today’s economic crisis provides but one example of the issues that remain even in our current economic structure. In this course, we’ll explore what it means to counter Pharaoh’s culture and truly live in covenant. Facilitated by Scott Groth. Bridge classroom, back area.