The Arrow's Path

I am going to relate a basic premise in two or three parts. I was in a discussion with some folks and we (or rather I, was talking about why theology is important. See what you think... I. What is Theology? Christians and the Church are called to continually grow in faith and not simply stand still in our understandings and spiritual lives (Hebrews 5:12). Theology is not some deeply abstract form of intellectual exercise that only academics in ivory tower seminaries can do. Theology is more than merely hearing the word of God read to us but thinking and reflecting on our faith and scriptures and applying them to our lives (Placher 1). The bible, though we believe it to be the divinely inspired word of God, can be interpreted in many different and sometimes very dangerous ways. Theology is important because theology is the study of the nature of God and religious truth. Theology furthermore is the rational inquiry into religious questions. Simply reading and applying the scriptures with...

Much to my horror, my blog server has been on acting squirrely, so a few of my most recent posts disappeared into the virtual abyss. Hopefully, it has been resolved and I can get back to blogging regularly.

Well, we survived Holy Week at the Seabury Pen. And it was actually done quite nicely. I was impressed. The easter brunch Sunday morning that I was in charge of turned out very nicely. My baklava was all gone, so I guess we did it right. Happy Easter everyone...I'm going to go collapse now. Holy Week really drains it out of you.

With the start of the new quarter on Holy Week (a horrible idea I think), I have not had a whole lot of time to reflect on the big week of the Christian year. Wednesday we had a tenebrae service here with the St Gregory boys choir. It was beautiful but I thought they were going to chant the entire psalter. It went on a bit long, though I enjoy the nocturns. The Maundy Thursday service is always one that leaves me with a sense of hyperventilation. At the end when they strip the altar and take everything away to symbolize the death of Christ, I always am just like...wow. Instead of bantering on, I will include this prayer for Good Friday. Maybe sometime I will have time to reflect on Holy Week in more detail... Lord Jesus Christ, who for the redemption of mankind didst ascend the cross, that thou mightest enlighten the world that lay in darkness: gather us this day with all they faithful to that same holy cross; that, gazing in penitence upon thy great sacrifice for us, we may be loosed...

Before I start ruminating on this particular issue, please read this article from the UK's Telegraph. This is certainly an ethical question. I was most troubled by the quote: "There is very little evidence that allowing parents to choose the sex of their child would have any imbalancing effect on society." Sorry, no, there is plenty of evidence. Look at China. With their one child a family rule, many female babies or fetuses are killed or aborted. The number of male to female children in China is staggering. China is going to go into serious population decline within a generation or two because there is not a balance of male to female. If choosing your unborn child's sex is not unethical...what is unethical? What's next...Genetic engineering? Wait, is that not what this is? What time is it?...oop, 1984 already.

Mercifully, its time to start a new quarter today. I was getting a little burnt out on most of my classes last quarter, as we seemed to be collectively beating a dead horse. This quarter is back with a vengeance: New Testament I, Church History II, Pastoral Care and Congregations, and Systematic Theology. A challenge...I am actually looking forward to it.

Well, the old Archer of the Forest is back at S-W Penitentiary after a let down of a spring break. My family had planned to go on a cruise to the Bahamas, but alas my cousin, whom my parents have sort of adopted, decided to have his appendix explode. Thanksfully, it was a few days before the cruise so it did not happen onboard ship. That would have been a major league fiasco. So...I was able to rebook my plane ticket to K-town and spent part of the week in the hospital with my cousin, and then took a few days to go visit some friends down in Georgia. I am back now in Chicago, after going out for some Chitown pizza. I should be back to blogging now. The Anglican communion managed to not implode while I was gone, but more is forthcoming. Its Holy Week, so I will try to post something appropriate.

Ah, things you do in a Seminary classroom.  

There is a concept in Christianity that I think the West has forgotten to the point that it makes no sense to do it anymore: the concept of the Lenten Fast. For those of us who follow the traditional Christian calendar, there is a season of Lent once a year that leads up to the joy of Easter. This is usually a seasonal of austerity and penitence so as to give Easter more meaning when it arrives. There are three elements that need to be considered, the fast, the abstinence, and the disciple. I think people confuse these. What sort of rankles me these days is people giving up something (chocolate, booze, whatever) and calling it a fast. The reasoning they say is "because Sundays are not fast days, so on Sunday I can indulge." I hate to burst your bubble, folks, but that is not a fast. That is just abstaining for 6 days a week. In fact, you are missing the entire point if you think that is what a fast is. Dare I even say that you are wasting your time. A fast is in a way a switc...

As some of you may have noticed, I have been yet again tweaking my blog HTML. I guess its from hanging around his bloginess, Dr. AKMA . In my vain attempt to increase traffic, I have added some webring links and some blog directory icons. If you have a blog, you might try signing up for one of these. We will see if this works. I guess it cannot hurt.

Here's an interesting little interview the BBC did in an interview with the Big ABC (ArchBishop of Canterbury). Its worth the time.

As much as my Anglo-Presbyterian soul sometimes has issues with my current Anglo-catholic parish, there is at least one good reason to have been going to a high church Anglo-catholic congregation. One of the attractions was the Sudanese ministry at St. Paul's by the Lake. When I was an intern in Omaha, there was a big Sudanese ministry at the church I was living at. So I sort of gravitated to St. Paul's since being in Chicago for that reason. Well, at luck would have it, there is a Sudanese player who plays for the Chicago Bulls. Apparently, he tries to stay in touch and help out the Sudanese community here in Chicago. To that end, Mr. Deng left some Bulls tickets with Father Heschle to give to the Sudanese boys at St. Paul's. After tracking down all the Sudanese that wanted to go, Father Heschle called and asked if I would help drive. (I got a free ticket for my trouble). So I got to go the house the Jordan built for free. I'm sure it was amusing to see two white men w...