Spirit Scholars

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Batman!" Now, Here's a SUPER-Spiritual Web Site Where One Can Meditate for Eons!

Zowie! Here's a truly SUPER-spiritual Web site where an ordinary mortal could disappear for untold hours. And what's Truly Amazing about it is that it's just one small part of the nearly legendary Web site: Adherents Dot Com.

Have you ever checked out Adherents? For years, we've watched this strange site swell from a sometimes downright quirky Web project in the 1990s, created by a Webmaster who seems to be a virtually invisible man in American media: a guy named Preston Hunter. (Note: If you're a reading this on Spirit Scholars and you know a good site to find background on Mr. Hunter, please Click Here and email us the link. He doesn't have so much as a Wiki or "About Us" Bio Page!

Mostly, what's known about Mr. Hunter is that he is almost obsessive-compulsive about gathering information on religious affiliation -- although he's hardly a whiz at Web design. His site has become one of the leading destinations online for figuring out membership numbers for various denominations and sects around the world -- even though it remains Old School Internet. Just take a look at this rag-tag assemblage of data -- a big, messy heap of details roughly shoveled onto Mr. Hunter's vast site.

But now? Now, given the popularity of made-from-comic-book movies this year, the Web buzz -- including a recent posting by the Religion Newswriters Association -- is pointing out that Hunter also is an obsessive fan of comic books.

How obsessive? Well, try reading his entire entry on Superman's religious affiliation (some experts say he's Jewish; some say he's Methodist; some say he's generically Protestant -- and Mr. Hunter finally votes Methodist). The entry and citations from various comics, graphic novels, TV shows and movies is ETERNAL! And then there's a vast galaxy of reader comments after that!

Some of the entries are a little -- well, they're Works in Progress. Ghost Rider is Baptist, Mr. Hunter says on his index page, but jump to the actual discussion of Ghost Rider and it's clear the debate isn't fully settled.

There's a whole lot of fascinating trivia here, though. Like, the giant green Hulk? He's Catholic -- or probably "lapsed Catholic," Hunter argues. There's truly arcane evidence here for this conclusion -- including a closeup of a comic book panel that shows a fallen Dr. Bruce Banner (the Hulk's human alter ego) clutching what appears to be a circle of rosary beads in his hand.

And the orange-hued, terrifically strong Thing? He's one of the co-stars of the hot new "Fantastic Four" movie that's scheduled to hit movie screens around the world next week. And, he's Jewish.

Here's how Mr. Hunter explains his background: Ben Grimm, known as "The Thing," is a founding member of the Fantastic Four, the foundational comic book series of the Marvel Universe.

The character of Ben Grimm was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby and appeared in the first issue of The Fantastic Four in 1961. Lee and Kirby, both Jewish, imagined that The Thing was Jewish from the beginning. The character's name is actually Benjamin Jacob Grimm. But during the 1960s (and for a long time afterward), there was a strong taboo in comics and many other popular entertainment mediums against referring to real-world religious affiliations of major characters. It was not until four decades later that The Thing's Jewish identity was revealed. The revelation occurred in Fantastic Four Vol. 3, #56, published in August 2002, in a story titled "Remembrance of Things Past." Ben Grimm has apparently never been a synagogue-goer as an adult, but he still remembers and sometimes says Jewish prayers, and he does think of himself as Jewish.

Of course, not everyone in comics is Abrahamic. There's the Greco-Roman (perhaps we'd say "Pagan" today) Wonder Woman. There's the Norse (or "Teutonic Pagan") Thor. And, there's the Egyptian-Classical Birdman.

There are various Buddhist (or faux Buddhist) super heroes, including the so-called "Bullet Proof Monk" popularized in a recent movie. And there are  number of Muslim heroes, the coolest among them called Rampart, whose alter ego is Jaffar Ibn Haroun Al Raschid -- a Muslim prince created for DC Comics in the 1990s.

Finally, if you do get hooked on this stuff, there's even a cosmic-size SUB-page of Super Heroes whose religious affiliations haven't been determined yet. Anyone out there know where the Tick goes to pray? Or how about the cigar-chomping Sgt. Rock? Anyone know whether the Blue Beetle was ever baptized?

Or, perhaps these should remain Eternal Mysteries.

"Amazing Grace" Sunday is Loaded with Amazing Resources for the Struggle

A couple of hundred churches across Michigan are expected to participate in "Amazing Grace Sunday" on February 18, a remarkable cross-promotion of a politically charged film, a historical reflection on the end of the British slave trade 200 years ago -- and a plea for renewed efforts to combat modern forms of enslavement.

One regret we have, here at Spirit Scholars, is that this movement was organized along such limited Christian lines. Of course, John Newton, the author of the "Amazing Grace" hymn, and William Wilberforce, the courageous British crusader who led the political charge against slavery, were motivated by an evangelical Christian faith. But this seemed to us like a wonderful opportunity to link hands across religious boundaries to combat an evil that's virtually guaranteed to spark fresh political energy, especially among younger Americans.

Evidence of the broad appeal of this issue is the fact that, just one week ago, Rabbi David Saperstein and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism issued a tough new "open letter" on the problem. (The Religious Action Center is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism that represents 1.5 million Reform Jews across North America.) Saperstein's letter said, in part: It is our responsibility to protect the rights of those victimized by human trafficking and help them to reclaim their dignity and independence. Our Jewish tradition teaches, “One who saves one life, it is as if he saves an entire world.” We recognize the divine presence in each and every victim of human trafficking and welcome the additional federal resources now being committed to ending trafficking and prosecuting those responsible.

So, here at Spirit Scholars, we're a little miffed that the organizers of this immense "Amazing Grace" effort didn't seize opportunities to link arms with a broader religious community.

Nevertheless, wherever you find yourself these days -- YOU can educate yourself about the problems of human trafficking and figure out your own avenue into this global effort. (Note on Accompanying Photos: At left is a painting of the real William Wilberforce. Below is actor Ioan Gruffud portraying him in the film with actress Romola Garai as Barbara Spooner.)

OUR SPIRIT SCHOLARS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

No. 1: BUY a copy of David Batstone's terrific (and deeply troubling) book, "Not for $ale," and after you've read it, turn to the appendix about various resources for getting involved in the struggle. There's something in the book's long list of resources to suit almost anyone's preferences for involvement. (SEE the mini-review of the book in the right-hand margin of this Web site and click on the title to jump to Amazon. That way, you can buy the book right now!)

No. 2: CHECK out the three main Web site for this campaign. They're jammed with multi-media resources and web links. Yes, this particular set of Web resources is aimed at Christians, but there's an impressive array of material there. The effort is worth observing, even if you're not Christian to see how an effort like this can be staged. CLICK here to jump to the main Sunday-campaign Web site. OR, CLICK here to jump to the main Movie-related Web site. OR, CLICK here to jump to the main political-action Web site.

No. 3: WHOEVER you are, and whatever your background, you'll want to get your facts straight and the U.S. government provides an excellent resource in this regard. The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons offers an overview of the problem, plus a "downloadable" copy of its Year 2006 report on the global problem. Click here to jump to the State Department's site.

No. 4: GO SEE THE MOVIE! (NOTE on Accompanying Photos: At left is the real John Newton, who wrote the "Amazing Grace" hymn, and next to that is Albert Finney who portrays him in the film.) The movie opens on Feb. 23, but we've previewed it already. You're likely to see mixed reviews on the 23rd as critics weigh the film from a whole variety of perspectives. But -- in light of this campaign -- we give the movie highest praise! It was directed by Michael Apted, the near-legendary British director who is responsible in his long career for everything from a James Bond blockbuster ("The World Is Not Enough") to the landmark documentary about aging, called "7 Up." Woven among Apted's commercial projects over the decades are smaller films focused on a broad array of social issues from the concerns of Native Americans ("Incident at Oglala") to the plight of Chinese activists in Tiananmen Square ("Moving the Mountain"). The new film, "Amazing Grace," has the aura and pacing of a "Masterpiece Theater" production, so -- no, there are no edge-of-your-seat thrills here. What there is, instead, is a beautiful articulation of the way that young William Wilberforce channeled his youthful idealism for both faith and politics into a hard-as-steel strategy for pursuing an achingly slow campaign that would eventually change the world.

Now, WE KNOW! We realize that we're sending you away from Spirit Scholars with all these suggestions for further reading, viewing and links to jump elsewhere. But, hey, there's a World to Change Out There! So, Get Going!

Here's a Chance to Make YOUR View Count in Honoring the Best in Spiritual Cinema

Cinema is such a popular subject at Spirit Scholars that we're thrilled, today, to recommend that you check out a cool new section of the giant Beliefnet Web site designed to let YOU vote for the Best Spiritual Movies of 2006 -- just in time for the Oscars.

If you've missed our own coverage of Film, Please Note that in our Calendar (in the upper right corner of this Web site), we've been listing the "Jesus @ the Oscars" program in Birmingham (it's free and open to the public, although it is hosted by a United Methodist church and is focused specifically on Christian reflections). For more diverse reflections, click on our "Film" Category (in the left margin of our Web site) and you'll jump to various stories we've run recently.

TODAY, though -- We're talking about Beliefnet. And, here's fair warning: If you are fascinated by the intersection of faith and film, you'll find yourself "lost" for quite a while in Beliefnet's presentation of its annual "Film Awards."

Here are the Beliefnet Film Awards Nominees:
For BEST SPIRITUAL FILM, The Nominees Are: "Flags of Our Fathers," "Babel," "The Nativity Story," "Children of Men" and "The Pursuit of Happyness."

For BEST SPIRITUAL PERFORMANCE, The Nominees Are: Jennifer Hudson (as a singer who is ousted from a successful singing group in "Dreamgirls"),  Nicolas Cage (as a hero trapped under the rubble in "World Trade Center"), Nick Nolte (as a mentor to an injured gymnast in "The Peaceful Warrior"), Will Smith (as a homeless Dad trying to hold his family together in "The Pursuit of Happyness") and Virginia Madsen (as a mysterious angel in "Prairie Home Companion").

For BEST SPIRITUAL DOCUMENTARY, The Nominees Are: "An Incovenient Truth" (about global warming), "The Ground Truth" (about U.S. veterans returning home from the war in Iraq), "The Saint of 9/11" (about New York Fire Department Chaplain Mychal Judge), "Shakespeare Behind Bars" (about prisoners producing Shakespeare) and "When the Levees Broke" (Spike Lee's long examination of how the hurricane, and the government's response, affected lives in New Orleans).

Here's how this portion of the vast Beliefnet site works: Start at the Introductory page by Clicking Here. You'll find the three sets of nominees. Click on one of the Categories, then explore each film. There's a lot to read and see. For example, Beliefnet is offering Clips from the various films that you can watch, if your Internet connection is reasonably speedy. There also are related Articles, plus Postings by various online reviewers to read.

As you zero in on films you'd like to see "win" a Beliefnet award, there's an interactive "Poll" accessible from each page. As you submit your vote, an "instant poll results" screen pops up and you can check to see how your choices compare with other voters.

Tempted to vote more than once? Unh Unh! We tried it, while we were "test driving" the Beliefnet presentation. Any attempt to cheat pops up an error message that says: "You've already taken this poll! Your vote wasn't counted in our tally this time." So, spiritual purity is ensured by Beliefnet's security system!

As always, we'd like to know what you think, here at Spirit Scholars. Click below to add a Comment directly on our Web site -- or Click Here to send us an email with your thoughts.

A Fresh Michigan Voice on Media: United Methodist Writer Weighs in on Troubling TV

FRESH VOICES are joining us here at Spirit Scholars. As regular readers of this online magazine, you've told us that you welcome spiritual surprises here -- sometimes an unexpected laugh, sometimes an exquisitely eloquent quotation we've found and published, and sometimes a Brand New Voice.

Today, we introduce Ann Whiting, the editor of a statewide religious news magazine, the Michigan Christian Advocate. This is the official newspaper of the United Methodist Church in Michigan, but operates under an independent board and often provides provocative reading, as well as inspirational articles and lots of news about United Methodists across the state.

If you're Methodist and haven't seen the Advocate in a few years -- take a fresh look. It's now published in a colorful magazine format. And, if you're not Methodist? Well, you still might want to consider subscribing to support religious news reporting in Michigan and to check out what's happening these days in one of Michigan's biggest religious groups.

Beyond that, Whiting has a thoughtful heart, a wise mind and a sharp pen. She has agreed to let us publish, here in Spirit Scholars, her February commentary in the Advocate -- as a sample of her work -- and we're also happy to publish this piece, because she's taking aim at themes we frequently explore in this online magazine.

Her commentary is called: "DO AS WE SAY?"
And, here's the text:

Some prehistoric mother or father probably originated the saying: "Do as I say, not as I do!" And ever since then, humans have been struggling with our beliefs and our behavior.

Case in point: the Jan. 9, 2007, issue of The Christian Century reported a November Zogby/American Bible Society poll that found "85 percent of Americans want more religious values and references to the Bible and less sex and violence on television." Among the Top-10 Nielsen TV ratings in the month the poll was taken were: Desperate Housewives, CSI: Miami, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Law and Order: SVU, and Two and a Half Men.

Other apparently popular television shows violate my own sense of biblical values. Take Deal or No Deal, for example. I’ve never watched a whole program, but apparently the point is to entice players to gamble on winning ever-larger amounts of money concealed in briefcases. I think it should be called Greed or No Greed. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire also played into the greed factor, but at least you had to answer some questions to win $$$.

Popular movies often show the same disconnect between biblical values and what makes big money at the box office. The gratuitous violence in recent Mel Gibson movies, for example, has not stopped people from going to see them in huge numbers. And his anti-Semitic riff against a police officer arresting him for DUI didn’t keep folks away from the box office, either.

What about violent video game sales? Some of the parents buying Grand Theft Auto for their kids must profess some kind of religious faith.

Why are Americans so obsessed with Britney and Paris? Are they the same majority of Americans who profess some kind of religious faith?

How do televangelists like Joel Osteen stay on the air? Any resemblance between biblical stewardship and his message of prosperity is purely coincidental.

This is not just a rant against the media. All of us fall short of matching what we say and what we do.   Do we self-medicate? Do we vote for political leaders who represent our faith that peace with justice is our goal in public policy? Do we treat each other – at home, at church, in the workplace, in school – with love as members of the body of Christ?

Any parent knows that kids are watching… all the time. Do we match what we do with what we say? They’ll know!

THANK YOU, Ann, for adding your voice to Spirit Scholars.

READERS, if you're interested in learning more about the Michigan Christian Advocate, click here to visit their Web site. Subscriptions are reasonably priced. And, even the online version of the magazine has some cool content. The Letters and Opinions page is especially lively.

Divine Light Pictures Peace Prize Encourages Young Filmmakers

FIRST, Do you want to read more about the Divine Light Pictures project?

Click Here to read about how to buy a copy of their film. OR, you can Click Here to read about the crew's latest interview with Buddhist scholar Geri Larkin. OR, you can can Click Here to read a longer story about the World Sabbath event at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where the film crew was given the Peace Prize.

THEN, Here is the LATEST NEWS about the Divine Light crew:

The First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor, the home base for this pioneering crew that now has included nearly 30 young people over the past two years, is issuing a News Release about the World Sabbath honor given to this group.

To read that full release, which includes a Web link to see more photographs of the Divine Light crew, click on the link in our left margin under "READ MORE."

ALSO -- If you're curious about this film crew and their work, PLEASE think about attending the February 11 event at Temple Beth El, hosted by the Dove Institute and Beth El. That's a chance to see the 72-minute film in Beth El's beautiful Maas Chapel. See you there!

Ernie Pyle Report 01: Learning to Live in the Face of Death

DATELINE: FROM the FRONT LINES OF RELIGIOUS CONFLICT -- Spirit Scholars is launching another ongoing feature, which we're calling the Ernie Pyle Report in honor of the remarkable war correspondent who gave his life in World War II to capture snapshots of human life in the face of horrific violence.

To read more about Ernie Pyle and figure out why we're invoking his name in this particular feature, you might enjoy reading his biography (recommended in our book reviews in the right margin of this Web site). Or, to learn more RIGHT NOW, simply click on the link to Ernie Pyle in our handy "Read More" list in the left margin! (If you click on Ernie in the "Read More" list, you'll find links to several cool Ernie Pyle Web sites, plus we've included a copy of Pyle's most haunting dispatch from the front lines. Take a look!)

But, why should we spend any time reporting on religious conflict? Isn't it better to ignore that anxiety-producing side of spiritual life?

Well, earlier this month, the Detroit Free Press convened its 2nd Annual New Year's Forum on Religion, featuring seven men and women representing a broad range of religious traditions. Participants were asked to identify trends we'll see in this new year and one of their "Seven Things to Watch in '07" was this: "We will see more violence perpetrated by people claiming to have religious motives. That's one reason leaders in all the world's major faiths will talk more about calming violence."

Spirit Scholars isn't interested in picking fights. We try not to be partisan. Our goal is clarity in sorting out the religious influences -- good, bad and sometimes bizarre -- in the rapidly changing culture that's swirling all around us.

But, sometimes, that means we've got to climb down into the trenches as well as scan the horizon. So, like Ernie Pyle, we're going to occasionally report on Spiritual Life in the Face of Conflict.

To kick off this occasional series, we're posting a two-part article.
FIRST, you can continue reading this story, if you want to learn more about how this theme plays out in several of the Oscar-nominated movies this year.
And, SECOND, if you're weary of conflict and you're ready for some inspirational reading, scroll down to the next article, "A Prayer for Peace: If You're Willing for a Child-Like Dare." That prayer we're offering to our readers is a wonderful oasis, provided by a local pastor in metro Detroit.

NOW, in this first article, you may wonder why we're suddenly talking about movies, again. Why? Because, it's clear that, even beyond Michigan's circle of religious leaders, people all around the world are worried right now about the cost of violence. And, artists as well as religious thinkers are searching for spiritual strategies for living in an era of deadly conflict.

This weekend, we "studied up" on the current crop of Oscar nominees, getting ready for the Rev. Rod Quainton's innovative "Jesus @ The Oscars" series at First United Methodist Church of Birmingham. (Check out our new calendar for Rod's dates and times, including an opportunity to hear from Spirit Scholars Editor David Crumm at the Feb. 15 program in the series.)

Working hard, visiting theater after theater in our research this past weekend, we located three important movies that you're likely to skip this year, because they're challenging to locate in local theaters and they're equally challenging to watch. BUT, we strongly urge you to seek out these films.

Here goes ...

From the Bible to Bart, Faith is Blossoming Across Media's Spectrum

  If you're a regular reader of Spirit Scholars and wonder why we write so much "News" about trends in books, movies, TV and other media -- it's simply because the most exciting religious voices in this era have pushed their pulpits very close to that cutting edge.

If you're reading this outside Detroit and you occasionally like to travel into the city to attend the often high-energy Sunday worship services in many of the city's historic houses of worship -- well, then, there's not a better time than this Sunday morning to check out a truly Spirit Scholars moment in Detroit worship.

Bishop Charles Ellis at Greater Grace Temple is partnering with Grand Rapids-based Zondervan on Sunday morning at both the 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services for a city-wide "launch" of "The Bible Experience." If you haven't been following religion news in recent months, that's the red-hot theatrical production of an audio Bible featuring a Who's Who of famous African American performers.

Here's one way to think about the appeal of this new production: Denzel Washington and his wife did the dramatic readings for the "Song of Solomon" -- in the "Old Testament" portion of the Bible that hasn't been released just yet. But, the advance buzz from the Los Angeles production staff is that their "Song" is One Set of Sizzling Scripture.

Well, OK, that last line was written half in jest. We don't mean to disrespect Scripture. BUT -- it is true that the Washingtons performed that portion of the dramatic readings and it's guaranteed to be powerful stuff. Here at Spirit Scholars, what we're trying to convey to those of you who haven't yet heard "The Bible Experience" is that this takes the old idea of "audio Bibles" to a whole new level.

And, this Sunday morning at both 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services, Bishop Ellis is welcoming some of the producers of "The Bible Experience: The New Testament" into his services to talk about the project, play some clips from the Bible, sell discounted sets of the CDs between services.

And -- pssst! this is a Spirit Scholars exclusive -- we hear that Bishop Ellis will make a "special announcement" on Sunday morning concerning "Coming Attractions" in the final production of the "Old Testament" portion of the Bible. Knowing a bit about this particular production, we strongly suspect the "announcement" is that Ellis has performed one of the voices in the Old Testament and will appear in the next set of CDs to be released later this year.

Who did Ellis play? Abraham? Moses? A minor prophet? Pharoah? "The details are under lock and key here until Sunday's announcement," a spokesman at the church said this week.

Seriously -- that's what the church staff said. So, are you catching the drift here? This is the culmination of church marketing merging into principles of Crowdsourcing -- actually embracing the larger media realm and media's potential to fuel and form an ever-larger crowd. And, not only embracing media as a set of tools -- but embracing the whole feel of the media realm of "launches" and "special announcements" and "Coming Attractions."

(Now, to be clear about this: Denzel is NOT coming to Detroit on Sunday. It's the producers of the "Bible Experience" who'll be on stage. Still, if you're curious about Detroit churches and the merging/emerging swirl of spiritual media, then show up for one of the services. Click here to jump to Greater Grace's site for location and other details.)

Speaking of Coming Attractions -- and coming full circle to Bart -- We've just learned that, if you haven't already snapped up a copy of Mark Pinsky's delightful, "The Gospel According to the Simpsons" (WJK Press) -- HOLD ON UNTIL MAY!

On Mark's Web site, he's started alerting people that, in May, a new expanded edition of the popular book is coming from WJK Press just in time for the long-awaited "Four-Hundredth Episode of the Simpsons." Watch the Detroit Free Press and other media (like Spirit Scholars) for an ALERT on this later this spring -- or, if you're an avid Amazon user, set yourself an Amazon ALERT for this new edition.

What's so cool about this? The expanded edition of Mark's book will include what Mark is calling "Mini-Gospels" from these five hot animated series: "Futurama," "King of the Hill," "Family Guy," "American Dad" and "South Park."

Preachers among us? Teachers of Communications, Soc of Religion, etc? You WILL want this book on your shelf, even if you disagree with Mark's analysis. (And, who among us can deny a good reason to buy a new book?)

Now, some of our Spirit Scholars readers, at this point, are almost certainly saying: "That's IT! You've gone Over the Top on this one! You've embraced the Dark Side! There's more tabloid than tabernacle on this Simpsons item!"

Well, before you laugh too hard, if you're truly connected to the pulse of the culture -- if you're truly involved in "Searching for the Sacred in a Rapidly Changing World" (as we say here at the top of our online magazine) -- then you've got to be intrigued by this May event.

There's already a WIKIPEDIA entry on the 400th episode, for Heaven's sake! No, we don't mean on the Simpsons -- that's a huge, separate entry all its own. There's a Wiki article JUST for speculation concerning this looming 400th episode in May.

Now, not everything about the Simpsons is spiritual -- but, hey, it's where a healthy chunk of the American Crowd is converging in May -- and Pinsky's already poised to help readers through the spiritual implications of these adult animated TV series. And to Mark, we say: That's clever stuff!

And to you all, we say: Stay Tuned! And: Read on!

What's New? Rob Bell's on the Road Again, Packing New NOOMA and His Long-Awaited Book, "Sex God"

Mark your calendars! Rob Bell, Michigan's hottest evangelist, is hitting the road again and he's stopping first at the University of Michigan Power Center in Ann Arbor at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 8. Late on Monday, this free public appearance was announced by Rob's staff. The latest tour is planned to debut his new NOOMA film, "You," as well as his long-awaited book on the theology of human sexuality, "Sex God."

(UPDATE February 4: Click Here to jump to the Detroit Free Press Web site and read even more fresh news about Rob Bell and his plans. At the Free Press, you'll find a "Spiritual Life" story about "NOOMA" films,  Rob's style of preaching and why he approaches ministry in this unusual way. And, now, back to our original January 23 Spirit Scholars story ...)

We're starting with Rob Bell today, though, because we know lots of our readers will want to know about his latest tour, film and book. So, here's a summary of that news:

Monday and Tuesday this week, Rob has been the headliner at Mars Hill Bible Church's first international conference on the future of The Church, a series of talks and "break-out" sessions aimed mainly at pastors and pastoral leaders of churches. (Even though Grandville, the home of Mars Hill, is situated in western Michigan near Grand Rapids, the crowd at the conference is estimated to be 90 percent from outside Michigan, mainly from other states across the U.S. -- but with a number of foreign countries, including Norway, Sweden, England, Australia and Kenya, well represented in the mix.)

On Monday, Day No. 1 was an amazing roller coaster ride through issues as diverse as the theology of a Christian community, the spiritual need to pitch in on the global effort to combat AIDS, the divine nature of creativity -- and the courage necessary to pursue ministry in an age of global conflict.

Rob's own talks restlessly ranged from the New Testament to Rolling Stone Magazine, from the earliest Hebrew hymns to the final recordings of Johnny Cash, from the challenges of preaching on difficult Bible texts to the challenges of wrestling with abusive Email messages.

At this point, Rob is a Triple Threat in competing for ears and eyes in the modern media mosh pit. His first book, "Velvet Elvis," quickly reached Best Seller status. His hugely popular short inspirational videos, collectively called "NOOMA," are considered a cultural innovation. And, last summer, he rewrote the guidebook for touring evangelists with his sold-out, stand-up preaching gigs at clubs nationwide.

For at least a year, Rob watchers have been waiting for his second major book, "Sex God," to hit bookstore shelves. Finally, it's just about to debut, and we're told that the Feb. 8 event at UM's Power Center will be the first chance people will get to buy copies of the new book. That's even before the book is sold in bookstores, we're hearing.

Also, Rob will debut his latest "NOOMA" at the Power Center, called "You," a spiritual reflection on self esteem. Not even the crowd at the Mars Hill conference was given a peek at the new movie. So, Feb. 8 is shaping up as a "must attend" event for those curious about Rob's ministry.

If you live in Ann Arbor, we're told, you'll see posters going up around town in the week or so before the event. Rob and his ministry team are hoping that the event will draw heavily from the university community itself, but it's open to anyone who wants to attend. No tickets required.

If you live in other states, Rob tentatively is slated to visit the University of Kentucky on February 15 and, then, March 5 through 9, he's making a West Coast swing that will include the University of Washington and UCLA, passing through the Bay Area sometime in the middle of the tour.

Want to know more? Naturally, Rob's got his own Web site in the works. A cryptic "Coming Soon" page already is online at www.sexgodtour.com   Stay tuned for more.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to ... ENLIGHTENMENT

The connective power of Spirit -- and the mysterious, constantly changing nature of that connective power -- is something that intrigues all of us. After all, that's a core part of our mission at the Center for Spirituality in American Life and in  Spirit Scholars magazine.

AND SO: Over the past 48 hours, we've received various Emails, a few phone calls and even a couple of in-person reactions to the two appearances by Buddhist writer Geri Larkin in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. (Click here if you'd like to start by reading our preview of Geri's appearance, earlier this week.)

Now that Wednesday's events are receding into Memory -- and also into the editing process of the Divine Light Pictures crew who spent nearly an hour and a half filming Geri on Wednesday afternoon -- a few reflections are in order.

Here's why we find this so INTERESTING: Although this was the same Person, visiting us on the same Basic Mission (a book tour sponsored by Harper Collins on behalf of her new title, "The Chocolate Cake Sutra"), sharing at least a few of the same Stories in both venues -- the 2 events on Wednesday were quite different in character!

At 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Geri arrived at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor. She settled into a big, comfortable chair in front of the fireplace in Wesley Lounge. The Divine Light Pictures crew hooked up a microphone, lighting equipment and their two digital cameras -- and proceeded into a fascinating conversation with Geri.

Here's an important Word of Background: Divine Light Pictures is an innovative, two-year-old project involving about 20 high-school students from the First United Methodist  Church in Ann Arbor who have worked closely with Detroit Free Press Religion Writer David Crumm in learning interviewing techniques. They've also worked with an array of other professionals who've helped them immensely. And, in some cases, this crew has simply figured things out for themselves -- especially in learning how to shoot nearly professional quality video footage. In early 2006, these young people produced their first, 72-minute-long documentary film, called simply "Divine Light Pictures." That film raised basic questions about faith -- questions like "What do you think God looks like?" -- in Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities across metro Detroit.

The young people who are part of the documentary film crew are living proof of how deeply and effectively ordinary people can explore the rich diversity of faith in people's everyday lives -- if they only approach the subject with great respect and boundless curiosity.

The crew has matured from their fledgling status in 2005, when interviewers with the film crew would ask questions, prompted partly by typed-up "sample question lists" that we developed for the sake of consistency in the dozens of interviews the crew did that year. NOW, as the crew completed its filming for its second feature-length documentary on Wednesday -- the crew's status as sophisticated, seasoned interviewers was obvious.

For the most part, the five teen-agers sitting around Geri for the interview had read her new book, in advance of the interview with her, and several of them came to the interview with yellow sticky notes and folded-down pages, eager to ask her questions.

It was that CONNECTION that occurred in Wesley Lounge -- between respectful yet boundlessly curious young people -- and this wise spiritual sage -- that made the conversation crackle with electricity.

Only a talented crew of interviewers in a setting of safety and respect like that fireside circle could have asked Geri questions like: "So what do you believe about God?"

And it was a question like that -- a very specific, pointed question that is rarely asked of Buddhist sages -- that moved the conversation to the point of stressing that, in Buddhism, what matters most is not merely what we may say we "believe" -- but what we truly know and trust in the nitty gritty of our daily lives.

Again and again, the conversation seemed to crackle. The young people asked about Koans, the virtually unanswerable Buddhist puzzle-questions that jump-start a person's intuitive, non-intellectual responses. So, Geri fired one back at a young interviewer: "What was your face before your mother was born?"

And -- bang! -- the Koan worked. The young man didn't know how to respond properly.

"Nope, that's not it," Geri said before he could say much. "I can see it in the way your eyes are moving. You're  thinking too  hard. That's not it."

Beyond the value of explaining the Buddhist approach to such issues -- the application of such ideas to the young interviewers' Christian faith was powerful. Christian preachers repeatedly try to explain to people the necessity of moving beyond mere "belief" to a full commitment of trust in one's daily spiritual path -- and Geri's Buddhist affirmation of this often difficult-to-grasp principle was as direct and powerful as the way she loudly slapped her hand on her thigh to stress the point.

What truly drove home this principle of the need to cultivate a direct and fully mindful focus on our daily spiritual path was Geri's hilarious story about an obnoxious neighbor who hung around near her Detroit Buddhist monastery a couple of years ago and actually would try to rattle the monks by, in her words, "coming up on our porch and body slamming himself against our window!" In spite of his antics, which he knew were over-the-top and annoying to the monks, Geri and her monks managed eventually to overcome his provocations. By the time she was finished relating this tale, the young people were half amazed and half aching from laughing at the way she had described the scenes.

THEN -- in the evening -- Geri returned to First Church to deliver a more typical "book tour" talk that ran about 40 minutes -- with a few autobiographical remarks, a few anecdotes from her book and a couple of excerpts that she read aloud from "Chocolate Cake Sutra."

There was less electricity in that room. Or, really, it was a different kind of energy. As it turns out, based on a whole range of reactions we've heard from people sitting in that crowd on Wednesday night, there was a great deal of affection in the room. But it was more like the warm embrace of a homecoming than the spontaneous and provocative dialog of the afternoon. Many people who counted themselves as old friends came to hear their home-town hero return to celebrate her latest book. There were more hugs in the sanctuary of the church on Wednesday night than anyone could count.

Finally, the crowd moved back to Wesley Lounge again, this time for people to spend one-on-one time with Geri as she signed their books (sold via a mini-bookstore set up in one corner of the room by Shaman Drum Books). A couple of us stayed in the Lounge until the very end -- and that was quite a long time. This was truly a family reunion for many that night -- and, in that way, it was a valuable and memorable event.

By the end, exhausted by what finally totaled more than 3 hours (counting the Divine Light interview, the talk and the one-on-one conversations), Geri left the church with "deep bows" of gratitude.

That's an overview of the day -- but what can we learn from it? Well, first of all -- please, YOU should feel free to tell us more about what you think. We'd love to hear more from you -- either post a Comment below or Click Here to send us an email.

One Thing we're definitely pondering, though, is that -- ideally -- the mysteries and the life-giving value of spiritual disciplines are best explored in lively relationships. In Christianity, that may be why we recall Jesus' parables better than we can rattle off his Beatitudes. The Beatitudes were powerful preaching -- but the parables were relational stories, both in the plots of the timeless tales -- and in the way they were presented to Jesus' followers (and sometimes to Jesus' detractors), often while Jesus was on the move.

And we also are impressed by the mysterious power of community, especially when -- as we saw it unfold on Wednesday night -- various communities co-exist within a single town and occasionally they converge. We are intrigued by having hosted -- in the best parts of Wednesday evening -- a community reunion of another kind within the spiritual home of a local Methodist community. Somehow, we suspect, this is tapping into the real nature of what it means to carve out "sacred space" in a diverse community.

Perhaps these seem like poorly focused reflections. Perhaps we're trying to tease too much significance out of simple encounters among people. But, really, these kinds of experiences -- and the enduring meaning of them -- are what we're all about at Spirit Scholars -- and at the Center for Spirituality. SO -- tell us what YOU think.

(And a special THANK YOU to photographer John Hile for his images of Geri's visit. REMEMBER: You can click on nearly all the images in Spirit Scholars to see them pop up more clearly.)

An Innovative Media Strategy Pops Up in an Old Struggle Over Church Authority

As anyone who cares about Catholic churches in metro Detroit already knows: Detroit Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton's obligatory letter of retirement to the Vatican was accepted by Vatican officials. Then, beyond that step into senior status as a bishop, he also has been ordered to leave his longtime parish, St. Leo's. Gumbleton, now 75, is famous (some of his critics like to say "infamous") all around the world for his work on behalf of peace and advocacy for the poor and marginalized.

On balance, for those of us who have watched Tom's work closely over the past couple of decades, he holds remarkably close to Jesus' teachings about defending the poor and marginalized. Even more politically conservative Catholic bishops, who have tangled with Tom over the years, have admitted more than once that Tom is a deeply committed voice of conscience within the church. Or, let's put it very simply: He's about as close to a modern-day Prophet as the City of Detroit can boast these days.

But, in the overall planning to downsize the Archdiocese of Detroit -- mainly due to outward migration of Catholics into the suburbs and to a dire shortage of priests -- many parishes have been asked to cluster and share priests. Some parishes have been asked to close entirely.

St. Leo's is slated to be clustered and supervised by a priest other than Gumbleton. He asked for approval to remain at St. Leo's, but he was told that he has to leave. Period. He has not announced a departure date, but presumably he won't be living there by the end of 2007.

That's the basic story and it's not really news to anyone who has been following Detroit church news over the past month or so.

Here's what is NEWS in a Spirit Scholars way: Today, one of the innovative strategies Tom and his parishioners are pursuing surfaced in an Email from one of Tom's many supporters across Metro Detroit.

It seems that we truly are in an era of easy-to-produce, high-quality video! Someone has produced what they hope will be a very persuasive, 5-minute video appealing for Tom to remain at St. Leo's. As longtime aficionados of cinema, we can tell you: It's about as good as this kind of short, advocacy film can get.

And -- guess what? -- this new film was brought to all of us online courtesy of the now-omnipresent power of YouTube.  (Click here to read our earlier Spirit Scholars story on YouTube -- and we've talked more about the spiritual importance of YouTube in our Crowdsourcing series, too, if you're curious to read more.)

If you've got a pretty healthy Internet connection and want to click over to the YouTube-powered page -- and actually watch the film -- then, please click on this link. (Those of you with slower-speed connections might want to think twice about clicking on that -- because the video could load slowly on your computer.)

If you do see the video -- It's really a fascinating development, we think. The video features what looks like professional-quality interview footage of a number of St. Leo's parishioners, plus Tom himself. The 5-minute movie ends with stark white type on several black screens.

Screen No. 1 reads: Bishop Gumbleton's request to continue ministry at St. Leo's after retirement has been denied by the Vatican.

Screen No. 2 reads: This is a direct result of his Christ-like advocacy for the poor, victims of clergy sexual abuse, women in the church, gays and lesbians, and anti-war efforts that is often at odds with current church leadership.

Then, the final Screen says: To support Bishop Gumbleton, the future of St. Leo's and efforts for a just Church, please visit (and there's another Web link provided where people can "join up" and donate money).

One intriguing aspect of this campaign is that Tom Gumbleton himself -- in any public statements he has made to the media -- pointedly denies the text of Screen No. 2. Tom does NOT say publicly that he has been punished -- although he DOES say that he wishes he could have remained at St. Leo's. So, it's a multi-dimensional strategy being deployed here. Tom doesn't complain about being punished -- but his followers (thanks to YouTube) are making that argument for him.
However you might feel about Tom or St. Leo's or the Catholic leadership -- that's beside the point in our consideration here. This is a cultural milestone in the church's advancement toward -- well, toward what we've often called Crowdsourcing here at Spirit Scholars.

And for members of any denomination, this is a fascinating development in the perennial struggle over church authority. It's a development that, if we ponder its broad implications, is likely to send cold chills down the spines of bishops and church superintendents nationwide who could find future disputes with pastors spilling out into a new realm of combat far larger than anything they've  encountered before.