Recent Hollister Institute programs
The Case for God, a Book/Discussion Group: Part 1
April and May 2010
THE CASE FOR GOD is the newest book by Karen Armstrong, the author of 19 previous books on the world’s religions. Her latest book discusses the foundations of religion, the origins of the world’s major faiths, and the principles that all the major faiths share. Moving from 30,000 BCE to the present, Armstrong begins by examining the religious yearnings of our remote ancestors, guides us through the foundational history of the world’s major faiths, and then underlines the call to compassion that is shared by all faiths. Led by the Revs. Donna Ross and Brian McHugh.
Different Christianities: Part 2
January and February 2010
Picking up where Part 1 leaves off, this three week class will consider the major controversies that have divided Christians through the centuries. Was Jesus really God? Who has the authority to define what it means to be Christian? Are we reconciled to God by what we do or by what we believe? There are some perennial problems in Christian thinking which don't have easy answers. This class will lay the foundations for understanding why there are so many different Christian churches today and why some churches seem to emphasize moral codes and others emphasize God's love. Taught by Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Priest in Charge of St. Benedict's.
The Holy Way: Quiet Day led by Paula Huston
January 2010
Is leading a simple life possible in a world of chaos and complexity? Is it possible to live a more peaceful less cluttered kind of life in the 'real world'? Paula Huston has documented her search for a simpler, holier life in her book "The Holy Way: Practices for a Simple Life". Now she shares it in this special quiet day which will includes group time and time for silent reflection. Paula has published fiction and essays for more than twenty years, as well as several books on the spiritual life. She teaches in the English Department at CalPoly and has a website www.PaulaHuston.com.
Different Christianities: Part 1
January 2010
This four week class will examine the early roots of Christianity. What was gnosticism? Were metaphysical and mystical teachings suppressed and if so, who did the suppressing? How much can we actually know about the first few centuries of Christian teaching? This class will examine the different ideas held by early Christians, and ask why some came to be seen as heretical and others as orthodox. This investigation can help to to show that there has never been agreement among all those who identify as Christian. Taught by Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Priest in Charge of St. Benedict's. (This is a repeat of the course taught on Wednesday evenings in October and November 2009.)
Friends on a Spiritual Journey: Reclaiming Our Hearts
October and November 2009
We invite you to join us on a mythical and spiritual journey! Each of us lives a fairy tale. That is, some unconscious myth, some guiding "story", has been at work on us, forming us and even serving up our fates. And until we know that "story" - the myth that lives within us - we may have little grasp of our own value, and little sense of who we are really meant to be. But as we share our stories with others, we can create a circle of friendship that will help us understand ourselves and grow into the persons we are meant to be.
Using Gertrud Mueller Nelson's book, Here All Dwell Free, we'll re-tell two classic fairy tales - The Handless Maiden and Briar Rose. These tales, and Nelson's commentary, give us opportunities to look at our own stories, and then find the healing that brings spiritual growth. The class will be led by Marianne Stowe, M.T.S. and Donna Ross, M.Div.
The Many Different Christianities: Part 1
October and November 2009
This four week class, taught by Rev. Caro Hall, forms the first part of a four part program considering the many different forms Christianity has taken and does take today. Why are there so many different churches? Why do people who call themselves Christians have such different beliefs? (There can be a daytime class if there is enough interest so please let Caro know if you want to come but are not able to come during the evening.) In Part 1, we consider how the early church developed and examine the different ideas of the Christian message which developed in the first few centuries. This was a time of many different groups and ideas who were, in modern terms, quite isolated from each other. Some of them read texts which did not make it into the New Testament as we have it. This class will argue that there never has been only one way of understanding Jesus Christ, his message, life and work.
Parts 2, 3 and 4 will follow in 2010. Part 2 will look at the major schisms that have happened in the history of the church. Part 3 will analyze the major differences between the principle Christian groups today in North America and Part 4 will invite some people from other churches to share the way they think about aspects of Christianity. (Part 1 is being repeated in January 2010.)
A THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE
August and September 2009
A four week course on reading the Bible and understanding how it all fits together, led by Rev. Caro Hall, priest-in-charge of St. Ben's, on four Wednesday evenings.
The classes covered:
August 12, Torah and History
August 19, Prophets, Wisdom and Apocalypse
August 26, Gospels and Acts
September 2, Paul and other Epistles
Participants read one of two books, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg and/or Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism by John Shelby Spong.
WOMEN FOLLOWING JESUS
April and May 2009
Women following Jesus looked at the history of Christian women – Catholic and Protestant – from the Reformation to the present day: women who founded schools for women and girls, served as missionaries to New World colonies, established hospitals and health care systems, and organized to feed, clothe and house the poor. (Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day and Teresa of Calcutta were only three of these remarkable women.) Our study will conclude with a look at women’s spirituality today, and the ministries opening up to women in the twenty-first century. Led by Donna Ross, Episcopalian, and Marianne Stowe, Roman Catholic.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
April 2009
Is this written into our constitution? What does it mean? How has it been understood legally and historically? Is it meant to protect the church or the state? Does it mean that churches should not be politically involved?
These questions and many others will be considered in this two session class. On April 15 legal expert Berkeley Johnson and history professor Katharine Murphy will offer their persepctives, and then on April 22 the Rev Caroline Hall will consider the religious implications followed by a thirty minute video which reviews the substance of the debates that took place during the Constitutional conventions and examines the evolution of Christianity in the U.S. reflecting upon the growth of religious diversity as well as trends toward secular humanism.
HUNGRY FOR JUSTICE
March and April 2009
Hungry for Justice is a 6-week guide for Christians who want to build community by praying daily, meeting weekly, and working together to build a more just world. Hungry for Justice comes from Sojourners, a Christian organization based in Washington, DC whose mission is to articulate the Biblical call to social justice.
Book Discussion of The Shack
March 2009
Best-selling novel The Shack, by William P. Young, poignantly deals with the experience of human loss. It also raises some fascinating ideas about God and about the pain and difficulty in our world. Who is God and why doesn't s/he do something? Led by local psychotherapist Jill Denton.
MYSTICS, MARTYRS, AND MOTHERS
January and February 2009
Women have been relegated to subordinate roles throughout the history of Christianity. However, when we look again at the Christian Scriptures – and at early Christian history – we discover that Jesus had women disciples as well as men, and that women were co-workers with Peter, Paul, and other early church leaders.
The Christian women of the middle ages continued to serve their God and their faith communities in the footsteps of the women who went before them. There were some fascinating women in this era – Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Clare of Assisi, and Hildegard of Bingen.
Mystics, Martyrs and Mothers is for women and men who want to learn more about these saints and many others. We will also be reading Mary Malone’s book, “Women and Christianity: From 1000 to the Reformation.” Led by the Rev. Donna Ross.
THE ELDERQUEST: DEEPENING THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Febrary 2009
Aging has been described as soul making -- a spiritual enterprise. The evening of our lives is the time to transform knowledge into wisdom. It is time for the elder's quest with its distinct set of trials and triumphs that are met by using different tactics and abilities than early adulthood.
The archetype of the elder will guide this exploration through selected folklore, poetry and film. We'll look at how the elder's inner and outer journeys discover new treasures: perspective from pain, passion from purpose, and energy from a sacred partnership with the Divine Within.
This workshop was offered by Berta Parrish, whose background is in Jungian and archetypal psychology. She teaches at Cuesta and is the author of "Wise Woman's Way: A Guide to Growing Older with Purpose and Passion".
MYTH IN WESTERN RELIGIONS
October and November 2008
Much of religious talk is mythical; that is, religions tell foundational stories which are not meant to be taken literally but are meant to be taken seriously. We live, however, in a culture that does not have much time for myth, that does not probe for serious meaning. For instance, how do most Jews understand the following concepts: God as creator; the prophets speaking for God; and Israel being the chosen people? How do most Christians understand the narratives of Jesus' birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, and ideas of atonement and the trinity? What do Christians and Jews understand by God as a person, a covenant with God, and an afterlife? Led by Lenny Erickson of St. Peter’s Church, Morro Bay.
GOD, GAYS, AND FAITH
September and October 2008
In the last few years the press has been full of arguments within churches over the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people, especially within the Episcopal Church following the ordination of a gay man as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. In this class we examine how Christians have understood and understand sexuality, especially homosexuality, and why it seems to be so divisive. We look at the relevant Bible passages as well as the experience of people who feel that God calls them to be gay. Why do some chuches say that you're welcome if you're gay but only if you're celibate while others welcome partnered gay people? Why does religion make such a fuss about sexuality? What's the difference between civil marriage and marriage in a church or synagogue? Led by the Rev. Caroline Hall, priest-in-charge of St. Ben's, who is completing a doctorate in this subject area.
DOES GOD PLAY DICE? Reconciling Evolution and Faith
June and July 2008
Presentations on evolutionary theory, the challenges the theory presents for people of faith and the ways in which scientists and theologians have responded to these challenges. Led by three scientists: Ed Himelblau (geneticist), John Horsley (theoretical chemist), and Rob Ross (biochemist). source materials for "Does God Play Dice?"
MINISTRY TO THE AGED AND/OR THE HOMEBOUND
June 2008
“I never know what to say.” I’m afraid I’ll say or do the wrong thing.” Sound familiar? Even people who are very comfortable visiting the sick and/or homebound often do not realize that there is a difference between just a social visit and a pastoral contact. Is visiting the sick and/or homebound a Christian obligation, or are we called to do more? Can we actually be instruments of spiritual healing for another? Led by the Rev. Faye Hogan.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WOMEN?
May 2008
This class is for men and women who want to take a closer look at the New Testament and early Christian history to learn more about Jesus’ women disciples and Paul’s women co-workers, and discuss the issues of equality left unresolved by the early church. Led by the Rev. Donna Ross.