An Irish Blessing
May the blessing of light be upon you,
light on the outside, light on the inside.
With God's sunlight shining on you,
may your heart glow with warmth like a turf fire
that welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the light of the Lord shine from your eyes
like a candle in the window
welcoming the weary traveler.
May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you
falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul
with the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you
carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean,
sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of God's earth be on you.
And as you walk the roads,
may you always have a kind word for those you meet.
May you understand the strength and power of God
in a thunderstorm in winter,
and the quiet beauty of creation
in the calm of a summer sunset.
And may you come to realize that,
insignificant as you may seem in this great universe,
you "are" an important part of God's plan.
May He watch over you
and keep you safe from harm.
( I love this song - part Gaelic- any Irish in our midst ?)
music Roma Downey and Phil. Coulter (Touched by an Angel)
Scroll down to the very bottom - click arrow on Real Player
http://www.jessiesweb.com/blessing.htm
Showing posts with label gems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gems. Show all posts
March 12, 2007
February 14, 2007
Walter Wink and the New Testament
I think I want to explore Walter Wink. I never heard of him before WonderCafe. Here he is quoted by Rev. James Murray to explore homosexuality in the New Testament. Often when Leviticus is quoted, it is easy to counter those quotes as many of the beliefs found in it are dismissable - stoning rebellious teenagers, preventing women from leaving their homes during their menstral cycle, etc. I find wrestling with the translations of Paul not as effective, but do like the story of the baptism of the Eunuch as helpful.
Rev. Murray wrote:
Walter Wink makes this point about how we all interpret the Bible's injunctions about sexuality.
"For example, virtually all modern readers would agree with the Bible in rejecting: incest, rape, adultery, and intercourse with animals. But we disagree with the Bible on most other sexual mores. The Bible condemned the following behaviors which we generally allow: intercourse during menstruation, celibacy, exogamy (marriage with non-Jews), naming sexual organs, nudity (under certain conditions), masturbation (some Christians still condemn this), birth control (some Christians still forbid this).
And the Bible regarded semen and menstrual blood as unclean, which most of us do not. Likewise, the Bible permitted behaviors that we today condemn: prostitution, polygamy, levirate marriage, sex with slaves, concubinage, treatment of women as property, and very early marriage (for the girl, age 11-13).
And while the Old Testament accepted divorce, Jesus forbade it. In short, of the sexual mores mentioned here, we only agree with the Bible on four of them, and disagree with it on sixteen!"
I could respect the opinion of someone who spoke against homosexuality if they abided by all of these Biblical standards. Homosexuality is no better or worse than any of these other sexual issues. By how we are abiding by the commandments on this list, we are all either A) condemned to hell or B) part of an ever-evolving process of learning how to live together in an ethical manner.
Rev. Murray wrote:
Walter Wink makes this point about how we all interpret the Bible's injunctions about sexuality.
"For example, virtually all modern readers would agree with the Bible in rejecting: incest, rape, adultery, and intercourse with animals. But we disagree with the Bible on most other sexual mores. The Bible condemned the following behaviors which we generally allow: intercourse during menstruation, celibacy, exogamy (marriage with non-Jews), naming sexual organs, nudity (under certain conditions), masturbation (some Christians still condemn this), birth control (some Christians still forbid this).
And the Bible regarded semen and menstrual blood as unclean, which most of us do not. Likewise, the Bible permitted behaviors that we today condemn: prostitution, polygamy, levirate marriage, sex with slaves, concubinage, treatment of women as property, and very early marriage (for the girl, age 11-13).
And while the Old Testament accepted divorce, Jesus forbade it. In short, of the sexual mores mentioned here, we only agree with the Bible on four of them, and disagree with it on sixteen!"
I could respect the opinion of someone who spoke against homosexuality if they abided by all of these Biblical standards. Homosexuality is no better or worse than any of these other sexual issues. By how we are abiding by the commandments on this list, we are all either A) condemned to hell or B) part of an ever-evolving process of learning how to live together in an ethical manner.
January 26, 2007
Noah's Ark and the beauty of Myth
This was part of a thread on the Bible and whether it should be read as myth, fact or legend. I found it fascinating.
JamesK (Fri, Jan 26/07, 04:34 pm)wrote:
Serena
I believe the pile of pages we call the Bible is a fact. And history points out that it is a selection of old (and very old) writings, all of which were created by men and, possibly, women. The "selecting" and discarding was done by other men.
What they selected was a mixture of myths and legends.
Noah and his ark is a myth because it is totally unworkable (for one, you can't flood the whole earth).
Many of the Old Testament stories are likely legends because they contain some elements of what probably happened.
Most of the New Testament is likely fact but got a bit twisted in the telling and recording.
In short - the Bible is a huge mixture.
monasksit (Fri, Jan 26/07 08:38 pm) wrote:
Floating boats and Noah's ark, how about this tidbit I stumbled on from Genesis:
Gen 6:19"(U)And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20"(V)Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
Gen 7:2"You shall take with you of every (B)clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female;
3also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
Almost like two versions of the same story, one, the one I was more familiar with, using the common two-by-two motif, then the lesser- known seven-by-seven (or I guess that would be actually 7 pairs so it would be 14 by 14), creating havoc in many illustrators lives for sure.
Beautiful, wonderful, mystical and inspiring myth that challenged our ancestors and still makes us pause to think even in this modern era. Amen and Awomen!
klaatu (Fri, Jan 26/07 08:40 pm):
"Beautiful, wonderful, mystical and inspiring myth that challenged our ancestors and still makes us pause to think even in this modern era."
You got it, monaskit!
StephenGordon (Fri, Jan 26/07 09:24 pm):
trivia tidbit I once heard but am not certain of, my math skills are terrible. The 7 clean was supposedly done so that while the land was flooded Noah would not have to eat of the unclean.... I'm just saying...
I think the more mystical, interpretive tidbit to chew on is that Noah knew what was clean and unclean before the giving of Torah on Mt. Sinai. This is also apparently when humans began eating meat. =)
monasksit (Fri, Jan 26/07 09:47 pm):
Oooh, good point! Noah was not only 600 years old, but he could see the future and Moses's orders about diet. Cool! Too bad he didn't warn his descendants to not sew coats of many colors for their spoiled youngest sons :)
Myths are meaningful, I repeat, Myths are meaningful!
StephenGordon (Fri, Jan 26/07 10:11 pm):
Noah is a good place to also see the influence the time period had on the importance of recorded events.There were eight people remaining in the entire world. They were Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth... and??? and??? well Noah's wife and the son's wives.... their names were???
Some things were important in ancient times and some things were not.
JamesK (Fri, Jan 26/07, 04:34 pm)wrote:
Serena
I believe the pile of pages we call the Bible is a fact. And history points out that it is a selection of old (and very old) writings, all of which were created by men and, possibly, women. The "selecting" and discarding was done by other men.
What they selected was a mixture of myths and legends.
Noah and his ark is a myth because it is totally unworkable (for one, you can't flood the whole earth).
Many of the Old Testament stories are likely legends because they contain some elements of what probably happened.
Most of the New Testament is likely fact but got a bit twisted in the telling and recording.
In short - the Bible is a huge mixture.
monasksit (Fri, Jan 26/07 08:38 pm) wrote:
Floating boats and Noah's ark, how about this tidbit I stumbled on from Genesis:
Gen 6:19"(U)And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20"(V)Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
Gen 7:2"You shall take with you of every (B)clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female;
3also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
Almost like two versions of the same story, one, the one I was more familiar with, using the common two-by-two motif, then the lesser- known seven-by-seven (or I guess that would be actually 7 pairs so it would be 14 by 14), creating havoc in many illustrators lives for sure.
Beautiful, wonderful, mystical and inspiring myth that challenged our ancestors and still makes us pause to think even in this modern era. Amen and Awomen!
klaatu (Fri, Jan 26/07 08:40 pm):
"Beautiful, wonderful, mystical and inspiring myth that challenged our ancestors and still makes us pause to think even in this modern era."
You got it, monaskit!
StephenGordon (Fri, Jan 26/07 09:24 pm):
trivia tidbit I once heard but am not certain of, my math skills are terrible. The 7 clean was supposedly done so that while the land was flooded Noah would not have to eat of the unclean.... I'm just saying...
I think the more mystical, interpretive tidbit to chew on is that Noah knew what was clean and unclean before the giving of Torah on Mt. Sinai. This is also apparently when humans began eating meat. =)
monasksit (Fri, Jan 26/07 09:47 pm):
Oooh, good point! Noah was not only 600 years old, but he could see the future and Moses's orders about diet. Cool! Too bad he didn't warn his descendants to not sew coats of many colors for their spoiled youngest sons :)
Myths are meaningful, I repeat, Myths are meaningful!
StephenGordon (Fri, Jan 26/07 10:11 pm):
Noah is a good place to also see the influence the time period had on the importance of recorded events.There were eight people remaining in the entire world. They were Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth... and??? and??? well Noah's wife and the son's wives.... their names were???
Some things were important in ancient times and some things were not.
January 19, 2007
Reading Scripture the Jewish way
A wondercafe poster has been explaining scripture in a very unique way. She has a lot of experience with Judaism, and the way it looks at the Bible is very refreshing. She sent me the following info:
It is PaRDeS. like a dreidel the letters are initials. They stand for Peshat, Remez, Derash, Sod.
Peshat = the surface meaning
Remez = allusions or allegories
Derash = midrash way of finding new lessons
Sod = the hidden mystical Kabbalah way
It is PaRDeS. like a dreidel the letters are initials. They stand for Peshat, Remez, Derash, Sod.
Peshat = the surface meaning
Remez = allusions or allegories
Derash = midrash way of finding new lessons
Sod = the hidden mystical Kabbalah way
January 03, 2007
The Bible on Homosexuality
Sighsnootles posted this on WonderCafe.ca and I think it is a great summation of the Bible's stance on Homosexuality.
Genesis 19: 1-28 - The ancient story of Sodom and Gomorrah
first of all, i want to say that the common reaction to this story ticks me off right from the get go... the fact that lot was going to send out his two daughters to be gang raped by an angry mob, and nobody has a problem with this?!?!? anyways, i digress....
there a few errors in the translation from the hebrew scriptures to the english version we have now that i feel are pretty major to the interpretation... the word that has been translated as intercourse is 'yada', which means 'get to know'. had the author of this scripture wanted to say that the mob wanted to have sexual intercourse with lots visitors, he probably would have used the word 'shakab'. this word denotes sexual activity. the word 'yada' appears in the hebrew scriptures over 900 times, and in every other context is used as meaning to get acquainted with someone. yet, in this particular passage, it somehow was changed to mean 'intercourse'.
therefore, that entire passage should read something more like this... 'where are the mortals who came here tonight?? bring them out here so that we may get acquainted with them.'
now, if you look at it again, there are a few other problems as well... for the story to be a condemnation of homosexuality, the ENTIRE CITY must have been homosexual. this is impossible, but even if it were true, why on earth would lot have sent his DAUGHTERS out to a homosexual male mob??? it states that lots daughters were virgins, and we know that sacrificing virgins was something very common in pagan idol worship. and we also know that lot lived in a pagan city.
elsewhere in the bible, sodom is refered to again, in ezekiel 16...
"Look! This is what proved to be the error of Sodom your sister: Pride, sufficiency of bread and the carefreeness of keeping undisturbed were what happened to belong to her and her dependent towns, and the hand of the afflicted one and the poor one she did not strengthen. And they continued to be haughty and to carry on a detestable thing before me, and I finally removed them, just as I saw fit"
the hebrew word that was translated as 'detestable thing' is towebah, and this word literally translates out as 'to commit idol worship'.
therefore, the problem of sodom and gamorrah isn't homosexuality at all. the sin commited here is idol worship.
______________________________________________
Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13
leviticus is an interesting book. if you look at the context of the time it was writeen, the isrealites were living in a real 'get out there and multiply' kind of time... they were the chosen ones, so they had a duty to be really fertile. therefore, even masturbation was a HUGE sin.
leviticus is also part of the 'mosaic law', which also forbade haircuts, shaving, and wearing clothing with blended fibres, among other things. the law was such that if you broke one law, then you were guilty of breaking them all.
so, for us to use the leviticus passages to condemn homosexuality, we would also be equally condemning people who shave and get their hair cut.
we allow people who shave and get their hair cut to get married, accept sacraments, and share equally in our church, so it doesn't make ANY sense whatsoever to forbid equality to homosexuals based on the levitical text.
__________________________________________
Romans 1:26-27
1 Cor. 6: 9-11
1 Tim. 1:9-11
i've discussed this one on another thread, but basically, the words that translated out as homosexual or 'men who lie with men' in these texts were 'arsenokoites' and 'malakos'.
arsenokoites litterally means 'lift bed', but bible scholars now believe that at the time, it was used to denote a male temple prostitute. malakos litterally translates out as 'spineless', or coward.
now, in my 'new american bible for catholics', there is an asterisk by the term 'homosexual' in these particular passages, which states...
'the term translated as 'practicing homosexuals' refers to adult males who indulged in homosexual practices with boy prostitutes, i.e.boys or young men who were kept for the purposes of prostitution, a practice not uncommon in the greco-roman world.'
therefore, i'd suggest that the texts above are a condemnation of pedophilia, prostitution, promiscuity, and idolatry, and not at all a condemnation of a consensual, committed homosexual relationship.
Genesis 19: 1-28 - The ancient story of Sodom and Gomorrah
first of all, i want to say that the common reaction to this story ticks me off right from the get go... the fact that lot was going to send out his two daughters to be gang raped by an angry mob, and nobody has a problem with this?!?!? anyways, i digress....
there a few errors in the translation from the hebrew scriptures to the english version we have now that i feel are pretty major to the interpretation... the word that has been translated as intercourse is 'yada', which means 'get to know'. had the author of this scripture wanted to say that the mob wanted to have sexual intercourse with lots visitors, he probably would have used the word 'shakab'. this word denotes sexual activity. the word 'yada' appears in the hebrew scriptures over 900 times, and in every other context is used as meaning to get acquainted with someone. yet, in this particular passage, it somehow was changed to mean 'intercourse'.
therefore, that entire passage should read something more like this... 'where are the mortals who came here tonight?? bring them out here so that we may get acquainted with them.'
now, if you look at it again, there are a few other problems as well... for the story to be a condemnation of homosexuality, the ENTIRE CITY must have been homosexual. this is impossible, but even if it were true, why on earth would lot have sent his DAUGHTERS out to a homosexual male mob??? it states that lots daughters were virgins, and we know that sacrificing virgins was something very common in pagan idol worship. and we also know that lot lived in a pagan city.
elsewhere in the bible, sodom is refered to again, in ezekiel 16...
"Look! This is what proved to be the error of Sodom your sister: Pride, sufficiency of bread and the carefreeness of keeping undisturbed were what happened to belong to her and her dependent towns, and the hand of the afflicted one and the poor one she did not strengthen. And they continued to be haughty and to carry on a detestable thing before me, and I finally removed them, just as I saw fit"
the hebrew word that was translated as 'detestable thing' is towebah, and this word literally translates out as 'to commit idol worship'.
therefore, the problem of sodom and gamorrah isn't homosexuality at all. the sin commited here is idol worship.
______________________________________________
Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13
leviticus is an interesting book. if you look at the context of the time it was writeen, the isrealites were living in a real 'get out there and multiply' kind of time... they were the chosen ones, so they had a duty to be really fertile. therefore, even masturbation was a HUGE sin.
leviticus is also part of the 'mosaic law', which also forbade haircuts, shaving, and wearing clothing with blended fibres, among other things. the law was such that if you broke one law, then you were guilty of breaking them all.
so, for us to use the leviticus passages to condemn homosexuality, we would also be equally condemning people who shave and get their hair cut.
we allow people who shave and get their hair cut to get married, accept sacraments, and share equally in our church, so it doesn't make ANY sense whatsoever to forbid equality to homosexuals based on the levitical text.
__________________________________________
Romans 1:26-27
1 Cor. 6: 9-11
1 Tim. 1:9-11
i've discussed this one on another thread, but basically, the words that translated out as homosexual or 'men who lie with men' in these texts were 'arsenokoites' and 'malakos'.
arsenokoites litterally means 'lift bed', but bible scholars now believe that at the time, it was used to denote a male temple prostitute. malakos litterally translates out as 'spineless', or coward.
now, in my 'new american bible for catholics', there is an asterisk by the term 'homosexual' in these particular passages, which states...
'the term translated as 'practicing homosexuals' refers to adult males who indulged in homosexual practices with boy prostitutes, i.e.boys or young men who were kept for the purposes of prostitution, a practice not uncommon in the greco-roman world.'
therefore, i'd suggest that the texts above are a condemnation of pedophilia, prostitution, promiscuity, and idolatry, and not at all a condemnation of a consensual, committed homosexual relationship.
December 31, 2006
Holy Longing, by Ronald Rolheiser
A WonderCafe post:
I've just been reading an interesting book which aims to define a "Christian spirituality". The author's view of spirituality is that every person is powered by a life energy (I guess Christians would call it God's energy), and that what we choose to do with this energy is our spirituality.
He says that this energy is too wild and powerful to be handled all on our own; we either let it run away with us, in which case we end up being self-inflated and self-centered, or we try too hard to dampen it,in which case we become chronically depressed. So, this is how religion comes in - it gives us the guidelines and practices to help us balance this energy within us. Religion, therefore, enables a healthy spirituality.
He defines a healthy spirituality as the ability to experience a child-like delight in our lives; he also claims that the vast majority of adults in our society live lives of quiet depression (not clinical depression, mind you). And this is due in part of the collapse of religion in our lives.
I'm wondering what people's responses are to this definition of spirituality? And if this defintion doesn't fit with yours, how do you define spirituality?
“A quality that goes beyond religious affiliation, that strives for inspiration, reverence, awe, meaning, and purpose, even for those who do not believe in any god. The spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, strives for answers about the infinite, and comes into focus when a person faces emotional stress, physical illness, and death.” (Brighton and South Downs Trust, cited in "Spirituality and Ageing" by Jewell, 1999).
Indeed, I shared the ideas from the beginning of Rolheiser's train of thought, which describe an over-arching paradigm of spirituality, without a specifically Christian perspective.
He does go on to outline 4 essential pillars for Christian spirituality, which of course reflect what EZ has been describing. They are:
a. private prayer and personal integrity
b. social justice
c. mellowness (gratefulness) of heart and spirit
d. community
He says that without all 4 pieces in place, we cannot have a healthy Christian spirituality.
I've just been reading an interesting book which aims to define a "Christian spirituality". The author's view of spirituality is that every person is powered by a life energy (I guess Christians would call it God's energy), and that what we choose to do with this energy is our spirituality.
He says that this energy is too wild and powerful to be handled all on our own; we either let it run away with us, in which case we end up being self-inflated and self-centered, or we try too hard to dampen it,in which case we become chronically depressed. So, this is how religion comes in - it gives us the guidelines and practices to help us balance this energy within us. Religion, therefore, enables a healthy spirituality.
He defines a healthy spirituality as the ability to experience a child-like delight in our lives; he also claims that the vast majority of adults in our society live lives of quiet depression (not clinical depression, mind you). And this is due in part of the collapse of religion in our lives.
I'm wondering what people's responses are to this definition of spirituality? And if this defintion doesn't fit with yours, how do you define spirituality?
“A quality that goes beyond religious affiliation, that strives for inspiration, reverence, awe, meaning, and purpose, even for those who do not believe in any god. The spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, strives for answers about the infinite, and comes into focus when a person faces emotional stress, physical illness, and death.” (Brighton and South Downs Trust, cited in "Spirituality and Ageing" by Jewell, 1999).
Indeed, I shared the ideas from the beginning of Rolheiser's train of thought, which describe an over-arching paradigm of spirituality, without a specifically Christian perspective.
He does go on to outline 4 essential pillars for Christian spirituality, which of course reflect what EZ has been describing. They are:
a. private prayer and personal integrity
b. social justice
c. mellowness (gratefulness) of heart and spirit
d. community
He says that without all 4 pieces in place, we cannot have a healthy Christian spirituality.
December 07, 2006
Christian vs. Christ-follower
Here is a site shared on WonderCafe by Liquado
Liquado wrote: Awesome -- I love the parodies of the Apple ad campaign, and the laying of the smackdown on the "Christian" types. I don't tell people I'm "Christian," because I feel that word's been stolen from me by the fundies. Here's a little poke in the ribs to them. Enjoy!
Liquado wrote: Awesome -- I love the parodies of the Apple ad campaign, and the laying of the smackdown on the "Christian" types. I don't tell people I'm "Christian," because I feel that word's been stolen from me by the fundies. Here's a little poke in the ribs to them. Enjoy!
Sola Scriptura vs Wesley's methodism summary
This was posted by GospelCrazy on WonderCafe (Tue, Nov 14/06 05:31 pm) and I asked if I could quote him. He says it is not the best description, but off the top of the head in a nutshell summary. I find it helpful to know that it is an old tradition that was not invented by the United Church (contrary to some opinions stated on the site) but a well-thought out biblical approach.
The United Church does come from a reformed tradition, but it is also heavily influenced by John Wesley's "evangelical" methodism. Wesley was concerned with finding a way of being Christian that would speak to his people in his time and place, and he scoured every bit of tradtion he could get his hands on, including church fathers, Moravian theology, and parts of the Bible that were largely overlooked by the church leaders of his time. His criteria for it were: does it have authentic Christian background? and is it useful? A sort of pragmatic traditionalism.
Wesley taught four bases for theological reflection, so Sola Scriptura certainly does not apply to him. I have seen a number of UCC theologs referring to the four bases ("The Wesleyan Quadrilateral") in various threads on this forum.
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Various Methodist theologians have arranged the significance of these in various ways, but I believe (I stand to be corrected by those who are greater Wesley authorities than I) that he would have privileged Reason above the other three as the filter through which all else becomes meaningful.
I think this element of Wesley's teaching sheds a great deal of light on some of the conflicts that are taking place in this online community right now, as it is lived out in the lives of many UCC ministers and scholars and brings them into conflict with those who have a more reformed "Sola Scriptura" position.
I hope everything I have said is reasonably true to Wesley's actual teachings; I don't have my books with me. And I hope that this is helpful to you, Deo_gratias, in your attempts to better understand the United Church of Canada context.
Blessings,
Murray
The United Church does come from a reformed tradition, but it is also heavily influenced by John Wesley's "evangelical" methodism. Wesley was concerned with finding a way of being Christian that would speak to his people in his time and place, and he scoured every bit of tradtion he could get his hands on, including church fathers, Moravian theology, and parts of the Bible that were largely overlooked by the church leaders of his time. His criteria for it were: does it have authentic Christian background? and is it useful? A sort of pragmatic traditionalism.
Wesley taught four bases for theological reflection, so Sola Scriptura certainly does not apply to him. I have seen a number of UCC theologs referring to the four bases ("The Wesleyan Quadrilateral") in various threads on this forum.
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Various Methodist theologians have arranged the significance of these in various ways, but I believe (I stand to be corrected by those who are greater Wesley authorities than I) that he would have privileged Reason above the other three as the filter through which all else becomes meaningful.
I think this element of Wesley's teaching sheds a great deal of light on some of the conflicts that are taking place in this online community right now, as it is lived out in the lives of many UCC ministers and scholars and brings them into conflict with those who have a more reformed "Sola Scriptura" position.
I hope everything I have said is reasonably true to Wesley's actual teachings; I don't have my books with me. And I hope that this is helpful to you, Deo_gratias, in your attempts to better understand the United Church of Canada context.
Blessings,
Murray
Books to get you started
Here is the final list of books recommended in a discussion thread from WonderCafe. I have included ALL recommendations regardless of who posted them. People like EZ and RevJohn who posted a long list have had their names in the list as recommenders. I have a seperate section for fiction, and the only ranking I've done, other than that is putting the ones I'm familiar with near the beginning. Here it is and thanks to all the contributors!
MonAsksIt: Cracking The Cover - A Beginners Guide To The Bible by Ross Smillie
anything by Madeline L'Engle or Elizabeth Goudge or even Taylor Caldwell's "The Listener" (fiction) and Pilgrim’s Progress, a classic
Man's Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl
The Gospel According to Peanuts
The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg or Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel by Walter Wangerin
This United Church of Ours by Ralph Milton
The Idiots Guide to the Bible
C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
John Shelby Spong's Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism and Sins of Scripture
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the journals of Kierkegaard.
EZ Answer: "Christianity for Dummies" by Richard J. Wagner ISBN: 0764544829
"The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family" by Mark I. Pinsky, Tony Campolo (Foreword) ISBN: 0664224199
"Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore ISBN: 0380813815
Rev John: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love For Imperfect People by Mike Yaconelli.
Dangerous Wonders: The Adventure of Childlike Faith by Mike Yaconelli
What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey
Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan
Calvinism In The Las Vegas Airport by Richard J Mouw
Fiction: A Wrinkle in Time" (and the books that followed it) by Madeline L'Engle
The Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz
Narnia books, Screwtape Letters, the Planet series by C.S. Lewis
Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass
God for Beginners
Stormie Omartian's books The Power of a Praying (includes The Power of a Praying Wife, Parent and Woman).
TRAVELING MERCIES or Plan B by Anne Lamotts
The Purpose Driven Life" by Warren. (note, this is a rather conservative book)
PrazGod: The Word of God first, and then may I recommend the following:
- The Imitation of Christ - by Thomas A Kempis
- The Liturgy of Hours (also known as Breviary, Divine Office) - prayer
- The Perfect Prayer Book: My daily psalm book - arranged by Fr. Frey
- Living Faith day by day: How the sacred rules of Monastic traditions can help you live spirituality in the modern world - by Debra K Farrington
- Diary: Divine Mercy in my soul - by St. Faustina Kowalska
- Practicing basic Spiritual Disciplines - by Charles Stanley
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Heart of Joy: The transforming power of self giving - by Mother Teresa
- FromGenesis to Revelatioin: Seven Scriptural Rosaries - by Christine Haapala
- How to Listen to God -by Charles Stanley
-Visions of the Children - by J Connell
MonAsksIt: Cracking The Cover - A Beginners Guide To The Bible by Ross Smillie
anything by Madeline L'Engle or Elizabeth Goudge or even Taylor Caldwell's "The Listener" (fiction) and Pilgrim’s Progress, a classic
Man's Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl
The Gospel According to Peanuts
The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg or Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel by Walter Wangerin
This United Church of Ours by Ralph Milton
The Idiots Guide to the Bible
C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
John Shelby Spong's Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism and Sins of Scripture
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the journals of Kierkegaard.
EZ Answer: "Christianity for Dummies" by Richard J. Wagner ISBN: 0764544829
"The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family" by Mark I. Pinsky, Tony Campolo (Foreword) ISBN: 0664224199
"Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore ISBN: 0380813815
Rev John: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love For Imperfect People by Mike Yaconelli.
Dangerous Wonders: The Adventure of Childlike Faith by Mike Yaconelli
What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey
Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan
Calvinism In The Las Vegas Airport by Richard J Mouw
Fiction: A Wrinkle in Time" (and the books that followed it) by Madeline L'Engle
The Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz
Narnia books, Screwtape Letters, the Planet series by C.S. Lewis
Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass
God for Beginners
Stormie Omartian's books The Power of a Praying (includes The Power of a Praying Wife, Parent and Woman).
TRAVELING MERCIES or Plan B by Anne Lamotts
The Purpose Driven Life" by Warren. (note, this is a rather conservative book)
PrazGod: The Word of God first, and then may I recommend the following:
- The Imitation of Christ - by Thomas A Kempis
- The Liturgy of Hours (also known as Breviary, Divine Office) - prayer
- The Perfect Prayer Book: My daily psalm book - arranged by Fr. Frey
- Living Faith day by day: How the sacred rules of Monastic traditions can help you live spirituality in the modern world - by Debra K Farrington
- Diary: Divine Mercy in my soul - by St. Faustina Kowalska
- Practicing basic Spiritual Disciplines - by Charles Stanley
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Heart of Joy: The transforming power of self giving - by Mother Teresa
- FromGenesis to Revelatioin: Seven Scriptural Rosaries - by Christine Haapala
- How to Listen to God -by Charles Stanley
-Visions of the Children - by J Connell
November 15, 2006
Sermon Starters
These are some of the sermon topics that EZed Squirrel garnered from WonderCafe members:
For all you preachers out there, here is a list worthy of your consideration:
The true meaning of life
How to find your purpose in the world
Multi-faith expressions around peace and militant non-violence
Who's view of religion is right and why that is so
Nativity story as just that: story
Easter story as just that: story
What "right" means
Greed
The damage done by Biblical literalism
The need for reflection and journey
The "good life".
What to look for in a mate
How to be better parents/neighbours
Whether ethical funds are truly a good short-term investment
monasksit Wed, Nov 15/0602:40 pm: Hi, EZ, can I pass these on to my minister? He's already done the Easter and Nativity stories, and led book studies on Borg and Spong.
EZed Wed, Nov 15/0603:45 pm: EZ Answer: Yes...just send a cheque made out to EZ...never mind...you're family, so there's no cost.
As a sidebar, I think EZ is a definate asset to WonderCafe - cute, cuddly, asks good questions, and has a sense of humor as well!
For all you preachers out there, here is a list worthy of your consideration:
The true meaning of life
How to find your purpose in the world
Multi-faith expressions around peace and militant non-violence
Who's view of religion is right and why that is so
Nativity story as just that: story
Easter story as just that: story
What "right" means
Greed
The damage done by Biblical literalism
The need for reflection and journey
The "good life".
What to look for in a mate
How to be better parents/neighbours
Whether ethical funds are truly a good short-term investment
monasksit Wed, Nov 15/0602:40 pm: Hi, EZ, can I pass these on to my minister? He's already done the Easter and Nativity stories, and led book studies on Borg and Spong.
EZed Wed, Nov 15/0603:45 pm: EZ Answer: Yes...just send a cheque made out to EZ...never mind...you're family, so there's no cost.
As a sidebar, I think EZ is a definate asset to WonderCafe - cute, cuddly, asks good questions, and has a sense of humor as well!
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