"The Reason for God" discussion and meal

This Sunday March 16th

5-7pm

at the Miller's : 179 Bridgeport Way, Delaware, OH 43015

Please join us for a meal and discussion, hosts will provide

CHICKEN & NOODLES

DESERT

BREAD (for sandwiches )

You may bring sandwich fixings such as meats, cheeses etc.

PLEASE POST YOUR INTENTIONS HERE for planning purposes.

We hope you can join us!

I wonder...

How has your faith grown since the Cohort has been meeting? Has the Cohort helped your faith grow or hindered it?

What is your relationship with God like right now? Is it deeper or more distant than when we began meeting?

Important to many of us is the freedom to speak openly on all ideas and views. Have you personally experienced resolution to any of the questions/ideas we have discussed? Have you found answers that you believe are right for you? Have you been able to reclaim any of the beliefs that you originally questioned? If so, what are specific examples where you have lived out a belief recently?

What do you want your relationship with God to become? Are you moving towards this?

To Jesse’s comment… “The purpose is to grow in our faith together…to try to live more like Jesus – together” Do you believe we are living more like Jesus together? Can you give some examples of how you see us doing this?

To Eve’s comment, “I would also love that through these meetings I would feel closer to God whether it be that I am accepting a deeper Truth than before or because I'm wrestling with Him with something.” Is that happening now? Or is it something you want to happen in the future?

What example would you give of something that has challenged you to change--To become better?
To Scot’s comment, “Establishing a common context is HARD work. Are we up for it?” Scot, if common context is not a priority for everyone, do you have additional ideas for another way forward?”

To Jacqui’s comment, “I do think we can be more intentional about how we communicate our assumptions and how we interact over our differences as things come up.” To what end? What do you see happening as this plays out?

Reason(ing)?

Scot said...

Hey everyone,

So, lots of comments on the WTH! post... and honestly most of them bring more questioins to my mind.

I don't know where to begin.

Here is a section from the introduction of the Tim Keller book. Perhaps there is some Providential timeliness afoot...

"Three generations ago, most people inherited rather than chose their religious faith. The great majority of people belonged to one of the historic, mainline Protestant churches or the Roman Catholic Church. Today, however, the now-dubbed “old-line” Protestant churches of cultural, inherited faith are aging and losing members rapidly. People are opting instead for a nonreligious life, for a non-institutional, personally constructed spirituality, or for orthodox, high-commitment religious groups that expect members to have a conversion experience. Therefore the population is paradoxically growing both more religious and less religious at once. Because doubt and belief are each on the rise, our political and public discourse on matters of faith and morality has become deadlocked and deeply divided. The culture wars are taking a toll. Emotions and rhetoric are intense, even hysterical. Those who believe in God and Christianity are out to “impose their beliefs on the rest of us” and “turn back the clock” to a less enlightened time . Those who don’t believe are “enemies of truth” and “purveyors of relativism and permissiveness.” We don’t reason with the other side; we only denounce. We have an impasse between the strengthening forces of doubt and belief, and this won’t be solved simply by calling for more civility and dialogue. Arguments depend on having commonly held reference points that both sides can hold each other to. When fundamental understandings of reality conflict, it is hard to find anything to which to appeal. The title of Alasdair MacIntyre’s book, Whose Justice? Which Rationality? says it all. Our problems are not going away soon.

How can we find a way forward? First, each side should accept that both religious belief and skepticism are on the rise. Atheist author Sam Harris and Religious Right leader Pat Robertson should each admit the fact that his particular tribe is strong and increasing in influence. This would eliminate the self-talk that is rampant in each camp, namely that it will soon be extinct, overrun by the opposition. Nothing like that is imminently possible. If we stopped saying such things to ourselves it might make everyone more civil and generous toward opposing views. Such an admission is not only reassuring, but also humbling. There are still many of a secular turn of mind who confidently say orthodox faith is vainly trying to “resist the tide of history,” though there is no historical evidence that religion is dying out at all. Religious believers should also be much less dismissive of secular skepticism. Christians should reflect on the fact that such large sectors of our formerly largely Christian societies have turned their backs on faith. Surely that should lead to self-examination. The time for making elegant dismissive gestures toward the other side is past. Something more is now required. But what?"

Keller, Timothy (2008-02-14). The Reason for God . Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

I'll post more details about this coming Sunday in a day or two.

Is 4pm start optimum for everyone?