Saturday, February 22, 2014

Colleagues List, February 23rd, 2014

Vol IX.  No. 26 

*****

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE


Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net

Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

"Quicklinks" are included with many items
at the beginning of this issue. To get a more
complete picture, however, scroll down to
find your special selection in the body of
the blog. 

Note that not all items here have links.


*****


Dear Friends:

I hope you enjoyed my reflections
on William Shakespeare last week,
and on his spiritual as well as his
literary importance.

My Special Item this week centres on
another great English playwright -
George Bernard Shaw through his play
"Major Barbara"

http://tinyurl.com/fwlg8
http://tinyurl.com/mjtkx5d

To read my thoughts, scroll down

--

Colleague Communications -

this week are from:

Phil Callaway (Three Hills, AB)
Phil uses humor to share Good News
"The Fruit of the Spirit is Not Lemons"
   http://tinyurl.com/l4wl6j5

Michael Higgins (Fairfield, CT)
Higgins expresses what many Catholics
and non-Catholics hope from Francis
"RC Laity Want Treatment Like Adults"
  http://tinyurl.com/l9z62xk
 
Art Bauer (Pompton Plains, NJ)
A lengthy article, worth reading over time,
about the changes that Amazon.com entails
"Cheap Words - Is Amazon Bad for Books?"
  http://tinyurl.com/mu7vf4v

Martin Marty (Chicago, IL) 
As usual, Marty is thought-provoking - 
and this time, he writes on disability
"God as Sister... God and Sister"
  http://tinyurl.com/kb7zgfl

Jim Taylor (Okanagan BC) 
Jim takes on the question of "elves" in
an piece that expands our world-views
"Faith in Invisible Beings"
  http://tinyurl.com/lzp35xs

Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio, TX) 
Jesus replaces old religion with his
new and freeing approaches
"Religious Coinage"
  http://tinyurl.com/mytatzv
  
--

Net Notes -


"Big in Italy - Miracles!" - Italy is
a 'religiously secular' nation as this
article helps to clarify (The Atlantic)
http://tinyurl.com/l2kn5hk

"Australia's "White Trash" Image" -
a reflection, from Asia, on how this
'non-Asian' nation compromises itself
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/kfyjovu

"A Time of Change... A Time of Hope" -
what may seem threatening to many
local congregations can be revisioned
as congregations can be adaptable
(Alban Weekly) http://tinyurl.com/kdqwrnv

"A Dublin Shrine Devoted to St. Valentine" -
Ireland has inherited the relics of a person
who reflects a seasonal spiritual meaning
(America Magazine) http://tinyurl.com/l5xel69

"Japanese Bishops Challenge the Vatican" -
Asian bishops are asking the pope to help
the church break out of Euro-confinement 
(National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/n4ucxmh

"Native Women and Girls are Abuse Targets"
- Canadians are only becoming aware of the
great tragedy suffered by First Nations females
(Christian Week Online)
http://tinyurl.com/mgsx6w4

"Anglican and United Churches Talking Again" 
- about three decades ago ACC and UCC talks
about greater co-operation broke down. Now,
in very different times, there is new hope
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/m2uykv2

"Walter Brueggeman Discusses His New Book"
- one of America's leading Biblical scholars
talks about reality, grief and hope as major
prophetic opportunities of the church today 
(Englewood Review of Books video)
http://tinyurl.com/ogqsvsj

"United Nations Condemn DPRK Human Rights"
- this week, the UN issued a severe condemnation
of human rights in North Korea and a number of
articles are presented on this subject
(Assist News, UCA News) 
http://tinyurl.com/lvhpjyq
http://tinyurl.com/koq6dc7

"South Koreans Head North for Family Reunions"
- a time of at least temporary meeting between
families of North and South Korea was emotional
(UCA News, Korean Herald)
http://tinyurl.com/lhd5utp
http://tinyurl.com/kqmyauv

--

Wisdom of the Week - is here p
rovided by
Sojourners Online

Muhammad Ali, Ella Baker and Osheta Moore
share their thoughts with us.

 --

On This Day - 


Two historical events remembered
this past week, courtesy of the
archives of the New York Times
February 16th - 23rd

US Lands on Iwo Jima in WWII
http://tinyurl.com/a97rnfw

Nixon Departs on Historic China Trip
http://tinyurl.com/aw2mpfh

--

Closing Thought - St. Vincent de Paul

Please scroll down.

--

Church and University Teaching
Here is information on some of
my winter activity.

http://tinyurl.com/kvmu8o5
http://tinyurl.com/mnfjrdl
http://tinyurl.com/m5fedjk

--

Thanks for joining me again this week.

Wayne

(end)


*********** 

SPECIAL ITEM

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Introducing a Contemporary Dramatist
Through His Play "Major Barbara"

"Major Barbara" by George Bernard Shaw
 is currently appearing at Theatre Calgary.

Marlene and I are regular subscribers to
our city's major theatre company series, so

we were able to see this play last weekend 
as part of our annual membership.

Over the years, we have visited the Shaw
Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
to see, for example, excellent productions
of "Pygmalion," "The Doctor's Dilemma,"
"Heartbreak House," and others.

We have come to appreciate Shaw for
his acerbic wit and critical intelligence.

He certainly knows how to challenge
common wisdom.

Even though his life spans the mid-19th
to mid-20th centuries, we find that many
of his ideas are still applicable to our lives
today - only the context needs a bit of
adjustment.

To read a good backgrounder on Shaw,
please click: http://tinyurl.com/fwlg8


Introduction to "Major Barbara"

(Note that some of what follows is taken
from the "Masterplots - Digest of World
Literature" 1971 edition - an encyclopedic
summary of hundreds of authors and
thousands of books, treatises and plays 
spanning all human history. I have found
this eighteen volume series particularly
helpful for almost forty years.)

Click here for a Wikipedia outline of this play:
http://tinyurl.com/mjtkx5d

--

Shaw considered drama to be only a means,
not an end. He used drama as a way of
educating the great "ignorant" public.

Shaw dramatized themes: philosophical,
moral, social, economic, historic, and even
biological themes - most of which were
intrinsically non-dramatic and un-entertaining.

Shaw really tried to transform difficult subject
matter to the stage in entertaining ways. He 
was sometimes more successful attempting this
than at other times. Still, one can usually gain a
lot from attending to his best efforts.

In Shaw's plays, the theme is not merely
an integral part of the characters and action;
as often as not, it is a topic of conversation
which the characters, sitting in their parlors or 
standing on the streets, discuss and explore.

--

"Major Barbara" is a sermon. The subject 
is salvation of society and salvation of the
human soul. The text is "blessed are the
poor" - a theme frequently taken up by Jesus.

As might be expected, Shaw's message is 
diametrically opposed to the lesson taught
by Christian ethics.

Shaw believed the poor were indeed un-
blessed, but he did not associate poverty 
with sin (personal or social) that kept 
people from the kingdom of heaven. He 
saw crime as evil. To eliminate poverty,
therefore was both a social and a moral
imperative.

Thus, this play is not a religious but a
social justice sermon and it turned out
to be outrageously funny. He challenged
many of the commonly held precepts -
especially religious ones.

He pits his hero, a socialist, but also a
multi-millionaire manufacturer of
munitions, Andrew Undershaft - against 
his daughter Barbara, a major in the 
Salvation Army.  

Undershaft is the apostle of Shaw's 
secular morality. He reflects Shaw's 
"enlightened socialism" as well as his 
"evolutionary capitalism." He believed 
that an enlightened society could learn 
how to turn its poor into productive
citizens, using money that benevolent 
capitalists would invest in them.

Abolish poverty, he believed and many
of the major problems of society would
be overcome.

Shaw thought that heaven could be
created on earth when poverty was
erased. He opposed religious thinkers
who saw heaven as a place of rectified
earthly injustice. He also rejected
religious institutions that were self-
preserving and used money only to
"help people get saved and into heaven."

Barbara tries to convert her father
to give his money to the Army to help
to save souls from hell. Undershaft
believes that his money should be
invested in programs to help the
poor rise in society as his own experience
and example has taught him. He seeks
to convert her to a more "realistic way."

The daughter is crushed by her dad's
cynicism and the father is disillusioned
by his daughter's social naivete.

They agree to visit each other's
communities. Barbara is shattered
when her Sally Ann superior is 
willing to take her own father's
tainted money to keep their missions
open for service. She discovers,
on the other hand, that the town where
her dad's workers live is a place of
sanitation, prosperity and advancement.

Barbara comes to realize that "the
poor need NOT always be with us."
She determines to follow her father
and feed to souls of the well fed,
rather than the hungry.

--

My Thoughts -

Summary Assessment of the Drama:

Shaw's success is to create a thoroughly
delightful drama with many great
characters who "evolve" though both
experience and thought development. 

Without the relief of humor, however,
much of Shaw's moralizing and sermonizing 
would become very tedious.

Did Shaw convert anyone to his particular
brand of socialism?

I would doubt it.

The play is so amusing that it is
difficult to take its message seriously.
But in the process of entertaining
his audience, Shaw was at least able
to acquaint them with serious ideas. 

Those ideas and the resulting debates
they should encourage must not be
lost on people of faith. That implies
those who try to "save souls for
heaven" and those who seek to
"save souls by making this world
a better place."

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

PHIL CALLAWAY
Three Hills, AB

Christianity.ca
February, 2014

"The Fruit of the Spirit is Not Lemons"

http://tinyurl.com/l4wl6j5

--

MICHAEL HIGGINS
Fairfield, CT

Globe and Mail
February 20th, 2014

"RC Laity Want Treatment Like Adults"

http://tinyurl.com/l9z62xk

--

ART BAUER
Pompton Plains, NJ

The New Yorker
February 17th, 2014

"Cheap Words - 
  Is Amazon Bad for Books?"

http://tinyurl.com/mu7vf4v


--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL

Sightings
February 17th, 2014

"God as Sister... God and Sister"

http://tinyurl.com/kb7zgfl

--

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
February 19th, 2014

"Faith in Invisible Beings"

http://tinyurl.com/lzp35xs

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Website
February 16th, 2014

"Religious Coinage"

http://tinyurl.com/mytatzv

*****

NET NOTES

BIG IN ITALY - MIRACLES!
Saintly Celebs Inspire Italians

The Atlantic
February 19th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/l2kn5hk

--

AUSTRALIA'S 'WHITE TRASH' IMAGE
Justifiable Nickname Persists

UCA News
February 19th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kfyjovu

--

A TIME OF CHANGE... A TIME OF HOPE
Local Congregations Quite Adaptable

Alban Weekly
February 16th,2014

http://tinyurl.com/kdqwrnv

--

A DUBLIN SHRINE TO ST. VALENTINE
A Time to Make and Renew Love Vows

America Magazine
February 14th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/l5xel69

--

JAPANESE BISHOPS CHALLENGE VATICAN
Say Eurocentric Views Don't Fit in Asia

National Catholic Reporter
February 14th,2014

http://tinyurl.com/n4ucxmh

--

NATIVE WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE TARGETS
Human Trafficking Shames Our Society

Christian Week Online
February 10th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mgsx6w4

--

ANGLICAN/UNITED CHURCHES DIALOGUE
They Return to the Table After Many Years

Anglican Journal
February 14th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/m2uykv2

--

WALTER BRUEGGEMAN 
DISCUSSES HIS NEW BOOK
"Reality, Grief, Hope: 
Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks"

Englewood Review of Books Video
February 18th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/ogqsvsj

--

UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS
HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA
Global Christian Agency Supports Statement

Assist News
February 19th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lvhpjyq

Australian Missionary Detained in DPRK
In Wake of UN Human Rights Statement

UCA News
February 19th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/koq6dc7

--

Tenuous Situation Needs Wise Handling
Assist News - February 19th, 2014

The UN's Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights
in the DPRK [North Korea] released its report on
17 February. It documents a wide array of 'crimes
against humanity', details 'unspeakable atrocities'
and concludes: 'The gravity, scale and nature of
these violations reveal a State that does not have
any parallel in the contemporary world.' Tens of
thousands of Christians struggle to survive in labour
camps where they endure starvation, hard labour
and unparalleled systematic cruelty. This report
will expose the horrific situation inside North
Korea. However, the risk is it could be unhelpfully
politicised, causing repression to escalate or the
country to descend into a bloodbath. Neither would
benefit the Church in North Korea. Please pray for
North Korea and its Church.

--

S. KOREANS HEAD NORTH FOR FAMILY REUNIONS
A Bittersweet Time for Long-Divided People

UCA News
February 20th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lhd5utp

"Tears as Separated Korean Families Unite"

Korean Herald
February 20th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kqmyauv

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online
and Plough Press

"Prejudice comes from being in the dark;
 sunlight disinfects it."

- Muhammad Ali

--

"In order for us as poor and oppressed
people to become a part of a society that
is meaningful, the system under which
we now exist has to be radically changed.
... I use the term radical in its original
meaning — getting down to and then 
understanding the root cause. It means
facing a system that does not lend itself
to your needs and devising means by
which you change that system."

- Ella Baker

--

"We need to clear out space to make way
for the kingdom roots of God’s shalom that
Jesus, our common Lord, lived and died
violently for. His blood seeped into the
ground to create a new way of being that’s
marked by unity, sacrificially loving one
another, and eagerly empowering every
single image-bearer — regardless of the
color of their skin."

- Osheta Moore

*****

ON THIS DAY

Provided from the Archives
of the New York Times

US LANDS ON IWO JIMA IN WWII
http://tinyurl.com/a97rnfw

NIXON DEPARTS ON HISTORIC CHINA TRIP
http://tinyurl.com/aw2mpfh


*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - ST VINCENT DE PAUL

Even though the poor are often rough
and unrefined, we must not judge them
from external appearances nor from the
mental gifts they seem to have received.
On the contrary, if you consider the poor
in the light of faith, then you will observe
that they are taking the place of the Son
of God who chose to be poor.
(end)
 
************

CHURCH AND UNIVERSITY TEACHING
Contact Wayne Holst
403-286-2416
waholst@telus.net

WINTER CLASSES

At St. David's:

LINK TO OUR CURRENT MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
50 Book Sets Sold; 35 Course Registrants

NEAR DEATH AND LIFE AFTER LIFE - Course Design
http://tinyurl.com/kvmu8o5

Study Books:
 
"The Light Beyond" by Raymond Moody and
"Eternal Life" by Bishop John Shelby Spong

Audio and Video Links Added as Class Develops 
http://tinyurl.com/kq6ukpd
http://tinyurl.com/n6vpgy6

---

At the University:

LENTEN FRIDAY NOON FACULTY,
STAFF AND STUDENT STUDY

"In Search of Deep Faith" -
  A Pilgrimage Among People and Places of Europe
  by Jim Belcher, IVP, paperback. 2013.


February 27th - April 3rd, 2014
Six Fridays, 12-1PM. Native Centre Board Room,
Mac Hall.

Co-sponsored by St. David's United and the

U. of C. Faith and Spirituality Centre.
http://tinyurl.com/mnfjrdl
 
*****

ST. DAVIDS BOOK STUDY ARCHIVE
http://tinyurl.com/m5fedjk

*****

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Colleagues List, February 16th, 2014

Vol IX.  No. 25 

*****
 
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE


Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net

Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

"Quicklinks" are included with many items
at the beginning of this issue. To get a more
complete picture, however, scroll down to
find your special selection in the body of
the blog. 

Note that not all items here have links.


*****


Dear Friends:

A family funeral this weekend caused me
to be a bit late in sending you this issue
of Colleagues List. But I am pleased to
mail it to you by my regular Sunday
publication date.

My Special Item this week focuses on a
book I have consulted for fifteen years
and still find most useful. It has a long
'shelf life' for me, and perhaps it will be
a favourite for you as well.

It is entitled: "Shakespeare - The Invention
of the Human" by emeritus Yale literary critic
and professor, Harold Bloom. Please enjoy it. 

http://tinyurl.com/2rdwu4

To read my thoughts, scroll down.

--

Colleague Communications -

this week are from:

Lorna Dueck (Toronto) who interviews
Margaret Atwood on her new book
"MaddAddam." http://tinyurl.com/kf6y6ws

John Stackhouse Jr. (Vancouver, BC)
who defends the opening of a "Christian"
law school in Canada
http://tinyurl.com/m9p4t7c

Martin Marty (Chicago, IL) who writes
on pipe organs http://tinyurl.com/kerjeqk 

Jim Taylor (Okanagan BC) who
engages the topic of modern olympics
and how they need to change.
http://tinyurl.com/lzp35xs

Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio, TX) who
reflects on the world of the spirit
and our modern secular lives.
http://tinyurl.com/ku3thub

 
--

Net Notes -


"Theologians in Place" - an
important article on thinking
theologically in the local parish 
(The Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/mfsedzu

"Historic Olympics Photos" - a
most interesting collection of
photos from some games past
(Atlantic Monthly)
http://tinyurl.com/n6n8bw5

"Women Bishops by Christmas" -
the Church of England has formal
endorsement for an historic act
(BBC News) http://tinyurl.com/mgqdvwx

"Sojourner Truth - 163 Years Ago" -
a lovely re-enactment of a speech
given more than a 150 years ago
(Upworthy) http://tinyurl.com/jwmavrv

"Christian Youth are Sexually Active" -
here are surprizing statistics on the
sexual behaviour of young American
evangelicals (The Christian Post)
http://tinyurl.com/lrfyj8h

"Francis Faces a Divided Global Church"
- the pope faces similar North-South
divisions as other world church bodies
(Washington Post)
http://tinyurl.com/np33994
 

"A Political Theology of Climate Change"
- an important book on a modern problem
needing attention by theological minds
(Englewood Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/m7b7v4q

"The Struggle of Pakistan's Faith Minorities"
- the noble story of how Christian groups
survive in a hostile religious climate
(Huffington Post Religion)
http://tinyurl.com/knkbupb

"Benedict's Resignation a Gift to the Church"
- one year later, here is a reflection on the
significance of the former pope's decision,
as well as a new book on the subject
(UCA News, Englewood Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/mk7p4r3
http://tinyurl.com/kln2lsp

"US Bible Belt has the Highest Family Breakups"
- again, some unexpected stats on evangelical
family life in a deeply religious part of the USA
(The Christian Post) http://tinyurl.com/ltyrf87

--

Wisdom of the Week - 


Madeleine L’Engle, Thomas Merton,
Martin Luther King Jr., Oscar Romero,
Florida Ruffin Ridley, Francis of Assissi,
and Harriet Tubman share their insights.

 --

On This Day - 


Two highlight historical events of
the past week, courtesy of the
archives of the New York Times

"St. Valentine's Day Massacre"
http://tinyurl.com/2katpl

"King Tut's Tomb Opened in Egypt"
http://tinyurl.com/y8lg4zy

--


Closing Thought - penned by

W.E.B. Dubois, black writer and
editor of the last century.

--

Church and University Teaching
Here is information on some of
my winter activity.

(end)


*********** 


SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

A Rich Shakespeare

SHAKESPEARE: 
THE INVENTION OF THE HUMAN
by Harold Bloom

Riverhead Books, 2002
768 pages, $29.00 CAD
ISBN #10-157322751X 

Publisher's Promo:

"The indispensable critic on the indispensable
  writer." 

- Geoffrey O'Brien,
   New York Review of Books
 
A landmark achievement as expansive,
erudite, and passionate as its renowned
author, Shakespeare: The Invention of the
Human is the culmination of a lifetime of
reading, writing about, and teaching 
Shakespeare. Preeminent literary critic -
and ultimate authority on the western
literary tradition - Harold Bloom leads
us through a comprehensive reading of
every one of the dramatist's plays,
brilliantly illuminating each work with
unrivaled warmth, wit and insight.

At the same time, Bloom presents one 
of the boldest theses of Shakespearean
scholarship: that Shakespeare not only
invented the English language, but also
created human nature as we know it today.

Wikipedia article on Harold Bloom and his career:
http://tinyurl.com/2rdwu4

--

Author's Words:

Literary character before Shakespeare is
relatively unchanging... In Shakespeare,
characters develop rather than unfold.
and they develop because they reconceive
themselves...

The more one reads and ponders the plays
of Shakespeare, the more one realizes  that
the accurate stance toward them is one of
awe.

This book, though it hopes to be useful to
others, is a personal statement, the expression
of a long (though hardly unique) passion and
the culmination of a life's work in reading,
writing about and teaching what I still
stubbornly call imaginative literature.

The plays remain the outward limit of human
achievement aesthetically, cognitively, in
certain ways morally, even spiritually...

I offer a fairly comprehensive interpretation
of all (35) Shakespeare's plays, addressed
to common readers and theatregoers...

He wrote the best poetry and the best prose
in English, or perhaps any Western language.
He thought the more comprehensively and
originally than any other writer... He went
beyond all precedents (even Chaucer) and
invented the human as we continue to know it.

The dominant Shakespearean characters -
Falstaff, Hamlet, Rosalind, Iago, Lear, Macbeth,
Cleopatra among them - are ordinary instances
not only of how meaning gets started, rather
than repeated, but also of how new modes of
consciousness come into being...

His total effect upon the world's culture is
incalculable. After Jesus, Hamlet is the
most cited figure in Western consciousness;
no one prays to him, but no one evades him
for long either.

I am certain that these plays... read me better
than I read them... We need to exert ourselves
and read Shakespeare as strenuously as we
can, while knowing that his plays will read us
more energetically still.

They read us definitively.

- from his Introduction - To the Reader

--

My Thoughts:

I saw my first Shakespeare play in a tent
at Stratford, Ontario when I was a teen.
That dates me to the 1950s when there
was not yet a beautiful festival theatre.

Even then, however, I was drawn to this
unique playwright and poet, even though
I found him no easier to comprehend than
the King James Version of the Bible. But,
like the latter, I realized there was real
meaning and substance hidden under
those Elizabethan words and phrases.
Like Bloom, I have spent my life going
to the Bard's plays and trying to mine
his insights more deeply.

Some of the more popular ones I
have seen many times.

Early on, I determined to see all 35
of Shakespeare's dramas from the
classic canon. Over the years, and
in addition to Stratford, Ontario, I 
have had the privilege of attending
plays in the UK (Stratford-upon-Avon,
The Globe Theatre, London) in the USA
(New York, Minneapolis) and in Calgary
and Banff (Alberta).

Perhaps the most meaningful venue
has been the reconstructed Globe
in South London by the Thames. This
place gives one a sense of how
Shakespeare was originally performed.

Over the years, I have admired
top-notch theatre companies and
impressive drama-student endeavours.

At last count, I have seen all but
twelve of the total canon. Most of
those are the historical dramas
and a few other less-produced
pieces from the collected folio.

Still, I am determined to see the
total genre live, and before I can
no longer attend a theatre.

Since 1999, a year after Harold Bloom
produced this masterful interpretation,
I always try to read his chapter on
the particular play I happen to be
seeing. During this time, I have had
the joy of seeing these plays at
various venues with Marlene my wife
who is not always as enchanted with
the Bard as I am. We usually have
good conversations about what we
have seen. So I recommend that, if
you can, watch Shakespeare with a
person with whom you too can
engage in conversation.

Since high school, I have studied
the tragedies and gained much from
them. The comedies I sometimes find
a bit frivolous and repetitive. Bloom
divides these into 'early' and 'high.'

And then there are the romances.

As with the Bible, I find in Shakespeare
an unending wellspring of meaning, true 
inspiration, personal growth and
satisfaction.

There is no doubt that, for me, each
of these great Sources influence the
other to my enduring gratification.

For those who cannot get as excited
about Shakespeare as I do, I would
only advise what I tell Marlene --
'keep working at him.' You won't be
wasting your time.

The Bloom book has been in print for
fifteen years and is still available,
both new and used.

--

Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/kptwdlw

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK
Toronto, ON

"God's Gardeners"
  An Interview with Margaret Atwood

http://tinyurl.com/kf6y6ws

--

JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.
Vancouver, BC

"Have Some Faith
  in a Christian Law School"

Globe and Mail
February 3rd, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/m9p4t7c

--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL

"Pipe Organs"

Sightings
February 10th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/ku3thub

--

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
February 12th, 2014

"Olympics Need to Refocus"

http://tinyurl.com/lzp35xs

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Website
February 9th, 2014

"Our Pagan Resistance
  to the Other World"

http://tinyurl.com/ku3thub

*****

NET NOTES

THEOLOGIANS IN PLACE
Local Church Thinks Theologically

The Christian Century
February 4th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mfsedzu

--

HISTORIC OLYMPICS PHOTOS
Archival Pix of the Early Years

The Atlantic Online
February 14th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/n6n8bw5

--

WOMEN BISHOPS BY CHRISTMAS
Church of England Synod Approves

BBC News
February 11th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mgqdvwx
--

SOJOURNER TRUTH - 163 YEARS AGO
Early Black Feminist - Modern Reading

Upworthy
February 6th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/jwmavrv

--

CHRISTIAN YOUTH SEXUALLY ACTIVE
11% Evangelicals Wait Until Marriage

The Christian Post
February 12th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lrfyj8h

--

FRANCIS FACES DIVIDED GLOBAL CHURCH
Two Increasingly Divergent Constituencies

Washington Post
February 8th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/np33994

--

A POLITICAL THEOLOGY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Michael Northcott Book on a Pressing Need

Englewood Review of Books
February 12th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/m7b7v4q

--

STRUGGLE OF PAKISTAN'S 
FAITH MINORITIES
Persecution Remains Strong,
But Faiths Survive

Huffington Post Religion
February 10th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/knkbupb

--

BENEDICT'S RESIGNATION
A GIFT TO CHURCH
First Anniversary
of Historic Decision

UCA News
February 12th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mk7p4r3

"The Pope Who Quit" One Year Ago)
by John Sweeny -

Englewood Review of Books
February 12th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kln2lsp

--

US BIBLE BELT HAS
HIGHEST FAMILY BREAK-UPS
Question of Whether it is a
Faith or Race Issue

The Christian Post
February 14th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/ltyrf87


*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
and The Daily Dig, Plough Press

"If God’s peace is in our hearts, we carry it
with us, and it can be given to those around
us, not by our own will or virtue, but by the
Holy Spirit working through us. We cannot
give what we do not have, but if the spirit
blows through the dark clouds, and enters
our hearts, we can be used as vehicles of
peace, and our own peace will be thereby
deepened. The more peace we give away,
the more we have."

- Madeleine L’Engle 

Source: Seeking Peace

--

"Do not be too quick to assume that your
enemy is an enemy of God just because
he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy
precisely because he can find nothing in you
that gives glory to God. Perhaps he fears you
because he can find nothing in you of God’s
love and God’s kindness and God’s patience
and mercy and understanding of the
weaknesses of men. Do not be too quick to
condemn the man who no longer believes
in God, for it is perhaps your own coldness
and avarice, your mediocrity and materialism,
your sensuality and selfishness that have
killed his faith."

- Thomas Merton:

Source: New Seeds of Contemplation

--

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
  only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

--


"God is not failing us when we don’t
feel his presence. Let’s not say: God
doesn’t do what I pray for so much,
and therefore I don’t pray any more.
God exists, and he exists even more,
the farther you feel from him. God is
closer to you when you think he is f
arther away and doesn’t hear you.

"When you feel the anguished desire
for God to come near because you don’t
feel him present, then God is very close
to your anguish."

Oscar Romero:

Source: The Violence of Love

--

"All we ask for is justice - not mercy
or palliation  - simply justice. Surely
that is not too much for loyal citizens
of a free country to demand."

- Florida Ruffin Ridley

--

"If we owned anything, we should have
to have weapons to protect ourselves.
That is what gives rise to contentions
and lawsuits, and so often causes the
love of God and neighbor to be interfered
with. For ourselves, we are resolved to
possess nothing temporal in this world."

- St. Francis of Assisi

Source: The Legend of the Three Companions

--

"I had seen their tears and sighs, and I had
heard their groans, and I would give every
drop of blood in my veins to free them."
        
- Harriet Tubman

*****

ON THIS DAY

From the Archives
of the New York Times

February 9th-16th

ST. VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE
http://tinyurl.com/2katpl

KING TUT'S TOMB OPENED IN EGYPT
http://tinyurl.com/y8lg4zy

*****
  
CLOSING THOUGHT -
W.E.B. Dubois

"The cost of liberty is less 
  than the price of repression." 

(end)

*****

CHURCH AND UNIVERSITY TEACHING

Contact Wayne Holst
403-286-2416waholst@telus.net

WINTER CLASSES

At St. David's:

LINK TO OUR CURRENT MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
50 Book Sets Sold; 35 Course Registrants

NEAR DEATH AND LIFE AFTER LIFE - Course Design
http://tinyurl.com/kvmu8o5

Study Books:
 
"The Light Beyond" by Raymond Moody and
"Eternal Life" by Bishop John Shelby Spong

Audio and Video Links Added as Class Develops 
http://tinyurl.com/kq6ukpd

http://tinyurl.com/n6vpgy6



---

At the University:

LENTEN FRIDAY NOON FACULTY,
STAFF AND STUDENT STUDY

"In Search of Deep Faith" -
  A Pilgrimage Among People and Places of Europe
  by Jim Belcher, IVP, paperback. 2013.


February 27th - April 3rd, 2014
Six Fridays, 12-1PM. Native Centre Board Room,
Mac Hall.

Co-sponsored by St. David's United and the

U. of C. Faith and Spirituality Centre.

More information to appear shortly.


*****