January at the Faith and Justice Network will look a bit different, serving as both prelude and intermission before we delve into our spring theme, Public Theology: The Work of Justice, which awaits us Feb–May. Our primary text for the month will be John 3, and we’ll engage in some good old-fashioned Bible study with a twist. “Born again” – it’s likely not an exaggeration to say no two words have been more impactful for Christianity in America, no two words more triggering for those recovering from fundamentalist religion today. And yet, close attention to the text will show us how common interpretations of what it means to be “born again” land tragically far from what Jesus really said.
At the very least, we will see that being born again means leaving behind what is old to embrace the new––or to remember Jesus’ words, to follow the Spirit, who is like the wind. And though “we hear the sound of the wind, we do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8). We may even get a glimpse of a new world after the old, where amid all things falling apart, God rebuilds and calls us to do the same.
Join the Faith and Justice Network to get access to the following:
- Short Video Lesson: “A Fresh Reading of John 3:16”
- Spiritual Practices: Led by Kinship Commons, a women-of-color-owned collective of artists who curate worship and liturgies centering BIPOC voices
- Curated Readings: Works by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Alison P. Gise Johnson, Vanessa Monroe, Kim Chi-ha, and Barbara Brown Taylor
- Online Discussions: Join the conversation with people from all over the world
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