A return visitor to our class, Professor Duncan, shared with us a discussion of Harry Potter, and a college class trip to England.
Kathryn received her Ph.D. from Tulane University with a specialization in eighteenth-century British literature. She’s published and given presentations on pirates and Methodists, and her current book project is “Jane Austen and the Buddha: A Study of (the) Enlightenment”.
Lamar Robertson – Pastor’s Administrative Assistant at First Church discussed how we interact as individual Methodists with others. The topics are complex, nuanced, and potentially difficult to face on our own, but also, filled with grace and understanding. Through this dialogue we explored how we are called as individual Methodists to relate to such things as climate change, abortion, food justice, poverty and global politics.
Lamar’s academic background in religious studies includes; Spiritual Leadership, Asian Religions in America, and Judaic Studies. He is the author of “REL 101: An Introduction to Undergraduate Religious Studies”, which is part of his efforts to increase religious literacy and interfaith understanding. Much of his speaking focuses on challenging the modern understanding of orthodoxy and religion.
A Way Forward is a group designed to bring together persons deeply committed to the future(s) of The United Methodist Church, with an openness to developing new relationships with each other and exploring the potential future(s) of our denomination in light of General Conference and subsequent annual, jurisdictional and central conference actions.
‘Everything is simple from the outside’ Frank Gilbert
Katharine Henry is a Global Mission Fellow US-2 with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, engaged in a two-year term of service. She was commissioned in August 2017. The Global Mission Fellows program takes young adults ages 20-30 out of their home environments and places them in new contexts for mission experience and service. The program has a strong emphasis on faith and justice. Global Mission Fellows become active parts of their new local communities. They connect the church in mission across cultural and geographical boundaries. They grow in personal and social holiness and become strong young leaders working to build just communities in a peaceful world.
We hope you will find time to review the link below.
The historical portions are particularly recommended and for the Historical Jesus fans, note the similarities of backwater origins, oppressed people, illiteracy, and oneness.
http://www.bahai.org/light-to-
Kent Horsley, Presenter
Kent brought and discussed books he has read in the past year. Members of the class were encouraged to do the same.
– John Richard
