The Mystic by Church Health

All of the members of our panel work in high profile jobs - jobs where we meet and know a lot of people, and also jobs where there are strict expectations and norms about relationship boundaries. In light of this, what makes a friendship authentic? Who is a true friend to a doctor? A rabbi? A Grammy award-winning musician? The CEO of the nonprofit in town? How do we avoid loneliness while seemingly befriending so many all the time?

1. What is the role of disciplined, godly, thoughtful polemic in facing today’s unique challenges? 2. What place do the arts (drama, literature, music, etc.) and religion play in it all? The title is a wordplay on our precious civil rights anthem. The song we sing is an example of creative, righteous indignation against any injustice, led by, as usual, creators. Collaborators on the Humanité project were mostly from other countries experiencing similar challenges. The singer & cowriter on this song, Asa, is from Nigeria. The idea is that the whole world, not just the US, is experiencing this together. And religion, the arts, academia et al must play our roles in prayerful, measured ways. Is it OK to pray for someone to fail? What are the alternatives for people of good will who see evil being perpetrated against the vulnerable?

This one is a nod to Ashley and Keia, and their lives in the theatre world. We wouldn’t dare recommend music knowing that this is their wheelhouse and passions! Since the 47th president’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, we have been thinking a lot about the role of the arts in our society and have particularly honed in on the theatre. While theatre productions have always offered social commentary and served as havens of resistance, increasingly there are theatre companies who center their purpose on promoting dialogue on complex and divisive issues – notably, Playback Memphis and Collaboraction in Chicago.

Guest speaker, William Cope Moyers of Hazelden/Betty Ford talks about his experience with addiction and recover and thoughts on how the faith community handles these issues.

The Mystic panel reflects on their own life experiences with Christmas, and then they discuss what Christmas means in our national context.

We begin by reflecting on: When do you find yourself feeling most nostalgic these days. Where/when does your nostalgia take you? What are some of the feelings and sensations that accompany that experience. How does nostalgia help you as a pastor/leader? How does it hinder you? Are the laments of the declining mainline church just pining for the "good ol' days" or is there something else within that experience that can be a pathway for renewed relevancy for organied religion in this present moment. Within this initial conversation we explore the power of nostalgia in public, such as the recent influx of advertising pulling on themes from the 90s and early 2000s, the increase in popularity of more analog technologies like vinyl and Polaroids, as well as the political nostalgia behind the claims of MAGA on one end and a "return to normalcy" on the other end. As religious leaders that are tasked with helping folks navigate change institutionally and in the world:

We’ve been talking a lot about age in this country in the midst of this election year and ageism is one of this least talked about forms of discrimination. What are your thoughts on age – both how you were brought up to think about age, and also how you think about age now at this moment in your life? What have you noticed about the public discourse about age recently? In sacred texts, someone living a very long time is often seen as receiving favor from God. Since we know that not everyone gets to grow old, what meaning do you ascribe to living to a “ripe, old age.”