Phoenix Affirmations

Study Guide for a
Reflective Conversation

Affirmation 8. Calling Forth the Best in Others and Ourselves

Reminders for Leaders

This particular study guide has too many questions for a single study. There are really two themes. One deals with our relationship with terrorists. The other deals with our relationship with fundamentalist Christians. For a one hour study, please choose one theme or the other.

Introduction

• Welcome and introduction of guests
• Review plans for discussions of Phoenix Affirmations

Conversation Study

Reading Affirmation 8

Christian love of neighbors includes walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider us their enemies.

Luke 18:9-14: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

Luke 6:27-29: "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your coat as well.

Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

John 15:18-19: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

As Christians, we recognize that we are misfits both with respect to God's Realm and the world. We are misfits with respect to God's Realm in that we rarely live up to the principles and ideals we espouse. We are misfits with respect to the world in that the ideals for which we strive frequently do not conform to the ways of the world.

We affirm that the Path of Jesus is found where Christ's followers love those who consider them their enemies as much as they love themselves, striving humbly to embody the "fruits of the Spirit" love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We confess that we have moved away from this Path when we have promoted a notion that people of faith are morally or ethically superior to those without faith. Further, we have moved away when we have supported any cause, no matter how just or righteous, without reflecting the "fruits of the Spirit" toward all.

Objective Questions

• Name one recent, completely unexpected act of kindness that you have experienced.
• Can you recall an incident where someone, possibly your enemy, unexpectedly performed a profound act of grace?
• Do you remember seeing a deliberate act that caused pain or suffering for someone else?

Reflective Questions

• How did you emotionally respond after witnessing the act of grace.
• Can you recall your feelings throughout the day of 2001 September 11?

Interpretive Questions

• We are often tempted to ignore the profoundly good or bad acts of others. Why?
• Our country has responded to the September 11th disaster in several ways, for example, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Patriot Act, incarceration of prisoners in Cuba, "coercing" prisoners, transportation security, and so on. Do you think there are better ways our country could have responded (and might still respond)?
• Do we have any notion of why our country is a target of terrorists? If we understood why we are a target, could we behave differently, embodying the fruits of the spirit?
• Some positions voiced by Fundamentalist Christians evoke a visceral response in more liberal Christians. As a moderate or liberal Christian, what should I do with that emotion?

Decisional Questions

• How can we create opportunities genuinely and effective engage our Fundamental Christian siblings, while embodying the fruits of the Spirit?
• What can/will I do to point out the problems with some of our nation's responses to the attacks of September 11th?
• Similarly, what can/will I do to offer alternative actions that embody the fruits of the Spirit?

Sending Forth

• We are sent forth by the Spirit to demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to all, even to our enemies.
• Our next meeting will be a study of Affirmation 9, affirming we are loved, valued and accepted.