Colleagues List, July 28th, 2013

Vol IX No.2.

****

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

"Quicklinks" are included with many items.
Otherwise, scroll down to find your selection
in the body of the blog.

****

Dear Friends:

This week I introduce a book that is a
bit different from many you encounter
here.

It is entitled "How Maps Change Things"
and it helps me connect with two
colleagues, Jim Taylor of British Columbia
and Art Bauer of New Jersey.

I think you will enjoy this book.

http://tinyurl.com/ls6rfbs
http://tinyurl.com/n72wfaf

--

Colleague Comment:

This week we hear briefly from
Trudy Fisk of Calgary who was
part of our Monday Night Book
Studies for many years.

--

Colleague Contributions:

This week -

John Stackhouse Jr, of Vancouver
http://tinyurl.com/mduqs6j

Doug Koop, of Winnipeg
http://tinyurl.com/nxllmj6

Martin Marty, of Chicago
http://tinyurl.com/mqy58jv

Ron Rolheiser, of San Antonio
http://tinyurl.com/kcbc4h4

--

Net Notes:

"Anglican Hails Mandela's 95th" -
the primate sends his good wishes
on the occasion of a great man's
birthday (Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/mzl5347

"Francis S, Collins Interviewed" -
an evangelical Christian with an
important American scientific position
talks to the New York Times
(NYT Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/mlpusnr

"Flooding Disaster in Northern India" -
for those who thought Calgary and
Southern Alberta were bad, here is
a much more tragic flood story
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/q5k7jr8

"The Tragic Legacy of Orissa State" -
The Indian State in the northeastern
part of the country continues to suffer
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/ofro53e

"Francis Comes to Brazil Modestly" -
the papal visit is the pope's first, to
a neighbouring South American nation.
Here are several reports this week
(NY Times, National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/kneb5ep
http://tinyurl.com/n88yw8x

"Brazil's Changing Religious Ethos" -
this nation, once almost totally Catholic
is losing a growing percentage of it
population to evangelical Protestants
(Pew Forum Website)
http://tinyurl.com/mmwd65c

"Vatican Issues Time Off Purgatory" -
the announcement about the papal
trip, purgatory and tweets sets off
a media frenzy - including these
(Guardian UK, Globe and Mail, CNN)
http://tinyurl.com/map4vtn
http://tinyurl.com/ljpvbra
http://tinyurl.com/n93rt4h

"How the Church Fails the Divorced" -
an important article for many, including
those in ministry with which I can also
identify personally (Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/o884gjy

"Some Mormons Search, Find Doubt" -
a leader of the Mormon Church in
Sweden is interviewed, and his story
published (New York Times)
http://tinyurl.com/k549ffc

"Indian Christians Lose Faith in Congress" -
many hoped that the return of the classic
Indian secularist party to power would bring
a reduction in religious persecution
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/ku853pl

"Legacy of the American Protestant Mainline"
- a helpful article on how the Mainline
Protestant tradition has contributed much
to the development of life in the USA
(New York Times) http://tinyurl.com/ldjwfby

--

Wisdom of the Week:

Provided by Sojourners Online -

This week we hear from -

Don Samuel, Flannery O'Connor, Albert Luthuli
Dorothy Day, Madeleine L'Engle, Simone Weil
Joan Chittister and D.H. Lawrence
(see quotes, below)

--

On This Day:

July 14th - 27th

Russian Czar, Family, Killed by Bolsheviks
http://tinyurl.com/kznsd64

Spanish Civil War Begins
http://tinyurl.com/lg2h5xj

Churchill Launches VE Day
http://tinyurl.com/knmvz5p

"Monkey Trial" Ends in Conviction
http://tinyurl.com/cnqvw

Korean War Ends With Armistice
http://tinyurl.com/ln5z2w

--

Closing Thought:

This week Desmond Tutu concludes the mailing
with a helpful quote on what it means to preach
the Gospel (see quote, below)

--

Summer greetings to those of you in
the global North! I return in two weeks.

Wayne

*****

UPCOMING ACTIVITY AT THE CHURCH -

TURKEY TOUR

REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION
St. David's United Church, Calgary

Sunday, September 8th, 2013
10:00 AM

Members of the tour will present
thoughts on their experiences
in April and May of this year.
(more to follow)

*****

MY AUTUMN PROGRAMS AT
THE CHURCH AND UNIVERSITY

FALL MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
ST. DAVID'S UNITED CHURCH

"Immortal Diamond - The Search
 for the True Self"" by Richard Rohr

Description of the Book:
http://tinyurl.com/n9ymr59

Mondays, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 16th - November 25th, 2013

Team Taught With Jock McTavish
Books on sale at the church Sunday, August 26th
Registration, Hospitality and Book - $50.00
Book only - $20.

*****

FALL TUESDAY NIGHT UNIVERSITY COURSE

"Heresies and Heretics" -
 Encountering the Early Church Controversies
 by Bart Ehrmann

Tuesday, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 24th - December 3rd, 2013
(no class, October 7th)

Description and Registration Info:
http://tinyurl.com/qcs6hx7

Jock McTavish will offer two video sessions
to complement the series

--

Coming this Winter:

"The Evolution of God" a study of the book
 by Robert Wright. January-March, 2014

******

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4

This collection of study resources represents
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at
St. David's, plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.

*****************

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

HOW MAPS CHANGE THINGS
A Conversation About the Maps
We Choose and the World We Want,
by Ward L Kaiser, with study guide
by James Taylor

Copper House, imprint of
Wood Lake Publishing
Kelowna, BC, 2013. Paper.
160 pages. $23.16 CAD
ISBN # 978-1-77064-566-0

Kindle Edition: $9.99 CAD

Publishers Promo:

This full-colour book is about politics and faith
and the values we hold. It’s about human relations,
social justice, peace, budgets, and environmental
concerns. It’s about that “Aha!” moment when we
realize that maps are loaded not just with data, but
with meaning, with the map maker’s perceptions and
prejudices about what’s important and what’s not.
Ultimately, this book is about becoming aware of
how we shape and use maps and how they in turn
shape us, so that we can begin to reflect on and
choose the kind of world we want.

The book includes an experiential Study Guide
perfect for use by adult and youth study groups
of all kinds.

Author Ward Kaiser brings to this book broad
experience as a publisher, business and ecumenical
executive, pastor, teacher, and community organizer.
He introduced the Peters Projection world map to
North America, publishing its first English-language
version in 1983. His handbook to that map, A New
View of the World, is widely used by high school
and college teachers, mission educators, and social
activists. He and his wife, Lorraine, divide their time
between central Florida and the Niagara Peninsula
of Ontario, Canada.

--

Author's Words:

(This is a book about) looking at things in a
new way. (It is about) letting go of an idea (we)
have always known to be absolutely right..

To dream. To test ideas. To open (ourselves) to
new possibilities....

Clearly, what this book is about is maps -
many maps - with special attention to the
Peters map of the world. At a deeper level,
it's about how we shape and use maps, and
how they in turn shape us. In short, it's about
you and me and ways of seeing: how we see
the world and therefore how we understand
our place in it, how we connect to it and to see
all the people we share this spaceship we call
Earth..

Talking about maps may seem impractical in
light of the great technological changes we are
experiencing in our time...This book attempts
to persuade you otherwise. We contend ...
that in the world we are now entering, maps
will belong front and center.

What we will be focusing on is the need and
possibility of gaining a new vantage point,
a differing perspective.

- from the Preface

--

My Comments:

Here are some important links to
visit in light of this book notice:

Classic Mercator vs. Peters Maps Compared:
http://www.petersmap.com/page2.html

Peters World Maps (click to enlarge)
http://www.petersmap.com/

Wikipedia Biography of Arno Peters (limited)::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Peters

--

I was first introduced to the Peters maps
about twenty-five years ago by friend and
colleague Arthur Bauer. At the time, he was
director of the mission interpretation office
of the Lutheran Church in America, New York,
and he continues to be a friend and colleague
to this day. Peters continues to inform our
engaging conversations and evolving worldviews.

I have learned that the Peters Projections
are profound. They help deal with reality
on many levels - personal, spiritual, social,
political - and that is just for starters!

Maps help shape and define our worldviews.
But what happens when the worlds in which
we live change, and change quickly?

We need ways of reshaping our perspectives
to help us make sense of reality as it is
being transformed before our very eyes.

--

There are maps that divide and maps that unite.

Ward K. Kaiser provides a helpful example.
in chapter two which is entitled: "Maps Send
Messages." He describes the conflict of
perspectives that took place several years
ago in the Grand River region of Southern Ontario,
between the citizens of Caledonia, and
the Six Nations people living on the local reserve.

The native and non-native groups were working
with two different territorial maps. The first
was developed in 1784 and the second, over
the years since. The first described lands
that were apparently granted the Six Nations
before white settlement had developed. The
second described the land that was understood
to be in the possession of the non-natives.

Obviously, we can experience great distress
and dislocation depending on which map is
to be considered the "official" one. That is
just what happened, and the matter remains
unsettled to this day.

The changing face of global Christianity
is another case in point. When church leaders
in the Northern Hemisphere encounter
growing Christian challenges from the
Global South, we can determine to hold
on to old maps, or to begin working together
to create new ones.

Take this idea and apply it further -
- Islamic vs Christian, for example -
and we can see how high the stakes.

Or apply it on much more local terms -
like the way two people in a marriage
view the "map" of their respective
relational turf...

Maps shape our sense of reality.
Reality is often very different from
the map that we happen to follow.

This book starts us on an intriguing
journey of creating realistic maps -
together.

--

Jim Taylor does a good job of producing a
study guide to help church people work on
these issues in small groups. He is to be
commended for his efforts to transform
grand theories into practical, down-to-earth
experiences.

--

If you like challenges, this book is a good one.
It is surprising and enlightening to work with
these concepts - personally and communally .

We certainly have a lot to learn.

--

Buy the Book from
Wood Lake Press:
http://tinyurl.com/ls6rfbs

Buy the Kindle Edition from
Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/n72wfaf


*****

COLLEAGUE COMMENT

TRUDY FISK,
Calgary, AB

Dear Wayne

Thank you for keeping me on your mailing list.
I have enjoyed the content but am now not
(able to read) as much.

I wish you well.

Trudy

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.
Vancouver, BC

Sightings
July 18th, 2013

"De-Christianization Continues in Canada"

http://tinyurl.com/mduqs6j

--

DOUG KOOP
Winnipeg, MB.

Faith Today
July/Aug, 2013

"Family Matters More than Work"

http://tinyurl.com/nxllmj6

(click to enlarge Doug's page)

--

MARTIN MARY
Chicago, IL

Sightings
July 22nd, 2012

"Mainline Decline, Decline Talk, \
  Decline-ism, Etc."

http://tinyurl.com/mqy58jv

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Website
July 21st, 2013

"On Whining and Weeping"

http://tinyurl.com/kcbc4h4

*****

NET NOTES

ANGLICAN HAILS MANDELA'S 95TH
Primate Joins Global Praise for African Hero

Anglican Journal
July 18th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/mzl5347

--

FRANCIS S. COLLINS INTERVIEWED
Author of "The Language of God"
Reads Dawkins and Hitchens

New York Times Review of Books
July 28th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/mlpusnr

--

FLOODING IN NORTHERN INDIA
Large Losses, Compared to Calgary

UCA News
July 15th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/q5k7jr8

--

THE TRAGIC LEGACY OF ORISSA STATE
Abuse of Indian Poor in Wake of Terrorism

UCA News
July 27th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/ofro53e

--

FRANCIS COMES TO BRAZIL MODESTLY
Millions Greet Him on First Overseas Venture

New York Times
July 22nd, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/kneb5ep

Catholic Right Wing Not Happy With Pope
His Open Stance Seen as Threat to Church

National Catholic Reporter
July 24th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/n88yw8x


--

BRAZIL'S CHANGING RELIGIOUS ETHOS
The Rise of Protestant Christianity

Pew Forum Website
July, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/mmwd65c

--

VATICAN OFFERS TIME OFF PURGATORY
For Followers of Francis Youth Day Tweets

The Guardian, UK
July 16th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/map4vtn

Another Perspective, Another Generation

Globe and Mail
July 20th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/ljpvbra

How the Media Misread the Indulgence Story

CNN Belief Blog,
July 18th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/n93rt4h

--

HOW THE CHURCH FAILS THE DIVORCED
Still a Difficult Ministry to Perform

The Christian Century
July 10th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/o884gjy

--

SOME MORMONS SEARCH, FIND DOUBT
His Concerns Were Ignored by Colleagues

New York Times
July 21st, 2013

Article and Video Interview
http://tinyurl.com/k549ffc

--

INDIAN CHRISTIANS LOSE FAITH IN CONGRESS
Ruling Party No Longer Stands By Its Secular Ideals

UCA News
July 25th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/ku853pl

--

LEGACY OF THE US PROTESTANT MAINLINE
Liberal Churches Have Contributed Much

New York Times
July 24th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/ldjwfby

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online -

Peace for humanity is not only the absence
of war, or the end of violence. For us Christians,
peace is based on a fundamental new relationship
between mankind and God. That is why Christ said
he brought peace, 'not as the world gives.'

He brought a different peace.

- Don Samuel

--

The truth does not change according to
our ability to stomach it.

- Flannery O'Connor

--

It is inevitable that in working for freedom
some individuals and some families must
take the lead and suffer: the road to freedom
is via the cross.

- Albert Luthuli

The only conclusion I have ever been able to reach
 is that we must pray God to increase our faith, a
faith without which one cannot love or hope.
'Lord believe, help though my unbelief.'

- Dorothy Day

--

I sit on my favorite rock, looking over the brook,
to take time away from busy-ness, time to be. ...
It's something we all need for our spiritual health,
and often we don't take enough of it.

- Madeleine L'Engle

--

Humility is attentive patience.

- Simone Weil

---

Compassion for the other comes out of our
ability to accept ourselves. Until we realize both
our own weaknesses and our own privileges, we
can never tolerate lack of status and depth of
weakness in the other.

- Joan Chittister

--

Plant consciousness, insect consciousness,
fish consciousness, animal consciousness,
are all related by one permanent element,
which we may call the religious element in all life,
even in a flea: the sense of wonder. That is our
sixth sense. And it is the natural religious sense.

- D.H. Lawrence

*****

ON THIS DAY

July 14th - 27th

Provided from the archives
of the New York Times

RUSSIAN CZAR, FAMILY KILLED BY BOLSHEVIKS
http://tinyurl.com/kznsd64

SPANISH CIVIL WAR BEGINS
http://tinyurl.com/lg2h5xj

CHURCHILL LAUNCHES VE DAY
http://tinyurl.com/knmvz5p

'MONKEY' TRIAL ENDS IN CONVICTION
http://tinyurl.com/cnqvw

KOREAN WAR ENDS; ARMISTICE SIGNED
http://tinyurl.com/ln5z2w

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

DESMOND TUTU

I don't preach a social gospel; I preach the
gospel, period. The gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ is concerned with the whole person.
When people were hungry, Jesus didn't say,
'Now is that political or social?' He said,
'I feed you.' Because the good news to a
hungry person is bread.

(end)