Saturday, March 29, 2014

Colleagues List, March 30th, 2014

Vol. IX.  No. 31

*****

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:

My Special Item this week is a notice for
a book that has been on the market for
3-4 years but to which my attention
was drawn only recently as part of another
book study. It is entitled:

"Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy"
  by Eric Metaxas

   http://tinyurl.com/mtwgv2o

- and is a volume I hope you will consider.

For my notice, scroll down.

--

Colleague Contributions this week are from

Jim Taylor - who writes about "knowing our place"
http://tinyurl.com/3m3alz8

Martin Marty - who describes "the end of elite 
denominational headquarters in the USA"
http://tinyurl.com/kso2hq7

Ron Rolheiser - who has us reflect on
"groaning beyond our words"
http://tinyurl.com/kc7uocj  and

Marjorie Gibson - who shares "chance encounters"
http://tinyurl.com/k62sm95

--

Net Notes this week include:

"After Crimea" - what should the West do
now that Russian presence in the Crimea
is a fait accompli (America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/k2occ9d

"Light Without Sight" - a helpful Lenten
reflection from a writer we appreciate
(The Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/mqkvmu5

"Anglicans Reflect on the TRC" - as the
Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission
completes its hearings across the country
we listen to personal reflections from it
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/lcwto5y

"Painful Native History to be Taught" -
Canada is determined to learn from its
bitter residential school experience
(Canadian Press) http://tinyurl.com/lqccqtu

"Francis and Obama Meet With Smiles" -
a great first encounter for these two world
leaders of church and state, with pictures
(National Catholic Reporter, Washington Post)
http://tinyurl.com/ku26uaq
http://tinyurl.com/lgrwz82

"Vanier Also a Papal Visitor This Week" -
another Francis guest this week was a
long-time mentor of Colleagues List
(L'Arche, Youtube) http://tinyurl.com/ljuosgz

"Vatican Dumps Luxury German Bishop" -
as might have been expected, the
"bishop of bling" has been deposed,
but will others follow as well?
(El Jazeera, Religious News Service)
http://tinyurl.com/qagv3t9
http://tinyurl.com/qgw2934

"World Vision Flip Flops re Gays in SSMs" -
the winner of this week's news item with
the most heat, if not light, is this story
(Christianity Today, Religious News
  Service Rachel Held Evans Blog)
http://tinyurl.com/kzjhqm2
http://tinyurl.com/m9kn6sg
http://tinyurl.com/prxktqt
http://tinyurl.com/mrmdfts

"'Noah' - is Deeply Passionately Biblical" -
another biblical movie appears in theatres
this weekend accompanied by good reviews
(Sojourners Online) http://tinyurl.com/kplq47l

"El Salvador Struggles With Its Violent Past"
- new elections here, but will things really
change in this troubled land?
(National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/n5vfzma

--

Wisdom of the Week come to us from
Sojourners online:

James Weldon Johnson, Edwin Louis Cole
and Adrienne Rich

Please scroll down.

--

On This Day:

From the archives of the New York Times: 

"Khrushchev Becomes Supreme Russian Leader"
  http://tinyurl.com/yawo3ba
"Israel and Egypt Sign Camp David Accord"
  http://tinyurl.com/7h4hd57
"Exxon Valdez Runs Aground Off Alaska"
  http://tinyurl.com/c3kf4w
"US Withdraws from Vietnam"
  http://tinyurl.com/7pgd6y6

--

Our Closing Thought this week is from
the Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard

Continued Lenten Blessings,

Wayne

******


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 


Moody Series:
http://tinyurl.com/kq6ukpd
http://tinyurl.com/n6vpgy6
http://tinyurl.com/kjkltd2
http://tinyurl.com/kdxchff 

Spong Series:  
http://tinyurl.com/kyfuqo8
 
---

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.
THIS CLASS HAS NOW BEGUN
http://tinyurl.com/mnfjrdl
*****

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

*****
 

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

BONHOEFFER:
Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
by Eric Metaxas
Thomas Nelson, 2011.
608 pp. Paperback.
$21.00 CAD Kindle: $11.69
ISBN #10-1595552464.

Publisher's Promo:

Who better to face the greatest evil of the
20th Century than a humble man of faith?

As Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation,
bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate
the Jews of Europe, a small number of dissidents
and saboteurs worked to dismantle the Third
Reich from the inside. One of these was Dietrich
Bonhoeffer—a pastor and author, known as much
for such spiritual classics as The Cost of Discipleship
and Life Together, as for his 1945 execution in a
concentration camp for his part in the plot to
assassinate Adolf Hitler.

In the first major biography of Bonhoeffer in forty
years, New York Times best-selling author Eric
Metaxas takes both strands of Bonhoeffer's life -
the theologian and the spy - to tell a searing story
of incredible moral courage in the face of monstrous
evil. In a deeply moving narrative, Metaxas uses
previously unavailable documents - including
personal letters, detailed journal entries, and
firsthand personal accounts - to reveal dimensions
of Bonhoeffer's life and theology never before seen.

In Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy -
A Righteous Gentile vs the Third Reich, Metaxas
presents the fullest accounting of Bonhoeffer's
heart-wrenching 1939 decision to leave the safe
haven of America for Hitler's Germany, and using
extended excerpts from love letters and coded
messages written to and from Bonhoeffer's Cell 92.
Metaxas tells for the first time the full story of
Bonhoeffer's passionate and tragic romance.

Readers will discover fresh insights and revelations
about his life-changing months at the Abyssinian
Baptist Church in Harlem and about his radical
position on why Christians are obliged to stand
up for the Jews. Metaxas also sheds new light on
Bonhoeffer's reaction to Kristallnacht, his
involvement in the famous Valkyrie plot and in
"Operation 7," the effort to smuggle Jews into
neutral Switzerland.

Bonhoeffer gives witness to one man's extraordinary
faith and to the tortured fate of the nation he sought
to deliver from the curse of Nazism. It brings the
reader face to face with a man determined to do
the will of God radically, courageously, and joyfully -
even to the point of death. Bonhoeffer is the story
of a life framed by a passion for truth and a
commitment to justice on behalf of those who
face implacable evil.

--

"Eric Metaxas has penned this volume on
Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The English-speaking
public needs to know far more than it does
about his thought as well as his life.

(His books have already helped many reflect
on the nature of the Christian life and of
Christian community.)

It is impossible to understand Bonhoeffer
without becoming acquainted with the
shocking capitulation of the German church
to Hitler in the 1930s. How could the
"church of Luther," that great teacher of
the gospel, have ever come to such a place?

The answer is that the true gospel, summed
up by Bonhoeffer as costly grace, had been
lost. He opposed formalism - the belief that
God loves and forgives everyone. He also
opposed legalism - the belief that it is enough 
to try to live a good disciplined life. Both
formalism and legalism he called "cheap grace."

Both these impulses made it possible for
Hitler to come to power. As a result, Germany
lost hold of the brilliant balance of the gospel
that Luther so persistently expounded...
we are saved not by what we do but by grace.

We know that grace comes to us by costly
sacrifice... and costly grace changes you from
the inside out...

That lapse couldn't happen to us today, surely,
could it? Certainly it could. We have a lot of
Christians today who talk only about God's
love and acceptance... If we are not careful,
we too run the risk of falling into the belief
of "cheap grace" - formalistic and legalistic.

So it looks like we still need to listen to
Bonhoeffer and others who go deep into
discussing the nature of the gospel.

- Timothy J. Keller

--

"Metaxas magnificently captures the life of

theologian and anti-Nazi activist Dietrich
Bonhoeffer . . . A definitive Bonhoeffer
biography for the 21st Century." Kirkus.

--

Author's Words:

In the early part of the summer of 1945,
only months after the war had ended,
the ghastly news of the death camps
emerged - along with the unfathomable
atrocities that the Nazis had visited upon
their victims...

Now, the reality of what had happened
was confirmed by photographs, newsreel
footage and eyewitness accounts of
soldiers who liberated the camps in April
during the last days of the war...

--

To win the war, the allies had to forge
a belief that the only good German was
a dead German.  But now, the war was over.

Many in the West had little awareness of
Germans who had opposed Hitler from he
beginning - like the Bonhoeffer family
of Berlin. But they did not know that the
youngest son of that family had died
until the BBC had broadcast a memorial
service for him... Many English could only
then take in the hard news that this dead
man, who was a German, was good...

The man who died was engaged to be
married. He was a pastor and theologian.
And he was executed for his role in the
plot to assassinate Hitler.

This is his story.

- Eric Metaxas in a summary of the Preface

--

My Thoughts:

Seventy years after his martyrdom in
1945, many are only now becoming aware
of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I am particularly
pleased to recommend this Bonhoeffer
biography because, unlike many of the
earlier studies of this man - conducted
by Continental and English writers -
this wonderful work was written by an
American.

That fact - appearing forty years after the
last major biography of Bonhoeffer -
suggests the growingly global appeal
of his story, and also, that he continues
to build an important place in Christian
history.

I first began reading books like "Letters
and Papers from Prison," "The Cost of
Discipleship," and "Life Together," as
a young Lutheran seminarian during the
mid-sixties. That was only twenty years
after those books had started appearing
in the English-speaking world.

Now, fifty years later, more and more
readers from around the world are
beginning to learn about a man I have
appreciated and respected for fifty
years. There is nothing more satisfying
to me than introducing Bonhoeffer
to students with evangelical Protestant,
African and Asian and secular background
as I currently have the opportunity to do.

Bonhoeffer continues to appeal because
he writes intelligently and with a broad
theological depth.

Bonhoeffer continues to appeal because
he showed great courage in standing up
to authority in both church and state.

Bonhoeffer continues to appeal because 
he tried to discern the hard meaning of
the Gospel in a social environment that
was consumed with secular pursuits.

Bonhoeffer continues to appeal because
he was deeply committed to the gospel
in his own life and in the communities
where he found himself.

He was consistent. He lived what he
believed as he led an illegal seminary
for several years north of Berlin -
and when he was in prison daily
awaiting his demise.

Bonhoeffer helps up prepare for a
good death, and to live faithfully to
the end our days.

Bonhoeffer helps us to bear the
sufferings of our own lives with
a purpose.

Many consider it a tragedy that
Bonhoeffer died at Flossenburg
Concentration Camp in Bavaria,
only two weeks before the place
was liberated by American forces.

I am not at all certain that Bonhoeffer
would have considered this a tragedy.
He had prepared to die well and he
did so. Apart from missing his fiancé
and his family, he knew where he was 
going after his earthly life ended.

If you have been intrigued by
what I have been sharing about
this very special hero of mine,
I hope you will consider buying
this excellent biography.

*****

Buy the Book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/mtwgv2o

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
March 24th, 2014

"Keeping in Our Proper Place"

http://tinyurl.com/3m3alz8

--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, Il.

Sightings
March 24th, 2014
             
"End of Elite Denominational Headquarters"

http://tinyurl.com/kso2hq7


--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Web Site
March 23rd, 2014

"Groaning Beyond Our Words"

http://tinyurl.com/kc7uocj

--

MARJORIE GIBSON,
Vancouver, BC

Marjorie Remembers Blog
March 28th, 2014

"Chance Encounters"

http://tinyurl.com/k62sm95

*****

NET NOTES

AFTER CRIMEA
No Return to Cold War

America Magazine
April 7th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/k2occ9d

--

"LIGHT WITHOUT SIGHT" - 
BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR
A Lenten Reflection

The Christian Century
March 24th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mqkvmu5

--

ANGLICANS REFLECT ON TRC
Canadian Hearings End This Week

Anglican Journal Online
March 27th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lcwto5y

--

PAINFUL NATIVE HISTORY TO BE TAUGHT
Native Story Will be Part of Curriculum

Canadian Press
March 27th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/lqccqtu

___

FRANCIS AND OBAMA MEET WITH SMILES
First Meeting Strikes Highly Personal Note

National Catholic Reporter
March 27th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/ku26uaq

Five Vatican Meeting Pictures You Need to See
Washington Post/Sojourners Online
March 28th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lgrwz82

--

VANIER ALSO PAPAL VISITOR THIS WEEK
L'Arche Founder Makes First Visit to Pope

Youtube
March, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lgrwz82

--

VATICAN DUMPS 'LUXURY' GERMAN BISHOP
Not Exactly "the Pope's Man"

Al Jazeera
March 27th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/qagv3t9

Will More Firings Follow?

Religious News Service
March 26th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/qgw2934

--

US WORLD VISION HIRING GAYS IN SSMs
Major Step for Big Evangelical Organization

Christianity Today
March 24th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kzjhqm2

WORLD VISION REVERSES DECISION ON GAYS
After Intense Pressure from Key Supporters

Christianity Today
March 26th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/m9kn6sg

Religious News Service
March 27th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/prxktqt

--

Author Blasts Evangelical Obsession
Says "How Out of Control We've Become"

Rachel Held Evans
Personal Blog/Christian Post
March 25th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mrmdfts

--

"NOAH" IS DEEPLY, PASSIONATELY BIBLICAL
Biblical Movie Opening This Weekend

Sojourners Online
March 28th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kplq47l

--

EL SALVADOR STRUGGLES WITH VIOLENT PAST
Long and Tragic History in a Struggling Land

National Catholic Reporter
March 24th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/n5vfzma

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

"This country can have no more democracy 
than it accords and guarantees to the humblest 
and weakest citizen."

- James Weldon Johnson

--

"A fast is not a hunger strike. Fasting submits 
to God's commands. A hunger strike makes 
God submit to our demands." 

Edwin Louis Cole

--

"If you are trying to transform a brutalized 
society into one where people can live in dignity 
and hope, you begin with the empowering of 
the most powerless."

- Adrienne Rich

*****

ON THIS DAY

From the Archives
of the New York Times

March 23rd - 29th

"Khrushchev Becomes Supreme Russian Leader"
  http://tinyurl.com/yawo3ba

"Israel and Egypt Sign Camp David Accord"
  http://tinyurl.com/7h4hd57

"Exxon Valdez Runs Aground Off Alaska"
  http://tinyurl.com/c3kf4w

"US Withdraws From Vietnam"
  http://tinyurl.com/7pgd6y6

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT- Søren Kierkegaard:

The earthly minded person thinks and imagines
that when he prays, the important thing, the thing
he must concentrate upon, is that God should hear
what he is praying for. And yet in the true, eternal
sense it is just the reverse: the true relation in
prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for,
but when the person praying continues to pray
until he is the one who hears, who hears what
God is asking for.

(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 


Moody Series:
http://tinyurl.com/kq6ukpd
http://tinyurl.com/n6vpgy6
http://tinyurl.com/kjkltd2
http://tinyurl.com/kdxchff 

Spong Series:  
http://tinyurl.com/kyfuqo8
 
---

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.
THIS CLASS HAS NOW BEGUN
http://tinyurl.com/mnfjrdl
*****

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

*****

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Colleagues List, March 23rd, 2014

Vol IX.  No. 30

*****

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:

As I write these words I note that last
week's issue of Colleagues List - posted
just 7 days ago - has received almost
800 hits so far. That issue attended to
the matter of how to focus attention on 
the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
in 2017. It has been one of the most
popular issues to date, and I rejoice!

Also, last week I posted a link from
The Tablet (UK) on the announcement
that the Eastern Orthodox are planning
their first major council in 1,200 years.
That link was dead or weak but it is now
working. http://tinyurl.com/nqommkj

--

My Special Item this week is 
book notice focusing on the life and 
work of Joseph Campbell, entitled 
"The Hero's Journey," and edited by 
Phil Cousineau. http://tinyurl.com/kfjhalm

As many of you know, Campbell has been
a significant mentor of mine, and, I hope
you will benefit from this book notice.

--

Colleague Contributions

This week, Oblate priest-friend from
St. Paul, MN writes on the theme:
 "Local Parish Renewal"
   http://tinyurl.com/k8stdag

Jim Taylor, a regular contributor to this
mailing writes on "Crimea and Quebec"
http://tinyurl.com/q5vf2a3

Thanks to both of you.

--

Net Notes

This week, our themes include -

"Ukraine Backstory" - to give us some
perspective on a fast-breaking current
event I provide this link (USA Today)
http://tinyurl.com/kaq4jfu

"Ukraine - Looking at Both Sides" - a
helpful contribution comes to us from
a Mennonite theologian (Assist News)
http://tinyurl.com/pmjxzfp

"Ukrainian Greek Catholics Persecuted" -
some Christian groups in the Ukraine 
seem to be less equal than others
(Catholic News Agency)
http://tinyurl.com/qc4bq76

"Lent is Not Just for Catholics Anymore" -
an encouraging article describing how
many Protestants are picking up on
at least some Catholic practices
(America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/ln5c8qt

"Patriarchy and Our Abusive Churches" -
an evangelical Protestant woman blogger
writes an important article, coming via
Sojourners Online (Rachel Held Evans Blog)
http://tinyurl.com/nhfsnlt

"What Will Happen to Westboro Baptist?" -
with the death of its controversial pastor,
it is natural to ask about possible succession
(Christian Post) http://tinyurl.com/lx8m6ob

"Finally Getting it Right About the Big Bang" 
- important news about a theory that is
moving toward scientific factually
(Atlantic Online) http://tinyurl.com/oecvunm

"Australian Catholics Confront Clerical Abuse"
- one more nation - now having to come to
terms with a secretive, abusive, tradition
(National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/l4a85ok

"Survey: Irish Church Disconnected from People"
- scandals have taken their toll in a nation that
was formerly strongly Catholic, not unlike Quebec
(The Tablet, UK) http://tinyurl.com/nb5b7gj

"Faith Leaders Collaborate to Fight Modern Slavery"
- here is an issue about which many people of the 
spirit have consensus (Anglican Digital Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/q4exqnv


--

Wisdom of the Week

Insights come from a wide variety of people, 
times and places. Please scroll down.

Catherine of Siena, William Law, Elisabeth Elliot,
Chief Seattle, Glenn Archer and Thomas à Kempis


--


On This Day

From the Archives of the New York Times
Week of March 16th - 22nd

"First Human Space Walk by Soviet Cosmonaut"
  http://tinyurl.com/4ou72pg

--

Closing Thought
  
Frederick Buechner is a favourite author of
mine from over the years. Scroll down.

--

FYI I include some classroom and study
links currently occupying my life -

My Current Church and University Teaching
St. David's Book Studies of Fifteen Years.
Scroll down.

--

Lenten blessings to you!

Wayne

**********

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

THE HERO'S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work
(new redesigned edition of a classic work)
by Joseph Campbell, edited by Phil Cousineau
New World Library Trade Paperback. 336 pages.
Released March 15th, 2014. $16.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-60868-189-1.

Publisher's Promo:

The great mythologist traces his own quest in
conversation with the luminaries he inspired,
now in trade paperback Joseph Campbell,
arguably the greatest mythologist of the
twentieth century, was certainly one of our
greatest storytellers. This masterfully crafted
book interweaves conversations between
Campbell and some of the people he inspired,
including poet Robert Bly, anthropologist
Angeles Arrien, filmmaker David Kennard,
Doors drummer John Densmore, psychiatric
pioneer Stanislov Grof, Nobel laureate Roger
Guillemen, and others. Campbell reflects on
subjects ranging from the origins and functions
of myth, the role of the artist, and the need for
ritual to the ordeals of love and romance.

With poetry and humor, Campbell recounts his
own quest and conveys the excitement of his
lifelong exploration of our mythic traditions,
what he called "the one great story of mankind."

http://tinyurl.com/kfjhalm

--

Editor's Intro:

Joseph Campbell's long odyssey through the seas
of ancient mythology was as much a spiritual
quest as it was a scholarly one. Through his
prodigious readings, writings, and travels, as well
as his crossroads meetings with many of the 20th
century's most influential men and women, he
discovered remarkable parallels in our world's
mythological heritage and reinforcement for the
deep conviction he had held since he was a young
student: that there is a fundamental unity in the
heart of nature.

"Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names,"
he often quoted the Vedas. To synthesize the
constant truths of history became the burning
point of his life; to bridge the abyss between
science and religion, mind and body, East and
West, with the timeless linkage of myths became
his task of tasks.

Campbell's comparative historical approach to
mythology, religion and literature, in contrast to
the conventional scholar's emphasis on cultural
differences, concentrated on similarities. He was
convinced that the common themes or archetypes
in our sacred stories and images transcended the
variations of cultural manifestations...

Moreover, he believed that a re-viewing of such
primordial images in mythology as the hero, death
and resurrection, the virgin birth, and the promised
land - the universal aspects of the soul, the blood
memories - could reveal our common psychological
roots. They could even show us, as seen from
below,  how the soul views itself...

"Myths are the masks of God," he wrote, "through
which men (sic) everywhere have sought to relate
themselves to the wonders of existence..."

After more than fifty years of teaching and more
than twenty books, Campbell felt his contribution
was simply that he gave people "the key to the
realm of the muses," that marvelous realm
beyond the visible one from which imagination
and inspiration could guide us in shaping our lives.

"Life is not a problem to be solved," he said, "but
a mystery to be lived..."

(After years of interpreting Campbell, I had
considerable editing to do to reconstruct the
parallel journeys of the work and the man.
The result is this integration of many books and
articles he wrote, the filmed presentations he
made and the interviews with many  - like his
most famous with Bill Moyers' "The Power of Myth"
that he conducted.)

I believe Joe Campbell is enjoying eternity (he 
died in 1987, 27 years ago) by reading from the 
inexhaustible book of myth.

- Phil Cousineau (2003) from the
  Preface to the hardcover edition. 

--

My Thoughts:

At a crucial time of transition in my life (during
my early fifties) I happened upon Joseph
Campbell and a number of his signature books
like "The Hero With a Thousand Faces," "Myths
to Live By," "The Mythic Image," and the book
and video interview series he did with Bill Moyers
entitled "The Power of Myth" http://tinyurl.com/nnbcs6l

Most of his major work was done from mid-
twentieth century to the 1980s.

More than any other writer/scholar, Campbell
gave me new perspectives with which to grow
spiritually and authentically as I sought to move
beyond the confinements of my earlier spiritual
formation - yet not reject that important base.

I began teaching courses on Campbell and his
approach to myth at the university. Over the
years I was blessed with groups of students
and other associates who continued to grow
and think with me at the university and the
church. We would often meet for social events
outside of class to continue our myth-quests!

With considerable gratitude I look upon the
last quarter century of my career as a teacher,
while having equal appreciation for my first
career as a pastor.

To this day I continue to relate to teaching
and student colleagues at the university
and the church because it would not have
been possible to make the evolving spiritual
transitions of my life without that community.

Over the years, I have valued the fact that
New World Library has continued to release
updated editions of Campbell's essential
oeuvre as well as enlightening and helpful
companion works like this one.

I recently introduced in the Jan. 12th, 2014 
issue of Colleagues List http://tinyurl.com/k6zeaoo 
"The Goddess" http://tinyurl.com/lm3yopk
the latest publication of Campbell's works,
and treasure my collection of the complete 
set, numbering 13 books, and his other 
writings on mythological themes. Most of 
these are available on the New World Library 
website http://tinyurl.com/num94gk and can 
also be purchased from Amazon.ca

--

This book is different, in that it is a
compilation and clarification of most of
his writings, presentations and interviews
by a lifelong student of Campbell's - 
Phil Cousineau. 

More of the great mythologist's writings 
will be released over time. But this is a 
good summary of his primary material 
appearing so far.

If you are interested in building bridges
of spiritual understanding with people
of faith or of no declared faith, you would
be wise to secure a book like this one.
It covers all of Campbell's major themes.
For the price (from Amazon) it is a real
bargain, as well as a treasure, and one 
you will return to, often.

--

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

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

HARRY WINTER
St. Paul MN.

US Oblate Web Site
Current Article

"Parishes from Vatican II to Francis"
  http://tinyurl.com/k8stdag

--

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
March 17th, 2014

"Crimea and Quebec Have Much in Common"
  http://tinyurl.com/q5vf2a3


*****

NET NOTES

UKRAINE BACKSTORY
How Events Have Evolved

USA Today
March 20th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/kaq4jfu

--

UKRAINE - 
LOOKING AT BOTH SIDES
Mennonite Theologian 
Shares Views

Assist News
March 20th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/pmjxzfp

--

UKRAINIAN GREEK 
CATHOLICS PERSECUTED
Crimea Church Links 
Orthodox/RC Traditions

Catholic News Agency
March 18th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/qc4bq76

--

LENT NOT JUST FOR 
CATHOLICS ANYMORE
Many Practices Now 
Common to Protestants

America Magazine
March 31st, 20124

http://tinyurl.com/ln5c8qt

--

PATRIARCHY AND 
OUR ABUSIVE CHURCHES
Following Evangelical 
Bill Gothard's Dismissal

RACHEL HELD EVANS BLOG
Provided by Sojourners
March 14th, 2014 

http://tinyurl.com/nhfsnlt

--

WHAT WILL HAPPEN 
TO WESTBORO BAPTIST?
Famous Gay Hating Church 
Losing Pastor

Christian Post
March 19th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/lx8m6ob

--

FINALLY GETTING IT RIGHT 
RE THE BIG BANG
Confirmed Theory of 
the Origin of the Universe

The Atlantic Online
March 18th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/oecvunm

--

AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS 
CONFRONT CLERICAL ABUSE
Church Control Unravelling

National Catholic Reporter
March 15th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/l4a85ok

--

IRISH CHURCH DISCONNECTED 
FROM THE PEOPLE
Survey Reports Teachings 
Don't Relate to Public

The Tablet, UK
March 21st, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/nb5b7gj

--

FAITH LEADERS UNITE TO 
FIGHT MODERN SLAVERY
Committed to Challenge 
Global Sex Trafficking

Anglican Digital Journal
March 17th, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/q4exqnv

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

"To the servant of God every place 
is the right place, and every time 
is the right time."

- Catherine of Siena

--

"All that is sweet, delightful, and amiable
in this world, in the serenity of the air,
the fineness of seasons, the joy of light,
the melody of sounds, the beauty of colors,
the fragrancy of smells, the splendor our
precious stones, is nothing else but Heaven
breaking through the veil of this world,
manifesting itself in such a degree and
darting forth in such variety so much of
its own nature."


 - William Law

--

"One way to begin to see how vastly indulgent 
we usually are is to fast. It is a long day that is 
not broken by the usual three meals. One finds 
out what an astonishing amount of time is spent 
in the planning, purchasing, preparing, eating, 
and cleaning up of meals."

- Elisabeth Elliot

--

"One thing we know, which the white man may 
one day discover, our God is the same God. You 
may think now that you own [God] as you wish 
to own our land; but you cannot. [God] is the 
God of man, and [God's] compassion is equal for 
the red man and the white. This earth is precious 
to [God], and to harm the earth is to heap contempt 
on its Creator."


- Chief Seattle

--

"The church must never become a government 
factory, carrying on a nationalized industry of 
religion with the people as the bolts and nuts; 
with God reduced to the role of cramped advocate 
of current national policy. Surely the pages of history 
are replete and the examples in many a foreign 
country convincing that this kind of church-state 
union — whatever the original motives, or however 
noble the original purposes — winds up with a state 
that is less than stable and a church that is less than 
sanctified, and with the poor still hungry."

- Glenn Archer

--

"A man who cares nothing for praise or blame knows
great  inward peace... Praise does not make you holier
than you are, nor blame more wicked. You are exactly
what you are, and cannot ever be any better or worse
than that, in the eyes of God. Attend to what is really
within you, then, and you will not care what others
say of you. People look at externals, but God looks at
the heart. They weigh actions; God knows your intent...
To feel no need of human support and assurance is a
mark of inward confidence – of one who truly walks
with God in his heart."

- Thomas à Kempis:

*****

ON THIS DAY

From the Archives of the New York Times

March 16th-23rd

"First Human Space Walk by Soviet Cosmonaut"
http://tinyurl.com/4ou72pg

*****


CLOSING THOUGHT - Frederick Buechner

Inspection stickers used to have printed on 
the back, “Drive carefully: the life you save 
may be your own.” That is the wisdom of 
men in a nutshell. What God says, on the 
other hand, is, “The life you save is the life 
 you lose.” In other words, the life you clutch, 
hoard, guard, and play safe with is in the end 
a life worth little to anybody, including yourself; 
and only a life given away for love’s sake is a 
life worth living. To bring this point home, God 
shows us a man who gave his life away to the 
extent of dying a national disgrace without a 
penny in the bank or a friend to his name. In 
terms of men’s wisdom, he was a perfect fool, 
and anybody who thinks he can follow him 
 without making something like the same kind 
of fool of himself is laboring not under a cross 
but a delusion.


Source: Listening to Your Life


(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 


Moody Series: 
http://tinyurl.com/kq6ukpd
http://tinyurl.com/n6vpgy6
http://tinyurl.com/kjkltd2
http://tinyurl.com/kdxchff 

Spong Series:  
http://tinyurl.com/kyfuqo8
http://tinyurl.com/npym6zt

---

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

*****