Spoke Gatherings
Check this page often – we will be posting all the “Spoke Gathering” events here.
In addition to the monthly Cohort “Hub” gatherings (see “Center Hub Topic”),we offer “spoke” gatherings at various places (coffee shops, pubs, parks) throughout the month to dig deeper. If there is a topic or discussion YOU would like to launch as a “spoke”, let us know!
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Looking for a worship expression that is more practice based and community focused? Check out our new Practice page.
PINTS AND PARABLES: THE EXISTENTIAL JESUS
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7 pm (new early time) meet us at Johnnie MacCracken’s Irish Pub (our “headquarters”) to work through John Carroll’s book “The Existential Jesus“.
From The Publisher:
Jesus is the man who made the West. What kind of man was he? Is he relevant to a modern world shaken by crises of meaning?
The churches have mainly projected him as Jesus the carer and comforter, Jesus meek and mild, friend of the weak. This is Jesus the Good Shepherd, who preaches on sin and forgiveness. He is Lord and Saviour.
But this church Jesus is not remotely like the existential hero portrayed in the first and most potent telling of his life-story — that of Mark. Mark’s Jesus is a lonely and restless, mysterious stranger. His mission is dark and obscure. Everything he tries fails. By the end there is no God, no loyal followers — just torture by crucifixion, climaxing in a colossal death-scream. The story closes without a resurrection from the dead. There is just an empty tomb, and three women fleeing in terror.
The existential Jesus speaks today. He does not spout doctrine; he has no interest in sin; his focus is not on some after-life. He gestures enigmatically from within his own gruelling experience, inviting the reader to walk in his shoes.
He singles out everybody’s central question: ‘Who am I?’ The truth lies within individual identity, resounding in the depths of the inner self. The existential Jesus is the West’s great teacher on the nature of being.
This book tells his story, and reveals what he had to say.
More from the publisher HERE.
Hear a podcast interview with the author HERE.
Read a synopsis by the author HERE.
Read a couple of reviews HERE and HERE.
Read Peter Rollins’ blog on it HERE.
A related podcast interview with Harold Bloom (referenced in the book) HERE.
John Carroll is professor of sociology at La Trobe University in Melbourne.
His recent books include The Western Dreaming (2001),Terror: a meditation on the meaning of September 11 (2002), The Wreck of Western Culture: humanism revisited (2004), The Existential Jesus (2007), and a new version of Ego and Soul (2008).
Should be a fascinating journey! Join us!
Bible for Breakfast – this ain’t yo mama’s Bible Study class!
Join us as the Cobb Gathering begins a weekly Bible Breakfast, Friday mornings at 8:30 AM at Gabriel’s in Marietta. We’ll use the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday (a reading each from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels) as our focus. We’ll try to create “suspended space” beyond our preconceptions of the Bible and allow the text to examine our lives – so instead of studying the Bible, we’ll allow the Bible to study US. Join our Bible Breakfast Facebook Group, too!
The Group of Unknowing: Reading through “The Wisdom Way of Knowing” together.
Join us as a small group of interfaith friends (Christians, Sufis, and others) gather to read through Cynthia Bourgeault’s ”The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart ” together.
“The spiritual wisdom and practical suggestions in this lively and beautiful book will be helpful to many who find themselves setting out on the interior journey.” — Bruno Barnhart, a Camaldolese monk and author, Second Simplicity: The Inner Shape of Christianity
Check the publisher’s information HERE.
We meet the first Monday of each month, at the office of Darrell Grizzle, Licensed Professional Counselor, on Marietta Square (in Cobb County, Georgia) or in his home, just off Polk Rd. Our discussions start at 6:30 pm and typically end around 8 pm pm. Check our calendar for the upcoming date.
Join our Facebook group which includes a Wall and a Discussion Board where we can post our reflections about the book as we read through it together.
Some other ideas we are kicking around:
Book Club – read an emergent or theological book and then meet once a month to discuss it as a group!
Justice in the Burbs – we will be discovering ways to join God in his work right here in Cobb County!
Other Spoke Gatherings you’d like to see? Post a comment here with your idea! Stay tuned!
1.
bj | April 17, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I enjoyed my travels on this web site and learning more about emerging and cohorts…..way to make religion look fun….I will stay tuned.