Sermon Series: Self-Defense from a
Fundamentalist Attack

"Part One: Literalism"

Jim: "We all can 'circle the wagons'... we all can try to make things simple... we all try to find a safe place in the pecking order. Paul is simply trying to call us to something beyond that."

"Part Two: Scapegoats"

Jim: "It's so much quicker to blame our problems on other people than it is to look at complexity. Even when we find the perfect scapegoat, we're still not dealing with the problem. And more importantly, perhaps, we're not meeting that human need for community and for actual relatedness that comes from nurturing each other, caring about each other, sharing life together."

"Part Three: Spiritual Grownups"

Jim: "When we stop using religion to divide the world and to take advantage of one another, then we're talking about what Jesus was talking about. The kind of love that doesn't tear the world apart requires a very mature ability to reason and seek out justice."

"Part Four: Love Fulfills the Law"

Jim: "To say 'God is Love' is the ultimate challenge to religions of fear. What would your religion be like if it were motivated by love, and you completely took fear out of it? John says, 'Love casts out fear.' According to John, we would see each other as the sacred that we're searching for. When we love, we open ourselves to the sacred."