Java & Jesus

Java and Jesus is our Sunday morning adult discussion group. It meets most weeks at 9 a.m. and is currently meeting in person (in the Swan seminar room off Friendship Hall) with the option to attend via Zoom. (Equipment in the Swan Room allows in-person participants to see and hear those on Zoom and Zoom participants to see and hear the people in the room.) Each week’s reading is typically posted on Wednesday or Thursday for the following Sunday.

J&J is sometimes canceled when there is large-group programming at 9 and may be canceled for part of the summer. Weekly announcements and worship resources will say if J&J has been canceled. The most recent J&J email is automatically posted below. New people are always welcome and it is OK to attend even if you have not had time to do the reading. You will find an open discussion of wide-ranging topics and many different points of view expressed. You can ask to be added to the Java & Jesus email list by sending email to [email protected]. Click here to see an archive of past readings & topics.

Note: This space will also be used to post other adult education opportunities that occur at 9 am on Sunday mornings.

This week’s Java and Jesus

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  • ORUCC – August 18, 9 am, summer seminar
    by Orchard Ridge UCC


    You’re invited to a summer seminar!

    at Orchard Ridge

    United Church of Christ

    1501 Gilbert Rd.,

    Madison, WI 53711



    Sunday, August 18th, 2024, 9 am

    in the Alfred Swan Room


    “The Deep Source of Trump’s Appeal”

    Faciliated by Baxter Richardson

    In January, Pastor Julia Burkey asked us to think about what we need as the 2024 election cycle approaches. While there have been several responses to this request, one frequently heard response is “I just do not understand how anyone could support Donald Trump.” David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, has attempted to answer this question in an opinion piece that goes well beyond the simplified explanatory categories currently in vogue. He suggests that a creative “tension” that existed in American culture and which created a common moral culture with widespread support, has all but disappeared, leading to a deeply fragmented and polarized society. Trumpism is but one response to this fragmentation.
    So our task on August 18 will be threefold: (1) to understand his argument (2) to critically examine his argument and (3) to explore his suggestion that the way forward should be the work of “religious progressives.”

    Please read the Brooks article ahead of time: Click here for reading


    Questions? Contact Baxter Richardson at [email protected]

    Orchard Ridge UCC | Spiritually Alive, Joyfully Inclusive, Committed to Justice 1501 Gilbert Road | Madison, WI 53711 US