Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

From Rev. Eva

March 21, 2008
Rev. Eva Českava

The last month has been a little like being back in seminary for me. Our church sponsored a very successful Jesus Seminar on the Road, the popular program of the Westar Institute. We heard two scholars present their understanding of the Parables of Jesus, and learned so much about the times and culture that produced that special person and his teachings. Then the next week four of us from UUCPA went to the Westar Spring Meeting in Santa Rosa and heard talks and discussions from some real heavyweights in the field of religion and the Christian scriptures.

Christian scholars Marcus Borg and Ann Graham Brock began the first morning, helping me further understand the Gospels as testimony of what Jesus had become in the early Christian communities, not a factual history of his life. As a UU, I especially appreciated Borg’s point that when Jesus spoke of “the kingdom of God” he wasn’t referring to life after death or pie in the sky, but life in this world and what is possible now. Our task is not simply to understand the world, but to change the world … and the self, of course.

Karen Armstrong’s (A History of God, The Spiral Staircase, to name just two of her books) talk asked “What is Religion?” and compared the cultures arising from the East to the monotheistic religions/cultures of the West. Armstrong believes we in the West are too centered in the individual, the ego, and focused on beliefs instead of action. The spirit of religions is charity, and the task for the world now, she told us, is dialogue and truly listening.

Space doesn’t permit me to share everything. It was a delightful, challenging and mind-boggling week.

Last week I began the video program The Making of the New Testament Canon and continue to learn about this most important book/collection of books and the people and times that produced it. The people in the class are interesting, too, with good ideas to share. May I, may you, never stop learning!