Monday, March 24, 2008
Meeting Wednesday
Just a reminder that we're scheduled to meet Wednesday, but a conflict has come up and I won't be able to attend. Lon, do you plan to be there? I sent you an email but I'm not sure you received it.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Meeting one week from today
Just a reminder that, in keeping with our now-regular schedule of holding meetings on the last Wednesday of every month, the Eastern Iowa Emergent Cohort will meet next from 6-7 p.m. next Wednesday, Feb. 27 at House of Aromas coffeehouse, 119 2nd St. in Coralville. A map may be found here.
Come share your story and meet others who are exploring the Christian faith with fresh eyes and open hearts and minds.
Come share your story and meet others who are exploring the Christian faith with fresh eyes and open hearts and minds.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Unbeliever turned Episcopal turned Orthodox Christian speaking in Iowa City
This was passed along to us by our friend in the Kansas City satellite office of the Eastern Iowa Emergent Cohort, Nancy Weikal (thanks, Nancy!):
Frederica Mathewes-Green will be speaking on Thursday, Feb. 7 and Friday, Feb. 8 at the University of Iowa. At 7 p.m. Feb. 7, in the Illinois Room of the UI’s Iowa Memorial Union, she will tell her own story of becoming an Eastern Orthodox Christian in a talk titled "Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mystery of Orthodox Christianity.” She will detail her journey from unbeliever, to a dabbler in eastern religions, to the Episcopal Church and finally to the Orthodox Church. This event is co-sponsored by the UI Orthodox Christian Fellowship and St. Raphael Orthodox Church.
At 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8, she will be speaking at the Gerber Lounge of the UI English-Philosophy Building on "Freelance Writing as a Career” and then at 7:30 p.m. at the Shambaugh Auditorium of the UI Main Library in a talk titled "Faith, Film and False Assumptions: Christians and the Transformation of Culture." These events are sponsored by Geneva Campus Ministry and the UI Communications Department.
All talks are free and open to the public.
Mathewes-Green is a wide-ranging author and regular columnist for the multifaith web magazine Beliefnet.com who also writes movie reviews for National Review Online and Christianity Today Movies. Among her books are “Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy” (HarperCollins, 1997) and “The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation” (Paraclete, 2001). She and her husband, the Rev. Gregory Mathewes-Green, live in Baltimore, where he is pastor and she is "Khouria" ("Mother") of the church they founded, Holy Cross Orthodox Church. More information at www.frederica.com.
[Side note: You can read Mathewes-Green's review of the film "What Would Jesus Buy?" here. The film just finished its run today at the University of Iowa's Bijou Theater. Unfortunately, I missed it and hope to catch it when it comes out on DVD.]
Frederica Mathewes-Green will be speaking on Thursday, Feb. 7 and Friday, Feb. 8 at the University of Iowa. At 7 p.m. Feb. 7, in the Illinois Room of the UI’s Iowa Memorial Union, she will tell her own story of becoming an Eastern Orthodox Christian in a talk titled "Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mystery of Orthodox Christianity.” She will detail her journey from unbeliever, to a dabbler in eastern religions, to the Episcopal Church and finally to the Orthodox Church. This event is co-sponsored by the UI Orthodox Christian Fellowship and St. Raphael Orthodox Church.
At 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8, she will be speaking at the Gerber Lounge of the UI English-Philosophy Building on "Freelance Writing as a Career” and then at 7:30 p.m. at the Shambaugh Auditorium of the UI Main Library in a talk titled "Faith, Film and False Assumptions: Christians and the Transformation of Culture." These events are sponsored by Geneva Campus Ministry and the UI Communications Department.
All talks are free and open to the public.
Mathewes-Green is a wide-ranging author and regular columnist for the multifaith web magazine Beliefnet.com who also writes movie reviews for National Review Online and Christianity Today Movies. Among her books are “Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy” (HarperCollins, 1997) and “The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation” (Paraclete, 2001). She and her husband, the Rev. Gregory Mathewes-Green, live in Baltimore, where he is pastor and she is "Khouria" ("Mother") of the church they founded, Holy Cross Orthodox Church. More information at www.frederica.com.
[Side note: You can read Mathewes-Green's review of the film "What Would Jesus Buy?" here. The film just finished its run today at the University of Iowa's Bijou Theater. Unfortunately, I missed it and hope to catch it when it comes out on DVD.]
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
looking forward to our meeting
I'm looking forward to our meeting tomorrow night. (I'm writing this late on Tuesday night) I'm hoping to meet some new friends at the meeting that want to join the conversation. You can get directions and more information at the earlier post about the meeting.
I will not have read the entire book (Everything Must Change, by Brian McLaren) that we plan to discuss. But, I am making my way through it. I wanted to comment on chapter 6. McLaren talked about two sides of a Postmodern coin. One side is informed by the over confident (that's us in the global north or West), the other is informed by those who have been dominated and colonized by the over confident. (I think you know who that is). The former focuses on epistomology. The latter focuses on equitable use of power. McLaren believes both are important. I do too.
You see, I have been implementing postmodern principles for over 16 years now in my work as a professional therapist. I pretty much scraped traditional psychology near the time I started practicing. I got turned on to "post-structural" and "narrative" metaphores for helping people solve their personal and relational problems. I have never looked back. Over the years religious types have sometimes looked at me like I have three heads. They are much more comfortable with "modern" approaches to counseling and therapy. The kind that use systematic methodologies that try to cure people's "issues".
It has been a breath of fresh air to read Brian McLaren. I think he must know some of what I am talking about here. Other "emergent" types may not be able to see the use of post-modern thinking in counseling and therapy arenas yet. Especially, "Christian counseling" (I never liked that term, but I digress).
Anyway, there are these two sides of the coin in my post-modern therapy philosophy world. I tend to lean toward the "epistomology" side. But, I do like the work of those investigating the uses of power too.
I say all that to say, we are living in a different world, where different language and "framing stories", as McLaren puts it, are required to make a difference in the world. And that is why you are reading this blog and considering coming to our meeting tomorrow night, and even maybe just joining this conversation.
I will not have read the entire book (Everything Must Change, by Brian McLaren) that we plan to discuss. But, I am making my way through it. I wanted to comment on chapter 6. McLaren talked about two sides of a Postmodern coin. One side is informed by the over confident (that's us in the global north or West), the other is informed by those who have been dominated and colonized by the over confident. (I think you know who that is). The former focuses on epistomology. The latter focuses on equitable use of power. McLaren believes both are important. I do too.
You see, I have been implementing postmodern principles for over 16 years now in my work as a professional therapist. I pretty much scraped traditional psychology near the time I started practicing. I got turned on to "post-structural" and "narrative" metaphores for helping people solve their personal and relational problems. I have never looked back. Over the years religious types have sometimes looked at me like I have three heads. They are much more comfortable with "modern" approaches to counseling and therapy. The kind that use systematic methodologies that try to cure people's "issues".
It has been a breath of fresh air to read Brian McLaren. I think he must know some of what I am talking about here. Other "emergent" types may not be able to see the use of post-modern thinking in counseling and therapy arenas yet. Especially, "Christian counseling" (I never liked that term, but I digress).
Anyway, there are these two sides of the coin in my post-modern therapy philosophy world. I tend to lean toward the "epistomology" side. But, I do like the work of those investigating the uses of power too.
I say all that to say, we are living in a different world, where different language and "framing stories", as McLaren puts it, are required to make a difference in the world. And that is why you are reading this blog and considering coming to our meeting tomorrow night, and even maybe just joining this conversation.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Brian Mclaren interviewed on the Sierra Club Pocast
Brian McLaren was interviewed on the Sierra Club Podcast. Some conservatives might think he has gone off the deep end connecting with "liberal groups" like this, but actually he is one of the few who call themselves evangelicals that is bridging a conversation with others and serving as a true ambassador of Christ about important topics we followers of Christ should be addressing. His interview starts about 15:40 into the podcast.
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