I like the adult forum at the Chruch of the Really Really Blonde People, but this week, as other weeks as well, the lecture seemed above my head. The lectures are about Church history or the early Christian church in the Greco-Roman world. At times my eyes have glossed over. I wasn't bored but I was a bit lost, like turning up at a graduate level class without having read the assigned reading. I try to remember what I can about Plato, or all the things I studied in college about the English Civil War and the Reformation, and this creaky brain just doesn't work as I would like it to.
I will continue to attend the forums. When I get something it is quite helpful in shaping my view of things going on in the world and in the ECUSA.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Saturday, February 19, 2005
ECUSA Church's mission
I really do like the church of the really blonde people (eventhough the church of the gay lawyer has better social outings).
So much I let them take money automatically out of my banking account.
So last week's topic in the adult seminar was on the two dueling missions of the Christian church, a) the spiritual bring people out of the world and the slightly materialistic b) go into the world and make it a better place. With that there was also addressing the problems with the Episcopal church and the church's mission.
I loved the ending questions of:
1. Why are we so uncomfortable with sharing our faith?
2. Is mission inevitably spirtual if not material colonialism?
3. Should mission extend to peoples of other faiths or simply people with no identifiable faith?
That last question I liked. The answer provided was from the 1998 Lambeth Conference where it was decided that "Frank & honest exploration of both eht common ground and the differences between faiths... a desire to both listen to people of all faiths and to express our own deepests Christian beliefs, leaving the final outcome of our life and witness in the hands of G-d". I took it to mean, be authentically Christian, listen to your Islamic and Jewish friends, and when it comes to judgement leave it to the Father.
Another topic the speaker touched on that I liked was heaven and hell. Heaven is where the Father resides if you wanna chill and continue to worship and praise him then heaven is the place for you. If you have very little interest in G-d then you go where he is not, he does not destroy your soul, you remain, but away from the love that is the almighty, regretting that you did not develop a love of him. To be away from the love that he is, is hell.
So much I let them take money automatically out of my banking account.
So last week's topic in the adult seminar was on the two dueling missions of the Christian church, a) the spiritual bring people out of the world and the slightly materialistic b) go into the world and make it a better place. With that there was also addressing the problems with the Episcopal church and the church's mission.
I loved the ending questions of:
1. Why are we so uncomfortable with sharing our faith?
2. Is mission inevitably spirtual if not material colonialism?
3. Should mission extend to peoples of other faiths or simply people with no identifiable faith?
That last question I liked. The answer provided was from the 1998 Lambeth Conference where it was decided that "Frank & honest exploration of both eht common ground and the differences between faiths... a desire to both listen to people of all faiths and to express our own deepests Christian beliefs, leaving the final outcome of our life and witness in the hands of G-d". I took it to mean, be authentically Christian, listen to your Islamic and Jewish friends, and when it comes to judgement leave it to the Father.
Another topic the speaker touched on that I liked was heaven and hell. Heaven is where the Father resides if you wanna chill and continue to worship and praise him then heaven is the place for you. If you have very little interest in G-d then you go where he is not, he does not destroy your soul, you remain, but away from the love that is the almighty, regretting that you did not develop a love of him. To be away from the love that he is, is hell.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
No one is safe in war
The Anglican church is at war with itself.
A neighbor came by and then another and at some point while they were talking the subjects of abortion and Jesse's mom, an Episcopal minister, getting kicked out of her church. I stayed out of it. Too many landmines, and when you are a moderate you will piss someone off.
I think I have stated my own position as pro-death, but mainly I like consistancy. I feel strongly about the state being able to put citizens to death more so than the protection of all life. But I feel that it is right to ask at what point do you kill the fetus, when the heart beats? When the fetus starts sucking its thumb? When it can possibly live outside the womb? Can you kill the fetus to protect the life of the mother? Would it be right to force a woman to bear the child of her rapist? To bear a child with a condition? But you need to ask and not blindy abort and not blindly keep an unwanted pregnancy without asking the hard questions and look for the hard answers.
Now about Jesse's mom. That's hard. She has done such wonderful things in her career for the church. However the issue, according the the two neighbors, was his mom believes that homosexuality is something one is born as, fine, I believe the same thing. Her church believed differently. Since church is about belief, the church was correct in parting ways. It would be no different if they had parted ways on the issue of what was the communion, or the status of the virgin Mary. Right now the issue of sexuality is tearing apart the Communion, better to part ways than growing distrustful of each other in this battle.
We all need to ask what it is that we believe and why. Why is something wrong? Why is it right? Can it be neither? If the Bible is wrong, why bother following it at all? Why ignore some parts and cling to others? We can gleefully attack our enemies, dismiss them as evil or blind or stupid. But does that make us better people?
I believe in Jesus Christ, a Jewish carpenter, son of G-d and G-d, the 3 in 1 combo deal that is my faith. I try to follow through the understanding that we should be trying to understand the basic of love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Very simple but very hard. Extremly hard because your neighbors are abusive, lazy, nosy, stingy, mean, gossipy, lying, self-serving, horrid people with bad spending habits and you're not much better. And Lord, when you say love your neighbor what do you mean? Give them everything, let them run over you like a rug? What? So we leave it up to interpretation, and then get into trouble.
A neighbor came by and then another and at some point while they were talking the subjects of abortion and Jesse's mom, an Episcopal minister, getting kicked out of her church. I stayed out of it. Too many landmines, and when you are a moderate you will piss someone off.
I think I have stated my own position as pro-death, but mainly I like consistancy. I feel strongly about the state being able to put citizens to death more so than the protection of all life. But I feel that it is right to ask at what point do you kill the fetus, when the heart beats? When the fetus starts sucking its thumb? When it can possibly live outside the womb? Can you kill the fetus to protect the life of the mother? Would it be right to force a woman to bear the child of her rapist? To bear a child with a condition? But you need to ask and not blindy abort and not blindly keep an unwanted pregnancy without asking the hard questions and look for the hard answers.
Now about Jesse's mom. That's hard. She has done such wonderful things in her career for the church. However the issue, according the the two neighbors, was his mom believes that homosexuality is something one is born as, fine, I believe the same thing. Her church believed differently. Since church is about belief, the church was correct in parting ways. It would be no different if they had parted ways on the issue of what was the communion, or the status of the virgin Mary. Right now the issue of sexuality is tearing apart the Communion, better to part ways than growing distrustful of each other in this battle.
We all need to ask what it is that we believe and why. Why is something wrong? Why is it right? Can it be neither? If the Bible is wrong, why bother following it at all? Why ignore some parts and cling to others? We can gleefully attack our enemies, dismiss them as evil or blind or stupid. But does that make us better people?
I believe in Jesus Christ, a Jewish carpenter, son of G-d and G-d, the 3 in 1 combo deal that is my faith. I try to follow through the understanding that we should be trying to understand the basic of love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Very simple but very hard. Extremly hard because your neighbors are abusive, lazy, nosy, stingy, mean, gossipy, lying, self-serving, horrid people with bad spending habits and you're not much better. And Lord, when you say love your neighbor what do you mean? Give them everything, let them run over you like a rug? What? So we leave it up to interpretation, and then get into trouble.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Traits I look for in a guy
Today it could be summed up in how he genuflects and recites the Nicene Creed.
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