Come to the Table
Invite your friends, pass the cookies, and dig into Sojourners. Table Talk discussion guides provide a bi-weekly gathering place for communities to discuss issues of faith, politics, and culture--local and global. Table Talk offers a smorgasbord of questions (enough for four sessions, if you want to arrange it that way), as well as resources for further study and suggestions for action. You bring dessert.
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Session I. The Perils of Power
“The Faith Will Survive” (p. 20)
“Seeing With One Eye” (p. 22)
“Catholic Scandal, Ecumenical Solution” (p. 18)
“There’s nothing wrong with Jesus and the sacraments,” said the people of Ireland after a pedophilia scandal rocked the Catholic Church. What’s wrong, they said, is the institution itself. Built on silence, exclusion, and domination, the system that rules the church is crumbling and unless things change, Joan Chittister writes, “it will be the authorities who stand to lose.” Rose Marie Berger offers a blueprint for clergy accountability that begins in our own congregations and denominations.
Questions to Consider
1. What is your definition of church? Do you distinguish institutions from faith and systems from the gospel?
2. How is power held and shared in your congregation or denomination? Are there checks and balances?
3. What messages have you received from the church about sexuality?
4. Do you agree with Chittister’s characterization that women “judge systems a great deal more lightly than men do?"
5. What are your denomination’s guidelines for addressing sexual misconduct? Are congregations aware of the guidelines? Are they easily accessible to members?
Resources
Heart of Flesh: A Feminist Spirituality for Women and Men, by Joan Chittister (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998). A wise and challenging comparison of the perspectives of a patriarchal social system with the values of a feminist worldview.
Session II. Confession Time
“Beyond Crime and Punishment” (p. 26)
“What Must Be Done” (p. 7)
These days, it’s the whole church that’s confessing, as victims of abuse testify and the press probes and accuses. Richard Rohr looks at something good in the Catholic tradition—confession—recognizing its limitations but praising its potential for transformation. He also examines what’s flawed—the ideology of celibacy that is, as Rohr writes, propped up with law and social pressure rather than sustained by the Spirit.
Questions to Consider
1. What connotations does “confession” have for you? If you’re Protestant, do you understand what confession means for Catholics, and vice versa?
2. The law, says Rohr, is powerless to effect transformation, whereas Christian confession allows for reconciliation. Have you seen “sinners” transformed by confession and reconciled to the church? Were victims of sin protected as well?
3. What do you have to give up to acknowledge, with Rohr, that “We Christians do not need scapegoats or victims. After Christ, we recognize that we are all victims and all perpetrators”?
4. Protestant clergy are not required to be celibate, and yet sexual misconduct is as prevalent among Protestant pastors as it is among Catholic priests. How does that change presuppositions you may have had about celibacy?
5. Do you know anyone who has chosen celibacy? How has that choice changed his or her life and faith?
6. Jim Wallis argues that accountability is an achievable next step toward healing the church. Do you agree?
Resources
The Wild Man’s Journey: Reflections of Male Spirituality, by Richard Rohr and Joseph Martos (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1996). A gospel-rooted reflection on understanding masculine sexuality in light of Christ’s call to new life.
Session III. Black Masks and White Overalls
“Swinging Back” (p. 36)
When you think Seattle and WTO, what images leap to mind? Tens of thousands of peaceful protestors with banners and giant puppets? Or a few violent anarchists in black clothes and gas masks? Though some nonviolent activists are glad for the media attention that anarchists attract to the anti-corporate-globalization movement, most nonviolent activists are leery of the Black Bloc’s tactics—and some pacifists are unwilling to share street space with them at all.
Questions to Consider
1. How do you define “activist”? Do you consider yourself one?
2. Have you ever encountered an anarchist? Describe your interaction.
3. Are you committed to nonviolence, or do you think that violence is sometimes justified? If so, under what circumstances?
4. Describe a time you had to choose between being true to conviction and compromising for the sake of coalition. What principles did you use to make the choice?
5. Brown writes that a resolution between anarchists and pacifists will “demand willingness on the part of nonviolent activists to educate young people about the pitfalls of violence.” How are young people in your church or community being educated about nonviolence and conflict resolution?
Resources
See “For Further Action...” (Sojourners, July-August 2002, page 41).
Session IV. Why CEOs Wear Cowboy Boots
“Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’” (p. 48)
You’ve heard the old joke about playing a country song backwards. (You get your boots, your truck, your dog, and your true love back.) Even if you just can’t take the twang, you have to admit that country musicians know about loss—and loyalty. There’s something about that connection to “roots,” that identity with “humble folk,” that’s attractive to many—maybe especially to those who have long ago lost touch with their communities of origin.
Questions to Consider
1. What are your geographic and economic roots?
2. What specific emblems do you use to identify yourself with a particular culture?
3. Duncan Collum characterizes the “don’t get above your raisin’” culture as a primarily white phenomenon in the United States. Do you see it as an attempt by white people to create for themselves communal identity and solidarity?
4. Children of immigrants and other minority groups in the United States are often encouraged to rise above their parents’ circumstances—and then celebrate their achievements and status. The “don’t get above your raisin’” culture encourages the downplaying of privileges. How have you seen these cultures clash?
Resources
Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’, by Flatt and Scruggs (Rounder Select, 1992)
“All I Need to Know I Learned from Hank Williams,” by David Fillingim (Sojourners, March-April 2000). Ethics lessons from country music.
SojoCircles
SojoCircles is a network of local groups that meet regularly to pray, dialogue, and build community in churches, families, and neighborhoods. Organized by Sojourners after Sept. 11 to discuss issues of peacemaking and social justice, SojoCircles includes groups from Australia to Wisconsin. Sojourners provides an organizers packet with tips on meeting facilitation, resources for publicity, and links to SojoCircles around the world. Want to join? Contact sojocircles@sojo.net or call 1-800-714-7474.
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