Truth Is Stranger than Fiction: Human Hamsters?

NYC Artists Live on 'Human Hamster Wheel'

NEW YORK March 5, 2014 (AP)
By ULA ILNYTZKY Associated Press

Ever feel like you're on a big hamster wheel and you can't get off?

Ward Shelley and Alex Schweder know that feeling all too well. The two performance artists are spending 10 days living, eating and sleeping on a giant hamster wheel to make a larger point: We all have to work together to get through the daily grind.

"I wasn't prepared for this ... perhaps I should have been," Shelley said from atop the wheel, his feet dangling off the side of the 25-foot-tall wood and metal structure.

Lent: Clearing Away the Clutter

He [the Father] removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. (John 15:2; NRSV)

In John chapter 15, Jesus uses the allegory of the vine and the branches to illustrate the relationship between the disciples and himself. The New Revised Standard Version indicates that each fruit bearing branch (each individual disciple) is "pruned" by the Father so that it might bear more fruit-- works that bear witness to God's Kingdom.

Lent-- Forgiveness Travels Both Ways

...it must surely be admitted that the restoration of relationships requires not only forgiveness on the part of the offended but also the penitent willingness to be forgiven on the part of the offender. Thus R.C. Moberly interpreted the sacrifice of Christ in terms of the offering of perfect penitence by Jesus as the inclusive representative of all humanity.* The notion of inclusive representation responds to the need for a universal objective atonement. Some theologians will find this difficult and unnecessary, but certainly God's forgiveness comes alive for every sinner when he turns to God in penitence. The sign and effect of our willingness to be forgiven by God is our willingness to forgive others: the prayer 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us' implies that the lesson of the parable of the unforgiving servant has been learnt (Matthew 18:21-35). To forgive those who have wounded us is to grow into the moral and spiritual likeness of God. 'Be merciful, even as you Father is merciful' (Luke 6:35-38): that is a translation of 'perfection'.**

These words from Geoffrey Wainwright remind us of the dangers of observing Lent in a rampantly individualistic Western culture. Lenten discipline can all too often degenerate into a self-centered spiritual navel gazing instead of being a further step along the way of discipleship of becoming centrally focused on Jesus Christ and oriented toward others. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible continues to remind us that our biggest problem as human beings is ourselves, our central focus is ourselves, and all too often we attempt healing and reconciliation and restoration through ourselves. Only in a self-centered society can books be written that are labeled "self-help."

Sincerely Wrong Is Still Wrong: Why Doctrine Matters, Part 2 (Doctrinal Indifference?)

A perception persists that "one can believe anything and be United Methodist." ...[S]uch a characterization has deep roots in our history, though it misrepresents a misreading of our tradition. As faithful Anglicans, Wesley and his colleagues presumed and affirmed the basic doctrines, beliefs, practices, and liturgies of the established church. The Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Homilies of the Anglican Church formed the foundation of Methodist beliefs. Wesley held tenaciously to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith and diligently proclaimed and taught them to the Methodists and the masses who heard him preach (Kenneth Carder, Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way, pp. 24-25).

Bishop Carder also notes several other reasons why Methodists have mistakenly embraced doctrinal indifference.

First, is a mischaracterization of what Wesley called the "catholic spirit." For Wesley, the catholic spirit meant that the church, in spite of its disagreements, was one Body of Christ, whether one was Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, et al. While Methodists have rightly encouraged diversity and intellectual exploration, such openness and freedom has "led some to assume that no doctrinal parameters exist" (p. 25). Wesley is often quoted that we Methodists "think and let think," but yet forget to refer to the entire sentence: "As to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think."

Caption Contest... And the Winner Is...

Nancy: "The AFLAC Duck makes a full recovery and is about to need AFLAC coverage once again."

Scot McKnight on N.T. Wright on Paul's "Conversion"

Source: Jesus Creed
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The standard reading of the apostle Paul's life is the story of conversion, and at work in that story is religion and hence of Paul "finding religion" or "leaving religion for faith." In the altogether exciting 15th chp of NT Wright's Paul and the Faithfulness of God, Wright pitches his tent in a way that he gets a good angle on this very topic (though I shall suggest another angle might provoke a more refined perspective on the question if Paul was a convert).

The Methodist Blogs Weekly Links of Note

This week's noteworthy posts from the Methoblogosphere:

Jay Voorhees, "The cross is a liability issue"

Jody Neufeld, "Do I Have Time to Garden?"

Drew McIntyre, "Heresy Always Simplifies"

John Meunier, "What people with Down syndrome are worth"

Mitchell Lewis, "In the High Holy Days of Popular Culture"

Scriptures and Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday

Old Testament: Exodus 24:12-18

Epistle: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
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O God of the covenant, the cloud of your splendor and the fire of your love revealed your Son on the mountain heights. Transform our lives in his image, write your law of love on our hearts, and make us prophets of your glory, that we may lead others into your presence. Amen.

Freedom of Religion-- Freedom to Discriminate?

One of the great difficulties in dealing with very emotional issues is that often more heat is generated than light; and that difficulty leads to a second difficulty-- the inability to interject nuance into an argument. And because people on both sides of an emotional issue are all worked up over something, anyone who attempts to sort through a difficult moral issue often please neither side and are called names by both sides. I am not suggesting for a moment that people should not hold deep convictions nor argue passionately for their views, but motivations of passion can get in the way of reasonable discussion with reasonable people who disagree with one another.

The recent flap over BS 1062 in Arizona, which has been referred to as the "anti-gay discrimination bill" is a case in point. Had the bill not been vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer, it would have allowed businesses the right not to serve gay customers based on religious beliefs. I certainly think it was right for the governor to veto the bill as it would have allowed for discrimination in cases that I do not think can be justified. Having said that, however, one of the things that needs to happen in the midst of this debate is to have a serious and nuanced discussion on what constitutes illegal discrimination on religious grounds and on what grounds do religious organizations and/or individuals have a right to discriminate.