Sunday Forum in March presents two classes on Science and Religion and two classes on Hymnody and the celebration of The Three Days leading up to Easter. The presenters are first rate scholars in their respective fields. Please refer to the following schedule. Descriptions for each class may be found further below.
March 8 The Enigma of Time, Daniel Johnson
March 15 Singing with Understanding: The Hymns of the Church, Mark Mummert
March 22 Cosmic Theology, Emergence and the Evolution of the Universe, John McGee
March 29 The Three Days: Rediscovering the Old-New Ways of Holy Week, Mark Mummert
(The enigma of the particular order of these four presentations rests exclusively on scheduling questions!)
March 8 The Enigma of Time
presented by Daniel Johnson, Christ the King Church member and geophysicist
The cycle of the Church Year puts us in Lent, but Christian understanding of time is not especially cyclical. From the creation, salvation history points toward the coming kingdom of God, with a definite orientation toward future fulfillment. Recurring events of our lives and years fit within this overarching progress of time. Theological and philosophical thinking about time has parallels in science, from ancient Greeks through the classical physics of Newton to general relativity and expectations for a grand unified theory of everything. The Sunday Forum will consider the significance of time as our clocks spring forward.
Daniel Johnson is a geophysicist and member of Christ the King Church. He was born into a Lutheran parsonage, grew up in western Canada, and graduated (twice!) from the University of Alberta, in physics, and in computing (artificial intelligence). He has worked in natural resource exploration and exploitation in the mining and oil industries since 1969, recently with the Exploration and Production Technology Group of BP America and specializing in 4D (time-lapse) seismic techniques. He maintains a personal website with more information, at http://persjohn.net/.
March 15 Singing with Understanding: The Hymns of the Church
presented by Mark Mummert, Church Organist at Christ the King Lutheran Church
In his correspondence with the church at Corinth, Paul wrote: “I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also.” Paul’s claim extends to us as an invitation to sing with understanding. This forum will explore the body of songs we call hymns. We will address the poetic, musical, biblical, and theological character of the hymns we sing and ask the following questions: “Why is singing so important in our life of faith?” “How has my faith been formed by the hymns I have sung?” “What is changing in the practice of singing hymns?” “How does a church, a denomination, or a congregation, choose what hymns to sing?” “Why so many hymns?” “What happened to my good ol’ favorite hymns?” You might also bring your own questions about hymnody to this discussion.
Mark Mummert, Organist, served on the development panels for Hymnody and New Hymnody in the “Renewing Worship” process that led to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Prior to coming to Christ the King, Mark taught hymnody at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia for 18 years. He is an active member of the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada and has served as a consultant with the Church of Sweden in their current process toward a new book of worship.
March 22 Cosmic Theology, Emergence and the Evolution of the Universe
presented by John McGee
A historical look on the modern worldview as derived from philosophic and religious thinking up to the Enlightenment and scientific thought since, based on the work of Galileo and Newton. Latest scientific thought with relativity, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, and big-bang cosmology have changed the worldview with which contemporaries relate to religion.
John McGee graduated from the University of Toronto and St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto. After ordination in 1955 he did postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, and the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He has lectured in theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. More recently, he has lectured at the C.G. Jung Center; the Center for Theological Studies and Brigid's Place at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston; as well as the School of Continuing Studies and the Alumni College at Rice University. He has been teaching for Continuing Studies since 1998.
March 29 The Three Days: Rediscovering the Old-New Ways of Holy Week
presented by Mark Mummert
Evangelical Lutheran Worship includes the services of the Three Days – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Vigil of Easter – in the pew edition for congregations to use. These rites are the most ancient annual rites the church has, yet they seem wonderfully fresh and new. As we together prepare to enter the last of the forty days of Lent and the great fifty days of Easter, this forum will explore the details of these rites, uncovering the theological convictions that come to expression. We will also consider how music and ceremony will assist us in our celebrations. If you ever wonder – “why do we do it that way?” – this forum is for YOU!