Marcus Borg contends that Jesus has something to say about the way we organize ourselves in community — that when a society is structured to serve the self-interests of the wealthy and powerful it is not a just society. “If you have a society in which 1% of the population own 43% of the wealth, it is pretty clear that the 1% has structured that society so it kind of worked out that way — and they have a tremendous amount of power to sustain it.”
— Marcus Borg in Living the Questions 2.0
Internationally known in both academic and church circles as a biblical and Jesus scholar, Marcus Borg was Hundere Chair of Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University until his retirement in 2007. Borg has been described by The New York Times as “a leading figure in his generation of Jesus scholars” and is the author of over twenty books, including the popular “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time” & “The Heart of Christianity.”
“LtQ Clips” offer thought-provoking observations and comments on spirituality and religion from prominent authors, scholars, and thinkers. These excerpts from“Living the Questions” curriculum are designed to spark conversation in questioning the dominant pop theology of American Christianity.
There are four “canonical” gospels in the Bible. While Matthew and Luke are the only gospels to tell the story of Jesus’ birth, their stories are very different from one another.
Our play opens as Matt & Lucy volunteer to help with this year’s Christmas pageant. Little do they know that the Director will give them each a different script and leave them to work out how to put on a play with conflicting story lines, characters, and settings.
As the play ends, the Director explains how having two stories gives us an appreciation of the diversity of ways early Christians expressed their understanding of who Jesus was.
Program
Matt & Lucy’s Version Births can be as simple or elaborate as you decide. There are four speaking parts for youth and seven delightfully singable songs for young children (aged 3 and up). The LtQ Equip-kit includes two CDs: a TRAX music CD containing separate instrumental and vocal tracks of the seven musical selections, and a CD-ROM with printable pdf files of the script, production notes and lead sheets (arrangements) of the songs.
“This is a fabulous script. We adapted it by dividing up Matt and Lucy’s lines between about 6 other theater staff to create more speaking roles. It was convenient that the theater people could rehearse separately from the choir. We had choir members play the character roles. The theology was outstanding, and meaningful to the kids as well as the adult audience. The rhythm of songs and spoken lines kept it all interesting. Our audience clapped after each song, which gave us lots of time for transitions. This script format is really a masterwork, and we look forward to more productions like this. Thank you very, very, much.”
Sue Ellen Braunlin at First Congregational UCC, Indianapolis
“Dear LTQ, We did Matt and Lucy’s Version Births yesterday at church. Parents and my senior minister agree that it was the best program the church has ever produced. The script was clever, the kids loved the songs, it was very easy to put together, and the parents were proud as could be. Thanks for making our holiday program great!”
Dan Rodriguez Schlorff, Director of Religious Education, Bradford Community Church Unitarian Universalist
Kenosha, WI
“We absolutely loved this program. Traditionally the Church School would hold a “Christmas pageant” after lunch on the Sunday before Christmas, followed by an all-church party. We decided what “Matt and Lucy’s Version Births” had to say was too important for anyone to miss: our children took over the sermon slot so that everyone could hear. We have a tiny, but enthusiastic, Church School – in fact we used the large puppets the young people had created for telling other stories in church, as the holy family, to help us out when one family of several children could not attend at the last minute. The songs are catchy and fun. The backing music is provided. It does not take memorization so much as stage directions, and those are not complicated. The message fits our preaching and it opened doors to encourage people, once again, to our Living the Questions stable studies. Thank you!”
Janet Douglass, Assistant Pastor, Christ Church, United Methodist, Troy, NY
Mosques in America are being set on fire. Sikhs, mistaken for Muslims, are cut down in their own Temple. Muslim graves desecrated in Chicago. Violence against Muslim-Americans is getting worse and religious leaders remain silent — especially on 9/11. Aysha Hidayatullah says, “One wonders how Muslims could actually flourish and come into their own if they weren’t constantly worried about the scrutiny of people who seem to be watching for any sign that confirms the dominant narrative about Muslims being violent, un-assimilable foreigners.”
Ever since 1660, when Mary Dyer was executed by the Puritans for being a Quaker, the persecution of religious minorities has quietly been tolerated in America. Never mind the irony that the Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution. Evidently, the American ideal of religious freedom only applies if you’re a Christian.
Dr. Aysha Hidayatullah is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at the Jesuit University of San Francisco
She teaches undergraduate courses on Islam, gender, race, and ethics. Her research interests include Muslim feminist theology; modern and contemporary exegesis of the Qur’an; representations of women in early Islamic history; Islamic sexual ethics; constructions of femininity and masculinity in various aspects of the Islamic tradition; feminist methodologies in the study of Islam; and the pedagogy of Islamic studies.
“LtQ Clips” offer thought-provoking observations and comments on spirituality and religion from prominent authors, scholars, and thinkers. These excerpts from “Living the Questions” curriculum are designed to spark conversation in questioning the dominant pop theology of American Christianity.
Robin Meyers says, “We’ve projected upon the Bible something it was never intended to do: which is to give us answers to every conceivable human problem.” We keep going to scripture for answers to the Abortion dilemma, and it’s simply not there. “We don’t let the Bible speak on its own terms.” Instead, we engage in tortured exegesis to make it prove what we already believe to be the case.
As long as we place our ultimate authority in the Bible, we’ve got “the object of our worship in the wrong place.”
Robin Meyers is a United Church of Christ pastor, Professor of Rhetoric, and author of “Why the Christian Right is Wrong” & “Saving Jesus from the Church.” You’ll find Robin in LtQ’s “Saving Jesus Redux,”“LtQ2,” and Living the Questions’ upcoming series on the origin and use of the Bible.
“LtQ Clips” offer thought-provoking observations and comments on spirituality and religion from prominent authors, scholars, and thinkers. These excerpts from “Living the Questions” curriculum are designed to spark conversation in questioning the dominant pop theology of Christian orthodoxy.
“I’m so grateful for Living the Questions. These progressive voices offer less rigid and more expansive approaches to Christian faith, and make room for people who practice critical thinking and question the gatekeepers. They help us see that questioning the gatekeepers is exactly what Jesus was all about.”
— Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity
“This has been sorely needed for years. Felten and Procter-Murphy provide an unusual clarity about the issues that commonly confuse and divide people in our churches today and then open a pathway to a more vital and even exciting way to approach the Christian faith in the 21st century.”
— Fred C. Plumer, President, Progressive Christianity.org
“A welcome book that is bold (without being contentious) and courageous (without needing to be triumphant), Felten and Procter-Murphy give voice to a faith that provides a profound alternative to the dominant ideology of ‘American Christianity.’ Attention should be paid!”
— Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary
Felten and Procter-Murphy aim to re-evaluate the organizing myths of Christianity in their new book, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity (HarperOne; August 2012; Paperback; $17.99). Calling on some of the most provocative and authoritative voices in Christian scholarship today—Marcus Borg, Diana Butler Bass, John Dominic Crossan, A.J. Levine, John Shelby Spong, Brian McLaren, and many others—Living the Questions presents a lively and stimulating primer on what it means to be a progressive Christian.
Based on the popular DVD series by the same name, Living the Questions covers twenty-one topics many churches are afraid to discuss—as well as reimagining traditional topics of the faith in an all-new light.
Rather than watch the church pass into the irrelevance of so many religions of the past, Felten and Procter-Murphy aim to fulfill people’s longing for meaning by encouraging them to “live the questions” instead of “forcing the answers.”
The words of Ken Sehested are adapted and re-visioned in this prayer for the New Year from Living the Questions. May Benedicere be your way in 2012!
Benedicere
By Ken Sehested (adapted)
May your home always be too small
to hold all your friends.
May your heart remain ever supple,
Fearless in the face of threat,
Jubilant in the grip of grace.
May your hands remain open,
Caressing, never clinched,
Save to pound the doors
Of all who barter justice
To the highest bidder.
May your heroes be earthy
Dusty-shoed and rumpled,
Hallowed but unhaloed,
Guiding you through seasons of tremor and travail,
Apprenticed to the godly art of giggling
Amid haggard news
And portentous circumstance.
May your hankering
Be in rhythm with heaven’s
Whose covenant vows
A dusty intersection with your own:
When creation’s hope and history rhyme.
May Hosannas lilt from your lungs:
Creation is not done
Creation is not yet done.
All flesh,
I am told,
will behold
Will surely behold…
Benedicere (“to bless, to praise”) is based on a prayer by Ken Sehested, author of “In the Land of the Living: Prayers Personal and Public.”
Concept: David Felten & Scott Greissel
Edit: Scott Greissel
Cameras: Gregg Brekke, Scott Greissel, Jeff Procter-Murphy & Edwin Serrano
Copyright (c) 2012 livingthequestions.com
David Felten, co-creator of Living the Questions, visits with Pat McMahon on some of the lesser known elements of the Christmas stories.
For natives of Phoenix, Pat McMahon is a living legend. A pillar of the local media scene for over 50 years, Pat is not only a respected radio and TV host, but was also at the heart of the Emmy winning comedy team that made The Wallace & Ladmo Show the longest running children’s show in television history. Fans of Living the Questions will recognize Pat from his KTAR radio interviews with Marcus Borg and Lloyd Geering.
David has become a regular on McMahon’s “God Show” and other radio and TV broadcasts. To listen to Pat and David discussing Easter and Halloween, you can find links HERE on The Fountains blog
___________________
For the tech goobs out there, here are a couple of behind-the-scenes shots of what the taping looked like before the green screen was transformed into a digital backdrop:
Thanks to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for the latest developments in upcoming curriculum and networking for Progressive Christians! Merry Christmas!
Pastors David Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy, along with the voices of top Bible scholars and church leaders—including Marcus Borg, Diana Butler Bass, John Dominic Crossan, Helen Prejean, and John Shelby Spong—provide a primer to a church movement that encourages every Christian to “live the questions” instead of “forcing the answers.”
Based on the bestselling DVD course, "Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity" tackles issues of faith, dogma, and controversial subjects that many churches are afraid to address. "Living the Questions" is the most comprehensive survey of progressive Christianity in existence today.
Available at www.livingthequestions.com, through online booksellers, and as a Kindle download!
“A welcome book that is bold (without being contentious) and courageous (without needing to be triumphant), Felten and Procter-Murphy give voice to a faith that provides a profound alternative to the dominant ideology of ‘American Christianity.’ Attention should be paid!”
— WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Living the Questions 
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