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 – June 16th , 9 am, adult education opportunity
    by Orchard Ridge UCC

    You’re invited

    to Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

    1501 Gilbert Rd., Madison, WI 53711

    this Sunday, June 16, 2024, 9 am

    Alfred Swan Room


    How Can We Have Meaningful Discussions with Others

    about Difficult Topics?


    Featuring Robert Asen is the Stephen E. Lucas Professor of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Communication Arts Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison


    Facilitator: Baxter Richardson


    This presentation/discussion, while using the Israel-Palestine conflict as an example, will not focus on the content of that conflict, but rather will explore the approaches and strategies that we might employ in order to have meaningful discussions with others, including those we disagree with, about the conflict. These approaches, it is hoped, can also be used for other kinds of undertakings, such as Jewish-Christian dialogue.


    Americans live in an increasingly polarized society in which we face difficult issues impacting our local communities and our wider worlds. These issues may address core values and commitments that connect us and divide us from others with similar and different viewpoints. Indeed, we may even feel internal tensions as we struggle to articulate coherent perspectives on complicated issues. This brief presentation and facilitated discussion will invite reflection on the possibilities for productive deliberation and dialogue across differences. We will consider the ethics, purposes, and implications of engaging different perspectives on potentially difficult issues. We will also reflect on our own values and commitments, including what we are willing to risk to engage different viewpoints.

     

    Robert Asen is the Stephen E. Lucas Professor of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Communication Arts Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In his research, Asen explores the democratic possibilities of public debate and dialogue, as ordinary folks may connect with others to build diverse communities and support individuals, as well as the ways that public discourse may divide and scapegoat people and sustain unjust practices. He regularly teaches an undergraduate argument course that starts with the basic belief that we must be able to discuss our differences and that these differences can contribute to a dynamic and diverse society.

     

    Please open this link and read the UW Madison Faith Leaders statement before Sunday:


    Click here for the statement



    Questions? Contact Baxter Richardson at [email protected]

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