Preparing for Discussion - Religion: Spirituality is Not Enough - Part 2

This is the definition of religion according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online:

1a :  the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion>

1b (1) :  the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) :  commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2:  a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3 archaic :  scrupulous conformity :  conscientiousness

4 :  a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

 And the definition of spirituality:

: the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters : the quality or state of being spiritual

1 :  something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such

2:  clergy

3:  sensitivity or attachment to religious values

4:  the quality or state of being spiritual

If we go by these definitions, it is nearly impossible to have spirituality without religion. Is this how you would define these words? 

Lillian Daniel makes a case for being rooted in church history and tradition, grounded in community. Do you think it is possible to have a religion or spirituality that is not rooted in church tradition? Do you agree that developing your own individual practice of faith and spirituality amounts to a bouquet of wilting flowers? How might you go about choosing your own faith practices outside of church tradition?

And what happens when church tradition is wrong? We see, even as early as the New Testament writings of Paul, that the church has always had scruples over traditions and practices. Many of Paul's writings seem intended to address those things.  When is it right to stick with tradition, and when is the time to make a stand against something you believe to be wrong? How do we avoid dismantling the entire ship when we remove planks here and there?

Reflect on these verses about spiritual growth, religion and spirituality:

James 1:19-27
Galatians 5:13-25
2 Peter 1:3-8
Romans 12

How do these passages inform this discussion?

Preparing for Discussion - Religion: Spirituality is Not Enough

In the first session of Animate: Faith, Brian McLaren, describes faith as a boat with travelers on a quest to experience God...the God, who is the sea and the wind and the source of the whole quest itself. He describes our beliefs as the planks that hold the boat together and theology as the necessary maintenance of the ship. He is careful to point out that theology/maintenance is NOT the point, the point is the quest, the journey, the experience of and with God.

Lillian Daniel addresses the "issue," if you will, of other travelers on the ship, on the quest...of the travelers that have come before us and those that will come after us, the "great cloud of witnesses" from Hebrews 12. These travelers have formed the planks of our beliefs that hold our boat together...or, in Lillian Daniel's flower plant/analogy, these travelers formed the roots of tradition, our faith. It's roots that hold the plant together, planks that hold the ship together. Without these things, we have a pretty bouquet of wilting flowers with no roots.

How does that analogy sit with you? Do you think of church tradition in this way? In what ways do church traditions nurture your faith? Have you gathered things from other traditions that have made your journey more meaningful?

What do you think of when you hear the word "religion?" Do you tend to think of yourself as religious? What other words and images come to mind when you think of religion? What comes to mind when you hear the word "spirituality." Have you been one of those people who describes themselves as, "spiritual but not religious?"

Our journal books include a Venn diagram with spiritual people on one side, religious people on the other, and people who are both spiritual and religious in the middle. Where do you fit? Where do you think Jesus fits?  Consider these verses from the gospel of Luke:

Luke 9:1-6
Luke 11:1-4
Luke 11:37-44
Luke 13:22-30
Luke 14:1-6
Luke 17:11-19
Luke 18:9-17
Luke 21:1-6
Luke 24:13-35

(Link to Book of Luke: here Use the arrows at the top - above the chapter heading - to skip from chapter to chapter.)

Who is Lillian Daniel?

Lillian Daniel is the presenter of the 2nd session of Animate: Faith, entitled "Religion: Spirituality is Not Enough."

Lillian is a pastor, writer, speaker and teacher. She has served as the Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn since 2004. Her book, When Spiritual but Not Religious Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church is a provocative case for why religious community matters.
She is the editor-at-large for the Christian Century Magazine, and contributing editor at Leadership Journal. She has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Five fast facts

1. Lives in Illinois and has two teenaged children
2. Has more than 20,000 subscribers to her daily email devotionals at www.ucc.org
3. Co-hosts weekly TV program in Chicago called 30 Good Minutes
4. Won the distinguished alumni award at Yale Divinity School
5. Has a BA from Bryn Mawr College and an MDiv from Yale Divinity School

(bio from: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/faith/voices/lillian/)

Check out Lillian Daniel's website here: http://www.lilliandaniel.com/

Who are the folks behind Animate?

On the front pages of our journals, it tells us that the writers are Carla Barnhill and Tony Jones. Just who are these folks in the background of our spiritual journey?

WHO IS TONY JONES?

According to his web site, http://tonyj.net, Tony Jones is the author of The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement and is theologian-in-residence at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and St. Cloud State University. Tony serves as a senior acquisitions editor at sparkhouse. He’s developed an iPhone app called Ordain Thyself.

Tony is the author of many books on Christian ministry and spirituality, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, and he is a sought after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality.

He co-owns a social media consulting and event planning company.  Tony is married, has three children, and lives in Edina, Minnesota. In his spare time, he trains his yellow lab, Albert, and takes Albert hunting for ducks, grouse, and pheasants.

He has a blog housed at Patheos: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tonyjones/

WHO IS CARLA BARNHILL?

According to twincitieslive.com, Carla Barnhill has been a writer and editor for more than fifteen years, working in both magazine and book publishing. She is the author of numerous articles and several books, including The Myth of the Perfect Mother and Shaping Your Family's Future. She teaches College Writing at Bethel University in St. Paul and often speaks to women's groups about issues such as motherhood, spirituality, and keeping your sanity in the midst of family life. She was recently chosen as one of four finalists to be the Advice Guru on Good Morning America and is a regular guest on Twin Cities Live, where she gives advice on everything from wedding etiquette to friendship problems to workplace drama.

Carla is a native of Alexandria, MN, a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and a fan of all things Minnesota. Between writing projects, Carla loves to camp, hike, ski, or just sit on the end of a dock with a cold Diet Coke. She's a reader, a writer, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a talker, a listener, and a minivan driver.

She blogs with another woman at: http://themommyrevolution.com/.

According to her blog, Carla Barnhill has been in Christian publishing for 15 years. She is the former editor of Christian Parenting Today magazine. She also served as Associate Editor of Campus Life magazine. Carla now works as a freelance editor and writer, working for publishers such as Zondervan, WaterBrook, Baker, Tyndale, HarperOne, and Sparkhouse. She is the author of Blessings Every Day and The Myth of the Perfect Mother.

Carla has also spoken to thousands of mothers at MOPS conventions, women’s retreats, and churches around the country. She is a sought-after source of new ideas about motherhood, parenting, and the spiritual formation of children.

Preparing for Discussion - God: Faith is a Quest

Next Wednesday we will be discussing session 1 of Animate: Faith,  God: Faith is a Quest, presented by Brain McLaren.

The following are some questions from the dvd and our books to help get us started in the conversation:

McLaren talks about not even being able to recognize the God that some people speak of, because they describe a God that doesn't seem anything like the God he knows. Are there "images" of God that you once had that you have since let go?

What Biblical images of God speak to you most? If you have time, look up these images in Scripture and come prepared to share them with the group.

Are there other images of God, like McLaren's boat, that are not found in scripture but that also speak to you? Do these come from books or teachers or your own imagination?

Do you, personally, tend toward a more fortress castle idea of God or a castle in the sky? Why do you think that is? And do you have more trouble with one or the other when relating to other people?

Do you tend more toward the kataphatic (cataphatic) or apophatic traditions? I did a quick google search to see if I could find some simple definitions or an article explaining the difference between the two. This is what I came up with: Kataphatic and Apophatic Theology. I don't really know who the blog author is (Green Baggins?), but it was a relatively succinct explanation of the terminology. Basically:

Kataphatic theology assumes that we can know something about God as He truly is. Especially it assumes that the revelation of the Bible describes God truly as He is. However, the danger is an arrogance that we can know God fully, and find out everything there is to know about Him. Apophatic theology assumes much more mystery about God. Oftentimes, it assumes that we cannot know God as He truly is. The danger here is complete agnosticism about God, that we cannot know anything truly about God.

In other words, kataphatic tradition is that we can say something true about who God is. Apophatic tradition is that words are always limiting and God cannot be contained in words or images.

Another helpful little blurb I found was this one here: Kataphatic or Apophatic Prayer. It's very short. Follow the link. I can't seem to copy & paste from this one.

Peace!

“Kataphatic” prayer has content; it uses words, images, symbols, ideas. “Apophatic” prayer has no content. It means emptying the mind of words and ideas and simply resting in the presence of God. - See more at: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/2026/#sthash.FLJWxf1q.dpuf

VIDEOS: Jay Bakker on Animate: Bible and an interview

Tony Jones and Jay Bakker on Animate: Bible

Popular theoblogger Tony Jones talks to author Jay Bakker about his role in the new Animate: Bible adult ed resource from Sparkhouse. Visit the Patheos Book Club for more on the Animate video series! http://www.patheos.com/Books/Book-Club



If you can't see the embedded video, go directly to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quj_0K7_1t0

Jay Bakker and Christian Piatt: The Interview

Published on Aug 15, 2013

Jay and I chat about Exodus International, radical theology, his latest book and his recent move to Minneapolis.

CLICK HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab0HLEdsXGU

Revolution Church

Revolution Minneapolis meets every Sunday at 4 pm at
Bryant-Lake Bowl
810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN

More on Progressive Christianity courtesy of Brian McLaren

Throughout the Animate study, I’ve noticed that many of the speakers we’ve heard have been attached to the Progressive Christianity movement. I went looking for more information on the movement, and ran into an article by Bryan McLaren, the pastor who kicks off the Animate: Faith series.

The article is titled:
Not Conservative, Not Liberal: Progressive
Being a progressive Christian means more than being lax, lazy, fuzzy, flimsy, proud, and dying.

http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Not-Conservative-Not-Liberal-Progressive-Brian-McLaren-06-13-2011?offset=2&max=1

Consider this description of Progressive Christians:
“When it comes to fuzziness and flimsiness, the progressive Christians I know are making great strides beyond old liberalism. What initially seemed like a morass of complexity—the quest(s) for the historical Jesus, biblical criticism, revisioning the Bible's inspiration and authority—is turning out to be highly productive. The scholarly process just needed some time to mature. As a result, Progressive Christians aren't disregarding the Bible; they're studying it even more diligently than their conservative counterparts, and they're producing sparkling, challenging, inspiring theologies rooted in the Bible. Fueled by this renewed biblical engagement, they aren't simply functioning as the religious chaplains of the Democratic party (as their counterparts have often been for the Republican party); they're articulating a vital political theology and a vigorous theological politics that challenges everybody to seek the common good.”
McLaren’s article is part of the symposium, "What Is Progressive Christianity?" presented by the newly launched Patheos Progressive Christian Portal and in partnership with the Wild Goose Festival, which was held in 2011.

There’s a long list of articles about what Progressive Christianity is and isn’t on Patheos, including one by Phyllis Tickle comparing Progressive Versus Emergence Christianity. Check them out here: http://www.patheos.com/Topics/What-Is-Progressive-Christianity-06-13-2011.html

A large number of our speakers throughout the Animate: Bible series have used Patheos to host their blogs. So, what is Patheos?

“Founded in 2008, Patheos.com is the premier online destination to engage in the global dialogue about religion and spirituality and to explore and experience the world's beliefs. Patheos is the website of choice for the millions of people looking for credible and balanced information about religion. Patheos brings together faith communities, academics, and the broader public into a single environment, and is the place where many people turn on a regular basis for insight, inspiration, and stimulating discussion. Patheos is unlike any other religious and spiritual site on the Web today.

"As evidenced by the company founders' story, religion and spirituality continue to be an important part of American life, with more Americans today than ever before identifying themselves as spiritual. In fact, according to the Pew Internet Project, more than 82 million Americans (and 64 percent of all Internet users) utilize the Web for faith-related matters. The importance of religion and spirituality, coupled with the growing use of the Internet for religious matters, point to the ongoing need for an online resource for religious and spiritual engagement and dialogue. Patheos fills this need.”

From: http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/About.html

“Faith Channels” on Patheos include:
    Atheist
    Buddhist
    Catholic
    Evangelical
    Hindu
    Jewish
    Mormon
    Muslim
    Pagan
    Progressive Christian
    Spirituality

You can compare religions. You can read blogs. There are teacher resources, a religion library, and a book club.

Sound like a great resource for us all!

Who is Brian McLaren?

Brian McLaren is the presenter of the 1st session of Animate: Faith, entitled "God: Faith is a Quest."

Brian is an author, speaker, activist, and networker among innovative Christian leaders. He was a college English professor when he and his wife started a church in their living room. That church became Cedar Ridge Community Church, Spencerville, Maryland, where he was pastor for nearly 20 years.

His dozen-plus books include A New Kind of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy, Naked Spirituality, and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?

Five fast facts

1. Lives with his wife in Marco Island, Florida
2. Has four adult children and two granddaughters
3. Released an album of original music called Learning How to Love in 1978
4. Is an avid wildlife and outdoors enthusiast
5. Has a BA and MA in English from University of Maryland

(bio from: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/faith/voices/brian/)

You can visit McLaren's website at: http://www.brianmclaren.net/ 

Listen to McLaren on NPR (just an 8 minute interview) here: Embracing Diversity in a 'Multi-Faith World.'

*****************
January 2016 Update:
Listen to Brian McLaren and hear about his most recent book on the podcast Newsworthy with Norsworthy here: We Make the Road by Walking.

What's Brewing at Morning Blend November 2013-January 2014? Animate:Faith!

For the next several months Morning Blend will be using a DVD study series called Animate: Faith. The following is a list of topics and presenters:

God: Faith Is a Quest by Brian McLaren

Religion: Spirituality Is not Enough by Lillian Daniel

Jesus: The Revolution of Love by Mark Scandrette

Salvation: Abundant Life Now by Shane Hipps

Cross: Where God Is by Nadia Bolz-Weber

Bible: A Book Like No Other by Lauren Winner

Church: An Imperfect Family by Bruce Reyes-Chow

Check out the video intro to Animate: Faith. This study was the first Animate study put together by Spark House. You can see how excited all the participants are to be offering this study!

Read more and see sample sessions at: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/faith/try/

Wrap-Up Questions

Here are some wrap-up questions that come to mind for me as we come to the close of the Animate: Bible series.

Jay Bakker makes the comment that understanding love and grace and viewing scripture through the lenses of Jesus and Paul allows him to just "move past" some of the difficult passages of scripture. Should we do that? Is it ok to just gloss over the difficult passages? How, then, do we respond to people, who don't have that understanding of grace and love, and want to discuss those difficult passages? Should we just tell them that it's a mystery? Is it impossible to understand without an experience with God? Should we try to understand those passages using our tools of interpretation and study?

We have talked a lot about relying on prayer and relationship with God to guide us in our interpretation to scripture. How should we respond to the mis-use of scripture in the church community? What do we do when the collective community uses scripture as a weapon? or a fortune cookie? or a fairy tale? What do we do when people, who seem very honest and sincere in their prayer and relationship with God also seem to be using scripture wrongly?

Maybe some of my questions are answered by Starr's question! Here is what Starr had to say:

One of my questions I'd like to think about is, Are we asking the right question when we say is this right or wrong in God's eyes.  I struggle with wanting to clearly define things at times .  Honestly, to not be so preoccupied about right and wrong could be very freeing in some ways .. But a difficult path to walk.

Please feel free to send more thoughts and questions in the comments or in email, and I will continue to add them to THIS post as late as 10pm tonight...

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I wanted to add some quotes from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, chapter 22, as I think they relate to the topic at hand. From the beginning of the chapter:

If this Chapter means nothing to you, if it seems to be trying to answer questions you never asked, drop it at once. Do not bother about it at all. There are certain things in Christianity that can be understood from the outside, before you have become a Christian. But there are a great many things that cannot be understood until after you have gone a certain distance along the Christian road. These things are purely practical, though they do not look as if they were. They are directions for dealing with particular cross-roads and obstacles on the journey and they do not make sense until a man has reached those places. When ever you find any statement in Christian writings which you can make nothing of, do not worry. Leave it alone. There will come a day, perhaps years later, when you suddenly see what it meant. If one could understand it now, it would only do one harm.

And from the end of the chapter:

I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at the first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke. Every one there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes. But this is near the stage where the road passes over the rim of our world. No one's eyes can see very far beyond that: lots of people's eyes can see further than mine.

 You can read the whole chapter here: http://readanybooks.net/fantasticfiction/Mere-Christianity/14792.html