Daily Word (5.31.09)

Enthusiasm:

"I am enthusiastic about life!"(DW, 5.31.09)

"Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord." (Rom. 12.11)

Mei Meditatio:

As I focus myself on God in Christ through centering, affirmative daily prayer, I am guided into a positive and hopeful attitude about life. I take events as they come and look for the good of God in every experience I have. With exuberance through faith in Christ I meet the challenges of daily life with confidence that I'll do what is best for myself and others toward greater prosperity.

Through a zeal that emerges from a deep and prayerful faith in God I serve others with a divine love that never fails. In serving others, this benefit comes back to me and the love of Christ is increased in my life and relationships in amazing abundance.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Interfaith Alliance's New Online Newsletter

Interfaith Alliance, the U.S.-based interreligious NGO that advocates for religious freedom and equal rights, has ceased their print bulletin (The Light) and is now doing an online-only newsletter. Go to the Interfaith Alliance website for more info.

Huston Smith in Newsweek

The May 18, 2009 edition of Newsweek features the highly influential American religious studies scholar Huston Smith. At 90 years old, Smith is retired and living in Berkeley, CA but is about to publish a memoir, Tales of Wonder, of his life steeped in the study and practice of the world's religions.

The book is to recount his life: growing up in Dzang Dok, China in a Methodist missionary family; becoming a philosophy professor; meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. and befriending Aldous Huxley and H.H. the Dalai Lama; participating in Acid experiments with Timothy Leary; spending 30 years going out and practicing many different religions with people in their culture; and introducing Americans to religious traditions U.S. culture largely knew little about through academic writing, popular books, and public television and speaking.

Smith has said that he ascribes to the so-called "perrennial philosophy," which argues that though there are apparent differences with the world's religions they are nonetheless the same at their mystical core. Smith's scholarly work is often dismissed or even derided by top scholars in religious studeis today (in an academic environment where particularization and specificity of scholarly interest is the rule of the day) for allegedly being overly focused on the sameness or similarities among the world's religions and not acknowledging enough of their obvious and important differences that make them unique traditions in their own right.

While they certainly have a point, I still believe Smith is relevant today because of the need to make the American public more aware of the plurality and diversity of religions in the world (especially in the U.S.) and to do this in a way that is sensitive and approachable to this audience. This means the task must be done with practicality, liveliness, comparison, and conciseness, all of which Huston Smith exudes immensely.

Lisa Miller writes the feature of Huston Smith in Newsweek.

(Photo by Robyn Twomey of Newsweek.)

Daily Word (5.27.09)

Pass It On:

"I am blessed as I give freely of myself and what I have." (DW, 5.27.09)

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20.35)

Mei Meditatio:

Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin, two interdependent processes of life. We cannot give without a receiver, nor can we receive without a giver. The giving and receiving, giver and receiver need one another; they rely on each other. So, the giving and receiving, giver and receiver are intimately interconnected at the most fundamental relational level.

Thus, when my giving and receiving is done centered in God I'm able to give and receive more freely and openly. Through the loving spirit of Christ within, I become an abundant giver and grateful receiver. With grace and appreciation my giving and receiving are love-actions guided by the life of Christ. As Christ fills my awareness I'm better able to experience the awesome power of love in my relationships as the ever-present process of giving-and-receiving evolves into increasing prosperity.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

2009 Association of Unity Churches Convention Reminder

For those interested the Association of Unity Churches 2009 Convention will take place in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 8–12, 2009. Highlights of the convention include keynote presentations by Bishop John Shelby Spong and Lynne Twist along with many other speakers and seminars. Keynote presentations are open to the public free of charge.

New Book About Unity's 5 Principles

Rev. Ellen Debenport has published a new book about Unity spirituality called The Five Principles: A Guide to Practical Spirituality. This book provides tools for daily living and suggests possible answers to the some of the great questions humans have been asking for ages.

For those who aren't aware, the so-termed "Five Basic Principles" are considered to be the core teaching of the founders of the Unity movement, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore who lived in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Let me summarize them in my own words with a little commentary:

1) God is Absolute Good/Love and is present everywhere in all phenomena. God is the benevolent Source of all existence, all life and is present in all of creation yet also beyond all creation.

2) Created in the image of God, humans all partake in God's being as children of God. All individuals are unique offspring of Absolute Good/Love. Thus the Spirit of God dwells within everyone and this makes humans inherently good despite apparent evidence to the contrary.

3) We help create our life reality by the action of our thinking. The mental-spiritual realm is the seat of agency by which we are able to shape our experiences.

4) Positive, affirmative prayer is hightened and directed thought-action that increases connection with God and allows us to experience more love, peace, and well-being in our lives and relationships.

5) It is not enough to simply know or grasp these principles, but we must live them by practically applying them daily in our personal, relational, and communal lives. (This principle is particularly important in terms of supporting and promoting social action.)

These five principles constitute the essential tenets of the Unity movement. And, though they definitely don't exhaust what Unity circles believe and practice, they make up the core that most can agree upon. In a sense, these principles are Unity's working "doctrine" (which simply means teaching) that serves to loosely form an identity as distinctly Unity.

So to learn more about the five basic Unity principles and an insightful commentary by an experienced Unity minister, check out Rev. Debenport's forthcoming book.

Read a review of The Five Principles and maybe order a copy.

Buddhism Spotlight at the Center for Progressive Christianity

The Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC) is highlighting Buddhism as the theme on their website this month. They are offering personal narratives about encounter with Buddhism and Buddhists, book reviews on Buddhism and Christianity, and sample sermons concerning Buddhist themes and how they relate to Christianity.

This is an excellent example of a Christian organization taking initiative to engage with their members, affiliates, and readers about a tradition quite different from Christianity. It upholds progressive values of honoring diversity and being open to dialogue with other religions in the pursuit of greater understanding and spiritual growth.

Check it out here.

Abolishing Homelessness in 10 Years: An Interview With Philip Mangano

David Neff, editor at the evangelical Christianity Today, has interviewed Philip Mangano, the executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness. Neff spoke with Mangano about a new economic approach to getting rid of homelessness in ten years and how well it might work during our current recession.

Read the interview at Christianity Today.

Unity.FM 5.25-29.09

Check out the programming this week on Unity.FM.

St. Paul the Pacifist: A Christian Response to Torture

V. Henry T. Nguyen , a lecturer in theology at Loyola Marymount University (L.A.) has written an essay in Religion Dispatches that is a response to recent findings that evangelical Christians are more likely, statistically, to support the use of torture, and proposes an approach to nonviolence based on the teaching of Christianity’s first theologian -- Paul of Tarsus.

Nguyen reminds us that Paul is the earliest historical interpreters of the meaning of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. He points out that Paul turns away from a life of persecutor to that of a preacher and apostle. His being was transformed from a life of violence in the name of religion to a life of love in the spirit of Christ. Paul must have known many of Jesus' teachings because he quotes the Sermon on the Mount in Romans 12, stating "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink." He tells us, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Another excellent point that Nguyen makes in his article is that Paul's convictions are often misunderstood when it comes to issues of violence. Many miss his bold statements on non-violence and come to the conclusion that he supported violence as a means of dealing with conflict and justice. Some argue that Paul uses military language and thus condones the way of violence. However, Nguyen aptly makes note of the fact that Paul uses military imagery in the service of the gospel of Christ and not the other way around. He reinterprets the gospel such that one is not to intentionally inflict suffering on others but is willing to endure suffering for others. It's this transformative act of taking on suffering for others' sake that is part and parcel of being united to Christ. One suffers and dies like Christ; one is resurrected and reborn like Christ.

Paul's message on violence is one coming from a changed man -- a man who has been radically affected by the experience of redemptive suffering in Christ. This doesn't mean that Paul thought people should seek out suffering, but it does mean that he felt Christians are called to unite ourselves to Christ, which includes loving without reservation (including enemies) and thus being willing to compassionately suffer if it will benefit the well-being of others.

Many in Unity back away from this language of the embrace of suffering for the sake of others. But I don't think we in Unity should be scared of it at all. It's totally in line with our belief in the love of God expressing as each individual. Suffering is not something to be sought or glorified (for it's not our created state). But when suffering is willingly and compassionately endured so that others' well-being may prosper this evinces the profound and transformative Love that we all are. When this compassion occurs, the experience of suffering for all involved is changed into triumph and delivered into the hands of divine glory, release, and peace. This kind of empathy and lovingkindness is an exemplification of the reality of interdependence in the great dynamism of Oneness. (Perhaps more on Unity and suffering at a later time.)

Nguyen offers an informed and insightful look at the teachings of Paul on suffering and violence, using prominent New Testament scholars as well as his own learning. Due to the present circumstances in the world concerning war, terrorism, and torture-debates, this brief essay makes Paul and his theology very relevant for today.

Read the article at Religion Dispatches.

Brief Absence, etc.

For all readers, I apologize for the sparseness of my blogs the past week or so. My parents-in-law have been in the L.A. area to visit for my wife's graduation from Pepperdine University's MA program in Marriage and Family Therapy. (Ever since we've been out here in L.A. I've found it a bit ironic that my wife, who's culturally Buddhist, attends a Christian university, and I, who am a Christian, attend a Buddhist-affiliated university -- UWest!) Now that they're going back to central Illinois I'll be able to resume blogging at my normal pace and frequency.

Peace,

Jesse

Daily Word (5.24.09)

Christ Light:

"I am energized and ready to take on the day." (DW, 5.24.09)

"For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4.6)

Mei Meditatio:

God is light and love -- this is the foundation of my faith. Whenever I experience seeing or envisioning (both physically and spiritually) I experience the reality of God; whenever I experience love I'm tasting the Love of God that is unending in its glory. I sometimes experience darkness and fear, but I realize that, as I return to contemplation of God, Light pierces through the darkness and Love dispels the fear.

Light is a near-universal symbol in the world's religions for spiritual insight. As I constantly re-connect with my Source and Sustainer through Christ, I am en-light-ened and further experience the endless love and peace that is God the Good Omnipotent and Omnipresent. Through the life and death of Jesus Christ I witness the supreme revelation of God in the human condition, reconciling and uniting divinity and humanity. So, it is by virtue of the love and light of God in Christ that I know the glory of God and am able to give this to others in caring, mindful relationship.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

New "How-To" Book Offers Cards for All Occasions and Ministries

"There are dozens of ways to share greetings of faith, according to popular writer Sue Banker, and a ‘greeting card ministry' is easily organized within any size church of any faith tradition. That's the premise of her new book from Morehouse Publishing and it's available now: Mailbox Ministry: Greeting Cards that Share the Faith. . . The new book provides all the tools necessary for crafting more than 50 individual faith-based projects, with step-by-step instructions, patterns, and messages, including poems, inspirational phrases, and biblical verses. It is appropriate for all skill levels -- children as well as adults." (RNS)

(Photo from Religion News Service.)

Bridging the Gap Between Religion and Psychology

There are two conferences on spirituality and mental health scheduled for early next month: Northern California Mental Health and Spirituality Conference, June 1-2 2009 in Oakland, CA; California Conference on Mental Health and Spirituality, June 4-5 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.

The basic purpose of these conferences is to increase the awareness of the possible ways that spirituality can and has played in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of mental illness, and to promote interaction and collaboration among religious organizations, mental health services providers, those with mental illness and their families, and the general public in learning more about the issues and combating stigmas that are associated with both religion and mental illness.

Important in these conferences is that they are presenting methods that integrate spirituality into mental health treatment that are both client-driven and respectful of the separation of church and state. These meetings provide research to educate the public on the important role spirituality has played for many people in recovery from trauma and mental illness.

Since there has been a rift or barrier between religion and the psychological/mental health community in the past and continuing today, these types of conferences are significant in taking steps in the direction of understanding, cooperation, and collaboration in fighting mental illness. Mental health service providers often have misguided and uninformed stereotypes about religious practices, rituals, disciplines, and beliefs and religious organizations oftentimes don't have concrete ways of offering themselves as a friendly outlet or community for those suffering from mental illness. I trust that the more we can initiate conferences and experimental/experiential meetings like the above the more able we'll be to tear down the walls separating the integration of spiritual practices and beliefs into mental health prevention and treatment.

As a Unity student and chaplain in training, I feel that spirituality does play a significant role (if not a primary role) in dealing with any illness or problem being experienced in many people's lives. Addressing the spiritual dimension of the human condition is important because without taking it into account we're missing an integral part of the whole. Treating only the physical and/or emotional while neglecting the spiritual can be greatly detrimental to one's well-being since spirituality is an essential element of the entire human being.

However, it's important to recognize that not every individual wants to bring spirituality or religion into their treatment. Thus, the integration of spirituality into treating illnesses must be initiated and guided by the patient so that spirituality isn't being forced into their lives against their will -- this wouldn't be conducive to growth or well-being at all.

Unity, as a movement, has always promoted a "whole-person"-oriented method of addressing well-being and health and has a strong history of advocating the coordination and integration of the spiritual with the scientific (or vice versa). Unity communities have been involved in building relationships with local health professionals and internal programs focused on actively dealing with mental and other illnesses with a whole-person mindset and methodology. One prominent example would be the Unity Church of Hawaii, ministered by Rev. Sky St. John, but there are many communities and individuals involved in this kind of work.

Let's keep up the good work and further it by supporting and initiating conferences such as these that bring together the disciplines of spirituality and mental health.

"Activists and advocates have launched an initiative to further the understanding of the role of religion and spirituality in mental health. Conferences next month will bring clergy and mental health workers together to break new ground." Read more by Gale Bataille and Bill Berkowitz at Relgion Dispatches.

Naval Chaplaincy Confronts Piracy Fears

John Dart of the Christian Century has written an article about naval chaplaincy and the recent issues with governmental and commercial ships being taken over by pirates.

This piece highlights the point of view of many of the U.S. Navy chaplains concerning the piracy problem and the kinds of crises they deal with regarding this kind of predicament. Chaplains must address the needs of many sailors who are directly affected by the turmoil brought on by piracy and other issues within the naval forces.

Read this revealing and thought-provoking article at the Christian Century.

Daily Word (5.23.09)

Spiritually Centered:

"Spiritually centered, I follow through on a divine plan." (DW, 5.23.09)

"I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Is. 43.19)

Mei Meditatio:

Focused on God in and through Christ who empowers my being, I'm able to complete the process of any meaningful or important task in my life. Since God's will for me is to express my inner potential of goodness, wholeness, and love, I initiate and execute divine plans everyday when my mind is centered in Christ.

I let go of the past hindrances and deterrents and zealously embrace novel, fresh insights and actions that make me, my relationships, and the world a better place in which to live.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Shedding 'Pro-Choice' and 'Pro-Life' Labels

Julie Polter of Sojourner's, God's Politics has written a piece about how the labels of "pro-choice" and "pro-life" are oftentimes ideological barriers that prevent people from coming together for social action on issues like teen pregnancy and other similar issues.

It's true -- the stereotypes we give each other and ourselves most often get in the way of understanding who the other really is and where s/he is coming from. I agree with Polter that labels like "pro-life" and "pro-choice" not only pigeon-hole us into black-or-white, cookie-cutter viewpoints, but it also frustrates the possibility of finding real common ground and communicating respectfully and intelligently about the issues.

This is just another example of how labels can block real dialogue between seeming enemies.

Read Polter's article at Faith in Public Life.

`Good Samaritan’ Series Hopes to Kick-start Christian Action

A new DVD and curriculum series uses interviews to inspire social action. "Start Becoming a Good Samaritan" will be a six-part video curriculum, workbook and website designed to help everyday Christians find ways to combat poverty, pandemic diseases, and other social ills.

Though it will be published by the rather conservative Zondervan, it promises to be a practical means of addressing social crises by appealing to spiritual principles. I'm really glad to see Zondervan is investing in issues of social action concerning humanitarian problems.

Charles Honey of the RNS has written a summary of the upcoming series.

Daily Word (5.22.09)

Protected:

"Safe and secure in God's presence, I live each day to the fullest." (DW, 5.22.09)

"Like birds hovering overhead, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will spare and rescue it." (Is. 31.5)

Mei Meditatio:

As a child of God, I am heir to divine goodness as part and parcel of my being. I participate in the Spirit of God ,the Source and Sustainer of all being, like a river enlivened by the current that carries it. As such, being in Being, when I align myself with God through Christ I enjoy safety and security. God in Christ is my protector and deliverer -- with such support I have the confidence to live each day to its utmost potential.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Faith and Mental Illness: A National Summit

This September 29 - October 1 there will be a conference about faith and mental illness. "Companions on the Road to Recovery from Mental Illness - Pathways for the 21st Century" is a national summit organized to help congregations and clergy prepare for effective ministry with individuals and families facing serious mental health issues in their lives.

Religious groups are invited to organize and send a team of laity and clergy to help equip congregations as centers of education, encouragement, service, advocacy, and general well-being. The Conference's general sessions will have an overview of community mental health care resources from across the country, give a basic framework and practices for mental health ministry, and offer a vision of continuing training and collaboration. Workshops and breakout sessions will be focused on exemplar ministries, specific resources for assistance, and special issues such as the needs of elders, returning veterans, rural mental health, addictions, and mental illness among those who are homeless or in prison.

This is an absolutely magnificent and greatly needed activity for educating religious leaders of mental health issues and preparing religious communities to become important centers that address mental health issues from a spiritual perspective. As more pastors, priests, ministers, and chaplains from all faith traditions become increasingly informed about mental illnesses and the effects of mental illness on individuals, families, and communities, the more healthy and happy those with mental health problems and their loved ones will be. It will also bring about a better understanding of the issues throughout the U.S. as to how our society can be most compassionate and helpful for those affected by mental illness.

Anyone who is interested in participating, visit http://www.pathways2promise.org/. This conference is co-sponsored by and will be held at The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows (located in Belleville, IL, just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, MO).

Read more about the conference at the RNS.


(Above photo from Pathways2Promise webpage.)

HarperOne Launches Innovative Online Database of Experts

HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers, announced the inauguration of an innovative new online tool for media, retailers, and other lecture/event venues -- the Little Black Book which is a new searchable online database featuring their extensive list of expert writers in the areas of self-help, spirituality, personal growth, and religion.

The Little Black Book has for the past five years been a popular updated print edition and was adapted to this online database. This user-friendly utility now provides people with many authors, scholars, experts, and artists with easy access.

Check it out at Little Black Book's website and read about it at the RNS.

Daily Word (5.19.09)

Divine Order:

"All is in divine order. I know this truth; I live this truth today and every day." (DW, 5.19.09)

"You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways." (Job 22.28)

Mei Meditatio:

With a firm faith in the all-loving God of my being, I affirm that divine order is being manifested in the universe and my life. Living this truth daily involves consciously acknowledging God's presence working in and through me and recognizing the hand of God in the actions of others. As the relationships in my life grow deeper and more meaningful, I become more able to discern the self-less love of Christ everywhere I look; and the more I experience Christ the deeper and more meaningful my relationships become -- it's a wonderful integral process of spiritual development.

Inspired by Christ, whenever I invest my mental capacity in something it increasingly flows from spiritual potential to manifestation, illumining my path with growing fulfillment.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

2009 John Main Seminar

The 2009 John Main Seminar will be held at The Christian Meditation Centre, St Mark's Myddelton Square, London on August 28-30. Join the WCCM International community in prayer and contemplation to reflect and meditate on the universal tradition of meditation. This year's speaker is Fr. Robert Kennedy SJ, Jesuit Priest and Zen master.

**John Main was was a Benedictine monk, priest, and contemplative who presented a way of Christian meditation which utilizes the practice of a prayer-phrase (known as "mantra" in the East). In 1970's, Fr. Main began Christian meditation groups at his monastery in London, England and, later, in Montreal, Canada. These grew into an ecumenical network of Christian meditation groups called the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM). After Thomas Merton and along with Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen, and David Steindl-Rast, he has helped recover and reintroduce the contemplative practices of the early Church, especially the Desert Fathers.

Go to John Main Seminar home-page for details.

(Photo from WCCM.)

Daily Word (5.18.09)

Inner Peace:

"With unwavering faith, I release all to God. Peace fills my soul." (DW, 5.18.09)

"Be still, and know that I am God!" (Ps. 46.10)

Mei Meditatio:

After my contemplation yesterday when I quoted Psalm 46.10 and kept its meaning in my consciousness, low and behold it shows up today in the daily word!

Faith is my ultimate, unconditional trusting acceptance of God's loving presence everywhere in my life and in the world. Knowing and affirming this profound truth I let go of all thinking and feeling of discontent and travail, giving it over to be dissolved in the infinite Love of God. Peace washes over and through my entire being.

God in Christ shows me the way to true freedom in a plethora of ways. Through the liberating strength of Christ I say with Augustine -- "my heart is restless until it finds rest in You."

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

This Week on World Spirituality UnityFM

This week's World Spirituality radio program hosted by Rev. Paul John Roach on Unity.fm is on the subject "The Phenomenon of Rastafarianism." The guest will be Dr. Darren Middleton who is an acknowledged expert in the Rastafarian tradition. Join us in this two-part series where the origins, traditions, music and spirituality of this highly influential group will be explored.

Listen on Unity.fm on Tuesday at 11 am PST/2 pm EST.

Repossessing Virtue: Wise Voices on the Economic Crisis

This past week's Speaking of Faith program is a continuing series on spirituality and finances:

"This ongoing series explores the moral, spiritual, and practical aspects of the economic downturn. Former guests and you, our listeners, share their wisdom and insight from first-person perspectives, and stories of transformation that may help you in these unpredictable times." (Speaking of Faith)

Go to Speaking of Faith website to listen to the program.

(Photo: "Walking the Sky" by Thomas Brown/Flikr at www.speakingoffaith.publicradio.org)

Scholars Plan First Islamic College in U.S.

A group of American Muslims, led by two prominent scholars Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheik Hamza Yusuf, is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States. There is scheduled a June vote to decide whether the proposed Zaytuna College will open its doors in the fall of next year. Shakir and Yusuf of California have spent many years planning this institution, which will offer a liberal arts education and training in Islamic scholarship.

As I have quite a few Muslim friends and colleagues, I'm aware of how important the establishment of such an academic institution is. Though the study Islam in religious/cultural studies departments is done at major universities, there has yet to be a place of higher education founded and ran by Muslims grounded in Islamic principles.

Those of us who are Christian progressives ought to be supportive of these efforts of promoting and furthering Islamic scholarship and religion, which is becoming a widely prominent religion in the U.S. Helping institutions of higher education that are religiously-affiliated will serve to foster more awareness and understanding of the religious diversity in our country and learn more about each others' faith traditions. The more we engage with each other, the more we understand each other; and the more we understand each other, the less afraid we'll be of each other; and the less we're afraid of each other, the less violence and more love we'll show each other.

Read the Associated Press story at Newsmax.

Serenity and Solitude -- Susan Smith Jones Essay

Unity.org has put up a nice essay by Susan Smith Jones, Ph.D. called, "Serenity and Solitude: Essential Ingredients for Quality of Life," originally appearing in Unity's free booklet Living Your Purpose: Truth in Practice.

In this brief article Jones claims that in order for one to experience a higher quality of life one must inject a healthy dose of solitude and silence into one's daily life. I, for one, wholeheartedly agree. In our present society of hustle and bustle there's an awful lot of "noise" in our individual lives, which are hindrances or distractions preventing the cultivation of inner and outer peace. Now more than ever it seems necessary that we modern/post-modern, technologically-driven people must put aside some quietude for ourselves so as to become more receptive to our inner spirit or internal being. In Judeo-Christian scriptural language, the psalmist states, "Be still and know that I am God." (Ps. 46.10) -- an excellent testimony to divine character and effectiveness of peaceful solitude and silence in the life of the human being.

Using provocative imagery and personal narrative Jones presents an intriguing essay on the necessity of solitude and quietude in spiritual practice so as to experience greater life-quality.

Read Jones's essay here.

Daily Word (5.17.09)

Caregiver:

"Thank God for caregivers who touch the hearts and lives of others in special ways." (DW, 5.17.09)

"We were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children." (1 Thess. 2.7)

Mei Meditatio:

In one way or another we're all caregivers. Just like the manner in which we speak, each of us uses a unique language of caring. Some care for others through speaking words of love, some through deliberate and visible actions of kindness, some through spending time with those we cherish, and others through subtle gestures that may go unnoticed. Caring for others begins by taking care of ourselves in mind, spirit, and body. How can we possibly attend to the needs of others if our basic needs are not addressed?

I care for myself physically by maintaining healthy life-style, emotionally by dealing with my feelings as they come up without suppression, intellectually by study and mental stimulation, and spiritually through persistent and consistent prayer and contemplation. I care for others physically by participating in activities that promote feeding those who are hungry, curing those who are sick, and helping friends, family and strangers who ask for my physical help; emotionally by lovingly listening and compassionately sharing in the feelings of friends, family and strangers when they need my ear; intellectually by teaching, learning, and dialoging with others concerning religious, cultural, social, and political matters; and spiritually by praying with people when they ask me, worshipping in a community of faith, and supporting others on their spiritual journey, however that may be.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

New Interreligious Dialogue Book Out Soon

Perry Schmidt-Leukel, a German scholar of comparative religion at the University of Munster, is coming out with an intriguing scholarly book on interreligious dialogue and spiritual growth entitled, Transformation by Integration: How Inter-faith Encounter Changes Christianity (London, 2009).

Schmidt-Leukel is a prolific academician who puts out a well-researched book nearly every other year, and his area of interest is interfaith (particularly Buddhist-Christian) relations, which, in case anyone doesn't know, just happens to be my scholarly focus as well. This volume is particularly interesting for those wanting to know more about how interfaith dialogue and exchange might impact people and their religions in terms of spiritual transformation. Since there's relatively little scholarly or popular literature on this topic, this is a cutting-edge subject matter. It should be informative and instructive from both an academic and personal-spiritual perspective.

As a side-note, the Unity Institute's Lyceum 2010 theological conference is scheduled to be about East-West religious conversation. Since I'm always a participant in the Lyceum conference and my Ph.D. dissertation topic is concerned with Buddhist-Christian dialogue and its impact on personal-spiritual transformation, I plan to present a paper very similar to Schmidt-Leukel's important subject matter. Becoming more aware of how interfaith relations contribute to growing in understanding "the other" and ourselves better spiritually is extremely important in our current context of religious pluralism and globalization. And the Unity movement can and has been providing a supportive environment for this kind of activity to flourish.

Here's a little review that Amazon has tantalized us with awaiting the book's publication this upcoming May 31:

A growing number of people experience their own spiritual lives as being inspired by more than one religious tradition. Multi-religious identity formation and double-belonging are obvious signs of a process of significant transformation as a result inter-faith encounter - a transformation that had been expected and positively willed by various inter-faith theologians. "Transformation by Integration" looks more deeply at a number of issues involved, including: What does it mean theologically to move beyond tolerance towards a genuine appreciation of other religions? How can multi-religious identity be assessed theologically? And, will we have to reconsider the widespread dismissal of syncretism? Perry Schmidt-Leukel takes the next theological step on the basis of a pluralist paradigm within the theology of religions. (Amazon.com)

(Above photo from Amazon.com.)

Grassroots Faith: Lessons From the Social Gospel -- Chris Evans Article

Columnist Christopher Evans has recently written an article, entitled "Grassroots Faith: Lessons From the Social Gospel," on how the Social Gospel movement of the early 20th century in the U.S. could be seen as providing an instructive example for how progressive Christianity (or religious people, in general) today might address some of the social-spiritual concerns through grounding our message in the ethical-relational practices of Jesus Christ.

Here's a sample:

Current debates among religious progressives concerning the future of their cause need to take a serious look at the successes and failures of the original social gospel. On one hand, the social gospel helped foster a larger movement of public theology, critical to those today who consider themselves a part of any form of religious progressivism. Yet the original social gospel, like today’s progressives, also faced the challenge of defining its mission to the larger culture, specifically, how best to engage important political and economic interests of the time. ("Grassroots Faith")

Perhaps we might be able to learn from past progressive-practical movements on how to create a more open-minded and socially engaged movement toward transformation and prosperity. As we in Unity are rather progressive and practical in our approach to spiritual social action, finding past exemplars of such movements could possibly help support and guide our own individual and communal participation in forward-thinking and moving change.

Check out Evans' full article on Religion Dispatches.

Daily Word (5.16.09)

World Peace:

"With loving thoughts and actions, we open new avenues of peace." (DW, 5.16.09)

"Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 6.23)

Mei Meditatio:

New pathways and opportunities for peace in life present themselves incessantly. It is only if I "have eyes to see and ears to hear" that I may recognize these avenues and take steps toward enacting this peace in myself, relationships, and community. Through prayerful reflection and a mindful attitude toward life in my daily living I'm able to discern what will make most visible the good that is present in circumstances. Guided by the Love of God at the core of my being, I do my best to reveal the wholesomeness in people and events through Christ-centered thinking, speaking, and doing.

Peace, love, and faith are the cornerstones of contentment and right relationship, coming from God the Father and through Jesus into my life.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Daily Word (5.15.09)

Prosperity:

"Divine love is my source of abundance. My life overflows with good." (DW, 5.15.09)

"But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity." (Psalm 37.11)

Mei Meditatio:

The inspired scriptures of the Johannine letters in the New Testament state emphatically that God is love. Not so much that God is loving, though God certainly this too. The crux here is that God is the very essence, core reality of what love means in human life and the universe. God is the principle of Love. This Love-principle is eternal, ubiquitous, and, perhaps most importantly, infinitely abundant -- it cannot be exhausted. Since all humans are children of this ever-present and endless Love, every one of us shares in the uniting benevolence that is Its substance.

When we attune our being in consciousness to God our Source, the infinitely abundant divine Love flows through us and from us into others and the world, overflowing with prosperity, goodness, and togetherness.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

An Pew Forum Interactive Survey

The Pew Forum has put up an interactive survey about the differences in religious belief and American culture. Check it out at USAToday.com.

New Book About Spirituality of Sex

A new book is out by J. Harold Ellens entitled The Spirituality of Sex (Praeger, 2009). It is about the interplay of sexuality and spirituality through the use of anecdotes, observation, and reflective analysis. Ellens describes the psycho-spiritual facts of life about the ubiquity of sexuality in all facets of human life.

This book seems not to be an instructional manual of any kind so much as an informed description of the deep meaning that can be found in the experience of sex. It is structured to give insight about the human individual and his/her sexuality as it concerns the spiritual side of human nature. It is an interesting inquiry into the possible spiritual character of sexual play and sexual union.

Read a brief review of the book at the RNS.

Interfaith Alliance's LEADD Program

Interfaith Alliance sponsors a program called Leadership Education Advancing Democracy and Diversity (LEADD). This is an educational program for high school students developed by members of the Interfaith Alliance and a group of volunteers since 2005, and the purpose is to teach the next generation about religious freedom, democracy, and social engagement in such issues.

Students who attend either the weeklong or weekend versions of LEADD become immersed in the history of the First Amendment, which is the foundation of America's unique devotion to religious liberty. Students learn of the hope in and vision for creating a truly pluralistic American society, and current policy, legislative and legal issues regarding religious freedom.

The 2009 weekend LEADD program is coming up May 29-31 in Oklahoma City, OK on the campus of Oklahoma City University.

This kind of activity is absolutely crucial if we wish to continue advocating for and affirming religious diversity and tolerance in this country. We must pass the torch on to the next generation, and this is done largely through active education. I see LEADD as a fundamental part of the spiritual social action needed to maintain and further the values of religious pluralism and peaceful interfaith relations.

Watch a promotional video produced by LEADD.

*(Above photo from the LEADD website.)

Love Your Neighbor -- Commentary by Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis has recently written a concise but informative and provoking article on Jesus' word's "Love your neighbor as yourself" and the current ecological crisis. He essentially talks about how this exhortation to love neighbor can and should be extended to all humanity and the entire planet. This injunction serves as an important Christian grounds for practically addressing the problems we are currently facing concerning the environment and the Earth. One nice feature of his article is that it offers a good amount of statistics about future projections of humanitarian and environmental issues as well as Christian denominational sentiments about climate change.

Read the entire write-up of "Love Your Neighbor, Love the Earth" at Faith in Public Life.

Daily Word (5.14.09)

Pray for Others:

"I enfold you in the prayers of Silent Unity and give thanks for answered prayer." (DW, 5.14.09)

"I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you." (Philippians 1.3-4)

Mei Meditatio:

In that I am interdependent with everything else in God's vast universe, without others I cannot be myself. My being is intricately interconnected with that of all others. Centered in Christ, my prayer and action goes forth from me enlivening and inspiring others to grow in Spirit.

I remember others in my contemplative life, knowing that through Christ all are one. This occasions rejoicing in God's love flowing from me to others and others to myself.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Daily Word (5.13.09)

Starting Over:

"With a fresh outlook on my world, I make a new start in life." (DW, 5.13.09)

"All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Cor. 3.18)

Mei Meditatio:

New beginnings always begin with a regeneration of awareness in mind. When life gets me down, I know that I'm able to start over, being continually reborn in Christ as I experience increasingly more of God.

Though I can never know the totality of God -- I experience God through God's particular reflection in me -- I nonetheless am becoming transformed through consciousness into the image of God in which I was created. The Spirit of God flows in and through me, my relationships, and the world to further manifest God's reflection.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Science, Consciousness, and the Soul -- David Chalmers article

Author David Chalmers writes an article for EnlightenNext magazine about science, consciousness, and the soul -- a look at new theories of awareness that embraces both the spiritual/mystical and quantum physics/neuroscience dimensions of the issue.

Check out Chalmers's article on EnlightenNext.

Buddhism in America -- Helen Tworkov article

Helen Tworkov, editor of Tricycle magazine, writes a piece for EnlightenNext (formerly What is Enlightenment?) concerning the character and future of Buddhism in America. Over the past few decades Buddhist traditions and practices have been becoming assimilated and grafted into modern Western culture. The question Tworkov brings up is, "how can we make sure its heart and soul aren't getting lost in the translation?"

Read the article at EnlightenNext.

Daily Word (5.12.09)

Child in Me:

"I am open to my good in thought, attitude, and expectation." (DW, 5.12.09)

Mei Meditatio:

As I am a child of God, the divine child in me is always present, ready to spring forth and be expressed in my thoughts, words, and deeds. With a child-like imagination, I am open to my inheritance in love, goodness, and wholeness and receptive to envisioning what I can do to best bring forth the best in me, others, and society.

The spirit of Christ guides me through daily life, empowering me to give and receive freely, respectfully, and gratefully.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

CMEP 2009 Advocacy Conference

The Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) will be holding a conference called "Israeli-Palestinian Peace: Hope for Things Unseen" in Washington, D.C. on June 7-9, 2009 at the Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet University.

Register or donate at CMEP's website.

Historical Article on Christian-Muslim Relations

Phillip Jenkins writes a brief article in The Christian Century about the history and development of Christians interactions with Muslims. It's an interesting read.

Read the article in the current issue of The Christian Century.

Claremont School of Theology Rebounds, Plans Multifaith University

After recent financial problems, Claremont School of Theology (CST) in Claremont, CA is in the preliminary stages of establishing a multi-faith graduate university. The Methodist-affiliated seminary is in the process of transforming itself into an institution of higher learning that will include the role of training United Methodist ministers but will include at least two other colleges (allegedly to be called "school of ethics, politics, and society" and the intriguing "school of world spiritualities and the healing arts"), which will constitute an institution dedicated to higher education towards promoting interreligious understanding and peace by training leaders in these areas of expertise.

CST's endeavor is an ambitious plan to build a multifaith, multicultural graduate university "to create active rapport among religions" for dealing with world problems. This must be an extremely challenging and exciting time for those at CST, but I can't express enough how absolutely magnificent this transformation will be. As of now, there are certainly a number of universities or colleges that offer courses and/or programs in comparative religion and interreligious studies. However, there are very few places with the enormous credentials and ability to attract superior scholars and students like CST to create an academic institution that structures its programs under the mission and purpose of being a multi-faith educational forum for promoting interreligious understanding and peacework. Universities and colleges with this directive are greatly needed and helpful in this increasingly pluralistic society and globalized world.

I wish CST's transition all the best and hope to contribute somehow. I'm eagerly waiting to see how this institution transforms into an interfaith center of scholarly learning.

John Dart reports on CST's transition in The Christian Century.

Interfaith Vigil for Postville, IA

Yesterday, May 11, there was an interfaith vigil commemorating the Postville, IA immigration raids at a local kosher meatpacking plant a year ago on May 12, 2008. Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Jewish leaders and congregant came together to remember this event that so affected their community -- an excellent piece of evidence of different faiths coming together to actively engage in community affairs toward social change.

Amie Steffen of the Waterloo Courier has the story at Faith in Public Life.

Daily Word (5.11.09)

Open Spaces:

"I am prepared for new experiences." (DW, 5.11.09)

"Now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." (Gen. 26.22)

Mei Meditatio:

Centered in God's ever-present love, I'm confident in my being and ready for new life experiences. Affirming of the Christ in me, my faith is strengthened by the learning and understanding I gain from what I encounter daily in life.

Individual and communal prosperity grows out of a cultivation of the awareness of God's love dynamically active in and through the world and our relationships.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Gratefulness.org -- Br. David Steindl-Rast

For those of you who are interested in contemplative Christian prayer, Br. David Steindl-Rast has a wonderful website -- gratefulness.org. And for those who don't know who Br. David is, he's an Austrian-born Benedictine monk who is a theologian active in contemplative prayer and interfaith activities.

The website includes a bio of Br. David, articles about various spiritual subjects, instructions for prayer practices, events, and a wonderful virtual candle lighting application/service. Definitely check it out and learn about more ways of centering life in prayer and contemplation.

(Photo from gratefulness.org)

Mahatma Gandhi -- World Spirituality on Unity.fm

Listen to WORLD SPIRITUALITY on Unity.fm this week when host Rev. Paul John Roach discusses Mahatma Gandhi with guests Andy Fort and Mark Dennis. In this program, they will look at some of the myths surrounding Mahatma Gandhi, his message and power, and his meaning for us today.

Listen to World Spirituality on Tuesday at 11am PST/2pm EST on Unity.fm.

Metaphysical Malpractice

Rev. Paul Hasselbeck, a Unity minister and dean of the Spiritual Education and Enrichment program at Unity Institute, has written a short article in the latest Contact magazine of the Association of Unity Churches. His piece is entitled, "Metaphysical Malpractice: Situations in Our Life?" and essentially deals with the Law of Mind-action as it applies to problematic situations in peoples' lives.


Hasselbeck addresses the issue of people blaming themselves when confronted with difficulties due to the Law of Mind-action, which asserts that "thoughts held in mind reproduce after their kind." The contention arises when people begin to create a sense of inner guilt about traumatic events because they feel that they are responsible for bringing on the difficulty they're experiencing. This is "metaphysical malpractice" and is totally not conducive to spiritual growth.

Hasselbeck aptly points out that it is usually impossible to know for sure whether the negative circumstances have been produced by oneself or the collective consciousness of humankind. He states, "A better question to consider with someone in the midst of illness or a trauma is, 'what is the most supportive and positive response I can make to this situation?'" (Contact, "Malpractice," 21.) Indeed, as I don't believe that all of people's problems are caused by their own thinking (I feel that there are certainly causes and conditions outside of one's thought-universe that can have negative consequences on one's life-situation) I also prefer a pragmatic, pastoral care centered approach to these issues.

Rather than exacerbating the guilt and suffering that a person is likely feeling during a difficult time, it's best to help the person center themselves in God through prayer. This includes affirming that, though the suffering that s/he may be going through is real to her/him at the time, God is fully present in that pain and is empowering her/him to get through the hurt. The love of God in Christ is in the unsatisfactory experience, calling her/him to persevere through the suffering and diffuculty. This must be accomplished by acknowledging and affirming that s/he is a child of God and therefore is inherently good, is innately whole. Hanging onto this healthful consciousness will likely bring about an awareness of God present in the adversity, which is the key to getting rid of suffering and experiencing the Spirit of God.

It's when the Law of Mind-action is used for purposes of usurping material desires or blaming others/self for the bad experiences in life that it is abused as a tool for malpractice. I enjoy how Hasselbeck ends the brief essay, "Spiritual truths and practices are not so much about getting outer goodies as they are about realizing inner goodness." (Contact, "Malpractice," 21.)

Check out Rev. Hasselbeck's article in April/May issue of Contact.

Daily Word (5.10.09)

Blessing Mothers:

"Bless you, Mothers, for being expressions of divine love and caring." (DW, 5.10.09)

"The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living." (Gen. 3.20)

Mei Meditatio:

God as Creator and Source is not only God the Father but also equally God the Mother. Mother-God is that of God which birthed all creation into being and nurtures us through Her loving care and cultivation. As expression of Divine Mother, all human mothers are each unique Eves, continuing God's good creation through providing, educating, and nourishing their children throughout their lives in the continual process of spiritual growth.

The more we appreciate our mothers as manifestations of the Christ in the world, in our lives, the fuller we experience God as motherly Love. God bless all mothers in all parts of the world and in different cultures.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Daily Word (5.9.09)

Guidance:

"I act with divine wisdom and rise to new heights of understanding." (DW, 5.9.09)

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street." (Rev. 22.1)

Mei Meditatio:

My actions are reflective of my mode of consciousness at the time. So when my awareness is centered on God in and through Christ within my actions in thought, word, and deed express the divine wisdom in which I share. As I grow in theocentric (God-centered) awareness I increase in understanding and experience a further transformation into the love, goodness, and peace I'm created to be.

The pure and pristine Water of Life flows from God's majesty into and through my being, enabling me to do the good I'm called to do in my life.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Religious Americans Better Citizens?

Michael Gerson of the Washington Post writes an opinion piece based on a recent book by Robert Putnam and David Campbell called American Grace. Gerson argues essentially that Americans who consider themselves "religious" are more generous with their time and money (both in religious and secular causes), join more voluntary associations, attend more public meetings, three times as likely to be more socially engaged than the unaffiliated, and even more likely to let people cut in line in front of them more readily. As Gerson says, "Ned Flanders is a better neighbor."

This is interesting since some secularists have not only predicted the inevitable end of religion but have claimed how detrimental religion is to society. Granted, countless human atrocities have been committed in the name of religion, but this doesn't necessarily mean that there's something inherent in the religious systems, values, and practices themselves that is the cause. At a fundamental level, it's the clinging, clamoring, selfish human ego that has led people to make horrible, harmful and violent decisions, whether it be through the Crusades or Stalinist Soviet Union. Regardless, I don't foresee religion going away anytime soon, and it's intriguing to hear of research that is suggesting that religious people in the U.S. live their lives more likely to be involved in their communities and altruistic activities.

Read the article at Faith in Public Life.

Webcast Seminar With Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber

Living Evolutionary Spirituality and an Integral Life:

Tomorrow May 9, 2009 from noon to 5:00pm Eastern, Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber, two defining voices in the field of spiritual and cultural transformation, will bring their unique combination of spiritual experience and theoretical knowledge to an exclusive live event on EnlightenNext Webcast: a four-hour virtual seminar that comprehensively examines what it means to live an integral, evolutionary life. In this unique forum, Cohen and Wilber will explore how each of us can become a fully awake, purposeful, and integral human being who demonstrates that a more enlightened future is possible, even in our uncertain times.

See the EnlightenNext event page to register for this important event.

(Photo from EnlightenNext.org)

Fareed Zakaria to Interview Dalai Lama

CNN's Fareed Zakaria will sit down and talk with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on CNN Sunday May 10, 2009 at 1 and 5pm Eastern.

Read an interview with Zakaria about Tibet and the Dalai Lama on CNN.com.

Daily Word (5.8.09)

Let Go, Let God:

"I move forward, knowing that God is all-powerful and everywhere present." (DW 5.8.09)


"In God, whose word I praise ... in God I trust; I am not afraid." (Psalm 56.10-11)

Mei Meditatio:

God is unlimited in potency or being. Affirming this truth brings me to the awareness that the God of my being is omnipotent and omnipresent -- the Power that animates and enlivens all in the universe and the Divine Sustainment fully present in every particle, person, and event. With this wisdom I'm empowered to seize the day in God's all-powerful, ever-present guidance and do what needs to be done by me.

Giving thanks to and trusting in God, my faith is strengthened and my fears subside as I'm filled with the Spirit of God in Christ.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Daily Word (5.7.09)

Healing:

"As a child of God, I am healthy and whole. I live a complete and balanced life." (DW, 5.7.09)

"It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Rom. 8:16)

Mei Meditatio:

Though, at times, I don't feel healthy, whole, complete, or balanced, I'm always able to come to the truth in my consciousness that I'm a child of God -- a unique product of God's creativity. Since God is my Source, the Underpinning of my being, I'm forever in God's care. And under God's sustainment I know I'm already participating in the perfection and harmony that is the character of God's Being.

As my spirit opens up to God's Spirit I gradually realize my divine heritage and believe in healing. In the mind and spirit of Christ I'm eternally connected to the Source of All, God the Good Omnipotent.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.

Unity and the Twelve Step Program

Allen Liles writes an interesting an important piece in Unity Magazine, and reprinted on Unity.org, about the connections and commonalities between Unity principles and the Twelve Step Program that has been used for years to treat addictions.

Liles describes how many teachings in Unity that focus on a greater goodness everywhere present as God and the positive valuation of human individuals as capable of personal, spiritual change toward increasing betterment and well-being have great resonance with the Twelve Step Program's belief in "a higher power" and giving oneself over to this power as a means of dissolving one's addiction. In particular, I found intriguing the shared value in both systems of not simply knowing about the principles of well-being, but concretely and practically taking action in one's life to bring about the changes one desires. This is a great inspiration to not be complacent in one's life but, in the words of Gandhi, "be the change you want to see."

Because of these connections, it's really not surprising that I see many Unity churches and groups allowing Twelve Steps fellowships (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Co-dependents Anonymous, etc.) to host meetings at their facilities. It warms my heart to know that Unity communities are playing an important role in helping people with life-threatening addictions to help themselves and lead productive, healthful lives.

Kevin Roose Undercover at Liberty University

Brown University senior Kevin Roose spent a semester at Jerry Falwell-founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, and chronicled his adventures in The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University.

While most of his fellow students took a semester to study abroad, Roose decided to enter the evangelical fundamentalist stronghold of Liberty and document his experience there. He says didn't really know what to expect but thought maybe he'd encounter people who were staunch, unwaivering demagogues who went about spouting self-righteous dogma. However, after living with the students, eating in the lunch rooms, conversing on campus, studying in classes, and even going on a couple dates Roose confesses that they weren't at all like he thought. He says they are "normal people" who have the same kinds of concerns as the rest of us and are even quite reflective about their beliefs and practices.

Though he had to sign the university's 46-page code of conduct, which includes no drinking, cursing, or hugging for longer than 3 seconds, and admits that some parts of their lifestyle were challenging for him being raised a secular-liberal, he relates that he learned a lot and that he grew significantly as a person due to his encounter with people at Liberty.

Roose's story is an instructive lesson in what it means to really engage with the "other." Some of us who are rather progressive in our outlook sometimes criticize fundamentalism as not being open enough to other perspectives. However, even though many of us claim to maintain an an acceptive worldview, we must always be careful not to become intolerant and derisive of fundamentalists by failing to attempt to better understand and learn from their viewpoints. To be truly open and receptive we must not exclude conservative-minded people from our consideration. This doesn't, of course, means total agreement, but it does involve striving to imagine where they're coming from and seeing their perspective as having inherent value and importance.

Roose serves as a prime example of engaging with those who are different than yourself (in this case, evangelical fundamentalists) and how that can lead to surprising personal growth and development, which is integral to building a better, more peaceful world situation.

Read interviews of Roose by Newsweek and the RNS.

Poll Says Variety of Christians Want Action on Climate Change

According to the new national survey conducted by Public Religion Research and sponsored by Faith in Public Life and Oxfam America, a majority of Americans, including majorities of Catholics and Evangelicals, believe addressing climate change now will create new jobs and help avoid more serious economic problems in the future; almost 7 out of 10 (69%) Americans and similar numbers of Catholics and Evangelicals agree that climate change is making it harder for the world's poorest people to support their families; and approximately three-quarters of the general public and comparable numbers of Catholics and Evangelicals favor helping the world's poorest people adapt to food and water shortages caused by rising global temperatures.

This tells me that a surprising variety of Christians, including evangelicals who aren't typically concerned with or involved in environmental problems, are becoming increasingly convinced that there is a real environmental crisis at hand and that practical action must be taken to begin to alleviate the problems. I'm also pleased to see that a notably high percentage of more conservative-minded Christians are acknowledging global warming and its effects on the poor around the world.

From a Unity perspective, the environmental crisis is very real, must be dealt with, and many practical steps are being made in national and local Unity organizations to help contribute to raising consciousness about the issues and promoting means of taking action in everyday life to foster a sustainable future. See Unity's EarthCare Team for more info.

Faith in Public Life has a press release.

"Do One Nice Thing" Stimulus Packages Bring Hope and Purpose to Unemployed

Debbie Tenzer, founder of the wildly successful charity website DoOneNiceThing.com (which has members in ninety countries and gets more than one million hits per month), has announced she is launching Heart-to-Heart Stimulus Packages, which is a unique volunteer program to help the unemployed lend a hand in their communities.

DoOneNiceThing.com promotes the idea of putting aside some time once a week to do an activity that is helpful or charitable for others. Tenzer believes that in today's world full of selfishness and bad news, helping others even just once a week is empowering for both oneself and others.

"Maybe we can't solve the big problems, but by working together we can solve a lot of smaller ones. . . By helping, we give people hope, and that makes us hopeful too. We are reaching out to the unemployed because we know that by helping other they will also help themselves."

Some of examples of volunteer activities that people have been doing are mailing tons of school supplies to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who give them to local children so they can study; sending books to schools, libraries and hospitals; contributing numerous gifts for foster children whose birthdays sometimes are forgotten; and donating packages of pasta, cans of food,
and other food items to food banks.

I encourage all Unity organizations and institutions (as well as others) to research this project and contribute in any and every possible way you are able. It's a wonderful way to build connections within a community while simultaneously working to give support to those who could use help. It's also a way for a community's unemployed to feel involved and hopeful in the future, affirming that all is in Divine Order and working toward their greatest good.

See the press release at RNS.

Christianity's Lost History

Recently, Peter Pham, Episcopal priest and scholar, has reviewed historian Philip Jenkins' latest book The Lost History of Christianity (HarperOne, 2008), which elucidates how Christianity has become tied to European culture in modern times but that it used to be a truly global religion that reflected the African and Asian cultures in which it existed. Not that there's no diversity in Christianity today, because there most certainly is, but the type of cultural baggage that is most often associated with Christianity is that of the West.

When Christianity spread from the earliest apostles it didn't simply follow the course only of Paul. Besides westward, it spread southward and eastward, inhabited those lands, interacted with other relgions (like Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, and Buddhism), and fused with those cultures to which it spread. The importance of this book and Pham's review of it is that it highlights the non-Western spread and diversification of Christianity from very early on in its history. That is, our Christian tradition has historically been permeated by much more cultural variety that has previously been thought in the West. This itself is an important point.

Here's a snippet from the book:

The particular shape of Christianity with which we are familiar is a radical departure from what was for well over a millennium the historical norm: another, earlier global Christianity once existed. For most of its history, Christianity was a tricontinental religion, with powerful representation in Europe, Africa, and Asia, and this was true into the fourteenth century. Christianity became predominantly European not because this continent had any obvious affinity for that faith, but by default: Europe was the continent where it was not destroyed. Matters could have easily developed differently.

Read the full book review at pbs.org's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.

Obama Plans Proclamation Not Event For National Day of Prayer

President Obama appears unlikely to hold a large event to mark the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, returning to the standard proclamations that were the common practice of presidents before George W. Bush took office in 2001.

Adelle Banks of the RNS has a write-up.

Individuality and Oneness?

Recently Dan Holloway wrote an article on Unity.org that was excerpted from the Association of Unity Churches' Contact magazine entitled "Honoring Diversity." Holloway sketches out the Unity understanding of diversity as something that is to be honored. This is affirmed in many of the official pronouncements or statements by Unity, the Association, or often both. Unity has always been a spiritual movement that starts with the individual and works outward, but also has always acknowledged the unity (hence the name) of all humanity, of all life. Holloway states,

"We seek harmony in a world of difference. It's an interesting truth that we teach: We have an individuality that separates us from any and all people in that there is no other person exactly like us. A more humorous observation might be, 'You are unique, just like everyone else.'"

He is bringing up an interesting tension that isn't extant only in Unity, for it can be found in the teachings throughout the world's religious and metaphysical systems. Philosophically it's often termed "the problem of the One and the many." There's obviously a plethora of phenomena in the world and yet many traditions affirm that there is a single underlying essence or one source from which the multiplicity has come. What exactly is the nature of the relationship of the One and the many?

Religiously, it's couched a little differently, more like Holloway has stated. There are many different people and yet all these different people are somehow the same or at least share a fundamental commonality. We can go through some semantic gymnastics, but there nonetheless exists a bit of a tension between the manyness that we are as unique individuals and the Oneness that harmoniously makes us a unity.

I like to attempt to answer this apparent problem in two ways - one rational and the other mystical. Firstly, we could use the prominent theologian David Tracy's method of similarity-in-difference. Both the plurality of people and things as well as their connectedness is upheld through the usage of analogy. We are all clearly different, but through the employment of an analogical imagination we can confidently say that there is a "likeness" that pervades all this differentiation. (See D. Tracy, The Analogical Imagination and Plurality and Ambiguity).

Secondly, I appeal to the mystical element of paradox. That is, we run into logical contradictions that defy normal reason when we say that everything is simultaneously One and many, same and different. However, I like to think that the reality of this relationship is one that transcends rationality and is a mystical truth of unity-in-diversity, where we are One yet plural simultaneously. As Unity teaches, we are each unique individuals united in Oneness, which is unity-in-diversity. In Unity, as in most religious systems, when attempting to speak of Truth our language fails and we run into tension or logical contradiction. So, I'm a firm believer in the notion of paradox pointing to mystical Truth.

See Holloway's complete essay.

Spiritual Discernment Christian Leadership Conference at George Fox University

The George Fox University Congregational Discernment Project announces two dozen Authors and Experts Workshops on various aspects of spiritual discernment as the key to effective Christian leadership. The conference will be held this May 31-June 3 at George Fox University in Newberg, OR.

"Authentic leadership is seen as a function of truth rather than power, and this conference explores the theory and practice underlying that reality. . . This conference features leading authors and experts who will be sharing how discernment-oriented leadership works." (RNS)

Check out the conference details on GFU's website.

New Unity Small-group Ministry Booklet On Spiritual Social Action

As a special curriculum release, Unity.org has announced the availability of a new booklet for small group study on spiritual social action. It looks at social action from a Unity spiritual perspective. Participants begin to connect social action with Unity's basic teachings, consider the relevance of social action in their lives, contemplate how to be peacemakers, and examine how connections among diverse religious traditions enhance the experience of serving individuals and communities.

This attention to social engagement is a burgeoning interest and concern in Unity Christianity, as it has been largely neglected on the wider, institutional level and in direct relation to Unity's basic principles and theology. This new booklet should help local Unity (as well as other) communities become inspired to get more involved in social action ministries such as outreach, justice issues, interfaith dialogue, etc.

Check out the booklet at Unity.org.

UWest Chaplaincy Program Connections

University of the West's newly initiated Buddhist Chaplaincy Program is now on Twitter, Facebook, and has its own blogsite.

This program is currently coordinated by my friend and colleague, Danny Fisher, who writes about Buddhist chaplaincy on his blogsite and many other forums.

Chaplaincy is such an important vocation in supporting individuals in their personal well-being, so I'm so pleased that Buddhism, which is a growing influential religion in the U.S., is becoming increasingly present in chaplaincy contexts. I'm blessed to know leaders from other religious traditions who are actively using chaplaincy as a means to promote healthy living and spiritual growth.