ON THE ROAD AGAIN
(Sunday) After worship this morning Cheryl and I took Kirk to Merced so he could catch a ride back down to UCSD. It sounds like he's got an extremely busy week ahead with lots of tests and assignments. He'll be back in Turlock in two weeks.

Extremely early tomorrow I'm starting a three day trip to Calgary to take care of some Covenant Ministerium business. The high there on Monday is suppose to be 29 degrees (f) (-2 C). I don't really own clothes for cold weather so it's always interesting going to such places. I don't spend a lot of time outside.

FURTHER ANGLICAN SPLINTERING
(Sunday) The largest Anglican body in the world, the Anglican Church of Nigeria, still fuming over the ordination of a homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church USA, has announced that it will be starting a US branch -- the "Church of Nigeria in the U.S." The Nigerian leadership has told Nigerian Anglicans in the US to leave the Episcopal Church. Link

This is the second incursion into territory assumed to belong to the Episcopal Church. In 2000 the Anglican provinces of Rwanda and Singapore formed the Anglican Mission in America.

THE SMELL OF CHRISTMAS
(Saturday) LONDON (AP) -- Bishop Lindsay Urwin of Horsham is urging his clergy to bring buckets of manure into church to remind people that Jesus was born in a stable.

Explaining the idea, Urwin said the strong aroma would remind worshippers that Jesus gave his life to clear up the mess people make of their lives. And, he added, it might discourage any objections to use of incense in Christmas services.

"The incense -- a symbol of divinity -- together with the smell of manure represents the paradox of the incarnation," he told the Church Times newspaper.

Urwin said a priest suggested the idea during a meeting to discuss ways of "bringing the old, old (Christmas) story to life." Link

I'll have to think about this. I did do a sermon once on the smell of Christmas -- although it was actually about the arrival of the Magi. To make the point I burned a lot of frankincense (the Orthodox readers are now rolling their eyes -- "How original."). But manure might be the wave of the future.

THE ROLE OF BEAUTY IN WORSHIP
(Saturday) Terry Mattingly writing about the Latin mass: "Beauty is terribly important, especially for people who have so little beauty in their lives," said Father Paul Weinberger, 44, a beefy, energetic Anglo who arrived 10 years ago after a Spanish-language immersion program.

"People need something that lifts them up, that lets them glimpse something higher. So I want worship here to be extravagant. I want their church to be like a garden in this workaday world. ... I can't guarantee that they'll listen to me, but if their eyes wander around this church they're going to drawn to things that point them toward the mysteries of the faith." Link

THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING (BLACK &) BLUES
(Saturday) Patricia VanLester was knocked down and trampled unconcious by fellow Wal-Mart customers rushing to buy a $29 DVD player. But I'm sure it was worth it. Link

THEY KEPT THEIR MOUTHS SHUT
(Friday) It turns out that some reporters knew of the president's trip to Iraq. Some were even flying with him. Now they are being criticized for their silence. What were they suppose to do -- endanger the president and his crew? Sometimes you just can't win. Link

TEXAS TALK
(Friday) The Texas twang is in transition. If y'all ever lived in Texas you'd understand why this is significant. Link

KEY LIME


(Thursday) A wonderful addition to our Thanksgiving menu this year was fresh Cheryl-made key lime pie.

What makes the key lime so different? Check out keylime.com. What they fail to mention on an otherwise great site is that key limes are the same as Mexican limes (limón mexicano -- although they originated in Asia), which are available at your friendly local Mexican grocery store. It's not warm enough in Turlock to really grow key limes. But I'm going to try bringing a few up from seed.

BUSH IN IRAQ



(Thursday) Regardless of what one thinks about the rightness or wrongness of how the whole Iraq issue has been handled (I see it as a well intentioned but extremely half-baked fiasco), the president gets credit for his stealth trip into Iraq earlier today. Not only did it bolster troop morale but it was a symbolic demonstration of just who is in charge. Even the president of the United States can drop in for a visit when he feels like it. Now, of course, the fact that he did so at night and stayed less than three hours suggests that it's not total control. But it is still a symbolically significant signal to the Iraqi people. Interesting move that might be a real turning point in this stage of the conflict.

TOLLE, BLOGGE
(Thursday) I'm thankful that Russ Reeves, a history professor at Trinity Christian College, is back blogging. I first became acquainted with him through dialogue on an email list and always thought his contributions were insightful. Then I discovered his blog. But then it went off line earlier this year. However, this morning I was checking some old links and it showed up again. It looks like he's been at it again since October. Link

SO, HOW DID WE CHOOSE DECEMBER 25TH?
(Wednesday) That is, how is it that we came to celebrate Christmas -- the Feast of the Nativity -- on the 25th? It's probably not what you think, says Professor William J. Tighe. Link to Touchstone Magazine article

I learn something new every single day.

RUSSIAN CHURCH ON THE MOVE?
(Wednesday) There are signs that the Russian Orthodox Church is slowly stirring. It's just not clear where it's going. -- toward reconciliation with the Roman Catholics? -- the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (a.k.a. Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia)? -- greater influence in the ecumenical movement? Are these all mutually exclusive objectives? It would seem so. Link to Pravda article / Link to AP article

HOW CAN THEY AFFORD TO DO THAT?
(Wednesday) Last Sunday Art Greco was in town doing a prayer seminar at church (He did a great job). We served lunch, including salad. But we bought too many three-pound bags of prepared salad from Costco so I've been eating rabbit food all week (which I don't mind because it's quite good). Each bag costs $1.89 and includes chopped and washed lettuce, cabbage, and carrots. We fed 30 people with each bag. That's six cents for each person served. So, how can they afford to sell it that cheaply? The farmer has to be paid. The processor. The distributor. It seems ridiculously inexpensive.

NIGHT RUN
(Wednesday) I got up at 2:30 this morning to drive down to Merced to pick-up Kirk who had hitched a ride north with a school friend. I was back in bed by 3:45 a.m. Fortunately it was a relatively quiet during the daylight hours.

SAILING OFF INTO IRRELEVANCE
(Tuesday) Once again Christianity Today does a great job in articulating the Evangelical response to the whole Episcopal Church fiasco.

"This church split is particularly sad. This was Protestantism's longest cross-cultural effort at institutional unity. It has worked for some 200 years (as Anglican provinces have only slowly become independent since the colonial era). As such it has been a positive witness for Christ, who prayed for unity among his disciples (John 17:11). Such unity -- less formal and driven more by common mission -- is what evangelicals seek when we gather for the international Lausanne conferences."

The editorial also points to the soberingng reality that this split is the result of the church's ongoing inattention to unorthodox behavior and theology over the years. Of course, the Episcopal Church was just trying to be relevant to the world -- the very thing that Evangelicals are busy trying to do themselves.

Link to the editorial

THERE ARE MORE GEEKS THAN YOU THINK
(Monday) My friend Eric Bangeman writes about the fact that 31% of all U.S. residents are technically savvy. And not ALL the geeks are young! Link

FULLER LEADING THE WAY TO 'POST-EVANGELICALISM'?
(Monday) The LA Times has an extensive article on Fuller Theological Seminary -- capturing well its history, mystique, and many quirks. Some are suggesting that Fuller is leading the way into a new epistemology -- a post-evangelical era. But really, as far as I can tell, things don't sound like they've changed a whole lot since I graduated 20 years ago. Some of the names and faces are new but it's still the same place.

"Catchy yet timeless. Godly yet edgy. And still -- in the sense of exporting her gospel to what Richard Mouw has called 'the mosh pits and malls of civilization' -- evangelical."

OUT FOR ASSOCIATION
(Monday) Andrew Puzder, president and chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., which owns Carl's Jr. fast food restaurants, has been forced to resign from the board of governors of Thomas Aquinas College, because Carl's is using sexually suggestive advertising featuring Hugh Hefner. This was a courageous move for the small Roman Catholic college. Link

Aquinas is an interesting school -- no textbooks, no lectures, no electives. Instead, according to a press release on the school's site, "the college offers an entirely integrated curriculum using only the original texts of the greatest thinkers who have helped shape Western Civilization. These authors include St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare, Euclid, Dante, Galileo, Descartes, our American Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton, to name a few."

It sounds like their curriculum has prepared them to think clearly regarding this obscene move on the part of Carl's Jr.

I went to the Carl's Jr website and sent them a comment explaining why I'm opting out of their customer base.

SKIP THE POWER POINT
(Monday) I sat through another sermon yesterday that utilized Power Point and all I can say is don't do it. And I'm not just talking about the cheese factor but from a communication standpoint it is nearly impossible to maintain a speaking relationship with an "audience" if you've got a bunch of movement on the screen behind you. The speaker ends up competing with the presentation.

Think of it this way, you wouldn't want to have a television show going behind you. You'd have no eye-contact or connection with your audience. The same thing happens with Power Point.

If you must use Power Point put up a picture and leave it. Or put up the cartoon you're using and then take it down.

In regard to the reading of scripture, put up the actual text only if you want the congregation to read aloud with you. Otherwise that, too, is distracting. People won't listen to the text read because their eyes move faster than the reader. So they tend to be way ahead and don't savor the words as they're read.

Power Point has its place. I was an early adopter and I still use it with some classroom presentations as a discussion starter or as a means to provide an outline (I've simplified my presentations -- and dumped most of the special effects). But if you are trying to actually speak directly to a group it's more of a distraction than a help.

HI
(Saturday) Why is it that I get so much (and I mean a lot!) of spam with simply the word "hi" on the subject line and no content? Is it some kind of probe looking to validate an email list -- that is, if it doesn't bounce back the spammers assume it is a currently legit address, which they turn around and sell? Enlighten me!

THE ETS VOTE
(Saturday) Laura is a bit surprised that open theists Clark Pinnock and John Sanders survived a membership vote in the Evangelical Theological Society.

I was actually a bit surprised, too -- at least by how many votes they received (67% voted to retain Sanders and Pinnock).

Two observations:

1. This shows the breadth of evangelicalism as a movement. The type of evangelicalism that Laura is experiencing at Talbot is but one small component in the big picture (No criticism of Talbot intended. They know their niche and they do it well). The people in ETS come from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

2. I wonder if the controversy doesn't reveal the weakness of trying to use the "inerrancy of the Bible" as the hinge upon which evangelicalism swings. I'm sure that there were many who voted to retain Pinnock and Sanders, not because they agreed with open theism or thought it an acceptable option, but because it doesn't directly contradict their definition of inerrancy. I suspect that the ETS leadership will be looking at a more comprehensive statement of faith -- perhaps something more rooted in conciliar tradition. That would be a better debate. Is open theism compatible with the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed? Even then, though, open theism is such a different bird. As Karl Thienes wrote in my comment box on Thursday, "Open theism is like many things: a nifty and rational answer to a problem that never needed to be solved in the first place."

SHORTAGE OF COLLEGE MEN
(Friday) There is a shortage of men on college campuses. Link

CITRUS





(Friday) Randall, who is mourning the arrival of winter in P.A., said that he wanted to see some of my citrus. The larger picture is of the navel "tree" and the smaller is a satsuma orange. We don't really have a giant yard so all nine of our citrus trees are on dwarf stock. That is, they're really bush size -- just big enough to have a little fun with them. They should be ripe in a few weeks. They're all still a little yellow.

The other plants most evident in the picture are prickly pears (which are just finishing with their fruit) and aloe vera. The grapes from my neighbor are crawling over the fence.

The weather experts say that we might have a light frost tonight. But it shouldn't be a problem for most of the plants.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP IN FRANCE
(Friday) So thinks Dr Uwe Siemon-Netto, UPI religion editor, writing in World.

THE FURTHER DEMISE OF YAHOO
(Friday) The company has gone over to the darkside -- dabbling in spam. This is from a notice that they are sending out to registered yahoo users. "Starting January 1, 2004, Yahoo! will begin to send you messages, via email or postal mail, about our own products and services. (We will not send you postal mail if you have given us a mailing address and have opted out of contact via postal delivery.) You can control the types of messages you receive by visiting your Marketing Preferences at any time."

Ill get around it by filtering all the email that goes to my yahool address into the junk box.

NO ETS EXPULSIONS
(Thursday) The Evangelical Theological Society has voted to NOT expel open theism proponents Clark Pinnock and John Sanders. Link

While I have a fair grasp of the concept of open theism in my mind the jury is still out on the concept's relationship to orthodoxy. I'm having a difficult time grasping all the implications.

TERROR
(Thursday) The ongoing attacks, such as the bombings experienced in Turkey these last few days, suggest that the terrorists don't understand the Western mindset and resolve. The more incidents, the more the American and British populace are willing to back militaristic build-ups. Of course, conventional military responses don't really help in fighting irrational and unconventional guerrillas. And that's why these things spin mindlessly out of control.

The same thing is happening in Iraq. The Americans and the Brits are looking for an exit strategy. They would like to go home ASAP. But as long as the resistance movement is active they're going to dig in for the long haul. In this sense the resistance people are shooting themselves in the foot every time they shoot someone or blow something up. At this point they are their own worst enemies.

It all points to the gospel text from last Sunday -- "And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately. Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, and famines. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come." Mark 13:7-8 (NLT)

In other words, as horrible as all these things are, we ain't seen nothin', yet.

REWIRING THE COLLEGE DORM
(Thursday) The average student now takes 18 electric appliances to college with him. This means that dorms, deigned for times when students brought little more than a blow dryer and curling iron, are having to rewire. Link

It's true. I've seen it with my own eyes. But how is this different than home -- where we've got enough wiring to stretch to China?

QUOTE OF THE DAY
(Wednesday) Randall Friesen: "It's unfortunate but it feels that most of the world looks on this need for renewal as a weakness. And often those who are more outgoing and gregarious don't get it. But as the more introverted of us derive refreshment from being alone, they gain energy from being with others." Link

This is the difference between an extrovert and an introvert. Both can be outgoing and full of energy in public. But for the extrovert being in public charges his batteries. The introvert finds his batteries charged through time alone.

FALL COLORS AT THE BOYDSTON HOUSE



(Tuesday) It's not New England but we do have at least a little fall color in Turlock.

CANADIAN POLITICAL LESSON NEEDED
(Tuesday) Would some of you Canadians help me understand how it is that your prime minister-in-the-wings, Paul Martin, is considered to be a fiscal conservative but is the head of the Liberal Party? Isn't that an oxymoron -- a conservative liberal? Not that politics have to make sense...

25 YEARS AGO TODAY
(Tuesday) On November 18, 1978 913 men, women, and children died in the Peoples' Temple mass murder-suicide in a jungle settlement of Guyana. Link

...STRANGER THAN FICTION
(Monday) Britney Spears insists that she is good role model for young girls and that parents shouldn't worry if their children want to copy her. Link

I suppose she's talking about her Baptist upbringing.

DISCONNECTED URBANISM
(Monday) "But the cell phone has changed our sense of place more than faxes and computers and e-mail because of its ability to intrude into every moment in every possible place..." Link (Thanks Metafilter)

RUSSIANS SHUN EPISCOPAL CHURCH
(Monday) The Russian Orthodox Church announced today that they are severing all contacts with the Episcopal Church USA. Link

YA'LLS GOT A PROBLEM
(Monday) The Shreveport (Louisiana) Police Department installed a voice-recognition phone system. Problem: It doesn't recognize Southern drawl. I had the same problem when I visited Louisiana. Link

THE NAMING GAME
(Sunday) It turns out that not everyone is naming a child after Neo or Trinity -- or other fictional movie characters. Many Americans are naming their children after brand names -- e.g. Infiniti, Chevy, Del Monte, Timberland, even ESPN. My, my, we are a rather queer lot. Link

I'M WILLING TO GIVE THE NEW GUY A CHANCE
(Sunday) Up to this point I've not been much of an Arnold Schwarzenegger groupie but I'm willing to give the guy a chance. After all, he has done some amazingly smart things up to this point -- building bridges with Democrats and the outgoing administration -- surrounding himself with politically astute people. And tomorrow's inauguration is going to be a low key affair (in contrast to the ridiculous blow-out celebrations of his predecessors). Maybe there is more going on up there in his kopf than initially meets the eye. I'd like nothing better than to become a Schwarzenegger fan.

THE CHURCH IN EMERGING CULTURE: FIVE PERSPECTIVES
(Saturday) I have written and posted a review of this new book edited by Leonard Sweet. Contributors include Andy Crouch, Michael Horton, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Brian McLaren, and Erwin McManus. Link

WORLD'S NEW BLOG
(Saturday) World Magazine, the often rigid publication which sometimes grates on my nerves but which is occasionally a breath of fresh air, has launched a new weblog. Link

POTENTIAL FINE FOR GIVING AWAY BIBLES
(Saturday) The US government is threatening to fine an American school teacher $10,000 because she gave away Bibles in Cuba. Link

Of course, this is all related to the well-intentioned but half-baked economic embargo that has actually, as far as I can tell, kept the communists in power! (Remember the law of unintended consequences?) The Bush administration needs to wake up to the fact that the greatest chance to influence the future of Cuba is to create economic ties with the island state that sets 90 miles off the Florida coast.

AT&T GOING OVER TO THE REALLY DARKSIDE?
(Saturday) Dan Gillmor is reporting that AT&T has applied for a patent to protect software that does an end-run around spamblockers. Will they use this new software for good (by taking it and the related concept off the market) OR will they attempt to make a buck on it? Link

RUSSIAN AIRPORT ENTERTAINMENT
(Friday) This morning, while waiting for my plane at Midway Airport in Chicago there was a camera crew either filming a documentary or a commercial of some sort for Southwest Airlines. Someone (in the camera crew -- I assume) recognized Nikolai Massenkoff, who was also waiting for our plane, and talked him into singing for the camera. Pretty soon a Russian folk ensemble (also passengers on our plane) showed up and they broke out their instruments. And then came the dancers. People cleared space for them in the concourse walkway and we all got a great 15 minute spontaneous show. And the SWA counter crew got a free lesson in Russian folk dancing. And it's all on film somewhere.

If they kept a camera crew hanging around the airports all the time I bet flying would be a lot more entertaining.

STILL IN CHICAGO
(Thursday) ...still cold but not as windy. I'm staying with Eric & Kerry (& Marlowe) Bangeman tonight. We went to a great Indian buffet, Sher-A-Punjab, on West Devon (fairly inexpensive, too).

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN
(Tuesday) In case you're wondering why I'm not answering my office phone this week... This morning I joined the very slow commute over the Alta Monte (how do people do that every day?) to catch a plane from Oakland to Chicago. Lots of turbulence -- but Southwest Airlines still got us in 25 minutes early. Tonight I'm staying with old friends Don and Deanne Holmertz in Stillman Valley and then tomorrow and Thursday the executive committee of the Covenant Ministerium meets. I should be back in Turlock Friday evening.

SAY IT AIN'T SO -- BLOGSPAM!
(Sunday) Depressing. Very depressing. Andrew Careaga has had a bout of this new spam which targets the comments sections on blogs. What IS the world coming to? Link

...BY EASTER OR ELSE!
(Sunday) For a number of reasons this whole Anglican story continues to fascinate me. First of all, I like Anglicans -- the liturgy and the historical vitality -- especially as it has be expressed by the likes of John Stott, J.I. Packer, etc. Secondly, the struggles in the Episcopal Church USA are not too removed from the rest of North American Christianity (high church, low church, evangelical, moderates, Catholics -- it doesn't matter). What they are facing, we will all be facing in the very near future. So we need to learn from the situation. Then, thirdly I find the rise of the church in the Global South to be exciting and challenging.

Well, now it appears that the Anglicans in the Global South are about to give the Episcopal Church USA an ultimatum. Repent by Easter 2004 or you'll be reduced to observer status in the Worldwide Anglican Communion -- no voice, no vote. See the David Virtue article

I don't really understand how this would work. Although the Global South makes up 90% of the Anglicans in the world it is still the Archbishop of Canterbury who decides who is and who isn't in communion with him. And that has been the traditional criteria for what constitutes the Anglican Communion.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury is personally in favor of the ordination of homosexuals but has set his personal preferences aside for the sake of unity. He is trying to not swing too far one way or the other. But when you're standing in the middle of the road the chances are that you'll get run over by trucks from one lane of traffic or the other. And the question right now is, will the African and Asian bishops will have enough momentum to knock him off center (or at least cause him to spin around a few times)? Stand tuned. The plot is sure to thicken -- even more.

Fortunately, the future of the kingdom of God doesn't hinge of the orthodoxy of the Episcopal Church USA. It would be wonderful if God could continue to use them but if they disqualify themselves the kingdom of God will move forward without them -- like a mighty river cutting new channels.

LANGUAGE IN MOTION
(Sunday) McDonald's is annoyed with the latest Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary because they define the new word "McJob" as "low paying and dead-end work." They were going to sue but they couldn't find any lawyers willing to work for $5.15/hour.

The term "queer" is changing again. Originally it referred to someone who was strange or eccentric. Then it was applied to homosexuals. But now the term has come to mean any kind of sexual deviant -- gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning, heteroflexible, omnisexual, or pansexual. I don't even want to know what all of those words mean. Link

The word "gay" is also in transition again. Originally it was a reference to cheerfulness or lightheartedness. But then the homosexual community adopted it for themselves. However, the more prevalent definition today, if you listen to teens and preteens, is to use the word to refer to anything that is strange or weird. In other words, gay is now pretty close in meaning to what queer used to be.

One of my favorite new expressions is "talking hairdo" -- "A television journalist who is superficial or who is concerned with appearance more than substance." Link to Word Spy

MODEST CLOTHING
(Saturday) There is a whole industry developing around providing modest but tasteful clothing for women and girls. Some of it looks like it's from the 1890's but a lot of the vendors have really nice contemporary clothing. Link

THE RICH GET RICHER
(Saturday) Federal financial aid to colleges goes mostly to the schools that cater to wealthiest students -- or so it appears. NY Times article

PAYING THE PRICE
(Saturday) The Anglican Church of Uganda opposed the consecration of an active homosexual as a bishop in the Episcopal Church USA. Now the Americans have cut off funding to causes in the country, reports the African media. Link

The largest Anglican body in the world is the Anglican Church of Nigeria. They have severed relations with the US church over the matter. Link

Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, an evangelical and conservative seminary for training Anglican church workers, is considering dropping the word "Episcopal" from its name. Link

THE MEATRIX
(Friday) Kevin has a link to some great totally neutral and objective -- but creative -- animation (for some reason he's good at finding the off the wall stuff). Link

NEW TRANSMISSION
(Friday) We finally got our old minivan out of the shop this afternoon. The transmission had to be replaced and they were going to put in a rebuilt unit -- which wasn't that much more expensive than a used transmission. However, without bothering to tell me Nona's found a low mileage used transmission with the same warrenty as a rebuilt unit. So when I went in to pick up the van it cost $600 less than quoted. This is not the first time that these guys have quietly saved me buckets of money.

LOS NOPALITOS
(Friday) Don Johnson, from our church, has done community health and development work in Ethiopia for years. He's now retired and living at Covenant Village. But he has a house guest from Ethiopia who is doing research on alternative food sources. And one of the options is prickly pears. There is an interesting article in the Turlock Journal. And yes, I've eaten nopalitos -- not too bad.

TRAVELING NORTH
(Thursday) I had a lunch meeting in Fresno so I was on Hwy 99 for a couple of hours today. I wasn't alone -- lots and lots of dirty fire trucks heading home.

WOMEN IN AMIA
(Wednesday) David Virtue is reporting that the Anglican Mission in America has concluded their study on women in ministry and determined that in their mission women can serve as deacons but not priests or bishops. It seems that this will speed the growth of the group, which will now become more attractive to Episcopal Church traditionalists. AMiA is a mission in the US under the oversight of Anglican churches in Africa and Asia.

ASSYRIAN EXODUS
(Wednesday) Turlock is a hub of Assyrian activity in the US. So the CT weblog entry today on the exodus of Christians from the Middle East is of interest. It's unfortunate that many of them are being forced out because of perceived association with the US. It's clearly our gain in places like Turlock. Great neighbors -- rich culture.

CHURCHES TURN TO CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP



(Tuesday) It could be a lark. Link

THE AFRICAN CHURCH IS FUMING...
(Tuesday) but will they, can they, do anything about it? Link

THE CHURCH'S PERSPECTIVE ON HOMOSEXUALITY
(Tuesday) The consecration of Gene Robinson as a bishop in the Episcopal Church highlights the fact that homosexuality is the issue that just won't go away. From the perspective of a traditional Christian this is very frustrating. However, as I see it, it is helpful to begin to realize that there are at least three camps of people arguing for the "pro-homosexual" (for lack of better terminology) side of things:

1. There are those who say, "The Bible isn't really speaking against homosexual behavior per se. If you look at all the contexts of the 'homosexual passages' you can see that they are all about extreme forms of homosexual behavior -- abuses -- but not about homosexuality as a lifestyle or an orientation."

Because we Evangelicals are biblical people we are most comfortable addressing the issue on this level. We like to point to the outstanding exegetical resources which have more than adequately dealt with this argument -- e.g. The Moral Vision of the New Testament (Richard Hays) and The Bible and Homosexual Practice (Robert A.J. Gagnon).

2. There are those who think that in light of the new revelation of social science the scriptures are not authoritative on this issue -- regardless of whether the scriptures speak out against homosexuality or not. As I was listening to Gene Robinson say that tradition and scripture don't really matter, I realized that he was thinking of himself as Peter in Acts 11, when the apostle had the vision of the unclean food and God told him to eat. "If God says something is acceptable don't say it isn't." (vs. 9)

For these folks there is a new revelation that supersedes anything that has been said before. Evangelicals have not done as good of a job at addressing the issue on this level because it involves not only hermeneutics but also the confrontation of philosophical presuppositions -- an area where most pastors have little real training.

3. Then finally, there are the ordinary people in the pews who are quickly growing weary of all of the disagreement. For them it doesn't matter. "Homosexuals in our culture are gaining more freedoms -- and that's fine -- as long as they don't bother me. And this ongoing fighting over the issue is bothering me. So stop it and just let these people be." Libertarianism.

This is going to be the hardest argument to address because it isn't based in reason but feelings.

FOR THE TIME BEING
(Monday) Geoff Holsclaw is an interesting online acquaintance that I met through a Chicago based collaborative called up/rooted. I mention him because he's just started a blog called "for time being." Check it out

IMPAIRED BUT NOT BROKEN
(Monday) Christianity Today has extensive coverage on the global Anglican response to the American Episcopal Church's consecration of Gene Robinson. Weblog Link & Article by Douglas LeBlanc

CT is the flagship publication of the American evangelical movement. I think that most readers would be surprised at how many of the editors and writers are actually members of the Episcopal Church. In other words, this is an issue that for them strikes close to home.

TRINITY
(Sunday) Twice this past week I've meet young girls (both 12 months old or younger) named "Trinity." So I won't be surprised if I run into a "Neo" soon. However, if I meet a "Morpheus" I might raise my eyebrows -- at least a little. There is only so much a kid can endure.

PRACTICING HOMOSEXUAL CONSECRATED AS BISHOP
(Sunday) Over the objections of most of the world's Anglicans, Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox leaders, the Episcopal Church USA consecrated its first openly homosexual bishop this afternoon. Anglican bishops from the "Global South" (Asia, Africa and Latin America -- where most Anglicans live) are expected to announce sometime tonight that they no longer recognize the Episcopal Church USA as a legitimate church or Anglican body -- OR at the very least that they are in "impaired" communion with the American body. Link to news article Background info on the American Anglican Council site

Does it seem ironic to anyone else that this whole thing took place in a giant hockey arena? Just one more fight on the ice.

THE FILIOQUE
(Friday) While the Anglicans seem to be stealing the lime light with all of their homosexual bishop shenanigans, the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches in the US have been diligently discussing what to do with the "filioque" clause in the Nicene Creed. The filioque is the phrase that was added in the Western churches starting in the 8th century. It says the "Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son" as well as the Father. This kind of innovation was unacceptable to the Eastern churches and was one of many factors in the 1054 schism.

The consultation of Eastern and Latin theologians is recommending, among others things, that "the Catholic Church, as a consequence of the normative and irrevocable dogmatic value of the Creed of 381, use the original Greek text alone in making translations of that Creed for catechetical and liturgical use." (That is, that they remove the filioque clause).

This is a radical step on the part of the Roman Catholics involved. Read the press release, which has a fine summary of the controversy. Two priests, one Roman Catholic and the other Eastern Orthodox, have a brief discussion about the breakthrough on the Mere Comments blog.