Classes at The Center

How do we deepen and broaden our ability to be present: to see, to hear, to understand, to act? How do we make more room for God, for our fellow creatures, for our own true selves? Through classes, book studies, spiritual practice, and seminars, we look together at the contemplative teachings and practices of Christianity and other great spiritual traditions and explore their reflections in our lives today.

2009 - 10 Class Schedule

Sacred Dance Dancing to the Many Faces of Wisdom

with Jane Rickenbaugh

Winter: Dancing the Many Faces of Wisdom Embodied in the Psalms

January: 19 - March 2, 2010 (there is no class February 16, 2010)
7:00 – 9:00pm, Kempton Hall
$45 General, $40 Trinity & UCC Members
Through sacred movement we will continue to unravel the secrets of wisdom revealed in the Psalms. More information & registration.

Spring: Dancing the Many Faces of Hidden and Unexpected Wisdom

April: 6 - 27, 2010,
7:00 – 9:00pm, Kempton Hall
$30 General, $24 Trinity & UCC Members
From paradoxes found in the Beatitudes and in the contradictions of contemporary life we will stretch our bodies and imaginations. More information & registration.

Wednesday Weal Classes

Through Mediterranean Eyes

with Dr. Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Lewis & Clark College

January 20 - Feburary 10, 2010
Wednesday Evenings: 7:00 – 8:30pm, The Morrison Room
$40 General, $20 Trinity Members

How do Christians from the Mediterranean world understand Jesus’ stories? Do they see the same things in them we do? Or do they pick up things we miss? In this class we will look at four stories in the Gospel of Luke through Mediterranean eyes. More information & registration.

The Beast, the Antichrist and 666 – All Mysteries Explained

with Dr. Paul Anderson, Professor of Biblical & Quaker Studies, George Fox University
February 24 – March 17, 2010
7:00 – 8:30pm
Kempton Hall
Cost: Free

A great deal of speculation continues to arise within Christianity and beyond as to the identity of such biblical adversaries as “the Beast,” “the Antichrist,” and 666. Yet how should believers interpret such biblical references authentically in later generations? Speculation runs rampant today, but a rich history of projected villainization has extended for over a millennium. This class will invite an update on the latest speculation, including a look at how these terms have been used and misused within Christian history, but it will finally focus on the literal and historical meanings of these texts for their first-century authors and audiences. That being the case, four crises in the Johannine situation are identified with meaningful applications extending to every generation. But attender, beware! Everything you’ve heard about these villains is likely to be wrong; this class will attempt to get at the biblical truth on these matters as an alternative to speculation.

Feb. 24 “The Beast, the Antichrist, and 666—The Latest Speculation—Who? What? When?”

Mar. 3 “Projected Villainization throughout Christian History—Who these Villains Were Thought to Be”

Mar. 10 “Acute Crises in the Johannine Situation I—Enemies Outside the Church—Implications for Today”

Mark. 17 “Acute Crises in the Johannine Situation II—Enemies Within the Church—Implications for Today”

Blurb:

Paul N. Anderson is Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University, where he has taught since 1989, other than a year of teaching at Yale Divinity School (1998-1999). Author of over 160 essays, Paul’s books include The Christology of the Fourth Gospel (third printing, 2010), The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus (2006), and John, Jesus, and History (co-editor, Vol. 1, 2007; Vol. 2. 2009). He is a founding co-chair of the John, Jesus, and History Group at the national Society of Biblical Literature meetings, and he has chaired the Quaker Theological Discussion Group since 1996. He edited Evangelical Friend from 1990-1994 and has edited Quaker Religious Thought since 2000. He served on the pastoral team at Reedwood Friends Church and as Pastor of Clackamas Park Friends Church before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow.