In the Discussion Forum of this unit, share ways in which you have noticed the content, questions or insights from the previous module showing up in your lives.

The previous module considered how God continually comes toward us in three ‘moments’ of Atonement: through liturgy; in our bargaining over the small and big transactions of our daily liv…[Read more]

Now that we have completed the three imaginative exercises around Atonement has your explanation of what is going on in this image and what it means to say that Christ died for our sins changed? If so, how.

My understanding of Atonement has changed radically as a result of the three imaginative exercises. Recently I attended an online conference…[Read more]

This January weekend I attended Trinity Institute 2016 “Listen for a Change | Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice”. http://bit.ly/1QsmqFG The conference was located at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York. Our group of eight settled in at the parish hall in St. John’s Church in Mason City, Iowa attending the event via online, live-…[Read more]

Does schadenfreude permeate our thinking? Is it a prime driver of competitive success? Students desire to avoid that place of the loser. Fear of this failure, some teachers believe, motivates their students to achieve.

Ben Carson, American Presidential primary candidate, recently (January 2016) asked his audience at a campaign stop at the Isaac…[Read more]

God reaches out to humanity in atonement through love and with love. God is not vengeful, seeking satisfaction for humanity’s sinfulness. No. Atonement is about reconciliation, not retribution.

As I’ve reframed my personal understanding of the theology and practice of atonement I’ve been tempted to paint knowledge of God’s nature into my new the…[Read more]

Turning to the story about the Gibeonites, what jumped out at you?

Saul broke a treaty Joshua made with the Gibeonites, who then demanded satisfaction from David, Saul’s successor. Although some see him as such, God is not a ‘harmed party’ in this story. No. The story points to God, who is forever reaching out to flawed humanity in atone…[Read more]

On several occasions, I belonged to our local union chapter’s collective bargaining teams when, from time to time, management and employees resolved disputed, regional office issues by negotiating. When one of these matters reached the bargaining stage, our members always felt wronged and entitled to an apology, yes, but also to specifically…[Read more]

Receiving a new story —

Forgiveness preceding ‘transgressions or sins’ is an aspect of Atonement liturgy that’s hovered close to my consciousness in recent days. James wrote in “Jesus the Forgiving Victim” (page 243):

“It is the process of atonement or forgiveness which opens up the possibility of imagining in what ways we might have fallen…[Read more]

In what ways is the Ancient Hebrew Atonement sacrifice different than what James called the Aztec model, the people making a sacrifice to God?Both the Ancient Hebrew Atonement sacrifice and the Aztec model reflect practices aimed at reestablishing the broken relationship between a metaphysical other and humanity. The Aztecs sacrificed humans to…[Read more]

Thank you, Sheelah, for the reference to Isaiah and King Hezekiah. And thank you, for translating ‘mi ritrovai’. Using language properly to discern an author’s original meaning is fascinating and critical to ‘finding oneself.’ And yes, I can apply ‘all of this’ to my life! While Dante’s Divine Comedy may not be the most commented on literature in…[Read more]

The Isenheim Altarpiece shows Jesus dying on the cross. Roman governor Pilate ordered crucifixion for Jesus, who Pilate saw as a common criminal, a seditious rebel. The people surrounding the cross represent various prominent persons in Jesus’s life. However, the picture does not show us a moment in time, but rather makes a statement about a…[Read more]

In the Discussion Forum of this unit, share ways in which you have noticed the content, questions or insights from the previous session showing up in your lives.
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Just halfway through this journey of our life
I reawoke to…[Read more]

In the Discussion Forum of this unit, answer the following question: How might your story or style of self-presentation be changing as you find yourself needing to be less good as a consequence of being loved?
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The wrap-up question for Part 3 points to…[Read more]

The Discussion Forum assignment requests four statements about the writer. One of the four statements must be a lie.

Here are my four statements. Although I’ve lived most of my life in a rural environment, I am originally from Chicago’s south side. Volunteering at my church where I am the Treasurer is important to me. Most of the items on my…[Read more]

Every so often during the hour between Sunday morning services we have a book study at St. John’s. Eight or ten of us gather ‘round a table to discuss the week’s reading assignment. Currently we’re reading ‘My Church is Not Dying: Episcopalian in the 21st Century.’ http://amzn.to/1GuZfrh

Last Sunday’s topic revolved around personal faith. I intr…[Read more]

What might it mean for us to be listening to the unheard voice in the midst of confusing and traumatic events in our own communities or society?

I serve our parish as volunteer treasurer, coming and going to church several times each week. One afternoon last week I entered the building through the Penn Avenue door, not my usual entrance. Right…[Read more]

The YouTube I just posted in the response to The Road to Emmaus is one I selected, not one I performed. If only I could sing so well!

Sheelah, Thank you for your comments, which are much appreciated. I’ve been reading James’s books and other writings for a few years now. I decided to take this course to deepen my understanding of his ideas. And boy, has it ever gripped me in ways both articulate and inarticulate. I am committed to following the discipline of the course structure…[Read more]

… share your favorite news sources. Can you defend your news source as “objective”? How would you describe its editorial bias?

Our local paper, the Globe-Gazette feeds us ‘close to home’ news. I cite it here as a favorite only because it provides topics for polite conversation in whitewashed categories such as: the trial, downtown redevelop…[Read more]

… share your favorite news sources. Can you defend your news source as “objective”? How would you describe its editorial bias?

Our local paper, the Globe-Gazette feeds us ‘close to home’ news. I cite it here as a favorite only because it provides topics for polite conversation in whitewashed categories such as: the trial, downtown redevelop…[Read more]