Gathering for Sunday Feb. 4, 2007

Over the next several months we're going to be discussing other World Faiths and I want our discussions to be driven by asking better questions so that we arrive at better responses. (Note: I didn't say "answers.") Are we studying other faiths so we can offer an argument as to why our's is better? Start with this question and very quickly our response is a debate, not a dialogue. My hope is that we can create a dialogue. To start our dialogue the word Creed comes from Credo meaning "I believe." How would you describe your faith to a believer of another tradition?

Discussion Questions:

• How might apologetics be an unfaithful response to other world faith adherents? (Hint)
• Every person worships something, be it capitalism, culture, or Christ. Is there then such a being as a nonbeliever?
• Why is it necessary for us to recognize that people are the best and the worst representatives for any faith? Think of some examples.
• What is postmodernity? How might learning about other faiths help us relate to postmodern people?

Gathering for Sept. 10

Other than Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr is probably the best known physicist of the twentieth century (check the wikipedia link, he has awesome quotes). There is this story of a friend entering Bohr's office one day to notice there was a horseshoe hung above the door. The friend said, "what's this?" Bohr replied, "A lucky horseshoe." The friend said, "You are a physicist; surely you're not a superstitious person." Bohr said, "I'm not superstitious. However, I am led to believe that this horseshoe works whether you believe in it or not." Wow, that is like the best example of faith...even the faith that it takes to believe in something as radical as the Christmas or Easter. Faith acts independent of us, faith invites us in...invites us to believe and then sustains us to believe. I wanted to share this thought to add to last week's discussion...now on to this week's talk.

This Sunday we are continuing to discuss the resurrection. In a sense, if there is no resurrection there is no faith (both that which we believe and the power that enables us to believe it...the word faith can be understood in those two ways). Yet this Sunday I want us to consider something Christ resurrection is soon followed by his ascension. (do more later)