Vol VI. No. 16
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
************
CHRISTMAS EDITION
************
In this Issue -
Holst Family Christmas Letter
___
Colleague Contributions:
Ron Rolheiser - Christmas Column
Bob Bettson - St. John's Calgary
Tim Calloway - Iraqi Christians
Ian MacDonald - Globe Faith Panel
___
Net Notes:
Reflection on Huron Carol
Lights from Around the World
Anglican/Lutheran Christmas Greetings
US Preacher May be Banned from the UK
Top Ten Creationist Arguments (Humour)
Jesus' Great-Grandmother is Identified
Anti-Christian Bias is 'On Rise in Europe'
Murdered French King's Remains are Explained
Communist Vietnam Catches the Christmas Spirit
Lutheran Leader Seeks Communion Accord with Pope
Dalai Lama Still Heads Tibetan Government in Exile
Breakaway BC Churches Take Case to the Supreme Court
___
Global Faith Potpourri
7 stories from Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
John Chrysostom
Evelyn Underhill
Emmanuel Katongole
___
On This Day (Dec. 12th - Dec. 17th)
Dec. 12, 1963 - Kenya gains independence from Britain
Dec. 14, 1981 - Israel annexes the Golan Heights
Dec. 17, 1903 - Wright Bros. make first successful human flight
___
Closing Thought - George Bernard Shaw
(end)
******************
Dear Friends:
Christmas comes quickly now.
As part of your Christmas preparations, I hope
you might find time to read and watch some of
the beautiful seasonal material I have found
for you during the past week.
Traditionally, I have shared the Holst Family
Christmas Letter in the last issue of Colleagues
List before the special day, and this year is
no exception.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Ron Rolheiser - provides his Christmas column
for all of us, and we are grateful for it.
(Rolheiser web site)
Bob Bettson - Anglican priest, serving in Sarnia
Ontario, was religion editor of the Calgary Herald
for some years before becoming ordained. St. John's
Calgary was very familiar to him and, in a letter,
he bemoans the lack of insight he sees in the general
media reports of the story (published here last week)
of the Calgary Anglican church that voted to become
a Catholic parish (personal correspondence)
Tim Calloway - Iraqi Christians are going through
an extremely difficult period of persecution. Tim
shares several links from the New York Times on
this story, which should concern all of us.
Ian MacDonald - This week, the Globe and Mail ran
a five part series (links provided below) on the
current state of faith in Canada. The newspaper has
established a Future of Faith in Canada online panel
and has named several colleagues to that consulting
group. Ian, a member of St. David's United Church
Calgary, suggests that that panel representation
has limitations (Globe and Mail)
___
Net Notes:
"Reflection on Huron Carol" - Fr. Jean de Brebeuf, SJ
is known to many in this country as one of the great
"Canadian Martyrs." During his ten years at Huronia
(near Midland, ON) in the 1630s and before his cruel
assassination at the hands of the Iroquois, Brebeuf had
composed a Christmas hymn and written insightfully in
the "Jesuit Relations" about his native hosts. We
share seasonal thoughts on the giftedness of this man.
(America Magazine)
"Lights from Around the World" - enjoy a slide-show of
nineteen spectacular Christmas coloured-light locations
from around the world (The Telegraph, UK)
"Anglican/Lutheran Christmas Greetings" - the Anglican
primate and the national Lutheran bishop join together
to offer their thoughts at Christmas (ACC/ELCIC News)
"US Preacher May be Banned from the UK" - the Florida
pastor who gained fame and infamy with his threats to
burn the Koran as a book of Satan is having problems
in his attempts to visit Britain (The Guardian, UK)
"Top Ten Creationist Arguments (Humour)" - here are
interesting thoughts on the arguments some Christians
use to defend creationism (The Guardian, UK)
"Jesus' Great-Grandmother is Identified" - archeological
authorities have announced insights on the woman reputed
to be an ancestor of Jesus (Discovery Notes)
"Anti-Christian Bias is 'On Rise in Europe'" - the
secularist trends in Europe seem to be increasing.
This report speaks of rights violations, not mere
atheistic intolerance, of Christianity (The Tablet, UK)
"Murdered French King's Remains are Described" -
another discovery from the past came to light this
week, surrounding the assassination of King Henry IV
of France, considered by many a good and pious monarch
(Discovery News/Cathnews Asia)
"Communist Vietnam Catches the Christmas Spirit" -
adding to the growing global acceptance of Christmas
as a unique, universal celebration we focus on
what is happening in Vietnam today (Mercury News)
"Lutheran Leader Seeks Communion Accord with Pope" -
Lutheral World Federation president, and Palestinian
bishop Munib Younan has proposed to Benedict XVI that
a common statement on Holy Communion would be a worthy
way to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the
Protestant Reformation in 2017 (Anglican Journal)
"Dalai Lama Still Heads Tibetan Government in Exile" -
the Tibetan government in exile has reiterated that
the Dalai Lama will remain the Tibetan's religious
and temporal head as a global symbol of a non-violent
approach to handling political conflict (Cathnews Asia)
"Breakaway BC Congregations Take Case to Supreme Court" -
After a recent set-back, when the BC Supreme Court ruled
that the Diocese of New Westminster was the rightful
owner of their church properties, plans are underway to
appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada (Anglican Journal)
___
Global Faith Potpourri
7 stories from Ecumenical News International are provided
to readers this week.
___
Quotes of the Week:
John Chrysostom, Evelyn Underhill and Emmanuel Katongole
offer memorable insights.
___
On This Day (Dec. 12th - Dec. 17th)
On-the-scene reports from the archives of the
New York Times are provided for these stories:
Kenya gains independence from Britain (1963)
Israel annexes the Golan Heights (1981)
Wright Brothers claim first successful flight (1903)
___
Closing Thought - George Bernard Shaw offers
an insight that will resonate with many of us.
---
May your Christmas celebrations be memorable!
Wayne
*************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor (and)
"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
Books on sale since Sunday, December 12th, 2010
More study and website particulars will be posted
as they become available
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the New Atheists and
consider the question: "Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris' new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Course description and registration information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 26 choristers signed up as part of the
tour group. This special choir begins rehearsals
in early January - led by our congregation's
music director, Brent Tucker.
Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Fr. Jonathan Lean.
We are also planning to sing while visiting Iona,
Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate in
Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland. Fr. Ned Carolan, host.
ALL 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT
We continue to gather a waiting list for this trip,
as they may be some drop-outs as we near deadlines.
We have started an interest list for future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more
about exciting, spiritual tourism!
*****
SUMMARY OF OUR AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
We are introducing live videos of our sessions,
edited by Jock McTavish:
Review Our Fall Program at St. David's by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
New material will continue to be added to this page
as it becomes available.
*****
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
HOLST FAMILY CHRISTMAS LETTER
Calgary, Alberta Christmas, 2010
Dear Friends:
Twelve months ago, as we were writing our annual Christmas
letter, we didn’t know that 2010 would become a year for
fighting colon cancer.
It was on January 13th that we learned Wayne had contracted
this illness. Fortunately, we were quickly led through a
battery of tests, followed by radiation and chemo treatments.
On June 15th, five months after prompt detection and careful
preparation, Wayne underwent surgery. He spent the summer
months recovering under Marlene’s loving support. We attribute
the resulting cure the doctors say has occurred to early
detection, professional treatment, a caring, extended family
and faith in a loving God.
The year was not without its special joys. Daughters Carmen
and Sarah, along with their spouses Mark and Ronnie, brought
their own daughters Emily and Mya into the world within three
weeks of each other. This happened during the month of May.
Marlene is thrilled at becoming a grandmother for the first
time. Wayne is so proud to be part of these wonderful events
in the continuing development of our family. There is more
joy to come as Heather and Paul are expecting their first
child in February of 2011!
All told, this has been an eventful and fruitful year. Even
our brush with serious illness has made life more precious,
its possibilities more open-ended, and its mysteries more
wonderful.
In August, we spent two weeks in British Columbia and enjoyed
our time in Vancouver and the Island. We are amazed at how
this part of Canada has expanded and progressed since we last
traveled extensively in our westernmost province a little
more than a decade ago.
In September, we spent a week in Ontario, attending the Shaw
and Stratford Festivals, enjoying the beauty of Niagara, Point
Pelee and Georgian Bay, and spending time with old friends in
Wayne’s hometown of St. Jacobs. In November, Wayne’s
Rockway Collegiate (Kitchener) high school graduating class
of 1960 celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. While we were
unable to return for that event he experienced much
satisfaction reconnecting with school friends from half
a century ago.
The University of Calgary closed the post office in April,
and this meant Marlene was faced with a job loss. But the
severance was generous and she continues to look for the
kind of work she enjoys and deserves. Hopefully there will
be more about this to report in our letter next year.
Wayne continues to teach classes at both the University of
Calgary and St. David’s United Church - as he has done for
twenty years. Combining the writing of his weekly Colleagues
List religion and culture blog with his teaching he enjoys
life to the full and looks forward to every day. Check this
out at http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/ and let us know
if you would like to receive these mailings gratis simply by
contacting us at:
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
Next April and May, we will host a group of almost 40 pilgrims
to the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the UK to
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of St. David’s United Church,
Calgary. Spiritual travel appears to be a newly developing
vocation for us and there are many places to see!
We continue to update our travel blog through the year.
Please visit us at http://holstlog.blogspot.com
Marlene and Wayne
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
CHRISTMAS COLUMN
December 12th, 2010
"No Room at the Inn"
http://tinyurl.com/26p5gyg
*****
BOB BETTSON
Sarnia, ON
Re: Colleagues List, December 11th, 2010
ST. JOHN'S CALGARY VOTES
TO JOIN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Hi Wayne,
I spent eight formative years from the age of 25 to 33 at St. John's
when it was an Anglo-Catholic parish--but very much in the
mainstream of Anglican life and life in the Diocese... Much of this
was when I was religion writer for the Calgary Herald...
When I returned to the Diocese in 2001 as a priest...it was into a
period of eccentricity--including ...(a) fairly extreme conservative
theology joined to Anglo-Catholicism...
(Later) many of the longtime parishioners who I knew had become
disenchanted with the direction St. John's was headed--paying lip
service to the prayer book but moving to use of the Missal, a
liturgy not authorized by the Anglican Church of Canada, with a
pre-Vatican 2 ceremonial and corresponding theology...
There seems to be no recognition in media coverage either in the
church press or secular press that other Anglo-Catholic parishes in
Toronto, Vancouver and other centres are flourishing inside the
Anglican Church of Canada. Being Anglo-Catholic does not mean
automatic opposition to women priests, blessing of same sex unions
and liturgical renewal...
The Ordinariate offered by Pope Benedict seems a very one sided
offer and not one which is in the spirit of ecumenism...
Yours truly,
the Rev'd Bob Bettson
Canon Davis Memorial Church,
Diocese of Huron
Anglican Church of Canada
*****
TIM CALLOWAY
Airdrie, AB.
Here is the latest on Christians in Iraq -
WITH NEW VIOLENCE,
MORE CHRISTIANS ARE FLEEING IRAQ
Thousands of Iraqi Christians from Baghdad and Mosul have
fled to northern Iraq amid a campaign of targeted violence
against them.
New York Times
Dec. 13th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/35v59y5
---
Video: (loading may take time)
http://tinyurl.com/38zaakm
---
Slide Show: Christians In Iraq
http://tinyurl.com/2d5eaa5
*****
IAN MACDONALD
Calgary, AB.
GLOBE AND MAIL NAMES PANEL
TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF FAITH IN CANADA
Wayne:
Where is the liberal (like me) Canadian
Christian representation on this panel?
Ian
---
Ian:
Two of our colleagues, Michael Higgins and
Lorna Dueck are included in this panel.
Both are progressive thinkers - representing
the Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant
traditions.
Still, there seems to be a media bias, even
ignorance, of much mainstream Protestantism
in Canada today.
Perhaps its a case of 'familiarity breeds contempt'
and I think more of us mainliners, like colleague
Bob Bettson, should be expressing ourselves in the
media.
Wayne
---
Globe and Mail
December 13th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/34cqpab
*************************
NET NOTES
REFLECTION ON THE HURON CAROL
Brebeuf, Hymn-writer and Canadian Martyr
America Magazine
Advent/Christmas, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/28vsjzt
*****
LIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Slide-show of 19 Christmas Sites
The Telegraph UK
Dec. 17th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/32vknqz
*****
LUTHERAN/ANGLICAN CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
Church leaders share their message
ACC/ELCIC News Services
December 15th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2887uu6
*****
US PREACHER COULD BE BANNED FROM UK
Would-be 'Koran-burner' not welcome
The Guardian
Dec. 13th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/23wb632
*****
TOP TEN CREATIONIST ARGUMENTS
A humourous take on conservative positions
The Guardian, UK
Dec. 14th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/26r7zt2
*****
JESUS' GREAT-GRANDMOTHER IDENTIFIED
Ismeria Shown to be a Model for Older Women
Discovery News
Dec. 9th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25wnu87
*****
ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS 'ON RISE IN EUROPE'
A growing reaction to cultural traditions
The Tablet
Dec. 17th, 2010
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/15683
*****
MURDERED FRENCH KING'S REMAINS EXPLAINED
His Throat was Slit by a Deranged Man
Discovery News
December 15th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/298p2rz
*****
COMMUNIST VIETNAM CATCHES CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Christmas as a Global Phenomenon Confirmed
Mercury News
December 15th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/27v96pb
*****
LUTHERAN LEADER SEEKS HOLY COMMUNION
ACCORD WITH THE POPE
Suggests Churches Move Beyond Tradition
Anglican Church News
December 17th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2fzaxwq
*****
DALAI LAMA STILL HEADS
TIBETAN GOVERNMENT IN EXILE
He Continues to Serve Dual Role
of Government and Religious Leader
CathNews Asia
December 13th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/23a65ve
*****
BREAKAWAY CHURCHES TAKE CASE TO SUPREME COURT
Four BC Anglican Congregations Try One More Time
Anglican Journal
December 15th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2d4rb7r
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
13 December 2010
Hong Kong Christian groups join in honouring
Nobel laureate Liu
Hong Kong (ENInews). About 1000 people in Hong Kong
joined a celebration co-organized by Christian groups
to honour imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu
Xiaobo in a celebration coinciding with the Nobel
ceremony in Oslo. The Hong Kong Christian Institute
and the local Roman Catholic Justice and Peace
Commission organized the gathering with non-
governmental groups to commend Liu, urging Beijing
to release him and other political prisoners on 10
December. Liu has been imprisoned since 2009 as part
of an 11–year sentence for "inciting the subversion
of State power". "Beijing should know that to confer
the Nobel Peace Prize on Mr. Liu is not to confront
the Chinese people. Human rights are universal values,
and should be abided by all," Catholic Hong Kong
legislator Alan Leong Kah-kit told ENI news at the
Hong Kong meeting.
_____
African inter-faith leader calls for
protest over Ivory Coast poll
Nairobi (ENI news). The president of an African Inter-
faith peace group has called on religious leaders to
protest over Ivory Coast's presidential election
dispute, in which two politicians have been sworn
in as head of State. The Rev. Ishmael Noko, former
Lutheran World Federation general secretary, said
on 9 December, Ivory Coast's people are being forced
to accept an intolerable political situation, as
incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo continues to
cling to power after losing to opposition candidate,
Alassane Ouattara. "Today the Ivorian people find
themselves forced to accept an unacceptable
political environment of one country, two
Presidents," said Noko, who is president of the
Inter-faith Action for Peace in Africa, in a
letter made available to ENI news. "The democratic
will of the people of Ivory Coast is clear ….
Therefore further attempts to manipulate their
expressed will should not be allowed by any
standard of political measurement.
*****
14 December 2010
Trade union founded for Bulgarian Orthodox clergy,
lay employees
Sofia (ENI news). The founding of a trade union for
Bulgarian Orthodox Church priests and church employees
has angered at least one member of the senior hierarchy
of the church, who denounced it as being against the
church's canon law. According to Bulgarian-language
media reports on 13 December, the union will be part
of Podkrepa, one of the southeastern European country's
two national trade union federations. In the north-
western town of Vratsa, priests said that they had
not been paid on time for a long time and their
statutory health and retirement insurance had not
been paid, the Standart daily newspaper reported.
The Vratsa Metropolitan Kipriyan said, however,
it is "absurd" for priests to have a trade union
and that this is against the church's own law.
_____
Japanese Baptist leader says statistics hide
impact of homelessness
Tokyo (ENI news). Being homeless cuts people off from
the rest of humanity, says a Japanese pastor who heads
an award-winning non-profit organization for those
without a roof over their heads. "We need to support
those homeless people in both physical and relational
poverty by providing them with their material needs
and helping to restore their human ties," said the
Rev. Tomoshi Okuda, who chairs the board of directors
of the Kitakyushu Organization to Support the Homeless
in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan. He said government
statistics do not reveal the true cost of homelessness.
_____
Presbyterian theologian takes helm
at Indian church council
Bangalore, India (ENI news). A Presbyterian theologian,
the Rev. Roger Gaikwad, has been installed as the new
general secretary of the National Council of Churches
in India, which groups 30 Orthodox and Protestant
churches. "My aim is to strengthen ecumenical relations
at the grass roots. This will bring out greater unity
among the churches," Gaikwad told ENI news on 14 December
following his installation five days earlier at the
NCCI's Nagpur headquarters in central India. Fifty-
seven-year old Gaikwad had been principal of the
Aizwal Theological College of the Presbyterian Church
of India and was chosen unanimously for the post in
August.
*****
15 December 2010
Vatican official responds to WikiLeaks
'yes man' claims
Rome (ENInews). A top Vatican official who was the
subject of unflattering diplomatic cables revealed
by the WikiLeaks Web site has said he proud to have
been described as one of the "yes men" of Pope
Benedict XVI. Reports in the Italian media have
drawn attention to the messages sent to the U.S.
Department of State by the U.S. embassy to the Holy
See about 76-year-old Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
named by the Pope in 2006 as the Holy See's
secretary of state, seen as the "number two"
position in the Catholic hierarchy. Julieta
Valls Noyes, the deputy chief of mission for
the embassy, was quoted in one message referring
to voices in the Vatican calling for the "removal"
of Bertone from his position. She described Bertone
as a papal "yes man" being more interested in
spiritual issues than foreign policy, and who
lacked language skills. Vatican sources noted
that while the cardinal does not speak English,
he speaks Spanish, German, French and Portuguese.
_____
Obama, in shadow of worrisome polls,
embraces 'Christian' label
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). When U.S. President Barack
Obama lit the National Christmas Tree behind the White
House in 2009, he spoke of a "child born far from home"
and said "while this story may be a Christian one, its
lesson is universal". This year, Obama made a reference
to that same "child born far from home", but added a
more personal twist: "It's a story that's dear to Michelle
and me as Christians." Three days later, at a Christmas
benefit concert, the president again talked about how
the story of Christmas "guides my Christian faith",
Religion News Service reports.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
December 14th, 2010
"This is the rule of most perfect Christianity,
it's the most exact definition, its highest point,
namely, the seeking of the common good. For nothing
can so make a person an imitator of Christ as caring
for [their] neighbors."
- John Chrysostom
---
December 15th, 2010
"Adoration, as it more deeply possesses us, inevitably
leads on to self-offering. Charity is the live wire
along which the power of God, indwelling our finite
spirits, can and does act on our souls and other things,
rescuing, healing, giving support and light."
- Evelyn Underhill
---
December 16th, 2010
"Mary represents the 'rebel consciousness' that is
essential to Jesus' gospel. Wherever the gospel is
preached, we must remember that its good news will
make you crazy. Jesus will put you at odds with the
economic and political systems of our world. This
gospel will force you to act, interrupting the
world as it is in ways that make even pious
people indignant."
- Emmanuel Katongole
*****
ON THIS DAY
Dec. 12, 1963 - Kenya gained its independence from Britain
http://tinyurl.com/2a8a87e
_____
Dec. 14, 1981 - Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized
from Syria in 1967.
http://tinyurl.com/3yg72ty
_____
Dec. 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first
successful man-powered airplane flight, Kitty Hawk, N.C.
http://tinyurl.com/299ypcy
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT -
A quote from George Bernard Shaw:
Shaw expresses my feelings exactly --
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of
splendid torch which I have got hold of for a
moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly
as possible before handing it on to future
generations."
(end)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Colleagues List, December 11th, 2010
Vol. VI. No. 15
*****
Edited by Wayne A. Holst
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
************
Colleague Comment:
Dear Wayne,
Christmas greetings to you and your loved ones.
Be assured of a memo in my prayers over the
Holy Season of Christmas. Have a healthy and
prosperous New Year. God bless you and yours.
Fr. Jim Bradley
St. Bruno's Parish, Los Angeles, California
*****
Introduced in this Issue -
Book Notice:
"What Good Is God?
In Search of a Faith that Matters"
by Philip Yancey
___
Colleague Contributions:
Ontario Friend
Don Moore
Beth Porter
Gary Nickel
___
Net Notes:
"Lessons & Carols for Christmas"
"Oklahoma Paranoia Strikes Deep"
"Worth a Mention from Christian Week"
"Religious Persecution in North Korea"
"Afghan Women are Still Horribly Abused"
"Elevating the Atheist Vs. Believer Debate"
"Polygamy Hurts Women, also Hinders Society"
"Church, Not Faith, Leads to a Satisfied Life"
"Calgary Anglican Parish Joins Catholic Church"
"In Pakistan Christianity Earns Death Sentence"
"Remembering Women Missioners Killed in El Salvador"
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
8 stories from Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Meister Eckhart
Therese of Lisieux
Thich Nhat Hanh
Arundhati Roy
Jean Vanier
___
On This Day (Dec. 7th - Dec. 10th)
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
Dec. 8, 1941 - US enters World War II; declares war on Japan
Dec. 10, 1948 - UN adopts Universal Human Rights Declaration
___
Closing Thought - Phil Callaway
(end)
******************
Dear Friends:
One of the titles we will be selling this Christmas at
our annual church book sale is:
"What Good Is God? In Search of a Faith that Matters"
by evangelical Christian author, Philip Yancey.
Yancey is a journalist by profession who emerged from
a confining Protestant fundamentalist background. Still,
he has not abandoned his affection for some of the basic
evangelical values with which he was raised. He approaches
some of life's more difficult questions with a piercing
honesty that can serve to 'destabilize' jaded Christians
and non-Christians alike.
I am pleased to introduce his new book in this issue.
___
Colleague Contributions:
This week a friend from Ontario shares an article on
Martin Luther. The piece will likely unnerve those who
like to put the reformer on a pedestal (The Telegraph, UK)
Don Moore - long-standing friend and colleague from the
Kitchener-Waterloo region of Southern Ontario - has some
good news to share. He now works for World Vision Canada.
Congratulations, Don! (personal correspondence)
Beth Porter - heads the L'Arche Canada Foundation from
Richmond Hill, ON. This week, she released the foundation's
quarterly e-journal "A Human Future" which features a letter
from Jean Vanier to a Canadian parliamentary committee
(personal correspondence)
Gary Nickel - old friend and colleague, has been investing
a good deal of his semi-retirement in good work for the
church. He writes on the importance of "interim ministry"
and his involvement in it. The article on this topic comes
to us via the ELCIC's Synod of Alberta (synod correspondence)
___
Net Notes:
"Lessons & Carols for Christmas" - one of the most famous
Christmas broadcasts is this from King's College, in
Cambridge, UK. (Religion and Ethics, National Public Radio)
"Oklahoma Paranoia Strikes Deep" - the attitude toward Islam
and Muslims seems not to be very healthy in parts of America's
conservative heartland (Louisville-Courier Journal)
"Worth a Mention from Christian Week" - every year, colleague
and editor Doug Koop presents a picture of the top stories
appearing on the pages of his newspaper (Christian Week)
"Religious Persecution in North Korea" - violence against
Christians is not easily reported from this rogue nation,
but here is one perspective on what is taking place there
(The American Spectator)
"Afghan Women are Still Horribly Abused" - the West is
obviously torn over its involvement in Afghanistan, and
surveys indicate the majority of citizens want us out.
But what about the circumstances daily endured by Afghani
women? (The Guardian UK)
"Elevating the Atheist Vs. Believer Debate" - a brave
and intelligent Canadian Muslim woman wants to raise
the standard in discussions between atheists and people
of faith, whatever their religious persuasion
(The Globe and Mail)
"Polygamy Hurts Women, also Hinders Society" - as former
wives in polygamous relationships begin to make their
stories public, a rather sordid situation is revealed
(The Montreal Gazette)
"Church, Not Faith, Leads to a Satisfied Life" - a recent
survey indicates that participation in religious community,
not the teachings of that community per se, are most
important to most church attendees (National Post)
"Calgary Anglican Parish Joins Catholic Church" - some
months ago, Pope Benedict invited disaffected Anglicans
to 'cross the Tiber' and become Roman Catholics. Here
is the story of one congregation that has responded
(Toronto Star)
"In Pakistan Christianity Earns Death Sentence" -
stories about how some Christians are treated in that
nation are very disconcerting (Time Magazine)
"Remembering Women Missioners Killed in El Salvador" -
Thirty years ago, four American sisters - members of
the Marynoll Society - were murdered in El Salvador.
They are not forgotten (Independent Catholic News)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
8 stories are reported this week from Geneva and
Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Meister Eckhart, Therese of Lisieux, Thich Nhat Hanh
Arundhati Roy and Jean Vanier share good thoughts
with us courtesy of Sojourners Online.
___
On This Day (Dec. 7th - Dec. 10th)
Read these stories, brought to us from the archives
of the New York Times, at the time they actually
occurred:
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; USA enters WWII (1941)
US enters World War II; declares war on Japan (1941)
UN adopts Universal Human Rights Declaration (1948)
___
Closing Thought - Colleague Phil Callaway, speaker and
humourist, who lives in Three Hills, Alberta but who
travels extensively, shares a Christmas laugh.
___
I completed the writing and mailing of my Christmas
cards this week, and some friends have already let
me know that their card has been received.
While many people find the task of sending cards and
special messages at Christmas a big burden, I enjoy it!
A major reason for happily undertaking this annual task
is that most of those who receive such cards have stood
by me in challenging circumstances over the years and I
do not want to lose touch with them - especially at such
a significant season of the year.
Enjoy your Christmas preparations!
Wayne
*************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor (and)
"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
Books go on sale Sunday, December 12th, 2010
More study and website particulars will
be posted as they become available
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the New Atheists and
consider the question: "Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris' new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Course description and registration information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 26 choristers signed up as part of the
tour group. This special choir begins rehearsals
in early January - led by our congregation's
music director, Brent Tucker.
Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.
We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate
in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland.
ALL 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT
We continue to gather a waiting list for this trip,
as they may be some drop-outs as we near deadlines.
We have started an interest list for future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more
about exciting, spiritual tourism!
*****
SUMMARY OF OUR AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
We are introducing live videos of our sessions,
edited by Jock McTavish:
Review Our Fall Program at St. David's by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
New material will continue to be added to this page
as it becomes available.
*****
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
Book Notice:
WHAT GOOD IS GOD?
In Search of a Faith that Matters
by Philip Yancey, Faith Words,
Hachette Book Group, New York.
2010. $27.00 CAD. 287 pages.
ISBN #978-0-446-55985-0.
Publisher's Promo:
Journalist and spiritual seeker Philip Yancey has always
struggled with the most basic questions of the Christian
faith. The question he tackles in - WHAT GOOD IS GOD? -
concerns the practical value of belief in God. His search
for the answer to this question took him to some amazing
settings around the world: Mumbai, India when the firing
started during the terrorist attacks; at the motel where
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; on the Virginia
Tech campus soon after the massacre; an AA convention;
and even to a conference for women in prostitution. At
each of the 10 places he visited, his preparation for
the visit and exactly what he said to the people he met
each provided evidence that faith really does work when
what we believe is severely tested. WHAT GOOD IS GOD?
tells the story of Philip's journey - the background,
the preparation, the presentations themselves. Here
is a story of grace for armchair travelers, spiritual
seekers, and those in desperate need of assurance that
their faith really matters.
-----
Author's Words:
... As I get involved (in the extreme situations outlined
in this book) one question looms above all: What good is God?
What does religious faith offer peasants undergoing such
persecution, or students recovering from a campus massacre,
or women who have spent years of virtual slavery in the sex
trade? If I can find an answer, or even a clue, to the
question of what good is God in situations like these,
it will help me with the hard questions of faith that
confound all of us at times...
... I keep leaving home in quest of what happens when the
faith I write about in a mountain cabin confronts the real
world. Does it work?
... two-thirds of the survey respondents who claim no
religion still believe that God exists. Some of them judge
that organized religion is hypocritical or irrelevant and
others simply question what God is good for. During the
years when the West resisted "godless communism" religion
seemed an important bulwark. Now our most prominent
enemies are religious extremists. Little wonder more and
more people have doubts about the value of religious faith.
Defenders of the Christian faith rise up with point by
point rebuttals of the skeptics. As a journalist, I approach
such questions differently. I prefer to go out in the field
and examine how faith works itself out, especially under
extreme conditions. A faith that matters should produce
positive results, thus providing an existential answer to
the the underlying question, "What good is God?"
My travels have taken me to places where Christians face
a refiner's fire of oppression, violence and plague. This
book relates stories from places like China, where the
church grows spectacularly despite an atheist government,
and the Middle East, where a once-thriving church in the
heartland now barely hangs on; and South Africa, where a
multicolored church picks through the pieces of its racist
past...
When I spend time among such people my own faith undergoes
a tabletop test. Do I mean what I write about from my
home in Colorado? Can I believe that, as the apostle John
promised in one of his letters "the one who is in you is
greater than the one who is in the world"? ...
Almost always I return from my travels encouraged, my
faith buoyed. Only one third of the world's Christians
now hail from the West, and I have been privileged to
see remarkable evidence of God at work... As a writer,
I would like to bring (the good news I've seen) to the
jaded West, for such stories barely make the headlines
on CNN.
---
In my travels I have found certain themes to be universal,
regardless of personal application. The question "What
good is God?" occurs in some form to every person who
experiences pain or death or poverty or unfairness - in
other words, to everyone. (My trips help me in my own
search for faith) and I hope and pray that something of
what I have learned in these ten places will become part
of your search, just as they have become part of mine.
- introductory chapter "The Story Behind the Search"
-----
My Comment:
Philip Yancey continues to be one of my favourite authors
and I have read most of his books over the years.
What keeps me reading him is the authenticity of his spiritual
quest and his resistance to pat answers to what he considers
complex spiritual issues. Yancey challenges religious and
non-religious alike with his investigative journalism.
As evidence of this, the author writes the following in his
concluding chapter "Afterthoughts" -
"I wish skeptics like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins
had the same chance to hear stories of transformation from
social outcasts who hit the very bottom and now credit God for
the strong grace that saved them in the most literal sense"...
These people reply "What good is God? He rescued me from sex
slavery and drug addiction. God brought me back to life"...
At the other end of the spectrum, Yancey writes, "the scholar
C.S. Lewis worked in a sophisticated academic environment
that bred its own form of evil: contention, snobbery,
arrogance, backbiting." Though Lewis did indeed offer some
logical arguments in support of what he believed, those
who knew him before and after his conversion point to his
own life as the strongest proof.
"He's the most thoroughly converted man I have ever met,"
said one acquaintance.
---
Yancey challenges the cynical and the sophisticated -
whether atheist or liberal religious - with basic stories
of people who have no other reason to believe in God
but that "once they were lost, and now they are found."
Yancey also challenges those - religious or otherwise -
who "live in a bubble" and who, for various reasons,
refuse to deal with life as it really is. We all try
to find places of comfort and security in our lives.
And for many, religion offer those rewards. But Yancy
is not satisfied with a false kind of comfort. He must
deal with life as he has come to see it.
This is a book that engages both author and reader with
challenges of living outside of their comfort zones.
I encourage you to engage with Yancey's book "What Good
is God?" because you will not rest easy as you read it.
And that, to my mind, is a good thing.
-----
Buy the book at Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/24vptuz
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
A FRIEND FROM ONTARIO
- sends a newspaper article compares the
times of Martin Luther with our own.
"Luther: A Hatred of Turks, Jews and Papists"
The Telegraph
Dec. 3rd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25ustun
*****
DON MOORE
World Vision Appoints New Church Relations Ambassador
World Vision Canada
December, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/24z64jm
*****
BETH PORTER
A Human Future
Winter, 2010
Jean Vanier's Letter to the Parliamentary
Committee on Compassionate Care
http://tinyurl.com/293bsmw
*****
GARY NICKEL
"Some Thoughts on Interim Ministry"
Experienced Pastor Writes on Important Work
- helping congregations through transition
PASTOR HAS LEFT THE PARISH AND
THE PARISH HAS A VACANCY - NOW WHAT?
INTERIM MINISTRY!
If a parish has had a pastor with a "long-term" ministry,
and then, If an Interim Ministry with an Interim Pastor
does NOT follow, the chances of the next permanent pastor
staying more than 2 years in that parish is only 5%!!
When a parish is without a permanent pastor, there needs
to be time to adjust to the change, often to grieve the
loss of relationship, to review the past, take stock of
the present, and plan for the future. And of course, "we
want and need a new pastor!" But this is the time to slow
down and be thoughtful, prayerful, and consider one's needs
- so definitelythis is not the time to rush to call a new pastor.
Interim Pastors are available and trained and can best
help in this time of change. The Synod Office can help
with this. Interim pastors will help with the usual
on-going ministry needs of a vacant parish. They also
have certain skills and training which will help the
parish in its journeytoward a new pastor - but that
journey is born out of parish planning and reflection
toward finding what is right for that unique parish.
Yes, parishes are unique: they have much in common,
but each has its ownparticular needs and opportunities,
and one needs to have "awareness" of one's situation
before looking for that new pastor.
The Synod Office provides a parish with a package of
resources and step-by-step guidelines. These include
help in reviewing the past and planning for the future
and all steps in between. Where are you going with your
ministry and how do you want to get there? What and
where is your mission and how do you want to do it?
What resources do you need?How do you want to express
Jesus Christ to the community around you? These and
other questions are part of planning which will help
in selecting a new pastorwho will be compatible with
your parish and your needs.
Then when you as a parish have together "done your
homework" and have an idea of the ministry you want
to work toward in the future, the steps toward finding
that pastoral ministry you are interested in can be
taken. Possible candidates are considered and choices
are narrowed down, as theparish then seeks its new
pastor. The choice is not done by the bishop as in
some of the old movies. Instead the parish chooses,
and does so out of their careful planning process.
PS - And when the new pastor and parish are ready,
that Interim Pastor rides off into the sunset [or
in a different direction] and begins the process
over again somewhere else. Interim Ministry was
intentionally developed into the helping form it
is in North America back inthe 1970s, and has
continued to make use of the best resources to
be of help. It is one of the resources which comes
to the parish via your benevolence giving.
Questions? ...just ask.
- Pastor Gary nickel3@telus.net
*****
NET NOTES
LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR CHRISTMAS
King's College Cambridge, UK
Religion and Ethics (NPR)
December 3rd, 2010
How this special event became an important
expression of Christmas around the world -
http://tinyurl.com/38drsbp
*****
OKLAHOMA PARANOIA STRIKES DEEP
State Votes Against Sharia Law and
reflects an unhealthy attitude to
Muslims and Islam -
Louisville-Courier Journal
December 3rd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/24u66rw
*****
WORTH A MENTION FROM CHRISTIAN WEEK
End-of-Year Story Notes (a preview)
Christian Week
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3xljae8
*****
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN NORTH KOREA
Christians suffer in this rogue state...
The American Spectator
December 10th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2cyaj3s
*****
AFGHAN WOMEN ARE STILL HORRIBLY ABUSED
Exposure to the outside world has not
much changed the conditions of women
The Guardian UK
December 9th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/29gqpwt
*****
ELEVATING THE "ATHEIST VS BELIEVER" DEBATE
Canadian Muslim Seeks Higher Standard in
the discussion of religious topics today
Globe and Mail
December 10th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2bnt352
*****
POLYGAMY HURTS WOMEN AND HINDERS SOCIETY
Stories from Bountiful, BC are not a blessing
The Montreal Gazette
December 8th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/256ph9b
*****
CHURCH, NOT FAITH, LEADS TO A SATISFIED LIFE
Church involvement, not beliefs per se, is
what seems to be helpful to people
National Post
December 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/377xqma
*****
CALGARY ANGLICAN PARISH JOINS CATHOLIC CHURCH
Congregation votes to leave Anglicanism
Toronto Star
Dec. 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25cwmgz
*****
IN PAKISTAN, CHRISTIANITY EARNS A DEATH SENTENCE
To be a Christian is a life or death matter
Time Magazine,
December 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2beyuls
*****
REFLECTION ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF
WOMEN MISSIONARIES KILLED IN EL SALVADOR
Marynoll missioners are still remembered
thirty years after their martyrdom
Independent Catholic News
December 7th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2auac47
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
3 December 2010
Wrong reading of Bible story 'legitimises'
earth's exploitation
Manila (ENInews). Asian Christian leaders have challenged
what they describe as a distorted interpretation of the
Bible's Genesis story about God telling Adam and Eve to
"subdue" the earth and to "have dominion" over other living
species and non-living resources on the planet. "The
misinterpretation, which has been blamed on Christians,
has helped legitimise the wanton profit-oriented exploitation
of the planet and its resources," said Hrangthan Chhungi of
the Presbyterian Church of India. She said that the more
appropriate translation from Hebrew, the language in which
Genesis is written, is "to over-see and take care, rather
than to subdue and have dominion".
_____
Faith now 'a consumer commodity in America', warns new book
New York (ENI news). In a culture that places a high premium
on the consumer marketplace, U.S. churches have become too
willing to embrace a "market mentality" in trying to attract
followers, says a new book by a journalist who is an ordained
minister. "Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and
the Selling of the American Soul", by G. Jeffrey MacDonald,
argues that faith "has become a consumer commodity in America".
This, he says, is a grievous mistake, because the Church is
not a business. "Unlike commercial enterprises that sell
widgets or life insurance, the Church doesn't exist to
satisfy the wants of customers," MacDonald writes in the
book, which focuses on U.S. Protestant congregations.
*****
6 December 2010
Pope gets gloves from ecumenical leader to warm relations
Rome (ENI news). The head of the World Council of Churches
in his first official meeting with Pope Benedict XVI has
said he wants to strengthen cooperation with the Roman
Catholic Church, especially in the Middle East. No
official statement was released after the 4 December
audience at the Vatican, but the WCC general secretary,
the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, told journalists in Rome
there had been a "a very open and friendly" conversation.
He noted that at the meeting, he and Pope Benedict had
stressed that there are many levels at which the WCC
and Roman Catholic Church already cooperate.
_____
Indian churches hail probe
into pastor-led 'child trafficking'
Chennai, India (ENI news). Church officials and activists
have welcomed an investigation ordered by India's federal
Supreme Court into trafficking in children by pastors and
exploitative Christians eying ways to pull in foreign
donations. "Such unscrupulous social work by some
Christians is bringing discredit to the entire Christian
community. Such transplantation will not help the growth
of the children," Bishop G. Devakadasham, the Church of
South India's deputy moderator, told ENI news. Devakadasham
heads the CSI diocese of Kanyakumari in the southern Tamil
Nadu state where the National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights has conducted raids on dubious orphanages at
the direction of the Supreme Court.
_____
US clergy's professional reputation hovers in the middle
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). What do nurses, soldiers,
pharmacists, elementary school teachers, doctors, and
police officers have in common? U.S. Americans say they
are all more ethical and honest than members of the
clergy, according to a Gallup survey released on 3
December, Religion News Service reports. Slightly
more than half of Americans (53 percent) rate the
moral values of priests, ministers and other clerics
as "very high" or "high."
*****
7 December 2010
Filipino sugar labourers' lives painful,
church group finds
Tarlac, Philippines (ENI news). Life is not sweet for
workers at a sugar estate owned by the family of
Philippines' President Benigno Aquino III, a visiting
church group has found. "I have been watching closely
developments in the Philippines since the late dictator
(Ferdinand) Marcos was ousted in 1986 but it looks like
much remains to be desired in this so-called democratic
country," Tony Waworuntu, a former staff member of the
Christian Conference of Asia, told ENI news.
_____
King James Bible still exerts influence,
literary scholar argues
New York (ENI news). The King James Bible may not
be the dominant cultural reference point it once
was in the United States, but it still influences
contemporary letters in the country, argues a new
book. While "we no longer have a culture pervaded
by Scripture, where Bible reading is a daily
practice in parlour and pulpit," the King James
Bible's influence remains embedded in American
culture, writes scholar Robert Alter in "Pen of
Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible".
The King James Version of the Christian Bible
was authorised by King James I of England.
Completed in 1611, it became the standard
Bible in the English-speaking world up through
the 20th century. Its cultural influence in
Britain, and subsequently the American colonies
and later the United States, has long been noted.
_____
Survey: Typical US atheist is white son
of religious parents
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). The typical member
of a fast-growing U.S. atheist association is a
highly educated, married white male who grew up
with religious parents. The Freedom from Religion
Foundation, which grew from 5500 in 2004 to about
16,000 members this year, announced results of a
survey of its members on 1 December, Religion News
Service reports. Asked about their primary reason
for being "de-converted from religion to free-
thought," about a third of respondents said
"religion doesn't make sense." Seventeen percent
said religious hypocrisy or bigotry was the cause;
9 percent said reading sceptical authors; 5 percent
cited reading the Bible.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
December 6th, 2010
"If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,'
that would suffice."
- Meister Eckhart
---
December 7th, 2010
"The closer one approaches God, the simpler one becomes."
- Therese of Lisieux
---
December 8th, 2010
"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up,
to understand, to love."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, from "Being Peace"
---
December 9th, 2010
"Not only is another world possible,
she is one her way. On a quiet day,
I can hear her breathing."
- Arundhati Roy
---
December 10th, 2010
"We all know well that we can do things for
others and in the process, crush them, making
them feel that they are incapable of doing
things by themselves. To love someone is to
reveal to them their capacities for life,
the light that is shining in them."
- Jean Vanier
*****
ON THIS DAY
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; USA enters WWII
http://tinyurl.com/2cwjsxe
---
Dec. 8, 1941 - the United States entered World War II
as Congress declared war against Japan one day after
the attack on Pearl Harbor.
http://tinyurl.com/27xovet
---
Dec. 10, 1948 - the U.N. General Assembly adopted its
Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
http://tinyurl.com/2f6a2au
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Phil Callaway
"Merry Christmas! I just bought an ice cream maker for my wife
to give me Christmas day. The wonderful thing about reaching
my age is that it will come as a complete surprise!"
(end)
*****
Edited by Wayne A. Holst
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
************
Colleague Comment:
Dear Wayne,
Christmas greetings to you and your loved ones.
Be assured of a memo in my prayers over the
Holy Season of Christmas. Have a healthy and
prosperous New Year. God bless you and yours.
Fr. Jim Bradley
St. Bruno's Parish, Los Angeles, California
*****
Introduced in this Issue -
Book Notice:
"What Good Is God?
In Search of a Faith that Matters"
by Philip Yancey
___
Colleague Contributions:
Ontario Friend
Don Moore
Beth Porter
Gary Nickel
___
Net Notes:
"Lessons & Carols for Christmas"
"Oklahoma Paranoia Strikes Deep"
"Worth a Mention from Christian Week"
"Religious Persecution in North Korea"
"Afghan Women are Still Horribly Abused"
"Elevating the Atheist Vs. Believer Debate"
"Polygamy Hurts Women, also Hinders Society"
"Church, Not Faith, Leads to a Satisfied Life"
"Calgary Anglican Parish Joins Catholic Church"
"In Pakistan Christianity Earns Death Sentence"
"Remembering Women Missioners Killed in El Salvador"
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
8 stories from Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Meister Eckhart
Therese of Lisieux
Thich Nhat Hanh
Arundhati Roy
Jean Vanier
___
On This Day (Dec. 7th - Dec. 10th)
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
Dec. 8, 1941 - US enters World War II; declares war on Japan
Dec. 10, 1948 - UN adopts Universal Human Rights Declaration
___
Closing Thought - Phil Callaway
(end)
******************
Dear Friends:
One of the titles we will be selling this Christmas at
our annual church book sale is:
"What Good Is God? In Search of a Faith that Matters"
by evangelical Christian author, Philip Yancey.
Yancey is a journalist by profession who emerged from
a confining Protestant fundamentalist background. Still,
he has not abandoned his affection for some of the basic
evangelical values with which he was raised. He approaches
some of life's more difficult questions with a piercing
honesty that can serve to 'destabilize' jaded Christians
and non-Christians alike.
I am pleased to introduce his new book in this issue.
___
Colleague Contributions:
This week a friend from Ontario shares an article on
Martin Luther. The piece will likely unnerve those who
like to put the reformer on a pedestal (The Telegraph, UK)
Don Moore - long-standing friend and colleague from the
Kitchener-Waterloo region of Southern Ontario - has some
good news to share. He now works for World Vision Canada.
Congratulations, Don! (personal correspondence)
Beth Porter - heads the L'Arche Canada Foundation from
Richmond Hill, ON. This week, she released the foundation's
quarterly e-journal "A Human Future" which features a letter
from Jean Vanier to a Canadian parliamentary committee
(personal correspondence)
Gary Nickel - old friend and colleague, has been investing
a good deal of his semi-retirement in good work for the
church. He writes on the importance of "interim ministry"
and his involvement in it. The article on this topic comes
to us via the ELCIC's Synod of Alberta (synod correspondence)
___
Net Notes:
"Lessons & Carols for Christmas" - one of the most famous
Christmas broadcasts is this from King's College, in
Cambridge, UK. (Religion and Ethics, National Public Radio)
"Oklahoma Paranoia Strikes Deep" - the attitude toward Islam
and Muslims seems not to be very healthy in parts of America's
conservative heartland (Louisville-Courier Journal)
"Worth a Mention from Christian Week" - every year, colleague
and editor Doug Koop presents a picture of the top stories
appearing on the pages of his newspaper (Christian Week)
"Religious Persecution in North Korea" - violence against
Christians is not easily reported from this rogue nation,
but here is one perspective on what is taking place there
(The American Spectator)
"Afghan Women are Still Horribly Abused" - the West is
obviously torn over its involvement in Afghanistan, and
surveys indicate the majority of citizens want us out.
But what about the circumstances daily endured by Afghani
women? (The Guardian UK)
"Elevating the Atheist Vs. Believer Debate" - a brave
and intelligent Canadian Muslim woman wants to raise
the standard in discussions between atheists and people
of faith, whatever their religious persuasion
(The Globe and Mail)
"Polygamy Hurts Women, also Hinders Society" - as former
wives in polygamous relationships begin to make their
stories public, a rather sordid situation is revealed
(The Montreal Gazette)
"Church, Not Faith, Leads to a Satisfied Life" - a recent
survey indicates that participation in religious community,
not the teachings of that community per se, are most
important to most church attendees (National Post)
"Calgary Anglican Parish Joins Catholic Church" - some
months ago, Pope Benedict invited disaffected Anglicans
to 'cross the Tiber' and become Roman Catholics. Here
is the story of one congregation that has responded
(Toronto Star)
"In Pakistan Christianity Earns Death Sentence" -
stories about how some Christians are treated in that
nation are very disconcerting (Time Magazine)
"Remembering Women Missioners Killed in El Salvador" -
Thirty years ago, four American sisters - members of
the Marynoll Society - were murdered in El Salvador.
They are not forgotten (Independent Catholic News)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
8 stories are reported this week from Geneva and
Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Meister Eckhart, Therese of Lisieux, Thich Nhat Hanh
Arundhati Roy and Jean Vanier share good thoughts
with us courtesy of Sojourners Online.
___
On This Day (Dec. 7th - Dec. 10th)
Read these stories, brought to us from the archives
of the New York Times, at the time they actually
occurred:
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; USA enters WWII (1941)
US enters World War II; declares war on Japan (1941)
UN adopts Universal Human Rights Declaration (1948)
___
Closing Thought - Colleague Phil Callaway, speaker and
humourist, who lives in Three Hills, Alberta but who
travels extensively, shares a Christmas laugh.
___
I completed the writing and mailing of my Christmas
cards this week, and some friends have already let
me know that their card has been received.
While many people find the task of sending cards and
special messages at Christmas a big burden, I enjoy it!
A major reason for happily undertaking this annual task
is that most of those who receive such cards have stood
by me in challenging circumstances over the years and I
do not want to lose touch with them - especially at such
a significant season of the year.
Enjoy your Christmas preparations!
Wayne
*************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor (and)
"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
Books go on sale Sunday, December 12th, 2010
More study and website particulars will
be posted as they become available
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the New Atheists and
consider the question: "Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris' new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Course description and registration information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 26 choristers signed up as part of the
tour group. This special choir begins rehearsals
in early January - led by our congregation's
music director, Brent Tucker.
Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.
We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate
in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland.
ALL 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT
We continue to gather a waiting list for this trip,
as they may be some drop-outs as we near deadlines.
We have started an interest list for future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more
about exciting, spiritual tourism!
*****
SUMMARY OF OUR AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
We are introducing live videos of our sessions,
edited by Jock McTavish:
Review Our Fall Program at St. David's by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
New material will continue to be added to this page
as it becomes available.
*****
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
Book Notice:
WHAT GOOD IS GOD?
In Search of a Faith that Matters
by Philip Yancey, Faith Words,
Hachette Book Group, New York.
2010. $27.00 CAD. 287 pages.
ISBN #978-0-446-55985-0.
Publisher's Promo:
Journalist and spiritual seeker Philip Yancey has always
struggled with the most basic questions of the Christian
faith. The question he tackles in - WHAT GOOD IS GOD? -
concerns the practical value of belief in God. His search
for the answer to this question took him to some amazing
settings around the world: Mumbai, India when the firing
started during the terrorist attacks; at the motel where
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; on the Virginia
Tech campus soon after the massacre; an AA convention;
and even to a conference for women in prostitution. At
each of the 10 places he visited, his preparation for
the visit and exactly what he said to the people he met
each provided evidence that faith really does work when
what we believe is severely tested. WHAT GOOD IS GOD?
tells the story of Philip's journey - the background,
the preparation, the presentations themselves. Here
is a story of grace for armchair travelers, spiritual
seekers, and those in desperate need of assurance that
their faith really matters.
-----
Author's Words:
... As I get involved (in the extreme situations outlined
in this book) one question looms above all: What good is God?
What does religious faith offer peasants undergoing such
persecution, or students recovering from a campus massacre,
or women who have spent years of virtual slavery in the sex
trade? If I can find an answer, or even a clue, to the
question of what good is God in situations like these,
it will help me with the hard questions of faith that
confound all of us at times...
... I keep leaving home in quest of what happens when the
faith I write about in a mountain cabin confronts the real
world. Does it work?
... two-thirds of the survey respondents who claim no
religion still believe that God exists. Some of them judge
that organized religion is hypocritical or irrelevant and
others simply question what God is good for. During the
years when the West resisted "godless communism" religion
seemed an important bulwark. Now our most prominent
enemies are religious extremists. Little wonder more and
more people have doubts about the value of religious faith.
Defenders of the Christian faith rise up with point by
point rebuttals of the skeptics. As a journalist, I approach
such questions differently. I prefer to go out in the field
and examine how faith works itself out, especially under
extreme conditions. A faith that matters should produce
positive results, thus providing an existential answer to
the the underlying question, "What good is God?"
My travels have taken me to places where Christians face
a refiner's fire of oppression, violence and plague. This
book relates stories from places like China, where the
church grows spectacularly despite an atheist government,
and the Middle East, where a once-thriving church in the
heartland now barely hangs on; and South Africa, where a
multicolored church picks through the pieces of its racist
past...
When I spend time among such people my own faith undergoes
a tabletop test. Do I mean what I write about from my
home in Colorado? Can I believe that, as the apostle John
promised in one of his letters "the one who is in you is
greater than the one who is in the world"? ...
Almost always I return from my travels encouraged, my
faith buoyed. Only one third of the world's Christians
now hail from the West, and I have been privileged to
see remarkable evidence of God at work... As a writer,
I would like to bring (the good news I've seen) to the
jaded West, for such stories barely make the headlines
on CNN.
---
In my travels I have found certain themes to be universal,
regardless of personal application. The question "What
good is God?" occurs in some form to every person who
experiences pain or death or poverty or unfairness - in
other words, to everyone. (My trips help me in my own
search for faith) and I hope and pray that something of
what I have learned in these ten places will become part
of your search, just as they have become part of mine.
- introductory chapter "The Story Behind the Search"
-----
My Comment:
Philip Yancey continues to be one of my favourite authors
and I have read most of his books over the years.
What keeps me reading him is the authenticity of his spiritual
quest and his resistance to pat answers to what he considers
complex spiritual issues. Yancey challenges religious and
non-religious alike with his investigative journalism.
As evidence of this, the author writes the following in his
concluding chapter "Afterthoughts" -
"I wish skeptics like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins
had the same chance to hear stories of transformation from
social outcasts who hit the very bottom and now credit God for
the strong grace that saved them in the most literal sense"...
These people reply "What good is God? He rescued me from sex
slavery and drug addiction. God brought me back to life"...
At the other end of the spectrum, Yancey writes, "the scholar
C.S. Lewis worked in a sophisticated academic environment
that bred its own form of evil: contention, snobbery,
arrogance, backbiting." Though Lewis did indeed offer some
logical arguments in support of what he believed, those
who knew him before and after his conversion point to his
own life as the strongest proof.
"He's the most thoroughly converted man I have ever met,"
said one acquaintance.
---
Yancey challenges the cynical and the sophisticated -
whether atheist or liberal religious - with basic stories
of people who have no other reason to believe in God
but that "once they were lost, and now they are found."
Yancey also challenges those - religious or otherwise -
who "live in a bubble" and who, for various reasons,
refuse to deal with life as it really is. We all try
to find places of comfort and security in our lives.
And for many, religion offer those rewards. But Yancy
is not satisfied with a false kind of comfort. He must
deal with life as he has come to see it.
This is a book that engages both author and reader with
challenges of living outside of their comfort zones.
I encourage you to engage with Yancey's book "What Good
is God?" because you will not rest easy as you read it.
And that, to my mind, is a good thing.
-----
Buy the book at Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/24vptuz
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
A FRIEND FROM ONTARIO
- sends a newspaper article compares the
times of Martin Luther with our own.
"Luther: A Hatred of Turks, Jews and Papists"
The Telegraph
Dec. 3rd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25ustun
*****
DON MOORE
World Vision Appoints New Church Relations Ambassador
World Vision Canada
December, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/24z64jm
*****
BETH PORTER
A Human Future
Winter, 2010
Jean Vanier's Letter to the Parliamentary
Committee on Compassionate Care
http://tinyurl.com/293bsmw
*****
GARY NICKEL
"Some Thoughts on Interim Ministry"
Experienced Pastor Writes on Important Work
- helping congregations through transition
PASTOR HAS LEFT THE PARISH AND
THE PARISH HAS A VACANCY - NOW WHAT?
INTERIM MINISTRY!
If a parish has had a pastor with a "long-term" ministry,
and then, If an Interim Ministry with an Interim Pastor
does NOT follow, the chances of the next permanent pastor
staying more than 2 years in that parish is only 5%!!
When a parish is without a permanent pastor, there needs
to be time to adjust to the change, often to grieve the
loss of relationship, to review the past, take stock of
the present, and plan for the future. And of course, "we
want and need a new pastor!" But this is the time to slow
down and be thoughtful, prayerful, and consider one's needs
- so definitelythis is not the time to rush to call a new pastor.
Interim Pastors are available and trained and can best
help in this time of change. The Synod Office can help
with this. Interim pastors will help with the usual
on-going ministry needs of a vacant parish. They also
have certain skills and training which will help the
parish in its journeytoward a new pastor - but that
journey is born out of parish planning and reflection
toward finding what is right for that unique parish.
Yes, parishes are unique: they have much in common,
but each has its ownparticular needs and opportunities,
and one needs to have "awareness" of one's situation
before looking for that new pastor.
The Synod Office provides a parish with a package of
resources and step-by-step guidelines. These include
help in reviewing the past and planning for the future
and all steps in between. Where are you going with your
ministry and how do you want to get there? What and
where is your mission and how do you want to do it?
What resources do you need?How do you want to express
Jesus Christ to the community around you? These and
other questions are part of planning which will help
in selecting a new pastorwho will be compatible with
your parish and your needs.
Then when you as a parish have together "done your
homework" and have an idea of the ministry you want
to work toward in the future, the steps toward finding
that pastoral ministry you are interested in can be
taken. Possible candidates are considered and choices
are narrowed down, as theparish then seeks its new
pastor. The choice is not done by the bishop as in
some of the old movies. Instead the parish chooses,
and does so out of their careful planning process.
PS - And when the new pastor and parish are ready,
that Interim Pastor rides off into the sunset [or
in a different direction] and begins the process
over again somewhere else. Interim Ministry was
intentionally developed into the helping form it
is in North America back inthe 1970s, and has
continued to make use of the best resources to
be of help. It is one of the resources which comes
to the parish via your benevolence giving.
Questions? ...just ask.
- Pastor Gary nickel3@telus.net
*****
NET NOTES
LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR CHRISTMAS
King's College Cambridge, UK
Religion and Ethics (NPR)
December 3rd, 2010
How this special event became an important
expression of Christmas around the world -
http://tinyurl.com/38drsbp
*****
OKLAHOMA PARANOIA STRIKES DEEP
State Votes Against Sharia Law and
reflects an unhealthy attitude to
Muslims and Islam -
Louisville-Courier Journal
December 3rd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/24u66rw
*****
WORTH A MENTION FROM CHRISTIAN WEEK
End-of-Year Story Notes (a preview)
Christian Week
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3xljae8
*****
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN NORTH KOREA
Christians suffer in this rogue state...
The American Spectator
December 10th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2cyaj3s
*****
AFGHAN WOMEN ARE STILL HORRIBLY ABUSED
Exposure to the outside world has not
much changed the conditions of women
The Guardian UK
December 9th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/29gqpwt
*****
ELEVATING THE "ATHEIST VS BELIEVER" DEBATE
Canadian Muslim Seeks Higher Standard in
the discussion of religious topics today
Globe and Mail
December 10th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2bnt352
*****
POLYGAMY HURTS WOMEN AND HINDERS SOCIETY
Stories from Bountiful, BC are not a blessing
The Montreal Gazette
December 8th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/256ph9b
*****
CHURCH, NOT FAITH, LEADS TO A SATISFIED LIFE
Church involvement, not beliefs per se, is
what seems to be helpful to people
National Post
December 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/377xqma
*****
CALGARY ANGLICAN PARISH JOINS CATHOLIC CHURCH
Congregation votes to leave Anglicanism
Toronto Star
Dec. 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25cwmgz
*****
IN PAKISTAN, CHRISTIANITY EARNS A DEATH SENTENCE
To be a Christian is a life or death matter
Time Magazine,
December 6th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2beyuls
*****
REFLECTION ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF
WOMEN MISSIONARIES KILLED IN EL SALVADOR
Marynoll missioners are still remembered
thirty years after their martyrdom
Independent Catholic News
December 7th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2auac47
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
3 December 2010
Wrong reading of Bible story 'legitimises'
earth's exploitation
Manila (ENInews). Asian Christian leaders have challenged
what they describe as a distorted interpretation of the
Bible's Genesis story about God telling Adam and Eve to
"subdue" the earth and to "have dominion" over other living
species and non-living resources on the planet. "The
misinterpretation, which has been blamed on Christians,
has helped legitimise the wanton profit-oriented exploitation
of the planet and its resources," said Hrangthan Chhungi of
the Presbyterian Church of India. She said that the more
appropriate translation from Hebrew, the language in which
Genesis is written, is "to over-see and take care, rather
than to subdue and have dominion".
_____
Faith now 'a consumer commodity in America', warns new book
New York (ENI news). In a culture that places a high premium
on the consumer marketplace, U.S. churches have become too
willing to embrace a "market mentality" in trying to attract
followers, says a new book by a journalist who is an ordained
minister. "Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and
the Selling of the American Soul", by G. Jeffrey MacDonald,
argues that faith "has become a consumer commodity in America".
This, he says, is a grievous mistake, because the Church is
not a business. "Unlike commercial enterprises that sell
widgets or life insurance, the Church doesn't exist to
satisfy the wants of customers," MacDonald writes in the
book, which focuses on U.S. Protestant congregations.
*****
6 December 2010
Pope gets gloves from ecumenical leader to warm relations
Rome (ENI news). The head of the World Council of Churches
in his first official meeting with Pope Benedict XVI has
said he wants to strengthen cooperation with the Roman
Catholic Church, especially in the Middle East. No
official statement was released after the 4 December
audience at the Vatican, but the WCC general secretary,
the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, told journalists in Rome
there had been a "a very open and friendly" conversation.
He noted that at the meeting, he and Pope Benedict had
stressed that there are many levels at which the WCC
and Roman Catholic Church already cooperate.
_____
Indian churches hail probe
into pastor-led 'child trafficking'
Chennai, India (ENI news). Church officials and activists
have welcomed an investigation ordered by India's federal
Supreme Court into trafficking in children by pastors and
exploitative Christians eying ways to pull in foreign
donations. "Such unscrupulous social work by some
Christians is bringing discredit to the entire Christian
community. Such transplantation will not help the growth
of the children," Bishop G. Devakadasham, the Church of
South India's deputy moderator, told ENI news. Devakadasham
heads the CSI diocese of Kanyakumari in the southern Tamil
Nadu state where the National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights has conducted raids on dubious orphanages at
the direction of the Supreme Court.
_____
US clergy's professional reputation hovers in the middle
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). What do nurses, soldiers,
pharmacists, elementary school teachers, doctors, and
police officers have in common? U.S. Americans say they
are all more ethical and honest than members of the
clergy, according to a Gallup survey released on 3
December, Religion News Service reports. Slightly
more than half of Americans (53 percent) rate the
moral values of priests, ministers and other clerics
as "very high" or "high."
*****
7 December 2010
Filipino sugar labourers' lives painful,
church group finds
Tarlac, Philippines (ENI news). Life is not sweet for
workers at a sugar estate owned by the family of
Philippines' President Benigno Aquino III, a visiting
church group has found. "I have been watching closely
developments in the Philippines since the late dictator
(Ferdinand) Marcos was ousted in 1986 but it looks like
much remains to be desired in this so-called democratic
country," Tony Waworuntu, a former staff member of the
Christian Conference of Asia, told ENI news.
_____
King James Bible still exerts influence,
literary scholar argues
New York (ENI news). The King James Bible may not
be the dominant cultural reference point it once
was in the United States, but it still influences
contemporary letters in the country, argues a new
book. While "we no longer have a culture pervaded
by Scripture, where Bible reading is a daily
practice in parlour and pulpit," the King James
Bible's influence remains embedded in American
culture, writes scholar Robert Alter in "Pen of
Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible".
The King James Version of the Christian Bible
was authorised by King James I of England.
Completed in 1611, it became the standard
Bible in the English-speaking world up through
the 20th century. Its cultural influence in
Britain, and subsequently the American colonies
and later the United States, has long been noted.
_____
Survey: Typical US atheist is white son
of religious parents
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). The typical member
of a fast-growing U.S. atheist association is a
highly educated, married white male who grew up
with religious parents. The Freedom from Religion
Foundation, which grew from 5500 in 2004 to about
16,000 members this year, announced results of a
survey of its members on 1 December, Religion News
Service reports. Asked about their primary reason
for being "de-converted from religion to free-
thought," about a third of respondents said
"religion doesn't make sense." Seventeen percent
said religious hypocrisy or bigotry was the cause;
9 percent said reading sceptical authors; 5 percent
cited reading the Bible.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
December 6th, 2010
"If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,'
that would suffice."
- Meister Eckhart
---
December 7th, 2010
"The closer one approaches God, the simpler one becomes."
- Therese of Lisieux
---
December 8th, 2010
"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up,
to understand, to love."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, from "Being Peace"
---
December 9th, 2010
"Not only is another world possible,
she is one her way. On a quiet day,
I can hear her breathing."
- Arundhati Roy
---
December 10th, 2010
"We all know well that we can do things for
others and in the process, crush them, making
them feel that they are incapable of doing
things by themselves. To love someone is to
reveal to them their capacities for life,
the light that is shining in them."
- Jean Vanier
*****
ON THIS DAY
Dec. 7, 1941 - Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; USA enters WWII
http://tinyurl.com/2cwjsxe
---
Dec. 8, 1941 - the United States entered World War II
as Congress declared war against Japan one day after
the attack on Pearl Harbor.
http://tinyurl.com/27xovet
---
Dec. 10, 1948 - the U.N. General Assembly adopted its
Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
http://tinyurl.com/2f6a2au
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Phil Callaway
"Merry Christmas! I just bought an ice cream maker for my wife
to give me Christmas day. The wonderful thing about reaching
my age is that it will come as a complete surprise!"
(end)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Colleagues List, December 4th, 2010
Vol. VI. No. 14
*****
Edited by Wayne A. Holst
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
************
Colleague Comment this Week:
Wayne:
Thank you for your ministry :)
- Miranda Weingartner
___
Introduced in this Issue -
Book Notices:
"Listening for the Heartbeat of God -
A Celtic Spirituality" (and)
"The Celtic Way"
---
Plus:
A Summary of Discoveries from the course:
"An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality"
___
Colleague Contributions:
Erich Weingartner
Ron Rolheiser
Donald Grayston
___
Net Notes:
Has God Returned to Narnia?
How Stores Lead You to Spend
Helping Someone Until They Die
The Blair-Hitchens Debate on God
A Perspective on the New Atheists
A Short Film on India's Orissa State
Wikileaks Mention Vatican Frequently
Relics Stolen from Ancient Kerala Church
Taize Year-End Youth Gathering in Rotterdam
China Releases Tortured Tibetan Buddhist Nun
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
10 stories from Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Thomas a Kempis
Simone Weil
Basil the Great
Margaret Gibb
D.H. Lawrence
___
On This Day (Nov. 28th - Dec. 3rd)
Nov. 28, 1943 - Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin met in Tehran
Nov. 29, 1947 - UN calls for Arab & Jew Palestine partition
Dec. 1, 1959 - Treaty makes Antarctica a non-military preserve
___
Closing Thought - Peggy McDonagh
(end)
******************
Dear Friends:
This autumn, the theme of our Monday Night Study
was Celtic spirituality. This coincided with our
planned St. David's 50th Anniversary Tour, next
spring, to the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland,
Wales and England.
We wanted to make this study appealing to a
wider audience than only the travelers, and
we seemed to succeed. We experienced the largest
number of course registrants - 41 persons - in
our Monday Night course history of 21 series
over the past decade!
While more learnings will eventually become
available on our study web page, it seemed a
good time to introduce our study books and some
classroom discoveries to you my colleagues.
Hopefully, you too will benefit from our efforts.
Introduced in this issue:
"Listening for the Heartbeat of God -
A Celtic Spirituality" by J. Philip Newell (and)
"The Celtic Way" by Ian Bradley.
In addition, below, we share a summary of Celtic
spiritual discoveries and some of the questions we
tackled in "An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality"
___
Colleague Contributions:
Erich Weingartner repeats a message that seems not
to have come through when he reported on his recent
visit to Korea in our last Colleagues List issue.
(Cankor)
Ron Rolheiser shares his thoughts on a timely theme -
"The Virgin Birth" (Ron Rolheiser website)
Donald Grayston conveys another timely message,
relating the Jewish festival of Chanukah and the
Christian festival of Christmas (Tikuun)
___
Net Notes:
"Has God Returned to Narnia?" - The third movie in
the Narnia series is appearing momentarily, and
there is a return to some of the spiritual focus of
the first film (Wall Street Journal)
"How Stores Lead You to Spend" - Read of how you are
seduced into spending more money at this time of year
(Wall Street Journal)
"Helping Someone Until They Die" - Gail Sheehy built
her reputation as a writer with various "Passages"
books over the past three decades. Reviewed here is
her most recent (National Catholic Reporter)
"The Blair-Hitchens Debate on God" - Last week,
Lorna Dueck introduced the Toronto debate that
gained global attention. This week we share video
selections from the actual event last weekend, and
assessment from both popular and religious presses.
"A Perspective on the New Atheists" - Attention to
the new atheists and their arguments continues. To
help us gain some perspective, America Magazine
re-published four e-articles this week.
"A Short Film on India's Orissa State" - Those
who find the Christian-Hindu religious conflict
confusing should find help with this video
(Cath News Asia)
"Wikileaks Mention Vatican Frequently" - the church
has not been immune to fallout from Wikileaks which
was easily the biggest global news story this week.
(Catholic News Service, The Tablet, The Atlantic)
"Relics Stolen from Ancient Kerala Church" - This
story reminds us that the history of Christianity
in India covers millennia (The Times of India)
"Taize Year-End Youth Gathering in Rotterdam" -
Annually, over Christmas break, Taize sponsors a
large youth gathering somewhere in Europe. This
year, it takes place in the Netherlands
(Taize website)
"China Releases Tortured Tibetan Buddhist Nun" -
Chinese authorities have released a Tibetan
Buddhist nun who was imprisoned for three years
and suffered torture during her incarceration
(Cath News Asia)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
This week, 10 stories are provided from
Ecumenical News International in Geneva.
___
Quotes of the Week:
Thomas a Kempis, Simone Weil, Basil the Great,
Margaret Gibb and D.H. Lawrence provide insights.
___
On This Day (Nov. 28th - Dec. 1st)
These on the scene stories come to us from the
archives of the New York Times:
Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin met in Tehran (1943)
UN calls for Arab & Jew Palestine partition (1947)
Treaty makes Antarctica a non-military preserve (1959)
___
Closing Thought - This week, the Rev. Peggy McDonagh,
minister of St. David's United Church, shares some
thoughts on an Advent virus.
___
We have installed our Christmas decorations outside
and inside our home. Other preparations continue apace.
We seem to be doing this earlier each year.
Blessings of the season to you all!
Wayne
*************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor (and)
"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
More study and website particulars will
be posted as they become available
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the New Atheists and
consider the question: "Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris' new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Course description and registration information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 26 choristers signed up as part of the
tour group. This special choir begins rehearsals
in early January - led by our congregation's
music director, Brent Tucker.
Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.
We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate
in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland.
ALL 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT
We continue to gather a waiting list for this trip,
as they may be some drop-outs as we near deadlines.
We have started an interest list for future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more
about exciting, spiritual tourism!
Did You Know?
According to legend, the leek became
the national symbol of Wales in
tribute to a hard-won battle in
640 AD where Welsh soldiers
wore leeks on their helmets to
distinguish them from their Saxon
enemies.
“The legacy of
heroes is the
memory of a great
name and the
inheritance of a
great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- discovered by Marlene Holst
*****
SUMMARY OF OUR AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
We are introducing live videos of our sessions,
edited by Jock McTavish:
Review Our Fall Program at St. David's by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
New material will continue to be added to this page
as it becomes available.
*****
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 ITEMS
Book Notices:
LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD
A Celtic Spirituality by J. Philip Newell
Paulist Press, New York. 1997. 112 pages.
ISBN #0-8091-3759-3.
Publisher's Promo:
An overview of Celtic spirituality
and its implications for us today.
This book presents a spirituality modeled on the
vital characteristics of Celtic spirituality through
the centuries. Here is an emphasis on the essential
goodness of creation and of humanity made in the
image of God. This book traces the lines of Celtic
spirituality from the British church in the fourth
century through to the twentieth century, via the
founder of the Iona Community, George MacLeod.
J. Philip Newell finds Celtic spiritual roots in the
New Testament, in the mysticism of St. John the
Evangelist. John is especially remembered as the one
who lay against Jesus at the Last Supper and heard
the heartbeat of God. Hence, he became a Celtic image
of listening to God in all of life.
This fresh angle on Celtic spirituality - linking the
figures in the Bible and in British Christian history -
will be warmly welcomed by all who are concerned to
refresh the roots of their faith.
---
Author's Words:
The premise of this book is that Celtic spirituality
is neither simply a thing of the past or a twentieth-
century phenomenon. Rather, is is a spirituality that
characterized the young British Church from as early
as the fourth century.
This spirituality has always managed to survive in
one form or another, usually on the edges of formal
religion.
As I re-read the old Celtic prayers, I ask myself,
"Where did this way of seeing come from, and where
is it to be found today?"
George MacLeod, the founder of the modern Iona Community,
has been influenced by the Carmina Gadelica tradition -
a collection of the ancient Celtic prayers. Alexander
Carmichael, who in the nineteenth century made the
great collection we have of these prayers from the
Western Isles, believed that many of them could be
traced back to the original Columban community of
Iona in the sixth century.
The Pelagian tradition, which was deemed heretical by
mainstream Western Catholic and Protestant Christianity,
emphasised the life of God within, not apart from,
creation. Pelagius maintained that the image of God
can be seen in every newborn child, and that, obscured
by sin, it exists in the heart of every person, waiting
to be released through the grace of God.
Similarly, in the ninth century, the Celtic world
produced one of its greatest theologians: John Scotus
Eriugena, who taught that we could look to creation,
just as we look to the Scriptures, to receive the living
Word of God.
A selective view of the history of Celtic spirituality
is valuable in itself, providing it does some continuity
of perspective; it also demonstrates that this spirituality
has been tried and tested over time.
The main purpose of this book, however, is to offer what
I believe to be a vital spirituality for today.
- from the Introduction
---
My Comments:
In the ten years we have been teaching courses on
spirituality and theology through our Monday Night
classes at the church, we have not witnessed the
interest and commitment to a study as we have with
this book. That says a lot, because we have encountered
many good books and commitment over a period of 21
courses in the past decade!
What was it that greatly appealed to our 40 registrants
and up to 50 participants in this series? I believe it
had to do with how many of the basic truths taught us
by Celtic Christianity actually 'make sense' and truly
'apply' to our lives today.
Perhaps this might best be summed up in the term
"seeing God in the ordinary."
For that reason alone, "Listening for the Heartbeat of
God" has a place in the libraries of modern Christians.
But there is more. The author, J. Philip Newell, leads
us through an encounter with two Celtic theologians
that have traditionally been viewed as heretical in
theological survey classes taught to laypersons and
seminarians alike.
The focus of Pelagius and Eriugena on the goodness of
creation and humanity - flies in the face of centuries
of Augustinian theological orthodoxy. St. Augustine,
interpreted by Luther and other Protestant reformers,
popularized the doctrine of original sin - meaning that
humans began as sinful beings in need of redemption -
and that the world is essentially evil, and in constant
conflict with Christians who exist there.
Celtic spirituality does not deny the reality of sin and
evil and of our constant need for redemption and vigilance.
It does, however, reverse the Pauline/Augustinian/Lutheran
arguments. It begins with a focus on the essential
goodness of humanity and of all creation. This simple
perspective challenges the basic teachings with which many
of us have been raised and with which many of us struggle.
Celtic spirituality encourages us to authentically "walk
the talk" and to "discover God in the ordinary" - two faith
characteristics that seem to appeal to many today.
These teachings certainly appealed to many in our class.
George MacDonald, a Scot - and one of the earlier
advocates of modern Celtic spirituality - suggests
that while we can engage God in daily life through
our reason or our emotions, the use of the imagination
becomes a third way, a way to transcend the chronic
conflict between hard-line reason or emotional
approaches to knowing God and living the Christian
way.
Celtic spirituality has a strong social justice
component. We are encouraged to 'listen' to the voice
of God, and to 'act' justly in the world as a result.
Newell compares two ways of listening and acting -
the more 'ordered' approach of St. Peter, and the
more 'mystical' approach of St. John. Investigating
these approaches together is a most stimulating
exercise.
Celtic spirituality is not an 'either/or' way of
living the faith. Rather, it takes a 'both/and'
stance to faith. It is not a matter of either
engaging God through reason or emotion or the
imagination, but of recognizing the good that
exists in all three approaches.
Had early British Christians been more willing
to accept both Pelagius/Eriugena, and Augustine -
seeking the good from each contribution rather than
attempting to root out error in the quest for
Catholic orthodoxy, we would probably all have
been saved much religious turmoil.
For those who have held a long-standing suspicion -
even resentment - at teachings based on original
sin, a healthy encounter with Celtic spirituality
could help you to feel much better about yourself,
and also more attentive and joyful in your Christian
experience.
---
Buy the book at Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2dgkm73
___________
THE CELTIC WAY
New Edition, by Ian Bradley,
Darton, Longman and Todd, London UK
1997, reprinted 2010. 134 pages.
ISBN #10-0-232-52495-5.
Publisher's Promo:
Retreats, Prayer meetings and devotional sessions are
often led with a Celtic theme and it is clear that
Celtic Spirituality is growing in its role within the
church. Originally published in 1993, in this 2003 edition,
Ian Bradley has written a new forward in which he reflects
on the decade since The Celtic Way was first released and
on how things have changed. The text of the book concentrates
on the origins and development of the Celtic movement and
later on looks at the key elements of it. The author writes
intriguingly about the intricacies and details of the Celts;
historical in places, a model of spirituality in others,
the book constantly stays earthed in the rich traditions
it is exploring. As a reader, you never lose the fact that
this could greatly influence your spiritual journey along
The Celtic Way.
---
Author's Words:
Celtic Christianity does seem to speak with almost uncanny
relevance to many of the concerns of our present age.
In this book, I attempt to tell the story of Celtic
Christianity and examine its main themes. I cannot claim
to be totally dispassionate, since I am an unashamed
enthusiast for the subject who believes... that our Celtic
ancestors have much to teach us today.
I hope, however, that I have at least avoided the worst
extremes of misty romanticism which has so often descended
on modern portrayals of the Celtic landscape.
I also aim to explore the way Celtic Christians lived
and thought, and to suggest that it is a path that
Christians might usefully tread today.
Perhaps I might be permitted to dedicate this book to
all doodlers and dreamers, poets and pilgrims. One of
the most important lessons we can learn from Celtic
Christianity is surely that such folk are often much
more effective witnesses to the Gospel and walk more
closely with the Lord than those of us who are
ordained ministers and academic theologians.
- from the Preface to the First Edition
---
My Comments:
As I read Bradley's book as a back-up to J.Philip Newell's
study on Celtic spirituality ("Listening for the Heartbeat
of God") I was taken by many similar themes and patterns
existing between the two.
In terms of defining and elaborating upon the historical,
theological, spiritual and cultural context, Bradley's is
the more extensive of the two.
Still, it was Bradley who reminded me most of the faith
within which I was raised. It was the family religion of
my parents, Alf and Marieta Holst, now both deceased.
At the end of his Preface, the author states: "One of the
most important lessons we can learn from Celtic Christianity
is surely that (ordinary) folk are often much more effective
witnesses to the Gospel and walk more closely with the Lord
than those of us who are ordained ministers and academic
theologians."
My parents were in many respects spiritual "ordinary folk""
who were Christian pilgrims." They were not theologically
articulate in the formal sense (as I was trained to be.)
They were, essentially, folk who were able "to discover God
in the ordinary" and who sought to "walk the talk."
Dad sometimes worried that my theological studies had
caused me to lose touch with some of the basics he had tried
to teach me. Mom was simply lost when I tried to 'explain'
to her some of my more profound theological understandings.
Fortunately, they continued to love me in spite of myself.
I have never been the spiritual person my father was. He
continues to inform and inspire me, two decades after his
death. Nor am I the spiritual person mom was. She witnessed
to an essential gratitude for everything in life (the good
and the bad) and to discover God in "the little things."
She encouraged me by example to keep trying to help people,
whatever my own state of affairs, and to work to make the
world a better place.
Their worldview was not the large panel I claimed to have.
Their worldview was more basic, down-to-earth, and deeply
experiential.
Many times, as I encountered some truth in Bradley's
book, I would recall lessons I first learned from my
parents. I realize now, after they are gone, that they
were indeed anam cara (soul friends) to me. They encouraged
me to look for other anam cara folk along life's way, and I
have done so. I keep trying, in many ways, to emulate them.
This book will help readers to find deep profundities
in the ordinary. For those on a spiritual quest that
seeks simplicity and connection to reality, reading this
book should appeal to you richly as it did me.
---
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2uozx45
-----
As a result of our autumn study, we have created a summary
of Celtic Spiritual Themes for Reflection and Discussion
1. Life is basically Good.
2. People are fundamentally good.
3. Religion completes and uplifts us.
4. God is present in all aspects of life.
5. Ancestors, past family and friends are always with us.
6. Blessings are a blessing, a heritage worth remembering.
7. Service is our purpose, no task is too humble.
8. Our work is a gift, a meditation, a prayer.
9. Christ completes, he does not displace the seeker's quest.
10. Evil is real. We need God's continuous protection from it.
11. Images of the Christian Trinity are always present to us.
*****
Summary Session Small Group Discussion Questions (35-40 minutes)
1. What changes in your personal spiritual outlook and practice
have opened to you as a result of your encounter with Celtic
spirituality in this course?
2. What changes in our congregation's spiritual outlook do you
think are needed and possible because of our encounter with
Celtic spirituality in this course?
Feedback will be posted on this season's Monday Night Study Site
Please return to this site in future for details:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
---
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
ERICH and MIRANDA WEINGARTNER
Calendar, ON.
Quoting Miranda Weingartner:
Dear Wayne,
I was unable to access Erich Weingartner's comment on
the situation in the North Korean Peninsula (last week.)
I provide the link and copy and post it here:
http://www.cankor.ca/cankor-report--331.php
Miranda
---
(printed format)
Dear Friends,
Having just returned from Seoul, where I attended
the highly successful 2010 International Conference
on Humanitarian and Development Assistance to the
DPRK from 15-17 November 2010, I expected this
issue of the CanKor Report to bring highlights of
current thinking on development cooperation in
North Korea. As is often the case with the DPRK,
dramatic events tend to overtake careful analysis
and prudent planning. What you will read in this
issue will therefore revolve around the new
provocations in the Yellow Sea (or the “West Sea”
as preferred by Koreans).
Skirmishes in this part of the divide between North
and South are nothing new. The two sides may have
agreed on the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) crossing
the peninsula, but the extension of this dividing
line into the West Sea is still in dispute after
60 years. The DPRK draws an almost straight line
from the mainland DMZ into the sea toward China.
The ROK adheres to a so-called “Northern Limit
Line” (NLL) that follows in a northerly direction
close to the coastline of North Korea.
Between these two lines is a triangular-shaped area
that holds some lucrative crustacean and mollusc
fishing grounds that are harvested by both sides
in the fall of each year. The navies of both sides
protect their respective fishing vessels. Mischief
and miscalculation does the rest. It is the perfect
recipe for “accidental” warfare. All that is needed
is the heat of political tension and the pressure
cooker of military exercizes in the same
geographical location to bring this pot of
poison to the boil. The outbreak of hostilities
is less surprising to me than the fact that for
sixty years these hostilities have been contained.
Let us hope that cooler heads will once again
pull back from the brink. There is no time like
the present to withdraw from the war of bullets
and get back to a war of words. We are
unfortunately a long way from rediscovering words
of peace. My conversations with several government
officials and diplomats in Seoul brought me to the
conclusion that those most closely related to the
conflict, i.e. the ROK and the USA, have both run
out of ideas as to next steps. It would be the
perfect time for countries like Canada or the
Europeans to inject a moderating influence. But
that would require two qualities that currently
seem in short supply: wisdom and compassion.
Stay Tuned.
Erich
Keep informed by clicking the CanKor website:
http://www.cankor.ca/
*****
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
ronrolheiser.com
November 28th, 2010
Virgin Birth
Christian tradition has always emphasized that Jesus
was born of a virgin. The Messiah could only come forth
from a virgin's womb. The main reason for this emphasis
of course is to highlight that Jesus did not have a
human father and that his conception was from the
Holy Spirit.
But there is often a secondary emphasis as well, less-
founded in scripture. Too common within that notion is
the idea that Jesus was born from a virgin because
somehow sexuality is impure, that it is too base and
earthy to have a connection to such a sacred event...
Read the entire article...
http://www.ronrolheiser.com/columnarchive/?id=542
*****
DONALD GRAYSTON
Vancouver, BC
THE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF CHANUKAH AND CHRISTMAS
And Their Downsides - An Interfaith Discussion
Tikuun Online
Nov. 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3acl6vw
**************************
NET NOTES
HAS GOD RETURNED TO NARNIA?
Third in the movie series -
"Voyage of the Dawn Treader" opens soon
Wall Street Journal
November 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/26pbhe8
*****
HOW STORES LEAD YOU TO SPEND
Wall Street Journal
December 2nd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/235nden
*****
HELPING SOMEONE UNTIL THEY DIE
The Latest 'Passages' Book by Gail Sheehy
National Catholic Reporter
December 1st, 2010
http://ncronline.org/print/21517
*****
BLAIR-HITCHENS DEBATE ON GOD
Watch the Debate -
"Is Religion a Force for Good?"
The Statesman, UK
November 28th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2an6kpt
---
Assessing the Debate (1)
Hitchens 1-0 Over Blair
The Guardian, UK
Nov. 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2euhs8g
---
Assessing the Debate (2)
Anglican Journal
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2bb7ryo
*****
THE NEW ATHEISTS REVISITED IN PERSPECTIVE
Articles from the America Magazine Archives
May 5th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2ckugpa
*****
SHORT FILM ON INDIA'S ORISSA STATE
Explanation of the Anti-Christian Violence
Cathnews.Asia
November 30th, 2010
YouTube
http://tinyurl.com/22pl5j9
*****
WIKILEAKS MENTIONS VATICAN MANY TIMES
Catholic News Service
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3a4ccy9
---
The Tablet
December 4th, 2010
"Out of the Diplomatic Bag"
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/15604
---
Even the Best Names are Smeared
The Atlantic (cartoon)
Dec. 2nd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/37ycj8y
*****
RELICS STOLEN FROM ANCIENT KERALA CHURCH
The Times of India
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2dkth8q
*****
TAIZE YEAR-END YOUTH GATHERING IN ROTTERDAM
Meeting Draws Thousands from Around the World
Taize Web Site:
http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique45.html
*****
CHINA FREES TORTURED TIBETAN BUDDHIST NUN
Cathnews.Asia
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3xjrhf2
**************************
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
29 November 2010
Food rights experts warn of bio-fuel
triggered land grabs in Africa
Nairobi (ENI news). Food rights experts are cautioning
Africa to be wary of what may amount to land grabbing
by foreign companies who want to produce bio-fuel crops
and food for their home markets. The warning was sounded
in Nairobi, where members of church groups gathered
from 22-26 November, to discuss challenges of food
security and justice in southern and central Africa.
"Africa has to be careful with these [deals] because
it is the people, the ordinary people at the ground
who will suffer, and not [only] suffer now, but into
the future," Susie Weldon, an official from the
Britain-based Alliance of Religions and Conservation
told ENI news. "I think this is wrong. The first
priority of the governments should be to feed its
own people," said Weldon, whose organization is
working with faith groups to develop environmental
programmes based on their beliefs, practices and
teaching.
*****
Protests greet donation of Austrian
Catholic church to Orthodox
Warsaw (ENI news). The head of the Roman Catholic Church
in Austria has denied being "anti-Polish" after members
of Polish congregations in Vienna protested against his
decision to offer one of the city's Catholic churches
to Serbian Orthodox Christians. "In recent weeks, many
stormy events have taken place around a church in the
Neulerchenfeld district," said Cardinal Christoph
Schönborn, the chairperson of the Austrian Catholic
Bishops' Conference. "Untruths and simplifications
have been spread, filling me with great sadness,"
said the cardinal. "It has gone so far that I have
been accused of deliberately acting against Polish
Catholics, and this information has even circulated
in southern Poland. I must assure you the truth is
quite different."
*****
30 November 2010
Plans for mosque in Moscow district
spark controversy
Moscow (ENI news). A group of Moscow residents are
fighting for official confirmation that a new mosque
will not be built in their district of Russia's capital,
amid controversies across the world's biggest country
over worship places for Muslims. "We're upset that this
plot of land was chosen to begin with, because it is
neither meant nor suited for the construction of large
public buildings," said Mikhail Butrimov, a leader of
the Moi dvor (My yard) movement fighting the mosque
construction in Moscow's Tekstilschiki district.
_____
Discord over Anglican plan to counter schisms,
embrace opinions
London (ENI news). A major step to promote harmony within
the worldwide Anglican Communion has been rejected by
leaders of a global grouping set up to fight against
what its members call breaches of traditional biblical
Anglicanism. On 24 November, the Church of England's
general synod voted to adopt the draft version of a
covenant, a document that the Anglican Communion's 38
provinces, or areas, will be invited to endorse. If
ratified it would offer a mechanism for managing
differences arising originally from the consecration
of an openly homosexual bishop in the United States.
*****
1 December 2010
Privatisation deters poor's access to water,
say Asian church leaders
Manila (ENI news). More and more poor people in Asia are
being deprived of what was once seen as a free "God-given
resource", as water has become a paid-for asset controlled
by private companies in recent years, say Asian church
leaders. "Now considered as a commercial commodity rather
than as heritage and a natural resource that should be
protected, water … is now being increasingly controlled
by private corporations," said the Rev David Tabo-oy,
evangelism officer of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church
of the Philippines. Tabo-oy was reflecting on "Water as
a gift from God and as a human right" during the second
day of a 28 November to 3 December consultation on
"communities' rights to water and sanitation in Asia"
held in Manila.
_____
Mobilise for HIV prevention, Tutu says on World AIDS Day
Geneva (ENI news). Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, has issued a call to world leaders to take
action to accelerate a decline in new HIV infections
through activism that promotes prevention measures. "HIV
prevention activism is indispensable to overcome the
epidemic," said Tutu, the former leader of South Africa's
Anglicans in a statement to mark World AIDS Day on 1
December. "Communities must receive the support and
encouragement they need to mobilise against the epidemic
with courage and fearless commitment." Tutu is a co-chair
of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention
alongside Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, a French
virologist. A declaration released by the co-chairs
warned that ebbing financial investments, lack of
political commitment and ineffective prevention
priorities are challenging progress in achieving
significant decline in new HIV infections.
*****
2 December 2010
World churches' leader to meet Pope in Rome
Geneva (ENI news). The general secretary of the
World Council of Churches, the Rev. Olav Fykse
Tveit, says he hopes his upcoming audience in
Rome with Pope Benedict XVI will advance
Christian unity. "It is important that we speak
honestly in this meeting about the challenges we
have," Tveit said of the 4 December meeting at
the Vatican. It will be Tveit's first meeting
with Pope Benedict since the Norwegian Lutheran
theologian took up his WCC post in January.
"There are expectations for the ecumenical
movement that have not been fulfilled, and
there are tensions arising in and between
churches," Tveit said in a 2 December statement
issued from the WCC's Geneva headquarters. Some
observers have suggested that the Vatican sees
relations with Eastern Orthodox churches as
having a higher priority than contacts with
Protestants.
_____
Korean churches say global prayers needed
after military clash
Tokyo (ENI news). The head of the Seoul-based
National Council of Churches in Korea has urged
global prayers during Advent for peace on the
peninsula following a North Korean military attack
on a South Korean island. The council's newly-
elected general secretary, the Rev. Kim Young-Ju,
said he wanted the "prayer and solidarity of the
worldwide churches" to help nurture peace. Advent
marks the period of the church year before
Christmas and commemorates the coming of Jesus
into the world. Kim made his appeal in a 1
December statement on the council's Web site,
which also urged North and South Korea to use
only peaceful means to achieve reunification
of the two countries that were divided after
the Second World War.
_____
Swiss church group urges
'don’t buy Zimbabwean diamonds'
Geneva, 2 December (ENI news)--The Swiss church-
backed group Bread for All says numerous human
rights violations are being committed in certain
Zimbabwe's diamond mines by State security forces
and the minerals should be labelled "blood diamonds".
Bread for All (Switzerland) is calling on the
government of Switzerland, as a member of the
Kimberley Process, to demand the exclusion of
certain Zimbabwean diamonds tainted by links to
human rights' violation from international trade.
Marlon Zakeyo, who heads the Zimbabwe Advocacy
Office in Geneva, told ENI news, "Switzerland is
an important jewelery centre, but it is also
known as a country that is a centre for human
rights. The Swiss government is also a key
partner in the Kimberley Process, which deals
with international diamond trading."
Muslims say respect is key to better relations
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). Half of Muslims surveyed
worldwide believe the West does not respect them,
according to a new Gallup report. "We also found that
this concept of respect ... now includes perceptions
of fairness in policies, not just culturally sensitive
language," said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of
the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Religion News
Service reports. The findings are part of a report on
"Measuring the State of Muslim-West Relations",
released on 1 December at Gallup's Washington
headquarters.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online:
November 29th, 2010
"My [child], resolve to do the will of others
rather than your own. Always choose to possess
less rather than more. Always take the lowest
place, and regard yourself as less than others."
- Thomas A. Kempis, from "The Imitation of Christ"
-----
November 30th, 2010
"Christ does not save all those who say to him:
Lord, Lord. But he saves all those who out of a
pure heart give a piece of bread to a starving
[person], without thinking about him in the
least little bit."
- Simone Weil
-----
December 1st, 2010
"In order to give us a precise and clear example
of humility in the perfection of love, [our Lord]
took a towel and washed his disciples' feet. So what
about you, living entirely on your own, how will you
ever discover such humility? Whose feet will you wash?
Whom will you care for?"
- Basil the Great
-----
"We must move away from asking God to take care of
the things that are breaking our hearts to praying
about the things that are breaking God's heart."
- Margaret Gibb
-----
"When all comes to all, the most precious element
in life is wonder. Love is a great emotion, and power
is power. But both love and power are based on wonder."
- D.H. Lawrence
*****
ON THIS DAY
Nov. 28, 1943 - President Roosevelt, British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef
Stalin met in Tehran during World War II.
http://tinyurl.com/36hjefp
*****
On Nov. 29, 1947 - the U.N. General Assembly passed
a resolution calling for Palestine to be partitioned
between Arabs and Jews.
http://tinyurl.com/284uhtp
*****
Dec. 1, 1959 - representatives of 12 countries, including
the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting
aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from
military activity.
http://tinyurl.com/263sy56
*****
Dec. 3, 1984 - More than 4,000 die of gas in Bhopal, India.
http://tinyurl.com/246yqwc
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:
* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on
fears based on past experiences.
* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
* A loss of interest in judging other people.
* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
* A loss of interest in conflict.
* A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
* Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
* Frequent attacks of smiling.
* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make
them happen.
* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others
as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus
can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been
completely cleaned out because of it.
Namaste
Peggy McDonagh (Minister, St. David's United Church, Calgary)
(end)
*****
Edited by Wayne A. Holst
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
************
Colleague Comment this Week:
Wayne:
Thank you for your ministry :)
- Miranda Weingartner
___
Introduced in this Issue -
Book Notices:
"Listening for the Heartbeat of God -
A Celtic Spirituality" (and)
"The Celtic Way"
---
Plus:
A Summary of Discoveries from the course:
"An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality"
___
Colleague Contributions:
Erich Weingartner
Ron Rolheiser
Donald Grayston
___
Net Notes:
Has God Returned to Narnia?
How Stores Lead You to Spend
Helping Someone Until They Die
The Blair-Hitchens Debate on God
A Perspective on the New Atheists
A Short Film on India's Orissa State
Wikileaks Mention Vatican Frequently
Relics Stolen from Ancient Kerala Church
Taize Year-End Youth Gathering in Rotterdam
China Releases Tortured Tibetan Buddhist Nun
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
10 stories from Ecumenical News International
___
Quotes of the Week:
Thomas a Kempis
Simone Weil
Basil the Great
Margaret Gibb
D.H. Lawrence
___
On This Day (Nov. 28th - Dec. 3rd)
Nov. 28, 1943 - Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin met in Tehran
Nov. 29, 1947 - UN calls for Arab & Jew Palestine partition
Dec. 1, 1959 - Treaty makes Antarctica a non-military preserve
___
Closing Thought - Peggy McDonagh
(end)
******************
Dear Friends:
This autumn, the theme of our Monday Night Study
was Celtic spirituality. This coincided with our
planned St. David's 50th Anniversary Tour, next
spring, to the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland,
Wales and England.
We wanted to make this study appealing to a
wider audience than only the travelers, and
we seemed to succeed. We experienced the largest
number of course registrants - 41 persons - in
our Monday Night course history of 21 series
over the past decade!
While more learnings will eventually become
available on our study web page, it seemed a
good time to introduce our study books and some
classroom discoveries to you my colleagues.
Hopefully, you too will benefit from our efforts.
Introduced in this issue:
"Listening for the Heartbeat of God -
A Celtic Spirituality" by J. Philip Newell (and)
"The Celtic Way" by Ian Bradley.
In addition, below, we share a summary of Celtic
spiritual discoveries and some of the questions we
tackled in "An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality"
___
Colleague Contributions:
Erich Weingartner repeats a message that seems not
to have come through when he reported on his recent
visit to Korea in our last Colleagues List issue.
(Cankor)
Ron Rolheiser shares his thoughts on a timely theme -
"The Virgin Birth" (Ron Rolheiser website)
Donald Grayston conveys another timely message,
relating the Jewish festival of Chanukah and the
Christian festival of Christmas (Tikuun)
___
Net Notes:
"Has God Returned to Narnia?" - The third movie in
the Narnia series is appearing momentarily, and
there is a return to some of the spiritual focus of
the first film (Wall Street Journal)
"How Stores Lead You to Spend" - Read of how you are
seduced into spending more money at this time of year
(Wall Street Journal)
"Helping Someone Until They Die" - Gail Sheehy built
her reputation as a writer with various "Passages"
books over the past three decades. Reviewed here is
her most recent (National Catholic Reporter)
"The Blair-Hitchens Debate on God" - Last week,
Lorna Dueck introduced the Toronto debate that
gained global attention. This week we share video
selections from the actual event last weekend, and
assessment from both popular and religious presses.
"A Perspective on the New Atheists" - Attention to
the new atheists and their arguments continues. To
help us gain some perspective, America Magazine
re-published four e-articles this week.
"A Short Film on India's Orissa State" - Those
who find the Christian-Hindu religious conflict
confusing should find help with this video
(Cath News Asia)
"Wikileaks Mention Vatican Frequently" - the church
has not been immune to fallout from Wikileaks which
was easily the biggest global news story this week.
(Catholic News Service, The Tablet, The Atlantic)
"Relics Stolen from Ancient Kerala Church" - This
story reminds us that the history of Christianity
in India covers millennia (The Times of India)
"Taize Year-End Youth Gathering in Rotterdam" -
Annually, over Christmas break, Taize sponsors a
large youth gathering somewhere in Europe. This
year, it takes place in the Netherlands
(Taize website)
"China Releases Tortured Tibetan Buddhist Nun" -
Chinese authorities have released a Tibetan
Buddhist nun who was imprisoned for three years
and suffered torture during her incarceration
(Cath News Asia)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
This week, 10 stories are provided from
Ecumenical News International in Geneva.
___
Quotes of the Week:
Thomas a Kempis, Simone Weil, Basil the Great,
Margaret Gibb and D.H. Lawrence provide insights.
___
On This Day (Nov. 28th - Dec. 1st)
These on the scene stories come to us from the
archives of the New York Times:
Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin met in Tehran (1943)
UN calls for Arab & Jew Palestine partition (1947)
Treaty makes Antarctica a non-military preserve (1959)
___
Closing Thought - This week, the Rev. Peggy McDonagh,
minister of St. David's United Church, shares some
thoughts on an Advent virus.
___
We have installed our Christmas decorations outside
and inside our home. Other preparations continue apace.
We seem to be doing this earlier each year.
Blessings of the season to you all!
Wayne
*************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor (and)
"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
More study and website particulars will
be posted as they become available
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the New Atheists and
consider the question: "Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris' new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Course description and registration information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 26 choristers signed up as part of the
tour group. This special choir begins rehearsals
in early January - led by our congregation's
music director, Brent Tucker.
Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.
We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate
in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland.
ALL 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT
We continue to gather a waiting list for this trip,
as they may be some drop-outs as we near deadlines.
We have started an interest list for future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more
about exciting, spiritual tourism!
Did You Know?
According to legend, the leek became
the national symbol of Wales in
tribute to a hard-won battle in
640 AD where Welsh soldiers
wore leeks on their helmets to
distinguish them from their Saxon
enemies.
“The legacy of
heroes is the
memory of a great
name and the
inheritance of a
great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- discovered by Marlene Holst
*****
SUMMARY OF OUR AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
We are introducing live videos of our sessions,
edited by Jock McTavish:
Review Our Fall Program at St. David's by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
New material will continue to be added to this page
as it becomes available.
*****
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 ITEMS
Book Notices:
LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD
A Celtic Spirituality by J. Philip Newell
Paulist Press, New York. 1997. 112 pages.
ISBN #0-8091-3759-3.
Publisher's Promo:
An overview of Celtic spirituality
and its implications for us today.
This book presents a spirituality modeled on the
vital characteristics of Celtic spirituality through
the centuries. Here is an emphasis on the essential
goodness of creation and of humanity made in the
image of God. This book traces the lines of Celtic
spirituality from the British church in the fourth
century through to the twentieth century, via the
founder of the Iona Community, George MacLeod.
J. Philip Newell finds Celtic spiritual roots in the
New Testament, in the mysticism of St. John the
Evangelist. John is especially remembered as the one
who lay against Jesus at the Last Supper and heard
the heartbeat of God. Hence, he became a Celtic image
of listening to God in all of life.
This fresh angle on Celtic spirituality - linking the
figures in the Bible and in British Christian history -
will be warmly welcomed by all who are concerned to
refresh the roots of their faith.
---
Author's Words:
The premise of this book is that Celtic spirituality
is neither simply a thing of the past or a twentieth-
century phenomenon. Rather, is is a spirituality that
characterized the young British Church from as early
as the fourth century.
This spirituality has always managed to survive in
one form or another, usually on the edges of formal
religion.
As I re-read the old Celtic prayers, I ask myself,
"Where did this way of seeing come from, and where
is it to be found today?"
George MacLeod, the founder of the modern Iona Community,
has been influenced by the Carmina Gadelica tradition -
a collection of the ancient Celtic prayers. Alexander
Carmichael, who in the nineteenth century made the
great collection we have of these prayers from the
Western Isles, believed that many of them could be
traced back to the original Columban community of
Iona in the sixth century.
The Pelagian tradition, which was deemed heretical by
mainstream Western Catholic and Protestant Christianity,
emphasised the life of God within, not apart from,
creation. Pelagius maintained that the image of God
can be seen in every newborn child, and that, obscured
by sin, it exists in the heart of every person, waiting
to be released through the grace of God.
Similarly, in the ninth century, the Celtic world
produced one of its greatest theologians: John Scotus
Eriugena, who taught that we could look to creation,
just as we look to the Scriptures, to receive the living
Word of God.
A selective view of the history of Celtic spirituality
is valuable in itself, providing it does some continuity
of perspective; it also demonstrates that this spirituality
has been tried and tested over time.
The main purpose of this book, however, is to offer what
I believe to be a vital spirituality for today.
- from the Introduction
---
My Comments:
In the ten years we have been teaching courses on
spirituality and theology through our Monday Night
classes at the church, we have not witnessed the
interest and commitment to a study as we have with
this book. That says a lot, because we have encountered
many good books and commitment over a period of 21
courses in the past decade!
What was it that greatly appealed to our 40 registrants
and up to 50 participants in this series? I believe it
had to do with how many of the basic truths taught us
by Celtic Christianity actually 'make sense' and truly
'apply' to our lives today.
Perhaps this might best be summed up in the term
"seeing God in the ordinary."
For that reason alone, "Listening for the Heartbeat of
God" has a place in the libraries of modern Christians.
But there is more. The author, J. Philip Newell, leads
us through an encounter with two Celtic theologians
that have traditionally been viewed as heretical in
theological survey classes taught to laypersons and
seminarians alike.
The focus of Pelagius and Eriugena on the goodness of
creation and humanity - flies in the face of centuries
of Augustinian theological orthodoxy. St. Augustine,
interpreted by Luther and other Protestant reformers,
popularized the doctrine of original sin - meaning that
humans began as sinful beings in need of redemption -
and that the world is essentially evil, and in constant
conflict with Christians who exist there.
Celtic spirituality does not deny the reality of sin and
evil and of our constant need for redemption and vigilance.
It does, however, reverse the Pauline/Augustinian/Lutheran
arguments. It begins with a focus on the essential
goodness of humanity and of all creation. This simple
perspective challenges the basic teachings with which many
of us have been raised and with which many of us struggle.
Celtic spirituality encourages us to authentically "walk
the talk" and to "discover God in the ordinary" - two faith
characteristics that seem to appeal to many today.
These teachings certainly appealed to many in our class.
George MacDonald, a Scot - and one of the earlier
advocates of modern Celtic spirituality - suggests
that while we can engage God in daily life through
our reason or our emotions, the use of the imagination
becomes a third way, a way to transcend the chronic
conflict between hard-line reason or emotional
approaches to knowing God and living the Christian
way.
Celtic spirituality has a strong social justice
component. We are encouraged to 'listen' to the voice
of God, and to 'act' justly in the world as a result.
Newell compares two ways of listening and acting -
the more 'ordered' approach of St. Peter, and the
more 'mystical' approach of St. John. Investigating
these approaches together is a most stimulating
exercise.
Celtic spirituality is not an 'either/or' way of
living the faith. Rather, it takes a 'both/and'
stance to faith. It is not a matter of either
engaging God through reason or emotion or the
imagination, but of recognizing the good that
exists in all three approaches.
Had early British Christians been more willing
to accept both Pelagius/Eriugena, and Augustine -
seeking the good from each contribution rather than
attempting to root out error in the quest for
Catholic orthodoxy, we would probably all have
been saved much religious turmoil.
For those who have held a long-standing suspicion -
even resentment - at teachings based on original
sin, a healthy encounter with Celtic spirituality
could help you to feel much better about yourself,
and also more attentive and joyful in your Christian
experience.
---
Buy the book at Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2dgkm73
___________
THE CELTIC WAY
New Edition, by Ian Bradley,
Darton, Longman and Todd, London UK
1997, reprinted 2010. 134 pages.
ISBN #10-0-232-52495-5.
Publisher's Promo:
Retreats, Prayer meetings and devotional sessions are
often led with a Celtic theme and it is clear that
Celtic Spirituality is growing in its role within the
church. Originally published in 1993, in this 2003 edition,
Ian Bradley has written a new forward in which he reflects
on the decade since The Celtic Way was first released and
on how things have changed. The text of the book concentrates
on the origins and development of the Celtic movement and
later on looks at the key elements of it. The author writes
intriguingly about the intricacies and details of the Celts;
historical in places, a model of spirituality in others,
the book constantly stays earthed in the rich traditions
it is exploring. As a reader, you never lose the fact that
this could greatly influence your spiritual journey along
The Celtic Way.
---
Author's Words:
Celtic Christianity does seem to speak with almost uncanny
relevance to many of the concerns of our present age.
In this book, I attempt to tell the story of Celtic
Christianity and examine its main themes. I cannot claim
to be totally dispassionate, since I am an unashamed
enthusiast for the subject who believes... that our Celtic
ancestors have much to teach us today.
I hope, however, that I have at least avoided the worst
extremes of misty romanticism which has so often descended
on modern portrayals of the Celtic landscape.
I also aim to explore the way Celtic Christians lived
and thought, and to suggest that it is a path that
Christians might usefully tread today.
Perhaps I might be permitted to dedicate this book to
all doodlers and dreamers, poets and pilgrims. One of
the most important lessons we can learn from Celtic
Christianity is surely that such folk are often much
more effective witnesses to the Gospel and walk more
closely with the Lord than those of us who are
ordained ministers and academic theologians.
- from the Preface to the First Edition
---
My Comments:
As I read Bradley's book as a back-up to J.Philip Newell's
study on Celtic spirituality ("Listening for the Heartbeat
of God") I was taken by many similar themes and patterns
existing between the two.
In terms of defining and elaborating upon the historical,
theological, spiritual and cultural context, Bradley's is
the more extensive of the two.
Still, it was Bradley who reminded me most of the faith
within which I was raised. It was the family religion of
my parents, Alf and Marieta Holst, now both deceased.
At the end of his Preface, the author states: "One of the
most important lessons we can learn from Celtic Christianity
is surely that (ordinary) folk are often much more effective
witnesses to the Gospel and walk more closely with the Lord
than those of us who are ordained ministers and academic
theologians."
My parents were in many respects spiritual "ordinary folk""
who were Christian pilgrims." They were not theologically
articulate in the formal sense (as I was trained to be.)
They were, essentially, folk who were able "to discover God
in the ordinary" and who sought to "walk the talk."
Dad sometimes worried that my theological studies had
caused me to lose touch with some of the basics he had tried
to teach me. Mom was simply lost when I tried to 'explain'
to her some of my more profound theological understandings.
Fortunately, they continued to love me in spite of myself.
I have never been the spiritual person my father was. He
continues to inform and inspire me, two decades after his
death. Nor am I the spiritual person mom was. She witnessed
to an essential gratitude for everything in life (the good
and the bad) and to discover God in "the little things."
She encouraged me by example to keep trying to help people,
whatever my own state of affairs, and to work to make the
world a better place.
Their worldview was not the large panel I claimed to have.
Their worldview was more basic, down-to-earth, and deeply
experiential.
Many times, as I encountered some truth in Bradley's
book, I would recall lessons I first learned from my
parents. I realize now, after they are gone, that they
were indeed anam cara (soul friends) to me. They encouraged
me to look for other anam cara folk along life's way, and I
have done so. I keep trying, in many ways, to emulate them.
This book will help readers to find deep profundities
in the ordinary. For those on a spiritual quest that
seeks simplicity and connection to reality, reading this
book should appeal to you richly as it did me.
---
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2uozx45
-----
As a result of our autumn study, we have created a summary
of Celtic Spiritual Themes for Reflection and Discussion
1. Life is basically Good.
2. People are fundamentally good.
3. Religion completes and uplifts us.
4. God is present in all aspects of life.
5. Ancestors, past family and friends are always with us.
6. Blessings are a blessing, a heritage worth remembering.
7. Service is our purpose, no task is too humble.
8. Our work is a gift, a meditation, a prayer.
9. Christ completes, he does not displace the seeker's quest.
10. Evil is real. We need God's continuous protection from it.
11. Images of the Christian Trinity are always present to us.
*****
Summary Session Small Group Discussion Questions (35-40 minutes)
1. What changes in your personal spiritual outlook and practice
have opened to you as a result of your encounter with Celtic
spirituality in this course?
2. What changes in our congregation's spiritual outlook do you
think are needed and possible because of our encounter with
Celtic spirituality in this course?
Feedback will be posted on this season's Monday Night Study Site
Please return to this site in future for details:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm
---
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
ERICH and MIRANDA WEINGARTNER
Calendar, ON.
Quoting Miranda Weingartner
Dear Wayne,
I was unable to access Erich Weingartner's comment on
the situation in the North Korean Peninsula (last week.)
I provide the link and copy and post it here:
Miranda
---
Dear Friends,
Having just returned from Seoul, where I attended
the highly successful 2010 International Conference
on Humanitarian and Development Assistance to the
DPRK from 15-17 November 2010, I expected this
issue of the CanKor Report to bring highlights of
current thinking on development cooperation in
North Korea. As is often the case with the DPRK,
dramatic events tend to overtake careful analysis
and prudent planning. What you will read in this
issue will therefore revolve around the new
provocations in the Yellow Sea (or the “West Sea”
as preferred by Koreans).
Skirmishes in this part of the divide between North
and South are nothing new. The two sides may have
agreed on the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) crossing
the peninsula, but the extension of this dividing
line into the West Sea is still in dispute after
60 years. The DPRK draws an almost straight line
from the mainland DMZ into the sea toward China.
The ROK adheres to a so-called “Northern Limit
Line” (NLL) that follows in a northerly direction
close to the coastline of North Korea.
Between these two lines is a triangular-shaped area
that holds some lucrative crustacean and mollusc
fishing grounds that are harvested by both sides
in the fall of each year. The navies of both sides
protect their respective fishing vessels. Mischief
and miscalculation does the rest. It is the perfect
recipe for “accidental” warfare. All that is needed
is the heat of political tension and the pressure
cooker of military exercizes in the same
geographical location to bring this pot of
poison to the boil. The outbreak of hostilities
is less surprising to me than the fact that for
sixty years these hostilities have been contained.
Let us hope that cooler heads will once again
pull back from the brink. There is no time like
the present to withdraw from the war of bullets
and get back to a war of words. We are
unfortunately a long way from rediscovering words
of peace. My conversations with several government
officials and diplomats in Seoul brought me to the
conclusion that those most closely related to the
conflict, i.e. the ROK and the USA, have both run
out of ideas as to next steps. It would be the
perfect time for countries like Canada or the
Europeans to inject a moderating influence. But
that would require two qualities that currently
seem in short supply: wisdom and compassion.
Stay Tuned.
Erich
Keep informed by clicking the CanKor website:
http://www.cankor.ca/
*****
RON ROLHEISER
ronrolheiser.com
November 28th, 2010
Virgin Birth
Christian tradition has always emphasized that Jesus
was born of a virgin. The Messiah could only come forth
from a virgin's womb. The main reason for this emphasis
of course is to highlight that Jesus did not have a
human father and that his conception was from the
Holy Spirit.
But there is often a secondary emphasis as well, less-
founded in scripture. Too common within that notion is
the idea that Jesus was born from a virgin because
somehow sexuality is impure, that it is too base and
earthy to have a connection to such a sacred event...
Read the entire article...
http://www.ronrolheiser.com/columnarchive/?id=542
*****
DONALD GRAYSTON
THE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF CHANUKAH AND CHRISTMAS
And Their Downsides - An Interfaith Discussion
Tikuun Online
Nov. 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3acl6vw
**************************
NET NOTES
HAS GOD RETURNED TO NARNIA?
Third in the movie series -
"Voyage of the Dawn Treader" opens soon
Wall Street Journal
November 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/26pbhe8
*****
HOW STORES LEAD YOU TO SPEND
Wall Street Journal
December 2nd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/235nden
*****
HELPING SOMEONE UNTIL THEY DIE
The Latest 'Passages' Book by Gail Sheehy
National Catholic Reporter
December 1st, 2010
http://ncronline.org/print/21517
*****
BLAIR-HITCHENS DEBATE ON GOD
Watch the Debate -
"Is Religion a Force for Good?"
The Statesman, UK
November 28th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2an6kpt
---
Assessing the Debate (1)
Hitchens 1-0 Over Blair
The Guardian, UK
Nov. 29th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2euhs8g
---
Assessing the Debate (2)
Anglican Journal
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2bb7ryo
*****
THE NEW ATHEISTS REVISITED IN PERSPECTIVE
Articles from the America Magazine Archives
May 5th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2ckugpa
*****
SHORT FILM ON INDIA'S ORISSA STATE
Explanation of the Anti-Christian Violence
Cathnews.Asia
November 30th, 2010
YouTube
http://tinyurl.com/22pl5j9
*****
WIKILEAKS MENTIONS VATICAN MANY TIMES
Catholic News Service
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3a4ccy9
---
The Tablet
December 4th, 2010
"Out of the Diplomatic Bag"
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/15604
---
Even the Best Names are Smeared
The Atlantic (cartoon)
Dec. 2nd, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/37ycj8y
*****
RELICS STOLEN FROM ANCIENT KERALA CHURCH
The Times of India
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2dkth8q
*****
TAIZE YEAR-END YOUTH GATHERING IN ROTTERDAM
Meeting Draws Thousands from Around the World
Taize Web Site:
http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique45.html
*****
CHINA FREES TORTURED TIBETAN BUDDHIST NUN
Cathnews.Asia
December 1st, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3xjrhf2
**************************
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
29 November 2010
Food rights experts warn of bio-fuel
triggered land grabs in Africa
Nairobi (ENI news). Food rights experts are cautioning
Africa to be wary of what may amount to land grabbing
by foreign companies who want to produce bio-fuel crops
and food for their home markets. The warning was sounded
in Nairobi, where members of church groups gathered
from 22-26 November, to discuss challenges of food
security and justice in southern and central Africa.
"Africa has to be careful with these [deals] because
it is the people, the ordinary people at the ground
who will suffer, and not [only] suffer now, but into
the future," Susie Weldon, an official from the
Britain-based Alliance of Religions and Conservation
told ENI news. "I think this is wrong. The first
priority of the governments should be to feed its
own people," said Weldon, whose organization is
working with faith groups to develop environmental
programmes based on their beliefs, practices and
teaching.
*****
Protests greet donation of Austrian
Catholic church to Orthodox
Warsaw (ENI news). The head of the Roman Catholic Church
in Austria has denied being "anti-Polish" after members
of Polish congregations in Vienna protested against his
decision to offer one of the city's Catholic churches
to Serbian Orthodox Christians. "In recent weeks, many
stormy events have taken place around a church in the
Neulerchenfeld district," said Cardinal Christoph
Schönborn, the chairperson of the Austrian Catholic
Bishops' Conference. "Untruths and simplifications
have been spread, filling me with great sadness,"
said the cardinal. "It has gone so far that I have
been accused of deliberately acting against Polish
Catholics, and this information has even circulated
in southern Poland. I must assure you the truth is
quite different."
*****
30 November 2010
Plans for mosque in Moscow district
spark controversy
Moscow (ENI news). A group of Moscow residents are
fighting for official confirmation that a new mosque
will not be built in their district of Russia's capital,
amid controversies across the world's biggest country
over worship places for Muslims. "We're upset that this
plot of land was chosen to begin with, because it is
neither meant nor suited for the construction of large
public buildings," said Mikhail Butrimov, a leader of
the Moi dvor (My yard) movement fighting the mosque
construction in Moscow's Tekstilschiki district.
_____
Discord over Anglican plan to counter schisms,
embrace opinions
London (ENI news). A major step to promote harmony within
the worldwide Anglican Communion has been rejected by
leaders of a global grouping set up to fight against
what its members call breaches of traditional biblical
Anglicanism. On 24 November, the Church of England's
general synod voted to adopt the draft version of a
covenant, a document that the Anglican Communion's 38
provinces, or areas, will be invited to endorse. If
ratified it would offer a mechanism for managing
differences arising originally from the consecration
of an openly homosexual bishop in the United States.
*****
1 December 2010
Privatisation deters poor's access to water,
say Asian church leaders
Manila (ENI news). More and more poor people in Asia are
being deprived of what was once seen as a free "God-given
resource", as water has become a paid-for asset controlled
by private companies in recent years, say Asian church
leaders. "Now considered as a commercial commodity rather
than as heritage and a natural resource that should be
protected, water … is now being increasingly controlled
by private corporations," said the Rev David Tabo-oy,
evangelism officer of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church
of the Philippines. Tabo-oy was reflecting on "Water as
a gift from God and as a human right" during the second
day of a 28 November to 3 December consultation on
"communities' rights to water and sanitation in Asia"
held in Manila.
_____
Mobilise for HIV prevention, Tutu says on World AIDS Day
Geneva (ENI news). Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, has issued a call to world leaders to take
action to accelerate a decline in new HIV infections
through activism that promotes prevention measures. "HIV
prevention activism is indispensable to overcome the
epidemic," said Tutu, the former leader of South Africa's
Anglicans in a statement to mark World AIDS Day on 1
December. "Communities must receive the support and
encouragement they need to mobilise against the epidemic
with courage and fearless commitment." Tutu is a co-chair
of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention
alongside Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, a French
virologist. A declaration released by the co-chairs
warned that ebbing financial investments, lack of
political commitment and ineffective prevention
priorities are challenging progress in achieving
significant decline in new HIV infections.
*****
2 December 2010
World churches' leader to meet Pope in Rome
Geneva (ENI news). The general secretary of the
World Council of Churches, the Rev. Olav Fykse
Tveit, says he hopes his upcoming audience in
Rome with Pope Benedict XVI will advance
Christian unity. "It is important that we speak
honestly in this meeting about the challenges we
have," Tveit said of the 4 December meeting at
the Vatican. It will be Tveit's first meeting
with Pope Benedict since the Norwegian Lutheran
theologian took up his WCC post in January.
"There are expectations for the ecumenical
movement that have not been fulfilled, and
there are tensions arising in and between
churches," Tveit said in a 2 December statement
issued from the WCC's Geneva headquarters. Some
observers have suggested that the Vatican sees
relations with Eastern Orthodox churches as
having a higher priority than contacts with
Protestants.
_____
Korean churches say global prayers needed
after military clash
Tokyo (ENI news). The head of the Seoul-based
National Council of Churches in Korea has urged
global prayers during Advent for peace on the
peninsula following a North Korean military attack
on a South Korean island. The council's newly-
elected general secretary, the Rev. Kim Young-Ju,
said he wanted the "prayer and solidarity of the
worldwide churches" to help nurture peace. Advent
marks the period of the church year before
Christmas and commemorates the coming of Jesus
into the world. Kim made his appeal in a 1
December statement on the council's Web site,
which also urged North and South Korea to use
only peaceful means to achieve reunification
of the two countries that were divided after
the Second World War.
_____
Swiss church group urges
'don’t buy Zimbabwean diamonds'
Geneva, 2 December (ENI news)--The Swiss church-
backed group Bread for All says numerous human
rights violations are being committed in certain
Zimbabwe's diamond mines by State security forces
and the minerals should be labelled "blood diamonds".
Bread for All (Switzerland) is calling on the
government of Switzerland, as a member of the
Kimberley Process, to demand the exclusion of
certain Zimbabwean diamonds tainted by links to
human rights' violation from international trade.
Marlon Zakeyo, who heads the Zimbabwe Advocacy
Office in Geneva, told ENI news, "Switzerland is
an important jewelery centre, but it is also
known as a country that is a centre for human
rights. The Swiss government is also a key
partner in the Kimberley Process, which deals
with international diamond trading."
Muslims say respect is key to better relations
Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). Half of Muslims surveyed
worldwide believe the West does not respect them,
according to a new Gallup report. "We also found that
this concept of respect ... now includes perceptions
of fairness in policies, not just culturally sensitive
language," said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of
the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Religion News
Service reports. The findings are part of a report on
"Measuring the State of Muslim-West Relations",
released on 1 December at Gallup's Washington
headquarters.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online:
November 29th, 2010
"My [child], resolve to do the will of others
rather than your own. Always choose to possess
less rather than more. Always take the lowest
place, and regard yourself as less than others."
- Thomas A. Kempis, from "The Imitation of Christ"
-----
November 30th, 2010
"Christ does not save all those who say to him:
Lord, Lord. But he saves all those who out of a
pure heart give a piece of bread to a starving
[person], without thinking about him in the
least little bit."
- Simone Weil
-----
December 1st, 2010
"In order to give us a precise and clear example
of humility in the perfection of love, [our Lord]
took a towel and washed his disciples' feet. So what
about you, living entirely on your own, how will you
ever discover such humility? Whose feet will you wash?
Whom will you care for?"
- Basil the Great
-----
"We must move away from asking God to take care of
the things that are breaking our hearts to praying
about the things that are breaking God's heart."
- Margaret Gibb
-----
"When all comes to all, the most precious element
in life is wonder. Love is a great emotion, and power
is power. But both love and power are based on wonder."
- D.H. Lawrence
*****
ON THIS DAY
Nov. 28, 1943 - President Roosevelt, British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef
Stalin met in Tehran during World War II.
http://tinyurl.com/36hjefp
*****
On Nov. 29, 1947 - the U.N. General Assembly passed
a resolution calling for Palestine to be partitioned
between Arabs and Jews.
http://tinyurl.com/284uhtp
*****
Dec. 1, 1959 - representatives of 12 countries, including
the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting
aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from
military activity.
http://tinyurl.com/263sy56
*****
Dec. 3, 1984 - More than 4,000 die of gas in Bhopal, India.
http://tinyurl.com/246yqwc
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:
* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on
fears based on past experiences.
* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
* A loss of interest in judging other people.
* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
* A loss of interest in conflict.
* A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
* Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
* Frequent attacks of smiling.
* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make
them happen.
* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others
as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus
can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been
completely cleaned out because of it.
Namaste
Peggy McDonagh (Minister, St. David's United Church, Calgary)
(end)
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