kshewfelt

I think Tillich has eloquently conveyed meaning to the heart of Christianity, a New Being grounded in love, with an emphasis on reunion, reconciliation and resurrection as pathways to getting there. Wow. What a beautiful lens through which we can grasp more fully living our lives. It's a long story, but the church where I attend has a 3-year confirmation program for adolescents that my daughter has been attending. They do a wonderful job with the kids and the adults of the community really focus on their role as shepherds for these kids during this time of learning and change. The women also have a book club where the focus is on topics pertaining to faith. I have volunteered for the past couple of years as a "confirmation guide" as I see this as a way of encouraging my daughter to participate (without complaining). Imagine that! She actually loves going. But the fact is that I am careful about what I say. This is not a community of "progressive" thinkers, but rather people not really grounded in critical thinking about biblical texts. So when I blurted out at a recent book club meeting - rather hesitantly - that I don't think it is necessarily important to think of Jesus as a "god" or to see the physical resurrection as historical fact, I was looked at as if I came from Mars. At this time in our country, the larger Christian community is strongly tied to traditional doctrine and time-honored interpretations. For those of you that are parents, how do you deal with this?

This is my first deep read of Tillich in a long, long time, and yes, it seems somewhat dated. And after reading some of the remarks above, I can see how he has indeed pigeonholed those deemed as righteous. But it left me pondering most of the day the overall importance of compassion in life. And for that I am grateful for this first sermon.

Friday works for me too! Thanks, Mike!

I am game, Mike!

Hello there - I am a brand new member to this website after by chance coming across an article by John Shelby Spong. The result of the reading was a quick trip to Barnes and Noble to pick up Jesus for the Non-Religious. I was amazed to hear words that echoed what I had been feeling intuitively for many, many a year. So I wouldn't mind joining this book discussion if only to sink more deeply into this amazing and soulful journey. Let me know if you still plan on moving forward. I am aware of Paul Tillich, but have not read nor discussed him at any great depth. Many thanks.