Costly Grace

What We've Been Up To in 2011

2012-01-31T12:51:00.006-05:00

This is the video (slightly modified) that I showed at our Annual Parish Meeting this last Sunday.

My original soundtrack included a Johnny Cash song, "You'll never walk alone" from the third disc of the Unearthed boxed set from 2003. Youtube had a hissy fit when I tried to upload it, and probably rightly so. That is clearly copyrighted material, so I remixed the video.

Not that I suggest doing this (wink, wink, nod, nod), but if you want play the video above while muted and play the following video unmuted simultaneously, you can get the original effect.

Our 2011: A Work in Progress video is now currently found on our parish website also.

That's about the silliest thing I've ever seen.

2012-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Words can't describe this.

Hey Politicians: Are You Listening?

2012-01-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

"Deceit is a thing easily detected, and weak, though it be daubed outside with ten thousand colors. For as those who whitewash decayed walls, cannot by the plastering make them sound, so too those who lie are easily found out..."

-St. John Chrysostom, Homily 68 on John 12:34.

Actually, no.

2012-01-24T13:18:00.001-05:00

Forcing fumbles is not an art, it is pitiful tackling because players haven't been taught the fundamentals. For every "forced fumble" there are at least 4 or 5 missed tackles by the clowns trying to be all cutesy and pull that kind of stunt.

If you tackle correctly, the fumbles will take care of themselves.

Brookings Ministerial Association

2012-01-24T11:58:00.003-05:00

This is just a reminder that the next Brookings Ministerial Association Meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday, January 25th, at 9AM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on the corner of 6th Street and 8th Ave.

Parking is on the street, and breakfast will be provided. We will try to not go over an hour or so in meeting length.

Brookings Police Chief Jeff Miller has agreed to be with us for a short talk and answer questions, particularly concerning how the Salvation Army funds are utilized and distributed through the Brookings Police Department in conjunction with the Brookings Ministerial Association. If you have questions or concerns about this, please do come and join us.

Yeah...I think I know what that is.

2012-01-24T11:55:00.000-05:00

I got a call from a relative yesterday to inform me she was about to get on a cruise ship in Miami. She said she poked her head out of the airport and it was humid.

Yeah, I think I remember what humidity is.

Bet you won't hear a sermon like this on Sunday...

2012-01-20T09:57:00.000-05:00

The Old Testament reading for this coming Sunday is from the book of Jonah. While the reading for this Sunday is not the famous Jonah and the Whale story, it does come right after that incident. Whenever Jonah comes up in the Lectionary (which is all too infrequent in my opinion), I always think of the classic sermon given by Orson Welles as Father Mapple in the 1956 version of Moby Dick.

The cinematography and acting in this scene is terrific. You get an entire sermon (when was the last time you heard that in a blockbuster movie?) The pulpit is actually the mast of a ship. Notice how the image of the cross emanates from that pulpit in a very nautical type way. It is a truly fascinating scene. And the sermon is actually pretty good too...it ends not in a fire and brimstone way which is what you expect at the beginning because Welles is extremely melodramatic.

Lenten Thoughts

2012-01-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

Anybody have any good ideas for an Adult Wednesday night program for Lent?

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Last Speech

2012-01-16T09:19:00.001-05:00

A Balmy -3 degrees

2012-01-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

Winter finally decided to invade South Dakota this week. It snowed, and we awoke this morning to a balmy -3 degrees. Very little snow appears to be in the 10 day forecast. I cannot really complain, as the weather has been pretty nice and very little snow since before Thanksgiving.

I have a feeling we are going to get hammered with a blizzard at some point in the next few months.

What's On Tap Tonight

2012-01-11T16:53:00.001-05:00

Tonight for Wednesday at Soup Supper at St. Paul's Episcopal Church-Brookings:

For the Adults:
Irish Stew
Taco Soup
Fish Chowder
French Bread
Apple Crisp

For the Young'uns:
Mini-Hamburger Sliders
Mac n' Cheese

I know it's snowing...but come on down!

Notes from Some Sermon...

2012-01-10T17:26:00.002-05:00

From a Sermon on the Baptism of Our Lord.

-----------

In closing, I draw your attention to pg. 304 of the Book of Common Prayer. I will be honest. My one major, major hang up about the current prayerbook is the heading on pg. 304, which is referred to as the Baptismal Covenant. This are the promises that are made at Baptism. I say that this term is a bit of a linguistic hang up for me personally-and I usually have to grit my teeth when I am doing a baptism and we come to this part-because I believe frankly, the term "Baptismal Covenant" is wrong, or perhaps it is better to say somewhat misleading.

Most people today hear the term covenant and think of something like a Marriage covenant or a covenant that runs with land, a solemn agreement between two people to do or not to do something that is formally laid out in the wording of the covenant. That is not what baptism is about.

Baptism, according the teaching in the back of the Prayerbook, is "Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God. " And a Sacrament is defined as, "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace."

Grace is a free gift from God...it is not something that is earned or deserved. It is not something that we can get by our own merit. A free gift has no strings attached. That's why it is grace and not merit.

If you look at the wording of the Baptismal Covenant, we seem to be making God's grace in baptism contingent on things we are agreeing to do, that somehow if we fail to do these things, then the Covenant of Baptism is broken or void. In other words, Baptism is contingent upon our doing these things and therefore is not a free gift from God, as if Baptism is a quid pro quo agreement. This is why I always cringe when we come to this part of the Baptismal liturgy because I fear the message we are sending is undercutting the message of God's Free Gift of Grace. Free is free. Why are we attaching strings and making grace conditional?

I always have to remember that the concept of Covenant in the Bible is also synonymous with Testament. We can always say Old Testament/New Testament or Old Covenant/New Covenant. I would argue the Book of Common Prayer should properly label these vows as the Baptismal Testament-that we are testifying to God's Grace-God's free gift by believing these things and doing these things, not that our baptism or salvation is contingent solely on what we do or believe.

In returning to my original statement of merging Epiphany and the Baptism of our Lord, I remind you of your Baptism-the free gift from God of which you testify to in your Baptismal Testament, and also to remember the story of the Three Wise Men-the story of Geography.

Racism and discrimination divide and wound the one body of Christ, the Church, a body which Christ calls to be lovingly, harmoniously unified in its rich diversity. On this feast both of the Epiphany and of the Baptism of our Lord, we’re reminded that Jesus loves everyone, and that everyone should be loved, by those who follow Jesus.

Let us now renew our Baptismal Testament, with the form on pg. 304...

Thought for the Day

2012-01-09T13:27:00.002-05:00

"God gave us faculties for our use; each of them will receive its proper reward. Then do not let us try to charm them to sleep, but permit them to do their work until divinely called to something higher."

St. Teresa of Avila

The Epiphany

2012-01-06T10:41:00.001-05:00

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the Church Holy Day that particularly commemorates the coming of the Magi, or Three Wise Men. I have blogged on the meaning and history of the Three Wise Men before here and here.

This Epiphany on the Northern Plains, we are not so much looking for a Star in the East, as we are snow from any direction. It got up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, which is downright creepy for South Dakota in early January. Usually we are lucky if we do not have a foot of snow nor having wind chills of -60. (For my Fahrenheit handicapped British readers, a -60 F wind chill would be a wind chill of -50 C.)

Instead of rehashing what I have previously discussed on this blog, I simply wish everyone a Happy Epiphany and will let of art of the Church tell the story of the Epiphany.

I know that guy!

2012-01-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

Hey, my old college roomie wrote this! Of course, we both had more hair back then...

But seriously, it is worth a read.

A Case for Dale Murphy

2012-01-04T11:55:00.001-05:00

I admit I am a dyed-in-the-wool Atlanta Braves fan, so this blog post is probably biased on this issue. But Dale Murphy is again on the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot where he has been languishing for a few years of eligibility. In fact, he is on his next to last chance on the ballot before he gets bumped off the baseball writers' ballot permanently.

I remember having this card as a kid.

Frankly, if he does not get in this year, his chances are virtually over because there is a host of potential Hall of Famers slated to come on the ballot in the next year that will supersede him, or will at least garner all the media attention. He has an outside chance that the steroids issue may kick off a few of the 2013 newcomers to the ballot like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, and Craig Biggio. Granted those guys are steroids users (or at least a few cases highly suspected thereof,) but the steroid-user-into-the-Hall-of-Fame debate will certainly overshadow those stuck on the languishing balllot from years past. Murphy might squeak by if there is a major boycott by voters of anyone tainted by steroids, but I really do not see that happening. If Murphy does not get in this year, I think his chances are over.

Murphy's Number 3 was retired by the Braves in 1994.

Dale Murphy was one of my baseball heroes when I was a boy. He was the one star on the late 1980's Braves squads that were usually perennially in the cellar and always awful. (I blame the old powder blue uniforms, but that's a separate issue...) Dale Murphy was a good player, but an all around great guy. He was a devout Mormon and did a lot of charity and missions work. They don't make baseball stars of his all around class too often any more. The beauty of Dale Murphy was that you know he never took steroids. He was too nice, too clean, and too scrawny really (Mark McGuire he ain't) to have taken anything like that.

He played for mostly horrendous teams for most of this career with the exception being the 1982-83 Braves squads that managed to get above .500 for the only times in the 1980's. He also managed to get traded away right before the Braves got good in 1991. Then he got traded away from Philadelphia before the Phillies got good in the mid-90's, and then had to finish his career with a year in the expansion Colorado Rockies team that was truly one of the worst teams in history, only to see the Rockies get good a few years later. You gotta feel for the guy.

Even despite all that, he managed to win 2 MVP awards and 5 gold gloves; he still had a .265 career average, scoring almost 1200 runs, having almost 400 home runs (398), and 350 career doubles. All this playing without steroids and for teams that had no offensive back up for him, which means pitchers could pitch him hard, knowing they could get all the other players out.

Compared to other recently elected Hall of Famers, I think he matches up pretty well.

Jim Rice? 1 MVP, no gold gloves. 1249 runs scored, 2452 career hits, 382 homeruns, 373 career doubles,

Robby Alomar? Playing on very good Toronto teams, 210 home runs, .300 career average, 1508 runs scored, several gold gloves but no MVP's, and a notorious spitting on the umpire incident. (In Alomar's defense, the umpire did insult his mother, and you simply don't say things like that to a Hispanic person without expecting some sort of response.)

Andre Dawson? 2774 career hits, .279 career average, 438 home runs, 503 career doubles, 1 MVP, several gold gloves, and a bat tossing incident (I remember watching this live.)

I think the numbers speak for themselves, but I always apply what I call my 50/50 rule to selecting Hall of Fame candidates. 50% is what they did on the field, 50% is what they did off the field. Stats are nice, but was the player in question a leader in the dugout or a clubhouse fungus? Did the player use the most of his fame and money to give back to the community or did they hoard all their money and become a reclusive playboy? Considering he was a true sportsman that had good numbers, never took steroids, gave back to the community in many ways (and continued to do so after he stopped playing) and was usually forced to play on horrendous teams, I think he's a Hall of Famer for sure.

Can you imagine what Dale Murphy could have done if he had played on winning teams, particularly in a larger venue like New York or Chicago or Los Angeles?

I think this is a no brainer myself, but then again I have my standards.

More on South Sudan unrest

2012-01-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Al Jazeera English did an extensive coverage of the situation in South Sudan on Monday's World News Cast. Part of it can be found here.

Please continue to pray for the Sudan...the conflict is not just with the North, but between tribes within the South.

Adventures in Scroll Sawing, part II

2012-01-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

As I discussed in a previous post, I acquired a nice, older model scroll saw about a month ago. I have been enjoying it, as it is a really nice hobby to get into.

For my second major adventure, I ordered a book entitled Natural Wooden Toys. I had read a blurb about it in the December issue of Scroll Saw magazine, and I was intrigued about the discussion of natural dyes for children's toys. Not that I am some sort of hippie vegan, but I thought the concept was interesting. Seeing as I have a 2 1/2 year old, I thought it might be worth a look see.

In the book, there is also several chapters and patterns for easy to make animal toys for children. My daughter took one look at the pictures and said, "I want dees!" So, Daddy to the rescue. I got to practice my scroll sawing but also experiment a bit with these non-toxic natural dyes. I think the project turned out pretty well:

I was particularly fond of the squirrel, fox, and hedgehog:

I was informed today that my daughter now wants a Toby train engine to go with the Thomas engine I made her for Christmas. I guess that might be my next project.

As much as she's enjoys it, I will be happy to make another.

I can do that.

Happy 2012 Everyone!

2011-12-31T22:02:00.000-05:00

(Hey, it's midnight somewhere!)

Sermon Prep Idea

2011-12-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

In preparation for a sermon for the Feast of the Holy Name (this Sunday), turn on some good Bluegrass music. The Holy Name of Jesus is a major motif in traditional Gospel/Bluegrass music, believe it or not.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2011-12-25T15:38:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it Christmas Eve...

2011-12-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

I always feel sorry for Titus. Of the entire 3-year/Major Feast Day lectionary, this letter only gets read on Christmas Eve and is always over shadowed by the Christmas story.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas Message

2011-12-24T16:06:00.002-05:00

In Congo or in Croydon, God is there for us

A thirteen year old boy is abducted from his home and for ten years forced to live and work with a gang of violent terrorists. To save his own life, he has to go along with atrocities. He will be brutalised and he will brutalise others. He will have to get used to killing – sometimes killing people he knows. He will be aware that return home is practically unthinkable, because he will be regarded as beyond redemption by most of his neighbours, even his family. He knows that there is nothing in front of him except the likelihood of an early death – a knowledge that he tries to blot out with the drugs that keep him more or less anaesthetised for a lot of the time from the reality of what he has to do.

In June of this year, I had the privilege of spending an evening with about thirty young men and women who had been through this nightmare experience. I met them in Bunia, in Eastern Congo; thirty or so youngsters, none more than the middle twenties, out of several hundred thousand across the globe who have been forced into becoming 'child soldiers.

I won't try and make readers wince with the details, though they are the sort of thing that you wish you could forget; the important thing is that they had escaped. They had been brought out of the bush, prised out of the grip of the militias that had captured them and reintroduced to something like normality. At twenty-one or twenty-two, some were completing their secondary school work. All had been assured of a safe place to live if they managed to get away from the militias. Many had been reunited with families. They had advocates and helpers in their communities, people who were willing to stick their necks out to support them when others looked at them with suspicion or even disgust.

How had it happened? They all had one answer. The Church had not given up on them. At great risk, members of local Christian communities had kept contact with them, sometimes literally gone in search of them, helped them escape and organised a return to civilian life. They had prepared congregations to receive them, love them and gradually get them back into ordinary human relationships.

It wasn't just a story of happy endings. The trauma of these experiences doesn't go away overnight. Drug use, conditioned behaviour, the deadening of emotions, all these take time and involve a fair number of failures as well as successes. The miracle is that any manage rehabilitation or perhaps the miracle is that anyone believes enough in the possibility of it.

Yet the message was always the same: 'they didn't give up on us'.

At Christmas – and at of all times of the year – we need reminding, believers and unbelievers alike, of what sort of difference can be made to the world because of that birth in Bethlehem. Not only can be made, but is made: whether in Congo or in the back streets of our country, plenty of people know that it's only because of those who believe the Christmas message that they have recovered hope for their lives.

And the message is that God has told us he is not going to give up on us: he appears to us in the life of Jesus, a life of complete identification with human suffering and need. And he makes it possible for us to identify in the same way with those who suffer and live in hopelessness and need. He makes it possible not to give up, even where there seems least chance of change.

Last summer, we watched in disbelief and alarm as disorder spread throughout many of our cities. People were swept up in chaos – arson, looting, threats and violence. The majority of people, as usual, were just baffled and angry, desperately wondering what could be done to put things straight again and to show that their communities could still work after all. Remember one of the real miracles of those days – when Tariq Jahan appealed for restraint after the killing of his son.

And one of the stories that hasn't yet been properly told from last summer is how often it was local clergy and local congregations who stepped up to the plate to respond to these longings to do something constructive. These were the folk who turned out to put themselves at the service of all that was best in communities. These were the people who were trusted to broker deals that let emergency services through where they were needed, to set up makeshift support centres offering refreshments. These were the people who were relied on to pick up the pieces in any number of ways. They could do it because they were trusted. And they were trusted because local communities knew they were not going to go away and give up.

'I'm not going away' is one of the most important things we can ever hear, whether we hear it from someone at our bedside in illness or over a shared drink at a time of depression or stress – or at a moment when we wonder what's happening to our neighbourhood and our society. This is the heart of what Christmas says about God. And it's the real justification for any local church or any national church being there. When people are pushed by all sorts of destructive forces into seeing themselves as hopeless, as rubbish, so that what they do doesn't matter any more, it's this that will make the change that matters.

Happy Christmas to you all; and remember when you can the people who think the world has forgotten them – the child soldiers in Congo and elsewhere who haven't yet escaped into the arms of a loving community, the men and women who sit in their rooms or houses in depression and loneliness, the elderly who feel that the world has left them behind and that their feelings and needs don't matter to anyone any longer, the refugee who has left behind a horrifyingly traumatic situation of rape and murder, yet who knows that he or she is looked on with suspicion and hostility in their new home...So many. You'll be able to think of many more, I'm sure.

Pray that they will find that someone hasn't forgotten – that they will find out that God and the friends of God are there for them.

-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, December 24th, 2011

Come Join Us!

2011-12-24T10:08:00.002-05:00

Christmas Services at St. Paul's-Brookings

2011-12-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve:

5:15 PM- Family Eucharist with Children’s Sermon

10PM- Carol Sing

10:30PM- High Mass

Christmas Day:

10:30 AM- Low Mass

PLEASE COME JOIN US! ALL ARE WELCOME!

(I'm a good Anglo-catholic. I don't know what other appropriate terminology to use.)

The Reading from Evening Prayer

2011-12-23T17:29:00.000-05:00

Luke 1:67-80 (NRSV)

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

O Antiphon for December 23rd

2011-12-23T16:18:00.001-05:00

O Antiphon for December 22nd

2011-12-22T11:07:00.001-05:00

Oh...a rookie!

2011-12-22T10:48:00.003-05:00

I just received a phone call from a telemarketer. I can usually tell it's a telemarketer when some weird area code comes up on the caller ID. I probably should not do this, but I like to play with telemarketers' minds. Nothing bizarre or grotesque, I just like to have a little fun. I am on the national Do Not Call list, so when I get a telemarketer call, I really have little sympathy for them, particularly if they are politicians.

For some reason, I just got the following call and hilarity ensues:

Me: Hello?
[The Awkward Pause while the Computer dialer transfers me to an actual telemarketer.]
Telemarketer: Hello...uh...Mr...uh...
[another awkward pause]
Telemarketer: I'm sorry, what's your name?
Me: Mr. Hippo...Mr. Augustine O. Hippo
Telemarketer (without missing a beat): Well, Mr. Hippo...I'm calling on behalf of...uh...
[3rd Awkward Pause]
Telemarketer: The Society for...uh...
Me: The Society of Uh? I've never heard of it.
Telemarketer: No...uh. I'm calling on behalf of the Society for the...uh...
[4th Awkward Pause]
Me: I do kind of like uh's. I mean, if you are going to make verbalisms, why not an uh?
[5th Awkward Pause]
Telemarketer: No...uh...
Me: I thought you were the Society for Uh's
Telemarketer One moment...(in a very hushed tone to someone off headset): Who do I work for again?
[Mumbling in the background]
Telemarketer: Oh yeah...I'm calling on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to...uh...children...NO! uh..."
[loud clicking sound as call is terminated]
Me: Uh...! And also with you!

They really should never send me rookies.

Advent Mental Health Break

2011-12-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

This is from last year, but it is still a goodie...

O Antiphon for December 21st

2011-12-21T14:40:00.002-05:00

O Antiphon for December 20th

2011-12-20T11:42:00.001-05:00

O Antiphon for December 19th

2011-12-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

(Video courtesy of Conception Abbey)

O Antiphon for December 18th

2011-12-18T19:05:00.001-05:00

Adventures in Scroll Sawing

2011-12-17T17:32:00.001-05:00

I recently got a new scroll saw (well, it's new to me, as its an older model), and have been trying to learn how to use it. I set out today to make a star for my Christmas tree, courtesy of a pattern I found in the latest Scroll Saw magazine.

I think it turned out pretty well for a second attempt, if I do say so myself. (The first attempt was a ~~disaster~~ learning experience.)

At some point, I will put some polyurethane on it, but for Advent, it will be plain.

O Antiphon for December 17th

2011-12-17T08:47:00.002-05:00

What's Happening in Northern Sudan?

2011-12-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Al Jazeera did another excellent piece on what's going on in Northern Sudan that is worth pondering.

Pray for Iraq

2011-12-15T14:32:00.002-05:00

I just received the following cryptic message from the Anglican Vicar of Baghdad. Please pray for the Iraqis.
--------------------------------------------

US may be leaving us but our war is not over it is getting worse every day but we are now forgotten! We have just spent 2 hours trying to get into the Green Zone. Our badges may be the highest level but they are not working as of today, because they are American. This evening I was to take the British Embassy Carol Service. I arrive an hour and a half late we still did a shortened version. How we do our work now I just do not know, I cannot get to the US Embassy to even do our Chapel Services. We are now in a big crisis please pray for us.

Food for Thought

2011-12-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Care to guess who came up with the Big Bang Theory?

The Meaning of Liturgical Colors

2011-12-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

Here is my latest Video Podcast on the meaning of Liturgical Colors.
(Clip is a little over 10 minutes in length.)
-The Archer

From the "You Can't Make this Stuff Up" department

2011-12-12T17:38:00.002-05:00

NBA owner enters Russian Presidential election.

The Archer's Wisdom of the Day

2011-12-10T13:27:00.002-05:00

If I have learned one immutable fact in my life, then that one fact is this, "There is nothing more contentious in the world than a bunch of white people arguing about money."

Pray for Sudan

2011-12-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I've long since given up on getting any news on Sudan from any American news source. I caught this news clip on the AM broadcast of Al Jazeera English.

Please pray for Sudan.

Overheard at the Rectory

2011-12-08T17:39:00.002-05:00

"Sarah...Sarah what are you doing?"

[awkward silence]

2-year-old from down the hall: "I...don't know."

70 years ago...

2011-12-07T14:42:00.000-05:00

For Saint Nicholas Day

2011-12-06T07:21:00.002-05:00

Another Oldie, but still a Goodie...

An Appeal

2011-12-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

The Following is an Emergency Appeal from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem

-The Archer

-------------------------------------------------------

We've never made an emergency request for one Diocesan institution before. But the need is urgent. Please, please do what you can to help Princess Basma Centre maintain its programs. We're asking you to consider a special gift to make up for the funds which have been withheld or defunded by USAID, the Israeli government and other sources as a result of the Palestinian bid for UN membership. As the only regional referral center for physically and mentally disabled children, Princess Basma is a critical resource for families of all faith and ethnic traditions

Please click here to make an easy and secure gift, or send a check designated for Princess Basma. We're very grateful and so are the families they serve.

Betty Majaj, Director of the Princess Basma Centre in East Jerusalem, sent an urgent message advising us that she faces a $200,000 deficit this year, cannot meet payroll, has shut down their outreach program and is evaluating which departments may have to be closed. They have already drained the hydrotherapy pool and developed contingency plans.

Those of you who have visited Princess Basma Centre know of the important work they do with deaf, crippled, developmentally delayed and autistic children. It breaks your heart to see so many, but the energy and professionalism of the Centre gives hope to visitors and clients alike. Literally a lifeline for families with nowhere else to turn.

Travel restrictions in the area made the outreach programs essential to maintain progress. Now USAID, funder of outreach and many other humanitarian aid programs in the region, has defunded the entire outreach program along with many others in Palestine. It's unclear when or if the funding will be resumed.

You may also have read that taxes that Palestinians paid to the Israeli government are not being returned to the Authority. This means that workers are being laid off, funding for West Bank schools, including the school at Princess Basma, has been cut and projects such as clean water and infrastructure work have been suspended. Security is also impacted.

Betty Majaj contacted AFEDJ so we could communicate with each of you to support her mission and her families at this difficult time. Many of you know her and know she would not ask if the need weren't critical.

Your gifts now can help the Centre retain its highly trained staff -- saving them from layoffs right before Christmas. Your gift of any size can help keep the heat on, the therapists working and the children learning. Thank you for your prayerful consideration!

The Bishop is Coming

2011-12-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Bishop John Tarrant will be visiting St. Paul's.

He will be the celebrant and preacher, and there will be two confirmations.

There will be a breakfast social afterwards.

Everyone is invited!

It's that time again!

2011-12-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

From the St. Paul's Newsletter; Photo Courtesy C. Berry

An Interesting Advent Discipline

2011-12-01T12:56:00.001-05:00

Try to guess what it is before you look.

I need some Advent music...

2011-11-30T12:25:00.000-05:00

Take that, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Seriously...

2011-11-30T12:15:00.002-05:00

I'll vote for the Presidential candidate that will agree to regulate by Executive order or appropriate legislation the sizes of plastic Tupperware-like containers. I've got ~~an abyss~~ a drawer full of them, and each one has a lid just different enough that it takes me ten minutes to find a matching lid.

The Tupperware drawer: The Bane of Every Man's Existence.

What is an Advent Wreath?

2011-11-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

The following is a video I did last year about the Advent Wreath, which is as applicable now and it was then:

May you have a blessed Advent.
-The Archer

Thanksgiving Proclamation

2011-11-24T15:29:00.003-05:00

THANKSGIVING DAY 1815
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – A PROCLAMATION
The senate and House of Representatives of the United States have by a joint resolution signified their desire that a day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnity as a day of thanksgiving and of devout acknowledgments to Almighty God for His great goodness manifested in restoring to them the blessing of peace.
No people ought to feel greater obligations to celebrate the goodness of the Great Disposer of Events of the Destiny of Nations than the people of the United States. His kind providence originally conducted them to one of the best portions of the dwelling place allotted for the great family of the human race. He protected and cherished them under all the difficulties and trials to which they were exposed in their early days. Under His fostering care their habits, their sentiments, and their pursuits prepared them for a transition in due time to a state of independence and self-government. In the arduous struggle by which it was attained they were distinguished by multiplied tokens of His benign interposition. During the interval which succeeded He reared them into the strength and endowed them with the resources which have enabled them to assert their national rights, and to enhance their national character in another arduous conflict, which is now so happily terminated by a peace and reconciliation with those who have been our enemies. And to the same Divine Author of Every Good and Perfect Gift we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land.
It is for blessings such as these, and more especially for the restoration of the blessing of peace, that I now recommend that the second Thursday in April next be set apart as a day on which the people of every religious denomination may in their solemn assembles unite their hearts and their voices in a freewill offering to their Heavenly Benefactor of their homage of thanksgiving and of their songs of praise.
Given at the city of Washington on the 4th day of March, A.D. 1815, and of the Independence of the United States the thirty-ninth.
-PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON

One Bad Weekend

2011-11-21T22:05:00.000-05:00

Whew, I hope I never have another weekend like the one I just had. The coffee pot broke first thing Saturday morning. We all came down with a nasty stomach bug. And our dog died.

We are up and functioning again, but it's been a bad weekend.

Yowzers...

Overheard at the Rectory

2011-11-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

"How's your headache?"

"Yeah, I think I need a new prescription for my glasses, particularly my right eye."

"You can get an eye patch!"

"Great, I can be a pirate priest."

"That could be fun."

"Arrgh! I look like a pirate and I bless like one too!"

"How does a pirate bless?"

"With a hook, of course."

[chortle]

"And we've hit a new low."

"I had to throw the ~~gauntlet~~ peg leg down."

[chortle]

Quote of the Day

2011-11-18T18:33:00.000-05:00

"Do NOT send used clothes and shoes, outdated computers, phone, printers or fax machines. Only send books that the schools say they need. Indian people cannot build an economy on our rummage."

-Mark Tilsen
President Native American Natural Foods

Christmas in Baghdad

2011-11-18T17:02:00.002-05:00

Christmas in Baghdad Article

by Canon Andrew White, the Anglican Vicar of Baghdad, re-posted with permission

The Western world is already preparing for the great day on December the 25th.
Presents are bought, decorations put up and copious amounts of food will be purchased and consumed in preparation for the festive season.

For us though, here in Baghdad, things could not be more different. Our Christian
people know that the Big Eid (celebration) is coming. They know that we are
about to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. There is no razzmatazz; the
only decoration will be the Christmas tree in the church. There are no presents - apart from what we get for the children and the boxes given
by Samaritans Purse. For the children we work at bringing them some joy
and fun in other ways. We will dress somebody up as Papa Noel (Santa Clause) as we give children their presents. The reality is that this celebration here is totally
different from festivities elsewhere in the world.

Here, despite the media no longer showing our existence, we still live in
violence and terrorism. I still move around my parish surrounded by hoards of
soldiers and police- yet we are still happy. For us there is total joy.
Christmas for us is first and foremost a time of spiritual celebration. We may
have nothing, we may live in total turmoil but we celebrate this Christmas, like every Christmas, as the coming of the Christ Child. For us Christmas is simply a celebration of God coming to be amongst us in Jesus.

I never forget the day several Christmas's ago when I told the children about Bethlehem, where I used to live and where Jesus first
came. A little boy named Yousif put his hand up and said "Jesus did not first go to
Bethlehem he came first to Iraq". When I asked why, he told me that when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the flames there was another
person with them – Jesus. Yousif told me that this event occurred just down the
road, in Babylon. So I was seriously put in my place! Each time I sing "Oh little town of Bethlehem" I now have to think to myself that Jesus was indeed here, in Iraq, first. And he still is here.

So for us Christmas is simply about Emmanuel; our Lord amongst us. We celebrate the fact of his incarnation. There is no food or parties but what we do have is a real celebration of faith. Christmas is simply a time of spiritual renewal. At the beginning of every service in Arabic we say the Eucharist “Allah hu ma ana, Baruch ha qudos ma ana athan.” For us this sums up the reason we celebrate - "The lord is here and His Spirit is with us".

The Blog Entry where the Archer admits that He is a Purist

2011-11-18T15:40:00.001-05:00

Major League Baseball has apparently decided to kill the golden goose. Major League Baseball Commisioner Bud Selig announced yesterday that Major League Baseball is, yet again, going to alter its structure. With the excitement (read: money) that the advent of the Wild Card and Interleague games have generated, the Commish has decided that there will now be season long inter-league play and an extra wild card.

In a move that actually makes some sense, Houston is also going to become an American League West team in 2013 so that each league can have 15 teams, and each division will have 5 teams. Currently the American league has 14 and the National League has 16 teams, which makes for the bizarre 6 team NL Central division and the 4 team AL West division.

There has been much belly-aching over the last several years by NL Central teams, which claim that they have to play a harder schedule because a team has to beat out 5 other teams to win a pennant, whereas AL West teams have to only beat out 3 other teams. While the AL West has indeed been a joke for many years, I found this a rather ridicuous argument from NL Central teams, as in any given season at least 2 of the NL central teams battle for the cellar. With two dreadful teams, as opposed to one, NL Central teams actually got statistically easier schedules by playing bottom feeders more often and by having more than one serious opponent knocking off your other serious opponent. In other words, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But that's neither here nor there.

I have to admit that I have never liked the Wild Card. Baseball is a game a statistics, and I feel like the Wild Card rewards mediocrity and punishes those teams that actually earn a trip to the post season. There has not been a good pennant chase in either league since baseball went to this bizarre scheme back in the 1990's. One of my favorite recollections of childhood was the neck and neck battle the Giants had with the Braves in the early 1990s. At the end of the season, San Francisco won 103 games and the Braves won 104. The Giants went home and never set foot in the playoffs. There was no Wild Card; winner take all. There is now little incentive for teams to play tooth and nail down the stretch if they know they can get in via the Wild Card. In fact, in some instances, in a close pennant race, some teams actually intentionally try to get the Wild Card if it means they get to play the weaker of the other two Pennant Division Winning teams in the first round of the play-offs. At the very least, the last two weeks of the season have most teams resting players and dawdling around until the playoffs, even in races that would otherwise have been competitive. I feel strongly the Wild Card largely rips the fans off of an otherwise good pennant race. Elimination has a way of focusing the minds of players.

The new 4 wild card scheme (two Wild Cards per league) is being pitched as a remedy to this. The two Wild Card teams play a winner-take-all one game playoff game before the Division series in the hopes this will motivate teams to fight harder down the stretch so they do not end up in the precarious predicament of a winner-take-all one game series (a loss in which would likely cost a manager his job). There is a certain amount of logic to that, but there is an equal amount of logic to the fact that if this one game Wild Card playoff is successful that Major League baseball will not be able to keep its greedy hands off the one game playoff and eventually turn it into at least a 3 (or more) game series. Why make money off just one game when you can make 3 times as much money off 3 games? It is only a matter of time before more Wild Cards or longer Wild Card series will be added. Mark my words.

I can take or leave Interleague play. I do actually like a series with the natural geographic rivalries like White Sox/Cubs or Mets/Yankees. Even the Kansas City/St. Louis series is usually good. But I think it does ultimately empty the World Series of some of its magic if teams have played before earlier in the season, as it renders the World Series into just another extended series of "We've already played this team." Again, this is another instance of Major League Baseball picking the money tree dead. Interleague was originally small scale like that, which was fine in my opinion, as it was highly unlikely two teams from the same city or region would meet each other in the World Series, but, of course, nothing in moderation when money is involved. Why have 2 interleague series per team per season when you can 6 or more?

This ballooned into the bizarre Interleague series match ups of Atlanta/Seattle and Kansas City/Cincinnati. Who cares? I dread the month of June in baseball now because it is largely completely wasted on such ridiculous series that have no historical or geographic attraction to me whatsoever. Interleague never seems to end. I think moderation is the key to its success, and this new scheme where there will be at least one Interleague series pretty much all season is a process of killing the golden goose. Interleague is successful because its a novelty. Once it stops being a novelty, the cash cow will be dead.

I admit that I am something of a Baseball purist. I think the strength of the game is in its timelessness. Changing things just because it is trendy in other sports or because you can make more money at it is not a good reason. If I want a ton of wild cards with meaningless regular seasons, I'll watch the NBA.

Well, then again, maybe not the NBA. They can't get their act together either.

Just for Fun

2011-11-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

That's Interesting

2011-11-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

5 Myths about Young Adult Church Drop Outs

What time is it? Oop...1969 already!

2011-11-16T12:02:00.000-05:00

I try to steer clear of talking about politics, particularly on the internet. I believe the internet is the worst possible medium through which to try to engage in constructive political discussions or dialogue. People can passive aggressively snipe at random in complete anonymity and get completely away with it. I avoid reading user comments on news websites for this reason. You cannot go three comments into the thread without somebody hurling a vicious ad hominem attack or engaging in a complete illogical diatribe; any further constructive discussion is moot at this point because the discussion turns from the political to the polemic.

I attribute the roots of this bizarre modern cultural ~~annoyance~~ affectation only partially to the advent of things like the internet and modern instant communion technology. I believe it has as much to do with the fact that virtually no schools anymore teach Latin. It is not so much the absence of Latin in itself that is the problem, but I believe that once the schools in the country could no longer even see the value in teaching Latin the problems in education really began. In teaching Latin, one has to cover the rules of rhetoric and logic, because the Latin language system itself was premised largely on them. To study Latin is to study the base premises of making logical arguments. This is something that individualist American culture fails to understand. There is a different between rational logic and emotive rants. An emotive rant does not prove anything by definition because it is governed by the passions, which are themselves illogical.

I believe the Occupy Wall Street movement is the perfect example of emotive irrationality. I have attempted to understand and listen to the Occupy Wall Street crowd as much as I am able. It is fascinating in a Political science analysis sort of way. The entire movement, as far as I can tell, is completely premised on the appeal to the emotions. They seem to be all for "wealth redistribution" and "ending inequality" and all that. Those are ideals that are in and of themselves not necessary bad. However, when one tries to actually discuss issues of exactly how this movement is going to bring about this wealth redistribution or how they are going to end inequality, their process and logic suddenly gets extremely fuzzy.

For example, one guy I have been corresponding who is active in the movement is advocating Proletariat revolution. He does not quite go to that extreme in explaining his ends, but he has certainly been quoting Marxist dogma to me in our correspondences, and the only logical end that I can see from what he is advocating is violence of the Marxist style. But then I have another friend who is extremely sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street crowd (I think he's even gone to a few protests), and he's a flaming Ron Paul-style Libertarian that wants to basically repeal the Federal government. Thus, the only logical conclusion I can come to from his perspective is yet another form of violence in the form of an economy dominated by Laissez Faire capitalism, where it is very much every man for himself, by your own bootstraps kind of thing.

And herein is I think the inherent weakness of movements that are fueled not so much by logic and rational thought as they are by emotive appeals. The passions wax and wane, and so do movements based upon the passions. Take a page (or several pages) from history of movements based primarily emotive appeals. Take, for instance, the Free Silver movement. The Occupy Wall Street movement is largely recycling all of the emotive argumentation of the Free Silver advocates in the late-1800's. Anti-Robber barons, anti-Wall Street, anti-Corporations: it is all from a previously used play book.

I am not against people protesting. If they feel that's what they need to do, then more power to them. My question remains of what exactly they hope to accomplish long term. This level of sentiment that is basically anti-everything is not going to last forever. You need to be clear what your goals are and how you hope to achieve those goals before you lose your emotive momentum.

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

Oh my...

2011-11-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I've had a conversation much like this in real life with someone recruiting me for a Doctorate of Ministry program. And the recruiter wondered why I had no interest in getting a D.Min...

I am here

2011-11-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

After a spat of blogging, mainly having to do with my anonymous letter writer, I have failed to blog much the last few weeks. I have been extremely busy with the completion of the elevator project, a confirmation class, my own personal health (I think I'm finally back to normal), and a wedding.

Things should be back to normal, at least until Advent.

Yawn

2011-11-14T21:26:00.002-05:00

Apparently, the NBA is close to losing an entire season over a labor dispute.

Has anyone really noticed?

For Veterans' Day

2011-11-12T22:53:00.002-04:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but I was ill.
-The Archer
----------------------------------------------------------------

For those who suffer for the sake of Conscience

O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he
was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer
for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them
from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them
from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from
despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their
witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be
cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus
Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

-BCP 823

For the Feast Day of Richard Hooker

2011-11-03T11:14:00.000-04:00

As a break from my regular series of Blessings and Curses, I pause to remember Richard Hooker, who is probably the closest thing Anglicans have to a premiere theologian. Before my colleagues start pontificating on Hooker's Three Legged Stool (which is an Anglican urban legend), I wrote a series on Understanding Richard Hooker a while back:

Part I: Understanding Richard Hooker's World
Part II: Richard Hooker and Political Theory
Part III: Richard Hooker and Laws
Part IV: Richard Hooker and Current Dilemmas
Part V: Richard Hooker and Specific Teachings

And for kicks, here is my favorite quote from Richard Hooker:

"Love is represented as the fulfilling of the law,--a creature's perfection. All other graces, all divine dispensations, contribute to this, and are lost in it as in a heaven. It expels the dross of our nature; it overcomes sorrow; it is the full joy of our Lord."

-Anglican Theologian Richard Hooker, "On Love."

Am I Born Again?

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

I believe I have completed all I need to say at this time on the issue of Blessings. I may do a historical treatise on curses in the future, which could be fun. There was a liturgy of public cursing in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, believe it or not. I do not believe that has any real bearing on purposes of answering my hate mail letter, so I will put that off to some later time. There is also the issue of the specific versus the general blessing, but that is also another topic unto itself.

I will now in the next few blog entries attempt to answer some of the other questions not having to do with the Blessing of animals that were posed in that original letter. The questions became much more snarky and personal as the letter went on, but giving the benefit of the doubt, I think they were valid questions at least from the writer's particular theological point of view. They are questions I get asked from time to time from my more, shall I say, Evangelical brethren. I use the term Evangelical not in any sort of diminutive way but for lack of a better descriptor. I have heretofore discussed the "squishiness" of the term. To be fair, I think such folk would apply the term to themselves and self identify as such.

To that end, one of the questions asked in the letter is (and I quote directly, punctuation and all), "Are you born again and do you read God's word-Do you really know what it says?"

"Are you born again?" is a question that is very loaded in terms of the American religious scene. It references the 3rd chapter of Gospel of John. You can read the whole passage here. Again, I link from my letter writer's beloved King James Version. (For those so inclined, there are numerous other translations, such as the RSV, NRSV, and the English Standard.) The key verse is verse 3, which reads in the KJV as follows: "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Interesting, American Evangelicals that favor the King James Version gravitate to the use of "born again." You will notice that in some of the later translations, that phrase, "born again," is ambiguous in the Greek. The Greek word can mean "again" or "from above," or even "anew" in some translations. The Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both "again" and "from above." Given John's portrayal of Jesus as a much more Socratic style debater and teacher (as opposed to the more Jewish Rabbinic style in the synoptic gospels), I would argue the ambiguity is intentional on John's part.

More literalist King James style American Christians often fail to grasp this ambiguity. They also fail to tackle the next thing Jesus says in that passage. In Verse 5, Jesus elaborates further, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." So, being "born again" from Jesus' words here is only the first step. Being born again allows you to see the kingdom of God, but you have to be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God."

This is where a good number of strands of Christianity "get off the train," as it were, and disagree with our more Evangelical brethren as to the meaning of what it means "to be saved." If you have a good Gideon bible (and if you've been to any Hotel room anywhere in the Western world, you've probably seen one), in the appendix, there is often this section about "How do I be saved?" (or words to that affect) which ultimately leads to the (presumably unsaved) reader to say the "Sinner's prayer."

An example is something like this from Wikipedia: "Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of you. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

That prayer, or one like unto it is, according to the "Let Jesus into your Heart and ye shall be saved" crowd is all you need to be saved and you go to heaven. Period, end of discussion. This sort of theology and understanding of salvation is a relatively modern contrivance. Christianity got along quite well for near on 1800+ years without this model of salvation. There are many historical and theological strands that feed into this understanding, e.g. Luther's Justification by Faith alone, various forms of Protestant Pietism, the Arminian-Calvinist debates, John Locke's primacy of the individual and individual rights, etc.

My critique as an Anglican is that this "Are you Born Again?" mentality is particularly American in that it is a very "Individualistic" salvation model. That is to say that I am saved as an individual. I think of that old Gospel song, "All I need is Jesus." While a great hymn, the inference is that I do not, as an individual, need the Church or its Teachings, the Christian Community, or the need to worry about doing any actual good deed like feeding the poor. As long as I said the Sinner's Prayer back in 1983 when I was 13 years old at a Bible youth camp, then I am saved. Whether I have set foot in a church since or have lifted a finger to give to the poor in all those years is completely irrelevant, so the thinking goes. I am born again, and I am saved.

Now, let me be clear. I am not trying to be snotty. I know a good number of Christians who firmly believe that all you need is to give your life to Jesus and say the sinner's prayer. They are very good, committed Christians, and I wish them all God's blessing. I have no doubt that God speaks to them and through them in God's own way. I can disagree with them, and I can try to show them what I believe is the revelation of God to His people, but ultimately I am just a signpost, an icon if you will, that points to God's Path. What they believe is not, ultimately, for me to judge.

Now, having said that, I come back to answer the original question of "Am I saved?"

My answer is always, "Yes, but..." By that, I mean, yes, I believe I am saved, to use the Evangelical terminology, but I am saved every day. I confess that I have sinned and continue to sin, despite my best efforts. I pray that God saves me from my sins every day, became I am constantly in need of keeping my eyes on the prize. I constantly need to see the Kingdom of God before me. I often wander off and start worrying about other things, so I believe I constantly need to be born again or born from above. To me, being saved is not a one time event, as if the Sinner's prayer is some magical incantation that I utter once and forever thereafter I've become a prince charming and live happily ever after. Confessing of sins and acknowledging that I need Jesus is only the first step; it is not the last step towards salvation. I am saved at Baptism, wherein I join with Jesus in his tomb and am resurrected with Jesus. I am saved through the grace of God in the Spirit when I perform good deeds and help others. I will be saved when Jesus comes again in power and great glory.

Do I know what God's Word says? By the grace of God, yes, I know what has been revealed to me. Herein is the mystery of faith, "Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again."Does that mean I know it all? By no means. But to my writer, I would ask, "Do you know what God's Word says, and like Nicodemus, do you know what it means?"

So am I saved? Yes. I believe I am saved, but everyday and in every way because I believe that is what God's Word says.

Blessings and Curses, Part 5

2011-11-01T13:51:00.002-04:00

I have been writing a mini-series of blog posts on Blessings and Curses. This stems from my initial hate mail letter that I discussed here and here. My last entry discussed my scriptural basis for the blessing of things non-human (i.e. animals and inanimate objects). I think there is warrant in scripture for such things, though I admit scripture is not replete with examples. Most, but not all, direct examples from Scripture of "blessing" or "being blessed" is applied to God and/or to humans.

I wish my initial letter writer had given me a return address, as I would have responded. I would have been interested in hearing the writer's responses to my scripture warrant and discussions. My guess, though I cannot say with any certainty, would be that my answers would not have satisfied the writer. My reading of the letter indicated that unless my writer found in scripture a direct commandment that said, "Thou shalt bless animals," then they probably would not have been satisfied. Even if such a commandment existed, they might not have even gone along with it, depending on whether if was a New Testament or Old Testament commandment.

Sadly, therein is an example of the fallacy of Sola Scriptura, i.e. the basing of Christian conduct solely on "Scripture Alone." Even when there is some scriptural warrant, either direct or indirect, if someone is convinced enough by their theology, the they will no doubt do an elaborate intellectual song and dance to discount the Scriptures that would be the proverbial fly in their ointment (to quote a well known turn of phrase from the King James Version). This is why I believe you have to acknowledge a certain extent tradition as the lenses through which you look at scripture. I would guess that my letter writer, given the horrible printed booklets that were included in the envelope, that they believed that the Roman Catholic church was the Great Satan, and anything advocated from the Catholic theology was, therefore, of Satan. This would include things like a Franciscan Blessing of the Animals. That lens is not based on Scripture itself, but is a tradition governing the letter writer's interpretation of scripture. As such, that lens is really what is shaping the writer's theology and actions and not the Scriptures alone unto themselves. Until both sides are at least willing to be honest about the fact that tradition (both small and capital "T") are at play, little more can be had from a discussion on the matters other than a "scripture spitting contest," as I referenced in an earlier post.

From here in this post, I am going to attempt to lay out as succinctly as possible my theology of blessing. Most of which will not be based on specific words of Scripture, but on my own understanding of what God is up to in the world and general themes, as I see them, in the Bible. None of the following would likely satisfy my letter writer, but so be it. At some point, you just have to agree to disagree on matters of theology because the Bible is, in some way, limited in that it is not an expansive and inexhaustible commentary textbook on everything under the sun. While I believe the Bible does contain all things necessary for salvation and is a unique revelation of God, the Bible is not the annotated encyclopedia of all the knowledge that is held within the mind of God. (For more on this, read Father Stephen's worthwhile blog entry here that he posted a few days ago. While I would quibble with a few minor points he makes, he explains all this much more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could.)

Thus, from a theological (read: big picture) standpoint, where do I come off with justifying the notions of blessing inanimate objects or animals? I start with the revelation of God at Mount Sinai, the "Giving of the Law" as it is called. I do not believe, as some Christians do (I'm looking at you, Martin Luther!), that "The Law" is necessarily a bad thing unto itself. That is, in itself, a theological discussion for another time. Suffice is to say that I believe the Law was the life giving Word to God's holy people. As such, the Ark of the Covenant is created to hold the 10 Commandments. From this, God commands the Tabernacle to be built. This was a portable temple for God to be housed and worshiped during the 40 years of wandering by the Israelites.

As this evolves, I believe God reveals himself to be a particular God particularly in matters of how He is blessed by His people. A Temple is ultimately built with exact specifications. The priests are to be dressed in this particular way. The people are to worship and offer sacrifices in this particular way. To me, this is an ongoing act of God's revelation of Himself. That God sets asides very specific places (.i.e. the Temple or Tabernacle), specific items of worship (i.e. an altar, the candlesticks, the Ark of the Covenant, etc.), people (i.e. his Holy People Israel) and worship leaders (i.e. the priests an Levites). God is Holy and the world is profane. By profane, I mean the original meaning of "common" or "not-holy," and not the common meaning today of "profanity" meaning something dirty or vulgar.

God is Holy and that which worships God or is used to worship God should therefore be consecrated to that specific, God given Holy Use of Blessing God. That is an act of making something sacred. As such, I have no issue with blessing things to the greater glory and worship of God. This act of blessing or consecration of people, inanimate objects, or even animals takes them from the realm of the profane into the realm of the Holy. As such, we should not use something that is blessed for common, everyday use. We should not use the sacred vessels for Communion for a cake and coffee hour dinner trays after church. We should not use Holy, or blessed, water for flushing the toilet. I feel we should give our utmost to God in worship, and part of giving our utmost to God is to have specific items consecrated for His, and only His, use. If an important dinner guest was coming to eat dinner with you, would you put out plastic ware and paper plates or would you get out the fine china?

How much more should we not put out for God so that God can be worshiped and glorified to the best of our ability, should God deign to come and be amongst us? This is the issue why we bless and consecrate items for God's holy use. In one sense, we are putting out the finest we have to offer to the greater glory of God, the finest China as it were, that is only to be used for the highest guest we have, that is to say, God Himself.

Likewise, the blessing of animals is a consecration of sorts of the animals that we own to the greater glory of God, that they may serve God's glory that God might be better praised and glorified. The prayer I pray for the Blessing of the Animals is thus: Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things and giver of all life, let your  blessing be upon (name of the animal to be blessed) and grant that s/he may serve to your glory and for the welfare and happiness of your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is why we bless animals and objects: that God may be glorified even more greatly by the setting apart of this animal or object or people so that nothing else might be glorified by it or them, for to God be the only and eternal glory, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Blessings and Curses, Part 4

2011-10-30T14:57:00.001-04:00

The subject of blessing(s) in the Bible is a major theme, particularly in the Old Testament. The word appears 133 times in the Bible as a whole. That 133 is the total for the entire Bible, including what Protestants refer to as the Books of the Apocrypha. I include those works in this total because my original letter writer refers specifically to the King James Version. The original King James Version did include what Protestants now refer to as the Apocrypha, but, ironically, the books are not now found in most Protestant editions of the King James Version.

The following list breaks down how many verses in the Bible contain the word "Blessing" in the King James Version by book (a few instances have the word used more than once in a verse):
Old Testament:
Genesis: 15
Exodus: 2
Letivicus: 1
Deuteronomy: 17
Joshua: 1
2 Samuel: 2
2 Chronicles: 2
Nehemiah: 2
Job: 1
Psalms: 15
Proverbs: 7
Isaiah: 6
Ezekiel: 4
Joel: 1
Zechariah: 1
Malachi: 2
Tobit: 7
Judith: 1
Wisdom of Solomon 2
Ecclesiasticus: 18
Azariah and the 3 Jews: 1
1 Esdras: 1
New Testament:
Matthew: 1
Mark: 2
Luke 3
Romans: 2
1 Corinthians: 3
2 Corinthians: 2
Galatians: 1
Ephesians: 1
Hebrews: 3
James: 1
1 Peter: 1
Revelation: 3

So, as you can see, the books where the word is used the most are (in order): Ecclesiasticus, Deuteronomy, Genesis, and the Psalms. This is not surprising, particularly because of the way the Law of Moses was largely premised. If you read through Deuteronomy, most of that book is a collection of Moses' great sermons. Largely what Moses presents is a series of blessings and curses to the Israelites. In other words, If you do this, you will be blessed; if you don't do this, you will be cursed. That is a theme that the Wisdom literature of Ecclesiasticus and the Psalms pick up on. To an extent, Genesis follows some of that as well, though Genesis is somewhat unique.

Now, "blessed," which is blessing in verb form, is used 319 times in the Bible. Again, Ecclesiasticus, Deuteronomy, Genesis, and the Psalms being the books that use that word the most. Likewise, Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (Blessed be the poor...blessed be the meek, etc.) uses the word to great extent as well. Matthew presents a very rabbinical Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount can be argued to be a rabbinical commentary on God's machinations from the Mosaic form of blessing and curses, though, interestingly, Matthew omits the curses part. It is in Luke's version of this Sermon that included the bookend curses in the more Mosaic blessing and cursing form of rhetoric, though Tradition tells us that Luke was a gentile.

Now, if you scroll through the links above, you will see that the use of "blessing" or "being blessed" refers largely to God and His People. Either the people are blessed by God, or the people are blessing God, largely as a form of thanksgiving. I believe many people who have serious issues with a St. Francis day blessing of the animals (or blessing of inanimate objects) point to this and say, "See, you cannot justify blessings of anything other than people on what is in the Bible!"

Actually, this is not true. There is scriptural warrant for both the blessing and cursing of inanimate objects in the Bible by none other than Jesus himself. Jesus in Mark "took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave it to them, and said, 'Take, eat: this is my body.'" Conversely, Jesus curses the fig tree in Mark 10. The Serpent is cursed in Genesis. The bread bowls of the disobedient are cursed in Deuteronomy 28, and so on.

Now, whether my "Bless Your Heart" hate mail sender would be satisfied, probably not. I imagine a good Calvinist will be screaming "God's Sovereignty!" at this point because God is the giver of the blessings and curses in these instances. If one is obsessed with God's sovereignty, then this Scriptural warrant probably will not satisfy. In terms of theological rhetoric, however, I do not find the cry of "God's Sovereignty" all that convincing a logical argument because to me, it is not unlike the calling of someone a fundamentalist or nazi that I referenced yesterday.

Calvinists play Divine Sovereignty as a trump card, as if God can do whatever He wants, whenever he wants, whether just or unjust, and there is nothing we can do or say about it; case closed. I reject that use of God's Sovereignty because it is a cop out. God has attributes like being love and being just and having a divine plan. While we might not be able to comprehend how in this one instance how God is being loving or just or what God's plan is, God is not insane nor is he unjust. Simply playing the sovereignty card to cover up an action of God that we do not like or understand (and are maybe somewhat embarrassed by in our modern sensibilities) it not a theological justification unto itself. Theology is the study of God. If God's actions cannot be scrutinized, then that is not a study of God. That's blind obedience to a divine despot.

I, however, am satisfied that there is scriptural warrant for both the blessing and cursing of animals and inanimate objects in both the Old and New Testaments, at least as far as the blessing the Eucharist because Jesus did go on to say, "Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me." Doing this would include the blessing and breaking of the bread at the Eucharist. If we can bless bread for God's holy use, why can we not bless and consecrate other elements of His creation for God's holy use?

Blessings and Curses, Part 3b

2011-10-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

I had a priest tell me once, "Never get into a Scripture spitting contest with a Fundamentalist...you'll lose every time." While to a certain extent true, I feel I must say that this particular priest was the stereotypical example of an Anglican cleric: he was smug, arrogant, and probably could not have quoted a bible verse to you off the top of his head to save this life. Likewise, if you had asked him how one defined "a Fundamentalist," he probably would not have been able to give you a coherent definition.

"Fundamentalist" is often used by mainline churchy types (and the New Atheists for that matter) much the same way people now use the term "Nazi" in everyday conversation. That is to say, they view the very accusation of being a "Fundamentalist" as the ultimate rhetorical trump card. If you can just label your debating opponent as a "fundamentalist" or a "Nazi," then somehow they assume they have won the argument, and the debate is suppose to end. For example, a teacher corrects a student's grammar, and the student retorts, "Well! You're just being a grammar Nazi!" Somehow being linked with the Nazis is suppose to end the debate, regardless of whether the teacher making the grammatical correction is correct or not.

The same is true with the term "fundamentalist" in most modern, mainstream religious discourse, as if "fundamentalist" is the ultimate zinger of an accusation. If one is engaging in polemics and not actual debate for the sake of learning and the general betterment of one's own position and thinking, then that tactic is valid. If one is actually trying to search for the Truth, then such rhetorical tactics are little more that tit-for-tat point scoring that neither proves nor disproves one's argument logically. One might say such discourse is non sequitur, which is Latin for "does not necessarily follow."

To toy with people's minds, if I ever get accused of being a fundamentalist, I usually short circuit that rhetorical "gotcha" trap by saying, "Well, maybe I am. If being a fundamentalist literally means I have baseline fundamental principles, what's wrong with that?" I love saying that in such a context because you can literally (no pun intended) watch the wind go out of the sails of your opponent's ship because they have no earthly idea how to respond because they thought in playing the ultimate insult, they would win the game, only to find that you trumped their trump card and upped the ante to a whole different level by making them try to define their bogeyman insult. Logically, at this point, they either try (and fail) to give a definition of fundamentalist and usually drop the subject because (at least if they have two brain cells to rub together) they realize that such labels are really at best a shibboleth that has little meaning or at worst bigoted in nature.

I bring this up because I think some of the readers of this blog (and facebook commenters) would portray my letter writer as a "fundamentalist," and as such simply wrote him (or her) off. In my research on this topic of blessings and the bible, I have not yet run across a good treatise on this issue that takes the writer's theological notions of blessings seriously. I found a lot of the responses that people wrote to me in private very dismissive. And some of that I think is justified, as it was somewhat threatening and unsigned, but had the writer actually signed it, I am convinced had I posted it the same way, people's reactions would have been the same. Suffice is to say, "Well, she's a fundamentalist...and you know how those people are." Nothing gets under my skin more than when well meaning and intelligent Christians start making snarky comments, either directly or indirectly, about those people, in whatever context or manifestation those people might be made. Again, I think we have to be careful when we get that kind of smarter-than-thou attitudes because Jesus went out of his way to hang out with those people.

As such, I find myself in the curious position of actually defending my anonymous letter writer at least in one way. I think I need to actually layout from Scripture a rationale for the Blessing of the Animals that my letter writer could understand. She, or he, would probably never agree with it, but I am, upon further consideration, going to start by laying out just such a rationale based on Scripture and go from there. Interestingly, I could find no such exposition online. So, instead of being snarky and blowing off my writer as one of those people, I am going to attempt to answer the questions posed on his or her level. I will probably fail, but I think I can make a stand alone analysis based on Scripture. Then I will delve into theology in subsequent posts.

Please stay tuned...

Blessings and Curses, Part 3

2011-10-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

This is a continuation of my previous blog posts here and here, concerning what I have dubbed the "Bless Your Heart" Hate mail I received earlier in the week. As I posited in the second linked post above, the legitimate theological issue of blessings of people, animals, or inanimate objects was raised in the letter. I believe that actually is a very good question. Certainly some people feel very strongly about it, either positively or negatively, in terms of theology.

As such, I am going to turn now to those questions that I believe the initial letter posed. As I understood the letter (and I am being generous in giving the benefit of the doubt on a number of things in it), I believed the three substantive theological questions were as follows: Where do I come off blessing animals (or non-humans)? Where do I come off blessing inanimate objects? What theology (read: actual Scripture verses) do I base any of the preceding questions on?

I had initially envisioned posting one blog entry answer to each of those questions individuals, but I have found that this approach was much harder than I anticipated, at least as far as the three questions I enunciated above. I say that because the three questions really are interconnected. I have sat down and re-written my response(s) several times. The first attempt was really disjointed as I tried to separate those three questions in separate posts. Then I tried to tackle all three at once and ended up writing half of what would have otherwise turned into a major, several-page essay on theology and scripture.

The more I started researching the issue of blessings in the Bible, the more I realized that a series of short blog entries is never going to do much more that scratch the surface of these debates. On this, my umpteenth attempt, I am going to try and pare some of what I had written back into digestible blog entries. I am still not sure if this is the best way to tackle these issues, but I will give it a whirl.

The best way I know how to begin to look at these issues is to start with an overview of the issue of blessing in the Scriptures. The initial letter writer, I presume, is of the Sola Scriptura "Show me definitively scriptural warrant in the Bible for what you base your actions" school of thought. As I noted in my previous posts on this, I think there is a certain amount of "We're just going to have to agree to disagree" in terms of Scriptural interpretation.

I do not believe you can read and interpret Scripture completely in a vacuum, as if your mind is the tabula rasa on which all Godly truth will be imprinted. We have tradition (both big "T" and small "t") and reason and all manner of lenses through which we look at the Bible. That is simply reality. We cannot read through the Scriptures as if we were Martians who suddenly appear on Earth, having never heard anything about Human culture and were handed the Bible and told to interpret it. This is a position that my anonymous letter writer would very likely categorically reject. I would imagine that they view the Bible as a divine fiat that is not to be questioned, analyzed, or puzzled over in any way, shape, or form. I can imagine (and this is horribly unfair on my part but so be it) that my letter writer has a bumper sticker that reads, "The Bible Says It; I believe it; That settles it."

At some point, we have to assume certain things. The Bible never says anything about Jesus using the bathroom, but if he was truly human, then we have to assume that he did. While that may seem like a bizarre analogy, the Church for decades in the Middle Ages debated whether Jesus ever laughed. So, the concept is not that far fetched, nor is this conundrum a new dilemma in Christianity. It goes back to the Patristic fathers and earlier.

That having been said, I am not a relativist in terms of Scriptural revelation. I do believe the Bible is a unique revelation of God to his People. That is never to be taken lightly. I also believe that we blow off the Scriptures when they say or command things that we do not like or with which we do not necessarily agree at our own detriment. As such, seeing what the Bible does say about blessing is as good as any place to start in my opinion.

My next blog entry will begin with what I see happening in Scripture in terms of blessings.

Blessings and Curses, Part 2

2011-10-26T15:51:00.001-04:00

The first question that was posed by what I am calling the "Bless Your Heart" hate mail letter involved, "...and where do you find St. Francis of Assisi patron saint of animals? I've read the King James Version through and have never read this."

I am going to endeavor to not be too cheeky in my answer to this one. The answer to this one is quite simple. Francis of Assisi lived from circa AD 1181 to October 3rd, 1226, hence the feast day (and usually the annual blessing of the animals in commemoration of Saint Francis is still held on or around October 3rd.

All writings in what we call the canon of Scripture, commonly referred to as the Bible, were largely completed by AD 100 to AD 120. The later dates are contingent on how you date some of the Johannine literature (i.e. the Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation) Many modern scholars tend to posit them as the last New Testament texts written. Ironically, the earliest fragments of the New Testament that are still in existence are from the Johannine books, so that late dating period is debatable in my opinion. I won't go into that for purposes of this blog entry.

So, Francis did not live until almost 1000 years after the books in the Bible were written, so it would be just as impossible for Francis to have been referenced anywhere in the Bible as it would be for there to have been a reference to George Washington or Desmond Tutu. The term for this is anachronism. Francis simply did not exist yet.

Most people who have any grasp of Church history would likely have known this. Even the writer of the letter might have been facetious in asking this, although with the odd reference to the King James Version, one never knows. Historical knowledge is not something modern Americans are known to possess in great abundance.

I bring up this issue because I think it does illustrate a point that I will likely elaborate on more in coming posts because it will be at play in my responses to these questions. This point is that many Protestants are historically myopic. One of the major cries of the Reformation was, "We need to get back to the way the Early Church did things!" The thinking was that the abuses and reforms that needed to be made were a result of the Catholic church's getting away from the "Early Church." If somehow the Reformers could just jettison the tradition (with a lower case T) baggage that the Catholic church had allowed to come in and corrupt the Church and simply carbon copy the way the Early Church did things, all of Christianity's problems would be solved.

This, of course, never panned out as the Protestants had hoped (though many will not admit that to this day). The fallout from this line of thinking was to create in many Protestant minds what I call a "dark space" in the timeline of Church History. There were the New Testament Church and then maybe the Post-apostolic church of the 2nd and 3rd Centuries (maybe up to the Nicene Council era of the 4th Century.) Then, after that, it was as if for 1000 years God stopped being at work in the Church until the Protestant reformers came onto the scene in the 1500's.

As such, many Protestants, and I would guess my friend of the Bless Your Heart hate mail, cannot accept that maybe the Catholic church with people like Aquinas and Francis actually had some stuff right, that God was at work in them and through the Church even in the Middle Ages. Since the Catholic Church is apparently the Great Satan (I say that sarcastically, as the booklet I was sent said that, as did Reformers like Martin Luther later in life), no theology such as a Blessing of the Animals can be Christian if if came from the Catholic church Tradition. I completely disagree with these Protestant notions, but some Protestants do, even well mannered ones.

This leads to a Rhetorical divide among Christians in the West. There are those who believe only Sola Scriptura (By Scripture Alone) to justify any Church teaching or practice; there are those who believe that Church Tradition (Capital T) is fine as long as it does not clearly contradict Scripture; and there are those who put Church Tradition on Par with Scripture as the co-means of Christian Revelation. I probably fall fairly close into the 3rd Camp as I believe Holy Tradition is a continuing means through which God was at work after the Canon of Scripture was closed. While the Bible is the unique Word of God that contains all things necessary for salvation, and yet God was still speaking, and people were still listening even after the Book of Acts. God does speak to us through the Nicene Creed, which is a part of Church Tradition not found in the Bible. God has clearly revealed himself as the Trinity, even though the term Trinity is found nowhere in the New Testament.

At the very least, it was Church tradition that itself gave us the Bible. The 1st Century Christians did not just wake up one morning and find a completed King James Bible under a rock that was pointed out by a angel. What books and letters went into the "canon" of scripture was a long process of debate and prayer and discernment of the early Church well into the 3rd Century. So, we have to rely on Tradition to tell us what the Bible actually is. Thus, Sola Scriptura is actually a mirage. We simply cannot know what the Bible is without relying on Tradition.

For example, how is it that the Letters of Paul are God's Word and not, say, the Epistle of Barnabas or the Gospel of Thomas? Only Tradition with a Capital T tells us this for certain. Once you chuck tradition, everything is up for grabs. Martin Luther for most of his career wanted to rip the Epistle of James out of the Bible, but finally backed off on that assertion, as it dawned on him that if you start ripping out books from the Bible that you don't like, you set a very dangerous precedent for your theological descendants. Before long, you end up like Marcion.

So, yes, Francis is not in the Bible. He lived 1000 years too late. Francis blessed Animals as part of God's creation. (I will touch on this again in another blog entry.) While you might not like the idea as a machination of the evil Catholic church, I pose one thought for consideration: If the writer ever used a Nativity Scene at Christmas time, Francis of Assisi came up with that. And, by the by, Christmas does mean Christ Mass. Both of which are of Catholic origin. So, if you condemn the Blessing of the Animals simply because it's Catholic, you need to eliminate a whole lot of other stuff as well.

Blessings and Curses, Part 1

2011-10-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

As I noted in my previous blog entry, I received some anonymous hate mail in my parish post office box concerning the following pictures that ran on the front page of the local newspaper:

If you can't read the text because my scanner hates newsprint, it reads with names omitted,
"Blessing of the Animals-
Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. To honor him and the creatures he loved, the Rev. ____ ____ pastor of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Brookings, here a "Liturgy for the Blessing of the Animals in the church courtyard on Sunday afternoon. On hand were about eight dogs and their owners. Shown above Father _____ blesses Maxwell, who is owned by the pastor and his wife, ____. At left, _____ ______ holds his black footed ferret and _____ _____ looks on while the Rev. _____ _____ blesses the stuffed animal."

That seemed to me, and everyone I know that saw it, to be a fairly innocuous couple of pictures. I actually quite liked them. Apparently this theologically distressed some poor soul to the point that they felt like they needed to send me anonymous hate mail. To be the fair, the original letter, at least most of it, is fairly non-threatening. The little cartoon booklets that were enclosed with pictures of priests in clerical collars burning in hell was the particularly threatening part. I have received hate mail before of a much more direct and ominous kind, so this is nothing new to me. As such, I pay no heed to stuff sent anonymously. If the person cannot even be bothered to come face me directly or, at the very least, sign their name to it, then I do not worry about it. At least in this letter, I have no doubt that the sender in his or her own mind (twisted though it may be) meant well. As such, I will not comment on that aspect any further, other than to say what we say Down South, "Well, bless your heart!" (Southerners will understand what that means.)

What I would like to comment on is the theological questions that the letter raises. I may at some point comment on the booklets' assertions, but I do not have the wherewithal right now to tackle all the ignorant misinformation in them. Perhaps one day I will. For purposes of this and subsequent blog entries, I am going to attempt to briefly answer the theological questions posed. Since the letter seems to raise several issues, I will tackle them all individually so as this blog entry will not run on for pages.

Also, let me be clear that I would have been more than happy to respond to this person or persons (they do write in parts of the letter in the plural) directly, had they left me contact information of any kind. As such, blogging will have to suffice.

As I see it, the letter raises the following legitimate and non-legitimate topics (in no particular order): Where in God's Word do I find Francis of Assisi? Where do I come off blessing animals (or non-humans)? Where do I come off blessing inanimate objects? What theology (read: actual Scripture verses) do I base any of the preceding questions on? Am I born again? Am I concerned for the people who come to my church? Do I teach them God's Word? Do I really know what God's Word says? Did God call me or did I decide to be a pastor?

I think each one of those topics actually merit a response. Some of them, in their own way, are actually very good questions. As such, I plan on answering them all in a mini-series of blog entries in the coming days (or weeks).

Please stay tuned for the series that I am going to call, "Blessings and Curses."

Wow...Hate Mail

2011-10-25T15:16:00.006-04:00

I was away this last weekend, as I was down visiting in-laws in Nebraska. Upon my return on Monday, I checked the parish mail box. Lo and behold, I received the following piece of hate mail:

Front

Back

This does, of course, reference the front page picture the local paper ran of me a few weeks back regarding our annual St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals. And then for kicks, added with this anonymously hand written letter were two little booklets, one of which had some of the following pages excerpts:

Front

Middle Page 1

Middle Page 2

I have decided to leave out the other more inflammatory pages and booklet. Suffice is to say, I'm going to burn in hell like all the rest of the Roman Catholics (and Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, Lutherans, and a wide range of other Protestants).

I don't even know where to begin with this. I would have actually theologically responded to the author, had there been a return address. I will likely respond to the basic theological question(s) posed here in subsequent days.

For purposes of this blog entry, I would only note that St. Paul urges Christians that their "Yes be Yes, and there No be no." (Matthew 5:37). And if you have a grieveance with your brother or sister, "Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15)." In other words, Christians should not send threatening and anonymous hate mail.

And, so you know, Episcopal priests can quote scripture as well because that King James Bible you are reading...we came up with that as well.

Understanding the Difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims

2011-10-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

The following is a post Canon Andrew White, the Anglican Vicar of Baghdad, posted on his blog earlier today. I think it is excellent information for those who don't understand the differences, and an interesting take, seeing as he is both a Christian and someone facilitating reconciliation between the two factions. He does delve into politics, and, as I do try to steer clear of politics, the opinions are solely his own.

(Reprinted with Permission)

-The Archer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUNNI AND SHIA ISLAM
by Canon Andrew White

A large amount of my work now days is concerned with reconciliation between Shia and Sunni. The conflict between the two has been widely publicized in the media. Yet the vast majority of people do not even know what the differences of these two are. I therefore want to go into significant detail about these two major strands of Islam so that people understand the fundamentals of this issue.

In Christian terms the difference can be seen like the difference between Catholic and Protestant two strands with the same creeds. They used to kill each other regularly not so long ago and sadly we have seen similar violence and murder between Sunni and Shia. Both are Muslims who fundamentally share the same Islamic beliefs. Their differences are not primarily theological but historical. They date back to the very beginning of Islam regarding who would take over from Mohammed. Over the years several different practices and have developed and these in turn are seen as carrying certain spiritual implications.

The separation dates back to the death of Mohamed. Who was going to take over from him? There were those who thought that the leadership of Islam should be placed under the controls of the companions of Mohamed who were proven capable leaders. There were twelve people who were seen as the right leader team and they became known as the Caliphs. Those who held to this position gave birth to the group that became known as the Sunnis. They where originally lead by one called Abu Bakr. Whom along with Imar, Aisha does the Shia reject. As is much of they’re etching about Mohamed. The Sunni see themselves as orthodox traditional Muslims. This diversity results in a considerable difference in practice on prayer, pilgrimage and fasting. The word Sunni comes from “Ahl al–Sunna” which literally means the people of the tradition. They see that their tradition is closer to Mohamed and the prophets mentioned in the Koran. Though Mohamed seen as the final prophet is seen as the ultimate and there are not seen as key people such as Imam Ali and Husain to the Shia. Such leaders after Mohammed are all seen as being merely temporal. The Sunni have also traditionally come under stat control, whilst in reality in countries such as Iraq and Iran the Shia clerics are the real ultimate authority.

This results in a major difference in practice between Sunni and Shia. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni (about 85%) therefore Shia are a minority but the majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. The major division is about the issue of hereditary leadership passed through the hereditary line from Mohammed through his son in law Imam Ali.

Thus believe in a hereditary leadership was correct believing the rule of Allah passed through a particular line. Ultimate in their beliefs is in the historic Imams. They are seen as being sinless in their very essence, with total authority coming from Allah. The historic Imam’s are venerated like saints and their tombs are venerated as shrines. Pilgrimage to these shrines is a very regular occurrence. This group did not look to the original three caliphs but to Imam Ali. He was both the Cousin and Son in Law of Mohamed. He was seen as the rightful heir of Mohamed and those who follow this tradition are the Shia. A great significance is based on the whole issue of linage to Imam Ali. Anybody in his line is called a Sayed (Sir) and to this day all the Imams of this lineage wear a black rather than white turban.

Shia Islam is not known about much in the West. They are often referred to as Shia Militia and known as the militants who control Iran and have carried out negative activity in Lebanon. The fact is that the majority of Shia are a peaceful and wonderful people. Our relationship to them is particularly very close. Shia Islam is very hierarchical, orders are passed down from the Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani based in Najaf a very holy Shia town in Iraq where Imam Ali is buried and has his shrine. The grand Ayatollah is surrounded by the Majoria the other four Grand Ayatollah’s who are next in line to Ali Al Sistani.

When there was a particular onslaught against the Christians in Iraq the Shia offered the Christian sanctuary and protection. The general feeling amongst the Christians is that the Shia will protect them. Most of the recent attacks on Christians have been from a very small section of the Sunni.

RECONCILIATION

Reconciliation between Shia and Sunni is key in Iraq. The extremists are in both groups. There divide dates back over 1000 years but it is greater than ever. Much of our work has been bringing these two strands of Islam that have been so much against each other because of their years of difference. It is the leaders of these groups that listened to each other over two years and became best friends with each other. It is this group that we have remained close friends of. They trust us and we love and give to them and at one level it is working.

The fact is that much if the violence is caused by the Sunni extremists. Many of these are linked to the Whabbi and Salafi movements that come out of Saudi Arabia. Included in this group is Al Qaida and those connected to them. At a previous meeting of the High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq after a major massacre of Christians a joint Fatwa (Religious injunction) was issued by both the Shia and Sunni together. This was a major sign of reconciliation and it was done to protect the minorities from murder. The Fatwa worked immediately and no Christian has been killed from that day. This is a wonderful example of how reconciliation saves lives.

I get very frustrated when I hear that what is simply needed is advocacy with governments, diplomats and foreign ministries. These people can do nothing about such crisis but they can put pressure on governments to support organizations like ours to fund their engagement on such work. We were very fortunate the Danish Government came up quickly with all the funds to support our engagement. Providing all the security in the world would not provide the security needed. What made the difference was that the very people we were dealing new the people committing the violence. They could put pressure on them to observe the Fatwa and stop their evil ways. What came out of this meeting was complex intelligence so I cannot share it all here but we then managed to have a very productive meeting between all the relevant coalition ambassadors and our delegates. One thing I can mention is how these terrorist cells were training and using children to be suicide bombers.

What I think of Mormons

2011-10-18T15:27:00.000-04:00

The media has been full of news of late over a certain presidential political candidate who is an adherent of the Mormon faith. Seeing as the Religious Right is a major contributor to the party of that political candidate, one of the burning issues is whether Mormonism is Christian or is Mormonism a cult? (And subsequently whether a Mormon could or should be President of the United States.)

I have watched with some interest to see where people I know (either in the media or in person) fall on that. On the one hand, the "Don't Judge lest you be Judged" and "Diversity if Life" crowds are out in force on the internet via blogs and such. One the other hand., there are the good Christians (some of whom are extremely mainline to catholic folk) I know who very much quietly with a wink and nod agreed with the Baptist pastor in the news who denounced Mormonism as a cult.

People have asked me my thoughts on the issue. While I theologically disagree with a lot that the Mormon church teaches, I don't really care one way or the other. Other churches and religious groups are free to believe whatever they want to believe. Unless they are advocating genocide or some such horrendous thing, I do not feel like it is really any of my business what they choose to believe amongst themselves.

My major question is simply, "What do you mean by the term "cult?" I think therein is the crux of the argument. The base definition of cult according to the online dictionary is actually, "a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies." So, by that definition, any organized religious body would in some sense be a cult, be it Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Methodist.

People hear "cult" and think of something like the Branch Davidians or Jim Jones in Guyana or whatever. That is a cult that unhealthily worships one (usually crackpot) leader who leads people off into seclusion so he can poison the Koolaid or what have you. Obviously, the Mormons are not that. Most Mormons I know are good, hardworking folk who vote and raise families and try to be good citizens. All of which is a form of civic Virtue (Virtue with capital "V") that I think is to be commended actually. So, to me, the "Is Mormonism a Cult?" discussion is ridiculous.

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. According to the Latter Day Saints website, Mormons have 13 Articles of Faith. While there was some things I disagreed with, particularly the one concerning the Book of Mormon being on par with the Bible as Holy writ, they seem to believe in Jesus and the cross and the Resurrection and all that. So, to my mind, they seem to at least adhere to the Big Stuff of Christianity.

Doctrinally, I think there is a lot that is suspect, but the question of whether Mormonism is heresy (and by heresy I mean false doctrine that is so detrimental and wrong that it presents a danger to the eternal salvation of one's soul) and whether Mormonism is Christian or a cult are completely separate issues. I am not here going to get into a doctrinal debate on that.

To me, that's for God to judge; it is not my job to be Saint Peter's bouncer at the pearly gates.

Happy Fall!

2011-10-16T17:33:00.000-04:00

You wanted 'Courageous and Epic'...

2011-10-13T16:49:00.000-04:00

so, naturally, you threw a hot dog at Tiger Woods.

And they wonder why they stopped serving beer at Golf events.

Troubling...

2011-10-12T10:09:00.002-04:00

I received the following cryptic e-mail from Canon Andrew White, the Anglican Vicar of Baghdad, this morning:

"I wrote earlier about our conference "Light in Darkness". Today has been such a day. We woke to the wonderful news of the imminent release of Gilad Shalit. We shared the great news that we wanted the conference for youth and adults. then the darkness began. Bomb after bomb. Shuddered but not hurt. We do not know how many have been killed but we know the light of the Lord is still here. And there are never any bombs where the conference will be."

Please pray for Baghdad and particularly the Christian community there. It must be particularly bad this morning because Canon White usually does not send messages like that.

-The Archer

History of the King James Bible...

2011-10-11T19:26:00.001-04:00

in 1 minute and 18 seconds.

Thought for the Day

2011-10-11T12:18:00.002-04:00

"Love is represented as the fulfilling of the law,--a creature's perfection. All other graces, all divine dispensations, contribute to this, and are lost in it as in a heaven. It expels the dross of our nature; it overcomes sorrow; it is the full joy of our Lord."

-Anglican Theologian Richard Hooker, "On Love."

Burl Ives and Johnny Cash

2011-10-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

There was never quite a duet like these two:

I'll say it if no one else will...

2011-10-06T11:01:00.000-04:00

This blog post will no doubt generate discussion (and probably visceral hatred) but the news has been made of Steve Jobs' (Former Apple CEO) tragic death. I have watched a torrent of news clips and Facebook updates deifying the man. Yes, let me be clear, his death was tragic. I don't mean to belittle the ravages of pancreatic cancer or of Steve Jobs' legacy as a business man and entrepreneur. He knew how to make money and sell stuff.

However, I always thought Steve Jobs was the epitome of the worst elements of consumer culture and big business. Yes, he made gadgets and computers chic, but let's be clear about what he did before we canonize him as a saint. He made people addicted to gadgets they didn't need, most of which (the gadgets not the people) are now in land fills because his ability to sell anyone anything made his latest gadget all the rage and the now obsolete one went right into the trash. Apple was always at the bottom of Environmentally Friendly Corporation lists.

His smug attitude and violent temper were the stuff of legend, and I think these attitudes filtered down to the people that bought his materialistic gadgets. I never cared for Apple products because most Apple users I know mirrored his smug, "I'm so superior because I have an Apple product" attitude. I never understood why this was exactly, because Apple products treated their users with contempt. You pretty much have to use the Apple computer or product operating system as is. You had no freedom to alter it in any way. All Apple products I ever tried operated on a completely "take-it-or-leave" operating shell which I always thought infantilized the users.

Likewise, I never thought anything he came up with was all that original. There were MP3 players before the IPod. There were user friendly operating systems before the multi-colored Macintosh computers. There were touch screen phones before the I-Phone. Jobs genius was in tweaking things and reselling them. If that is something worth deifying, then so be it.

Yes, his death was tragic, but Steve Jobs, like anyone else, goes into the Arms of the Almighty only because of God's grace, not of anything he did of his own free will and intellect.

St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals

2011-10-06T09:46:00.002-04:00

Case in Point

2011-10-01T15:29:00.000-04:00

They say that engineers can never truly design anything to be idiot proof...because the world will just design a better idiot.

Case in point: sewage from the city line backed up into our basement today.

The reason for all this Saturday morning fun?

Someone up the line decided to flush a T-shirt down the toilet.

If only I'd had a camera...

2011-09-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

Incense for the Michaelmas incensing of the grounds: $5

Appropriate liturgical vestments: $300

Look of shock on the electricians' faces as I walk through a construction zone in the church while swinging incense: priceless.

Michael and All Angels Prayer

2011-09-29T11:45:00.002-04:00

I use this when I do house blessings.
-The Archer

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Food for Thought

2011-09-28T13:42:00.000-04:00

Last week, the news was abuzz over an execution of Troy Davis. When a Christian is about to be executed by Iran for apostasy even though he was never a Muslim to begin with?

Funny that the news utters nary a word.

Hat Tip: Father Tim

Creation Care resources for Children

2011-09-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

The bishop of my diocese has asked me to be the Episcopal Relief and Development coordinator for South Dakota. At this point, I do not quite know what that means, as I will have to develop an ER-D program for the Diocese from scratch.

However, I discovered in my research that ER-D has come up with a very interesting Bible study/Sunday school program for youth involving Creation Care and Stewardship. I have to admit I get skeptical of some Creation care liturgies/bible studies because they are either particularly politically motivated or theologically ~~crazy~~ suspect. While we feel we are called to be good stewards of creation, it is not Christian to pray to Mother Earth. We pray to the God that created the Earth. That's just one of my personal theological bugaboos. That having been said, I think this Bible study looks pretty good. Each lesson has full lesson plans, bible study material, and even little liturgies for kids. You might check it out. As with anything, you can adapt it to fit your needs or theological concerns, but it looks pretty solid.

Of particular interest, there is a liturgy that would be good for a Saint Francis Day Blessing of the Animals. For those in the Brookings area, we are doing a Blessing of the Animals at 4PM this coming Sunday in the Rectory Courtyard. But, if you need to come up with something for your own parish, you might check out this resource.

Let no Man put asunder...

2011-09-23T10:13:00.006-04:00

I have been following a very interesting blog that goes through the King James Version of the bible and blogs on key phrases from that translation that still grip the modern language of English, though more modern translations have long since abandoned such turns of phrase. This morning's reflection was quite interesting, as it involved one of my favorite phrases from the KJV, as well as a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

This is one of my favorite lines from the traditional wedding ceremony, though if you use the modern language from the Wedding rite in the 1979 prayerbook, the language the priest is suppose to use is the more politically correct, "Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder." Even more contemporary wedding services I have attended use the wording, "Those whom God has joined let no one separate."

What I found interesting (and I had to look this up in my King James bible) is that technically the quote in question is, "“What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). I checked back through all the prayerbooks starting with the 1662 BCP, and they all say, "let no man put asunder."

The original Greek in question for the liturgical uber-nerds like myself is, "ὃ οὖν ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν ἄνθρωπος μὴχωριζέτω."

My initial reaction to this was to believe that the wedding ceremony in the prayerbook had actually slightly misquoted the King James version all these years, but then I looked at the very first Book of Common Prayer from 1549, and the language was thus, " ¶ Those whome god hath joyned together: let no man put a sundre." Seeing as the King James Version did not appear until 1611, the English translation of "let no man put asunder," predates the King James Version.

My next thought was that Cranmer must have been looking at the Wycliffe Bible, upon which many of the King James' turns of phrase are based. Actually, Wycliffe translated this verse as, "Therfor a man departe not that thing that God hath ioyned." I also checked the Latin Sarum Rite, and that doesn't seem to be the case either.

St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate renders the phrase thus, "ergo Deus coniunxit homo non separet."That must have been what Cranmer was looking at. Without further research, I am not certain but I believe that particular turn of phrase might actually be original to Archbishop Cranmer and his Prayerbook and not the King James' Version or any other major English translation of the bible at that time.

Food for thought...

My High School Experience in a Nutshell.

2011-09-21T14:14:00.003-04:00

(Click on Image to view Full Comic.)

Winnie the Pooh said it best...

2011-09-20T15:07:00.002-04:00

Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today.

The Lord Provides

2011-09-19T19:23:00.003-04:00

(Apologies for the Commercial)

Psalm 8 (KJV)

1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

2Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Okay, sportswriters...

2011-09-19T17:27:00.000-04:00

Because the Boston Red Sox are on the verge of losing a Wild Card race due to epic meltdown, it does not classify as "reaching epic proportions" or "worst collapse in history." Falling from 2nd to 3rd is not epic. It's the Wild Card (read: second place). If you were not, in fact, slated to win anyway of actual substance, then it is not really a collapse.

Please stop carrying on like its Bobby Thompson and the Giants:

Just a Reminder!

2011-09-19T17:00:00.001-04:00

St Paul's Wild Game Feed is this Saturday, September 24th.

Tickets still available!

Riddle for the Day

2011-09-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

I shamelessly stole this from the Vicar of Baghdad's Facebook page:

> Only 5% of Stanford University graduates figured it out!

> Can you answer all seven of the following questions with the same

> word?

> 1. The word has seven letters....

> 2. Preceded God...

> 3. Greater than God...

> 4. More Evil than the devil...

> 5. All poor people have it...

> 6. Wealthy people need it....

> 7. If you eat it, you will die.

> Did you figure it out?

> Try hard before looking at the answers

> Did you get it yet?

> Give up?

> Brace yourself for the answer....

> The Answer is:

> Nothing!

> Nothing has 7 letters.

> Nothing preceded God.

> Nothing is greater than God.

> Nothing is more Evil than the devil.

> All poor people have Nothing.

> Wealthy people need Nothing.

> If you eat Nothing, you will die.

Online Radio

2011-09-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

I have been thoroughly enjoying a program that I can get on my Roku box called Tune In Radio. At least on the Roku program (the website itself is somewhat limited but give it a try anyhow), you can tune in to literally any radio station in the world, provided the radio station has a live internet stream.

What is interesting about the Roku program is that you can search by any method you like, ranging from location to music type. You can listen to the news in Australia or some Calypso rock station from the Netherlands Antilles. It is just truly amazing.

My daughter likes to dance in the mornings after we watch the news. These are some of her favorite radio stations:

Jazz Radio
Ancient FM
Baroque Channel
1940s UK Radio

Needless to say, we listen to a lot of Jazz and pre-classical music. I suppose this comes as no surprise, as she listens to a Beethoven CD every night before going to sleep, and I have been an early Jazz aficionado for years.

Ain't technology amazing?

For 9/11

2011-09-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

The Litany of Thanksgiving from the Book of Common Prayer:

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so
freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and
sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women,
revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and
our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering
and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and
promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the
Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Answer	I believe I am so called.

Bishop	Do you now in the presence of the Church commit yourself to this trust and responsibility?
Answer	I do.

Bishop	Will you respect and be guided by the pastoral direction and leadership of your bishop?
Answer	I will.

Bishop	Will you be diligent in the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures, and in seeking the knowledge of such things as may make you a stronger and more able minister of Christ?
Answer	I will.

Bishop	Will you endeavor so to minister the Word of God and the sacraments of the New Covenant, that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received?
Answer	I will.

Bishop	Will you undertake to be a faithful pastor to all whom you are called to serve, laboring together with them and with your fellow ministers to build up the family of God?
Answer	I will.

Bishop	Will you do you best to pattern your life [and that of your family, or household, or community] in accordance with the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?
Answer	I will.

Bishop	Will you persevere in prayer, both in public and in private, asking God's grace, both for yourself and for others, offering all your labors to God, through the mediation of Jesus Christ, and in the sanctification of the Holy Spirit?
Answer	I will.

Costly Grace

What We've Been Up To in 2011

That's about the silliest thing I've ever seen.

Hey Politicians: Are You Listening?

Actually, no.

Brookings Ministerial Association

Yeah...I think I know what that is.

Bet you won't hear a sermon like this on Sunday...

Lenten Thoughts

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Last Speech

A Balmy -3 degrees

What's On Tap Tonight

Notes from Some Sermon...

Thought for the Day

The Epiphany

I know that guy!

A Case for Dale Murphy

More on South Sudan unrest

Adventures in Scroll Sawing, part II

Happy 2012 Everyone!

Sermon Prep Idea

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

In case you missed it Christmas Eve...

Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas Message

In Congo or in Croydon, God is there for us

Come Join Us!

Christmas Services at St. Paul's-Brookings

The Reading from Evening Prayer

O Antiphon for December 23rd

O Antiphon for December 22nd

Oh...a rookie!

Advent Mental Health Break

O Antiphon for December 21st

O Antiphon for December 20th

O Antiphon for December 19th

O Antiphon for December 18th

Adventures in Scroll Sawing

O Antiphon for December 17th

What's Happening in Northern Sudan?

Pray for Iraq

Food for Thought

The Meaning of Liturgical Colors

From the "You Can't Make this Stuff Up" department

The Archer's Wisdom of the Day

Pray for Sudan

Overheard at the Rectory

70 years ago...

For Saint Nicholas Day

An Appeal

The Bishop is Coming

It's that time again!

An Interesting Advent Discipline

I need some Advent music...

Seriously...

What is an Advent Wreath?

Thanksgiving Proclamation

One Bad Weekend

Overheard at the Rectory

Quote of the Day

Christmas in Baghdad

The Blog Entry where the Archer admits that He is a Purist

Just for Fun

That's Interesting

What time is it? Oop...1969 already!

Oh my...

I am here

Yawn

For Veterans' Day

More Questions and Answers

For the Feast Day of Richard Hooker

Am I Born Again?

Blessings and Curses, Part 5

Blessings and Curses, Part 4

Blessings and Curses, Part 3b

Blessings and Curses, Part 3

Blessings and Curses, Part 2

Blessings and Curses, Part 1

Wow...Hate Mail

Understanding the Difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims

What I think of Mormons