No specific program is planned until January 11, 2015

What's up on Dec 21

Nothing specific is planned. Probably, we'll just sit around and talk. That usually works. Join us.

Radiolab -- Words

This coming Sunday, Dec 14th, we hear and discuss a portion of the podcast entitled "Words" from Radiolab. Here's the link: Click me. The theme of the program revolves around the idea that our ability to think, visual, conceive understand and appreciate ourselves and the world is strongly dependent on our ability to use language. The strongest evidence comes from deaf children raised in remote areas, who learn language later in life. The implications of this idea are both enormous and intimate. Please join us.

Sea of Faith -- Albert Schweitzer

For December 7, we'll view and discuss the "Sea of Faith" section on Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer is most remembered as a self-less physician who devoted his life to missionary medical work in the wilds of east Africa, and less known for his radical theology that caused him to be banned from preaching. He authored "The Quest for the Historical Jesus" in 1910, a precursor to the work of the modern-day Jesus seminar. Preview the video here; CLICK. Please join us for a quick study of this remarkable life.

Carl Jung in Don Cupitt's "Sea of Faith"

This coming Sunday, Nov, 30 we'll have a look at Part of Don Cupitt's excellent series, "Sea of Faith" In this series Cupitt compares psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to show their striking similarities and dissimilarities with respect to religion and spirituality. It's a good show. Join us 9:45.
Preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcthKnvY2hE

Embracing Mystery, LtO2.0

This coming Sunday, Nov. 23, we'll view the 21st and last chapter of the Living the Questions 2.0, "Embracing Mystery." This has been a great series. Please be warmly welcome to join us for the last lap.

Creative Transformation, LtQ2.0

The Adult Forum resumes on Sunday, Nov. 16 with chapter 20 of Living the Questions 2.0, "Creative Transformation." Please Join us at 9:45 in Martin Hall.

No Adult Forum on November 9

The Adult Forum will NOT meet on Sunday, November 9. We'll be making way for the Gratitude Dinner immediately after church. Join us for that!

Compassion

This coming Sunday, Nov. 2, we will continue the LtQ2.0 series with the section on compassion, asking, "Is this not the heart of Jesus' message?" and "What is more central to the life of faith than striving to be more compassionate?"

In this chapter, contributor Ron Buford says, "Compassion was at the center of Jesus' ministry and life. So often in the gospels you get the sense that Jesus looked into people's eyes, into their hearts, and he saw something. He saw who they were. He saw what they needed. And no matter what law he had to break, if he had to break a law in order to make that person whole or to make their lives better, Jesus did it." 

Join us! Well be happy to see you!

Prayer: Intimacy with God

Coming for October 26, Chapter 18 of LtQ 2.0. "Prayer: Intimacy with God."
These sessions seems to getting better every week. Please join us. Nothing required. We'll just be happy to see you.

Incarnation: Divinely Human LtQ2.0

This Sunday, October 19, we'll view the LtQ2.0 chapter titled "Incarnation: Divinely Human." Does divinity begin where humanity ends? or is there a little overlap? We'll have a look at two biblical verses, John 10:31-34. and Psalms 82:6-7. Please join us. We'll be delighted to see you.

Social Justice: Realizing God's Vision

This coming Sunday, October 12 we'll view the 16th chapter of LtQ2.0, "Realizing God's Vision" One of the main tenets of progressive Christianity is work for social justice. "The opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice." Bryan Stevenson. Come join us. We'll be delighted to see you.

A kingdom without walls LtQ2.0 Ch 15

We continue the Living the Questions 2.0 series with chapter 15: 'A Kingdom Without Walls."
The website at St John's in Raleigh posted about this chapter, saying:
 "Imagine a place where mercy resides, love forms each heart, compassion is lived out with grit and determination. A place where lavish signs mark each path, barrier free. Imagine a place where skin tones are celebrated like the hues of tulips in springtime. … Imagine a place where people no longer kept watch through the front window to determine whether the welcome mat would remain on the porch. Such is the work - the journey - the destination - in the kin-dom of God.” Join us!

Reclaiming the World -- LtQ2.0

Last Sunday we debunked the rapture, this Sunday, September 28th, we'll reclaim the world. This session focuses on the reclaiming the world, caring for the earth and acting with justice. "This our home, and we need to take care of it for as long as it lasts". Please join us. You'll be warmly welcome.

LtQ2.0 Debunking the Rapture

This coming Sunday, September 21st, we are going to continue the Living the Questions2 series with the chapter, "Debunking the Rapture."

This popular topic challenges the notion the we are at the end of times and that Jesus will literally come again to "meet us in the air". We'll talk about how presumed imminent coming of the rapture supports an image of a violent Jesus, an angry God bent on retribution and punishment, how it fosters a world view consistent with the abdication of responsible stewardship of the earth and our environment, and most notably, a world view that actively promotes war, death and destruction.

Here's a link to Barbara Rossing who appears in our videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frqIH5eATWg

And here's one to a site that underscores what it is that needs to be debunked, and why this is a serious issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjMRgT5o-Ig

Please joins us. This will be fun!

LtQ 2.0 Practicing Resurrection

This coming Sunday, September 14th, we'll view and discuss chapter 12 of Living the Questions 2.0" Practicing Resurrection. Gerald Lamm of St. John's Metropolitan Community Church in Raleigh wrote of the lesson, "While much has been made of Jesus’ literal and physical resurrection being the core historical event of Christianity, the Biblical texts themselves present conflicting evidence. For many today, the resuscitation of Jesus’ body is less important than the idea of resurrection as a credible and meaningful principle for living." Well said, but what sort of meaningful principle can be derived from the idea of resurrection, if it is not taken literally. Please join us as we wrestle with this central tenet of the Christian faith and reflect on its meaning for each of us.

LtQ 2.0 The myth of redemptive violence

When are our passions not stirred as evil gets its come-uppance? It's an archetype we naturally love. But how does it fit with progressive Christianity? Join us Sunday morning and we'll talk about over chapter 11 of Living the Questions.

Evil, Suffering and a God of Love

For August 31. Chapter 10 of Living the Questions 2.0 tackles Evil, Suffering and a God of Love. It's a tough topic, and one of contradictions and tension, and one that doesn't have pat answers. In the Christian tradition, the tension opens the door to faith and hope. Join us as we wrestle with a big question. All are welcome. Loving childcare is provided.

More Questions 2.0

This coming Sunday we'll continue the Living the Questions 2.0 series, an inquiry of the meaning and depth of progressive Christianity. We're on to chapter 9 of 21, and the topics are deep, often personally meaningful, spiritually uplifting and sometimes challenging.  Please be warmly welcome to join us. No preparation required. Y'all come!

Living the Questions 2.0 continues

This coming Sunday, August 17th, we'll continue our video and discussion on the Living the Questions 2.0 series. This will be the eighth out of 21 sessions. We seem to be getting a lot out of this thoughtful series. It's got the pulse of progressive Christianity. It's good. It's rich and spiritually palpable. There are lots of points for reflection and discussion. These sessions are open to all, and no preparation is required. Just bring your mind and your heart and you'll fit right in.

Religion, Politics, and Reproduction with Ruth Taylor Read and Pat Buck

This coming Sunday, August 10th, we are pleased to host a forum on "Religion, Politics, and Reproduction."  Topics include background on laws regarding abortion, contraception, and childbearing, especially Tennessee's Amendment 1, which if passed will impact abortion rights. Then we'll explore the question:  Why would a woman of faith support abortion rights?

About the speakers:

Ruth Taylor Read is the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of two granddaughters.  She says ".  Religion can be very defining or maybe confining.  My journey illuminates that, I think.  As a young girl, I cannot remember any facet of my life that was not clearly laid out for me using the restrictive constraints of conservatism." Today, Ruth considers it a privilege to speak on reproductive justice and the issues surrounding that topic, from both her personal experience as a mother and her concern about the future of young women who must be allowed to live up to their potential in order to fulfill their destiny.
Ruth has an A.S. from Northeast State and a B.A. in Women's Studies from E.T.S.U.

Pat Buck has attended First Pres since 2005.  She teaches English and Women's Studies at ETSU and advises a feminist student group there.  She is currently organizing opposition to Amendment 1.

Please join us at 9:45 for this important and engaging discussion

More Living the Questions 2.0

Next up, Chapter 7 in Living the Questions 2.0. Our introduction to progressive Christianity continues. Please join us for this excellent program. We'll be delighted to see you.

Living the Questions 2.0 continues

We're moving on to the 6th session of LtQ2.0. This series offers excellent, heart-warming examples of what it means to be a Progressive Christian Church. You can jump in anywhere. Please join us at 9:45

More questions! LtQ2.0

We continuing the Living the Questions 2.0 series. This is an excellent introduction to the meaning of progressive Christianity. You'll like it! Please join us at 9:45, downstairs Sunday morning.

Living the Questions, 4th Sunday

This coming Sunday we'll view and discuss another video session with the Living the Questions series. If you're not familiar with this, the LtQ series is an excellent introduction to the basic tenets of progressive Christianity. Please be warmly welcomed to join us.

More Light Sunday in the Adult Forum

The Adult Forum is proud to host our More Light group. Come celebrate More Light Sunday with the newly formed More Light subcommittee here at First Presbyterian. You’ll have a chance to meet us, ask questions, and, most importantly, help us start to figure out how we can best serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families and friends both in the congregation and in the community at large. We need your help to get off to a good start. We need your help to figure out where to start.

It'll also be an opportunity for you to find out just what it means to be a More Light Presbyterian and to hear a report on the fate of the resolution at the 221st General Assembly in Detroit to amend the Book of Order to allow ministers to marry same-sex couples. We'll gather at 9:45, downstairs in Martin Hall. Please join us.

Living the Questions 2.0 Continues

We going through the Living the Questions series. This is a good introduction to progressive Christianity, and a great venue for newcomers to find out more about who we are and meet others. All are welcome. Loving childcare is provided.

Living the Question 2.0 continues

This coming Sunday, June 15th, we'll continue our discussion over the Living the Questions 2.0 series. It's about what "progressive Christianity" means, and what it means to us. This is an interesting and popular video series in the general tradition of liberal theology. Please join us.

Living the Questions2 -- An Invitation

This summer we'll re-visit the Living the Questions2 video series, shown in the Adult Forum in 2009. The series is an excellent introduction to progressive Christianity. Exemplifying the spirit of the series, Jack Spong wrote:

"....I think certainty is a vice in religion. I really think that we ought to rid ourselves of it. So, I would constantly want to hold this wrestling, this uncomfortableness, I do not have it together, we are struggling in this together, as the proper image of the Christian faith. We walk into the mystery of God. We never arrive. And if we think we arrive we become an idolater.”

and from the series literature:

"Relying solely on doctrines and dogma passed on from others has seldom been a satisfying exercise for those longing for something deeper spiritually or thought-provoking theologically. To not ask questions is tantamount to forfeiting one’s own spiritual birthright and allowing other people’s experience of the divine to define your experience."

Please join us. You'll be warmly welcome.

Your Inner Fish, part 2 with Julie Wade

This Sunday, Dr.Julie Wade will show part 2 of the outstanding series, "Your Inner Fish". Last week's part 1 was a hit with the Adult Forum. The series features Dr. Neil Shubin, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago. Several years ago Shubin rocked the science world by having predicted the existence of, and then finding a transitional fossil of fish with the ability to swim and walk on land. He named the fossil Tilaalik. It provides the basis of the human body plan.

From the series PB website:

"Have you ever wondered why the human body looks the way it does? Why our hands have five fingers instead of six? Why we walk on two legs instead of four?

It took more than 350 million years for the human body to take shape. How did it become the complicated, quirky, amazing machine it is today?

Your Inner Fish delves deep into the past to answer these questions. The three-part series, which premiered April 9. 2014, reveals a startling truth: Hidden within the human body is a story of life on Earth."

Please us at 9:45. Loving childcare is provided. 

Disease Mongering, Dr. Zach Walls

This Sunday, May 11th, we'll hear from Dr. Zach Walls on the topic of "Disease Mongering." Dr. Walls writes: "Disease mongering is the term given to the often intentional practice of widening the boundaries and/or definition of illness while simultaneously narrowing the causes of disease. The process has numerous manifestations, but pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical professionals are widely seen as culpable for its perpetration on a populace ill-prepared to counter their statistical and scientific claims. Disease mongering continues to shape our society's concept of health and change the ways in which medicine is practiced."

Zach is a native of Austin, Tx. He earned his BS in Mathematics at Tulane, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at UCLA and Stanford. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow in Biopharmaceutics at the University of Michigan prior to joining the faculty in the Gatton College of Pharmacy at ETSU.

Please join us for a fascinating presentation. Loving childcare is provided.

Dr. Audrey Depelteau on Climate Change

Please join us this coming Sunday, May 4th at 9:45 as we host Dr. Audrey Depelteau who will speak on the evidence and potential consequences of climate change. Audrey participated a leadership training workshop on Climate Change Reality led by former VP Al Gore for the express purpose of providing community-based education and leadership on the topic.

From an earlier press release:

"Depelteau’s talk will discuss climate change as a global phenomenon and how it threatens the environment and ecosystems of the world. 'Climate Change challenges the health and well-being of today’s population and of future generations,' said Depelteau. 'The intent of this talk is to initiate an ongoing dialogue by examining the definition of climate change and what we already do know. We will also explore factors contributing to the acceleration of climate change, the key environmental and societal impacts, and steps we can take to reduce climate change. Yes, we can make a difference!'

          Once the biology education coordinator and manager of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant at ETSU and a former teacher of Biology, Forensics and Anatomy and Physiology, she is adept at designing, delivering and assessing interdisciplinary student-centered curriculum. Before coming to ETSU, Depelteau was a business owner, health care provider and consultant in Massachusetts and California for over 26 years.

Depelteau’s passion for the environment was ignited when she read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring for an ecology course in 1971. She did her graduate work in Environmental Toxicology at the Center for Environmental Toxicology and Pathology at Albany Medical College and at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute."

This is going to be good. Know that you'll be warmly welcomed. Loving childcare is provided.

John Shelby Spong: From a Tribal God to a Universal Presence

This coming Sunday, April 27th, we'll view and discuss a sermon by Bishop John Shelby Spong on moving from a God of the Chosen People to a universal loving presence. You can preview the sermon, here.

Note that this is a late change from our originally schedule speaker, Dr. Audrey Delpeteau. Audrey will give her excellent presentation on Climate Change on May 4th.

Please join us. We'll be delighted to see you, and loving childcare is provided.

No forum on Easter Sunday

We're taking a break.
Happy Easter!

The Evolution of Creationism, with Dr. Joseph Baker

This coming Sunday, April 13th, Joseph Baker will share his presentation on the Evolution of Creationism. His talk will center on the notion of creationism, as a way of viewing the world, became much more clearly defined in the presence of opposing perspectives. Joseph presented this creative, insightful topic at Darwin-Day, at the Gray Fossil Site. He has agreed to share an interactive version with the Adult Forum. Please join us. Childcare is provided.

Dr. Baker is on the faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at ETSU. He earned his doctorate at Baylor University in 2010. His area of study in on Science and Religion in 21st Century America. He published his first book on Paranormal America in 2010. His second book, American Secularism is scheduled for release in 2015. In addition to his scholarly work, Joseph has appear in/on Chicago Public Radio, CNN, Deseret News, Huffington Post, National Geographic
Channel, Pacific Standard, Sacred Tribes

Rebecca Nunley. Time in India

Our own Rebecca Nunley will present in the Adult Forum this coming Sunday. Rebecca is a regular at the Forum and always has something interesting. She recently spent a month in India on a spiritual pilgrimage.
Please join us.

Brene Brown on Shame, Vulnerability and Connection

University of Houston Professor Brene Brown inadvertantly launched herself onto a hugely successful speaking career with a local TED Talk in Houston. Speaking to an audience of 400 her talk on shame, as the universal fear of disconnection, was posted on Youtube where it's reached an audience of 2,000,000. You can watch it here (click me), and again at the Adult Forum on Sunday morning. Please join us.

Prof. Travis Williams: “Negotiating Conflict and Christian Identity in the Greco-Roman World”

This coming Sunday, March 23rd, we'll host Dr. Travis Williams, Assistant Professor of Religion at Tusculum College. You might have heard Travis' interview on Religion for Life as he spoke on 1 Peter. He will talk further about 1 Peter at the Adult Forum. His synopsis of the talk is as follows:

"For anyone familiar with 1 Peter, it goes without saying that the letter’s primary concern is with the persecution affecting its Anatolian readers. But within modern scholarship, there has been considerable debate regarding the author’s prescribed method of response. In this session, we will take a closer look at how 1 Peter encourages its readers to navigate their disadvantaged situation, offering a fresh reading of the letter’s social strategy. We will show how the constraining powers of the Roman empire forced the author to advocate a minimum level of compliance with social expectations; yet, at the same time, he subtly promotes a sense of cautious resistance by cleverly undercutting the power-base of dominant social and political structures. This strategy marked one of many variegated Christian responses to Greco-Roman social influence."

Dr. Williams bio:reads:

"Dr. Travis B. Williams is Assistant Professor of Religion at Tusculum College, where he has taught since 2011. He has published across a number of different areas related to New Testament studies, including benefaction in the Greco-Roman world, modern hermeneutical approaches to New Testament interpretation (e.g., social-scientific criticism; postcolonial criticism), and prophecy & inspired exegesis within Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. But his primary area of specialty is the epistle of 1 Peter. Having published numerous essays and articles on this often-neglected New Testament letter, as well as two major monographs, Dr. Williams is one of the leading experts on the subject. At the moment, he is at work on a major exegetical commentary on 1 Peter, which will appear in the prestigious International Critical Commentary series."

Please join us. We'll be happy to see you. Loving childcare is provided,

Epigenetics, Controlling the Genes with Julie Wade

This coming Sunday, March 2, Dr. Julie Wade will resume her series on the fascinating topic of epigenetics and the way these "above the gene" factors impact the expression of who we are.
Please join us. We'll be delighted to see you. Loving childcare is provided.

"God's Eldest Daughter" by Bo Abernethy

This coming Sunday, February 23rd, we'll host Aubrie Abernethy and her sister-in-law, Thais who worked to publish Bo Abernethy's book, "God's Eldest Daughter."

From the publisher:

"'This book carries a guarantee, not that I am making, but one the Source of us has already made.'

Do you believe in God or something bigger than yourself? Do you ask yourself what is the purpose of life? Do you feel that something is missing, that life is somehow incomplete?

Bo Abernethy did. He seemed to have it all: a lucrative career as a highly esteemed architect, attention as a sought-after party guy, and a hard-drinking, loud-laughing, sailing-the-oceans, skiing-the-mountains lifestyle.

He was having a great time, except he wasn’t. He was miserable, and running from his suffering. He was, as he puts it, 'exhausted by my own incompletion.'

'God’s Eldest Daughter' documents the inspiring and universal journey of one man’s real connection to meaning. In relating his personal and unique tale, he provides powerful tools to support the reader in his or her own awakening. The reader will gain a wealth of practical and profound information from 'A Course in Miracles' (of which Abernethy was a respected scholar and teacher), as well as many other time-honored teachings."

Please join us for what promises to be a fascinating presentation.

Epigenetics Continues with Dr. Wade

This coming Sunday, February 16, Prof. Julie Wade will continue her presentation on Epigenetics. Last Sunday was a great session. Join us for more of the same!

“EVOLUTION THROUGH EPIGENETICS”

This coming Sunday, February 9th, we celebrate Evolution Sunday with a presentation  by Dr. Julie Wade, retire professor of Biology at Milligan College. Dr. Wade's talk will focus on the fascinating topic of epigenetics. She writes:
"Genetic mechanisms involved in evolution are far more complex than previously thought.  Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene activity that do NOT involve alterations to the genetic code but still get passed down to at least one successive generation.  These changes are governed by cell material (such as methyl groups) that sit outside the genome (the epigenome) and can attach to the DNA.  This material tells your genes to switch on or off due to environmental factors such as diet, stress, or nutrition.  It is the nongenetic transfer of information through cells, and it can influence evolution.  These biochemical switches may be implicated in many forms of cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other diseases.   Come and learn more about this fascinating twist that continues to drive modern day evolution as our environment becomes more and more stressful and impacts our genes in different ways."
Please be warmly welcome to join in the discussion.

Prelude to Evolution Sunday: Why it's important

On February 9th will begin our series on Evolution Sunday with Julie Wade, Ph.D. As a prelude to that, this coming Sunday, February 2, we'll have a listen to astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in his recent interview on Bill Moyers and Company. It's a thoughtful, though hair-raising video that does nothing if not underscore the importance of our understanding of evolution. You can preview the video here:
Join us. We'll be delighted to see you.

Simon Sinek and the Why of what we do.

This coming Sunday, January 26 we'll view and discuss Simon Sinek's Ted-talk. The presentation is curiously titled, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action." It's curious because the talk is not about inspiring others. The focus is more about what lies at the center of the question, "why do we do what we do." This video has been viewed more than 14 million times, making it one of the most popular Ted-talks. It's one of my favorites. Join us for a fun, lively discussion. All are welcome. Child care is provided.

The magic of bright, curious minds.

As of today, I don't have anything definite planned. But I've seen us be at a loss for something interesting to talk about. Join us and the magic of bright, curious minds will happen.

Albert Mohler on Pope Francis

As a counter-point to last week's class in which we heard Johns Shelby Spong speak on the value of a mystical reading of the Gospel of John, this week we'll have a look at the writing of Albert Mohler on some of the words of Pope Francis. Mohler is a conservative, evangelical, fundamentalist, and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to being an impressively skille writer, Mohler, is a theological exclusivist, believing that Jesus is the only way to salvation. He interprets the Gospel of John literally, where Spong takes a much different approach. The contrast between the two positions is worth a look, and one we'll take through a reading of one of Mohler's recent blog entries, available here: click me. Join us!

John Shelby Spong on "Religion for Life"

Happy New Year!
This coming Sunday we are going to hear and discuss Bishop John Shelby Spong's interview with John Shuck on "Religion for Life." In this interview Spong discusses his latest book (The Fourth Gospel) and his revised perception of the Gospel of John, seen through the lens of mysticism.
You can preview the interview, here:
http://religionforlife.podomatic.com/entry/2013-10-24T09_00_00-07_00
Please join us.