ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Pentecost
A Mode of Knowing
Epistemology is a brand of philosophy that asks how we know what we know.
Epistemology is an interesting endeavor. A few weeks ago in a sermon I talked about the Gettier counter example of the broken clock that is always at rest at the time 3:30 and is in fact read by an unassuming bystander at the time 3:30. That individual - according to justified, true, belief - could not sufficiently be considered to have knowledge because the condition of justification is missing. That of course is a very modern notion of knowledge and a helpful one. Thank God for the scientific method and penicillin etc.
But we all know there are different ways of knowing. There is wisdom which is purchased maturity and time. Then there is this whimsical intuition thing that enneagram gut people like my wife have. It’s what we mean when we talk about a sixth sense. Then there is emotional intelligence which I define as the ability to read the room and individual emotional dispositions. Emotions are hard to verify, but they are felt, internalized and matter on a very consequential level.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the spiritual notion of knowing. For me it is a kind of rest or peace in something you can’t comprehend. It’s a mystery. It is Job’s statement in 42:3 “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know,” and again in 5, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
I frequently listen to Dax Shephard’s podcast Armchair Expert. He had Nadia-Bolz Weber on a few weeks ago. Dax is an atheist. Not a militant angry one, but more of an interesting generous one. Nadia is Lutheran pastor/speaker. I like when Hollywood collides with religion and Nadia was probably the perfect person for the task. She fielded Dax’s questions/objections which were what you might imagine. Why would God kill his Son because I sinned? Why would God ask Abraham to kill Isaac? Isn’t the bible problematic - promoting slavery, homophobia and the suppression of women? And then all the questions you might imagine that are rooted in the Enlightenment … the kinds of questions we come to intuitively as the grandchildren of the historical critical method. At one point they were talking about the bible and Nadia said something that I appreciated. She said it will give you something that you can’t get from Oprah’s book club (or something like that). I have struggled to know how to speak about the bible. I think all of Dax’s objections are good ones and at the same time I do think the bible is unique in history. The one quote that I’ve used repeatedly in sermons that best describes my posture and excitement for scripture is from John Calvin, “without the Holy Spirit the bible is but a dead book.” And yet, it is the primary text which connects with God’s people.
I liked Nadia's candid statement because it was said in faith. Faith is a type of knowledge. I think it’s the spiritual knowledge I’m referring to above. I’ve been reading David Brooks’s book The Second Mountain. I’m sure I had heard it before, but he reminded me of a CS Lewis quote that has meant a great deal to me lately. In reference to the transcendent we long for Lewis wrote, “the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we’ve not heard, news from a country we have never visited yet.” That mode of knowing I find the most attractive in my faith. It’s the kind that makes the most sense of what I’m hoping for.
Staff Favorites
Because our newsletter has grown thin of late, i’ve added a new feature called, “staff favorites.” The instructions are as follows. Draw a line, either on a piece of paper that you printed this on or in your mind, connecting the correct individual with the corresponding category. After you venture your guesses, you can view the solution here.
Cesar Chavez Middle School Encouragement
CCMS started school this past week, and we want to send them some encouragement. We would like to have a note to give to every teacher, faculty, and staff at CCMS, and we need your help. Would you consider writing a note of encouragement to the folks at CCMS? There are 105 employees at CCMS, so feel free to write several notes. We will be collecting these notes over the next two weeks, help us encourage the wonderful faculty and staff at CCMS. You can drop your notes off anytime at UBC, just put them through the mail slot on the front of the building if no one is at church. If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org
Sign up for Sunday school!
Sunday school returns September 13th! Both classes (see below) will meet via zoom at 9:30am on Sunday’s, and you can sign up by emailing jamie@ubcwaco.org.
The Making of a Psalmist (led by Bri Childs)
Join us as we journey through the Psalms, especially focusing on the main structures and types that the psalmists followed. With each type we study, you’ll get the chance to be a psalmist yourself, writing in the style that most resonates with you.
Book Study: Inspired by Rachel Held Evans (led by Craig Nash)
Rachel Held Evans invites readers on a journey of rediscovery as she explores the magic of the Bible, engaging the old, familiar stories in new ways that honor the past and enlighten the present. Drawing upon recent scholarship and literary analysis, Evans creatively retells our favorite Bible stories, explaining their contexts and possible interpretations, and then connects these ancient stories to our present-day ones. Readers are invited to fall in love with Scripture all over again without checking their intellect--or their imaginations-- at the door
UBC Masks
Look stylish, support our youth, and love your neighbor by wearing a mask. Use the link below to get you very own custom UBC masks. Please use the donate link at the bottom of the page to support the youth. If you have any questions, please contact toph@ubcwaco.org
https://ubcwaco.org/store/ubcmask
Parishioner of the Week
Marcus Franklin for starting a new job with campus living and learning. Great job Marcus, we’re proud of you. We’ll be praying for you as you take on a role of helping students in what will prove to be a difficult year.
Work is Worship
Greeters: No Greeters this week
Coffee Makers: no coffee makers this week
Mug Cleaners: no mug cleaners this week
Money Counter: no money counters this week
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu
Luci Hoppe: lhoppe@gmail.com
Jeremy Nance: Jeremy.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Jose Zuniga: jzgrphix2002@yahoo.com
Taylor Torregrossa: Taylordtorregrossa@gmail.com
Student Position: Davis Misloski
Student Position: Maddy O’Shaughnessy
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com
Jen Carron: jen.carron78@gmail.com
Mike Dodson: financeteammike@gmail.com
George Thornton: GeorgecCT1982@gmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Erin Albin: erin.albin1@gmail.com
Sam Goff: samuelgoff92@gmail.com
Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com
Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com
Craig Nash: Craig_Nash@baylor.edu