Spong - Saturday the mornng and afternoon

The morning was spent gloriously @ a doublet of lectures by a favored author/ Episcopalian Bishop of mine, the Rite Reverend John Shelby Spong. This was quite the treat for me, as he was the author that started me out on my present religious reading bent - unless, of course, one believes it to be a holier influence. He had two lectures, firstly 1000h-1200h and secondly 1300h-1530h. I stayed for both.

Outstanding surprise of the morning was that we actually got there rite on time. I have a habit of being the approximate of late, but functionally not this morning. Boy: Hilts on the move for something that isn’t school @ that early o’clock. But flocked did we towards the Protestant church in downtown La Grange that was hosting the lectures of reverend Spong. Nice church. We meandered unfamiliar corridors and stairways strange before emptying into the church proper. Lots of people there - we took our pew space a bit-o-ways back but still pleasing. This being the first protestent church I’ve been in since some Anglican cathedral in England some European summer past, I figured I’d do the regular Catholic protocal and bow to the altar and cross myself entering the pew. No one would object if I get it wrong, I know.

Second outstanding surprise was running into Chuck avec his double daughters -me/gf for religious lessons - he/double daughters for piano lessons.

Third surprise was no surprise @ all. It was great. Gf went only the first half, which was titled “Sins of Scripture” It’s theme was the different ways the bible has been hijacked by different groups over time in order to justify their own prejudices. He talked about growing up in Virginia and not questioning the racism in the milieu of the South. Why not question it? Because racism is ok - look, it says so in the Bible! Then shit like homophobia and sexism had their starring role in his lecture - it’s funny to hear the actual pieces of scripture people have used over time to justify their actions.

I liked it a lot. I had been to his web site months ago and had thought about traveling to see one of his lectures often. I’m sure that he has given this set of talks a million times before -indeed I was familiar with most of what he talked about and many examples deployed - but it was very energizing. I’ve read a few of his books and enjoy his views - it was good to hear them in a lecture form from him. Some of the concepts - that the early New Testament writers wrote “suffering servant” and “Good Shepard” imagery into Jesus’ writeup was good to go over (trust me -I’m not gonna bother explaining it -but I got it now.).

Gf and I went to eat @ a packed breakfast place she loves that is rite near the church. I ate eggy shit and it was good, except for the fact I knew I had a ½ price coupon back base camp* for his very chow place - and wished dearly I could have accessed it. But no go. Momentary funk, but not wallowing. We ate skillets and I gladly broke w/ several slite packets of grape Knotts Berry Farm jelly. Knotts grape, for some reason, is totally unavailable @ shops the world over. Really.

Gf left and I followed the bishop for the second lecture - again, another familiar theme : “Christianity must change or disappear”. This lecture theme -much shorter than the first so he could have a book signing - was that Christianity is losing people by the droves , and unless it drops the attitudes displayed by some in the first lectue it will fail. Spong says that he believes there is a change in the air, and that progressive churches are on the rise. Progressive people are looking for something other than either what the reactionary right wing churches or a scheculer society can provide. Again, nothing new - the days two lecture themes are prevalent in all his writings.

Again though, just great. i'm glad he travels around the country lecturing. It's kool when you can see someone who has had such an influence on yrself.
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*(by now my mind had been ravaged by the altitude and only do I think about mountaineering)