What Does Art Have to Do With Science?

Character Takes a Lifetime

Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.-- William Shakespeare

These well known words from Richard The Third, quoted often while ignoring the context of Shakespeare's drama* is nevertheless an appropriate depiction of the human struggle to live faithful lives and lives of character in the midst of challenging times. John Steinbeck in his novel, The Winter of Our Discontent, deals with the struggle of living morally, especially when such behavior works against one's fortunes. Human beings are indeed discontented people.

But a word that better describes our discontent is not "winter" but "character." If we human beings are honest, we will admit that often our dissatisfaction in life is a matter of who we are. As C.S. Lewis rightly notes, the problem with people is not that they desire, but that they desire the wrong things. The Apostle Paul may have found that he was content in every situation (Philippians 4:10-13), but few other individuals can honestly say the same. Christians know all too well that while St. Augustine's dictum that our hearts are restless until they find rest in God is true. Even in the midst of finding rest in relationship with the divine, there is still plenty of discontent as believers journey toward perfection. We are discontented because we lack, and often we are not sure what we lack nor where to find what we truly need. Indeed, too often what we think we need is not what we truly need. Character is not something Christians receive instantaneously at conversion; it takes a lifetime of forming and shaping as God works to restore his image in us. We may be in the image of God, but that image is cracked. Jesus wants his followers to become what they are, but the becoming is not easy.

The biblical characters often found themselves dissatisfied. Sometimes they struggled with the call of God wishing it would go away. At other times, the call itself was not the problem; how to be faithful to it was the issue. But in the midst of the all too human struggle with the discontented nature of their existence, the subjects of concern in the Bible speak to the same journey faithful disciples travel at the dawn of the twenty-first century. If we look closely at the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and the tragedies of the biblical characters we will be able to see ourselves in their lives as well.

The Bible knows us because, as Augustine also said, God knows us better than we know ourselves.

___

*In context of Richard The Third, the quote is one which states that the winter of discontent is over. Most of the time the "now" is interpreted to mean the exact opposite-- that Richard, the character uttering the words, is complaining about their want, when he is celebrating a reversal of fortunes and better days.

. . . . . .

From Allan R. Bevere, The Character of Our Discontent: Old Testament Portraits for Contemporary Times.

What Are You Receiving in Return for the Price of a Spent Day?

Some words to consider each morning from the Trappist Monks in the Abbey of the Genesee:

This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important because I’m exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it.

When this day is over what will you have received in exchange for it?

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

O God, you spoke your word and revealed your good news in Jesus, the Christ. Fill all creation with that word again, so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, your incarnate presence on the earth. Amen.

Egyptians are Clamoring for an Effective, Reserved, and a Less Corrupt Government

The most telling aspect of the anti-regime demonstrations that have rocked the Arab world is what they are not about: They are not about the existential plight of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation; nor are they at least overtly anti-Western or even anti-American. The demonstrators have directed their ire against unemployment, tyranny, and the general lack of dignity and justice in their own societies. This constitutes a sea change in modern Middle Eastern history.-- Robert Kaplan

It is interesting to think about the current debates happening in the United States over the role of government in relationship to its people in light of what is currently taking place in Egypt. Should the government have a large role or no role or some role in administering health care? How about Social Security? Should it be kept as it is? Should it be privatized? Perhaps a hybrid solution?

I have come to believe that there really is not much consistency when it comes to the positions people take on these and other issues. We tend to believe that the left in general wants more government intervention while the right wants less, but I am increasingly coming to believe that is a mischaracterization of both sides. The truth of the matter is all of us are libertarians in some respect on some issues. And while American political discourse continues to center on what kind of role government should have on matters versus the freedom of the private sector, I think most would agree that government does have a role in the lives of its people and that role should be as effective as possible; and that there are spheres where the government should be reserved and allow for its citizens to be left alone so they are not stifled under the thumb of unnecessary government rule.

Internet Wanderings

Some places I have roamed on the Internet Highway:

Faith depends on God in Jesus.

Measuring economic growth from outer space.

A post on one of my heroes-- John Polkinghorne on natural theology and moral law.

Scot McKnight agrees with Anne Lamott.

An interview with Frank Thielman on his Ephesians commentary.

A great series on infertility and the Bible-- parts 1 and 2-- check back for further posts in the series.

Is the world going to run out of chocolate?

The congressman, the sandwich, and the lawsuit.

A sign of the times-- Kindle books now outsell paperbacks.

"The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted -- it belongs to the brave." Twenty five years ago the Spaceshuttle Challenger exploded killing seven courageous people.

The Methodist Blogs Weekly Links of Note

This week's five noteworthy posts from the Methoblogosphere:

Bishop Mike Lowry: Learning from the Megachurch

John Meunier: A Month After Leaving the Pulpit

Richard Heyduck: Rotary & Politics

Dave Warnock: On Being Nervous

Guy Kent: A Half-Sized Cubed Tribute to Ms. Parson

The Lord's Supper-- Real Presence Or Symbolic? Or...?

In a recent essay in The Catholic Thing, Francis Beckwith argues that there is a logic to the doctrine of transubstantiation. For Catholics transubstantiation means "that bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ when they are consecrated by the priest celebrating the Mass."

In summation, he makes several major points:

First, Beckwith employs Aristotle's distinction between substance and accident. Beckwith states,

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), like most philosophers of his time, wanted to account for how things change and yet remain the same. So, for example, a “substance” like an oak tree remains the same while undergoing “accidental” changes. It begins as an acorn and eventually develops roots, a trunk, branches, and leaves. During all these changes, the oak tree remains identical to itself. Its leaves change from green to red and brown, and eventually fall off. But these accidental changes occur while the substance of the tree remains.

On the other hand, if we chopped down the tree and turned into a desk, that would be a substantial change, since the tree would literally cease to be and its parts would be turned into something else, a desk. According to the Church, when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, the accidents of the bread and wine do not change, but the substance of each changes. So, it looks, tastes, feels, and smells like bread and wine, but it literally has been changed into the body and blood of Christ. That’s transubstantiation.

Second, the Eastern Orthodox Church does not use the terminology of transubstantiation nor does it use Aristotle's distinction between substance and accident. Nevertheless, like the Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy affirms in the real presence of Christ in the elements of the Eucharist.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction 2011.2: Super Bowl Sour Grapes

Chicago car salesman fired for wearing Packers tie

From Associated Press

January 25, 2011 11:03 PM EST

OAK LAWN, Ill. (AP) — A car salesman in suburban Chicago who was fired for refusing to remove a Green Bay Packers tie says he won't be coming back even though his former boss has relented.

John Stone wore the tie to work at Webb Chevrolet in Oak Lawn Monday, the day after the Packers beat the Chicago Bears to advance to the Super Bowl.

Stone says he wore the tie to honor his late grandmother, who was a big Green Bay fan.

But his boss, Jerry Roberts, says the dealership has done promotions involving the Bears. He was afraid the tie could alienate the team's fans and make it harder to sell cars.

Roberts now says Stone can come back, but Stone says he won't. He's also been offered a job at another dealership.

Caption Contest 2011.2

The New Testament Texts as a Whitman Sampler

So suggests BW3:

Bishop Marion Edwards (1939-2011)

Bishop Marion Edwards, former St. Luke UMC pastor, remembered as 'banner-carrier for God'

By Allison Kennedy

Bishop Marion Edwards, retired as a United Methodist bishop and pastor, died early Monday morning at Columbus Hospice House. His most recent pulpit was at St. Luke, where he served from 1988-1996. He was bishop of the North Carolina Conference, based in Raleigh, from 1996-2004.

He was 71.

“Bishop Marion Edwards was a banner-carrier for God -- a man who was deeply loved by his family, St. Luke Church, the South Georgia Annual Conference, the Raleigh episcopal area, the Southeastern Jurisdiction and the whole church,” said the Rev. Hal Brady, D.Min., senior pastor of St. Luke. “Bishop Edwards represented the very best The United Methodist Church has to offer, and he will be greatly missed.”

He is survived by his wife, Linda Layfield Edwards and their three children: sons John Wesley (“Wes”), William Marion (“Will”) and daughter MaLinda; and two grandsons.

The funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Luke, 1104 Second Ave. Visitation is 5-7 p.m. Friday at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Road.

The Demise of The Civility Project

The founder of the Civility Project, Mark DeMoss, is pulling the plug on the endeavor after two years. As an evangelical Christian and a conservative Republican, he enlisted the assistance of Lanny Davis, a liberal Democrat and a Jew. DeMoss and Davis sent letters (585 of them) to every member of Congress and all state governors asking them to sign on to the project. The letter asked three things of our politicians:

1) I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.

2) I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.

3) I will stand against incivility when I see it.

After two years and $30,000 in expenditures only three politicians have signed the pledge: Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, (Independent of Connecticut); Representative Frank Wolfe, (Republican of Virginia); and Representative Sue Myrick, (Republican of North Carolina).

DeMoss and Davis believed that having set the bar so low they expected many governors and legislators to sign the pledge. Obviously, that is not what happened. No wonder DeMoss is so disappointed.

I commend DeMoss and Davis for this noble attempt, but the fact that so many did not commit themselves to more civil political discourse is not surprising. Please consider the following:

Is It the End of the Wingnuts?

That's what John Avlon argues:

Keith Olbermann's abrupt signoff last night [Friday] just might signify a break in the hyperpartisan media fever that has afflicted America for the past few years.

Because beneath the rumors of palace intrigue and difficult behavior stands a stark fact: Keith Olbermann's ratings were down over the past 12 months, especially among the coveted, non-shut-in, 25-to-54 demographic. He's not the only one—Glenn Beck's ratings have eroded, along with his advertisers. Sarah Palin's approval ratings have also similarly plummeted during her foray into the murky world where politics meets reality TV.

The American people are smart. They've gotten sick of the predictable hyperpartisan talking points and canned anger. This is Paddy Chayefsky's revenge—Howard Beale's appeal became real over the past years. But we've slowly come to our senses and flipped around the catchphrase, saying "you're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore."

Olbermann was the highest profile opinion anchor of the left and he used his pulpit at times in a mirror image of the professional polarizers on the right. When he attacked Democrats, it was for being too centrist, never for being too radical—echoing the RINO-hunting arguments from the right. One of his last attacks was against retiring Senator Joe Lieberman, who received a resounding “good riddance” despite actions such as shepherding the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell through the Senate. Olbermann also often let his moral outrage drag him into immoral invective, the mirror image of Wingnut gutterball politics from the right, as when he called Scott Brown “a racist, homophobic, promoter of violence against women” on air the night before the special election in Massachusetts. He called Michelle Malkin “a mashed up bag of meat with lipstick on it." I had the odd badge of honor of being named one of the “worst persons in the world,” and got a repeat when the postpartisan group No Labels was named one of the worst in the world late last year. These are just blips on his list of pitchfork and torch greatest hits, which he would have gone red in the face condemning if they came from conservative opinion anchors and were directed at the liberal activist class.

A Prayer for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany

O God, you spoke your word  and revealed your good news in Jesus, the Christ. Fill all creation with that word again, so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, your incarnate presence on the earth. Amen.

Is a Non-Christian My Brother or Sister?

Will Grady has weighed in on the recent controversial comments by Robert Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, concerning whether or not Christians should view non-Christians has their brothers and sisters. Will does a great job of sorting through the issue:

People are weighing on the new Governor of Alabama’s words at his inauguration. I first read about it on John Meunier’s blog, and he linked to this article. Also, United Methodist Bishop of North Alabama has weighed in and, in a way he likes, will no doubt bring controversy to him in his conference. The governor himself said this:

Now I will have to say that, if we don’t have the same daddy, we’re not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother.

First, I don’t like making statements that set out a line of demarcation between us and them. PamBG comments on John’s post that all are her brothers and sisters, whether they are Muslim doing good or the hateful folk like Westboro Baptist Church. There’s a part of me that wants to agree with her, especially after I gave a talk to a Muslim school in Blackburn a couple of years ago. I found kindred spirits who had the same worries I did about faith: the government clampdown on Christian symbols (no, they do NOT want their removal) and the increasing secularisation of their young people who no longer want to come to prayers and learn about their faith. In them I could identify with them as co-sojourners in a life that was absolutely strange to many outside church or mosque.

The Methodist Blogs Weekly Links of Note

This week's five noteworthy posts from the Methoblogosphere:


Richard Hall: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Mark Winter: Do You Have Epiphany Deficiency?

Lorna Koskela: Warning Signs

Angela Shier-Jones: Of Providential Straws and Camels..

Will Grady: Is a Non-Christian My Brother or Sister?

Jesus, the Reconstitution of Israel, and the Politics of the Kingdom

From my soon-to-be-published book, The Politics of Witness:

For Jesus, one of the biggest failings of his people was the decision not to reject violence but rather to utilize it as a tool in an attempt to bring in God's Kingdom. Time and time again, Jesus continued to insist that God's people could not be a light to the nations if they insisted on beating the nations over the head. On more than a few occasions, Jesus refused to be taken off and made king by the people in order to lead a revolt. For Jesus, the end did not justify the means; the true end of what God wanted for his people could not be achieved apart from a certain means. The world's ways of power and coercion were not to be the ways of the church. Tom Wright notes, "From [Jesus'] point of view, Israel at that time was making a pretty poor fist of being the light of the world. Many of Jesus' contemporaries were hot-headed, zealous would-be revolutionaries. Was that the way the kingdom would come? Was that how to be the light of the world?... Jesus' answer was an unequivocal No" (Wright, The Original Jesus, p. 49).

Thus, as Jesus seeks to remake the people of God through his followers, he is clear to them as to how they are to operate among themselves.

So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).

Jesus' words must be understood in their larger context. Jesus is offering more than a lesson on how the disciples should relate to one another within the operations of the church community. It also signifies the posture that the followers of Jesus must take as they fulfill the will of God in the world. Mark sets the context for this particular teaching of Jesus:

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory" (Mark 10:35-37).

The Ehrman Project

A colleague of Bart Ehrman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has started a blog entitled, The Ehrman Project. On the main page of the website we read the purpose of the project:

Dr. Bart Ehrman is raising significant questions about the reliability of the Bible. In an engaging way, he is questioning the credibility of Christianity. His arguments are not new, which he readily admits. Numerous Biblical scholars profoundly disagree with his findings. This site provides responses to Dr. Ehrman's provocative conclusions.

Anyone who has heard Bart speak knows that he is quite engaging and articulate, that he is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and that he has a wonderful sense of humor. In addition, I would add that often I think his conclusions about Scripture are quite wrong. A couple of years ago I published a series of posts on Bart's book, Misquoting Jesus, in which I suggested that most of the time he was manufacturing problems in the biblical text where there were none.

Regardless of what I think of his approach to Scripture and the conclusions he draws about Scripture, Bart's work has had quite an impact. Indeed, it is safe to say that if a website has been developed in order to refute your views and your name is on the title of the blog, you have definitely arrived.

So, check out The Ehrman Project. The discussion and debate should be quite lively and informative.

My friend, Michael Gorman also has an informative post on Bart Ehrman. He and Bart go back to very early days.

The Good Old Days Before the Industrial Revolution

From Michael Kruse:

A frequent meme I encounter when talking about economic issues is how destructive industrialization and capitalism has been to human flourishing. We once lived in an Edenic serenity, in tune with nature and with each other. But humanity rebelled, embracing market ideologies and industrialization. Now we have wrecked human life and the planet. We must repent and restore what we had before.

I've just begun reading Matthew Ridley's The Rational Optimist. He offers this wonderful tale to highlight the absurdity of this type of thinking:

This should not need saying, but it does. There are people today who think life was better in the past. They argue that there was not only a simplicity, tranquility, sociability and spirituality about life in the distant past that has been lost, but a virtue too. This rose-tinted nostalgia, please note, is generally confined to the wealthy. It is easier to wax elegiac for the life of a peasant when you do not have to use a long-drop toilet. Imagine that it is 1800, somewhere in Western Europe or eastern North America. The family is gathering around the hearth in the simple timber-framed house. Father reads aloud from the Bible while mother prepares to dish out a stew of beef and onions. The baby boy is being comforted by one of his sisters and the eldest lad is pouring water from a pitcher into the earthenware mugs on the table. His elder sister is feeding the horse in the stable. Outside there is no noise of traffic, there are no drug dealers and neither dioxins nor radioactive fall-out have been found in the cow’s milk. All is tranquil; a bird sings outside the window.

Make a Difference

Most of us want to make a difference in the lives of the people we love. Of course, we are never quite sure how our attempts to make a difference will turn out, but we want to make a difference none-the-less.

Every one of us has been put on this earth for one thing and it is summed up in those three words—make a difference. We are not here to serve ourselves; we are not here to live a life that is self-centered. We are here for others; we are here to make a difference.

To be sure, life is routine and because it is so, people feel that they cannot make a difference because life demands that we deal with the "every day." But routine is significant; it requires us to be responsible. In the midst of the routine, in the midst of going to work every day, doing this task and that job, we must never forget to make a difference. To make a difference in the lives of others in the midst of the routine, makes the ordinary memorable. We need to make a difference in the lives of co-workers, in the lives of fellow students, and we must not fail to make a difference in the lives of family; for we are who we are because of parents and others who have made a difference in our lives. Every accomplishment in life cannot be had apart from the difference others make in our lives. If we are thankful for the difference they have made for us, it will be shown in the way we make a difference in the lives of others.

Why You Should Not Text and Walk at the Same Time...

... You might embarrass yourself.

A 365 Days a Year God

We are now in the shadow of another Advent and Christmas season that has been left behind with all the hustle and bustle and now we are well back into the routine of the "non-holidays." We do many activities during the Christmas season that we do not schedule and participate in during February or June or October. They are special activities reserved for a special time of year. For some, those special holiday activities include attendance at worship.

I am always pleased whenever I see a full house at church whenever that is, but the one thing I wonder about is why we do not see a full house more often? I understand that on any given Sunday someone will be out of town or out sick or have some special occasion or travel plans that make it impossible for them to attend worship. But why do we not see larger worship attendance on a more regular basis? Should worship be a special event for a special occasion only?

One of the things that the Bible affirms is that our God is not a special occasion only kind of God. Our God is present with us, not just in December, but all year round. Our God lavishes his grace on us, not in periodic spurts, but in every moment of every day. We enjoy the benefits of this wonderful world God has made always in every time of the year.

The Quotable Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

"Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

"Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality."

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

A Prayer for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Perfect Light of revelation, as you shone in the life of Jesus, whose epiphany we celebrate, so shine in us and through us, that we may become beacons of truth and compassion, enlightening all creation with deeds of justice and mercy. Amen.

The Methodist Blogs Weekly Links of Note

This week's five noteworthy posts from the Methoblogosphere:

Kim Matthews: Grace in the Pain

Jody Neufeld: Child of the King

Dan Dick: Sleeping Dragon

Will Rice: How Does One Declare a Moratorium?

Brian Russell: Living Courageously for Christ

Do We Need a Little More Comedy to Get a Handle on Reality?

A thought experiment:

I must confess that I'm more of a Stephen Colbert fan than I am a fan of John Stewart, but his commentary the evening of the tragedy in Arizona was spot on, and it frankly should have embarrassed the politicians on the left and on the right who immediately tried to make political hay out of what happened, and who are still attempting to weave a simplistic narrative of cause and effect, or dismissing any possibly good insights from others who do not share their views in order to promote their myopic view of the world. They are, as Stewart says, looking for that tidbit of information that will exonerate or implicate one side or the other. (I think a near-sighted view of reality is intrinsic to committed partisans on both sides of the political aisle.) But leave it to a comedian to put a significant event into profound perspective.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction 2011.1: Have You Been Drinking, Cowboy?

Man on horse: We just wanted a night of fun

By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 11:13 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011
Published: 8:39 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

Several months after a riding accident that he said nearly killed him, Samuel Olivo Jr. wanted to celebrate a second chance at life by riding through downtown Austin on one of his favorite horses, Texas.

He ended up accused of a crime.

Olivo and friend Jose Rios were arrested Friday night on drunken driving charges after police pulled them over on Sixth Street and impounded their mounts.

Olivo said he stepped forward because he wanted to explain their actions.

He said he was riding at a horse track in southeast Travis County in June when he slipped from his saddle and was dragged at least 50 yards, breaking several ribs and collapsing both lungs. He said he had to be resuscitated and airlifted to University Medical Center Brackenridge, where he remained for two weeks.

He said Friday's ride was to celebrate a new beginning after his recovery.

The Dark Ages Weren't So Dark After All

That's what Nancy Brown argues in her book, The Abacus and the Cross: The Story of the Pope Who Brought the Light of Science to the Dark Ages. She states in a recent interview:

Nothing in my many years of reading about the Middle Ages had led me to suspect that the pope in the year 1000 was the leading mathematician and astronomer of his day. 

Nor was his science just a sidelight. According to a chronicler who knew him, he rose from humble beginnings to the highest office in the Christian Church "on account of his scientific knowledge." 

To my mind, scientific knowledge and medieval Christianity had nothing in common. I was wrong. 

Like a modern scientist, Gerbert questioned authority. He experimented. To learn which of two rules best calculated the area of an equilateral triangle, he cut out square inches of parchment and measured the triangle with them. To learn why organ pipes do not behave acoustically like strings, he built models and devised an equation. (A modern physicist who checked his result calls it ingenious, if labor-intensive.)

Gerbert made sighting tubes to observe the stars and constructed globes on which their positions were recorded relative to lines of celestial longitude and latitude. He (or more likely his best student) wrote a book on the astrolabe, an instrument for telling time and making measurements by the sun or stars. You could even use it to calculate the circumference of the earth, which Gerbert and his peers knew very well was not flat like a disc but round as an apple.

The Politics of Hypocrisy

I wasn't going to post anymore on the tragedy in Arizona. I have published what I felt was important and then I was going to move on. However, one of the recurrent themes on this blog has been the hypocrisy so often displayed by political partisans on the left and and on the right and the selective ethic they employ in accusing those on the other side of the aisle of doing and saying terrible things that they themselves do and say, but somehow see as OK when it's furthers their own political agenda. Once again we see such hypocrisy in action.

Much has been made about the election map Sarah Palin published on her Facebook with cross hairs fixed on certain congressional districts that Palin wanted to target for a Republican takeover. Here is the map.

A Theological Response to the Tragedy in Arizona

I was planning to write a post on this subject at some point this week, but it simply cannot be said better than what Scot McKnight has written. It is so heartening to read a Christian blogger who actually thinks about this stuff theologically instead of simply touting the same talking points we hear on the news. Thanks, Scot!

I quote a portion of the post here. The rest can be accessed from the link below.

We do hear over and over that our political rhetoric is too intense and too inflammatory and "toxic." That's true. Without minimizing the inhumanity of some of this rhetoric, when has political rhetoric not been exaggerated? When I was a kid, because I was listening to exaggerated rhetoric, I thought the world was going to fall apart if a Catholic — his name was John F. Kennedy — became President of this (apparently only Protestant Christian) nation. It didn't.

I've read a bit about this political rhetoric issue, and often the observations begin to look into the Old Testament prophets with their highly passionate, and hardly measured, rhetoric. I read that Thomas Jefferson was certain orthodox faith would be gone with a few years and even offered a few harsh judgments himself. Thomas Paine and (eventual) President Adams had more than their share of verbal fisticuffs. From Michael Moore to Glen Beck — extremism in political rhetoric is part of our country's approach. In fact, the whole world is filled with political rhetoric like this.

Do You Really Want to Know the Future?

The stories of late concerning massive fish kills in Arkansas and Florida and the hundreds of birds that have literally dropped out of the sky dead over Arkansas, Louisiana, Italy, and Sweden have led to lots of speculation as to what is going on. That the cause is natural is highly likely, but that hasn't stopped some conspiracy theorists, who think everything is a government plot, from speculating. And while most Christians have refrained from shouting that it is another sign of the end times, some have pondered that it might indeed be the case, especially in light of Zephaniah 1:1-3:

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.

I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth, says the Lord.

I will sweep away humans and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea.

I will make the wicked stumble.
I will cut off humanity
from the face of the earth, says the Lord.*

In this post I am not interested in how one should read and interpret apocalyptic and prophetic texts, though that is certainly important. I will only say that such writers as Tim LaHaye seriously distort the biblical texts in their eschatological weather forecasting. Whether or not The Left Behind series is good literature or not, others will have to judge, but it is definitely based on an extremely bad reading of Scripture.

Words of Wisdom on Yesterday's Tragedy in Arizona

Partisans on the left and the right should especially take note:

The horrific act of violence that occurred Saturday in Arizona has shocked us all to our core and spurred many Americans to ask some hard questions, both about this specific incident and the larger political forces that may have contributed to it. We at No Labels believe this kind of conversation, as painful as the circumstances surrounding it are, is in the best interests and traditions of our country. At times of crisis, when our fundamental democratic values are threatened, we come together as Americans and directly confront our challenges.

But for our country to move forward from this tragedy, we have to talk carefully as well as candidly. We do not yet know all the facts behind this senseless act, and it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to rush to judgment or point fingers of blame at the moment, as some sadly have already done. This is no time for self-aggrandizement or partisan point-scoring -- that's part of the problem, not the solution.

It is clearly, though, a time for self-reflection, as Sheriff Dupnik eloquently put it. Based on the immediate and intuitive reactions of so many Americans, we know enough to say that something is deeply wrong with our political discourse -- and that with this incident, a dangerous line has been crossed. As we grieve for those who died and pray for the recovery of those who were injured, we hope this moment of mourning will lead us to engage each other with more civility and respect and see each other not as opponents or enemies but as Americans.
___
From No Labels: Not Left, Not Right, Forward

A Prayer for the First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord)

God of grace and glory, you call us with your voice of flame to be your people, faithful and courageous. As your beloved Son embraced his mission in the waters of baptism, inspire us with the fire of your Spirit to join in his transforming work. We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

What Good Is God?

Caption Contest 2011.1... And the Winner Is...

NY Yanks Fan: "I hate these new uniforms! Mayor Bloomberg needs to get over his Star Wars obsession."

The Methodist Blogs Weekly Links of Note

This week's five noteworthy posts from the Methoblogosphere:

Henry Neufeld: William Barclay's Commentaries Dangerous

Dave Nichols: Baptism

Andy Bryan: Worship Expectations

Becca Clark: Fasting as a Means of Grace

John Meunier: The End of Things for One Iowa Church

Some Things Are Just in the Blood

From the time he was young, C.S. Lewis loved imaginary lands inhabited by clothed animals. When he was just six years old he began his writing career creating the imaginary world called Boxen. Along with his brother Warren (Warnie), Lewis filled that magical place with all sorts of animals dressed from different times in history, but in particular he emphasized costumes from the medieval period. His brother Warnie wanted the animals' dress to be more contemporary.

So, Lewis set out to write the history of Boxen with characters moving from the past into the present and updating their dress as each animal moved through time. The young Lewis would not complete the project. He found it too difficult to make up histories extemporaneously and then attempting to parallel their lives in the present. But one thing was clear. Such imaginary places and characters were in his blood from very early on as he read books from his father's extensive library.

It should come as no surprise that later in life the adult C.S. Lewis would set out to write of a magical land called Narnia, accessed by children through through a wardrobe... a land filled with all kind of animals real and mythological. It should also come as no surprise that with his adolescent interest in medieval costume, that Professor Lewis was an expert in the field of medieval literature and taught it at Oxford University and later Cambridge.

Another Blog to Check Out

Another colleague of mine at Ashland Theological Seminary has a blog. Dr. Mitzi Smith, Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at Ashland's Detroit Campus, is now blogging at Womanist Biblical Scholar Reflections.

Check it out!

Six Ways to Make Sure No One Reads Your Blog

From Michael Hyatt's blog:

1. Your titles make me yawn. Look, I am scanning a couple hundred blog posts and news items a day. If your title doesn't pull me into the content, what will? You need to spend as much time on the headline as you do the article. Don't be cute; tempt me.

2. Your posts are boring. I have tried to be interested. Really, I have. But you don't use any stories, illustrations, or metaphors. Your prose is preachy and didactic. And dry as dust. You’re making my eyes glaze over.

3. Your posts are too infrequent. You haven't posted in weeks. Or months. Like so many would-be bloggers, you started well, but you quit too early. I'm sure you have legitimate reasons, but I am tired of waiting. Nobody cares. Post or perish.

4. Your posts are too long. I know you want to do the topic justice. Prove your point. Consider every aspect. Answer the critics. And leave no stone unturned. But, honestly, you are wearing me out. If I want to read a book, I'll buy one. You're supposed to be writing a blog. A good rule of thumb? No more that 500 words.

5. Your posts are too unfocused. One day you're are blogging on this. The next day you are blogging on that. What is your blog about? Please remind me, because I am lost in the forrest of your eclectic interests. You're not a renaissance man (or woman). You are undisciplined.

6. You don't participate in the conversation. You either don't allow comments or don't participate in them. You're posts are hit-and-run. You come into the room, make your little speech, and leave the building. I'm sorry, but that is so last-century. You're not that important.
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You can read the entire post, "Why I Stopped Reading Your Blog," here.

The Fight to Control the Narratives of History

Monday night I watched the PBS documentary on Robert E. Lee. It was well done and informative. I learned some things about Lee that I did not know before, such as his obsession with discipline and his desire to excel and to be the best he could be as a military cadet and eventually an officer. I knew he was quite intelligent, but I had no idea how intelligent he truly was. I also learned that Lee believed slavery was a necessary evil and that slaves were better off in America as slaves than in Africa as free persons. This in an important point because there is a narrative in existence that tells a different story-- the story of a Virginia gentleman who called slavery a great evil and who fought for the Confederacy only because he could not draw his sword on his native Virginia. It turns out that such mythology is based on a letter written by Lee to his wife Mary Custis Lee on December 27, 1856 with certain quotes taken out of context. Here is the full quotation of the germane portion of the letter:

In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral & political evil in any Country.

It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages. I think it however a greater evil to the white man than to the black race, & while my feelings are strongly enlisted in behalf of the latter, my sympathies are more strong for the former. The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race, & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things.

How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise Merciful Providence. Their emancipation will sooner result from the mild & melting influence of Christianity, than the storms & tempests of fiery Controversy. This influence though slow, is sure. The doctrines & miracles of our Saviour have required nearly two thousand years, to Convert but a small part of the human race, & even among Christian nations, what gross errors still exist!

While we see the Course of the final abolition of human Slavery is onward, & we give it the aid of our prayers & all justifiable means in our power, we must leave the progress as well as the result in his hands who sees the end; who Chooses to work by slow influences; & with whom two thousand years are but as a Single day. Although the Abolitionist must know this, & must See that he has neither the right or power of operating except by moral means & suasion, & if he means well to the slave, he must not Create angry feelings in the Master; that although he may not approve the mode which it pleases Providence to accomplish its purposes, the result will nevertheless be the same; that the reasons he gives for interference in what he has no Concern, holds good for every kind of interference with our neighbors when we disapprove their Conduct; Still I fear he will persevere in his evil Course.

So while Lee viewed slavery as an evil that would one day end, he believed that it was currently necessary as a way to teach blacks to finally learn one day to govern for themselves. Moreover, he viewed its abolishment before the time of God's Providence as detrimental to the "white race." Thus he not only supported the continuance of the institution of slavery, he was willing to fight for its preservation until the time when Providence would dictate otherwise. Lee clearly saw the North as forcing God's hand on the slavery.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. This month 150 years ago South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from the Union. We Americans seem to have a fascination, a love affair, and an obsession with the War Between the State. The reasons for this is for another post at another time, but over the next four years as we perhaps focus more intently once again on that extremely bloody period in American history, we will also find that there will be a fight to control the narrative that not only explains the Civil War, but American history before and since.

A week ago, friend and blogger, Bob Cornwall published a very thoughtful post on remembering the Civil War without the spin. While I quibbled with him somewhat in the post, his main point was spot on-- the reason for the Civil War was first and foremost centered on the issue of slavery. And while states rights was a narrative swirling in the air before, during, and after the war, the South went its own way and was willing to commit its sons to war because of the singular issue of slavery. And anyone who attempts to downplay that narrative is indeed spinning the history.

Thankfully, most of us have long abandoned the idea that history is nothing more than places, eventss and dates, a simple explications of happenings in Sgt. Joe Friday mode of "give us the facts, Ma'am." History has meaning, but the meaning is not always clear. History and narrative are inextricably related. One cannot extract one from the other and make any sense of the events that change the lives of many.

Of course, there are those large narratives of history that are so obvious it is hard to imagine that anyone could or would contest them. Slavery as the cause of the Civil War is one of them. But the true difficulties we encounter in history are not the clear and obvious stories, but the more ambiguous narratives, the mixture of good and bad, the complexity of happenings and actions. Does the fact that General Lee fought in favor of a great evil, a terrible blemish on the face of American history, mean that we can say nothing good about him? And in order to say anything good about him, do we need to try to sanitize the obvious history and make the War Between the States about something other than what is so obvious from history? How do we measure the life of any woman or man-- individuals who are frail and stuck in their time even though they have the possibility of transcending the limitations of their culture, morals, and values? And what about us? When our lives end, how do we want others to measure us-- we who are frail and who are also stuck in our time and its culture with its morals and yet given the possibility of moving beyond them?

The great temptation for all of us is to read history in a way that confirms our own convictions, our own agendas. We do this not only in what we affirm, but also in what we attempt to deny. Perhaps the first step in looking at our history truthfully is to admit that in the midst of the obvious good and evil, there is also an ambiguity to life, to events, to people that simply cannot be summarized in a brief paragraph. Perhaps in order to understand the history that makes us who we are, we need to sideline our politics in favor of a reading of history that affirms and yet challenges, embraces our victories and owns our defeats.

The old adage is indeed true-- those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Those who win control over the narratives of history will either learn from its story or live it all over again.

May it be the former.

Caption Contest 2011.1

A Change for the Methodist Blogs Daily Links

During the two week hiatus of the MB Daily Links I have been pondering its future. I have been pleased to offer this service to the Methoblogosphere for quite some time. (If the old listings of links from the Methodist Blogs Weekly Roundup are included, I've been posting links for a little over four years.) But I am finding that it has become quite a chore to maintain this project day after day and week after week. I enjoy reading links from the Methoblogosphere and regularly do so during the week as I get a chance, but I really want to concentrate on my personal blog posts.

So, I have made the decision to discontinue the Methodist Blogs Daily Links in its current form. What I have done instead is to create a Methoblogosphere blogroll at the top left hand column of this blog. I spent some time yesterday going through the blogroll of the Methoblog and the links I have posted over the past year and a half. Currently there are 161 blogs linked on the blogroll. I included every blogger that has posted within the last six months. I will maintain the roll regularly deleting blogs that are no longer active over a period of six months or longer. I will also add new Methodist blogs to the blogroll as I am informed of them. Anyone who wants her or his Methodist blog included in the blogroll, email me at mbdailylinks(at)yahoo(dot)com. If you click the "Show All" tab at the bottom right of the Methoblogroll, all 161 links will be visible. If your blog is not included and you would like it to be, please email me at the above address.

In this format you will still be able to get all the daily links from the Methoblogosphere, and bloggers who do not post regularly will not drop from the links, as tended to be the case when I was posting them manually. Each Saturday I will post five Methodist links of note from the week.

I hope this works in keeping everyone in the loop on the writings and reflections from the Methoblogosphere.

A Prayer for the Second Sunday after Christmas

God of glory, your splendor shines from a manger in Bethlehem, where the Light of the world is humbly born into the darkness of human night. Open our eyes to Christ's presence in the shadows of our world, so that we, like him, may become beacons of your justice, and defenders of all for whom there is no room. Amen.

The Biblical Studies Christmas Carnival

Joseph Kelly has seen fit to include a post of mine in his Christmas Carnival of links. I am honored to be included among such esteemed scholars as John Byron, James McGrath, and Scot McKnight.

Thanks Joseph!

Note to Publishers: Cease and Desist on The New English Bible Translations and Study Bibles

Harper One has just published The C.S. Lewis Bible (an article on the Bible is here). Bibles are big business for publishers and with the publishing industry changing faster than you can power up your Kindle, it is understandable that publishers would want to capitalize on a money-maker.

But to Christian publishers and denominations (my own UMC was behind the Common English Bible) I say enough is enough. We do not need another English version, translation, or paraphrase. Moreover, as much as I love C.S. Lewis (I am teaching a seminar on Lewis starting this next week) we do not need a study Bible with certain portions of his writing lined up with passages of Scripture. Lewis' writings are already available. Those who desire are able to access his work quite easily.

In a western culture of excess, the plethora of English translations and study Bibles present just one more example of such excess... and all in the name of Jesus! Anyone who speaks English not only can read the Bible, they now have to wade through exactly which Bible they want to read. If indeed one is confused over which English Bible to read, perhaps that already reveals the problem.

I have an idea. Instead of publishers and denominations getting behind yet another English translation, why don't they put their energy and money and marketing plans into publishing Bibles in other languages. They can then have a program where those of us who have more Bibles on our shelves and tables than we can count can actually purchase Bibles for poor Christians in other countries. The publishers can still make a profit (which is certainly OK with me) and those of us who are blessed with an abundance of Bibles and enough money, can bring the written Word to those who have limited access to God's Word or do not have access to it at all.

A little over fifteen years ago, I took a mission trip to Puerto Rico. Before we left on the trip we purchased a Study Bible for the pastor who was going to host us. As our trip neared its end, we presented him with the gift one night at dinner. He thanked us with tears in his eyes, as all he and his family had was one Bible that was falling apart from use.

When it comes to the Bible and Study Bible publishing industry, we can do better. Publishing Bibles as a mission... that's something I would support, not only with my voice, but with my dollars as well.

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Update: Dave Black, my friend and co-editor of the Areopagus Critical Christian Issues Series disagrees with me on this. You can read his perspective on his blog, which has no feed. You will have to scroll down until you find his reference to my post.

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Read what he says and ponder the issue.