Father Tom Roberts, PhD, DD
THURSDAY | JUNE 3, 2021 | 7:30-9:00 pm MDT
Explore the possibilities of continuing and even increasing your faith within a church that doesn’t always fit comfortably with your faith.
GATHERING AT:
Your home or hang out of choice via Zoom.
Thanks to Jana Spangler hosting us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. I will also note below the Zoom address so that you can connect. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text or call me at 801-695-5036.
THE CONVERSATION:
Recent events of some Latter-Day Saints having difficulty maintaining a comfortable relationship with and at times even within the church provide a timely backdrop for this evening’s exploration.
Several months ago, Father Tom approached me about offering a conversation about the challenges of understanding and maintaining faith individually as well as institutionally. His research into 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 and 2 Peter had provided him with some helpful direction and he wanted to share those insights.
Such a topic is of ongoing interest to me in my life and so many I know. I felt Father Tom would be ideal to share such insights not only as a scholar and former Orthodox Cleric, but also as a recent convert to the church where he and his wife have struggled to feel fully accepted and included in their ward in Idaho.
Father Tom will use his scriptural insights as well as lessons from his long personal faith journey to help us better clarify ours. And to increase our empathy for those who struggle with faith or feeling oppressed by others definition of what our faith should be. Utilizing Tillich and Fowler’s ideas of stages of faith we will explore where people can get stuck in their faith and how they can either grow in faith or come to deny it.
Ample opportunity will be given for questions and sharing your own faith journey or doubts and difficulties. The hope of this conversation will be to explore how to maintain faith when the church and the world can feel against you and the ingredients that make your faith journey possible and profitable in our relationships with each other and God.
ABOUT TOM
Tom Roberts holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Triune Biblical University, a M.Th. from Covenant Bible College and Seminary, Federal Way, Washington as well as an M. Div. and Ph.D. in Theology from the Hellenic Orthodox University in Athens, Greece and a DD awarded by St Mark Seminary in Sharon, PA for public service as a priest. Dr. Roberts MDiv thesis is entitled Divorce and Marriage, A Middle Eastern Approach and his PhD dissertation, From Sacral Kingship to Sacred Marriage – A Theological Analysis of Literary Borrowing was published by Vantage Press in 2002. His latest book, Divorce and Remarriage has been published by Wipf and Stock. Tom believes that his mission is to make biblical knowledge more widely known among the general public. He has been the featured host and presenter for “Biblical Perspectives” on Free Catholic Radio and recently broadcast on WBCQ Radio. He has been a guest on Religion Today, a weekly radio program with Martin Tanner of KSL, where he compared Orthodox theology with LDS positions. Tom has also been a commentator of the Dead Sea Scrolls on Patriot Radio with Rick Richardson. Dr. Roberts has participated in a panel of scholars for Dan Witherspoon on his former podcast, MormonMatters. He has also contributed to various projects for the Chaplains Bible Association concluding with a new textual reading of the USB4 translation of 2 Thessalonians. Tom’s articles have been published in various journals, periodicals, and other publications consistently over many years. Currently, he is involved in the BYU New Testament Commentary Project and will co-author the commentary on Romans. Dr. Roberts’ presentation of an Eastern Orthodox perspective of Christianity was filmed for the World Religions class at BYU.
Prior to the above, Tom has been a professional singer, Ministry Coordinator for the Meridian Council Church of God 7th Day, lay pastor, disc jockey and radio broadcaster. He resides with his wife in Weiser, Idaho.
EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:
Arbinger Institute Studies on Ego:
Gratitude: Ego’s Antidote
Leave Ego at the Door: 3 Keys to Unleash Innovations That Win
Unleashing Ego-Free Creativity
Father Tom also recommended these books:
M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled
C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy
R.B.Y. Scott, The Way of Wisdom in the Old Testament
Hannah Hurnard, Hind’s Feet in High Places
Lester Bach, Where Bible and Life Connect – Reflections of a Spiritual Director
LISTEN TO THE RECORDED ZOOM CONVERSATION
Postscript to evening by Father Tom: In Search of Ego Strength
PLEASE READ THESE ZOOM TIPS:
- Please mute your microphone before entering and when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else.
- Rather than have the whole group watch you try to get your camera or screen positioned, feel free to get that figured out prior to when we meet.
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us, people. Knitting is still allowed though. But…
- If you are going to multitask, please turn off your video and make sure you are muted. No one wants to be distracted by you eating or using the loo.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of life’s problems.
- Speaking of distractions—just as when we used to meet in person in the good old days, let’s be cautious about using the chat for side conversations that may distract others. You can always ask for people’s contact info and continue your conversation—I’d love that to happen. Or, let me know, and I’ll do my darndest to give you a chance to share to the group.
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To enter the Zoom conversation:
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- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
