Yr. B, Wk. 28: Journaling on "Healing Our Broken Humanity" intro and chs 1-4

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During Holy Week and Easter Week, we are "meeting" asynchronously; that is, we're reading and reflecting on our own and emailing brief responses to Scott for posting below. We'll meet again on Zoom April 18th. Good journaling suggestions on page 18.

Journaled thoughts about the introductory materials. Scott: Ouch! "Show me a Christian who sits comfortably in segregated ecclesial life, in a homogeneity of Christian practice, and I will show you someone...bent toward maintaining the status quo" (p.5). That would be me.

Journal thoughts about ch. 1

• Scott, looking at questions on p. 18: What is God saying to your church? "What if these were not things to be feared but opportunities to truly be the church?" (e.g., materialism, sexuality, nationalism... p.32). Could our congregations stand a stronger dose of these in our Christian formation, in sermons, in prayers, in guests to our services? From Practices p. 39 - SJ members have served with other groups and visited with other congregations on a regular basis. I was marginally involved.
• Kathy: Chapter one made me angry because I felt the writers expected the "transformed" Christian church could change the world. Getting our house in order is always a great start, but the chapter did not address ecumenical efforts to care for our suffering brothers and sisters.
• Marilyn's thoughts on the book are printed with poetry on pages you can view here.

Journal thoughts about ch. 2

• Scott, responding to questions on p. 18: What speaks to your church, your neighborhood? I'm struck by the simplicity and truth in the description of how my neighborhood and town "structure our fear geographically," protecting our spaces by laws, HOA covenants, and pressures from developers, planners, real estate agencies (p. 44). What I lament is that this way of life is the definition of success. What alternative have I had?
• Kathy:Chapter two blew me away. Lament is something the Christian church lacks skills in doing to say the least. It is time to rent a few tunics. I had never contemplated what true, modern lament sounded like.

Journal thoughts about ch. 4 Scott:Theologian Stanley Hauerwas (who spoke at St. James once) writes "there are many ways to be political" (83), not just voting for a party. But what besides publishing articles and teaching at gatherings where only your kind go? My own visceral ingrained prejudices changed only when I worked with people of other races, creeds, and sexual identities. My kind have to see, hear, work with, and laugh with those who are different. How can I help that to happen?

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