Preaching the Big questions, Doctrine isn't Dusty

[GordW]

Incidentally, does the UCRD store realize that Amazon is undercutting them by about $3 ($14.95 vs. $11.99) on this? I mean, I'd hope UCCan people purchasing it would support UCRD but for an outsider, that's just enough percentage to make Amazon appealing.

The outline does sound interesting. Considering it. Unfortunately, my library doesn't have a copy to check out first.

I have not used UCRD for years. THeir shipping costs are absolutely ridiculous. WE are even moving away from using them for things like baptism candles. I expect that the only things thec ongregation will use UCRD for is the annual bulletin cover order and church calendars.

 

[GordW]

I read it last Spring and liked it a lot.
FollowingFrodo: Book 3 of 2017 -- Preaching the Big Questions: Doctrine Isn't Dusty

 

[GordW]

I have not read the book, I tried to find out as much as I could about it and the authors.

Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean (standing for Moderator this year): https://generalcouncil43.ca/sites/default/files/2018-05/bio_catherine-faith-maclean.pdf
Rev. Dr. John Young (stood for moderator in 2015): https://7f8159c42d5f64d63d1b-dec189f157202212a76b23fc4d185c40.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/bio_john-young.pdf

 

[Tabitha]

Thanks Gord...

 

[Pinga]

Would it be worthwile to ask either to participate in a dialogue on the site?

Has anyone else read the book and want to talk about it?
I'm in the middle of it and for the first time in a long time I find myself writing notes in the margins-both in agreement and disagreement. I'd love to chat.
* It's a book about theology from a UCC perspective

 

[revsdd]

Would you agree the eternal goes on providing for endless questions?

Yes.

Then does the biblical record suggest questing?

Seems to me that the biblical record is a part of the ongoing quest.

Do some people fear questions due to loss of feeling righteousness?

Some people fear questions because they have such a definitive world view in which they have discerned all the answers (at least all the important ones) that if questions continue to be raised their world view is threatened. In the Christian context they then have to attack those who raise the questions as not "true Christians."

 

[Luce NDs]

Yes.


Seems to me that the biblical record is a part of the ongoing quest.


Some people fear questions because they have such a definitive world view in which they have discerned all the answers (at least all the important ones) that if questions continue to be raised their world view is threatened. In the Christian context they then have to attack those who raise the questions as not "true Christians."

Been there had that done to me … and had people deny me because I questioned the logic of authorities treating me so … especially being called crazy in church because I am an observer of the philosophy of science (observation in old languages) … and also a student of philosophy of religion … which can be a real eye opener to some and yet the snooze button to others … and thus perhaps I am better treated with the denied, grieved and isolated because of incessant comments about curios matter and antimatter …

This nature does stir up the dust bunnies … dervishes? You can close your eye's now folks … as I drift into isolation.

Did you know that the Hebrew word for man approximates Maan and Greek UV which is dark as the Celtic spirits … connected to Eire by the Devils Causeway … roughly it strikes me like Amon … from the land of imagination as definitive of the soul … and imaginative construct that must be conjured!

At those point disinterest in god word and information process shuts down and becomes somewhat shadowy for many … possibly due to conditioning from role models as professed?

I must be corrupted some way by alien intelligence … perhaps from profound reading experience regarding myths. In Gael terms regards is a franc expression for "look!"

It all went by in a flash … then he was gone ...

 

[Tabitha]

@Pinga-only if folks on this site could have a reasonable discussion in response
2 of us have read or are reading the book, one has it on bookshelf and a 4th is considering buying it..

 

[BetteTheRed]

We don't, for better or worse, have a rule about commenting on subjects about which you know nothing...

 

[Pontifex Geronimo 13]

That would make it pretty quiet around here.

 

[BetteTheRed]

It would limit the conversation, certainly. The revs could talk theology, I could talk food prep and dog training, you could talk about BBQ...

 

[Mendalla]

It would limit the conversation, certainly. The revs could talk theology, I could talk food prep and dog training, you could talk about BBQ...

I could do long rambling posts about how to design customizations for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (a guaranteed conversation killer).

Would it be worthwile to ask either to participate in a dialogue on the site?

We would need more interest shown, I think, but it would be fun. Put it in Guest Speakers with fairly tight moderation and it might even work.

 

[Delightful Life]

To give y'all a taste
(and it'll help us here give us more a feeling of what Tabitha is like)
the publisher has made available for download the bookz first 30 pages:


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAMegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw3b6Zoy_CpZzwH8IX6_0gYK

 

[revjohn]

BetteTheRed]
We don't, for better or worse, have a rule about commenting on subjects about which you know nothing...

True we don't.

That doesn't mean that those ignorant on any particular subject add anything meaningful to the conversation when they float opinion.

Tabitha wants to discuss specifics of a book. Never having read the book I cannot discuss specifics without having at least some morsel.

At most I can give an opinion, such as I did above about the idea that the book may speak to.

If Tabitha were to share some of the content of the book (a quote for example) we could discuss the ideas contained in the quote realizing that doing so without the context of the broader argument that the quote is lifted from we are either repeating an idea or floating a new one.

 

[Luce NDs]

True we don't.

That doesn't mean that those ignorant on any particular subject add anything meaningful to the conversation when they float opinion.

Tabitha wants to discuss specifics of a book. Never having read the book I cannot discuss specifics without having at least some morsel.

At most I can give an opinion, such as I did above about the idea that the book may speak to.

If Tabitha were to share some of the content of the book (a quote for example) we could discuss the ideas contained in the quote realizing that doing so without the context of the broader argument that the quote is lifted from we are either repeating an idea or floating a new one.

If we accept that religion has historically been the etude of de WORD … do we need to accept the entirety of literature?

Or are we still of the opinion that King James of England had the only knowledge of word, literature and related metaphors?

Northrup Frye and CS Lewis as well as many others had academic opinions about what was extended beyond this mortal bound! Yet we adhere to slavery to an avarice opinion designed to control the demos … the little people who are out and about and more experienced in ground zero … dying for tyrants sake? Reduce that to oligarch's ache … as Arche type … Jung's icon! One step beyond paradigm IHC? The medium is denied as middle class … at least chaotic because of the extreme NDs that know nothing or believe they know eternal immaterial … stuff in?

Gamma's feather't IHC! Levi's touché … blown jinn's! Few understand such Eire sub stance … lacking understanding … thus piers and pistis isolated folk … Sophistic … goes with the fuzz bunnies … some obnoxious as bugs under the hat!

Bundt Cake … bound for nibbling … Nibelung space for booty?

O de have your cake and eat it Tous!

 

[revjohn]

If we accept that religion has historically been the etude of de WORD … do we need to accept the entirety of literature?

Not sure how this applies.

If one is going to discuss a particular book it helps to have read the particular book. Of course ideas may be raised within the book that require readers to have knowledge from outside of the book itself. In that regard one book may be another voice in a wider conversation, then it would help to have some understanding of that wider conversation.

Or are we still of the opinion that King James of England had the only knowledge of word, literature and related metaphors?

I don't know that "we" are. Some most certainly cling to that belief. Again, not sure how it relates to the matters at hand.

Northrup Frye and CS Lewis

as well as many others had academic opinions about what was extended beyond this mortal bound! Yet we adhere to slavery to an avarice opinion designed to control the demos … the little people who are out and about and more experienced in ground zero … dying for tyrants sake?

Not really sure that is the case either.

We aren't limiting conversation only to those with a certain level of expertise. That said we aren't advocating for a pure ignorance approach either. And where a book is wanting to be discussed the opinions of those who haven't read the book will be hard pressed to produce fruit unless they have some seed from the book to examine.

Tabitha could bring forward quotes and we could respond to those.

Never having read the book and not knowing either author's body of work with any great detail means that what we will be discussing more than anything is our own reaction to the quote and not the content of the quote so much.

In some instances it may simply result in ignorant leaps to presumed conclusions which is fair as far as opinion goes. It doesn't pass for knowledge.

 

[BetteTheRed]

Another option might be to read the first 30 pages for free, then speculate on the remaining content via the chapter headings...

 

[BetteTheRed]

I think I might get myself a copy of this book. In the meantime (thanks so much, @Tabitha), I've decided that some of the chapter headings are going to make a perfect structure for a mini-project I've been mulling on, and have called a meeting to discuss tonight. At last week's Board meeting, we were alerted to a Presbytery initiative. In celebration of the years of service of Presbytery structure, they've organized a full day, a Saturday in September, at Camp Big Canoe. Each congregation is being asked to contribute a talent, an event, etc. We were talking about face-painting, a "go fish" thing for kids. BUT, inspired by the chapter headings of this book, I'm going to propose that our booth contain a circle of chairs, and schedules hourly discussions on different topics! We have an occasional series in our congregation called "Conversations that Matter", wherein a few folks (depending on the topic, there have been 25-30, sometimes as few as 6) meet for half an hour or so after church in one of the side rooms, with their coffee and tea, and talk about a subject of interest to some wide sub-set of the congregation. We've used it to discuss remits, we used it during our Affirming process, we had a recent session on planning Wills, I've wanted for a while to open a conversation about Medical Assistance in Dying. This will be a displaced "Conversations that Matter"...

 

[Mendalla]

I think I might get myself a copy of this book. In the meantime (thanks so much, @Tabitha), I've decided that some of the chapter headings are going to make a perfect structure for a mini-project I've been mulling on, and have called a meeting to discuss tonight. At last week's Board meeting, we were alerted to a Presbytery initiative. In celebration of the years of service of Presbytery structure, they've organized a full day, a Saturday in September, at Camp Big Canoe. Each congregation is being asked to contribute a talent, an event, etc. We were talking about face-painting, a "go fish" thing for kids. BUT, inspired by the chapter headings of this book, I'm going to propose that our booth contain a circle of chairs, and schedules hourly discussions on different topics! We have an occasional series in our congregation called "Conversations that Matter", wherein a few folks (depending on the topic, there have been 25-30, sometimes as few as 6) meet for half an hour or so after church in one of the side rooms, with their coffee and tea, and talk about a subject of interest to some wide sub-set of the congregation. We've used it to discuss remits, we used it during our Affirming process, we had a recent session on planning Wills, I've wanted for a while to open a conversation about Medical Assistance in Dying. This will be a displaced "Conversations that Matter"...

You could serve coffee and call it "The Presbytery Wondercafe".

 

[seeker]

I'd be interested in reading the book and participating in discussions. Even if I can't borrow or buy the book. I'd like to follow the discussion.