"Napa Valley" Brocken InaGlory. Licensed. Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
"Napa Valley" Brocken InaGlory. Licensed. Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Welcome to LAST SUPPER RED!!
What if laughter and hilarity are sacred? Might prayer be less about words and more about how we position ourselves before Mystery? What if God is less like Santa Claus and more like air? What if we are defined more by "Original Blessing" than "Original Sin?" Would Christianity flourish if we followed Jesus instead of worshipping him? What if "the Kingdom of God" has much less to do with the hereafter and is instead a here-and-now countercultural idea and reality with political and economic consequences?
What if laughter and hilarity are sacred? Might prayer be less about words and more about how we position ourselves before Mystery? What if God is less like Santa Claus and more like air? What if we are defined more by "Original Blessing" than "Original Sin?" Would Christianity flourish if we followed Jesus instead of worshipping him? What if "the Kingdom of God" has much less to do with the hereafter and is instead a here-and-now countercultural idea and reality with political and economic consequences?
There is more of the same sort of levity in this Dialogue, so the discussion comments and questions for Dialogue 20 will apply to this one as well.
But we can still ask a fresh question:
Snark seems to playfully refer to the Holy Spirit as Higgs Boson. His comment to Margaret as they dried dishes seems to indicate that the Holy Spirit has something to do with all the absurd occurrences of the day.
Q again plunges his main characters into an extensive theological discussion. At least they don't end up alienating each other this time.
What do you make of Phyllis Tickle's idea about the church having a rummage sale on its doctrines every 500 years or so? (see Footnote 9 on Page 45.) If it's true, should it happen at all? Should it happen more often? Are we living in such a time today? If so, what do you think the church needs to get rid of?
Does this fit with your sense of the Holy Spirit? Explain.
What are the forces that influence/guide/determine history anyway? Some say economics, others politics, some religion, and yet others "great people." What's your take on that? The ancient Hebrews of 3000 years ago thought that Yahweh was a God of History . . . not far-off in some other heavenly realm, but deeply enmeshed in and influencing their history. How does idea that sit with you?
"Yahweh" is the pronounciation given to an inherently unpronouncable YHWH in Hebrew. Yahweh was their name for God and, according to some scholars, it is the sound of inhaling and exhaling breath. Try it as a meditation mantra: inhale with "Yah" and exhale with "weh."
