Fall Retreat 2012 (Above)
Bible Study and Theology
Truth Seekers
In June our Truth Seekers class is exploring Science & religion through a series of TED talks.
Click here to see the list that Rev. Matt will choose from.
Click here to see the list that Rev. Matt will choose from.
We seek a deeper understanding of our faith traditions and an active participation in study groups that involve theological thinking, ethics, and the relationship of science and religion
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. -Theodore Roosevelt
A theology should be like poetry, which takes us to the end of what words and thoughts can do.
-Karen Armstrong
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. -Theodore Roosevelt
A theology should be like poetry, which takes us to the end of what words and thoughts can do.
-Karen Armstrong
Bible Study
at
Foothills Congregational Church
Tuesday Lectionary Bible Study
4pm Tuesdays, Redwood (Maple) Room
Meet with Rev. Matt Broadbent to explore the lectionary bible passage for the upcoming Sunday.
Truth Seekers
11am Thursdays, Downstairs Meeting Room in the Learning Center
Meet with a team of study leaders, including Rev. Matt Broadbent, Rev. Garnett McClure, and Barbara Broadbent, to study topics related to the search of truth.
Foothills Congregational Church
Tuesday Lectionary Bible Study
4pm Tuesdays, Redwood (Maple) Room
Meet with Rev. Matt Broadbent to explore the lectionary bible passage for the upcoming Sunday.
Truth Seekers
11am Thursdays, Downstairs Meeting Room in the Learning Center
Meet with a team of study leaders, including Rev. Matt Broadbent, Rev. Garnett McClure, and Barbara Broadbent, to study topics related to the search of truth.
on-line study resources
Click here to access OpenYale course on the History and Literature of the New Testament
Click here to access OpenYale course introducing the Hebrew Bible
Click here to access the resources from our November 23rd Bible Boot Camp
Click here to access OpenYale course on the History and Literature of the New Testament
Click here to access OpenYale course introducing the Hebrew Bible
Click here to access the resources from our November 23rd Bible Boot Camp
The Future of Christianity
Topics to Explore
Religion and Science
Deepak Chopra with Leonard Mlodinow
War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality
As we travel around the country promoting our new book, War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, people are asking about the major points of contention between science (the worldview represented by Leonard Mlodinow) and spirituality (the worldview represented by Deepak Chopra). Do we always disagree or are there some points of agreement? We thought it would be appropriate to summarize the major differences and agreements in a short note.
Our book has four major sections: Cosmos, Life, Mind and Brain and God.
Cosmos:
Leonard describes Einstein's theory of relativity, and quantum theory, and how they are combined to create a scientific theory of how the universe began and evolved. He describes the impressive agreement between the theoretical predictions based on this picture and actual observations of the heavens made by astronomers. Deepak proposes a creative first cause that preceded the infinitesimally brief Planck epoch (10-43 seconds) following the Big Bang. He
suggests that since the laws of nature and perhaps space and time emerged after the Planck epoch, any understanding of the pre-created universe remains outside the scope of objective science.
Life:
We describe the cutting-edge ideas of modern genetics. Leonard argues that physical evolution occurs through random mutations and natural selection. Deepak argues that random mutations are not an adequate explanation for the variety and speed of viable adaptations.
Mind and Brain:
Leonard posits that the mind is created by the physical workings of the brain, and that our consciousness can be explained through the same laws of nature that govern the rest of the physical world. Deepak proposes that the brain is the physical instrument of the mind, just as a radio serves to turn invisible radio waves into music.
God:
There is an important point of agreement here. Leonard maintains that "while science often casts doubt on spiritual beliefs and doctrines insofar as they make representations about the physical world, science does not -- and cannot -- conclude that God is an illusion." While not defending God in religious terms, Deepak holds that God is a way of understanding some extremely crucial things: the source of existence, the reality beyond spacetime, the underlying consciousness and creativity in the universe.
Overall:
Leonard suggests that the universe operates according to laws of physics while acknowledging that science does not address why the laws exist or how they arise. Deepak maintains that the laws of nature as well as mathematics share the same source as human consciousness.
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/war-of-the-worldviews-a-s_b_1007950.html
Buy the book (links to BooksInc.)
Click here for more readings on Religion and Science
War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality
As we travel around the country promoting our new book, War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, people are asking about the major points of contention between science (the worldview represented by Leonard Mlodinow) and spirituality (the worldview represented by Deepak Chopra). Do we always disagree or are there some points of agreement? We thought it would be appropriate to summarize the major differences and agreements in a short note.
Our book has four major sections: Cosmos, Life, Mind and Brain and God.
Cosmos:
Leonard describes Einstein's theory of relativity, and quantum theory, and how they are combined to create a scientific theory of how the universe began and evolved. He describes the impressive agreement between the theoretical predictions based on this picture and actual observations of the heavens made by astronomers. Deepak proposes a creative first cause that preceded the infinitesimally brief Planck epoch (10-43 seconds) following the Big Bang. He
suggests that since the laws of nature and perhaps space and time emerged after the Planck epoch, any understanding of the pre-created universe remains outside the scope of objective science.
Life:
We describe the cutting-edge ideas of modern genetics. Leonard argues that physical evolution occurs through random mutations and natural selection. Deepak argues that random mutations are not an adequate explanation for the variety and speed of viable adaptations.
Mind and Brain:
Leonard posits that the mind is created by the physical workings of the brain, and that our consciousness can be explained through the same laws of nature that govern the rest of the physical world. Deepak proposes that the brain is the physical instrument of the mind, just as a radio serves to turn invisible radio waves into music.
God:
There is an important point of agreement here. Leonard maintains that "while science often casts doubt on spiritual beliefs and doctrines insofar as they make representations about the physical world, science does not -- and cannot -- conclude that God is an illusion." While not defending God in religious terms, Deepak holds that God is a way of understanding some extremely crucial things: the source of existence, the reality beyond spacetime, the underlying consciousness and creativity in the universe.
Overall:
Leonard suggests that the universe operates according to laws of physics while acknowledging that science does not address why the laws exist or how they arise. Deepak maintains that the laws of nature as well as mathematics share the same source as human consciousness.
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/war-of-the-worldviews-a-s_b_1007950.html
Buy the book (links to BooksInc.)
Click here for more readings on Religion and Science
Theological Thinking: Progressive Christianity
By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who…
1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;
2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the
Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;
3. Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to: Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, Believers and agnostics, Women and men,Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, Those of all classes and abilities;
4. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we
believe;
5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;
6. Strive for peace and justice among all people;
7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth;
8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.
Read More...
1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;
2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the
Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;
3. Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to: Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, Believers and agnostics, Women and men,Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, Those of all classes and abilities;
4. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we
believe;
5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;
6. Strive for peace and justice among all people;
7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth;
8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.
Read More...
Theological Thinkers
Absolutes in Human Knowledge and the Idea of Truth
Paul Tillich
My choice of this subject was made out of a feeling of uneasiness -- uneasiness about the victory of relativism in all realms of thought and life today. When we look around us, this seems to be a total victory. There is the great spectacle of scientific relativism, observable not only in the preliminary character of every scientific statement but also in the model aspect of scientific constructs and in the fact that terms like "atoms," "molecules," "energy," and "movement" are on a boundary line between model and concept. This gives a relativistic character even to scientific
thinking. If you ask which model or concept is closest to reality you may receive the answer: none is; what we have here is a "game."
There is also the positivistic and formalistic character of much contemporary philosophy, which leaves the answers to problems of human existence -- problems of "to be, or not to be" -- to tradition, to arbitrary decisions and, in reaction against this, to despotism.
There is the growth of ethical relativism in theory and in practice.
Finally, there is a great and increasing relativism in the most sacred and perhaps most problematic of all realms, that of religion. It is visible today in the encounter of religions all over the world and in the secularist criticism of religion.
Read More...
Paul Tillich
My choice of this subject was made out of a feeling of uneasiness -- uneasiness about the victory of relativism in all realms of thought and life today. When we look around us, this seems to be a total victory. There is the great spectacle of scientific relativism, observable not only in the preliminary character of every scientific statement but also in the model aspect of scientific constructs and in the fact that terms like "atoms," "molecules," "energy," and "movement" are on a boundary line between model and concept. This gives a relativistic character even to scientific
thinking. If you ask which model or concept is closest to reality you may receive the answer: none is; what we have here is a "game."
There is also the positivistic and formalistic character of much contemporary philosophy, which leaves the answers to problems of human existence -- problems of "to be, or not to be" -- to tradition, to arbitrary decisions and, in reaction against this, to despotism.
There is the growth of ethical relativism in theory and in practice.
Finally, there is a great and increasing relativism in the most sacred and perhaps most problematic of all realms, that of religion. It is visible today in the encounter of religions all over the world and in the secularist criticism of religion.
Read More...
Christian Ethics
Christian Ethics and the Bible
Georgia Harkness
We come now to a frame of reference on which we are on firmer ground. The Bible is certainly indispensable to our knowledge of Christian truth and moral obligation. Without it, it is very possible that there would be today no churches, no Christendom, no knowledge of Christ. It is, of course, conceivable that God would have found a way to propagate the faith by word of mouth without a Book through all the centuries, and the fact that Roman Catholicism could exist so long without access to the Bible by the laity makes it impossible to say categorically that the Bible is the sine qua non of Christianity. Yet few would dispute the fact that without the Bible we should be infinitely poorer in our Christian experience and moral insight.
Furthermore, in today’s world the Bible is the common possession of all Christians, and hence serves to unite Christians across deep divisions. This is not to say that all Christians agree on what the Bible says. There are differences in translation, and far more radical differences in interpretation. Acute controversies and sometimes schisms arise from this fact. Yet the Bible is
still our common possession, and it is no accident that its sales continue year after year to exceed that of any other book, that it has been and continues to be translated into many hundreds of languages and dialects, that it has become so deeply embedded in our literature and culture that even those who have no personal familiarity with it daily use its phrases in ordinary speech.
The Bible is the fountainhead of Christian theology. It is not the sole source, for there is a natural theology, also called philosophical theology, which finds evidences of God throughout his total creation and in the moral and religious aspirations and experience of all peoples. There is a place for such natural theology and at points where both biblical and philosophical theology are true, they cannot contradict each other. Nevertheless, the Bible is our firmer base for what is distinctively Christian, and the movement away from the more generalized conclusions of philosophical thought about God and his world to a more Christ-centered, biblically based structure of theology is in the right direction.
If this is the case, is not the Bible all we need as the foundation of Christian ethics? The answer is Yes and No.
Read More...
Georgia Harkness
We come now to a frame of reference on which we are on firmer ground. The Bible is certainly indispensable to our knowledge of Christian truth and moral obligation. Without it, it is very possible that there would be today no churches, no Christendom, no knowledge of Christ. It is, of course, conceivable that God would have found a way to propagate the faith by word of mouth without a Book through all the centuries, and the fact that Roman Catholicism could exist so long without access to the Bible by the laity makes it impossible to say categorically that the Bible is the sine qua non of Christianity. Yet few would dispute the fact that without the Bible we should be infinitely poorer in our Christian experience and moral insight.
Furthermore, in today’s world the Bible is the common possession of all Christians, and hence serves to unite Christians across deep divisions. This is not to say that all Christians agree on what the Bible says. There are differences in translation, and far more radical differences in interpretation. Acute controversies and sometimes schisms arise from this fact. Yet the Bible is
still our common possession, and it is no accident that its sales continue year after year to exceed that of any other book, that it has been and continues to be translated into many hundreds of languages and dialects, that it has become so deeply embedded in our literature and culture that even those who have no personal familiarity with it daily use its phrases in ordinary speech.
The Bible is the fountainhead of Christian theology. It is not the sole source, for there is a natural theology, also called philosophical theology, which finds evidences of God throughout his total creation and in the moral and religious aspirations and experience of all peoples. There is a place for such natural theology and at points where both biblical and philosophical theology are true, they cannot contradict each other. Nevertheless, the Bible is our firmer base for what is distinctively Christian, and the movement away from the more generalized conclusions of philosophical thought about God and his world to a more Christ-centered, biblically based structure of theology is in the right direction.
If this is the case, is not the Bible all we need as the foundation of Christian ethics? The answer is Yes and No.
Read More...