Theology Update for the Week of May 26

Evening Theology Classes with Fr. Spencer: “Tongues of Fire.”

God spoke and Creation happened. Jesus spoke and the sick were healed. The Apostles spoke and the church spread. And we too are sent to preach the Gospel, to share the Good News. Author Jonathan Merritt, in his book “Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing–and How We Can Revive Them,” argues that the language of faith is an endangered form of speech in our culture. As our society has become more secular, it can be difficult to talk about our faith with others. The meaning of and premises behind religious words like “grace” and “sin” and “salvation” can no longer be automatically assumed in conversation. We may also have our own personal reticence about “speaking God.” Jonathan Merritt’s book provides a starting point for a conversation about what we mean when we say these sacred words and how we might speak more comfortably about our faith in our everyday lives.

Please join Father Adam Spencer for an Evening Theology Class, on the Fifth Floor of the Parish House for three Tuesday nights, May 28 and June 4, from 6:30-8:00pm as we explore our own language(s) of faith together.

If you would like to review Fr. Spencer’s lecture notes from the first class on May 21, please follow this link.

“Learning to Speak God from Scratch” will be available for purchase in the Saint Thomas Church Bookstore.

Theology Class: “The Land and Its Loss.”

On Sunday May 26th, at 10 am, our Theology Classes will continue with the second of two classes, entitled “The Land and Its Loss. In these sessions we will tour this great theme that runs through the Bible to culminate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Last week, we will looked at how different groups of Jews at the time of Jesus responded to the loss of their land, the return of the Israelites to the land after the exile, and then its virtual loss once more under the Romans. This week, we will look at the contrasting understanding of John the Baptist. We will also review Jesus’ mold-breaking relationship to the land as a sacred legacy, noting even more stark contrasts.

As a rule, our primary reference text will be the Authorized Version of the Bible, which will be available at this class.

Everyone is welcome to join us on the Fifth Floor of the Parish House for the class. Coffee and tea will be provided.

If you have any questions, or suggested material that I could read about our topics, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Grace and peace to you,

Matthew Moretz+
Associate Rector