Rethinking Race Week at University of Akron

The University of Akron hosts "Rethinking Race" week annually. The speakers are consistently excellent and come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Here's the link to the events and activities:
http://www.uakron.edu/im/online-newsroom/promo_detail.dot?promoId=891964&pageTitle=Exploring%20race%20relations&crumbTitle=Exploring%20race%20relations

If the link doesn't work, go right to the UA homepage, where you can find the story as well:
www.uakron.edu

Nuclear Tipping Point

I heard an interesting story on NPR this morning, about a new documentary featuring George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn. They wrote a remarkable editorial in the WSJ in 2008, and have continued to work for nuclear disarmament since. I ordered a copy of the DVD. Here's their website.

OK,

I think it got posted.

If all these super religious fundamentalists would take the time to learn about the historical context of the Bible they might back away from their rigid interpertations and actually arrive at a deeper appreciation of its content.

The historical culture of the Bible is a wonderful testament (no pun here) to a mind set lost in Western civilization. The art of story telling with incredible detailed memory is still alive in the Middle East albeit among older minds not corrupted by the pace of modernity.

Curiously, in my work within many cultures, that part of the world seems to stand out in this regard.

A digression here: I read somewhere, "With all the beautiful places on earth, why did God choose the Middle East for the setting of the Bible?"

One has to sit and listen to an Arab story teller recite from his/her incredible memory tales that last sometimes literally for hours.

A visit to a local Mosque might suffice to impress how anyone can memorize the whole Koran and recite it from memory. Every Mosque seems to have someone who has done this.

I hope thiese feeble words can shed some light on Jeff's concern for our Western lack of story telling and the accompanying inability to memorize details therein.

I am out of my depth trying to figure out how this works.

I did read Jeff's entry of 1-17 and wanted to comment on it since it relates to at least two interests of mine. 1-Historic Biblical settings, i.e. the way the Bible was written by people who were immersed in story telling techniques.
2-How that art still exsists in Middle Eastern culture today.

Before I take off on this I want to make sure I am actually posting something or if this will vanish in thin air.

Storytelling

Part of my day job involves teaching psychiatry residents and medical students. One of my biggest challenges is getting these young people to tell me the story of the patient they have seen. I give examples from my own work with patients, and model the skill by interviewing patients in front of them, but it seems like listening to people and then telling their stories - to the patients and to themselves - is an unfamiliar activity. What I get instead is a list of symptoms or a few snippets of the patient's life that don't hang together, or even move through a specific span of time. Recently I got rather low student reviews on a lecture I gave on "Taking a Psychiatric History", and it's coming up again in the spring. I'd like to get the message across this time!

My background and orientation to stories comes from a superficial appreciation of the "hermeneutic method" - whose origins were in monasteries, where the monks sat in a circle and told and retold and interpreted a scripture to achieve a fuller understanding of it. Interpretation of stories is not the dominant culture in psychiatry or in popular culture anymore.

However, a member of our group has talked to us about the Network of Biblical Storytellers, whose tagline is, "We bring God's stories to life for a post-literate, digital age." I'm not surprised to find a faith-based organization keeping alive the spirit of understanding people through their stories, but I'm wondering:

Are people losing their appreciation of each others' stories?
Is this "post-literate, digital" business part of the problem?
Do I have to convert my students to a different philosophy of life (contemplative, introspective, faith in ultimate reality) to get them to tell me the patient's story?
Can the Biblical Storytellers help me get better reviews on my next lecture?

Martin Luther King Day

Here are some quotations:

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."

"Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary."

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."

Haiti Earthquake Appeal

The national UCC is providing a place to donate to a relief fund. There will probably be an opportunity to donate tomorrow at church as well.

Maybe we can make up for Pat Robertson's comments on TV that Haiti is cursed after making a pact with the devil.

Movie: Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Check out the nice announcement Barb did for us on the Micah 6:8 page of the church website. Thanks Barb!

And don't forget to come to our showing of Pray the Devil Back to Hell on Sunday, January 17, at 6:30 pm in the hospitality room.

Doomsday Clock to be adjusted today

The atomic scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project started a magazine, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in 1945. Since 1947, they've published a clock showing how close to midnight the world is, as a public education tool for awareness of the threat of nuclear war. They haven't adjusted the time since 2007, and will do so today. Check out the video - it looks like the world is getting a little safer.

PICO vs BofA

A coalition led by PICO is pressuring the Bank of America to improve their home loan modification program and reduce foreclosures, or face massive cash withdrawals. Here's the NY Times article, and here's the Huffington Post version. They're meeting with BofA execs tonight.

There's also a secular group called "Move Your Money" that's taking on all the big banks, and encouraging people to do their banking in small, local banks. Time to re-watch It's a Wonderful Life?

BTW, PICO looks like an interesting organization - though it doesn't seem to be active in Ohio. Out our way, it's DART. Congregation-based community organizing groups like these are endorsed by the UCC.

Discussion: a program on the economic crisis

At last night's meeting, some of us expressed an interest in a program about the economy. Dom asked, "What does our faith have to say about the economics?" (or words to that effect). The UCC has a lot to say on the subject! See this page for an overview of the church's positions.

In January, 2006, we hosted Edie Rasell at the church for a program on the campaign to raise the minimum wage. She's the Minister for Workplace Justice of the JWM, has a PhD in economics, and works in the Church House in Cleveland. Here's her blog on economic justice.

Maybe it's time we invited her back? Please post comments with your thoughts.

Board Representative for Miller Avenue Mission

In case you missed it in the Link, we need someone to represent Bath Church on the Miller Avenue Mission Board. Actually, we could use two people. The board meets on the third Thursdays of every month at 7:00 pm. There are significant challenges to this worthwhile ministry, and your help is needed. Contact Mark Frey, Dick Young (outgoing board rep), or Dom Pica for details and background.

2009-2010 Public Policy Briefing Book

Take a look at the UCC Public Policy Briefing Book. It's free to download, 64 pages long, and full of very timely and relevant guidance.

To quote: "...pleased to share this helpful tool in hopes that it will be a useful instrument for individuals or congregations to engage in the justice and peace movement. Inside the briefing book you will find tips for congregational advocacy, in-depth coverage of the U.S. financial crisis and the Iraq War, and issue-by-issue coverage of domestic and international concerns likely to be acted on during this two-year session of Congress"

Beginning of Micah 6:8 blog

Welcome to the Bath Church UCC Micah 6:8 Blog!