Dr. Pat Bailey: Library series continues 6/13/13

08 Jun Dr. Pat Bailey: Library series continues 6/13/13

Pastor Pat Bailey

Dr. Pat Bailey of Telluride’s Christ Presbyterian Church, is native of Atlanta, Georgia. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1987. For 16 years, Pat served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He is also an Iraq War veteran. Pastor Pat holds several degrees: a Master of Divinity from Columbia Seminary, a Master of Theology in comparative religion from Emory University, and (recently) a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. His primary professional interests are interfaith spirituality, evolutionary consciousness, nature spirituality, and accompanying others in spiritual community.

To that end, last Thursday, June 6, Pastor Pat launched a nine-week series of discussions at the Wilkinson Public Library around the topic of evolutionary consciousness. Going forward, the evenings will include viewing and discussing clips from such people as cosmologists Brian Swimme and Philip Clayton, philosophers Ken Wilber and Jacob Needleman, evolutionary theologians Michael Dowd and Bruce Sanguin, world religions expert Houston Smith, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, and mindfulness teacher Eckhart Tolle.

Some of the questions Pastor Pat and participants will consider over this course of study: What are the forces that have shaped the universe and what connects the natural order as a whole? What in our evolutionary past has shaped our current experience as human beings? How might we locate emerging shifts in consciousness or worldview within the larger evolutionary journey? What hope might there be for the future of life on earth and what role will humanity play in that future? How are our views and practices of spirituality effected by our expanding knowledge of the universe and attending shifts in consciousness?

“Last Thursday we heard from cosmologist Brian Swimme,” explained Pastor Pat. “Swimme was looking at the evolution of the universe and how our knowledge of that evolution is shaping our world views and consciousness from a scientific perspective. His basic proposal was that the fundamental way to understand the human being from the context of the universe as a whole is as a macro-phase transformation of the very dynamics of evolution. In other words, the human species has now become a planetary power that is shaping the future of life on earth. So, the question he asks is this: ‘How can we develop a macro-phase wisdom now that we are a planetary power?'”

The conversation at the first gathering was very lively.

“People were genuinely engaged in Swimme’s thought and ideas. And they seemed excited to be involved in this conversation and to invite others to attend.  As I told them in my introduction, in many ways this is the conversation of our times, being carried out in a wide variety of fields and from a wide variety of perspectives.”

What’s in store for week #2, this coming Thursday, June 13, 6 – 7 p.m.?

Click the “play” button and listen to Pastor’s Pat’s preview.