CCC Gainesville | Blog
Norman Wirzba, author of Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, will be speaking at the University of Florida this week as a guest of the Christian Study Center. Wirzba’s book is the focus of one of Christ Community’s current adult education classes – Eating as Prayer. Details:
“Theological Reflection on Justice and the Land”
Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology and Ecology, Duke Divinity School
This week – Thursday, September 19
UF – Little Hall, Room 101 @ 5:15 pm
This event is free and open to the public and is part of the series co-sponsored by the the Christian Study Center of Gainesvillle and the UF Department of Religion entitled, “Seeing Justice, Seeking Justice.” In preparation for his visit, please enjoy an interview with Dr. Wirzba regarding food and faith, courtesy of Mars Hill Audio.
For more, see http://christianstudycenter.org/
Surely this is a joke; a class at church on eating? A recent sermon series at Christ Community on “the mundane” included the daily practices of eating, sleeping and working. In this class, we return to the routine to find deeper meaning in the mundane.
In the richness of the Christian story, not only has God created all things, but also he has inaugurated the restoration of all things in Christ. This “all things” includes our rhythmic, daily activities. In light of this, we do well to reflect upon the mundane in light of God’s redemptive work in the world. Eating, like other things we do multiple times a day, can become almost mindless. Our bodies are designed for nutritional and caloric input, so we insert and process foods to satisfy this need. But as we will discover, what seems like a very simple act is a very personal one (and interpersonal) – and one that carries with it lots of implications and consequences. More importantly, Scripture is full of references to eating, both literal and metaphorical. And let’s not forget, eating can be extremely pleasurable. How do we make sense of such an activity? How can theological reflection help us understand eating as an act unto God and for the benefit of ourselves and others?
In this seven week class, Todd Best will facilitate a discussion of the book Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology and Ecology at Duke Divinity School. Wirzba has offered us at least one framework for considering the theological significance of eating in his book (more details here). Please join this Opus Project reading class on Wirzba’s book at the 10:30 adult education class at Christ Community. The class starts on Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 27.
Please order your book now through the book-seller of your choice. And for of Wirzba’s perspective, see this excerpt from an interview about the book.
Finally, please note that Norman Wirzba will be a guest at the Christian Study Center on Sept. 19. See the Study Center website for details and to hear an interview with Wirzba.
Today our Middle School Youth Ministry went tubing down the Ichetucknee River! Our students braved the cold water, had seaweed battles, and jumped from trees into the river. We had an awesome turnout, and a great way to kickoff the Summer for CCC Youth. Here are some pictures from today!
The Opus Project’s Reading Group has embarked on a series with select works by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien that started in April and will go through August. In April we read Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories”; next we turn to essays by Lewis in the collection The Weight of Glory, before joining in the church-wide “one read” of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (to accentuate the summer Narnia-themed VBS program). Finally, we will discuss Lewis’ adult novel called Till We Have Faces.
Lewis is one of those names that anyone who gets anywhere near thoughtful streams of Christianity will hear quoted with much frequency. And yet, I would be willing to wager that most of us rarely read Lewis beyond his most famous works (Mere Christianity, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Screwtape Letters). For some he can be seen as overplayed and outdated. But we suspect there’s much more to Lewis than we’re accustomed to hearing.
I hope you will consider joining us as we look deeper into Lewis as a resource for recovering the Christian imagination . We will meet on Sunday, June 2 at 9am during the education hour to discuss The Weight of Glory (get your copy now). We will primarily discuss the title essay “The Weight of Glory”, though we hope to get to others as well.
While you are at it, why don’t you bundle together an order for our next couple of months? We will discuss in various forums The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on June 30. Then for July 28 and August 25, we’ll read Till We Have Faces.
Hope you’ll plan on joining in on the conversation.
Dear CCC,
Thank you for your support over the last year. You all have been so hospitable and encouraging. I have learned and gained so much from my year here and am so thankful for the opportunity to come here and serve as Youth Director. My understanding of how the church works and the importance of it in peoples lives is forever changed. I believe God has used and will continue to use this experience as I look to further my education in pursuing graduate school.
It has been an incredible year teaching and living life with your students. Our many youth events, lunches, and weekly Youth Groups have provided for great opportunities and blessings for this ministry. I have been encouraged through seeing first hand how God is able to stir hearts and bring students closer to Himself through the seemingly smallest of ways. You have wonderful students who it has been such a pleasure to get to know over the last year. Gainesville is a busy and stressful place. Please remember to do everything you can to prioritize their relationships with Jesus Christ and with other Christians. I will be finishing my time here at CCC at the end of June. Thank you for the support!
Summer with CCC Youth is going to be very exciting, stay tuned for the dates of our awesome events coming in June and beyond!
In Christ,
Drew
