Reclaiming Our Understanding of the Divine

Workshop # 32
Jim Cain, Sally MacEwen and Elaine Ruscetta

A safe space to articulate, explore, and deepen understanding of the divine and its source. Through lecture, discussion and worship we go deeper than common dichotomies and oversimplified labels to negotiate new conceptualizations of things like theist and nontheist; fundamentalist and analytical Biblical interpretation; and words which describe the divine.

Percentage of time:
Worship/worship-sharing 30; Lecture 40; Discussion 20; Experiential 10

Open to all

This workshop will aim to provide a safe space to articulate, explore, and deepen our personal understanding of the divine through both worship and discussion.  We will begin by asking people for their own spiritual autobiographies, focusing on the labels that they and others have used to describe their spiritual identity, the driving force that lead to those identities, and their feelings about the accuracy of those labels.  We will then try to encourage the whole group, through lecture, discussion, and worship, to explore the deeper, less ‘categorizeable’ aspects of their faith and to share that exploration with the group.  We will try to go beyond understanding of the bible as either fundamental or analytical, beyond the extreme juxtaposition of theist and nontheist, and beyond the oversimplified labels that we use to conceptualize our not-so-simple beliefs.  We will also look to both Quaker history as a force that has shaped our beliefs and current diversity among Friends as an example of how Friends can (or sometimes can’t) come to unity in spite of or even because of differing beliefs. We will end the week with a discussion of how to effectively empower ourselves to share our beliefs in an honest, articulate, and unthreatening way.

We will be guided by a number of queries throughout he week:  How do we and can we use stories, scriptures, and people from our past and present to guide our beliefs in a way that fits our own needs for freedom in our spiritual growth?  Can we find way to bridge beliefs that seem different but may not be as mutually exclusive as they first appear?  Can we talk to each other through labels without letting those labels limit our spiritual growth?  Can we empower ourselves to share our true beliefs with one another using both familiar and unfamiliar language?  What can we learn from the beliefs of others?

The three leaders will draw on their personal experiences in different areas and then tie those ideas back into the theme.  Jim Cain will discuss different ways of conceptualizing divinity/God/spirit and different frameworks that can help us define or beliefs.  Sally MacEwen will draw on her understanding of Greek history, the Greek New Testament the Jesus seminar, and early Quaker history.   Elaine Ruscetta will base her contribution on her experience with Quaker discussions about nontheism and theism as well as her familiarity with Quaker diversity based on her experiences at the World Gathering of Young Friends in 2005.  We will all use our different perspectives on the idea of language as well.

We plan to conduct the workshop as outlined below. Although we have carefully designed each day, we remain open to adjustments in the schedule and topics as interest and conditions warrant.

Day 1 – The workshop will begin on day one with brief introductions.  All three leaders will then provide an overview of the workshop and present material on different conceptions of God, providing terminology and a context for further discussion.

Day 2 - Additional material will be presented on conceptions/images of God and participants will be invited to describe their own spiritual autobiographies and conception/images of God. Throughout the workshop, the leaders will nurture a safe environment that respects both the beliefs and personality of each participant. (Jim with help from others)

Day 3 – Further discussion around different conceptions of God, including looking at theism vs. nontheism, examination of what it means to be ‘fundamentalist (Jim + Elaine)

Day 4 – Information about ways the Jesus Seminar and Quakers have wrestled with the meaning of the Bible.  Discussion of what “factual” means in a spiritual context. (Sally)

Day 5 – How does the history of Quakerism guide us (if it does) and how can it?  What lessons can we draw from the diversity of belief within the Religious Society of Friends? (Sally + Elaine)

Day 6 – Moving forward: How can we constructively discuss our beliefs with others? (All 3)

This workshop will NOT be a place to thresh out the ongoing tensions between ‘theist’ and nontheist Friends.  We will not address the question of who has a place within the Religious Society of Friends, who does not, who has the right to decide that, and so on.  Rather, we hope that we can create a place where people can move beyond the labels used to define their beliefs and discuss their personal experience without necessarily comparing it to that of others.

Format:  
We will start each session with about 15 minutes of worship.  After that time, we will have lecturing and/or discussion and/or activities, but we will always have a time for worship sharing at the close of each topic in order to allow time for spirit to process what out minds have just explored.

Preparation:  
We might ask participants to come with a short written piece explaining the process and driving forces that have shaped their spiritual identity.