The Cutting Edge of the Apocalypse

नोर्मल म्य्स्तिसिस्म हस

2008-05-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

NORMAL MYSTICISM HAS MOVED

If anyone is looking for my old post Normal Mysticism which I wrote about three or so years ago, I've moved it here.

I have no idea why my post titles keep on coming out in an Asian script, and I don't know how to fix it. So, enjoy the cross-cultural experience, and don't take me as someone who can read whatever language that alphabet comes from.

The Euphemist

2005-09-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'm refocusing my blogging efforts. I invite you to check out The Euphemist.

Yay! I got a B+

2005-09-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

It took extra long to get my grade on the Jewish Theology course - I think God thought I needed an exercise in patience ... He seems to think I need many such lessons ... He's right ....

Anyway, I finally contacted them about the matter (it's supposed to be about 6 weeks, and it was 10 as of this week), and Dr. Bell & crew got right on it. I was soon told that an "unforeseen circumstance" had delayed my grading, but I would receive my grade this week. I suspect that my papers somehow ended up in the wrong stack.

Anyway, I heard by phone today that I'll be getting my papers back by FedEx early next week, and my grade was B+ ... I'll take it!!!! Praise the LORD that I successfully completed another course!!!! Only 13 to go, plus the Hebrew exam!!!!

Talmud - the original World Wide Web?

2005-07-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Interesting account of the Talmud as hypertext at Paleojudaica. It seems to me that a cross-reference system such as found in many Bibles is also a form of low-tech hypertext.

What I have written, I have written

2005-06-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

I managed to get all my essays written as of yesterday evening, and off to the prof by mail today. So I'm crawling out from under my rock and announcing to my four or five faithful readers, "I'm back." As usual, I took the entire year allowed to finish my latest Jewish Studies course, even though there's no reason why I couldn't do it in six months instead and save myself a great deal of anxiety. But my mind becomes amazingly clear with a deadline looming over my head ...

I thought I would feel more relieved than this, and it's nice to have it done, but now I get to wait about a month and a half to find out what grade I have earned. Last time I thought I was optimistic to hope for a B, but I actually got an A-. That course (Biblical Israel) was more interesting to me than the one I just completed, so I wouldn't be surprised if I don't do as well this time. I'll hope for a B again, and see what happens. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised once again. I guess it's because I know in my heart that I could have conceivably written better essays than I did. As long as I learn something and progress onward, that's enough for me. What I have written, I have written, as Pilate said. I daydream of being done with the core courses and getting on with my concentration area. I'd like to focus on the literature of the post-exilic era (late prophets, Apocrypha, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.), but at my current rate of progress that won't be until the year 2010. But I press on ... One consolation - I personally think that my essays are at least as good, if not better, than this student in the same program who has posted his essays here (click this text). And apparently he completed the program successfully.

Years ago, in my first undergrad year, I was struggling with a philosophy essay that I needed to get in the next day, I was running into a mental block, I felt a bit ill, so I called Mom, who taught me a great lesson. She said, "what's something you can write down about the subject?" I came up with something. She said, "write it down!" She asked me, "what's something else to say?" I came up with something to add. She said, "write it down." It worked. That essay wasn't a work of genius, but it got the job done - I think I got a B or B+ on it. So I call it "Mom's Method." Think of something to write. Write it down. Move on. It works every time.

My two bits' worth on Episode III

2005-05-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

I’m briefly breaking my “holding pattern” to offer a few reflections on Star Wars Episode III, “Revenge of the Sith”, which I managed to see on Friday. It’s indeed a rite of passage for me to see this movie, ostensibly the last of the franchise (though hints have been dropped lately that episodes VII, VIII and IX aren’t out of the question after all – I don’t know whether to be hopeful or apprehensive ...). I like to call myself part of Lucas’ “original target audience”, since he has said that he aimed his story at the 12-year-old viewer, and that’s exactly how old I was when the original movie was released in 1977 (though I actually didn’t see it until 1978 at age 13 – but that’s another story).

But I’m happy to report that IMHO Episode III is not stupid! In view of the shortcomings of Episodes I and II, I had my concerns. Observing the buildup to “Sith”, I sometimes thought to myself, “This thing could be really stupid!” Not that it doesn’t have a couple of brushes with stupidity – more about that below. But I think it turned out rather well. In fact, I would rank it slightly, but very slightly, above “Return of the Jedi.” Apparently Lucas sought advice from veteran playwright Tom Stoppard, and that was a good move. Too much was at stake for him to proudly go it alone and risk driving the thing completely into the ground forever.

Before I go into the “spoiler” section of this post, let me offer my standing theory on “the real reason Anakin went to the dark side” – it’s as simple as this: call a boy “Annie” enough times, sooner or later he’s going to snap ...

*** SPOILER ALERT ****** SPOILER ALERT ****** SPOILER ALERT ***
If you haven’t seen it yet, and want to be surprised, save the following for later.

First, I was very gratified to see a couple of my hopes/predictions come true. I had wondered if the reason why some Jedi were able to simply disappear when “dead” and reappear afterward, would be some kind of special technique that had to be learned. And indeed it is so, as Yoda told Obi-Wan that he had learned of it from none other than Qui-Gonn Jinn (a nice touch – I liked that character, and how Liam Neeson played him), and would teach it to Obi-Wan.

And I had thought it would be neat if C3PO’s memory was wiped but not R2D2’s. I like the idea that R2 knew what was going on from the get-go, and simply kept it to himself. On Friday eve I pulled out my trusty VHS of the original version of Ep. IV, and when Sir Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan says “I don’t seem to recall owning a droid”, he gives R2 an interesting inscrutable look, like he’s indeed hiding the fact that he and the droid know each other well. Lucas may not have been thinking that far ahead when he made Ep. IV, but it fits.

Episode III does have its brushes with stupidity, and the biggest one is the line (I think Obi-Wan said it) “Only a Sith deals with absolutes.” Besides being a silly bit of fashionable post-modern relativistic gobbledygook, it isn’t even really true in the context of this very movie! The Jedi truly go by the absolute that there is Good and there is Evil, and that morality is above even the Force, since the dark side of the Force, being evil, is to be avoided, in spite of its power. It is the Sith who muddy things up by saying that we have to take a “broader view” (or however Darth Sidious put it) including both the dark and light sides.

This movie’s closest brushes with brilliance come with the connections with events in the original trilogy, giving them a new depth. For example it is good storytelling to show that part of Anakin’s fall was guilt and remorse over killing an unarmed prisoner (Count Dooku) at Sidious’ direction. Anakin had disarmed him in a light saber fight, just as years later, as Darth Vader, he himself would be disarmed by his son Luke, in another duel also witnessed by Sidious (the Emperor). But Luke would pass the test that his father failed, refusing the emperor’s direction to kill Vader.

To me the most rattling thing about the scene when Vader’s mask goes on for the first time, is that his first words were of desperate concern for Padme. This was indeed the bit of goodness left in him, that buried beneath the anger and hate was love for his family members.

Clever lies on Palpatine/Sidious’ part, that he offers Anakin the knowledge to create and restore life – also the insinuation that his conception by “midi-chlorians” could have been the result of Sith manipulation. Neither one of these claims is ever substantiated. Interesting in this light that it’s those on the light side such as Yoda and Obi-Wan (and ultimately the redeemed Anakin) who can appear after death. Obvious that underneath it all Sidious hates Vader just as much as he hates anybody else.

The best bits of this movie (and the whole series) approach a Tolkien-like mythic grandeur, though “Lord of the Rings” is clearly a much grander and deeper story, drawn from a much deeper spiritual well. So I’d have to say that I’m more of a LOTR fan (both the books and Jackson’s films), but on the other hand Star Wars has its own unique and important place in my heart, next to LOTR.

Commentators have said that this movie has much more of the feel of the original trilogy than Episodes I and II, and I agree. One factor is the music – it feels most like the original trilogy when Luke and Leia’s familiar musical themes are played.

I’ve read that in the DVD of Episode VI, the redeemed Anakin is portrayed by Hayden Christenson instead of Sebastian Cabot, as in the original version. Call me sappy, but I think a nice touch, if they ever did another version yet, would be to also include a spectral Padme in that scene, holding hands with Anakin, reunited and reconciled forever.

Extended holding pattern

2005-04-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Dear faithful readers (and I know there must be at least 4 or 5 of you ...),

It's becoming clear that I'll have to put this on extended hiatus, for the most part. Not only do I have lots to do as a husband, pastor, grad student, etc., but I'll also be supervising a pastoral intern starting in June - a fellow just finishing up his academic work at our seminary will be serving as a student pastor in a nearby parish, under my supervision. This is a great privilege to help out in this way, and if I may say so, a gratifying affirmation for me, that my stature has apparently grown to the point that the "powers that be" are now willing to entrust me with an intern (I was a bit of a "problem child" when I was in seminary myself ...).

I do plan to submit something once in a blue moon. I'll post something about my latest Jewish Studies essays as soon as I've received them back from grading. And perhaps someday this blog will erupt into lively activity such as I originally envisioned. But for now I invite you to check back once in a blue moon, in case anything new has come up, and check out the links on my sidebar. A few of them, such as "PaleoJudaica", have some especially good info about the formation of Judaism and Christianity. And feel free to drop a comment in case there's something you'd like to discuss.

Be blessed!

In Christ's precious name,
Michael <><

Karol Wojtyla 1920-2005

2005-04-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

Never has a pope of Rome been so loved by so many non-Catholics, me among them.

Requiescat in pace

(Helpful) advice welcome

2005-03-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

I just deleted a post I had made in which I had image-sourced pictures from two other sites (which might not have been ethical anyway), because I thought they might have been related to a problem - I received two anonymous comments, within one minute of each other, one which said "this site has a virus", and the other said, "this is a lame site". So I looked at the site itself, and had trouble downloading it properly. I decided to try deleting the post (it was a silly one anyway), and sure enough, now this site loads correctly again, at least for me.

As to viruses, if any of you are experienced bloggers and can tell me what happened, feel free to drop a comment. Was it indeed through one of the images?

As to the content of my site, I've never had any such vain imaginings as that it would appeal to everybody, or even to more than a few, but I certainly hope to keep on making it better and better. If you don't like it, you're welcome to go to some other part of the vast internet. But if you feel compelled to expend your valuable finger energy offering criticism of my little blog, please do me a favor and at least make it constructive criticism by offering some helpful suggestions as to what would make it better.

A momentous day

2005-03-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

A rare confluence of notable days in one day today:

Good Friday
The Feast of the Annunciation
Purim
The casting of the Ring into the Crack of Doom

Re: the latter, & in honor of all, here's a word picture of the triumph of good over evil, from the Christian imagination of JRR Tolkien, in The Return of the King:

And even as he spoke the earth rocked beneath their feet. Then rising swiftly up, far above the Towers of the Black Gate, high above the mountains, a vast soaring darkness sprang into the sky, flickering with fire. The earth groaned and quaked. The Towers of the Teeth swayed, tottered, and fell down; the mighty rampart crumbled; the Black Gate was hurled in ruin; and from far away, now dim, now growing, now mounting to the clouds, there came a drumming rumble, a roar, a long echoing roll of ruinous noise.

"The realm of Sauron is ended!" said Gandalf. "The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest."

Holding Pattern

2005-03-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

If I'm going to get my essays done on time for the course I'm taking in "Jewish Theology", and fulfill my callings as a husband, pastor, etc. too, I'm going to have to taper down my ambitious blogging pace for awhile - so entries will probably become sparse for the next few weeks. If you're looking for something to chew on, click this text to read the essays I wrote for the course on "The Religion of Biblical Israel." I'm pleased with how well they turned out, and the grades were better than I expected. I hope, of course, to do as well in the course I'm taking now. Pray for me, as the fact is, the first course was more interesting to me than this one, simply because I'm ultimately more interested in the Bible than in the teachings of a religion other than my own Christian faith. Yet the LORD has given me the opportunity to take this program, and ultimately I hope to focus on my special interest of the Post-exilic period (536 BC - AD 100). But there are hoops to jump through first, such as this present course. And there are things to learn from it.

Though it's still Holy Week for most Christians, and Eastern Christians are still in the early part of Lent, let me pass this eternal truth on:

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

100 "Top"(?) Movies - which ones have you seen?

2005-03-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

I discovered a new blogging game while visiting A conservative blog for peace, in which you divulge which of AFI's Top 100 movies of all time you've seen. Here's the list, with an asterisk (*) by the ones I've seen in their entirety, and a plus sign (+) by the ones I've seen in part:

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941) +
2. CASABLANCA (1942) *
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) +
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) *
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) +
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) *
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) *
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) *
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) *
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977) *
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) +
18. PSYCHO (1960) *
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) *
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) +
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) *
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) *
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) *
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) *
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952) *
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) *
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) +
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) *
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961) *
42. REAR WINDOW (1954) *
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) *
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) *
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984) *
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) *
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940) *
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) *
61. VERTIGO (1958) *
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) *
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) +
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953) *
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) *
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959) *
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) *
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996) *
85. DUCK SOUP (1933) *
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964) +
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992) +
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) +
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

One may dispute this exact "top 100" selection, of course. For example, I think "The Empire Strikes Back" deserves to be in there if "Star Wars" is, and "Mary Poppins" is a work of pure genius. I have a great respect for Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films, and there are others. Which ones have you seen? Which ones do you think belong in the list?

Schwarzenegger and the moral decorum of office

2005-03-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Something's bothered me for awhile, so I thought I'd mention it since I thought of it this morning.

If I were a Californian, it's perhaps likely that I would be voting for Schwarzenegger in the upcoming election, barring the arrival of a better candidate. It's my impression that he has really taken the bull by the horns to address many of California's economic woes. I'm disappointed in the stands he takes on "moral issues" such as abortion, but as I said, it's still possible that if I were a voter in his state that I'd find him the best candidate running.

Having said that, it seems to me a sign of the times that with all the issues that have been brought up in connection with him, grope-gate and what have you, nobody has ever said "boo" about the fact that he has appeared nude in films. Californians, all you have to do to see what your governor looks like in the buff is to head down to Blockbuster and rent the original "Terminator" film.

I'm not saying that such a thing should bar someone from office, though I personally think a public disavowal or repentance would be in order. It just seems to me that not so long ago, even within my own short lifetime, that this would be an issue, if not a scandal of public decorum. But to my knowledge, nobody on either the right or the left has said anything about it at all, and that just seems strange to me (call me a prude if you want). Is there no sense of embarrassment anymore?

"Athens & Jerusalem" or, "Blue state & Red State Christians"

2005-03-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting paragraph from one of my very favorite books, The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis (you'll want your own copy - if you buy one from Amazon via the link on my sidebar, you'll make a small contribution to my Amazon Associates fund at no extra charge to you, helping me to expand my already-too-big library, not to twist your arm or anything...):

The present study, however, is interested not in the short-lived impact of the new religion [i.e. Christianity] on the old [i.e. Paganism] but with the enduring effect of the old upon the new. The last, and neo-Platonic, wave of Paganism which had gathered up into itself much from the preceding waves, Aristotelian, Platonic, Stoic, and what not, came far inland and made brackish lakes which have, perhaps, never been drained. Not all Christians at all times have detected them or admitted their existence: and among those who have done so there have always been two attitudes. There was then, and is still, a Christian 'left', eager to detect and anxious to banish every Pagan element; but also a Christian 'right' who, like St. Augustine, could find the doctrine of the Trinity foreshadowed in the Platonici,, or could claim triumphantly, like Justin Martyr, 'Whatever things have been well said by all men belong to us Christians'. (Pp. 48-49)

So, faithful readers (and I know there must be at least four or five of you), what do you think? Should we be on the Christian right or the Christian left, or somewhere in the middle? I guess I'm mostly leaning to the right, but not without some influences toward the left, which interestingly is much like my politics, which are overall "red state", albeit a noticeably purplish red.

Ad fontes! To the sources!

2005-03-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

Another issue that Fred's comments have me thinking about is, how do we understand the "Little Apocalypse" in Matt. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 (must be important, if all three synoptics have it)? Is it about future events, or was it fulfilled in the First Century AD, such as in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? The latter view is current among a number of people of the "preterist" persuasion (don't confuse all preterists with the "full preterist" heresy which puts the return of Christ & everything back at AD 70, which leaves me wondering, "how did Christ return without anyone at the time noticing?").

I also had an interesting chat about the end times recently with my new Seventh-Day Adventist pastor friend (they, of course have some rather distinctive & strong views about the end times), who had never heard such an idea as Mt. 24 being fulfilled, even partially, in AD 70, and wondered where anyone got that idea. On the other hand, the Adventists (a distinctive form of "historicism/futurism" in prophecy) are definitely agreed with the preterists that there are no future prophecies to be fulfilled in connection with Israel, other than Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

Anyway, rather than pondering this on my own, I decided I'd better do what my prof said and go "to the sources". There's nothing like primary sources, and I believe Chesterton said something about tradition being "giving the dead a vote", so I wondered, "when did early Christians believe Mt. 24 would be (or was) fulfilled?" The Didache, chapter 16, contains an apocalyptic section very similar to Mt. 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21:

16:1 Watch concerning your life; let not your lamps be quenched or your loins be loosed, but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour at which our Lord cometh.
(cf. Mk 13:35,37; Mt. 24:42,44; Lk 12:35,40)
16:2 But be ye gathered together frequently, seeking what is suitable for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall profit you not, unless ye be found perfect in the last time.

16:3 For in the last days false prophets and seducers shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate;

16:4 and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world. (cf. Mt 24:10-12, Mk 13:22)

16:5 Then shall the creation of man come to the fiery trial of proof, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who remain in their faith shall be saved by the rock of offence itself. (Mt. 24:10,13)

16:6 And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first the sign of the appearance in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead (Mt. 24:30

16:7 -- not of all, but as it has been said, The Lord shall come and all his saints with him; (Mt. 24:31; I Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:12; Zech. 14:5; I Thess. 3:13)

16:8 then shall the world behold the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.
(cf. Mt. 24:30)

According to Holmes (on my sidebar), pp. 247-248, dates from AD 50 to the third century have been proposed for the Didache, though the UBS Greek NT & the Nestle-Aland list it as a second century work. So it's likely that Christians after AD 70 were viewing these apocalyptic events as future events, though the uncertainties in dating the Didache mean that it isn't absolutely proven.

Another thing about the Didache - note that Chapter 1 quotes the "Sermon on the Mount" (Mt. 5ff) as if it is indeed a guide for present-day Christians (that present day being when the Didache was composed, probably in the second century). That means that the early Christians were not dispensationalists! At least not the kind that say that the Sermon on the Mount is not intended for the Church Age, but for the future Millennium (some dispensationalists divvy up the Bible in astonishing ways, listing in great detail which parts of the Bible are for our time, and which aren't).

Fun with geography

2005-03-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to David Holford, I've just discovered a fun site on which you can make a map of which states (or Canadian provinces, or foreign countries) you've been to. Here's my USA map. I've also been to the provinces of Manitoba and Sasketchewan, and I've walked about 10 blocks into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and also went on a trip to England 16 years ago.

Create your own personalized map of the USA

Update: While we're at it, here are the states where I've lived:

I'm a skier again!

2005-03-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

After 22 years ... And I didn't break anything! I only fell four times ... then there was the time I kinda had to kneel to catch myself ... and the time I had to fall on purpose to avoid hitting anything at the bottom of the slope ... but that doesn't count, does it? Now I'm ready for the big multi-church ski extravaganza this coming Sunday! (Pray for me)

(Actually that's not me in the picture)

Egypt, voting, and culture

2005-02-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

Promising news: Egypt's Mubarak Orders Election Reform. I pray, among other things, that this may improve conditions for Egypt's Coptic and other Christians. From another angle, I feel kinda sad that auditorium crowds in our culture aren't prone to "spontaneously reciting verses of poetry". Someone has called the USA the "country that forgot how to sing."

Pray for 60-day stay for Terri Schiavo

2005-02-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

See World Magazine Blog for details.

UPDATE: An important three-week period is upon us: Link

Being sharp

2005-02-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

"As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17

I think another version says, "sharpens his friend."

Yesterday I was falling behind on my confirmation prep, a serious matter, because youth deserve our best, and I'm not naturally gifted at keeping order amongst the rambunctious. I was saved by a deus ex machina, as when I stepped inside the narthex of the town church I saw that the box of educational materials for the recent "Luther" film had arrived. They included a game called the "being saved game", intended to illustrate the type of theology of indulgences, etc. which Luther encountered in the 16th century. It definitely got and held the class's attention. There's also now the responsibility to explain, accurately and fairly, the ways that Catholic theology has changed since that place and time, though on the other hand I have quarrels with them today as well.

There's also the responsibility not to depend upon dei ex machina all the time, though I got by this time.

It's interesting how many people gave me compliments last night on my sermon on the Year of Jubilee AND Purim AND Hanukkah, though I hadn't done much prep there either, and I think it got a bit rambling, perhaps too much territory in one sermon. I think people are just plain blessed by God's Word, especially if it's a corner they haven't heard much about before.

In other news, this year I've decided to work on Bach's 4th Suite for Unaccompanied Cello, new territory since I worked up the first three ages ago. At my age (approaching 40) I can really feel it in my fingers if I neglect practice, and I have this sense that I need to sharpen up by exploring new territory. That's part of why I'm doing the Jewish Studies program as well - if I don't keep on learning new stuff, I have this fear of freezing up in dullness. The number one thing I want to still have when I get old (other than Jesus, of course, Who is #1 in everything) is my mind - and the number two thing I want is fingers that can still play the cello. "Use it or lose it" as they say.

The common thread here is "being sharp". I've appreciated comments from a few people on my recent posts, and I have a sense of being sharpened in my dull points. I just want to say, if there's anybody who's been reading silently, I invite you to join in the mutual sharpening process by dropping a comment or two, and maybe we'll all gain from the experience. Shalom!

She only needs to be fed

2005-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

All Terri Schiavo needs to live is for someone to feed her. She's not a "vegetable" being kept alive by extraordinary means. I couldn't have said it better than Wittenberg Gate. If her husband doesn't want to be stuck with her, he should just take off & divorce her, rather than seek her death, for crying out loud. Funny that today's devaluation of human life makes it so he can look like a hero by seeking for the life-giving tube to be pulled, while he would look like a cad if he committed the lesser sin (but still a sin) of abandoning her.

Potpourri - Lenten explosion, "Scapegoat" followup, Hooray for Adventists

2005-02-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

This post got long again. The first paragraph is very cheerful, & the end is fairly positive as well, but the middle gets kinda deep & lugubrious (maybe "ponderous" would be a more accurate word). You are welcome to skip it and read something more cheerful, like a book by Lemony Snicket.

We had the most amazing, inspiring time at the country church on Wednesday evening, when at least 70 people showed up for Lenten worship! About 40 from the town church and 30 from the country church - it's not atypical for those numbers of people to show up on Sunday! What an encouragement for all, especially the country church, who have experienced some lean times not so very long ago.

It was gratifying to receive a comment from a complete stranger on my "Three Great Scapegoats" post below. Thanks, Archangel, for stopping by. It's nice to know that my new little blog hasn't gone completely unnoticed. He zeroed in on Constantine, saying, "Constantine gets the blame for a lot because he is guilty of a lot. Since he was the architect of much of what remains in modern Christianity, it is no surprise to find those that are his defenders. They simply defend what they know, not what is right."

So it looks like some attention to Constantine is in order. Some, such as Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code, claim that Christianity as we know it today (the Divinity of Christ, etc.) was basically concocted as a plot to centralize power. Much could be said on this topic, but for today I'll just ask this question: why would the early Christians cede the power to change Christianity to a theological neophyte like Constantine just because he happened to be emperor? The blood of the martyrs proves that the early Christians would "rather fight than switch" when it comes to foundational beliefs. So where's the mass martyrdom of Christians who didn't believe in Constantine's new form of Christianity? And in places like Ethiopia or the Indus valley, where the Roman Empire never ruled, why are the ancient forms of Christianity there so strangely similar to Roman and Byzantine Christianity? (Monophysitism & Nestorianism may have some differences from Roman & Byzantine Christology, but compared to Dan Brown's faux-gnosticism they're not much different at all from "Mere Christianity" as we know it)

Others, such as many Protestants, affirm "fundamentals of the faith" such as the Divinity/Humanity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, etc., but blame Constantine for taking the ancient catacomb faith and turning it into a hierarchical institution (and I suspect Archangel may be coming from this direction). Seventh-Day Adventist prophetess Ellen G. White makes a comment in The Great Controversy to the effect that Constantine's faith was a sham, and many would agree. Constantine was a flawed person who was responsible for much bloodshed, including members of his own family. Such was par for the course for emperors, though I think we ought to be able to expect better from a Christian.

To me this seems a trickier charge to explore than Dan Brown's charge. Ultimately the answer lies not so much in studying Constantine as in getting to know the Early Church so well that we can see what changed or didn't change when Constantine came along. I've been reading The Apostolic
Fathers, and one thing I've already learned was that Ignatius of Antioch in AD 107 had a much more hierarchical view of the Church than I expected, insisting on the threefold ministry of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. That doesn't mean that he had in mind a Roman-style bishop, but it does show that at least some Christians less than a century after Christ had a very hierarchical view of clergy authority - certainly a challenge to much of my thinking.

Now, let me shift gears. I could voice my disagreements with the Seventh-Day Adventists about the sacraments, about eschatology, about the role of certain Old Testament laws, about their aforementioned part in questioning the sincerity of Constantine's faith, about many other things. But today I want to say, "Three cheers for the Adventists!!!" We've now been to two sessions of a "vegetarian natural life cooking" seminar at the SDA church in our area. I wish more Christians had a comprehensive vision of the meaning of Christianity in all areas of life, the way these dear people do (that's what I appreciate about Francis Schaeffer & L'Abri as well). We're impressed by the team of women, from their 20s to their 60s, who are sharing such a deep knowledge of home economics and healthy cooking (and the food is very tasty, too!). I'm embarrassed that it's an idiosynchratic sect where we have to go to learn these things, and that among more "mainstream" Christians like the Lutherans it can seem a bit kooky for a church to focus so much on treating the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (as the Bible says it is).

Well, it's time that I spend more of my time & effort working on my class assignments for the distance ed course I'm taking on Jewish Theology, so my blog entries will focus mostly on those topics in the next couple months or so.

Update on SS Reform

2005-02-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

As to the issues about Social Security reform and welfare for the mentally ill and others with few resources at their disposal (see SS reform and the weakest among us below), "B" has kindly supplied me with a couple of links:

United States Psyciatric Rehabilitation Association: www.iapsrs.org

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill: www.nami.org

I haven't followed the links yet to see what I may find, but I intend to.

Hatching the EGG

2005-02-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

So if these little boxes start exploding all over the world, should we be looking upward for Christ to return? STORY:Can this black box see into the future?

SS reform and the weakest among us

2005-02-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

Today the World Magazine Blog has a post entitled Welfare Experience, in which opinions are solicited concerning how well welfare reform has worked for people in the last ten years. The very first comment someone left got my attention. "B" pointed out some alarming things about how "Proposed changes in Social Security and Medicaid may reduce disability benefits."

Investment-wise, I've never considered the private investment idea for SS to be as risky as some paint it, but it was alarming to see how it could greatly reduce available benefits for people such as the mentally ill who often have no other resource available. Again, from B's comment:

"Medicaid, a partnership between the federal government and states, has become the single most important public funder of mental health services. Incoming HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has proposed reduced coverage of services for individuals in Medicaid's "optional" eligibility categories, which includes many people with significant disabilities. Leavitt's proposals as Governor of Utah resulted in substantial cuts in mental health benefits in that state.

Also the disincentives to work are remarkable for those persons with psychiatric disabilities who rely strongly on SSDI. If they try to work they may lose their benefits altogether and if the work trial fails they are without any security whatsoever."

I've seen first-hand cases exactly like that. I left a comment there as well, which I'll copy below:

"Thanks, B, for your info. I had leaned in favor of the private investment option for SS reform, but it is alarming to see how it could affect the mentally ill. They are already in one of the weakest points of the social safety net. The mentally ill are routinely turned down for medical insurance, and even a history of "mere" clinical depression can result in being turned down for disability insurance. The options are few for one of the most studiously ignored classes of needy people in our land - studiously ignored by the Church as well as the State."

There's a big part of me that looks at government welfare and says, "why are we depending upon the State to do the work of the Church?" But I don't think the Church is quite ready to carry whatever load the State dumps. I am very "conservative" on "social issues", and moderately so on fiscal issues, though I have a populist streak that makes me "miss" the Democratic Party of days before I was born. But having said what I said in the first part of the paragraph, I'll turn around and say that I do believe "we the people" have a responsibility as a nation not to ignore the plight of the weakest among us.

UPDATE: "B" has yet to provide documentation for the above allegations, so it's possible that it's just a rumor, or a "red herring" as another commentor has said on that thread. But I'm still concerned. Everything's up for grabs when congress goes to work. I generally support our conservative congress, but that doesn't mean that I completely trust them.