Greetings, WesleyNexus Colleagues:
In May we celebrate Mother’s Day recognizing the critical importance of the nurturing love we all need from the moment of birth. This month WesleyNexus will focus on nurturing, not only maternal or parental nurturing but more broadly on the many relationships that are needed to live a meaningful and successful life. Below you will find links to articles on neuroscience, nature, spiritual growth, and practice and even the importance of the everyday casual encounters in the grocery store and coffee shop.
The importance of nurturing of all types is reflected in the resent podcast by the Surgeon General that highlights the dangers related to loneliness and how it at currently of epidemic levels in the United States putting many of our young and most vulnerable at risk.
Contents:
Evolution, Morality and Law: Why We Need More Than ‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’
Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking: surgeon general
Review: The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence (2023). Thomas Jay Oord.
How Neuroscience Can Help Your Kid Make Good Choices (berkeley.edu)
Nurtured by nature (apa.org)
Book: Daring Adventures: Helping Gender-Diverse Kids and Their Families Thrive
ProgressiveChristianity.org : Nurturing a Progressive Christian Spirituality
Spirituality: How To Nurture It | HuffPost Religion
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
John Wesley’s Small Groups: Models of Christian Community
They May Be Just Acquaintances. They’re Important to You Anyway.
Reflections on Matthew 12:48-50 by Maynard Moore
April 23 Provisions for the Journey blog
Thanks continue to go out to our generous contributors. We encourage you to share comments, articles and insights that will help us all weather these difficult times.
Blessings,
Rick Barr and the rest of the WesleyNexus team
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Evolution, Morality and Law: Why We Need More Than ‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ with Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman
May 9, 2023, at 4:00 PM Central time, 5:00 PM Eastern time
Presentation Overview:
When we think about Darwinian evolution, we often think about
fierce competition for resources, or how our genes influence our kids’ height, or how it
might clash with religious teachings. But in fact, evolution by natural selection can help us
understand the roots of morality, which can then inform Jewish law and Jewish ethics.
About the May 9th presenter:
Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman is the Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses, an organization that bridges the scientific and religious worlds, incubated at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. His work has been supported by the John Templeton Foundation, Emanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies, and the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation. His writings about the intersection of religion and science have been published in the books Seven Days, Many Voices; A Life of Meaning and These Truths We Hold, as well as in The Huffington Post, Nautilus, Orbiter, Science and Religion Today, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and My Jewish Learning. He has been an adjunct professor at both the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and the Academy for Jewish Religion, and is an internationally sought-out teacher, presenter, and scholar-in-residence.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wEFVCt95QbupgQDNpzrgqg#/registration
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The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS)
IRAS is an international society of learners and thinkers, natural and social scientists, philosophers, theologians and people from many other backgrounds and professions. IRAS cultivates a community of informed and respectful inquiry and dialogue at the intersections of science with religion, spirituality and philosophy in service of global, societal and personal well-being.
IRAS Webinar Series
For 65 years, The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS) has held summer Conferences on Star Island, off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Due to the pandemic, we had to postpone our 2020 Star Island conference until the summer of 2021. In order to continue to engage with IRAS themes and the IRAS community, with Star Island’s generous support, we launched a live webinar series: Science, Religion, & Society.
https://www.iras.org/webinar-series.html
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Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking: surgeon general
Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic.
https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-loneliness-334450f7bb5a77e88d8085b178340e19
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Review: The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence (2023). Thomas Jay Oord.
By Maynard Moore
When we say “God is love” we are implying that there are no bounds to God’s love, that it is God’s nature to love, and if it is God’s nature to love, no qualifications are warranted. Thus: amipotence. Whatever additional qualities we attribute to God, amipotence is privileged as basic: the foundation for all the rest. So let us stop praying to an omnipotent god and accept our own responsibilities for “loving our neighbor as we have first been loved by our God.”
https://wesnex.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Book-Review-Amipotence-1.pdf
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How Neuroscience Can Help Your Kid Make Good Choices (berkeley.edu)
Imagine the following scenario: Your eight-year-old son is repeatedly poked with a pencil by his classmate at school. How does he respond?
He might endure the pokes without complaint by using willpower, or he might stay silent, succumbing to feelings of fear or powerlessness. He could lose his self-control and act out, attacking his classmate verbally or poking him back. Or does your son “self-regulate” by considering his options and resources, taking stock of his feelings and strengths, reflecting on past experience, and responding deliberately?
Self-regulation may sound like a tall order—but it’s also the best choice, according to Erin Clabough, a neuroscientist, mother of four, and author of the book Second Nature: How Parents Can Use Neuroscience to Help Kids Develop Empathy, Creativity, and Self-Control. Self-regulation is a skill that we need whenever we want to make a good choice or work toward a goal, especially when strong feelings are involved—in ourselves or others.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_neuroscience_can_help_your_kid_make_good_choices
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Nurtured by nature (apa.org)
Be honest: How much time do you spend staring at a screen each day? For most Americans, that number clocks in at more than 10 hours, according to a 2016 Nielsen Total Audience Report. Our increasing reliance on technology, combined with a global trend toward urban living, means many of us are spending ever less time outdoors—even as scientists compile evidence of the value of getting out into the natural world.
From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Most research so far has focused on green spaces such as parks and forests, and researchers are now also beginning to study the benefits of blue spaces, places with river and ocean views. But nature comes in all shapes and sizes, and psychological research is still fine-tuning our understanding of its potential benefits. In the process, scientists are charting a course for policymakers and the public to better tap into the healing powers of Mother Nature.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
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Book: Daring Adventures: Helping Gender-Diverse Kids and Their Families Thrive by Rev. Rachel A. Cornwell
In an environment where transgender and gender-diverse children are being targeted for political purposes, Rev. Rachel Cornwell, a Methodist pastor and mother of a transgender son, has written a beautiful and helpful book for parents looking for “guidance and hope that all children are going to be OK.” Also addresses how a family’s faith community can develop an understanding of and a commitment to learning, growing, and creating more safe spaces where transgender and gender-fluid kids and adults can be “surrounded with the love and support they need.”
A Practical Guide for Parents and Faith Communities (ACTA)
If you are looking for support, guidance, and hope that all children are going to be OK, this book will help you develop an understanding of and a commitment to learning, growing, and creating more safe spaces where transgender and gender-fluid kids and their families will be surrounded with the love and support they need and deserve. Rachel Cornwell is the mother of a transgender child (as well as two other children who are cisgender) and a Christian pastor who considers it part of her calling to help parents and families hold on to their faith while also fully affirming all children.
Parents should not have to choose between their child and their faith. They do not have to reject their child or the children of others because their faith tradition has taught them that being non-conforming in one’s gender identity is not natural or “God’s design.” Reverend Cornwell shows that no one need give up their faith in order to love and protect their child. She insist that accepting children of all gender identities is not only compatible with faith but essential for all faith communities of all religions and denominations.
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ProgressiveChristianity.org : Nurturing a Progressive Christian Spirituality
My wife and I recently accepted an invitation to join a small neighborhood group for conversation. We were there because we had been told expressly that the goal of the organizers was to form a small group of people who would like to meet regularly and work on their spiritual life. A few in the group attended a church on a regular basis. It was very compatible group and it became obvious rather quickly that we shared many goals, perspectives and ideals in common. But at one point I asked each person to explain what they meant by the word spirituality. When we were finished going around the room we realized that we all had very different responses. We decided we would continue to work on different spiritual practices and come back and visit the word again in the future.
I would posit that a defining characteristic of spirituality is the experience of some strong connection – a connection to something greater than oneself (beyond ego) and connection to others. I would refer to this as a “cosmic connection.” Such an experience might include an emotional component of religious awe and reverence and a shift in consciousness or transformation. Spiritual practices are designed to help foster these experiences. Ultimately, our spirituality becomes the lens through which we view our reality.
https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/nurturing-a-progressive-christian-spirituality/
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Spirituality: How To Nurture It | HuffPost Religion Dr. Steve McSwain
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
I like the way Rabbi Kaplan defines it. He says spirituality is “the progressive unlearning of the strange ideas about God you’ve been taught…”
If it is not obvious to you why I like this definition, that’s only because this is likely the first blog of mine you’ve ever read. I write much and often about the failure of religion in my own life. “Failure” is probably too strong a word. Perhaps I should say “my disappointment with organized religion.” I have not left the church, as many of my readers have. I do understand, however, why many have consciously chosen to move beyond the church of their childhood.
Christianity, as a faith-tradition, is undergoing a metamorphosis. I’m sure there are many who rejoice at the thought the world might finally move beyond religion. But religion is here to stay. So is Christianity. It is changing, however, and none too soon.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spirituality-and-how-to-n_b_5269291
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John Wesley’s Small Groups: Models of Christian Community by Mark A. Maddix
There is nothing like the excitement new believers discover when they sense they are surrounded by friends who care deeply for them. In fact, healthy Christian faith instills a powerful desire to be with other believers in worship, fellowship, and just learning about the things of God. Meeting together offers Christians opportunities to be renewed in worship, enriched in fellowship, and challenged to explore their new faith.
Whether you are a part of a mega congregation or a smaller one, there is an important ‘next’ step that offers promise for shaping and enriching your faith. Some churches call them small groups. Interestingly enough, the history of small groups goes back to Jesus and the disciples. It was John Wesley, however, who gave the world one of the most effective models of this endeavor.
While some aspects of Christianity have become privatized, individualistic, and lacking accountability, it is also true that participating in intimate groups, where people share their lives and faith, runs counter to such trends.
https://belonggsumc.com/john-wesleys-small-groups-models-of-christian-community/
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They May Be Just Acquaintances. They’re Important to You Anyway. By Paula Span (NY Times)
They May Be Just Acquaintances. They’re Important to You Anyway.
The people at the dog park, the bank teller, the regular waiter — these casual relationships may be “weak ties,” but they’re also a key to well-being.
https//www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/health/seniors-acquaintances-happiness.html
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Reflections on Matthew 12:48-50 by Maynard Moore
Matthew has this little story placed in his narrative following the arrest and imprisonment of John the Baptizer, and after Matthew provides a list of the twelve chosen to be disciples (all men, of course), Jesus has completed a circuit of “all the towns and villages” and has “healed the bruised and hurt lives” of many people, spreading his kingdom message. He is somewhere in Galilee near the Jordan, and has just condemned a number of cities and towns “where he had worked the hardest but whose people responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.” Jesus may have been peeved about this, but a large crowd of people had gathered round him as he preached about Jonah and the mission to Ninevah, and then there is this little episode:
“While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers showed up. They were outside trying to get a message to him. Someone told Jesus; “Your mother and brothers are out here, wanting to speak with you.” Jesus didn’t respond directly, but said: “Who do you think my mother and brothers are?” He then stretched out his hand toward his disciples,”Look closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
https://wesnex.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/M-Moore-Mothers-Day-2023-Google-Docs.pdf
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Rev David Stum April 23 Provisions for the Journey blog
It seems appropriate for you to meet a mother, scientist, and professor named Robin Wall Kemmerer, whom I first met through an “On Being” podcast interview with Krista Tippett, which prompted me to read her fascinating book, “Braiding Sweetgrass.” In light of our current theme of “the good earth,” I offer for your contemplation her words introducing herself, and a beautiful quote about strawberries:
”I’m a Potawatomi scientist and a storyteller, working to create a respectful symbiosis between Indigenous and western ecological knowledges for care of lands and cultures. Biodiversity loss and the climate crisis make it clear that it’s not only the land that is broken, but our relationship to land. Both are in need of healing—and both science and stories can be part of that cultural shift from exploitation to reciprocity. I work in the field of biocultural restoration and am excited by the ideas of re-storyation. I hope that co-creating—or perhaps remembering—a new narrative to guide our relationship with the Earth calls to all of us in these urgent times.
I’m really interested in how the tools of Western environmental science can be guided by Indigenous principles of respect, responsibility, and reciprocity to create justice for the land. I honor the ways that my community of thinkers and practitioners are already enacting this cultural change on the ground. Together, we are exploring the ways that the collective, intergenerational brilliance of Indigenous science and wisdom can help us reimagine our relationship with the natural world. I dream of a time when the land will be thankful for us.”
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“Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet. A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it. And yet it appears.”
As someone who views life through a Christian lens, that sounds a great deal like grace, and God’s unconditional and undeserved love.