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NAINConnect 2008 Workshops |
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Theme: Pre-Conference Offerings
BEYOND THEOLOGY
WORKSHOP SUMMARY
Beyond Theology, a television series currently airing on PBS stations across the United States, began as a documentary focusing on the question: “What Would Jesus Do?” Tracing the origins of "WWJD" to a series of "sermon stories" told by Rev. Charles Sheldon and published as the book In His Steps (1896) , the question then becomes: how does one respond to that question in today's pluralistic world? As a number of prominent preachers and professors shared their thoughts on the subject, the one-hour special evolved into a 10-part series. Among those appearing in this series are Rev. Peter Gomes, Sister Joan Chittister, Bishop John Shelby Spong, Rabbi David Rosen, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Diana Eck, Harvey Cox, Peter Russell, Jacob Needleman, Karen Armstrong, Huston Smith and Dr. James Forbes, Jr. One program, featured in the workshop, reflects on the role of interfaith dialogue, spotlighting The Pluralism Project at Harvard University, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and Inter-Faith Ministries of Wichita.
PRESENTERS
Dave Kendall, Laura Mead, and Charles Atkins, Jr., Sam Muyskins, and Paul Chaffee
Dave Kendall, series producer of Beyond Theology, studied integral philosophy and media anthropology before becoming a documentary producer. He currently serves as Executive Producer at KTWU, the public television station in Topeka, Kansas.
Laura Mead, creative consultant to Beyond Theology, teaches, lectures and presents workshops on health, meditation and mindfulness. Her work focuses on facilitating balance within individuals, families, and communities. She is working on a book exploring new ideas for understanding health and how we heal.
Rev. Charles Atkins, Jr., the host of “Beyond Theology,” is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary currently serving as a Chaplain at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in New Jersey. He is also a recording artist using hip hop, rap and spoken word poetry skills to reach out to young people.
Rev. Sam Muyskens, United Methodist, is Executive Director of Inter-Faith Ministries of Wichita, host of the first NAIN Connect in 1988. He spent 13 years in the parish ministry before joining Inter-Faith’s staff. Eleven years ago he founded ASAP Haiti, which sends doctors, nurses and teachers to Haiti. He is president of the National Association of Ecumenical and Interfaith Staffs, a long-term trustee of NAIN, and has traveled the world promoting interfaith dialogue.
Rev. Paul Chaffee is the founding Executive Director of Interfaith Center at the Presidio. He served as Secretary for six years on United Religion Initiative's initial Board of Directors and currently is Program Chair for the NAIN board of directors. His books include Shared Wisdom Workbook – Growing Grassroots Interfaith Relations (2004). He chairs the NAINConnect 2008 Host Committee.
Workshop is interactive - please post a comment and note your interest
DISCUSSION AND COMMENTS
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OPENING STATEMENT
The Beyond Theology television series emerged from a documentary related to the origins of the question “What Would Jesus Do?” That question, in its popularized form, came from a series of sermon stories told by the Reverend Charles M. Sheldon, a Protestant minister from Topeka, Kansas, in his well-known book In His Steps (1896). We wanted to see how that question applies to our contemporary, pluralistic world.
We posed the question to leading religious thinkers and visionaries, and new questions emerged -- questions about how we view the world, how we interact with each other and how we relate to the spiritual dimension of our being. One of those we interviewed points out that we’re living in an unprecedented time when all of the spiritual traditions of the world are converging.
You can view video clips and download transcripts at http://www.beyondtheology.tv. We hope you do that and share with us here the questions and issues that emerge for you. You might want to answer the WWJD question here yourself or suggest your own questions for the times in which we now live.
We look forward to your input!
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| Date |
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| 07/07/08 |
Bruce Schuman |
Moving forward |
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| I was pleased and happy to see this workshop, when it was announced a few weeks ago. I immediately went to the Beyond Theology web site, and began to explore the very interesting materials offered there. Now, as the conference draws near -- I feel that there is a lot to discuss, and a lot that could emerge...
Just picking one tiny theme from among many, there is a quote I just picked up from one of the videos. Somebody says
We are in desperate need of another great awakening.
Regardless of the degree of desperation we may or may not be experiencing -- it seems that millions of people are feeling something like this. Out there at the cutting edge/fringe, where I tend to hang out -- people have been s . . .
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| 07/11/08 |
Dave Kendall |
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| Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed response to our series, Bruce. The person you've quoted in regard to "another great awakening" is Dr. James Forbes, Jr., senior minister emeritus at Riverside Church in NYC and founder of Healing of the Nations Foundation.
I notice that you've used the term "integral" several times. Is there any particular reason that you've chosen that word?
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| 07/12/08 |
Bruce Schuman |
Moving forward |
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| Thanks for your comment, Dave. I was going to come back here today and post something in response to the introductory statement for this workshop, where someone suggests that "the spiritual traditions of the world are converging". That's a fascinating theme -- full of explosive possibilities for interfaith people -- and maybe pointing towards the "interfaith future we are embracing" -- and I will probably get into that....
As regards "integral" -- well, that's a big word for me. Of course, that theme has its own schools of thought -- the California Institute of Integral Studies, etc. -- plus, Ken Wilber has given that language some wide exposure. I have his recent book right here, "The Integral Vision".
Sometimes, I think maybe th . . .
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| 07/14/08 |
Bruce Schuman |
Convergence Versus Rodney King |
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| Yesterday I happened to see author Rev. Dr. Cindi Love being interviewed on C-SPAN's "Book TV", regarding her new book, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
Her interview is currently available online, in "Real" format
http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9616&SectionName=Politics&PlayMedia=Yes
Cindi Love is a former corporate executive and marketing person who is now the Executive Director of Metropolitan Community Churches -- http://www.mccchurch.org. She has a lot to say regarding the spirituality inherent in religion, and her book cover illustrates a theme that should be right up our . . .
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| 03/02/09 |
jeremy taylor |
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| type in google dr. jeremy taylor d.min stole the name, rev jeremy taylor stole a God spoken protected christians ministry name and wrote and called ministry above copyrights
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