COMING UP IN CLASS THREE
Our third class will turn towards our experiences of harm – or the witnessing of harm – caused by what appear to be deeply held, but not always correct, if not verifiably false beliefs. Tonight’s class will be more interactive, so please be ready to share a false belief and how it has beens used to judge or exclude people from the community of Christians. Our goal will be to adopt, as a group, a more loving way of being a community of faith. See you this evening!
“False” doesn’t necessarily mean wrong. For the class, False means first of all “inauthentic.” A belief that we do not accept is not true for us, as individuals. It is rare (in my experience as an Episcopal priest) to find a belief or an article of faith that any of us fully accepts without any reservation. Beliefs that we cannot own may act as an unwelcome imposter in our minds causing hesitation in our faith. We don’t need more obstacles to belief!
Quick Look Resources
If you would like to jump right in and listen to the Zoom recording from Class One or Two, click of the buttons below. The Zoom Chat is active during the classes and notes are added to it throughout the evening. Our first recording has an issue with sound from some of the in-person comments – we addressed that issue in Class Two…but still have some work to do.
CLASS TWO - MARCH 4, 2026
Class Two picks up with a brief discussion of the Faith Deconstruction movement and how it sometimes leads us into a solitary spirituality…but we need community! We then discussed a phrase we often hear, “The God of the Bible.” That led us to acknowledge that many of the Biblical descriptions we are called to honor do not exist as we have been taught. We entertained the question: “Can we trust that a living God is speaking to each of us?” And…I would say, Absolutely. We have to!
CLASS ONE - FEBRUARY 25, 2026
In Class One, after an introduction to Giving Up False Beliefs, we talked about the Christian notion of conversion as it relates to people of other faiths, especially the Jewish People. We ended with two questions: 1) “Is there a better way than demanding conversion?” 2) “Can God’s vision of humanity be realized if we remain disconnected?” Of course…I would say, Absolutely, not!
Use your Phone camera to Join us on the Discord App
We invite you to add a comment, ask a question, or read what the has been posted by the facilitator about the class. Discord is where we will post answers to questions asked during the class…or at least a teaser to an answer.
More often than not, when someone new comes to the Episcopal Church – or any church, really – they want to know what the community believes? The question is a fair one and may signal a preference to be a part of a worshipping community whose beliefs roughly approximate their own. A potential community memeber may also want to make sure they are not signing on to a cult! So there’s that.