Vol. VII. No. 7
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
In This Issue -
Special Item This Week:
The Long View -
An Elderwoman's Book of Wisdom
by Donna Sinclair
___
Colleague Comment:
Keith Boeckner, Quebec City
___
Colleague Contributions:
John Stackhouse
Ron Rolheiser
Mark Noll
Jim Taylor
___
Net Notes:
I Don't Do Funerals
Dealing With the Devil
Pope is Visiting Germany
Pope Meets German Muslims
Malcolm X - A Changed Man
Chittister Writes About Fox
Koreans Working in Guatemala
Religious Leaders Visit N. Korea
Breakaway Anglicans Find New Home
Anglicans and Lutherans "Stronger Together"
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Ten ENI Geneva stories.
___
Quotes of the Week:
Saint Basil
Sadhu Sundar Singh
Mary E. Hunt
___
On This Day:
Sept. 22, 1862 -
Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation
___
Closing Thought: Meister Eckhardt
(end)
*****
Dear Friends:
Welcome to the first of my autumn
issues of Colleagues List which now
come to you weekly.
In this issue I introduce a book
of reflections by Donna Sinclair.
Donna lives in North Bay, Ontario
and has been a leading writer for
the United Church Observer. In
addition, she has written many
books including "The Spirituality
of Bread" (2007) one of a beautiful
series produced by Northstone.
Her current title is:
"The Long View - An Elderwoman's
Book of Wisdom" which, she claims
is directed to woman readers. I
suggest in my comments that perhaps
she is limiting her audience.
___
Colleague Comment:
Last week I shared a comment from
colleague Susan Hutchinson.
Colleague Keith Boeckner of Quebec City
was quick to update me and I try to
clear things up now (see below).
___
Colleague Contributions:
John Stackhouse - (personal blog)
shares an article on public prayer
he recently wrote for the National Post.
Ron Rolheiser - (personal blog)
continues his series on creeds with
an article on "A Sufficient Creed"
he has created for himself.
Mark Noll - is interviewed (podcast) by
Christianity Today on his most recent book:
"A Very Short Introduction to Protestantism"
Jim Taylor - (personal blog) reflects
on the curse of consumerism.
___
Net Notes:
"I Don't Do Funerals" - we are a society
that does not like to talk about death -
especially in many of our mainstream
churches (New Catholic Times)
"Dealing With the Devil" - politics does
not help us cope with the reality of evil,
but then religion is often of little help
either (America Magazine)
"Pope is Visiting Germany" - as noted
here previously, the pope is currently
visiting the land of Luther and contending
with both friends and foes there (Ucan News)
"Pope Meets German Muslims" - a while back,
the pope raised international Islamic hackles
for remarks made in Austria about the Muslim
faith, and he is trying to set the record
straight. We wish him well (Vatican Radio)
"Malcolm X - A Changed Man" - here is a
study on the life of Malcolm X - who was
always going through personal re-invention
(America Magazine)
"Chittister Writes About Fox" - we quote
Matthew Fox frequently on these pages.
Joan Chittister, another favourite, writes
about Fox this week (New Catholic Times)
"Koreans Working in Guatemala" - another
glimpse at the growing internationalization
of the Christian church (Ucan News)
"Religious Leaders Visit N. Korea" - then,
a story about an unusual meeting of global
faith leaders (Ucan News)
"Breakaway Anglicans Find New Home" - during
the summer, we reported the supreme court
ruling against breakaway Anglicans in BC.
Now, a new chapter in that story.
(Anglican Journal News)
"Anglicans and Lutherans "Stronger Together"
- youth leaders from these two mainline
Protestant traditions have recently met to
discuss their on-going collaboration, and
the resulting story is very positive
(Anglican Journal News)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
This week I share ten news items
from around the world, provided by
Ecumenical News International.
___
Quotes of the Week:
Saint Basil, Sadhu Sundar Singh and
Mary E. Hunt offer insights with us.
___
On This Day:
The archives of the New York Times go back
many years. Here is a story, as it unfolded,
of a key legislative decision enacted by the
government of US President Abraham Lincoln:
Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation (1862)
___
Closing Thought: Meister Eckhardt, who has
had a strong influence on mystical Christian
thought, brings this issue to a close.
___
The crab apples hang red on the tree in our
back yard, inviting me to pick several pails
of them for jelly! Marlene shudders!!
What a beautiful autumn we are experiencing
in many part of Canada this year!
Wayne
************************
SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program
ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011
"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway
September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM
"Godless Morality"
Learning how to separate "God says"
from doing what is right
Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t
---
"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good
Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx
---
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality
Purchase only the books - $35.00
*****
UNIVERSITY TUESDAY NIGHTS
A Study Program Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary
Taught by: Wayne Holst
"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - November 29th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
*****
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS
Welcome to our -
Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty,
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series
for 2011-12
Series One -
"A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
by Miroslav Volf
Putting your personal faith to work for others.
October 21st - November 25th - six Friday noon sessions
---
Series Two -
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor
Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions
Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's
Centre
Led by: Wayne Holst,
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and an official U of C Spirituality Centre Liaison
Cost of the books: $15.00 each
---
Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!
For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of C.
artuliss@ucalgary,ca
*****
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/
This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
******************************************
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice:
THE LONG VIEW
An Elderwoman's
Book of Wisdom
by Donna Sinclair
Northstone/Wood Lake Publishers
Kelowna, BC. 2011
$16.00 CAD. 333 pages.
ISBN #978-1-55145-595-2.
Publisher's Prom:
"The Long View" is all about finding
and offering hope. It’s about claiming
the full meaning of eldership and knowing
that elderwomen have much to offer.
This collection of 365 daily reflections
offers elderwomen (and younger women who
wish to listen in) an opportunity to nourish
the wisdom and deep knowing that comes from
life experience. It also holds out the
potential for growth, the opportunity to
waken to different perspectives that can
lead to rich possibilities and courageous
actions.
This is territory Donna Sinclair knows well.
Retired from a 35-year career as a respected
journalist, Donna has found plenty of life
and purpose to carry her forward. In
particular, she has come to realize the
important role elderwomen can play in our
society – remembering the past, speaking
out against injustice, seeking to restore
the balance of creation.
Donna also knows that in order to accomplish
these difficult yet essential tasks, elderwomen
need to nourish their inner life. The challenges
we face today are so enormous, so threatening,
it is easy to fall into despair. For this reason
especially, elderwomen need to seek hope and
offer it generously.
---
Author's Words:
(Younger women and perhaps men too, ed.)
might want to know if there is life as an
elder woman.
I had to experience life as an elder for a
few years before I could answer that question.
I am pleased to report that there is plenty
of it. While elder women still face many of
the issues they experienced as middle-aged
women, they have more freedom to consider
them. I am still working, for example, to
understand the emotional legacy of my
parents, especially my mother. My elder
years gave me time to do that.
I have also come to realize the importance
of the elder women. One major job is to
remember the past. The world has changed
remarkably in the last decade. Social
networking means that everyone can be in
touch every minute. Vast amounts of data
and the latest news can be available at
the click of a mouse. This is both very
convenient and world-altering. It means
that, as individuals or nations, we find
ourselves faced with rapid change and with
having to make quick, hard decisions.
Elder women can help because we have a
long, and often practical view...
We can contribute by speaking out.
In order to accomplish these tasks of
our old age we need to strengthen our
own inner life... It is our task as
older women to seek hope and offer it
generously...
I find abundant hope in children and
spouse and friends, in the wit and
meaning of dreams... in the hard and
necessary work of envisioning a
community full of beauty...
This book is about all these things.
---
My Comments:
This is a book of 365 meditations - the
kind of year-long collection I like to
introduce to others on Colleagues List.
This is not a book with prominent biblical
passages and a special meditation punch-
line taken from the Christian tradition -
like many I have recommended here.
It is essentially a book about life, and
the lessons a thoughtful Christian woman
has learned over many years of devotion
to her faith and to living the spiritual
way as she has known it.
---
Here is Donna's reflection for March 9th:
Time Is Short
My sense of purpose, as an elder, is
heightened and intensified by my knowledge
that the time remaining in which to be
useful is short. There is no way around
this. We receive the wisdom of age hand
in hand with the knowledge that life is
short, and getting shorter.
I embarked with a like-minded group to
travel an historic portage. The weather
was a fine mix of sun and cloud. We saw
a deer. Despite my increasing age, I
paddled and hiked and proudly carried
a pack. Only one moment - kneeling with
others for a simple photo - nearly killed
me. My knees hate that now.
Elder-work includes the ability to pretend,
as long as possible, that we can live as
if nothing hurts.
---
Her reflection for April 22nd:
Earth Day
It's a wonderful idea and responsible
for a multitude of good things, including
international pressure by ordinary
citizens to act on climate change.
But isn't it a bit like bringing Mom
breakfast in bed on Mother's Day and
letting her clean the toilets by herself
the rest of the year?
Shouldn't every day be Earth Day?
---
Some might say - why promote this as
a spiritual book? It does not contain
a lot of the familiar Christian terms
or messages. It has themes, however,
with which many people might identify -
like encroaching old age and how to live
creatively with it.
It is also a book with which I as a male
might identify. For many years I have
sought to understand female perspectives
and spirituality because this has given
me insight into my own life and relations.
Reading this book - in spite of the
author's suggestion that it has been
written primarily for women - is an
exercise I would suggest that men could
also profitably undertake.
Like me, Donna comes from an era and
a Canadian experience, when women were
not treated as equals. Much has changed
and I find that a lot of my younger female
students do not express chagrin with the
same issues as their mothers or grandmothers.
We elders need to listen to the voices of
the young (as well as the young to the old)
because this provides us all with very
important intergenerational perspectives.
My caution, then, is that Donna remain
open to the voices of sensitive males
and younger women, because her issues
may not always be their's.
Still, it is obvious that older women
have a wisdom - simply because they
are older women - that deserves our
attention. That gift is obvious in
this collection, and I am pleased to
celebrate it with you here.
___
Buy the Book from the Publisher
http://tinyurl.com/454cy3u
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/4x5loen
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
From Keith Boeckner
Quebec City
September 17th, 2011
Hi Wayne:
Just a note about Susan Hutchinson.
She WAS in the Diocese of Quebec in the
Gaspe, but as she mentions in her note,
she moved to BC in 2008 and is with
Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior.
http://www.apcionline.ca/cariboo_deanery.html
Cheers,
Keith
---
Keith:
Corrections to my Colleagues List blog
issue for September 17th have been made.
Thanks for pointing this out.
Wayne
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
JOHN STACKHOUSE
Not Every Event Calls for Prayer
The National Post,
September 16th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3z9wce3
-----
RON ROLHEISER
Personal Blog
September 18th, 2011
"A Sufficient Creed"
http://tinyurl.com/3gkjk85
*****
MARK NOLL
PROTESTANTISM:
A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION
Oxford University Press:
http://tinyurl.com/4ybo67z
---
Christianity Today Podcast
September 20th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3dyxtb2
*****
JIM TAYLOR
Personal Blog
September 21st, 2011
"Cursed By Consumerism"
http://tinyurl.com/44kaxg5
*****
NET NOTES
I DON'T DO FUNERALS
We're a Death Denying Society
New Catholic Times
September 19th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3b9qknv
*****
DEALING WITH THE DEVIL
"Political Evil"
What it is and how to deal with it
by Alan Wolfe
America Magazine Review
October 3rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3urf5te
*****
POPE IS VISITING GERMANY
Serious Challenges Confront Church
Ucan News
September 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3jbt3yp
*****
POPE MEETS GERMAN MUSLIM LEADEERS
Text Provided from Vatican
Vatican Radio
Sept. 23rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3rhvbyy
*****
MALCOLM X - A CHANGED MAN
Review of new book:
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
America Magazine
September 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/44rc6jj
*****
CHITTISTER WRITES ABOUT FOX
Joan Chittister on Matthew Fox
New Catholic Times
September 19th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3eh4pyr
*****
KOREANS WORKING IN GUATEMALA
Ucan News
Sept. 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3hj7nd9
*****
RELIGIOUS LEADERS VISIT N. KOREA
First Gathering of its Kind
Ucan News
September 21st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3f8nxph
*****
BREAKAWAY ANGLICANS FIND NEW HOME
Alliance Church Provides Facility
Anglican Journal
September 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3c9t5o9
*****
'WE'RE STRONGER TOGETHER' SAY
ANGLICAN AND LUTHERAN YOUTH LEADERS
Anglican Journal News
September 23rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3zwqjcd
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
19 September 2011
Lutheran church seeks global context
for homosexuality discussion
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - The worldwide
Lutheran church is seeking to address the
issue of homosexuality and the church
within a global context, said the Rev.
Kenneth Mtata, Lutheran World Federation
study secretary for Lutheran theology and
practice, at an international theological
consultation. The issue "has to be dealt
with as it appears in different contexts
... the Lutheran Church is managing [it]
very carefully in different parts of the
globe so that an appropriate response can
be found," Mtata told journalists at a news
conference in Nairobi after a 9-14 September
consultation for Lutheran theologians on
contemporary Bible interpretation.
_____
Palestinian, Israeli students
use art to bridge differences
Jerusalem (ENI news) - Though their leaders
may be at political odds with each other, a
group of Israeli and Palestinian students
learned that they can communicate through
art. "Before I saw art as a hobby, now I
see that art can even connect between people
who have preconceived ideas and prejudices
against one another," said Israeli student
Noga Zer, 14. Zer was among 50 eighth and
ninth graders at the Israeli Hebrew
University High School, the Palestinian
Al-Quds High School for Girls and the Ibn
Khaldoun Junior High School for Boys who
participated in the two-year "Through the
Window" project.
*****
20 September 2011
Group calls for greater
religious freedom in Egypt
Berlin (ENI news) - As Egypt prepares for
parliamentary elections expected to take
place in November, religious freedom is
coming under pressure, a German human
rights organization said on 20 September.
The human rights situation in Egypt since
the end of Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship
is "worrying," Martin Lessenthin, a
spokesman for the Frankfurt-based
International Society for Human Rights
(ISHR), told reporters in Cologne Tuesday
during a press conference focusing on the
plight of Egypt's Christian minority.
_____
Muslims helping to rebuild
Christian school in Kashmir
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - Muslims in
Kashmir, in the northwest of the Indian
subcontinent, are supporting the re-building
of a Christian school that was destroyed by
fire during anti-Christian violence one year
ago. "What happened here is certainly wrong
and it should not have happened. I can assure
you that our people will not allow it to
happen again," Munshi Mukhtar Ahmed, a Muslim
teacher in a government school in the town
of Tangmarg, told ENInews on 20 September.
On 13 September 2010, the Tyndale Biscoe
School was the target of Muslims protesting
a reported desecration of the Quran in the
U.S. that marked the ninth anniversary of
the 11 September 2001 terror attacks. The
school is in the town of Phulwama and is
run by the Church of North India (CNI),
the dominant Protestant denomination in
North India.
*****
22 September 2011
Religious dialogue helped release
of U.S. hikers in Iran
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) -The 21 September
release of U.S. hikers Shane Bauer and Josh
Fattal from an Iranian prison "affirms the
importance of the role of religious dialogue
and its end product in this case, public
diplomacy, as we seek ways to define common
ground between our two countries," said
Episcopal Diocese of Washington Bishop John
Chane, who returned from a weeklong visit
to Iran on 19 September. Chane and a
delegation of Christian and Muslim leaders
had traveled to Iran at the invitation of
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad;
one objective was to seek the release of
the hikers on humanitarian grounds, reports
Episcopal News Service.
_____
The 'Protestant Ethic' still works
for Americans, and American politics
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - In 1905, Max
Weber's landmark treatise on "The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" argued
that a Calvinist belief in God's plan for
the saved was crucial to the rise of
capitalism because it inspired individuals
to work hard and earn money as a sign of
divine blessing on their lives. More than
a century later, new research shows that
whatever its merits, the Protestant ethic
is thriving among American believers,
Religion News Service reports. That's
especially true among evangelicals who
are driving today's economic conservatism,
and the idea goes a long way toward
explaining the political disputes that
are dividing the country and shaping
the presidential campaign.
_____
Death toll climbs past 100
in Himalayan earthquake
Bangalore, India (ENI news) A pastor's wife
was killed and churches and schools destroyed
in the 18 September earthquake that killed
more than 100 people in several countries in
the Himalaya mountains north of India. Among
the six dozen dead in the Indian state of
Sikkim was 28-year old Nirmala Tamang, wife
of a pastor of the Believers Church. "The
young woman died when the church wall
collapsed on her," the Rev. B. Rokken,
coordinator of the Believers Church, told
ENI news from the shattered capital of Gangtok.
The 6.9-magnitude quake hit mountainous,
remote regions of Bhutan, Tibet, India and
Nepal and the death toll on 22 September was
reported to be as high as 120.
_____
Hungarian church welcomes return
of properties, warns of hardships
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - A Hungarian
church leader has welcomed the fulfillment
of state pledges to restore properties to
religious communities, six decades after
they were confiscated by the country's
communist regime. "This is the only area
of church-state relations which has gone
well in recent years. The process was
transparent and well-managed," said
Zoltan Tarr, general secretary of the
Hungarian Reformed church. "However,
while it's been important spiritually
and emotionally for local communities
to get back buildings they constructed
with their own money, they weren't well
looked after and the vast majority are
now in poor shape. Refurbishing them ...
will pose a heavy burden on the churches."
_____
Zambia's faith leaders
call for peace after voting
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) Faith leaders
in Zambia are calling for unity and peace
as the southern African nation awaits the
outcome of the presidential election held
on 20 September. The election pitted
Michael Sata, the main opposition and
the leader of the Patriotic Front, against
Rupiah Banda, the incumbent president and
the leader of the Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy.
_____
Pope meets with Jewish
representatives in Berlin
Berlin (ENI news) - Pope Benedict XVI's
meeting with Germany's Jewish community on
the first day of his four-day state visit
to his homeland was marked by both goodwill
and honest criticism. Addressing rabbis from
across Germany, Benedict said that the two
faiths, "hold in common a not insignificant
part of their essential traditions." Dieter
Graumann, head of the Central Council of
Jews, welcomed Benedict. "It is nice to be
able to see clearly that the relationship
between the Catholic Church and Judaism has
dramatically improved in recent decades,"
Graumann said. "And we are highly aware
that you in particular have personally
always considered reconciliation with
Judaism to be important, in fact an absolute
matter of the heart."
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
September 19th, 2011
"I cannot persuade myself that without
love to others, and without, as far as
rests with me, peaceableness toward all,
I can be called a worthy servant of
Jesus Christ."
- Saint Basil
---
September 22nd, 2011
"A silkworm was struggling out of the cocoon
and an ignorant man saw it battling as if in
pain, so he went and helped it to get free,
but very soon after it fluttered and died.
The other silkworms that struggled out without
help suffered, but they came out into full
life and beauty, with wings made strong for
flight by their battle for fresh existence."
- Sadhu Sundar Singh
___
September 23rd, 2011
"A commitment to love and justice demands
the transformation of social structures as
well as of hearts."
- Mary E. Hunt
*****
ON THIS DAY
Sept. 22, 1862 - President Abraham Lincoln
issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation,
declaring all slaves in rebel states should be
free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
http://tinyurl.com/3wlxgh2
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
We sink eternally from letting go
to letting go into God
- Meister Eckhardt
Life is a series of letting go moments:
from when we leave the womb to the hour
of our death and our final leave-taking.
Since life is about letting go, it's good
to develop the habit now and with a smile
on our faces!
- Matthew Fox in "Christian Mystics"
(end)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Colleagues List, September 17th, 2011
Vol. VII. No. 6
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
In This Issue -
Special Item This Week:
Book Notice:
"The Messenger
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way"
by author/colleague Douglas John Hall
___
Colleague Comment:
Susan Hutchinson
___
Colleague Contributions:
Faith and Spirituality Centre
Reginald Stackhouse
Margaret Somerville
Doug Shantz
Jim Taylor
Ron Rolheiser
___
Net Notes:
God is Not One
A State of Their Own
A Sibling's Strength
Dr. Williams' Dilemma
Anglican Delegation Visits China
The Limits of Self-Made Religion
Irish Bishop Calls for End to Celibacy
Islamists Emerge as New Force in Libya
Global Evangelicals Urge Unity re 9/11
Victims Say Charges Against Pope No Stunt
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fifteen ENI Geneva stories.
___
Quotes of the Week:
William Blake
Thomas Aquinas
Simone Weil
Wendell Berry
Marianne Williamson
Meister Eckhart
Madeleine L'Engle
Helen Prejean
___
On This Day:
Sept. 3, 1976 -
unmanned U.S. Viking 2 craft lands on Mars
Sept. 5, 1972 -
Palestinian terrorists attack Israeli Olympians
Sept. 7, 1940 -
Luftwaffe begins WWII blitz on London
Sept. 9, 1976 -
Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung dies in Beijing
Sept. 15, 1963 -
Four black girls killed by bomb in Birmingham
___
Closing Thought: Julian of Norwich
(end)
*****
SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program
ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011
"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway
September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM
"Godless Morality"
Learning how to separate "God says"
from doing what is right
Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t
---
"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good
Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx
---
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality
Purchase only the books - $35.00
*****
UNIVERSITY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Two Study Programs Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary
Taught by: Wayne Holst
Recommended books:
"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - November 29th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
---
"Paul the Apostle" (ten sessions)
Wednesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 28th - November 30th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/mh2dto
*****
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS
Welcome to our -
Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty,
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series
for 2011-12
Series One -
"A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
by Miroslav Volf
Putting your personal faith to work for others.
October 21st - November 25th - six Friday noon sessions
---
Series Two -
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor
Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions
Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's
Centre
Led by: Wayne Holst,
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and an official U of C Spirituality Centre Liaison
Cost of the books: $15.00 each
---
Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!
For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of C.
artuliss@ucalgary,ca
*****
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/
This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
******************************************
Appearing this week:
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
THE MESSENGER
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way,
by Douglas John Hall
Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock
Eugene, OR. 2011. 168 pages.
Paperback. $18.50
ISBN #978-1-61097-317-5.
Publisher's Promo:
This is a book about the importance of
mentors in the lives of the young. But
rather than developing the theme of
mentoring theoretically, Douglas John
Hall demonstrates its significance quite
personally, autobiographically. In his
twentieth year and hoping to study music
professionally, Hall met a young minister
whose "different" Christianity both
surprised and intrigued him.
In the end, this friendship altered the
course of his life.
The book traces the story of this friendship
of more than half a century, and the impact
of the times upon the lives of its two
principal figures.
---
Author's Words:
This is a book about a friend - but a friend
who was also more than a friend; a friend who
was a messenger...
Friends enhance one's life; messengers change
one's life. Or, more accurately, one's life
is changed by the messages they bring...
The messenger in some way embodies the message
(so that) even after more than sixty years, I
cannot quite separate the message from the one
who first conveyed it to me in a convincing way.
So this little book is about him - Bob Miller.
Messages are not only conveyed by someone,
they are intended for someone. The messenger -
is a wonderful metaphor, and one that shows up
in many cultures. Think of Mercury-Hermes! It
is prominent in the Bible. There, sometimes
messengers are called straightforwardly
messengers; but sometimes they are called
angels... usually, in biblical literature,
they are human beings...
But this little book is not just about the
messenger, who was also my friend, and me, the
receiver of the message, whose who life was
turned around because of it.
It is also about the times during which my
friend and I lived (it would be more accurate
to say during which he lived since he has died
and I am still alive.) To be quite specific,
that means between the years 1919 and 2003.
(These were the times following the Great War,
the Depression, World War II, its aftermath,
and the sixties.)
These then are the main points of focus in
this story: the life of the Messenger, the
life of the one receiving the message, and
the times in which this giving and receiving
occurred. "The Moment" as Kierkegaard might
have said.
But the hidden theme of the story is the
message itself.
- from the Preface
---
My Comments:
If you have read books or have in other ways
been influenced by Douglas John Hall, a
prolific writer and one of Canada's most
notable international theologians, this book
should do for you what it did for me.
It introduces you to the key personality who
appealed to the author as a young, impressionable
man in search of vocational direction. It also
traces a bit of the context from which Hall has
emerged as one of our leading theological
luminaries of the past half century.
The two most important Canadian theological
influences on my young life - growing up in
southern Ontario, studying and working
internationally, then moving permanently to
western Canada - were Lutheran churchman
William Hordern and United churchman Douglas
John Hall. Both have added much to my way
of interpreting the world as a Christian.
Interestingly, both men also gave me a healthy
and open-ended exposure to the theology of
Martin Luther. Both stripped Luther of the
idolatry with which I had been raised but
replaced that with some wonderful tools to
understand the Reformer in modern, ecumenical
clothing. And for this, I am very grateful.
---
As I read the pages of this book (and I have read
at least ten of Hall's titles over the years) I
continue to see how indebted I am to the author for
taking large themes and applying them to the context
of my own life and ministry.
This was no small feat, because I and most of my
contemporaries had always relied on the 'borrowed'
theologies of European and American theologians.
Taking that last step, and applying great truths
to my immediate Canadian situation was what Hall
offered us.
---
Here, we learn something of how Hall was himself
influenced to begin making Canaldian contextual
applications so that he could pass them on to us.
In addition to the personal theological application
I sense a second level of insight provided to us
here.
Hall provides us with a view of an era of Canadian
cultural and religious history when our emerging
visions were opening to the world. The times were
the mid-nineteen century, and much of the focus
of those times was admittedly Central Canada. In
the last fifty years, that too has changed.
He writes of SCM - the Student Christian Movement,
and the CTSA - the Canadian Theological Students
Association. I played a role in the latter
organization during the sixties. It was a time
when - as a group of theological student
representatives from schools in the Toronto area -
we planned conferences that became truly national,
ecumenical and bilingual in scope.
---
All of this is something that I bring to the book.
What Hall conveys in four chapters, is how he
came under the influence of a slightly older
and more-traveled Bob Miller. How that friendship
developed and fed his own spiritual and theological
development makes for intriguing reading.
The book helps any reader to recognize how all of us
are drawn to particular mentors at crucial stages of
our lives. Now, at a time of assessment and personal
stock-taking, it is possible to trace themes and
variations that could not possibly have been
understood at the time.
---
If you are interested in learning more about how
an influential Canadian theologian was himself
influenced at an impressionable period in his life,
you will not be disappointed in this book.
Thanks for writing it, Doug!
*****
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/3p4euwf
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
SUSAN HUTCHINSON
Central British Columbia
9/10/2011
Hi Wayne,
I'm an Anglican priest in the Anglican Parishes
of the Central Interior. This is a second career
for me -- the first was in politics and business.
I've been ordained coming up on 12 years. I spent
the first 8 years in the Diocese of Quebec,
serving in Gaspe and Quebec City/the Mauricie.
I moved to BC in 2008. When I started theological
school at Trinity College in Toronto in 1993, the
internet was beginning to come into its own. I got
involved with various church email discussion groups
and was an early supporter of Anglican's Online and
am a longtime subscriber to Midrash and Magdalen.
When I moved out to Gaspe at the time of my
ordination I found that the internet provided access
to lots of materials and ideas not available in our
little outpost -- 8 hours driving time from the
closest English language bookstore and 12 hours
from the closest church bookstore.
I enjoy your List because it gives lots of short
reviews and leads to information/material I can use.
blessings,
Susan
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
NEW FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
OPENS ON THE U of CALGARY CAMPUS
With a number of our colleagues like
Klaus, Paul and Kelly on staff
September 15th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3q7golq
*****
REGINALD STACKHOUSE
"I Remember Cardinal Ambrozic"
Globe and Mail
September 9th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3lyj7w8
*****
MARGARET SOMERVILLE
"When Death Loses its Moral Context"
EFC Web News
September 7th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3zxyjzx
*****
DOUG SHANTZ
The Chair of Christian Thought
at the University of Calgary presents:
The Bentall Lectures in Christian Theology with
Professor Gordon Campbell, Leicester University (UK)
Monday, September 19, 2011 7:30pm
“The King James Bible Then and Now: How a 1611
Translation has impacted the English language”
Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Ave SW, Calgary
---
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:30pm
“The History of the King James Bible as Literature and
Sacred Text”
CIBC Hub Room, Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary
Everyone is welcome to join us for these free events!
*****
JIM TAYLOR
"Irrevocable Acts -
A Reflection on Punishment"
http://tinyurl.com/3fbzpkv
*****
RON ROLHEISER
Personal Blog
September 11th, 2011
"Some Personal Mini-Creeds"
http://tinyurl.com/3cnm3k8
*****
NET NOTES
GOD IS NOT ONE
by Stephen Prothero
Review of a book on the Eight
Rival Religions of the World
National Catholic Reporter
September 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/42gr2pf
*****
A STATE OF THEIR OWN
Palestine a Nation in Waiting
America Magazine Editoral
September 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3pek83z
*****
A SIBLING'S STRENGTH
Coping with 9/11
America Magazine
September 19th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3z2va9z
*****
DR. WILLIAMS' DILEMMA
Rowan and Zimbabwe
The Tablet, UK
September 17th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5ucm3a9
*****
ANGLICAN DELEGATION VISITS CHINA
Ucan News
September 7th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3kvlzo6
*****
THE LIMITS OF SELF-MADE RELIGION
The Christian Century
September 1st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3o6k9xl
*****
IRISH BISHOP CALLS FOR END TO CELIBACY
The Guardian, UK
September 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/43x5tt5
*****
ISLAMISTS EMERGING AS
NEW FORCE IN LIBYA
Repressed under old regime
New York Times
September 15th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3bqve42
*****
GLOBAL EVANGELICALS URGE
UNITY AROUND 9/11
Christianweek.org
September 9th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3f9yamv
*****
VICTIMS SAY CRIMINAL CHARGES
AGAINST POPE ARE NOT A STUNT
Anglican Journal
September 14th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3lps2mm
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
6 September 2011
In a secular Europe, churches see need
to work together
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Europe's churches
can withstand secularization and make progress
in mission work if they pool resources and co-
operate more closely, according to a top
ecumenist. "We haven't tried to plan long-term
objectives, just to be realistic and see what
needs to be done," said Viorel Ionita, interim
general secretary of the Conference of European
Churches (CEC). "But there's a strong feeling
real chances exist for effective mission, and
for winning back some of the ground lost by
churches in Europe." The Romanian theologian
was speaking after a consultation of CEC's
Churches in Dialogue Commission in Budapest
on 29-31 August.
_____
Faith leaders take HIV prevention message
to African sports tournament
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Faith leaders are
taking HIV and AIDS prevention messages to the
10th All-Africa Games, Africa's largest multi-
sports tournament, currently underway in Maputo,
Mozambique. The leaders arewarning of increased
vulnerability to HIV infections during the 3-18
September tournament.
_____
11 September marked crucial turn
in Vatican-Muslim relations
Vatican City (ENI news) - A few weeks after the
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, Pope John
Paul II invited Muslim leaders to an interfaith
prayer summit in Assisi, Italy, the site of a
dramatic interreligious peace gathering he had
hosted 15 years earlier. John Paul said the world
needed to hear that "religion must never be a
reason for conflict, hatred and violence,"
Religion News Service reports. Catholic-Muslim
dialogue took on a new intensity and sense of
urgency.
_____
In Indonesia, church runs afoul
of Islamic street name
Wellington, New Zealand (ENI news) -In a test case
of religious intolerance in the world's largest
Muslim-majority country, an Indonesian mayor is
defying court rulings by pushing for a decree to
block Christians from opening churches on streets
with Islamic names. Members of the Taman Yasmin
Indonesian Christian Church in the West Java town
of Bogor are, after three years, still forced to
worship on the sidewalk outside their building,
protected by police. The administration of Bogor
mayor Diani Budiarto revoked the church's building
permit and sealed the building as the street had
an Islamic name.
_____
7 September 2011
In U.S., interfaith worship doubled
since 11 September
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Interfaith worship
services have doubled in the decade since the 11
September attacks, according to a new study
released 7 September, even as more than seven in
10 U.S. congregations do not associate with other
faiths. The survey by an interfaith group of
researchers found that about 14 percent of U.S.
congregations surveyed in 2010 engaged in a joint
religious celebration with another faith tradition,
up from 6.8 percent in 2000, Religion News Service
reports.
*****
8 September 2011
In New Zealand, Anglican diocese sees
no bar to gay ordination
Auckland, New Zealand (ENI news) - Anglicans in
New Zealand's biggest city have declared that
people in same-sex relationships should not be
excluded from any church office, including
ordination. The motion, which passed by a two-
thirds majority on 3 September at the Diocese of
Auckland's synod, says that a current moratorium
by bishops on gay ordination should cease. Next
year, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New
Zealand and Polynesia is due to hear further
recommendations on the subject at its
General Synod in Fiji.
_____
In recession-hit Hungary,
churches take over state schools
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Local government
officials in Hungary are handing state-owned
schools over to churches, unable to afford
their upkeep during the economic recession,
according to church sources. "Churches are
entitled to run schools in Hungary as public
service providers, receiving the same taxpayers'
money as public sponsors," said Balazs Odor,
ecumenical officer of Hungary's Reformed Church.
_____
After Fukushima, faith groups
ponder nuclear power
Tokyo (ENI news) - The disaster at Japan's
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following
the 11 March earthquake and tsunami is causing
a worldwide re-evaluation of nuclear power and
renewing debate within faith groups on the
subject. Participants at the World Council of
Churches' International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation in Kingston, Jamaica, last May
stated emphatically that "the nuclear catastrophe
of Fukushima has proved once again that we must
no longer rely on nuclear power as a source of
energy." However, opposition to nuclear power is
by no means a consistent theme even within a
denomination.
*****
9 September 2011
U.S. clergy denounce anti-Muslim bigotry
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Three days before
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, religious leaders gathered to remember
the victims, foster interreligious unity and speak
out in defense of religious freedom. The event was
held on 8 September by Shoulder to Shoulder, a
national coalition of 26 faith groups formed a year
ago in response to a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment
following debates over an Islamic center near the
former site of the destroyed World Trade Center
in lower Manhattan and a Florida pastor's threats
to burn the Quran. "If we cower in the face of
fanatic minorities, we are lost. This is true
for Muslims and it is true for us all," said Rabbi
Eric Yoffie, the outgoing head of the Union for
Reform Judaism, Religion News Service reports.
_____
In Zimbabwe, Anglican mission seized
and bishop robbed
Harare, Zimbabwe (ENI news) - Turmoil in the
Anglican Diocese of Harare continued this week
as a renegade former bishop evicted staff from
a mission outpost in an ongoing dispute over
church property and the current bishop, Chad
Gandiya, was robbed of communications equipment.
A diocesan spokeswoman, Precious Shumba, told
ENInews that Nolbert Kunonga took control of
the Daramombe Mission about 180 km south of
Harare. In a separate incident, Gandiya and
his family were the victims of robbers who took
a cellphone, laptop computer and money.
_____
Book tells stories of
11 September transformations
New York (ENI news)- Among the most profound
effects of the 11 September terrorist attacks
in the United States were the spiritual changes
undergone by people who witnessed the disaster
or responded in the aftermath. Wendy Healy,
former director of communications for Lutheran
Disaster Response of New York, tells one dozen
of those stories in her new book Life is Too
Short: Stories of Transformation and Renewal
After 9/11. A slim volume and a fascinating read,
Healy's profiles gracefully capture the unique
qualities of each individual and what made 11
September a driving force for change in each
person's soul.
_____
12 September 2011
In New York, three faiths mark 11 September
New York (ENI news) - In a ceremony commemorating
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, a minister, a rabbi, and an imam took part
in an interfaith bell-ringing ceremony at St. Paul's
Chapel in lower Manhattan. The 245-year-old Episcopal
church, located just one block from the destroyed
World Trade Center, in 2001 became for months a
respite center for rescue workers. The bell-ringing
took place on the evening of 11 September, after a
day marked by a ceremony at a new memorial plaza on
the site of the former twin towers, attended by
families of 11 September victims, President Barack
Obama and other leaders. Thousands of commemoration
services took place in the U.S. and around the world
to mark the day on which nearly 3,000 people lost
their lives in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
_____
Japan quake anniversary met with prayers, chanting
Tokyo (ENI news) - People of faith in Japan on 11
September marked the six-month anniversary of the
11 March earthquake and tsunami with prayer services,
bell ringing and chants, many at 2:46 p.m., the time
when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck. About
20,000 people are dead or missing, with an estimate
400,000 people displaced, according to the Japanese
Red Cross.
_____
15 September 2011
Raphael's twin Madonnas reunited for
pope's visit to Germany
Berlin (ENI news) - To mark Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to Germany later this month, an exhibition
in Dresden has reunited two of the Renaissance's
most important Madonna and Child paintings for
the first time in almost 500 years. Raphael, a
key figure in Renaissance art, completed the
Madonna di Foligno in 1512. The artist was
commissioned by Pope Julius II to create the
Sistine Madonna in the same year. The two
altarpieces are thought to have stood side-by
-side in Raphael's workshop but were separated
for centuries. They are now the centerpiece of
an exhibit in Dresden on representations of the
Madonna and Child.
_____
Lutherans seek greater unity
ahead of 2017 observance
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Lutherans are
exploring strengthening ties among member
churches of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) as the 500th anniversary of the
Protestant Reformation approaches in 2017,
theologians and leaders said. A six-day
international conference held in Nairobi
from 9 to 14 September on contemporary Bible
interpretation was the first in a series of
biblical consultations seeking to promote
unity in the 70 million-member worldwide
communion ahead of 2017. "For us now, the
challenge is to ask what we have in common
as the Lutheran community. Lutheranism is no
longer [only] a northern European Church,"
said the Rev. Craig Koester, a professor at
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Selected from Sojourners Online:
September 6th, 2011
"Why stand we here trembling around/
Calling on God for help, and not ourselves,
in whom God dwells,/Stretching a hand to
save the falling [human]?"
- William Blake
---
September 7th, 2011
"Every truth without exception -- and whoever
may utter it -- is from the Holy Spirit."
- Thomas Aquinas
---
September 8th, 2011
"The love of our neighbor in all its fullness
simply means being able to say, 'What are you
going through?'"
- Simone Weil
---
September 9th, 2011
"One cannot be aware both of the history of
Christian war and of the contents of the gospels
without feeling that something is amiss."
- Wendell Berry, from his introduction to
"Blessed are the Peacemakers"
---
September 12th, 2011
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child
of God … It is not just in some of us; it is in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same."
- Marianne Williamson, from "A Return to Love:
Reflections on the Principles of
"A Course in Miracles"
---
September 13th, 2011
"Do not think that saintliness comes from occupation;
it depends rather on what one is. The kind of work we
do does not make us holy, but we may make it holy."
- Meister Eckhart
---
September 14th, 2011
"If you're going to care about the fall of the
sparrow you can't pick and choose who's going
to be the sparrow. It's everybody."
- Madeleine L'Engle
---
September 15th, 2011
"Allowing our government to kill citizens
compromises the deepest moral values upon
which this country was conceived: the
inviolable dignity of human persons."
- Helen Prejean C.S.J.
*****
ON THIS DAY
Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S.
spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars
to take the first close-up, color
photographs of the planet's surface.
http://tinyurl.com/3db83zr
*****
Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists
attacked the Israeli Olympic team at
the summer games in Munich; 11 Israeli
athletes and coaches, five terrorists
and a police officer were killed.
http://tinyurl.com/43xsdkf
*****
Sept. 7, 1940, the German air force began
its blitz on London during World War II.
http://tinyurl.com/6gq3bbz
*****
Sept. 9, 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung
died in Beijing at age 82.
http://tinyurl.com/3kuom3l
*****
Sept. 15, 1963, four black girls were killed when a
bomb went off during Sunday services at a Baptist
church in Birmingham, Alabama, in the deadliest
act of the civil rights era.
http://tinyurl.com/6huo7u9
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Our sensuality is the beautiful city in which our
Lord Jesus sits and in which he is enclosed...
In our sensuality, God is.
- Julian of Norwich
---
By honoring the nearness of God in our sensuality,
Julian takes on all those ascetic teachers who say
we must run from our senses to experience Divinity.
God is present in our sensuousness, and this
sensuousness ends the Platonic dualisms - the
body versus soul warfare - that have haunted
patriarchal religion and philosophy for more
than twenty-five hundred years.
- Matthew Fox
(end)
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
In This Issue -
Special Item This Week:
Book Notice:
"The Messenger
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way"
by author/colleague Douglas John Hall
___
Colleague Comment:
Susan Hutchinson
___
Colleague Contributions:
Faith and Spirituality Centre
Reginald Stackhouse
Margaret Somerville
Doug Shantz
Jim Taylor
Ron Rolheiser
___
Net Notes:
God is Not One
A State of Their Own
A Sibling's Strength
Dr. Williams' Dilemma
Anglican Delegation Visits China
The Limits of Self-Made Religion
Irish Bishop Calls for End to Celibacy
Islamists Emerge as New Force in Libya
Global Evangelicals Urge Unity re 9/11
Victims Say Charges Against Pope No Stunt
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fifteen ENI Geneva stories.
___
Quotes of the Week:
William Blake
Thomas Aquinas
Simone Weil
Wendell Berry
Marianne Williamson
Meister Eckhart
Madeleine L'Engle
Helen Prejean
___
On This Day:
Sept. 3, 1976 -
unmanned U.S. Viking 2 craft lands on Mars
Sept. 5, 1972 -
Palestinian terrorists attack Israeli Olympians
Sept. 7, 1940 -
Luftwaffe begins WWII blitz on London
Sept. 9, 1976 -
Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung dies in Beijing
Sept. 15, 1963 -
Four black girls killed by bomb in Birmingham
___
Closing Thought: Julian of Norwich
(end)
*****
|
SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program
ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011
"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway
September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM
"Godless Morality"
Learning how to separate "God says"
from doing what is right
Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t
---
"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good
Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx
---
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality
Purchase only the books - $35.00
*****
UNIVERSITY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Two Study Programs Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary
Taught by: Wayne Holst
Recommended books:
"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - November 29th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
---
"Paul the Apostle" (ten sessions)
Wednesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 28th - November 30th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/mh2dto
*****
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS
Welcome to our -
Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty,
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series
for 2011-12
Series One -
"A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
by Miroslav Volf
Putting your personal faith to work for others.
October 21st - November 25th - six Friday noon sessions
---
Series Two -
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor
Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions
Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's
Centre
Led by: Wayne Holst,
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and an official U of C Spirituality Centre Liaison
Cost of the books: $15.00 each
---
Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!
For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of C.
artuliss@ucalgary,ca
*****
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/
This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
******************************************
Appearing this week:
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
THE MESSENGER
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way,
by Douglas John Hall
Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock
Eugene, OR. 2011. 168 pages.
Paperback. $18.50
ISBN #978-1-61097-317-5.
Publisher's Promo:
This is a book about the importance of
mentors in the lives of the young. But
rather than developing the theme of
mentoring theoretically, Douglas John
Hall demonstrates its significance quite
personally, autobiographically. In his
twentieth year and hoping to study music
professionally, Hall met a young minister
whose "different" Christianity both
surprised and intrigued him.
In the end, this friendship altered the
course of his life.
The book traces the story of this friendship
of more than half a century, and the impact
of the times upon the lives of its two
principal figures.
---
Author's Words:
This is a book about a friend - but a friend
who was also more than a friend; a friend who
was a messenger...
Friends enhance one's life; messengers change
one's life. Or, more accurately, one's life
is changed by the messages they bring...
The messenger in some way embodies the message
(so that) even after more than sixty years, I
cannot quite separate the message from the one
who first conveyed it to me in a convincing way.
So this little book is about him - Bob Miller.
Messages are not only conveyed by someone,
they are intended for someone. The messenger -
is a wonderful metaphor, and one that shows up
in many cultures. Think of Mercury-Hermes! It
is prominent in the Bible. There, sometimes
messengers are called straightforwardly
messengers; but sometimes they are called
angels... usually, in biblical literature,
they are human beings...
But this little book is not just about the
messenger, who was also my friend, and me, the
receiver of the message, whose who life was
turned around because of it.
It is also about the times during which my
friend and I lived (it would be more accurate
to say during which he lived since he has died
and I am still alive.) To be quite specific,
that means between the years 1919 and 2003.
(These were the times following the Great War,
the Depression, World War II, its aftermath,
and the sixties.)
These then are the main points of focus in
this story: the life of the Messenger, the
life of the one receiving the message, and
the times in which this giving and receiving
occurred. "The Moment" as Kierkegaard might
have said.
But the hidden theme of the story is the
message itself.
- from the Preface
---
My Comments:
If you have read books or have in other ways
been influenced by Douglas John Hall, a
prolific writer and one of Canada's most
notable international theologians, this book
should do for you what it did for me.
It introduces you to the key personality who
appealed to the author as a young, impressionable
man in search of vocational direction. It also
traces a bit of the context from which Hall has
emerged as one of our leading theological
luminaries of the past half century.
The two most important Canadian theological
influences on my young life - growing up in
southern Ontario, studying and working
internationally, then moving permanently to
western Canada - were Lutheran churchman
William Hordern and United churchman Douglas
John Hall. Both have added much to my way
of interpreting the world as a Christian.
Interestingly, both men also gave me a healthy
and open-ended exposure to the theology of
Martin Luther. Both stripped Luther of the
idolatry with which I had been raised but
replaced that with some wonderful tools to
understand the Reformer in modern, ecumenical
clothing. And for this, I am very grateful.
---
As I read the pages of this book (and I have read
at least ten of Hall's titles over the years) I
continue to see how indebted I am to the author for
taking large themes and applying them to the context
of my own life and ministry.
This was no small feat, because I and most of my
contemporaries had always relied on the 'borrowed'
theologies of European and American theologians.
Taking that last step, and applying great truths
to my immediate Canadian situation was what Hall
offered us.
---
Here, we learn something of how Hall was himself
influenced to begin making Canaldian contextual
applications so that he could pass them on to us.
In addition to the personal theological application
I sense a second level of insight provided to us
here.
Hall provides us with a view of an era of Canadian
cultural and religious history when our emerging
visions were opening to the world. The times were
the mid-nineteen century, and much of the focus
of those times was admittedly Central Canada. In
the last fifty years, that too has changed.
He writes of SCM - the Student Christian Movement,
and the CTSA - the Canadian Theological Students
Association. I played a role in the latter
organization during the sixties. It was a time
when - as a group of theological student
representatives from schools in the Toronto area -
we planned conferences that became truly national,
ecumenical and bilingual in scope.
---
All of this is something that I bring to the book.
What Hall conveys in four chapters, is how he
came under the influence of a slightly older
and more-traveled Bob Miller. How that friendship
developed and fed his own spiritual and theological
development makes for intriguing reading.
The book helps any reader to recognize how all of us
are drawn to particular mentors at crucial stages of
our lives. Now, at a time of assessment and personal
stock-taking, it is possible to trace themes and
variations that could not possibly have been
understood at the time.
---
If you are interested in learning more about how
an influential Canadian theologian was himself
influenced at an impressionable period in his life,
you will not be disappointed in this book.
Thanks for writing it, Doug!
*****
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/3p4euwf
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
SUSAN HUTCHINSON
Central British Columbia
9/10/2011
Hi Wayne,
I'm an Anglican priest in the Anglican Parishes
of the Central Interior. This is a second career
for me -- the first was in politics and business.
I've been ordained coming up on 12 years. I spent
the first 8 years in the Diocese of Quebec,
serving in Gaspe and Quebec City/the Mauricie.
I moved to BC in 2008. When I started theological
school at Trinity College in Toronto in 1993, the
internet was beginning to come into its own. I got
involved with various church email discussion groups
and was an early supporter of Anglican's Online and
am a longtime subscriber to Midrash and Magdalen.
When I moved out to Gaspe at the time of my
ordination I found that the internet provided access
to lots of materials and ideas not available in our
little outpost -- 8 hours driving time from the
closest English language bookstore and 12 hours
from the closest church bookstore.
I enjoy your List because it gives lots of short
reviews and leads to information/material I can use.
blessings,
Susan
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
NEW FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
OPENS ON THE U of CALGARY CAMPUS
With a number of our colleagues like
Klaus, Paul and Kelly on staff
September 15th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3q7golq
*****
REGINALD STACKHOUSE
"I Remember Cardinal Ambrozic"
Globe and Mail
September 9th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3lyj7w8
*****
MARGARET SOMERVILLE
"When Death Loses its Moral Context"
EFC Web News
September 7th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3zxyjzx
*****
DOUG SHANTZ
The Chair of Christian Thought
at the University of Calgary presents:
The Bentall Lectures in Christian Theology with
Professor Gordon Campbell, Leicester University (UK)
Monday, September 19, 2011 7:30pm
“The King James Bible Then and Now: How a 1611
Translation has impacted the English language”
Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Ave SW, Calgary
---
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:30pm
“The History of the King James Bible as Literature and
Sacred Text”
CIBC Hub Room, Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary
Everyone is welcome to join us for these free events!
*****
JIM TAYLOR
"Irrevocable Acts -
A Reflection on Punishment"
http://tinyurl.com/3fbzpkv
*****
RON ROLHEISER
Personal Blog
September 11th, 2011
"Some Personal Mini-Creeds"
http://tinyurl.com/3cnm3k8
*****
NET NOTES
GOD IS NOT ONE
by Stephen Prothero
Review of a book on the Eight
Rival Religions of the World
National Catholic Reporter
September 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/42gr2pf
*****
A STATE OF THEIR OWN
Palestine a Nation in Waiting
America Magazine Editoral
September 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3pek83z
*****
A SIBLING'S STRENGTH
Coping with 9/11
America Magazine
September 19th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3z2va9z
*****
DR. WILLIAMS' DILEMMA
Rowan and Zimbabwe
The Tablet, UK
September 17th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5ucm3a9
*****
ANGLICAN DELEGATION VISITS CHINA
Ucan News
September 7th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3kvlzo6
*****
THE LIMITS OF SELF-MADE RELIGION
The Christian Century
September 1st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3o6k9xl
*****
IRISH BISHOP CALLS FOR END TO CELIBACY
The Guardian, UK
September 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/43x5tt5
*****
ISLAMISTS EMERGING AS
NEW FORCE IN LIBYA
Repressed under old regime
New York Times
September 15th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3bqve42
*****
GLOBAL EVANGELICALS URGE
UNITY AROUND 9/11
Christianweek.org
September 9th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3f9yamv
*****
VICTIMS SAY CRIMINAL CHARGES
AGAINST POPE ARE NOT A STUNT
Anglican Journal
September 14th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3lps2mm
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
6 September 2011
In a secular Europe, churches see need
to work together
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Europe's churches
can withstand secularization and make progress
in mission work if they pool resources and co-
operate more closely, according to a top
ecumenist. "We haven't tried to plan long-term
objectives, just to be realistic and see what
needs to be done," said Viorel Ionita, interim
general secretary of the Conference of European
Churches (CEC). "But there's a strong feeling
real chances exist for effective mission, and
for winning back some of the ground lost by
churches in Europe." The Romanian theologian
was speaking after a consultation of CEC's
Churches in Dialogue Commission in Budapest
on 29-31 August.
_____
Faith leaders take HIV prevention message
to African sports tournament
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Faith leaders are
taking HIV and AIDS prevention messages to the
10th All-Africa Games, Africa's largest multi-
sports tournament, currently underway in Maputo,
Mozambique. The leaders arewarning of increased
vulnerability to HIV infections during the 3-18
September tournament.
_____
11 September marked crucial turn
in Vatican-Muslim relations
Vatican City (ENI news) - A few weeks after the
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, Pope John
Paul II invited Muslim leaders to an interfaith
prayer summit in Assisi, Italy, the site of a
dramatic interreligious peace gathering he had
hosted 15 years earlier. John Paul said the world
needed to hear that "religion must never be a
reason for conflict, hatred and violence,"
Religion News Service reports. Catholic-Muslim
dialogue took on a new intensity and sense of
urgency.
_____
In Indonesia, church runs afoul
of Islamic street name
Wellington, New Zealand (ENI news) -In a test case
of religious intolerance in the world's largest
Muslim-majority country, an Indonesian mayor is
defying court rulings by pushing for a decree to
block Christians from opening churches on streets
with Islamic names. Members of the Taman Yasmin
Indonesian Christian Church in the West Java town
of Bogor are, after three years, still forced to
worship on the sidewalk outside their building,
protected by police. The administration of Bogor
mayor Diani Budiarto revoked the church's building
permit and sealed the building as the street had
an Islamic name.
_____
7 September 2011
In U.S., interfaith worship doubled
since 11 September
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Interfaith worship
services have doubled in the decade since the 11
September attacks, according to a new study
released 7 September, even as more than seven in
10 U.S. congregations do not associate with other
faiths. The survey by an interfaith group of
researchers found that about 14 percent of U.S.
congregations surveyed in 2010 engaged in a joint
religious celebration with another faith tradition,
up from 6.8 percent in 2000, Religion News Service
reports.
*****
8 September 2011
In New Zealand, Anglican diocese sees
no bar to gay ordination
Auckland, New Zealand (ENI news) - Anglicans in
New Zealand's biggest city have declared that
people in same-sex relationships should not be
excluded from any church office, including
ordination. The motion, which passed by a two-
thirds majority on 3 September at the Diocese of
Auckland's synod, says that a current moratorium
by bishops on gay ordination should cease. Next
year, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New
Zealand and Polynesia is due to hear further
recommendations on the subject at its
General Synod in Fiji.
_____
In recession-hit Hungary,
churches take over state schools
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Local government
officials in Hungary are handing state-owned
schools over to churches, unable to afford
their upkeep during the economic recession,
according to church sources. "Churches are
entitled to run schools in Hungary as public
service providers, receiving the same taxpayers'
money as public sponsors," said Balazs Odor,
ecumenical officer of Hungary's Reformed Church.
_____
After Fukushima, faith groups
ponder nuclear power
Tokyo (ENI news) - The disaster at Japan's
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following
the 11 March earthquake and tsunami is causing
a worldwide re-evaluation of nuclear power and
renewing debate within faith groups on the
subject. Participants at the World Council of
Churches' International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation in Kingston, Jamaica, last May
stated emphatically that "the nuclear catastrophe
of Fukushima has proved once again that we must
no longer rely on nuclear power as a source of
energy." However, opposition to nuclear power is
by no means a consistent theme even within a
denomination.
*****
9 September 2011
U.S. clergy denounce anti-Muslim bigotry
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Three days before
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, religious leaders gathered to remember
the victims, foster interreligious unity and speak
out in defense of religious freedom. The event was
held on 8 September by Shoulder to Shoulder, a
national coalition of 26 faith groups formed a year
ago in response to a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment
following debates over an Islamic center near the
former site of the destroyed World Trade Center
in lower Manhattan and a Florida pastor's threats
to burn the Quran. "If we cower in the face of
fanatic minorities, we are lost. This is true
for Muslims and it is true for us all," said Rabbi
Eric Yoffie, the outgoing head of the Union for
Reform Judaism, Religion News Service reports.
_____
In Zimbabwe, Anglican mission seized
and bishop robbed
Harare, Zimbabwe (ENI news) - Turmoil in the
Anglican Diocese of Harare continued this week
as a renegade former bishop evicted staff from
a mission outpost in an ongoing dispute over
church property and the current bishop, Chad
Gandiya, was robbed of communications equipment.
A diocesan spokeswoman, Precious Shumba, told
ENInews that Nolbert Kunonga took control of
the Daramombe Mission about 180 km south of
Harare. In a separate incident, Gandiya and
his family were the victims of robbers who took
a cellphone, laptop computer and money.
_____
Book tells stories of
11 September transformations
New York (ENI news)- Among the most profound
effects of the 11 September terrorist attacks
in the United States were the spiritual changes
undergone by people who witnessed the disaster
or responded in the aftermath. Wendy Healy,
former director of communications for Lutheran
Disaster Response of New York, tells one dozen
of those stories in her new book Life is Too
Short: Stories of Transformation and Renewal
After 9/11. A slim volume and a fascinating read,
Healy's profiles gracefully capture the unique
qualities of each individual and what made 11
September a driving force for change in each
person's soul.
_____
12 September 2011
In New York, three faiths mark 11 September
New York (ENI news) - In a ceremony commemorating
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, a minister, a rabbi, and an imam took part
in an interfaith bell-ringing ceremony at St. Paul's
Chapel in lower Manhattan. The 245-year-old Episcopal
church, located just one block from the destroyed
World Trade Center, in 2001 became for months a
respite center for rescue workers. The bell-ringing
took place on the evening of 11 September, after a
day marked by a ceremony at a new memorial plaza on
the site of the former twin towers, attended by
families of 11 September victims, President Barack
Obama and other leaders. Thousands of commemoration
services took place in the U.S. and around the world
to mark the day on which nearly 3,000 people lost
their lives in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
_____
Japan quake anniversary met with prayers, chanting
Tokyo (ENI news) - People of faith in Japan on 11
September marked the six-month anniversary of the
11 March earthquake and tsunami with prayer services,
bell ringing and chants, many at 2:46 p.m., the time
when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck. About
20,000 people are dead or missing, with an estimate
400,000 people displaced, according to the Japanese
Red Cross.
_____
15 September 2011
Raphael's twin Madonnas reunited for
pope's visit to Germany
Berlin (ENI news) - To mark Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to Germany later this month, an exhibition
in Dresden has reunited two of the Renaissance's
most important Madonna and Child paintings for
the first time in almost 500 years. Raphael, a
key figure in Renaissance art, completed the
Madonna di Foligno in 1512. The artist was
commissioned by Pope Julius II to create the
Sistine Madonna in the same year. The two
altarpieces are thought to have stood side-by
-side in Raphael's workshop but were separated
for centuries. They are now the centerpiece of
an exhibit in Dresden on representations of the
Madonna and Child.
_____
Lutherans seek greater unity
ahead of 2017 observance
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Lutherans are
exploring strengthening ties among member
churches of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) as the 500th anniversary of the
Protestant Reformation approaches in 2017,
theologians and leaders said. A six-day
international conference held in Nairobi
from 9 to 14 September on contemporary Bible
interpretation was the first in a series of
biblical consultations seeking to promote
unity in the 70 million-member worldwide
communion ahead of 2017. "For us now, the
challenge is to ask what we have in common
as the Lutheran community. Lutheranism is no
longer [only] a northern European Church,"
said the Rev. Craig Koester, a professor at
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Selected from Sojourners Online:
September 6th, 2011
"Why stand we here trembling around/
Calling on God for help, and not ourselves,
in whom God dwells,/Stretching a hand to
save the falling [human]?"
- William Blake
---
September 7th, 2011
"Every truth without exception -- and whoever
may utter it -- is from the Holy Spirit."
- Thomas Aquinas
---
September 8th, 2011
"The love of our neighbor in all its fullness
simply means being able to say, 'What are you
going through?'"
- Simone Weil
---
September 9th, 2011
"One cannot be aware both of the history of
Christian war and of the contents of the gospels
without feeling that something is amiss."
- Wendell Berry, from his introduction to
"Blessed are the Peacemakers"
---
September 12th, 2011
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child
of God … It is not just in some of us; it is in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same."
- Marianne Williamson, from "A Return to Love:
Reflections on the Principles of
"A Course in Miracles"
---
September 13th, 2011
"Do not think that saintliness comes from occupation;
it depends rather on what one is. The kind of work we
do does not make us holy, but we may make it holy."
- Meister Eckhart
---
September 14th, 2011
"If you're going to care about the fall of the
sparrow you can't pick and choose who's going
to be the sparrow. It's everybody."
- Madeleine L'Engle
---
September 15th, 2011
"Allowing our government to kill citizens
compromises the deepest moral values upon
which this country was conceived: the
inviolable dignity of human persons."
- Helen Prejean C.S.J.
*****
ON THIS DAY
Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S.
spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars
to take the first close-up, color
photographs of the planet's surface.
http://tinyurl.com/3db83zr
*****
Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists
attacked the Israeli Olympic team at
the summer games in Munich; 11 Israeli
athletes and coaches, five terrorists
and a police officer were killed.
http://tinyurl.com/43xsdkf
*****
Sept. 7, 1940, the German air force began
its blitz on London during World War II.
http://tinyurl.com/6gq3bbz
*****
Sept. 9, 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung
died in Beijing at age 82.
http://tinyurl.com/3kuom3l
*****
Sept. 15, 1963, four black girls were killed when a
bomb went off during Sunday services at a Baptist
church in Birmingham, Alabama, in the deadliest
act of the civil rights era.
http://tinyurl.com/6huo7u9
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Our sensuality is the beautiful city in which our
Lord Jesus sits and in which he is enclosed...
In our sensuality, God is.
- Julian of Norwich
---
By honoring the nearness of God in our sensuality,
Julian takes on all those ascetic teachers who say
we must run from our senses to experience Divinity.
God is present in our sensuousness, and this
sensuousness ends the Platonic dualisms - the
body versus soul warfare - that have haunted
patriarchal religion and philosophy for more
than twenty-five hundred years.
- Matthew Fox
(end)
Friday, September 2, 2011
Colleagues List, September 3rd, 2011
Vol. VII. No. 5
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
In This Issue -
Special Item This Week:
Book Notice:
"A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ
Can Serve the Common Good"
by colleague Miroslav Volf
___
Colleague Contributions:
Tony Parel
Marjorie Gibson
Mark Noll
John Griffith
___
Net Notes:
Why Sermons Bore Us
Austria's Moment of Truth
Why People Reject Religion
Canada Remembers Jack Layton
A Muscular Brand of Christianity
Advice to American Catholic Bishops
S. Korean Church Crosses an "Eyesore"
Modern Culture and Old Order Anabaptism
Baroque Festival in the Bolivian Jungle
Earthquake Damages US National Cathedral
German Laity Deeply Weary of Abuse Issue
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fourteen ENI Geneva stories.
___
Quotes of the Week:
C.S. Lewis
Frederick Bueckner
Maya Angelou
Mother Teresa
Jon Sobrino
Eleanor Roosevelt
Meister Eckhart
Sara Miles
Teilhard de Chardin
Philip Noel-Baker
___
On This Day:
Aug. 19, 1934 - Germany invests
total executive power in Hitler.
Aug. 25, 1944 - Paris liberated by
Allies after four years of Nazi rule.
Aug. 28, 1963 - 200,000 people hear
Dr. MLK Jr. declare - "I Have a Dream."
Aug. 29, 1991 - Supreme Soviet suspends
all activities of the Communist Party.
Sept. 2, 1945 - Japan formally surrenders
in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri,
ending World War II.
___
Closing Thought: Martin Luther King Jr.
(end)
***************
Dear Friends:
On this Labour Day weekend we experience
a transition from summer to autumn in this
part of the world.
Here are my contributions as we enter a
new season.
Welcome to all new Colleagues List members!
---
Colleague Michael Pryce, bishop of the
Eastern Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Canada, received an honourary doctorate
from Wilfrid Laurier University earlier
this year. Congratulations, Michael!
Aloysius Ambrozic, cardinal archbishop of
Toronto (1990-2006) died August 26th in
Toronto. Fellow-colleagues on this list
knew him well, and our sympathies extend
to you as well as to the late cardinal's
family.
---
My special item for this issue is a notice
of a new book by colleague Miroslav Volf:
"A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ
Can Serve the Common Good."
I hope you enjoy it.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Tony Parel - announces details of the upcoming
Gandhi Society of Calgary's Annual Dinner.
Marjorie Gibson - remembers a time when there
was a link between grasshoppers, chewing
tobacco and sex. To find out what it was,
read her article.
Mark Noll - has written a kind of sequel to
the classic he wrote several decades ago on
the "evangelical mind." It's worth your
consideration.
John Griffith - provides a retreat for ministry
-related persons desiring to begin the autumn
season with some sound spiritual grounding.
___
Net Notes:
"Why Sermons Bore Us" - Tom Long, Atlanta,
and one of the best authorities on the
practice of worship, writes about sermons
(The Christian Century)
"Austria's Moment of Truth" - an editorial
contrasts the joy of World Youth Day in Madrid
and the pain of the church in Austria - both
experiences deeply felt by the current pope
(The Tablet, UK)
"Why People Reject Religion" - a new study
on "apostates" describes alienation from
many forms of modern organized religion
(Publishers Weekly)
"Canada Remembers Jack Layton" - the
people of Canada and the faith community
have praised the Leader of the Opposition
at his untimely death (Christian Week,
Anglican Journal)
"A Muscular Brand of Christianity" -
'gentle Jesus, meek and mild' - is not the
kind of hero these people are looking for
(The Guardian, UK)
"Advice to American Catholic Bishops" -
in a second summer editorial, we read
advice on how the bishops might treat
author Elizabeth Johnson (The Tablet, UK)
"S. Korean Church Crosses an "Eyesore" -
do they reflect deep faith, or are they
merely kitch? Neon sign crosses dot the
South Korean landscape (Los Angeles Times)
"Modern Culture and Old Order Anabaptism"
- the public awareness and appreciation
of Old Order Mennonites has risen sharply
in America over the past several decades
(Sightings)
"Baroque Festival in the Bolivian Jungle"
- those who saw and loved the hit movie
"Mission" several decades ago, will
enjoy this article (The Guardian, UK)
"Earthquake Damages US National Cathedral"
- when the Episcopal Cathedral in Washington
DC was struck by an earthquake, it was the
second Anglican cathedral to be thus affected
(after Christchurch, NZ) this past year.
Roman Catholics have shown they care
(ENI, The Atlantic, Anglican Journal)
"German Laity Deeply Weary of Abuse Issue"
- it is apparent that German Catholics are
very depressed over their authorities
(Ucan News)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fourteen ENI Geneva stories are published
here this week.
___
Quotes of the Week:
C.S. Lewis, Frederick Bueckner, Maya Angelou,
Mother Teresa, Jon Sobrino, Eleanor Roosevelt,
Meister Eckhart, Sara Miles, Teilhard de Chardin
and Philip Noel-Baker offer us a rich selection.
___
On This Day:
Germany gives total power to Hitler (1934)
Paris freed from Nazi rule by Allies (1944)
200,000 hear MLK's "I Have a Dream" (1963)
Supreme Soviet ends Communist Party (1991)
Japan surrenders, World War II over (1945)
___
Closing Thought:
Martin Luther King Jr, whose 'dream' speech
we remember this week, has final thoughts
to share, complemented by Matthew Fox.
---
The next issue of Colleagues List will
appear September 17th, after which we
return to a weekly schedule of mailings.
Wayne
************************
CELTIC TOUR REUNION WEEKEND AT ST. DAVID'S
"Report to the Congregation and Reflection"
Sunday, Sept. 11th, and Monday, Sept. 12th
As St. David's congregation returns from
the summer break, we plan a special weekend
of gathering/worship for those participating
in our Fiftieth Anniversary Tour of the Celtic
Lands, April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
Sunday, September 11th - worship with a
Celtic theme, and a special "Sight and
Sound Report" to the congregation prepared
by Jock McTavish (some of this material will
be posted on Colleagues List).
A CD Jock has produced will be given gratis
to all tour participants and extras will be
made available for those who are interested.
Monday, September 12th, TM Room, 7-9PM
the venue of a special reunion for persons
who took the tour. It will be an opportunity
for reflection and suggestions for future
spiritual travel projects sponsored by
the ACTS Ministry of St. David's.
David Rostad of Rostad Tours, the person
whose tour company planned and organized our
experience in the UK and Ireland, will be
present to join our reflections and suggest
future possibilities.
Mark your calendars!
Here is a beautiful poem, birthed while on
the tour, by Jock McTavish:
http://tinyurl.com/3q3qrjt
*****
SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011
"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway
September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM
"Godless Morality"
Learning how to separate "God says"
from doing what is right
Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t
---
"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good
Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx
---
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Book sale begins at the end of August!
Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality
Purchase only the books - $35.00
*****
UNIVERSITY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Two Study Programs Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary
Taught by: Wayne Holst
Recommended books:
"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - November 29th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
---
"Paul the Apostle" (ten sessions)
Wednesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 28th - November 30th
Register:
http://tinyurl.com/mh2dto
*****
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/
NOTE: This page is being reconstructed.
*****
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
Author Colleague Book Notice:
A PUBLIC FAITH
How Followers of Christ
Can Serve the Common God,
by Miroslav Volf
Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI
August, 2011. $21.99 US. 174 pages
ISBN #978-1-58743-298-9.
Publisher's Promo:
Debates rage today about the role of
religions in public life. As the world
becomes increasingly interconnected,
various religions come to inhabit the
same space. But how do they live together,
especially when each wants to shape the
public realm according to the dictates
of its own sacred texts and traditions?
How does the Christian faith relate in
the religious pluralism of contemporary
public life?
While Volf argues that there is no single
way Christian faith relates to culture as
a whole, he explores major issues on the
front lines of faith today:
1) In what way does the Christian faith
come to malfunction in the contemporary
world, and how should we counter these
malfunctions?
2) What should a Christian's main concern
be when it comes to living well in the
world today? and
3) How should we go about realizing a
vision for human flourishing in relation
to other faiths and under the roof of a
single state?
Covering such timely issues as witness
in a multifaith society and political
engagement in a pluralistic world, this
compelling book highlights things that
Christians can do to serve the common good.
---
Author's Words:
(It is not difficult to see why debates
are raging today about the role of
religions in public life.)
First, religions - Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, and so on - are
growing numerically, and their members
worldwide are increasingly unwilling to
keep their convictions and practices
limited to the private sphere of family
or religious community. Instead, they
want these convictions and practices to
shape public life... according to their
own vision of the good life.
Second, in today's globalized world,
religions cannot be neatly sequestered
into separate geographical areas...
But how do such people live together,
especially when all of them want to
shape the public realm according to the
dictates of their own sacred texts and
traditions?
When it comes to the public role of
religions, the main fear is that of
imposition (and this is true for both
religious and secularists alike.)
The fear of imposition of religious
views often elicits demands for the
suppression of religious voices from
the public square...
Unlike those who think religion should
stay out of politics, I will argue in
this book that religious people ought
to be free to bring their visions of
the good life into the public sphere -
into politics as well as other aspects
of public life. What's more, I believe
that it would be oppressive to prohibit
them from doing so.
(People fear both secular exclusion and
religious totalitarianism) but the
position that I myself will advocate
in this book will be an alternative
both to the secular total exclusion
of all religions from the public life
and to the ... total saturation of
public life with a single religion.
---
I am writing as a Christian theologian
to followers of Christ... My task is
to offer a vision of the role of the
followers of Jesus Christ in public
life, a role that stays clear of the
dangers of both "exclusion" and
"saturation.."
My contention in this book is that
there is no single way in which
Christian faith relates and ought
to relate to culture as a whole...
Christ has not come with a blueprint
for political arrangements. Many
kinds of political arrangements are
compatible with the Christian faith.
(I believe, however, that Christ
commands) that Christians grant to
other religious communities the same
religious and political freedoms
that they claim for themselves.
- from the Introduction
---
My Comments:
I have read many of Miroslav Volf's
books, and have always been impressed
by the simplicity, clarity and profundity
with which he writes.
Volf comes out of a very contentious
and difficult religious background -
the Balkans - but he always demonstrates
a strong commitment to "embrace" - not
"exclude" those who differ from his views.
I admire the strong Christian conviction -
the "feet-on-the-ground" approach - he takes
to his faith. At the same time, he is
always looking for ways to find common
cause, and to build bridges with those who
will engage him in dialogue.
My sense is that many who may not agree
with him on certain points would still
respect him because he respects them.
---
That background makes him a worthy candidate
to author a book entitled "A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ Should Serve the
Common Good."
He finds radical exclusivists - be they
religious or secular in orientation - to be
of little help to him as he attempts to
formulate a societal approach that honours
"the big tent" of religious political
pluralism.
He also finds radical inclusivists - be they
religious or secular in orientation - to be
equally unhelpful for the creation of common
societal well-being. Any one group that seeks
to impose its will on the majority is to be
resisted. That applies to religious and
secularist alike.
It is his view that, in a pluralist context,
it is important to remember Christ's command
that "in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you (Matt. 7:12)
---
The two main sections of his book focus on
countering the malfunctions of faith that
develop in society while encountering others
with an engaged faith.
Faith, as part of the public discussion,
is not the problem, claims Volf. Abusive
and skewed kinds of faith are what harm
people. That is what makes them want to
turn away from religion altogether.
No-faith, on the other hand, can be
equally abusive and skewed.
---
While I have always considered Volf an
ally in my own spiritual quest, I find
his views on the social dimension of
faith expressed here to be very sensible
and helpful. I will gladly share this
book with students and others who are
seeking clarification on many matters
pertaining to the common good.
---
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/3rb84jb
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
TONY PAREL
Calgary, AB
Thursday, 18th August 2011
Dear Wayne,
Thanks again for the weekly letter.
So informative, such a good world tour.
Wayne, here is information on the our
forthcoming annual Gandhi dinner. The topic
is very timely, and the speaker, exceptional.
Please mention this dinner in your next
issue, if you have space.
Anthony Parel
---
Gandhi Society of Calgary Annual Dinner 2011
Time: Sunday October 2, 2011.
Location: Glory of India Restaurant,
2121-36 St NE (Sunridge Mall) Calgary.
Cash bar 5.30-6.30; Dinner: 6.30; Lecture: 7.30.
Speaker: Prof. Ramin Jahanbegloo
University of Toronto
Topic: “Gandhi and Islam”.
Cost: $35.00.
For tickets contact:
Anthony Parel: parel@ucalgary.ca
(403-239-4480).
Cheques to be made to
The Gandhi Society of Calgary.
Postal address: c/o Parel,
10-10 St. Julien Drive SW, Calgary, AB, T2T 6E2.
Our Speakier. Prof. Ramin Jahanbegloo was born
in Teheran, Iran. He is married to Azin Moalej,
a cousin of the renowned Persian philosopher
Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
He has a doctorate in Philosophy from the Sorbonne,
Paris, France, where he lived for twenty years.
He was a Post-doctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern
Studies at Harvard University. In 1997-2001 he
was an adjunct professor of Political Science at
the University of Toronto.
Upon returning to Tehran, he was appointed Head
of the Contemporary Philosophy Department of the
Cultural Research Centre, whose object was the
promotion of dialogue between civilizations.
In April 2006 he was accused of spying and was
arrested by Iranian authorities and sent to the
infamous Evin Prison. In response to strong
worldwide protest, authorities released him
in August 2006.
2006-2007 he was Rajni Kothari Professor of
Democracy at the Center for Developing Societies,
New Delhi; in 2008 he was appointed Massey College
Scholar-at Risk at the University of Toronto, and
in 2009 he was awarded the Peace Prize from the
United Nations Association of Spain.
At the present time he is a Research Fellow at
the Centre for Ethics, and a Professor of the
Political Science Department in the University
of Toronto. He has published works in Persian,
French and English, including a book in French
on Gandhi.
In his lecture, “Gandhi and Islam,” he will
explore nonviolent trends in contemporary
Islam inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.
*****
MARJORIE GIBSON
Calgary, AB.
Marjorie Remembers an
interesting combination:
"Chewing Tobacco,
Grasshoppers and Sex"
August 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3nfvdzs
*****
MARCUS BORG
Portland, OR
SPEAKING CHRISTIAN:
REDEEMING CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE
A weekend series involving Marcus
and John Dominic Crossan at the
U of A Conference Centre, Edmonton
Friday and Saturday,
September 9th - 10th, 2011
Discover how some of the most important
words in the Christian language have been
distorted over the years. Explore how the
original meanings can be recaptured as
these two biblical scholars uncover a
parabolic and symbolic understanding
of the language itself.
$130 for all four sessions;
Purchase your tickets online at:
speakingchristian.eventbrite.com
Find out more:
http://tinyurl.com/3au7bkc
*****
MARK NOLL
Notre Dame, IN
'Evangelical Mind' redux:
JESUS CHRIST AND THE LIFE OF THE MIND
The Evangelical Mind Revisited
August 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/43n53k9
*****
JOHN GRIFFITH
Calgary, AB.
A "Breathing Life into Ministry" Program
Taking Time for Reflection on the
Emmaus Road
With Ron Semenoff and John Griffith
Reconnecting with the Purpose & Passion
of Your Ministry
Thursday, September 22, 2011, 9 am to 3 pm
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre,
Cochrane, Alberta
$45 per person
---
At the beginning of a new season take time to
hear the Spirit of God speaking to you.
The day will include:
Meditative beginning
Reflecting on the Emmaus Walk and your own
ministry/faith walk
Conversations with a stranger: Identifying
issues/challenges in your life and ministry
Remembering God’s presence in our midst
Lunch
A message of hope: then and now
Listening to and encouraging each other
Summary of the gifts of the day
---
"Breathing Life into Ministry" was founded
by Ron Semenoff and John Griffith to engage
ministry personnel in a flexible, effective
and efficient process of professional
development.
Cheques are payable to Competency Inc.
10244 Hidden Valley Drive NW, Calgary, T3A 5B7
info@competencyinc.com
http://breathinglifeintoministry.blogspot.com
*****
NET NOTES
WHY SERMONS BORE US
Tom Long Tells Why
The Christian Century
August 29th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3v3y5ny
*****
AUSTRIA'S MOMENT OF TRUTH
Quest for Authentic Faith
The Tablet, UK
September 3rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3rqzznw
*****
WHY PEOPLE REJECT RELIGION
A Study of Religious Alienation
Publishers Weekly
August 31st, 2011
"Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion"
Phil Zuckerman. Oxford Univ., $24.95 (224p)
ISBN 978-0-19-974001-7
In this sociological study of “apostates,”
defined as religious people who later become
atheists, Zuckerman, a professor of sociology
at Pitzer College, interviews former adherents
from a variety of religions—among them Muslims,
Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses—and examines
their religious histories and motivations for
rejecting belief. Though apostates are a
steadily growing category of the American
religious landscape, little research focuses
on them and much of the public still mistrusts
them. Though much work remains to be done on
the topic, Zuckerman’s interviews and analysis
are an intriguing contribution to the literature,
covering everything from a list of the main
reasons people leave their religions (parents,
friends, education, personal misfortunes, and
sex all feature prominently) to a correlation
between secularization and women entering the
work force. If anything, the book’s greatest
flaw is its brevity: the conclusion, for
example, hints at a comparison between
apostates in America and atheists elsewhere,
which would have been an interesting topic
for further exploration. Nevertheless,
Zuckerman’s solid research and insights
make this book an important contribution
to the field and a thoroughly fascinating
read. (coming in November)
*****
CANADA REMEMBERS JACK LAYTON
State Funeral for Parliamentary
Leader of the Opposition
"A Tribute from a Politician"
Bob Blakie
Christianweek.org
August 24th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3sgss2q
---
Canadian Church Leaders Honour Layton
Anglican Journal
August 24th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3dm5arj
*****
A MUSCULAR BRAND OF CHRISTIANITY
Some Christians Want a Macho Jesus
The Guardian, UK
August 29th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3dm3o4u
*****
ADVICE TO AMERICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
Coming Down Hard Would be a Mistake
Re the Elizabeth Johnson Affair
The Tablet, UK
August 27th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3nvsbx3
*****
S. KOREAN CHURCH CROSSES 'AN EYESORE'
Neon Signs Detract from the Message
Los Angeles Times
August 20th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3s4gpbc
*****
AMERICAN CULTURE AND
OLD ORDER ANABAPTISM
New Status for Plain People
Sightings
September 1st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/42ask2h
*****
BAROQUE FESTIVAL IN THE BOLIVIAN JUNGLE
Recognizing the Jesuit Missionary Legacy
The Guardian, UK
August 31st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3r4yt2h
*****
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE TO US NATIONAL CATHEDRAL
Second Anglican Cathedral Hit in Past Year
ENI Report:
25 August 2011
Washington cathedral faces millions
in repairs after quake
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - The iconic
Washington National Cathedral, already
struggling with financial problems, faces
millions of dollars in repair costs from
the damage inflicted by the 23 August U.S.
East Coast earthquake. And nothing is
covered by insurance, according to a church
official. Clergy and a team of architects
and engineers spent the day after the
magnitude 5.8 quake assessing the cathedral,
and found significant damage, including
fallen carved angels on the church's roof,
cracks in flying buttresses, and missing
finials from the pinnacles of the central
tower, Religion News Service reports.
_____
View Atlantic Monthly Video of Damage
August 26th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3s3wvgz
_____
"Washington Catholics Support Cathedral"
Anglican Journal News
September 2nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3jronvk
*****
GERMAN LAITY NOW DEEPLY WEARY
RE ABUSE ISSUE
Ucan Newss
August 23rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/42asgta
**********
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International,
Geneva
18 August 2011
Muslims in Britain mourn riot heroes
Canterbury, England (ENI news) - More than
20,000 mourners, most of them British-born
Muslims, gathered in Birmingham, England on
18 August for the funeral of three young men
mown down by a car while defending their
community and homes from rioters and looters
last week. "These three people (Haroon Jahan,
21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul
Musavir, 31) are martyrs and the best we can
do for them is to pray for them and for
ourselves and to pray for our community," s
aid Muslim scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi,
speaking at the service.
*****
22 August 2011
Salvadoran youth participate
in peace workshops
San Salvador, El Salvador (ENI news) - A series
of workshops on building a culture of peace has
begun this week in El Salvador, involving youth
from several churches and coordinated by the
Reformed Church. Carmen MartÃnez of the Reformed
Church and facilitator for the workshops said
that the purpose of this training is to provide
the young leaders of the churches with the
necessary tools with which to become agents
of peace, reports the Latin America and
Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC).
*****
23 August 2011
Mar Thoma church in India
celebrates 175th anniversary
Bangalore, India (ENI news) -
India's Mar Thoma church celebrated
the 175th anniversary of its
reformation with a visit from the
general secretary of the Geneva-
based World Council of Churches
(WCC), who said that "reformation
requires a unity in which we
challenge one another." The "gift
of the cross binds us together.
Our open arms can be a sign of
the ecumenical movement of the
cross, showing that we need one
another," said the Rev. Olav
Fyske Tveit, addressing church
leadership at the headquarters
in Thiruvalla, Kerala state.
*****
24 August 2011
Vatican summons traditionalists to Rome
Vatican City, 24 August (ENI news) -
The Vatican has summoned the head of a
traditionalist group to Rome to assess
the results of a two-year doctrinal
dialogue between the schismatic group
and the Holy See, Religion News Service
reports. Monsignor Bernard Fellay,
superior general of the Society of
St. Pius X (SSPX), will meet on 14
September with top officials who are
trying to normalize relations,
including American Cardinal William
Levada, head of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith.
*****
25 August 2011
Fiji government again
cancels Methodist conference
Wellington, New Zealand (ENI news) - The
annual conference of Fiji's Methodist Church,
due to start 23 August, was cancelled by Fiji's
military government for the third consecutive
year after church leaders defied a government
directive to step down from their positions.
Fiji's Land Force Commander Colonel Mosese
Tikoitoga, also directed that no Methodist
Church minister be allowed to leave the
country, and banned permits under the Public
Emergency Regulation for all official
Methodist Church meetings. There are concerns
that the ban will lead to the collapse of the
Methodist church administration and severely
affect funding.
---
Fiji government expands
crackdown on Methodists
New York (ENI news - Fiji's military government
has expanded a crackdown on the Methodist Church,
banning all church meetings except for Sunday
worship and forbidding clergy from leaving the
country. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel
Neumi Leweni was quoted in an article on the
Fiji Times website on 30 August as saying that
Methodist leaders will need to "seek
clarification" from the government for meetings
(except worship) or foreign travel.
_____
Armed civilians heighten Tripoli danger,
cleric says
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Thousands of
small arms and light weapons distributed
to civilians by the government in Tripoli
are adding to the danger and instability
of the city as rebel forces continued to
fight soldiers loyal to deposed dictator
Moammar Gadhafi, a Libyan cleric has said.
The Rev. Amado Baranquel, a priest at St.
Francis Roman Catholic Church, the seat
of the Vicariate of Tripoli, said the
uncontrolled use of weapons was confining
civilians inside their houses and causing
extreme fear. "They are using the guns
any way they want. Some are using them
for looting," Baranquel told ENInews in
a telephone interview on 25 August from
Tripoli. "We hope this (fighting) will
end soon."
_____
Mexican Presbyterians end relationship
with U.S. church over gays
New York (ENI news)- The National
Presbyterian Church of Mexico has voted
to end its 139-year relationship with
the Presbyterian Church (USA), in response
to the U.S. church's decision earlier this
year to allow the ordination of sexually
active gays and lesbians. According to a
news release on the U.S. church's website,
the decision came on a 116 to 22 vote of
the Mexican church assembly on 19 August.
The release said it likely will jeopardize
the continuation of the work that 11 U.S.
church mission co-workers have been doing
in Mexico, including work along the U.S.-
Mexican border, as well as the future of
short-term congregational mission trips to
Mexico and more than two dozen partnerships.
*****
26 August 2011
Czech churches welcome accord
on seized properties
Warsaw (ENI news) - A prominent Czech
ecumenist has welcomed an agreement that
would allow churches to reclaim land and
buildings seized under communist rule,
but give up receiving state subsidies.
"The ball is now in the government's
court to prepare the necessary
legislation," said Joel Ruml, chairman
of the Czech Ecumenical Council, adding
that the legislation is expected to be
introduced early next year. The 58-year-
old Protestant was speaking after the
draft settlement was finalized in
Prague on 25 August, allowing religious
associations to retrieve assets
confiscated after the 1948 communist
takeover, while obtaining financial
compensation for others.
_____
Son of Pakistani governor who
criticized blasphemy law is kidnapped
New York (ENI news) - The son of a
prominent Pakistani politician who was
assassinated after speaking out against
the country's blasphemy law was kidnapped
on 26 August in Lahore, police said.
Shahbaz Taseer, 27, was on his way to
work at mid-morning, without his usual
security guard detail, when he was
taken from his car at gunpoint, police
and government officials said. His
father, Salman Taseer, a senior figure
in the ruling Pakistan Peoples party
and governor of Punjab, was killed
last January after he called for reform
of the laws that make criticism of Islam
a crime possibly punishable by death.
*****
29 August 2011
Berlin's Protestants celebrate
roots in Judaism
Berlin (ENI news) - On 28 August,
Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) in
the heart of Berlin was one of many
Protestant churches across Germany to
celebrate Israel Sunday, with a service
focusing on Christianity's shared history
with Judaism. Lala Suesskind, chairperson
of The Jewish Community of Berlin, an
organization with more than 11,000 members,
spoke at the service of the importance of
forgiveness between Christians and Jews
and the need for dialog to overcome
prejudices among all faiths.
*****
30 August 2011
Anglican prelate plans visit to Zimbabwe
Canterbury, England (ENInews)--Rowan Williams,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, is planning to
visit Zimbabwe in October as part of a wider
trip to Africa and hopes to meet with President
Robert Mugabe to discuss a brutal dispute over
church properties. Renegade bishop Nolbert
Kunonga, a Mugabe ally, has seized church
properties and harassed worshipers and clergy,
according to media reports and the Diocese
of Harare.
*****
1 September 2011
Christian-Jewish relations
still a source of debate
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - A fascinating
exchange recently took place in the pages
of the Vatican's newspaper between the chief
rabbi of Rome and the Vatican's chief
representative to the Jewish people. Their
conversation reflected just how far we've
come in Christian-Jewish relations -- but
also how far we have yet to go, Religion
News Service reports. Christians must
really think about what it means to accept
the validity of God's covenant with the
Jews while also seeing Jesus as the savior
of all mankind, the subject of a new book,
"Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today."
Jews, for their part, need to assess
Christian claims about being in covenant
with the God of Israel.
_____
2 September 2011
Interfaith efforts part of 9/11 anniversary
New York (ENI news) Interfaith services are
planned to commemorate the tenth anniversary
of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,
with advocates acknowledging that their work
has not been easy but has yielded tangible,
if sometimes overlooked, results. "Religious
diversity is a gift," said the Rev. Chloe
Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith
Center of New York. "It strengthens the civic
fabric of the city." President Barack Obama,
former President George W. Bush and other
officials will attend on 11 September
commemoration ceremonies in New York City.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners.online:
August 18th, 2011
"No [person] who values originality
will ever be original. But try to
tell the truth as you see it, try
to do any bit of work as well as it
can be done for the work's sake,
and what [people] call originality
will come unsought."
- C.S. Lewis
---
August 19th, 2011
"What child, while summer is happening,
bothers to think much that summer will
end? What child, when snow is on the
ground, stops to remember that not long
ago the ground was snowless? It is by
its content rather than its quantity --
happy times and sad times, the time the
rabbit bit your finger, the time you had
your first taste of bananas and cream,
the time you were crying yourself to
sleep when somebody came and lay down
beside you in the dark for comfort."
- Frederick Buechner
---
August 23rd, 2011
"Words mean more than what is set
down on paper. It takes the human
voice to infuse them with deeper
meaning."
- Maya Angelou
---
August 24th, 2011
"The more we receive in silent prayer,
the more we can give in our active life.
Silence gives us a new outlook on
everything. We need silence in order
to touch souls. The essential thing is
not what we say, but what God says to
us and through us. Jesus is always
waiting for us in silence."
- Mother Teresa
---
August 25th, 2011
"To understand the truth is
to do the truth."
- Jon Sobrino
---
August 26th, 2011
"It isn't enough to talk about peace.
One must believe in it. And it isn't
enough to believe in it.
One must work at it."
- Eleanor Roosevelt,
in a 1951 radio broadcast
---
August 29th, 2011
"Whatever God does, the first outburst
is always compassion."
- Meister Eckhart
---
August 30th, 2011
"I think the most important thing for me
about St. Gregory's is the practice and
the theology of open Communion, which says
basically that the altar does not belong
to the church. The altar is God's, and
everybody is welcome. It is not up to the
church to say, 'You don't deserve Communion,
because you're not baptized or you're gay
or you're divorced or you're a child.'"
- Sara Miles
---
September 1st, 2011
"By means of all created things, without
exception, the divine assails us, penetrates
us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant
and inaccessible, whereas in fact we live
steeped in its burning layers."
- Teilhard de Chardin
---
September 2nd, 2011
"Defeatism about the future is a crime.
The danger is not in trying to do too
much, but in trying to do too little."
- Philip Noel-Baker
*****
ON THIS DAY
Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany
approved the vesting of sole executive
power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.
http://tinyurl.com/43dxklx
*****
Aug. 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by
Allied forces after four years of Nazi
occupation.
http://tinyurl.com/455vmyv
*****
Aug. 28, 1963, 200,000 people
participated in a peaceful civil
rights rally in Washington, D.C.,
where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
delivered his "I Have a Dream"
speech in front of the Lincoln
Memorial.
http://tinyurl.com/3qln3nx
*****
Aug. 29, 1991, the Supreme Soviet,
the parliament of the U.S.S.R.,
suspended all activities of the
Communist Party, bringing an end
to the institution.
http://tinyurl.com/3g7rnbc
*****
Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally
surrendersin ceremonies aboard
the USS Missouri, ending World
War II.
http://tinyurl.com/3k6lfoq
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Martin Luther King Jr:
"In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid
our nation of racial and economic injustice,
I have heard many ministers say: "Those are
social issues, with which the gospel has no
real concern." And I have watched many churches
commit themselves to a completely other-worldly
religion which makes a strange un-Biblical
distinction between body and soul, between the
sacred and the secular."
---
Comment by Matthew Fox:
To ignore the body is to ignore the body politic
and the suffering in the body politic. This is
a dualistic theology that separates body from
soul and sacred from secular. King rightly
points out that these dualisms are unbiblical.
(end)
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