iHOPE

Pastor's Class: Faithing the Issues

Are you tired of hearing people talk (argue) about the serious issues of life as if there were only two alternatives (right v. left)?

Do you wish you could have a place to discuss and explore the issues in a way that wasn't so confrontational?

Would you like to see how we can apply our faith to the issues of the day- even if we don't all come up with the same answers?

Then this year's Pastor's Class may be for you!

Beginning the first week of October, I will be leading the class, "Faithing the Issues". It will look at how we apply the Bible and our Faith to the some of the toughest questions of our day (Abortion, Euthanasia, Evolution, Homosexuality, Heaven/Hell,- that should be a good start!). We will be using the book, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White:  Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics by Adam Hamilton as a 'source book' (that means we aren't doing a study of his book as much as using his material for our study).  You can pick up a copy at church for $15.

As in the past, the class will be held on Wednesday nights (6:45- 8:00) and Thursday mornings (10:15- 11:30), with the same content presented at each time. Participants are welcome to move between class times as their schedules allow. What will be different from past years is that while the first 5-6 classes will be "content" oriented (with me presenting some basic concepts and principles, a large part of this class will be built on class discussion.

This is a topic that is critically needed in the Church today and I have been wanting to get at this for a long time. Anyone who has been a part of my last classes knows that we will not suffer from 'group-think'!- we always have a wide spectrum of opinion and beliefs that are represented. I'm looking forward to this  class and invite you to participate. Let's "Faith" the Issues!

We'll start on Wednedsday/Thursday (October 5th/6th). We'll meet weekly with a break for Christmas/New Years and conclude about the middle of February (I'm going to do a different class for Lent).

Quotes from Sunday

Here are the quotes I used on Sunday in worship about...Worship!

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are like half-hearted creatures who fool about with sex and drink and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.   We are like children who would rather go on making mud-pies in a slum because we cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.  We are far too easily pleased.

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Our century is probably more religious than any other. How could it fail to be, with such problems to be solved? The only trouble is that it has not yet found a God it can adore.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

 From the Garden onward, evil drives us to fixate on what is small and insignificant- to lose life not to gain it; to become people of small soul, not great. We fiddle with the petty.  We are drawn to ever smaller appetites in the name of fashion, competition, power and addiction.  Our world easily shrinks down to our size.  Sin diminishes our ability to see, desire, or imagine real goodness.

Mark Labbarton, The Dangerous Act of Worship

The Wonders of the Universe

  Want a great way to start your week?  Check out this video.   It is a resource from BioLogos, a group that seeks to 'explore, celebrate, and promote the harmony of science and the Christian faith.'  It is a great resource. If you are looking for a way to bring your faith and science together in a meaningful conversation, this is a place to do it.  It was started by Francis Collins whose book The Language of God is listed in the 'Books Worth Reading' section (on the left). 

  There is much to explore on this site, but the link today takes you to a newer feature. Every Sunday, they started posting a worship-oriented blog. This is a wonderful video set to music. The accompanying 'meditation' is pretty good, too.

  Enjoy!

 

The Language of God

 
The book I mentioned this morning in worship is The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.  It is by Francis Collins, who headed the Human Genome Project.  You can get buying information in the Books Worth Reading section on the left.

  Collins uses the first part of his book to tell the story of how he came to faith. He began with no religious background and realized he was an agnostic. He became an atheist as he got older and entered med school.

 Two things began to shake his atheism. The first was the solid faith of those he cared for as a third year student. Even in the midst of intense suffering, some of his patients seemed to be in touch with a spiritual reality he couldn't see, but admired.

  He began to read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, which convinced him that faith in God was anything but mindless.  More than that, it challenged Collins that HE was the one who had been intellectually dishonest.

  The second thing that shook Collins was the study in his own field of genetics. As more was discovered, the more he was amazed at the intricacy and complexity of the universe and he became more and more open to the belief in God.

  As he tells his story of his eventual conversion to Christianity, Collins also tells the story of the Human Genome Project as well as his reflections on evolution and the creative work of God. The larger question he answers is whether or not there can be satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews. The short answer is, 'Yes!'. For the longer answer, you'll have to read the book!