954 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7389ca000e1f99d3b66d10988f393c30.jpg e553e74429d6b270ae31a84e8de16e4b 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 Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 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 DC-07_SD-Brigham-D_0059 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brigham, D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960 Title A name given to the resource The Eddy beach Description An account of the resource Photograph of a Ben Eddy sunning by a log. Woods, Plummers and Brighams in the water. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Outdoor recreation Familes Children Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by D. Brigham as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/2eb983591c9a6f4007c5a482701f119f.jpg f2255fa34eca21bb2af72359c11f47b3 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 Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 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 DC-07_SD-Brigham-D_0060 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brigham, D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1955 Title A name given to the resource The Eddy Clan on the beach Description An account of the resource The Eddy Clan on the beach with the distinctive green & white beach umbrella on the B.H Eddy cottage beach. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Outdoor recreation Families Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by D. Brigham as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/300d7cd99214d4f5f7a8cca0c3e5dc31.jpg 87ce76afa4cf442a51c5c3bc758c4d99 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 Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 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 DC-07_SD-Brigham-D_0033 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brigham, D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1950/1990 Title A name given to the resource The Eddy Paton girls 1950 and 1990 Description An account of the resource Two photographs. In the top image, Joan Eddy, Patty Paton, Besty Eddy, Barbara Eddy, and Joyce Eddy pose around Tommy Tucker's car; in the bottom image, the married woment (Brigham, Woods, Plummer, Crandell & Plummer), pose around a different car. Circa 1950/1990 Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Women Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by D. Brigham as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/090cab357404850a4a3f95cfaf95ea14.jpg 3537f15811b4dc9b0a0ee07ce619e5cd 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 Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 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 DC-07_SD-Brigham-D_0112 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brigham, D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959 Title A name given to the resource The Eddy-Paton Cousins Description An account of the resource Group in the back yard of Beech-Hurst by the grape arbor - Plummers, Woods, Brighams and Crandell. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Children Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by D. Brigham as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/a7a7b7e9782cb3b039add423929e4743.pdf d83e78c34e5f7acfd4ad5c75e6630a65 PDF Text Text The Effects of COVID-19 COVID-19 has had both positive and negative effects on my life, as well as the lives of others. After GVSU made the transition to online courses on Wednesday March 11, I quickly moved off campus the next day. This is because students living in on-campus housing facilities were told to move out by the end of that week. However, at this time, the university was only planning on having courses online for two weeks, so a few weeks later, I had to drive three hours back to GVSU to move out the rest of my things. Luckily, my parents were able to help me with this process, as they were also working from home. Moving off campus in the middle of the semester and transitioning to online courses was definitely a whirlwind of an experience. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to cope with new losses which was difficult for me. Specifically, one of the most significant events was the cancellation of my study abroad trip to Ghana this summer. I am currently a sophomore and I had been looking forward to this trip since the beginning of freshman year. This year, I applied to the competitive study abroad program, was accepted, and already began planning a number of things. Aside from the trip, there were other events and activities on campus that I was looking forward to as well. So, not only am I missing out on these experiences, but I am now completing 15 credit hours of schoolwork online. I am an extremely focused and dedicated student. I spend a lot of time studying and completing schoolwork in order to get good grades. With that being said, I like face-to-face learning and being able to utilize opportunities such as office hours, tutoring services, etc. While I am still finishing the semester strong, I will admit that it is has been difficult to find motivation for online classes. However, all of my professors have been supportive in the process, sending encouraging messages along the way. Currently, my biggest fear is that we will continue to have online courses in the fall as well. Aside from school, my daily life at home has been uneventful. I spend a majority of my days studying and completing assignments for school. My mom and I have also been going on walks, watching a new TV series, and working on puzzles. I must admit that my daily life is getting boring. I am a member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club on campus, so I have attended a couple virtual meetings at home as well. The other clubs that I am involved in on campus have not continued their meetings and events during this time. Furthermore, while I did not have a job on campus, I am scheduled to work at a nearby nursing home in a couple of weeks to occupy my �time. I worked there last summer as well and since I am no longer studying abroad, this is my “plan B” for the summer. I am hoping to attend Physician Assistant (PA) school, so I am required to have a large number of patient contact hours. However, I am becoming incredibly nervous about going back to work because there have been many positive cases of COVID-19 at the facility for both employees and residents. My family and I are currently healthy, and I would like to keep it that way. Luckily, the facility is providing the necessary PPE including masks, gloves, and goggles. Lastly, I want to address my family’s experience in getting everyday items such as groceries and household goods. My parents and I have had to be creative with our meals since we no longer have the option of going to a restaurant. We go to the grocery store about once a week in order to get food and other household products if they are in stock. There are many shortages of these basic goods including toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. My family is almost out of disinfecting wipes, so our next project is to make our own wipes with paper towels, water, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap! Also, there have been various food products out of stock as well including pasta noodles, flour, butter, etc. Plus, we are limited to only one type of meat at a time due to the high demand. Luckily, a friend of ours sewed masks for us, so we can wear those to the grocery store. In the near future, I think that we will be required to wear masks in public. This has definitely been an unexpected experience that has required both major and minor adjustments. Recently, I attended a virtual lecture about how to stay engaged in the transition to online learning. The lecturer recommended that we use this experience as a time for personal growth and development. With that being said, I am trying to think about the positive aspects of quarantine, so after this semester is finished, I am going to start developing a plan for my future. I plan to solidify the PA programs that I want to apply to and begin working on my personal statement (since I have extra free time!). Overall, it is important and necessary that we stay resilient and adaptable during this time of uncertainty! � 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 COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives 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/. Title A name given to the resource The Effects of COVID-19 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Anonymous Description An account of the resource Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-21 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives 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 COVID-19_2020-04-21_Anon_005 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 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d81657a9dcc8de15ae968cccfff522d9.mp3 11c3ddb233b365b45c95120f6e2f3de9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cc6ea7223b561166753b8b9955aa45ff.pdf 786789877e5075c521416f4232de558e PDF Text Text The Election of Grace: A Particular People for a Universal Purpose From the summer sermon series: Faith’s Foundations Text: Genesis 11:30; 12:1-3; Romans 11:32-36 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan July 31, 1988 Transcription of the spoken sermon Now Sarai was barren... Genesis 11:30 Now the Lord said to Abram, Go... and I will make of you a great nation... Genesis 12:1-3 For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that He may have mercy upon all... from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:32-36 Reading a textbook on preaching this week, I came across a statement by a Black theologian and preacher which struck me. He was making the point that Black culture has believed strongly in the providence of God and this deep trust has kept them alive through much oppression and suffering. Henry Mitchell claims that what has been true for Blacks is universally true. He says, ... We find the total spectrum of humanity that wishes really to live whole and abundantly must have a belief system to support that sort of thing. I share Mitchell's conviction. That is why we are spending successive Sunday mornings examining Faith's Foundations. My concern is deeply pastoral. I am not really interested in preparing you to write a crackerjack of a theological exam; I am interested in preparing you to live well, abundantly, with confidence and hope. Hope and confidence and a sense of wellbeing need a solid foundation if they will remain, no matter what circumstances surround you. Faith needs foundation. There are a few crucial truths which, if held in deep trust, enable one to negotiate life's passage. For example, "In the beginning God ..." © Grand Valley State University   �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 2   That is where the Bible begins. Genesis 1 is intentionally the opening statement of the Judeo-Christian faith. It is our answer to the question, "Why is there something, rather than nothing?" It enables us to sing, "This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought..." But why, if this is my Father's world, is there tragedy, toil and tears? Chapters two and three tell us that God's gracious intention was that life should be characterized by freedom, vocation and boundaries - the creature living before the Creator in trust and obedience. Failing that, there is judgment, sorrow and loss, alienation, fear and guilt. Well, then, will the human "No" defeat the "Yes" of God? Will the Creator's purpose be ruined by the creature's grasping at control in self-assertion? Chapter three gave hints of grace even in judgment. And returning to the opening creed of creation, which runs through chapter 2:4a, we find God's verdict on Creation: it is good. And we read God rested on the seventh day and blessed it and made it holy, a sign that God's design and order and purpose would finally be realized. We read the vision of Isaiah 65 - a new heaven and a new earth, no more would one toil in vain or raise children for misfortune ... "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together ... They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain." And we heard the sound of the angel's voice in John's vision, "Behold the dwelling of God is with his people." No tears or crying or pain or death anymore. In the vision there was a crystal river on whose banks grew a tree whose leaves were for the healing of the nations and God's people need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord will give them light and they shall reign forevermore. With that beautiful vision of Creation's consummation, the People of God have lived in hope trusting that the best is yet to be, the future is as bright as the promise of God. God's "Yes" will not fail. The Sabbath Rest of the Bible's opening passage foreshadows the Rest of Creation in the Shalom of God. The first eleven chapters of Genesis were placed as a preface to Israel's story. That story is centered in God's mighty saving action that brought them to freedom from Egypt's bondage. But they knew their particular story was part of a larger story - the story of God's dealing with the whole Creation and the totality of humankind. The first eleven chapters are universal in scope just as the consummation in Revelations is universal. Israel's story is the story of a particular people, but it is not, nor can it be, isolated from the whole creation and all nations. Israel's faith is that the God of its salvation is the Creator of all who will bring all things to consummation. The story of the Christian Church is one with the story of Israel. Within the movement of universal history there is interwoven the history of a particular people - Israel and the Church and the history of that particular people is really the focus of the one story of the Bible. But that particular history is not an end in itself; it is a means to a greater end – the Creator's reclaiming of Creation gone awry. © Grand Valley State University �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 3   We have seen in Genesis 1 the Creator's intention for Creation. We have seen in Revelations the Creator's victory - the consummation of the purpose of Creation. But, you may ask - How do we get from the majestic image of Genesis 1 to the moving vision of Revelation 21 and 22? This message will attempt to answer that question - again, not simply to satisfy your curiosity but, rather, in order to give you a sense of what God is doing in our world, in our history, in our lives. We will focus on two passages of scripture as we seek to connect the Garden with the City of God. In our biblical study let us begin with Genesis 11:27-12:3. Genesis 11:27F gives us the genealogy of Abraham. We tend to skip scriptural genealogies, but this one is critical. The Genesis writer is forming a link between universal history - the history of all humankind about which he writes in the first 11 chapters and the particular history he is about to record, the history of the Patriarchs, the forebearers of Israel. In Genesis 11:30 we are told that Abram's wife Sarai is barren. This is no piece of Bible trivia; rather, this is a very intentional notation. Abraham and Sarah are called by God to go out from their family and homeland and go to a place God will show them. God gives them a promise: "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name so great that it will be used in blessings." And the promise continues, In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. With the call of Abraham we have the most significant break in the Scripture - a break of greater significance than the break between the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 12-50 gives us the story of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and forms the introduction to the creation of Israel as a nation in the Exodus event. This is the beginning of the story of a particular people called for a universal purpose. This particular people will be the agent through which God will reclaim a creation gone awry. What was the biblical writer saying by connecting the one called Abraham to the human family spoken of in the first eleven chapters? Was he not saying that after the dismal response of the human family to the Creator's call to live in freedom with vocation within the boundaries set by the Creator, the failure of the creature to trust and obey, God was now instituting a new strategy whereby the purposes with which He created would finally be realized in spite of the failure of the creature? Set on the background of the stories of God and all humankind in the first eleven chapters, we can see in God's call of Abraham the method God will use to reclaim © Grand Valley State University �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 4   the Creation gone awry. And against the background of the Creation stories we can understand the significance of the note in 11:30 that Sarai was barren. The one who calls the world into being will now call a special people into being. Abraham and Sarah are connected to the whole human family - so the genealogy affirms. But what God is about to do is not something possible through natural, normal human agency. Sarai is barren. The human story recorded in Genesis 1-11 ends in barrenness, in hopelessness. There is nowhere to go. God must create this new family by the miracle of God's power and grace. God will give a child to a barren woman and through this miracle birth, God will create an alternative community - a new community by which finally God will restore Creation to its unity and bring about Shalom. On the black background of the stories reflecting universal history, God calls a man and woman who are childless and promises to make from them a great nation that will bring blessing to all nations. The God Who creates the world now creates Israel. God creates Israel in order that, through Israel, God will reclaim all Creation. Abraham - contrary to the stories in Genesis 1-11 (Adam and Eve, Cain, the Flood story, the Tower of Babel) believes God and acts in faith on the promise of God. God says, "Go." Abraham goes. This is God's counter-strategy to human rebellion. When human faithlessness leads to barrenness and thus hopelessness, God calls one family to create an alternative community through which to bring salvation to the world. This God is not and will not be defeated. This God will not accept the human "No." This God will now begin a counter-offensive in order finally to establish His "Yes" to Creation. The call of God to Abraham is spoken of in the Bible as the Election of Grace. It is an election - a choice of a particular people. It is of grace - One was chosen out of the human family with no explanation given, for no reason in the one chosen. It is of God because the call is spoken to, the promise made to human barrenness. Election is the foundation of human salvation; it is the ground of human hope, the basis of human purpose. Election is a biblical teaching that has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Israel had a sense of being God's elect people - and she was. Israel had a sense of being special - and she was. But Israel misunderstood God's election. She came to think of herself as God's special people to the exclusion of the nations rather than seeing in her election a calling to be a light to the nations. Israel became proud of her election rather than understanding that God's election is cause for humility, © Grand Valley State University �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 5   for God chooses not on the basis of merit, but on the basis of grace alone - it is pure gift. Rather than awe, humility, gratitude, Israel manifested pride and arrogance. Rather than sensing that she existed for the sake of the world, she set herself over against the world. Rather than seeing in her election God's universal purpose, Israel claimed God's grace as her particular possession. Rather than seeing in her election God's inclusive love, Israel claimed God's love as her exclusive possession. The History of God and Israel is spoken of in scripture as a covenantal relationship. The Old Testament describes the history of the covenant relationship and describes thus the Broken Covenant. Still, hope is not lost. Still, there is the conviction that God will not give up. There will be a new covenant. The New Testament is really the story of the New Covenant. Paul was a person of that old covenant who came to see in Jesus the promised Messiah, the anointed one promised in the Old Testament. He saw how the New Covenant was instituted in Jesus, in Jesus' death and resurrection. In Romans 9-11 he struggles with the question why Israel as a whole failed to see that Jesus was the Messiah, that in Jesus the New Covenant was formed. Paul anguished over Israel's rejection of Jesus. How could this be? Once again the question raised in Genesis 1-11 is raised by Paul: Will Israel's unbelief defeat God's purpose of election? Can the human "No" overcome the Divine "Yes"? Paul's wrestling with the problem of Israel's rejection of Jesus comes out in a tortuous path in those three chapters. If we read the letter as a whole, we find him first of all recognizing that Jew and Gentile are all alike guilty before God. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Then he presents God's way of righting the guilty through faith in Jesus Christ. In that moving eighth chapter, he writes of how Creation itself in bondage because of human sin, is nonetheless groaning in travail waiting to be set free from the curse - a clear reference to Genesis 3. He concludes his telling of redemption's story with that amazing statement, We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. And he says, "What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?" He concludes with that grand utterance, For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Then he comes to the source of his deep anguish - Israel's rejection of Jesus. He struggles to understand. Finally, Chapter 11 opens with the question, © Grand Valley State University �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 6   I ask then, has God rejected his people? His answer is a resounding, "By no means!" He addresses the Gentiles who have believed, to whom the Gospel has come through Israel's rejection. He counsels humility and awe before the mysterious working of God's grace. Finally he concludes, ... God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all. And the thought of the final triumph of grace causes Paul's heart to overflow in doxology. O depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ... For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Paul cannot solve the mystery, but rather in wonder and awe he bows before the mystery. He knows not when or how, but he rests in the final triumph of the grace of God. This people Israel - Abraham's line - proved as disobedient in their time as did the totality of humankind whose stories are related in Genesis 1-11. Yet, Paul says God will have His way. God's last word is mercy upon all. The history of Israel from Abraham through all the generations of her history and through 2,000 years of the Christian Church has a midpoint - the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. When God's people said a resounding "No" to Jesus, putting him to death, God said an even more resounding "Yes," raising him from the dead. It was from Abraham's loins that Jesus came. It was in the barrenness of the human situation that God created an alternative community that issued in Jesus, the Anointed One who responded to God's yes with a faithful "Yes" in return. And Paul writes to the Ephesians, For Christ God chose us before the world was founded. Paul revels in the mystery of God's saving determination, a secret now revealed to him. The secret was a purpose which God formed in His own mind before time began, so that the periods of time should be controlled and administered until they reached their full development in which all things, in heaven and on earth, are gathered into one in Jesus Christ. How will God bring Creation to the consummation of His purpose? How will history move from the Garden to the City of God? The link is a people who are chosen by God, graced by God, called to be witnesses to God - a particular people © Grand Valley State University �The Election of Grace:…for a Universal Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 7   whose gracious election has a universal purpose - to reclaim Creation and to bring all things to the realization of God's purpose. The Election of Grace is the only basis for hope, but it is enough; it is the sure guarantee that the Creator will bring creation to consummation. It is God's initiative through which He will have a people in every generation to witness to all peoples that God is God and God will finally reclaim Creation and bring all God's children home. We are the elect of God. To us the Gospel has been proclaimed, the grace of God given. We can rest in that – no matter what the day may bring, no matter how dark the night, how threatening the crises of life. We can count on that – no matter how frail our faith, how feeble our commitment, how fickle our devotion. That is the Good News by which we live. That is the Good News to which we witness to our neighbor and our world. Thanks be to God! © 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 X Series Faith's Foundation Scripture Text Genesis 11:30, 12:1-3, Romans 11:32-36 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-0-19880731 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-07-31 Title A name given to the resource The Election of Grace: A Particular People for a Universal Purpose 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 July 31, 1988 entitled "The Election of Grace: A Particular People for a Universal Purpose", as part of the series "Faith's Foundation", on the occasion of Pentecost X, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 11:30, 12:1-3, Romans 11:32-36. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Election Faith Hebrew Scriptures History of Israel Inclusive Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c73e749fc142f6dfa656e300d513361c.mp3 7a768ef6cfd986cc51f76dab268335b0 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 XXV Scripture Text Job 4:7, Philippians 2:1-4 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-0-19931121 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993-11-21 Title A name given to the resource The Embrace of Grace 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 November 21, 1993 entitled "The Embrace of Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XXV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Job 4:7, Philippians 2:1-4. 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/cc40c3f4dfac3402bcfd854d2261eaf1.pdf 509624808df6453e49bd6b4166addf28 PDF Text Text The Emergence of the Sacred in Human Being For the Muskegon Council for the Arts & Humanities Festival, On the theme “Freedom and Privacy” Richard A. Rhem Torrent House Muskegon, Michigan October 4, 2004 Prepared text of the lecture It is an honor to be the tenth Marguerite Holcomb lecturer and to be included on the program of the 2004 Muskegon Arts and Humanities Festival. In all my years of preaching, even though I observed the Church Year calendar and loved the great festivals of that calendar, I resisted using the Lectionary which provided a four-fold set of scripture readings for each Sunday and all Feast Days. For me, it was part of the creative process to wrestle with season, scripture and theme. And so, when Mr. Ford called me to invite me to give these lectures and gave me, as well, the theme “Freedom and Privacy,” my only hesitation in accepting the invitation was the assignment of the theme. I have insisted on determining my themes in private, with freedom, you see! Freedom and Privacy? What qualifies me to address such a subject? But, then, in his own inimitable fashion, Mr. Ford continued, suggesting I could really develop the subject in any way I chose, even if the theme was not at all evident. I was also encouraged by a gracious letter from Martha Ferriby in which she wrote: The theme of the 2004 Festival is “Freedom and Privacy.” With that theme in mind, we have no preconceived approaches you should take. We encourage you to develop your own presentation consistent with your area of specialization ... You are encouraged to consider the wide range of subjects touching our contemporary world within your area of expertise. That was the permission I needed to think about “Freedom and Privacy” philosophically and theologically. I suspect, although I do not know, that the theme was determined in light of our contemporary situation which has been so largely shaped by 9/11. The terrorist attack on this nation and the worldwide terrorist phenomenon has required governmental measures to attempt to provide security in an increasingly dangerous world and security measures inevitably threaten human rights. Especially in a nation that has been marked by the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, the creation of a Department © Grand Valley State University   �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 2   of Homeland Security and the passage of the Patriot Act create tension with fundamental human rights as we have enjoyed them. Surveillance cameras becoming a fact of life, along with provisions of the Patriot Act create a chill as the possibility of an Orwellian world emerges. I am a technological dinosaur, but I am learning slowly to use the computer. I know enough to go to Google and with one finger type in words. For “Freedom” and then “Privacy” and then for “Freedom and Privacy,” I found a few million entries. Not being up to researching that vast field, I did linger long enough to realize that not only the terrorist threat but also the Internet has created a whole new threat to Privacy. One’s profile as to habits and tastes can now be filled out in details and, as we are all aware, the tension between freedom and control has created one of the great contemporary debates. You may have heard of the comment made by Scot McNealy, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems. He was asked at a press conference about the need for privacy and said: You have no privacy. Get over it. Well, he caused a firestorm, but the response clearly indicates that he touched a raw nerve and the issue at stake will not be solved by raising the decibels of emotional retort. As I said earlier, I do not know how our theme was selected, but I suspect our contemporary situation marked by terrorist threat, security measures, as well as the whole new complex of issues raised by the Internet may well have played into the discussion. As critical as this whole complex of issues is for the well-being of present and future society, I have no special knowledge or experience to offer a full analysis of the problems nor to offer solutions to the new threats to our freedom and our privacy. What does interest me, however, and what I have spent much time thinking about is the nature of human being. And one cannot think long and deeply about the human without recognizing the critical importance Freedom plays and the right to Privacy, as well. The first point I would like to make is that the American Experience grounds its core values of Freedom and Human Dignity in a religious-metaphysical understanding. The American experience in its formation rooted human freedom in the Sacred Source of Being itself. In the familiar words of the Declaration of Independence, We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 3   these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Chief architect of that great document, Thomas Jefferson, in his first Inaugural Address contended, Equal and exact justice to all ... of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none. ... Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of person ... These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety. In our day, advocates of the Christian Religious Right claim ours is a Christian nation, but such a claim is unwarranted. The foundation of human dignity issuing in human freedom transcends any particular religious creed while rooting that claim more profoundly in a shared religious conviction that human worth and human freedom are given by the Creative Source of Being, however that Sacred Mystery is conceived or named. The authors of our forming documents were Enlightenment thinkers whose Christian faith found particular expression in a Deistic creed. God, Creator, other than creation, was the Source and guarantor of human dignity, human rights and, thus, human freedom. The claim that these truths are self-evident may well be challenged as one observes the human story. Obviously, accident of birth, to say nothing of innate giftedness would seem to call in question the surface claim that all are created equal. But, certainly this is not a recent recognition; it must have been evident, as well, when these words were penned. What, then, is the claim of equality, of certain inalienable rights? Surely those claims must point to that which is universally shared - the sacredness of human being in the created order of Being itself. This was the fundamental conviction of the Deist who had moved beyond Christian orthodoxy but held, nonetheless, to a conception of God as Creator. In this understanding, God is the great Clockmaker who creates the universe, endows it with the Laws of Nature, and sets it on its way without intervention or interruption. © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 4   The Deists, as their orthodox predecessors, were thus shaped by the biblical story - the profound Creation mythology of the early chapters of Genesis in which God, the Creator of all Being or Reality creates all that is, including the human being in the Divine Image. Volumes have been written about the meaning of the Image of God. I will not attempt even to summarize that discussion, but only claim that it would seem obvious that the ancient Hebrew author was reflecting the sense of a profound connection between the Divine and the Human in terms of conscious awareness and moral sense. Attempting in those first eleven chapters of Genesis to set Israel’s salvation history in the context of a universal history, the human condition is described in narrative form as one of rebellion and revolt with all the negative consequences that mark humanity. In traditional theological language, we speak of the human condition as Fallen. The whole ensuing biblical story, continued in the Christian scriptures, particularly in the writings of St. Paul, is a story of redemption deliverance from that fallen state of estrangement from the God of Creation, restored to communion with God. The Deism of the authors of America’s founding documents reflected a move beyond a traditional orthodox Christian theology, but the Deist was still locked into a God “out there,” a Supernatural Being who created and endowed the Creation with Natural Law, thereby calling in question the engagement of God with Creation - challenging the traditional understanding of God’s immanence. The Deist, in other words, moved from a traditional Theist position which marks biblical religious understanding, including the Islamic conception of Deity, but Deism was only a halfway house to modern atheism which denied a transcendent Ground of Being. In his book, Does God Exist?, (1978), Hans Küng traces the development of modern atheism, from Feuerbach through Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, to the nihilism of Friedrich Nietzsche. Beginning with Feuerbach’s projection theory claiming, The consciousness of the infinite is nothing else than the consciousness of the infinity of the consciousness. That is: In the consciousness of the infinite, the conscious subject has for his object the infinity of his own nature. Küng explains, This, then, is how the notion of God emerges, and it seems entirely understandable. Man sets up his human nature out of himself, he sees it as something existing outside himself and separated from himself; he © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 5   projects it, then, as an autonomous figure - so to speak - in heaven, calls it God and worships it. In a word, the notion of God is nothing but a projection of man: “The absolute to man is his own nature. The power of the object over him is therefore the power of his own nature.” ... God appears as a projected, hypothesized reflection of man, behind which nothing exists in reality. (Küng, p. 200) Feuerbach’s projection theory provided the “Climate of opinion” for those thinkers who accepted that theory uncritically and assumed its truth as they pursued their respective areas of special focus: Marx’s socio-political atheism; Freud’s psychoanalytic atheism and Nietzsche’s nihilism. Rather than engaging the amazing discoveries of the natural sciences about the universe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the advent of historical consciousness in the nineteenth century, the Church hardened the lines of orthodoxy, claimed absolute authority in tradition, institution and scripture and absolutized its dogmatic creedal declarations, all of which had been conceived on the basis of a worldview that was rapidly dissolving before the unrelenting movement of new knowledge exploding across the spectrum of the disciplines of human research. The war between science and religion is both familiar and unfortunate and need not be recounted here, other than to say that it is incredible that there continues to be vocal claims from Fundamentalist religious quarters for obscurantist views of the universe, literalizing the profound biblical myths and sagas and thus draining them of their symbolic value. I relate this historical development of the modern period because it ended with an impasse; much of institutional Christianity continuing to perpetuate the biblical worldview that could not stand the test of empirical research and verification and much of the intellectual leadership and the academic community, not willing to make the sacrifice of the intellect demanded by the Church, simply giving up on the formal religious observance. Even the movement of Liberal Theology continued the biblical paradigm of theism - the Supernatural God “out there,” Creator in perfection and Fall - the human creatures fallen, their nature needing redemption. The Liberal Theological movement did attempt to accommodate its religious understanding to the findings of modern science, but like the Deists we spoke of earlier, it was a halfway house, trying to preserve the biblical worldview in an age whose breakthroughs in discovering the nature and history of cosmic reality could not be accommodated in that worldview. Thus I come to my major contention: The freedom and dignity of the human will be best affirmed and protected if the biblical worldview is replaced by a © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 6   worldview that is conceived and imagined in light of our present knowledge of the cosmic reality into which our lives are woven. Specifically, the biblical paradigm of a Creator God “out there,” calling into being a created order separate from the Being of God and over against God should be replaced by a model that sees Reality as one, the emergence of its Sacred Source and creative center. Secondly, and following on that conception, the Human must be conceived as the emergence of the Sacred in the one cosmic totality. The sacredness, the worth, dignity and the freedom of the human being is not something conferred on the creature by a God “wholly other” in the language of Karl Barth, but rather intrinsic to the creature, the creature being the emergence of the Sacred in the evolving cosmic reality. The human then is not a creation in perfection in an initial state of innocence from which the creature “fell,” marking the human race as fallen. Rather, the human is the product of a process of billions of years of cosmic unfolding, the emergence of consciousness, of awareness, the emergence of spirit. We who are human are not marked by all the negativity that clings to us because we have fallen from some state of perfection, but rather, because we are animals who have arrived through the exercise of the survival instincts we have practiced in order to prevail. We have come to our present state through millennia of evolution from the slime and the jungle from which we have emerged. If I claim that the biblical worldview must be replaced by an understanding that accords with our best scientific knowledge of cosmic reality of which we are a part, I do not mean to say that the great religious traditions that look to the Bible have not provided profound insight into the human situation. Earlier I mentioned that intuitive insight in the Genesis stories that the human is created in the image of God. I now add a second insight which is at the heart of the Christian tradition, namely, that God has become human. The Christian claim of the incarnation of God in the humanity of Jesus is expressed profoundly in the Johannine writings. In the Gospel of John we have in the prologue the claim that the Word or logos that was in the beginning, became flesh or human. John 1:1 can be translated “in the beginning was the Divine Intention.” Then in 1:14, we could read “The Divine Intention became human.” This would seem to be a claim of the Divine becoming human in the unfolding of history. Of course, the biblical writer had no sense of a cosmic process of 13.7 billion years. Still, the emergence of the Divine in the Human is clearly there. © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 7   That is a profound and radical claim. Of course, what the Church has done with that insight is to isolate that event of God becoming human to the once-for-all event of Jesus, thus leading to Christian exclusivism and absolutism. Such exclusivism can no longer be reasonably maintained in a world awake to the pluralism of religious understanding and observance. Nonetheless, this was an amazing claim and all we have to do is recognize the claim as a moment in the evolving process of the Sacred emerging in the human and the human as the location for the concretizing of the Sacred in the cosmic process. Perhaps one might counter that the human is a very questionable manifestation of the Sacred, to which I would respond that that is because we are not yet fully human, carrying with us as we are the marks of our evolutionary movement in the violent struggle for survival. We are animals still on the way to the human, to the realization of Spirit. One of the most vivid descriptions of the human being I know was penned by a great preacher and theologian, Carlyle Marney: Man is the most dangerous and savage of the beasts: His bite is poisonous; his hand is a club; his foot is a weapon; knives, clubs, spears are projectiles to bear his hostility. Nothing in nature is so well equipped for hating or hurting. Confuse him and he may lash out at everything. Crowd him and he kills, robs, destroys, for his crime rate increases in proportion to his crowding. Deprive him and he retaliates. Impoverish him and he burns villas in the night. Enslave him and he revolts. Pamper him and he may poison you. Hire him and he may hate both you and the work. Love him too possessively and he is never weaned. Deny him too early and he never learns to love. Put him in cities and all his animal nature comes out with perversions of every good thing. For greed, acquisitiveness, violence were so long his tools for jungle survival, that it is only by the hardest [effort] that these can be laid aside as weapons of his continued survival. And that, you say, is the emergence of the Sacred? And I would answer, “Yes, precisely,” for Marney’s description needs to be put within a larger picture. The biblical story begins with a “let there be ...,” the recognition that all there is is not a chance accident, nor a self-creation, but a gift, a grace, if you will, that has been evolving for 13.7 billion years. That evolving cosmic process lately issuing (in the last ten thousand years or so) in a human cultural history unfolding before our eyes in amazing fashion. It is within the cosmic evolution that history has emerged and is unfolding, and it is within history’s unfolding that the Creator Spirit moving the process from within becomes flesh - human flesh. Thus, Incarnation is Spirit enfleshed or God embodied - not an alien invasion but an immanent emergence. David Tooland expresses it with power and grace: Offspring of stars, children of earth, we are great mothering nature’s soulspace, her heart and vocal chords - and her willingness, if we consent to it, to be spirited, to be the vessel of the Holy One. When we fail in this soul- © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 8   work, nature fails/falls with us. But when it happens, when we say yes to the Spirit who hovers over our inner chaos, the mountains clap their hands, the hills leap like gazelles. They and the quarks have a big stake in us. Remember, though, to be patient: in the condensed astronomical time of a cosmic year, our species has only been around for a minute or two, and for much of that time we’ve been sleepwalking. Our cosmological task takes some waking up to, and getting used to. Nonetheless, we represent a turning point for nature, and a turning point for the Great Dispatcher, as well. Two significant events happen simultaneously, or converge, once humans emerge from the prebiotic soup. First, as the team of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas would say, consciousness or mindedness - of whatever fleeting sort - would not be there except for participation in the mindfulness of the Poet-Maker of all things. Darwinian evolution only explains our hard wiring, not how it is that we are aware or minded. Secondly, as I have said, consciousness is also nothing else than great nature more or less awake and reflective. That’s a beginning; the spiritual task is to deepen our inwardness and, therewith, our imaginations. In this sense, we are nature’s black box, her soul-space - and hence her last chance to become spirited, to be the vessel of God, the carrier of the message that all creation is not only “very good,” but to be glorified. That’s the script, the big drama. ... Like us, Jesus is the cosmos become conscious; he provides it with soulspace. But in him the cosmos finally finds adequate soul-space, a cavern of interiority big enough to contain the fullness of divine love and compassion. (Unlike us, he isn’t a shallow container; he doesn’t babble nonsense or go haywire under the strain of the dawn that is trying to break through in our species.) The Torah, the big dreams of the Hebrew prophets, and the poetry of the Wisdom literature stand behind him, within him; Jesus is intelligible only within this lineage. He represents an intensification of what God has particularly chosen the people of Israel to meditate and mediate: the meaning of everything from quarks to cities; nothing is too small or big or unclean as not to merit passionate interest and attentive understanding. Through this son of Israel Christians discover that the Ur-Mystery lives in human blood, would act through us, speak through us. (From Cross Currents, Winter 1996/97, by David Tooland (p. 464) Such is the Human - stardust, the cosmos becoming conscious, the awareness of the wonder, miracle, glory and joy of life, the Voice of Being, for the Human is the emergence of the Sacred in the ongoing cosmic process. The Human therefore becomes co-creator with the Eternal Spirit coming to embodiment. It is ours then to recognize our true nature and vocation, not to find meaning, but to create it, recognizing that we are not passive passengers on some cosmic journey, but the © Grand Valley State University �Emergence of the Sacred Richard A. Rhem Page 9   agents through which the truly Human as the emergent of the Divine is coming to be. The biblical writers had no sense of our cosmic home, but they did sense that the human is the creation of the Divine. The authors of our founding documents who brought to expression the American Creed with Freedom as its core value labored still with a paradigm of cosmic reality we can no longer affirm. Nonetheless, they did recognize that the Human can be fully realized only in Freedom - a freedom that was intrinsic to Being and thus essential for Human Being. We are not robots marked by an inevitable fate, cogs in a cosmic machine grinding on its way. We are Sacred, for we are the emergence of the Sacred Ground and the Source of Being in the concrete drama of cosmic unfolding, the drama of History whose future lies in our hands. We possess the terrifying gift of Freedom to create paradise or destroy the human experience as the emergence of the Sacred in the cosmic story. Will we be able to break free from old paradigms and patterns of behavior that have written a history of violence, war and destruction? Is human transformation possible, given the entrenched ideologies that continue to find expression? Barbara Marx Hubbard in Conscious Evolution (p. 10) provides an image with which I would leave you. She writes, Let’s compare our situation with the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. When the caterpillar weaves its cocoon, imaginal disks begin to appear. These disks embody the blueprint of the butterfly yet to come. Although the disks are a natural part of the caterpillar’s evolution, its immune system recognizes them as foreign and tries to destroy them. As the disks arrive faster and begin to link up, the caterpillar’s immune system breaks down and its body begins to disintegrate. When the disks mature and become imaginal cells, they form themselves into a new pattern, thus transforming the disintegrating body of the caterpillar into the butterfly. He breakdown of the caterpillar’s old system is essential for the breakthrough of the new butterfly. Yet, in reality the caterpillar neither dies nor disintegrates, for from the beginning its hidden purpose was to transform and be reborn as the butterfly. When it seems the darkness can never be overcome, let us not despair. Let us remember the hidden purpose for which we were born. References: Hans Küng. Does God Exist? 1978. David Tooland, Cross Currents, Winter, 1996-97, p. 464. © 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. Event Muskegon Council for the Arts & Humanities Festival Series First Talk of Two Location The location of the interview Torrent House, Muskegon References Hans Küng. Does God Exist? 1978. David Tooland, in Cross Currents, Winter 1996-97, p. 464. 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-3-20041004 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The Emergence of the Sacred in Human Being 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 Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 4, 2004 entitled "The Emergence of the Sacred in Human Being", as part of the series "First Talk of Two", on the occasion of Muskegon Council for the Arts & Humanities Festival, at Torrent House, Muskegon. Tags: New Paradigm, freedom, divine intention. Scripture references: Hans Küng. Does God Exist? 1978. David Tooland, in Cross Currents, Winter 1996-97, p. 464. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-10-04 Divine Intention Freedom New Paradigm https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/42707d2c7055bdde81718f0adb062e26.mp3 1a3b89171662bab7a140b07f56fe7164 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 III Scripture Text Psalm 16:8-11, I Corinthians 13:12 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-0-19871213 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-12-13 Title A name given to the resource The Encounter with God at our Death 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 December 13, 1987 entitled "The Encounter with God at our Death", on the occasion of Advent III, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 16:8-11, I Corinthians 13:12. 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/aaa0fe0f9142ece5bfe261eba7642f62.pdf 59f78d775817a05bb92ecbb93d9d96ac PDF Text Text The End Is Life From the sermon series: I Do Believe Text: Psalm 16:11, I Corinthians 15:20, John 14:19 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Eastertide, April 14, 1996 Transcription of the spoken sermon The season of Eastertide is a great time to preach, and the series that begins this morning is the affirmation, "I Do Believe." When I say I do believe, I don't mean to exclude you, but I mean to point to the fact that faith, if it is to be anything at all, needs to be personal and passionate. This is not to deny that there is a Christian faith, a body of doctrine, a content to the faith, so that one could say or write a book, "What Christians Believe," "What Jews Believe," and so on. Certainly that's true. But, the problem with institutional religion, the problem with routinization, the problem with the regularization, the problem with the second generation and the third and the fourth and the one-thousandth and so forth, the problem with that is that I begin to point to a body of truth and say, "I believe that. I assent to that." But, that's different than when one says, "I do believe." I believe, that is, it's personal. And I do believe. That is, it's passionate. In this Eastertide season, I'm going to say some of the great things that I believe and you believe. They'll be rooted in the tradition; they'll come out of the scripture. But, they're more than just an overview of what Christians believe. These are personal, passionate convictions of faith, the first of it being, "The End Is Life." "The end is life." This was the great affirmation of Paul, who gives us the first written documentation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Corinthians, he deals with several problems in the Church, but there is also the problem of those who deny the resurrection of Jesus, and so, to them, Paul addressed this rather complicated and tortuous argument that's found in the 15th chapter of his letter. And in the 20th verse, he makes the strong affirmation, "Now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that shall rise." For it was the resurrection of Jesus Christ that was the catalyst for the whole Jesus Movement that issued ultimately into the Christian Church. It was the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God raising Jesus from the dead, that gave God's "Yes" to that life, to that way, to the truth that came embodied in Jesus that launched the whole movement of which we are a part. And so, this morning we begin with those things that we believe with conviction and with passion, and it is © Grand Valley State University   �The End Is Life Richard A. Rhem Page 2   that, in the end it is life, and it is life because of the one who said, "Because I live, you, too, shall live." Paul fully expected, I believe, along with Jesus and that whole early community of followers, that they were on the edge of the End. Paul says that Jesus was the first fruits of them that shall rise. Paul was a good Jew, familiar with the terminology of Israel, all of the Hebrew scriptures. There was always the offering of the first fruits, a token of gratitude to God and an acknowledgment that God was the giver of all and to God all belonged, so Israel would waive the first fruits. But, the first fruits were literally that. They were the first fruits, the first grapes ripened, the first wheat that ripened. The first that could be harvested was offered to God. In the wake of that, all of the rest of it followed. And that's what they believed. It was widespread in that time. They felt they were on the edge of the End, that Jesus was God's anointed one who was ushering in those events that would issue in the Kingdom of God. For a little time heaven received this one who was crucified and raised by the power of God, but this one would return after subjecting all things, every opposition to God's rule, and he would render the Kingdom to God and God would be all in all. That was the scheme of things that filled the mind and heart of the Apostle. The only problem is, it didn't happen. Nothing happened. The heavens didn't open; Jesus didn't return; the Kingdom of God was not established. All they got was persecution and suffering. In fact, in the second letter of Peter you will find that there were those skeptics who were saying, "Where is the day of his appearing? It seems that it's business as usual. Same old death and dying," to which the writer of that letter says, "Ah, but a thousand years are but as a day with the Lord, so just be patient." The great crisis for that early movement was the fact that the king did not appear. And so, move along about 60 years to the city of Ephesus or maybe Alexandria where there's a Christian community, or rather a Jewish community of those who believe that Jesus was the Messiah. That whole early movement was a Jewish movement of people who believed that Jesus was God's anointed one, crucified and raised by the power of God, and they were waiting for God to bring in the fullness of the Kingdom and the Shalom that the prophets had promised. Paul, of course, was the missionary to the Gentiles and there soon became a Gentile element in the Church, but the community of the fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, was a largely Jewish community that believed that Jesus was the Messiah. And so, the years had passed, the decades passed, and Jesus didn't come back and there were those who were beginning to falter in their faith and there were those who were sifting back into their regular Jewish expression of faith. Not that they ever gave up the synagogue or the temple. Not that they ever gave up their Jewishness. But something did happen in 70 A.D. that changed everything. In 70 A.D. the Roman legions came in and they leveled Jerusalem and burned the Temple. Mark's Gospel was written on the supposition that this was the sign that © Grand Valley State University �The End Is Life Richard A. Rhem Page 3   the End would certainly come now. Now things were beginning to happen. But nothing did happen, except that this was a time of turmoil in the Jewish Church. For, what would be the nature of Israel, of Jewish faith, now that the Temple was gone? Obviously, the priestly party was out of business. There was a widespread dispersal. There was a very strong Jewish Jesus Movement; there was the possibility that that Jewish Jesus Movement might emerge as the classic expression of Judaism in a new key. There was also the Pharisaic Rabbinic Movement, the teachers of Torah. And, as a matter of fact, what did happen after 70 A.D. is that, in the struggle for power and control and in the attempt to find a new identity, it was precisely that Rabbinic, Pharisaic model of Jewish faith that emerged victorious. Now what's going to happen? Well, there's a struggle for power. There are those who are part of the strong and vital movement of Jesus Jews. And there is this other increasingly stronger movement of Rabbinic Judaism that does not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and that movement, coming to the ascendency in those decades immediately following the destruction of the Temple, eventually muscled out of the synagogue the Jesus people. When you read the Gospel of John, you'll find that there is a very strong adversarial expression between Jesus and the Jews. There are passages of the Gospel of John that ought not to be read in Christian worship without some word of explanation, because they are so harsh, so condemnatory. We've come to see that the reason they're so harsh and condemnatory is that this little Jewish Jesus Movement was in a struggle for its life over against an emerging Rabbinic Judaism. About the year 90 A.D., into the liturgy of the synagogue, there was actually inserted a benediction against heretics. That's the kind of thing that was going on. When you read John's Gospel and those harsh statements against the Jews, that's not Christianity against Judaism, that's not Gentiles against Jews, that's an intra-Jewish squabble and there's nothing that gets so mean as an intra-family squabble. And this Jewish Jesus Movement, through this benediction against heretics, was being crowded out of the synagogue. The emerging, powerful Rabbinic Judaism was drawing the lines and defining who was in, and this little band of Jews that believed Jesus was the Messiah and that were waiting for him to return were being crowded out of the only spiritual home they had ever known. They had never given up going to synagogue; they had never given up reciting the Psalter; they had never given up believing in the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David. It's the only God they knew. It was the God to whom Jesus had pointed them. It was the God of Creation and the God of the Consummation. Now the stronger party was saying, "Hey you, you believe Jesus was the Messiah? You're out of here." Well, what happens to a people in a situation like that? You have to remember how vulnerable they were. They had been holding their breath for Jesus to come. Nothing was happening. Every day and every week and every month and every year and every decade was a nail in © Grand Valley State University �The End Is Life Richard A. Rhem Page 4   their coffin. And there were those who were saying maybe we were wrong. Maybe Jesus was just another pretender to Messianic claims. There were those whose knees were weak and faith was faltering who simply gave up on Jesus and went back into their Jewishness. But there were others. In all of those communities scattered throughout the empire, there were others who said, "No. No, we know that Jesus was the Messiah." And probably at Ephesus or at Alexandria somewhere, there was a person who said, "I do believe. I do believe. I don't know how to put it together; I don't know about the calendar, this unfolding of this drama of history, but I do believe this - I do believe that the God of Israel was embodied in the person of Jesus to an extent that I have never, never before felt the nearness and the mercy and the love of that God. I do believe." And so this preacher or teacher in this little minority persecuted community of Jews following Jesus taught and he preached and they remembered all of the stories, the oral tradition that had been passed along. Remember, now, for decades it was not a literate society, it was an oral society. They told the stories over and over and over again, and they taught and they preached, and eventually those who studied carefully this Gospel of John, about five layers - the oral tradition and then the gathering of the teaching and the preaching and then perhaps the writing of a document and the finessing of a document and a final literary form that we have in our scripture - it was a very normal and natural process and it was because there was someone who said, "I do believe! I believe in spite of the fact that the time is rolling on and nothing seems to be happening. I don't know about that, but this I know - the Word became flesh and in Jesus the truth that had come through Moses took on a splendor, a grace that I had never known before." So, this preacher this teacher, this passionate believer takes this little community of people and he writes the story for them. He doesn't write a history for them so that they'll know what happened back there as an end in itself. He refers back to what happens there because he wants them to believe now, here and now, to hold on, to continue to see in the face of Jesus into the heart of God. So, we come to that 14th chapter and he says, "Let not your hearts be troubled." Were their hearts troubled? You bet they were. Same old world of death and dying and darkness and unrighteousness and injustice. Where was the Kingdom of God? Where was the Shalom promised? This evangelist, this preacher says to this community, "Let me remind you of Jesus. Jesus said, 'Let not your heart be troubled.'” That word troubled in Greek is tarasso. It's used three times previously in the Gospel of John, always to describe Jesus' agitation of spirit. One time when he's at the grave of Lazarus and he sees Mary weeping and he feels the power of death in human experience and we read, "Jesus wept. His soul was troubled." And then there was a time when Phillip brought those Greeks who wanted to see Jesus and it triggered something in him. He knew the hour. "Now is the hour," he said. "And now is my soul troubled. What shall I say, 'Father, © Grand Valley State University �The End Is Life Richard A. Rhem Page 5   deliver me from this hour?' But for this hour came I forth. Father, glorify Your name." And then he gathered his disciples in that last supper and he looked over at Judas and he thought about all of the darkness in that heart and once again he was face to face with the power of death and he said, "Now is my soul troubled." This preacher in Ephesus in the year 90 or 95 A.D. is telling this story now of that last gathering, and we hear Jesus say, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I'm going to prepare a place for you." The whole Gospel of John has the indwelling of Jesus in God and God in Jesus, and Jesus is saying to that intimate circle around him now, in these moving moments when he's going to depart from them, he's saying to them, "You'll be all right. I am going to the Father and I am preparing a place for you. You know where I am going." Thomas says, "We don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said, "I am the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life." There's an interesting citation from a Palestinian Targum of an earlier time which uses that same combination of way and life in connection with the Torah. The first five books of the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures, we call the Torah. The Torah we sometimes call the Law, but that's a bad name for it. Torah meant way of life. And in this citation in the Palestinian Targum it says that the study of the Torah bears fruits which show the way to life. That's not incidental. This was part and parcel of Israel's faith. They believed that God in holy scripture had shown them the way to life. It was the truth. Now, this preacher-evangelist in Ephesus to these faltering followers of Jesus, 60-some years after the event, says to them in the words that he hears echoing from that earlier day, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe. Believe in God. Believe in me. Because the way of life, the true way of life was embodied in Jesus, in this one, in me, and there is no way to God, not God in general, but God as Father, God as revealed in Jesus - there's no way to such a God other than that way of Jesus, that way of Jesus which is a true way which gives life." And so, the evangelist puts in the mouth of Jesus those very words which were the expression of that first community and a community decades later still saying, "Jesus is it!" Something happened in Jesus. I don't why the End hasn't come. I don't know why the Kingdom hasn't dawned, but I know this - that in the human flesh of that one was the embodiment of God. I don't know when the End is coming, but I know when I look in the face of Jesus, I see into the heart of God. There is no other way. There is no other truth. Believe. Don't let go. Don't give up. Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in Jesus, Jesus who is the window into the heart of the Eternal." Phillip says, " Jesus, could you show us the father?" Jesus said, "How long have I been with you? You still don't get it? When you've seen me, you've seen the Father." That little community, some of whom were drifting back off into their old faith patterns, and some of whom were still feeling the sting of being ostracized from © Grand Valley State University �The End Is Life Richard A. Rhem Page 6   the synagogue, and all of them wondering when the End would come - they heard the evangelist, they listened to the preacher, they believed in God, they believed in Jesus who was the embodiment of God, who was crucified and who was raised by the power of God and who inexplicably, surprisingly, marvelously was tangibly present when they gathered together, when they broke bread, poured out a cup, when they sang praises, and when in the solitude of their own soul they called to the God of Israel Who had come close to them in Jesus Christ their Lord. How do I know that happened? Because we're still doing it. We are the people who look to the risen Jesus and we see the power and grace of God. We're the people, 2000 years later, who are still looking through Jesus and with Thomas saying, "My Lord, and my God." We are the people who are a people of hope because we follow the One who said "Because I live, you, too, shall live." We are the people with personal, passionate conviction and belief that the end is life! © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e7622bfc34eaaeb5fde751207cc456d.mp3 596926109aaa082b54f4be90b031e752 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 Eastertide II Series I Do Believe Scripture Text Psalm 16:11, I Cor 15:20, John 14:19 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-0-19960414 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-04-14 Title A name given to the resource The End is Life 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 April 14, 1996 entitled "The End is Life", as part of the series "I Do Believe", on the occasion of Eastertide II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 16:11, I Cor 15:20, John 14:19. Belief Eastertide Life Resurrection Way of Jesus https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f0ab633520dc4d56fa41222ce08dfd5.mp3 d24b4468c2a3144122ee71e57c174f99 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 Scripture Text Luke 10:25-37 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-0-19890924 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989-09-24 Title A name given to the resource The End of History 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 September 24, 1989 entitled "The End of History", on the occasion of Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 10:25-37. 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/2d8705b85e99fdee0e91400025dfc2da.mp3 177cdcaef50c8141850743282bd1fcac 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 Scripture Text John 1:11-13, Revelation 3:20 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-0-19891210 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989-12-10 Title A name given to the resource The End of History: A Present Reality 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 December 10, 1989 entitled "The End of History: A Present Reality", on the occasion of Advent II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: John 1:11-13, Revelation 3:20. 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/ee508445f3ec9c76c0dc8fc896362770.pdf 36e03de43a71ee64621553f7695f1916 PDF Text Text The End of Religion Text: Isaiah 58:6-7; Luke 10:25; Jeremiah 22:16 Richard A. Rhem and Ken Medema Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan June 15, 1997 Transcription of the spoken sermon Ken, I'm going to rehearse for the people what we have been talking about these weeks so that you can come on board, and they might finally get it. It started off on Pentecost when we talked about the spirit of God and the breath of God or the wind of God that permeates the whole of reality - everything in existence exists because of the enlivening Spirit of God. And then, next week was Trinity Sunday, and we reflected together about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and we recognized that that ancient symbol was struggling to point to a mystery, and mystery not in the sense of something that maybe eventually will be able to be solved or dissolved, but mystery in the sense of that which is beyond our ability to comprehend, mystery in the sense of God being incomprehensible, as the old theologian said, incomprehensible to human understanding. So, we have a mystery that we cannot grasp, and yet the presence of that mystery, that life-giving Breath is present to all that is. I came across a wonderful analogy in the Confessions of St. Augustine, which I had never seen before. Saint Augustine, in a beautiful poetic expression, a prayerlike expression to God, said, "O God, You are like a vast, limitless ocean." And then he said all of creation, all that is, all creatures great and small, tables and pianos and stools - all that is like a sponge, huge sponge, yet a sponge with limits. All of creation, that 15 billion year old river of energy and matter and space and time, all of that as a sponge is submerged in that infinite, limitless ocean. The ocean, of course, is without limits, is more than the sponge, but there is not a molecule or an atom of the sponge that is not saturated by the liquidity of that infinite ocean. It's a beautiful analogy, I think. God more than, but a part of; not one thing exists that is not permeated, shot through with the life, the breath, the spirit of God. But, the mystery, Ken, still remains undefined. What is its nature, its intention, its purpose? For us in the Christian tradition, we find that the mystery comes into focus in a face, in the face of Jesus. In the prologue to John's Gospel we have that wonderful poetic expression, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God, and all things were made by him and apart from © Grand Valley State University   �The End of Religion Richard A. Rhem Page 2   him was not anything made that was made, and that word was life to the world." And then a dramatic statement in the 14th verse - "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld a face." Thus, in the humanity of Jesus, the mystery is enfleshed. So now, the mystery which is beyond our comprehension but which is experienced as the breath that inspires and radiates through all that mystery now has definition and specificity. It is the face of Jesus that shows us the intention of the Eternal One. That face of Jesus, that life of Jesus points us to compassion as the end of our religion, the purpose of our religion. And I say this on the basis of that parable which we already looked at last week, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Certainly the question of the lawyer coming to Jesus was right at the heart of things. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Aren't we always wanting to secure ourselves? And so, Jesus pointed him to the Torah, love God, love neighbor, etc. And then the lawyer, wanting to make that somehow within some reasonable bounds, said, "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus, unwilling to set any limits, says to him, in effect, you are the neighbor. You are to be neighbor to all of those who come your way. The story of the Good Samaritan concludes with the lawyer having to say the one who was neighborly was the one who showed mercy, and Jesus said, "Just do it." That's the way of Jesus. That is the intention of the mystery that is God. Compassion is the end of religion - end, in the sense of purpose. When Jesus said this, he was being true to his Jewish tradition. Recently, when I heard Karen Armstrong, the English scholar, lecture on "The History of God," she made the point so strongly that all of the great religious traditions point, finally, to compassion. Compassion is the point of religion; it is to be the consequence of our devotion. Certainly Jesus was reflecting what Isaiah said in chapter 58. There was religion a'plenty, but the question is raised, "Is this the kind of fast I want? Would I want you to go around looking all droopy-eyed with sackcloth and ashes, carrying on a fast, going through your religious devotions, all the time still centered on yourselves? No," the prophet says, "All of your religious devotion is to no avail except it lead to compassion. Is not this the fast that I require, that you loose the thongs of wickedness, that you release the oppressed, that you take the homeless poor into your home and feed the hungry and clothe the naked?" Jesus, in the Good Samaritan story, or in the parable of the sheep and the goats, "Inasmuch as you've done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you've done it unto me" - points to compassion as the end of religion. Jesus was simply being true to his Jewish roots. Ken, my point this morning is that religion's end, its purpose, is compassion. It is doing good. It is loving, healing, helping, and if it doesn't issue in that, it is empty, without meaning and without regard to God. Does that strike a chord with you? Ken: Yeah, about 50,000. How much time do you have? (Ken plays & sings) © Grand Valley State University �The End of Religion Richard A. Rhem Page 3   So, here's a great, vast ocean And all Creation like a sponge And when I look into the water, it's amazing what I see. First, I see the face of the One who came to make it clear, came to make it known for all the world to hear. Then I look again - I can see the face of my neighbor and my enemy who lives here in this place, the people I've rejected, the people I've ignored, the people I've been closing out and setting outside the door. And in this water I can see them, crying in their tears, and I see them looking now at me and I know why I am here! And I see these faces reflected in the water of incomprehensible, mysterious space and love. And I know beyond the vastness of the Mystery, the great white sea. Everywhere I look I see the reflection of the faces of the people close and far and in my neighborhood who need my good. And I'm thrown on mercy once again and mercy I'm called to show again. And that's the end. That's the way. That's what it's all about. I think that's real close, and in my head I think I always knew that, but in the transformation of my own religious experience, Ken, I have come to see how, in my growing up and in my early ministry and in my preaching, I made salvation into a kind of cult. I made it into a kind of a cult that majored in personal salvation, the kind of "Me and Jesus." I wanted to be sure I was safe and secure and bound for heaven, and frankly, this life was something to be endured in order that we might really enter into life and light eternal. I suppose the greatest transformation in my own experience is to recognize that eternal life is now and here and God is now and here, and this life is the life to be lived. I can trust God for whatever else there is, but even though in my head I knew compassion was an obligation of the Gospel, I didn't take it all that © Grand Valley State University �The End of Religion Richard A. Rhem Page 4   seriously until I began to look at my own selfish, self-centered, egocentric, arrogant salvation lust. Not only did I make it a salvation cult but, in the organization and institutional forms of religion (and I've been a part of it all my life), I begin to see not much more than Trivial Pursuit. This is a time of the assemblies of the churches, and the newspaper is full of articles, great debates on such critical issues as whether to call God He or She, whether anyone else is going to get to heaven but those of us who know the formula, whether persons of different sexual orientation can be ordained to ministry, etc., etc. The media is full of articles about the fact that denominations are coming apart at the seams, and the more I look at it from the outside, the more I see how far we've missed the mark. How much we are concerned about things that are of trivial importance, and we fail to do the one thing needful, which is the whole end of religion. I believe that self-centered, arrogant religion is coming to an end. There's a great thrashing about now, the fundamentalist reaction is the last gasp of a dying movement. We were guests of Bishop Spong a couple of weeks ago. As we left St. Peter's parish in Morristown, New Jersey, a beautiful church, all that stone and stained glass, he said to me, "This is quite an institution. But down the street is another Episcopal parish. That's a different place." He said, "There, when a stuffy Episcopalian comes in, the rector says, 'You know, I think you'd like the parish down the block,'" because that parish is filled with all kinds of marginal people, black and white and Hispanic, straight and gay and all sorts in between, all shades of humankind. They run soup kitchens and they have diversity seminars and they are involved in the community and the city. He said, You know, as Bishop I have to go once a year and I take in members, I lay hands on members, and there are always some who go through the Episcopal rigamarole, and if Episcopalians are anything, they are really strict about their liturgy and their forms - so here's the Bishop taking them through their forms and lays his hands on them. And then the Senior Warden stands up and he says, "Now, are there any others of you who believe in this ministry and want to commit yourself to it?" And then a whole raft, another group, of people stand up who believe in the ministry. They don't really care about all of the rigamarole of the Episcopal liturgy and all of its ritual and all of its forms and the institutional form of the Church and the membership of the Church and the paper games that we play. But there are people out there who, when they see something authentic, when they sense there's ministry going on, when the compassion of Jesus Christ is flowing, they say, "Yes! I want to be a part of that." Ken, the old forms are dying, but there's something new emerging, and it's going to be a whole community of people of all stripes and sizes and shapes who are going to band together and say, "Enough church games. Enough theological niceties. Enough of all of that selfish, egotistic concern about one's own little soul, © Grand Valley State University �The End of Religion Richard A. Rhem Page 5   and let's begin to love the cosmos that God loves, and let compassion flow." How does that hit you? Ken: Holy Mackerel! Ah, Baby, we built ourselves this little boat 'cause we were frightened of the sea, built ourselves this little boat to put back the smokin' mystery. Went ashore where the waves were, so we put off this little sail, What you gonna do when your little boat starts to fail? We thought the boat would last forever, we thought we were so damn secure, And now we feel it tremblin' and there's water comin' in, Ah, now the dissolution does begin. So, we're gonna jump into the water. The boat will be gone. We'll have to jump into the water, like a sponge, swimmin' on and on, And we'll little by little we'll see the pieces of driftwood just floatin' away, As we jump into the water on a fine, fine summer's day, As we jump into the water as that old boat gets washed away. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/69e01d45914f9846f122f9c4736784b7.mp3 d71dc9751c370b48fab162d17a8498f1 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 IV Series With Ken Medema: A Cosmic Symphony Scripture Text Isaiah 58:6-7, Luke 10:25, Jeremiah 22:16 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-0-19970615 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-06-15 Title A name given to the resource The End of Religion 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 June 15, 1997 entitled "The End of Religion ", as part of the series "With Ken Medema: A Cosmic Symphony", on the occasion of Pentecost IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 58:6-7, Luke 10:25, Jeremiah 22:16. Compassion Nature of Religion https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0d50ff90eeba971d3760c2a0c4890b10.jpg 44f7abb82c319035fff14f1e09457c2b 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. PS2699.R32 E53 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_Bindings0117 Title A name given to the resource The End of the Beginning Description An account of the resource Binding of The End of the Beginning, by Charles F. Richardson, published by Little, Brown, 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/cbc0e12d266a22e60485ff407f172b1a.pdf 70c191248b665197dabd857234bf6747 PDF Text Text The End of the Human Story Humanity and Technology 2005 Muskegon Arts and Humanities Festival Lecture Richard A. Rhem Torrent House, Muskegon, Michigan October 17, 2005 The title of this lecture is “The End of the Human Story” – a title of intentional ambiguity. My Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (second edition, 1983) lists ten meanings for the word “End.” Two of the ten meanings afford me the opportunity to reflect on the Human Story with all of the ambiguity to which my reflection has driven me. The theme “Humanity and Technology” has forced me to think in concentrated fashion on our present human experience about a broad range of issues of which we are all aware but whose implications we seldom take into consideration. The result of my reflection on the theme has left me with the ambiguity reflected in the title. One could take the title to suggest that I am using “End” defined as “the last part of anything; final point; finish; completion; conclusion,” meaning that I will be claiming that the human story is approaching its last days. On the other hand, “End” in the title might point to “the object intended to be reached or accomplished by any action or scheme; purpose; scope; aim;” or, “consequence; issue; result; outcome.” Therein lies the ambiguity of my title: will the explosive expansion of technology lead to humanity’s demise – the end of the story? Or, might technology be the means whereby humanity realizes its Divine intention, its purpose in process? Put another way: will technology lead us to the gates of Hell, the final conflagration, or usher us into Edenic bliss, the Garden of Paradise, the City of God? Lest I build too great expectations with such cosmic queries, let me say at the outset that both consequences are possible – Coming to our end, or Realizing our End. Which possibility will prevail I do not know. No one knows. But the value of reflection on the theme “Humanity and Technology” is bringing to awareness what must be the critical issue confronting the human family - not simply what as yet undreamed of possibilities there are for technological development but, © Grand Valley State University   �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 2   rather, given whatever technological advances that emerge, how will humanity respond in terms of control, utilization and application? Technology is not a neutral instrument; it has and it will radically transform a cultural paradigm. Yet, at this moment in our cosmic journey, human decisionmaking can still determine whether technological development will spell our end or be a means of realizing the full blossoming of the human spirit – which would be simply Divine. It is in coming to a sharpened awareness of the critical nature of the choices that even now confront the human family that the value of our theme lies. As one whose whole life has been given over to contemplating the human before the Face of God, I must admit that I have been shocked into a new awareness of the real situation of our present existence, literally teetering between the end and the End –between extinction and the next stage of human development. I suspect I have hid my head in the sand regarding the present crisis of the human project because I am a Humanist; I am a member of “the lead pencil club.” Indeed, though I read this lecture from a typed copy which I first received on my computer, it first found the light of day one word at a time, written in my barely legible hand-scrawl, as did all of the hundreds and hundreds of sermons, articles and letters I have written over my lifetime. Never having learned to type, the actual writing out of every form of communication I have produced has become part of the creative process for me. Further, I should alert you; I often refer to myself as a Dinosaur, indicating my total lack of technological savvy and my belligerent pride in being “out of it.” And thus you should hear me with deep skepticism – I am not a well-balanced commentator on things technological; I have been dragged kicking and screaming into century twenty-one. Yet, I have found, in the intensive concentration on our theme, that even a Dinosaur can be born again. I will always remain technologically challenged, but I know now that I cannot hide from the wrestle of the Human with human potential for good or ill that technology holds forth. Let me begin to address the subject by putting the issue of humanity and technology in an historical context. The tension between human values and technological development has a long history. Without attempting a full account of that history, let me simply point to what for me was new insight and understanding –the beloved Robin Hood of English legendary saga was not simply one who with his band of merry men took from the rich to aid the poor. In his Rebel Against the Future, Kirkpatrick Sale points out that the Robin Hood legends recount the struggle against the early English wool industry. It is probable that one of the real figures at the center of the legend was the victim of an early industrial policy of the rising English monarchy to encourage a native wool industry by transforming some of the commonly © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 3   held central forests into private grazing lands for sheep, and his troubles with the Sheriff of Nottingham no doubt stemmed from a clash between his desire to keep on using the woods for food and fuel, as his father and forefathers had before him, and the royal policy (proclaimed in 1217•18) of cutting them down for pasturage. This conflict between old and new, custom and commerce, was dramatic enough to fix itself in the stories of the locals, take life in several early narrative poems (most effectively in the Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode of 1495), and eventually be resurrected by several early 19th-century Romantic novelists (notably Scott, in Ivanhoe), from where it passes into modern films and fables … But for all the enduring resonance of this tale, in historical fact it was the royal policy of clear-cutting and wool manufacturing over the forest commons that prevailed. The heartland forests were enclosed and harvested, laid bare for grazing, and within a few centuries nothing much was left of either the great Barnsdale or Sherwood forests but a few scattered clusters of conifers and a few stately oaks in tracts deemed unsuitable for development; wool weaving became the key industry of England and woolen cloth for centuries its most important export, an enterprise nurtured and protected by a succession of kings and parliaments down to the 19th century. Robin Hood’s name may have lasted, and a legend about heroic commoners resisting the noble and the powerful may have become burnished by time, but in truth it was not the practice of robbing from the rich, nor the benefaction of the poor, that became the principle means of enterprise in middle England. (p. 2F) Sale recounts the Robin Hood legend of the 13th and 14th century to introduce his history of the Luddites who are his “Rebels” whom he uses to address our contemporary crisis created by the present explosive technological advances. It is fitting, and perhaps not accidental, that this triangle of central Britain, seven centuries after it immortalized Robin Hood, was precisely the site of the risings of the Luddites. The Luddites – many of them weavers and combers and dressers of wool, but many of them artisans in the cotton trades that became increasingly important at the end of the 18th century – were, like Robin’s Merry Men, victims of progress, or what was held to be progress. Having for centuries worked out of their cottages and small village shops on machines that, though far from simple, could be managed by a single person, assisted perhaps by children, they suddenly saw new, complex, large-scale machines coming into their settled trades, or threatening to, usually housed in the huge multistory buildings rising in their ancient valleys. Worse still, they saw their ordered society of craft and custom and community begin to give way to an intruding industrial society and its new technologies and systems, new principles of merchandise and markets, new configurations of countryside and city, beyond their ken or control. And when they rose up against this, for fifteen tempestuous months at the start of the © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 4   second decade of the 19th century, they did so with more ferocity and intensity than anything Robin Hood ever mustered, and were put down with far more force than anything King John ever commanded. The Luddites took their name from a mythical Ned Ludd – whose origins are still obscure … – but they were conscious throughout that they were traveling on ground trod by an earlier set of courageous troublemakers; one of the earliest Luddite letters was posted from “Robin Hood’s Cave,” another was said to have come from “Ned Ludd’s office, Sherwood Forest,” … (p. 3) Sale writes of the critical nature of the Luddite rebellion as the Industrial Revolution was transforming English life. The response of the English establishment threatened to betray the very character of the nation, sensing as they did that the whole future of industrialization was at stake. Sale writes, … the various Luddite armies that operated in 1811 and1812 were so carefully organized and disciplined and so effective in their attacks, causing damage to machines and property … that they seemed a strong and highly threatening movement of a kind Britain had not known before – of “a character of daring and ferocity,” the Annual Register for 1812 said, “unprecedented among the lower classes in this country.” Then, too, they had enough popular support in the manufacturing districts to be able to carry on their secret, illegal activities for months on end without being betrayed, despite official bribes and threats, nighttime arrests, and interrogations, suggesting to certain minds at least that they were only the most visible part of a very widespread insurrectionary – possibly revolutionary – tendency in the land. Moreover, their threat to the established order, both real and exaggerated, called forth the greatest spasm of repression Britain ever in its history used against domestic dissent, including batteries of spies and special constables, volunteer militias and posses, midnight raids, handing judges, harsh punishments, and a force of soldiers stationed in the troubled regions greater even than that which had sailed to Portugal with Wellington to fight Napoleon’s armies four years before. Last, and perhaps most important, the Luddites were understood to represent not merely a threat to order, as riotous mobs or revolutionary plotters of the past, but, in some way not always articulated, to industrial progress itself. They were rebels of a unique kind, rebels against the future that was being assigned to them by the new political economy then taking hold in Britain, in which it was argued that those who controlled capital were able to do almost anything they wished, encouraged and protected by government and king, without much in the way of laws or ethics or customs to restrain them. The real challenge of the Luddites was not so much the physical one, against the machines and manufacturers, but a moral one, calling into question on grounds of justice and fairness the underlying assumptions of this political economy and the legitimacy of the principles of © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 5   unrestrained profit and competition and innovation at its heart. Which is why the architects and beneficiaries of the new industrialism knew that it was imperative to subdue that challenge, to try to deny and expunge its premises of ancient rights and traditional mores, if the labor force were to be made sufficiently malleable, and the new terms of employment sufficiently fixed, to allow what we now call the Industrial Revolution to triumph unimpeded. The impact and implications of the Industrial Revolution were creating serious questions and deep foreboding in the minds and hearts of many of the thoughtful and reflective English folk of that time. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (living with but as yet not married to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley), Shelley, his friend Lord Byron and Byron’s physician, Dr. John Polidori, spent the summer of 1816 in Switzerland, a summer of perpetual rain. Creating their own entertainment, they decided to see who could write the most frightening ghost story. Mary Shelley was 18 when she began to write her story and 21 when the book was published under the title Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (1818). The numerous film versions of the story are in the horror film genre and mask Shelley’s real intention in the novel. The name Frankenstein has been switched to the Monster in the dramatic versions of stage and film; whereas, in the novel, Victor Frankenstein is the student experimenter fascinated with the power of electricity in lightning. He determines to pursue the secret of life. The reference in the title to Prometheus reveals what was on Shelley’s mind as she wrote – a modern Prometheus, not thief of fire, but attempting to become the Creator. Patricia A. Neil, in an essay entitled “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Myth for Modern Man,” stresses the serious intention of the author about concerns which continue very much with us as we wrestle with the tension between human values and the explosive technological advances we are witnessing. Neal writes, The power of the myth of an unattended scientific creation, left to destroy innocent lives, assumes importance in the final decade of the twentieth century. The book questions the morality of Frankenstein’s actions. Did he have a right to create and abandon the creature? In her novel, Mary Shelley anticipated the problem of a destructive force created by man, a force with no genuine means of control. Kirkpatrick Sale likewise recognizes Shelley’s serious purpose in writing of her myth – … Mary Shelley’s prescient tale of techno-madness, Frankenstein, published in 1818, was so vivid a message of the dangers of mechanization and the problems of scientific invention – “You are my creator,” the monster tells the scientist at the end, “but I am your master” – that it has survived to today, unforgettable. Basically the same message, more philosophically put, would continue to be expressed as the century went on © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 6   by men like Thomas Carlyle, William Morris, John Ruskin, G. K. Chesterton, and Hilaire Belloc, and from time to time, in more literary form, by Charles Dickens. Thus, the recognition of the potential and peril of scientific knowledge and technological development has a long history, but the pace and peril of that development is increasing in our day, not gradually, but exponentially, creating, according to Kirkpatrick Sale, more passion and urgency than at any time in the past two centuries. He claims, … it stems from the now incontestable understanding that, as Business Week put it not long ago, “the United States is in the midst of an economic transformation on the order of the Industrial Revolution” – a transformation, like the first one, driven by swift technological and economic change and, like the first one, accompanied by vast social dislocations and environmental destruction. Call it “third-wave” or “postmodern” or “multinational” capitalism, this new order is something paradigmatically different, a high-tech industrialism of ever more complex technologies – computerization, robotics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and the like – and served by ever more remote institutions, notably the multinational corporation. And this new industrialism is sped along by the ministrations of the developed nation-states, especially the American one that generated the second Industrial Revolution, nurtured it with Cold War weaponry and space adventurism, and is now, with the Clinton Administration, prepared to launch it onto an “information superhighway” and an “automated battlefield” with unprecedented technological consequences. (p. 20) And what Sale saw emerging a decade past has arrived with a vengeance such that one of the key players on the technology stage is worried. In the journal, Wired, April 2000, Bill Joy, co-founder and chief scientist at Sun Microsystems, a large and leading computer company, wrote a powerful essay in which he expressed his shock at the rapid advance of the technology in which he himself was engaged and the potential for bringing the human story to its end. The essay is entitled “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” and a bold print subtitle gives the essence of the piece – Our most powerful 21st-century technologies – robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech – are threatening to make humans an endangered species. Bill Joy relates the moment that his unease with the whole current direction in which new technologies are being created arose. At a telecom conference, he listened to a Berkeley philosopher, John Searle, discuss with the famous inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil, the acceleration toward the time we were going to become robots or fuse with robots or something like that. John Searle said it couldn’t happen because the robots couldn’t be conscious, but Kurzweil said such a phenomenon was a near-term possibility. Joy writes, © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 7   I was taken aback, especially given Ray’s proven ability to imagine and create the future. I already knew that new technologies like genetic engineering and nanotechnology were giving us the power to remake the world, but a realistic and imminent scenario for intelligent robots surprised me. Kurzweil gave Joy a preprint of his then forthcoming book, The Age of Spiritual Machines in which he described the utopia he foresaw – one in which humans gained near immortality by becoming one with robotic technology. Joy was sobered and his unease intensified; he felt certain the dangers were being underestimated, failing to understand the potential of a tragic outcome. He found himself most troubled by a passage detailing a dystopian scenario – that is a scenario of a state or situation in which conditions and the quality of life are terrible. This is the disturbing passage which Joy introduces with the subheading “The New Luddite Challenge.” First let us postulate that the computer scientists succeed in developing intelligent machines that can do all things better than human beings can do them. In that case, presumably all work will be done by vast, highly organized systems of machines and no human effort will be necessary. Either of two cases might occur. The machines might be permitted to make all of their own decisions without human oversight, or else human control over the machines might be retained. If the machines are permitted to make all their own decisions, we can’t make any conjectures as to the results, because it is impossible to guess how such machines might behave. We only point out that the fate of the human race would be at the mercy of the machines. It might be argued that the human race would never be foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines. But, we are suggesting neither that the human race would voluntarily turn power over to the machines nor that the machines would willfully seize power. What we do suggest is that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept all of the machines’ decisions. As society and the problems that face it become more and more complex and machines become more and more intelligent, people will let machines make more of their decisions for them, simply because machine-made decisions will bring better results than man-made ones. Eventually a stage may be reached at which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so complex that human beings will be incapable to making them intelligently. At that stage the machines will be in effective control. People won’t be able to just turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off would amount to suicide. © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 8   On the other hand, it is possible that human control over the machines may be retained. In that case, the average man may have control over certain private machines of his own, such as his car or his personal computer, but control over large systems of machines will be in the hands of a tiny elite – just as it is today, but with two differences. Due to improved techniques, the elite will have greater control over the masses; and because human work will no longer be necessary, the masses will be superfluous, a useless burden on the system. If the elite are ruthless, they may simply decide to exterminate the mass of humanity. If they are humane, they may use propaganda or other psychological or biological techniques to reduce the birth rate until the mass of humanity becomes extinct, leaving the world to the elite. Or, if the elite consist of soft-hearted liberals, they may decide to play the role of good shepherds to the rest of the human race. They will see to it that everyone’s physical needs are satisfied, that all children are raised under psychologically hygienic conditions, that everyone has a wholesome hobby to keep him busy, and that anyone who may become dissatisfied undergoes “treatment” to cure his “problem.” Of course, life will be so purposeless that people will have to be biologically or psychologically engineered either to remove their need for the power process or make them “sublimate” their drive for power into some harmless hobby. These engineered human beings may be happy in such a society, but they will most certainly not be free. They will have been reduced to the status of domestic animals. And, now here is the shocker, in Joy’s words: In the book, you don’t discover until you turn the page that the author of this passage is Theodore Kaczynski – the Unabomber. … Kaczynski’s actions were murderous and, in my view, criminally insane. He is clearly a Luddite, but simply saying this does not dismiss his argument; as difficult as it is for me to acknowledge, I saw some merit in the reasoning in this single passage. I felt compelled to confront it. Kaczynski’s dystopian vision describes unintended consequences, a well-known problem with the design and use of technology, and one that is clearly related to Murphy’s Law –“Anything that can go wrong, will.” … The cause of many such surprises seems clear: The systems involved are complex, involving interaction among and feedback between many parts. Any changes to such a system will cascade in ways that are difficult to predict; this is especially true when human actions are involved. I started showing friends the Kaczynski quote from The Age of Spiritual Machines; I would hand them Kurzweil’s book, let them read the quote, and then watch their reaction as they discovered who had written it. At around the same time, I found Hans Moravec’s book, Robot: Mere Machine to Transcendent Mind. Moravec is one of the leaders in robotics research, and was a founder of the world’s largest robotics research program at Carnegie Mellon University. Robot © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page 9   gave me more material to try out on my friends – material surprisingly supportive of Kaczynski’s argument. According to Moravec, … our main job in the 21st century will be “ensuring continued cooperation from the robot industries” by passing laws decreeing that they be “nice,” and to describe how seriously dangerous a human can be “once transformed into an unbounded superintelligent robot.” Moravec’s view is that the robots will eventually succeed us – that humans clearly face extinction. Joy wonders why more people do not share his concern and unease and suggests an answer: … Accustomed to living with almost routine scientific breakthroughs, we have yet to come to terms with the fact that the most compelling 21stcentury technologies – robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology – pose a different threat than the technologies that have come before. Specifically, robots, engineered organisms, and nanobots share a dangerous amplifying factor: they can self-replicate. A bomb is blown up only once – but one bot can become many, and quickly get out of control. Much of my work over the past 25 years has been on computer networking, where the sending and receiving of messages creates the opportunity for out-of-control replication. But while replication in a computer or a computer network can be a nuisance, at worst it disables a machine or takes down a network or network service. Uncontrolled selfreplication in these newer technologies runs a much greater risk: a risk of substantial damage in the physical world. Each of these technologies also offers untold promise: the vision of near immortality that Kurzweil sees in his robot dreams drives us forward; genetic engineering may soon provide treatments, if not outright cures, for most diseases; and nanotechnology and nanomedicine can address yet more ills. Together they could significantly extend our average life span and improve the quality of our lives. Yet, with each of these technologies, a sequence of small, individually sensible advances leads to an accumulation of great power and, concomitantly, great danger. Joy summarizes what he sees as the clear and present danger that confronts us: The 21st-century technologies – genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR) – are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small groups. They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them. © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page10   Thus we have the possibility not just of weapons of mass destruction but of knowledge-enabled evil whose possibility spreads well beyond that which weapons of mass destruction bequeathed to the nation-states, on to a surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals. That is a sobering conclusion from a very responsible and well-informed scientist who has made his mark as one of the chief architects of the present state of cybertechnology. And he declares, “… I trust it is clear that I am not a Luddite.” Rather, he affirms a strong belief in the value of the scientific search for truth and the ability of great engineering to bring material progress. Why is he surprised to find himself in his present state of unease and foreboding? Because, he writes, Perhaps it is always hard to see the bigger impact while you are in the vortex of a change. Failing to understand the consequences of our inventions while we are in the rapture of discovery and innovation seems to be a common fault of scientists and technologists; we have long been driven by the overarching desire to know that is the nature of science’s quest, not stopping to notice that the progress to newer and more powerful technologies can take on a life of its own. This is what he sees developing before our eyes. As this enormous computing power is combined with the manipulative advances of the physical sciences and the new, deep understandings in genetics, enormous transformative power is being unleashed. These combinations open up the opportunity to completely redesign the world, for better or worse, The replicating and evolving processes that have been confined to the natural world are about to become realms of human endeavor. In designing software and microprocessors, I have never had the feeling that I was designing an intelligent machine. The software and hardware is so fragile and the capabilities of the machine to “think” so clearly absent that, even as a possibility, this has always seemed very far in the future. But now, with the prospect of human-level computing power in about 30 years, a new idea suggests itself: that I may be working to create tools which will enable the construction of the technology that may replace our species. How do I feel about this? Very uncomfortable. Having struggled my entire career to build reliable software systems, it seems to me more than likely that this future will not work out as well as some people may imagine. My personal experience suggests we tend to overestimate our design abilities. Given the incredible power of these new technologies, shouldn’t we be asking how we can best coexist with them? And if our own extinction is a likely, or even possible, outcome of our technological development, shouldn’t we proceed with great caution? © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page11   There is much more in Joy’s essay, but what I have lifted up is surely enough to answer his question in the affirmative. Let me be clear – in all of this discussion of the accelerating pace of technological breakthroughs, I am over my head; nanotechnology is beyond my capacity to conceive. When I read of molecular level “assemblers” and that “one kind of nanomachine is the assembler, which is a tiny factory that can manufacture other machines, including replicas of itself,” I confess I am in a deep fog. But, I can at least catch some sense of the frontiers on which research and development is being executed. What it means that there will be robotic humans or human robots, I can hardly imagine, but I am now aware that this is no longer the stuff of science fiction; this is where we have arrived and where the next two or three decades will bring us if we survive – an open question! Joy puts is this way: The nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) technologies used in 20thcentury weapons of mass destruction were and are largely military, developed in government laboratories. In sharp contrast, the 21st-century genetic, nanotech, robotic technologies have clear commercial uses and are being developed almost exclusively by corporate enterprises. In this age of triumphant commercialism, technology – with science as its handmaiden – is delivering a series of almost magical inventions that are the most phenomenally lucrative ever seen. We are aggressively pursuing the promises of these new technologies within the now-unchallenged system of global capitalism and its manifold financial incentives and competitive pressures. This is the first moment in the history of our planet when any species, by its own voluntary actions, has become a danger to itself – as well as to vast numbers of others. And then he continues: “It might be a familiar progression, transpiring on many worlds – a planet, newly formed, placidly revolves around its star; life slowly forms; a kaleidoscopic procession of creatures evolves; intelligence emerges which, at least up to a point, confers enormous survival value; and then technology is invented. It dawns on them that there are such things as laws of Nature, that these laws can be revealed by experiment, and that knowledge of these laws can be made both to save and to take lives, both on unprecedented scales. Science, they recognize, grants immense powers. In a flash, they create worldaltering contrivances. Some planetary civilizations see their way through, place limits on what may and what must not be done, and safely pass through the time of perils. Others, not so lucky or so prudent, perish.” © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page12   That is Carl Sagan, writing in 1994, in Pale Blue Dot, a book describing his vision of the human future in space. I am only now realizing how deep his insight was, and how sorely I miss, and will miss, his voice. For all its eloquence, Sagan’s contribution was not least that of simple common sense – an attribute that, along with humility, many of the leading advocates of the 21st-century technologies seem to lack. For Bill Joy, there must be relinquishment – the limiting of development of the technologies that are too dangerous, by limiting our pursuit of certain kinds of knowledge. And, positively, he cites the Dalai Lama in his Ethics for the New Millennium as a guide to a more humane future – the call to conduct our lives with love and compassion for others, developing a stronger notion of universal responsibility and recognizing our interdependency. It is either such a course, or we stand in the shadow of catastrophe, the end of the Human Story. As much as I affirm Bill Joy in his recognition of the threat with which we live and his call for relinquishment of the pursuit in which we are engaged, I wonder if that is either realistic or even the best course to follow. Freeman Dyson, from 1953-1994, Professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and now Professor Emeritus, was invited to address the assembly of the world’s major players at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, 2001, as was Bill Joy. Bill Joy took the precautionary side of the question, “Is our technology out of control?” Freeman Dyson took the libertarian side. There were no votes taken on who won the debate; however, as much as I am in sympathy with Bill Joy, I must admit to voting for Dyson’s libertarian position. I surprise myself. I will not detail Dyson’s arguments, but let me cite only his conclusion in which he appeals to none other than John Milton in his Areopogitica. The last part of my reply to Bill Joy concerns remedies for the dangers that we all agree exist. Bill says, “Internationalize control of knowledge,” and “Relinquish pursuit of that knowledge … so dangerous that we judge it better that [it] never be available.” Bill is advocating censorship of scientific inquiry, either by international or national authorities. I am opposed to this kind of censorship. It is often said that the risks of modern biotechnology are historically unparalleled because the consequences of letting a new living creature loose in the world may be irreversible. I think we can find a good historical parallel where a government was trying to guard against dangers that were equally irreversible. Three hundred and fifty-nine years ago, the poet John Milton wrote a speech with the title Areopagitica addressed to the Parliament of England. He was arguing for the liberty of unlicensed printing. I am suggesting that there is an analogy between the seventeenth-century fear of moral © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page13   contagion by soul-corrupting books and the twenty-first-century fear of physical contagion by pathogenic microbes. In both cases, the fear was neither groundless nor unreasonable. In 1644, when Milton was writing, England had just emerged from a long and bloody civil war, and the Thirty Years’ War, which devastated Germany, had four years still to run. These seventeenth-century wars were religious wars, in which differences of doctrine played a great part. In that century, books not only corrupted souls but also mangled bodies. The risks of letting books go free into the world were rightly regarded by the English Parliament as potentially lethal as well as irreversible. Milton argued that the risks must nevertheless be accepted. I believe his message may still have value for our own times, if the word “book” is replaced by the word “experiment.” Here is Milton: I deny not, but that it is of greatest concernment in the Church and Commonwealth, to have a vigilant eye how books demean themselves as well as men; and thereafter to confine, imprison, and do sharpest justice on them as malefactors … I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous dragon’s teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. The important word in Milton’s statement is “thereafter.” Books should not be convicted and imprisoned until after they have done some damage. What Milton declared unacceptable was prior censorship, prohibiting books from ever seeing the light of day. Next, Milton comes to the heart of the matter, the difficulty of regulating “things, uncertainly and yet equally working to good and to evil”: Suppose we could expel sin by this means; look how much we thus expel of sin, so much we expel of virtue; for the matter of them both is the same; remove that, and ye remove them both alike. This justifies the high providence of God, who, though he commands us temperance, justice, continence, yet pours out before us even to a profuseness all desirable things, and gives us minds that can wander beyond all limit and satiety. Why should we then affect a rigor contrary to the manner of God and of nature, by abridging or scanting those means, which books freely permitted are, both to the trial of virtue, and the exercise of truth. It would be better done to learn that the law must needs be frivolous which goes to restrain things, uncertainly and yet equally working to good, and to evil. My last quotation expresses Milton’s patriotic pride in the intellectual vitality of seventeenth-century England, a pride that twenty-first-century Americans have good reason to share: © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page14   Lords and Commons of England, consider what Nation it is whereof ye are, and whereof ye are the governors: a Nation not slow and dull, but of a quick, ingenious, and piercing spirit, acute to invent, subtle and sinewy to discourse, not beneath the reach of any point the highest that human capacity can soar to … Nor is it for nothing that the grave and frugal Transylvania sends out yearly from as far as the mountainous borders of Russia, and beyond the Hercynian wilderness, not their youth, but their staid men, to learn our language, and our theologic arts. Perhaps, after all, as we struggle to deal with the enduring problems of reconciling individual freedom with public safety, the wisdom of a great poet who died more than three hundred years ago may still be helpful. (From The New York Review of Books: “The Future Needs Us!” February 13, 2003.) Preacher that I am, I suspect Dyson got to me with his argument based on the great Milton that the whole Creative Process has been fraught with risk. In the mythic story of Eden’s test, the human failed; yet, it was Milton who spoke of the paradox of “The Fortunate Fall.” Was it not in the fruit’s seductive lure that the human became like God, knowing good and evil? And throughout the human story of triumph and tragedy there remains that sense expressed in the Genesis myth that the human is created in the image of God. Volumes have been written on that conviction and I will not attempt to discuss it further here, except to remark that such a conception of the human expresses a profound sense of the dignity, nobility and potential of the human creature. It speaks, as well, of the connectedness of the Divine and the Human, as the human mirroring in some significant manner the Creative Source and Ground of Being. Again, as much as I affirm the call of Bill Joy to serious discussion about where technology is leading us and awareness of the risks and potential peril of the track we are on, I must say I simply do not believe the quest will be relinquished and further development halted. But, acknowledging that I am incapable of conceiving the spectors Joy envisions, I want to contend that, not only will his call for relinquishment not be heeded, but to do so would be to halt the emerging Creative Process that is unfolding through the human. The potential catastrophe to the human endeavor must be as great as has been portrayed by such responsible seers – we may be on the threshold of effecting our end; we may be bringing down the curtain on the human story. But, what if relinquishment short-circuited the emerging process in which the Human Story might reach its End –that is, its purpose, its full blossoming in the great cosmic dance? In the rapid pace of technological development, studies of over a decade ago may seem ancient. Yet, the questions with which we wrestle are not new, even if they suddenly appear more urgent. The Harvard scholar, © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page15   Professor of Divinity, Gordon D. Kaufman, wrestled with these questions in his wonderfully titled In Face of Mystery (1993). In a chapter, “The Corruption of Historicity: Freedom and Evil,” he claims it is possible to draw some notions about why and how our historicity becomes corrupted. After surveying the “corruptions of history,” he declares, The central point with which we must come to terms is this: whether in the West or in more traditional societies, the processes of modernization (into which the development of our historicity and agency has brought us) now confront us with dilemmas that seem to be increasingly unmanageable by us, dilemmas which can eventuate not only in the extinction of various cultural traditions but in the annihilation of humankind itself. Our historicity, that which gives us our distinctiveness among all living beings, has proved to be a mixed blessing. But it is no longer possible to retreat into non-historical, non-agential modes of being (as we have seen): human life has become so thoroughly historicized that such moves backward into a simpler form of animality are inconceivable. We must, then, attempt to take responsibility for this situation in which we find ourselves, no matter how great its complexity and incomprehensibility. We have no choice but to move forward into a further widening and deepening of our historicity, and of the agency and responsibility which it makes possible. There are further frightening problems. We will, for example, soon have to decide what kind of beings we should seek to become in the future, into what sorts of beings we should seek to transform ourselves. The most obvious point where this question is beginning to make itself felt is in recent developments in biology. We can now conceive the possibility of bringing about changes in the very genetic basis of human life, and we shall soon need to decide whether we want to do that. If so, in what directions should the biological substructure of human existence be moved? Should we think of our desired future as some sort of continuation or extension of the historical existence which is now ours? Or would some other mode of being, something above or beyond historicity, be more desirable? Can we even imagine a transhistorical mode of human existence? Would it be a form of life “beyond freedom and dignity,” to use B. F. Skinner’s famous phrase? – an existence in which we were conditioned or programmed in such a way as to function perfectly, without anxiety, stress, guilt, failures, crime, insanity; in short, without the enormous human problems which we have just been noting? If we could make the necessary genetic modifications to bring off a mode of existence of that sort, would that really be a gain? Or a tremendous loss? Are anxiety, guilt, failure, the threat of meaninglessness inseparable from the powers of creativity and freedom which make responsible historical existence possible? And is self-responsible historicity, with all its problems, more desirable than a perfectly programmed life, well tuned and adjusted, in a society without major issues that need to be addressed? © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page16   It is difficult to know how to answer such questions, or even to grasp what they mean. We have no concepts for thinking clearly about what we are here trying to conceive. The imaginative works of science-fiction writers may provide some suggestions, but it is difficult to know what should be taken seriously there and what is just fantasy. The old religious dreams about a heaven in which human life goes on in a perfected form, without any problems or difficulties, express the attempts of earlier generations to imagine a form of human existence beyond historicity; but the fundamental absurdities and incoherences of all such pictures simply confirm the difficulty (or impossibility?) for humans either to conceive or imagine a genuinely transhistorical mode of existence. This might seem to argue that in posing questions of this sort we have simply moved beyond our depth, and that we should, therefore, not bother ourselves with them. But that option is really not available to us, for the possibilities of actually changing the biological base of human life are clearly opening before us, and we shall have to make decisions about these matters soon. The human movement through a long history into historicity has always been a movement into the unknown; it has often involved fearful dangers and has resulted in tragic losses. To be historical beings means to take risks in face of unknown futures. Who is in a position to say that gaining some degree of genetic control over human evolution is not an appropriate next step in the development of our humanity, a next major move forward toward our fuller humanization? Our evolving into historical beings in the first place involved massive evolutionary modifications in the central nervous system and the brain, the development of the hand, the change to an upright posture, and the like. Why suppose these biological modifications are now completed? Clearly, we are in fact ill-adapted in many ways. We have bodies which gained their fundamental form and capacities during the long period when humans lived in small packs or hordes, the form of their life shaped largely by activities like hunting and food-gathering. But modern civilization is far removed from those sorts of patterns; historical changes in human existence have far outstripped the biological evolution which produced the physical organisms undergirding our existence. If it is becoming possible now to more directly adapt the biological organisms of future generations to match the character and strains of modern life, why not attempt it? Would this not be an important – even necessary – extension of the whole evolutionary-historical development which has produced humanity?(pp. 221-223) Kaufman is speaking of biological modification which sounds less threatening than the nanotech and robotics of which Bill Joy speaks; yet, his argument, I think, would be the same – in this risky cosmic dance into which our lives are woven, the story is of creative, evolving emergent forms and structures that © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page17   introduced radical transformations along the way. Was there any way to predict at the moment of the Big Bang that creatures of conscious awareness would evolve billions of years in the future? To cite Kaufman once more: …The traditional notion that God works through all of cosmic history – and is working in human history in particular toward the creation of a thoroughly humane order (that is, toward human salvation) – now becomes understood in terms of the modern notion of the evolutionary-historical process within which humanity has emerged and developed: the serendipitous creativity underlying and working through all reality is expressing itself here (over many aeons of time) in a trajectory toward human and humane orders of being. In a slow, long-term development of this sort the direction in which things are moving may, of course, remain unclear for a very long time. Not until a stage of considerable differentiation and specification has been reached is it possible to imagine, or make judgments about, what is really happening; and even then many quite diverse possibilities remain open. But each new stage of the ongoing biohistorical process specifies a bit more precisely what directions the movement is going and what outcomes may be expected, as some possibilities are cut off and eliminated, and others are opened up and increasingly realized; and there may come a moment of decisive “revelation” of what is going on in the process as a whole. Thus, for example, at the moment of cosmic time in which the earth was gradually cooling and solidifying from the ball of fire it had earlier been, there would have been no way to anticipate or predict that in due course it would become a womb and home for living creatures. Later on, when living organisms began to appear in the sea, it would hardly have been possible to guess that they would eventually evolve into myriads of species of life – birds, insects, animals, plants with infinite varieties of flowers and fruits, and so on. Even with the appearance of mammals it could hardly have been suspected that anthropoids would appear further down the road. And with the emergence of fully formed Homo there was still no sufficient basis to foresee the development of ancient Egypt, Babylon, India, China, Greece, or Rome – and certainly not the various forms of modern civilization. However, if from the vantage point of modern humanity we look back over this long cumulation of events, we may begin to discern what appears to be a more or less continuous line of development up to the present. It is striking to realize that this line was not visible until the last half of the nineteenth century; before that (even one hundred years earlier) it could not be seen at all. It seems, thus, that with a trajectory of this sort what is going on is by no means evident at all points along the way; the events which give it its distinct character and significance become determinate only in the course of the process itself. Only as certain crucial thresholds were crossed did new possibilities appear and in due course become realized; and only after many such decisive thresholds were crossed did beings appear with a vantage point enabling them to see that it was possible to interpret this whole development as somehow implicit from the beginning. One speaks of a “process of development” when one can specify © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page18   certain points or stages through which a particular trajectory has proceeded, the process as a whole being marked off and defined by some (at least implicit) beginning and end. “End” and “beginning” and “process of development” are thus all logically interconnected with one another; they illuminate and determine one another conceptually, and no one of them can be clearly understood –as the “end” or the “beginning” of “this particular process” – without the others. Because of these conceptual interconnections we are inclined to think of the end of a particular process of development as implicit from its beginning; and if it happens to be the process of our own development into humanness that we are considering, it will be of importance to us to attempt to see, on the basis of the direction it seems to have followed up to the point at which we humans now find ourselves, where it may be going. In a fascinating essay, “Praying in a Post-Einsteinian Universe,” David S. Tooland writes, What we think of as matter – whether it be a subatomic quark, a yellow low star like our sun, or a beehive – must be thought of as bound and condensed energy, captured in an eddy out of the torrential, buzzing flow set loose by the first chord of our cosmic symphony. We, the plants and the stars are warps or disturbances in the field of this ballooning, random energy.(Cross Currents, Winter 1996-97, p. 450) Tooland writes, We are all thermodynamic systems (heat users), and that means we are precarious balancing acts, moment by moment converting random energy into information/organization and, in the enterprise, loosing structured energy in the form of waste. …The universe is a gigantic communications network, a complex circuitry of instructions – most of which we can barely decipher. Consequently, the gap between nature and human culture has increased considerably … The natural sciences, we may now say, do archeological digs into the primitive signs and protolanguages of atoms and DNA molecules; the humanities deal with the more developed sign systems and meanings of the animated star dust we call human cultures. (p. 452F.) Animated stardust! What a magnificent image of the human –stardust that has over billions of years evolved/emerged in human consciousness. In poetic expression, Tooland declares, Offspring of stars, children of earth, we are great mothering nature’s soulspace, her heart and vocal chords – and her willingness, if we consent to it, to be spirited, to be the vessel of the Holy One. (p. 464) © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page19   In his book, Sodom and Gomorrah, Charles Pellegrino concludes with a chapter entitled, “God, the Universe, and Everything,” in which he begins by describing the immensity of the energy of nuclear power, and then writes, These are the realities of the world we are creating. The same fire that warms and lights our homes can, at any moment, be turned against us. This is how it has been since Homo erectus times. The difference is that now we are handling much stronger fires. Our rocks contain traces of metals forged in the hearts of supernovae. They are the ash of stars that lived and died when our solar system was dust. Refined, arranged in specific geometries, and tweaked in just the right way, the primordial ash of Creation can be made to echo, billions of years later, the last shriek of an exploding star. If we have retained as much dryopithecine savagery as Bronze Age and Iron Age Scriptures suggest, then the shriek may yet manifest as brief reincarnations of distant suns burning hellishly in the centers of our cities. If we are wise, and perhaps even if we cling to some of the lessons contained in those very same Iron Age Scriptures (“Thou shalt not kill,” would be a good start), the shriek will be harnessed, for decades to come, as a warm, steady glow in the reactor core. Born of Auschwitz, Pearl Harbor, and Hiroshima, Indian Point 3 (especially in this era of American and Russian nuclear disarmament) stands to become the ultimate realization of Isaiah’s beating swords into plowshares. There seem to be no limits to what the human mind is capable of dreaming and producing. But the one thought that stands foremost in my mind, as I study the cyclic collapse of past civilizations and dream of new machines for the advancement of our own civilization, is that as we begin forging the keys to the universe, we must be very, very careful that those same keys do not also open the gates to hell. (p.334F) Pellegrino’s book was instigated by Father Fernando, a Jesuit and director of Sri Lanka’s Institute for Integral Education, along with his colleague Arthur C. Clerk. The book closes with a dialogue with Father John MacQuitty and explorer Robert Ballard. Pellegrino speaks of the human evolutionary story. By the time of the dryopithecines – only a few seconds ago, by a rock’s standard of time – the numbers of nerve cells and the complexity of synaptic connections in the savage brain had been rising for millions of years. When the australopithecine “Lucy” stood upon the shores of Lake Turkana, the columns of her neocortex were already more alive with neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and electrical charges than anything yet seen upon the Earth. As if following some true compass, the australopithecine lineages were diversifying into newer, even larger-brained tribes. Sooner or later one of those diverse branches was bound to reach a neural threshold. By the time Mitochondrial Eve appeared, the threshold had been reached and exceeded. Out of inanimate carbon, hydrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur had emerged consciousness. Carbon and calcium knew fire and flint, and most important, it knew itself. Knowing itself, and lonely, it amassed in the © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page20   river worlds. With consciousness and massing behavior, both promise and dread entered the world. Anything that thinks can build. Anything that builds can destroy. “The first thing that must be asked about future man,” Charles Darwin said, “is whether he will be alive, and will know how to keep alive, and not whether it is a good thing that he should be alive.” “The first thing I’d like to ask about future man,” Father Mervyn Fernando once told me, “is whether the evolutionary process stops with our present civilization or are there further stages ahead? If you look back to the origins of man, if you are really paying attention, you can get bearings and sights to peer into the future. As the diversity of life on Earth increased, some organisms became increasingly complex. Increasing complexity brought increasing consciousness, and now one conscious organism has spread from pole to pole, over the oceans and under them, enclosing the Earth in a single thinking envelope. And the envelope is becoming more and more unified. We see this happening before our very eyes.” The way Father Fernando viewed civilization, five billion people, seemingly mindless of what was actually happening, were creating a world mind connected by a network of satellites, telephones, and fax machines. The planet was acquiring a nervous system, and there was no telling what shape it would eventually take. What surprised me is how closely the priest’s vision of man’s ascent and ultimate fate agreed with the news of NASA scientist Jesco von Puttkamer: “The origin and persistence of consciousness are the key to our evolutionary vocation,” said von Puttkamer, who was part of the rocket team that put Scott Carpenter into orbit. “And it may be that we are already creating our next evolutionary stage.” For more than a decade von Puttkamer had been speaking about what he liked to call “the soul in the machine.” “It is an attempt,” he told me, “to explain why machines, in my opinion, as they get more complex, do become more responsive to humans. They become more sophisticated. They become more automatic. They become more independent. The robot spacecraft Voyager 2, as it flew past Saturn, was in a sense very independent from humans. One command beamed up from Earth triggered a whole chain of commands. So if you look at the inanimate matter all these automatic systems are made from –“ “Oh, my God!” I remember cutting him off in mid-sentence; then we both trailed off. The soul in von Puttkamer’s machine had raised something new in my mind and was raising a chill, a gooseflesh on my arms. “Do you mean,” I said at last, “that as biology has done with carbon and phosphorus and sulfur, so, too, are we doing with silicon, plastic, and steel? A © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page21   computer’s circuits, and the nerves bundled in my neocortex, move pulses of electrons around in organized fashion. Are you suggesting that by creating artificial intelligence, we may actually be creating our next evolutionary offshoot, that we are creating life?” “In a sense, yes. The computer chip is still inanimate matter, but it is obviously more than sand.” “But what is it that is more?” “An ever-increasing complexity,” said von Puttkamer,“which shows itself in terms of a consciousness.” As he followed the neural networks of modern computers backward through time, back through the ancestral and already primitive brain of Voyager 2, back past the human brains that had created the machines, and into the Earth itself – all the way back to atoms of carbon or silicon – he began to see that there must have been a continuing chain of increasing degrees of consciousness, which started with the simplest form of matter. “It has to start somewhere, and I figure it starts at the electron. The electron could actually be the unit of consciousness, meaning that human brains are simply the electron’s way of reaching increased complexity.” “You make it sound as if electrons do this by design,” I said. “And who’s to say there is no grand design?” “I try not to view nature that way.” “You wear the badge of Darwin with too much pride, Charlie. Be careful. It can blind you. A good scientist leaves all possibilities open, even the possibility that there is a grand design. Look at us, for example. We are building more and more complex machines, and we really don’t know why. We are just doing it. Somewhere we think it’s the right thing to do, almost as if we were following some deep-rooted instinct. We build Voyager 2 and plan to follow it with a whole generation of more sophisticated space-faring robots. We are forever reaching on, and if somebody asks us why we are doing it, basically we have no answer. We are just supposed to be doing it.” I never was able to stop thinking about those electrons …the way von Puttkamer had spoken about them. How is it that certain nerve fibers arranged in certain ways allow us to think? A lot of matter from diverse places (salts from Antarctica, calcium from a Triassic pond) was assembled, not very long ago, into the first diploid cell of the yet-to-beborn, from which unfurled genetic blueprints for a gridwork of brain cells. And although the electrons coursing through the neural grid are the basis of every thought we have, they somehow produce a mind that, as it asks questions and designs computers to help answer them, feels quite separate from the cells themselves. The electrons are working in our best interest, © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page22   supposedly. But when I imagine what I would look like if all the organic molecules in my body could be made invisible, so that I could look in a mirror and see only the paths of freely moving electrons, I know that the outline of my entire body would be there in every detail, brightest at the brain and spine; even the nerves in my fingertips and eyelids would show up as streams of electrons. As von Puttkamer would have it, the electrons, being among the very first particles to come out of the Big Bang, waited more than twelve billion years for planets like Earth to form and then to sprout life, waited for moments such as this. Perhaps it is really the electrons who are thinking these words. Perhaps our bodies are little more than vessels serving their interests, and as we set forth to design increasingly advanced artificial brains, it is possible to believe that the sine qua non of our existence is to build larger, faster electron vessels, perhaps even to eventually clear the decks for them, as the dinosaurs once cleared the decks for us. Viewed in this light, the history of the universe has been a tremendous waiting game. In the beginning, electrons emerged as the perfect parasites, fresh and hot from the Big Bang, awaiting only the arrival of the perfect host. If this is true, it is not I but the electrons coursing through my brain … who are looking back across all time and asking, “Where did we come from?” (p. 337F.) Father MacQuitty asked Charles Pellegrino where he saw humanity going. Pellegrino answered: “I’m not as optimistic as the others,” I said. “I’ve known Karnak, Jericho, BetShe’an, and Babylon too well to think we’ve got that much of a shot. There is a long, difficult road ahead, and it diverges here, near the border of the third millennium A.D. A thousand years from now we will either be an archaeological curiosity that our own descendant star farers look back to and ask, ‘How did they ever accomplish so much with so little?’ or we will be another in a long line of vanished civilizations – mysteriously advanced for our time and full of promise – just another lost Eden, romanticized and over-glorified forever. It’s the doors of heaven and Earth or the gates of hell, the universe or nothing. That is the choice man is coming to.” “Then you were wrong about something,” MacQuitty said. “What do you mean?” “You once told me that if this is how far we’ve come, we have not come very far. But that is not the whole story, my friend, is it?” “No,” I conceded. “That is not the whole picture. I’m afraid the real story is this: Whatever we’re coming to, we’re almost there.” Is there an End for the human story, an End in terms of an intention arising from a Creative Spirit as the Font of Being with a bias toward Life, Conscious Life with © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Human Story Richard A. Rhem Page23   awareness stumbling on its way toward an End of Love and Peace and cosmic wellbeing? Or, will we creatures who find ourselves at this point in the evolutionary trajectory, consciously holding the keys to the City of God as well as the Gates of Hell, instead of realizing our End, end the story in technological catastrophe? One will live in hope or fear not by an analysis of technological potential, not by peering into the depths of space or probing the mysteries of microbiology. Finally, this is a spiritual decision, a matter of trust or not. I do not think we can simply halt the ongoing march of the human quest; that will go on. The issue of the ongoing quest will depend not on whatever technology is devised, but on the human spirit, the human family that has become the co-creator of the future. In our conscious awareness, we know we are “animated stardust,” creatures in process, on the way to an as yet unimagined future which is our End. I know we can end it all; I choose to believe and so to bet that, rather, we will realize our End – by God! References: Freeman Dyson, “The Future Needs Us!” New York Times Review of Books, February 13, 2003. Bill Joy, “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us: Our most powerful 21-st century technologies…are threatening to make humans an endangered species,” Wired, April, 2000. Kirkpatrick Sale. Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution: Lessons For the Computer Age. Basic Books, paperback edition, 1996. © 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. Event Muskegon Council for the Arts & Humanities Festival Series Technology & Humanity Location The location of the interview Torrent House, Muskegon References Freeman Dyson,"The Future Needs Us!" New York Times Review of Books, February 13, 2003. Bill Joy, "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us," Wired,April 2000. Kirkpatrick Sale. Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution, 1996. 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-3-20051017 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The End of the Human Story 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 Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 17, 2005 entitled "The End of the Human Story", as part of the series "Technology & Humanity", on the occasion of Muskegon Council for the Arts & Humanities Festival, at Torrent House, Muskegon. Tags: Potential and peril of scientific technology, . Scripture references: Freeman Dyson,"The Future Needs Us!" New York Times Review of Books, February 13, 2003. Bill Joy, "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us," Wired,April 2000. Kirkpatrick Sale. Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution, 1996.. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-10-17 Potential and peril of scientific technology https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e32a044019e3f10e59650ff561bd9de2.pdf 9eb57375cec948ff6d908f719ab85ba9 PDF Text Text The End of the Story From the series: Christian Faith: Interpretations of Experience Text: Micah 4:4-5; I Corinthians 15:28; John 20:21 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Memorial Day Weekend, May 24, 1998 Transcription of the spoken sermon On this Memorial Day weekend, which is also the last Sunday in Eastertide, I am going to say one more time that our Christian tradition is the consequence of the interpretation of experience. The foundational event of the Christian tradition is Easter, the experience of being in the presence of the crucified one, Jesus. It was the experience of those who knew that Jesus, the one they had loved and followed and hoped would be their deliverer, had been crucified and then, strangely enough, was with them still. Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus - all of them. The Christian tradition coming out of the womb of Judaism was the consequence of interpreting the experience of the living Lord. All religion is the interpretation of human experience. It is the consequence of our trying to make sense out of our human situation in those moments when we come to an awareness, a consciousness of the holy, of the sacred, of God. In those moments of awareness, we seek to understand what is going on, what has been said to us, what has broken through to us, and that ongoing interpretation of experience, which initially is reported and repeated orally, is later written down. The foundational event thus becomes a written record and continues to create the possibility for the experience to happen again and again and again because we’re dealing with the living Lord, the living Lord who gave us the Spirit. The Christian tradition is now 2000 years old and it is the interpretation of the experience of the presence of Jesus who we declare to be Lord of all - that the Way of Jesus was the Way of God, that the truth of Jesus was the truth of God, and that the life of Jesus was the life of God. So, what is the end of it all, the purpose of the story that we have now been telling for 2000 years, the story that has been told and retold for 2000 years and has been told to us and that we continue to tell - what is the end of it all? I want to say this morning on this Memorial Day weekend that the end of it all is peace on earth, or to use that beautiful Hebrew word which is too rich to translate with one English word - the end of it all is Shalom, the totality of reality in total harmony between Creator and creature, Creator and creation, creature and © Grand Valley State University   �The End of the Story Richard A. Rhem Page 2   creation - in the totality of that mix, perfect harmony reflecting the intention of God. That is the purpose or the end of the Gospel. The scriptures are focused on the here and now. Our faith is of this worldly faith. To be sure, we have tended to project it beyond history to another time and another place. But to read the scriptures is to be aware that it is about this world and its transformation. It is about the mending of Creation. The Hebrew prophets gave us visions that are marvelous. If you would go down to the Worship Center this year, you would have seen here and there lions and lambs, because the wonderful vision of the prophet Second Isaiah, was that the time would come when there would be a new creation in which the lion and the lamb would lie down together. As Woody Allen said, "When they sleep, the lion will sleep more soundly than the lamb," nonetheless, the lion and the lamb lying down together, symbolic of that harmony that has come over all things. Or, the picture in the prophetic reading this morning from Micah where Mt. Zion will be exalted, will be lifted up, and the nations will flow to Jerusalem. Out of Mt. Zion will flow the Torah, the Law understood as the way of life. And the purpose of Israel, its specific function, was to be the instructor of the nations, to give light to the nations. The prophet says that, when Israel is exalted, when Mt. Zion is exalted and when the nations come and receive instruction in Torah, then there will be righteousness and peace, then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore. The prophetic vision is about this world, about creation, about history, about concrete human experience, and the end of the biblical story is that there might be peace. On Memorial Day we remember those who paid the supreme sacrifice in order that there might be peace and freedom, and we have enjoyed so much as a nation, but we have still in this world of ours so far to go. The prophetic vision is a challenge to us. The experience of Jesus’ death and resurrection was Paul’s experience. He tried to figure out the timetable and what was going to happen. He talked about how Jesus was raised from the dead as the first fruits of those who would be raised. Paul expected that he was at the end of the age, the new age was about to dawn. Paul expected that this Jesus who had been raised was in the presence of God temporarily, only to return and to restore all things. The major victory had been won, but there was at present a mopping up operation. Then, when Jesus finally subdued all things, then Jesus would yield up the kingdom to God and then God would be everything to everyone. Paul expected it to happen any moment. He was wrong about that. If you read the 15th chapter of I Corinthians, you find that Paul was straining to understand the phenomenon of resurrection and he would have been better off just to proclaim it rather than the torturous way in which he went on to talk about it. He was wrong about how this all was going to work out, and I can’t believe that for 2000 years we haven’t simply recognized that fact. But, what we see in him, what he was trying to do was to say that what happened in Jesus was critical for the whole destiny of the © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Story Richard A. Rhem Page 3   universe, for the world, and that eventually there would arrive the kingdom of God or this reign of God. I like the picture that we have in the fourth Gospel of that Easter evening when Jesus is suddenly in the midst of the disciples who are clammed up in a locked room, afraid for their lives, and he says, "Peace to you." They determine that it really is their living Lord, and he says, "Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so send I you." Paul was just a couple of decades down the line; he was still expecting the heavens to open. The writer of the fourth Gospel some six decades down the line is beginning to say maybe we need to adjust our understanding of what’s going on in the world. But, the point in the fourth Gospel in the light of the resurrection, the interpretation of that experience was that, as Jesus was in the world, so the followers of Jesus were to be. "As the Father has sent me, so send I you." If Jesus is the enfleshment of the word of God, if Jesus is the human face of God, if Jesus is the embodiment of God in historical garb, then what Jesus says in the fourth Gospel to us is that what I am here, you are to be here, and that is to say "Peace be unto you," to bring about that Shalom on earth, the mending of creation. It is the task here and now in our lives as a community of faith to be peacemakers, to create, to embody in community that mending of relationships and that totality of harmony in our lives and in our lives together that will be a sign of the kingdom of God, and do what we can to promote peace in the world. In the middle of April, Time magazine came out with the first of six special editions that will come out over the next two years. Perhaps you’ve seen it. The 20th century, its leaders and revolutionaries. This being the first, special issue, there was an introductory essay indicating the marks of our 20th century, which the writer claims is one of the four or five most significant centuries ever, and we’re living at the end of it. He mentions, for example, the 15th century with the Renaissance, the Spanish Inquisition, Copernicus looking at the heavens, the Gutenberg printing press, very, very significant, earth-shaking, age-determining events. Or, the first century, of course, with Jesus’ life and death, or the 5th century B.C. with Plato, Aristotle, the whole Greek philosophical thinking. But the writer makes a pretty good case for the fact that our 20th century is one of those significant times. Over the years I have called it a hinge period, a hinge time. You know all these things, but just listen as he ticks off some of the things that mark our century. "To name just a few random things we did in 100 years we split the atom, invented jazz and rock, launched airplanes and landed on the moon, concocted a general theory of relativity, devised the transistor, and figured out how to etch millions of them in tiny microchips, discovered Penicillin and structured DNA, fought down Fascism and Communism, developed cinema and television, built highways and wired the world, not to mention the peripherals these produced, such as sitcoms and cable channels, 800 numbers, websites, shopping malls, leisure time, existentialism, modernism, Oprah." And, he says, "Against all odds we avoided blowing ourselves up." © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Story Richard A. Rhem Page 4   What a time in which to be alive. One of the most significant centuries in which to be a participant. A fascinating time. With all of that happening, is there any wonder that people are afraid, have lost their moorings, so that we see a double reaction in society at large? We see on the one hand a kind of a pessimistic relativism that throws up its hands and sees no guiding star, and on the other hand, we see a kind of fanatical reactionism, a fundamentalism that wants to turn the clock back and to go back and find a safe place in which to dwell, not understanding that there is no safe place in which to dwell in the house of history and that one can never go home, one can never go backward. It is the people of God, it is the church of Jesus Christ that ought to be at the forefront with confidence leading the way, breaking new ground with a beacon into the future, wondering at the awesomeness of our life and our world and moving things onward rather than generating fear and eliciting negative emotions from people. The prophet Micah, in the passage to which I referred a moment ago, after speaking about how the nations will flow to Mt. Zion to be instructed and go home and live in peace, says, "And the nations and the people will walk in the name of their God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, Yahweh our God." In other words, in that moment when Israel was to be the teacher of the nations, they were not bringing everybody into the Jewish faith, they were saying to everybody, "Practice your own faith. Practice your rituals. Pray in your own way, in your own posture, in your own good time, be who you are. But learn those basic, fundamental principles of righteousness, justice, and compassion that are the foundation of human society. Those principles have manifested themselves so marvelously in western civilization and in the United States of America in our history. Those principles of democratic liberalism, the freedom of the individual, the possibility of pursuing one’s own way in worship and in work, the wonderful freedom that has enabled us to accomplish tremendous goals. The kinds of things that we have brought about, accomplished and take for granted today are not things that will go down in history as just another interesting century - they are the kinds of discoveries that will open up the world as never before. The growth will be exponential, the understanding, the insights, if we don’t blow ourselves up. And we could. But, we will blow ourselves up if we allow the religious fundamentalisms of the world to create fear and drive to violence. It is for the church of Jesus Christ to recognize on this Memorial Day weekend, this end of Eastertide, that all of our interpretation of tradition is the consequence of our concrete experience, and that is true for us and it is true for every people everywhere. In the Time article it notes the things that we have to worry about as we go into the next century: two of them are tribalism and fundamentalism. It is imperative for the church of Jesus Christ to recognize that the whole purpose and end of its story is peace, that its whole biblical story is about Shalom, about the mending of creation, about the ultimate kingdom of God, the reign of God in peace where dwell righteousness and justice and compassion. © Grand Valley State University �The End of the Story Richard A. Rhem Page 5   The church is called as never before to a radical discipleship. As the Father has sent me, so send I you ... the embodiment of the divine in the human, calling for justice, compassion, loving of the enemy, turning the other cheek, the way of nonviolence, laying down finally one’s life, if need be. That’s the radical demand of the followers of Jesus who would be in this world as Jesus was, which is the end and purpose of it all, finally to be a peacemaker. We know this in our heart. I believe we want to be peacemakers, to dwell in peace. We must trust our hearts, dare to act on our intuition, stop fighting over the Bible as though it fell out of heaven having an authoritarian grip on our lives. In all its diverse witness, finally it calls us to the way of Jesus, the crucified who lives - to be as he was, to be the Body of Christ committed to peace. It is time for us to wrestle with the biblical story again, to take seriously 2000 years of tradition, to trust our experience and to use our heads! And to be good to one another, with good humor and grace, and a lot of kindness and compassion. Finally, dear friends, that’s what it’s all about. Heaven can wait. That can’t. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e67b73dc7365010bb2dae7fa7ce9a30b.mp3 f82b9ef0fbc1e5f79ddf37e282c7b8d9 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 Memorial Day Weekend, Eastertide VII Series Christian Faith: Interpreting an Experience Scripture Text Micah 4:4-5, I Corinthians 15:28, John 20:21 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-0-19980524 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998-05-24 Title A name given to the resource The End of the Story 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 May 24, 1998 entitled "The End of the Story", as part of the series "Christian Faith: Interpreting an Experience", on the occasion of Memorial Day Weekend, Eastertide VII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Micah 4:4-5, I Corinthians 15:28, John 20:21. cWay of Jesus Prophetic Vision Shalom https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dd58c9dea86c38221d421d899fbc15c4.pdf 4b998b612d1ec0f657de3cb1c80b7920 PDF Text Text A FREE BOOK TO THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 AT4 P.M. HOSTED BY DR. CHERYL BOUDREAUX -~ MEETS WEEKLY ON THURSDAYS AT 4 P.M. IN THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER I I LGBTRC/BDG I i I I Sharon Patricia Holland WWW .GVSU. EDU/ I I I � 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_LGBTQ_2013_The-Erotic-Life-of-Racism-Sharon-Patricia-Holland.pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-09-05 Title A name given to the resource The Erotic Life of Racism Description An account of the resource A poster for a book discussion on racism. Poster includes the information of the event, including the date, time and place. Subject The topic of the resource Sexual minorities Community centers Book clubs (Discussion groups) Racism 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 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Rainbow Resource Center Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f13d254ba4a0bb0cbd5c8434c40e3fb7.jpg 2a6f3d5b5b8b61cd654ec07adf0aba10 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. PR4404 .E73 1901 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_Bindings0389 Title A name given to the resource The Eternal City Description An account of the resource Binding of The Eternal City, by Hall Caine, published by D. Appleton and Company, 1901. 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 1901 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/42ecdd75c823f46c13d02e6e0be4e9bf.jpg c7538860817e56f9502d9c70ea91a411 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. PS1085.B63 E97 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_Bindings0268 Title A name given to the resource The Expatriates Description An account of the resource Binding of the Expatriates, by Lilian Bell, published by Harper & Brothers, 1900. 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 1900 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/ed1a331d87521c6a9b999e893f966e92.mp3 d98f75ae72a712a531d726d0bffc2bc0 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 XV Series The Footprints of God in the Sands of Time Scripture Text Exodus 33:18 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-0-19910901 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-09-01 Title A name given to the resource The Experience For Which the Heart Longs 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 September 1, 1991 entitled "The Experience For Which the Heart Longs", as part of the series "The Footprints of God in the Sands of Time", on the occasion of Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Exodus 33:18. 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/dc250f0727efd04faecddc9f4c4dbe6f.mp3 2d279fd1234638f9256a6c15a2a04505 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/81d999c2d97541ccfd57671c0a08786d.pdf a682acdc1591b9b0cacd976c2e279609 PDF Text Text The Experience of God From the series: Spirituality in the Modern World Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 139; Mark 1:9-15 Text: Genesis 1:2; Psalm 139:7; Mark 1:10 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan February 18, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon While I was on vacation, I had time to read the paper. I never bother with it the rest of the year, but there, a cup of coffee and the paper, and Nancy - it is a way to lull away some time. I was reading a couple of papers a day, and in the Sports section there was the talk about the difficultly the Los Angeles Lakers were having, possibly not able to repeat this year the championship because Phil Jackson, the Coach, has a problem. He doesn't have one star, he has two. Any time you have two stars, you have problems, right? You have this hulk of a man called Shaq, who is there because of hulk and some ability, and you have one with incredible athletic ability, Kobe Bryant, and of course, superstars would like to be the center of attention and, consequently, the Lakers' fortunes were not too good at that point. I think they have done a little better since, but I'm not going to hold my breath as to whether or not they repeat, I don't really care. After all, this is Piston territory, although we don't admit it always, but the interesting thing about that disturbance in the Laker lineup was that it reminded me that Phil Jackson, the coach, was a coach with some meditative dimension to him. He had been raised in a fundamentalist Christian home, his parents were both Pentecostal preachers, and one of the worst things that can happen to you when you grow up in a Pentecostal home is if you don't as an adolescent get the "gift," and he never got the "gift." His tongue just kind of laid there and it didn't "take" with Phil and he felt guilty about all of that, but he was a great athlete and he found great success, eventually playing in the NBA himself, and of course, his fame was with the Chicago Bulls. I hate to mention that name in this territory, too, but one has to do what one has to do. Coaching the great Michael Jordan and the Jordanaires, and winning three championships and all of that good stuff. He had a great success record there, and I thought to myself, what is he going to do in Los Angeles? A friend here gave me a book entitled Sacred Hoops, by Phil Jackson, with an Introduction written by then-Senator Bill Bradley. They were both in the NBA together. In Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson tells his story, and it is a very good read, actually. He tells a bit about his very rigid Christian upbringing, which he has not © Grand Valley State University �The Experience of God Richard A. Rhem Page 2 turned his back on, but to which he has added a touch of Buddhism. He got into a little Zen Buddhism and meditation. He learned how to sit on a cushion and cross his legs and breathe deeply and get mindful. But he was telling that, when he had Michael Jordan on the court, the other players were so enamored with Jordan's moves, that they would just sort of stand there and forget they were part of the team, too. What he had to do was weave them into a team and of course, with an outstanding star like that, that is not so easy, because all of us want to be in the center stage, and how do you create what he said is really a spiritual matter? Teamwork is a spiritual matter. And so, his own spiritual experience, his experience with contemplation, helped him to enable his players to bond together and to become a team and, of course, the success was evident. The word that Phil Jackson used about his own experience as a Christian, nonetheless, weaves some Buddhist meditation into his life. The word that he used was mindfulness. It's a good word. Mindfulness. It so happens that the book I was going to use on Tuesday evenings, John Hick’s The Fifth Dimension, speaks about mindfulness with Hick discussing Buddhism particularly, Hinduism a bit, but particularly Buddhism. Mindfulness, as John Hick says, brings one to total awareness of the moment, when one pauses long enough and, if you want a technique, through the breathing in and breathing out. Seeking to empty the mind of all distractions, one becomes mindful, and this, with practice, can become a way of being; it can pervade more and more of life so that we live in the present moment, not crippled by fears and shame of the past, not paralyzed by anxiety about the future, but being very much alive and alert and aware of the present moment. With practice and the spiritual disciplines, this can become more and more the demeanor of one's life, so that one finds a deeper level of serenity and peacefulness. It's a good word - mindfulness. Being consciously aware, aware of one's self and of one's world in the present moment, being present, here and now, in this moment. As John Hick says, all of the great religions recognized, in our human experience, some form of distortion. We all know it; we can look into our own lives, we can follow the course of our historical circumstances; the newspaper, the television is full of all kinds of this distortion of human life. As Hick says, you in the Western tradition, of which we are a part, know the story. We tell about that, the story of Adam and Eve created in Paradise, perfect, and their rebellion, their disobedience, their fall into sin. Really, in the biblical story and in the traditional Christian explanation of things, everything that is wrong with the world is a consequence of that original sin, that initial misstep, that sin that brings guilt, that brings alienation, that offends God, that creates the gulf between God and the human person, and the need for redemption, the need for the whole redemptive scheme of things in order that that gulf may be bridged and reconciliation may happen. That is the Christian story; it is the Jewish story, more or less, the idea that the distortion of the human situation is the consequence of sin, bringing guilt, bringing alienation. © Grand Valley State University �The Experience of God Richard A. Rhem Page 3 But, as Hick points out, and I am sure we are aware, in the eastern religions, it is not a question of sin and guilt and alienation, but rather, the distortion of life is the consequence of false consciousness. We just don't "see" correctly. We just don't "get it." There is a false consciousness and that false consciousness causes me to live as an egocentric being, causes me to live as one who is threatened by the other, causes me to live greedily and graspingly, causes me to follow the instincts that are in me as an animal that has emerged out of the jungle with survival skills. Those skills that enabled the race to preserve itself are still with us very much, because we may be spiritual beings, but we have not divested ourselves of that animal nature, and so we know ourselves to be creatures who are beckoned upward and dragged downward, and we live in that tension. In the east, the insight, the understanding is that failure to live with awareness and with peace is the consequence of a false consciousness. We don't "see" truly; we don't "see" correctly, we don't get the real picture. We distort it because of our egocentricity and all of that which impinges upon us. So, whether it is the Western Christian-Jewish-lslamic traditions, or the Eastern traditions, one explains it one way and another explains it another way; the fact is that they agree on that dis-ease and that distortion. I really enjoy listening to Boyd Wilson as I am unwinding from my sermons, and it always impresses me, as he presents the other great traditions, how the forms are different, how we do it, how we image it, how we imagine it, and the concepts are different, but it is all the same, really. It is that human situation in a distorted reality. There is that yearning for God, that thirst for the sacred, for the holy, that love of peace and wholeness that seems always to elude us. And so, in one story or another, in one tradition or another, we are dealing very much with the same thing. It does seem to me frankly that, from what we have learned from science about reality, about the natural world, about the universe, our cosmology today which is totally different than the cosmology of the biblical writers, our cosmology really fits a lot better with an eastern insight, because we are emerging. We are a part of the process. Fifteen billion years from "Big Bang," here we are, creatures who have become conscious, and in the Buddhist understanding and in the eastern tradition, it is not that God is "out there," God the creator who is some kind of craftsman or engineer who put this thing together; but rather, God is in the process, the creator- Spirit, the creative spirit, and this process which has come to expression in us so that we are actually the consciousness of the cosmos. With us the cosmos gets a voice, with us the cosmos comes to awareness, and we are able to be aware of and to articulate and name the wonder and the mystery of the whole creation. Here we are and God is in us, because as God is in all reality, with all of the great traditions affirmed, so God is in us. And so, I think, frankly, the eastern traditions have an edge on our western tradition in the fact that they have always looked inside, not outside, for God. The experience of God is within. You don't go beyond, but rather, into the depths of one's own soul and recognize that we are the unique human expressions of God. © Grand Valley State University �The Experience of God Richard A. Rhem Page 4 Now, here, let me tip you off - this is a dangerous statement. This will keep you thinking for a while. Are you ready? Could it be that self-awareness is the experience of God? Could it be that if I really came to the awareness of the depths of my humanness, that I would be contemplating God? The images of God that we have are terribly important for the way we think and the way we behave and how we feel about ourselves. If God is offended by my sin and my guilt and alienated from me, if God is a lawgiver and judge, then I may well feel in the universe like Phil Jackson felt in his own family home when he didn't get the "gift," not measuring up. Falling short. Unworthy. But, if, on the other hand, I am the universe come to consciousness, or another way of saying, if I am that sacred coming to awareness, if I am the human expression of the eternal god, then I am a part of the whole. Then there is no separation or alienation. I may still get myself into all of the rotten mess into which humanity can get itself, but it will be a consequence of false consciousness, not that God is angry with me, but that I have failed to see who I am. The wonder, the mystery of being the self expression of God, and that perception of things can make a huge difference in how I feel about myself and about God and about the whole of reality. All of these things are in all of the great traditions and certainly what I am suggesting is a little bit radical. It isn't often said quite that blatantly and bluntly, that self-consciousness is really God-consciousness, that self-awareness is awareness of the divine within, but it is in our tradition - "The Spirit of God brooded over the deep," in the creation story, or of hovering over the deep, brooding, creating. Psalm 139 - is there anything more beautiful than that? Isn't it a powerful expression of the experience of God, the God who is closer than our breath? "Thou hast searched me, O God, and known me. Where can I flee from thy presence? Night and day are the same to you. You formed me in my mother's womb. I am wonderfully and mysteriously made." And then the anger at those on the other side, "Why don't you slay them," only to come back to that moment of awareness to say, "Search me, O God. Know my heart." Beautiful! Powerful! So, it's in there, even though the imagery both in Genesis and the Psalmist is still that image of God "out there," or a kind of supernatural theism; nonetheless, the sense of intimacy is there, the presence when God is there. But, what about Jesus? Jesus coming to his baptism, joining the John the Baptist movement? Of course, if Jesus is the divine intruder, the second person of the Trinity, dipping down here to do the job for us, to get us fixed up with God again, then you can see his baptism as something other, but we have come to think about Jesus in the genuine, authentic humanity in which I believe he is portrayed, Jesus in the social context of his day, Jesus living in a time when there was exploitation, when there was oppression, when the heel of Imperial Rome © Grand Valley State University �The Experience of God Richard A. Rhem Page 5 was wringing all of the life out of the peasant class, when the cities were expanding and commercialism was expanding, and people were suffering in hopelessness and helplessness. It was in that kind of a context that Jesus came on the scene and joined John the Baptist, who was a rabid apocalyptic who said, "This is so dark and this is so black, God must soon come to damn the wicked and vindicate the righteousness." Jesus identified with John, not in a vacuum but, in a real historical, social, economic situation, Jesus identified with that movement. Interestingly, as he is driven off into the wilderness, we're told in the gospel story, he struggles in the wilderness with the evil one; he wrestles. What did he wrestle with? "Who am I? Who is God? What am I about? What is my calling, what is my mission? Is John right? I don't feel right with John." And he leaves the wilderness temptation and the power of the Holy Spirit and what does he proclaim, doom and gloom about to happen? No, he proclaims the good news, the year of the Lord's favor, and he is able to communicate with those people who had not a prayer that they were people of dignity, they were human, they were people of worth, they were children of God, they were children of the covenant, and they flocked to him because he gave them some reason to live, some meaning. He was a prophet, but he had that word for that moment, and they knew it was true. He gave people again the sense of human dignity and worth. Filled with the spirit. What was he? He was God-aware, he was self-aware. He taught them to see God in the lilies of the field and the sparrows. He taught them that God is as close as their breath. With that, one would have thought that Jesus might have been a Buddhist. The experience of God is always so difficult to nail down. I got a call in the middle of last evening from my old friend, Bud Ridder, who has preached for us here. He said, "What are you preaching on tomorrow?" I said, "Oh, God." I told him it's not easy trying to preach out of a whole new paradigm. I could make it so much easier for myself. He said, "Oh, I know." I said, "You know, I got so desperate a moment ago that I actually sat with my eyes closed and checked out my breathing for at least two minutes." You see, I'm really the worst one in the world to be talking about this because it has never worked for me. I've never had a decent prayer life. I can't meditate. I want to talk ideas. I want to keep it on an intellectual level. So, I'm the worst one in the world to try to be telling you about this, and I stumble and stammer because there is something here. If Jesus were to come today, what would he say to us? I wonder if, once again, he'd be the one with the word that connected because the time was right. I wonder if he would suggest to us that rolling blackouts in California are a sign of things to come. I wonder if he might say, "You know those rolling blackouts in California? What you really need to do is just generate more energy. Just find oil wherever it is. It doesn't matter where it is, whether it's in a nice, natural environment or not, just get the energy going, keep the industry going to keep the © Grand Valley State University �The Experience of God Richard A. Rhem Page 6 consumption going, because haven't you learned from your television set that you really are consumers? The television stations that are owned by the producers who push the goods to make us think that we will be less than human if we don't have it all?" Jesus would probably say, "Just find more energy. Rape the earth." Now, it's true that only a small percentage of earth's children are profiting by that and most of earth's children are living in poverty and hunger, and it's also true that, if you keep going at that rate, you're going to devastate the natural environment, but what the hell? You'll be dead." That's probably what Jesus would say, eh? We'd certainly hear something different from him, wouldn't we? We'd have to kill him again. You bet we would. I don't imagine that Ralph Nader is of the stature of Jeremiah or Isaiah, but it was interesting to me how the political parties, Republican and Democrat both, aligned with the fact that he was the enemy. I mean, he disrupts things. Life is good when it's in the hands of the power brokers of the age. Then they can play us. Then they can make us puppets and we just kind of go along with the flow. Here's a guy who has the audacity to ruin an election. Well, what's all that got to do with anything? It has a lot to do with the experience of God. I think Jesus would have something to say to us and I think some day someone will come with a word. Look what happened in India with Gandhi, that little Indian man. He talked about non- violent resistance and catalyzed a whole people. Sometime, when the time is right, and the right words spoken, things change. Unfortunately, however, most of us good people are so invested in the present that even when we begin to see it, we fight it. Now, I'm a part of that problem because if Cisco, Oracle, Intel, Microsoft, Exxon, Mobil, Sony, Motorola, and Compaq do not do well, you're going to have an aging preacher and his wife on your hands. You're going to have to take care of us. We're invested, folks. You see, I'm not pointing any fingers. It's just something to think about. The experience of God comes in moments of self-awareness, when I realize that it is not my game, but I am a part of some wonderful, mysterious whole, that my life is bound into the bundle of life, and that God is present, the God of the beginning, the God of the end, and the God who is with us in the meantime, and if I can ever see, by God, I will see, and it will be God in me. References: John Hick. The Fifth Dimension:An Exploration of the Spiritual Realm. Oneworld Publications, 1999. Phil Jackson. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. Hyperion, 1995. © 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 Lent I Series Spirituality in the Modern World Scripture Text Genesis 1:2, Psalm 139:7, Mark 1:10 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Phil Jackson. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. Hyperion, 1995. John Hick. The Fifth Dimension: An Exploration of the Spiritual Realm. Oneworld Pub., 1999. 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-0-20010218 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-02-18 Title A name given to the resource The Experience of God 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 February 18, 2001 entitled "The Experience of God", as part of the series "Spirituality in the Modern World", on the occasion of Lent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 1:2, Psalm 139:7, Mark 1:10. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Awareness Consciousness Presence of God https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c25aaec3a76ae5d4cfb261f258195927.mp3 93226fc1f744f341c7f77586fd16c631 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/87444afb3781bd14e130a761d1cf5095.pdf 174aa37de5f4bfffad01664f6fe97e1c PDF Text Text The Experience of God in a Pitiless Universe Text: Job 38:2; Job 42:3; Luke 13:2 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 27, 2000 Transcription of spoken sermon A week ago yesterday Nancy and I walked to the bluff sometime around noon because there was a helicopter going back and forth along the beach, skimming the surface of the water, and we knew that the search was continuing, the search that had ensued the day before. A mother had brought her nine-year-old son and his friend out to pick blueberries and then for a special treat, to come to Kirk Park just north of our home for a time of delight on the beach, in the sun, and in the surf. The lake on Friday was a raging lion. The breakers beautifully curling and then the fierce undertow in its wake, and Timmy and his little friend were just a little ways out. They were knocked down by a large wave; the friend managed to surface and come to the beach, but Timothy was not to be found. We stood on the bluff on Saturday morning and noted the helicopter coming out of the south once again. It paused to hover, to circle again, to hover, and we looked at each other and we knew there had been a sighting of that little body, and, to be sure, the Sheriff boats came down, the body bag was opened, the body placed in it and brought to the beach. The family was brought down in a little tractor-like vehicle to identify the body of their child, a scene too grievous to be witnessed, really. We live in a pitiless universe. We love that lake. It’s never the same. When I’m home on a day, I’ll wander out to the bluff several times just to take it in. Sometimes, as a week ago Friday, it is a lion and on Saturday morning a lamb. In all of its beauty and all of its terror, it is a wonder to behold, providing delight, recreation in a multitude of ways. But, it’s a killer, and as I experienced that last Saturday, knowing what I was hoping to preach and knowing what I would be struggling with through the course of this week past, that lake became for me a parable, a parable of the pitiless universe of which we are a part. That lake which we love so much, that lake which is so magnificent in its beauty and in its terror, that lake which is numb to the struggle of a drowning child, deaf to the desperate cries of a mother, that lake is a parable of the universe of which we are a part. It is a pitiless universe. It is neither good nor evil; it just is. It is a universe that has evolved and emerged, we’re told, over 15 billion years from an original explosion of something or other to the present state of things, but it’s a pitiless universe. We speak of the floods and the fires, the earthquakes that ravage the © Grand Valley State University   �God in a Pitiless Universe Richard A. Rhem Page 2   good earth and decimate the human family, and the earth, the world, the universe is unaware and unfeeling, simply, inexorably going on its natural course. Not only earthquake, flood and fire, the food chain itself - we know that all life is sustained by feeding on life. There is no other way. There are those who would attempt to somehow or other soften that reality. One may become a vegetarian, I suppose, but as a matter of fact, we know that in nature we speak of it as “red in tooth and claw,” whether it be the lion that crouches, pouncing on the gazelle, or whether it be the wasp that stings the caterpillar, paralyzing it, laying its eggs in the caterpillar in order that they may nourish themselves in the flesh of the caterpillar until the caterpillar is no more. Life is brutal and violent and pitiless; life is, and the processes of the universe of which we are a part are inexorable, unfeeling. There is no pity there; there is no guilt there; there is simply the reality, and we are a part of that reality. We carry with us all of the instinctual nature of the animal that we are. But, we have become something more than that animal. We have emerged into something we might call spirit; we have consciousness; we are aware; we are able to step out of our skin and observe ourselves and observe our surroundings. We are able to observe those pitiless processes of the universe and to stand in awe and in wonder at the miracle of it all. We have become something more than the animal that we also are and continue to be. We have created history, human culture. But, human culture, human history, if nature is red in tooth and claw, is bloodstained with the violence and the brutality that we have perpetrated on one another. The classic phrase, “Man’s inhumanity to man,” is the human story, the story of violence, brutality, of war and rape and pillage. I need only point to one event that many of us remember in our own lifetime, the Holocaust, in which demonic evil incarnate in humankind brought about the ashes of six million human beings and the tragedy that the Jews suffered in Europe, the crematoriums still there as a witness to what we are capable of, we who are human, who have another dimension, that spiritual dimension, who have risen above the base animal instinct, nonetheless. We, too, have acted without pity and although the Holocaust is behind us, the killing continues here and there around the globe far too frequently. So, fire and flood and earthquake, war and ravishing, rape and pillage continue, and we who are human have emerged to the point at which we become aware of it. We become aware of the pitiless universe with its inexorable processes and we become aware, also, of our responsibility, our responsibility to act other than with our animal nature and all of the darkness that is pent up within us. The Genesis story is trying to say that when it says that human pair, in succumbing to the temptation to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, fell. But, you have to put “Fall” in quotation marks because the “Fall” was upward, because they came into the cognizance of the distinction between good and evil, and coming into that cognizance, the writer of the story says that God © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �God in a Pitiless Universe Richard A. Rhem Page 3   says in the pantheon of heaven, “Now they have become like us.” That was the Hebrew insight into the human possibility, capability, competence, responsibility, and consequently guilt, for we carry with us that animal nature, but we know something else. We know that we cannot live by that base instinct. We know that we must transcend that nature that we have inherited and that we must act other than on that instinct. We must act on the basis of pity, compassion. We must act responsibly for justice and for equity. In this pitiless universe, in our bloodstained history, we are those creatures who have emerged to the point at which we are aware of what we are doing. We know and in knowing we have lost our innocence, and now it becomes incumbent upon us in the midst of a pitiless universe to create enclaves of compassion, to bring mercy to bear, indeed, to give opening for love to flourish. For, although our history is bloody with brutality, being cognizant as we are of who we are and what we are doing, it is to compassion that we are called and all of the great religious traditions of the world, all of them are alike in this - that they call the human family to compassion. Indeed, that is the function of religion, to create communities of compassion, to cultivate grace and mercy and love. And we do it in our families, for example, where we are bonded and knitted into love. This summer being a summer in which I have thought so much about religion and then experiencing as I did the death of a sister, experiencing it firsthand, but also stepping back a moment and experiencing myself experiencing it, well aware of the inexorable process of a killing melanoma, I was nevertheless able to take my sister’s hand and look her in the eye and say, “But, you are healed.” Or, with Nancy, to sit with her on the edge of her bed the last time when we were there, aware that it may be the last time that we will be together, to put our arms around her and have our picture taken with her in a moment of tenderness, knowing that she was surrounded by the caring competence of Hospice and the loving devotion of family, knowing that therefore all was well. Then, coming from her funeral on a Saturday to a Sunday dinner with our extended local family where we as a family experienced a first, that is, the oldest grandchild off to college, and joining hands in a circle before the meal to be able to speak words of love and tenderness, to be able to speak words of value, to be able to articulate and bring to expression the depths of emotion that we all felt as we had hand joined to hand around that circle with this beautiful boy that was on his way. Not only in the immediate family, but in the family of the church. Yesterday I had the privilege of performing the marriage of George Postmus and Mary Hettinga, Mary Jannenga, the Jannenga tribe here for many years, marrying them on the lawn in the center of a circle made up of the family. And as I looked at the circle of the family, I realized that I had married three of them, baptized several of the children, buried their dear parents. I remembered Joe Jannenga who was always sort of my weathervane through all the years since I returned in 1971, making course corrections twice weekly. Joe, always with loyalty and faithfulness and trust, moving along. And I thought to myself, “Dear God, I must be getting old. I must be getting to be an emotional old man,” because I almost couldn’t start the © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �God in a Pitiless Universe Richard A. Rhem Page 4   liturgy for thinking about that family connection in this family connection, and births and baptisms and funerals and weddings - all of those significant passages of life. Even in the nation, do we not hope and work and pray for a compassionate and just society? Do we not weigh the candidates’ political speeches? Do we not cast our vote for that one in whom we trust the best for the body politic will arise, and do we not, as responsible citizens, know that it is our calling to be committed to justice, to the well-being of all God’s children? Yes, that is really what it is all about, and I’ve been talking all this time and I haven’t yet mentioned God, but I’ve been talking about God from the beginning, for all of my talking is about that mystery that we call God. I have been speaking of a mystery and you say to me give some definition to that mystery, and I say I don’t say mystery simply because I haven’t yet discovered the delineations of the deity, but rather, because the deity is beyond the capacity of the human mind to define. That is a philosophical, theological enterprise in which I can get obsessed and with which I am fascinated, but that is not really terribly important, for the only place that God is known is in the tenderness and the compassion and the love of human connection in human community. It is in those moments where soul meets soul, where souls are seared in love, mutual affection, compassionate union that God is known. Maybe my detractors would say, “Tell me of God, not of human experience. All you have spoken of is human experience,” and I’d have to protest and say, “I cannot talk about God other than in human experience, for it is only in human experience where love dwells, where compassion prevails, where justice is done, where souls are melded into one.” That is God. For as John said, “The one who dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in that one, for God is love.” We are not the first people who have struggled to understand God. Job protested against the conventional wisdom of the day, what everyone believed in his day. Job, from his ash heap, protested against his miserable comforters who insisted what everyone insisted at the time that if you suffer, you have sinned. Job said, “No. No.” Of course, Job, likewise, claimed more than he should know so that finally in that confrontation with the whirlwind, with that overpowering presence, he said, “Finally I put my hand over my mouth and repent in dust and ashes.” Wasn’t Jesus saying something like that when, being told with some arrogance about some Galileans who died under the brutal rule of Pilate, some Jerusalemites who were crushed under a falling tower, he said, “What are you trying to tell me? Are you trying to tell me that somehow or other they were worse than others? Do you understand God? Do you know the ways of God?” Is it not as Job says, speaking words of darkness, speaking of that which one doesn’t really know? But, this one knows. Even as Job had to turn the whole thing on its head in order to be true to his human experience, so you and I know we live in a © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �God in a Pitiless Universe Richard A. Rhem Page 5   pitiless universe and the desperate cry of the human heart, the cry of desperation will not halt the sun in its course or the moon in its rising. But, God is where love is, where tenderness prevails and compassion and care are given. There God is. That is God. © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and 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 XII Scripture Text Job 38:2, Job 42:3, Luke 13:2 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-0-20000827 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-08-27 Title A name given to the resource The Experience of God in a Pitiless Universe 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 August 27, 2000 entitled "The Experience of God in a Pitiless Universe", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Job 38:2, Job 42:3, Luke 13:2. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Compassion God Justice https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bd49ff8d266b2b0adfd855c7c5811cab.pdf 8258595388722de2a946ce5176b0d3a0 PDF Text Text The Experience of God is Salvation From the series: Varieties of Religious Experience Scripture: Acts 10:34-48; I John 4:7-16 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Trinity Sunday, May 30, 1999 Transcription of the spoken sermon In the liturgical year that we follow, this is Trinity Sunday. It is the Lord’s Day following Pentecost which we celebrated last week, the Festival of the Holy Spirit, and it concludes another cycle of the Christian Year that begins four Sundays before Christmas with the Advent Season. There is a certain logic to designating this day Trinity Sunday because we have gone through the cycle that moves through the history of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ and presence in the Holy Spirit. There is probably no more philosophically difficult theological discussion than that which deals with the doctrine of the Trinity, or the Triune God - that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God. The originating language was the conceptuality of Greek philosophy and the long history of dispute was in part the fact that the Eastern Church used Greek while the Western Church used Latin. The problem the doctrine of the Trinity was attempting to solve was how these Jewish monotheists who brought the Gospel to the Gentile world could maintain that monotheism, that God is One, while speaking of Jesus as God in human flesh, God incarnate. And not only Jesus Christ as God incarnate, but as with them still as Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ. The discussions were philosophically sophisticated, often acrimoniously asserted and politically motivated. We do not think any longer in the philosophical language and conceptuality of the Greek world of those ancient times. Yet, what those early thinkers were trying to bring to expression is still critical to our understanding of God and the Divine-human relationship. And stripped of its philosophical terminology and mode of thought, what the early Church was trying to say is quite simple. It is that God is the Absolute, Ultimate Mystery, the ground and source of all that is. God is beyond our knowing, beyond our capacity to know. God is Mystery, not as we speak of a mystery that baffles us, that we are © Grand Valley State University   �Experience of God is Salvation Richard A. Rhem Page 2   working on, and expect someday to solve, to explain. God is Mystery in the sense that we cannot comprehend the being of God. The older theology spoke of God’s incomprehensibility. But we speak of God. How can that be? We speak of God because God reveals God’s self in our human flesh; indeed, God identifies with our humanity. We see, we hear, we touch the Word made flesh. To use our Lenten language, God is mirrored in a human face. That is the Christian claim. Something can be known of the nature and character of the ultimate Mystery of God because it has come to expression in the human. The Christian idea of the Trinity goes one step further; it claims that that ultimate Mystery whose nature and character are expressed in a human life is really the life of all that is - that the whole of reality is in-spirited with God. Nothing exists but the life, the breath of God. All of that is not so difficult; in fact, it is quite obvious – The Ultimate MysteryGod must hold all things in being, must be pervasively present in all things, the Source, the energy, the creative center, moving the whole along the emerging, the unfolding of the bio-historical, evolutionary process, thus God’s Spirit - the wind, the breath that is enlivening. And the Ultimate Mystery, if it would be known, must show itself - communicate its nature and intention. Thus, the intention or idea of the Mystery "lands," so to speak, in history, takes on flesh, shows itself and so it is the claim of the Christian revelation that the character and nature and intention of God can be read off the face of Jesus Christ - flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. That is what the Christian religion claims. That is, Christian theology, or doctrine, or dogma is an attempt to articulate the experience that grounded and founded the Christian movement. We are thinking animals; we want to understand our experience and so we reflect and we do our best to put experience in word and concepts. Those words and concepts are not the experience; they are a step or more removed from the experience – To understand the doctrine of the Trinity is not the same as having the experience of God. Yet, the concept arises out of experience. Look at I John 4:7-16. The letter begins, We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. © Grand Valley State University �Experience of God is Salvation Richard A. Rhem Page 3   Now remember this is John or the community of John, the Gospel of which begins, In the beginning was the word ... Which calls to mind immediately Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God ... Now, is that accidental or is this writer intentionally connecting what he is writing about with the word made flesh that emerged from the Creator of all? And what is he trying to say? Well, among other things, in the lesson I read from the fourth chapter, he is calling those to whom he writes to love one another. Why? Because God is love. How does he know? Because he believes Jesus Christ was a revelation of the character and nature of God. And this writer claims that one can know the love of God by loving another; in the love of one person for another is experienced the love of God. God is love. If we love one another, God lives in us ... How do we know? By this we know that we abide in God and God abides in us because God has given us his Spirit. Again: God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. This is my point: the raw material of the Trinity which is a theological construct lies in experience, the concrete experience of that early Christian community. The theological formulation of the Trinity is sometimes criticized because it is not in the Bible. Well, the term is not, but the experience that grounds the concept that points back to the experience is in the Bible. One more illustration - Peter at the house of Cornelius. We come back to this passage often because it is a paradigmatic story from the early Church. Cornelius is a God-fearing Gentile, a Roman officer. He prays and has a vision in which he is instructed to send for Peter. Peter has a vision to prepare him for this call. © Grand Valley State University �Experience of God is Salvation Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Peter goes to Cornelius’ house, contrary to his religious training and conditioning, and says, "Why did you send for me?" Cornelius responds by asking that Peter tell them what the Lord has commanded him to say. Peter tells the story of Jesus - quite amazed that all this could be happening. I truly understand that God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Can that be you speaking, Peter? And what does he say? The message ... how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power ... There it is again - God, Jesus, Spirit. And before Peter was through preaching, the Spirit fell on all who heard ... The experience demanded a modification in the construct of God for Peter. Now, this is my point. The idea of a Triune God or the Trinity is a theological construct - an intellectual articulation of an understanding which resulted from reflection on experience. The doctrine of the Trinity was not thought up by some ancient Christian or church council to confound and mystify the faithful forever. Rather, a community of folk gathered around Jesus of Nazareth had this experience. Paul knocked off his horse; Peter had a vision; James had an appearance of the brother he couldn’t countenance, present to him after he was crucified. What can they make of it? Jews all, they believe God is One - but did they not experience the Holy, the Sacred, indeed, God - when they were with Jesus? And now that he is no longer in the flesh, having been crucified, dead and buried, do not their hearts burn within them yet - his Spirit is a living presence with them. How does one express what one experiences? Words, concepts. But, they are inadequate; in fact, they distort; they becloud as much as enlighten. What now; must I believe in the Trinity? No, of course not. It is a human conceptual scheme that points beyond itself to the Ultimate Mystery whose nature and character can be read off from the life of Jesus whose spirit is the Spirit of God which is God’s pervasive presence in all that is. What do I have to believe? Nothing. God is not about our believing something. God is to be trusted, experienced, rested in. This is where we’ve done such a poor job in the Church, © Grand Valley State University �Experience of God is Salvation Richard A. Rhem Page 5   insisting on right belief, as though we know, as though our ideas correspond to reality, to the Mystery that is God. Right belief - that is orthodoxy. The philosopher Santayana said, Orthodoxy sanctions and supports the natural man while remaining open and congenial to the possibility of his spiritual development. Do you "hear" that? Orthodoxy - careful doctrinal delineation - that has a place, just as the early Church attempted to bring some order and structure to its experience. But, our finest articulations of the experience of God are but crooked fingers pointing beyond word and concepts. Think of all the words I’ve used to point to the limited usefulness of words and concepts. Of course, we desire to understand, but even more, we must understand that we cannot understand - Then we will perhaps be silent; then we will perhaps learn to wait on the Lord. Then in the silence, we may see, as I did this morning, a silver moon hang over a glassy sea, creating a path of light - or see the sun rise and hear a cardinal sing a celebration of the dawn, and simply be still, and know that God is God, and all is well. Then we will understand that, in the moments of silence that follow my speaking, there is more possibility of experiencing the presence of the Holy than in all the chattering of my voice. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f588bfc8fbf193ecde0525add9af5c8.mp3 7b165db200675363dad52238281029c9 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 Trinity Sunday, Pentecost II Series Varieties of Religious Experience Scripture Text Acts 10:34-48, I John 4:7-16 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-0-19990530 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1999-05-30 Title A name given to the resource The Experience of God is Salvation 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 May 30, 1999 entitled "The Experience of God is Salvation", as part of the series "Varieties of Religious Experience", on the occasion of Trinity Sunday, Pentecost II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Acts 10:34-48, I John 4:7-16. Mystery of God Trinitarian Nature of Religion Trinity Sunday https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a433d6de91b47ab3c2e352f935014015.mp3 aef7fa22b06de15fbd8a335d66677929 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 Tues. Night Talk/Discussion with Muskegon Classis 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-3-19890418 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989-04-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Title A name given to the resource The Extent of God's Grace Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on April 18, 1989 entitled "The Extent of God's Grace", on the occasion of Tues. Night Talk/Discussion with Muskegon Classis.