Challenging Nature

.On Thurs., Sept. 26, 2013, Rev. Chris Walters will present on Challenging Nature: the Clash of Science and Spirituality by Lee M. Silver. 

Biotechnology is changing our lives and the way we interact with the rest of the world, from stem cell research, genetically modified crops, animals developed with organs for human transplant. However, as the technology becomes more precise and transparent, it also becomes more contentious.

Silver argues that Christian fundamentalists opposed to embryo research and New Age organic food devotees are both driven by a similar fear that science challenges a natural order. 

A molecular biologist at Princeton, Silver examines new dimensions of the contentious debate between science and religion over cloning and other biotechnologies, and brings fresh insights to it.

Science and Religion

Thursday, May 23

10:00 a.m.

Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL

 

In May, Mr. Walker Bowman, who is a retired scientist, will present on the subject of science and religion.  It has been said that science relies on objectivity whereas religion relies on subjectivity. 

 

In Science and Religion: Historical and Contemporary Issues Ian Barbour explores process philosophy as a bridge for religion and science.  This edition is a revised and updated version of Religion in an Age of Science.

 

Our discussion will be greatly enriched by Walker's insights from the scientific field as a person of faith. 

 

Also, this is the month we will plan the next season, so please bring your suggestions.  There are already two recommendations:

 

(1) Chris Walters has recommended and offered to present in September on Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life by Lee M. Silver

 

(2) H. D. Mitchell and Emery Percell have recommended Waiting for Gospel: An Appeal to the Dispirited Remnants of Protestant Establishment, by Douglas John Hall.

Romans: Two Views

DATE: Thursday, March 21
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: Jewett and Barth on The Epistle to the Romans

In March, the Rev. Drs. Bob Atkins and Insun Yoon will present two views on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. 

Bob will present on Robert Jewett's commentary on Romans in the Hermenia series, which is interprets Romans within the imperial context as well as in the light of the situation in Spain. It includes insights from the archaeology of the city of Rome; social history of early Christianity; sociological analysis of early Christianity, and, interpretation and reception of Paul's letter through the ages. It focuses on Paul's missionary plans and how his letter reframes the system of honor and shame in the Roman empire.   

Insun will present on Karl Barth's first major work, The Epistle to the Romans.  It represents a reaction against nationalistic German Protestant Liberalism and  emphasizes the saving grace of God and the insufficiency of human understanding to define the God who is revealed in the cross of Jesus challenges and overthrows any attempt to ally God with human cultures, achievements, or possessions.

The Christian Imagination

DATE: Thursday, January 24
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race

In January, Rev. Harriett Cross will present on Willie James Jennings' The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. 

Jennings traces modern Christian thinking back a millennium to show the roots of segregated societies in Western Christian socialization.  He identifies the choice between a mission of establishing Christian nations and a mission of fostering communion among diverse groups and persons.  The persistence of social division challenges the successfulness of Christians to fulfill the commandment of neighborly love. 

 

Jennings addresses such issues as slavery, geography, Native American history, anti-Semitism, and tells of loss, cultural amnesia, and missed opportunities in Christian communities. He exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race.  Jennings suggests new ways of seeing ourselves and the communities in which we live.

 

The Dialogue Comes of Age

DATE: Thursday, November 15
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Dialogue Comes of Age: Christian Encounters With Other Traditions

In November, Rev. Ron Graham will present on The Diaologue Comes of Age by John B. Cobb and Ward McAffee.

Synopsis:
Increasingly world religious traditions present a source of religious practices, and even live religious options. How are Christians to relate to these traditions and the neighbors and friends who live by them? This lively and engaging book is a great resource for faithful wrestling with the new realities. Led by theologian John B. Cobb Jr. and historian Ward M. McAfee, the Progressive Christians Uniting has distilled the historical and existential import of both Abrahamic and other traditions and stressed the differences among traditions and the richness they can afford Christian self-understanding.

The Righteous Mind

DATE: Thursday, September 27
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Righteous Mind

A link to John Gillham's Paper

Are you conservative or progressive?  Ever wonder why people on the other side have such a hard time listening to reason?  As we approach the next U.S. Presidential election, the Rev. John Gillham will present on The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. 

Haidt is a social psychologist who attempts to bridge the divide between competing views by opening our minds to the moral intuitions of other people.  He believes our society would be better off if reason and intuition interact in healthier ways.

In light of his research, Haidt suggests some guidelines. First, help citizens to develop more sympathetic relationships so that we try to understand one another instead of using reason as a weapon to disarm another point of view.  Second, create space for contemplation.  Studies show that a couple of minutes spent reflecting on a good argument can actually change a person’s mind.  Third, break down the ideological segregation in our society.  Increasingly, Americans are living among people who think just like them.

How might Haidt's research and proposals be helpful to congregations and communities in an era of extreme partisanship? 

 

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