Provincial Synod

I was privileged to be able to attend our Provincial Synod in Richmond this last week.  I have attended Diocesan Synods, but this was my first Provincial. 

It was nice putting faces to some of the names I know, speaking with some very interesting and learned folk.

However, I must admit that I find the politics distasteful.  I understands the need to deal in administrative matters - that is the purpose of a Synod - but the infighting, the lack of charity... well, words fail me. 

It just seems best that I am called to assist at the altar, and to pray for those who must deal with these other matters.

The 1550 Book of Common Prayer Noted

This link is to a Google Books scan of the 1550 BCP, noted by Merbecke, and reprinted in 1840 by Marbeck. This is not Google's best scan, but it is worth a look. The Book of Common Prayer is remarkable in its richness; singing the prayers and psalms adds a lot to the experience. Not many churches hold sung services like Morning Prayer any longer. Not enough time in the day for most folks, I suppose. Still, I would like to see some effort made to revive the practice.

Fulton Sheen

I've known of Archbishop Sheen for many years. I recall seeing some of his broadcasts when I was young, and was re-introduced to him recently. My Rector gave me a copy of "The Priest is Not His Own" to aid me in understanding the shift in thinking that accompanies a call to Holy Orders. It is an excellent book, but somewhat unsettling for a fellow somewhat set in his ways, anticipating retirement, and, frankly, who had never before considered this type of life.

At any rate, a good book, and it led me to research a bit more. Here, then, is a fantastic library of talks by Sheen; some free, some available for purchase. Well worth a look.

PBS and religion

This is a dated story, but evidently PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), as it is partially funded through taxes (yeah, part of the "Listener Support" is taxation) has decided they will no longer carry religious programs. Mass for shut-ins, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that sort of thing. Some affiliates will continue with existing programs, but there will be no more new religious or "(pure) spiritual content" programs.

Well... that is, except for the Wayne Dyer new age spiritualism that masquerades as fund raising specials - and that also sell a lot of his books and videos. Oh, and let's not forget Deepak Chopra and his eastern mysticism and daily devotions. And....

Fact is, if the Daily Mass raised as much for PBS as do these spiritualists and mystics, there would be no question that PBS would encourage the program. But the Mass does not lend itself to fund raising efforts. Bye bye, Daily Mass. Bye bye, Christian programming. Bye Bye, PBS.

Getting Serious

The Diocesan Commission on Ministry met, and has decided on a course of study. My education thus far has been largely self-guided, using recommendations from our Bishop. I hope to begin a more structured educational process now.

The challenge for the Bishop and the Commission is in how to handle an old fart candidate like myself. If I were younger, a degree followed by seminary training would be the natural course. If my kids were older or out of the house (which would be the case for many men my age) then seminary work in the evenings would work. In my case, with my home school schedule during the days, and work (as unprofitable as that has been this last year) in the evenings and at night, time for formal schooling is limited - not to mention the costs, which would be prohibitive at this time.

Since I am a candidate only for the deaconate, my educational requirements will not be as strict as they would be for someone going on to the priesthood. Still, the Bishop and the Commission want to make sure that their clergy are properly formed, and in light of some past ordinations I think it wise.

It is a bit frustrating, but I doubt God would have given me a calling without also providing a way for me to fulfill His calling. It will happen at the time He chooses, not on my schedule.

Trembling before G-D

Trembling Before G-D

I watched this remarkable documentary last night. It explores homosexuality among the Hasidim. I found it particularly interesting as it touches on many issues that catholic and orthodox Christians face. The film did not overtly take one side over the other, although since it followed the lives of several homosexuals it was sympathetic to their viewpoints. But it did not shy away from some very difficult questions, and presented the issues fairly.

Several scenes were striking: the young man noting that he had wasted many years of his life, and asking if he would be HIV positive had he followed the Torah; the Rabbi who obviously cared for the plight of his friend, but honestly answered "Yes, you must live a celibate life" to the tearful question of living life alone; several who were painfully separated from their family and community because they lived openly as homosexuals; the Rabbi who asked simply "Should I lie to them?" about the proscription against homosexual acts.

It is easy to think about these questions intellectually, but putting a human face to this question requires wisdom. The openly gay "Orthodox" Rabbi (I use quotes as I don't think anyone beside himself considers him orthodox) finds the answer in reading the Torah in a different way - not unlike the way progressive TEC seminarians exegete Scripture to find loopholes for their heterodox behaviors. I don't think this approach does anyone good. But on the other extreme, neither does a community that shuns members who struggle with a desire that is so deeply ingrained.

This is a challenge, a balancing act. We cannot refuse to preach the Gospel, nor can we ignore the uncomfortable bits. But when we preach those uncomfortable bits, we risk chasing out those who do not wish to hear the truth. And this is not limited to one particular sin - I had a parishioner squirming in her seat when I preached forgiveness. And a difficult sermon it was for me, as I had to face my own faults during the writing of that sermon.

I pray for grace and wisdom on this matter, for at its heart this question touches on all sins, and therefore on all men.

The Book of Common Prayer

We celebrated the 460th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer on Whitsunday. We used the 1549 Canon for the Mass; it was a nice ceremony, and it is surprising how little our liturgy has changed through the centuries.

Click through to find the1549 Canon on-line.

What is the Continuum?

This is an excellent article by Fr. Robert Hart describing the Continuing Anglican Churches, with history, some help through the alphabet soup of Anglicanism, and the hope of union. Click on the comments to get a feel for what difficulties lie along the road.

The Interpreter's Bible

Following the advice of the clergy on the Commission on Ministry, I recently found an old (1955) set of The Interpreter's Bible. I have been using Father Raymond Brown's Introduction to the New Testament and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary for some foundational studies. They are very good, but are heavily focused on exegesis and criticism. I am finding the Interpreter's Bible to be a very detailed read, focused on history, exegesis, and criticism to an extent, but I think it will be much more suited to my immediate needs, namely, an in-depth introduction to scripture as a whole, and a valuable resource for preaching.

The Interpreter's Bible - A Commentary in Twelve Volumes (Complete Set)

Archbishop Obama

As expected, our President did not show the common sense or decency to refrain from giving the commencement speech at Notre Dame University. It is all about Obama - nothing else matters. Recall that this is the man who gave the Queen of England an iPod loaded with his own speeches and an audio reading of his book. The man's ego, his sense of self importance, knows no bounds.

Worry about creating a deeper divide within a religious community? Not when cameras and a teleprompter are nearby; not when the adoring crowds can stroke an ego; not when a political advantage might be gained.

Part of an interesting analysis from George Weigel:

He, President Obama, would settle the decades-long intra-Catholic culture war in favor of one faction — the faction that had supported his candidacy and that had spent the first months of his administration defending his policies.

At the Seventh Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1849, the U.S. bishops petitioned the Holy See to grant the archbishop of Baltimore the title of Primate of the Catholic Church in the United States (as, for example, the archbishops of Québec City and Mexico City are the “Primates” of their respective countries). The Holy See declined and, ever since, the archbishops of Baltimore have had to settle for being the ordinaries of the “premier” see in American Catholicism. Barack Obama at Notre Dame was not so modest. Rather like Napoleon taking the diadem out of the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowning himself emperor, President Obama has, wittingly or not, declared himself the Primate of American Catholicism.

What the bishops of the United States have to say about this usurpation of their authority will be very interesting to see. Whether Obama’s Catholic acolytes will recognize a genuine threat to religious freedom in what they are already celebrating as their Notre Dame victory over the pro-life yahoos and reactionaries will also be instructive.

Silence Equals Assent

"A strong adversary is the culture in which we find ourselves. Of what are we accused? Watch television, see a movie – if there is a Christian, especially one of catholic or fundamentalist beliefs, or worse yet, a priest! – that Christian will normally be portrayed as bigoted, ignorant, narrow minded, hypocritical, even criminal. We can admit that some who call themselves Christians are all these things and more. We can also admit that at some time all Christians will fail in one or more of these areas.

Who would betray us? Those seemingly closest to us, as Judas was close to Jesus. During Passion week the Episcopal Divinity School at Cambridge selected a new dean. The Dr. Rev. Ragsdale will direct the education of the Episcopal Church’s seminarians. Why do I call this a betrayal? This woman is strongly pro-abortion; so much so, she actually called abortion a blessing, and said that abortion providers are engaged in holy work! Granted, this school has a mission of advancing “God's mission of justice, compassion, and reconciliation”. Odd there is no mention of faith, repentance, or salvation. Still, I cannot imagine a greater betrayal to the Church Militant, unless it is the relative silence that followed her appointment. Yes, we are separated from the Episcopal Church; but we must remember that, at least according to a certain lawyer acquaintance of mine, silence means assent."

Excerpted from the sermon preached at Saint Mary's Church ACC in Denver on Palm Sunday, 2009.

"We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith. "

This quote is from an interesting article in the Christian Science Monitor. The author believes there will be a collapse of the evangelical church in America. His points are valid, and I think apply to many churches. What I found especially interesting was his observation that:

We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.

Does the traditional catholic and orthodox church avoid these problems? Perhaps - again, from the article:

Two of the beneficiaries will be the Roman Catholic and Orthodox communions. Evangelicals have been entering these churches in recent decades and that trend will continue, with more efforts aimed at the "conversion" of Evangelicals to the Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Of course, I would hope Anglo-Catholicism would also be attractive to those searching for a more orthodox faith - we certainly have the theological grounding and the spiritual discipline. What we also need is the maturity which will bring the Anglican continuing church back from schism. Unity within the catholic and orthodox continuing church will be essential if we are to provide a firm footing for those uprooted by this sea-change.

Study Resources

An odd, round-about way to find good Catholic study guides. I was listening to some lectures, courtesy iTunes University, on the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles provided by Reformed Theological Seminary, a Calvinist school. The lecturer, Dr. Knox Chamblin, is very good, and I enjoy the lectures. In several lectures he recommended books by Fr. Raymond Brown. He tells his students not to dismiss Fr. Brown just because he is a Catholic, the books are very good. So... off I go to Amazon to spend my allowance.



The first ordered was this introduction to the New Testament. It is not light reading, and is an excellent resource for someone who, like myself, has not been able to attend seminary. However, the repeated references to another volumn got me scraping my change together to afford it.



A superb commontary - not one I would necessarily use when writing sermons; rather one which is giving me a deeper understanding of the scriptures.

Between the two I have about 2400 pages of reading, more than enough to keep me busy through the summer. What fun!

The President Acts

In one of his first acts as president, Barack Obama has signed an executive order lifting restrictions on foreign aid to abortions. Another executive order will lift restrictions for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

I guess he found that deciding when a human being has rights is within his pay grade. It is a shame (although not surprising, considering the political dimensions of this decision) that he decided this one incorrectly. It is insulting that he did this as thousands upon thousands were marching for life in Washington. It is tragic that so many more babes in the womb will die for political expedience.

I wonder about all those Catholics and Evangelicals who voted for this man. Will their consciences bother them? I know all the "social justice" nonsense they presented - Obama will reduce abortions by... (list your favorite social program here). But there is no way around the reality that when you subsidize abortions, you get more abortions.

I just don't understand how one who professes faith in Christ can promote abortion, or support those who promote abortion. I am very sad that so many Catholics and Evangelicals have so little regard for life in the womb.

Old news, but pretty cool....

The Dead Sea Scrolls will be made available on-line. This project will likely take some time, but it will be a boon to scholars and of interest to many who just appreciate antiquities.

Orson Bean explains...

why and how he became a Christian. This is a very amusing article, and after listening to him interviewed on a news show I believe his new book Mail for Mikey would be worth a try. He wondered out loud why he wrote the book. It is about God, so it won't sell in the mainstream stores, and it is rather crude in parts, so it won't sell in Christian book stores. I guess word-of-mouth is his only hope!

Too Busy

Been too busy with other stuff to post regularly. Shame, because much is happening in the world.

Listening to some lectures on the Gospel according to St. John from Reformed Theological Seminary. These are available on-line through i-Tunes, and are a good series of lectures. Being a Calvinist institution, I have perhaps a differing viewpoint regarding some small points, but as I have yet been able to attend seminary, this is as close as I can get to the seminary experience.

The presenter of these lectures, Dr. Knox Chamblin, refers his students to an author of some excellent commentaries. He asks his students not to be put off by the fact that Fr. Raymond Brown is a Catholic. It strikes me as funny in a way, that this is a negative in their eyes, but I went to Amazon straightaway to order. I will report on the book when it arrives.

I did finish The Great Heresies by Belloc - a very interesting book. Lacking in some detail, and showing a strong Rome-ish bias, but interesting nonetheless. He was prescient to a degree, as many of his warnings seem particularly suited for today, even if he did not entirely anticipate the degree or the exact direction in which the world has changed.