Went to Neighborhood Congregational Church last Sunday to learn about their Second Annual World Peace and Justice Weekend. It begins tonight with a 7 p.m. concert featuring Emma’s Revolution. There’s a full program of speakers on Saturday under the theme of “Sustainability: In This Together,” beginning at noon. It’s all part of the spirited work of the good Rev. Rod Echols, who reminds that this Sunday’s service will be at Main Beach, near the cobblestone area, usual time of 10 a.m.
NCC is in the midst of a series on progressive Christianity, said to be a post-liberal movement seeking to shape Christianity through the insights of post-modernism. I don’t know enough about this to comment, except to say that the speaker, UCI physics professor Dr. Michael Dennin, gave a fascinating talk exploring the dynamic between science and faith.
There’s been conflict and contention between the camps of science and faith, going back at least to the Enlightenment. Dennin finds the two fields—one physical, the other spiritual—not only compatible, but potentially complementary in our search for the “fullness of reality.” The problem is our knowledge of the laws of the physical world in recent history has outpaced our understanding of the spiritual domain. Our language, Dennin observes, reflects this—it describes the physical well, but is deficient in the spiritual realm. We’ve much to learn.
Dennin was asked about the tensions in his world. We expected a comment about faith and science, but for him, there is no tension. The tension he noted was every person’s—blessed with agency, he found tension in the daily choices one must make, the nitty gritty of living spiritually, seeking holiness in a physical world. His extra burden was to be a self-described “cradle Catholic” with a Jewish mother, thus endowed with an abundance of guilt.
The service included slides from the Hubble Space Telescope peering into the heavens of our ever-expanding universe. The final slide showed stars billions of lightyears distant, except they weren’t stars, but the collective light of inconceivably distant galaxies. We stared at the slides as if we were ancient philosophers gazing into the heavens.
Leaving, I was drawn by a rocking praise band to the Laguna Beach Net-Works church meeting across Glenneyre at the Woman’s Club. The service was ending but I promised Pastor Don to return in two weeks to catch the band, and the service. Then I traveled up Glenneyre to Forest Avenue to the Rotary Club’s classic car show. There was an awesome display of cars, plus a rock band playing classics like, “Surfin’ USA.” You had to love it.
I told the Beautiful Wife about the morning when I got home. The blessedness of our churches, the music, the classic car show. It was a beautiful day with a cool ocean breeze balancing the warm sun. Laguna on a Sunday morning—we’ve a blessed life. Then I ordered Dennin’s book, “Divine Science.” There’s meaning in that.
Skip fell in love with Laguna on a ‘50s surfing trip. He’s a student of Laguna history and the author of “Loving Laguna: A Local’s Guide to Laguna Beach.” Email: [email protected]
Places to worship (all on Sunday, unless noted):
Baha’i’s of Laguna Beach—contact [email protected] for events and meetings.
Calvary Chapel Seaside, 21540 Wesley Drive (Lang Park Community Center), 10:30 a.m.
Chabad Jewish Center, 30804 S. Coast Hwy, Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 10:30 a.m., Sun. 8 a.m.
Church by the Sea, 468 Legion St., 9 & 10:45 a.m.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 682 Park Ave., 10 a.m.
First Church of Christ, Scientist, 635 High Dr., 10 a.m.
ISKCON (Hare Krishna), 285 Legion St., 5 p.m., with 6:45 feast.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, 20912 Laguna Canyon Rd., 1:00 p.m.
Laguna Beach Net-Works, 286 St. Ann’s Dr., 10 a.m.
Laguna Presbyterian, 415 Forest Ave., 8:30 & 10 a.m.
Neighborhood Congregational Church (UCC), 10 a.m. meeting at Main Beach (cobblestone area) 10/13 only. (Bring a chair and sun protection.)
United Methodist Church, 21632 Wesley, 10 a.m.
St. Catherine of Siena (Catholic), 1042 Temple Terrace, Sunday 7:30, 9, 11, 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). Saturday: 4 pm Reconciliation, 5:30 Mass.
St. Francis by the Sea (American Catholic), 430 Park, 9:30 a.m.
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 428 Park Ave., 8:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Unitarian Universalist, 429 Cypress St., 10:30 a.m.
