[Dialogue] RS-1 Events

[Jack Gilles]

Dear Colleagues,

I find it very interesting that the same weekend John was doing his  
revised RS-1 in Minnesota, there was an RS-1 event in Washington DC  
taught by Gene and Joyce Marshall.  The DC event started Friday  
evening and ended at 5 PM on Saturday.  Judy and I went to see what  
Gene and Joyce had done with the RS-1 as well as to see what we knew  
would be lots of colleagues in attendance.

I think there was close to 30 people who came, about 85% were old  
colleagues (some very old!)  My own reaction was that the event was a  
shadow of what the original RS-1 was.  Gene has done some good work  
on his concept of Realistic Living, and his lectures (3 one hour)  
were okay and theologically correct, but for me, not very existential  
or life addressing.  We started each session with a conversation  
(sitting in a circle) led by Joyce that stayed on the surface (time  
and long answers were a limitation), safe and intellectual.  We  
studied the Tillich paper (paragraphs with Gene's commentary on each  
paragraph).  Still a powerful paper and Gene's work is solid, but  
again, very surface discussion and no real push for life grounding.   
The last session on the Holy Spirit - People of God again lacked  
grounding.  I think there is only so much you can do with lectures  
these days.  After Gene's HS-POG lecture Joyce led us in  a rehearsal  
and demonstration of what they have developed as a type of new  
Christian gathering format that their organization is encouraging to  
spread.  It was good to see what they are experimenting with to hear  
some of the success it has generated.

We did a little singing, with a couple of new songs that are well  
done.  We also did a free dance to the tape of Leonard Cohen's  
"Democracy" which was fun.  I think we would all have loved to sing a  
lot more and they have a good song book.  Perhaps it was due to the  
fact that we had so many of "us" there that we had so little push  
back.  I don't know.  The post -event dinner which about 20 of us  
went to was fun and we enjoyed catching up on our lives.  A lot of  
people still standing and being the POG.  Gene & joyce are committed  
to the continual attempt at renewing the Christian Church.  From what  
I saw and experienced, it will be a long, long, long journey.

Grace & Peace,

Jack Gilles