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.