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.