Emergent Convention: General Session #4

May 20, 2004

The Road to Shema: Lauren Winner
The full Shema comprises 3 paragraphs from Scripture: (Deut 6, Deut 11, Num 15) - the heart of the Jewish prayer life. When people talk about “The Shema”: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One.” The Mishnah records a version of this prayer being said 2x/day (morning & night) - said in the context of praising, beseeching God. The Shema in the Jewish community holds a place of privilege like John 3.16 does in the Christian community.

Judaism says that a small spiritual discipline (like repeating the Shema) has a huge transformative impact in our lives.

“We are not called simply to evangelize…but to be a community of story-tellers who tell the story again & again to one another…this is the work of remembering.”

Her new book “Chastity” will be about Christian sexual ethics.

I really want to read Lauren’s books, and I’ll probably pick them up in the bookstore. It’s funny once you’ve been made aware of gender-inclusive language, how evident it is when someone doesn’t use it. For some reason, I thought Lauren wouldn’t be one to use He, Him, Himself, etc. all the time, but she did. And for some funny, stupid reason, that bothered me. And in that, I judge just as those who would be upset by someone saying, “Godself” judge. Damn.