conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

christian news out and about the ether

It has been quite a day in the news for Christians. Below you will find a couple of links to some articles related to two stories I am following. The cartoon was sent to me by a friend with a sharp wit. I came into the office all heated up after reading this morning's paper. The cartoon cooled me off enough to post what was in the news. I hope it gives you a chuckle.

Bishop Says Edict Allows Some Gay Priests

"I would say yes, absolutely, it does bar anyone whose sexual orientation is towards one's own sex and it's permanent," D'Arcy said of the document. "I don't think there's any doubt about it. . . . I don't think we can fuss around with this."

Although each bishop can apply the document as he sees fit in his diocese, the fallout could reach thousands of Catholic schools and parishes as gay men who are considering the priesthood -- and some who have been ordained -- reevaluate their place in the church.

"I think every gay seminarian faces a question of conscience now," said a 33-year-old gay seminarian from New England who requested anonymity because he has not yet decided whether to leave his seminary. "There's no question of leaving the church. I'll die a Catholic. The question is whether I can with integrity be a priest."

This is what Get Religion posted. It is a helpful post with links to the specific documents. But to continue with the national papers...

Vatican bars all gays as priests

The Vatican's long-awaited new guidelines on homosexual seminarians were released yesterday, barring even celibate homosexuals from seminary.
"Those who are actively homosexual, have deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture" should be barred, the nine-page document said, chiefly because the priest represents Jesus Christ as "head, shepherd and spouse" of the church.

It was termed "a purge" by some Catholics and given faint praise by others who called on bishops to enforce it.

"Some bishops will use this document to do the right thing, and some others will ignore it," said Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute.

Christian hostages called 'spies'

Al Jazeera television yesterday aired a video of four aid workers kidnapped over the weekend, apparently being held by a previously unknown terrorist group called the "Swords of Righteousness."

The four -- two Canadians, an American and a Briton, members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) -- sat with their backs against a wall, and looked calm.

A taped statement by the terrorists accused the four of being "spies of the occupying forces." Previous hostages charged with being spies have been beheaded or shot.

Here is an exerpt from an October letter from one of the hostages.

I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm
against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront
the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign
saying "American for the Taking?" No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi
are right, then I am asked to risk my life, and if I lose it to be as
forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan.

Standing firm is a struggle, but I'm willing to keep working at it.

You can read the entire missive in the extended link.

CPTnet 30 November 2005

IRAQ: Tom Fox's reflection, "Fight or flight?"

[Note: CPTer Tom Fox, currently being held captive in Iraq, wrote the
following reflection in October 2004.]

"If an attacker inspires anger or fear in my heart, it means that I have not
purged myself of violence. To realize nonviolence means to feel within you
its strength--soul force--to know God. A person who has known God will be
incapable of harboring anger or fear within him, no matter how overpowering
the cause for that anger or fear may be." (Gandhi speaking to Badshah Kahn's
Khudai Khidmatgar officers; _A Man to Match His Mountains_ by Eknath
Easwaran, 1985.)

When I allow myself to become angry, I disconnect from God and connect with
the evil force that empowers fighting. When I allow myself to become
fearful, I disconnect from God and connect with the evil force that
encourages flight.

The French theologian Rene Girard has a very powerful vision of Satan that
speaks to me: "Satan sustains himself as a parasite on what God creates by
imitating God in a manner that is jealous, grotesque, perverse and as
contrary as possible to the loving and obedient imitation of Jesus" (_I See
Satan Falling like Lightning_, 2001)

If I am not to fight or flee in the face of armed aggression, be it the
overt aggression of the army or the subversive aggression of the terrorist,
then what am I to do? "Stand firm against evil" (Matthew 5:39, translated by
Walter Wink) seems to be the guidance of Jesus and Gandhi in order to
stay connected with God. Here in Iraq I struggle with that second form of
aggression. I have visual references and written models of CPTers standing
firm against the overt aggression of an army, be it regular or paramilitary.
But how do you stand firm against a car-bomber or a kidnapper? Clearly the
soldier disconnected from God needs to have me fight. Just as clearly the
terrorist disconnected from God needs to have me flee. Both are willing to
kill me using different means to achieve he same end--that end being to
increase the parasitic power of Satan within God's good creation.

It seems easier somehow to confront anger within my heart than it is to
confront fear. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right then I am not to give in to
either. I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm
against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront
the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign
saying "American for the Taking?" No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi
are right, then I am asked to risk my life, and if I lose it to be as
forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan.

Standing firm is a struggle, but I'm willing to keep working at it.

a cd release party

advent meditations, day three

Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gift is? In this morning's reading from A Light Blazes in the Darkness, Quotidian Grace reminds us of the variety of gifts that we are promised at Chriatmas...toys, books, puppies...Not to suggest it is a bad thing, but for many of us that is what Christmas is about: giving and receiving. So, Quotidian puts a special spin on it for Advent. We believe that there are spiritual gifts given to us: teaching, preaching, interpretation, prophesy and healing are but a few. She illuminates others as well. Her father's hospitality is the gift she recalls most fondly in her reflection. It is good to recall at this time of year that we are to give of ourselves to one another. Actually, you could say that we are to give our selves. For many of us, this is what the frantic shopping really means. We are franticly searching for somes thing our selves to give.

Have we sat still long enough to know what that is anymore? This is what I have been doing this season. Those who have known me for a while know that the search for self is a frequent task in my life. I find great joy in that kind of stillness. I find great joy in those small revelations. Revelation is the right word here. Yes, I am a firm believer that we are to remove the log from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from another's, but in that increasing awareness of my own sin comes an increasing awareness of God's gift to me. God gives me myself. Is it possible that the very gift given to you this season is yourself?

Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gift is? Perhaps you know. This knowledge of self is precious. Perhaps again, this is the season where you can discover that gift within you that is from God. As you search for those special packages for others in your life, I hope you will take some time each day to recall what God has given you. God has given you your very self.

progressive christianity

I have recently been in contcat with an old college mate. He has created a couple of new podcasting sites. I think they could be worth your time visiting. I am going to add them to the Fosdick School of Baptist Ministry faculty. You can follow either of these links to listen. I hope you find them enjoyable and challenging.

advent reflections

RevGalBlogPal's new book, A Light Blazes in the Darkness will be my Advent meditation this year. What I would like to do is blog something every day in response to their words. It seems appropriate that I do this online as the nature of their community is online. There is a meditation for each day of Advent written by a member of the webring. I will link to that specific person as well if I can uncover their url. Since today is Monday and Advent began yesterday, I'll post on the first two entries.

November 27 - The First Sunday of Advent

Prepare the way, O Zion,
Your Christ is drawing near!
Let every hill and valley
A level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory,
Foretold in sacred story.
O blest is Christ who came
In God's most holy name.
Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke 3:4-6 (paraphrased)

Apstraight syas this:

Being prepared means being ready to handle effectively whatever situation you find yourself in. Handling it so it doesn't take you away from where you want to be and who you want to be while you are there.

Of course, this is exactly the opposite of what it means to prepare for the arrival of Jesus the Christ...The Coming of Christ is not something we can handleor absorb. It is Impossible! I is exactly the kind of thing that blows us off our perches and takes us to places we would never, when we were our former selves, have thought of going. Thanks be to God.

I am folding thi idea together with an experience I had Saturday evening outside of the local vido store. I came outside and spoke briefly with two people. One was a gentleman I have met on several occasions at parties. He and his wife live in the neighborhood. They have a new baby. He was getting signatures for an attempt to force city hall to allow the neighborhood to engage in a conversation about bringing a military academy to a local high school. Both of us are against the idea, but what is most frustrating is that the school board and the mayor's office has not allowed the community to speak in a public forum. As I said to my aquaintance "At least give us a chance to be convinced of your position."

The other person I spoke to is a homeless woman who sells Streewise, the city's homeless' newspaper. I spoke with her obly briefly. She seemed very surprised that I would stop to buy a paper from her. It is tempting to imagine why she was surprised.

The connection I am making with the Advent meditation is that, perhaps especially clear in a large city, there are communal ways that we attempt to prepare ourselves for change, for transition, and conflict. But there is no way to prepare ourselves for what God can bring. There is no way to anticipate that kind of judgment. The gospels make suggestions...even clear ones. So we speak out against oppression and do what we can to feed the poor. The tradition of the church offers disciplines. So, we meditate on the scriptures. And thes ideas should be heeded. But all they can do, the best they can do, is prepare the ground for the seed that God will sow. God always comes in the unexpected, the unforseen. That God is coming is known. That we will be changed is known. But we do not know the day, or the hour or how we as a city will be changed. Can Chicago become Zion? How will we be changed?

November 28

For Songbird, God comes as a Shepherd in Advent. Her past understandings of God have been challenged. Who she belived God to be had to be stretched and grow "three times" in order for God to make a change in her life. For God to meet her in her grief, in her anxiety, she had to come to recognise God's face. And what she discovered was that her ability to recognise God was challenged and pushed.

I wonder how many people experience this kind of growth in their faith. I imagine that many do. And I think that this shift is often God's own doing. I cannot speak for Songbird, but I have experienced in my own life and in the lives of those I have served in the hospital, that when we pray for God's healing, often we have to lose our preconceptions about God to receive tha healing. Perhaps in the midst of a crisis this is especially the case. Fear of the punishing, angry God gives way to the reception of a gentle Shepherd. The absent clock-maker gives way to a present Spirit who is at work through the hands that heal. A silent God speaks through the voices of loved ones. All this change (struggle?) is a sign of God's grace and God's desire for our health and well-being. These transitions are holy work and holy will.

foster on meditation

Once again I have been reading through Celebration of Discipline. Last time, Megan and I struck up a conversation about discipline in general. This time I want to share the first of several specific disciplines that Foster explores: Meditation. As I write this, I must admit that I have Megan's recent post on her religious journey echoing through my mind. For me, spiritual practices and disciplines is one aspect to Christianity that makes it attractive. Yes, I said attractive. I know that sounds like "shopping for Jesus." And, as much as I may dislike the marketing of faith, I did shop for one when I was in college. But I digress. Imagine! Continuing, I don't think that the disciplines in themselves are "true" but they can point us to the truth. And, honestly, it makes more sense to me that there be a discipline or six within a religious tradition than some vague dependence upon being knocked off my horse on the way to Damascus. I believe God is generous enough to allow for multiple forms of conversion. Disciplines may very well be an example of this. At least, this is my hope.

"Meditation," says Foster, "has always stood as a classical and central part of Christian devotion, a crucial preparation for and adjunct to the work of prayer."

He bemoans the fact that Christianity in the west appears to have abdicated the field to Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Zen, Yoga etc. I think that, since Foster is an American Protestant evangelical, he is particularly aware of the absence of meditation. It is often viewed with suspicion within that particular Christian subculture. Has anyone read This Present Darkness by Peretti? If I recall correctly, Peretti assumes that meditation is a tool of the demonic. If my memory serves me well, and Peretti is not in the minority, then Foster is indeed swimming against the current.

He begins his exploration with a few Biblical references to the practice (Gen. 24:63; Ps. 63:6; Ps 119:148; Ps. 1:2; Ps. 119:78; Rev. 1:10). Perhaps to defend himself from the Peretti-esq Western Protestant Christians he begins to suggest that Eastern meditation practices (a vast and general category) differ from Christian practices. "Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind to fill it. These two ideas are radically different." Eastern meditation is primarily about detachment. Christian meditation's result is attachment. We may detach ourselves from the "confusion all around us in order to have richer attachment to God and to other human beings." Therefore, any detachment is only an initial step in the discipline of meditation. The peace that meditation beings leads us to a greater liberty so that we may move to be closer to God and to one another, to begin to oppose social evils and oppression. He quotes Morton Kelsey:

What we do with our lives outwardly, how well we care for others, is as much a part of meditation as what we do in the quietness and turning inward. In fact, Christian meditation that does not make a difference in the quality of one's outer life is short-circuited. It may flare for a while, but unless it results in finding richer and more loving relationships with other human beings or in changing conditions in the world that cause human suffering, the chances are that an individual's prayer activity will fizzle out.

Foster then goes on to engage the idea that meditation is purely psychological. The Christian, he suggests, understands that the universe is more than physical. If it is only physical, the meditation is simply a way to "obtain a consistent alpha brain-wave pattern." But if you believe that there is a creator whom desires to be in relationship with us, then you will find that "[meditation] is communication between the Lover and the one beloved."

Christian meditation is founded on desire and grace. The desire of the Christian is to be closer to her Creator. Meditation is founded upon the desire of the Creator for the salvation of created. Our desire for God is met with God's grace. In this way our discipline is transformed into a spiritual gift, a grace-filled encounter with the divine that leads us to more loving relationship with God for the creation at large.

Foster continues with some practical suggestions to begin the discipline. We need to make time for it. Thus we must explore "holy leisure" (otium sanctum). This may be, for some, a dramatic shift in lifestyle.

We need to discover a physical posture that serves us. Sitting with legs crossed may or may not help us relax. This will depend upon the individual. Even the Bible suggests that there are several possible postures from lying prostrate to standing with hands and head lifted. "Regardless of how it is done, the aim is to center the attention of the body, the emotions, the mind, and the spirit upon 'the glory of God in the face of Christ' (2 Cor. 4:6)."

Meditation takes imagination. Using the imagination to engage images and icons, or to create pictures in our mind, to walk through "fields of grace," or to explore stories are all recommended meditative practices. Also the imagination will assist us in interpreting and engaging our dreams. Foster suggests that the rational west has forgotten the art of faithful dream analysis. Foster says that God can inform us through our dreams. We need only ask God to speak to us that way. We should begin a practice of recording our dreams as we waken and then bring that written material into our times of meditation. We may discover insights and patterns emerging.

As a possibly useful aside, this may be a beneficial exercise for congregations or any commnuity. One can share their dreams within the community and discover that others are dreaming within the same or related themes. The Holy Spirit may be speaking within the dreams of several people within the same community. This type of "dream matrix" can be a helpful tool for communal discernment.

Foster then gives specific exercises:

1. "re-collect:"simply mkae time to be quiet and breathe. One should end these times of contemplation with some form of thanksgiving to God.

2. Meditate on some acpect of the created order for 5 - 10 minutes.

3. Meditate upon scripture. Whether a psalm or a parable, engage your imagination to encounter the scripture. Sometimes a single word will bring great insight.

4. Guided meditation: Picture yourslef walking and talking with God. Bring your concerns and worries. Bring your joys and excitement. Be as specific in your imagination as you can about your surroundings. Try to enter into your imagination as much as possible. In this way we may seek God's presence.

5. Meditate upon current events. You can bring articles or something along that line to your meditation time. Foster warns that the particula opinions or slants may not be the most objective sources, but finding God in the events of the present day is a beneficial practice.

Finally, Foster reminds us that this is a life-long practice with periods of great fruitfulness and drought. It may take ome time for the discipline to take root. We should not be discouraged by our fits and starts. Instead we should ask for God's grace and aid as we grow into this and other disciplines.

post-turkey coma

Good morning.

Luke is making more of the coffee. There is something that happens when the four of us get together. I am not sure how it works, but we will dring two pots of coffee while we chat away over pancakes or scrambled eggs. It's become a tradition of sorts. So, Luke is making the "chatty juice." Trish is still asleep. Susie is on the couch reading and I am blogging on Luke's wee mac.

Trish and I will return to Chicago in a few hours. We do not want to wear out our welcome, and the cats are probably considering various ways to burn down the two-flat. Our cats are mischevious that way.

Here is the menu from yesterdays calorie festival:

turkey
cornbread stuffing
mashed sweet potatos
roasted red potatos
spinach salad
green beans almondine
homemade wheat rolls
creamed onions
homemade mac and cheese (cheddar, blue and smoked cheddar...mmm...)
cranberry sauce
cherry jell-o mold

dessert: chocolate mallow pie, pumpkin pie, and pear tart

It was a lovely meal. We were at the table for about four hours enjoying great conversation and wonderful food. Thanks be to God.

See you Monday! I will still be Rev. Copy Boy. That gig lasts well into January.

safe and sound...with coffee

I know you have all been waiting, holding your breath as it were, to know if we arrived safely.

We did.

Right now Luke is grinding beans for the living water coffee.

thanksgiving...

If all goes well, Trish and I will be on the road in a matter of hours. The plan is to get ourselves to Lansing and Luke and Susie's house for a couple of days. I still have one or two loose ends to tie up here. There is paper to deliver, you know.

I like Thanksgiving. Turkey Day has always made me happy. There is copious foodstuffs and football on the tube. These two are a common collusion. Still the greater context gives them more meaning. So, my mind is on food. Bird. Potato. Creamy desserts. Chocolate. Cranberries. Krispy Kreme.

Krispy Kreme!?

Dear God, there it is again. I have had the most horrible experience today. I was out getting lunch for one of the VP's. On my way to the sandwich shoppe, I passed a Krispy Kreme. Yes, a donut shop is not but one measly small block from my office. I can be there in less than five minutes, grab myself a dozen glazed, and be back here before I finish the sixth of twelve. Sigh. And I was so proud of myself for having lost a few pounds. The least I could do is fatten up on good foods like candied yams. But, no, I am already feeling my body make room for these insidious circular pastries.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving anyway. Have a donut for me!

How I wish it were so.

more happy baptist business

Micah from St. Jerome's Library sent me an interesting link on life in Baptist colleges and universities. I have been following the news articles for some time, but have not commented simply because I did not think it was worth my time engaging in such an argument. Now, I think I should comment. If it is popping up on the Inside Higher Ed website, as a Baptist, I feel it is a responsibility to lend my voice. I would encourage all Baptists to do the same.

The article takes a specific track that I think is problematic. The people interviewed offer only one perspective on the problem and thus illuminate only one possible solution. What is presented is the liberal arts versus fundamentalism. I am not so sure that this dichotomy serves any helpful purpose except to describe the conflict at one or two universities...okay, maybe four or five. Heh.

What that specific dynamic highlights is the conflict within a specific Baptist community. Some Baptist colleges and universities were founded to make Baptists. Yes, educated Baptists, but to make Baptists. So, in those cases, it may be within the historical context to propone the specific theology of a specific Baptist body. That the current college/university administration has problems with that theology only demonstrates what may be poor hiring practices by the institution. Why hire a Dean who does not agree with your underlying theological mission? That makes no sense. Not to generalize, but it is careless on both sides.

Now, where the Baptist community has changed its nature, we may see a different conflict. My alma mater is a good example of this. Here is the link to a recent news article on the strife there. One of many complaints against the current president is the increasingly "liberal" nature of some of the University's policies. I think this may have to do with the former connections with the Baptist churches in Virginia*. That is speculation on my part, but I would not be surprised. The University was founded, however, out of a desire to provide a good liberal arts education to Baptists and others in Richmond. It was not established to make a specific type of Baptist. So, if a Baptist group were to say "University practices are no longer consistent with Baptist theology" then they would be reneging on the current mission statement of the University...and the historical context. To demand such adherence would then be an inappropriate imposition from outside the University. The University administration could rightfully ignore it. There may be a financial backlash, but that's another issue.

Okay, I am rambling. I know.

In each case, we are going to see something different. To make the issue of what is changing in the Baptist Higher Ed landscape about the liberal arts versus fundamentalism solely is irresponsible. The issue is about how the Baptist landscape is once again shifting and realigning. This realignment is painful and dirty. That it is being manifested in its educational institutions is no surprise. That it frustrates many is no surprise. But it is about more than fundamentalism and the liberal arts. That dichotomy is but one example of how this transition is rearing its head.

*The University of Richmond is based on the coordinate system. Richmond College is the men's college. Westhampton is the women's. There are several other schools now, but the University was initially founded by the joining of these two schools. Though Richmond College was founded as a seminary for Baptist ministers, this focus changed when the colleges joined. Concurrently, the Baptist influence dwindled. I am not even sure if there is a Baptist position on the board of Trustees anymore. When I was a student, there were always two reserved for delegates from the Virginia Baptist General Convention. I believe this to no longer be the case.

why baptists are confused and confusing

Reason.com posted this facinating little essay on Roger Williams recently. That Reson.com picks this up is quite interesting. But there you have it. Here is a great quotation.

Given the chance to recant, Williams proved, as Gaustad puts it, “more a man of principle than prudence.” In early 1636 he fled with his wife and children, wandering the frozen New England landscape for weeks before buying property from Indians and settling Providence, a city dedicated to “Liberty of Conscience,” or true religious freedom. Indeed, even as Williams helped establish the first Baptist congregation in the colonies, he worked to guarantee civil rights for nonbelievers. Later, he would provide a haven for another great religious dissenter, Anne Hutchinson, after her banishment from Massachusetts, and secure a royal charter for what became Rhode Island—the first such English grant to articulate fully secular government.

This is the massive frustration and confusion about being a Baptist these days. Our tradition is founded on the theological premise that secularism is for our embetterment simply because people have to have a faith choice and it may be the only social system that allows for it...it allows for democracy. And yet our theology seems to be pushing back as well. We walk a tightrope. It makes many nervous. Often we slip and you get the SBC...or you get some secularism that lacks a Savior. It is a hard journey, but it is worth it.

lunchable reflections

Yesterday afternoon the choir from North Shore Baptist participated in the local interreligious Thanksgiving service. The Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA) is the sponsor. Here in our little corner of Chicago we have quite a few different religious groups. The musicians alone represented nine communities of faith: Emmanuel Congregation (synagogue); St Ita's Catholic Church, St. Gertrude's Catholic Church (this year's host), Immanuel Lutheran, Ebeneezer Lutheran, the Sikh Community, North Shore Baptist Church, and the Ismaili Center (Moslem). I love this service. Two years ago I was one of the instrumentalists on a rendition of This Land Is Your Land. There I was, a Baptist with a mandolin, playing a folk tune with an Lutheran pastor, a Catholic priest, and the cantor from the local synagogue. It was wild fun.

This year was especially beautiful to me. It is finally more and more common for the communities to bring themselves, and not a watered down representation of themselves. Now Thank We All Our God (we Baptists), Hodu L'Adonai (synagogue), Cantate Domino (St. Ida's), Gurbani Kirtan (Sikh), O Lord, Increase My Faith (those funky Lutherans), I, the Lord (St. Gertrude's), Hamd (Ismaili), Take Up the Song(synagogue), and For the Fruits of This Creation (all choirs) are the songs that were sung for one another as an offering to God. I loved every minute of it. No more "We don't want to offend you by saying the name 'Jesus.'" Nope. Now we let it all hang out and the generous gift of the particularities of faiths is what feeds. It is amazing.

I know I am a sentimentalist. This is a given. But sitting there as Moslem children sang to Hebrew children was about all I could take. It was not staged. It's just how people were sitting. Then the Hebrew children got up and returned the favor. To me, this is a hopeful sign. Maybe, just maybe, our communities can come together in other meaningful ways. Maybe, just maybe, we can build bridges and tear down walls.

For me, it is as if these gatherings served as a steam valve. So often I get cought up in the insanity of my own tradition. I get cought up in the arguments, the debates, the politics. But this, this wide vision, frees me somehow. It's generosity gives context to my own tradition. It causes me to wish to be more Baptist and not less. Because a Baptist on their own should be just as generous as the collective witness yesterday afternoon. There is no room in one's life for intrigue and squabble if one is busy being a Baptist. No, there is only room for moments of God's generosity and praise. The rest is dross.

Finally, the topper on the service was the presence of Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow (recent Tribune article). Every year someone is asked to read Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation. This year she was asked and accepted. Her husband and mother were brutally murdered in the basement of their home just a few doors down from North Shore. She has always been somewhat active in the Edgewater neighborhood. But since that event, the community has adopted her. Every now and again you will see her in the neighborhood with her escort. The family no longer lives in Edgewater. But they visit. It is good to see her around. And yesterday she looked great. She is simply brave.

Thanksgiving, indeed.

monday morning

Trish and I saw the recent Potter installment over the weekend. I must confess that I think it is the best movie in the series thus far. I loved almost every minute of it. Incredible. No, it did not capture all the book had to offer. There are simply limits to the medium. It did, however, present a coherent story that focuses on the rising of Voldemort and how Harry and his friends manage all that is there. And the scenes with Young Diggory were great. It was a good movie. I would pay to see it again. Trish and I may try to see it at the local I-MAX! Wow.

The Librarian sent this url my way. IT is an interesting article about the training of clergy in the United States.

Educators — whether they teach at Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Protestant or Jewish seminaries — "no longer have a clear picture" of what kind of student will enter their institutions, said Charles R. Foster, director of the study, in a Friday telephone briefing. "They can’t assume that all students are the same anymore."

It is all wonderfully complicated. Give the article a read.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to a previous post on post-humanism (transhumanism?). Rich and I had an interesting dialogue. Camassia's comments are well taken. It seems to me that once again we are going to struggle with knee-jerk reactions on either side of an issue. We will have to wade through the incomplete polemics that lead to misunderstanding. How do we enjoy bio-technological innovation, taking greatest advantage of it so that it benefits humanity? Can this be done in a way that Christians can participate and even, *gasp*, contribute in a positive fashion?

You all have a good Monday. I will post again today if I get the time. I don't know if the short week will mean more or less work for me.

[Editor's addition at 10:40am] Oops! I forgot this earlier. I received an article via e-mail from a friend about the war in Iraq and the culpability of our public officials for its continuance. Read if you wish. I'll include it in the extended. Here's a little Thomas Merton to get you started.

"The most obvious fact about war today is that while everyone claims to hate
it, and all are agreed it is our greatest single evil, there is little
significant resistance to it except on the part of small minorities who, by
the very fact of their protest are dismissed as eccentric....The motive for
which men are led to fight today is that war is necessary to destroy those
who threaten our peace! It should be clear from this that war proceeds to
its violent ritual with the chanting of perfect nonsense." ~ Thomas
Merton

There you go. My friend who e-mailed the article to me had this MErton quote in mind when he sent it. Let me know what you think.

Vegetarians Between Meals: This War Cannot Be Stopped By a Loyal Opposition

by Jeremy Scahill

The refrain of the Democrats about being misled into supporting the invasion
of Iraq has become really tired. And someone other than the White House
smearmongers needs to say it: The Democrats cannot be allowed to use faulty
intelligence as a crutch to hold up their unforgivable support for the Iraq
invasion. What is DNC Chair Howard Dean's excuse? He wasn't in Congress and
didn't have any access to Senate intelligence. Still, on March 9, 2003, just
days before the invasion began, Dean told Tim Russert, on NBC's Meet The
Press, "I don't want Saddam staying in power with control over those weapons
of mass destruction. I want him to be disarmed."

During the New Hampshire primary in January 2004, which I covered for
Democracy Now!, I confronted Dean about that statement. I asked him on what
intelligence he based that allegation. "Talks with people who were
knowledgeable," Dean told me. "Including a series of folks that work in the
Clinton administration."

A series of folks that work in the Clinton administration.

How does that jibe with the official Democratic line that they were misled
by the Bush administration? Sounds like Howard Dean, head of the Democratic
Party, was misled by....the Democrats. Dean's candor offers us a rare
glimpse into the painful truth of the matter. As unpopular as this is to
say, when President Bush accuses the Democrats of "rewriting history" on
Iraq, he is right.

None of the horrors playing out in Iraq today would be possible without the
Democratic Party. And no matter how hard some party leaders try to deny it,
this is their war too and will remain so until every troop is withdrawn.
There is no question that the Bush administration is one of the most
corrupt, violent and brutal in the history of this country but that doesn't
erase the serious responsibility the Democrats bears for the bloodletting in
Iraq. As disingenuous as the Administration's claims that Iraq had WMDs is
the flimsy claim by Democratic lawmakers that they were somehow duped into
voting for the war. The fact is that Iraq posed no threat to the United
States in 2003 any more than it did in 1998 when President Clinton bombed
Baghdad. John Kerry and his colleagues knew that. The Democrats didn't need
false intelligence to push them into overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime.
It was their policy; a policy made the law of the land not under George W.
Bush, but under President Bill Clinton when he signed the 1998 Iraq
Liberation Act, formally initiating the process of regime change in Iraq.

Manipulated intelligence is but a small part of a bigger, bipartisan 15-year
assault on Iraq's people. If the Democrats really want to look at how
America was led into this war, they need to go back further than the current
president's inauguration.

As bloody and deadly as the occupation has been, it was Bill Clinton who
refined the art of killing innocent Iraqis following the Gulf War. One of
his first acts as president was to bomb Iraq, following the alleged
assassination plot against George HW Bush. Clinton's missiles killed the
famed Iraqi painter Leila al Attar as they smashed into her home. Clinton
presided enthusiastically over the most deadly and repressive regime of
economic sanctions in history--his UN ambassador Madeline Albright calling
the reported deaths of half a million children "worth the price." Clinton
initiated the longest sustained bombing campaign since Vietnam with his
illegal no-fly zone bombings, attacking Iraq once every three days for the
final years of his presidency. It was under Clinton that Ahmed Chalabi was
given tens of millions of dollars and made a key player in shaping
Washington's Iraq policy. It was Clinton that mercilessly attacked Iraq in
December of 1998, destroying dozens of Baghdad buildings and killing scores
of civilians. It was Clinton that codified regime change in Iraq as US
policy. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq but he could not have done it
without the years of groundwork laid by Clinton and the Democrats. How
ironic it was recently to hear Clinton call the war "a big mistake."

It's easy to resist war with a president like Bush in the White House. Where
were these Democrats when it was Clinton's bombs raining down on Iraq, when
it was Clinton's economic sanctions targeting the most vulnerable? Many of
them were right behind him and his deadly policies the same way they were
behind Bush when he asked their consent to use force against Iraq. As the
veteran Iraq activist and Nobel Prize nominee Kathy Kelly said often during
the Clinton years, "It's easy to be a vegetarian between meals." The fact is
that one of the great crimes of our times was committed by the Clinton
administration with the support of many of the politicians now attacking
Bush.

Herein lies the real political crisis in this country: the Democrats are not
an opposition party, nor are they an antiwar party-never were. At best, they
are a loyal opposition. The Democrats ran a pro-war campaign in 2004 with
Kerry struggling to convince people that Dems do occupation and war better.
The current head of the DNC, Howard Dean, never met a war he didn't adore
until he realized he could exploit the energy and sincere hopes of millions
of peace-loving Americans. Dean wasn't ever antiwar. In fact, during the
2004 campaign he attacked Kerry for opposing the Gulf War while laying out
his own pro-war record.

"In 1991, I supported Gulf War. I supported the first President Bush,"
declared Dean. "Senator Kerry who criticizes my foreign policy, he voted
against that war. I supported the Afghanistan war, because I felt it was
about our national defense-- 3,000 of our people were killed. I supported
President Clinton going into Bosnia and Kosovo."

How can Howard Dean look people in the eye today and pretend to speak with
any credibility as an antiwar voice?

When the hawkish Democrat Rep. John Murtha bravely stepped forward to call
for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq this week, he was quickly
blasted by the White House and simultaneously disowned by powerful Democrats
like John Kerry. Occupation lovers together again. The bloody scandal of the
Iraq occupation has opened a rare and clear window into the truth about this
country: there is one party represented in Washington--one that supports
preemptive war and regime change. The reality is that the Democrats could
stop this war if the will was there. They could shut down the Senate every
day, not just for a few hours one afternoon. They could disrupt business as
usual and act as though the truth were true: this war should never have
happened and it must end now. The country would be behind them if they did
it. But they won't. They will hem and haw and call for more troops and throw
out epic lies about the US becoming a stabilizing force in Iraq and blame
the Republicans for their own complicity and enthusiasm in the 15 years of
bipartisan crimes against Iraq.

All of this begs for a multiparty system in this country and the emergence
of a true opposition. The epic scale of the disaster in Iraq calls for epic
lessons to be learned at home. Like the Bush White House, the Democrats have
lost their credibility. They are undeserving of the blank check of "Anybody
But Bush" and should never be allowed to cash it again. Rep. Rahm Emanuel,
who heads up the House Democrat's election campaign, criticized Murtha's
call for immediate withdrawal, saying, "At the right time, we will have a
position." It is statements like that that should result in Emanuel and his
colleagues losing theirs.

Jeremy Scahill, an independent journalist who reports frequently for the
national radio and TV program Democracy Now!, has spent extensive time
reporting from Iraq and Yugoslavia. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow
at The Nation Institute. He can be reached at jeremy@democracynow.org.

friday prayer

For the night skies opening outwards
star upon star
expanse after expanse
thanks be to you, O God.
For the mystery of your presence
in and beyond all that can be seen
thanks be to you.
Guide me further this night
into the inner universe of my soul
ever opening inwards
light upon light
new depth after new depth.
Guide me through strange and fearful spaces
towards the place of your eternal dwelling
and assure me again that in drawing closer to you
I draw closer to the heart of every living being
that in drawing closer to you
I approach the heart of life.

You all have a good weekend.

post-humanism and robot justice?!

Well, it’s about time that something about technology and post-humanism showed up on this blog. Jen has a thread that is worth skimming. I would encourage you to do so.

So, my friend, Rich, is writing a book. It would seem that it is one of those very cool William Gibson, Mona Lisa Overdrive kind of books. If you do not know William Gibson, you need to. The man is on to something. But I digress. Rich has a "post-human" subplot in his tale. He has mentioned on his blog that he did not know quite how to write his enhanced character. I mentioned Jen’s thread and that started a very cool e-mail conversation about post-humanism and technology.

Poor Sarah (my main human character). I've really set things up for maximum pain once things go to Hell for her.

Tomorrow I start the parallel narrative of her brother Brian, who's participating in the Singularity and has gone posthuman. I'm kind of intimidated to write from his point of view: after all, he's supposed to be dozens of times more intelligent than I am, and getting moreso all the time.

(That's part of the concept of a technological Singularity: self-perfecting superintelligence. Imagine the headlong pace of advancement we've seen in computer tech over the past thirty years or so, only applied to human health, longevity, intelligence and discernment.)

Follow the extended link to read the unedited conversation. Rich's e-mails are in blue.

Also, there was an online conversation about the very funny book, How to Survive a Robot Uprising, on the Washington Post’s website. I sent in a question and the author responded! Who knew? My question was from Chicago, Ill and about post-humanism. I know. Can I surprise you again?

We begin with Rich’s response to Jen’s thread.

A very cool conversation. I'm disappointed that in the end her (apparent) conclusion seemed to be that since technology use can lead to an interior focus and a separation from physical, location-tied community it's a priori bad, and thus so will posthuman and
Singularity-type developments be.

Still, since it sounds like this is becoming a prevailing theological response to the possibility, it definitely sounds like a good conscientous-objector position for at least one character in the novel to take.

My position is very different: if we allow ourselves physical fixes and crutches (medicine, cars, heavy coats in the cold) and some mental and societal ones (Palmpilots, blogs, television), why aren't more effective ones (neural implants, braintapes mingling their code, communally shared brain-recordings of events) acceptable?

The self changes already as it grows and responds to the events in a life; the fact that technology changes what it means to be human has been true since the first homo sapens sapiens sharpened a stick with a sliver of flint. What degree of this progression is too much?

More to the point, I'm no longer certain it can be put off or avoided. Should it be resisted?

You know, it may not be an issue so much of the technology, but its employment.

Shocking, I know.

If the goal is, say, health. You put in a nano-bot and it keeps yer hear from stopping...this is a good thing most likely.

If the nanobot is to keep your heart operating to make you a better sprinter, then you are talking about nano-roids. Is that already illegal but we just don't know it? What is the benefit?

I think this is the key...that usual quandry. What is the benefit? Can we weigh it somehow against the price? Is there a price for such enhancements?

One thing I recall about the conversation is that we never went the route of legal or illegal. Instead we stayed in the relm of Christian virtue and practice. This is an embodied faith. We are created by God as is. Now, there are choices. A nano-operated prosthesis might be a great thing, even perhaps Godly. But an enhancement for the sake of entertainment? I think that may not be Christian. I really don't care about the legalities of it.

Are we created by God as is?

We can work out until our muscles bulge and we are capable of lifting huge amounts. We can write books that persist our thoughts and memories beyond our own lifetimes. We can build computers that will do our calculations for us in the blink of an eye, without error.

I think we're created by God as potential. We start as a few cells and wind up teachers, soldiers, preachers and convicts. We may lose legs, win marathons, rob banks or paint masterpieces. We're constantly pushing the limits we thought were imposed upon us.

And God created us this way. Testers, pushers, pioneers all. Of course there are prices to pay for any act, but too often the existence of a price is put forward as a reason not to act. The willingness to pay a price is another thing that we are all born with (and can develop) to differing degrees.

I think that augmenting the human brain will lead to better decision making, from at least some portion of the augmented population. Otherwise, what's the point? Better decision making at a societal level will lead to a more prosperous, happier society. Part of the
difficulty faced by my characters is sticking with their individual decisions not to partake as they watch the world evolving and improving around them at paces faster than they'd ever be capable of achieving, and benefiting from the secondary effects of the changes.

How is bettering the (post)human condition incompatible with spiritual goals?

Also, I'm not certain that as posthumanity becomes more the norm, in sporting contests augmentation like a nano-rebuilt set of muscles will be subject to standards-verification like a NASCAR vehicle is, that certain power-to-weight parameters and physical dimensions are met. The perceived virtue in remaining merely human (and endangering
oneself by nearly guaranteeing injury as football players do now) will begin to fade.

At first such modifications will be for the wealthy and the financially well-backed, but after a few years immense transformative computational power will be available to the average joe--I'm sure you've heard it before. The forecast of a computer the size of a deck
of cards with the power of the human brain and an adjusted cost of $100 is expected to reach fruition by around 2025 or 2030. What's possible then, implants or no? What will happen when any adult in Qatar can predict stock market shifts, or some kid in the Czech
Republic can create entire feature films?

Is the moral choice really not to participate, not to partake?

This is all very interesting to me. And, honestly, we may quickly go beyond my
experience with the field. I think you should play around in the literature that Jen posted on he blog.

That being said, I want to toss some Christian jargon around. What I am arguing is that, for Christians, ?post-humanism? may be entirely problematic.

You make some very strong and appropriate points about our createdness. Absolutely, we
are created from the DNA strand up. And, since I am not a fan of Intelligent Design, I must confine my theologizing to some progressive (Darwinian? Selective?) mode of human struggle or growth. I sincerely do not think that God plopped us down on this planet physiologically as is. So, the question then becomes; In what direction are we evolving.

I don’t recall how the post-humanists play with the term homo sapiens. Do you recall? I know that they do. I believe that our evolution is not to be *more* homo sapiens, but homo orans. Hans Urs Von Balthazar (Kindergarten must have been a beotch.) suggests that this is the redeemed state for the human person. Note, I did not say ?individual.? We need to get somewhere between Plato and Aristotle in all this mess. We cannot eliminate our bodies, but neither can we leave them in their current state either. If there is such a thing as spiritual perfection, it makes sense that there is some manner of bodily
perfection.

Homo orans may be just that perfection. We are praying and praising beings. All we are
is to be directed to God. This does not necessarily mean that nano technology must be ruled out. No. But I believe how it is encountered and employed would have to be seriously considered before a Christian could just dive in. How does one?s prayer and praise of God in the flesh improve by adding such technology? It is a good question. Again, I do not say it cannot, but I remain skeptical.

Have we come to a place where our stage of evolution is homo ?technology?? What happens to human communities? The internet can be a great way to build communities. It has proven itself to be so. I am sure nano-technology or whatever else comes down the pike will prove its worth as well. But how? And what will be its dangers? I think we need to play that stuff out so that we are not totally blindsided when the technology becomes popular or even quotidian.

I am definitely going to acquire a copy of Kurzweil's Age of Spiritual Machines and one or two others.

A quick google turns up "techno sapiens," which seems sort of clunky to me, and "homo sapiens sapiens cyber" which comes closer to something I can get behind. This e-mail exchange is the first time I've heard the term homo orans. It took a while to land an English definition, but it I'm guessing that homo orans means "Praying Man" or "Singing Man" or "Worshipping Man" or perhaps "Prayer Man."

Since homo sapiens means "Wise Man," does this imply we'd be giving up our sapience, our propensity to think and question and learn, in favor of simple (profound, perhaps) prayer and worship? Eesh. Creepy. Gives me the willies. Talk about non-human.

It's funny, I haven't thought of the old Resurrection of the Body (RotB) bit in a while... I suppose since the whole of Revelation is widely held my scholars to be a coded "hang in there" message to Christians and/or Jews under the Roman heel, I had pretty much written off the RotB as prey to the same scholarship.

Is the fullest, most perfect expression of humanity a being whose questions are all answered, and who wants and is nothing but a vessel for praise to his diety, or is it the insatiable searcher and learner, ever questing for knowledge and climbing ever higher up the unending stairway of wisdom? Which is "truer," the life of the soul or the life
of the mind?

You say: Is the fullest, most perfect expression of humanity a being whose questions are all answered, and who wants and is nothing but a vessel for praise to his diety, or is it the insatiable searcher and learner, ever questing for knowledge and climbing ever higher up the unending stairway of wisdom? Which is "truer," the life of the soul or the life
of the mind?

Do they have to be separate? Cannot prayer and praise lead to wisdom, learning
and knowledge?

I don't know, if "All we are is to be directed to God" then I don't see how a quest for knowledge benefits that. We might gain wisdom, etc. from a life of total prayer, but would we care, if God is the ultimate, all-consuming object?

And there you go, kids. From there we diverged to a conversation about faith and knowledge. This was more about the anti-intellectualism common in many religious traditions. Thus, learning about anything other than the Bible is useless. Since it was a digression, I'll not post it.

So, what do you think about post-humanism?

Suggested Readings (Thanks, Jen.):

Borgman - Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life;
Fukuyama - Our Posthuman Future;
Graham - The Representation of the PostHuman;
Hayles - How We Became Posthuman;
Herzfeld - In Our Image;
Kurzweil - Age of Spiritual Machines;
McKenny - To Relieve the Human Condition;
Moravec - Mind Children and Robot;
Waters - God and Embryo

friday morning: forever in blue jeans

I am drinking Starbucks coffee this morning. It is distributed by Pepsi. Did you know that? I learned that this week. All those fancy Starbucks bottled beverages are Pepsi products. More and more I see the insidious nature of corporate relationships. "Yes," says the Beanbrewer, "we will have our way with the American working stiff! We will caffeinate her until she types 150 wprds a minute! Bwahahahahaaaa!!!! No one will stop us now!"

I take my insidious beanery with half and half. Thanks.

"Our military has done everything that has been asked of them. It is time to bring them home." - John P. Murtha

In other news, there seems to be a bit of a row on The Hill about whether or not we should get out of Iraq. Somehow I am not all that moved. I have no good reason for this. I know inflamitory things are being said. You can go to the NY Times, The Washington Post, and the Washington Times for more information.

In sometimes vitriolic terms, Republican leaders accused Democrats of siding with terrorists, and Democrats countered that Bush deceived the nation in starting a war that he has no strategy for ending. The bitter exchanges came as polls show Americans are increasingly eager to have Iraqis assume control so U.S. troops can come home.

Finally, I cam into the office this morning to find all of these very professional people in jeans and sneakers. Yep, it is casual Friday. I am not quite as casual, but it I am never that dressy here in the copy room. I'll remember next time around and wear jeans, a tee-shirt and some sweater or sweatshirt. I like that noise. Or perhaps I will go beyond the blue jeans...you never know.

So that is the news I have for this morning. Later today I will try to post something on a conversation I was having with a friend about post-humanism, technology, and discernment enhancers.

wouldn't you like to be a pepper, too?

Pastor Bill has this to say about our need for foreign oil. It is a great reflection about the potentially idolatrous nature of national boundaries and protectionist economic policies.I actually think he is on to something good.It is a compelling way to think about stewardship of our resources.

In other economic news, the company where I work has Pepsi as a client. Since the company offers free beverages to its employees, it is compelled by some legality somewhere to offer only Pepsi products. Now, I am trying not to let my corporate loyalties get in the way. I am a great fan of Coke and its array of fine products. Fortunately, there is one product offered here that has been my corporate salvation. Doctor, doctor, give me the news!!!

Yeah, I know. It is foolish and, if it be known, I do drink the occasional Diet Pepsi. It is not a bad way to embalm myself before I die. It helps that it is the caffeine free variety. That way I know that I am getting nothing that will actually sustain me in any way. Yes, I know that there is water in the can, but my hope is that it is so polluted with phosphoris acid and potassium benzoate that it won't matter.

Y'all have a great afternoon.

more reflections on talents

Matt e-mailed his reflection on the Matthew passage discussion. I do so love a testimony like this one. It serves as a great example of how people relate such a parable to their lives. This is posted with his permission.

I was online reading your sermon from last Sunday over Matt. 25. I've been thinking about that passage over the last week or so, and thought it was interesting to read your perspective about it. I went through so many of the same emotions that you describe a number of years ago. I used to play music pretty actively, and always felt that I should achieve some amount of success (whatever that's supposed to mean). I suppose I had a great deal of pride in my ability and work ethic, and felt like everyone else should recognize that, too. It was hard watching friends and associates get record deals and have commercial success--especially when I felt like I was better than they were.

I think one day, it occrred to me that I was being envious. I certainly felt a great deal of guilt over it, and I realized its impact on my happiness. But that didn't make it easier. I think that God started to show me that he wasn't giving me the thing that I wanted because it just wasn't good for me--it would lead to increasingly self destructive behavior, it would make me unhappy, prideful, and angry.

If that were the case, then, I felt like I must be a complete loser. After all, I should have been able to handle the responsibility, and if I couldn't, that meant that something was wrong with me. It took me some time to realize the importance of such a simple cliche--I'm just what God made me to be, and I should use what I have to serve him no matter what.

And I think that's how I view this passage. The servant with the single talent looks at the other two guys and thinks, "Well, I COULD do something if God had given me what he's given these other two. But I don't really have enough to actually achieve anything, so I'll just put in the ground. But maybe God didn't give him five or ten times as much because it would have been overwhelming. Maybe it would have led to excessive pride and self-sufficiency. Maybe it would have created too much stress for that servant to handle, and he would have become burdened and unhappy.

So God, in his infinite wisdom and love, gave him an amount he could handle. It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little. The servant was wicked because he essentially said, "God, I could have done something with this, but it wasn't enough, and you accumulate money/resources/whatever in lots of ways no matter what I do. So here it is, just as you gave it to me, untouched and unused.

I found it powerful. I hope you all get something good and helpful from it.

a declaration

Tha Baptist Peace Fellowship has penned a declaration on the war in Iraq. Baptists have been asked to give their support if they desire to do so. Follow the extended link to read the document in its entirety.

I think this is a great step for the ABC.

A Baptist Declaration in Opposition to Present U.S. Policies in Iraq

We, in the United States, who are followers of Jesus and Baptist by conviction are perplexed by the spiritual conflict present between radically different visions for our nation, both at home and around the world. One is inspired by our interpretations and applications of the teachings of Jesus, while the other is based in a ruling ideology of the current administration and its supporters throughout government and society.

Jesus teaches that we should live with confidence and hope in a sovereign God who graciously makes it possible for us to return God’s love of us by being a loving neighbor to all of God’s creation, even those who are our enemies. For followers of Jesus, justice, reconciliation, and peace are based on the demanding commandment to love others.

In contrast, the government of the United States, in both its executive and legislative branches, including members of both political parties, has increasingly enacted policies that are based on fear and intimidation, hatred and manipulation. It has declared an elusive and unending war on terrorism to justify its own violent acts of retribution and to establish an American empire to be imposed upon the rest of the world.

Toward these ends, the government refused to delay hostilities until weapons inspectors in Iraq completed their work; it relied on discredited informants and distorted intelligence to build a case for war; it instituted preemptive military action that violated international law and the counsel of most nations, including longstanding allies; it pursued a military strategy of terror – of “shock and awe” – against Iraq, while failing to plan and provide adequately for the consequences of protracted war and the reconstruction of devastated land; it provoked insurgent activities with the rhetoric of bravado and policies of exclusion in the rebuilding of Iraq; it allowed or fostered a culture of abuse against prisoners that violated international conventions and our own nation’s fundamental values; it continues to demonize not just supposed enemies but nations who are perceived to be tolerant of those foes; it operates with a sense of America’s moral superiority while justifying its own crimes as necessary in an unbridled campaign against terrorism.

These national policies and practices based on fear and intimidation, hatred and manipulation, have brought devastating consequences. By conservative accounting, over 30,000 innocent Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, of which an estimated ten percent were children; untold thousands have been severely injured; and still more have suffered permanent impairment. Over 2,000 American soldiers have died and 15, 000 wounded. A military action to defeat terrorism on its “primary front” has drastically increased the number of insurgent terrorists in Iraq and networks of terrorism in other countries. The rebuilding of Iraq has slowed and civil war is an on-going threat in the near or long-term future. The United States is expending more than seven billion dollars per month on the Iraqi war and costs are expected to exceed $570 billion by 2010. National Guard and military reserves serving in Iraq are not available to assist in disaster relief at home. The vast appropriations for war are requiring cutbacks in domestic programs for those in need and limitations on aid that might otherwise be used to promote global well being and peace. The standing of the United States in the eyes of the world continues to deteriorate. The stance of the government is a cause of increasing division at home.

As Baptists in the United States, we have no desire to further the division in our nation or across the globe. But neither can we remain silent in the face of the policies and practices of our nation that are so diametrically opposed to our religious faith and what we understand to be the democratic values of the nation.

We ask, therefore, Baptists and all Christians, along with other citizens of good will, to join us in the following actions:

• Seek God’s forgiveness in private and public confession for our own complicity, through acts of commission and omission, in the unnecessary harm our nation is inflicting upon the people of Iraq and in the global war on terrorism. We encourage others, including religious and civic leaders, to make such private and public confessions. We trust this can occur in devotional life and public worship, as well as in civic forums.

• Protect the fundamental freedom to dissent and hold opinions contrary to the dominant culture and government policies. We believe that this can occur in private conversation, peaceful public demonstrations, and raising our voices through the media, internet blogs, and other means of communication.

• Expose, in whatever means and opportunities are available, the intimidating and manipulative appeals to fear and hatred to justify and foster practices of coercion and military aggression adopted by our government. We believe this can happen in educational settings and through the public media.

• Challenge in spoken and written word our fellow citizens and our public leaders to reflect on the foundations and consequences of our nation’s policies and practices and to recommend and actively support alternative policies and practices that promote diplomacy, human rights and development, and the protection and just distribution of the earth’s resources. We suggest this take place in sermons, newsletters, op-eds, letters-to-the-editor, and through other means of communication.

Furthermore, because it appears that President George W. Bush and members of his administration are, and will continue to be, indifferent and unresponsive to the widening public desire to end the American military presence in Iraq, we as Christians and people of civic good will must communicate regularly and energetically – through letters, telephone calls, and face-to-face visits – with our elected representatives in the United States Senate and House of Representatives for legislative actions that will:

• end the involvement of our nation in the Iraqi war;

• provide for means that will allow other nations and international bodies to seek and implement a peaceful end to the Iraqi conflict and the reconstruction of that country; and

• support programs that mandate diplomatic solutions to international conflicts and the use of war as a last resort.

If, as a follower of Jesus, you share our deep concern about the policies and practices of our nation, we invite you to join us in casting off the fear that has bound us. We ask that you endorse this statement on the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America website (www.bpfna.org) or convey it to the BPFNA office by mail (4800 Wedgewood Drive, Charlotte NC 28210 USA), fax (704.521.6053), or e-mail (bpfna@bpfna.org).

In the spirit of discipleship and Baptist freedom, we invite you to join in this endeavor.

doooowntoooown...

I am on the 28th floor. I can see outside when I get out of the copy room (The copy room is my current home away from home.). It is a dreary day, but that does not stop me from being impressed with the scenery. The view is quite nice.

I have been a subscriber to a couple of business magazines for a while now. I read Forbes and Fast Company. I would encourage you to check out Forbes magazine. The current issue has a brief article about Judge Alito. The editors are cautious. They are not convinced that such a conservative interpreter of the constitution would be good for big business. They fear how he might judge on lawsuits because "[The Supreme Court] can't find the phrase 'protection from excessive punitve damages' anywhere in the Constitution." It would seem that Scalia and Thomas almost always side opposite big business in this regard. Will Alito be more of the same?

Fast Company has an interesting article about how the MBA may no longer be the gold standard in cutting edge companies. I may be rereading this article if I cannot get a church in Chicago. I don't know a thing about neuroscience either, but it is interesting. Urgh.

There is also an article about simplicity and internet companies. tries to keep things simple. This, according to the author, is what makes them so successful. Finally, this article tosses out this gem of a quotation:

In their endless rush to embrace the next big thing, too many businesses have forgotten what they are and what they really do. The fashionable compulsion to break with the past has, bizarrely, come to mean abandoning the true value they once offered customers.

This sounds like many of the church growth seminars that I have attended. Sure, change has its place, but if you uproot, there is nothing to sustain the change. Is the Emergent Movement yet another blind change or can it hold on to the Gospel while it explores unusual worship places and liturgies? I am trying to figure out what it is saying to church planters.

evening intercession

For earth's cycles and seasons
for the rising of spring and the growing summer
for autumn's fullness and the hidden depths of winter
thanks be to you, O Christ.
For the life force in seed buried in the ground
that shoot green and bear fruit and fall to the earth
thanks be to you.
Let me learn from earth's cycles of birthing
the times and seasons of dying.
Let me learn of you in the soil of my soul, O Christ,
and your journey through death to birth.
Let me learn of you in my soul this night
and the journey of letting go.

sermons

Here are four links to four different sermons on the same lectionary. This past Sunday brought out some interesting stuff for everyone. I hope you enjoy.

AngloBaptist Conjectures
The Sacristan's View
Rev Ref Makes the Call
The Hoosier Muses

Take a gander at these sermons. Let me know what you think. Heck, let them know what you think.

blue skies?

It is a grey day in Chicago. Usually it makes the trip downtown that much more tedious. But this morning, I found it to be lovely. I get off the EL right by the Sears Tower. It is a stunning view. I will try to find a picture of it. The top of the tower is lost in the clouds today.

Here is a picture to keep you busy. WGN posts images from all over the city on their website. This one was taken this morning.

If I find more, I'll post them.

darwinism...

Here is an interesting essay for you to play in. Given some of the arguments around Intelligent Design and what is being tought in Pennsylvania classrooms, I thought I would share.

The adventure that Darwin launched on all our behalf, and which continues into the twenty-first century, is driven by a deceptively simple idea, of which Darwin’s friend and staunch supporter Thomas Henry Huxley said, and spoke for many to follow, “How extremely stupid of me not to have thought of that!”...

rev copy boy

Larry called me that in a recent e-mail.

Well, I guess it is true. I am working in the copy/distribution/projects department of a consulting firm downtown for the next several weeks. The job seems fairly low-impact. The people are nice. The company takes very good care of its employees. So, there are complementary beverages and fresh fruit on every floor.

I have already been approached to play basketball (bad) and soccer (good) with some of the other employees. I just may do that.

Once I get a better sense of what my responsibilities are, I may try to use some of the resident flexibility to work on Reconciler and Thesis stuff.

a n.y. times editorial

I saw someonw reading this on the train this morning on my way into the new temp job. Yes, I am blogging from the new digs. I have my own computer and have been told to take my time getting to know the joint.

Anyway, here is an excerpt from the Times OpEd piece.

SERE, as originally envisioned, inoculates American soldiers against these techniques. Its psychologists create mock prison regimens to study the effects of various tactics and identify the coping styles most likely to withstand them. At Guantánamo, SERE-trained mental health professionals applied this knowledge to detainees, working with guards and medical personnel to uncover resistant prisoners' vulnerabilities. "We know if you've been despondent; we know if you've been homesick," General Hill said. "That is given to interrogators and that helps the interrogators" make their plans.

Within the SERE program, abuse is carefully controlled, with the goal of teaching trainees to cope. But under combat conditions, brutal tactics can't be dispassionately "dosed." Fear, fury and loyalty to fellow soldiers facing mortal danger make limits almost impossible to sustain.

By bringing SERE tactics and the Guantánamo model onto the battlefield, the Pentagon opened a Pandora's box of potential abuse. On Nov. 26, 2003, for example, an Iraqi major general, Abed Hamed Mowhoush, was forced into a sleeping bag, then asphyxiated by his American interrogators. We've obtained a memorandum from one of these interrogators - a former SERE trainer - who cites command authorization of "stress positions" as justification for using what he called "the sleeping bag technique."

Per usual, you will need to log in to read the entire article.

Have a good day. I am sure I will be online from time to time.

regret and judgment

I am working through my sermon for Sunday. Here are the readings.

Zeph. 1:7, 12-18
Ps 90:1-12
1 Thess. 5:1-11
Matt. 25:14-30

And here is a snippet of what I am thinking:

Advent is coming! It is a time to meditate on what has already happened, a time to steep ourselves in the truth that God has indeed been born in this world, this world of regret and shame, and has redeemed it. The judgment has already come. Embrace that judgment, for it is our salvation, our promise of old. It is the promise of God’s unending and all-encompassing presence in this world.

Take a gander at the readings if you have the time. Tell me what you think. I am focusing on the prophet Zephania and the Matthew passage.

news! news!

One of the Girls has some great news! We will be celebrting the release of our wee small CD on December 4th at Small Bar in Wicker Park! Bring your friends! We will be there from 8pm until 11pm or they kick us out. It should be a good night. The CD is a brief romp through some of the stuff we played on street corners in Andersonville. We have thusly titled it "Street Corner Summer." We hope you enjoy it. You can go to our website to hear snippets.

But wait, there's more! You can come hear us play a couple of other times during the month of December. We will be playing at the Poitin Stil on Saturday the 17th and on...wait for it...wait for it...

NEW YEAR'S EVE!!

That's right, New Year's Eve. It should be a grand party. We are going to try and gather some of our friends, fiddlers, harpists, accordion players, and the like to come and join us. The Stil is a good place to hang out and enjoy the night. They do not, however, sell food. So you will have to get your eats elsewhere and then come and play with us. If you care to join the mailing list to keep up with us, go to the website and follow the directions on how to join. We will be doing our best to keep everyone up to date on what is going on.

Finally, if you have never been to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, you may yet find your motivation to go: One of the Girls! Oh yeah, you know it's true. We have been asked to play for 30 minutes before each show. It seems that they ask acoustic groups to do this and one of the production managers for the company has seen us. Where? On the streets of Andersonville is where. She thinks we are great. And we are. So, we play! I will let you know when this will be. It may very well be often! And when I say "often" I mean "frequently!" Huzzah!

the good and the bad...

Well, the good news is that I have a new temp position. This is a great thing because money is very, very tight right now. It is a frustration because we had hoped to go home to VA for an entire week. Now it looks as if we (I?) might not get to go home at all. This is the way things go sometime. I am grateful for the work, but sad about the change in our schedule. I really wanted to go home. I miss the family.

safe and sound

We made it back.

It all went well.

I will post more soon.

o, so early

We will leave in about an hour.

Keep us in your prayers as we meander back to Chicago.

Trish did well yesterday, but we won't know anything for a month or so.

Leaving home...whether Chicago or Virginia...is always hard.

staunton, where the net roams free

So, never let it be said that southern hospitality ended when the internet drew nigh! Heck no! I am blogging for free (Listen up, Chicago!) at Coffee on the Corner in Staunton, VA. Trish is here auditioning for a local theater. It would be an amazing opportunity for her. I am simply enjoying the local color and checking out a book with amazing little folk songs from the mountains of Virginia and the Carolinas. It is a good day. The sun is shining. It is seventy degrees. All is well.

Getting here from Lynchburg was an adventure. Occasionally Mapquest is less than accruate. But we found our way past Walton's Mountain along the Rockfish River and through Rockfish Gap to the loverly village (city?!) of Staunton. The fall colors are perfect. The roads wind along the hills. Occasionally a train's whistle can be heard in the valley below.

*sigh*

blogging from lynchburg

We made it in a little less than thirteen hours. Wow. That is a lot of time in the car. But if you ever have the opportunity to take I-64 through West Virginia into Virginia, take it. It is gorgeous. And the fall colors were unbelievable. Ah, how I miss this part of the country. We finished our journey by coming in through Natural Bridge, VA along 130 and 501 into Lynchburg. It is a winding, twisting route through small hillside towns.

I had forgotten my mother installed a high-speed internet connection in her new home. This is glorious. So, having just finished burning my mother a copy of the One of the Girls cd, I thought I would pop in and say "hey."

We leave in a couple of hours to take Trish to her audition. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I am excited for her. She is just plain nervous.

live: from three pear

I am at Three Pear tonight letting people in to use the studio. They are very late. Argh.

So, I thought I would share the url to my cafepress site.

Just follow it to my store.
I am still creating items.
No, I do not know why.

scam alert

So, some of you may have received an e-mail that says that your Amazon account is out of date or needs updating. This is fraudulent. You can follow the link and seem to be playing around in your amazon account. It is a fantactic replica. I dunno how they managed to get the information. When I checked into it, Amazon sent this e-mail in response:

Thank you for writing to us.

The e-mail you received was not from Amazon.com. We are investigating
the situation, and we appreciate you letting us know that you
received this.

If you did not click on the link in the spoofed e-mail, your account
at Amazon.com is fine--there's nothing more you need to do.

For your protection, we suggest that you never respond to requests
for personal information that may be contained in suspicious e-mail.
It is best to assume any e-mail that asks for personal financial
information (or web site linked to from such an e-mail) is not
authentic.

If you have any questions about your Amazon.com account, you can view
recent activity or update your password at any time. To do this go to
our home page then click "Your Account" on the top right menu. To
change your password, choose the option "Change your name, e-mail
address, or password" under Account Settings. You can check the
status on any order by choosing to view "Open and recently shipped
orders" under "Where's My Stuff" at the top of the page.

If you encounter any other uses of the Amazon.com name that you think
may be fraudulent, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.

*****
HOW CAN I IDENTIFY A SPOOFED OR FORGED E-MAIL?
Visit our Help page for specific tips on identifying "phishing" e-
mails:

http://www.amazon.com/phish

*****
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SECURITY ON AMAZON.COM?
Visit the "Privacy & Security" section of our Help pages for safe
shopping tips, our privacy policy, and more:

http://www.amazon.com/o/tg/browse/-/551434/

The fraudulent e-mail/Amazon.com asks you for credit card information and you four-digit pin. Be ye warned therefore! This is the real deal. It is not a hoax. This is not third party information.

a few days away

Well, I will be offline for the next few days. I have been enjoying the internet at North Shore. You may have noticed. Susie pointed out that I have published a bit this week. This is true.

The employment situation is still sketchy. I have been hearing a little more buzz from the temp agencies of late. I am hopeful that the buzz will articulate itself soon. Fortunately tomorrow I have about fourteen hours of catering lined up. Wow. That should keep me hoppin'!

In other news, I mentioned that One of the Girls (OotG) has a new CD. Well, we have been putting a demo out there as well. It appears to have borne fruit! If all goes well and according to plan, we will have our release party on December 3rd. We could also have gigs on December 17th and on New Year's Eve. We need to check and double check callendars. I am hopeful that all three gigs will come together. It would be a great way to enjoy the holiday season. I'll be certain to let you know how it goes.

As I said, I will be away for a few days. Trish has an audition in Virginia. So she and I are leaving immediate following Sunday's service here at North Shore. The gang at Reconciler have graciously given me the time away to be a good husband.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Oh, and I have been playing with fonts...

What do you think? Would it make a good banner? How about as a logo on a coffee mug? Ha!

attack of the blogs

You know, I like Forbes Magazine. But there is an article in the recent issue that troubles me a bit.

Attack of the Blogs.

Go to the website www.forbes.com for the transcript...They should have it up soon.

But the author is miffed at the power that bloggers have to creats an online "thug-like" mentality. The companies can no longer control what the market knows...whether founded our not. Somehow this is unfair and evil.

I am divided.

theobilly

I have discovered another one.

At heart you could call me a closet Anglican, from a distance. I love the liturgy, the rich history and the appreciative link between scholarship and the local church. Although I use and appreciate the Book of Common Prayer, its history as a forced book for "Common Prayer" throughout England during the Island Reformation till gets under my skin. I also love believer's baptism and contextual worship. At the end of the day I love Anglicanism, but not enough to marry it. I'll stay baptist.

Believe it or not, I did not write this! Well, okay, so his spelling is better and he is more coherent. But that's not the point. I added him to the faculty. Go to his blog: TheoBilly

one of the girls news

Well, our CD is finished. You can go here to listen to samples. Keep your eyes open for information on a CD release party!

more on discipline

Argh! I just lost what was an entirely cogent post! This is such a rare event for me. I am devistated. *sigh*

Let me try to reconstruct it. *whine*

I think some of Megan's comments on the previous post on discipline were helpful. I like the challenges...and the warnings she offers. Fortunately, Foster responds on his own and I do not need to defend him. There is a section in the book entitled The Way of Death: Turning the Disciplines into Laws. How I understand Megan's warnings and concerns is related to this. It may not be what Megan was getting at, but it is the connection that I made.

The Spiritual Disciplines are intended for our good. They are meant to bring the abundance of God into our lives. It is possible, however, to turn them into another set of soul-killing laws. Law-bound Disciplines breathe death.

This is what I understand to be the underlying experience or fear of many I encounter. Doctrine and dogma need to be understood as Spiritual Disciplines so that they too may be sheltered by this warning. There is a discipline to Discipline. They cannot be legalized or, as Foster suggests, "externalized."

When the disciplines degenerate into law, they are used to manipulate and control people. We take explicit commands and use them to imprison others. The result of such deterioration of the Spiritual Disciplines is prise and fear. Pride takes over because we come to believe that we are the right kind of people. Fear takes over because the power of controlling others carries with it the anxiety of losing control, and the anxiety of being controlled by others.

The scriptural background for this is found in Matthew's gospel. 5:20 is a good start. There is righteousness beyond externalism. Also, there is a false burden involved in "externalism."

If we are to understand disciplines and doctrines as a burden similar to that of the Pharisees long prayer shawls or in the practice of strapping Torah to one's forehead, then they are false burdens. Matthew 23:4 suggests this strongly. Disciplines and doctrines can become inappropriate burdens. But overarching those burdens may be another. Foster continues:

If we are to progress in the spiritual walk so that the Disciplines are a blessing and not a curse, we must come to the place in our lves where we lay down the everlasting burden of needing to manage others. That need more than any single thing will lead us to turn the Spiritual Disciplines into laws...When we genuinely believe that inner transformation is God's work and not ours, we can put to rest our passion to set others straight. (p. 9)

This is how I often understand people's aversion to disciplines, doctrine and dogma. It is an understandable aversion. All Christian communities are guilt