*****
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:
Several weeks ago, we hosted a good group
of people at St. David's on the importance
of Jesus. The unique thing about it was that
the presenter and many in the audience
were Muslims.
This week, the Anglican Journal published
my review of Reza Aslan's "Zealot." The
author is a Muslim. In April of next year I
will introduce our speaker that night and
Zeki Saritoprak's book "Islam's Jesus." I
will try to suggest how the two books
compare and contrast.
http://tinyurl.com/lt3aez7
http://tinyurl.com/ojqqzsp
At this point, Malik Muradov, a Turkish-
Canadian friend comments on my Aslan
review and prepares us for Saritoprak's
forthcoming book.
Scroll down to read his comments.
--
Colleague Comment - Elfrieda Schroeder
of Winnipeg wrote this week with questions
about my Bonhoeffer quote in last week's
Wisdom section.
Scroll down to read that quote and her search
for clarity in Bonhoeffer's original German
version.
Thanks for working with me on this Elfrieda!
--
Colleague Communications - this week
Lorna Dueck (Toronto ON) - writes
on "The Trinity-Western Affair"
http://tinyurl.com/mpd7xt6
William Shantz (Thunder Bay ON) -
reflects on the meaning of Son of God
Saviour and Messiah - terms that
Christians use, often unthinkingly
(scroll down to read him)
Martin Marty (Chicago IL) - considers
"Sacred Sites" including Christchurch
in New Zealand and its unique "Cardboard
Cathedral" http://tinyurl.com/n4lz7hc
Jim Taylor (Okanagan BC) - addresses
"Visibility for Forgotten Children"
http://tinyurl.com/kmnw6o7
Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio TX) -
creates a memorial to a hockey great
who died this week in Quebec:
"Honouring Talent and Grace -
Jean Beliveau RIP"
Written by a Canadian in Exile
http://tinyurl.com/o37tlb7
Marjorie Gibson (Vancouver BC)
reflects on her life and wishes us
"Happy Holidays"
http://tinyurl.com/kr8qhnd
Harry Winter (St. Paul MN)
gives advice on the theme of
"Preparing for Christmas Evangelization"
http://tinyurl.com/mzmouc6
--
Net Notes - this week are as follows:
"Fields of Blood - Religion and Violence"
by Karen Armstrong is reviewed this weekend
in the (New York Times Review of Books)
http://tinyurl.com/ozdwbzz
"Vietnam War Photos" - a cache of dramatic
pictures taken during the war recently turned
up; most interesting (The Atlantic Online)
http://tinyurl.com/lv59s7y
"Death of a Megachurch" - what can be learned
from the demise of one of America's major big box
churches and its satellites? (Leadership Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/k7fbvhy
"Exodus: Gods and Kings" - an action movie,
not a religious one, opens this weekend.
(Marlene and I went to see it and liked it -
even though it ranges from the 'script'
An Official Trailer:
http://tinyurl.com/pw3u273
(New York Times - two reviews)
http://tinyurl.com/qyc9mfh
http://tinyurl.com/l7hyvyo
"Things Not to Do at Christmas" - if you are
starting to think of things to do this year,
here are a few to avoid doing (UCA News/
International) http://tinyurl.com/p2zlubr
"Aboriginal Literature is Popular" - writing
by and about Canadian First Nations is
getting a lot of attention these days
(Publishers Weekly)
http://tinyurl.com/ko9nbno
"Health Benefits of Going Outside" - many of
us know this already but it is still worth
renewed consideration (The Atlantic Online)
http://tinyurl.com/m3znuas
"John McCain on CIA Torture Report" - big news
this week was a radical expose of US terror
tactics after 9/11 that seem no better than
ISIS, and a Republican senator speaks (video)
(Youtube) http://tinyurl.com/nbzv4wf
"Resettlement of Syrian Refugees Falls Short"
- Canada is not even honouring its limited
commitment to respond to a human disaster
(CBC News) http://tinyurl.com/l3bvfj2
"Anglican Communion May Not Hold Together
- the archbishop of Canterbury shares his
concerns (National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/jwer6v5
--
Wisdom of the Week - provided by Sojourners
and Bruderhof online comes from the following:
Soren Kierkegaard, Jane Kamensky, Dorothy Day,
Leonardo da Vinci and Oscar Romero
Please scroll down to read them.
--
On This Day - Dec. 7th-13th
From the Archives of the New York Times
"Kenya Gains Independence from Britain"
http://tinyurl.com/dytum7n
"UN Adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
http://tinyurl.com/b5chndc
"Polish Authorities Crack Down on Solidarity"
http://tinyurl.com/dyvp7ks
--
Closing Thought - Aloysius Tang
Justin Martyr School, Markham ON
Scroll down to read this young boy
(end)
For those interested in our new program
scroll to the end of the blog -
Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Review by Wayne Holst:
"Zealot: The Life and Times
of Jesus of Nazareth"
by Reza Aslan
Anglican Journal,
Anglican Church in Canada
December 2014 edition
http://tinyurl.com/lt3aez7
With comments by Malik Muradov
Intercultural Dialogue Centre, Calgary
December 10th, 2014
Hello Wayne:
I have read your review of "Zealot." It is a
great commentary. One thing that
I would
have added is that he wrote this book as a
historian, not as a Muslim.
Because his
standpoint is against the very Muslim beliefs
about Jesus too.
I will look forward to your review of the
"Islam's Jesus" book.
Thanks a lot for your efforts about the
partnership.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Malik
Malik Muradov, Executive Director
Intercultural Dialogue Centre (IDI Calgary)
Editor's Note:
Malik is a Turkish-Canadian and friend
of St. David's United Church in Calgary
where he has spoken and served a special
delicacy "Noah's Pudding" to members of
our congregation last January.
On December 3rd, 2014 Dr. Seki Saritoprak
of James Carroll University, Cleveland OH
addressed a group of about 60 persons at
the church and introduced his new book
"Islam's Jesus" coming out in paperback,
April, 2015.
http://tinyurl.com/ojqqzsp
The event was co-sponsored by IDI,
the Faith and Spirituality Centre at
the University of Calgary and
St. David's United ACTS Ministry.
The book will be introduced here
when it comes available.
http://tinyurl.com/pfrwnby
--
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
ELFRIEDA SCHROEDER
Winnipeg, MB
Dec. 7th, 2014
Wayne:
What exactly does Bonhoeffer's quote mean?
(Wisdom of the Week, December 7th, 2014)
"Not everyone can wait: neither the sated nor
the satisfied nor those without respect can wait.
The only ones who can wait are people who
carry restlessness around with them."
Hardy (my husband) and I were a bit puzzled by it.
Source of the Bonhoeffer quote (German)
http://tinyurl.com/ny4bbz2
After searching the original text, she writes:
My attempt to translate the above from German:
"Not everyone can wait: not the one who is full,
satisfied, and not the one who is disrespectful.
Only those who are restless and those who look
up with awe to the greatest in the world are
able to wait."
She ends:
Thank you for taking time to reply. I did find the
German original taken from the link above.
After doing this exercise I think I have gained
some clarity of the meaning Bonhoeffer intended.
some clarity of the meaning Bonhoeffer intended.
Elfrieda
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMUNICATIONS -
LORNA DUECK
Toronto, ON
Globe and Mail
December 11th, 2014
"The Trinity-Western Affair"
http://tinyurl.com/mpd7xt6
--
WILLIAM SHANTZ
Thunder Bay, ON
Personal Reflection
"Impeaching Christianity's Lack
of Conceptual Integrity -
Taking 'God' Out of Christmas"
December 12, 2014
Dear Wayne
Self-proclaimed heretic that I am, I
have recently noticed that the "Messiah"
referred to in the Old Testament (the
Hebrew Bible) is never there identified
as the "Son of God."
(Try checking your concordance.)
Old Testament prophets have judged
the concept of God consorting
(angelically or otherwise) with a
human female to beget off-spring
as being idolatrous/pagan.
Perhaps the reason that Paul was more
successful evangelizing Gentiles than
Jews was because the former were already
accustomed to the concept "Son of God':
entities like Roman Emperors already
carried this title. And the Gentiles may
have calculated that it was a good idea
for their 'Saviour' to claim kinship with
the powerful and honourable Jewish God
rather than Zeus or Jupiter.
As with most salesmen, Paul was more
interested in purveying his products
(his mystical Conversion experience
and his reconfiguration of the Judaic
'Messiah' as a Greco-Roman 'god-man')
than conceptual integrity. Indeed, he
disparaged the latter as "the wisdom
of the world".
The fact remains that in the Old Testament,
a/the foundation of Christianity, the
promised Messiah is never designated
as being the Son of God.
Rhetorically: (a) Is Christian theology
as conceptually corrupt as some aspects
of contemporary Western political practice?
(b) Does Christianity rely on 'sleight of
concept' to enthrall/enchant/mesmerize
people? and
(c) Is ignoring reality the foundation of Faith?
Please note that I have not disqualified the
possibility that Jesus was/is the Messiah
promised in the Old Testament - only that
Jesus is, logically and historically NOT
the Son of God.
William Shantz
wps102@yahoo.com
--
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago. IL
Sightings
December 8th, 2014
"Sacred Sites"
http://tinyurl.com/n4lz7hc
--
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
Dec. 7th, 2014
"Visibility for Forgotten Children"
http://tinyurl.com/kmnw6o7
--
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
December 8th, 2014
"Honouring Talent and Grace
Jean Beliveau RIP"
Written by a Canadian in Exile
http://tinyurl.com/o37tlb7
--
MARJORIE GIBSON
Vancouver, BC
Marjorie Remembers Blog
December 10th, 2014
"Happy Holidays"
http://tinyurl.com/kr8qhnd
--
HARRY WINTER
St. Paul, MN
Website of the Oblates USA
"Preparing for Christmas Evangelization"
http://tinyurl.com/mzmouc6
*****
NET NOTES
FIELDS OF BLOOD
Religion and Violence
by Karen Armstrong
New York Times Review of Books
December 14th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/ozdwbzz
--
VIETNAM WAR PHOTOS
Lost for 45 years
The Atlantic Online
via Sojourners Online
December 11th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/lv59s7y
--
DEATH OF A MEGACHURCH
Lessons to be Learned
Leadership Journal
December 8th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/k7fbvhy
--
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS
(An Action, Not Religion, Movie)
An Official Trailer:
http://tinyurl.com/pw3u273
New York Times Reviews
Nov. 28th, Dec. 11th 2014
http://tinyurl.com/qyc9mfh
http://tinyurl.com/l7hyvyo
--
THINGS NOT TO DO AT CHRISTMAS
5 Practices Christians Should Avoid
UCA News/The International
December 12th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/p2zlubr
--
ABORIGINAL LITERATURE POPULAR
Native Writing in Canada Well Received
Publishers Weekly
November 28th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/ko9nbno
--
HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOING OUTSIDE
An Emerging Ecotherapy Movement
The Atlantic Online
December 12th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/m3znuas
--
JOHN McCAIN ON CIA TORTURE REPORT
Senator Speaks of Basic Human Rights
Youtube
December 9th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/nbzv4wf
--
RESETTLEMENT OF SYRIAN
REFUGEES FALLS SHORT
Canadian Government Pledged to
Receive Much Higher Number
CBC News
December 4th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/l3bvfj2
--
ANGLICAN COMMUNION
MAY NOT HOLD TOGETHER
Canterbury Speaks Candidly
National Catholic Reporter
December 11th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/jwer6v5
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
The truth is a trap: you cannot get it
without it getting you; you cannot get
the truth by capturing it, only by its
capturing you.
- Soren Kierkegaard
--
Holidays say much less about who we really
were in some specific Then, than about who
we want to be in an ever-changing Now.
- Jane Kamensky
--
I really only love God as much as I love
the person I love the least.
- Dorothy Day
--
Nothing strengthens authority so much
as silence.
- Leonardo da Vinci
--
| No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who, because they have everything, look down on others, those who have no need even of God – for them there will be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf, will have that someone. That someone is God, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God. - Oscar Romero |
*****
ON THIS DAY
Dec. 7th-13th
From the Archives
of the New York Times
"Kenya Gains Independence from Britain"
http://tinyurl.com/dytum7n
"UN Adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
http://tinyurl.com/b5chndc
"Polish Authorities Crack Down on Solidarity"
http://tinyurl.com/dyvp7ks
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Aloysius Tang
Writing in a school project, June 10, 2014
Scarboro Missions Magazine, Dec. 2014
Dear Pope Francis:
I am so happy to know that I can write to you!
Thank you for working so hard for God. I am
now a choir member of St. Justin Martyr Church
(Markham, ON) and I attend mass every Saturday.
I hope you can come to Toronto and I can sing in
your mass. Hope to see you soon.
Aloysius Tang (10 years old)
http://tinyurl.com/obary5o
Click current issue, scroll to page 22.
(end)
*****
Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary:
MONDAY NIGHT STUDY - WINTER SERIES
January 12nd – March 23rd, 2015
7-00-9:00PM TM Room. Ten Weeks.
(Family Day Monday exempted)
“Fields of Blood: Religion and
the History of Violence”
by Karen Armstrong
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Registration $60.00. Book only $25.00
---
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDYJanuary 15th - April 2nd, 2015. Twelve Weeks.
10:00-11:00AM TM Room
(Biblical study theme selected at first session)
Led by Wayne Holst
No charge.
Study resource -
The DK Complete Bible Handbook
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
---
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS'
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR
"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
October 16th - 31st, 2015
Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary
Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council
(Tour itinerary/costs brochure
available early in the new year)
---
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015
A Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Feb. 20th, 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th
The study takes place during five Friday
sessions. Book to be selected by electronic
vote of those who are interested in joining
the study.
Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.
Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $15.00
*****
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR
"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
October 16th - 31st, 2015
Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary
Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council
(Tour itinerary/costs brochure
available early in the new year)
---
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015
A Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Feb. 20th, 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th
The study takes place during five Friday
sessions. Book to be selected by electronic
vote of those who are interested in joining
the study.
Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.
Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $15.00
*****
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