newSpin, the newsletter
August 24, 2017 – Bill Lewellis
[A DioBeth newsletter (General or Leadership) or the unofficial newSpin newsletter is published online on Thursdays in the following rotation: (1) Leadership News, (2) The newSpin newsletter, (3) General News, (4) The newSpin newsletter. If you are not receiving these newsletters by email, be in touch with Paula Lapinski (610-691-5655, paula@diobeth.org). If you find something online or in print(or if you'd like to write something) that you think might warrant inclusion in the newSpin newsletter for the sake of many, please send the link or your text to bill.lewellis@gmail.com]
TopSpin
• Bishop Sean Rowe on the Church's Complicity in Racism and Bigotry … [The Erie Times-News, Aug. 18, Bishop Rowe is the Episcopal Bishop of Northwestern PA. Additionally, he serves as provisional Bishop of Bethlehem.] If contemporary Christians are to oppose the racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia that have asserted themselves with renewed and appalling vigor since the election of President Donald Trump, we must look beyond our self-interest. We must not be as timid as the Peter who denied Jesus on the night of his arrest, but as bold as the Peter who, after the Resurrection, proclaimed that “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
The president continues to send what can be described, with an excess of charity, as mixed signals on issues of racial, religious and ethnic intolerance. The church, with a humility born of its own sins, but a boldness born of its faith in Jesus, must challenge any ambiguity with the clarity of the Gospel. It is our duty to speak out, to engage the civic organizations of our communities on behalf of those who are being persecuted, and to name evil where we see it — whether it is in our leaders, or within our own equivocating souls. Read on.
• Bishop Search Committee now accepting nominations/applications for 9th bishop of Bethlehem … The search committee for the IX Bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem is pleased to announce that our profile is complete and we are now accepting nominations and applications. Please visit www.bishopsearchdiobeth.org to view the profile, make nominations, or make application. Deadline for nominations is September 11, 2017. Deadline for applications is September 18.
• Diocesan September 29/30 Convention info … Here.
• Trump's recklessness is a danger to the body politic … [America, The Editors, Aug. 23] The one who leads a mob—no matter how large—is a demagogue. President Trump’s reckless disregard for the truth, the rule of law and the institutions of the republic are a clear and present danger to the body politic. We the people must use all peaceful, lawful means at our disposal to check his power and limit the damage. Read on.
• DioBeth General News, Aug. 18 … Here.
• The newSpin Newsletter, Aug. 10 … Here.
• DioBeth Leadership News, Aug. 3 … Here.
• Bishop Search Committee launches new website … Here.
• Fauxtography … [RNS] Did the solar eclipse create a cross in the heavens? Nope. Read on.
Intersection: Religion, Culture, Politics
• Voter suppression is the civil rights issue of this era … [WaPo Editorial Board, Aug 19] Standing up to racism and intolerance is a moral imperative, and those who do, like Heather Heyer, the young woman who died as she challenged the thugs in Charlottesville last Saturday, are champions of American principles. In an era when so many bedrock values are under attack, it’s important to think strategically and prioritize the ones worth fighting for. An exemplar of such strategic thinking, Martin Luther King Jr., fought on multiple fronts but prioritized one in particular: voting rights. Today, as in the 1960s, that same fight makes sense. For in this new civil rights era, voting rights for broad swaths of Americans — minorities, the young and the old — are again imperiled and under attack. Read on.
• Trump's delivering exactly what they wanted: White Male Supremacy … [The Guardian, Tom McCarthy, a series about Northampton County Trump supporters, Aug. 17] Whatever it is that might be changing about America under Donald Trump, it seems, an improvement in the quality of political discourse in reflexively moderate places like Northampton County, Pennsylvania, is not part of it.
Once the home of the country’s second-biggest steel manufacturer, Bethlehem is the Democratic heart of a region that may be turning more Republican – unless it isn’t. The county voted twice for Barack Obama before falling for Trump. The Guardian has been reporting from the area over the last eight months to test the political winds and to gauge whether voters here feel that the Trump presidency is living up to its promise.
The current national turbulence, and Trump’s role in it – with his reluctance to call out white supremacists in Charlottesville and his saber-rattling over North Korea – has laid bare local divisions. Trump supporters generally cheer the president’s attack-dog instincts, while critics say Trump’s character and style have emboldened violent expression and created flare-ups of racial and ideological tensions locally. Read on.
• Thousand-minister march gains steam after Charlottesville … [RNS, Adelle Banks, Aug. 17] The Rev. Al Sharpton says his thousand-minister march is all the more urgent now than when he began planning it months ago. The Pentecostal-turned-Baptist minister says the recent violence in Charlottesville, Va., has sparked more interest and a greater need for clergy of many faiths to speak up at the march set for Aug. 28, the 54th anniversary of the March on Washington. The march will begin at the Washington memorial honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and end at Justice Department offices to protest increased hate crimes, discrimination and mass incarceration. Read on.
• Moderation is not an ideology … [David Brook, NYTimes, Aug. 22] It’s a way of coping with the complexity of the world. Moderates tend to embrace certain ideas: The truth is plural. Politics is a limited activity. Creativity is syncretistic. In politics, the lows are lower than the highs are high.Truth before justice. Beware the danger of a single identity.Partisanship is necessary but blinding. Humility is the fundamental virtue. Moderation requires courage.
If you have elected a man who is not awed by the complexity of the world, but who filters the world to suit his own narcissism, then woe to you, because such a man is the opposite of the moderate voyager type. He will reap a whirlwind. Read on.
• Instead of a 'soul,' Donald Trump has an 'open sore.' … [Bill Moyers recently to Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC's The Last Word] View.
• White supremacy in America … [New Yorker Classics] Neo-Nazis and white supremacists are now at the forefront of American politics. Read from New Yorker classics, stories about the white-nationalist movement—its origins, its reach, and its connection to the Trump Presidency. In one of the selections, a piece from 1962 called “Letter from a Region in My Mind”—later published as part of the book “The Fire Next Time”—James Baldwin reflects on the generations of African-Americans who have fought racism, often in unnoticed, everyday ways. “I am proud of these people not because of their color but because of their intelligence and their spiritual force and their beauty,” Baldwin writes. “The country should be proud of them, too, but, alas, not many people in this country even know of their existence. And the reason for this ignorance is that a knowledge of the role these people played—and play—in American life would reveal more about America to Americans than Americans wish to know.” Read on.
• Interactive Timeline: everything we know about Russia and President Trump … [Steven Harper on billmoyers.com, Aug. 14] When it comes to Donald Trump, his campaign and their dealings with Russia past and present, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the players without a scorecard. We have one of sorts — a deeply comprehensive timeline detailing what actually happened and what’s still happening in the ever-changing story of the president, his inner circle and a web of Russian oligarchs, hackers and government officials. Since first launched in February 2017, the timeline has grown to more than 400 entries — and we will continue to add updates each week. What have reporters and investigators already uncovered and made public? What are the connections and patterns to be found? Review the timeline to see.
• Three branches of government … [The New Yorker Daily Cartoon, Kaamran Hafeez, Aug 23] Here.
SpiritSpin
• The Power of Vulnerability … [TED, Brené Brown] Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to knw herself as well as to understand humanity. Twenty minutes. View.
• A bit befuddled … [Richard Rohr, Jesus as Paradox] We worshiped Jesus instead of following him on his same path. We made Jesus into a mere religion instead of a journey toward union with God and everything else. This shift made us into a religion of 'belonging and believing' instead of a religion of transformation. [Andy Doyle, The Jesus Heist] I have found in many conversations that when we ponder the reality posed in the Gospels alongside the church organization, we are all a bit befuddled. We don't really know what to do, or how to begin to unravel the gospel from the organization itself. Meanwhile, the very nature of this predicament affects all of our mission work in the most profound ways
• God's Words and Liturgy's Echo … [The Christian Century, Lauren F. Winner, Aug. 18] The historian of liturgy Hughes Oliphant Old once observed that “prayer, particularly Christian prayer, uses biblical language. . . . The Bible contains a vast number of paradigms for prayer and a thesaurus of words to handle the unique experience of prayer.” The Book of Common Prayer is a paradigmatic instance of the use of biblical language in prayer. If you are familiar with that tradition of prayers, you know more Bible than you realize. Read on.
• The Book of Common Prayer ... every edition from 1549 to 1979. Here.
• Prayers and Thanksgivings from the BCP ... Here.
• The (Online) Book of Common Prayer ... Here.
• The Daily Office ... can be read online in Rite I, Rite II or the New Zealand Prayer Book versions. At Mission St. Clare.
• The Daily Office ... from the Diocese of Indianapolis. Here.
• The Prayer Site ... a resource of Forward Movement. Here.
• Speaking to the Soul ... Episcopal Café blog. Sermons, reflections, multimedia meditations and excerpts from books on spirituality. Here.
• Spirit Resources
... way below.
Columns, Sermons, Reflections, other Spin
• An intimate history of antifa … [The New Yorker, Daniel Penny, Aug. 22] On October 4, 1936, tens of thousands of Zionists, Socialists, Irish dockworkers, Communists, anarchists, and various outraged residents of London’s East End gathered to prevent Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists from marching through their neighborhood. This clash would eventually be known as the Battle of Cable Street: protesters formed a blockade and beat back some three thousand Fascist Black Shirts and six thousand police officers. To stop the march, the protesters exploded homemade bombs, threw marbles at the feet of police horses, and turned over a burning lorry. They rained down a fusillade of projectiles on the marchers and the police attempting to protect them: rocks, brickbats, shaken-up lemonade bottles, and the contents of chamber pots. Mosley and his men were forced to retreat.
In “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” published last week by Melville House, the historian Mark Bray presents the Battle of Cable Street as a potent symbol of how to stop Fascism: a strong, unified coalition outnumbered and humiliated Fascists to such an extent that their movement fizzled. For many members of contemporary anti-Fascist groups, the incident remains central to their mythology, a kind of North Star in the fight against Fascism and white supremacy across Europe and, increasingly, the United States. According to Bray, antifa (pronounced an-tee-fah) “can variously be described as a kind of ideology, an identity, a tendency or milieu, or an activity of self-defense.” It’s a leaderless, horizontal movement whose roots lie in various leftist causes—Communism, anarchism, Socialism, anti-racism. The movement’s profile has surged since antifa activists engaged in a wave of property destruction during Donald Trump’s Inauguration—when one masked figure famously punched the white supremacist Richard Spencer in the face—and ahead of a planned appearance, in February, by Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley, which was cancelled. At the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a number of antifa activists, carrying sticks, blocked entrances to Emancipation Park, where white supremacists planned to gather. Fights broke out; some antifa activists reportedly sprayed chemicals and threw paint-filled balloons. Multiple clergy members credited activists with saving their lives. Fox News reported that a White House petition urging that antifa be labelled a terrorist organization had received more than a hundred thousand signatures. Read on.
DioBeth
• Diocesan September 29/30 Convention info … Here.
• DioBeth General News, Aug. 18 … Here.
• The newSpin Newsletter, Aug. 10 … Here.
• DioBeth Leadership News, Aug. 3 … Here.
• Bishop Search Committee launches new website … Here.
• St. Brigid's seeks organist/choir director … St. Brigid’s Episcopal Church in Nazareth, PA, is seeking an organist/choir Director. This is a part-time position. Salary is commensurate with experience and educational background. The ideal candidate will be energetic, enthusiastic, and have knowledge of the Episcopal liturgy, or a willingness to learn it. Candidate will be responsible for playing for one service per weekend (Sunday at 10am) and an occasional special service (e.g. Ash Wednesday). Church is located at the corner of Washington & Madison, Nazareth PA, 18064. Please submit resume to stbrigidschurch@rcn.com If additional information is required, please contact Christy at 610-365-2126 or 219-877-9662
DioBeth Parish and Agency Websites
• Allentown: Episcopal House … Here.
• Allentown: Grace … Here.
• Allentown: Grace Montessori School … Here.
• Allentown: Mediator … Here. Refugee Community Center … Here.
• Allentown/Bethlehem: St. Andrew … Here.
• Athens: Trinity … Here.
• Bethlehem: Nativity Cathedral … Here. Emergency Shelter … Here.
• Bethlehem: New Bethany Ministries … Here.
• Bethlehem: Trinity … Here.
• Bethlehem: Trinity Soup Kitchen … Here.
• Carbondale: St. James-St. George … Here.
• Clarks Summit/Glenburn: Epiphany … Here.
• Dallas: Prince of Peace … Here.
• Douglassville: St. Gabriel … Here.
• Easton: Trinity … Here. ARK Soup Kitchen … Here.
• Emmaus: St. Margaret … Here.
• Forest City: Christ Church … Here.
• Hazleton: St. Peter … Here.
• Hamlin: St. John … Here.
• Hellertown: St. George … Here.
• Honesdale: Grace … Here.
• Jermyn: St. James/St. George … Here.
• Jim Thorpe: St. Mark/St. John … Here.
• Kingston: Grace … Here.
• Lebanon: St. Luke … Here.
• Lehighton: All Saints … Here.
• Milford: Good Shepherd … Here.
• Montrose: St. Paul … Here.
• Morgantown: St. Thomas … Here.
• Moscow: St. Mark … Here.
• Mountain Top: St. Martin-in-the-Fields … Here.
• Mount Pocono: … Here.
• Nanticoke/Alden Station: St. Andrew … Here.
• Nazareth: St. Brigid … Here.
• Palmerton: St. John … Here.
• Pen Argyl: St. Joseph … Here.
• Pottsville: Trinity … Here.
• Reading: Christ Church … Here. SPARK … Here.
• Reading: St. Mary: … Here.
• Sayre: Redeemer: … Here.
• Schuylkill County: North Parish … Here.
• Scranton: St. Luke: … Here.
• Sinking Spring: St. Alban … Here.
• Stroudsburg: Christ Church … Here.
• Towanda: Christ Church … Here.
• Trexlertown: St. Anne … Here.
• Tunkhannock: St. Peter … Here.
• Whitehall: St. Stephen … Here.
• Whitehall: St. Stephen School … Here.
• Wilkes-Barre: St. Clement/St. Peter … Here.
• Wilkes-Barre: St. Stephen … Here.
• West Pittston: Trinity … Here.
• Wind Gap: St. Mary … Here.
[Bill] Please let me know if your website is not listed above. Also, let me know if you would like me to highlight something on your site. Please note, also, that a few of the websites need to be updated. Thanks.]
Episcopal/Anglican
• 'I want to be like Pauli' … [Faith and Leadership, Aug. 22] There’s a resurgence of interest in the Rev. Pauli Murray, a lawyer, writer, activist and feminist. In this audio piece, a pastor in her home state of North Carolina explains why he thinks her life and work are so important for a new generation. Pauli Murray was arrested for protesting bus segregation before Rosa Parks and led lunch counter sit-ins in the 1940s. She wrote legal arguments that inspired Thurgood Marshall and persuaded Betty Friedan to found the National Organization for Women. In 1977, Murray reached another milestone when she became the first African-American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. In the three decades since her death, Murray has faded from the public imagination. But there has been a flurry of recent notice that has brought her to the attention of a new generation, especially in North Carolina, where she grew up. Faith & Leadership editor Sally Hicks speaks in this 6-minute audio piece with Thomas RaShad Easley, a pastor (link is external), educator (link is external)and hip hop artist (link is external) who has found inspiration in Murray’s life and work. Read/Listen on.
• NY Bishop gives 'full support' to church providing sanctuary to immigrant, child … [Episcopal Diocese of New York, Aug. 18] A statement on sanctuary by the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, the Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, and on the Aug. 17 widely-publicized announcement that Holyrood Parish in Manhattan had provided sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant. Read on.
• A small parish hits the big screen with a story of welcome and transformation … [Episcopal Café] All Saints in Smyrna TN was very close to shutting its doors just a few years ago until a group of refugees from Burma (Myanmar) came to the vicar and asked if they might attend church there. Read on.
• The Toolkit … of the Public Affairs Office is located on the Public Affairs pages of The Episcopal Church website here. Among the items are: Topics – topics of interest and dates of importance. Catalog – a list of important topics along with actions taken by The Episcopal Church and General Convention. Getting started - an easy how-to for getting started in preparing materials, media releases, op-eds, etc. For more information contact Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer, publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org, 212-716-6080.
• Sermons that work … The Episcopal Church welcomes many different points of view, and sermons offered during an Episcopal service may vary greatly from congregation to congregation. Although there is no “typical” or one-size-fits-all sermon for Episcopal congregations, the sermons in this series are selected for their universal qualities so that they may be useful to a wide variety of small congregations without full-time priests on staff, where lay leaders often shoulder the responsibility of delivering the sermons on Sunday. To assist these small congregations, the Episcopal Church offers Sermons That Work, new sermons each week for Sundays and major feast days throughout the liturgical year. Here.
• Weekly bulletin inserts … provide information about the history, music, liturgy, mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church. Here. There's also an archive dating back to 2006.
• Resources … way below.
Evangelism/Stewardship/Church Growth/Migration/ERD
• Stewardship Missioner Dan Charney … has compiled a list of resources for congregations preparing for fall stewardship campaigns. Here.
• The Uninhabitable Earth … [David Wallace-Wells, New York Magazine] is a superior analysis of how climate change will create environmental, economic and social disarray way faster than even a lot of folks assume. It's based on many interviews and his examination of serious research will take you 20 minutes and is worth it. Very scary. Read on.
• Episcopal Migration Ministries … Here.
• Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) … Here.
• Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) … Here
• Additional Resources
... way below
In the Media
• Bethlehem ready for 9th bishop … [The Living Church] Here.
TaleSpin
• Aesop's Fables … [StumbleUpon] An online collection of selected fables. Here.
Requiescant in pace
• Joseph Horvath, 84 … died August 21. He was a member of Trinity Bethlehem and the husband of the late Shirley Hovath with whom he shared 58 years of marriage until her passing in 2014. Obituary.
• Dick Gregory, 84 … died August 19. He rose to national prominence in the early 1960s as a black satirist whose audacious style of humor was biting, sulesbversive and topical, mostly centered on current events, politics and above all, racial tensions. His trademark was the searing punchline. Read on.
• Jerry Lewis, 91 … comedian, actor and filmmaker who was adored by many, disdained by others, but unquestionably a defining figure of American entertainment in the 20th century, died Aug. 20. Read on.
• Francis DiLorenzo, 75 … a former auxiliary bishop of the RC Diocese of Scranton known for his conservative values, died Aug. 17. He had garnered attention when he served as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond for 13 years and made a return to conservative values his top priority. Within a few months, he had appointed a diocesan theologian and began rolling back some of the more liberal policies put in effect by his progressive predecessor. Read on.
[Rectors, senior wardens or family members who would like the death of a parishioner noted here may point me to published obits, or send their own notice.]
Ecumenism, Interfaith, Pluralism – or Not
• Evangelical advisors stay with Trump as others criticize him … [AP, Aug. 19] In the midst of the criticism of President Trump from his fellow Republicans and the resignations of his advisory councils in the wake of his response to the violence in Charlottesville last week, there is one group that has stood by him. His group of evangelical advisers has lost only one member. The rest are steadfast in their support and defense. Read on.
• Under Trump, evangelicals show their true racist colors … [LATimes, Randall Balmer, Aug 23] The statistics tell one story: 81% of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. The deafening silence from leaders of the religious right in the wake of the neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville, Va., points to an even larger one, which places racism at the very heart of the movement. Read on. Also here.
• Enlisting SpongeBob and 'Game of Thrones' to counter anti-Sikh prejudice … [RNS] Sikhs are counting on their love of “Game of Thrones” and other elements of American popular culture to help combat misperceptions of their faith that they believe have made them targets for hatred and violence. Read on.
• Five major world religions … Khan Academy's tour through five major world religions. • Buddhism, • Christianity, • Hinduism, • Islam, • Judaism.
• Protestant Reformation … Khan Academy's introduction to the Protestant Reformation
• Resources
... way below
Evangelical Lutheran Church
• ELCA Website … Here.
• ELCA News Service … Here.
• ELCA Blogs … Here.
Moravian Church
• Moravian Church in North America Website.
• Moravian Church Northern Province Website.
• Moravian Theological Seminary Website.
United Methodist Church
• News Service Here.
• Communication Resources ... Start here.
• Eastern PA Conference website Here.
• Facebook Here.
• Bishop Peggy Johnson's blog Here.
Presbyterian Church USA
• Website ... Here
• News & Announcements ... Here.
Roman Catholic
• Oscar Romero … [America] August 15, 2017 would have been Blessed Óscar Romero’s 100th birthday. An outspoken champion for the people who were suffering during El Salvador's brutal civil war, Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was murdered on March 24, 1980. The editors of America have assembled a few good articles. Read on.
• Cross-burning victims to priest: Apology is not enough … [AP, Aug. 24] Phillip and Barbara Butler hadn’t given much thought to the man who burned a cross on their front lawn 40 years ago. Then they heard the startling news that the perpetrator had become a priest and was ministering to Catholics not far from their home. “I didn’t know what to say. It was unbelievable,” Phillip Butler said Wednesday at a news conference. The priest, the Rev. William Aitcheson, went public with his old Klan affiliation Monday, writing a column in the diocesan newspaper. He said his past was not a secret, but he felt compelled to make it more public after seeing images of violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Aitcheson, now 62, described his past actions as despicable: “To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me.” For the Butlers, though, his announcement provided more questions than answers. Read on. [A WaPo story says the priest penned his essay and came forward only after a journalist's inquiry.]
• Diocese of Scranton ... Here.
• Diocese of Allentown ... Here.
• Being legally blind doesn't hinder Catholic priest … [CNS] A visitor attending Mass at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church might not notice anything unusual about the celebrant. Father Bernard J. Ezaki walks the center aisle of the massive church in Easton. He climbs the steps leading to the altar like any other priest or liturgical minister. He recites prayers with the normal vigor and rhythm of a cleric. People might notice Father Ezaki doesn't use the Sacramentary to read the prayers, or that Father Ezaki holds a micro-cassette in his left hand, and that technology contains all the Mass prayers and readings. Read on.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ... Here.
• Catholic News Service ... Here.
• Crux Now ... Here.
The Vatican
• Pope Francis offers 4 points to guide the world's response to refugees … [America, Aug. 21] Pope Francis has offered concrete proposals for world leaders to consider when drafting two forthcoming United Nations' agreements, saying that "our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate" migrants and refugees. Read on.
• Vatican Information Service blog ... Here.
• Vatican News/Info Portal ... Here.
Health and Wellness
• Resources … below
Media/Print/Films/TV/Music/Tech
• Dorothy Day: The World will be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of my Grandmother … [NCR, Aug. 23, Dana Greene's review of Kate Hennessy's biography of her grandmother] Dorothy Day chastised the hierarchy for lavish living and its refusal to condemn nuclear weapons, but she was silent about its patriarchy. How does one sustain decades of social commitment to the most marginalized and simultaneously oppose societal injustice? Day not only fed, housed and cared for society’s refuse, she was a pacifist, opposed the development of nuclear weapons, fought for civil rights, and defended farm workers and the right to unionize. She was arrested for the last time when she was 76.
Day maintained that faithfulness and perseverance were the central virtues, and she witnessed to them with her life for 50 years, even though at the end she believed she was a failure. What calmed her restlessness was reading the Psalms, prayer, and especially the Eucharist. Although bored by theology, she was nurtured by writing; she considered it a form of prayer. When the world seemed disordered, she escaped to nature, to the sea or to reading, each renewing her experience of beauty. She believed, with Dostoevsky, that it was beauty that would save the world.
A quip that circulated at the Catholic Worker was that martyrs were those who lived with saints. As Day’s case moves through the lumbering process for sainthood, one can ask what weight should be given to the testimony of those who knew her?
What Hennessy provides is abundant evidence of the humanness of this lay American Catholic woman. What Day teaches uniquely is a method of living that was embodied in the one-liner she offered me when I once met her at a workshop opposing nuclear weapons. My earnest query was, “What must be done next?” She replied: “First scrub the toilets.” It was a reminder that one must return again and again to the bottom where human need is greatest.
Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty is an accessible, provocative read that, like all good biography, leaves one confronting the ultimate mystery of the human person: Dorothy Day, full of contradiction yet exemplary in her faithfulness. Read on.
• Your Faith, Your Life: An Invitation to the Episcopal Church … Revised edition of the 2009 book by Jenifer Gamber and Bill Lewellis coming in November. Read on.
• The institutional church has stolen the Gospel … [From The Jesus Heist: Recovering the Gospel from the Church by C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of Texas] by reading her indispensability into the Scriptures and into the hearts and minds of her people. Our task in this book is to understand this hermeneutical act and to offer as an alternative the ecclesia of Jesus. The church is not a means to salvation … The problem with viewing the church as a means to salvation is that the only means to salvation is through God in Christ Jesus and his work upon the cross. The Jesus Heist.
• This controversial beer ad is going viral … Here.
• The Online Books Page … Listing over 2 million free books on the Web - Updated Friday, August 18, 2017. Here.
Websites, Podcasts and Blogs
• The Daily … [The New Yorker, Rebecca Mead, Aug. 21] In Michael Barbaro’s podcast, the New York Times becomes conversational and intimate, instead of inky and cumbersome. It’s a twenty-minute update murmured in your ear by a well-informed, sensitive, funny, modest friend—the kind of person who has as many questions as answers? Read on.
• NCR's new website … Here.
• The Episcopal Café … Here.
• AnglicansOnline … Here.
• Diocese of Bethlehem … Here.
• The Episcopal Church … Here.
Varia
• Khan Academy … is now the official practice partner for Advanced Placement. Free AP videos, articles, and practice exercises are designed to build the knowledge and skills needed for AP-level courses. Teachers can use them as part of their class, and students can use them anytime for extra help. The KH team is also working to add practice exercises to every AP course and will be making them available as soon as they’re ready. AP Calculus courses already have exercises. Read on.
• Tired of Ending Your Emails With 'Regards'? Here Are 69 Other Options … [Inc.com, The Muse] Here.
newSpin? … I decided years ago to call this newsletter and its related blog newSpin. The "S" in the middle suggests that some items are newS; others, Spin; others, both. Items I include as well as how and how often I present them are clues to my leanings. I think all of us spin. There's a lot more spin in the world of news than most editors own up to. Watch out for that upper case S in the middle. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul might be said to have spun "the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" [Mark 1:1]. We continue to spin that good news, as we experience and dance with the Risen Lord.
The newSpin newsletter is uploaded to the newSpin blog and posted on a newSpin list of some 2,000 addresses every other Thursday. Many recipients forward it to others. It comes, of course, with some spin from the editor. The views expressed, implied or inferred in items or links contained in the newsletter or the blog do not represent the official view of the Diocese of Bethlehem unless expressed by or forwarded from the Bishop, the Standing Committee, the Canon to the Ordinary or the Archdeacon as an official communication. Comments are welcome on Bethlehem Episcopalians (if you have joined that interactive FaceBook group).
Bill Lewellis, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication Minister/Editor (1986-2010), Canon Theologian (1998-)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]
More Resources
DioBeth
• Look online every Thursday for a Diocese of Bethlehem newsletter or for newSpin … Every Thursday in the following rotation: (1) The Leadership News, (2) The newSpin newsletter, (3) The General News, (4) The newSpin newsletter. The Leadership News and the General News are official publications of the Diocese of Bethlehem. They include news, info, features and events relating to our diocese and parishes. The newSpin newsletter you are now reading is not an official publication – and will usually not duplicate news, info and features relating to our diocese and parish as found in the official newsletters. It is a relatively lengthy eclectic sampling of items related to religion – at times not, at times not so clearly – that the editor thinks readers might find to be of interest. It has been a kind of hobby of a onetime communication minister, the work of a volunteer who in retirement enjoys and dedicates time to do the research required. The newSpin newsletter is always posted on the newSpin blog. If you wish to receive it by email, please send a note to rebecca@canticleccommunications.com
• Look online … for the Diocese of Bethlehem Facebook Page, Facebook Group (Bethlehem Episcopalians) and Twitter feed.
• Bethlehem Episcopalians … is a Facebook group for conversations about mission, spirituality, Christian formation, and more that has replaced the old Bakery email list. Bethlehem Episcopalians is an open group. Anyone can join and items that you post can be shared by group members on their own Facebook pages. This offers each of us the opportunity to reach a larger audience with news and conversations about what God is doing in our diocese." Join the Facebook group. Includes more than 425 members.
• DioBeth website
• Stumbling into the Sacred ... [Reflections on seeing God in the everyday by Canon Anne E. Kitch]
• newSpin blog ... including the newSpin weekly by Bill Lewellis.
• Facebook Page … Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
• Facebook Group … Bethlehem Episcopalians
• Twitter …
• Flickr
• YouTube
• Vimeo
• LinkedIn
Center for Congregations ... The "Using Resources" series of publications by the Center for Congregations is designed to help congregations make the most effective use of capital funds, consultants, architects, contractors, books, congregation management software, and more.
• Congregational Consulting ... More information on how to contact the consultants can be found here and at http://www.congregationalconsulting.org/ .
• Church locators ... Here.
• ECF Vital Practices ... Here.
• The Chalice, a publication created by Joan DeAcetis for older adults and caretakers. Download issues here.
• Weekly Bulletin Inserts from the Episcopal Church ... Here.
• Calendar of events in our parishes ... Here.
Episcopal/Anglican
• The Episcopal Church website, news service, news service blog,
• Episcopal Café
• AngicansOnline website and news centre.
• The Living Church
• The Anglican Communion website and news service.
• The Daily Scan: Contact publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org to add subscribers for news releases, notices, statements, or Daily Scan.
• Free weekly bulletin inserts provide information about the history, music, liturgy, mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church. Find the inserts here.
• Updated Episcopal Church canons and constitution ... Here.
• Forward Movement ... Here.
• Episcopal Web Radio ... Here.
• Episcopal Church Event Calendar ... Here
Ecumenical/Interfaith Relations
• The Episcopal Church … is currently in full communion relationship with the following churches: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Moravian Church of the Northern and Southern Provinces, the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, the Philippine Independent Church, and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India. Coordinating committees support the implementation of some of these relationships, which involve full mutual recognition of ministries and sacraments. Clergy of these churches may serve in Episcopal churches, and vice versa. We also have warm relationships with the Church of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.
The Episcopal Church is in active dialogue with three traditions: the Roman Catholic Church through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the United Methodist Church. Our dialogues meet regularly to discuss matters of common concern, doctrinal agreements and disagreements, and possibilities for the emergence of full communion relationships. Each diocese of The Episcopal Church has a designated officer responsible for promoting ecumenical and interreligious conversations on the local level. Canon Maria Tjeltveit of the Church of the Mediator in Allentown is the designated officer for the Diocese of Bethlehem. Read on.
• Five major world religions … Khan Academy's tour through five major world religions. • Buddhism, • Christianity, • Hinduism, • Islam, • Judaism.
• Protestant Reformation… Khan Academy's introduction to the Protestant Reformation
SpiritSpin
• The Book of Common Prayer ... every edition from 1549 to 1979. Here.
• Prayers and Thanksgivings from the BCP ... Here.
• The (Online) Book of Common Prayer ... Here.
• The Daily Office ... can be read online in Rite I, Rite II or the New Zealand Prayer Book versions. At Mission St. Clare.
• The Daily Office ... from the Diocese of Indianapolis. Here.
• The Prayer Site ... a resource of Forward Movement. Here.
• Speaking to the Soul ... Episcopal Café blog. Sermons, reflections, multimedia meditations and excerpts from books on spirituality. Here.
• The Imitation of Christ ... Available free online.
Evangelism/Stewardship/Church Growth
• Telling the good news, in the media ... [Jim Naughton and Rebecca Wilson] If the media isn’t telling the stories you want told it is possible (we say very gently) that those stories aren’t interesting or significant enough to warrant coverage. Or, it is possible that you are not presenting them to the media in a way that catches their attention. Or perhaps you have not presented stories to the media at all. It isn’t easy to get your congregation, diocese, conference, or other sort of Christian organization into the newspaper or in online media outlets unless something has gone significantly wrong. It is even harder to get it on television or the radio. But it is possible if you absorb these 10 simple tips. Read on.
• EpiscopalShare ... Here.
Bible&Worship
• The Lectionary ... A collection of Lectionary resources for the Episcopal Church, updated Sunday night. Here.
• Lectionary Page ... A liturgical calendar for upcoming weeks, with links to readings from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), as adapted for use in Episcopal worship. Here.
• Revised Common Lectionary ... Here.
• The Liturgical Calendar ... BCP, Lesser Feasts and Fasts, HWHM ... Here.
• Oremus Bible Browser ... Here.
• Celebrating the Eucharist, by Patrick Malloy. Google Book
• Enriching our Worship, 1 to 5 ... Free download here.
• The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant: Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships [Extracted from Liturgical Resources 1: I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing] Here.
• Collection of worship resources at Diobeth.org ... Including Diocesan Cycles of Prayer for weekly worship, Holy Women Holy Men, and The Text This Week. Here.
Health and Wellness
• Resources for caregivers ... Here.
• Medline Plus ... Here.
• WebMD ... Here.
• Alzheimers.gov ... For people helping people with Alzheimers. Here.
• Three Free Apps for getting qualified medical advice... [Techlicious] Urgent Care, HealthTap and First Aid. Info and links.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Center for Disease Control - Healthy Living
•Church Health Reader
• Eastern Pennsylvania Faith Community Nurses
• Episcopal Mental Illness Network
• Go4Life from the National Institute on Aging at NIH
• National Episcopal Health Ministries
• NEHM Wellness Resource Page
•Let's Move
News/info/commentary
• Religion News Service Daily Roundup ... here.
• Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project: Daily Religion Headlines ... here.
• Religious Freedom Blog ... a weekly look back at the top stories and developments on religious liberty around the world. Here.
• National Catholic Reporter ... here.
• BBC News Online ... here.
• BBC Religion & Ethics ... here.
• Faith in Public Life ... Here.
• Religion&Ethics News Weekly (PBS) ... Here.
• Religion Research Hub ... ARDA, Association of Religion Data Archives, an especially useful site.
• Back issues of the newSpin newsletter ... here.
Media/Film/TV/Books/Podcasts/Music/Tech
• Spirituality & Film ... Here.
• Spirituality on DVD ... Here.
• Books for Spiritual Journeys ... Here.
• Audios for Spiritual Journeys ... Here.
• Free eBooks by Project Gutenberg ... Here.
• Free Audiobooks from LibriVox ... Here.
• Free Audiobooks and eBooks ... Here and Here.
• Google Books ... Millions of books you can preview or read free. Here.
• The Online Books Page ... from UPenn. Here.
• More free eBooks and Audiobooks ... [Techlicious] Here.
• Telling the good news, in the media ... [Jim Naughton and Rebecca Wilson] If the media isn’t telling the stories you want told about your congregation, it is possible (we say very gently) that those stories aren’t interesting or significant enough to warrant coverage. Or, it is possible that you are not presenting them to the media in a way that catches their attention. Or perhaps you have not presented stories to the media at all. It isn’t easy to get your congregation, diocese, conference, or other sort of Christian organization into the newspaper or in online media outlets unless something has gone significantly wrong. It is even harder to get it on television or the radio. But it is possible if you absorb these 10 simple tips. Read on.
• Communicate … Your Ministry, including Bill's Communication Biases and Communication-Evangelism. Here.
Varia
• Insights into Religion ... Here.
• The Alban Institute ... Here.
???? When I first read Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, I was a junior in college. The book seemed insightful the way zombie apocalypse is insightful: an outlandish parable of the desire to control women’s bodies and choices, an interesting litmus test of how far feminism had come, or how far it still had to go. Reading it again this year and watching the new Hulu television adaptation, it feels like just the story that we need right now. Not as a political allegory as much as an exploration of the inner life of resistance. Read on.
