Week 9 - In Sickness and In Health "Let's Talk About Dying."

Thesis: None of us is getting out of this alive.

If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:8  

“Everybody will die, but very few people want to be reminded of that fact.” ― Lemony Snicket, The Austere Academy  

Dr. Peter Saul is a Senior Intensive Care specialist in the adult and pediatric ICU at John Hunter Hospital, and Director of Intensive Care at Newcastle Private Hospital in Australia.  After spending time as the Head of Discipline for Medical Ethics at Newcastle University, he is now a leading adviser to the State and Federal health departments.  

Over the past 35 years Dr. Saul has been intimately involved in the dying process for over 4,000 patients. He is passionate about improving the ways we die.  

Week 8 - In Sickness and in Health "Sex, Drugs and HIV/AIDS - Let's Get Rational"

Thesis: Loving our neighbor means that we must let go of judgement. 

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7  

"HIV/AIDS is the most serious health crisis the world has ever faced. HIV does not discriminate. Whether we realize it or not, all of us are affected: rich and poor, especially the poor; men and women, especially the women; old and young, especially the young; and people of every race, especially people of color.” From the United Church of Christ Statement on HIV/AIDS at General Synod 27  

Armed with bracing logic, wit and her "public-health nerd" glasses, Elizabeth Pisani reveals the myriad of inconsistencies in today's political systems that prevent our dollars from effectively fighting the spread of HIV. Her research with at-risk populations -- from junkies in prison to sex workers on the street in Cambodia -- demonstrates the sometimes counter-intuitive measures that could stall the spread of this devastating disease. 

Elizabeth Pisani uses unconventional field research to understand how real-world behaviors influence AIDS transmission -- and to overhaul antiquated, ineffective prevention strategies.

Week 7 - In Sickness and In Health "Let's Talk About Crap"

Thesis: Basic sanitation MUST be a part of every plan to bring health care to the developing world. 

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. I Corinthians 12:12-13  

“You've probably been asked to care about things like HIV/AIDS or T.B. or measles, but diarrhea kills more children than all those three things put together. It's a very potent weapon of mass destruction.” Rose Gowan 

Rose George thinks, researches, writes and talks about sanitation. Diarrhea is a weapon of mass destruction, says the UK-based journalist and author, and a lack of access to toilets is at the root of our biggest public health crisis. In 2012, two out of five of the world’s population had nowhere sanitary to go.

The key to turning around this problem is to “stop putting the toilet behind a locked door,” says George.  Let’s drop the pretense of “water-related diseases” and call out the cause of myriad afflictions around the world -- “poop-related diseases” that are preventable with a basic toilet. Once we do, we can start using human waste for good.

George explores the problem in her book The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World ofHuman Waste and Why It Matters and in a fabulous special issue of Colors magazine called "Shit: A Survival Guide."

Week 6 - War and Peace "Instead of building walls, build bridges"

Thesis:  Peace and security will come about in steps that we must begin taking today. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God Matthew 5:9  

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the world of security, says James Stavridis, "we are generally focused on risk. But I think we should spend a bit of our most precious resource — time — on thinking about and developing opportunities." The first US Navy officer to hold the positions of Commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Stavridis has been advocating the opportunities perspective for a long time. He sees dialogue and collaboration — between nations, and between public and private sectors — as key to the future of security.

 As a Navy officer, he thinks deeply about protecting the value of our "global commons." And he's a rare high-ranking military officer who tweets and blogs. He has led the recent military effort in Lybia, among other NATO engagements. Previously Stavridis commanded US Southern Command in Miami, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Imagine global security driven by collaboration -- among agencies, government, the private sector and the public. That's not just the distant hope of open-source fans, it's the vision of  Admiral Stavridis. He shares vivid moments from recent military history to explain why security of the future should be built with bridges rather than walls.

Week 5 - War and Peace "Do we need armies if we want peace?"

Thesis:  Sometimes only the gun can stand between good and evil. 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  

"The commandment forbidding killing was not broken by those who have waged wars on the authority of God, or those who have imposed the death-penalty on criminals when representing the authority of the state, the justest and most reasonable source of power." St. Augustine

General Petrus J.M. "Peter" van Uhm is a four-star general in the Royal Netherlands Army and the current Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff. He has had an outstanding carrer over four decades in the Dutch military. 

In the Netherlands, he is know from his personal tragedy. On 18 April 2008, one day after Van Uhm was appointed Chief Defence Staff, his son First Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm was killed in a roadside bombing in Uruzgan. Van Uhm’s incredibly dignified and human response has astounded many. 

Peter van Uhm is the Netherlands’ chief of defense, but that does not mean he is pro-war. In this talk, he explains how his career is one shaped by a love of peace, not a desire for bloodshed -- and why we need armies if we want peace.

Week 4 - War and Peace "How do I deal With a Bully Without Becoming a Thug?"

Thesis: To love our neighbor as ourselves we must think more carefully about when we should resort to violence.

But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  Matthew 5:39

Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is the monster that swallows it up. - Mahatma Ghandi  

Scilla Ellworthy - "How do I deal With a Bully Without Becoming a Thug?"



When Scilla Elworthy was 13, she sat in front of her television set watching as Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest. Immediately she started packing her bags. "What are you doing?" her mother said. "I'm going to Budapest," she said. "They're doing something awful and I have to go." 

Years later, Elworthy is a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and a recipient of the Niwano Peace Prize. In 2002 Elworthy founded Peace Direct, which supports local action against conflict, and in 1982 founded Oxford Research Group, a think-tank devoted to developing effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers and their critics. Beginning in 2005 she helped set up The Elders initiative as an adviser to Sir Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in return. To answer the question of why and how non-violence works, she evokes historical heroes -- Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela -- and the personal philosophies that powered their peaceful protests.

Week 3 - Introduction: Open Thou Mine Eyes and I Shall See

Thesis:  To love our neighbor we must learn to see what is right in front of us. 

Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, let me receive my sight.”  And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:51-52
Open thou mine eyes, and I shall see. Incline my heart and I shall desire.  Order my steps and I shall walk.  Lancelot Andrews 

How do organizations think? In her book, Willful Blindness, Margaret Heffernan examines why businesses and the people who run them often ignore the obvious -- with consequences as dire as the global financial crisis and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Heffernan’s third book, Willful Blindness was shortlisted for the Financial Times/GoldmanSachs Best Business Book award in 2011. 

Margaret Heffernan began her career in television production, building a track record at the BBC before going on to run the film and television producer trade association, IPPA. In the United States, Heffernan became a serial entrepreneur and CEO in the wild early days of web business and was named one of the Internet's Top 100 by Silicon Valley Reporter in 1999.  

Gayla Benefield was just doing her job -- until she uncovered an awful secret about her hometown that meant its mortality rate was 80 times higher than anywhere else in the U.S. But when she tried to tell people about it, she learned an even more shocking truth: People didn’t want to know. In a talk that’s part history lesson, part call-to-action, Margaret Heffernan demonstrates the danger of "willful blindness" and praises ordinary people like Benefield who are willing to speak up.

Week 2 - Introduction: What Does It Mean To Truly Have Empathy?

Thesis: Even our enemies are our neighbors.

You have heard that it was said that you should 'love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. - Matthew 5:43-44

While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is harder than to understand him. - Dostoevsky

By leading the Americans in his audience step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand -- not approve of, but understand -- the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone truly understand and empathize with another?

Identifying himself as "an iconoclast from Toledo, Ohio," and identified by David Horowitz as one of the "101 Most Dangerous Academics in America," Sam Richards is one of the most provocative, and popular, sociology teachers in the country. Every year 725 students at Penn State University take his course on race and ethnic relations, where he attacks, with humor and courage, questions most would choose to avoid.

He is also the founder of the World in Conversation project. Every year, more than 7,000 students participate in its mission is to create a conscious dialogue around the politically incorrect thoughts of the participants, bringing them out in the open for inspection.

Introduction

…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. -  John 8:32

The truth will set you free, but not until it’s finished with you. – David Foster Wallace

You can’t handle the truth! – Jack Nicholson in the film A Few Good Men

Aletheia is Greek for Truth.  As Christians in the United Church of Christ we accept as one of our greatest truths these words of Jesus:

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. - Mark 12:28-31

In the Aletheia Forum we will focus on how well we as a society, as a church and as individuals are doing at keeping these two greatest commandments.  Each session will begin with a thesis, an idea open to discussion and debate, hopefully ending with something that we can all accept, but maybe not.

During the first three class sessions we will introduce concepts and ideas to challenge us to truly love our neighbor.

We will meet each Sunday at 9:30am beginning on September 8th.  Every Wednesday the Spring Creek E-Newsletter is sent out via email and will include a link to preview the video for the upcoming Sunday as well as learn a bit about the presenter and some discussion questions.  A schedule of upcoming classes and topics is below:

September 8 – What must I do to truly love my neighbor?

Presenter Lesley Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the foundation of faith -- and an end to fundamentalism of all kinds.

September 15 – Embracing Radical Empathy

By leading the Americans in his audience step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand -- not approve of, but understand -- the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent?

September 22 – Open Thou Mine Eyes and I Shall See

Margaret Heffernan demonstrates the danger of "willful blindness" and praises ordinary people who are willing to speak up.

September 29 – War and Peace: How do I deal with a bully without becoming a thug?

In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in return.

October 6 - War and Peace: Do we need armies if we want peace?

Peter van Uhm is the Netherlands’ chief of defense, but that does not mean he is pro-war. In this talk, he explains how his career is one shaped by a love of peace, not a desire for bloodshed -- and why we need armies if we want peace.

October 13  – War and Peace: Instead of building walls, we should be building bridges.

Imagine global security driven by collaboration -- among agencies, government, the private sector and the public. That's not just the distant hope of open-source fans, it's the vision of James Stavridis, a highly accomplished Navy Admiral.

October 20 – In Sickness and in Health: Let’s talk about Crap.

It's 2013, yet 2.5 billion people in the world have no access to a basic sanitary toilet.  Get ready for a blunt, funny, powerful talk from journalist Rose George about a once-unmentionable problem.

October 27 – In Sickness and in Health: Sex, Drugs and HIV/AIDS – let’s get rational.

Armed with bracing logic, wit and her "public-health nerd" glasses, Elizabeth Pisani reveals the myriad of inconsistencies in today's political systems that prevent our dollars from effectively fighting the spread of HIV.

November 3 – In Sickness and in Health: Let’s Talk About Dying.

We can’t control if we’ll die, but we can “occupy death,” in the words of Dr. Peter Saul. He calls on us to make clear our preferences for end of life care -- and suggests two questions for starting the conversation.

Week 1 - Introduction: What Must I Do To Love My Neighbor?

Thesis: Loving my neighbor means that I must let go of always being right.

…Love does not insist on its own way.  It is not irritable or resentful. - I Corinthians 13:5

Abolish all doubt and what’s left is not faith, but absolute heartless conviction. – Lesley Hazelton

A psychologist by training and Middle East reporter by experience, British-bornLesley Hazleton has spent the last ten years exploring the vast and often terrifying arena in which politics and religion, past and present, intersect. She's written about the history of the Sunni/Shi'a split, as well as books on two of the Bible's most compelling female figures: Mary and Jezebel.

Her latest book is The First Muslim, a new look at the life of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. In researching her book, she sat and read the full Koran again -- exploring the beauty and subtlety in this often-misquoted holy book. As she says: " I’m always asking questions — not to find “answers,” but to see where the questions lead. Dead ends sometimes? That’s fine. New directions? Interesting. Great insights? Over-ambitious. A glimpse here and there? Perfect." You can learn more about Lesley Hazleton by visiting her web page The Accidental Theologist.

Questions for further reflection:

How does embracing doubt allow us to more fully love others?

Does embracing doubt and releasing the certainty of our own faith weaken our faith?

Would there be fewer “nones” or atheists or anti-theists if we taught that it was OK to doubt?