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
Is Jesus Under YOUR Porch? 2007-03-31 01:54:00 1980 photo of Talpiot Tomb. (Credit: Amos Kloner)I have been working today on my powerpoint presentation for Sunday's adult forum (9:45 a.m. -- join us! If ya can't stop then throw us a kiss!). The topic is the Talpiot Tomb. There are many great resources for the curious. You will want to check out The Discovery Channel website. This is a good one to explore around and get a feel for the issue. Especially helpful is the PDF Document that contains the drawings by the original excavators and their recording of the inscriptions. You will also find on that document Amos Kloner's 1996 article about the tomb and the statistics computed by Andrey Feurgverger regarding this cluster of names. You will find articles by other scholars who question that this is the tomb of Jesus
.Then, of course, you will want to go to Simcha Jacobovici's site, The Lost Tomb of Jesus. There is a great deal of speculation there as well, some of it interesting, some of it less so. Nevertheless, it Read more:Porch
Empire's Sorrows 2007-03-30 06:42:00 I attended Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis's presentation on Al Qaeda at King College on Thursday. Dr. Fitsanakis is a Ph. D. in political science specializing in intelligence and counter-intelligence. He offered a great deal of material. What I took from the lecture was how the U.S. funded Al Qaeda to fight its wars for years and years with the simple motto: "We would do anything to stop the Soviets."Even after the Soviet collapse we continued to fund them. There was no hint of morality to any of this. No concern for the future or for the people who actually lived in the countries for which the U.S. supplied arms, communication, and other support for the enemies of our enemies. We have helped to create the terrorism that we claim to be fighting. Where will it end?I am troubled by all of this. I have been trying to get a conversation going at Presbyterian Bloggers with other Presbyterian clergy and laypersons about the church's role in all of this. I admit, it is pretty difficult Read more:Empire
A Tale of Two Parades 2007-04-01 14:05:00 There were two parades on that first Palm Sunday. We are familiar with one of them. We know the story of Jesus coming down from the Mount of Olives to enter the city of Jerusalem from the East. He enters riding on a donkey to shouts of praise and an adoring crowd. This is the week of Passover when tens of thousands will gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the most important religious and political festival of the Jewish people. Passover acknowledges the escape from bondage in Egypt. It is a volatile time. On the other end of the city, from the West, from Pilate’s headquarters as Caesarea Maritima, came another parade. It was a parade of Roman soldiers, metal, leather, horses, swords, hammers, nails, crossbeams, probably carried by slaves. It was Passover, and Rome needed to secure the peace. There would be an increased presence at the Temple and throughout Jerusalem. There would be crucifixions. There always were. Rome crucified thousands. They crucified for sed
Shuckin' and Jivin' with the Scribes 2007-04-03 06:41:00 Thanks to Sharon Cobb for this link about Passover. Passover began last night, 14 Nisan. Jim Tabor wrote yesterday about how he thinks that the Gospel of John might be more accurate than Mark regarding the sequence of events. Mark and John give conflicting accounts. In Mark, Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover meal as the Last Supper. In John, Jesus is dead and buried before Passover begins. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. You can read about the history of how that calculation came about here. How did Easter get separated from Passover? Tabor writes: For more than a century before the Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition had fully prevailed in the Church, thousands of Christians all over the Roman world used to observe what they called the “Pasch,” on the 14th of Nisan. They used the Hebrew calendar to determine the proper season. On this day they would remember both the “night he was betrayed,” as well
Den of Robbers 2007-04-02 16:42:00 15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ 18And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. Mark 11:15-19El Greco, "Jesus Overturning the Tables of the Moneychangers" (late 16th c.)During Holy Week, I am looking again at the last week recorded in the Gospel of Mark. The excellent book by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week will be my guide.We b
In Memory of Her 2007-04-04 13:03:00 What a great surprise to find that Doug King of the Witherspoon Society did a review of my blog. He is looking for other progressive oriented blogs. The Witherspoon Society is a page to add to your favorites. It provides a progressive witness in the PCUSA ("news and networking for progressive Presbyterians"). You might consider joining them! Now that Doug and I have shamelessly promoted each other, on to Jesus!Following the last week of Jesus according to Mark and with the assistance of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan's book, The Last Week, we come to Wednesday. Jesus has finished a long day teaching and jiving with the scribes. They have had about enough. This"Bible-thumping hack from Galilee" is daaa-aaangerous (remember the song from Jesus Christ Superstar?) and he is stirring up the crowd who delights in what he has to say.The crowd is the reason the authorities want Jesus dead. We get insight into their motiviation in John 11. The authorities are worried:47So th Read more:Memory
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor... 2007-04-04 04:12:00 An advertisement before we move on to Wednesday of Holy Week:I. Maundy Thursday. Soup Supper at 6:30. Service at 7:30.II. Easter Celebration. 11:00 a.m. Sermon title: What if We Found the Body of Jesus? Rethinking the Resurrection. Beyond literalism. Beyond myth. Embracing the Mystery of Life and what Jesus called the realm of God. Some ideas to be borrowed from this post by John Dominic Crossan. III. Screening of the Ground Truth. Thursday, April 12, 7:00 with discussion to follow.IV. Test the Waters! Open House Saturday, April 14, 10:00a-1:00p (includes lunch). Find out about our congregation.V. John Mundy and a Course in Miracles Lecture, Monday April 16, 7 p.m.VI. Earth Day Hike. Sunday, 1 p.m. April 22, meet at the church.VII. Dr. Patricia Williams Workshop on Science and Religion. May 19-20.VIII. Pluralism Sunday, 11:oo a.m. May 27.A little about us:Every Sunday we hold a great celebration of life at 11:00 a.m. We have an adult forum at 9:45 a Read more:Sponsor
And They'll All Talk About Us When We Die 2007-04-05 21:38:00 In just a few hours we will commemorate the last hours of Jesus's life at a Maundy Thursday meal (6:30 p.m.) and worship service (7:30 p.m.) I am reading through The Last Week of the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mark and with the assistance of scholars Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan. Another helpful resource is the new book by John Shelby Spong, Jesus for the Non-Religious. Spong suggests that the last 24 hours of the life of Jesus in Mark's Gospel is written as an ancient liturgical drama in eight three-hour segments. It begins with the supper at 6 p.m. and concludes at 6 p.m. on Friday with Jesus buried in the tomb.Tonight, at our Maundy Thursday service, we are going to participate in that liturgical form. Here are the eight segments:6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Supper9 p.m to Midnight GethsemaneMidnight to 3 a.m. The Arrest3 a.m to 6 a.m. Peter's Denial6 a.m to 9 a.m. Pilate and the Walk to Golgotha9 a.m. to noon The Crucifixi
Why I Like James Tabor 2007-04-05 06:52:00 I am impressed with James
Tabor. I have not met him. I have exchanged a couple of e-mails. But I like him. When Ted Koppel did the response to the Discovery Channel's Lost Tomb of Jesus, James Tabor came across as cool and scholarly. At the risk of putting him on a pedestal, he seemed to me to be someone with whom I would like to have long conversations.I am a member of the Westar Institute, just an associate, but I serve on the Liturgy and Literacy Seminar. It has been the most rewarding thing I have done regarding my continuing education as a minister. I admire the community of Westar. They are the tops. The Jesus Seminar scholars take a different angle from James Tabor. They see Jesus as non-apocalyptic. As I understand it, the parables and aphorisms of Jesus are central. James Tabor sees Jesus as part of the apocalyptic movement. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a critical part of his view. In fact, Dr. Tabor has made me rethink that issue. I am in the muddled middle o
Should You Plant Potatoes on Good Friday? 2007-04-06 15:23:00 Last year one of my church members said that Good Friday
was the day that many farmers in East Tennessee plant potatoes. I was curious about that, so I just asked the internet god and found a few interesting websites. This is from The Old Farmer's AlmanacWhy did the old almanacs always recommend planting potatoes on Good Friday? We can't speak for other old almanacs, but certainly The Old Farmer's Almanac has never recommended planting potatoes on Good Friday; our only recommendation has been to plant by the dark of the Moon. Further, all our research has turned up contrary advice -- neither to plant nor to dig potatoes on Good Friday. It was thought the timing would produce poor crops. The Creoles of Louisiana believed that if the ground were cut open on this day, Christ's blood would run out into the rows. The only exception we found was an old belief that seeds planted on Good Friday will thrive.The State Journal (Kentucky) wrote today, Good Friday, April 6, 2007 is a very g Read more:Plant
Easter Sermon: What if We Found the Body of Jesus? 2007-04-09 00:15:00 The Easter
sermon I preached today is on the church's webpage. Here are some highlights. I began:Before we get started I want to make two points perfectly clear. Number 1: I believe fully in the Resurrection of Jesus
. I don’t simply believe it. I trust it. I try to live by it. Number 2: I believe the remains of the historical Jesus decayed like all human remains decay. I concluded: Easter is about a new consciousness and a new awareness.It is courageously awakening to God's kingdom on Earth.It is the power of love that confronts the powers of violence and oppression. So…what if we found the body of Jesus?Perhaps if we open our eyes we will see the body of Jesus all around us. We are the resurrected body of Christ that bears Empire's wounds. We all bear the wounds that are the consequence of the ideology of peace through violence. Earth itself bears these wounds. The resurrection of Christ to me is not about heaven in the sky when you die. I Read more:Sermon
He is Going Ahead of You... 2007-04-08 14:18:00 He-Is-Not-Here, by He Qi, ChinaWhen the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said Read more:Going
Dogwoods in the Snow 2007-04-07 15:44:00 Today is Holy Saturday. Jesus is in his tomb.Three-quarters an inch of snow blanketed our area this morning as nature's silent testimony. The dogwoods in my yard are a bit droopy but still beautiful in the cold.Saturday is a silent day. Mark records no activity on Saturday. Luke says they rested because it was the Sabbath. Matthew includes a story that the chief priests and Pharisees appealed to Pilate to have a guard placed at the tomb so that the disciples might not steal the body and proclaim that he rose from the dead. Matthew feels the need to counter a story that must have been circulating in his time that the disciples moved the body of Jesus from one tomb to another.The Gospel of Peter expands this story and has Jesus descend into Hell on Saturday to preach to the dead. The Apostle's Creed reflects this tradition in its phrase, "he descended into Hell."But according to Mark, Saturday is without words. It is a day for mourning.Jim Dahlman of the Johnson City Press i
The Easter Challenge 2007-04-09 16:32:00 OnFaith, a web forum by Newsweek asked a fun question to its panelists: If the remains of Jesus had definitively been found, how would that change your view of Christianity? A number of clergy and scholars from a variety of viewpoints responded. You might find their answers interesting as well as the comments from readers. As I mentioned in my second post on this blog, I don't think we would need to find the remains of Jesus to ask this question. I wrote:I wonder if it would make that much difference if, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we found the body of Jesus or we determined that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead? What if we were certain that he died like the rest of us will some day. Would that shatter your faith? What would your faith be about?I don't think we need to find the body. Critical study of the Bible and the study of comparative religions have combined to shatter the historicity of the resurrection. I would guess that many who call themselves Christian reg Read more:Easter
, Challenge
A New Book for Thursdays with Jesus 2007-04-09 04:31:00 Beginning Thursday, April 12th, our Thursdays
With Jesus
group will begin John Shelby Spong's new book, Jesus for the Non Religious. We meet in Martin Hall from 10:30 until noon. Anyone is invited to join us. If you are not familiar with Bishop Spong, you might be interested in watching this lecture he gave regarding the Bible.Bishop Spong is not for everyone. It would be rare to find the person who agrees with everything he says. Even those of us who agree with much of what he says are at times put off by his harsh tone. That aside, he "calls 'em as he sees 'em" and that in itself is refreshing.He writes for "believers in exile." These are the folks who are interested in Jesus but not so interested in how the church portrayed him. This is the book's description: Writing from his prison cell in Nazi Germany in 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian, sketched a vision of what he called "religionless Christianity." In this book, John Shelby Spong puts flesh on
Creative Chaos 2007-04-11 16:27:00 I have been learning a great deal from members in my congregation. We are growing together. Each person brings something different and unique. Many in my congregation have been renewed by Creation Spirituality as articulated by Matthew Fox, but which has roots in the mystical traditions of our various religions. During worship on a seasonal basis we acknowledge the four paths, the way of letting go, the way of creativity, the way of awe, and the way of transformation. These four paths correspond to the four seasons, winter (letting go), spring (creativity), summer (awe), and autumn (transformation).During Lent which roughly corresponds to the way of letting go, I have been preaching on "Beliefs to let go in order to grow." If you really have nothing to do you can read or hear some of those sermons. It is somewhat of a deconstruction project. It is like cleaning out your garage before you can be creative with it. It is clearing one's mind, spirit, or soul, of obstacles and Read more:Chaos
Department of Peace 2007-04-10 19:55:00 Seven of us met this morning with Representative David Davis of Tennessee's First Congressional District at his office in Kingsport. That was the first time I had met with a congressperson before in his or her office. It is good to open lines of communication. I found Representative Davis to be sincerely interested in what we had to say. Sandra at ConcernedTNCitizens set up the meeting. You will find out more about our meeting when ConcernedTNCitizens and DemocracyNow-Tricities puts up the news on their respective blogs. Nancy Barrigar started the discussion by asking Representative Davis if he had heard about the bill to establish a Department
of Peace
. He said he hadn't. She told him about it and that it would be coming before four committees, including House Education and Labor, on which he serves. The bill to establish a Department of Peace is exciting and visionary and I hope that Representative Davis will vote for this bill and perhaps consider being one of its co
To My Wife on Her Birthday 2007-04-13 14:25:00 I don't post about my family. I honor their privacy. But today, Friday the 13th, is my wife Beverly's birthday. So I will break my rule. Click the pic, honey. I love you. Happy Birthday
!
Kurt Vonnegut is in Heaven Now 2007-04-12 14:30:00 I think he would chuckle at the title of this post. One of my all-time favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut
died Wednesday. He was one of the greats. At a memorial for his friend, Isaac Asimov, Vonnegut brought down the secular humanist house by announcing, "Isaac is in heaven now."He hoped that someone would say the same thing at his memorial. Vonnegut was beyond mythical notions of heaven and hell. He taught us what it was to be human.His last, A Man Without A Country, was somber. He reflected on the state of humanity in the 21st century, wondering why human beings didn't like living on Earth very much. His advice to his children and grandchildren in light of what is to come in the 21st century due to all of the plagues humanity has wrought upon itself is this: "Be kind. For God's sake, be kind."Today, I raise a glass to Kurt Vonnegut. Rest in peace, dear friend. Hi Ho. Read more:Heaven
Screwing Our Veterans 2007-04-15 06:26:00 The U.S. News and World Report did a cover story on our veterans, Insult to Injury. Not great news. The cost of war includes paying for the welfare of our returning service men and women. Veterans
, according to this article, get low ratings regarding their disabilities which results in low payments for injuries suffered in service to the U.S. military.Trying to overturn a low rating can be a full-time job-and an exasperating one. Take Staff Sgt. Chris Bain, who lost the use of his arms but not his sense of humor. "They call me T-Rex because I have a big mouth and two hands and I can't do nothing with them," he jokes. He left the Army in February, but he still has plenty of fight in him. During an ambush in Taji, Iraq, in 2004, a mortar round exploded 2 feet away from him, ripping through his left arm and hand. A sniper's bullet passed through his right elbow. His buddies saved his life, throwing Bain on the hood of a humvee and rushing him to a combat hospital. Once transferred t
Mundy on Monday 2007-04-14 20:32:00 First Presbyterian of Elizabethton and Unity Church of the Tri-Cities are honored to present Jon Mundy, Monday
April 16th at 7 p.m. At First Presbyterian, 119 West F Street, Elizabethton. The lecture is entitled: The Psychology and Metaphysics of A Course in Miracles. Here is his web page. The lecture is $20 at the door. But if you e-mail or call 282-2093 by Monday afternoon, it will only be $15. No one will be turned away. Here is the flier about the event. A Course in Miracles makes some unusual statements -- such as: there is no world; there is no time; you are not a body; there is no death; there is no hell and no devil; you cannot be betrayed, persecuted or crucified; there is no "they"; no one is special; anger is never justified; there is nothing to forgive and there are no accidents. Jon's workshop will explain each of these ideas. There will be time for questions and discussion. Dr. Jon Mundy is a lecturer in Philosophy at SUNY (The State University of New York),
Tax Day 2007-04-14 20:19:00 If you are like me, you are doing your taxes at the latest possible hour. If you are like me, you will need a little inspiration. So, click the pic. Take it away boys!
Monday Casserole 2007-04-16 14:56:00 Catching up on a few items in the news:Truthdig did an interview with Linda Segar, author of Jesus Rode a Donkey."Linda Seger explains why Jesus’ teachings have more in common with Democrats than Republicans, how Christians have been manipulated into compromising their values and what the Bible really says about homosexuality."You can read the transcript of the interview here.I saw an interview on CNN last night with Dennis Kucinich. I vote Dennis our new messiah. The only candidate who opposed the war from the beginning and has consistently been outspoken about it and the military-industrial complex.Kudos to ETSU students for voting down football. ETSU has been taking the right path toward raising the level of literacy in East Tennessee. Football, as the students know, is low on their level of interest. A JC Press editorial said it well.Besides, ETSU students have enough to do including debating the religious hacks who invade the campus. This is from the East Tennessean. Read more:Monday
, Casserole
Know Thyself... 2007-04-16 00:08:00 Thanks to Sharon Cobb for this link. What kind of finger are you? This is my result:You Are a PinkyYou are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.You get along well with: The Ring FingerStay away from: The ThumbWhat Finger Are You?
Can We Talk About Gun Control? 2007-04-18 06:07:00 CNN reports that Cho Sueng-Hi purchased one of his weapons recently.Cho paid $571 for a 9 mm Glock 19 pistol just over a month ago, the owner of Roanoke Firearms told CNN Tuesday. He also used a .22-caliber Walther pistol in the attack, police said. John Markell said Cho was very low-key when he purchased the Glock and 50 rounds of ammunition with a credit card in an "unremarkable" purchase.Cho presented three forms of identification and did not say why he wanted the gun, Markell said. State police conducted an instant background check that probably took about a minute, the store owner said. (read more)Here is a video of a 9mm Glock 19 in action. It can fire 15 rounds.He also fired a 22 caliber Walther pistol with a magazine capacity of seven rounds.Cho, an English major, wrote a couple of plays you can read here. We can do a few things. We can say he was twisted, crazy, or demon-possessed. We could protect ourselves in that way. Yet, we need to ask: how many others have the Read more:Control
O What Needless Pain We Bear 2007-04-17 14:34:00 Raksha Vasutevha, right, a 5th year architecture student at Virginia Tech, joins friends in a candlelight vigil for fallen students in downtown Blacksburg Monday night.The mourning begins at Virginia Tech. The above photo is from CNN. As I sit here trying to think of something to say, the old hymn of my childhood runs through my mind: O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear.Just because we do not carryEv'rything to God in prayer.How much pain do we bear alone? How much pain do our children carry? I know college students are adults, but as the father of two college students, they are, to me, grown children. How much peace do we all forfeit when we keep our pain inside ourselves? I usually think of that hymn as a hymn of personal prayer. It is that. Yet, today, I think of it differently. What needless pain we bear when we go it alone. What needless pain the gunman must have been bearing. From needless pain to needless violence--and now to pain again.
The Elegant Universe 2007-04-20 06:22:00 Have you seen the PBS special on The ElegantUniverse
? Thanks to Songs of Unforgetting for alerting me to this. Watch a little at a time or the whole thing at once! It is powerful!
Why Do You Go to Church? 2007-04-19 07:05:00 Why do you go to church? Assuming you go. For others the question might be, "Why don't you go to church?" Ever think that the whole idea of church is kind of weird? Where I live you cannot throw a rock without hitting a church. There are several on each block. On our street, our Presbyterian Church
is one half block away from another Presbyterian Church!What is (or is not) church for you really?I am curious as to your answers. As one who is in the biz, I think of this as a marketing question. What is it that all of these churches have to offer humanity? What is it that we should do, say, be?I like this quote from Brooks Atkinson:I have no objections to churches so long as they do not interfere with God's work.So is church a benefit to humanity (God's work if you wish) or a detriment?What would it take to make churches more beneficial?Talk amongst yourselves and comment!
More on Dem Bones 2007-04-21 03:57:00 If you haven't purchased James Tabor's Jesus Dynasty, well now is the time. His paperback version is out and you should get it instead. Even if you have purchased the hard copy, you will want his latest. He includes a lot of new information about the Talpiot Tomb. I posted a book review here.His blog is loads of fun. His latest post addresses the latest "news" regarding scholars supposedly backtracking from their positions as broadcast in the Discovery Channel's documentary. By the way, I just received in the mail the Discovery Channel's documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus and will show it in the near future at First Presbyterian of Elizabethton along with some of my own (albeit feeble) analysis. You can go to our web page and see a powerpoint I delivered to our adult forum about this issue. Read more:Bones
Earth Day 2007-04-20 16:10:00 April 22nd is Earth
Day. We will celebrate Earth Day
in worship. Join us at 11:00. We are in the season of via creativa (the way of creating) based on Creation Spirituality.Following worship, we will meet in the parking lot at 12:30 and carpool to Dennis Cove for an Earth Day hike. It is for all ages, non-strenuous. Should be a nice day. Here is the weather forecast. If you live in the area and are interested in our congregation, this Sunday would be a great day to check us out. Join us on the hike and get to meet some of our fine folks. If you are not up for a hike, but want to get into the rhythm of Earth Day, join our drumming circle! This Sunday afternoon from 1:30-3:30 in Martin Hall, our drumming circle will work on some new rhythms. If you have never drummed before, this is a great introduction. You don't even need a drum! One will be provided! Saturday at the Kingsport library's auditorium, there will be a free showing of The Great Warming. DemocracyNowT
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