29 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e6413f0cb89de1407c181a8d7fe62a96.pdf dcd274a4db7981ab446239ab54c1a86c PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Amparo Jiménez Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 6/22/2012 Biography and Description Amparo Jiménez lives in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico where she is very active within the Catholic Church. During her oral history, Ms. Jiménez had a statute of the Virgin Mary at her home with a lit candle next to it. A small group of people had brought the statue to her house and prayed the rosary with her. She would keep the statue and candle lit in her home for nine days, a novena. During that time, she would also pray to it. After that, the group would return and pray together once again. They would then keep the chain unbroken by processing together to another neighbor’s home, giving them the statue after praying the rosary. This is the charismatic way of keeping the Catholic Church alive through actions or events within the community. It is also what the Caballeros de San Juan and Damas de María did in Chicago to wake up and unite Puerto Ricans who were dispersed within Chicago, and as a result of their diasporic situation. Ms. Jiménez is daughter of “Tio Funfa Jiménez” whose children and their offspring left Puerto Rico and grew up primarily in Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan. She does not want to think of her cousins, the children of “Tio Gabriel Jiménez” as members of the Hacha Viejas and she states it because she grew up with them in this town of Aguas Buenas and that she knows them well. She stresses how her uncle Gabriel was a good, decent hardworking farmer and so were his children. � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7cd2894d5a446a28a133ca1f2d2a1876.mp4 3fadee4830da6ce3dae3c35f9c5efbb7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Amparo Jiménez vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales Idioma español--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Puertorriqueños--Vida social y costumbres Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Jimenez_Amparo Title A name given to the resource Amparo Jiménez video interview and biography Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, Amparo Description An account of the resource Amparo Jiménez lives in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico where she is very active within the Catholic Church. Ms. Jiménez is daughter of “Tio Funfa Jiménez” whose children and their offspring left Puerto Rico and grew up primarily in Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José , 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puerto Ricans--Personal narratives Spanish language--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Ricans--Social life and customs Language A language of the resource spa Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-06-22 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/49fe7eab846f0d52e7b39d336ffbeeaf.jpg 11a90fc4347c3ac81267221e71a7a278 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PR 4786.H53 A49 1896 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0327 Title A name given to the resource Amyas Egerton Cavalier Description An account of the resource Binding of Amyas Egerton Cavalier, by Maurice H. Hervey, published by Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1896. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/14ba7d4452f99242fd7d6a56143722e0.jpg 3beedd00fd0d588feb389b53cc6b9852 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS1513.I616 A7 1904 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0028 Title A name given to the resource An Abundant Harvest Description An account of the resource Binding of An Abundant Harvest, by Hope Darling, published by Eaton and Mains, 1904. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1904 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9b2ceae1278f1251b86aea98cafa86b8.pdf d8ca92c9fc2a81a6f8c39414ac14413d PDF Text Text An Accident of the Incarnation Article by Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Published in Perspectives A Journal of Reformed Thought February 1987, pp. 4-6 The maleness of the human person in whom God was incarnate was an accident of the incarnation. That is the thesis of this essay, which contends that in another epoch of human history, in another cultural context, the incarnation of the Word might have found expression in feminine form. Accident is used here in its technical meaning in philosophical discourse, in logic, as “something contingent, not necessary, non-essential, or that might not have been,” not in its more popular meaning of “anything that happens, an event, especially an unforeseen contingency, a disaster something to do with chance or fortune. Accident as used here means specifically “a non-essential accompaniment.” Thus the contention is not that the maleness of the incarnation of the Word in its concrete historical manifestation in Jesus of Nazareth was a matter contingent, a chance occurrence apart from the predetermined will of God; on the contrary, given the time in which God took time for us, maleness was the historical garb chosen to accomplish the purpose of revelation. However, the gender of the incarnation was determined by the historical context of its manifestation; it was not determined by its purpose, namely, the revelation of God in human form. The same contention can be made from the opposite side using another technical philosophical term: the essence of the incarnation was the revelation of God in human form. The essential matter which came to expression was the humanity of the Word. To accomplish the essence of God’s purpose, to be revealed in human form, it was necessary to select a gender, male or female. But the selection of gender was determined by the time of the incarnation, not the essential purpose of the incarnation. The essence of the incarnation was God in human form; the accident of the incarnation was God in a human form of male gender. © Grand Valley State University   �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Given the patriarchial society of the world into which Jesus came, the purpose of the incarnation was best accomplished by the utilization of a human person of male gender. But the essential element of Jesus in whose face we have been shown “the light of revelation - the revelation of the glory of God ...” was his humanity, not his male gender. In The Preparation of the World for Christ, a history of the world into which Jesus was born, David R. Breed describes the historical circumstances which prevailed at the time of Jesus’ birth and points to the providential preparation of the large tapestry of history which made the time of incarnation “the fullness of time” - a time in which the revelation of God in human form took root and flourished and gained the ascendency over the great power of imperial Rome. It was one world united under the pax Romana, pervaded by Hellenistic culture, drawn together by the Greek language; a world empty of soul, hungering for a true word. Breed makes an interesting case for the preparation of the moment chosen for the supreme revelation of God in our time and space. It was indeed a Kairos time, a most opportune moment for God manifest in the flesh. However, recognizing a providential purpose operative in the course of human history preparing the world for the incarnation of the Word must not be extended to include the patriarchial character of Jewish society at that moment as essential to God’s purpose to reveal himself in human form. If that were the case, then the argument being made here would fall; then, indeed, not simply revelation in our humanity, but revelation in humanity of male gender would be essential and the superiority of male gender as reflective of God would be established. It is that that I am denying by asserting that the maleness of the incarnation of the Word was an accident, not an essential mark of the incarnation. Otherwise, we would be saying something about God which would distort the biblical image. Were male gender the essence of the incarnation, maleness would necessarily be ascribed to God. But such ascription would run contrary to the biblical understanding of God in spite of the fact that God is referred to as Father. Such reference is found in the Old Testament as well as in Jesus’ usage. It is also found in other religions of the ancient world. But the use of Father in reference of God is not a statement about gender. In the later of the two Creation accounts (Genesis 1:1-2:4), we read, So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male, and female, he created them. (11:27) Without getting into the complexities of the biblical idea of the image of God, it is obvious that in whatever that image consists, it embraces both maleness and femaleness. Maleness and femaleness reflect something of © Grand Valley State University �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 3   God who must incorporate both within the Divine Being. Thus, God transcends our human sexual differentiation. It is interesting to note that even our human sexual differentiation is not an absolute differentiation; maleness and femaleness are the opposite poles of the human sexual spectrum. The individual finds a place not at one pole or the other, but somewhere on the continuum that connects the poles. In this, the human person would appear to be a reflection of the image of God who incorporates both male and female qualities and transcends sexual differentiation. Why, then, is God called Father in the Bible? As indicated above, the concreteness of the incarnation demanded a particular time, place, people, gender and person; the “scandal of particularity” comes to expression in our claim that the infinite and eternal God is revealed in the face of Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem during the reign of Caesar Augustus. An aspect of that concreteness was the patriarchal society and thus the use of Father. The “Father” image is so deeply ingrained that one wonders if it could ever be replaced by another image. It has been called in question, however. Hans Küng has raised the question about the appropriateness of the name Father. He asserts that such usage is problematic in the age of women’s emancipation. He asks, Should we without more ado apply to God a name implying sexual differentiation? Is God a man, masculine, virile? Are we not making God in the image of man, to be more exact of a male human being? (On Being a Christian, p. 310) He points out that the designation of God as Father is not determined solely by Yahweh’s uniqueness, but appears to be also sociologically conditioned, bearing the imprint of the male-oriented society. (Ibid.) But in the Old Testament, God is not “forthrightly male,” but has also feminine, maternal features. Today, however, we must be clear about this. He contends, The designation “Father” will be misunderstood unless it is regarded, not in contrast to “Mother,” but symbolically (analogously): “Father” as patriarchal symbol - also with matriarchal features - of a transhuman, transsexual ultimate reality. Today less than ever may the one God be seen merely within a masculine-paternal framework, as an all-too-masculine theology used to present him. The feminine-maternal element in him must © Grand Valley State University �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 4   also be recognized. To address God as Father can then no longer be used as the religious justification of a social paternalism at the expense of woman or in particular for the permanent suppression of the feminine element in the Church (or ministry). (Ibid.) The God revealed in the human form of Jesus is a God of redeeming love, not a God who is in fact the projection of instilled fears, of human domination, lust for power, arrogance and vindictiveness. This Father-God is not a theocratic God who might serve as an excuse - if only indirectly - for the representatives of totalitarian systems, whether piousecclesiastical, or impious-atheistic, who attempt to take his place and exercise his sovereign rights. These men become holy or unholy gods of orthodox teaching and absolute discipline, of law and order, of dictatorship and planning, regardless of the claims of other human beings. (p. 312) Is there an image for God that might better reflect the divine-human relationship, avoiding the possible misunderstanding and exploitation of the father image? Alternating the pronouns referring to God, she and he, is being done by some; also the use of “father-mother” finds occasional expression. Our biblical understanding of God certainly justifies such usage even though it may not find easy acceptance. “Parent” is a possibility, although not carrying the emotional weight of father or mother. Anne E. Carr of the Divinity School in Chicago suggests that some would move away from the parental images ... which can inculcate a relation of childish rather than adult religious dependence. That is to say, while parental images express compassion, acceptance, guidance, and discipline, they do not express the mutuality, maturity, cooperation, responsibility, and reciprocity demanded by personal and political experience today. Carr refers to Sallie McFague who shows how the father image has expanded into patriarchalism as a “metaphysical worldview,” a “mindset” that becomes a “whole way of ordering reality.” McFague argues that this dominant father image must be countered with many images; no one image will suffice. She points out that we image God according to that which is most important to us humanly and suggests “friend” as perhaps the most appropriate image. Carr affirms this image, claiming that © Grand Valley State University �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 5   The metaphor of God as friend corresponds to the feminist ideal of “communal personhood,” a relationship among persons, groups, and lifestyles that is non-competitive, mutually enhancing, and desperately needed in our world. Jurgen Moltmann supports the appropriateness of the friend image. He writes, The friend of God does not live any longer “under God” but with and in God. One finds this demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus who reveals a God who suffers for us and invites us into a fellowship of suffering for others. I have argued that the maleness of the Word of God was the accident of the incarnation, its essence being the revelation of God in human form. This is confirmed by Karl Barth who prefaces paragraph 15 of Church Dogmatics I, 2, “The Mystery of Revelation” this way: The mystery of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ consists in the fact that the eternal Word of God chose, sanctified and assumed human nature and existence into oneness with Himself ... (p. 122) In section 3, the splendid discussion of the virgin birth entitled “The Miracle of Christmas,” Barth speaks of the human involvement in the birth of the Word being ... only in the form of non-willing, non-achieving, non-creative, non-sovereign man, only in the form of man who can merely receive, merely be ready, merely let something be done to and with himself. (p. 191) He is in no way denying that the woman has her share in the determination of man. Only a foolish ideology of manhood or an equally foolish ideology of womanhood can deny her her share in this determination of man. (p. 193) But Barth argues there can be no talk of an equality of the two sexes in this respect. God alone knows whether the history of humanity, nations and states, art, science, economics, has in fact been and is so predominantly the history of males, the story of all the deeds and works of males, as it appears to be, or whether, for all that, the © Grand Valley State University �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 6   hidden factor of female co-operation and participation has not, in fact, always turned the scale in a way of which chronicles, acts and monuments give us no information, because it involves an element which is deeply concealed both psychologically and sociologically, although it was not and did not need to be less potent for that reason. Be that as it may, if there had been a matriarchate instead of a patriarchate ... nevertheless it is - well, “significant,” that the historical consciousness of all nations, states and civilizations begins with the patriarchate. Male action is significant for the world history and characteristic of the world history with which we are acquainted, as it has been and actually is for us, even if it is not so in itself. (p. 193) Therefore, Barth contends it is precisely the male participation that had to be set aside. What takes place in the mystery of Christmas is not world history and it is not the work of human genius. His eternal generation of this eternal Son excludes a human generation, because a human father and human generation, the whole action of man the male, can have no meaning here. Therefore it is the very absence of masculine action that is significant here. (p. 194) Of interest in this discussion is not Barth’s argument for the virgin birth as a sign of the one who was fully in our history but did not arise from our history; rather, it is his contention that the virgin birth signified the setting aside of precisely the male domination of which history is full. The sign is a judgment on the willing, achieving, creative, sovereign action of the male. If one grants Barth’s contention that the sign of the virgin is a judgment on male domination, then it would confirm the argument pursued above that maleness was not essential to but accidental to the incarnation of the Word. To read back into the God of revelation sexual differentiation, specifically maleness, is to distort the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. And on the basis of such a distortion, to justify male domination of the Church and its ministry is totally without warrant. Carr cites the ethicist Daniel Maguire, who argues, Sexism is the elementary human sin. If the essential human molecule is dyadic, male/female, the perversion of one part of the dyad perverts the other. And, to distort femininity and masculinity, the constitutive ingredients of humanity, is to distort humanity itself. Maguire welcomes feminine participation in theological discussion which will bring a new wholeness to the public conversation in the Church. The © Grand Valley State University �An Accident of the Incarnation Richard A. Rhem Page 7   incorporation of affect, mysticism and concrete experience into theological and ethical discussion and the denial of the almighty, macho-masculine God whose exclusionary symbolism is utterly arbitrary will move us toward wholeness without distortion. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RA-4-19870202 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-02-02 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource An Accident of the Incarnation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on February 2, 1987 entitled "An Accident of the Incarnation", it appeared in Perspectives, February 1987, pp. 4-6. Tags: Incarnation, Creation. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Creation Incarnation https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/98826b791b8335a577b40a24441d8d1f.pdf 4f89485f5759cb8a57dc7c293481ccdd PDF Text Text An Alternative To Church As Usual Article by Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Published in Perspectives A Journal of Reformed Thought September 1991, pp. 12-15 Our discussion went on for nearly two hours. The pain in ministry was expressed in example after example. Pastors—competent, committed, working hard, even loved and respected by the community—were nonetheless seeing little or no church growth; the traditional congregation in instance after instance was dying. I was one of only two pastors in the circle; the others served the church in the academy. Finally, the group leader turned to me and said, “In all of this discussion about the pain of ministry and grim prospects for the church, you’ve not said anything.” It was true; I had said nothing. I am not unaware of heartbreak, disillusionment, and despair in the ranks of clergy colleagues, frustration among laity, unrest in congregations, but the experience is foreign to me. I have had quite the opposite experience: delight in ministry; the joy of growth; a flourishing community rich in gifts, supportive, positive in spirit—making ministry for me a challenging, fulfilling vocation. Two decades of pastoral experience in the congregation I presently serve have seen the numbers multiply nearly five times over. The giving has grown proportionately, the site and facility expanded, and a large team is now engaged in creative ministry. Now, as I enter my fourth decade of pastoral ministry, I do so with greater zest, confidence, and joy than when ordaining hands set me aside for this task. I had listened and felt the hurt. I knew I had no answer, no formula for success, no quick fix to make the pain go away and turn it all around. Further, I, too, wonder about the future of the institutional forms of the church which, not only at the local level, but even more critically at the level of denominational structures, are experiencing sickness unto death. I felt disinclined to give some triumphalistic testimony of success in ministry. Someone suggested I write a piece explaining what people are fleeing when they come to Christ Community Church. I resist that idea lest it appear that large numbers have joined from other congregations, which really is not the case. Yet, © Grand Valley State University   �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 2   there are many among us who have fled the institutional church at some point; they have simply dropped out, despairing of finding an authentic spirituality and sensing that the church was a source of manipulation and coercion, imposing shame and reinforcing guilt, rather than offering release from it. They found the church to be ever so much like a dysfunctional family. Others have fled the reactionary posture of the church on contemporary issues, the slowness of the church to address matters of human sexuality, feminist concerns, and concerns for justice and peace. Weary of fighting, waging battles about questions on which contemporary society has reached a responsible consensus, some have left the church with bitterness and cynicism. Yet, eventually the hunger for spiritual reality sets them on a quest and many have found a home and kindred seekers in this community. We have welcomed many others who sense they had been cut off, rejected. The human situation is messy. At some point most folks color outside the lines; traditional expectations are shattered. And, too often, precisely at that point, the church is awkward, daring not to reach out and embrace lest it appear to sanction the life beyond the pale. If not in word, perhaps in body language, a person stained with grit picked up along the way senses he or she threatens accepted morality and the proper mode of behavior. I like to speak of Christ Community as “an alternative to church as usual.” Over and over again, witness is borne to the tangible experience of “something different.” To flesh out the ingredients that create the alternative is not an easy task, and I hesitate even to try, lest, defining too specifically, that elusive spirit be lost, becoming one more “formula for success.” What follows renders no formula, and what is proffered comes with the acknowledgment that Christ Community is fragile, flawed, and riddled with weaknesses. It is simply the story of a pastor and a congregation over two decades. The story actually begins in 1960 when I became the pastor of this congregation for the first time after seminary graduation. During those first four years of preaching and pastoral work, the theology with which I entered the ministry was tempered by concrete experience. Mary was a bright, lovely high school girl. She was one of those exceptions to the rule; her parents had nothing to do with the church, but she did—on her own. She was in worship, church school, and youth groups. She had a significant spiritual experience, was baptized, made a good confession. She was radiant and I was her spiritual guardian. For summer work, she left the community to join a friend whose mother was a strong Mormon. When she returned, she was in spiritual turmoil. I cited the Scriptures; she the Book of Mormon; two authorities and an impasse. I lost her and I was shattered. © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 3   In that experience, I came to see that my every claim was banked on the person’s accepting the authority of the Bible as the exclusive source of saving truth. Otherwise, I was stumped. The foundation of my theological system was beginning to crumble. Moving to a conservative congregation in the East, I began to research the nature of biblical authority. At that time, the Reformed Church cooperated in the publication of a new curriculum for church school, and it was introduced by study papers that dealt with the questions of Scripture’s normative function in the church and scriptural interpretation. I became convinced that my own understanding of biblical authority was untenable; if I were to continue to preach, I needed a new basis upon which to do it. Evangelical passion was possible for me only if it could be coupled with intellectual integrity. I needed to find “my gospel” or I knew I would never be able to preach with power and authority, with a note of authenticity. That was the existential quest that led me to pursue graduate study in the Netherlands. Hendrikus Berkhof, then professor of dogmatics at the University of Leiden, agreed to become my mentor in a doctoral program in which my major area was the history of dogma. Hearing my questions and sensing the nature of my quest, his first assignment for me was to read Barth’s Church Dogmatics, Vol. I.1-2, The Doctrine of the Word of God. I was amazed; Barth took the Scriptures seriously, as seriously as I had ever experienced. I thought to myself, one day conservative Christian thinkers will run to Barth for refuge, if ever they discover the dynamic of this great mind and heart. I read with a voracious appetite. Pages 522 and 523 of that volume lie open before me now, dog-eared, as much underlined as not, margins full of my jottings as I struggled to understand Barth. Barth writes, The Reformers’ doctrine of inspiration is an honoring of God, and of the free grace of God. The statement that the Bible is the Word of God is on this view no limitation, but an unfolding of the perception of the sovereignty in which the Word of God condescended to become flesh for us in Jesus Christ, and a human word in the witness of the prophets and apostles as witnesses to His incarnation. (p. 522) As the passion and vitality of the sixteenth-century Reformers’ experience was replaced by the second-hand experience of their spiritual heirs, there was an effort to establish certitude of faith through a high doctrine of inspiration. Barth contends that the statement “the Bible is the Word of God” was transformed from a statement about the free grace of God into a statement about the nature of the Bible “as exposed to human inquiry brought under human control.” Barth goes on to point out that the eventual historical investigation of the Bible in the Enlightenment period was simply a logical consequence of viewing the Bible as under human control rather than as available as the instrument of God’s © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 4   revelation by God’s free grace. He gives a thorough review of the history of the elevation of the doctrine of inspiration. I found myself in Barth’s description: But ever more clearly and definitely a certainty was sought and found quite different from the spiritual certainty which could satisfactorily have been reached on these lines, and which on these lines would have been recognized as the only certainty but also as real certainty. What was wanted was a tangible certainty and not a divine, a certainty of work and not solely of faith. In token of this change there arose the doctrine of inspiration of the high orthodoxy of the 17th century. (Ibid., p. 524) And the consequences? Should there be found even the minutest error in the Bible, then it is no longer wholly the Word of God, and the inviolability of its authority is destroyed. (Ibid.) Barth rejected the attempts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to make the Scriptures the object of historical investigation as one might investigate any literary piece, and he rejected, as well, the attack on the seventeenth-century’s supernaturalism. He insisted, We must attack it rather because its supernaturalism is not radical enough. The intention behind it [seventeenth-century supernaturalism] was ultimately only a single and in its own way very “naturalistic” postulate that the bible must offer us a divina et infallibilis historia; that it must not contain human error in any of its verses; that in all its parts and the totality of its words and letters as they are before us it must express divine truth in a form in which it can be established and understood; that under the human words it must speak to us the Word of God in such a way that we can at once hear and read it as such with the same obviousness and directness with which we can hear and read other human words.... The Bible was now grounded upon itself apart from the mystery of Christ and the Holy Ghost. It became a “paper Pope,” and unlike the living Pope in Rome it was wholly given up into the hands of its interpreters. It was no longer a free and spiritual force, but an instrument of human power. And in this form the Bible became so like the holy book of other religions, for which something similar had always been claimed, that the superiority of its claim could not be asserted in relation to them or to the many achievements of the human spirit generally.... The intention of establishing the authority of the Bible along these lines was to avoid historical relativism, but it opened up the way to it, and theology and Church did not hesitate for a moment to tread that way. In content the 17th century doctrine of inspiration asserted things which cannot be maintained in face of a serious reading and exposition of what the Bible itself says about itself, and in face of an honest appreciation of the facts of © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 5   its origin and tradition. Therefore the postulate on which 17th century man staked everything proved incapable of fulfillment (Ibid., pp. 525-26) I was reading my own spiritual biography; the existential pastoral experience that had exposed the vulnerability of my own theological position and triggered the serious search for a new basis for preaching and pastoral care led me to the discovery that I had fallen into the very pitfall against which Barth warned. I struggled. Berkhof watched me dangle. I wanted him to give me answers, to solve the mystery of biblical authority. He only smiled and let me keep working. He did tell me he, too, had walked the path I was on, but I would have to find my own way. He was not forthcoming with answers but was most helpful in aiding me to clarify the questions. I remember suggesting I should write my dissertation on this matter. I was convinced there would be little theological progress on any front if in the RCA we were not freed from a doctrine of inspiration that, for all the protestations, looked suspiciously like the seventeenth-century version Barth attributed to the orthodox who lost the vitality of faith by lusting for certainty they could control. He responded simply, “Do you realize what they will do to you?” My dissertation subject did not develop in the area of biblical authority, but I did come to an understanding that enabled me to remain under the authority of Scripture as Word of God while recognizing as well the human nature of that witness and the continuing work of God’s Spirit making the witness the Word of God here and now. Just as I was forging a new foundation for preaching and pastoral care, I experienced a personal crisis, a painful divorce and breakup of my family. It seemed my future ministry was in jeopardy just when I felt more strongly than ever the desire to engage in the ministry of the Word. Then the congregation I first served, which is the Spring Lake, Michigan, congregation I still serve, invited me to return, an act of grace and, for me, the greatest confirmation of my call to ministry I have ever experienced. Grace became a tangible human experience. Grace was incarnate in this people. They touched me and I knew the touch of God. They took me in, supported me in the care of my three small children, believed in me, and through them, I was healed. That took courage, for in 1971 that was a radical thing to do. That is where it all started, I believe, for my experience became a paradigm for the ministry of grace in this congregation. Two decades of exhilarating pastoral ministry have issued from a mediation of grace from people to pastor. The conjunction of intensive theological reflection and concrete human experience created the occasion for a congregation to become an alternative to church as usual. That combination continues to be fruitful as we strive to live into our name, Christ Community, a name we chose in © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 6   1971 to express a new vision and to create a new image. Newness did not come without cost, without a willingness to let go of congregational patterns which had grown and developed over 101 years of life in the Spring Lake community. The name change signaled a willingness to die to what had been, trusting the God of resurrection to create something new. A theological vision, hammered out of the dialogue with Scripture and concrete human experience, is at the center of our life. For me, human experience has driven me to theological reflection, and theological investigation has freed me to proclaim good news with evangelical passion and intellectual integrity. The vision that shapes us could not have evolved had I not come to a new understanding of Scripture, as indicated above. I believe Scripture is normative, God’s Spirit moving the human author to witness to the “happening” of God’s revelation. Scripture arises out of the history of Israel and Jesus, the locus God in freedom chose to unveil God’s eternal purpose for Creation, the “place” in which God’s grace has come to clear demonstration. But, the story goes on. Just as the biblical witness is the interpretation and reinterpretation in light of ongoing historical experience of living under the reign of God, so the church keeps alive the story of Israel and Jesus Christ, but must constantly re-frame the given story, casting it in new perspective, as it moves through history’s unfolding landscape. Any expression of Christian faith must be shaped through dialogue with that witness. The Bible is the inspired preaching of the community of faith, but preaching in the power of the Spirit is today, as well, Word of God. God’s revelation in Israel and Jesus is listened to in the context of concrete human experience. Revelation “happens” as Barth insisted, and it still happens. Traditionally, the Scriptures have been used in an authoritarian manner, laying the “then” over “now” in a prescriptive way. One preaches “correct beliefs” and is locked into specific practices of life and worship. We are seeking rather to experience God in concrete human experience illumined by Scripture so that our faith and our life connect. In preaching and teaching I have cultivated openness, affirmed diversity, and encouraged respect for a broad spectrum of opinion. A closed belief system disallows the possibility of a full human experience, which is always developing, to remain connected to one’s authentic spiritual perceptions—which cannot help but receive the impact of present experience. If an external rule holds absolute authority, then I cannot honestly evaluate my own concrete human experience. I have the answer before I can formulate the question. Where such biblicism is the rule, the gulf between “correct belief” and actual experience widens. Subscription to a doctrinal system that is absolutized forces compartmentalization of religious belief from everyday experience of the world and life. © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 7   If there is a center to the theological understanding that shapes our total existence as a people, it is the theology of grace. Out of the barrenness of Sarah’s womb (Gen. 11:30) God began a movement with particular focus in order to realize the universal purpose expressed in creation. A theology of creation embraces the covenant of grace initiated with Abraham, through whom God would bring grace to all nations. God’s electing love found expression in the covenant community, not to the exclusion of the many, but on behalf of the many. If I would point to one theological insight that has transformed my preaching and released me to embrace all who come and, consequently, has formed the mind and heart of this community, it is the universal extent of God’s grace. I will not argue universalism; I think when we come to “isms” we generally know too much; we become ideological. But that God’s grace is of far greater extent than it has been traditionally understood is a deep conviction and it has changed my ministry. The limits of grace can be debated. Christians differ. But that to which I witness regarding my own experience of ministry and the tone quality of the congregation cannot be denied. It is rooted in a theology of grace that takes historical shape in Israel and the church and embraces creation. A profound sense of God’s grace brings one a very great freedom, freedom from fear and defensiveness, freedom from the anxiety of what the future holds for human development, scientific discovery, or philosophical formulation. Grace brings freedom and creates openness. There are no questions we dare not ask, no perspectives we fear to bring to expression. The people have joined me in a pilgrimage of faith. There is no “Christ Community line.” They trust me and give me freedom to probe and test, and I give them freedom to agree or disagree. I have continued to do serious theological study and I offer classes in theology. For example, we have studied Berkhof’s Christian Faith, Küng’s On Being a Christian, Does God Exist?, and A Theology for the Third Millenium, along with David Tracy, Charles Davis, Edward Schillebeeckx, and many others. I always let the congregation know where I am investigating, what questions are pressing to me, and in which direction I am moving. We do theology together—indirectly. Out of concrete human experience, the stuff of our present experience of life in family, community, and world, we think theologically. The biblical story illumines experience, and experience elicits new light from the Scriptures. Our theology is not a static given; it is in process, an ongoing adventure of seeing our life in God’s light, a joyful and serious endeavor of discovering what it means to live before the face of God. By seeking to define and clarify the questions that move our human existence, rather than claiming to have answers, we give space for a broad spectrum of © Grand Valley State University �An Alternative to Church As Usual Richard A. Rhem Page 8   persons to join the journey. The openness of the community creates freedom to be open to any contemporary quest for meaning, for transcendence. Those who are empty and rootless are not impressed if handed a ready-made answer before their question is sensitively heard. The recent widespread interest in the work in mythology by Joseph Campbell, popularized by the interview with Bill Moyers and published under the title The Power of Myth, is just one example of the spiritual quest of multitudes who have given up on the institutional church as a place where their quest might be satisfied. What responsibility do we bear for their despair of finding in the church some clue to spiritual reality, to the experience of God? Secure in the grace of God, our faith is not fragile. When I encounter the defensiveness and fear so common in our churches today, I am amazed at the lack of confidence in the truth of biblical faith as though it need be protected from the challenge of new insights and angles of vision. God’s grace—before it, I am in awe, humbled, full of gratitude. I rest in it and feel a freedom to let God be God, to entrust my flawed self and fallible understanding to God s mercy. I don’t know why some experience anguish in ministry and I have known such joy. I know all is Grace; therefore boasting is excluded, but so is despair. There is enough pain in the church to go around, and simplistic solutions and pious clichés only deepen the woundedness. Our story is simply a story of trust, resting in the good and gracious God, letting go of yesterday’s formulations if they no longer connect with today’s experience; letting go of church structures that have outlived the purpose for which they were created. Maybe the truth is that the institutional church has to die. Maybe our pain stems from our desperate attempts to rescue structures which are warring against the larger purposes of the Sovereign One. Maybe our techniques and promotional schemes, our growth strategies and evangelism campaigns are human control measures borrowed from the marketing strategy of a consumer society. We may have to let the church die, but God is not dead. Reference: Karl Barth. Church Dogmatics, Vol. I.1-2, The Doctrine of the Word of God. First published 1957; T & T Clark Ltd., 1961. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. References Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol I, 1961. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RA-4-19910902 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-09-02 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource An Alternative to Church as Usual Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 2, 1991 entitled "An Alternative to Church as Usual", it appeared in Perspectives, September 1991, pp. 18-21. Tags: Authority of Scripture, Faith Community, Church, Universal Grace, Inclusive, Spiritual Journey. Scripture references: Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol I, 1961.. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Authority of Scripture Church Faith Community Inclusive Spiritual Journey Universal Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a12f7fa250bf25f71d2b4c71f1f28e06.jpg b61db501341ada6a721deb5b00448f88 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS2389.M245 A4 1909 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0001 Title A name given to the resource An American Sovereign Description An account of the resource Binding of An American Sovereign, by James Milford Merrill, published by C.M. Clark, 1909. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c6ec17856214fb526f69c794dc3bf5c4.pdf 475c255234237542a6c033556bf696fc PDF Text Text An Ancient Dreamer From the Advent series: Songs of Liberation Text: Isaiah 11:9; John 1:14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Advent I, December 7, 1997 Transcription of the spoken sermon It is Advent again and so we march out those same familiar passages of scripture. They are wonderful passages; we celebrate the Christian Year thus annually. We come around the cycle and the themes surface once again, and there is a familiarity about those prophetic scriptures and gospel lessons. In this Advent season, we’re going to be looking at the Songs of Liberation. Subsequently, we will be taking another look at Mary’s marvelous "Magnificat," Zachariah’s song of delight at the birth of John the Baptist, but today, "The Ancient Dreamer," the prophet Isaiah, who is representative of that prophetic vision that dreamed of a world other than it is, of a different human condition, of a transformed human society, of the kingdom of God, of Shalom on earth, of a totally transformed human situation. We hear the prophetic words, "From the stump of Jesse," seemingly just a dead stump, comes a sprout, and that sprout blossoms forth and becomes the king anointed with Spirit or a Christ, a Messiah, one who judges, not according to appearance or what people are saying, but according to truth, who advocates for justice, who has a concern for the poor. And not only is the whole social situation transformed, but nature itself is transformed. The wolf and the lamb lie down together and all of the nature red in tooth and claw is domesticated and docile in a beautiful, harmonious totality - the Shalom of God. The Ancient Dreamer paints the picture and, representative as he was of that poor and oppressed people, it was the longing and the yearning for things to be different than they were. We’re going to look at the Songs of Liberation once again this Advent season, but this morning I’m going to dump in your laps a problem. I want you to think about it with me in this Advent season. I’ll indicate, perhaps, the direction in which I’m thinking, but what I really hope to accomplish this morning is the rather modest task of confronting you, making you aware, bringing to your consciousness a very serious problem, and it is this - the Songs of Liberation that fill the prophetic scriptures of the Hebrew tradition and the ballads of liberation that fill the Gospel, telling the story of the arrival of Jesus, those songs of liberation are the songs of an underdog people. That must be obvious. People in dire straits, people under oppression, people under systems of domination, people in poverty, disease, hopelessness are still human. There’s © Grand Valley State University   �An Ancient Dreamer Richard A. Rhem Page 2   something in the human heart that cries out against that. There’s that cry of the Old Testament, "How long, O Lord, how long?" And so, it’s quite to be expected, and we would find emanating from Israel, a minor people, marginalized, just a pawn in the game of international power brokerage – it is rather obvious that that people in the situation of poverty and destitution into which Jesus was born, it was quite understandable that such a people should be marked by songs of liberation. They were underdogs. Now, here’s the problem for Advent. How do the Songs of Liberation emanating from underdogs get appropriated by top dogs? We love this season. It’s beautiful. We come into the sanctuary and there’s something that touches us deeply - the music, the ritual, and so much about the celebration of the Advent-Christmas season is very dear to us. We read the scriptures. They are the prescribed ones, but fortunately, we don’t really hear them, lest they ruin our celebration. Now, isn’t it true that we sort of take Advent in our stride? We hear these songs of liberation, but we don’t really want them to be realized, do we? Because if the songs of liberation, the ancient dreamer’s dream, Mary’s Magnificat, Zachariah’s paeon of praise - if they were to be realized, our world would be turned upside down. There would be such a radical transformation of the human scene, that everything about our lives would be changed. It’s one thing to sing that way when you’re an underdog, but it would be foolhardy to sing that way when you’re the top dog. Do you hear me? That’s easy enough, isn’t it? How does a top dog connect his or her life to the yearning of the underdog? Well, we’ve got a solution. We’ve pushed the dream out into the future, into the world beyond, and we, in the meantime, read these stories, these ballads, sing these songs, offer our prayers, and trust that nothing radical will happen until the end when God will fix it all. Because I think we’re not really against God fixing it right, just not right away. Eventually, eventually, let’s get everything straightened out, the Golden Age of the future. That way, we can read the passages, say our prayers, but carry on life pretty much business as usual. But you see what’s happening? The biblical story isn’t connecting with the reality of our lives. The biblical story has become a piece of our compartment labeled "Religion." But it is not in touch with the everyday reality of our life and profession and business, public life, society in general. And so we have a "Religious" compartment and it is not in connection with where we really live. So, maybe we have to look at those songs once again and revisit the scripture and see how it is that top dogs should respond to the longing of underdogs. Last September we had a Jewish-Christian Dialogue when Rabbi Hartman came back to town, and the theme of his discussion with Father Richard John Neuhaus was carefully selected - "The Word of God and Interpretive Communities." That means that the Word of God always comes filtered through an interpretive community. That means that there is no bare naked Word of God out there in the © Grand Valley State University �An Ancient Dreamer Richard A. Rhem Page 3   world. The only Word of God out in the world is the Word of God filtered through the human receiver. And then, underneath that title, "Possibilities for SelfCorrection." That biblical tradition, that Word of God as it has come down to us through interpretive communities - what are the possibilities for self-correction? Well, David Hartman gave the experience of the Jewish people which I think is very helpful. He said in the scriptures we have a couple of paradigms or models of the relationship of God to the people. The Exodus, the founding experience of Israel, was an experience where Israel was in bondage; they cried to God; God moved for deliverance, and they passively received the redemption of God: God’s unilateral movement to redeem a people. That was the Exodus model, which was the shaper of the founding of the people Israel. But, a little later, Moses led that people to the foot of Mount Sinai and they got the law of God and the covenant of God, and now we hear a little different tone. Now it’s not just God acting unilaterally, but now God invites them into responsible covenant relationship: "I have borne you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will hear my voice and obey my command...." And that Sinai covenant is summarized in the Book of Deuteronomy where we have Moses’ farewell sermons as he summarizes the experience, and what does he say in a climactic passage in the Book of Deuteronomy? "Look, I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you may live." Israel is confronted with a responsibility to respond to God, so there came that whole tradition in Israel of the responsibility of the leadership of the people, the rabbis, to implement the moral law of God, the active implementation of the moral law. When that was not implemented, when that moral law was not followed, the prophets rose up and condemned Israel and said, "You will be judged for this." But, David Hartman said there was another stage. It happened in the centuries right around Jesus, Second Temple Judaism, the Talmudic period. Then the Jews made another move. Not only did they take responsibility for the implementation of the law as it was written, but they became the interpreters of the law. Why did they have to interpret the law? Well, the situation had changed. History moved on. There were new situations, new conditions. They had to obey God, follow God, worship God in a whole new context, and so they developed the method of interpretation that not only said what the law said, but now they interpreted what the law meant. That was a significant move in the life of the Jewish people, whereas, David Hartman said, the rabbis, the biblical scholars became, as it were, the creators of the Word of God, never starting out with something brand new but, always working with that tradition, saying, "Now © Grand Valley State University �An Ancient Dreamer Richard A. Rhem Page 4   in this new situation, this is what the Word means, thereby becoming an interpretive community. But, the Jewish people still considered themselves to be in exile and the predominant, at least orthodox, opinion among the Jewish people was that they were scattered in exile waiting for the Messiah to come. We say that Jesus was the Messiah. But they say that Jesus was not the Messiah. Jesus could not be the Messiah, because, when Messiah comes, the world will be made right. And the world is still filled with war and violence and all the rest of it. Obviously, then, the Messiah has not come. Well, we said the Messiah came, but he came in a little different way than we expected and he’s going to come again and fix it up. Now, we have the Jewish people and the Christian church both looking for the Messiah to come - we looking for a return, they looking for the first time, because the predominant Jewish mood was, if history is going to be changed, God is going to have to change it through God’s anointed one, the sprout out of the stump of Jesse. In the 19th century there were some secular Jews, not observant anymore, who said, "You know, we’ve really had enough of prayer and fasting. We’ve really had enough of waiting on God. Let’s do something," and the Zionist movement was born. The Zionist movement was an innovative movement within Judaism in which the secular Jews for the first time took responsibility for history. They began to say it is not enough to pray and to say, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Let us roll up our sleeves and let us make it happen. The Zionist movement of the 19th century issued in the establishment of the Jewish homeland in the 20th century and there is Israel today, a reality. Now, my question to you this Advent season is whether or not that secular Zionist movement within Judaism did not perhaps get it right, and that maybe the Christian church ought to take a lesson and begin to implement the kingdom of God here and now? Maybe we ought to be done with that "golden age" out in the future which God will make happen. Maybe we ought to begin to say, "Where in the world is the Spirit of God moving now, and how can we get in the flow of that Spirit to realize more and more the kingdom of God, here and now, right here and now, in this world, in this place?" Maybe in Advent we ought to catch ourselves up short and not say, "How long, O Lord, how long?" And, "O Lord, when will be the day of his appearing?" But maybe we ought to hear, for example, Micah in the text of a couple weeks ago, "The Lord has showed you what is required of you and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Maybe we ought to take seriously what we profess when we say the Word became flesh. Maybe we ought to get serious about the fact that God has embodied in human flesh the eternal intention of God - "In the beginning was the word and © Grand Valley State University �An Ancient Dreamer Richard A. Rhem Page 5   the word was with God and the word became flesh and dwelt among us," and in the flesh of Jesus we have the embodiment of the intention of God. Maybe God is saying, when we say, "How long, O Lord," maybe God is saying, "That’s my line! Why are you crying to me? Haven’t I made it clear? Is it a problem that you don’t understand? Is it a problem that the way is not there? What do you want further from me? Why aren’t you doing something about it?" My problem with celebrating Advent unreflectively, according to custom, delightful though it is, is that we endanger ourselves in becoming very hypocritical, because, you see, it seems to me that Advent prayers in the sanctuary or the chapel ought to be not, "O God, bring in the day of your kingdom," but rather, "O God, give me wisdom, discernment and courage to affect your kingdom here and now." Perhaps our prayer and our worship ought to be a time of waiting on the Lord to give us that inward strength and courage and boldness to begin to act according to the way that clearly God has called us to act. And what would happen if songs of liberation began to be sung, not only by the underdogs, but by the top dogs? And is it possible that in our Western tradition we have already all kinds of things going for us that ought not to be seen as some secular developments, but perhaps as the beginning germination of the kingdom of God within the course of history? We could name a lot of things. How about the feminist movement, where a woman says, "Could you treat me as a human being, fully human? Could I be treated equally?" What about our growing understanding, as we have here, that sexual orientation is not a choice, but is a part of the vast diversity of God’s creation? What would happen if you took into your arms one who had felt the sting of rejection and felt her salty tears as she knew for the first time she was included? Wouldn’t it be the beginning of the kingdom of God? What about the dignity of the human person that we’ve come to appreciate in the West? What about the democratic process, what about the opportunity to worship God according to our conscience? Those values are not just human values arrived at through secular speculation, but I believe they are the consequence of the impetus of the Spirit of God in the course of history. What if we got serious about taking those things seriously and making them applicable in ever-widening circles? What if we got concerned as top dogs to begin to implement the yearning of the underdogs of the world? Wouldn’t that be something? We don’t have to throw our world away. We don’t have to throw our freedoms away. We don’t have to throw the economic miracle away; we don’t have to throw our medical miracles away; we don’t have to undo what we have done. What we have to do is to see that all that has been done has been done by grace and ought to be implemented more and more for more and more, and then, I believe the kingdom would be coming and then we would be less concerned about some golden age and less imperiling our soul with hypocrisy by praying, "Lord, when is © Grand Valley State University �An Ancient Dreamer Richard A. Rhem Page 6   the day of Your appearing?" and we would start making something happen here and now, and maybe for the first time be honest at Advent. There have been secular writers who have described political reality in marvelous terms that are somewhat comparable to the ancient dreamer, and people write them off. They call them Utopian. And when anyone comes up with a different idea of another world and the way it could be, they could easily be written off as Utopian. "Aaah, it’s Utopia! Why don’t you get in the real world? Get real!" You know what Utopia means from the Greek? Literally, no place. Utopia is no place, and the Messianic Age is no age. The Messianic Age and the ideal of Utopia is that critique of every moment of history and by God’s grace and by God’s Spirit, we are the people who have the resources and the power and the vision to make it happen. When will we begin to take responsibility for our world? There have been some interesting things written about the sextuplets as God’s miracle. That’s not God’s miracle, that’s a medical miracle and it has questionable qualities about it; it’s a question of medical ethics, it’s something that human beings ought to think about, wrestle with. God isn’t going to answer that problem. We need to stay out of the chapel and off our knees asking God to do what God asks us to do when He says, "Why don’t you do what you ought to be doing, have enough knowledge to be doing, enough wisdom to be doing, if you would do it humbly, walking with your God, conscious that life is gift and you are charged with responsibility, but have access to the Spirit so that you could change your world?" That is what I’d like you to think about this week. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4b4824d8aef5ba3fc0d0d31e19d90b0f.mp3 0337713fce117840ceb0a68d511a22ce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent II Series Songs of Liberation Scripture Text Isaiah 1:9, John 1:1-14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19971207 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-12-07 Title A name given to the resource An Ancient Dreamer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 7, 1997 entitled "An Ancient Dreamer", as part of the series "Songs of Liberation", on the occasion of Advent II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 1:9, John 1:1-14. Prophetic Voice Shalom Transformation Way of Jesus https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ece6e74c78d5e7d92077770f2f7b8594.jpg 9c37773810332a99a3204c5572db8ed0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS3531.E557 A98 1915 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0030 Title A name given to the resource An Auto-Biography: A Tale of Truth and Ruth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Decorative Designers (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of An Auto-Biography: A Tale of Truth and Ruth, by Edward Peple, published by Moffat, Yard & Company, 1915. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/27177fb47ead74bafb941554695dc9e2.mp3 0bf65b7a3ca6559914d784746027bbde https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b57c3e97ed9de0b3b642f515aa23d50e.pdf d5c8b454ea2abafd48497ab3a443263d PDF Text Text An Emerging Vision: What Matters? From the series: The Heart of the Matter Text: Psalm 78:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11; James 4:14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Pentecost XVIII, October 8, 2000 Transcription of the spoken sermon Psalm 78, from which I just read, continues as a recitation of the history of Israel because the Psalmist did as he instructed people to do, that is, to tell the stories, to tell the stories in order that the children might know them, even the generation yet unborn, and come into the same experience of the grace of God. I'm going to tell you a story this morning. It is a story that some of you have lived and others of you know, and for some of you, it may be new. But it is not so bad when you are trying to figure out the future to look at the way you have come. The story centers around that wonderful text in Jeremiah 29, the 11th verse. Israel is in exile. There are those voices that are saying, "Don't settle down. Get ready to get out of here. You can never be blessed here." And then the voice of Jeremiah is heard in a letter, and Jeremiah says, "Settle down. Seek the welfare of this place." And then this wonderful promise, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." It is a wonderful image - to give you a future and a hope. There are times when we all need images to sustain us, to inspire us, and to keep us going, and the 11th verse of Jeremiah 29 was that for me in a very personal way at a time that was very dark in my own life and I had to cling to that promise, a future and a hope. How would you have written to your parents that your ministry was probably over if on the day of your ordination you got a letter from your father who said that while you were in the womb you were prayed over and dedicated to God? And having been thus warped from the womb and entering obediently into the paths of service, now to find myself in a situation where, through the breakup of my family, I figured that there would be no more ministry for me, because we are talking about the dark ages back in 1970, and I had to sit down in Europe and write a letter to Mom and Dad and tell them the bad news. But, I appended to that letter of doom Jeremiah 29:11, a future and a hope. And, by the grace of God, the congregation here assembled at that time extended to me an invitation to return here and to become their pastor once again. I never really thought about it so much as I have just reflecting on all of this for this message. I have been © Grand Valley State University   �An Emerging Vision: What Matters? Richard A. Rhem Page 2   accused of being a "Johnny-one-note" with the theology of grace, and I'm guilty. That remark resembles me. But, there was grace here before I came back. There was a people here full of grace who made a very bold move in extending to me the opportunity to be their pastor when the next item on my agenda was a divorce, having three little children to care for and one chapter of my dissertation written. Now, that's a risky business and this congregation was full of grace, and it was that grace and that experience of grace that made Jeremiah 29 come true in our lives together. The 70s were heady days. The experience that was mine became a paradigm for the experience of many people who were broken and bleeding and bruised and hurting, who had been excluded in one way or another from the Church. We became a model of gracious acceptance, and that theology of grace that was resident in the people before I came became the hallmark of this community, and the growth went off the charts, so that we had to go from one service to two and from two services to three, and then eventually we had to build this sanctuary, for when I came back, we were in the original little church that is now the Parlour. It was June of 1978 when we held a service starting there and we processed out of that sanctuary around the sidewalk and into this sanctuary. The longest running television program on the networks at that time was CBS' "Look Up and Live," which was on every Sunday morning. The CBS cameras were here to catch us leaving there and coming in here, and they broadcast our first service in this sanctuary. Well, those were pretty heady days. The growth was exciting and the grace was resplendent. About that time I began to worry about that growth. I don't know if I ever articulated this publicly or not, but I began to worry about becoming an entrepreneur of religion. We were becoming a mega-church before the era of the mega-church, and I could see how easy it would be to get caught up in that and to be determined and shaped and formed by that exploding growth rather than shaping that growth in a way that was consistent with my understanding of the word of God and the Christian tradition. I actually spoke that to some of the leaders and they were very, very understanding of what I was talking about. So, in 1980, we came out with our second Identity Statement. Perhaps you will remember that last week I held up this little brochure, "Dreaming the Future." There still are a few of them in the boxes around the church. In this brochure, there are Identity Statements from 1971, full of grace, 1980, and 1993, and the one from 1980 is very interesting, in light of what I have just been saying, because it was in 1980 that we began to ask the question, not how do we continue to grow and succeed, but after all, what is God calling us as a church to be? In that statement which is a rather long statement, these points occur, We would be a place for the intersection of the word of God and the world, of the Christian tradition and contemporary culture. We would be a place where the Christian tradition is translated into the idiom of contemporary culture, giving it a voice to speak meaningfully in the pluralistic society of © Grand Valley State University �An Emerging Vision: What Matters? Richard A. Rhem Page 3   our day. We would be a place where controversial issues, ethical, social, political, find a forum for discussion, enabling persons to understand the issues and to live out a faithful response as a people of God. You can begin to get a sense of what was going on at that time, a growing awareness of the world about us and a growing intention to address that world from the perspective of the Christian tradition. And then there is this significant statement – We determine to be true to that which we believe God is calling us to be, whether that means harmony with the religio-cultural flow or not. We will adjust our program and mission with the dynamic movement of history, not in order necessarily to be successful in institutional terms, but in order to be faithful to what God is calling us to be, and to be effective in mediating the grace of God to the world. We will be what we determine God is calling us to be, not in order to be successful, but in order to be true. It was a watershed moment for us as the decade of the 80s dawned and we had all of this exciting growth behind us. It was a watershed moment in which we said success is not an end in itself. We determine to have integrity. We determine to be true to what we feel God is calling us to be. It was during the decade of the 80s after this statement was published here that I was invited eventually to be Professor of Preaching at the Seminary. It was in 1985 that a Reformed journal was founded for the purpose of stimulating theological discussion in the Church, and I was invited to be on the Board of Editors of that journal, and I began to write articles and those articles reflected the things that we had been talking about here, the things I'd been preaching about, the things I'd been teaching on Wednesday nights. It was like a harvesting of all of that. It was a bringing together and coming to clarity of all of the ferment that had been a part of the scene here now for some 14-15 years, and those articles brought me to clarity and bringing me to clarity, that clarity began more and more to be expressed in the pulpit here. It was in 1988 that I wrote the now famous article on "The Habit of God's Heart" in which I suggested that maybe the extent of God's grace was as broad as the human family. Even though that article seriously called into question Hell, all Hell broke loose, and the Church decided that no Professor of Preaching with that kind of wobbly theology ought to be nurturing new preachers, and so I came back here. But, I came back here saying we must be not less radical, but more radical, because I had begun to sense that that is where the rub was. Martin Luther in a marvelous statement says you can confess Christ all over the board, but if you don't confess Christ at the point where the issue is burning, you betray Christ, and so we began to deal with the issues more forthrightly than ever before and in 1993, we published what is now on the back of your liturgy, printed on everything we do, and that was another movement forward for us. © Grand Valley State University �An Emerging Vision: What Matters? Richard A. Rhem Page 4   That text, Jeremiah 29:11, was my inaugural text March 14,1971, for it had been not only my own existential anchor, but it was that vision with which we began and now, in 1993, we wrote the statement that is still our statement, and we moved to be specific about the grace of God in terms of those who were embraced. We added one category, that of sexual orientation, because that is where the fire was raging, and we wanted to be clear and explicit that there was nothing in the sexual orientation of a person that had anything to do with exclusion from the grace of God. There was one other point in this last statement - we had come to see that if the grace of God is as broad as all of that, then there must be revelatory and salvific significance in the religious traditions of others, and so we said it explicitly that the light of God is found in other traditions. To say it another way, we denied the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. In so doing, we have found ourselves standing alone, an independent congregation. As I look back over that unfolding, that developing story, I see how an energizing vision becomes the emerging vision of a people on the way. To me, it is an exciting business. It fascinates me how important it is to ask "Who are we?" To have a sense of identity and a sense of purpose, to live with awareness and to live with intentionality, for a people who does so will continue on a journey and will get to a point where we are today where we have the opportunity to re-imagine what the Church is all about. I have been using that language for some time, but this is the time now to do it, to think entirely new thoughts about the very structure and the nature of the Church, for the Church is an ancient and venerable institution and its structures and its ways taken for granted, never even thought about anymore, and we are at a point at which, well, to use my old phrase, we can throw all the pieces up in the air and let them come down once again. For, maybe the congregation gathered in worship today and in the future is just one facet of this Center of Religion and Life. Maybe we will look back in ten years and we will say there was a watershed in the year 2000 when we chose an academic person to come in and run this church rather than another ordained clergy person. Maybe it will indicate that our move is to a Center where there is awareness and intentionality through reflection and serious, hard wrestling with the truth, which frees up worship which is celebrative, in which the passages of life can be celebrated, the passages of birth and confirmation and marriage and death - a Center wrestling with reality, reflecting on the truth which filters down into a marvelous Worship Center where our grandchildren are told of the love of Jesus in a way that will enable them to wonder and to grow and to come into their own experience of reality without all that painful dismantling that so many of us have to go through, a Center academically tilted, perhaps, because if you are not aware, if you don't understand, if you don't know, then how can you worship right? How can you nurture? And that correct thinking must ultimately lead to correct action and compassion. © Grand Valley State University �An Emerging Vision: What Matters? Richard A. Rhem Page 5   If you walk in these halls some day during the week, you may bump into some elderly person obviously needing help and, being helped with tenderness, being accorded respect and dignity, for our Adult Day Care ministry is underway. And so, whether it is a newborn upon whom we place the waters of baptism, or whether it is the last rites for one who is moving from life through death to life eternal, whether it is a child in the Worship Center hearing the stories so that they may ultimately put their hope in God, or whether we're caring for one another, the marginalized, the most vulnerable members of society, as a matter of fact, there will be a community aware, intentional, ever re-inventing itself, reimagining itself, becoming what it must become because of what it sees and understands. James says, "What of your life? What is your life?" This will be a place where you can come and, in all of its various facets, be faced with that question, "What is your life?" God knows when you get to this advanced point, you recognize that James is right. It is a brief moment; it is a vapor, but the thing that is important is the nurturing of the young so that the future generations will come with us, not to imitate our forms and structures, but having been grounded in the truth, set free to find their own way. I was in the airport in Rome a couple of weeks ago and going back and forth from pilgrims to gates to passport control and walking through that vast hall, and there was a moment in which it was like all the action froze, just for a moment, and I saw people everywhere dashing for a gate, furiously fumbling for their cell phones, lugging their luggage, and I looked on their faces and I wanted to say, when the action stopped for me just in that moment, "Do you all know who you are? Do you know where you are going? What is your life?" What really matters is awareness, intentionality, issuing in worship irrepressible and nurture that sets free and grounds and gives wings, and compassion that never quits © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XVIII Series The Heart of the Matter Scripture Text Psalm 78:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11, James 4:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-20001008 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-10-08 Title A name given to the resource An Emerging Vision: What Matters? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 8, 2000 entitled "An Emerging Vision: What Matters?", as part of the series "The Heart of the Matter", on the occasion of Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 78:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11, James 4:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Inclusive Pluralism Theology of Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/309e1d637737f11ca467ced86bc55729.jpg 220785966bfd133e0944bbcad1093e69 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS2814.S3 E6 1897 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0267 Title A name given to the resource An Epistle to Posterity Description An account of the resource Binding of An Epistle to Posterity, by M.E.W. Sherwood (Mary Elizabeth Wilson), published by Harper & Brothers, 1897. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/933342078aacd310890774b8c96264e9.pdf e1da642888d975a28fab783aee6f411a PDF Text Text The Nokomis Foundation Lecture Series West Michigan Women 's Studies Council Presents: EVE ENSLER An Evening with Eve Ens/er: Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of V-Day Thursday February 7, 2008 7:00 p.m. Talk to be followed by a reception and book signing Fountain Street Church 24 Fountain Street NE, Grand Rapids, Ml 49503 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Sign Interpreter For more information go to www.wmwsc. org Community Partners Media Sponsor ~ GrandRapids .... ~ Graphic design: Lisa M. Yarost _ Community College AQV INAS COLLEGE c_ · A L V I N (~ . HOPE COLLEGE � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_WGS_2008_InvitedSpeaker_EveEnsler_Poster.pdf Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Women's Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-07 Title A name given to the resource An Evening with Eve Ensler: Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of V-Day Description An account of the resource Poster of the event, as well as the location, time and date of the event. Subject The topic of the resource Community centers Women's studies Lectures and lecturing Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ddebeae4e1ec62489dbfe9146c1f2d8.pdf ff9533f71fd408de74d141088e9f3cf2 PDF Text Text West Michigan Women's Studies Council The Nokomis Foundation Lecture Series Presents: An Evening with Judy Chicago 7:00 p.m. Monday, April 5, 2010 Multimedia presentation to be followed by a reception and book signing Celebration Cinema North 2121 Celebration Drive NE, Grand Rapids, Ml 49525 (located at Knapp and E. Beltline) FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC For more information please call 616.331.2748 ,2i AQV INAS COLLEGE CALV IN lnl DAVENPORT ~ UNIVERSITY A 1o.. ~ Grand Rapids __fommur;\nt College A. HOPE COLLEGE � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_WGS_2010_Speaker_JudyChicago_Poster.pdf Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Women's Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-04-05 Title A name given to the resource An Evening with Judy Chicago Description An account of the resource Poster of the event, as well as the location, time and date of the event. Subject The topic of the resource Community centers Women's studies Lectures and lecturing Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/caf71d02411aa76e9ef97350f2fa44d5.jpg 8167a6f8293eec59d9f6d0a846f4e3d5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_001 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." Promotional image of the full cast and crew. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d9054e91663d78451e14b0ee6d66850.jpg bb74a8896b72ed67b2a6d7939eb1bc39 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_002 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image a man in a tee shirt and flannel pants sits on a sofa in front of an open laptop. He holds his jaw as if in pain. Around him scattered beer bottles, pizza boxes, and fast food packaging litters the set. In the background he is watched by an Arabic man in a thawb, a black vest, and a black taqiyah cap. It is almost as if he is being haunted by the ghost of this man. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c8923825e120d5ceb8caf2662eb25a13.jpg 89250ee6529811421f9f8316f3ca065f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image an American soldier spreads his arms wide with a jeering expression. A woman in a hijab watches him with concern. Five actors in the background are discussing various goods in a marketplace. Three wooden shelves create market stalls filled with textiles and other small goods. In the foreground, mostly unlit, is a sofa cluttered with discarded beer bottles and fast food boxes. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/080823fb5225f6fc6bc9aa0e302642e3.jpg 8c7367b6dbf949804df09f4b534195c8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image man in a thawb, a black vest, and a black taqiyah cap speaks warmly with a female solider. She is taking notes with a pen and notebook. Behind them a wooden shelf, mimicking a market stall, stands filled with beautiful textiles. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3fdd196bdc1c4f61c08df713441c9770.jpg e5e60ee7fa56c599f71c93179a53b9a3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_017 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image two women, both wearing a niqab, clasp their hands and look into the distance with sadness and concern. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e960722899d7c891d257b94fedf7561a.jpg 3ef25ac47064d43b220567125055269a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_022 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image an American soldier with a king of clubs card tucked into his helmet and carrying a rifle speaks with an Arabic man wearing a thawb, a black vest, and a black taqiyah cap, and a woman in a hijab. The soldier points emphatically. Behind them stand two wooden shelves, mimicking a market stalls, which are filled with beautiful textiles and various other goods. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7970afb2941eccde57fa2aeb001a5202.jpg 59f6d0d962c02de059f3d9cc53df8136 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_028 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image a woman and man sit opposite from one another at a bar. Each one holds a beer bottle. The woman is wearing a pink, cone-shaped party hat. She looks unhappily down at the bottle she rests in her lap. The man leans toward her with a confused expression on his face. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/107dc36ded7b8050d42af30be9e83990.jpg 8c509b28963b5e3840c63edb6681483a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_029 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image two men, each in a thawb and taqiyah cap, and a woman in a hijab are lying on the ground on their backs, their hands bound with zip ties. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d995bbc267b9135ed994a816c9525c0.jpg b4f3218893052a2b827705afd594d44d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_030 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image an American soldier with a king of clubs card tucked into his helmet and carrying a rifle restrains a woman in a black hijab and robe. She struggles against him as she tries to rush forward, her expression is pained. Behind them another soldier watches with concern. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d8bf9943ba226067751c34ca9267d77b.jpg e4a849974dac29c888093b304b916973 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01_2012F-An-Identified-Enemy_036 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource An Identified Enemy (theater production), 2012 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2012 production of "An Identified Enemy." In this image an Arabic man has been stripped shirtless by two American soldiers. He stands calmly between the two soldiers. In the foreground a man in a striped shirt watches the scene, as if recalling a memory. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 2012s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ceb4d6dc54480f0042bbff6b47602778.jpg 654327f9a599141a83730276ac1fbbc2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3527.I33 I41 1899 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0094 Title A name given to the resource An Idyl of the Wabash and Other Indiana Stories Description An account of the resource Binding of An Idyl of the Wabash and Other Indiana Stories, by Anna Nicholas, published by the Bowen-Merrill Company, 1898. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3269647c9043dc6a9a2cbd971fe28f95.mp3 55b970c16588bcdd4051f0c746c9083c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIX Series The Heart of the Matter Scripture Text II Corinthians 8:8 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-20001015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-10-15 Title A name given to the resource An Intentional Commitment: A Matter of Heart Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 15, 2000 entitled "An Intentional Commitment: A Matter of Heart", as part of the series "The Heart of the Matter", on the occasion of Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: II Corinthians 8:8. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives