felix hominum

the pharisee and the tax collector

Luke 18: 9-14

9] He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

[10]  ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. [11]  The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. [12]  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.”

[13]  But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” [14]  I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

A little while ago I was intrigued by the posture of the Pharisee - how he could be in the midst of the temple and yet be "standing by himself".  But what about the tax collector?  I am confronted with the picture of someone praying far off from the temple, and yet his prayer is heard, and answered.

In a way this little detail raises a few basic questions.  Is the Kingdom bigger than "the temple"?  Or, to re-cast the question, is the Kingdom bigger than what we generally think of as "the church"?  I suppose that yesterday, as Christians gathered in their various places of worship for the Sabbath, there were still a few tax collectors who were "standing far off" from the precincts of the temple. 

I'm just sayin'.   Is our picture of the kingdom too small?

the new city

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

I've been meaning to touch on this a bit more since our conversation at sol cafe about 6 weeks ago.  You see, it is like a marriage, but it is, a city. 

In our search for relationship with God, we have sometimes looked upon the analogy of marriage as the final model.  It suggests an intimacy, a belovedness, a personal dimension that we crave.  But we overlook what the vision tells us:  it is about a "city".   It is no wonder this fact of the vision is often overlooked in our conversation,  in much of contemporary "worship" music, and in much of what sells on the bookshelves of the local Christian retailer.  We sometimes get glimpses of what a marriage is supposed to be, but we rarely, if ever, get glimpses of what a "city" is supposed to be.   I don't suppose many of our temporal models of civic life instruct us very well.

It hardly sounds appealing, yet this is what God tells us we are to be:  a new kind of community.  We move beyond the ties that bind us by blood, by birth, and by natural desire.  We've never seen a holy city, a holy community, and so this part of the vision eludes our sight.  We fall back Jesus and me, being in love, and forget the joy that is supposed to come from being a "city" - a community of neighbours in relationship with God.

You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

the anglican philosopher's blog

Sarah Lublink Daley is an Anglican convert from Evangelical Protestantism - she attended the Salvation Army as well as the Baptist church. Sarah is a doctoral student in philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. She is currently working on her dissertation entitled “Critical Thinking, Indoctrination, and the Duties of Philosophers as Ethics Teachers,” a research project which questions how ethics can be taught in a morally justifiable way. Her research interests include ethics and the practice of philosophy, political philosophy, especially issues of religious freedom and public reason, and philosophy of religion, especially issue of faith and reason.

And she is beginning to blog somewhere around here.

where the one book meme dies

Those who know my blogging habits know that this is the place where memes go to die.

That being so, I am called upon by Tyler of Codex to engage in the one book meme.

1. One book that changed your life:
    The Confessions of St Augustine.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
    Brideshead Revisited,  Evelyn Waugh

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
    Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of  Shipwrecks;  J. Richard Steffy

4. One book that made you laugh:
    Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses;  David Lodge

5. One book that made you cry:
    my checkbook

6. One book that you wish had been written:
    Charlie Parker:  How I Kicked Heroin and Continued Playing Until I Was 90

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
     Why John Shelby Spong Christianity Must Change or Die;  Bishop Spong

8. One book you’re currently reading:
    How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith: Questioning Truth in Language, Philosophy And Art;
    Crystal Downing

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
    the bible

10. Now tag five people:
    alas, here is where my energy runs out, I'll get to this part sometime soon...

art blogging

                                                            

                                                            untitled,
                                              collection of the artist

just adding some tags

thought I might get around to tagging some of these posts...  slow day at the office

Harper orders special peacekeeping naval vessel to aid in Lebanon crisis

[Halifax]  Prime Minister Harper has ordered the Canadian Navy to send its most advanced peacekeeping vessel to aid in securing a cease fire in the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.   

With no immediate end in sight for strife torn Lebanon, officials there are looking forward to the speedy arrival of what they see as a possible last chance to put an end to nearly 2 weeks of attacks.

"Canada has always been at the forefront of peacekeeping", said Mr. Harper, "and this latest addition to our armed forces shows that we have a tremendous  committment to bring the unique Canadian experience into the international arena."

searching in vain

to you who reached this site by searching for "prominent alberta anglican", i can only quote the Scripture:

"He is not here"
Mark 16:6

why i am a neo - monastic

There has been a rising interest in "monastic" style community in recent years.  I've seen some interesting stuff from the weary pilgrim, among others.  I was part of some cultish-anglican-house-thing many years ago, which was a sort of crew of folks who prayed, worked, ate, and being good anglicans, had good drinks together.  I wonder if I have re-entered the abbey.

I believe I am entitled to call myself neo-monastic, based on what Monkfish Abbey lists as the several qualities of neo-monasticism. 

• Rhythm:   I got rhythm;  who could ask for anything more?
• Blended Living:  My wife wears my shirts (but the opposite is not true).
• Multiple Levels of Belonging:   Sometimes it belongs to one kid, sometimes another.  Depends on who is crying for it at the moment.
• Sense of Place:  Get back into bed.
• Spiritual Disciplines:   Get back into bed NOW, and may the peace of God go with you.

the UN, the targets and the artillery shells

I've read the phrase "disproportionate response" quite a few times in the last week or so.  Okay, I can appreciate  the sentiment behind that.  There was an arrest a few nights ago about 100 meters from our house.  Cop cars, sirens, stuff goin' on.  I know the police have a job to do, and I trust that when they do their job they have some guidelines in place as to what amount of force they should use.   Don't just start sprayin' bullets all over my lawn, which is easier to say when it's my lawn.

sip...coffee...good

The UN Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has an interesting press release on what has happened recently.  You can view the PDF here at their site.    Seems that Hezbollah has been firing rockets from positions close to the UN observer posts...

Hmmm...  Back to the whole UNIFIL thing, their main site says that

UNIFIL was created in 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore the international peace and security, and help the Lebanese Government restore its effective authority in the area.

When I read that mission statement, I'm not sure whether I should laugh or cry.

Update:  Magic Statistics has a bunch of commentary and some links to the CBC interview with Lewis MacKenzie on this stuff. 

We had an interesting talk about this whole scenario here at the U of A this afternoon

the peace of jerusalem

I took Tim's advice and extended it a bit.  He refrained from posting on the Middle East and just devoted the time to prayer instead.  I think I'll do the same.

a few stray flowers
rising up from the ruins of the Second Temple

inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

bullet marks on house, Old City, Jerusalem

and my flagship image,
taken shortly after a sort of mild riot kind of thing
in which we found ourselves.

I think it says a lot

pick a prayer, any prayer

I've been looking at the contrasting prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector, (Matt 18:9-14).  There is one thing I noticed at the beginning of the Pharisee's prayer:

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus...

He comes to the temple and has no desire to be part of the fellowship of the people of God.  His time at the temple, his prayer, his religion, is a matter for himself alone.  He neither needs nor is interested in needing, the rest of the community of believers.

I think it is all too easy to imitate the Pharisee's position - "by himself" - no desire to really connect with anyone else in the temple, a certain sense of personal distance leads to a personal sense of self confidence.  You can be part of a "church" and yet find yourself "praying alone".   I wonder what influence this initial positioning, this "standing by himself", had on the rest of his prayer.

 

American liberals sneaking across the border

From an elist I'm part of :

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The unflinching arrogance of the Bush Administration is prompting the exodus among liberal citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray in public, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists, and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota.  The producer was cold, exhausted, and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk"

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

Liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs.  After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies." I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out."

just for excitement

I've reversed the alphabetical ordering of some of the links in the sidebar.  That is, they used to be, oh never mind. There are also a few new items to be added - some blogs I've been reading for a little while - which I'll be adding sometime soon.

death & pinot grigio

Prelude

“I wish I had your faith”, he said at one point.

You see, his young daughter had recently died.  So we sat for almost half a day, sipping pinot grigio on the patio of the café and talking about, not death, but life.

Early on in my seminary days a professor said something to me which has stayed with me almost daily.  “People need faithfulness, not cleverness”.  In my mind I struggled against cleverness, praying.  All the while we talked, and the universe shrunk down in size to the length and height and breadth of one particular person.

Interlude

St. Augustine recalls in his Confessions his many tears over the death of a friend.  Augustine was at that point in time the follower of a religion which did not hold that a person, as that particular person, would be “resurrected”.  His friend was gone, as a person, forever.  Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it really does come down to one question.  The pain of answering no to that question is too great to bear, or at least to bear alone.

"So why do you believe?"

I wonder if the ministry of Jesus with wine and food was not always feasting.  You get these images and pictures of Jesus laughing and living as he drinks wine at Cana, as he sits at table with the sinners and publicans.  I wonder if sometimes the conversation turned, as it did the last time he drank wine on this earth, to other things.

Postlude

Truly I tell you,
I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine
until that day
when I drink it new
in the kingdom of God.

Mark 14:25

proof of inherent gender difference

Daddy:  "What are you guys doing under the tree?"

Sarah:  "I'm listening for the birds."

Adam:  "I'm waiting for animals to come so I can hit them with a stick."

review: The Secret Message of Jesus

I have a great deal of sympathy for what Brian McLaren is trying to do, even if I don't always agree with what he has to say as he is doing it.  This is the second book of his that I've read;  I bought (on a gift card) his A Generous Orthodoxy when it came out.  I have sympathy for his project because he is at least recognizing a need to bring the Gospel to a culture which by and large does not hear it.   

One of the keys to this book is understanding just who McLaren thinks this book will benefit.  He is aiming at a "broad, non scholarly, and in many cases nonreligious audience" (xiii).   With that in mind, I suggest that  McLaren's book itself has a "secret message" - it is aimed at gradually nudging those who might consider themselves outside the Kingdom to move towards a chink in the city wall.

In this sense I think this is the sort of book I could use with a group of university students:  folks who grew up 3 generations from the church and generally think that Christianity is the caricature that McLaren often presents.  It is the kind of book that will bring up questions:  particularly if all you've ever been exposed to is the 4 Spiritual Laws.  I would consider it a refugee camp for those fleeing certain kinds of church experience.  It is a stopping place, and hopefully will propel you further.

The book is about "the kingdom", and specifically what McLaren thinks has been either "unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted" in Jesus teaching about the kingdom of God.  He divides the work into 3 parts. 

First he gives some brief sketches of the historical, and particularly political, background to Jesus message.  He does this against what he sees as a backdrop of individualism in contemporary culture and within the modern evangelical churches.   As he says, "although Jesus message was personal, it was not private". (10)  The stress is laid on Jesus teaching that the kingdom of heaven is "at hand".  This stands in contrast to what Oliver O Donovan calls the Protestant preference for maintaining the distance between heaven and earth. 

McLaren is big on the "hiddenness" of Jesus' teaching about the "public" nature this "at hand" kingdom.  For him, this is part of Jesus' desire that the message of the kingdom

wasn't obvious, wasn't easy to grasp, wasn't like a simple mathematical formula that can quickly be learned and repeated.  [T]he message of Jesus was less like an advertising slogan...and more like a poem whose meaning only comes subtly and quietly to those who read slowly, think long and deeply, and refuse to give up... (34)

I can guess who he's talking about in a few of these references.   Part of what he does in the first section of the book is draw attention to caricatures, or accurate descriptions - take your pick - of modern American Christianity.   The church didn't get the message, but now we are slowly beginning to understand it.

In the second part of the book, entitled "Engagement:  grappling with the meaning of Jesus' message", McLaren takes us on a selective tour of Jesus' ministry and teaching, followed by some brief references to Paul.  Here he focuses on what he sees as the method of Jesus' message:  parable, signs and wonders, story and personal encounter with the disenfranchised.  This personal approach of Jesus is coupled with a nod to the challenge to wider political and economic structures.   The focus again is that the message is personal but not private:  it always has a public dimension.

It is in this second part that McLaren lays out one of his key points:  "God isn't positioned outside the universe, reaching in occasionally, but rather God is here, in it with us, present, near." (60)  It is this immanence of God, this collapsing of the traditional distance between heaven and earth, that McLaren sees as the thrust of Jesus' message of the kingdom.  We are under a "gentle, compassionate assault by a kingdom of peace and healing and forgiveness and life.  Could Jesus' secret message become any clearer than that?" (60)

If, horror of horrors, McLaren's book is like a three point sermon, then the last section is about application.  I'm sure he can forgive me for using the term.  His starting point is the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) which he calls Jesus' "kingdom manifesto". (117)   He challenges his readers to look at the Beatitudes as prescriptive - a kingdom way of living.

He introduces his reading to a "revolutionary, counter cultural movement" (134).  In opposition to the present kingdoms of money, sex and power, he invites his readers to consider the practices of generosity to the poor, fasting as a means of resisting mere physical gratification, and prayer as a means of humility.

McLaren also has concern around the language of the kingdom (138 ff.) and although I think his concern is genuine, the alternate metaphors he proposes (God's dream, revolution, dance, etc) tend to take away the essential nature of kingdom - and that is the person of the King.  There is probably much in this last section that will provoke criticism,  He is unabashedly pacifist, although he holds out an olive branch to Christians who may hold other opinions.  He seems to reject the claims of some of his critics in his treatment of the "borders of the kingdom" - his is not an easy going universalism.   His treatment of prophecy in general and the book of  Revelation in particular is sure to challenge a few Tim LaHaye fans.  He takes a roundabout stab at the traditional notion of heaven and the afterlife, mainly through the writings of C.S. Lewis.  McLaren ends the book with suggestions for putting the kingdom into practice, as if to reinforce again that it's not about "getting into heaven when you die", but living the kingdom life here and now, because it is at hand.

The Money Quote:

If you are part of this kingdom, you won't curse and damn the notorious sinners and scoundrels to hell, instead...[you will be] less afraid of their polluting influence on you than you are hopeful about your possible healing and ennobling influence on them" (18)

As he warned not everything has been said in this book.  And I would hope that it is the Holy Spirit (a neglected character in this book) who effects both the courage in me to act, and the healing of the world.

going potty in ancient times

I wasn't sure how to categorize this, but decided at least that it is "more blessed to give than to receive".   Tyler over at Codex has two very interesting series of posts happening.  One is his his rather tongue in cheek series about "Going Potty in Ancient Times."  GPAT for short.  The other is a fascinating short guide to the history of the Hebrew Scriptures - texts, transmission, translations - all sorts of interesting stuff that gives some background to the Jewish sacred writings.  It's well worth a look, and it's not the sort of thing to be frightened of if you don't think of yourself as "academic". 

end of another sabbath

I consider cleaning up numerous toys in the living room to be an offense against the commandment regarding the Sabbath, so I'm leaving that for tomorrow.  In the meantime I have a slew of books to review.  I've given McLaren's Secret Message of Jesus thingy a once through already this week, and will read it again this evening.

A preliminary thought and then a question from my first read:  it's about the kingdom being present;  so where does the Holy Spirit come in?   Review tomorrow sometime.

And another thing - just reiterating from our convesation at sol cafe last week;  the minor prophets have a lot to say about something called justice.  We will be having a look at them in the near future.

the public tragedy of genetic testing & abortion

 In the cities of ancient Greece a public performance of pathos would be staged.  The public tragedy on the stage would somehow cleanse the members of the polis by their participation in the great dramas of human tragedy.  The hubris, the shame, and the cruelty of the fates and gods are held up for public consumption, and the city breathes easy once again.  As if the public performance of tragedy atones for the crime, and restores the citizens to commonweal.  The Sheepcat alerted me to a recent performance, which he also addressed on his blog.  Not everything that needs to be said will be said here and now, but I must begin...

We have returned to our roots.  A story in the Globe and Mail (might be offline in a week or so) recounts the decision of “C. Smyth” and her husband to have an abortion 19 weeks into their pregnancy.  It is a rather sad tale on many levels.  C tells us that she and her husband of 7 years 

“could be perfect parents. We're professionals, with university degrees, own our own house, it's even paid off (we're financially careful yuppies). We're also fit -- we do Ironman events, marathons, play golf, travel and help support my parents.”

So what is wrong with the scene?  It happens that “our 19-week-old miracle is turning out to be tragically flawed.  A dreaded extra chromosome -- a triple X -- has robbed us of a healthy baby.”

“I cry myself to sleep."

Yes, and the agonizing choice you made has also spared you further tears. 

"My husband researches triple X on the computer. We have to decide quickly because it's already 19 weeks into the pregnancy. We don't feel capable of raising a severely disabled child. It would be different if we didn't have a choice, but we do.”

Righteous anger is an easily obtained commodity these days.  Shrill prophets against injustice are a dime a dozen, so forgive me if I play one for a moment.  You did a few minutes of googling and on the basis of that decide what kind of child this will be? Go ahead, everyone, look for yourselves.  Try hitting triple x syndrome on your favorite search engine and see what comes up.  I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t buy it.  To co-opt a phrase from another campaign - this is the 21st Century.  Catch up with the science, the education, the "progress".  University educated?  Professionals?  Urbane and sophisticated?

And then comes the question, which is really a statement: “Isn't it more cruel to bring a child burdened with so many disadvantages into the world?”

Cruel to whom?  To the child? Or to a lifestyle of Ironman events, marathons, travel and golf?   What is it that prevents you from parenting?  You have no strength, no character, no ability to push through the wall?  You have no resources? (“financially careful yuppies”)

I am sorry to say that I don’t trust you.  I suspect that someday the C Smyths will look at my child and ask a similar question:  “isn’t it more cruel to sustain a child burdened with so many disadvantages in the world?”  I know some of you will say it is an unreasonable stretch, but the link is there:  abortion of the flawed and euthanasia of the flawed.  There are no real grounds for making a distinction if you hold that there is truth in C’s “question.”

“We had already decided if it was a Down syndrome baby (one in 30 chance for a mother over 40) we wouldn't continue. I thought even my church-going mother (who goes door-to-door collecting money for those who are anti-abortion, and their pro-life campaign) could forgive that.”

C, let me reassure you of something, that God is always ready to forgive, even when people (including “church going” ones) aren’t.  And I suppose there are few "pro-lifers" out there who know this kind of decision from the inside.  But to forgive is different than to rationalize or accept and say “that’s okay”, and then sweep under the rug. 

“But what about this situation; it's not quite Down syndrome, but it's close.”

To what can I compare this generation?  Why do the prophets rise in selective anger?  I’ll wait for the letters to the editor (although the editor selects which ones will “represent” an alternative view).   But again, why do the prophets rise in selective anger?  I suppose at heart we all have our causes.  Some would (and all should) rise in anger had that sentence read:

“We had already decided if it was a black baby we wouldn't continue.  We knew from genetic testing that our child might be mulatto.  It’s not quite black, but it’s close.”

“We had already decided if it was a gay-gene baby we wouldn't continue.  We knew from genetic testing that our child might not have a high heterosexual drive.  It’s not quite gay, but it’s close.”

I hear you.

“We don't feel capable of raising a severely disabled child”, one that is “tragically flawed”.

And while this might sound harsh, to tell you the truth, I agree.   Who is?  I'm not.  Sometimes the C Smyths of the world are too much into their lifestyle;  they had already imagined their “treasured only child”, their “little athlete”.  In the whole list of qualities for parenthood, they neglected to mention love.

There is so much public tragedy here – this couple had to make a decision, one “too sensitive to share with family or friends”,  yet they are able to bring it to an international stage in a major newspaper.

What are the tragedies here?  That any parent is faced with the brokenness of creation.  It hurts.  I know.  That at such a critical time, they could turn to no one else.  They are alone in this.  And of course, there is the requisite self reproach from and to the Church – why didn’t we connect with these people at some point in their lives?  But if there was ever a case for “lifestyle abortion”, I think C has laid it out before us.

“I hate the sanctimonious people who have made this more difficult than it has to be.  No one begrudges couples thwarting God's plan by spending tens of thousands of dollars on fertility drugs, in vitro treatments, donor eggs, sperm, and surrogate mothers -- they get sympathy. But if you don't want to keep a seriously flawed baby, you bundle your pain in guilt and shame.”

No, it’s not the “sanctimonious” people who have made it more difficult.  It is the people, the people, with genetic disabilities and “tragic flaws” who have made it more difficult.  Sanctimonious persons like myself are only the messengers.  It is their cry of humanity which has made it more difficult for you.  You see, Ms Smyth, they want an answer to the “question” which you posed.   

Unlike other oppressed minorities, they have few self-advocates.  They do not stage demonstrations or run for parliament.  They do not organize media campaigns or engineer public vocabulary.  They do not file human rights complaints or challenge court cases.

And so sometimes the simple but unavoidable diagnosis is left for others to pronounce. 

You do not want me,
because you are selfish,
and you are willing to maintain that selfishness
at my expense.

And that, my friends, is a terminal diagnosis.

When I think of the future for my child and her peers, it is not the rapist, the abuser, or the paedophile whom I fear.  It is the C Smyths of this world, who with their genuine personal tragedy, their understandable choice, deny the humanity of another and openly declare: you are not one of us.   

In the spirit of the tragedies of old, somehow sharing the drama with the polis in a national newspaper eases the pain, atones for the crime, and appeases the gods. 

And of course, the offender is banished from the city.

Photo:

the tragically flawed, cruelly suffering under the burdens of disadvantage

review: The Da Vinci Codebreaker

Well kids, it time to let you know that I actually have been reading a few things besides Curious George (though none quite reach that level of "audience participation").

First up is The Da Vinci Codebreaker, which main author James Garlow describes as a sort of badly needed glossary (11).  The subtitle describes the book as a "fact checker", giving historical background to events, places and persons associated with DVC.  Imagine if the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church had Dan Brown on the editorial board, and you'll get a sense of what kind of stuff is in here.   Co-authors are Timothy Paul Jones and April Williams, although there was also input from a broad range of scholars.  The one that caught my eye was Franco Morando, who is chair of Romance Languages & Lit at Boston College.   Seeing that, I had hope, and that hope did not disappoint.

This is a reference book rather than a "read".  I started where everyone should start who wants to see what kind of take will be presented.   First things first:  check out what the book says about the Roman Catholic Church, and then what it says about the Bible.   I find those are good barometers of the direction of theological pressure.   

Roman Catholic Church, The.  The church that recognizes the Bishop of Rome as the visible source of Christian unity and as the apostle Peter's  successor.  According to Roman Catholic interpreters, Jesus granted a unique measure of authority to Simon Peter (see Matt. 16:13-19)...  The DVC is filled with claims about Catholicism that are completely false or, at the very least, questionable.

The sections relating to Scripture include discussions of the history and formation of the canon, early controversies and councils, early church writers, right up to contemporary issues surrounding the meaning of the Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea Scrolls.  Included are several succinct charts which trace the lineage of a number of documents through the first four centuries of Christianity, as well as charting a variety of christological issues through to Nicea. 

This is church history "lite", but church history nonetheless.  I confess that I do tend to get excited when I see the names Bernard of Clairveaux ("d. 1153;  medieval theologian..."), Origen of Alexandria ("d.c. 250...students of Origen's Alexandrian school played an important role in the fourth century battle against Arianism...") and Julian the Apostate all together.

Who would benefit from this book?  Well, according to a recent article in the Edmonton Journal, about 22% of Albertans could benefit from something like this, since that is the number of my fellow Albertans who believe the DVC is factual.   It's the sort of book that I might give to my brother in law, should he think that Dan Brown's historical references are accurate.  It is informative without being confrontational.  As Garlow says, "this book is not about bashing Dan Brown."  It is rather a short and easy entrance into the world of Christian history, the sort of book you might pick up every now and then just out of curiosity to learn more about the figures and events that have shaped Christianity.   

Up next:

The Secret Message of Jesus;  Brian McLaren.
Discovering the Book of Common Prayer, Vol 1:  Daily Prayer;  Sue Careless.

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2007

Planning is underway for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the spring of 2007.  The likely time frame will be late April through early May (firm dates coming soon).  The plan?  Pray and worship our way from Cairo through the Sinai, along the old King's Highway into Moab, through Petra, across the Jordan, with time in Jerusalem and in the footsteps of Jesus throughout Israel and parts of the West Bank.

Space is limited.  Email me if you are interested (see the link on the top right).

notes from a conversation

We had an interesting time with David Fitch last Thursday evening.  As you can tell from his blog, David comes from an evangelical background, and has been involved in a church in the Chicago area.  I'm not going to cover everything, but highlight just a few things we touched on, and from my own sleep-deprived perspective.

There are two areas that I'd like to consider first

• liturgy
• the communion of the saints

One of the things David mentioned was the use of the pep rally (his term) in evangelical circles.  What is this all about?   Well, in one sense it is an attempt to satisfy the contemporary (and generally human) search for an engaging experience in which the emotions and (sometimes) the senses are called forth and stirred up.   We are called to engage God with all that we are.  Remember the heart, soul, mind and strength? 

One of the questions talked about was the shaping or formation of ourselves during that event/ time frame/ hour on Sunday which we place into the folder labeled "worship".  How are we shaped during that time, both as individuals and as a community?   It was in this context of "being shaped" that liturgy comes in to play.

There is at least one concept which bears further reflection in the context of liturgy:  confession.   The word itself has different meanings.  Broadly speaking, it can refer in a liturgical context both to the confession of sin, and also to the confession of, say,  a creed - the forth-telling of Who this community is about.   In the first sense, it involves speaking about ourselves as creatures and as a community in need of forgiveness and reconciliation.  It is speech about ourselves.  In the second sense, it involves speaking about the Gospel - it is our speech about God.

Second, what is the range of our fellowship?  What is the communion of the saints?  Often our communities are limited, our desire for individualism so unconscious and "natural", that we can barely maintain communion in any depth of the word with those in our own church community.

One aspect of the communion of the saints which is often, I submit, forgotten or ignored, is our fellowship through time with those who have gone before us (and by extension, with those who will follow after us).  Now I must confess (in either sense of the word) that for myself, the communion of the saints - the fellowship I have through Christ with those who have gone before me, has been a great source of guidance and blessing in my journey as a Christian.   Reading their books, praying their prayers (is this not what we do with the New Testament), sifting their wisdom and learning also from their limitations.

That's all for now.

the bachelor - week 1

Well, Mrs Felix along with children #1 and #4 are off to the east coast for a 3 week holiday.   Which means that yous truly is here with children #2 and #3.  So far so good. 

We've only had pizza twice. 

"tongues of fire"

"but it's legal"

Yes, that may be.  So is greed.

later...

conversations with David Fitch,

A few conversations for the locals to partake of this week:

David Fitch, along with Jim Litteral, Stan King, Randy Hein:  Thursday, July 6th from 7:30pm at the Providence Renewal Center, which can be found via this map.  I think this should be an interesting evening.  (no charge)

"Dr. David E. Fitch was recently appointed as the Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Fitch served as Affiliate Professor of Christian Ethics at Northern Seminary. He is also the founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community, an “emerging church” model within the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Long Grove, IL. "

Also, on Tuesday July 4 at "7:30 ish" at Cafe Dabar, via the sol cafe:

Phil Wright is a pastor and "lead church planter" with Exchange Community Church in Winnipeg, a "new church plant in Winnipeg's ecclectic Exchange District" (or so says their website!). His church is located in an historic area of Winnipeg, meets in a converted restaurant, and is attracting a "wonderfully diverse group, mostly artists and students and young families"

Just drop by - no rsvp

And to round it all out, just thought I'd let you know that I celebrated this morning from the BCP with the altar pushed right up against the wall...  I'm gonna get medieval on ya....