conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

wednesday u of b-sc update and linkage frivolity

There is much afoot on campus this week. Take a gander at these links!

Larry is blogging about art and faith and how faith may actually dictate form to art. It is an interesting post and well worth your time. I understand that it is the first of a multiple-part entry. Be ye warned therefore. The waters be deep.

Jennifer has been keeping up with Revelations. Why that is I still do not understand. Nevertheless, she is and you would benefit from reading her blog.

AKMA is stretching minds again. Doesn't this guy ever stop? He is posting on "Narrative Ethics." He also has a post about the Baptist Pastor Excitement in North Carolina. I don't care to beat that horse, but there is a good comment in the comment section to that post that bears attention.

You are right on target, AKMA. Freedom of the individual conscience before God is precisely the point here. And if I remember my Baptist history correctly, Thomas Helwys died in the Tower of London for publishing the tract you cited. Baptist congregations do excercise "gate-keeping" with a profession of faith, baptism and affirmation of a covenant defining norms of the community's life together (participation, acting in love, giving of time and money, etc.) at the entrance. In my experience we are loath to kick anybody out except for non-participation. This particular incident at the East Waynesborough Baptist Church is an unfortunate example of how a large segment of Baptists have forgotten our core value of freedom of conscience. As Walter Shurden defines it "Soul freedom is the historic Baptist affirmation of the inalienable right and responsibility of every person to deal with God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy or the intervention of civil government." (The Baptist Identity:Four Fragile Freedoms, Smyth and Helwys Publishing, 1993) This is the foundation of our identity. All the other Baptist distinctives (priesthood of all believers, autonomy of the local congregation, separation of church and state,etc.) flow from the bedrock principle of conscience.

I am glad other Baptists are bearing that distinctive so clearly. Huzzah!

Hugo posted on men and numbness...I am not sure I agree with him, but it has sparked a good conversation. If you get the chance read Iron John. It is not a book I enjoyed, but it is important. Many men gained a lot of self-understanding from it. My wife's current director is in that camp as well. It is actually one reason why there are drums in their production of Macbeth. Honest.

Dylan always has something worth reading for those who preach from a lectionary. Take a moment this week to read what she is thinking.

Here is the Sacristan's sermon for Pentecost.

Rev Ref also posted his sermon. Scroll down for it.

There you have it...all the news that I say is the news. Go Puffins!

Posted by tripp at May 18, 2005 10:18 AM