Owner: Shuck and Jive URL:http://shuckandjive.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:57:00 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A Presbyterian minister blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus and lightening up. John Shuck is the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee (a liberal ch Site statistics:Click here
Sermon for Evolution Sunday 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have been thinking about my sermon for EvolutionSunday
. I am not going to debate creationism, or intelligent design or defend evolution like I did last year. I think for most folks in my congregation, evolution is a given. They recognize that the Universe is at least 14 billion years old and Earth is over 4 billion years old, and that species have evolved and died off and it is on-going and random. What I find myself struggling with is the consequence of science for our self-understanding. Science can make us feel small. Things formerly explained by the gods, now have more naturalistic explanations. Humans are not necessarily the apex of creation. In the scheme of things we have more in common with our mammal cousins on Earth than we have differences with them. Evolution and astronomy in particular have also taken "the end" out of things. We can't think of an end to history. Perhaps human history, but even without humans the planets will spin and the Universe will Read more:Sermon
I Want to Ride My Bicycle! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Tom Dosser, 80, and Frank Knisley, 78, still commute by bicycle. (Lee Talbert / Johnson City Press)The Johnson City Press captured one of our church members on film today. Frank Knisely is an advocate for riding bikes and creating bike paths in Johnson City. James Brooks wrote a nice article about him and his friend, Tom Dosser.Architect Frank Knisley is Dosser's junior at 78, and a heart condition has slowed down his riding somewhat. "That put a governor on what I can do," he said. He is also a lifetime cyclist who went away from it during school years, but returned to daily commuting in 1957. "They had an article about me with a photo in the Press-Chronicle because it was such a rare thing, but I notice there's just about as few bike commuters now as there was then," he said. "Back then I got more coverage than the death of the pope" Knisley keeps riding because of the joy it gives him. "It's wonderful. I feel so free when I'm out," he said. "It's some
Nine Drummers Drumming 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The First Presbyterian Liturgical Drummers
gathered worshipers on Evolution Sunday. Click the pic to see and hear them on YouTube. (Turn it up!) Last Fall, our drummers made their own traditional African drums. We will provide another opportunity for folks to make a drum and learn to play it this year. We can expect more drumming in worship at First Pres! On Sunday, our liturgical drummers gathered us to worship with a traditional African piece entitled, Moribayassa: "If a woman has a really big problem, such as illness in the family or childlessness, when she has exhausted all other resources, as her last hope she takes a vow: 'When this huge difficulty is over, I will dance Moribayassa.' Between this decision and the dance, years may pass. For this dance, the woman dresses and shows herself in a way that she normally would never dare to do; she wears old, torn clothes, shows her naked legs, and behaves like a crazy woman who is allowed to break all taboos. In thi Read more:Drumming
Borg in Elizabethton 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Our hero, controlled by the BorgHere is a final plug for the book study on Marcus Borg's latest, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary.The study will begin this Thursday in Martin Hall from 10:30 until noon. We will meet every Thursday until March 29th, skipping March 1st when I will be in Miami for Westar's Spring Meeting. Come join us. Bring a friend.While Borg's book will be the focus text, I will introduce other material regarding the historical Jesus quest. Any serious quester will at some point need to read Albert Schweitzer's Quest of the Historical Jesus. Schweitzer's book is a century old, yet the church as a whole has not caught up with him.Folks may be surprised to find a breadth of views regarding the historical Jesus. Contrary to popular opinion, it didn't start with the Jesus Seminar casting their red, pink, gray and black beads. Thomas Jefferson when he had time on his hands took scissors to the gospels in se Read more:Elizabethton
Friends of Tweetsie 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Have you heard about Friends
of Tweetsie? Dan Reese sent me this bit of news. It sounds like a great idea to me. This is from Dan: We are planning another Walk on the Tweetsie Trail on Sunday, February 25th at 1:45pm and ending around 4:00pm. Gathering in front of Nelson Fine Art, 324 East Main Street we will walk from downtown Johnson City to the Sycamore Shoals Park area in Elizabethton. Jeans, good shoes, and water are recommended. Individuals are encouraged to team up and park an auto at the parking lot at Sycamore Shoals Park for the shuttle back to downtown Johnson City. Parking in Johnson City is available on Main Street and in the Cherry Street parking lot at the corner of South Roan St. and State of Franklin Dr. In case of very inclimate weather I will send out a cancellation notice on the prior Saturday. Please pass this along to those you know and invite anyone interested in this unique feature of our area to join us. Questions can be forwarded to me at: dreese_52@hotm
Thursdays With Jesus 1970-01-01 00:59:59 OK, one final plug for the Marcus Borg study. I found a title for our gathering, "Thursdays
With Jesus
." I just put together the syllabus. Any and all are invited to participate. Even if you must miss the first week, see you next time. Here is the reading schedule:Thursdays With JesusFirst Presbyterian ChurchElizabethton, Tennessee10:30 - noonMartin HallSyllabusMarcus Borg. Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious RevolutionaryFebruary 15:Ch. 1. "Jesus Today: Telling His Story"February 22:Ch. 2. "The Gospels: Memory and Testimony"February 29:Ch. 3. "The Gospels: Memory, Metaphor, and Method"March 1: SKIPMarch 8: Ch. 4. "The Shaping of Jesus: Jewish Tradition in an Imperial World" Ch. 5. "The Shaping of Jesus: His Experience of God"March 15:Ch. 6. "The Big Picture: The Synoptic Profile of Jesus" Ch. 7. "God: Gods Character and Passion"March 22:Ch. 8. "Wisdom: The B
God and Non-Realism 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am ready for topic three in my theology for the 21st century. To wit, I am going stop here with God and check back in on her later. But before taking leave of God I wish to introduce radical theologian, Don Cupitt.In the tradition of the French Post-modernists a la Jacques Derrida, Cupitt is a non-realist. Here is a helpful description:Realists think that scientists discover 'the laws of Nature', whereas non-realists think that scientists invent theories that help us to tell stories about why things go the way they do, and to predict outcomes successfully. Today, a realist is the sort of person who, when his ship crosses the Equator, looks overboard, expecting to see a big black line across the ocean. Realism
tries to turn cultural fictions into objective facts. A non-realist sees the whole system of lines of latitude and longitude as a valuable fiction, imposed upon the Earth by us, that helps us to define locations and to find our way around. For a realist Truth exi
The Way of Letting Go 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I had a wild dream last night. I dreamed that our congregation was connected with the ministry of John Hagee. He is the dispensationalist who figures out the end of time for us. The basic gist of my dream is that part of my job at First Pres. is to fill in for Rev. Hagee on his TV program when he is on vacation. Shocked, I couldn't believe my church was really in to this guy and that I was expected to continue his ministry. Apparently, his organization donated to the church. My duty as chaplain to the institution was to carry this out. My dilemma was how to do this. What do I say? Do I preach the Hagee line or what I really think? Either way I lose something, either my integrity or my position. Thankfully, before my first show I woke up.My dream gave me the idea for my series of sermons on Lent. Here is the heading: "Beliefs Worth Giving Up in Order to Grow." It starts off this Sunday. Once per season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) we devote a service to one o Read more:Letting
The Bible: Word of God? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Moving on to my third topic in my theology for the twenty-first century. How is the Bible a source or resource for theology? We will need to spend some time on this. I begin with a critique of the metaphor commonly used for the Bible--Word of God. For many, even asking this question is the height of blasphemy. For those who will quote the Bible itself or some confession to prove that I am an in grievous error and in danger of losing my salvation, quote away. To do so further illustrates my point that our view (our idolatry) of the Bible keeps us from actually understanding it in its great variance.Don Cupitt in his 2005 book, The Great Questions of Life, writes about the problem in the churches today regarding religious beliefs (about the Bible and other doctrines). Belief keeps us from thinking. Cupitt is still on the rolls as an Anglican priest. He writes eloquently here about what has become of the Church in England. This is what is happening in the mainline ch
Divine Inspiration of the Bible: Spurious, Pernicious, and Moot 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I offer here an excellent article by Robert M. Price, that was originally published in the Fourth R and is chapter 23 or 24 of his book A Reason Driven Life. It is called The Inspiration
and Authority of the Bible: A Critique. He begins:I love the Bible. I have devoted my life to the study of it. I wrote one Ph.D. dissertation on the various evangelical theories of Biblical authority, and a second one focusing on themes in Luke and Acts. None of this means my views must be correct. But it does show I do not approach this sensitive topic as an opponent of the Bible. Just the reverse. I disagree sharply with many Bible devotees, but we both love it and want to know it better. I want to suggest that, first, the claim that the Bible is divinely inspired is spurious; second, that it is pernicious; and, third, that it is moot. The Bible and our study of it will be better off without that claim. Read MoreI think this article nails it. The point is not to diss the Bible. The point is to Read more:Divine
, Spurious
1973: The Year the Kingdom Died 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I just finished Don Cupitt's little book, The Great Questions of Life. Cupitt writes philosophy/theology from a non-realist perspective and from the perspective of ordinary people. He listens for phrases that people make in ordinary conversations about the meaning of life. He suggests that the word Life has replaced God for ultimate meaning. He talks about this in particular in his book, Life, Life. That book is a compilation of the phrases regarding life that people use. Here are a few examples:That's Life. Life is what you make it. Live your life. Life sucks. Life is good. Get a life. He has catalogued 250 of these phrases we use that have replaced the language formerly in the domain of religious traditions. His ethic is to devote oneself to Life--to this Life in all of its contingency, suffering, and joy. Live your life.In The Great Questions of Life he tackles the great questions of philosophy and religion. He writes: "I have here attempted something that, Read more:Kingdom
Chris Hedges on Democracy Now 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Amy Goodman of Democracy Now interviewed ChrisHedges
tonight. He is the former New York Times Middle East bureau chief and author of War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. Hedges is the son of a Presbyterian minister and has a master's degree in theology from Harvard. His latest book is entitled, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America."American Fascists" argues that dominionism seeks absolute power in a Christian state. According to Hedges, the movement bears a strong resemblance to the young fascist movements in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and '30s.Here is the transcript of the interview.AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you with us. Why did you write this book? CHRIS HEDGES: Anger. I mean, I grew up in the Church and, of course, as you mentioned, graduated from seminary, and I think these people have completely perverted and distorted and manipulated the Christian message into something that is the very antithesis of certainly what Jesus preached
Ash Wednesday at First Presbyterian 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today is Fat Tuesday, so party hearty. Tomorrow you can repent. First
Pres. is a full service church. We will help you with your sinning and your repenting. We really are going to have an Ash Wednesday
service tomorrow night from 6:30 - 7:15. The theme is preparing for peace. Jim Benelisha, owner of the Acoustic Coffeehouse is going to play cello for us. We will have ashes and everything. Plus, a tune by Kansas. Guess which one. Afterward if you would like to hang around, we have yoga meditation from 7:30 to 8:45 every Wednesday night. We are an eclectic little bunch.I think of Ash Wednesday as Reality Day. No delusions or illusions. Get real and get with life while you got life."Remember, man, that you are dustAnd unto dust you shall return." Read more:Presbyterian
News Flash! Brewster and Bono in Tennessee! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 It appears that Brewster
and Bono are just about to cross the Kentucky/Tennessee
border at Cumberland Gap. They have been Walking Across America for some time. Be on the watch for them. They might be tired and hungry. Let's show them some southern hospitality. Click the pics to enlarge or go to the website. Read more:Flash
The Harm of Divine Inspiration 1970-01-01 00:59:59 There are a number of reasons to leave behind the belief that the Bible is supernaturally inspired. Bob Price points some of them out in his essay, The Inspiration
and Authority of the Bible: A Critique. Moderate Christians know that divine inspiration is at best a sentimental belief. It is nice to think that the Holy Spirit "breathed" on the biblical writers. The Holy Bible is a cultural icon. We don't read it. We admire it like a nice piece of antique furniture. Because Grandma read it we treat it with respect and call it God's Word.Sentiment more than truth is what keeps moderates from admitting and stating clearly that the Bible is a human product. If the sentiment was harmless, then I wouldn't bother writing what I am about to write. However, the sentiment that the Bible is God's Word is not harmless. It is not true and it is not harmless. The harm is that the belief that the Bible is the Word of God harbors extremists. Because moderates are not critical o Read more:Divine
Channeling God 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am a skeptic by nature. I am especially skeptical of religious groups or individuals who have special access to the divine realms. Whether they be fundamentalist preachers or new age gurus, anyone whose views are predicated upon divine revelation is simply full of _______. Muhammed is said to have channeled the revelations in the Qur'an. Many believe the biblical writers "channeled" the Holy Spirit. Many spiritualist groups claim their revelation is a channeling of someone or some thing on the other side. I have two criticisms of the whole "channeling" enterprise.1) If what you say (or what has been said) is not good enough on its own merit--that it needs divine authorship to be true--then it is likely not worth the time it takes to read it. If you want to say something that is pretty lame, then just say, "God said it." 2) If something is quite good, then claiming divine authorship for it cheapens humanity. Give Shakespeare credit for writing well. Give the Apost Read more:Channeling
A New New Testament 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here is an informative article by Roy Hoover on the formation of the New Testament
Canon, How the Canon was Formed. It doesn't take long to see that the formation of the canon itself is the result of a historical process. Which means of course, that human beings chose the documents that would be in the canon. If human beings made choices then, what is to stop us from making different choices today? Many scholars and (radical reverends) advocate a New New Testament. This NNT would order the documents from a historical perspective and include all the voices of early Christianity. Early Christian Writings is a good starting point.Bob Price has put together the Pre-Nicene New Testament that contains 54 (double your value in comparison to the orthodox brand!) writings from the pre-Nicene period.Of course there is the Complete Gospels by Robert Millerand Lost Scriptures by Bart Ehrman that can help you on your quest.Last year in a sermon Theology is Earth Science I spoke about th
Winifred takes on the IRD 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here is a letter from my good friend, Winifred. She is an advocate for justice in the Methodist church. I met Winifred in Montana at a PFLAG meeting. She and I both moved to warmer climes about the same time. She has been a feisty fighter for justice for many years. I always appreciate the e-mails "From WK." You can get on her e-mail list by sending her an e-mail to WKeefer1@cs.com. This last e-mail is about UMAction, which is the Methodist branch of IRD, an organization that spends over $1 million per year to target three denominations, United Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian USA with their right-wing political agenda. I wrote about the IRD earlier, here and here. The IRD's biggest chunk of change is aimed at the Methodist Church. Winifred has been reporting on these folks for some time. Friends of justice:Before I summarize the latest information from the IRD, let me just mention one news item that I set aside to send to you. From the Arizona Daily Star, Februar
Democracy Now! Tri-Cities 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I found out about this website today. It is called Democracy Now! Tri-Cities
. Read this post, What is Democracy Now! Tri-Cities? to find out more about this blog and this effort to connect its listeners and to keep this show on WETS.Tomorrow, I am going to preach about the Bible in my series of sermons regarding beliefs to give up in order to grow. I am going to focus on the dogma of divine inspiration of the Bible and the authority that doctrine presupposes. I will speak about the damage that dogma is creating in our nation. We are in danger of losing democracy in this country because this doctrine about the Bible is empowering the right wing in its lust for power and control. We are in danger of giving up our democracy for a theocracy. Don't think it can't happen. It already is happening. Read my last post on the IRD and their goals (purely social and political and based on the Bible as divinely inspired). That is just a small part of a larger well-organized and w
Shuck at Westar 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Being a non-laptop owner, I am going to relax without the computer. I am attending the Westar Spring Meeting in Miami. So no shuckin and jivin for a week or so (unless of course there is some kind of computer set up--but I hope not) as I need a break from this addiction. There is a world out there!Peace,JohnP.S. Here is a pic--something to remember me by Read more:Shuck
Archeology or Archeoporn? 2007-03-05 06:18:00 I just finished watching The Jesus Family Tomb and the followup interview with Ted Koppel. It was a very entertaining and informative evening. You can go on-line and discuss the film at the Discovery Channel. My New Testament Professor at Princeton, James Charlesworth, is there answering questions. Here are some preliminary observations:On my last post I wrote that the Westar Fellows were not impressed. I need to clarify that. At our Spring gathering the news broke. Throughout the week there were jokes and dismissive comments about the bone box. Obviously, the Fellows did not examine this issue with a formal discussion nor can I say what each individual Fellow thought about it. I think it would be interesting and good for Westar to have a formal discussion of this issue especially as they are discussing the earliest traditions of the Jesus Movement. The film was very well done. It was exciting to watch and certainly raised my interest. The filmmaker, Simcha Jacobovici,
Lost Tomb of Jesus 2007-03-04 21:00:00 Lots to talk about. Had a great week at the Westar Spring Meeting. More on that later. Of course we need to talk about the "bone box" of Jesus
and his family. Tonight at 9 p.m. on the Discovery Channel, you will want to see The Lost Tomb of Jesus. At 11 p.m. Ted Koppel provides a critical review. James Tabor, whom I blogged about earlier, is featured in this documentary. You can read a response by James Tabor to one of his critics on his blog today.The Westar Fellows are not impressed with the ossuary and the implications that it can be traced to Jesus or the family of Jesus. It isn't because they think that Jesus didn't die and decay like everyone else, but the chances of these particular names going back to an historical person is highly unlikely. However, in the spirit of open-mindedness check out the show tonight, and make your own determination if the archeological methods and conclusions that have been used meet the rigors of scholarship. In other words, do t
Westar Roundup 2007-03-06 03:07:00 The Westar Spring Meeting was held this past week in Miami Lakes, Florida. This was the 45th semi-annual meeting of the Jesus Seminar.James Veitch gave a presentation on Islam, the situation in the Middle East, peak oil, suicide bombers and their theological rationale for that (a call for attention to resource injustice against the West that consumes 4/5 of Earth's resources with less than 1/4 of the population), and war--endless war. It was informative and quite depressing. As I heard him, realist-oriented religion is not helping but is rather a cause of ignorance, hatred and our inability to truly evaluate what is happening in our world. Religion could be the rationale as well as the emotive force for killing ourselves and others. He suggested that it is time to move to a non-realist approach for religion. For Christians, non-realism begins at home.L. Michael White gave a presentation on the methods of constructing early Christian history. Much of the information was fr
You knew it was coming... 2007-03-05 16:04:00 My "friend" Paul Calvin Peterson (I think that is his real middle name!) brought his characters to Elizabethton. Below are the strips for Saturday and Sunday. Click to enlarge or go to the Walking Across America webpage. If you send Paul ten bucks he might include you in his strip too. I met Paul in Montana when he was General Presbyter of Yellowstone Presbytery and co-pastor of a radical church in Anaconda. You can read about that church here.You also might want to check out Paul's collection of short stories, The Bull-Ridin Preacher. I am not sure if Paul ever rode a bull even though he is full of it. Here is a sample story. By the way, you can find out more about the great little town of Elizabethton, "The Gateway to Tennessee" by going here.
Peace on the Move in East Tennessee! 2007-03-07 03:30:00 As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq (March 20), activists in the Tri-cities area are planning a number of events. Democracy Now! Tri-cities has a calendar of progressive events in our area. It is an impressive list. DN! Tri-cities is an excellent blog connecting folks in Tennessee
, North Carolina, and Virginia in order to promote Democracy Now! and to keep it on the air at WET-89.5 FM. You can catch Democracy Now! weekdays from 6-7 p.m.Concerned Tennessee Citizens organizes a demonstration on Roan and Mountcastle in Johnson City every Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. According to the latest post, they had nearly double the number this past Saturday. Join us at 2 p.m. this coming Saturday.Many of us are going to Washington DC on March 16-17 for the Christian Peace
Witness for Iraq. There will be a number of events locally on that weekend. Keep checking ConcernedTNCitizens and Democracy Now! Tri-cities for details.
The Talpiot Tomb: Sorting It Out 2007-03-07 15:09:00 The implications of the Talpiot Tomb is only beginning to sink in for me. On my first blog post I amused myself with the question, What if They Found the Body of Jesus? It never occurred to me that it might actually be possible to find the remains or evidence of the remains of Jesus. I don't know if the Talpiot Tomb was the final burial place for Jesus or his family. I cannot dismiss it out of hand. Knee-jerk reactions seem to me to be based on apologetic concerns. The find whether it goes back to Jesus or not is very likely the major claim of Christian (and Western) history. This is not a hoax. This is not about finding Noah's ark or whatever. This is an actual find. Evidence has been discovered. Whether this evidence is evidence of the burial of Jesus of Nazareth or not is to be determined. The story is complex. How do I sort this out? First of all, I am not simply going to champion someone who is on my side and find an article or blog that dismisses this in Read more:Sorting
Talpiot Tomb, Resurrection, and Orthodoxy 2007-03-09 13:09:00 James ossuary. Possibly the brother of Jesus.Whether or not we have discovered the DNA of Jesus in the Talpiot Tomb or not, the theological question has been raised. Does the Christian affirmation of Resurrection
depend upon the bones, corpse, spleen and what not of Jesus coming back to life? If beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was determined that Jesus died and that his corpse rotted in a grave somewhere just like the corpse of every other human being including that of you and I someday, does that in itself nullify faith in the Resurrection of Jesus or of Resurrection at all?What is the meaning, value, affirmation, mystery, and joy of Resurrection or Easter Faith?I really don't like the terms orthodox, heterodox, heretic and so forth. We have had a bloody history involving those categories. Read James Carroll's Constantine's Sword. I don't need to go into all of that here. Yet the term orthodoxy or orthodox Christianity is with us. What is it exactly? Is orthodoxy as na Read more:Orthodoxy
The Talpiot Tomb: A Teaching Moment 2007-03-08 12:45:00 We are continuing today our study of Marcus Borg's Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary. Join us if you are in the neighborhood for "Thursdays With Jesus" from 10:30 until noon. If from a distance, you can read along with some helpful study guides here. We are reading chapter three today, "The Gospels: Memory, Metaphor, and Methods." On pages 74-5 he writes:"A second factor affecting the historical judgment about whether a story is memory or metaphor involves our sense of the limits of the spectacular, of what is possible. That is, are there some things that never happen? Our sense of the limits of the possible is a "metahistorical" factor, one that is not historical itself but that affects our historical judgment. To illustrate with a postbiblical story, St. Denis was a Christian in Paris beheaded by the Romans during a persecution in the middle of the third century. After his execution, St. Denis picked up his severed head and Read more:Moment
Rick Simerly and Friends 2007-03-10 18:26:00 Two weeks from tonight is when Rick Simerly and four other jazz musicians are going to be in concert at First Presbyterian Church.The concert begins at 7:30 with a reception afterwards in Martin Hall. Joining Rick will be Todd Wright--alto, Andy Page--guitar, Fred Goodwin--bass, and Eddie Dalton--Drums.Here is the announcement on his web page.There is no admission but a suggested donation of at least $5 per person will pay for the musicians assuming we have a couple hundred people in attendance (which is likely). You will need to get there early to get a good seat.Rick Simerly is a world-class trombonist and when you get these five together it will knock your Birkenstocks off. So put Saturday March 24th 7:30 p.m. on your calendar. Invite friends and spread the word. Here is a pic of Rick's recording session for his latest album Obscurity Simple Complexity is an earlier album.But that isn't all. Rick and Friends
are going to come back Sunday morning at 11:00 for a jazz worsh
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