Building Bridges!

Guess I'm taking the easy way on this post as I'm just going to reproduce a note I recently received from Richard Rohr's Center for Action and Contemplation. It addresses the efficacy of building bridges instead of the historical path of walls.

"You and I are witnessing something transformational occurring in our own time. Do you percieve it?

I believe there is a deep shift in consciousness occuring in our day. You and I can be inspired by many prophetic voices not only describing, but also participating in this work and calling it forth.

They describe the magnitude of this shift in terms like "The Work that Reconnects" (Joanna Macy), "The Great Turning" (David Korten), "The Work" (Byron Katie), "The Dream of the Earth" (Thomas Berry), or "Integral Consciousness" (Ken Wilber).

And yet, other voices cry out even louder, it seems, in opposition to any shift away from the old, outmoded and destructive way of seeing and being in the world. We see evidence of this daily in the angry and uncivil public conversation in the media. The absolute unwillingness to compromise and work for the common good characterizes liberals and conservatives alike on almost every political, social, and church issue.

Now is the time for a wholly different mind to emerge. A mind and perspective that moves beyond the dualism of us versus them, beyond the partisanship of Left and Right, beyond the polarization of conservative or liberal. This painful moment cries out for transformation made possible only through what you and I have come to know as "contemplation."

For us, contemplation with action is the primary experiential form of re-education--of mind, emotions, and heart --and therefore of everything else! Contemplation opens us up to this shift in consciousness and sends us into creative action!

This is "the work" of the CAC both domestically and internationally in the area of Emerging Church, eco-spirituality, action and contemplation, two halves of life work, male and female spirituality, and non-dualistic or third way politics.

I believe this is the work of the Holy Spirit outpoured in our time. Let us pray and work in cooperation with this emerging Christianity, this shift in consciousness, and build bridges through the work of the Center for Action and Contemplation."

Mother's Day Tribute to God

Below is a copy of a sermon reflecting the "Maternal" side or nature of God.

‘God’s Maternal Nature’: One of the Best Mother’s Day Sermons I Can Rememberby Jim Wallis 05-10-2010
Yesterday I heard one of the best Mother’s Day sermons I can remember. It was by the pastor at our family’s church, Rev. Jeff Haggray of First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
It contains an amazing and quite radical declaration on Mother’s Day from Julia Ward Howe, the visionary behind the holiday, who also wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and later became a pacifist after witnessing the carnage of the Civil War. Jeff powerfully laid out the true history of this special day and drew out the theological meaning of “God’s Maternal Nature.” Joy and I were both moved to tears by his words.
“God’s Maternal Nature” John 14:23-29
Festival of the Christian Home/Mother’s Day
Sixth Sunday of Easter May 9, 2010
Dr. Jeffrey Haggray
Mother’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year, because it is a fixed date in our national life that is dedicated to recognizing our beloved mothers and those mother figures that not only brought us into the world, but in so many instances provided the foundation and the framework for our moral, emotional, physical and spiritual development. We have lots of holidays on our national calendar, among them Father’s Day, that are dedicated to different groups or to individuals.
Regrettably, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not formally recognized observances in the orthodox Christian calendar year. I say regrettably because one of the most profound teachings of the Scriptures is, “Honor thy Father and Mother.”
Mother’s Day is also one of those special days in the American canon that was uniquely conceived of and advocated for by Christian women with such clarity and vigilance that it eventually had to be formally recognized.
The first North American Mother’s Day was conceptualized by Julia Ward Howe in 1870. Mrs. Howe lived from May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910. She was a prominent American abolitionist, leader in the woman’s suffrage movement, social activist, and poet, and is best known for having penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic in 1858. However, Julia Howe later became so distraught by the death and carnage of the Civil War that she became a pacifist.
As part of her effort to end wars by working for peace Julia Ward Howe called on all Mothers to come together and protest the futility of their sons killing the sons of other mothers. She called for an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood and issued a stirring Mother’s Day Proclamation which I will read to you in a moment. (See The Complete History of Mother’s Day-Mother Day Central at http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/)
The holiday that was started by Julia Ward Howe did not continue uninterrupted; but once the seeds for the idea were sown, it was just a matter of time before it would be adopted. With the work of Anna Reeves Jarvis, of West Virginia, and her daughter Anna M. Jarvis, the concept of Mother’s Day continued in that state.
In 1912 West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize Mother’s Day, and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
I want to return for a moment to Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation written 140 years ago because therein she highlighted certain mother strengths:
Arise, then, women of this day!Arise all women who have hearts, Whether your baptism be that of water or of tearsSay firmly, we will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage, for caresses and applause.Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearnAll that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.We women of one country will be too tender of those of another countyTo allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.From the bosom of the devastated earth A voice goes up with our own. It says, “Disarm, Disarm!”The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!Blood does not wipe out dishonorNor violence indicates passion. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war; Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace,Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, Not of Caesar, But of God.In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationalityMay be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenientAnd at the earliest period consistent with its objectsTo promote the alliance of the different nationalities,The amicable settlement of international questions.The great and general interests of peace.
Julia Howe’s proclamation identifies and celebrates some particular mother-strengths. I have learned from the women’s movement that I should not presume to speak on behalf of women. Thus I rely on the voices of women to know that a consensus exists among them concerning the qualities identified by Julia Ward Howe.
You can interview women of Scripture such as Queen Esther and Queen Sheba, Rachel, Ruth, Phoebe, Lydia or Mary the Mother of Jesus; or interview modern history makers, some gone on, and others still among us such as Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Dorothy Height, Hattie Mae Noel, Maya Angelou, Marian Wright Edelman, Sonia Sotomayor, Nancy Pelosi, Georgia Mae Green, Madeleine Albright, Renita Weems, Vashti McKenzie, or Barbara Brown Taylor.
The womanist spirit, values and strategic priorities captured in Julia Ward Howe’s proclamation are reflected in the lives of all these women, and others not named, and those strengths are personified by our Mothers.
Howe believed that if Mothers from around the globe were to convene an international summit at a time and in a place of their choosing around a common agenda and mutual terms they could end all forms of discrimination and injustice, slavery, arms races, military build-ups, international conflicts, and world wars.
Howe contended that an international summit convened by Mothers would begin by commemorating all their loved ones that died as a result of various conflicts; and afterwards they would solemnly collaborate with each other as equals as to the process whereby the great human family can achieve peace. Mothers would change the tone of the meeting, and then decide the nature and scope of the agenda, would relate to other mothers as equals, and thereby change the world. What a concept!
The essence of Howe’s thesis is that it is in the nature of Mothers to make meaningful change leading to wholeness, harmony, and peace.
When we reconsider today’s Gospel reading in John 14:23-29 with the benefit of Julia Ward Howe’s perspective, we can see the maternal traits described by Howe reflected in Jesus’ teachings about God.
Jesus was giving a farewell speech to his disciples, and was responding to a question from Judas (not Iscariot) about why he was disclosing his identity and his nature to the disciples only and not to the entire world.
Jesus’ replied to the question so as to consciously help the disciples understand him more fully so that they can understand God more fully and then proclaim God’s love to the world.
It requires no stretch of the Biblical writ or of the imagination to acknowledge that the maternal traits which we celebrate and extol on Mother’s Day also reflect the image of God.
Let’s look again at the maternal attributes advanced by Julia Ward Howe, and hold them up alongside the teachings of Jesus that we might gain a glimpse into God’s Maternal Nature:
1. Reflection on Howe – The maternal nature builds relationships based on mutual respect, common humanity, and love, rather than by force of war or political control:
“Arise all women who have hearts,
Whether your baptism be that of water or of tears.”
Jesus: John 14:23a/ Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them,”
Reflection on Jesus – God’s Maternal Nature advocates Discipleship that is rooted in a loving relationship (contra fear, force, and individualism). This message of a loving God must be shared with the whole world. Whoever was responsible for painting a picture across the sky of an angry and threatening God surely had their agenda. But the God of the Holy Bible goes out of her way to express love to the world, saying “with loving kindness have I drawn thee.”
2. Reflection on Howe – The maternal nature values and cherishes the home as the primary institution of the society even above the Halls of Government, or the Academy, or the Church:
“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.”
Jesus: John 14:23b/ “and we will come to them and make our home with them.
Reflection on Jesus – God’s Maternal Nature advocates Discipleship that is rooted in a healthy home life (contra wandering pilgrimage lacking direction or a destination.) The God of history not only cherishes home life but has also functioned as a homeland for God children, “Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” It is a powerful idea that we humans take for granted, but in most instances, with some exceptions, no matter how old or far gone we get, so long as our mothers are living, we can always return home. That is not true of all creatures. But it is so concerning our mothers, and is so as pertains to God.
3. Reflection on Howe – The maternal nature recognizes that life’s most enduring values are to be taught and instilled in our children and then guarded with intentionality and insistence:
“Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.”
Jesus: John 14:25/ I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26/ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.
Reflection on Jesus – God’s Maternal Nature Makes Provisions for Instruction, Teaching, and Remembering as Prerequisites to Healthy Discipleship. Jesus wants us to know Christian discipleship entails life-long learning. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. God does not leave us along to navigate the dangerous and treacherous ethical and moral conflicts of our time, but God word serves as a lamp before our feet, and a light to our pathway.
4. Reflection on Howe – The maternal nature insists upon peace and non-violence as the primary means and aims of their negotiations:
“From the bosom of the devastated earth
A voice goes up with our own.
It says, “Disarm, Disarm!”
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
Blood does not wipe out dishonor
Nor violence indicate passion.”
Jesus: John 14:27/ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Reflection on Jesus – It is God’s Maternal Nature that Gives Peace to all those who follow Jesus. In a world where so much disaster, crisis, emergencies, conflict, and trouble are prevalent, it is comforting to worship a God of Peace. God keeps those in perfect peace who focus our minds, hearts, and attention upon God. God’s peace transcends ordinary human comprehension in the most desperate times; that is a motherly quality.
5. Reflection on Howe – The maternal nature embodies unwavering Faith in the Almighty God as the sure foundation of every home, institution, community, or nation:
“Each woman bearing after her own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God.”
Jesus: John 14:29/ And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
Reflection on Jesus – God’s Maternal Nature creates the conditions for the emergence of faith/belief no matter how chaotic or dangerous the world may become.
Mothers and Fathers have a sacred calling to train children in the way they should go…to sow the seeds of faith no matter how contrary the children, or how countless the odds against their success may seem to be. I call upon Mothers and Fathers to pack away some faith in God inside your children as though you were packing a sack of lunch. They may not want it as they are leaving home; but when they get down the road a piece, and there is no station of welcome to be found; when the job market is not opening its doors with wide arms, when the storms and tests of life are raging, and no shelter or help is nigh; and when there is no more money left for McDonald’s, they may just turn to the sack on their shoulder and find something of value that revives their faith again:
A little boy turned one day in a time of hunger to the sack that his mother had prepared for him and found two fish and five loaves of bread leading to faith on the part of the multitudes.
Billy Holiday turned to her sack one day in a time of bewilderment and disillusionment, and found that her mother had given her something to carry her through this world,
Denzel Washington looked into his sack one day and found the Book of Eli
What are you carrying in your sack today that your mother gave you before you left home?
Might your faith in God, and presence at church today be holdovers from your Mother’s influence, the fruit of her labors, the outgrowth of seeds that she planted inside you long years ago?

The Pacific Orion

I am of the understanding and hope that we are in the throws of birth pangs yielding a new era of human evolvement. Hence it seems proper to make a new post on "Mothers Day". Several of the earlier posts were focused on a renewed effort toward World Peace. Ever since the Sandra Bullock movie "Miss Congeniality" it almost seems to be kind of a joke to wish for world peace. I suppose the odds are not particularly in favor of that reality but it sure seems to be a worthwhile goal and considering the possibility of a consciousness swing point in the teens maybe it's worth working toward. I'll explain the idea of "Pacific Orion" a bit later but for now I wish to point out more of Mariannes work specifically aimed toward this formidable goal.

Obviously the goal of a peace full world is not a new one. The reality of today's age is that we are truly speaking of total global peace or no peace at all. Or I suppose the way to better put it is that with the shrinking of our globe means that we are much more closely related than at any time in history. And also with the rise of multinational cells of activism coupled with a plethora of possible weapons sources then we have a necessary need to relieve the pressures leading to revolt or terrorism. One of Mariannes passages she uses more than once refers to the past. ...Franklin Roosevelt wrote these words in 1945, for a Jefferson Day address that he died before being able to deliver: "More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars." ...The forces of humanly manufactured powers merely follow our command. They can be instruments of hate or instruments of love, instruments of war or instruments of peace, depending on how our minds direct them(I am reminded of the "Prayer of Saint Francis" for peace). But no thoughts are neutral; all minds create at some level. Energy is never static. At this point in history, something either leads to a better world or else leads to one more dangerous. The task before the human race is to become a human family. Nothing less will ensure our safety, or even guarantee the survival of our species, at a time when the world has become so small and the stakes have become so high. The Dalai Lama referenced a German physicist who stated that we should remove the concept of "foreign policy" from our minds and think of all nations as our "domestic partners".

Just as there is a so called art of waging war, so there is an art of waging peace. "True peace", said Dr. King, "is not merely the absence of some negative force - tension, confusion, or war; it is the presence of some positive force - justice, good will and brotherhood." We need to Declare peace now...

Human arrogance is not a container for God,... America has been a vessel for the great Work from its inception. Now, however, we have in many ways lost our conscious contact with the greatness of our destiny....This moment is one of opportunity for the creation of a new civic forcefield.

During most of the 90's I was a Chief Steward on board several factory fishing trawlers operating in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay. The first vessel I served aboard was named the "Pacific Orion". Orion is the hunter or warrior in Greek Mythology and of course Pacific means peace. the Peaceful Warrior. That always meant a lot to me and makes this last excerpt especially significant, to me anyway. In some ways, history is something to respect. In other ways, it is something best interrupted. As we enter the new millennium, peace will be forged not only by those who study war but also by those who study peace. The Peaceful Warrior has an expanded, not a diminished, skill set. Health is much more than the absence of illness, it is the cultivation of health. And peace is much more than the absence of war, it is the cultivation of peace. ...there is an emerging global movement toward an alternative mode of peace creation. The armies and police of our future will include conflict resolution as part of their training, as in some places they already do. ...Conflict resolution, nonviolence, and community building are to peace what guns are to war.

Lord Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace! RV

Coincidence, Synchronicity, and Serendipity!

"The ideas that we use to describe this somewhat mysterious phenomenon in our culture are coincidence, synchronicity, and serendipity.""Ghandi called this power satyagraha or soul force". "Goethe...says:...The moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves too." These quotes from Gershon's Social Change 2.0 are descriptive of the concept which is being presented to me from a variety of sources. This entry will probably go on a while as there is a convergence occurring in my life which will take a while to codify. The other reason I've been so reticent in my writing of late is the fact of the traveling thing as I related to earlier. This was really a very nice trip. The dynamics of family intermingling (usually a substantive challenge) turned out very well; the beauty which can come out of a former limestone quarry (Buchart Gardens) was a true thing of beauty, and it appears that they have a diversity which makes it beautiful almost any time of the year; and the Labyrinth gathering on Bainbridge Island was enlightening as well (to really experience the "unity and diversity" which can be the Labyrinth it is good to share the experience of one with individuals from all over the Pacific Northwest). Even silly, forgetful me leaving my passport in my file at home actually worked out very well thanks to the efforts of my loved ones.

The synchronous results of my travels, the groups I've been a part of, the books and recordings of the mentor group in this field, have formed a very solid basis for whatever the future holds for me, and whatever effect that may have on our world. I don't know yet where this path is leading but I am confident in the foundation for my footing. It is one thing to have a field of interest motivate a persons path in life. It is quite a bit more impactful to see the same pattern emerging from a multiplicity of genre. When you have people of substance in the fields of Theology, Biology, History, Philosophy, Physics, Social Entrepreneurship, etc. coming together with one thought it is truly worth listening and responding. That one thought is that "we have a problem and we are the solution and if we don't get a handle on it we will destroy ourselves and the creation we have been blessed with".

I would like to briefly restate the symbolism I've seen in the object of the Labyrinth. It is not directly related to any religion, Christian or otherwise, and yet it is a very strong symbol of God. The circle nature and the meditative practice or just the beauty of the object. In the case of Sherita's Labyrinth it is not only circular but also incorporates "Living Water" and the synchronicity of rock pavers(symbolizing tradition and the building blocks of our past) and living plants nestled in between. The usual suggestion of how to walk a labyrinth is to release as you enter, receive in the center, and grow or share on the exit(and beyond). That's a pretty good description of the practice of Contemplation and the beyond" part is the Action. That last sentence is a "Namaste" to Richard's "Center for Action and Contemplation". The balance of this post are a series of quotations from writers from the various disciplines noted above each of which seems to address my focus. Most of these will be from either Marianne or David's works or from the podcast of the recent "Emerging Church" convocation in New Mexico. Which by the way I feel we should most accurately refer to as an "Emerging Experience" to differentiate the movement from just another group or as Richard puts it a "life saving station".

I hope that in my previous posts the emerging approach to spirituality and action has been adequately presented. As I see it that vision is a portion of the unitive consciousness which is rising throughout the world in many cultures. Marianne speaks of this in"Healing" as follows. "Like the mythical lost continent of Atlantis, there is a ground now submerged beneath the subconscious waters, visible in ancient times perhaps but not visable now, set to rise again, to reappear....It is only when we fall in love, marry, give birth, grieve openly, or prepare to die that we dare to show our real face, to shine the light that glows within us. Our failure to be more authentically human is threatening to destroy the world". One of the precepts of the Course in Miracles, of which Marianne is a proponent, as well as other speakers of the power of positive(and negative) thoughts on the physical world is something called the tipping point. A tipping point in the metaphysical world is far smaller than one in the physical world. I am still trying to understand this concept but is comforting in this context. Marianne says "A critical mass of people...is thought to be somewhere around 11 percent---meditating on a new vision for the world would tip the planetary field of energy in the direction of peace and justice for all." This may be a stretch to believe until you've had an unexplainable serendipitous occurrence in your life. Anyhow earlier she states " ...science has corrected and improved upon Newtonian physics. Heisenberg, Bohr, Einstein, and others established the principles of quantum physics, proving that reality is not quite as solid or objective or deterministic as Newton thought.....biologist Rupert Sheldrake has posited the notion of "morphic resonance," suggesting that there is a unified field of consciousness connecting all life." And Einstein says "The more I study physics, the more I'm drawn to metaphysics"." And one of my favorites from Marianne quoting Pierre Teilhard de Chardin " Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."

The key excerpts from Davids work are few but the whole book is very important as an actual blueprint for the social "Imaginal" change so desperately needed in this word in the next decade. The emerging people in New Mexico spoke of an "Imaginal Relm". They explained that faith should be seen not as believing in the impossible but as "seeing the invisible". This hearkens back to the mysteries of the ancient mystics. New Mexico speaks to the Emerging Experience between historical diverse cultures in the spiritual realm. Marianne speaks to the spiritual realm as well and in "Healing..." also relates that unitive spiritual force from within too without and into the political culture of our generation. David fleshes these desires out to a greater extent with an actual blueprint for action. This blueprint is the result of his experiences from early works of "peace torch runs", ecological groundbreaking neighborhood organization in Portland Oregon, progressing into impactful solutions to crises in New York after 9/11, New Orleans after Katrina, a fisheries management standoff in Rhode Island. These are related in just the first half of the book. Later on it looks like he plans to again tackle obstacles to world peace. More of that in a future post. One of John's precepts he heavily draws upon is the area of imagination. He says that he... loves John Lennon's "Imagine" as an unapologetically visionary and optimistic (song) about what is possible for our world. Later when speaking of non-dualistic or win-win solutions to problems he says "These require more imagination than compromise" And earlier quoted one Bryan Andreas -" In my dream the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination. And then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand."

It is in the desire to find an effective, non-dualistic, imaginative solution to these small and global issues which all of these thinkers and activists are focused. Not so easy to do but if there is an "Atlantis Rising" out there; Maybe: 11%?? Pray! Meditate! Activate!!

Marianne describes E Pluribus Unium as "That within our diversity lies a national unity---that we are at the same time a people who reflect and embody diversity, yet are united in our fealty to these treasured first principles." "There are people in America who emphasize our unity yet fail to appreciate our diversity, just as there are those who emphasize our diversity yet fail to appreciate our unity. It is important to honor both...and their relationship to each other reflects a philosophical and political truth, which democracy requires." James Madison once said that "tolerance is not enough" because, psychologically, tolerance still implies judgement....the social fruition of the ideal of e pluribus unum, we will need to do more than merely tolerate each other."

Going back for just a moment to the idea of "imagination". What we imagine is all important. As they stated in Albuquerque, "How We Get There Determines Where We End Up". I hope that is a direct quote but it is the direct idea that it is the process that is important. David and Marianne also speak of the nature of the process. Positive is much better than negative. Maybe I shouldn't say better, as that is pretty dualistic, but maybe "more effective" would be better. Marianne states: "As long as I'm working against something I hate instead of "for" something I love, I'm of the old and not of the new. The politics of a new America is a love for what could be and a reach for the possible....The issue is a paradigmatic one: we are on the verge of outgrowing a mindset that says "I will deal with this problem by saying No to something" and embracing one that says "I will deal with this problem by saying Yes to something else". Notice that we have a Drug Czar, but not a Sobriety Czar."

As an adjunct to the thought of a positive approach is to be strong in an approach but not so invested in the exact path to take. Kind of a keep your eye on the prize and not so much on the exact path to get there approach. Marianne speaks of : "Stereotyping..adversaries...What is lacking...is a civilized center. We have too little "Golden Mean" in politics today. Somebody is always pointing a finger, it seems, saying "He", "She", or "They" are the enemies of America. In truth, the enemy of America is That Pointed Finger." And David says of his blueprint to "Hold firm to impulse and let the form be flexible. The vision will need to change in different ways as it touches the real world. This is not unlike the way a seed trying to come through the soil needs to change direction to go around rocks and roots."

I believe that the final part of this post will be Marianne's statement about our need to get involved in the process. I want to also touch on an other area which all of these authors approach very well, "waging peace", but that is going to be my next post.

Marianne writes: "...knowing what we know but doing nothing. It's like David saying about Goliath, "Geez, he really is big. Maybe I won't do this." But Goliath isn't That big. Things aren't That bad in America. And each of us has a slingshot. Paradoxically, part of the problem with an overly Yang culture is that it produces overly Yin personalities. Without the yin of peace and serenity, there is no character formation; without that, there is no capacity for the yang of powerful personal action. We desperately need both. There is no machine, technology, or scientific project that can renew and restore (I would say revitalize as well) democracy. If we want that done, its a job we have to do ourselves."

In the emerging conversation at Albuquerque they also approached this same concept in the realm of Theology. As I understand it they're saying: For the past two millenia we seem to have ended up with a plethora of very "Strongly Combative Images" of God and Religion, as we see Him. And in the recent past there seems to be a rise in the idea of "Weak Non- combative Images", basically rejecting all religion in favor of a totally egalitarian approach to Spirit. There are elements of truth here but the Emerging experience is wanting to not throw out the past but honor the Spirit within history and build upon that with a "Strong Non-combative Image" . Anyhow that's how I see it, and it's that strength which attracts me to be an agent of that Truth and Love. Pax Christi! RV PPS: Here is a quick quote I just read out of Sojourners On Line which also speaks to the beauty of holding onto a tradition as an enrichment to todays movement of the Spirit: " About a year ago, I heard Newsweek’s Jon Meacham say, “History is to a country what memory is to an individual.” The quip seems particularly apt to American religious groups. To paraphrase, history is to a religion (or a denomination, church, or faith community) what memory is to an individual. To lose memory is neither funny nor sad; rather, it is a path to profound brokenness, a loss of self, meaning, and God that leaves us in darkness unable to act in purposeful ways in the world. Thus, I wonder: Is spiritual amnesia a precursor to religious Alzheimer’s, a fatal loss of memory for which there is no cure? I hope not. And I hope that religious people — especially my progressive brothers and sisters — can tether their passion for contemporary faith to ancient wisdom."
Diana Butler Bass