After our February 12 discussion Barry Turner writes,
Thank you to John Horsley for a very intriguing glimpse into the science of evolution since Darwin himself. John mentioned very briefly that what he was saying to us was about the science of natural selection and the origin of species, but not about a sense of meaning that we might attach to the process.
Carol McPhee introduces two poems illustrating how the way of writing called ‘naturalism’ was influenced by social Darwinism: “They’re not particularly good poems, certainly not the best their writers produced, but they do illustrate some of the concepts. Edgar Lee Masters’ simple, realistic language without much adornment is characteristic of the school, and so is the cynicism about human life on earth. Robinson Jeffers’ poem is a good example of the idea that violence and war are valuable for human life.”
Elizabeth Johnson asks,
“How can we speak of the creating, redeeming, re-creating God of life
in view of evolution?
“For the sake of the intelligibility of belief in our day, as well as a basis for right moral action, it is essential that a Christian theology of evolution locate this drama within the very heart of God.” ( Ask the Beasts, p. 121)
What would ‘a Christian theology of evolution’ look like?
From our discussion of ‘The Dwelling Place of God’, on February 19
Carol McPhee contributes ‘Prayer’, by Jorie Graham
From our discussion of ‘The Dwelling Place of God’, on February 19
Barry Turner contributes suggestions for prayer from Christine Valters Paintner’s
Water, Wind, Earth and Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements
We highly recommend this book for meditations this Lent *
Organized around “The Canticle of the Creatures” by St. Francis of Assisi, Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire explores the ways in which praying with the natural elements can enliven Christian spiritual life. In this brilliant book, Benedictine Oblate Christine Valters Paintner synthesizes concrete ideas, simple prayers, and a wealth of thought-provoking quotations on the spiritual significance of the four elements.
From our discussion of ‘The Dwelling Place of God’, on February 19
Poems, poetic images, art, music…
in addition to their beauty,
they invite us into the mysterious fullness of reality,
a Reality we cannot comprehend without remaining open to its fullness.
Richard Rohr writes (in The Naked Now)
Non-dual thinking is “our ability to read reality in a way that is not judgmental, in a way that is not exclusionary of the part that we don’t understand. When you don’t split everything up according to what you like and what you don’t like, you leave the moment open, you let it be what it is in itself, and you let it speak to you… Reality is not totally one, but it is not totally two, either! Stay with that necessary dilemma, and it can make you wise.”
For Biblical images of the Spirit: http://faithmatters.us/praying-with-biblical-images/
For continued meditation on the Holy Spirit: http://faithmatters.us/holyspirit/
A homily given by the Rev. C. Barry Turner, “Living in Covenant with God” (http://faithmatters.us/living-in-covenant-with-god/) links our concern for the planet with God’s Covenant, a primary theme in the Christian tradition.
Our discussions of Ask the Beasts begin again on Thursday, April 16