ADULT FORMATION 2011-2012 Adult Forums take place in Sayre Hall unless otherwise noted. September 11 and 18: Dr. Joseph Indano Forgiveness, Healing, and Reconciliation I- and II Dr. Joseph Indano will join us for a two part forum series to mark the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He will lead us in a discussion about what forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation mean in the context of the events of that day, and will join us as we explore the effects of a decade of change in our nation and in our own lives. Dr. Indano is a pastoral counselor with The Center for Pastoral Counseling and Family Therapy in Palmer, PA. He earned his Ph. D. in Ministry and Counseling Psychology from Drew University, along with his MAPC and M. Div., and is ordained as a pastor in The Presbyterian Church. Dr. Indano has served as a parish pastor as well as a hospice chaplain, and is a member of the interfaith Clergy Network. September 25: Living the Questions 7: Challenges Facing Progressive Christians Facilitated by Canon Partee, this session of the ongoing Living the Questions 2.0 series will continue a year-long conversation about how we live out our faith in the world. There is a reformation afoot in Christianity a re-visioning of the traditional understanding of the Christian life as a whole. Long held ideas of divinity and of faith are changing and evolving to reflect 21st century thought and spirituality. Inspired by these fresh insights, progressive Christians can claim a distinctive voice by being in solidarity with the poor, countering the idolatry of wealth, practicing nonviolence, and by seeking justice and inclusivity in a culture dominated by fear. October 2: Living the Questions 8: Restoring Relationships Facilitated by Canon Partee, this session of the ongoing Living the Questions 2.0 series will continue a year-long conversation about how we live out our faith in the world. What does it mean to be in relationship with God and our neighbors? How do we practice forgiveness and work toward reconciliation when relationships are impaired? We will have a conversation about these questions and more, supplemented by video clips of leading theologians and spiritual thinkers discussing their thoughts on being faithful Christians in a 21 st Century society.
October 9: Post Convention Report Join your Cathedral delegates to the Diocesan Convention, which takes place at the Cathedral October 7-8, for a report on this annual legislative session of the Diocese of Bethlehem. October 16: Dr. Brett Hendrickson- Religious Identity in American Political Life Recent surveys from the Pew Research Center indicate that a surprisingly large percentage of Americans believe that President Obama is a practicing Muslim (www.pewforum.org). The purpose of our time together will not be to debunk this fallacy but instead to discuss how we came to a place in the United States where such a belief represents a terrible smear against a sitting president. Dr. Hendrickson is an assistant professor in the Religious Studies Department at Lafayette College. He studies religion in the Americas and is especially interested in religious healing, Latino/a religion, and cross-cultural religious contact. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Brett lives in Easton with his wife and three children. October 23: Living the Questions 9- The Prophetic Jesus In this session, facilitated by Canon Partee, we will consider Jesus as Prophet- how his message fit in with those of the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, and how he offered a clear and compassionate challenge to his contemporaries. October 30: All Cathedral Brunch- No Forum November 6: Rite 13 Class Members Presentation Modeled in part on the Jewish practice of the bat mitzvah, or coming of age, ceremony celebrating the passage into adulthood of 13 year old boys and girls, our Rite 13 class uses the Journey to Adulthood, or J2A, curriculum. Class members will present a reflection on scripture and their own spiritual journeys. November 13: Living the Questions 10- Evil, Suffering, and a God of Love If God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-good, how do we as followers explain and respond to the existence of so much suffering and evil in the world? For some, the reality of evil is the best argument against God's existence. Libraries of books have been written on the problem of evil, the source of evil, and why the innocent suffer. In this session we will grapple with these difficult and ultimately unanswerable questions about the existence of evil and suffering. Facilitated by Canon Partee.
November 20: Living the Questions 11- The Myth of Redemptive Violence The most potent religion in Western culture is not Christianity, but a belief in the redemptive power of violence. Although Jesus inaugurated a new order based on partnership, equality, compassion and non-violence, his example and teachings have been eclipsed by an emphasis on a human unworthiness that demands and defends the need for Jesus violent, suffering, atoning death. Facilitated by Canon Partee. November 27- December 18: Advent Series Join Dean Pompa and Canon Partee for an extended conversation about Christmas, consumerism, and the Christian response to a culture increasingly dependent on credit. December 25: No Forum- Merry Christmas! January 8: Living the Questions 12- Practicing Resurrection While much has been made of Jesus literal and physical resurrection being the core historical event of Christianity, the Biblical texts themselves present conflicting evidence. For many today, the resuscitation of Jesus body is less important than the idea of resurrection as a credible and meaningful principle for living. In this session we will discuss how resurrection figures into our own faith lives, and how we can practice resurrection in all that we do. Facilitated by Canon Partee. January 15: Living the Questions 13- Debunking the Rapture Failing to understand the message of hope offered in the Book of Revelation, many Christians have been misled by 19th century doomsayers and modern-day apocalyptic preachers who proclaim their vengeful god s impending extermination of the apostate masses. We will talk about differing portrayals of the eschaton, and the everyday work of loving our enemies. Facilitated by Canon Partee. January 22 and 29 The Rev. Dr. Steve Simmons- The Need for Creeds When we say the Nicene Creed on Sunday mornings, do we cross our fingers? Dr. Simmons will join us to talk about the historical context of the creeds, including what the writers were reacting to when these foundational statements of our faith were first written. He will also discuss some of the more archaic and philosophical language we use when we recite the creeds, and how we can understand these terms in opposition to their modern uses.
Steve Simmons currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Theology at Moravian Theological Seminary, where he also coordinates the Continuing Education and Vocational Development programs. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister. February 8: All Cathedral Brunch- No Forum February 12 and 19: Dr. Monica Najar -American Evangelicalism Associate Professor of History at Lehigh University, Dr. Najar is a historian of the American revolutionary and Early National eras. She specializes in the histories of gender, religion, and the South. Her book, Evangelizing the South: a Social History of Church and State in Early America, focuses on the transformation of the South to an evangelical society and the effects of that shift on political and social relations. February 26-March 25: Lenten Series Dr. Tim Luckritz Marquis- The Story of the Cross As Christians, we preach Christ crucified- but what do we really know about the crucifixion? Dr. Luckritz Marquis will examine the various New Testament accounts of Jesus death on the cross, how we live in the tension between the crucifixion and the resurrection, and which, if either, of these events truly defines our faith. Dr. Luckritz Marquis is an assistant professor of New Testament at Moravian Theological Seminary. Born and raised in the northeast, he found in his Catholic upbringing a commitment to listen to the diverse voices of Christian history. In the classroom, he tries to explore innovative approaches to issues of economic justice, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity by tracing the diverse paths taken by early Christians living the Gospel. In studying the social context of Christian origins and the history of scriptural interpretation, Tim is continually excited to find new resources for contemporary theological insights and imagination. His research focuses on the performative aspects of itinerancy among early Christians, investigating how apostles expressed the kerygma in deed as well as word. His current work examines 2 Corinthians and Paul s use of travel metaphors in the service of defining an emerging social movement. More broadly, he is interested in the role of travel understood as taking up the cross in establishing early Christianity as a new political imagery. April 1: Living the Questions 14- Reclaiming the World While human beings have been gifted with a beautiful and complex world in which to live, its systems and resources are being stressed by our behaviors, lifestyles, and arrogance. Care
for the environment is not only deeply biblical and practical, but increasingly critical for both the present spiritual life and for our collective future. April 8: Easter Sunday-No Forum: Happy Easter! April 15: Living the Questions 15: A Kingdom Without Walls The good news of the gospel tells of a radical hospitality where boundaries, barriers, and walls are overcome by a grace that knows no bounds. April 22: Doug Dirks: The Ethics of Coffee April 29: Living the Questions 16: Social Justice- Realizing God s Vision Being a person of faith demands balancing spiritual pursuits with action. In a society which is often unjust, inequitable, and whose very structures are responsible for generating untold suffering and poverty, we are compelled to pursue social justice as an expression of hope in realizing a better world. Facilitated by Canon Partee. May 6: The Very Rev. Peter Pearson- Iconography An accomplished writer of icons, Fr. Peter will give a history of the icon as a tool of prayer, and teach us how we can use icons to deepen our prayer lives and feel closer to God. For nearly forty years, Fr. Peter Pearson has been a student of iconography. Self taught for fifteen years, in 1984 he studied under Russian iconographer Dr. Nina Bouroff in Bethesda, Maryland. After moving to Pennsylvania, where he entered a Benedictine monastery in 1991, Peter worked and studied with Philip Zimmerman at the Saint John of Damascus Academy of Sacred Arts, an Orthodox school of icon painting in Ligonier, PA, where he assisted in several projects and classes. In 1994, he studied with Nicholas Papas in Greensburg, PA and in 1997 he attended the Iconography Institute at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon, where he studied with Charles Rohrbacher of Juneau, Alaska. On several of his trips to the Northwest, he worked with other iconographers from that area and learned about their techniques. Peter has studied with Valentin Streltsov of Toronto, Ontario and, in the summer of 2008, he worked with Xenia Pokrovsky at Saint Tikhon s Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, PA. The author of two books on iconography- A Brush With God, and Another Brush With God, both published by Morehouse Publishers- Peter is a priest of the Diocese of Pennsylvania and presently serves as the pastor of a small parish in New Hope, PA. **Fr. Peter will also be giving a weekend long icon writing workshop at the Cathedral from Thursday May 3 - Sunday May 6. The cost of $225 includes materials for an icon of the Nativity created by Fr. Peter in honor of the 150 th anniversary of the Cathedral Church of the
Nativity in 2012. To enroll in this course please call Canon Partee directly at (610) 865-0727, ext. 13.** May 13: Living the Questions 17- Incarnation: Divinely Human The meaning of the incarnation has been debated since the beginning of Christianity. Although often associated with Jesus alone, the notion of incarnation can be understood most fully when it also includes Jesus followers, called, like Jesus, to enflesh the Spirit in divinely human ways. This will be the final forum of the 2011-2012 Program Year.