Atheist Churches

Here's a link to the article Beth mentioned about atheist churches:

Athiest 'Mega-Churches' Take Root in the US, World

During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing renditions of "Lean on Me," "Here Comes the Sun" and other hits that took the place of gospel songs. Congregants dissolved into laughter at a get-to-know-you game that involved clapping and slapping the hands of the person next to them and applauded as members of the audience spoke about community service projects they had started in LA.

At the end, volunteers passed cardboard boxes for donations as attendees mingled over coffee and pastries and children played on the floor.

Fruit of the Spirit song

Here's a great kids song that goes really well with the scriptures and discussion we had during Week 3: Spirituality is Not Enough. Go Fish now does kids music, but I find myself singing this song throughout the day, too!

Preparing for Discussion - Religion: Spirituality is not Enough - Part 3

For a recap of Lillian Daniel's thoughts on religion and spirituality, visit her blog post here: Spiritual But Not Religious? Please Stop Boring Me. It's pretty short. Go ahead. Look it up.

Now consider these passages of scripture as you continue to sift through your ideas of religion and/or/vs spirituality:

-> Matthew 13: 1-43 This is the parable of the sower and the seeds. What does this passage mean about putting down roots? How does one put down roots and grow into a flourishing, fruit-producing plant?

-> Hosea 14 This is a passage about God renewing Israel, causing them to "bloom" again. The facilitator guide asks: Where is God in this passage? What is God doing? What are the qualities of God? And what insights does this text offer with regard to God's role in our blooming and growth?

-> 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 

-> Romans 12:3-8

These last two passages deal with "the body of Christ," the community of believers that make up the church. What does it mean that the we are all members of one body? Does this mean that we cannot possibly practice faith on our own? What about people, who find themselves unable to be part of a community of believers?

The facilitator guide also asks some questions for more personal reflection: What is your part in the body of Christ? What gifts do you bring? How do/could you contribute to the strength of the community? How challenging would it be to try to create a community with only your own personal gifts and strengths?

One final question that I continue to find myself asking: Why does the church community consider the early New Testament church to be the beginning of our religious and spiritual tradition? Is it not true that our tradition goes all the way back to Genesis? Why doesn't the church (as a general whole) celebrate Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, etc..., but we readily embrace Advent, Christmas, and Easter? When and why did this shift happen?

I thought it might also be fun and interesting to include this article on the role of traditions in families: Direction: Rituals and Family Strength. The role of traditions and rituals are much the same in the church "family," as they are in each of our individual families. Food for thought...

Peace!

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/