we are officially official. I am the new pastor of Bethel Lutheran in Encino. My start date in December 1st and i will preach my first Sunday there on the 14h of December. Heather and i will attend this Sunday morning as well since it is the beginning of advent.
as i lay in my bed typing this tonight, my mind is calm, and we look forward with great anticipation to all that is ahead. I am old enough in the ministry to know and understand that much of what is to come will not be easy. there will be rough roads and glorious roads, yet we long to walk them alongside this beautiful and diverse community.
The last year and 5 months have truly flown by. we have grown to know and love our great grandparents (heather's side) and have built cherished relationships with her family. laurie has been an inspiration to us and a beacon of hope in an ocean of monotony. marcie and paul have given us fabulous moments of fun and relaxation, and grammy has given us her consistent love. this is just the beginning of the depth of new relationships we have been blessed to experience. There is also my wonderful family and friends who have been constantly supportive, challenging, refreshing and beautiful during our time in orange county.
please be in prayer for us as we begin to look for a place to rent. as we finish out the semester of school and as we press on with our new community. (God, it feels so good to say those words!)
continued peace and hope.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
the new normal...
Life over the last year has been interesting. we are striving to establish the new normal, while trying to maintain hope in our future. i spent a long time talking to Dino about the oddness of this middle space which we find ourselves in. Part has been incredible, part much less. this week is the vote. ya the big one the one where the church decides our future. i am vastly excited by this but with a deep nervousness. a sense of abandon. a recognition that it is truly out of my control. As a control freak i am sure that is where the nervousness comes in.
i have been having a new awakening recently. a new old avakening. i have been going to a matthew class at our church, and reading mark scandrettes book soul graffiti. both are the precurser to my awakening not to mention my two ethics classes this semester. in ethics i am continualy awakened to how truly grey life and moral choices are. every moment and in all actions we each act(hopefully) on the best information and on the entirity of our histories. this is great except each and every action has a reaction, and we dont control those reactions. thus reaction is not under our control, our response is... i know i am rambling. i guess what i am thinking about first is that things grow increasingly less clear in life. even our positive actions sometimes the best action we know how to make can hurt those around us and even others that we have never met.
second... in reading matthew an the the scandrette text i am reawakened to the boldness of christ. both in voice and in action. there was a distinct decisiveness to his action. and it is quite different in my opinion than most of the Church makes it out to be. there was a revalutionary character to christ's actions that he calls us toward. JUSTICE... MERCY...Love these are central to his action and speach. there is a real awareness of the poor and hurting. there is a deep understanding of humanity, its needs, its interconnectedness of spirituality and physicality. can we be the church without truly meeting the needs of the world? can we be the church without dirrect interaction with those the church currently holds as outsiders? can we be the church without be politically active and socially responsible?
As i approach the next month full of possibilities. I wonder how to move the church forward? not my church the Church...
more ramblings to come. one thing is certain we are moving toward a new, new normal.
i have been having a new awakening recently. a new old avakening. i have been going to a matthew class at our church, and reading mark scandrettes book soul graffiti. both are the precurser to my awakening not to mention my two ethics classes this semester. in ethics i am continualy awakened to how truly grey life and moral choices are. every moment and in all actions we each act(hopefully) on the best information and on the entirity of our histories. this is great except each and every action has a reaction, and we dont control those reactions. thus reaction is not under our control, our response is... i know i am rambling. i guess what i am thinking about first is that things grow increasingly less clear in life. even our positive actions sometimes the best action we know how to make can hurt those around us and even others that we have never met.
second... in reading matthew an the the scandrette text i am reawakened to the boldness of christ. both in voice and in action. there was a distinct decisiveness to his action. and it is quite different in my opinion than most of the Church makes it out to be. there was a revalutionary character to christ's actions that he calls us toward. JUSTICE... MERCY...Love these are central to his action and speach. there is a real awareness of the poor and hurting. there is a deep understanding of humanity, its needs, its interconnectedness of spirituality and physicality. can we be the church without truly meeting the needs of the world? can we be the church without dirrect interaction with those the church currently holds as outsiders? can we be the church without be politically active and socially responsible?
As i approach the next month full of possibilities. I wonder how to move the church forward? not my church the Church...
more ramblings to come. one thing is certain we are moving toward a new, new normal.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
new year....
Sorry i have been away. i have been working on another blog for a class on immigration reform. Life has been crazy. heather and i have been do our best to remain patient for a church vote. it was moved again from the 12th to the 27th. God willing it will occur this time. i am not sure if heather will be willing to wait any longer. i do not blame her for that because i too am growing weary. I have recently read a book by Andy Stanley that makes the point that the longer that God takes to prepare you for a call is directly connected to the task that he is calling you toward. (aka moses and Israel in the desert). while we haven't been waiting 40 years we have been waiting for over a year now and our hearts and beings crave to move forward from this space of preparation to a entering the new land. heather found out today that she didnt get another job. please pray that she gets something soon. we need this. she is so abundantly talented and gifted and is beyond pleasant and loving i long for a church or organization to see in her all those that know her see.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
updates.
Heather is doing well after her accident. she is going to the doctor this afternoon to get her back checked out for saftey sake. We have found a new car. We are buying heathers dad's mazda tribute. This has been a great help as we are both in the job search process.
That being said I have a call interview on sunday in Encino. This is a big meeting and if all goes well we will proceed in the call process with this church. This is extremely exciting and we covet your prayers and support.
this has been more than a year of patiently waiting to see what god is going to do. As we wait, we are enjoying the journey and waiting in expectation of a beautiful future.
That being said I have a call interview on sunday in Encino. This is a big meeting and if all goes well we will proceed in the call process with this church. This is extremely exciting and we covet your prayers and support.
this has been more than a year of patiently waiting to see what god is going to do. As we wait, we are enjoying the journey and waiting in expectation of a beautiful future.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
heather
most of you may now by now but heather was in a bad accident two weeks ago where her car was totaled. she was stopped at a turn with two cars in frount of her and a young man wasn't paying attening and rammed her from behind at 45mph which sandwiched her into a large dodge ram. she is doing ok she is still having some back pain and anxiety.
please pray for her quick recovery and a regaining of confidence while driving. She also has a job interview on friday at two. all prayers are appreciated.
please pray for her quick recovery and a regaining of confidence while driving. She also has a job interview on friday at two. all prayers are appreciated.
Monday, August 4, 2008
approved!
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
today was a great day in my lutheran journey. i am offically approved to be a pastor in a lutheran congregation. this process has taken a year and my part has finally reached its end. i am very content and pleased. now we just ask for prayers as we begin the call process.
sometime ill tell the story about the paraket in the parkinglot of the interview flying alongside the doves. but that is for the another day.
thank you all for your prayers.
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
today was a great day in my lutheran journey. i am offically approved to be a pastor in a lutheran congregation. this process has taken a year and my part has finally reached its end. i am very content and pleased. now we just ask for prayers as we begin the call process.
sometime ill tell the story about the paraket in the parkinglot of the interview flying alongside the doves. but that is for the another day.
thank you all for your prayers.
Monday, July 21, 2008
creed 3
The Creed, johnson says, “communicates a compelling vision of the world’s destiny and humanity’s role that challenges the accustomed idolatries and the weary platitudes of current worldly wisdom.”
creed #2: Johnson
Johnson says that the Creed performs five distinct but interrelated functions: It narrates the Christian myth, interprets Scripture, constructs a world, guides Christian practices and prepares the Christian people for worship. Myth, by the way, does not mean untrue. It is language that seeks to express a truth beyond what we can test and prove.
He examines each statement in the Creed in detail, explaining what it means and why Christians believe it. In particular, he is thorough (even exhaustive) in giving all of the scriptural references for each statement. (Readers could exhaust themselves by looking up each reference. Most of us will accept Johnson’s research as accurate.)
Johnson is known for his opposition to the so-called Jesus Seminar and the attempt to discover “the historical Jesus, apart from faith.” As he did in a previous book, The Real Jesus, he points out in several places that a Jesus stripped of divinity is just another human being. Why, he asks, would such a Jesus matter more than Socrates or Confucius or the Buddha?
Johnson steers a middle course between fundamentalists, who take every word of Scripture literally, and progressives, who insist on a “reasonable” Christianity. One battleground between the two forces is the doctrine of the virgin birth. He contends that it is neither possible nor important to know the biology of Jesus’ conception and birth. Rather, what is important is that the incarnation of God’s Son came about through both divine and human agency.
He covers the Catholic Church’s addition of the filioque phrase, a doctrinal matter that still divides the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. He believes the addition was unnecessary.
One of the strongest chapters in this book is Johnson’s examination of the four marks of the Church(chapter 8)—one, holy, catholic and apostolic. These, he contends, describe an ideal that the Church has never realized and will never fully realize. He notes, too, that the term “Roman Catholic” is oxymoronic, combining the element of universality with a highly particular adjective.
After examining the whole Creed, he says, “Everything up to this point has been introduction.” His final chapters try to explain why it matters what Christians believe. It is because Christians offer what they believe to be the truth about the world in every respect. The doctrines expressed in the Creed are not only true to Christians, but true for all. That, he says, is the positive witness the Creed makes to the world.
He also notes the simplicity of the Creed. It consistently affirms what we believe without trying to explain how those things are true. We believe, for example, that God created all things, but the Creed doesn’t tell us how.
He examines each statement in the Creed in detail, explaining what it means and why Christians believe it. In particular, he is thorough (even exhaustive) in giving all of the scriptural references for each statement. (Readers could exhaust themselves by looking up each reference. Most of us will accept Johnson’s research as accurate.)
Johnson is known for his opposition to the so-called Jesus Seminar and the attempt to discover “the historical Jesus, apart from faith.” As he did in a previous book, The Real Jesus, he points out in several places that a Jesus stripped of divinity is just another human being. Why, he asks, would such a Jesus matter more than Socrates or Confucius or the Buddha?
Johnson steers a middle course between fundamentalists, who take every word of Scripture literally, and progressives, who insist on a “reasonable” Christianity. One battleground between the two forces is the doctrine of the virgin birth. He contends that it is neither possible nor important to know the biology of Jesus’ conception and birth. Rather, what is important is that the incarnation of God’s Son came about through both divine and human agency.
He covers the Catholic Church’s addition of the filioque phrase, a doctrinal matter that still divides the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. He believes the addition was unnecessary.
One of the strongest chapters in this book is Johnson’s examination of the four marks of the Church(chapter 8)—one, holy, catholic and apostolic. These, he contends, describe an ideal that the Church has never realized and will never fully realize. He notes, too, that the term “Roman Catholic” is oxymoronic, combining the element of universality with a highly particular adjective.
After examining the whole Creed, he says, “Everything up to this point has been introduction.” His final chapters try to explain why it matters what Christians believe. It is because Christians offer what they believe to be the truth about the world in every respect. The doctrines expressed in the Creed are not only true to Christians, but true for all. That, he says, is the positive witness the Creed makes to the world.
He also notes the simplicity of the Creed. It consistently affirms what we believe without trying to explain how those things are true. We believe, for example, that God created all things, but the Creed doesn’t tell us how.
the creed post #1
Ive been reading this great book by Luke Timothy Johnson called the creed. I highly recommend this read here are a few quotes.
Some groups within Christianity have remarkably clear boundaries. They know exactly who they are, how they are different from others, and what they demand of their members. They insist on the "literal" meaning of Scripture and on "classic Christian teaching." Even though they are often as individualistic in their piety as other forms of Christianity, they expect conformity to the group in matters of doctrine and behavior. They are also the forms of Christianity that are growing fastest in number and influence.
Unfortunately, these Christian groups tend to confuse the accidental with the essential. They tend to make some single element of belief or of morals the litmus test of membership, indeed of true Christianity. For some it is a literal inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture; for others, baptism in spirit; for others, recognition of papal authority; for many, the condemnation of homosexuality and the canonization of the nuclear family; for many, a politics that calls itself conservative but is often reactionary. Failure to agree means exclusion. Such forms of Christianity flourish because they actually demand something of their members and they satisfy the human hunger for clarity and certainty.
They are also fundamentally sectarian, because they define themselves as much by what they oppose as what they affirm. They exemplify the classical definition of heresy as the elevation of one truth to the distortion of other truths. What each of them opposes in one way or another is the entire world shaped by Modernity. The Enlightenment is the great enemy.
These groups pay a remarkable amount of attention to some small point of self-definition, compared to the attention they give to the heart of the gospel. Worse, they are often preoccupied with external signs of conformity but neglect the evidence of abuse and corruption around them. The classic example is their public opposition to sexual immorality accompanied by their blindness toward economic injustice. And because they set their boundaries by what is nonessential rather than what is essential, they repel those outside (and some of those within) who despair at their consistent habit of straining the gnat while swallowing the camel.
At the other extreme, some groups lack any real sense of boundaries. They do not answer the question "What does it mean to be a Christian?" clearly, and offer little sense of what is demanded of the individual Christian. They have explicitly or implicitly assimilated to the world of Modernity, have resisted the creation of strong boundaries in favor of openness to the world, and have aligned themselves politically with the forces of change within culture rather than with the forces of resistance. They define Christianity in terms of acceptance and inclusion, and regard boundaries as barriers.
This extreme also has its inconsistencies. It is, in a sense, as sectarian or heretically selective as the first. It attacks the other style of Christianity for identifying Christianity with reactionary politics, but is itself just as committed to liberal politics. It bemoans the narrowness of a literalistic reading of Scripture in service of doctrine, but is just as committed to a literalistic reading of the Bible in service of history. It condemns the other extremes narrow-minded, exclusionary style of life, not recognizing in such condemnation another form of narrow-minded exclusiveness. It mocks the periodic appearance of charlatans among the ranks of Evangelical leaders, but seems incapable of recognizing the charlatans among its own leaders. (298-300.)
Some groups within Christianity have remarkably clear boundaries. They know exactly who they are, how they are different from others, and what they demand of their members. They insist on the "literal" meaning of Scripture and on "classic Christian teaching." Even though they are often as individualistic in their piety as other forms of Christianity, they expect conformity to the group in matters of doctrine and behavior. They are also the forms of Christianity that are growing fastest in number and influence.
Unfortunately, these Christian groups tend to confuse the accidental with the essential. They tend to make some single element of belief or of morals the litmus test of membership, indeed of true Christianity. For some it is a literal inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture; for others, baptism in spirit; for others, recognition of papal authority; for many, the condemnation of homosexuality and the canonization of the nuclear family; for many, a politics that calls itself conservative but is often reactionary. Failure to agree means exclusion. Such forms of Christianity flourish because they actually demand something of their members and they satisfy the human hunger for clarity and certainty.
They are also fundamentally sectarian, because they define themselves as much by what they oppose as what they affirm. They exemplify the classical definition of heresy as the elevation of one truth to the distortion of other truths. What each of them opposes in one way or another is the entire world shaped by Modernity. The Enlightenment is the great enemy.
These groups pay a remarkable amount of attention to some small point of self-definition, compared to the attention they give to the heart of the gospel. Worse, they are often preoccupied with external signs of conformity but neglect the evidence of abuse and corruption around them. The classic example is their public opposition to sexual immorality accompanied by their blindness toward economic injustice. And because they set their boundaries by what is nonessential rather than what is essential, they repel those outside (and some of those within) who despair at their consistent habit of straining the gnat while swallowing the camel.
At the other extreme, some groups lack any real sense of boundaries. They do not answer the question "What does it mean to be a Christian?" clearly, and offer little sense of what is demanded of the individual Christian. They have explicitly or implicitly assimilated to the world of Modernity, have resisted the creation of strong boundaries in favor of openness to the world, and have aligned themselves politically with the forces of change within culture rather than with the forces of resistance. They define Christianity in terms of acceptance and inclusion, and regard boundaries as barriers.
This extreme also has its inconsistencies. It is, in a sense, as sectarian or heretically selective as the first. It attacks the other style of Christianity for identifying Christianity with reactionary politics, but is itself just as committed to liberal politics. It bemoans the narrowness of a literalistic reading of Scripture in service of doctrine, but is just as committed to a literalistic reading of the Bible in service of history. It condemns the other extremes narrow-minded, exclusionary style of life, not recognizing in such condemnation another form of narrow-minded exclusiveness. It mocks the periodic appearance of charlatans among the ranks of Evangelical leaders, but seems incapable of recognizing the charlatans among its own leaders. (298-300.)
Heathers Job.
many of you have asked about heathers job (melissa, Katie etc.) so here goes. Heathers company chose to go another direction in the social services field. they had 5 group homes with over 60 employees all of which were terminated. they felt that the direction of the future was foster care. This is both a blessing and a curse for the children. It is a blessing because it will hopefully place them in homes. however these children have extreme behavior problems, and will not most likely thrive or even make it in regular homes. this is unfortunate because outside of group homes the only other option is psych wards and juvenile detention centers. thank god that not all group homes are closing and all of the kids found new placements in other group homes.
heather misses her kids and the work greatly and is trying to decide what she wants out of life. please continue to pray for her in the search.
heather misses her kids and the work greatly and is trying to decide what she wants out of life. please continue to pray for her in the search.
Friday, July 4, 2008
75th wedding anniversary
two weekends ago heather and i were blessed to celebrate her great grandparents seventyfifth wedding aniversary... both of her grandparents are 96. pretty crazy when you begin to think that heather and i have only been married for two years. they have spent more time together than heather and my lifetime added together. they lived through two world wars a deppression, the creation of virtually all technology and all the while remained deeply in love.
they were absolutely sweet. my favorite part of the weekend was when grampa sent GG some roses. Now if you can imagine. grampa is probably one of the most selfish people i have ever met in my life. GG. is stubburn and strongwilled but she will do anything to make her man feel appreciated. so here on a weekend where she had recieved about 25 floral arrangements most of which were absolutly huge and extravagent, she still made grampa feel as though he had given her a 20 carat diamond ring. (he didnt) He sent 12 red roses (that were Beautiful but far from the most beautiful arrangmetn of the weekend). When the roses came GG. got up and hugged and kissed her man and said that she was the happiest woman on earth... she said she needed nothing more on the earth after recieveing the roses. it was then that i had the realization that this is what got them to 75 years. she knows how to make him feel that he is the best thing since sliced bread. (maybe better since he invented the bread and pie oven.) she knows how to honor him.
i hope that i can be this for heather. i hope i can make her feel like grandpa feels when grandma douts on him.
they were absolutely sweet. my favorite part of the weekend was when grampa sent GG some roses. Now if you can imagine. grampa is probably one of the most selfish people i have ever met in my life. GG. is stubburn and strongwilled but she will do anything to make her man feel appreciated. so here on a weekend where she had recieved about 25 floral arrangements most of which were absolutly huge and extravagent, she still made grampa feel as though he had given her a 20 carat diamond ring. (he didnt) He sent 12 red roses (that were Beautiful but far from the most beautiful arrangmetn of the weekend). When the roses came GG. got up and hugged and kissed her man and said that she was the happiest woman on earth... she said she needed nothing more on the earth after recieveing the roses. it was then that i had the realization that this is what got them to 75 years. she knows how to make him feel that he is the best thing since sliced bread. (maybe better since he invented the bread and pie oven.) she knows how to honor him.
i hope that i can be this for heather. i hope i can make her feel like grandpa feels when grandma douts on him.
hey tim.
Just wanted to say hi. I also wanted to let you all know that we are doing good. heather is looking for jobs while on unemployment. we are both helping her grandmother with some major organization projects (think clean sweep), we are also taking on some extra care taking responsibiliteis with the great grandparent.
we have our big lutheran interview on the 3rd or 4th of august. we are super excited about this opportunity please be in pray for us over the next month. I have a few more pages to write, ( out of 40) for the interview process.
other than that we are just chilling and enjoying our first full california summer.
we have our big lutheran interview on the 3rd or 4th of august. we are super excited about this opportunity please be in pray for us over the next month. I have a few more pages to write, ( out of 40) for the interview process.
other than that we are just chilling and enjoying our first full california summer.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
summer.
I'm blogging like i frequently communicate...barely at all. it has been a whirlwind of a spring. Between an quick end to classes to a frenzied trip to Boston for a wedding and a Graduation party to a destruction and reconstruction of a garage my spring has disappeared before my eyes. I must say i am excited for the summer. but before moving forward let me remember the last few weeks and fill you in.
I have had two meetings the last two weeks with Lutheran professors. I have been using these meetings to prep my august meeting with the bishops office. One professor is a Fuller professor named Clayton Schmitt. he is a liturgy guru, and is teaching me about Lutheran liturgical movement. Very interesting and theatrical, i find it creative and challenging. it challenges me to think about the movement and space of worship and worship planning. he is very interesting is and is using me to review his new book coming out in the winter. I will meet with him again a few times before August.
Yesterday i had to trek out to thousand oaks for those who don't know that is a long way from me. it is about to Ventura. That is where california Lutheran university is. I meet with former bishop Paul Egertson about Lutheran Hermeneutics. It was interesting and very informative; both about Lutheran history and the history of Encino. I don't know if i will be meeting with him again, we will be communicating by email.
My final professor I need to meet with is a professor that will work with me on creeds, and confessions. He too is way out in thousand oaks but lives in the valley so hopefully i can meet him at his house.
i am very excited about the prospects of our future. i miss preaching and working in the church. i am about 3 weeks away from not having preached in a full year. It seems like forever. On that note i am trying to write a couple sermons a week starting this week in order to get back in the habit. its a good practice in general simply for my writing.
heathers company shuts down on saturday. this is a very sad and mournful process for her in her life. she loved those kids profoundly and will miss them all greatly. not to mention her colleges. she is looking for new work, please pray for that.
over the spring i read some great books as well that will be my next post. hopefully tomorrow. as for me i am headed for bed.
I have had two meetings the last two weeks with Lutheran professors. I have been using these meetings to prep my august meeting with the bishops office. One professor is a Fuller professor named Clayton Schmitt. he is a liturgy guru, and is teaching me about Lutheran liturgical movement. Very interesting and theatrical, i find it creative and challenging. it challenges me to think about the movement and space of worship and worship planning. he is very interesting is and is using me to review his new book coming out in the winter. I will meet with him again a few times before August.
Yesterday i had to trek out to thousand oaks for those who don't know that is a long way from me. it is about to Ventura. That is where california Lutheran university is. I meet with former bishop Paul Egertson about Lutheran Hermeneutics. It was interesting and very informative; both about Lutheran history and the history of Encino. I don't know if i will be meeting with him again, we will be communicating by email.
My final professor I need to meet with is a professor that will work with me on creeds, and confessions. He too is way out in thousand oaks but lives in the valley so hopefully i can meet him at his house.
i am very excited about the prospects of our future. i miss preaching and working in the church. i am about 3 weeks away from not having preached in a full year. It seems like forever. On that note i am trying to write a couple sermons a week starting this week in order to get back in the habit. its a good practice in general simply for my writing.
heathers company shuts down on saturday. this is a very sad and mournful process for her in her life. she loved those kids profoundly and will miss them all greatly. not to mention her colleges. she is looking for new work, please pray for that.
over the spring i read some great books as well that will be my next post. hopefully tomorrow. as for me i am headed for bed.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
first year done.
today i finished my first year of Ph.d. course work. one down, one to go. it has been a good year but i must admit that i am extremely ready for the summer. i wrote another eighty or so pages in the last two weeks. in my fourth year of graduate studies that totals some where around eight hundred pages written. Thats absurd. This semester i wrote three papers. one a critique on H. Richard Niebuhrs, Responsible Self. the second was a critique of Durkheim's concept of sacred and profane, and the third was my favorite of the semester. It is an analysis and critique of the current metaphors of atonement and their usefulness in the age of globalization. I was able to retrieve what i believe to be the most profound metaphor of atonement from the christian tradition and that is the incarnation/perichoresis, or the divine dance. I'll probably post parts of it here in the weeks to come. as for the summer i going to work and read things that are fictional and re-awaken my imagination. ill be talking to you soon.
Friday, April 18, 2008
going to bed with a broken heart...
hoping to awake living in the present not in the future..... (ready for some honesty) this semester has been a real struggle for me. Between trying to be patient with the ELCA and my future in the church, and the ever present reality of my phd work looming through the beautiful California days and nights, oh and not to mention the care of 95-6 year old great grand parents, i have now found myself with 4 weeks and 60 pages. Now this isn't the end of the world and works its way out to like 3 pages a day or so. But once again i find myself in a place needing balance and a healthy dose of living in the present moment. All of this came to head tonight as a took a break from my reading of H Richard Niebuhr's responsible self, to check my email. (listen carefully and you will hear my heart break) My favorite professor and mentor at CGU (Ellen Marshall) is leaving to go to Emory. Don't get me wrong... this is absolutely huge for her. she is in her mid thirties and is tenured at CGU and will be tenured at Emory. So what is wrong you might ask? well i have been working with her and saw in my future continued work with her. Fortunately she has decided to stay through 2009. this is great because i will be able to finish all my course work under her. She has also stated that Emory is allowing her to work with former students in what ever way she wishes. This is great for me in the long run yet in the midst of this present moment feels like CRAP!
Ellen, I wish you the Best(not that she reads this LOL) ... Tomorrow i will awake, it will be earth day and hopefully my reality will be based more in the present, and i will honor the opportunity to study under such a young master.
well such is life. God may i learn to live each moment, seize each moment, and feel each moment to its fullest.
Peace, Hope, and good night!
if i dont write much here in the next few weeks it will be due to papers. if i do it will be in spite of my papers. :)
Ellen, I wish you the Best(not that she reads this LOL) ... Tomorrow i will awake, it will be earth day and hopefully my reality will be based more in the present, and i will honor the opportunity to study under such a young master.
well such is life. God may i learn to live each moment, seize each moment, and feel each moment to its fullest.
Peace, Hope, and good night!
if i dont write much here in the next few weeks it will be due to papers. if i do it will be in spite of my papers. :)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/229
check out this link. I was given this by heather and my aunte Brook. She is passionately interested in eastern faiths and physical expressions of those faiths. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Brain scientist who experienced a stroke. She chronicled the experience as someone who intimately knew and understood the function of the brain. Her challenge is quite profound. She challenges us to live fully connected to our world. in essence to choose to live our right brain. to live nirvana, promoting peace, compassion, and a realized interconnectedness. check it out it is a brilliant awakening.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
pluralism #2. defining options...
I figured i should back up to define what are the historical choices that are available when we talk about religious conversation(specifically in the area of salvation/truth) Aka Religious dialogue.
1) exclusivism- One holds in an exclusive way to an absolute truth. All people must learn this truth to be "saved." this calls for Explicit acceptance. This has been the traditional position of the Christian church for 1000 years.
2) inclusivism- same as exculsivism in so far as Christ is essential for salvation, but it allows for an implicit faith. What Rahner calls "anonymous Christians," people who have faith in God but they don't realize or recognize this god as Jesus. This theory relies on the hypostatic union. Everyone who has faith is still saved by Christ and is moving toward "Christian" ends.
3) Pluralism- recognizes inclusivism as a mode of conquering the "other;" Imperialism (Hans Kuhn). Pluralism comes in many shapes, pluralism itself is plural. What is common in pluralism is a respect and tolerance for the other. Currently all of these modes are Christian modes, instead of religious modes.
There are 5 types of pluralism.
1) phenominalist pluralism- (Hick, Knitter)all religions have the same ultimate reality (noumenal in the terms of Kant) but each religion represents a phenomenal way of responding to the same ultimate. They are different due to their historicity.
2) Universalist Pluralism- We can have a universal theology by using each religions philosophical understanding and finding common threads running throughout each religion.
3) Ethical Soteriological pluralism- Different religions while different maintain a similarity when it comes to morality. Each religion is working toward a liberation and recognition of Justice. This theory recognizes diversity of religion but looks toward moral connectedness.
4) Ontological Pluralism- (Plantikar) Pluralism is not just our own perspective of reality (pluralism of perspective as seen in #1)the reality shows irreducibly different dimensions in every religion (and human). Each is irreducibly different . Plantikar uses the theological idea of trinity to explain this perspective. There is an irreducible difference of religions, including salvations and morality.
5) confessional pluralism- (Kuhn, Cobb, et al.) Each religion is a confessional community within a historical understanding. Thus each confession is different. We must recognize the difference between the confessions and recognize them as not reducible. This idea wants to preserve the particularity of each religion and what they mean in the historical context of their confessional identity.
having expressed these, it is important to note that pluralism does not mean we leave our religion. It does not mean loosing our commitment or a watering down of our own confession(although conversion does happen). It does mean we should learn form other religions. "we should live in the permanent light and shadow of the other"(Min). Pluralism is not relativism you must remain in the tension between your commitment to you confession and the truth of the confession of the others. Or said differently the willingness to allow for other possibilities. The Goal of this dialogue is Truth; a deeper, broader, and greater understanding of the Truth and revelation of God. Truth is something that judges us, it calls for our obedience, our testimony, and our affirmation. we are in dialogue to share our truth and to hear the truth of the other. it allows us to recognize the illumination of a common human reality. through religions dialogue we are searching together from our different vantage points. (john cobb)
1) exclusivism- One holds in an exclusive way to an absolute truth. All people must learn this truth to be "saved." this calls for Explicit acceptance. This has been the traditional position of the Christian church for 1000 years.
2) inclusivism- same as exculsivism in so far as Christ is essential for salvation, but it allows for an implicit faith. What Rahner calls "anonymous Christians," people who have faith in God but they don't realize or recognize this god as Jesus. This theory relies on the hypostatic union. Everyone who has faith is still saved by Christ and is moving toward "Christian" ends.
3) Pluralism- recognizes inclusivism as a mode of conquering the "other;" Imperialism (Hans Kuhn). Pluralism comes in many shapes, pluralism itself is plural. What is common in pluralism is a respect and tolerance for the other. Currently all of these modes are Christian modes, instead of religious modes.
There are 5 types of pluralism.
1) phenominalist pluralism- (Hick, Knitter)all religions have the same ultimate reality (noumenal in the terms of Kant) but each religion represents a phenomenal way of responding to the same ultimate. They are different due to their historicity.
2) Universalist Pluralism- We can have a universal theology by using each religions philosophical understanding and finding common threads running throughout each religion.
3) Ethical Soteriological pluralism- Different religions while different maintain a similarity when it comes to morality. Each religion is working toward a liberation and recognition of Justice. This theory recognizes diversity of religion but looks toward moral connectedness.
4) Ontological Pluralism- (Plantikar) Pluralism is not just our own perspective of reality (pluralism of perspective as seen in #1)the reality shows irreducibly different dimensions in every religion (and human). Each is irreducibly different . Plantikar uses the theological idea of trinity to explain this perspective. There is an irreducible difference of religions, including salvations and morality.
5) confessional pluralism- (Kuhn, Cobb, et al.) Each religion is a confessional community within a historical understanding. Thus each confession is different. We must recognize the difference between the confessions and recognize them as not reducible. This idea wants to preserve the particularity of each religion and what they mean in the historical context of their confessional identity.
having expressed these, it is important to note that pluralism does not mean we leave our religion. It does not mean loosing our commitment or a watering down of our own confession(although conversion does happen). It does mean we should learn form other religions. "we should live in the permanent light and shadow of the other"(Min). Pluralism is not relativism you must remain in the tension between your commitment to you confession and the truth of the confession of the others. Or said differently the willingness to allow for other possibilities. The Goal of this dialogue is Truth; a deeper, broader, and greater understanding of the Truth and revelation of God. Truth is something that judges us, it calls for our obedience, our testimony, and our affirmation. we are in dialogue to share our truth and to hear the truth of the other. it allows us to recognize the illumination of a common human reality. through religions dialogue we are searching together from our different vantage points. (john cobb)
Roger Haight- pluralism #1
Haight is a theology professor at union university. He taught at Weston Jesuit my alma mater until being silenced by our (the catholic church's) current Pope for his book Jesus symbol of God.
Below are how he sets up the framework for a postmodern understanding of pluralism.(396)
1) Historical Consciousness-
-all our thoughts, ideas and values have roots in a particular time and space.
-(ie. each religion makes sense in its own time and context)
2) Cosmic Consciousness-
-the size and age of reality enforces relativity
3)Positive appreciation for religious treasures of each tradition
-distinct revelations of reality
4)It is positive that religions deliberately coexist and actively interact with each other.
while this may make many people uncomfortable in reading this text and in understanding the hearts of my friends what we are suggesting is a movement of humility. humbly we recognize that our knowledge is a limited knowledge, including our knowledge of God. We recognize that what we see we are seeing though a limited spectrum.
So you ask what about truth? Truth is absolute. Well yes and no. From a "theology from below" perspective we do not speak of absolutes, to do so would be to reject our own historicity, something a postmodern cannot do this would also make us in my opinion taking on the mind of God (prideful at the least possibly idolatrous). This is not to say that we do not believe in a liberating truth, a truth that changes our lives and draws us to tell others about the truth that we have experienced and been changed by.
this is a different understanding of truth than some sort of psychological truth, where our truth becomes a power by which we control. this is also different from a subjective truth, which says my truth and your truth even though different may both be right. subjective truth is a type of truth, and an important one at that, but it is different from a liberating truth that has altered your humanity and understanding.
more to come...
Below are how he sets up the framework for a postmodern understanding of pluralism.(396)
1) Historical Consciousness-
-all our thoughts, ideas and values have roots in a particular time and space.
-(ie. each religion makes sense in its own time and context)
2) Cosmic Consciousness-
-the size and age of reality enforces relativity
3)Positive appreciation for religious treasures of each tradition
-distinct revelations of reality
4)It is positive that religions deliberately coexist and actively interact with each other.
while this may make many people uncomfortable in reading this text and in understanding the hearts of my friends what we are suggesting is a movement of humility. humbly we recognize that our knowledge is a limited knowledge, including our knowledge of God. We recognize that what we see we are seeing though a limited spectrum.
So you ask what about truth? Truth is absolute. Well yes and no. From a "theology from below" perspective we do not speak of absolutes, to do so would be to reject our own historicity, something a postmodern cannot do this would also make us in my opinion taking on the mind of God (prideful at the least possibly idolatrous). This is not to say that we do not believe in a liberating truth, a truth that changes our lives and draws us to tell others about the truth that we have experienced and been changed by.
this is a different understanding of truth than some sort of psychological truth, where our truth becomes a power by which we control. this is also different from a subjective truth, which says my truth and your truth even though different may both be right. subjective truth is a type of truth, and an important one at that, but it is different from a liberating truth that has altered your humanity and understanding.
more to come...
Monday, April 7, 2008
a new day...
Waking up late is never fun, but it is even less fun when it is trash day. Usually i take the three rolling trash containers out to the street on sunday night. Last night however our street was like a parking lot due to all the visitors at our house and there was no way to put them out. Thus i rolled them into the driveway and left them there for morning. While this isn't a big deal most days... this morning i woke up late. Jumping out of the shower (great mental picture) i heard the roar of the trash truck coming down our block. So i threw on clothes grabbed my school bag, and ran to finish taking the trash out. Now for each container there is a separate truck (one for trash, one for recyclables, one for yard trimmings),so it is a guessing game as to which truck is now 50 feet from my house. so i grab the regular trash and run it to the street where i tip the 5 foot container and half the trash spills out and dumps old , warm KFC coleslaw all over me. Now for those of you who know me know the trauma of this event. Runny mayonnaise covered my hands and arms as the trash hit the street. At this point i see that i actually grabbed the wrong trash container and this garbage man was the yard clipping man who was laughing at my whole stressing mayonnaise covered event. So i run as fast as possible to grab the yard clippings just in time for the nice garbage man to slowly creep up from the neighbors home to ours and pick up my yard clippings. Thus after washing my hands and arms and any possible space that the contaminated mayonnaise might have touched i jump in my car to head to Claremont to discuss Mircea Eliade's text sacred and profane. All the while, i can only think about what is truly profane: Mayonnaise. Sacred is anything outside the jar. All of earth and cosmos is sacred, yet inside that jar lies the true embodyment of all that is chaos. The giggly mass of white disgusting-ness is profane.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Narrative theology
Narrative means Using the model of the story as apposed to philosophical, abstract-reason etc. The reason for using the story is because human life is a narrative. Narrative means a succession of events. one event leading to another. which is always contextual. It captures human life in all its limitation, in its critical turning points, and it is concrete. narrative seems to be the closest model to human life's concreteness. Abstract reason tends to be abstract and removed from real experience thus not really getting to the heart of an experience.
Christianity as a whole is constituted through the story of its history more than proposition. Communities of the early church were in themselves narrative in nature, sharing and making the creeds.
Since it is contextual you can only understand things when you are in "the shoes' of the one experiencing . Thus One of the weaknesses of narrative theology is that it can create a collective-subjectivism where no one can critique your experience unless they experienced what you experienced.
however by far (up to this point in my study) this is my favorite mode of theology.
Christianity as a whole is constituted through the story of its history more than proposition. Communities of the early church were in themselves narrative in nature, sharing and making the creeds.
Since it is contextual you can only understand things when you are in "the shoes' of the one experiencing . Thus One of the weaknesses of narrative theology is that it can create a collective-subjectivism where no one can critique your experience unless they experienced what you experienced.
however by far (up to this point in my study) this is my favorite mode of theology.
Meeks#2 Narrative hermenutic
Aren't you glad that you get to read all my interesting quotes from the books i read.(written with a mischievous smile) Jesus is the question, really is looking to replace the historical hermeneutic with that of narrative.
Jesus is the Persona he becomes in interaction with others. (58) Jesus identity then becomes an identity of interpretation. We become who we are through the stories others tell of us and we tell of ourselves. (60)
For Meeks, the historical Jesus is the Jesus who "makes history" as he has been understood by his followers over the centuries.
in chapter 4 of his book Meeks looks at Paul's texts and the use of Metaphor. (which i am writing my final on for Christology of Globalization). he argues that Paul is not a systematic theologian and to look at him as one only confuses the reading. Paul uses the Metaphor of the Paschal Mystery to reread all of scripture. Early follower of jesus found in their scriptures images, patterns and stories (narrative) which they could use to make sense of Jesus and their interaction with him. they used Scripture-informed description of Jesus to interpret their own experiences and the reality they encountered.
For Paul the cross and the atonement are used to interpret life and the world. "Paul's most profound bequest to subsequent Christian discourse was his transformation of that reported event into a multipurpose metaphor with vast generative and trans- formative power... As a multifaceted metaphor rich in meaning the cross becomes simultaneously the wellspring of endless new narratives and a safeguard for those narratives. " (99-100)
Jesus is the Persona he becomes in interaction with others. (58) Jesus identity then becomes an identity of interpretation. We become who we are through the stories others tell of us and we tell of ourselves. (60)
For Meeks, the historical Jesus is the Jesus who "makes history" as he has been understood by his followers over the centuries.
in chapter 4 of his book Meeks looks at Paul's texts and the use of Metaphor. (which i am writing my final on for Christology of Globalization). he argues that Paul is not a systematic theologian and to look at him as one only confuses the reading. Paul uses the Metaphor of the Paschal Mystery to reread all of scripture. Early follower of jesus found in their scriptures images, patterns and stories (narrative) which they could use to make sense of Jesus and their interaction with him. they used Scripture-informed description of Jesus to interpret their own experiences and the reality they encountered.
For Paul the cross and the atonement are used to interpret life and the world. "Paul's most profound bequest to subsequent Christian discourse was his transformation of that reported event into a multipurpose metaphor with vast generative and trans- formative power... As a multifaceted metaphor rich in meaning the cross becomes simultaneously the wellspring of endless new narratives and a safeguard for those narratives. " (99-100)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
organic community
Organic community is a new book by joseph r. Myers. He also wrote one of my favorite other books titled the "Search to Belong." (thanks Laci for giving me that one)
Both books have been revolutionary for me when it comes to the way i do and think about church, community, small groups, and life. Anyone doing any study on community (tim) should pick these books up as primary reads.
today i am going to give you the basic synopsis of Myer's new book Organic Community: creating a place where people naturally connect. Myers is comparing two different paradigms. The first is that of Master plan community ie. purpose driven... the second is Organic community.
there are 10 chapters in the book:
organic order: moving from master plan to organic order
Patterns: moving form prescriptive to descriptive
Participation: moving from representative to individual
measurement: moving from bottom line to story
growth: moving from bankrupt to sustainable
power: moving form positional to revolving
Coordination: moving from cooperation to collaboration
partners: moving from accountability to edit-ability
language: moving from noun-centric to verb-centric
resources: Moving from scarcity to abundancy
i have much more on this but i am trying to figure out how to upload a chart i did on the book.
Both books have been revolutionary for me when it comes to the way i do and think about church, community, small groups, and life. Anyone doing any study on community (tim) should pick these books up as primary reads.
today i am going to give you the basic synopsis of Myer's new book Organic Community: creating a place where people naturally connect. Myers is comparing two different paradigms. The first is that of Master plan community ie. purpose driven... the second is Organic community.
there are 10 chapters in the book:
organic order: moving from master plan to organic order
Patterns: moving form prescriptive to descriptive
Participation: moving from representative to individual
measurement: moving from bottom line to story
growth: moving from bankrupt to sustainable
power: moving form positional to revolving
Coordination: moving from cooperation to collaboration
partners: moving from accountability to edit-ability
language: moving from noun-centric to verb-centric
resources: Moving from scarcity to abundancy
i have much more on this but i am trying to figure out how to upload a chart i did on the book.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Life together...Bonhoeffer
my favorite book by Bonhoeffer, is often the least heard of. If you want a great classic on christian community (tim) this is a must read. Bonhoeffer's central message is that what we call 'true Christian community' and what he calls (helpfully and in a definitive context for community)'life together', exists in Christ for the sake of the world. This becomes possible only when we evaporate our current fluffy understanding of Christian community. Life together is not to be confused with a romantic sense of community.
"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ (21)."
Christian community is not something that we can manufacture, learn or practice(a tendency of church small groups), it is simply inherent in the Christian's life just as justification is (it is a grace).
"Because Christian community is founded solely on Jesus Christ, it is a spiritual and not a psychic reality" (31). The spiritual love of this community transcends natural human love.
Human love (naturally)is directed to the other person for his own sake, spiritual love loves him for Christ's sake. In human love we seek direct contact with the other person; it desires to be irresistible, to rule the other. (34) (selfish in its root)
Thus, because community (christian community) is founded in Christ, all its relationships are in him also. Just as Christ mediates between God and human, so he mediates between the members of his community. Through Christ's mediation Christians are capable to love others fully and purely. (selfless in its root)
It is also important to understand that the love of the Christian community does not replace the love of natural human relationships; rather it transcends it. Bonhoeffer cautions against the dangers of ostensibly "spiritual" community:
Bonhoeffer move to practices of a Christian community in chapter 2. He surveys some of the disciplines of the Christian community: early morning communal prayer, song and reading, shared meals, work, and noonday and evening prayer. I love some of the things he says about communal singing.
In the second chapter he deals broadly with the practices of community. There is tons of profound information in here. I do not agree with all he says as he tends to become much to definitive in these practices but non the less much profundity.
Bonhoeffer also argues in chapter 2 that if you are incapable of being alone you should beware of community. we need solitude silence meditation and prayer in order to be in community. thus the "life alone" is intrinsically connected to the "life together"
Another few favorites in this chapter are his discussion of the "ministry of holding one's tongue" in Christian community, (so often not used in our communities) and confession and communion.
LOVE IT... More to come
"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ (21)."
"Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us (28)."
Christian community is not something that we can manufacture, learn or practice(a tendency of church small groups), it is simply inherent in the Christian's life just as justification is (it is a grace).
"Because Christian community is founded solely on Jesus Christ, it is a spiritual and not a psychic reality" (31). The spiritual love of this community transcends natural human love.
Human love (naturally)is directed to the other person for his own sake, spiritual love loves him for Christ's sake. In human love we seek direct contact with the other person; it desires to be irresistible, to rule the other. (34) (selfish in its root)
Thus, because community (christian community) is founded in Christ, all its relationships are in him also. Just as Christ mediates between God and human, so he mediates between the members of his community. Through Christ's mediation Christians are capable to love others fully and purely. (selfless in its root)
It is also important to understand that the love of the Christian community does not replace the love of natural human relationships; rather it transcends it. Bonhoeffer cautions against the dangers of ostensibly "spiritual" community:
"A marriage, a family, a friendship is quite conscious of the limitations of its community-building power; such relationships know very well, if they are sound, where the human element stops and the spiritual begins. They know the difference between physical-intellectual and spiritual community. On the contrary, when a community of a purely spiritual kind is established, it always encounters the danger that everything human will be carried into and intermixed with this fellowship. A purely spiritual relationship is not only dangerous but also an altogether abnormal thing" (38).
Bonhoeffer move to practices of a Christian community in chapter 2. He surveys some of the disciplines of the Christian community: early morning communal prayer, song and reading, shared meals, work, and noonday and evening prayer. I love some of the things he says about communal singing.
'Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord' (Eph. 5:19). The new song is sung first in the heart. Otherwise it cannot be sung at all. The heart sings because it is overflowing with Christ. That is why all singing in the church is a spiritual performance. Surrender to the Word, incorporation in the community, great humility, and much discipline–these are the prerequisites of all singing together. Where the heart is not singing there is no melody, there is only the dreadful medley of human self-praise. Where the singing is not to the Lord, it is singing to the honor of the self or the music, and the new song becomes a song to idols (58-59).
In the second chapter he deals broadly with the practices of community. There is tons of profound information in here. I do not agree with all he says as he tends to become much to definitive in these practices but non the less much profundity.
Bonhoeffer also argues in chapter 2 that if you are incapable of being alone you should beware of community. we need solitude silence meditation and prayer in order to be in community. thus the "life alone" is intrinsically connected to the "life together"
Another few favorites in this chapter are his discussion of the "ministry of holding one's tongue" in Christian community, (so often not used in our communities) and confession and communion.
in confession a man breaks through to certainty. Why is it that it is often easier for us to confess our sins to God than to a brother? God is holy and sinless, He is a just judge of evil and the enemy of all disobedience. But a brother is sinful as we are. He knows from his own experience the dark night of secret sin. Why should we not find it easier to go to a brother than to the holy God? But if we do, we must ask ourselves whether we have not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God, whether we have not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves and also granting ourselves absolution (115-116).
The fellowship of the Lord's Supper is the superlative fulfillment of Christian fellowship. As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity. Here the community has reached its goal. Here joy in Christ and his community is complete. The life of Christians together under the Word has reached its perfection in the sacrament (122).
LOVE IT... More to come
Friday, March 28, 2008
a day in the life...
H and i worked on budget this morning and figured out what we were doing right and what need to change. She has been so good, and worked so hard at Canyon Acres. Because of her, i can study and help care for G.G. and Grampa.
Heather has also been having some sort of allergy to our soap so she and i went and got new soap and detergent. Hopefully this will fix all the problems.
i spent a few hours reading and then put some time in with the great-grandparents.
i have been thinking a lot about community recently. so my next few post will be geared in that way. but over all it was a good friday.
Heather has also been having some sort of allergy to our soap so she and i went and got new soap and detergent. Hopefully this will fix all the problems.
i spent a few hours reading and then put some time in with the great-grandparents.
i have been thinking a lot about community recently. so my next few post will be geared in that way. but over all it was a good friday.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Meeks #2
We've all seen the bumper sticker and billboards. In some parts of the United States they're inescapable. "Christ[or Jesus] is the answer." I confess that when i see these signs my silent response is something like, "but what is the question?"In fact i have known people who make a game of invention impious questions to which Christ could be the answer. [Such as "whats a six letter word that means 'i just dropped a rock on my foot.')
It is understandable that many non Christians are offended by the slogan; it bespeaks a careless and superficial kind of proselytizing.
The more i study the bible and theology the more "confirmed in my judgment that Jesus Christ is the Question, not the answer." (parenthesis Meeks)
Biblical Authority #2: Wayne A. Meeks response to Mohler.
this week for my Globalization readings i am reading Meeks book Christ is the Question This book is great, short, and easy to read. I highly recommend it. In reading it i heard a couple of responses to Albert Mohlers understanding of biblical authority, and in regards to doubt and the pastorate.
Another quote i loved and is also pertanate to last night's post:
i know that not all baptist hold to the inerrancy and infallibility and in my estimation the 'deification' of the Bible, yet it is the current trend among southern baptists, and is being deeply propagated in Southern Baptist Seminaries
Indeed, many Christians i know who have lived long and deeply in the faith also have more questions than answers and even more surprisingly, believe that questions may be more expressive of their faith and better pointers to the ground of their confidence than "answers." (Wayne Meeks professor of NT at Yale)
Another quote i loved and is also pertanate to last night's post:
when someone says "the bible clearly teaches..." we can usually be sure that an attempt is being made to co-opt the bibles authority in order to foreclose argument on a topic on which good persons, including good Christians, reasonably disagree.
i know that not all baptist hold to the inerrancy and infallibility and in my estimation the 'deification' of the Bible, yet it is the current trend among southern baptists, and is being deeply propagated in Southern Baptist Seminaries
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
great day.
i had a good day in class today. i found out i am going to be in my professors new book and am footnoted. that is always fun.. i think i have a dissertation topic and will be working toward gearing my classes toward it which makes my last year of course work much more intentional and guided.
(leadership magazine #2)
In the recent leadership magazine (winter), there is this great article that puts 6 preachers side-by-side for interviews on Biblical Authority and Today's preacher They compared David Anderson, a black pastor of multicultural church; John Buchanan, a presbyterian; Albert Mohler, president of southern baptist theological seminary; Tullian Tchividjilan, billy graham's grandson; and Rick Warren, Saddleback pastor, to an old article written by Billy Graham. The purpose of the article is to compare different pastors takes on biblical authority. All i can say is that reading Al Mohler made me recognize why I am in the process of becoming Lutheran. Let me give you a few quotes...
what makes a preacher or preaching authoritative?
so is scripture the authority or is Christ the authority. we have to be careful not to replace scripture with the WORD. They are not the same. I agree with the Lutherans, that scripture is the authoritative norm of life, proclamation, and faith. Scripture is the only authoritative text we have but the reality is the authority is in the trinity, the Word of God, not the words on the page itself. Lets get to more Mohler....
Do you consider yourself a mouthpiece for God?
I once again would argue that he is replacing God with scripture which cannot be the same thing.
Is there any room for doubt or uncertainty in the preacher?
are you kidding me. the arrogance is palpable! Of course i doubt, but i am submitting myself to the confession of the church, the history of those who have come before me. I trust in god's sovereignty not in the sovereignty of the scriptures.
first we all must realize that we come to the text with baggage. this baggage is not able to be removed no matter how much historical-critical method you use, you still bring with you the realities of your interpretation. no doubt.!?!? who are you Gwen Stephani. Pastors and Christians need to come clean with their doubt, and if there are no doubts i'm curious to whether they are being realistic about the power and mystery of god.
for me scripture is the authoritative source and norm for life faith and proclamation. It is interpreted using the best methods i have come to learn and will continue to learn form this point forward. I will always have doubts yet i will do my best to walk forward in the courage that christ provides and the humility of knowing that my perspective is just that, a perspective to which god is bigger and more profound than i could ever grasp, yet must continue to strive to grasp for the rest of my life.
what makes a preacher or preaching authoritative?
"there is a certain authority vest in the teaching office in the church. the authority is not that of the teacher but that of the Scripture which is to be taught. That distinction is often lost on the congregation."
so is scripture the authority or is Christ the authority. we have to be careful not to replace scripture with the WORD. They are not the same. I agree with the Lutherans, that scripture is the authoritative norm of life, proclamation, and faith. Scripture is the only authoritative text we have but the reality is the authority is in the trinity, the Word of God, not the words on the page itself. Lets get to more Mohler....
Do you consider yourself a mouthpiece for God?
I am certainly supposed to be a mouthpiece for Scripture, a human instrument through which Scripture is heard and received by God's People....
I once again would argue that he is replacing God with scripture which cannot be the same thing.
Is there any room for doubt or uncertainty in the preacher?
I can honestly say that the answer is no. that is not to say that i have never struggled with certain issues, but by the time i've preached them, they're settled... when it comes to what has been revealed in scripture, I don't think there is room for doubt.
are you kidding me. the arrogance is palpable! Of course i doubt, but i am submitting myself to the confession of the church, the history of those who have come before me. I trust in god's sovereignty not in the sovereignty of the scriptures.
first we all must realize that we come to the text with baggage. this baggage is not able to be removed no matter how much historical-critical method you use, you still bring with you the realities of your interpretation. no doubt.!?!? who are you Gwen Stephani. Pastors and Christians need to come clean with their doubt, and if there are no doubts i'm curious to whether they are being realistic about the power and mystery of god.
for me scripture is the authoritative source and norm for life faith and proclamation. It is interpreted using the best methods i have come to learn and will continue to learn form this point forward. I will always have doubts yet i will do my best to walk forward in the courage that christ provides and the humility of knowing that my perspective is just that, a perspective to which god is bigger and more profound than i could ever grasp, yet must continue to strive to grasp for the rest of my life.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
easter sunday.
i wasn't going to blog today but decided i would. Our preacher today (head pastor of Messiah in Yorba Linda), was not our regular pastor. the associate pastor usually preaches which i think is kind of cool but i digress. HE made a statement in his sermon; (my paraphrase) "we, humanity, are third-day people. Our lives, our hopes, our future only makes since in light of Gods action in the resurrection."
agreed. And yet it is humbling to recognize.
agreed. And yet it is humbling to recognize.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Leadership Magazine #1
The first day of spring i picked up the winter edition of leadership magazine. the next two post will be about the winter edition. I am new to this magazine but i think it published by Christianity today. The have a mix of conservative and moderate contributers. none from the more liberal side but at least a strong moderate representation. i know that this shouldn't matter but what can i say i would prefer a magazine that offers a fully rounded perspective and allows the reader to learn from all perspectives.
enough of that. The first article that i found helpful was by Tim Keel(Laci's old pastor). In "An Efficient Gospel?" He argues that the gospel isn't to small but the world aka (modernity) is two small of a world view in which to hold the gospel. he argues that Jesus Christ isn't only redeemer, but also creator. I think this is an important recognition. But not one that is just trapped in modernity. We must recognize the fullness of the trinity in understanding and articulation of the gospel. God as trinity according to the Lutheran tradition can be recognized as (creator) Father, (Redeemer) Son, and (sanctifier) Spirit. A Historical understanding of the faith encompasses all of these actions in one harmonious being. "when we reduce Jesus to redeemer only, we miss another essential element of our faith that Jesus is also creator." (and also sanctifier) Parenthesis mine To recognize the perichoresis, or the mutual interdependence and interpenetration of the persons of the trinity is essential to a broader and more profound understanding of gospel.
enough of that. The first article that i found helpful was by Tim Keel(Laci's old pastor). In "An Efficient Gospel?" He argues that the gospel isn't to small but the world aka (modernity) is two small of a world view in which to hold the gospel. he argues that Jesus Christ isn't only redeemer, but also creator. I think this is an important recognition. But not one that is just trapped in modernity. We must recognize the fullness of the trinity in understanding and articulation of the gospel. God as trinity according to the Lutheran tradition can be recognized as (creator) Father, (Redeemer) Son, and (sanctifier) Spirit. A Historical understanding of the faith encompasses all of these actions in one harmonious being. "when we reduce Jesus to redeemer only, we miss another essential element of our faith that Jesus is also creator." (and also sanctifier) Parenthesis mine To recognize the perichoresis, or the mutual interdependence and interpenetration of the persons of the trinity is essential to a broader and more profound understanding of gospel.
a day of recognized limitations.
Today has been a day of recognized limitations. I tried to replace the head lamp on my wife's car and it was a travesty. first off let me begin by saying it isn't all my fault and not simply my stupidity. The 2002-2004 year model of the Nissan Altima has a ridiculous lighting system. you actually have to remove the coolant reserve chamber just to reach into the light housing. Once you do that you need the hands of an intricate mouse, unlike my mammoth elephant hands, to reach in and with the utmost precision remove and replace the light. All of this i accomplished but once i got the light in, it still didn't work. blasted mechanics. my wife learned a lesson today that my father taught me long ago. " Linda, if you want the toilet fixed, call a plumber. I am not a plumber."
Following that traumatic life event and bashed self-esteem, i went to H & R block to get our taxes done. All i can say is: "At least some lessons have been learned in life."
Following that traumatic life event and bashed self-esteem, i went to H & R block to get our taxes done. All i can say is: "At least some lessons have been learned in life."
tax day, cool nights, and odd experiences
Today is tax day. i will be going down to H&R block and having our taxes done today. lets pray for a big rebate. :) Spring break is so much fun;) (between doing school-work and taxes its almost like sitting on the beach.
it has been a very interesting week as far as weather is concerned. The days have been in the mid-seventies, yet at night it has been the coolest temperatures since we moved to cali eight months ago. It created a brisk and clear evening with lots of stars.
Listening to ones own sermons or viewing oneself on video is just odd. i have been collecting old sermons for churches interviewing me and listening to them to find out what i am sharing. Odd. simply odd.
it has been a very interesting week as far as weather is concerned. The days have been in the mid-seventies, yet at night it has been the coolest temperatures since we moved to cali eight months ago. It created a brisk and clear evening with lots of stars.
Listening to ones own sermons or viewing oneself on video is just odd. i have been collecting old sermons for churches interviewing me and listening to them to find out what i am sharing. Odd. simply odd.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
if interested
i had to post some old sermons for a couple of churches who are interested in hearing them. If you are curious and want to listen they are at revrustin.podbean.com they wont be up for long but they are there for now. some are good, and some are average.
peace and hope.
peace and hope.
Obama
Obama's "race speech" on Tuesday was absolutely incredible. It was clear to me for the first time how his ethic of hope will influence his policy and i was very excited of the prospect of having him as our president. I believe that this speech will be a history making speech for Obama. The central reality was the call toward a solidarity of the "other". that in our difference which are undeniable, our only hope is that we learn to stand together in solidarity as unified difference. It rang of Gustavo Gutierrez and Levinas
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Anslem Min
Today i met with Anselm. I am fascinated by his continued call to recognize solidarity as part of the answer for the age of globalization. He is beckoning back to the occupation of my favorite liberationists Gustavo Gutierrez. I am also challenged by his continued call back to the historical understandings of theology and faith. He is a great theologian.
misspelling...
my mom left that comment by phone and i misspelled it. i wanted to note that my mom is a phenomenal speller unlike her damaged son who cant even spell "you're". you get the drift. :)
Monday, March 17, 2008
more on atonement
I am currently taking a class called "Christology of Globalization" with Anselm Min. My paper topic for this class is what a working metaphor for atonement would be for a globalized world. i am using Mcknights new text and many others to try to figure this out. Tomorrow during spring break i am going to meet with Anselm to try and find more sources and here what he is thinking about my topic. so for the rest of my evening i am going to read a bit more of McKnight and then look to some of my favorite liberation theologians for a possible response.
monday. Date movie review.
Heather and i watched "ONCE" last night. it is a great modern musical and we both highly recommend it to all. If you like singer/song writer- Irish folk stuff this movie is for you... or if you enjoy a good musical this is also for you.
We also watched "Definitely Maybe" at the theatre over the weekend. it is a very cute film. Good love story with an interesting story telling mechanism. Great date movie and should be out on netflix soon.
We also watched "Definitely Maybe" at the theatre over the weekend. it is a very cute film. Good love story with an interesting story telling mechanism. Great date movie and should be out on netflix soon.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A community called atonement
Scot McKnight's new book "A Community Called Atonement" is remarkable. For all those like me who have been struggling with atonement as a theological principle and with what it says about God, this text is a must read. Here is a quote from the beginning of the book.
This is just the beginning. McKnight believes that Christ was creating a covenant-based community and any view of atonement must understand that and must encompass the kingdom vision of liberation. Three chapters in and this book has come at an opportune time as i write a 25 page paper on metaphors of atonement for the age of Globalization and Empire.
Packing his best punches for his first public sermon, Jesus embraces and extends the themes of his mother (Mary), his relative (Zechariah), and his own future work. After his baptism and temptation, action profoundly political an well as personal, Jesus is empowered by the spirit, returns home and on "opening Sabbath day" attends synagogue and is asked, in cantor-like fashion, to read Torah. He stands up to read and either picks his own text or finds himself being asked to read on the right day. he reads from Isaiah 61: 1-2:
The spirit of the lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind.
to let the pressed go free
to proclaim the year of the lord's favor.
...Jesus words following this reading are as startling as they are full of Chutzpah: "today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." in other words, Jesus is saying, "the words i just read are about me and my mission... to focus again on the salient points, Jesus sees his kingdom mission to be good news for the poor (like his mother and her words) and release for the captives and sight for the blind and liberation for the oppressed- that is, it is the year of Jubilee!
This is just the beginning. McKnight believes that Christ was creating a covenant-based community and any view of atonement must understand that and must encompass the kingdom vision of liberation. Three chapters in and this book has come at an opportune time as i write a 25 page paper on metaphors of atonement for the age of Globalization and Empire.
what fridays meeting means...
Ive had a few people ask me what my meeting on Friday means for the rest of this process. Good question (Melissa and Paul). As far as timing, it virtually means that the rest part II of the process is on my own time table. I can finish, and move to part three (approval) as soon as i am capable of meeting with three men and working through a few texts. I am thinking probably a month.
That will lead me to the third and final part of the process, which will put timing back into the hands of the Synod. Thus we will see what happens. But at this point i am thinking no later than early summer...Possibly late April or early may.
that is in my process with the synod and the church wide organization. as for the church they too have their process and could possibly create so options prior to those dates.
That will lead me to the third and final part of the process, which will put timing back into the hands of the Synod. Thus we will see what happens. But at this point i am thinking no later than early summer...Possibly late April or early may.
that is in my process with the synod and the church wide organization. as for the church they too have their process and could possibly create so options prior to those dates.
Friday, March 14, 2008
hallelujah
First i want to thank God for his immeasurable graces. Our provider has provided and brought extreme peace to a stressful situation. i went to my Theological review panel (TRP) in Berkeley Ca and it went fantastic. I dove a total of 16 hours of the last twenty-four and had an hour meeting with two professors and a representative from the church wide organization. Over all it went really really smoothly.
I had prepared with all my ability, and what was most clear was that the church wanted to do what was best for me and for their future. i was challenged and encouraged by their concern for me. the overarching question that needed to be answered in the opinion of the professor is the why question. why do i feel the call to transfer to the ELCA. some of you are wondering the same so i will share a bit of that.
1st heather and i have come to a sacramental understanding.
2nd the church has a profound expression of social justice and integrated churches.
3rd they have the same understanding of the word as i do
4th they are creedal and confessional a value i have come to love and respect through the catholic church
these are four simple but dramatic differences that have occurred, to lead to the change. the change is much deeper than this but this is a beginning of an explanation.
thus what is next? i am going to meet with some advisers on three topics; the creeds, liturgy and scriptural hermeneutics and the Lutheran church. I will meet with these advisers, due some reading and writting, and then move to the next step of approval.
thank god from whom all blessings flow!
I had prepared with all my ability, and what was most clear was that the church wanted to do what was best for me and for their future. i was challenged and encouraged by their concern for me. the overarching question that needed to be answered in the opinion of the professor is the why question. why do i feel the call to transfer to the ELCA. some of you are wondering the same so i will share a bit of that.
1st heather and i have come to a sacramental understanding.
2nd the church has a profound expression of social justice and integrated churches.
3rd they have the same understanding of the word as i do
4th they are creedal and confessional a value i have come to love and respect through the catholic church
these are four simple but dramatic differences that have occurred, to lead to the change. the change is much deeper than this but this is a beginning of an explanation.
thus what is next? i am going to meet with some advisers on three topics; the creeds, liturgy and scriptural hermeneutics and the Lutheran church. I will meet with these advisers, due some reading and writting, and then move to the next step of approval.
thank god from whom all blessings flow!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
why people move to california...
this morning it was very hard to get up. Heather and i have switched lives and now i am forced to me a morning person and since she works nights she is more of a night person. thus waking up in the morning is often very difficult. not to mention now that it is still dark outside while i get up. but let me tell you today is an example of why people move to California. the weather is perfect. even in the darkness the world outside our bedroom this morning sounded like a Disney cartoon with all the birds songs. the air feels and smells clean and fresh (unlike summer). and with daylight savings time the days are lasting longer. Its almost 7:00pm and sunny. we live in the foothills of Brea and with all the recent rains the hills are a lush green with yellow wildflowers covering the hillsides like paint spilled down a canvas. the California poppies are so fantastic. their bright colors and the hairy pod like buds bursting off of long dainty stems create a awkwardly original plant that lines the roads in flower beds and natural groupings. as i sit in the bedroom typing this the sky is bursting with new colors purple blue cream and hints of yellow, orange and pink invigorate the evening sky. the air smells so fresh i want to eat it. maybe i will take a break tonight and go play some tennis.
i have about three to four more hours of study i would like to do. so i will get cracking and enjoy all the beauty of nature.
i have about three to four more hours of study i would like to do. so i will get cracking and enjoy all the beauty of nature.
Monday, March 10, 2008
hotel cafe
heather and i went on a date this weekend to the hotel cafe tour at the house of blues in downtown disney. this is our second year with this tour. if you haven't heard of it look it up. the artists are down to earth folksy and phenomenal. last year we went with our good friend Erin and Andy to the show in Boston. we wish they were in Cali. to go with us this year. However this year it was just us. the show was great once again but they way oversold the venue. there was no room and very poor visibility which screws the music because its a much more intimate music (singer/songwriter type)
i spent the day (during my study breaks) getting a bunch of the Cds for heather so she could put them on her Ipod. i hope she likes them.
my two favorites artists that were new this year to the tour were Ingrid Michaelson- she is this fab...quirky...clever...poetic singer.songwriter. And the other was a guy named William fitzsimmons-deep...dark...cathartic...sentimental...pure singer/songwriter.
check them out both are super cool and you can hear their music for free on the hotel cafe website.
i spent the day (during my study breaks) getting a bunch of the Cds for heather so she could put them on her Ipod. i hope she likes them.
my two favorites artists that were new this year to the tour were Ingrid Michaelson- she is this fab...quirky...clever...poetic singer.songwriter. And the other was a guy named William fitzsimmons-deep...dark...cathartic...sentimental...pure singer/songwriter.
check them out both are super cool and you can hear their music for free on the hotel cafe website.
friday...
Friday is D DAY. i have been studying Lutheran doctrine, theology, and ethics intensely for the last 6 to 8 months. The last two weeks have been a cram session. i must say it is weird to have ones fate being held in the decision of others. This is were we are suppose to trust in the hierarchy of the church as part of the spirits movement in our lives. And truly in that context all i can say is "God, i submit."
i had a truly frustrating day today waiting on someone else's car to get fixed. i was told it would take an hour and it took four hours. looking back on the day however it gave a good period of quite to study and focus on what is to come on Friday. Plus it allowed me a chance to practice selfless love.
i think what is most fear causing about Friday is the lack of knowledge of what will be asked in the theological review panel. i will say that by Friday i will have done all i can to be prepared for the interview. i would like to ask god and all those who pray to ask that god would help me to get through this interview with a positive experience and a life affirming, future affirming process. I would love for them to recommend me with no reservations or requirements for the final section of the process. i pray i retain all the information of what i have studied
i am longing to be back working in the church. i miss preaching, teaching, and caring for the community.
i had a truly frustrating day today waiting on someone else's car to get fixed. i was told it would take an hour and it took four hours. looking back on the day however it gave a good period of quite to study and focus on what is to come on Friday. Plus it allowed me a chance to practice selfless love.
i think what is most fear causing about Friday is the lack of knowledge of what will be asked in the theological review panel. i will say that by Friday i will have done all i can to be prepared for the interview. i would like to ask god and all those who pray to ask that god would help me to get through this interview with a positive experience and a life affirming, future affirming process. I would love for them to recommend me with no reservations or requirements for the final section of the process. i pray i retain all the information of what i have studied
i am longing to be back working in the church. i miss preaching, teaching, and caring for the community.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
gnilka: the prodigal son
in our case the resolve of the son who has been driven into the worst of predicaments, to return to the father does not really arise from a repentant attitude but primarily from the quite sober realization that this is the only way for him to survive. he knows that he has nothing left to claim in his fathers house. the status as day laborer seems to be the only compromise possible. This realization directs the attention solely to the behavior of the father, who makes possible the sons return and ultimately his ability of repentance
it is the father who sees the son, runs to the son embraces the son, proclaims a party for the son. The father's behavior brings about the possibility for transformation. It is through Christ that i am granted complete forgiveness and renewed acceptance, thus becoming again able to experience the fathers presence as the father.
I found this parable renewed and profound today in my Christology of globalization course. there is both freedom and finiteness (Reinhold Neibuhr) found when we accept the principle of God's pursuance.
Back to the blog.
I have missed writing for writing sake. Thus as i journey to this new part of life I am going to start blogging again. Feel free to join in or ask questions if you come across this. This is not meant for mere voyeurism, otherwise i would just write in my journal (which i have started to do again beyond this page.)
So whats new? Well i am currently going through the process of having my ordination recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. As of Monday i am now an official candidate for recognition. Next Friday i will have my theological review panel in Berkley Ca. God willing and my abilities achieving that will go really well and the process should be finished in the next few months (best case scenario). This is a huge process for Heather and I of having our lives match our theology in a more cohesive way.
So whats new? Well i am currently going through the process of having my ordination recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. As of Monday i am now an official candidate for recognition. Next Friday i will have my theological review panel in Berkley Ca. God willing and my abilities achieving that will go really well and the process should be finished in the next few months (best case scenario). This is a huge process for Heather and I of having our lives match our theology in a more cohesive way.
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