Two items in the news in the last couple of days confirm my earlier opinions expressed in this blog.
1. The new book about Warren Buffett, The Snowball: Warren Buffett on the Business of Life, is being advertised with the heading "What would Warren Buffet do?" That reminded me of my blog of November 16, 2007, when I recommended a dream ticket for president (sadly my recommendation has been ignored until now) of two Buffetts--Warren for president and Jimmy for vice president. Think of the Alan Jackson country song "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" which includes the line, "What would Jimmy Buffett do?" The song is about skipping responsibility, but I maintain that even Jimmy Buffett would do a better job at governing than the yahoos who've been in power the past eight years. But we really should have been listening to Warren.
2. Watching the presidential debate and realizing that both candidates have gone back on their vows to avoid mudslinging in this campaign, I thought about my blog post from March 11, 2008, on the concept of "teleopathy"--which means "goal sickness." Obviously the goal of winning has overcome the deeper values of integrity and honesty in the presidential campaign, and the American people are the worse for it because it diminishes our respect and trust in whoever wins the election!
The Lifelong Learning Office of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary publishes this blog to create and nurture a community of lifelong learners for leadership that transforms the church and the world, to invite members of that community to participate in the Lifelong Learning Programs sponsored by LPTS, to encourage formation of smaller learning communities and study groups, and to alert members to learning experiences available at other venues.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Follow up on Harvey Cox
The man hasn't lost a step, theologically or intellectually. As he walked into the room he was wearing his Red Sox cap, very appropriate. About 45 people gathered, about half the seminary faculty, a few folks from the Presbyterian headquarters, a number of retired pastors from the area, and a few students (most of the other students had no idea who Harvey Cox is!) He talked about his Harvard undergrad class on Jesus and moral ethics, noting that most students, including the most secular and including those of other faith traditions, have no problem talking about Jesus.
He also talked about how there is a resurgence of religion in our time, often in the form of "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." I was fascinated by the ensuing conversation about what Jim Lewis labeled the intersection of the appeal of high liturgical worship, such as Eastern Orthodox, the endurance of Pentecostalism, and the "spiritual but not religious."
It put me in mind of David Roozen's sociological study of denominations (Church, Identity, And Change: Theology And Denominational Structures In Unsettled Times, Eerdmans, 2005) in which he notes that those American denominations based on "affective" religion--such as the Episcopalians and the Pentecostals--are having a better time at adapting to the 21st century than are those denominations based on "the word" or what Cox called the "assentive" faiths based on propositional adherence. Of course its clear that the Presbyterians are in that latter group and are not faring well in adapting to the 21st century.
That may be partly why I'm attracted to teaching "emotional intelligence" to old-line protestant ministers, and also why Diana Butler Bass is able to promote re-traditioning--since she's episcopalian.
He also talked about how there is a resurgence of religion in our time, often in the form of "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." I was fascinated by the ensuing conversation about what Jim Lewis labeled the intersection of the appeal of high liturgical worship, such as Eastern Orthodox, the endurance of Pentecostalism, and the "spiritual but not religious."
It put me in mind of David Roozen's sociological study of denominations (Church, Identity, And Change: Theology And Denominational Structures In Unsettled Times, Eerdmans, 2005) in which he notes that those American denominations based on "affective" religion--such as the Episcopalians and the Pentecostals--are having a better time at adapting to the 21st century than are those denominations based on "the word" or what Cox called the "assentive" faiths based on propositional adherence. Of course its clear that the Presbyterians are in that latter group and are not faring well in adapting to the 21st century.
That may be partly why I'm attracted to teaching "emotional intelligence" to old-line protestant ministers, and also why Diana Butler Bass is able to promote re-traditioning--since she's episcopalian.
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