Final Day for India Class

   My apologies for being behind in posting...I know that is a familiar lament on this blog...but let's bring you up to date.  I think it has been two weeks since the last post and in that time we've talked about India's economic system and status and then today we went through the Indian political system and their foreign policy challenges.  The Indian economic system is very interesting to study as an American Historian, because it is much closer to the US economy in sectors of growth than other countries of the Near East or Far East.  Focused largely on the service sector, the Indian economic "miracle" has not proceeded at the rapid rate that China's has but has provided consisent growth around 7% for the past 20 years or so.  Even during this time of world-wide recession, their growth outpaced ours and still came in at 6.2% for 2009.  While there is a growing middle class in India of around 300 million, there are also 300 million people who live on a dollar a day or less...that is the equivalent of putting the country of Nigeria within India's borders...three times over.  India's economic future looks good and while it will take it time, this will become one of the dominant economies in the world with more time to grow...the problem they must deal with, as in all things Indian, is the growing population stuffed into a relatively small area.  Remember...India has almost four times the population of the US in 1/3 the landmass.
   The class on politics focused largely on creating an understanding of the structure.  An amalgam of the US and British systems, India has a bicameral legislature, with a president and a prime minister.  The president is head of state and commander in chief, but the real political power in the country is the prime minister who is selected by the majority party in the House of the People...a body much like our House of Representatives.  India's parliamentary system seemed to confuse some folks today and it is easy to understand why...we watched a short video clip about one prime minister whose government only lasted 13 days...that wouldn't happen here and we have a hard time understanding it.  Finally, our study led to the violence in the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir...a region of northwest India that is jointly claimed in part by India, Pakistan, and China.  Much violence...both formal warfare and terrorist activity...has occurred here and continues unabated today.  This led to a short discussion of the religious violence occuring in India today...with Muslims killing Hindus and Christians...Hindus killing Muslims and Christians...and so on and so on.  One location, called Babri Magrib, was the site of the destruction of a centuries old mosque...which had been purportedly built on the ruins of the birthplace of Rama...a Hindu god...and the feud had continued to this violence in 1992.  Something like 150,000 people were involved in the rioting and violence, with nearly 2000 being killed.
   We will look into Bangladesh in a few weeks, but in the meantime I have family responsibilities to tend to with my parents.  I look forward to sharing information with all of you once again in the near future.

History of Religion

We were recently forwarded this by Marti and wanted to share with everyone. If you are thinking about how religions expanded, this map gives a quick overview. Now the details could be debated, but the overall effect is quite revealing. Check out History of Religion.

Millennial Generation

For those interested in learning more about the Millennial generation (those born between 1981 and 2000), you might find this PEW Research article interesting. It supports much of what we have heard about this group. They really are not engaged in churches or affiliated with a religion. They are also more accepting than older Americans on social issues such as Homosexuality. Perhaps, they are just looking for a church like St. Paul's, who is accepting of all people. If they knew that a church like St. Paul's existed, would they become more engaged? Something for us to continue think about.

India: Exotic World or Call Center

   Hello all...I apologize for not blogging after the first class, but I have no good excuse.  Last week, during the first Sunday of our five week series on India, we focused on the historical background of India up to independence from their colonial master, Great Britain.  This involved looking at the larger India of the British Empire...now broken up into Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India.  Much of this was just a history lesson, but the most important component to me was the discussion of the role of Mohandus Karamchand Gandhi, known to most of us at Mahatma Gandhi.  His name is Mohandus Karamchand, but because of the role he filled within his culture, he was given the informal title of Mahatma which means (Great Soul).  From all I can find about this man, he was truly the soul of his country and would formally be given the title of "Father of the Nation) upon independence from the British.  Gandhi was a great Indian, but his impact has extended far beyond the borders of his homeland.  His brand of non-violent resistance to oppression has influenced many great leaders throughout the world, notably in our country he was a primarly influence on the ideas of one of our greatest leaders...Reverend Martin Luther King Jr..
    Today we focused on the geography and demography of India and looked at what a unique and diverse country it is.  In the end, after our analysis and observations, what makes this country so unique to study is the sheer size of its population and how that affects its people and culture.  While India is the second largest country in the world, with 1.156 Billion people, it is only 1/3 the size of the United States.  Imagine packing that many people into the space East of the Mississippi River.  The overcrowding would be beyond anything we could every imagine.  This problem colors everything that goes on in India, from housing to pollution to the caste system to economics and politics.  In the weeks to come we will focus in on India's economy and politics...finishing up the last week with a look at what was originally East Pakistan but is now known at Bangladesh.  I thought this was fitting, as this is the last large piece of British India that we will not have studied in our trip through this region.  I look forward to talking with everyone again next week and thank you for your attendance.

First Light – Week 5: The Lake as the World

Jesus’ ministry is conducted almost exclusively in the small towns and hamlets around the Sea of Galilee. In the years of Herod the Great, prior to the birth of Jesus, the lake world was only minimally impacted by the empire of Rome. Herod focused on construction activities primarily in Judea and Samaria. His largest project was the great port of Sebastos in the new city of Caesarea. Herod also built a large, elaborate plaza around the Temple in Jerusalem.

Change came to the lake when Herod Antipus arrived as tetrarch. Antipus badly wanted to impress Rome and, like Herod the Great before him, become monarch over all the Jewish territories. Antipus first rebuilt Sephoris and encouraged the commercialization of agriculture to provide a growing tax base. Eventually, Antipus focused on the world of the lake. On the Sea of Galilee, Anitpus built Tiberias as the new capital city of Galilee. Commercialization of the fishing trade followed naturally. The disruption in the long-standing economy of the lake forced many peasants into poverty. Like the peasant farmers in the country, the fishermen of Galilee suddenly found their world turned upside down.

First Light – Week 4: Collaborative Eschaton

Crossan takes us into the heart of Jesus’ program this week. Crossan’s sees the program built around a repetitive set of actions taken by Jesus and his followers: heal the sick, eat with the healed, announce the arrival of God’s kingdom.

We had a lively discussion around Crossan’s view of Jesus’ healings. Rather than miracle cures, Crossan argued that Jesus was both symbolically and literally healing the ill by bringing them back into the larger community. Crossan held a skeptical view that the healings involved any actual reversal of physical ailment.

Much of Jesus’ ministry was centered on shared meals. The story of the loaves and fishes and the last supper are just two examples. These meals served as a reminder of the God’s abundance.

Finally, Jesus formalized his message in announcing the kingdom of God was present in these collaborative acts of community.

First Light – Week 3: God’s Great Clean-Up

This week we focused on the differences between the baptismal movement of John and the kingdom movement of Jesus.

Summarized, John had an eschatological vision of an imminent coming of God which would include a great “clean-up” of the man-made empire of Rome. John envisioned a punitive God punishing those who oppressed. John’s program of baptism was a re-enactment of the Exodus. Purification was achieved by a baptism/crossing of the Jordan. Each baptism was a step toward purifying Israel and a call for God to intervene. When Antipas beheads John, the movement is beheaded as well.

In contrast, Jesus argues that kingdom is not just imminent, it is present. Jesus insists we don’t need to wait for God; we need only to join in. Crossan calls this “collaborative eschatology.” Jesus views God as non-violent. There are consequences to sin and mistreatment of others, but the consequences are not punitive. Finally, the Jesus movement is collaborative unto itself. The movement will survive Jesus’ death.

First Light – Week 2: The Advent of the Messiah

As evidenced in the Dead Sea Scrolls, by the time of Jesus’ birth, many Jews have begun to associate the “one like the son of man” who, according to the book of Daniel, will rule over the Kingdom of God, with the long sought Messiah. Many versions of the Messiah are described in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other texts of the time but nearly all paint a picture of a warrior king. This paradigm would be turned on its head by the time the Gospels were written.

Jesus grew up (and might have been born) in the town of Nazareth. Historians estimate Nazareth to have had a population of between 200 and 400, probably on the lower end of the range. All were Jewish and most would have lived their entire lives there. It was a small, tight-knit Hebrew community.

The economy was changing from one of subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. Three families owned approximately 50% of the arable land in Galilee. Families that had owned small plots of land for generations were now relegated to tenant farming or, worse yet, to working as day laborers. The barter system that had long supplemented subsistence farming was being monetized. If landless peasants couldn’t purchase enough to eat with the coinage they were paid, they were out of luck.

In this environment of growing injustice, the Jesus movement took root. Jesus’ followers were young; most would have been in their twenties or even late teens. And they were restless for change.

First Light, Week 1: The Matrix of Jesus

In this introductory session, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg introduced the idea of the matrix of Jesus. The matrix can be viewed as the context of Jesus’ life and ministry and is crucial to understanding Jesus. Try to imagine Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. outside of the time and place of their lives. So it is with the gospel of Jesus.

The book of Daniel provides a lead-in to Jewish theology regarding the Kingdom of God in the first century CE. Daniel is primarily written during the time of the Maccabean revolt against the Greco-Syrian Empire in the 160’s BCE. The story tells of the coming kingdom which will usher in an age of divine rule and the end of evil and empire – eschaton. By the time of Jesus’ arrival, the Roman Empire is in ascendance. The Hebrew people have spent most of the last 600 years under the yoke of foreign powers. A yearning for the Kingdom of God is building.

It is the coming, inevitable clash of empire and eschaton that is the matrix of Jesus.

Generation Attitudes

I have been writing and thinking about the generational attitudes. Generational attitudes are classified as Baby Boomers born 1946 to 1962 (some authors will close that generation at 1964); Generation Xers born 1963 to 1980, and Generation Y or Net Generation or the Millennials (depending on who you read) born 1981 to 2000. As I think about reaching these generations in my professional teaching experience, we also need to think about them in the church. If you want to learn more about the Millennials, Pew Research published some interesting findings. Read their report Millennial's Judgment About Recent Trends.

2010 Adult Education Year

The Adult Education Team at St. Paul's has been working hard to create learning experiences for our attendees. In 2010, we do not expect to slow down. We just finished two weeks of "Serious Answers to Hard Questions" video series. The first week started with "Science vs. Religion". Lecturer John Polkinghorne is an Anglican priest, past President of Queen's College at Cambridge, former Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Polkinghorne suggests that science asks, "How do things happen?" and religion asks, "Is there meaning and purpose at work in the world?" This Sunday the topic was on "Resurrection" by N.T. Wright. Also coming with a long resume, Wright is a well-known, somewhat conservative and respected New Testament scholar, and also a gifted speaker. He currently serves as Bishop of Durham, England. Bill Tammeus, former religion writer for the KC Star, quoted Wright in a recent blog about the Christian view of death, dying and the afterlife. I would like to thank Marti for facilitating these two sessions.

I would like to hear from the readers of this blog if you would like to have more of this series offered on Sunday mornings.

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?