Souljourning

Turning Over a New Leaf

2010-09-13T13:46:00.003-06:00

The road goes ever on and on....

Many things in my life are about to change, including the location of this blog. From this time forward you can find Souljourning at www.souljourning.wordpress.com. Stay tuned.

Radical Orthodoxy

2010-06-09T14:22:00.000-06:00

Pentecost & Evangelism

2010-05-28T10:10:00.000-06:00

We are told in the book of Acts that on the Day of Pentecost, about 3,000 souls were added to the Church. This simple fact has for many linked the Day of Pentecost to the process of evangelism, which interests me as an Evangelist considerably as you might imagine. But I think the coming of the Spirit to the Church was more than a membership drive, and so evangelism for us must be more & deeper than simply new members.

The miracle of Pentecost is a clear reversal of the tragedy of the Tower of Babel where humans became not only further estranged from God, but also from one another. The Communion for which we were created is lost and the story of the progressive disaster of that lost communion marks much of the opening narratives of Scripture. In contrast, the Gospels and Acts tell a story of the reversal of that lost communion.

One of the great challenges of the Church in the modern age is to return the proclamation of the Gospel (evangelism) to its proper foundations and rescue it from the increasing secularism of marketing growth and moralistic interpretations. Christ did not come to make bad men good, but to make dead men live. The conversion of 3,000 at Pentecost was not a membership drive, but glorious reversal of both The Fall and the tragedy of Babel. That is the Gospel we proclaim! Not, “Join our church, be good, and God will take care of you,” but “Life, freedom, healing, forgiveness, redemption, and salvation are offered to you in the death & resurrection of Jesus.” We, The Church, are simply the humble stewards of that message, that way of life, and the mysteries of the Sacraments through which Jesus still comes to us.

Psalm 121 Anglican Style

2010-03-25T20:49:00.001-06:00

Two New Blogs of Note

2010-03-17T15:43:00.002-06:00

The first, is a wonderful New Testament studies blog put together by my close friend Mr. Larsen, who recently had a paper accepted by the SBL for presentation at their national conference. Check it out here: Matt's NT Studies Blog

The second is a blog dedicated to Anglican spirituality, theology, history, and worship. Check it here: A Tribe Called Anglican

The Green Patriarch

2010-02-11T13:58:00.002-07:00

This documentary was produced last year by Becket Films and looks at the environmental activism of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church Bartholomew, whose work stems from his belief that we are part of nature, and that God’s intention for humans is to be stewards, or caretakers, of all creation.

Watch it here: The Green Patriarch

Cloudbank Sessions

2010-01-27T18:19:00.005-07:00

Hold the presses! At long last, the wishes of the people and the Universe have been realized ... Donnie Mortimer has finally recorded an album! Check it here:

http://mortimermusic.blogspot.com/

Do whatever you need to do (including small and medium size misdemeanours) to get your hands on what I'm sure we'll be one of the most musically brilliant and well crafted pieces of art in your collection.

Also, check out this article in Elephant Magazine regarding Donnie, his music, and the album:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/01/new-music-donnie-mortimer-in-the-studio

Christian in a Meaningful Sense

2010-01-27T11:58:00.002-07:00

“I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.”

-- Christopher Hitchens, Atheist and Author in response to a Unitarian minister

Free Fallin'

2010-01-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Couldn't help but share this:

New NT Wright Book Coming in March

2010-01-25T10:20:00.002-07:00

From Publishers Weekly:

How do you develop a character suited for God's Kingdom? Practice, practice, practice. That, in a nutshell, is the message of this volume on building Christian character by Wright, a prodigiously prolific Bible scholar and Anglican Bishop of Durham, England. In arguing for this new vision of virtue, which is a vision of Jesus Christ himself, Wright carefully explores such classical exponents of character as Aristotle. He also acknowledges the existence of other notions of encouraging behavior-based rules, duty, or being true to oneself. Drawing on Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, Wright asserts that true transformation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit and through worship, mission, and following Jesus. As the habits of virtue grow, the church will become the royal priesthood it is meant to be, anticipating God's coming new world.

"Bishop Wright, with his usual wisdom and erudition, shows how an account of the virtues is not only compatible but is required by the New Testament understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This important book will hopefully be read by theologian and non-theologian alike." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School

Gusher Marathon Training: Week 1

2010-01-13T13:28:00.003-07:00

Well, after a long (5 year) hiatus from endurance running, I am reentering the fray this spring at the inagural Gusher Marathon in Beaumont, TX. This week is the first week of my training. May the Lord preserve me and keep me from injury.

Patriarch Bartholomew to appear on 60 minutes

2009-12-17T15:39:00.004-07:00

Update: Watch Full Epidsode Here

NEW YORK (ARCHONS) – His All Holiness Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians who constitute the second largest Christian denomination in the world, will be featured on the CBS News program 60 Minutes reported by Bob Simon, scheduled to air on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST. The segment will focus on the Orthodox Church, the most ancient Christian church, and its development from its earliest years to modern times in what is now the Republic of Turkey.

His All Holiness was named 11th among the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine and was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to promote human rights and religious tolerance. He has also been recognized by the United Nations as a Laureate Champion of the Earth for his pioneering work to protect the environment. Affectionately known as “the Green Patriarch,” Patriarch Bartholomew has called upon leaders of all denominations to join him in this effort, noting simply that “If life is sacred, so is the entire web that sustains it.”

His All Holiness recently concluded an extended visit to the U.S., where he participated in an environmental symposium in Mississippi, ministered to the five million Orthodox faithful in America, and met with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama, among many others. He is the author of Encountering the Mystery (Doubleday) and In the World, Yet Not of the World (Fordham).

Commenting on the upcoming broadcast, Archbishop Demetrios of America said:“The appearance of the Ecumenical Patriarch on a program such as 60 Minutes is an extraordinary opportunity for the American public to become aware of our Orthodox Christian Faith. Millions of people who would otherwise have limited knowledge of the Orthodox Church will have the chance to see and hear the highest ecclesiastical personage of our Church in their living rooms. It is also a tremendous opportunity for our own Orthodox Faithful in the United States to see His All Holiness in a way that will surely touch their hearts and minds with love and deep respect.”

Summary of the Christian Life

2009-12-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

"The Christian Life could be summed up by saying, 'Become what you are!'' -- Kallistos Ware

Kallistos Ware Blog

2009-11-19T13:27:00.002-07:00

I am starting a new side blog dedicated to the life and thought of Bishop Kallistos Ware, who has been a very important part of my Christian growth and formation the last couple of years, and who -- as far as I can tell -- does not have any other online compedium of his available articles, lectures, etc. I commend him to you, and hope you will find him as nourishing and inspiring as I have.

http://www.kallistosware.blogspot.com/

And The Wolf Shall Lie Down with the Lamb.

2009-11-16T11:55:00.002-07:00

This is a video of a Serbian Orthodox Monk and a wolf. I have read stories of saints and very holy men and women who could befriend and "tame" wild animals (St. Francis of Assisi, St. Seraphim of Sarov, etc.), but I have never seen anything like this. I do not understand the narration - but no words are necessary in this video. The reality speaks for itself.

Hauerwas on the Reformation

2009-11-05T06:26:00.001-07:00

"So on this Reformation Sunday long for, pray for, our ability to remember the Reformation – not as a celebratory moment, not as a blow for freedom, but as the sin of the church. Pray for God to heal our disunity, not the disunity simply between Protestant and Catholic, but the disunity in our midst between classes, between races, between nations. Pray that on Reformation Sunday we may as tax collectors confess our sin and ask God to make us a new people joined together in one might prayer that the world may be saved from its divisions."

Read it all here.

One Step Forward...

2009-10-21T11:09:00.002-06:00

I would be remiss if I failed to post something regarding this tremendous eccumenical news:

The Roman Catholic Church has opened the door (via an Apostolic Constitution) for dissatisfied Anglicans to join together with the RCC.

From CNN:

The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said... The parishes would be led by former Anglican clergy -- including those who are married -- who would be ordained as Catholic priests, said the Rev. James Massa, ecumenical director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops... "This sets up a process for whole groups of Anglicans -- clergy and laity -- to enter in to the [Roman] Catholic Church while retaining their forms of worship and other Anglican traditions."...We've been praying for this unity for 40 years and we've not anticipated it happening now," ... "The Holy Spirit is at work here."

The Archbishop of Canturbury responded:

The announcement of this Apostolic Constitution brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution.

The Apostolic Constitution is further recognition of the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition. Without the dialogues of the past forty years, this recognition would not have been possible, nor would hopes for full visible unity have been nurtured. In this sense, this Apostolic Constitution is one consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

More on the Big Eccumencial News

2009-09-24T09:14:00.001-06:00

Sometimes there are no fireworks.

Turning points can pass in silence, almost unobserved. It may be that way with the "Great Schism," the most serious division in the history of the Church. The end of the schism may come more quickly and more unexpectedly than most imagine.

On Sept. 18, inside Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer palace about 30 miles outside Rome, a Russian Orthodox Archbishop named Hilarion Alfeyev, 43 (a scholar, theologian, expert on the liturgy, composer and lover of music), met with Benedict XVI, 82 (also a scholar, theologian, expert on the liturgy and lover of music), for almost two hours, according to informed sources. (There are as yet no "official" sources about this meeting -- the Holy See has still not released an official communiqué about the meeting.)

The silence suggests that what transpired was important -- perhaps so important that the Holy See thinks it isn't yet prudent to reveal publicly what was discussed.

...Closer relations between Rome and Moscow, then, could have profound implications also for the cultural and liturgical life of the Church in the West. There could be a renewal of Christian art and culture, as well as of faith.

All of this was at stake in the quiet meeting between Archbishop Hilarion and Benedict XVI on Friday afternoon, in the castle overlooking Lake Albano.

Read it all here.

Gollum Playing Screwtape

2009-09-23T09:34:00.002-06:00

Andy Serkis, the man who did Gollum's character in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be doing the voice of Screwtape in a upcoming audio drama remake of C.S. Lewis's classic The Screwtape Letters. It looks quite good!

The official website is www.screwtape.com.

Big Eccumenical News!

2009-09-21T10:53:00.002-06:00

From the NCRegister.com:

The Catholic Archbishop of Moscow has given a remarkably upbeat assessment of relations with the Orthodox Church, saying unity between Catholics and Orthodox could be achieved “within a few months.”

In an interview today in Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi said the miracle of reunification “is possible, indeed it has never been so close.” The archbishop added that Catholic-Orthodox reunification, the end of the historic schism that has divided them for a millennium, and spiritual communion between the two churches “could happen soon, also within a few months.”

“Basically we were united for a thousand years,” Archbishop Pezzi said. “Then for another thousand we were divided. Now the path to rapprochement is at its peak, and the third millennium of the Church could begin as a sign of unity.” He said there were “no formal obstacles” but that “everything depends on a real desire for communion.” On the part of the Catholic Church, he added, “the desire is very much alive.”

Archbishop Pezzi, 49, whose proper title is Metropolitan Archbishop of the Mother of God Archdiocese in Moscow, said that now there are “no real obstacles” on the path towards full communion and reunification. On issues of modernity, Catholics and Orthodox Christians feel the same way, he said: “Nothing separates us on bioethics, the family, and the protection of life.”
Also on matters of doctrine, the two churches are essentially in agreement. “There remains the question of papal primacy,” Archbishop Pezzi acknowledged, “and this will be a concern at the next meeting of the Catholic-Orthodox Commission. But to me, it doesn’t seem impossible to reach an agreement.”

Prospects for union with the Orthodox have increased markedly in recent years with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, whose work as a theologian in greatly admired in Orthodox circles. Benedict is also without the burden of the difficult political history between Poland and Russia, which hindered Polish Pope John Paul II from making as much progress as he would have liked regarding Catholic-Orthodox unity.

Relations have also been greatly helped by the election of Patriarch Kirill I earlier this year as leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is by far the largest of the national churches in the Orthodox Church. As the former head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external relations, Kirill met Benedict on several occasions before and after he became Pope, and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch is well acquainted with the Roman Curia and with Catholicism.

More Rowan...

2009-09-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

It should probably be obvious to most of the regular readers of this blog by now that I have a tremendous respect for the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. So, part for my pleasure, and part for yours, I offer you the following recent interview with Rowan Williams about prayer and the church:

The Archbishop on Understanding Prayer

A Journey

2009-09-15T15:12:00.004-06:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the interplay, as a Christian, between being accessible / relevant on the one hand, but not selling out to consumerism / entertainment on the other. But, thanks a twitter by a friend of mine, I came across this: a recent conversation between Ian Hislop and Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. (transcript by Ruth Gledhill). The whole conversation is worth reading, but here's an excerpt:

Ian Hislop: .... How do you balance that attempt to be of the age, to be accessible, and yet not be banal.

Archbishop of Canterbury: The point is often being confident enough about what you are inviting people into, which is not simply an entertainment but a journey and process of change. ....I went with the family to Taize for a few days in the summer.... one of the things I shall remember for a long time is the sound of 5,000 teenagers being quiet. That was an environment that didn't make any concessions to entertaining anyone. It assumed that if you were there, you wanted to be taken a bit deeper. That's the crucial thing.

IH: I remember being told by my teenagers that Church was boring and thinking, good it's meant to be boring. You need a lot more boring in your life and in the middle of it, you'll find something.

ABC: I have to confess that has been in the past one of my regular confirmation sermons. Get used to it. It's not always going to be fun. Life isn't always going to be fun and there's something to be said for sitting things out.

IH: This particularly applies to young people...there is a tendency to assume they have no attention span....

ABC: We set our assumptions and expectations very low.... It's a downward spiral.

IH: Keeping it simple may not be good enough, enriching enough.

ABC: That's right. While I hope that I don't set out to be boring in church - shut up everyone! - I also hope that when I stand up and perform the liturgy, I am doing something that is not just reflecting to them what they already know and what they feel comfortable with. That somehow there is a journey forward to be undertaken. We expect people to grow.... if we don't provide an environment where people grow we only have ourselves to blame. Very often what the Church past and present has been in danger of doing is offering people a thinned down experience whereas I would like to say it is utterly the opposite.

Fruitful

2009-08-26T09:28:00.007-06:00

I would like to announce with great joy and thanksgiving that Jenny and I are expecting our first child. That's right... my beautiful wife Jenny is pregnant. Please keep us (all three of us!) in your prayers. I have caught myself frequently humming, tearfully at times, a song by Josh Garrels called Little Blue:

Who is like my child
Who’s so lovely and wild?
Oh, my little bird
By the river I have heard
My lover calls
In fall and spring
She says
Keep your eyes on heron’s wings
She’s coming soon
Let’s dance and sing
For the joy a new life brings

Strong and graceful, too
Like your mother
In red and blue
Love I never knew
Filled my heart
When I held you
My lover calls
In fall and spring
She says
Keep your eyes on heron’s wings
She’s coming soon
Let’s dance and sing
For the joy that her life brings

It's coming soon, let's dance and sing, for the joy a new life brings!

A Word of Hope for Episcopalians

2009-07-31T15:41:00.001-06:00

Following the Northern Plains Anglican's lead, I think this is very wise and timely remark from the comments section of The Deacon's Slant regarding the present situation of The Episcopal Church:

I do think TEC is still a church - just one in very bad shape - much like the Church before Francis or Dominic - intellicutaly lazy, adicted to secular power and taking its queues from the secular world. But it seems that everytime the Church gets into this position, God raises up a prophet (such as Francis - who was a Deacon by the way) to call the Church back into relationship with her Lord.

That is part of what I am trying to do in my little neck of the woods - be that prophet that calls the Church back to her Covenant.
YBIC,Phil Snyder

Unpacking the Archbishop's Statement

2009-07-30T10:40:00.002-06:00

The Good Bishop NT Wright, in collaboration with ACI, has responded to Rowan's reflections here. This is an absolute MUST read if you are an Episcopalian or Anglican.

Rowan’s Reflections: Unpacking the Archbishop’s Statement

+++Rowan Williams Reflects

2009-07-29T11:28:00.005-06:00

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has reflected (a very Rowan-esque thing to do) this week on the recent actions of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church to open the ordination process to homosexuals, transsexuals, and try-sexuals (people who will try anything sexual) and to "develop" liturgies for same sex blessings.

I won't post the whole reflection here, but I'd like to share and comment on a few pieces myself:

From 1.1, "No-one could be in any doubt about the eagerness of the Bishops and Deputies of the Episcopal Church at the General Convention to affirm their concern about the wider Anglican Communion."

This is perhaps the most amussing part of the whole reflection to me, because it seems to be that very thing that many, many poeple doubt, including his fellow senior bishop NT Wright.

From 2.8, "...a blessing for a same-sex union cannot have the authority of the Church Catholic, or even of the Communion as a whole. And if this is the case, a person living in such a union is in the same case as a heterosexual person living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond; whatever the human respect and pastoral sensitivity such persons must be given, their chosen lifestyle is not one that the Church's teaching sanctions, and thus it is hard to see how they can act in the necessarily representative role that the ordained ministry, especially the episcopate, requires."

This is one of the clearest statement I have ever seen +++Rowan make regarding same-sex relationships, and it seems he comes down here clearly on the side of orthodoxy.

An important point from 2.10, "...if society changes its attitudes, that change does not of itself count as a reason for the Church to change its discipline."

And finally, some very wise words about how the local church responses to various concerns from 3.12, "When a local church seeks to respond to a new question, to the challenge of possible change in its practice or discipline in the light of new facts, new pressures, or new contexts, as local churches have repeatedly sought to do, it needs some way of including in its discernment the judgement of the wider Church. Without this, it risks becoming unrecognisable to other local churches, pressing ahead with changes that render it strange to Christian sisters and brothers across the globe."

Rowan, without being unkind or vicious, manages to draw a line in the sand and spell out the consequenses for those who cross it. Not consequenses that he will impose with the heavy hand of the See of Canterbury, but consequenses that the line-crossers will bring upon themselves. It is not the clear anathama of the progressives that many of the orthodox were hoping for, but it is substantial none the less.

Also, a few commentaries of note on Archbishop William's reflection that I'd like to point out to my readers:

First, one by A.S. Haley (also known as the Anglican Curmudgeon) is probably the best one I have read so far, and I commend it to you heartily.

Others that are worth your time are those by Matt Kennedy, Peter Ould, and Jordan Hylden. I am still waiting for ACI to respond, and when they do, I'll let you know.

Overall, I am moderately pleased with Rowan's actions so far, although I am aware this puts me in a very, very, very small minority seeing that he has now managed to throw the progressives into a tantrum right along with the usual conservative poopooing of his efforts (here, here, and here). I will concede that Rowan's way forward is not altogether "strong" or "clear," but neither is is tyranical, mean-spirited, or proud. His prayerful, patient, and almost-to-a-fault-kindness and forebearance, though not a very popular way to lead, do have the smell of Christian to me. Many would accuse him of being "weak" or a "coward," but he seems to be attempting a difficult path of orthodoxy and unity that, to his mind, is faithful to the Jesus he worships, winning him precious few friends along the way. Quite a cross to bear and hardly the behavior of a coward. I will keep him in my prayers, and I hope others will do the same.

***UPDATE*** Roman Catholic church issues statement of support for Rowan Williams:
In a statement July 29, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity noted Archbishop Williams' concern for maintaining the unity of the Anglican Communion through common faith and practice based on Scripture and tradition. The Vatican office "supports the archbishop in his desire to strengthen these bonds of communion, and to articulate more fully the relationship between the local and the universal within the church," the statement said. "It is our prayer that the Anglican Communion, even in this difficult situation, may find a way to maintain its unity and its witness to Christ as a worldwide communion."
Read it all here.

Bishop NT Wright Weighs In

2009-07-14T15:56:00.003-06:00

The man, the myth, the legend, the Bishop NT Wright has now weighed in on the recent moves by the Episcopal Church into what basically amounts to pan-sexuallity. It is so good, that I quote it here in full. From the Times of London Online:

In the slow-moving train crash of international Anglicanism, a decision taken in California has finally brought a large coach off the rails altogether. The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States has voted decisively to allow in principle the appointment, to all orders of ministry, of persons in active same-sex relationships. This marks a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

Both the bishops and deputies (lay and clergy) of TEC knew exactly what they were doing. They were telling the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other “instruments of communion” that they were ignoring their plea for a moratorium on consecrating practising homosexuals as bishops. They were rejecting the two things the Archbishop of Canterbury has named as the pathway to the future — the Windsor Report (2004) and the proposed Covenant (whose aim is to provide a modus operandi for the Anglican Communion). They were formalising the schism they initiated six years ago when they consecrated as bishop a divorced man in an active same-sex relationship, against the Primates’ unanimous statement that this would “tear the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level”. In Windsor’s language, they have chosen to “walk apart”.

Granted, the TEC resolution indicates a strong willingness to remain within the Anglican Communion. But saying “we want to stay in, but we insist on rewriting the rules” is cynical double-think. We should not be fooled.
Of course, matters didn’t begin with the consecration of Gene Robinson. The floodgates opened several years before, particularly in 1996 when a church court acquitted a bishop who had ordained active homosexuals. Many in TEC have long embraced a theology in which chastity, as universally understood by the wider Christian tradition, has been optional.

That wider tradition always was counter-cultural as well as counter-intuitive. Our supposedly selfish genes crave a variety of sexual possibilities. But Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachers have always insisted that lifelong man-plus-woman marriage is the proper context for sexual intercourse. This is not (as is frequently suggested) an arbitrary rule, dualistic in overtone and killjoy in intention. It is a deep structural reflection of the belief in a creator God who has entered into covenant both with his creation and with his people (who carry forward his purposes for that creation).

Paganism ancient and modern has always found this ethic, and this belief, ridiculous and incredible. But the biblical witness is scarcely confined, as the shrill leader in yesterday’s Times suggests, to a few verses in St Paul. Jesus’s own stern denunciation of sexual immorality would certainly have carried, to his hearers, a clear implied rejection of all sexual behaviour outside heterosexual monogamy. This isn’t a matter of “private response to Scripture” but of the uniform teaching of the whole Bible, of Jesus himself, and of the entire Christian tradition.

The appeal to justice as a way of cutting the ethical knot in favour of including active homosexuals in Christian ministry simply begs the question. Nobody has a right to be ordained: it is always a gift of sheer and unmerited grace. The appeal also seriously misrepresents the notion of justice itself, not just in the Christian tradition of Augustine, Aquinas and others, but in the wider philosophical discussion from Aristotle to John Rawls. Justice never means “treating everybody the same way”, but “treating people appropriately”, which involves making distinctions between different people and situations. Justice has never meant “the right to give active expression to any and every sexual desire”.

Such a novel usage would also raise the further question of identity. It is a very recent innovation to consider sexual preferences as a marker of “identity” parallel to, say, being male or female, English or African, rich or poor. Within the “gay community” much postmodern reflection has turned away from “identity” as a modernist fiction. We simply “construct” ourselves from day to day.

We must insist, too, on the distinction between inclination and desire on the one hand and activity on the other — a distinction regularly obscured by references to “homosexual clergy” and so on. We all have all kinds of deep-rooted inclinations and desires. The question is, what shall we do with them? One of the great Prayer Book collects asks God that we may “love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise”. That is always tough, for all of us. Much easier to ask God to command what we already love, and promise what we already desire. But much less like the challenge of the Gospel.

The question then presses: who, in the US, is now in communion with the great majority of the Anglican world? It would be too hasty to answer, the newly formed “province” of the “Anglican Church in North America”. One can sympathise with some of the motivations of these breakaway Episcopalians. But we should not forget the Episcopalian bishops, who, doggedly loyal to their own Church, and to the expressed mind of the wider Communion, voted against the current resolution. Nor should we forget the many parishes and worshippers who take the same stance. There are many American Episcopalians, inside and outside the present TEC, who are eager to sign the proposed Covenant. That aspiration must be honoured.

Contrary to some who have recently adopted the phrase, there is already a “fellowship of confessing Anglicans”. It is called the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is now distancing itself from that fellowship. Ways must be found for all in America who want to be loyal to it, and to scripture, tradition and Jesus, to have that loyalty recognised and affirmed at the highest level.

Tom Wright is Bishop of Durham

Onward Into the Fog

2009-07-14T11:14:00.005-06:00

As many of you are well aware, and as The New York Times is reporting, "The bishops of the Episcopal Church voted at the church’s convention on Monday to open 'any ordained ministry' to gay men and lesbians, a move that could effectively undermine a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that the church passed at its last convention three years ago."

This after Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams addressed the General Convention by saying, "Along with many in the Communion, I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart..." and "Action to negate that resolution [the moratorium against ordaining gays] would instantly suggest to many people in the communion that The Episcopal Church would prefer not to go down the route of closer structural bonds and that particular kind of mutual responsibility."

This is a sad turn of events for a church that for so long seemed to have a special "charism" for eccumenical work among Christians, and a special place in proclaiming the apostolic "faith once delivered to all the saints" here in America.

The responses have been many but there are two in particular that I would like to point out. One comes from the Anglican Communion Institute and can be found in its entirety here: A Statement on the Repudiation of B033, but I'd also like to quote a short section,

It is our expectation that many dioceses will not follow The Episcopal Church out of the Anglican Communion and the mainstream of apostolic Christianity. Instead, they will take immediate action to assure the Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury of their continued commitment to [the communion]...To this end, we will continue to work closely with these dioceses and the Communion processes...

This points to what could ultimately be a hopeful future for orthodox Anglicans in America, though how it will all work out in the end is anyone's guess.

The second response to all of this of note comes from the other side of The Pond in England where a motion has been put forward for the Church of England to recognize the Anglican Church of North America, a recently created entity created by a coalition of orthodox Episcopal breakaways. The motion has picked up six Church of England bishops and 121 sponsors, and according to the London Times, this will "guarantee it a place on the next Synod agenda in February." The motion reads,

That this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America.

The London Times is reporting that "The Archbishop of Canterbury told General Synod today that he 'regrets' the decision by The Episcopal Church to overturn the moratorium on the ordination of gay bishops."

This could get very interesting for Episcopalians and Anglicans in North America for the foreseeable future, but it is beginning to look like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel for the orthodox, although it will likely not look exactly the way anyone would have expected. As for the progressives and revisionists in TEC, if they are not careful, they will find themselves throwing a party on the deck of a sinking ship.

As my readers will undoubtedly understand, this affects my wife and I very deeply as I am an aspirant to the priesthood. Please keep us, the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion in your prayers. I feel as if I am walking confidently into a fog.

"...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it...." -- Jesus as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew

Liturgysmithing

2009-06-10T10:08:00.002-06:00

One of the big projects I am working on here at St. Mark's right now is creating (or "smithing") a Saturday evening vespers prayer service that will be aimed at folks who are of no faith, or who have faith but have not found a place to call "home" and a community to call "family." I'm finding, though, that this is quite a challenge.

One of the things that the Anglican tradition offers as one of its strengths is an ethos of mysterium tremendum in our worship services. It was something that many of the free churches that I was a part of in the past were frankly not very good at. Sure, their music was good and the speaker was dynamic, but the gatherings were so domesticated and so like the surrounding cultural influences that I sometimes felt like Jesus was just my "homeboy," or even worse...my "prom date."

Yet, one of the weaknesses of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition as I have received it here in Beaumont is that though it does a great job of bringing to our awareness the transcendence of God, the worship forms (especially the music) can be so foreign to people that is as emotionally unintelligible as doing the service in Latin would be intellectually unintelligible.

So, how to create a service that both creates an awareness of God's transcendence AND imminence (nearness)? How to create a service that feels accessible, but not domestic? How to create a service of mysterium tremendum et fascinans, without it feeling detached or remote? That is the challenge before me. And perhaps the biggest pitfall: making St. Mark's the "new cool thing." I am scared to death of using all the little emotional and spiritual gimmicks that many churches fall into to get an emotional high out of people. I don't want to be a marketer or a spinster, I want to, in the words of the Book of Common Prayer, work to "perfect the praises offered by [God's] people on earth; and be granted, even now, glimpses of [His] beauty." Please pray for me.

A Prayer for Liturgysmithing:

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music and liturgy to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Bishop of Texas is Seated

2009-06-09T09:35:00.003-06:00

C. Andrew Doyle was seated at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston on June 7, 2009 with trumpets volleys and kettledrums reverberating among the 1000 plus congregation. Bishop Doyle promised to “be a faithful shepherd and servant,” and processed with the dean to the front of the church where, facing Bishop Don Wimberly, he petitioned to be recognized, invested and seated as the new head of the diocese. Marking the historic transition of leadership, Bishop Wimberly invited the two former diocesan bishops, Claude Payne and Maurice Benitez to participate in asking. All three stood side by side to ask Bishop Doyle to reaffirm the promises he made when he was ordained and consecrated a bishop on November 22, 2008. He promised to support all the baptized, guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church and share in the government of the whole Church. Then with all three holding the 160 year old, ornate brass crosier as Bishop Wimberly said, “Now I, by the authority committed to me, and with the consent of those who have chosen you, do invest you, Charles Andrew Doyle, as Bishop of Texas, with all the temporal and spiritual rights and responsibilities that pertain to that office … On behalf of the people and clergy of the Diocese of Texas, I give into your hands this pastoral staff. May Christ the Good Shepherd uphold you and sustain you as you carry it in his name...”

Bishop Doyle received the pastoral staff as he promised to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of the office as leader of the 154 congregations, 67 schools and 11 institutions of the Diocese of Texas. Dean Reynolds escorted him to the Bishop’s see, a highly carved chair to the left of the Cathedral’s altar saying, in the name of the Cathedral and on behalf of the people of the diocese, “I install you, Andrew, in the chair appointed to our office. May the Lord stir up in you the flame of holy charity, and the power of faith that overcomes the world. Amen.” Bishop Doyle took his seat momentarily before proclaiming the Peace and Celebrating the Holy Eucharist.

Nepal Church Bombing

2009-05-26T20:50:00.006-06:00

Two persons, including a minor, were killed and 15 other injured when a powerful bomb went off at the Roman Catholic Church of Assumption in Lalitpur (a town near Kathmandu) on Saturday morning. The bomb exploded with about 100 people praying inside the church. Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb. The deceased have been identified as Cilesi Joseph, 15, and Deepa Patrick, 30.

A statement from the Anglican Church of Nepal:

We are shocked and saddened by the violence used against Christians while worshipping in Nepal this morning. We deplore the use of terror and the targeting of innocent civilians in this atrocity. May God comfort the families of the deceased in their grief and may they sense the presence of Jesus Christ with them in their sorrow and loss. We will keep them and the injured in our prayers. We extend our condolences to them, to the Roman Catholic community of the Church of the Assumption and to the wider Catholic community in Nepal. We are also aware that this leaves many other Christian Churches in Nepal in an unsettled and anxious state. We extend to all our prayers for peace and for safety.
The Revd Norman Beale
Dean
Anglican Church of Nepal

Prayer for the Persecuted Church:
Almighty and everlasting God, hear the cries of your people as we call to you for your suffering church throughout the world. As you heard the cries of your ancient people in bondage in Egypt and came down to deliver them, so now hearken to the suffering of the persecuted church in our time. Give bread to those who are hungry, comfort to the imprisoned, strength to the tortured and all for the sake of Jesus who lived and died for us, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Memorial Day As Seen By Stanley Hauerwas

2009-05-26T14:40:00.002-06:00

A Pacifist's Look at Memorial Day

Dan Brown’s America

2009-05-20T10:52:00.004-06:00

The NYT online has a nice Op-Ed piece on Religion in America and the Dan Brown business:
Dan Brown's America

A few nice excerpts:

"...if you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown. "

"The polls that show more Americans abandoning organized religion don’t suggest a dramatic uptick in atheism: They reveal the growth of do-it-yourself spirituality, with traditional religion’s dogmas and moral requirements shorn away. The same trend is at work within organized faiths as well, where both liberal and conservative believers often encounter a God who’s too busy validating their particular version of the American Dream to raise a peep about, say, how much money they’re making or how many times they’ve been married.

These are Dan Brown’s kind of readers. Piggybacking on the fascination with lost gospels and alternative Christianities, he serves up a Jesus who’s a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly, and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity.

But the success of this message — which also shows up in the work of Brown’s many thriller-writing imitators— can’t be separated from its dishonesty. The “secret” history of Christendom that unspools in “The Da Vinci Code” is false from start to finish. The lost gospels are real enough, but they neither confirm the portrait of Christ that Brown is peddling — they’re far, far weirder than that — nor provide a persuasive alternative to the New Testament account. The Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — jealous, demanding, apocalyptic — may not be congenial to contemporary sensibilities, but he’s the only historically-plausible Jesus there is.
For millions of readers, Brown’s novels have helped smooth over the tension between ancient Christianity and modern American faith. But the tension endures. You can have Jesus or Dan Brown. But you can’t have both."

The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner responds to ACC

2009-05-13T18:39:00.003-06:00

The Wisdom of the Cross: Some Reflections on ACC-14 and the Anglican Covenant

My respect for this man continues to increase.

What Happened at ACC (for those who care)

2009-05-13T09:26:00.003-06:00

At the Battle in Jamaica for the Anglican Covenant there was a strategic loss for the Anglican Covenant Design Group that anticipated the timeline to go from the ACC-14 to the churches.

815 won a strategic decision to delay the Anglican Covenant.

815 won a strategic decision in separating Section IV from the rest of the Covenant.

Lambeth won a strategic decision in not divorcing Section IV from the Covenant, but keeping the Covenant together as a whole.

Lambeth won a strategic decision to gain control over who "studies" Section IV. There's a split decision between 815 and Lambeth on the establishment of the Joint Standing Committee as the final arbiter (thereby lifting the JSC as a near equal "instrument of communion") on the Anglican Covenant before it's sent on for ratification.

There is a win for ACNA and the Communion Partners in that there are still no restrictions in place for them to vote on the Anglican Covenant.

There is a loss for the Communion Partners in the delay of the Anglican Covenant to go before General Convention 2009 and the possible pieces of legislation that could both delay the Anglican Covenant to years after they have all retired, as well as possible legislation that will isolate them from their province.

There is a win for Katharine Jefferts Schori in successfully delaying the Anglican Covenant as long as she remains in office.

There is a win/loss for Rowan Williams in that he was able to keep the Covenant together and not fragment, but he was isolated and unable to bridge the widening chasm that separates provinces in the Anglican Communion. In fact, we saw evidence of a widening gap between Canterbury and the Church of England as the CoE representative seemed to side with 815, along with Wales and Ireland and Scotland, while the New Zealand and Australian delegations seemed to be split.And there is a loss to the Global South in the realization that they are merely bit players in this larger power struggle between Lambeth and 815.

But there was a major win for the Global South for through it all they hung together, even as chaos broke out on the floor and in the backrooms, they hung together. This is a key point for ACNA and the Communion Partners and, God willing, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself.

Source: Baby Blue

One Year In...

2009-04-28T14:45:00.005-06:00

My journey into Anglicanism has been nothing short of interesting so far. I think I have had as good a tour of my new church as anyone can in the first year... I have been confirmed, met the Bishop of Durham, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, gone to two theological conferences, spent a day with the Archbishop of Burundi, not to mention meeting three bishops of Texas, and securing employment as a lay minister at my local parish. Phew! What a year.

So what has that got me? Well, for starters, I am as spiritually happy and healthy as I have ever been. The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion have given me a good sense of both God's transcendence (greatness and majesty) and his immenence (nearness and closeness) which I found difficult, if not impossible, to hold together in my former protestantism. The Liturgy especially creates a wonderful sense of the mysterium tremendum right here in American-as-apple-pie Beaumont. Also, I feel a sense of connectedness with other Christians, both those around the world and those who have come before me, that I have never felt before. More and more, that "great cloud of witnesses" and our "oneness in Christ" are becomeing not simply abstractions, but living realities for me. This, in turn, has given rise in me to a burning desire to see the reunification of The Church of Jesus. May it be so, Lord.

With the structure provided by the Daily Office, I have found prayer both more accessible and richer that when I felt prayer had to always be an extemporanious list of petitions and praise. Not only that, it has made it much easier to pray together with my wife. I had often, as a protestant, heard said that liturgy and written prayer was constraining, but I have found it to be exactly the opposite. Oh, the freedom of consistency and commitment! And lastly, though I still call myself an evangelical, I am finding the "high church" and "anglo-catholicism" more and more appealing. Who knows where all this will lead next?

Brilliant Commentary

2009-03-03T13:58:00.002-07:00

This is the best commentary I have seen so far on the recession. Brilliant...just brilliant.

My New Job

2009-01-25T20:33:00.005-07:00

As of this coming Wednesday I will no longer be a forester. I have been offered, and have accepted, the position of Director of Lay Ministries and Evangelism at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Beaumont.

I could hardly have wished for a better opportunity and church community when we moved to Texas, and yet here I go. I am beside myself with excitement, and very grateful for this tremendous opportunity (especially for an unordained aspirant). I covet your prayers this coming year as I try to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in bringing the Gospel, the Kingdom, and Redemption to Southeast Texas.

Those of you who know me, know that I am always scheming and dreaming about what things the church could be doing different or better here in America. Well, I'm about to find out the difference between speculating and doing. Again, please keep Jenny and I in your daily prayers.

He Paints

2009-01-21T15:48:00.002-07:00

A dear artist friend (and groomsman) of mine has started a website to showcase his works. It is more than worth your time. From his website Jared Paints:

"the desire and ability to create and behold things we deem beautiful, ultimately reflects the one who created us. as humans we create because we were made in the image of God (the One True Creator/Artist), so in doing this work i hope to bear a small and true reality of the image of God in His creativity. "

So, hop on over and check it out at: http://www.jaredpaints.com/

The Best Books I Read in 2008

2009-01-01T16:52:00.003-07:00

1. Encountering the Mystery by His All Holiness Eccumenical Patriarch Bartholemew:

Orthodoxy is neither just a theological system nor just a set of liturgical disciplines; it is in the most serious and full sense wisdom – a perspective of Spirit-led insight that transforms both vision and action. In this exceptional book, Patriarch Bartholomew inducts his readers into this wisdom and demonstrates with authority how it bears upon a range of global issues. There is nothing archaic here, though plenty that is traditional; nothing merely fashionable, though plenty that is sharply contemporary. It is a treasury of sane and generous theology, from one of the truly great figures in the Christian world today

2. Surprised by Hope by NT Wright:

Subtitled, Rethingking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, I could have just as easily listed this one as number one. N.T. Wright can write. . . when it comes to questions of Christ’s resurrection and what that means, no one is more persuasive. Wright’s new book, Surprised by Hope, builds on C.S. Lewis’ succinct defense of the faith and takes it to a new level. A crystal-clear, powerful course-correction for all of us--Christian or otherwise. If you want to know what Easter is about, get yourself a copy of Surprised by Hope and hunker down for the read of a lifetime....literally.

3. Tokens of Trust by Rowan Williams:

The first book I have read by the renowned Archbishop of Canterbury, and I was not let down in the least. In this thematic group of reflections based on the ancient creeds of Christendom, the 104th archbishop of Canterbury once again demonstrates his stature as a scholar with a deep concern for the spiritual welfare of contemporary believers. At times sober, but rarely inaccessible, the learned archbishop brings a restrained passion to these meditations that will make them more available to readers seeking pastoral guidance along with their theology.

4. Jayber Crow & Selected Poems by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry is an American man of letters, academic, cultural and economic critic, and farmer. He is a prolific author of novels, shorts stories, poems, and essays. If you have never heard of him or read him, this is a great place to start. A breath of fresh air in our day and age.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Advent Reflections

2008-12-15T05:46:00.002-07:00

The Orthodox Resistance

2008-12-13T17:01:00.003-07:00

Here in the Episcopal Church, the Orcs of Mordor have taken the castle (metaphorically speaking). Meet the worthy, peaceful resistance:

American Anglican Council

The Anglican Communion Institute

May God give them humility, wisdom, long-suffering patience, and love.

"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” - Daniel 3:17-18

Post Tenabras, Lux!

What the ...?

2008-12-11T08:37:00.003-07:00

Snow in Orange, Texas? You betcha. As you can see, it isn't much, but they have announced that all the schools will be starting two hours later to give people a chance to get a grip on this turn of events. You'd think unicorns and centaurs were walking around town. As far as people in Orange County are concerned, this isn't far removed from sorcery or magic.

Meeting a Hero

2008-12-05T08:01:00.001-07:00

A picture of me meeting NT Wright in Toronto, Canada at the Anglicanism: A Gift in Christ conference last week.

Advent Underground: The Resistance Movement

2008-12-02T15:01:00.002-07:00

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas? What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

Bound for the Black Hills

2008-11-20T07:52:00.008-07:00

My wife and I are flying out tomorrow morning to South Dakota to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family there. I am one of those rare people who deeply enjoy their in-laws. My in-laws, Jenny's whole family (parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, etc.), are precious people, brothers and sisters of the Faith, with great senses of humor and tremendous loyalty. Time with them is always such a refreshment to me. My own private favorite tradition is early morning coffee on a cool morning with my Mother and Father-in-law. The landscape of the Black Hills is enchanting and I am looking eagerly forward to some easy walks through the granite, junipers, aspens, and sage as well.

Two other items of excitement for the holiday: 1.) I'm going to Toronto quickly for an Anglican conference at which NT Wright+ will be the keynote speaker. As most of you know, to say that Bishop Wright has been an inspiration to me would be an understatement. I'll be there with a few people from our church and my dear brother Matt Larsen. 2.) Jenny's beloved friend from college, Britta, is going to be joining us in South Dakota for the holiday. Few people bring as much joy to my wife's heart as Britta, and for her company this holiday I am very grateful.

Also, you never know when we might drop in to Boulder when we are in that part of the world.

Reading list for the Holiday:

The Hauerwas Reader by Stanley Hauerwas and Jayber Crow by Wendel Berry.

Traveling Tunes:

Josh Garell's new album, Jacaranda.

A Monastery in Beaumont?

2008-11-17T17:32:00.004-07:00

My wife and I spent this past Saturday at a spiritual retreat at the Holy Cross Monastery in Beaumont, Texas. I had never before been to a monastery, and having grown up in the Church of Christ and Southern Baptist Church, I suppose my disposition is to be suspicious of such enterprises. Yet, I found the day to be entirely pleasant and of great spiritual benefit.

We started the day celebrating the Holy Eucharist. It was a lovely celbration, appropriately punctuated by periods of meditative silence when the wind could be heard blowing through the trees outside and the scripture lessons we were reading could be ruminated upon and digested. We then ate a meal together prepared for us by the monks, and had an afternoon's discussion on humility and how it is attained. We ended the day by chanting Psalms 119 and praying together. Through the course of the day it dawned upon me anew how good silence, prayer, nature and meditation are for the soul. I confess to having far less than would be good for me, and hope to make those disciplines part of my regular practice as a disciple of Christ. My wife said the day was beautiful and relaxing... a bit of heaven come to earth. Apparently, they have similar retreats the third Saturday of every month. I suspect those monks have not seen the last of the Ballards.

The Early Church on War and Violence

2008-11-13T20:54:00.004-07:00

I say as often as I can that I am, as a Christian, a pacifist and that I believe all Christians should be pacifists. Along those lines, I was very pleased when I discovered that the peer reviewed theological journal Themelios put out by The Gospel Coalition recently included an article entitled, Nonviolence in the Ancient Church and Christian Obedience. I thought some of the quotes from the early church were worth posting here:

"We who once murdered each other indeed no longer wage war against our enemies; moreover, so as not to bear false witness before our interrogators, we cheerfully die confessing Christ." -- Justin Martyr (110–165), the early church’s foremost apologist.

"But now inquiry is being made concerning these issues. First, can any believer enlist in the military? Second, can any soldier, even those of the rank and file or lesser grades who neither engage in pagan sacrifices nor capital punishment, be admitted into the church? No on both counts—for there is no agreement between the divine sacrament and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot serve two masters—God and Caesar. And yet some people toy with the subject by saying, "Moses carried a rod, Aaron wore a buckle, John the Baptist girded himself with leather just like soldiers do belts, and Joshua the son of Nun led troops into battle, such that the people waged war." But how will a Christian engage in war—indeed, how will a Christian even engage in military service during peacetime—without the sword, which the Lord has taken away? For although soldiers had approached John to receive instructions and a centurion believed, this does not change the fact that afterward, the Lord, by disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier." -- Tertullian (197–212)

"Shall it be regarded lawful to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord proclaims that he who takes the sword shall die by the sword? Shall the child of peace join in the battle when he is not even permitted to sue at law? . . . Shall he carry a flag, despite its hostility to Christ? Shall he request a command from the Emperor who has already received one from God? . . . The very transporting of the Christian name from the camp of light over to the camp of darkness constitutes a violation of God’s law." -- Tertullian

"It needs to be emphasized that when someone becomes a believer and his faith is sealed, there must be an immediate abandonment of military service." -- Tertullian

"A soldier, being inferior in rank to God, must not kill anyone. If ordered to, he must not carry out the order, nor may he take an oath (sacramentum) to do so. If he does not accept this, let him be dismissed from the church. Anyone bearing the power of the sword, or any city magistrate, who wears purple, let him cease from wearing it at once or be dismissed from the church. Any catechumen or believer who wishes to become a soldier must be dismissed from the church because they have despised God." -- Hippolytus (199–217)

"Rulers entrusted with the authority to take life and soldiers must not kill anyone, even if they are commanded to do so. . . . Anyone holding a prominent position of leadership or a ruler’s authority who does not keep himself disarmed, as the gospel necessitates, must be dismissed from the flock. Let no Christian become a soldier. Any official obligated to carry a sword must not bring bloodguilt upon himself; if he does, he must not participate in the mysteries until he is purified through correction, tears, and groans." -- Hippolytus (199–217)

"We must delightfully come to the counsels of Jesus by cutting down our hostile and impudent swords into plowshares and transforming into pruning-hooks the spears formerly employed in war. So we no longer take up the sword against nations, nor do we learn war anymore, since we have become children of peace, for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader, instead of those whom our ancestors followed." -- Origen (240–48)

Anglican History

2008-10-31T09:38:00.003-06:00

Since my wife and I have become Episcopalian/Anglican, the questions that I have been asked the most regarding that decison have, surprisingly, been questions regarding the history of the Anglican church. So, I thought perhaps a well researched answer was in order. Enjoy:

Christianity arrived in Britain in the first or second century (probably via the tin trade route through Ireland and Iberia), and existed independently of the Church of Rome, as did virtually all other Christian communities of that era. Most scholars believe that Christianity arrived in Brittania about A.D. 44 around Glastonbury (roughly 11 years after Christ's Crucifixion!) The first English martyr is Alban in A.D. 209. Alban reportedly sheltered a Christian missionary from Gaul and was executed because Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire at that time. The earliest historical written evidence of an organized Christian church in England is found in the writings of such early Christian fathers as Tertullian and Origen in the first years of the 3rd century. Three English bishops, including Restitutus, are known to have been present at the Council of Arles 314, and bishops from Britannia were present at the council of Nicea in 325. Others attended the Council of Sardica in 347 and that of Ariminum in 360, and a number of references to the church in Britain are found in the writings of 4th-century Christian fathers.

Pagan Anglo-Saxons from Germany and Scandinavia began to occupy Britain without resistance from the passive (Christian) Britons in around 370. (Wales remained unconquered and Christian.) The Roman empire fell in Britain and no evidence of Roman occupation is found after about 407. The conquest of Britain is greatly accelerated in 410 when Britons under Vortigern invite Saxon mercenaries to their land to help keep order. The Briton Christians are on their own at this point. On the mainland, the Roman empire and therefore the church (Christianity being the official religion of the empire) were in significant turmoil and disarray. Meanwhile, back in Britain, it is the era of Celtic Christianity. The Celts effectively preserve Christianity on the British Isles while the Roman empire (and seemingly, the whole world) falls apart. For nearly 200 years, the scholarship and culture of Celtic/Anglo-Saxon Christianity developed utterly unconnected with Rome, though some correspondence and unity with mainland Christianity continues. For instance, we know that Deacon Palladius was sent by the bishop of Rome (not Pope!) as a "bishop to the Scotti [Irish] who believe in Christ."

Previous to the fall of the Roman Empire, the church was governed by the Patriarchs (bishops) of the ancient and influential sees of Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, as well as by Councils of bishops held periodically to make important decisions. As the Roman empire fell apart, and the world and the church was in disarray, people generally, and Christians included, looked to the ancient capital of the empire for leadership. Hence the development of the office of Pope. Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome at this time, and he was the first bishop to assert the universal jurisdiction of the Roman bishop and the doctrine of "Petrine supremacy." He was declared Pope in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon which declared, "Peter has spoken by Leo." He solidified his role as the primary patriarch and leader of the Church when he met Attila the Hun outside the gates of Rome in 452 and persuaded him not to raze the city to the ground and to withdraw. With the rest of the empire in such a mess, no one was really in a position to disagree with him. In fact, they were glad to have such an able, intelligent, charismatic, brave, and strong leader. Anglicans still celebrate a feast day in his honor on November 10 as the Bishop of Rome.

When things began to settle down, and the world began to reorganize post-empire, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine from Rome to evangelise the Angles in 597. When he got there, he discovered that they were already a number of Christians and established churches. He declared them Roman Catholic, and with the help of Christians already residing in Kent he established his church in Canterbury, the former capital of Kent, and became the first in the series of Archbishops of Canterbury. Augustine developed a liturgy and other practices especially for the English-speaking people, which was a combination of the Celtic and Roman rites. Later archbishop, the Greek Theodore of Tarsus, also contributed to the organisation of English Christianity in that period. Simultaneously, the "Celtic Church" continued to evangelize Scotland. The Celtic Church of North Britain finally submitted in some sense to the "authority" of Rome at the Synod of Whitby in 664. Over the next few centuries, the Roman system introduced by Augustine gradually absorbed the pre-existing Celtic, Britannia, Saxon, and Angle churches. Anglicans still celebrate a feast in Gregory's honor as "the Apostle of the English" and the Bishop of Rome on March 12.

The Anglican church then was under the purview of Rome for roughly 870 years. When the Great Schism occurred in 1054 and split the church into Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, the Anglican church being in the West, sided with Rome. There is a public perception, especially in the United States, that Henry VIII created the formal Anglican split from Rome in 1534 because of the Pope's refusal to grant his divorce, but the historical record indicates that Henry spent most of his reign challenging the authority of Rome, and that the divorce issue was just one of a series of acts that collectively split the English church from the Roman church in much the same way that the Orthodox church had split off five hundred years before. A theological separation had been foreshadowed by various movements within the English Church for years, and there was significant pressure put on Henry by his Reformation-minded clergy to, in fact, separate from Rome. Under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, a thorough reformation proceeded. A new pattern of worship was set out in the Book of Common Prayer which was based on the older and more ancient liturgies, without the developments of the middle ages such as Maryology, the Papacy, and the Cult of Saints. It is this Book of Common prayer and form of worship that is still the framework for Anglicanism worldwide. Anglicanism represents the third largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox communions. The number of Anglicans in the world is slightly over 77 million.

Aspirations

2008-10-28T15:52:00.003-06:00

Since moving to Texas, Jenny and I have joined St. Mark's Episcopal Church and will be confirmed in the broader Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion in just a few weeks. It is a really exciting time for us. After a spending at least some part of our young lives in the Church of Christ, the Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Church, the Evangelical Free Church, the Presbyterian Church, and a non-denominational church plant, we have found a place in Christendom where we feel at home and where we feel the Holy Spirit has led and called us.

As many of you also know, I have long sensed a calling to vocational ministry in the church and I am now, in fact, pursuing ordination (or holy orders) as a priest in the Episcopal Church. The process looks something like this:

Step 1: Aspirant - Aspirancy begins with conversations between the aspirant and their priest about the aspirant's sense of calling. When these conversations reach the point that the aspirant and his or her priest feel the aspirant is ready for a next step, the priest presents the aspirant to the Bishop.

Step 2: Postulant - The canonical authority for inviting an aspirant to a postulancy lies with the Bishop. The postulancy involves background checks, physical and psychological evaluations, training, spiritual formation, and seminary.

Step 3: Candidate - The term candidate reflects the church's expectation that by this stage of the ordination process the postulant is able to integrate their academic studies, spiritual development, and field experience and are prepared to offer themselves as candidates for ordination.

Step 4: Deacon - After seminary and candidacy, I will (Lord willing) be ordained as a transitional deacon.

Step 5: Priest - After a period of time serving the church as a deacon, I will (Lord willing) be ordained as a priest.

As you can see, this is quite a lengthy process and Jenny and I would appreciate your prayers as we move through my discernment process.

Also, if any of you are in the Beaumont area on November 9 we would love to have you at our confimation. It is a big step for us, and a big day.

In the mean time, Jenny and I are still planning to be very connected to Nepal and PRC's ministry there. More on that later.

Extreme Blog Makeover

2008-10-28T15:45:00.002-06:00

After a few years of blogging, and a few months of radio silence I decide it was time for a blog makeover. The change in visual theme also comes with a change in the stated purpose of the blog. When I started the blog, it was to give myself an outlet for creative thinking and writing. While I still use the blog for that purpose, it has grown also to include updates about my life and information about things that I find interesting, though the thoughts may not be my own. The blog is no longer just a writing outlet, it is a way for friends and family to keep up with Jenny and I, and for us to share things that we feel are important, funny, or pertinent.

Prayer for Ike Aftermath

2008-09-14T11:05:00.003-06:00

Our Creator and Father,

Through the storm, through the night, lead us on to the light.Take our hand, precious Lord, lead us on. Be present, O God, with those who are discovering that loved ones have died, that homes and jobs are gone. Embrace them in your everlasting arms. Be present, O God, with those who suffer today in shelters, hot and weary from too little sleep and too much fear. Let them know they are not alone. Be present, O God, with those who wonder what they will find when they return to homes battered by the storm. Teach them to hope. Be present, O God, with those who have not been able to reach loved ones, who are frantic with worry. Offer them consolation. Be present, O God, with those who have hardly recovered from previous storms, who are unsure how much they can bear, who yearn only for quiet. Grant them peace. Be present, O God, with all who respond - mayors, police, firefighters, FEMA employees, Red Cross workers, pastors, church disaster response coordinators, and all others. Their work is just beginning, and may not end for many months. Strengthen them for service. Be present, O God, with the people of any destroyed houses of worship, and with the people of your Christian Church in storm damaged areas, and especially with the staff and members of the Episcopal Dioceses of Texas and Louisiana where we fear so much has been damaged. Inspire us by their determination to care for others amid their own trials. Be present, O God, to each of us as we pray, that distance may not deter us from generous giving and enduring companionship. Help us remember tomorrow, and next week, and next month. Be present, O God, with all affected by this storm, and with those still suffering from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav.

May Immanuel, God with us, our precious Jesus, take every hand and lead us on.

Amen.

Sad Day on the Home Front

2008-09-13T19:52:00.001-06:00

Ike in Bridge City

2008-09-13T11:25:00.002-06:00

According to CNN.com, "The coastal town of Bridge City was flooded by the Neches River and 9 feet of water was reported downtown."

According to FoxNews.com "Farther up the coast, much of Bridge City and downtown Orange were under up to 8 feet of water and rescue teams in dump trucks were plowing through in an effort to reach families trapped on roofs and inside attics."

Please pray for my community and family. It is likely that we have all lost a lot.

Mark Twain was Right

2008-09-11T16:00:00.003-06:00

...truth is stranger than fiction. I am absolutely not making this up:

Spectators cheered as entire Cambodian Midget Fighting League squared off against an African Lion. Tickets had been sold-out three weeks before the much anticipated fight, which took place in the city of Kâmpóng Chhnãng. The fight was slated when an angry fan contested Yang Sihamoni, President of the CMFL, claiming that one lion could defeat his entire league of 42 midgets.

Sihamoni takes great pride in the league he helped create, as was conveyed in his recent advertising campaign for the CMFL that stated his midgets will "... take on anything; man, beast, or machine." This campaign is believed to be what sparked the undisclosed fan to challenge the entire league to fight a lion; a challenge that Sihamoni readily accepted. An African Lion (Panthera Leo) was shipped to centrally located Kâmpóng Chhnãng especially for the event, which took place last Saturday, April 30, 2005 in the city’s coliseum.

The Cambodian Government allowed the fight to take place, under the condition that they receive a 50% commission on each ticket sold, and that no cameras would be allowed in the arena. The fight was called in only 12 minutes, after which 28 fighters were declared dead, while the other 14 suffered severe injuries including broken bones and lost limbs, rendering them unable to fight back.

Sihamoni was quoted before the fight stating that he felt since his fighting midgets out-numbered the lion 42 to 1, that they “… could out-wit and out-muscle [it].” Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Source

Hurricane ReLoaded

2008-09-11T11:49:00.004-06:00

Here we go again. Just about the time I thought I could go home and be with my wife, Ike comes calling. Please be in prayer for my wife, family, and all those in the path of this storm. They evacuated again this morning.

O God, Master of this world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former calm; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this Hurricane Ike, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid. O Christ Jesus, Our Brother, Captain, and King, we ask that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, so that we will walk in the leading of the Divine Spirit to reach the New Heavens and New Earth where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.

In the mean time, here are a few videos I took from my hotel during Gustav:

Out My Window This Morning

2008-09-01T09:02:00.004-06:00

I woke this morning to discover that Ol' Gus had snuck up on me a bit. Here is the scene from my room at about 9:00 a.m (don't ask me who in their right mind is out driving).

According to the weather man, the worst is yet to come. Don't worry though, I think I'm pretty safe here at the QI. I've never been this close to a sinificant hurricane, and I must admit that it is an awesome and terrifying thing to behold.

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear

though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Baton Down the Hatches in Baton Rouge

2008-08-31T20:34:00.004-06:00

I'm sitting in the Quality Inn in Baton Rouge, and ol' Gus is bringing the dirty. I took a run a few hours ago on the Mississippi River levee (may God give it strength) near the hotel and it was hot and sunny. Now, the rain and wind are picking up outside, and a tornado warning has been issued for this area. According to the news, it is still about 20 hours from making landfall. Be that as it may, it is still getting pretty rough outside already. I don't know how much longer cell phones and electricity will last, but I'll keep posting updates as long as possible. Jenny, if you are reading this... I love you and happy anniversary. I'll never hold the hand of another.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
As you saved your apostles from perishing in a storm by calming wind and waves on your command, so now keep us safe and sound in this storm, Hurricane Gustav. Protect us from the unpredictable elements of nature. Protect us from storm, flood, illness, injury, disaster, and death. Preserve us from all evil and harm for we, though sinful, are nonetheless the work of Your hands. And You together with your Father who has no beginning and Your life giving Spirit are our God in whom we live, move, and have being. Now and ever and unto ages and ages. Amen.

Texas' Most Beautiful Refugee

2008-08-31T20:32:00.001-06:00

Gustav Blows

2008-08-30T17:42:00.003-06:00

Well, I watched my wife and my family drive off today as they evacuated before the rapidly approaching Hurricane Gustav. The only humor in the situation was the sign in the back of Jenny's car that said, "Honk if you are an Environmental Refugee." I have to stay behind for my job (I do scout work during storms). It feels strange to be here alone. I already miss my wife. I'm heading to Baton Rouge soon. Please pray for my wife and I. Tuesday is our first anniversary, and it appears we will be apart. My heart is heavy.

Update

2008-07-26T18:32:00.002-06:00

Well, I started my new job as a consulting forester for ACRT this week. So far, so good. I get a truck, a four wheeler, a gas card, and I get to hang out in the woods a lot. And get this....they pay me. Pretty sweet deal. Also, I got accepted to Reformed Theological Seminary's virtual Master of Arts in Theology program. Hopefully, I'll start this fall. I've been following the Lambeth Conference as closely as I can in my spare time, as well as hanging out with my family. I've started running again, and it has been fun. And yes, the rumor is true, I have a new tat. It is a fire-breathing dove. I'll post a pic soon.

Culture Making

2008-07-25T14:11:00.004-06:00

From Tim Keller's Summer 2008 Reading List: "Culture Making is one of the few books taking the discussion about Christianity and culture to a new level. It is a rare mix of the theoretical and the practical, its definitions are nuanced but not abstract, and it strikes all kinds of fine balances. I highly recommend it."

Get it here.

NT Wright on the Colbert Report

2008-07-04T09:15:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, Anglican Bishop of Durham and theologian NT Wright appeared on The Colbert Report, a satirical news program, to talk about his book Surprised by Hope (which is a great book, by the way). Watch as American humor meets British wit.

GAFCON

2008-07-02T09:05:00.004-06:00

For those of you who keep up with Episcopal / Anglican polity, here is NT Wright's response and JI Packer's response to GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures Conference). They are remarkably different opinions from two very wise men, and worth a close read.

GAFCON was a seven day conference of conservative Anglican bishops and leaders which was held in Jerusalem last week. The conference was planned to occur one month prior to the Lambeth Conference, the ten-yearly gathering of Anglican bishops from around the world. It is primarily aimed at Anglican leaders who consider themselves to be in impaired communion with the global church because of the consecration in 2003 of openly homosexual (and I might add heretical) bishop Gene Robinson by the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Why I am Evangelical

2008-06-25T19:12:00.001-06:00

The following is a definition of Evangelical by JI Packer (who is also Anglican). It summarizes better than anything else that I have found why I am Evangelical:

1. Enthroning Holy Scripture, the written word of God, as the supreme authority and decisive guide on all matters of faith and practice;

2. Focusing on the glory, majesty, kingdom, and love of Jesus Christ, the God-man who died as a sacrifice for our sins and who rose, reigns, and will return to judge mankind, perfect the church, and renew the cosmos;

3. Acknowledging the lordship of the Holy Spirit in the entire life of grace, which is the life of salvation expressed in worship, work, and witness;

4. Insisting on the necessity of conversion (not of a particular conversion experience, but of a discernibly converted condition, regenerate, repentant, and rejoicing);

5. Prioritizing evangelism and church extension as a life-project at all times and under all circumstances; and

6. Cultivating Christian fellowship, on the basis that the church of God is essentially a living community of believers who must help each other to grow in Christ.

Why I'm Episcopalian

2008-06-13T12:57:00.003-06:00

Very recently, my wife and I became a part of the Episcopal/Anglican church and communion. Having grown up Church of Christ and Baptist, I've had many people ask how this happened. So, here's why I'm Episcopalian / Anglican*, in no particular order:

Strong commitment to Christian unity and ecumenicism.
Strong Reformed tradition within the communion
Many of the people who were important to my Christian formation are Anglican (JI Packer, John Stott, NT Wright, etc.)
Orthodox
Great tradition of working for social justice (think William Wilberforce and Desmond Tutu)
Doorway to Church membership: very wide. Doorway to Church leadership: very narrow
High view of the sacraments
High view of the visible church
Apostolic succession (all ordained ministers in the Episcopal church can trace their line of ordination back to the apostles)
Great tradition of support for the arts
Paedobaptism and Paedocommunion
Large presence in many countries and in many cultures
High Church, Low Church, Broad Church, and Anglimergent

Obviously, the Episcopal church is not without its problems, but those things, together with a lot of thought and prayer is what led us to become a part of the EC. In addtion, I am now in the process (a very long process) of seeking to be ordained by the EC. I know that is short, but I hope it answers most people's questions.

*For those who don't know the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church are the same thing. The Episcopal Church is just the Anglican Church in America. Episcopal means "of bishops" from the Greek επίσκοπος.

CoffeeCover

2008-06-09T14:04:00.002-06:00

Some friends of mine in Boulder have just started a brilliant business. Check it:

The CoffeeCover, a reusable coffee sleeve!

It has long been a dream of theirs to start a business that would also help the environment, and they have hit upon something brilliant (and affordable).

Give your coffee cup a makeover (and some flare) and help out the environment by using (and reusing) the CoffeeCover. The CoffeeCover is made with a soft cotton outer layer and has an insulating foam center. The average coffee shop uses over 4000 disposable sleaves every week, and the CoffeeCover is out to change this. Check out their website, and throw some dough their way: http://www.coffeecover.net/

New Texas Bishop

2008-06-08T14:31:00.003-06:00

Texas has a new Episcopal Bishop: The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle

The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle, Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Texas was elected bishop coadjutor at a special session of the diocese’s 159th Council. In its visioning process in 2007, the Diocese of Texas identified “a youthful church” as one of its core values, and on May 24, it voted to personify that in its next bishop. “While we are electing a leader today, we are not electing a savior," said the Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas, in his sermon before the election. "We’ve already got one.”

I am personally excited about his election because he is orthodox, creative, and a part of the Anglimergent converstion. I pray that God would be with him in the coming years. For more info, check here.

Last Day in Boulder

2008-06-02T14:38:00.004-06:00

Well, it has been a good run here in the People's Republic of Boulder. We've been here for nearly two years, but sadly, it is time for us to move on. It will always be hard to live anywhere besides Boulder because of all that this community offers, but life will have to continue none the less. We are busily packing all day today, and we will pull out for Texas tomorrow afternoon. We will spend several months in Texas working and continuing to prepare for Nepal, and then...the big move. We leave here with heavy hearts, but glad for the friends we've made and the experiences we've had. Boulder crew, we wish you the best. May you fare well and God speed.

Texas, here we come.

The World is Still a Mysterious Place

2008-05-30T08:32:00.003-06:00

Researchers have produced aerial photos of jungle dwellers who they say are among the few remaining peoples on Earth who have had no contact with the outside world. More than 100 uncontacted tribes remain worldwide, and about half live in the remote reaches of the Amazonian rainforest in Peru or Brazil, near the recently photographed tribe, according to Survival International, a nonprofit group that advocates for the rights of indigenous people.

The National Indian Foundation, a government agency in Brazil, published the photos Thursday on its Web site. It tracks "uncontacted tribes" -- indigenous groups that are thought to have had no contact with outsiders -- and seeks to protect them from encroachment. The photos show men outside thatched communal huts, necks craned upward, pointing bows toward the air in a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest.

"These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," the director of Survival International said in a statement. "The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct... All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or decimated by new diseases"

Source

Good News, Bad News

2008-05-30T08:27:00.002-06:00

Good News

More than 100 countries attending a conference in Dublin, Ireland formally adopted a treaty Friday to ban cluster bombs -- a large, unreliable and inaccurate weapon that often affects civilians long after the end of armed conflict. The countries agreed never to use cluster munitions or the explosive bomblets they contain, and they also agreed never to develop, acquire, retain or transfer cluster munitions, according to the official treaty document.

Bad News

The United States would not agree to any ban because the country considers cluster munitions an important part of its defense strategy.

Source

The Worship Industry

2008-05-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

Where am I?

2008-05-20T19:45:00.003-06:00

I've had a few people ask me lately where I stand in relation to the different theologies and Christian traditions, so I thought I'd put it out there:

Theology: I consider myself basically orthodox, reformed, covenantal, evangelical, and generous.

Ecclesiology: I am happily a part of the Episcopal/Anglican communion, though we are not without our troubles.

Also, I am interested in the emergent conversation, though I also have some reservations about where it seems to be headed at times. Generally though, I think many of their critiques of modernism and the modern American church to be valid.

I am very concerned about good theology, unity, abortion, ecology, social justice, peace, and third world debt.

--Jason

The Creed

2008-05-16T09:32:00.002-06:00

Prayers...

2008-05-13T00:45:00.006-06:00

...for my dear and beloved friends Matt and Lauren Larsen, and little Davi still growing in Lauren's womb. Lauren is in the high-risk pregnancy center as I write this. Her fluid level which should be at 20 is at 5, and if they don't fix it, Lauren is going to go into labor ... 16 weeks early.

For Lauren...
Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beg you to behold, visit, and relieve your sick servant Lauren for whom our prayers are offered. Look upon her with the eyes of your mercy; comfort her with a sense of your goodness; preserve her and give her patience under this affliction. Restore her to health. O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Lauren the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health and that, her health being renewed, she may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Matt...
O merciful Father, Look with pity upon the sorrows of your servant Matt for whom our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy, nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon him, and give him peace; O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift Matt, we pray, to your presence, where he may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Davi...
O eternal God, you have promised to be a father to a thousand generations of those who love and fear you: Bless this child and preserve her life; receive her and enable her to receive you. Heavenly Father, watch with us over your child Davi, and grant that she may be born in perfect health. Into your hands, O God, we place your child Davi. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in your Son's Name: We beg you mercifully to incline your ear to us who have now made our prayers and supplications to you; and grant that those things which we have faithfully asked according to your will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thought for the Day

2008-05-09T10:16:00.002-06:00

True freedom is not simply doing what we please. True freedom is doing the will of God and delighting in that doing. Sin, in this sense, is what imprisons us and keeps us from being free.

An Evangelical Manifesto

2008-05-08T12:50:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard, Os Guinness, Dallas Willard, and Rich Mouw to name a few of the dozens of signees, have recently released An Evangelical Manifesto.

The stated purpose of the document is to be "an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for. It has been drafted and published by a representative group of Evangelical leaders who do not claim to speak for all Evangelicals, but who invite all other Evangelicals to stand with them and help clarify what Evangelical means in light of “confusions within and the consternation without” the movement...the Manifesto is a serious call to reform—an urgent challenge to reaffirm Evangelical identity, to reform Evangelical behavior, to reposition Evangelicals in public life, and so rededicate ourselves to the high calling of being Evangelical followers of Jesus Christ."

I have not had an opportunity to read the EM closely, but still considering myself an "evangelical" in the best sense of the word, I am very interested in what it might say. Take a look at it, let me know what you think, and perhaps I'll post some thoughts on it in the days to come.

http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/

What is happening?

2008-05-03T18:07:00.000-06:00

Lost Virtues: Simplicity

2008-04-29T23:13:00.003-06:00

I am going to begin to do a series of posts on "the lost virtues" of Christianity...that being virtues that I percieve to have been at one time very important to Christians and the Christian community, that are no longer widely practiced or encouraged. The purpose of this posts will be, obviously, to re-commend these virtues to my brothers and sisters. The first lost virtue...simplicity.

Lost Virtue: Simplicity

Christian history is replete with stories of the faithful who valued simplicty as part of their calling and mission as Christians. As of late, though not surprising in our captivated by capitalism consumeristic society, simplicty is looked on with disdain or as some sort of oddity at best. Look around at our churches. Most leaders are very succesful in a material sense (fat wallets, nice cars, big houses), and those who are simple or from lower class will most likely never be seen in anything resembling a leadership role in the community. And the "health, wealth, and prosperity gospel"...don't even get me started. Garbage! That rant aside, here are the reasons I commend simplicty to you as a very important spiritual discipline and virtue:

1. As Witness

When Christians live simply and joyfully, it is a witness to the surrounding community that we are satisfied by something much more glorious and certain than cars, money, houses, and possesions. It makes Christ look glorious, and it is the aroma of heaven to all those others who are looking for their joy and self-worth in the things that they own but turn into dust in their mouths.

2. As Discipline

I know discipline is a "four letter word" in our culture right now, but simplicity is good for the Christian soul in the same way that fasting is. In fact, it could be considered a type of fasting. It keeps us from eating to much at the world's table so that when we show up at the table of the Lord we are already full and have no appetite for spiritual food. It increases our capacity to desire and appreciate God.

3. As Stewardship

In is a plain and simple fact that there are not enough resources in the world for everyone to live like an American. By refusing to own status symbols or gratuitous amounts of material possesions, we are conserving the limited resources of our home and planet. In that way we are loving not only the creation, but also our neighbor, and there for God as well.

4. As Devotion

We only have a limited amount of time, energy, and emotional resources to spend in any given day. If we are spending them worrying about the mortgage, upset about ruining our new shirt, or taking the other car in for another oil change, that means we cannot be spending those personal resources on loving God and our neigbor. By owning to many things, we end up spending all of our personal resources on ourselves. It is a selfish way to live. Having to spend less time on the things that we own frees up incredible amount of time, energy, and emotional resources to spend on the things of God and His Kingdom.

5. As Generosity

The almost goes without saying, if we spend less on ourselves, we have more to spend on others who may be in need.

For these reasons and others that have gone unnamed, I commend living simply to all my brothers and sisters. It will certainly not be easy. There are people spending billions of dollars, literally, to get us to believe that our lives consist exactly in the things we own and the things we do for ourselves. It is a lie. Do not believe it. Live simply.

Birthday Trip to the NorthWest

2008-04-26T13:17:00.000-06:00

What it is like to travel with Jason Ballard

2008-04-26T13:09:00.003-06:00

I took this picture of our nightstand at our hotel in Vancouver so you might get a real personal look at what it is like to travel with my husband Jason Ballard. This was just a spur of the moment 5 day trip mind you, and I could only laugh when our nightstand turned into a temporary theological library! The only demand that I had was that he carry the suitcase!

Here Come the Maoists

2008-04-26T12:14:00.001-06:00

Former communist rebels won the most seats in Nepal's new governing assembly, taking more than double the number of their nearest rival, an election official said Thursday.

The former insurgents, known as the Maoists, are now expected to form the backbone of Nepal's new government and usher in sweeping changes to the impoverished Himalayan nation, although they will not have an absolute majority in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly. Among the biggest likely changes is the abolition of Nepal's 239-year-old monarchy, which the Maoists have repeatedly said must go.

But the Maoists, who are considered terrorists by the United States, have made it clear they are committed capitalists, albeit left-leaning ones, and have no plans to transform Nepal into a communist state. Apart from that, there's still much uncertainty over what the new government will look like.

The Maoists have been in talks in recent days with the other major parties about forming an administration and are pushing for the creation of a president. That job they want filled by their leader, who is known as Prachanda, or "the fierce one" in Nepali. "It is my desire to be the president," Prachanda told reporters Thursday after meeting with U.N. officials and foreign ambassadors in Kathmandu. "But since there is no provision in the present constitution, we will have to reach some agreement with the other political parties." Prachanda's reaction to Thursday's news was subdued -- he spoke about the mechanics of government and shied away from grand statements about Nepal's future. It was clear that the Maoists, who have led the vote tally since counting began, have moved past celebrating and are now trying to figure out just how to run the country.

Coffee With the Bishop

2008-04-24T18:21:00.004-06:00

This is one of the most fantastic interviews of NT Wright I've ever read. Most of you know that NT Wright has been tremendously influential in my spiritual formation. If you are interested in him at all, you should take five minutes and read this. It addresses the Gospel in Public, John Piper, Doug Wilson, Resurrection, The Ascension, Third World Debt, his upcoming book on Paul (rubbing my hands together), and much more.
Read it: Wax with Wright

For those of you who don't know, NT Wright is the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and probably the world's leading New Testament scholar. He studied at Oxford and Cambridge, was a former professor at McGill and Oxford, and was previously the Canon Theologian of Westminster.

Vancouver and Out

2008-04-10T10:15:00.004-06:00

Tonight we will be getting on a plane in Seattle to head back to Denver. It has been a heck of a time, and much needed. Jenny made an interesting point when she told me she had planned this trip. She said, "Well, we are heading to Nepal in just ten months, and then we will be there for several years. By the time we come back, we may already have children or we will be ready to have children. This could be our last chance to travel around our home country without kids." I thought it was a good point, and it has turned out to be a remarkable trip.

The highights of the last three days: tulip festival near Mount Vernon, wine tasting in the Pacific Northwest, exploring small coastal fishing villages, the town of Fair Haven, camping out in a small state park near the border, touring the University of British Columbia's Botanical gardens (amazing!), checking out Regent College (home of JI Packer and Eugene Peterson), walking down Jericho Beach, eating Afghan food, riding a tandem bike around Stanley Park and the seawall, exploring various old churches, having communion at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, , strolling through Gas Town and China Town, and having romantic meals in small coffee shops and cafes.

Pictures to come soon, and a post or two by Jenny... I promise.

Two Days Down

2008-04-07T09:30:00.004-06:00

Two days down in Seattle, and it is everything I hoped it would be. Romantic, exciting, new, beautiful and adventurous. Highlights so far: Pike Place Market, World's First Starbucks, Space Needle, the troll under the bridge, Capital Hill, Mars Hill Church, taking the ferry to Bainbridge, the brew pubs, and walking hand in hand with my lover around the city. We have stayed the last two nights in the Green Tortoise Hostel, but we are heading out today for Mount Vernon area. Stay tuned, and we'll keep you posted.

Unbelievable Birthday

2008-04-05T00:26:00.005-06:00

Well, my wife threw me an unbelievable birthday party tonight at the apartment. And aside from the Literary Study Bible (which I have been coveting for months), a membership to the Boulder Wine Club (from Jenny's parents), and the a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon (thanks Tim), the big surprise of the night is that my wife surpised me with a trip to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow (well, technically today)!!!

We are flying out for Seattle at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, going to Mars Hill Church on Sunday (I love that my wife knows me so well), checking out the original Starbucks, going to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, heading out to the San Juan Islands, and then we are going up to Vancouver. I have no idea how she pulled this off. She even got my shifts covered at work without me knowing. Unbelievable!!! My wife is indescribably thoughtful and amazing. I have never had such a birthday surprise in my life. I'll give a full report here when we get back.

I love you Jen.

Apostles to the Apostles

2008-04-03T00:19:00.005-06:00

If you believe, as I do, that God is sovereign in all of life, then what are the implications of the fact that He ordained that women be the first witnesses to the resurrection? Apostles to the Apostles if you will.

I'm not sure the weight of this reality has been sufficiently felt by modern evangelicalism, especially Reformed types like myself. It would have been an apolegetic liability to the early church, and yet, there it is, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Next Up

2008-04-02T22:34:00.003-06:00

...for those of you observing a Christian Calendar,

May 1st -- Day of Ascension

May 11th -- Pentecost

I'd love to hear from those of you who are thinking of observing these days and how you go about doing it. My wife and I started observing the Christian Calendar this past Advent season and it has been tremendously beneficial to both of us. As I've never celebrated either of these days before (my Reformation hertiage threw the baby out with the bath water), I'm still looking into exactly how Christains have gone about their discipline of celebration.

Tell Us How You Really Feel Piper

2008-03-31T11:10:00.002-06:00

The Good Bishop on The Mission of the Church

2008-03-30T18:57:00.002-06:00

Mission must urgently recover from its long-term schizophrenia. The split between saving souls and doing good in the world is not a product of the Bible or the gospel, but of the cultural captivity of both. The world of space, time, and matter is where real people live, where real communities happen, where difficult decisions are made, where schools and hospitals bear witness to the "now, already" of the gospel while police and prisons bear witness to the "not yet."...And the church that is renewed by the message of Jesus' resurrection must be the church that goes to work precisely in that space, time, and matter. -- N.T. Wright

Ballard Update

2008-03-30T17:52:00.003-06:00

Well, sorry we have been away from the blogosphere lately, but here (by popular demand) is a quick update:

Jenny and I are enjoying marriage tremendously. We keep waiting for it to get proverbially difficult, but it continues to be nothing but pleasant.

Jenny is working at Pharmaca and I am still working at BSH. Our jobs are good as far as jobs go. We enjoy them, but we are really looking forward to heading to the Himalayas.

We have a Nepali language helper here in Boulder who is slowly but surely helping our language training come along.

We went up and did some hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park this week and got some much needed time in nature. We are looking forward to spring here on the front range and getting in mountains as much as possible.

Books we've been reading:
Surprised by Hope
The Reason for God
Cultural History of Nepal
Kingdom Under Siege: History of Nepal's Maoist Movement
The Resurrection of the Son of God
Dancing with Siva
History of Tibet
Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees

Nepal Update

2008-03-30T17:22:00.003-06:00

Well, Nepal has been in quite a whirlwind these past few weeks, and we have been keeping up with events as we prepare to head to Kathmandu in about 10 months. In fact, you might say that things are a bit of a mess over there. If it is not, it will do until the mess gets there. For those of you who are interested, here is a rundown of the latest events:

A Maoist Bomb Killed Two Yesterday in Jajarkot

Two Were Killed by a Bomb in Biratnagar on Friday

Nepalese Police Arrested 84 Protesting Tibetan Exiles on Saturday

Peace Rehabilitation Center

2008-02-20T16:07:00.006-07:00

These are some very informative videos about the organization that Jenny and I will be moving to Nepal to help with next year.

Part 1

Part 2

Seminary Anyone?

2008-02-20T14:05:00.002-07:00

Thinking about going to seminary? Currently in seminary? Check this out:

For Theological Students

Peter the Brave (or Going for the Kill)

2008-02-17T13:29:00.002-07:00

Some thoughts on a conversation I had with a good friend a few months ago.

My Issues

2008-02-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

With 2008 being an election year, and with myself being a blogger with professed political interest, I thought it was time to show my cards. What follows is a rundown of issues that I think are important, my position, where that position falls on the left/right spectrun, and an explanation of my position. Please feel free to interact with me on this one. I would appreciate feedback.

War: Anti-war. Abolish war. Get the troops the heck out of Iraq. Close down our overseas miltary bases. (Left) In light of the New Testament's radical teachings about enemy love, the global communion of believers, Jesus's command to love our neighbor, and my belief that our journeys should, as much as possible, resemble the destination - which is a place where swords are beaten into plowshears and where they shall learn war no more - I am opposed to war in all forms, and for all reasons. I believe that Jesus' example of willingly suffering evil in order to overcome that evil is the only way out of the vicious cycle of wars and more wars, and I believe that the so called "just war" theory has gone over like a lead balloon. I insist that to resort to warfare, even for a moral end, is to adopt a means inconsistent with the Christian’s calling. The Christian Gospel is primarily a message of love and peace, and militarism & imperialism stand in stark contrast to the way of Jesus.

Abortion: Pro-Life / Anti-Abortion (Right) I hope and pray (not nearly with the tears that I should) that abortion will one day be just as abhorable and reprehensible as slavery. This use of catch phrases is surely tired. “Right to choose.” “Equal rights for women.” The grandchildren of the sixties are waking up to the vagueness and danger of those phrases. Right to choose what? Anything? All laws that protect children limit the rights of moms (and dads) to choose. You can’t choose to starve them. You can’t choose to lock them in closets for three weeks. You can’t choose to abandon them. You can’t choose to strangle them five minutes after they are born. And “equal rights for women”—equal with whom? Equal with the irresponsible dad. Dad has sex and bears no responsibility for the baby. Mom should be equally able to have sex and bear no responsibility for the baby. Young people are looking at this and saying: Something is wrong with this picture. Maybe our lives are as broken as they are because our parents have twisted their hearts and minds so deeply to justify equality in irresponsibility.

Health Care : Universal. Possibly socialized, at least subsidized. (Left) Why not? We have socialized education in this country. Why? Because we believe that an educated country is a better off country. In the same way, a healthy society is better than an unhealthy one. We also have socialized fire departments, police departments, roadways, etc., and we have managed to not become marxist commies. If you can find money to kill Iraqis, then you can find money to help Americans. We are the only large, developed country that hasn't clued in on this.

Marriage: Get the government out of my marriage (Far Right - almost Libertarian). Marriage is a religious institution, not a civil one. The government shouldn't have anything to say about my marriage. You cannot legislate righteousness. I am interested in the ideas of civil unions for govenmental purposes.

Imperialism: Anti-Empire, Anti-Imperialism (Left) America is becoming a defacto empire, especially through the arm of uncontrolled American-based global corporations. Which leads me to my next point....

Corporations: Stronger anti-trust laws. Limit corporate power. (Left) Corporations control our country and our foreign policy more than the politicians do, and certainly more than the People (capital P) do, and they aren't governed by conscience, they are governed by earning. This is getting out of hand. Time to pull in the reigns.

Capitalism: Conscious Capitalism (I can't find this on the political spectrum). I support capitalism as the best economic system that we have come up with so far, but this social darwinianism of earning as much as you can at whatever cost is maddness. We need a capitalism that has social, environmental, and moral boundaries.

Guns: Right to bear arms, not assault rifles and grenade launchers. (Slight Right). People should be able to own guns for sport and for hunting. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. However, I can see nothing good that can come from M16 wielding citizens.

Education: More funding, better pay for teachers. (Moderate) Our children are our future. An educated society is harder to govern, and that is a good thing. Governments should be afraid of their people, no the other way around. Everyone benefits from an educated society.

Taxes: No more IRS. Back to the gold standard. Sales Taxes, not Income Taxes (Far Right) We need to stop printing money out of thin air. AND, the Federal Reserve is a private (!) bank. What the heck? Tax spending so that people who are trying to be frugal and save aren't punished, and people who have money to spend on Ferraris carry more of the burden.

Death Penalty: No more. Done. (Left) We need a consistent ethic of human life. No war. No abortion. No death penalty.

Peace: Department. (My own idea) We have a Department of Defense, and a Department of Homeland Securtiy (waste of money), why not a Department of Peace.

Democracy: The fairest, most just system of governing a society that we have thought up so far...if people show up to vote!!! It is not without it's flaws. Perhaps in the future we will have something even better. Until then, democracy is where it is at.

Two Party System: Bad (Left?) We need more parties that more acurately reflect the people who are registered under them. This would also force us to learn to work together.

Political Accountability: More (?) Politicians should be held to account for their good and bad decisions by more than just getting voted out if they do a bad job. That seems very a very trite punishment for starting an unjust war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Campaign Financing: Gov't Financed (Left) Each candidate should get a set amount of money to spend from the public, and that is all they get. This keeps rich elites from always running the show, and it keeps the influence of corporate lobbies at a minimum.

There you have it, or at least a part of it. As you can see, I don't light up particularly well with either party, so I have got my work cut out for me when it comes to voting (which I strongly believe in).

The Smart Shepherd

2008-02-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

I know I just did a post on Keller, but NewsWeek just did an article on him that is a must read. Check it: The Smart Shepherd

Update: I just read the article again, and it is really and truly worth your time.

Keller's Reasons

2008-02-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Tim Keller's new book The Reason for God comes out in a week or so. Tim Keller (along with John Piper and NT Wright) has had some of the most profound impact on my life and living. This is the first book that he has written for the general public, and I am anxious to get it in my hands (He wrote a book entitled Ministries of Mercy for people in "vocational Christian service" a few years back).

His church, Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, has put up some free sermons related to the book. Whether you read the book or not, I really recommend them. Enjoy:

Exclusivity: How can there be just one true religion?

Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?

Absolutism: Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves?

Injustice: Hasn't Christianity been an instrument for oppression?

Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an angry Judge?

Doubt: What should I do with my doubts?

Literalism: Isn't the Bible historically unreliable and regressive?

TIME Magazine interviews Wright

2008-02-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

TIME Magazine just interviewed NT Wright about his new book Surprised by Hope and his views on Heaven.

Read the interview here.

Another Book to Get Excited About

2008-02-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy by Steve Monsma

“Urgent, compelling, readable. An important book on a crucial topic. Monsma’s entire life—as a successful politician and a gifted professor of political science—has prepared him to write this clear, compelling book. Every Christian with any interest in politics should read it.” —Ronald J. Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action

“Monsma is one of the most important scholars writing on church-state issues today. This latest contribution is perhaps his finest work. It brings together his wide-ranging knowledge of the history of politics and jurisprudence with a theological seriousness that is often lacking in church-state scholarship.” —Francis J. Beckwith, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, Baylor University

About the Author

STEVE MONSMA is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and professor emeritus of political science at Pepperdine University. He has published widely in the fields of church-state relations and faith-based nonprofit organizations.