Vol VIII No. 33
****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com
Canadian Anglicans Google Groups Web Site:
http://tinyurl.com/pcskb9n
"Quicklinks" are included with many items.
Otherwise, scroll down to find your selection
in the body of the blog.
*****
Dear Colleagues:
This issue of Colleagues List comes to you
a bit later on the weekend because I was
preparing for a talk I gave Saturday to
honour colleague Mathew Zachariah, author
of "Making Anew My Home," at the official
launch of his book. I introduced that book
to the readers of Colleagues List, April 9th
of this year:
Here is the version used by the Anglican
Church of Canada's website:
http://tinyurl.com/mggod7u
The relationship between faith and science
continues to occupy the minds of thoughtful
people today. This week I introduce a book
by an English scientist who could be termed
a "new atheist" but who takes a more respectful
approach to the biblical tradition, even though
he believes it is trumped by modern science.
The book is entitled:
"The Serpent's Promise -
The Bible Retold as Science"
http://tinyurl.com/lcqaljj
--
Colleague Comment:
Aaron Navrady, Youth Minister at St. David's
United where we share staff roles, found that
my staff meeting devotional on The House of
the Virgin in Ephesus, Turkey reminded him of
another example of a Dominican priest building
spiritual links between Islamic and Christian
spiritualities. He shares his thoughts below.
http://tinyurl.com/k86akt3
--
Colleague Contributions this week are from:
Marjorie Gibson (Vancouver)
http://tinyurl.com/mfhcag4
Jim Taylor (Okanagan)
http://tinyurl.com/yl374wj
Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio)
http://tinyurl.com/lc6cqh2
--
Net Notes:
"Senor Romero" - the famous martyr of
El Salvador is introduced once more
in a review of a new book this week
(Englewood Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/moc4t8t
"Big Brother is Watching" - more
on the matter of privacy and the
growing invasion of our personal
information (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/m9hw4dv
"'I Did Not Want to be Pope'" -
Francis I continues to surprise and
delight people as well as to cause
confusion in the Vatican
(Huffington Post Canada, US Catholic)
http://tinyurl.com/l2q4fyr
http://tinyurl.com/l2l6c2x
"Some Don't Celebrate Morgentaler" -
not all Canadian hail Morgentaler as
a liberator of woman. Here is another
perspective on one who died recently
(Christianweek.org)
http://tinyurl.com/lmwb9r6
"Shakespeare as Literary Dramatist" -
the question is posed - did Shakespeare
work primarily as a playwright or as
one who wanted people to reflect on
his words? (The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/kz95o6e
"Young Adults - Why They Leave Church"
- the ongoing matter of youth dropping
out of the church is taken up by a
Canadian evangelical Christian. Canadian
evangelicals seem to be doing a better
job of retaining their youth, by the way
(Faith Today - Evangelical Fellowship)
http://tinyurl.com/mo7joww
"Thousands Mark Tienanmen Square Massacre"
- the twenty-fourth anniversary of the
famous event in China is remembered again
this year by the city of Hong Kong
(Uca News) http://tinyurl.com/nx58olf
"Turkey: Religious Freedom and Social Reform"
- an insightful probe into the religious issues
that are related to the unrest in Turkey is
unpacked for us by John L. Allan
(National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/ln2389u
"C of E Drops Its Opposition to Gay Marriage"
- this week, the gay marriage bill passed in
the British House of Lords. The Church of
England dropped its opposition as bishops
sitting in the house changed their stance.
The Archbishop of Canterbury remains opposed
(Huffington Post Canada, The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/krx6way
--
Wisdom of the Week -
Courtesy of Sojourners online, the following
share this insights with us:
Henri Nouwen, Francis of Assisi,
Evelyn Underhill and Arundhati Roy
--
On This Day:
June 2nd - 9th
RFK Shot Dead in Los Angeles
http://tinyurl.com/nwzs76e
Allies Take the Normandy Beaches
http://tinyurl.com/k8vw3
Lateran Treaty - Vatican Again a State
http://tinyurl.com/mxxlttr
--
Closing Thought - Paulo Freire
(end)
*****
Our New Fall Programs will be posted here
shortly, as they develop over the next months.
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at
St. David's, plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
*********************
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
THE SERPENT'S PROMISE
The Bible Retold as Science
by Steve Jones, May, 2013.
Doubleday Canada, Toronto.
Hardcover: $29.95 CAD
Kindle Edition: $15.99 CAD.
ISBN #9780385670630
Publisher's Promo:
A unique contribution to the God/religion debate:
a scientific take on the Bible that doesn't take
sides. Many of the subjects studied by physicists
or by biologists are found in the texts of the
world's religions: the origins of the universe,
of life and of mankind; fate, sex, age and death;
and the prospects of eternal life or of fiery doom.
The Bible is a handbook for understanding Nature
and, in its own way, it succeeds. As a factual
account, of course, it is out of date, but many
of its statements can be rephrased in modern terms.
Distinguished geneticist Steve Jones has done that:
written a riveting, accessible work on recent
advances in our understanding of ourselves,
using the Bible as a framework. His narrative
is structured around the Good Book's grand themes,
from Genesis to Revelations, and weaves a series
of unexpected facts into a coherent whole.
The struggle of rationalism with its opposite has,
after decades of torpor, returned to centre stage.
Polemics against and in favour of religion and
atheism fill the shelves. Instead of adding to
that pile, Steve Jones stands back and take a
fresh look at that issue in a volume that is not
an attack or a defense but which explores scriptural
motifs - Creation, the Garden of Eden, original sin,
the Exodus, virgin birth, the Resurrection, and the
Last Judgment - using the methods and results of the
latest scientific research. It is a remarkably quick
jump, shows Professor Jones, from Adam to
astrophysics.
Although some of the questions raised are beyond
the capabilities of science, at least a scientist
can ask them in a new way. Steve Jones shows there
is a better route to understanding the universe
than through doctrine.
--
About the Author:
Steve Jones is the former Head of the Department
of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University
College London and has worked at universities in the
USA, Australia and Africa. He is also a television
presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject
of biology, especially evolution. In 1996, his
writing won him the Royal Society Michael Faraday
Prize "for his numerous, wide ranging contributions
to the public understanding of science in areas such
as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited
disease and genetic manipulation through his many
broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures,
popular science books, and his regular science
column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions
to other newspaper media."
--
Author’s Words:
This volume is an attempt… to scrutinize the
biblical pages from the point of view of a
scientist, In an attenuated version of its
original it tries to imitate the Testaments by
weaving what might seem a series of unrelated
facts into a coherent whole. Powerful as the
tools of science have proved, plenty of people
dispute its findings on grounds of belief while
others reject claims on faith because they deny
the truth, or are impossible to test.
Polemical works for and against… belief stream
from the press. Some attack its fundamentals
while others do the opposite… Some try to have
a foot in both camps. They suggest that objective
analysis can only go so far and that there must
be another truth beyond. Martin Luther King said
“Science investigates; religion interprets… the
two are not rivals.” The notion that science and
doctrine occupy separate, or even complimentary,
universes and that each provides an equally valid
insight into the world seems to me unconvincing
and is pursued no further here.
The Serpent’s Promise is not intended as a
statement for or against the joy of sects; as an
attack on, or defense of, Christianity or any
other creed. My own views on the sublime, such
as they are, play almost no part. Instead, I
attempt to stand back and take a fresh look at
the sacred writings in a volume that tries to
interpret some of its themes in today’s language.
The Serpent’s Promise ends with an account of
today’s attempt at a science of faith; and makes
the modest proposal that now may be the time for
the natural to supplant the supernatural as Man
begins to make sense of the universe he inhabits…
Religion depends on revealed or permanent truths…
(On the other hand) Einstein saw the Bible as no
more than ‘a collection of honourable but still
primitive legends which are nonetheless pretty
childish,’
Science is constantly open to a more adequate
explanation of what can be known. The danger of
doctrine is that its adherents seek confirmation
of what they know… but whatever the triumphs of
modern research, a good portion of humankind still
rejects its tenets because they conflict with their
own opinions… I sometimes wonder whether those who
pour their inane doctrines into their pupils’ ears
ever consider the damage they do; not to my
profession, but to theirs.
I hope to make the case that reason is a better
way to understand the physical universe than is
faith; that science is a more consistent, universal
and satisfying tool with which to organize human
lives.
--
My Thoughts:
The Serpent's Promise is based on the snake's
message to the women (Genesis 3:4) "No, you
will not die. God knows in fact that the day
you eat (the fruit of the tree) your eyes will
be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing
good from evil."
This is a book by an author who might well be
called a new atheist, but whose writing takes
a higher road than that of many other cynical
new atheists who are contemptuous of faith.
Steve Jones acknowledges the authentic background
offered to modern science by the Bible and he tries
to read the biblical narrative - both Hebrew Bible
and the New Testament - in that light.
Still, he concludes that the faith traditions are
only a backdrop to a more adequate explanation of
reality offered by an ever evolving modern science.
In that regard he wants to reconnect the link that
was severed between science and faith at the time
of the enlightenment.
Here is a critical but sympathetic assessment of
the faith traditions that nevertheless views
science as the ultimate winner of the survival
sweepstakes.
Many of us would beg to differ with the author.
Still, we continue to benefit from the critique
of modern science on our inherited spiritual
wisdom. We might also question what 'survival'
of the truth really means when the long history
of faith is compared to that of modern science.
This book is another good "workout" for people
of faith who believe that faith needs constant
challenge in order to survive and thrive.
--
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/lcqaljj
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
AARON NAVRADY
Youth Minister,
St. David's Calgary
Wayne
Your opening at our staff meeting this morning
got me thinking to an episode of the online radio
show On Being. It's an interview with a Dominican
who also connects with Islam as a part of his faith
exploration (he works in Turkey).
I have included the link to the episode (see the
LH sidebar on the page) in case you are interested.
Thanks for your reflections this morning!
Aaron
http://tinyurl.com/k86akt3
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
MARJORIE GIBSON
Vancouver, BC
Marjorie Remembers Blog
"Spring for the Prairie Child"
http://tinyurl.com/mfhcag4
--
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
"Why Opinion Polls Don't Get it Right"
http://tinyurl.com/yl374wj
--
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
"Always in a Hurry"
http://tinyurl.com/lc6cqh2
*****
NET NOTES
MONSENOR ROMERO
Recent Bio Reviewed
Englewood Review of Books
June 7th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/moc4t8t
--
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
And Doing More Than That
The Guardian, UK
June 7th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/m9hw4dv
--
"I DID NOT WANT TO BE POPE"
Francis Concerned for Psychiatric Health
Huffington Post Canada
June 7th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/l2q4fyr
Pope's Spontaneity Has Vatican in Spin
US Catholic
May 31st, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/l2l6c2x
--
SOME DON'T CELEBRATE MORGENTALER
Pro-Lifers Not Happy With Him
Christianweek.org
May 31st, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/lmwb9r6
--
SHAKESPEARE AS LITERARY DRAMATIST
Did He Write to be Seen or Read?
The Tablet, UK
June 6th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kz95o6e
--
YOUNG ADULTS - WHY THEY LEAVE
And Why They Stay in Church
Faith Today
Sept/Oct 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mo7joww
--
THOUSANDS MARK TIENANMEN MASSACRE
Event Not Forgotten after 24 Years
Uca News
June 5th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/nx58olf
--
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND REFORM IN TURKEY
Do the Protesters Want What We'd Want?
National Catholic Reporter
John L. Allen, Reporter
June 7th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ln2389u
--
C of E DROPS OPPOSITION TO GAY MARRIAGE
Significant Policy Shift By UK Anglicans
Huffington Post Canada
June 7th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/krx6way
Canterbury Opposed to Gay Bill
The Guardian, UK
June 3rd, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/pfdbnmj
Lords Approve Gay Bill
The Telegraph, UK
June 4th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mlnh9co
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online:
Dear Lord, I will remain restless, tense and
dissatisfied until I can be totally at peace
in your house. There is no certainty that my
life will be any easier in the years ahead,
or that my heart will be any calmer. But there
is the certainty that you are waiting for me
and will welcome me home when I have persevered
in my long journey to your house.
- Henri Nouwen
--
Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
which Christ grants to His friends, is that of
self-conquest and of willingly bearing sufferings,
injuries and reproaches and discomforts for the
love of Christ. If we shall bear all these things
patiently and with cheerfulness, thinking on the
suffering of Christ the blessed, which we ought
to bear patiently for His love, O Brother Leo,
write that here and in this is perfect joy.
- Francis of Assisi
--
Charity is the live wire along which the power
of God, indwelling our finite spirits, can and
does act on other souls and other things,
rescuing, healing, giving support and light.
Such secret intercessory prayer ought to
penetrate and accompany all our active work.
It is the supreme expression of the spiritual
life on earth.It moves from God to others
through us, because we have ceased to be
self-centered units, but are woven into the
great fabric of praying souls, the 'mystical
body' through which the work of Christ on earth
goes on being done.
= Evelyn Underhill
--
Colorful demonstrations and weekend marches
are vital but alone are not powerful enough
to stop wars. Wars will be stopped only when
soldiers refuse to fight, when workers refuse
to load weapons onto ships and aircraft, when
people boycott the economic outposts of Empire
that are strung across the globe.
- Arundhati Roy
*****
ON THIS DAY
From the Archives
of the New York Times
RFK SHOT DEAD IN LOS ANGELES
http://tinyurl.com/nwzs76e
ALLIES TAKE THE NORMANDY BEACHES
http://tinyurl.com/k8vw3
LATERAN TREATY - VATICAN AGAIN A STATE
http://tinyurl.com/mxxlttr
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Paulo Freire
To speak a true word is
to transform the world.
(end)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Colleagues List, June 2nd, 2013
|
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Colleagues List, May 26th, 2013
Vol VIII No. 31
****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com
Canadian Anglicans Google Groups Web Site:
http://tinyurl.com/ohr84gx
"Quicklinks" are included with many items.
Otherwise, scroll down to find your selection
in the body of the blog.
*****
Dear Colleagues:
I am happy to note that my article
in last week's Colleagues List on
the highlights of our Turkey Tour
had received more than 600 internet
hits as of my writing this today.
It's great that people seem interested.
Special Item:
This week I am pleased to share notes
taken at the Calgary Wisdom Centre from
a lecture entitled:
"Fashion Me a Church " (Presentation One)
by Colleague Herbert O'Driscoll
Thanks to colleagues Anna and Don at
St. Laurence Anglican, Calgary for
bringing Herb from Victoria to a city
where he has had a significant impact.
Hopefully, these colleagues will add
notes from subsequent talks given this
weekend to future Colleagues List issues.
I continue to find Herb very
stimulating, after 30 years of listening
to his presentations and sermons!
http://www.wisdomcentre.ca/index.html
--
Colleague Contributions this week are from:
Harry Winter, Martin Marty, Ron Rolheiser
Lorna Dueck and Jim Taylor
http://tinyurl.com/nevexug
http://tinyurl.com/ngngyop
http://tinyurl.com/nuxhclp
http://tinyurl.com/nlhxfxk
http://tinyurl.com/q9u4rt3
My thanks to all of you!
--
Net Notes:
"Sticky Faith" - here are current
insights into congregational youth
ministry by an alert practitioner
(The Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/pt6cyg7
"My Bright Abyss" - this weekend
a new book is reviewed about 'faith
healing' that will reach a large
secular audience around the world
(New York Times Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/ptfbvhw
"Background Check" - as the new pope,
Francis I, settles into his new office -
two early books on his previous life
and influence appear (America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/nocrqsk
"The Rule of Taize" - traditionally,
Christian communities would develop
'rules' to guide their live together.
Here is a look at a modern community
through its guidelines
(Englewood Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/ntb2cg3
"Heaven for Atheists?" - this
week I offer two articles on
a changing view of atheists
from a religious perspective
(Huffington Post Canada)
http://tinyurl.com/qhf9bf3
"'Til Faith Do Us Part'" - another
review that will be widely read
this week is on the impact of
interfaith marriage in America
(New York Times Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/o84yvcg
"Saying "I Do" Without God" - many
June weddings are in the works and
still on the marriage theme, this
article deals with the creation of
new wedding liturgies for humanists
(Religious News Service)
http://tinyurl.com/p755r3o
"College to Operate Another Year" -
an Anglican school of theology in
Saskatoon is facing survival difficulties.
A few months ago, the Lutheran School
of Theology there entered emergency mode
(Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/ns7c7h2
"Woolwich Provokes Anti-Muslim Feelings"
- in the wake of a gruesome UK killing
the general public is greatly upset by
the circumstances (The Telegraph, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/ns98l52
--
Wisdom of the Week - is offered by
the following:
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Bill Quigley
and Derrick Bell
--
On This Day:
Provided from the archives of the
New York Times:
Truman Doctrine Aids Greece and Turkey
http://tinyurl.com/nmdpq9a
First Trans-Atlantic Flight by Lindbergh
http://tinyurl.com/ptzlqho
Scopes Indicted for Teaching Evolution
http://tinyurl.com/d9jtz
--
Closing Thought - Pope Francis I
(end)
*****
Our New Fall Programs will be posted here
shortly, as they develop over the next months.
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at
St. David's, plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
*********************
SPECIAL ITEM
FASHION ME A CHURCH (Presentation One)
by Colleague Herbert O'Driscoll
Wisdom Centre,
St. Laurence Anglican Church, Calgary
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
http://www.wisdomcentre.ca/index.html
Octogenarian O'Driscoll is still a very
sharp and insightful presenter, in spite
of the fact he declared himself "in
the springtime of my senility."
Thanks to our colleagues at the Wisdom
Centre for bringing Herb to Calgary
this weekend.
This is the first of several presentations
he gave. We hope to publish notes from these
additional talks as they become available.
Each presentation included the congregational
singing of hymns or the musical contribution
of a backup group that contributed modern
songs from such artists as Lennon/McCartney
and Leonard Cohen. This helped to create
what O'Driscoll does best - integrating
the traditional with the contemporary.
--
In 1250 in Paris, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
began to reintroduce Aristotelian philosophy
to the western world, helping to infuse
medieval Catholicism with the support
of classic thought via Arabic scholars who
had preserved Greek thinking during a low,
barbaric period in the history of Europe.
http://tinyurl.com/npo9d4u
In 1687 at Cambridge, Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
published "Principles of Mathematics," - an
early signal of the advancing scientific age
that came into full flower during the European
enlightenment period that followed.
.
'Reason' was a strong theme in hymns that
were written during this time.
http://tinyurl.com/g6v7x
In 1738, after a profound spiritual experience
at Aldersgate, London, John Wesley (1707-1788)
initiated an evangelical revolution out of a
moribund Church of England - later known as
Methodism. His work emphasized the power of
personal, evangelical, experiential religion
and the opening of doors to new life for people.
http://tinyurl.com/jjts7
All this leads us to ask in terms of our day:
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?"
"Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
--
We live in a time when we are forced to expand
our minds constantly. We live in a confusing moment
of being "pushed" forward by our culture.
Neuroscience is causing us to better come to
understand the wiring of our brains, but we
have a lot to learn about this.
We find ourselves at the juncture of both
dead ends and great possibilities. Which of
these will win out over the long term?
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote presciently:
"Our times are more powerful than our brains."
O'Driscoll then suggested a number of hunches
and meanings he has drawn from the following
modern developments, among others:
- the exponential growth of knowledge
- the recognition of new sub-atomic worlds
- the relational transformation of the sexes
- the increasing human ability to manipulate
reality within and beyond itself.
One byproduct of all this is the loss of wonder
and awe in the lives of many people. Traditional
religion has been deeply affected, as has the
way it tends to work for many.
Why has this happened? The Enlightenment Project
has extracted the sacred from our culture and
relegated it to institutions. This has had
both positive and negative affects.
The institutionalization of life has led to
the growth of the sciences and the arts. But
the end result for religion is that, in the
minds of many moderns - "it doesn't matter much."
Still, surprisingly, the culture itself has
been developing a spirituality (spiritualities)
and new ways of seeing the world with awe, wonder
and mystery. We live in a time of instant
information, but also of new kinds of hymns.
Secularization is searching for new forms
of spirituality today. Margaret Sommerville
has said that environmentalism, for example,
is becoming a religion in our time.
The maddening contradiction of our era
is that while western culture has seen
religion as inadequate, it has begun to
develop new forms of religion for itself.
--
At the same time, another major global
phenomenon has been emerging.
Western culture is facing a great migration
today. This has not occurred to such an
extent since the 5th century barbarian
invasions of Italy.
Old religious traditions have revived
in the global South and East. This is
true for both Christianity and other
faiths. Modern secular assumptions are
being profoundly challenged by these
developments.
We live in a multicultural, multifaith era
supported by world-wide communications
and travel.
The West tends to view these emergenses
as "old, outdated cultures" but to those
who believe in them, it means much. In
the West, religion is private and personal.
In other parts of the world, it is very
openly expressive and public.
The great religions challenge secular
Christianity as they still do in places
like Turkey.
How will these revivals shape our global
future?
--
Christian faith has resources to respond
to these challenges. Let's not isolate
ourselves in defensive postures. For
many in our world, Christian faith means
a great deal and will continue to do so.
Here are examples of this:
- the revival of Russian Orthodoxy
- the emergence of Christianity in China
- the massive growth of the church in Korea
Remember that all of the above places of
modern Christian emergence are scientific
cultures much like our own.
The question we need to ask now is this:
"Does modernism inevitably result in
secularization as we in the West view it?"
--
Here are signals of spiritual power in
the midst of our modern secular societies:
- Taize and Iona
- Pilgrimages
- Hospice movement
- Christian thinking linked to modern psychiatry
- Classical music
- Cosmology (pre and post-Hubble)
Where does Herb go for spiritual experiences today?
- an art galley
- a hospice
- a cathedral
- a planetariumm
- a park
- the theater, symphony and opera
These are places a Christian can find much
meaning and spiritual revitalization in
our time, O'Driscoll concluded.
(end of presentation one, more to follow)
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
HARRY WINTER
St. Paul, MN
"Catholics Welcome Anglicans and Lutherans
in the Spirit of Cardinal John Henry Newman
http://tinyurl.com/nevexug
--
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, Il.
Sightings,
May 20th, 2013
"Evangelicals Bring Christ to the Ivy League"
http://tinyurl.com/ngngyop
--
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio TX
Personal Website
May 26th, 2013
"Our Fundamental Option"
http://tinyurl.com/nuxhclp
--
LORNA DUECK
Toronto, ON
Globe and Mail Panel
May 19th, 2013
"Faith as Cure for Terrorism?"
http://tinyurl.com/nlhxfxk
--
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
May 22nd, 2013
"Exercises"
http://tinyurl.com/q9u4rt3
*****
NET NOTES
STICKY FAITH
What Keeps Kids Connected to Church?
The Christian Century
May 17th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/pt6cyg7
--
MY BRIGHT ABYSS
Modern Faith Healing Story
New York Times Book Review
May 26th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/ptfbvhw
--
BACKGROUND CHECK
Two Early Francis Books
America Magazine
June 3, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/nocrqsk
--
THE RULE OF TAIZE
Life in Community
Englewood Review of Books
May 24th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ntb2cg3
--
HEAVEN FOR ATHEISTS?
Pope Sparks Debate
Huffington Post Canada
May 22nd, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/qhf9bf3
--
"TIL FAITH DO US PART"
Interfaith Marriage is Changing America
New York Times Book Review
May 26th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/o84yvcg
--
SAYING 'I DO' WITHOUT GOD
Humanist Weddings Increase
Religious News Service
May 17th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/p755r3o
--
COLLEGE TO OPERATE ANOTHER YEAR
Emmanuel-St. Chad Find More Life
Anglican Journal
May 24th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ns7c7h2
--
WOOLWICH PROVOKES ANTI-MUSLIM FEELINGS
Murder of Brit Stirs Deep UK Resentment
The Telegraph, UK
May 25th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ns98l52
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
I cannot say whether things will get better
if we change; what I can say is that they
must change if they are to get better.
- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
--
Every good law or case you study was once a dream.
Every good law or case you study was dismissed as
impossible or impractical for decades before it
was enacted. Give your creative thoughts free reign,
for it is only in the hearts and dreams of people
seeking a better world that true social justice
has a chance.
- Bill Quigley
--
We live in a system that espouses merit,
equality, and a level playing field, but
exalts those with wealth, power, and
celebrity, however gained.
- Derrick Bell
*****
ON THIS DAY
Provided from the archives
of the New York Times
May 20th - 25th
TRUMAN DOCTRINE AIDS GREECE AND TURKEY
http://tinyurl.com/nmdpq9a
FIRST TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHT BY LINDBERGH
http://tinyurl.com/ptzlqho
SCOPES INDICTED FOR TEACHING EVOLUTION
http://tinyurl.com/d9jtz
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
POPE FRANCIS I
Today, and it breaks my heart to say it,
finding a homeless person who has died of...
is not news. Today, the news is scandals,
that is news, but the many children who
don't have food — that's not news. This
is grave. We can't rest easy while things
are this way.
(end)
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Colleagues List, May 19th, 2013
Vol VIII No. 30
****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com
Canadian Anglicans Google Groups Web Site:
http://tinyurl.com/bg29svu
"Quicklinks" are included with many items.
Otherwise, scroll down to find your selection
in the body of the blog.
*****
Dear Colleagues:
Our tour of Turkey was filled with many
good experiences and much learning. Our
travel group got on well and friendships
were formed and/or enhanced.
To help me review that opportunity, and to
share some highlights with you, including
web links to special places, I send you
as a Special Item this week::
"Reflections on Our Tour of Turkey"
Special Sites:
http://tinyurl.com/ykk5q44
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/357
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJIofU-0jC0
http://tinyurl.com/cu59qdu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antalya
--
Colleague Comments this week are from -
Reginald Bibby, Lethbridge, who shares an
article he wrote for the Globe and Mail
on the current state of religion in Canada.
Thanks for continuing to do this, Reg.
http://tinyurl.com/c3sehc9
Rob Fennell, Halifax, who announces the
start of a new blog "Creedal and Loving It"
in which he and Ross Lockhart describe what
being "creedal" means in the United Church
of Canada. Most intersting.
http://creedalandlovingit.wordpress.com/
--
Colleague Contributions this week are from
faithful providers Martin Marty, Jim Taylor
and Ron Rolheiser -
http://tinyurl.com/b6e7kw5
http://tinyurl.com/ydsyqsq
http://tinyurl.com/b4wbkls
--
Net Notes:
"Why Hymnals Matter" - hymnals may come
and go from our churches over the years,
but the treasures they contain, survive
(The Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/adjn23p
"C.S. Lewis - A Life" - UK Anglican
evangelical Alistair McGraw writes a book
on C.S. Lewis, an evangelical hero
(The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/b9qztt5
"A Post-Catholic Ireland?" - Two articles on
religion in Ireland after the great societal
reaction to abuse and victimization there
(America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/ak6xnx4
http://tinyurl.com/b84vl8c
"CPJ Celebrates Fifty Years" - Citizens for
Public Justice continues to be one of
Canada's most effective religious lobbies
(Christian Week) http://tinyurl.com/aap5y75
"St. Paul's Missionary Methods" - a
classic missiological text is retreaded
for modern students of mission
(Englewood Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/cptb5yc
"Resurrection - Just a Metaphor?"
A debate on the meaning of resurrection
for Christians developed in the British
press after Easter this year
(The Telegraph, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/a9ouwh5
"Catholics Grow in Global South, East"
Reflecting similar Protestant trends,
global Catholicism is expanding greatly
(International) http://tinyurl.com/bdeb464
"Early Christian Persecution Debunked"
The persecution of members of the early
church has long been accepted as fact.
A modern scholar questions this
(Religious News Service)
http://tinyurl.com/bdb4wae
"More Canadians They Aren't Religious"
It is becoming more socially acceptable
in Canada to declare "no reigion" in
response to census questions
(National Post)
http://tinyurl.com/cqd3mjw
German Christians Optimistic about Francis
Participants in the popular German Kirchentag
(or "Church Days") showed a very positive
attitude to the new pope Francis I (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/d4lzg8f
--
Wisdom of the Week - is offered by
the following:
C.S. Lewis, Jane Addams, Jessica Dovey,
Leo Tolstoy, Jacques Ellul, Richard Foster,
and Thomas W. Ogletree
--
On This Day:
"War Ends in Europe"
http://tinyurl.com/a6rcoqm
"John Paul II Shot, Seriously Wounded"
http://tinyurl.com/ajc7tf3
"State of Israel Established"
http://tinyurl.com/a4eqx
"Mount St. Helens Erupts in Washington"
http://tinyurl.com/bfyhulx
*****
Closing Thought -
Native American Proverb
Wayne
*****
Our New Fall Programs will be posted here
shortly, as they develop over the next months.
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at
St. David's, plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
*********************
SPECIAL ITEM
REFLECTIONS ON OUR TOUR OF TURKEY
Seventeen Days of Great Experiences
April 23rd - May 9th, 2013
Marlene and I co-hosted this special
activity with colleague John and
Brenda Bailey of Coquitlam, BC.
A total of 26 persons participated.
Early on,I suggested four main themes
for the itinerary and reflection booklet -
Ancient and Classical Cultures
Early Christianity
Interfaith Encounters (and)
Natural Beauty.
All of these we found in abundance!
Turkey is certainly a rich and blessed land
in spite of its challenges. We traveled in
the western region only, feeling very safe.
Our tour host Yasar Uslu was very helpful in
introducing us to the best of all four themes
and, as a Turk himself, blended these theme
very creatively for us.
In terms of spiritual travel, major interests
for us were archaic or primitive religion,
(Antiquities) Greco-Roman, early Christian
communities, Islamic traditions of various
kinds, and an Interfaith Centre - the House
of the Virgin in Ephesus.
Beauty was part of all regions we visited -
the sea, the mountains, agriculture and
fruit-growing areas - blended perfectly!
My Three Most Meaningful Places Visited:
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
http://tinyurl.com/ykk5q44
The first day of our tour brought us to
this marvelous World Heritage Site. It
had beautiful parks surrounding it, and -
taken together - was well worth the visit.
The building is no longer a church or a
mosque. It is now a museum. Still, it
provided us with a helpful introduction
to Islam which we encountered extensively.
We discovered a plethora of minarets and
five daily calls to prayer.
The first began at 5 AM!
--
Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites
of Cappadocia. This included extensive
exploration of the Underground Churches
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/357
Another World Heritage Site was located south
of Ankara in Central Turkey. We physically
navigated underground passages in an area
that housed many thousands of people. Here,
esarly Chrisitians created places to eat, sleep
and work, as well as to worship - all out
of reach of their enemies for lengthy periods.
We learned that these sights were used during
several eras at times of persecution. The
artwork in the churches here remains awesome.
--
Ephesus was yet another World Heritage Site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
This great city is classical, Jewish and
Christian, together. Paul preached in the
great theater here (Romans 19:21-40) and I
had a special feeling while sitting in a
place where Paul himself spoke - much to the
chagrin of the local silversmiths who made
their living by creating worship aids for
"the goddess Diana of the Ephesians"
(see especially verse 27.)
The Great Library of Celsus (at one time
holding 240,000 scrolls) was breathtaking
to behold. It included a menorah symbol,
indicating Jewish presence here as well.
In addition, the Whirling Dervishes, a Sufi
sect of Sunni Muslims centered in Konya,
provided us with a spiritual highlight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJIofU-0jC0
--
Three Other Valuable Experiences:
The House of the Virgin in the eastern part
of Ephesus was hosted by a Franciscan monk.
We relished the peaceful nature of this
pilgrimage center. It attracts both Muslim
and Christian pilgrims - since both honor
Mary/Meryem. We lit candles here to
remember our families back home.
http://tinyurl.com/cu59qdu
The Natural Beauty of the Turkish Riviera
at Antalya on the Mediterranean Coast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antalya
Looking out our hotel window on two
consecutive mornings at sunrise were
beautiful moments of our sojourn.
Also, listening as our tour host Yasar Uslu who
spoke passionately of his national hero Ataturk,
and of his hopes and concerns about the current
political direction of his homeland, was very
poignant.
--
If possible, I want to keep "spiritual travel"
as an important adult ministry at St. David's
United, Calgary. The more we cultivate this
ministry, the wider our engagement with a broad
range of people within and beyond our congregation.
We will be listening for new tour suggestions,
perhaps for 2015!
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
REGINALD BIBBY
Lethbridge, AB
May 16th, 2013
Hi Wayne! Hope and assume (!) you had a great
time in Turkey. Will be good to hear more about
the trip.
Just got back from five days away at a conference
in England on "implicit religion." In the waning
hours before I left, I wrote a short commentary
for the Globe & Mail on the latest "census" findings
on religion (literally, as you know, from the
National Household Survey).
Reg.
Globe and Mail
May 9th, 2013
"Religion in Canada is Changing
but it is not Being Abandoned"
http://tinyurl.com/c3sehc9
--
BOB FENNELL
Halifax, NS
Hi Wayne,
Not sure if this fits your list, but my
colleague Ross Lockhart and I have started
a new blog that may be of interest to you
and others:
Regards,
Rob
The Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell
Atlantic School of Theology
Halifax, NS
http://creedalandlovingit.wordpress.com/
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago. IL
"Faith, Grace and the Arts"
Sightings,
May 6th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/b6e7kw5
--
JIM TAYLOR,
Okanagan, BC
"Losses"
http://tinyurl.com/ydsyqsq
--
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
Personal Website
May 5th, 2013
"Boldness With God"
http://tinyurl.com/b4wbkls
****
NET NOTES
WHY HYMNALS MATTER
Books Change, Hymns Survive
The Christian Century
May 1st, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/adjn23p
--
C.S.LEWIS - A LIFE
By Alistair McGrath
The Tablet, UK
May 18th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/b9qztt5
--
A POST-CATHOLIC IRELAND?
Envisioning the Future
America Magazine
May 20th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ak6xnx4
"Ireland's Catholic Future"
A Nation Needing Missionaries
America Magazine
May 9th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/b84vl8c
--
CPJ CELEBRATES FIFTY YEARS
Advocacy Group at Half-Century
Christians Week.org
May 8th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/aap5y75
--
ST. PAUL'S MISSIONARY METHODS
A Classic Revisited for Today
Englewood Review of Books
May 18th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/cptb5yc
--
RESURRECTION - JUST A METAPHOR?
Debate Over Death of Jesus
The Telegraph, UK
May 3rd, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/a9ouwh5
CATHOLICS GROW IN GLOBAL SOUTH, EAST
Decline in Europe and America
International
May 9th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bdeb464
--
EARLY CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION DEBUNKED
Scholars Views it as Myth
Religious News Service
May 14th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bdb4wae
--
MORE CANADIANS DENY BEING RELIGIOUS
Largest Numbers Since Census Began
National Post
May 13th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/cqd3mjw
--
GERMAN PROTESTANTS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FRANCIS
"Church Days" Provide Endorsement for Pope
Uca News
May 8th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/d4lzg8f
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online:
I think each village was meant to feel pity for
its own sick and poor whom it can help and I doubt
if it is the duty of any private person to fix his
mind on ills which he cannot help. This may even
become an escape from the works of charity we really
can do to those we know. God may call any one of us
to respond to some far away problem or support those
who have been so called. But we are finite and he
will not call us everywhere or to support every
worthy cause. And real needs are not far from us.
- C.S Lewis
--
In the unceasing ebb and flow of justice and
oppression we must all dig channels as best we
may, that at the propitious moment somewhat of
the swelling tide may be conducted to the barren
places of life.
- Jane Addams
--
I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious
lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one,
not even an enemy.
- Jessica Dovey
--
[People] of our time believe that all the
insanity and cruelty of our lives, the
enormous wealth of few, the envious poverty
of the majority, the wars and every form of
violence, are perceived by nobody, and that
nothing prevents us from continuing to live
thus.
- Leo Tolstoy
--
One thing, however, is sure: unless Christians
fulfill their prophetic role, unless they become
the advocates and defenders of the truly poor,
witness to their misery, then, infallibly,
violence will suddenly break out. In one way or
other 'their blood cries to heaven,' and violence
will seem the only way out. It will be too late
to try to calm them and create harmony.
- Jacques Ellul
--
We have real difficulty here because everyone thinks
of changing the world, but where, oh where, are those
who think of changing themselves? People may genuinely
want to be good, but seldom are they prepared to do
what it takes to produce the inward life of goodness
that can form the soul. Personal formation into the
likeness of Christ is arduous and lifelong.
-Richard Foster
--
Sometimes, when what is officially the law is wrong,
you try to get the law changed. But if you can’t,
you break it.
- Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree
*****
ON THIS DAY
Provided from the Archives
of the New York Times:
(May 7th - 18th)
WAR ENDS IN EUROPE
May 7th, 1945
http://tinyurl.com/a6rcoqm
--
JOHN PAUL II SHOT, SERIOUSLY WOUNDED
May 13th, 1981
http://tinyurl.com/ajc7tf3
--
STATE OF ISRAEL ESTABLISHED
May 15th, 1968
http://tinyurl.com/a4eqx
--
MOUNT ST HELENS ERUPTS IN WASHINGTON
May 18th, 1980
http://tinyurl.com/bfyhulx
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT -
We do not inherit the earth from our
ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
- Native American Proverb
(end)
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Colleagues List, May 12th, 2013
Vol. VIII No. 29
*****
We have returned from a wonderful
adventure in the land of Turkey.
A new Colleagues List edition
will appear next weekend.
Stay tuned!
Wayne
*****
We have returned from a wonderful
adventure in the land of Turkey.
A new Colleagues List edition
will appear next weekend.
Stay tuned!
Wayne
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