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Progressive Christian Study Group
Recap of Fall 2008
This fall will be an exciting time for the PCSG. We not only have we a super new book to read but also we will kick the season off with a visit from the scholars at the Westar Institute when they present another stimulating and thought provoking “Jesus Seminar on the Road.” Full information on the JSOR event will be found in an attachment but here I will say that it will be Westar’s foundational presentation “Jesus in the First & Twenty-First Centuries” led by Dr. Roy Hoover and Dr. Joanna Dewey.
Last spring we read Like Catching Water in a Net: Human attempts to Describe the Divine by Val Webb and it seemed that the most talked about part of that book in our discussions was the portions related to Process Theology. Our reading for fall 08 will follow this up with On the Mystery: Discerning God in Process by Catherine Keller who is Professor of Constructive Theology at the Theological School and Graduate School at Drew University. Interestingly enough, the book also contains a study guide that will help us along in our discussions.
Our meetings this fall will begin on 9/17 when we will read the Prologue and Chap 1. On 10/1 we will do Chaps 2 and 3. 10/15 will be Chaps 4 and 5. 11/1 will be Chaps 6 and 7 and on 11/19 we will finish the semester with Chapter 9. As usual the meetings will start at 7pm at St. Paul’s and finish promptly at 8:30. Members will bring deserts, drinks and snacks
On the Mystery: Discerning God in Process
Review by Martin van Nostrand
I feel very privileged in giving the first review of Catherine Keller's new book because this is certainly theology at it's finest! This has been a pure joy to read.
This is a theology that is accessible enough to the student and the educated "layperson" but sophisticated enough for the pastor or budding theologian. Some of CK's works are densely written and tough going but this is one that is overall, far less daunting. That is not to say the reading is always easy going and immediately comprehended. The reader will need to pay close attention to CK's flow of thought, word play and nuance to get the most out of it. But one will certainly be rewarded for the efforts of sustained reading.
As an introduction to process theology, this steps to the head of the class. The two standards "Process Theology: An Introductory Exposition" by John B. Cobb Jr. and David Ray Griffin; and "Process Theology: A Basic Introduction" by C. Robert Mesle all do a fine job in a nuts and bolts fashion but can't hold a candle to CK's elegance of writing and overall stimulation. But this goes way past a standard intro to process theology and really is a highly original contribution to theology in and of itself.
Much of written theology is highly analytical, abstracted and just plain dry. CK is almost lyrical, weaving metaphor, word play and theological insight into a spun silken web that interconnects the strands of her thought into an organic whole. One may not so much learn the propositional tenets of process thought but most certainly be taken into the heart and vision of this brilliant relational theology.
I have also just recently read Elizabeth Johnson's excellent "Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God" and couldn't imagine a better tandem of accessible theologies for the general reader. Both would serve as excellent books for a group book study, especially for those more oriented to progressive Christianity. And for the student, both provide excellent resources for further reading.
Contemporary Christian theology is beginning to flower in a new renaissance of vital and vibrant spiritual expression as exemplified in this new book. While fundamentalisms foment and rage across the world, a fresh wind of God's spirit is proclaiming an ever-present panentheistic God whose deep relation to the creation evidences a generative love and compassion for the thriving of the world.
Email Project
This is the 8th newsletter from the Progressive Christian Study Group and it has generally been published twice a year since 2004, a little more than a year after the study group began meeting. The newsletter goes out to more than 400 individuals, organizations and locations throughout the Delaware Valley. By its very nature, it is limited in its scope of material to what is happening at St. Paul’s and with the immediate members of the group. A great deal of progressive Christian material from international, national, regional and local organizations comes to me via email and I thought it might be a good idea if I were to pass it along to the mailing list recipients. To that end, I am going to prepare an email list where I can forward this progressive Christian information. I am going to set this up so that the email addresses are confidential and are not all automatically included in the email heading. If you are interested in receiving these emails, please contact me at my email address below and I’ll put you on the list. If any of you have events or information that you think might be of interest to progressive Christians in the Delaware Valley, send it to me in a form that I can easily forward, and I’ll send it out to the emailing list.
George Schwab
Editor
215.887.1577 h
215.740.6082 c
gs185@mail.com
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