Friday, September 30, 2011

Colleagues List, October 1st, 2011

Vol. VII. No. 8

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

*****

Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

In This Issue -

Special Item This Week:

A Personal Reflection
"On Smelling the Roses"
___

Colleague Contributions:

Martin Marty
Jim Taylor
Ron Rolheiser
Jonathon Bonk
Doug Shantz
___

Net Notes:

Normal Mormons
Why Priests are Happy
Dead Sea Scrolls Now Online
Benedict's Listening Challenge
Roman Persecution Rears Ugly Head
Metal Thieves Damage British Churches
Muslim Killed Leaving Prayers in Nepal
Russian Priest Seeks "Pedophile" Book Ban
WCC Posts Online Theology/Ecumenism Library
Anglicans/Lutherans Honour Women's Ordination
___

Global Faith Potpourri:
Eleven ENI Geneva stories.
___

Quotes of the Week:

Brenda Ueland
Richard Foster
Stephanie Paulsell
Garrison Keillor
Fannie Lou Hamer
___

On This Day:

Sept. 24, 1996 -
Many nations sign treaty to end the
testing/development of nuclear weapons.

Sept. 27, 1964 -
The Warren Commission reports Oswald
acted alone in killing Kennedy

Sept. 30, 1938 -
Allied leaders agree in Munich that
Nazi Germany will be allowed to annex
Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland
___

Closing Thought: Ernesto Cardenal

(end)

*****

Dear Friends:

Colleagues Tom Cotrell and Paul Verhoef
have recently reminded me that colleague
Miroslav Volf, recently the author of "A
Public Faith" - introduced a few weeks
ago on Colleagues List - is coming to give
a talk at Ambrose University, Calgary,
on November 18th.

http://tinyurl.com/3arhdhg

---

Barbara Brown Taylor, author of "An Altar
in the World" - introduced last winter on
Colleagues List, will be in town, thanks
to the Wisdom Centre, Calgary, at Christ
Church, Elbow Park on the weekend of
December 2-4th.

http://www.wisdomcentre.ca/events.html

*****

In this issue I offer a personal reflection -
"On Smelling the Roses" - which implies that
Marlene and I are taking a week off at the
beginning of October. It means the next
issue of Colleagues List will be coming
to you dated Saturday, October 15th.
___

Colleague Contributions:

Martin Marty - writes about the changing
nature of "Papal Headlines" in the media.

Jim Taylor - helps us to understand how
music offers another way of knowing.

Ron Rolheiser - reflects spiritually on
unconscious images that influence us.

Jonathon Bonk - takes on the subject of
alternate approaches to interfaith studies.

Doug Shantz - introduces the next Craigie
Lecturer at the U. of C. She speaks on
"Muslim Women and Gender Studies."
___

Net Notes:

"Normal Mormons" - the church of Jesus
Christ LDS is becoming a mainstream faith
(Christian Century)

"Why Priests are Happy" - a recent survey
supports the view that most priests are
happy in their vocation (Publishers Weekly)

"Dead Sea Scrolls Now Online" - these
ancient documents are becoming generally
available study (Huffington-Post Canada)

"Benedict's Listening Challenge" - the
pope's visit to Germany suggests he is
not listening to the German people
(The Tablet, UK)

"Roman Persecution Rears Ugly Head" -
far eastern Christians are not respected
for their faith traditions by the Vatican
(Ucan News)

"Metal Thieves Damage British Churches" -
the theft of metal from UK church buildings
is becoming a concern (Anglican Journal)

"Muslim Killed Leaving Prayers in Nepal" -
Hindu Kingdom demonstrates religious bias
is common to many faith traditions
(Ucan News)

"Russian Priest Seeks 'Pedophile' Book Ban"
- concern about what is considered pedophile
literature in Russia prompts priest's reaction
(The Guardian, UK)

"WCC Posts Online Theology/Ecumenism Library"
- World Council of Churches offers its vast
ecumenical resource library on the web
(ENI and Anglican Journal)

"Anglicans/Lutherans Honour Women's Ordination"
- two Canadian churches celebrate the 35th
anniversary of women's ordination this year
(Anglican Journal)

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Eleven stories are offered this week
from Ecumenical News International, Geneva.

____

Quotes of the Week:

Brenda Ueland, Richard Foster, Stephanie Paulsell
Garrison Keillor and Fannie Lou Hamer offer their
wisdom.
___

On This Day:

Provided from the archives of the
New York Times -

Many nations sign treaty to end nuclear
weapons testing/development (1996)

The Warren Commission declares Oswald
acted alone in killing Kennedy (1996)

Allied leaders agree in Munich that
Nazi Germany will be allowed to annex
Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland (1938)
___

Closing Thought:

This week, Ernesto Cardenal writes
of the magic of requited love, and
Matthew Fox adds his perspective.

___

Thanks for reading Colleagues List.
I will be back in touch with you
very soon!

Wayne

************************

SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program

ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011

"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
 Two Books by Richard Holloway

September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM

"Godless Morality"
 Learning how to separate "God says"
 from doing what is right

Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t

---

"Between the Monster and the Saint"
 Spiritual support for pursuing a life
 that seeks above all to be good

Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx

---

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality

Purchase only the books - $35.00

*****

UNIVERSITY TUESDAY NIGHTS

A Study Program Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary

Taught by: Wayne Holst

"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
 Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
 September 27th - November 29th

Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4

*****

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS

Welcome to our -

Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty,
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series
for 2011-12

Series One -

"A Public Faith:
 How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
 by Miroslav Volf

Putting your personal faith to work for others.
October 21st - November 25th - six Friday noon sessions

---

Series Two -

"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor

Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions

Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's
Centre

Led by: Wayne Holst,
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and an official U of C Spirituality Centre Liaison

Cost of the books: $15.00 each

---

Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!

For more information:  Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of C.
artuliss@ucalgary,ca

*****

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/services.htm

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents
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

A Personal Reflection -

"On Smelling the Roses"

Next week, my wife Marlene and I are going
to Ontario - hoping we will see, among other
things, the beautiful autumn-coloured leaves
of that part of Eastern Canada.

In the forty years I have lived in Western
Canada I have rarely been to the east at
this time of year (I was always too busy.)

Marlene, a native Calgarian, has only the
experience of seeing the brilliant fall
yellows, common in this part of Canada.

We decided that we would celebrate our
wedding anniversary (October 8th) and my
completion of all procedures related to
my cancer surgery of last year, with a
brief but adventure-filled time in the
province of my birth.

We hope to visit Gatineau (north of Ottawa)
Algonquin Park, and Muskoka. During that time
there should be at least some good weather
to enjoy the colours. Also, as a memento,
we purchased a print of a Tom Thompson
painting - "The Canoe" set in Algonquin
Park!

When I lived in Ontario, I rarely paid
attention to things like coloured leaves
and art. For most of my time in the west
I was - as already noted - usually too
busy.

I had church staff work to look after...
I had a new congregation to develop...
I had doctoral studies to complete...
I had university courses to teach...

---

I'm sixty-nine now. While I have not slowed
my work pace much, I do find more time to
"smell the roses" and the trip east will be
such an occasion.

What has caused this change of attitude?
Why have I evolved from task orientation
to a more balanced lifestyle? I give you
a few reasons.

Firstly, I seem to have grown less consumed
with myself and my accomplishments.

It took some major life shocks during my 50's
to cause me to realize that all the work I
was doing was not all that important. I had
compromised my family life, and I had not
endeared myself to many colleagues. I may
have rationalized that I was doing great
things for God, but that is not how many
others seemed to interpret my activity.

Since I have begun to learn important
lessons about relational balance in life,
others seem to relish my accomplishments,
and we can all feel better about them.

I cannot undue the past, but I can live
more wisely into the future.

Secondly, I feel I have grown wiser in
terms of how to invest my energies. Before
rushing into a new direction or project,
I am more inclined to reflect on the
implications of what I am doing. Indeed,
I still make mistakes, but experience has
helped me to avoid some of the wasted
efforts and dead ends previously encountered.

Thirdly, I needed and was granted family
love in my life. When this great gift was
offered to me again, I was determined not
to blow it! Two of the most recent benefits
have been the care and concern I received
during my health challenges. Also, grand-
children provide joy beyond compare. I wish
I had invested more in my children, but
at least I have another opportunity.

---

"If I knew then what I know now" - is one
way of describing my current state. At least
I believe I see things in a maturer way.

I think I am less consumed with myself.
I believe I am a better steward of life energy.
I am convinced that family is invaluable.

Taken together, it should not be surprising
that Marlene and I are heading off for a
week of enjoyment; during a time of year
I would not have considered doing this
previously!

Thanks to people like Jock McTavish who
are covering for me. Thanks also to those
in my classes who are giving me "time off."

If the last rose of summer is no longer
blooming in the Royal Botanical Gardens of
Burlington, Ontario, you can be sure we will
find other flowers to smell!

*****

COLLEAGUES CONTRIBUTIONS

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL

Sightings  9/26/2011

"Papal Headlines"

http://tinyurl.com/6gtmrq9

*****

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

September 28th, 2011

"Music: Bypassing the Intellect"

http://tinyurl.com/477vect

*****

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Blog
September 25th, 2011

"Unconscious Images that
 Deeply Influence Us"

http://tinyurl.com/65xg8v5

*****

JONATHON BONK
New Haven, CT.

Editorial
International Bulletin of
Missionary Research
October, 2011

"Religions and the Common Good"

http://tinyurl.com/664pq3y

*****

DOUG SHANTZ
Calgary, AB.

Peter Craigie Memorial Lecture -

"Muslim Women and
 the Jihad for Gender Justice"

Wednesday, October 12, at 7:30 in the Rozsa
Centre on the University of Calgary campus,
Zayn Kassam, Professor of Religious Studies
at Pomona College and Claremont Graduate
University in California, examines how
Muslim women are framed in western discourse
and explores how Muslim thinkers historically
situated in patriarchal contexts interpreted
the Qur’an’s verses dealing with women and
the family for legal and social purposes.
She will explore some of the challenges
facing Muslim women as they struggle for
gender justice and consider how Muslim
gender activists have turned their attention
to reading the Qur’an from a fresh perspective
to ascertain whether it can be read as a
women-friendly document.

Dr. Zayn Kassam holds her Ph.D. from McGill
University and has been honoured with two
awards for Distinguished Teaching. The author
of a reference work on Islam as well as an
edited volume on Women and Islam, she has
lectured on Islam and gender in North America
and in the United Kingdom, and has published
articles dealing with gender, ethics, pedagogy
and philosophy. Professor Kassam is currently
working on a feminist theology in Islam.

*****

NET NOTES

NORMAL MORMONS
A Minority Blends In

The Christian Century
September 26th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/4246e9x

*****

WHY PRIESTS ARE HAPPY
Survey Reveals Contented Clergy

Publishers Weekly
Sept. 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3fzoho2

*****

DEAD SEA SCROLLS NOW ONLINE
Once exclusive scholarly
documents now available to all

Huffington-Post Canada
September 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3k7l4fy

*****

BENEDICT'S LISTENING CHALLENGE
Reflection on His German Visit

The Tablet, UK
Oct. 1st, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3kslbjy

*****

ROMAN PERSECUTION REARS UGLY HEAD
Rome wants global church to be
much like Southern Europe

Ucan News
September 26th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6k8xnc2

*****

THIEVES DAMAGE CHURCHES IN BRITAIN
Loss of metal is becoming problem

Anglican Journal
September 30th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3u5welu

*****

MUSLIM KILLED LEAVING PRAYERS IN NEPAL
Killing Stirs Interfaith Concern

Ucan News
Sept. 27th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3bldt9h

*****

RUSSIAN PRIEST URGES BAN ON
BOOKS 'SUPPORTING PEDOPHILIA'
Orthodox Church Crackdown

The Guardian, UK
September 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3g85pyd

*****

WCC LAUNCHES ONLINE LIBRARY
FOR THEOLOGY AND ECUMENISM
Documents for universal use

ENI News Report
September 23rd, 2011

WCC launches online library
for theology and ecumenism

Geneva (ENI news) - The World Council of
Churches (WCC) launched on 23 September
the first online digital library covering
theology and ecumenism, called GlobeTheoLib,
saying it will help close the information
gap between North and South. "The time has
come to launch a new model of ecumenical
sharing of theological resources in order
to prepare world Christianity for the 21st
century," said WCC general secretary the
Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit.

---

Anglican Journal
Sept. 23rd, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3wsqbw3

*****

ANGLICANS/LUTHERANS MARK 35 YEARS
YEARS OF WOMEN'S ORDINATION
Celebration of Major Breakthrough
in Ministry Orders

Anglican Journal
September 26th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3pkflh2

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
23 September 2011

South Koreans' visit to North Korea
aims to ease tensions

Tokyo (ENI news) - A four-day visit to
North Korea by representatives of several
South Korean religious denominations is
a sign tensions may be easing between the
two nations, observers said. Led by Roman
Catholic Archbishop Kim Hee-joong of
Kwangju, the 24-member delegation planned
to deliver wishes for peace from South
Korea's faith community, hold talks with
religious counterparts and participate
in joint prayer meetings. Members of the
group represented Buddhist, Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Confucian and other faith groups.
They belong to the Korean Conference of
Religions for Peace and are visiting the
North Korean capital of Pyongyang and
other cities from 21 to 24 September.

_____

Pope's trip to Germany
fails to meet ecumenical hopes

Berlin (ENI news) - Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to Germany on 23 September featured
an ecumenical worship service in the town
of Erfurt that was meant to reach out to
German Protestants, but for many felt like
a missed opportunity. In his sermon,
Benedict said that "there was some talk
of an 'ecumenical gift' which was expected
from this visit Â… Here I would only say that
this reflects a political misreading of faith
and of ecumenism." Many were disappointed
there was no indication that the pope
intended to relax a ban on non-Catholics
taking communion in Catholic churches, or
recognize Protestant denominations as
"true churches" as opposed to
"ecclesiastical communities."

*****

26 September 2011

Suicide bomber attacks
packed Indonesian church

Wellington, New Zealand (ENI) - A suicide bomber
blew himself up on the porch of an Indonesian
church packed with hundreds of worshippers on 25
September, injuring 28 people, some critically.
The bombing of the protestant Bethel Injil
Sepuluh church in Solo, a city in central
Indonesia's Java province, was the latest in
a series of deadly attacks on minorities in
the in the world's most populous Muslim-majority
nation. Witnesses reported hearing the blast 500
meters away. Religious Affairs Minister
Suryadharma Ali strongly condemned the attack
and urged the police to investigate.
_____

Scotland's gay marriage discussion
stirring controversy among faith groups

Edinburgh, Scotland (ENI) - The Scottish
government has begun a 14-week public
consultation, running from 2 September to
9 December, on the question of legalizing
marriage for gay couples, encouraging
individuals and groups such as religious
organizations to take part. Catholic
church leaders have already begun to
criticize the idea. Cardinal Keith
O'Brien, in a homily given in early
September at St. Patrick's Church,
Edinburgh, said "the view of the Church
is clear. No government can re-write
human nature: the family and marriage
existed before the state and are built
on the union between a man and a woman."
_____

Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai
was influenced by faith

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI) - Church leaders in
Kenya paid tribute to Wangari Maathai, the
first African woman Nobel Peace prize winner,
who died on 25 September, as a person who
cared for God's creation through campaigning
for environmental protection. Maathai, who
was a Roman Catholic, died at 71 in Nairobi
Hospital from cancer.

_____

25-year-old Belhar Confession
still relevant for South African churches

Cape Town, South Africa (ENI) - Twenty-five
years after a Christian statement of belief
known as the Belhar Confession was adopted,
the issues it raised are still important,
according to a South African theologian.
"We have not united, we have a lot of
challenges, we do seek authentic church
unity, but issues dealing with restorative
justice have yet to be fully tackled," said
Rev. Thias Kgatla, Uniting Reformed Church
in Southern Africa (URCSA) moderator.

*****

28 September 2011

Lutheran pastor appointed dean
of Anglican cathedral in Canada

Winnipeg, Manitoba (ENI) - In a historic move,
the Anglican diocese of Rupert's Land appointed
a Lutheran pastor, the Rev. Paul Johnson, as
dean of the diocese and incumbent for St. John's
Cathedral in Winnipeg, reports the Anglican
Journal. This is the first time a Canadian
Lutheran pastor has been appointed dean in an
Anglican cathedral in Canada. A dean is the
priest in charge of a cathedral ("mother church")
and occupies a senior position in a diocese.
_____

Asian ecumenical group sees
Philippines as "model" for peace

Manila, Philippines (ENI) - Despite its
protracted and often obstacle-ridden peace
processes, the Philippines is seen as a
"model" for peace building in the region,
says an Asian ecumenical leader. "We look
to the Philippines as a good model for
church leaders actively engaged in supporting
peace negotiations, and we will continue to
monitor developments in that area," said
Carlos Ocampo, executive secretary for
Justice, International Affairs, Development
and Service at the Christian Conference of
Asia (CCA).

*****

29 September 2011

Partisan politics affecting role of faith
groups in U.S., says prominent journalist

New York (ENI) - The role of the diverse US
faith community in debates about the future
of the United States is essentially unsettled
right now due to partisan politics, says a
prominent broadcast journalist and former
White House communications director. Speaking
Wednesday, 28 September, to members of the
National Council of Churches Communications
Commission, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News
said that the Christian religious right is
only one strand of the larger Tea Party
movement, a conservative movement that has
opposed many of the policies of the
administration of President Barack Obama.

_____

Interfaith relief efforts continue
to thrive in Uganda

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI) - Faith leaders in
Uganda are celebrating ten years of successful
inter-faith service to citizens in the east
Africa nation that has rebounded from civil
war and economic catastrophe. Working through
the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRC),
the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox
Seventh Adventists groups together with
Uganda Muslim Supreme Council have delivered
services in health, peace, human rights,
democracy, good governance, and HIV and
AIDS sectors.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

September 26th, 2011

"I have been writing a long time and have
learned some things, not only from my own
long hard work, but from a writing class
I had for three years. In this class were
all kinds of people: prosperous and poor,
stenographers, housewives, salesmen,
cultivated people and little servant
girls who had never been to high school,
timid people and bold ones, slow and quick
ones. This is what I learned: that everybody
is talented, original, and has something
important to say."

- Brenda Ueland

---

September 27th, 2011

"We have real difficulty here because
everyone thinks of changing the world,
but where, oh where, are those who
think of changing themselves?"

- Richard Foster

---

September 28th, 2011

"The bath of baptism gathers up the
tension between sacredness and
vulnerability, for baptism is not
a pleasant soak in a tub but an
immersion in death. As anyone who
has ever felt the pull of an ocean
undertow knows, water not only has
the power to support and comfort us,
it has the power to destroy us as
well. Waters that close over our
head might never open again. Naked
and unguarded, we are vulnerable
when we bathe."

- Stephanie Paulsell

---

September 29th, 2011

"Some people think it is difficult to be
a Christian and to laugh, but I think it's
the other way around. God writes a lot of
comedy, it's just that [God] has so many
bad actors."

- Garrison Keillor

---

September 30th, 2011

"Christianity is being concerned about your
fellow [people], not building a million-dollar
church while people are starving right around
the corner. Christ was a revolutionary person,
out there where it was happening. That's what
God is all about, and that's where I get my
strength."

- Fannie Lou Hamer

*****

ON THIS DAY

Sept. 24, 1996, the United States and the
world's other major nuclear powers signed
a treaty to end all testing and development
of nuclear weapons.

http://tinyurl.com/3jn9y4x

*****

Sept. 27, 1964, the Warren Commission issued
a report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald
acted alone in assassinating President John
F. Kennedy.

http://tinyurl.com/3dn7v5l

*****

Sept. 30, 1938, British, French, German and
Italian leaders agreed at a meeting in Munich
that Nazi Germany would be allowed to annex
Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.

http://tinyurl.com/67bvhs3

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

From "Christian Mystics"

When we feel a person we love requites our love,
this intensifies our own love. Nothing, in fact,
incites our love more than the knowledge that the
beloved returns our love, and any increase of love
on the part of the beloved, intensifies in turn
the love that burns in ourselves.

- Ernesto Cardenal

When another says yes to our love and returns it
to us, love doubles and triples in its presence
and intensity. Love begets love. Love births love.
The burning deepens and goes on and on.

- Matthew Fox

(end)










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