Something Understood

breaking down and building up at seminary

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  • Bits and Pieces over the next few days

    Breakfast this morning: crumpets and Marmite. Might pop over to The City today and wander around Chinatown for a while.

    Monday night we're having dinner with some neighbors and then watching the first episode of The Riches. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver? We have to give it a go.

    Tuesday night we're going to Zellerbach Hall on the Cal campus to hear Stephen Hawking.

    And as I'm writing this, Wales have just taken the lead in their rugby match against Italy.




  • Anglo-Catholic Socialism

    Within the broad sphere of Anglican/Episcopalian identities, Anglo-Catholicism holds a small but important place. Other than that it is the "High Church" end of the spectrum, though, no clear definition of Anglo-Catholicism exists.

    Once upon a time, it was easier. Anglo-Catholics wore albs when evangelicals would wear cassock and surplice. Anglo-Catholics would have candles on the altar. Anglo-Catholics would have Communion every Sunday, while the Evangelicals were having Morning Prayer most of the time. But things have changed. The Liturgical Renewal of the last century means that, really, most of these markers have been obliterated. Everyone's got candles now.

    Anglo-Catholics, certainly, are likely to have liturgies that are more ceremonially effusive; more "smells and bells". But Anglo-Catholicism goes beyond what is essentially an aesthetic orientation. There's theology and history underlying all of this.

    But not just one theology. The Oxford Movement, which most consider to the be the birth of Anglo-Catholicism, became primarily a conservative movement, especially after Newman became Roman Catholic. Even now, the conservative, traditionalist wing of Anglo-Catholicism is well organized and represented, with such groups as Forward in Faith, and such bishops as +Iker (Fort Worth), +Ackerman(Quincy).

    And yet there is a liberal, progressive Anglo-Catholic wing, too. Dating back to the time of Charles Gore and F. D. Maurice, Anglo-Catholicism's focus on the Incarnation has found sympathetic resonance with Christian Socialism. In England, the Jubilee Group started in 1974, and finally, recently, gave way to the Society of Sacramental Socialists. Getting away from socialism, there is also Affirming Catholicism, which has both UK and US branches (although the US branch seems to have gone a bit quiet of late) which is dedicated to the broad progressive approach within Anglo-Catholicism.




  • Had a small earthquake this evening

    3.4, according to the early reports, and only about a mile from here.




  • Friday night ponder

    I've just been quickly scanning some of the humanist/freethinker/skeptic sites linked to by Geoff, and I see lots of statements about "God as a scientific hypothesis" and attacks on a God that is apparently supernatural, omniscient, and omnipotent. I do wonder, first of all, how well versed some of these people are on the wide range of theological positions are out there now, and if they are aware that few Christians that I know view God as "a scientific hypothesis". I don't suppose it would matter, since theirs is not a scientific enterprise, but a rhetorical and evangelical one.

    Still, it gives me delight to see that the essentialist certainty of modernism is alive and well.

    Maybe "delight" is not the word for it.




  • "The Episcopal Church's struggles concern us all"

    A piece written by the Right Rev'd Barry Beisner, Bishop of Northern California, which appeared this Tuesday in the San Francisco Chronicle:


    Major changes in the Episcopal Church -- such as the selection of a woman to be the leader of the church and election of an openly gay man as bishop in New Hampshire -- are roiling the Protestant denomination that is as old as our democracy itself. The turmoil has, for some, called into question our commitment to the global Anglican Communion to which the Episcopal Church belongs. Congregations in some of our oldest parishes in Virginia have voted to leave the Episcopal Church.

    Here in Northern California, members of the congregation of St. John's in Petaluma have voted to leave the Episcopal Church while affirming their desire to remain Anglican. Other churches, even in other Christian denominations, are also engaged in much the same struggles, with many of the same dynamics. These sisters and brothers in Christ are likely to have an empathetic interest, and maybe even an enlightened self-interest, in how our drama plays out.

    But what about those who are not Christian, or part of any religious tradition? Why should they care? Let me suggest two reasons: First, the Episcopal Church has contributed significantly to the moral formation and spiritual life of many people who have, in turn, helped to shape American society. Many of our presidents have been Episcopalians: George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, to name a few. If our values of tolerance, our concern for commonwealth and willingness to make use of compromise to achieve community seem relevant to American society today, then maybe it would be a good thing if the Episcopal Church were manifesting more, not less, of those values. If you care about the erosion of civility and general polarization going on in America, you might think of the Episcopal Church as a canary in the mine shaft.

    Second, if you look at our social agenda -- our commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, to civil rights, and to the creation of a more just and truly peaceful world -- and if you care about those things also, you would do well to think of us as allies.

    We have many allies worldwide; South Africa's Desmond Tutu is an Anglican archbishop and his daughter is an Episcopal priest in the United States. Sadly, however, there are good and faithful people who have chosen to leave the Episcopal Church because they find our recent changes intolerable. Meanwhile, those who desire the full inclusion of baptized Christians in the full life of the church celebrate the changes.

    It is probably fair to say that the vast majority of Episcopalians are somewhere in the middle: uncertain about such changes, but determined to remain Episcopalians.

    In the Diocese of Northern California, which includes Sonoma County, there are 70 congregations besides St. John's, and none has taken steps to leave. There will continue to be a St. John's Episcopal Church in Petaluma, though the work of reorganization and settlement of property issues will take time. What those Episcopalians who choose to remain generally have in common, despite their differences on issues of human sexuality and many other matters, are core values of tolerance and respect for all members, regardless of their positions.

    Anglicanism, when it is truest to its own nature, is comprehensive, celebrating diversity in thought and practice, and forever seeking to include all at the table. That, too, is part of the shared heritage of Anglicanism.

    As Queen Elizabeth I said in establishing our Book of Common Prayer, Anglicans may believe what they wish, as long as they pray together. It is why Episcopalians and Anglicans have been drawn to the idea of the via media -- the middle way -- understanding itself to be a bridge between churches of widely divergent opinion.

    Our commitment as Episcopalians is made at baptism when we vow to "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself," and to "respect the dignity of every human being." And it is upon that vow that I believe our church will ultimately find reconciliation.

    If you are a person of faith, please pray for us. And if you are a person of goodwill, seeking the good of this country, understand that diversity can only make us stronger. Don't give up on keeping conversation about controversial topics civil and lively. Invite us to join you in your work. And please ask us to do a better job of being Anglicans, and hold us accountable.




  • New Semester

    The new semester is underway. I'm taking the second half of Field Ed, which (as it was last semester) combines coursework and class discussion with our ongoing experiences in our field education parishes. It's the only course I'm taking at CDSP this semester.

    The others:

    Since the GTU is a consortium of seminaries and research centers, we have the opportunity to take classes in a variety of classrooms, from a variety of professors. It's quite refreshing to meet a new group of people and get the perspectives of other denominations.




  • New Year's Resolutions: Charities

    For the new year, C and I are thinking about joining, or donating to, some charities, especially in light of our road trip through California, Nevada, and Arizona (and yesterday's day-trip to the Marin Headlands). Where to begin, though, when there are so many nonprofits, and some are more effective than others. I've found a couple of guides, and I'll list them here. Send me more if you find them, and I'll put them up.




  • Driving for Christmas

    C and I drove down to her parents' place in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas. It was chilly, but sunny down there. Las Vegas is a mad, sprawling place, but it's generally at its least crowded around Christmas, and the mountains that ring the Las Vegas Basin are gorgeous.

    We did a lot of driving over the past week. We went down in two days, stopping to have lunch with my relatives in Carmel, and spending the night in Bakersfield before cutting across the Mojave Desert. See the route here.

    The day after Christmas, we drove over to the Grand Canyon, which was beautiful and cold with the odd sprinkling of snow. Here's the route map for that trip. On the way back towards Flagstaff from the Grand Canyon, we stopped off at two other National Park sites which happen to be right next to each other. The first, Wupatki National Monument, is one of the largest pueblo structures in the Southwest. Around the time that the Normans were settling in Britain, this was the largest and most important pueblo on the Colorado Plateau. We also visited Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, which is only about 25 miles south of Wupatki, and which volcano was erupting around the same time that Wupatki was being settled. The geography and flora are wildly diverse around here; high-desert mesa scrubland gives way to piñon pine forest around the next hill.

    Driving back home, we through Death Valley National Park and up the Owens Valley on the Eastern Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We visited Manzanar National Monument, which, during World War II, was an internment camp for more than 10,000 Japanese internees. It's cold and windy in the winter, and hot and dusty in the summer. Much of the physical structures of the site are gone, stripped soon after the war for building materials. The street layout remains, and a driving tour gives you an idea of the rows after rows of wood and tarpaper sheds that were the homes for thousands. The interpretive exhibit in the former auditorium is excellent. We spent the night in Bishop, and got back on the road by 6:30 this morning. We continued North, dipped back into the corner of Nevada, and then turned West to head through Luther Pass in the Sierras, which picks up US-50 just South of Lake Tahoe. Through the mountains, past Folsom (of Folsom Prison fame), Sacramento, and then home. Here's the route.

    Each of the three drives was more than 600 miles, and I'm going to treat the car to a wash and wax tomorrow.




  • Semester Complete

    Last week was Finals week, so I'm done with my third semester of seminary. I had a productive and positive wrap-up with the Lay Committee and my supervisor at my Field Ed parish. For Ethics, I wrote a 10 page paper detailing the structure and content of a theoretical parish workshop about Christian response(s) to consumerism. My modern church history/theology final consisted of three essays, each 1000 words maximum, chosen from six available topics. I did the Doctrine of Creation read through Catherine Keller, Lewis Ford, and Paul Tillich, and contrasted with Babylonian, Maori, Tongan, and Pomo creation stories. I did the Doctrine of God as extracted from three Christian preachers writing during the American War for Independence. I did the social development of the Episcopal Church.

    It was a bit of a grueling semester, in part, I think, because the reality of the "professional" affiliation to the church is starting to settle in. This has little to do with "organized religion" (whatever that is; religion is inherently organized, as it always involves the sharing of spiritual stories and myths with a community) and more to do with the relationship between individual and organization in general. Any individual worth his or her self-reflective and thoughtful self will, it is hoped, be critical of the institutions, systems, and philosophies that surround them, and yet such institutions are very often useful, and certainly have the potential to get a lot of good work done. How does one manage the tension between allegiance and loyalty to institutions and organizations, while at the same time being critical of those same bodies, and pushing them towards accountability and goodness? It doesn't matter what the organization is, you see, the same applies to one's relationship to government, "nation", the library, the PTA, your employer, your family — any group, really, to which you have an affiliation.

    People in the church, I think, are held to higher standards. This is probably something to do with the general assumption that the church (the institution of the church, that is) is supposed to be a repository of moral rectitude. It's increasingly difficult in this society, with its curious blend of vehement secularism and gasping Christian Imperialism. On one hand, the secularist wing of society doesn't afford churches any particular moral authority, but will be quick to criticize when people affiliated with the church screw up. On the other hand, the politics of Christian Imperialism wraps power and jingoism in religious language, which means that both morality and doctrine are subsumed beneath the assumptions of domination. Neither credits human fallibility within a world of divine humility. We live in a world which thinks that it knows what truth is, what knowledge is, what religion is, what spirituality is, what church is, what "religious people" are supposed to do, and how to go about combatting those who disagree with you.

    It's a hell of a place to try to set up shop.

    However, Christmas is nigh. In the midst of struggle and strife and confusion, there is a baby in a manger. In the midst of all of our assumptions about what God must be like (and even atheists start from assumptions about what God must be like if only God existed) there is vulnerable child God who has come to dwell with us here on earth. Merry Christmas, and peace on earth.




  • The Tallis Scholars tonight

    Tonight, C and I are off to the First Congregational Church on the other side of Berkeley to see the wonderful Tallis Scholars. Here's the setlist:

    TALLIS: Loquebantur variis linguis
    
TYE: Missa Western Wynde
    
INTERVAL
    
de MONTE: O suavitas et dulcedo
    
de MONTE: O bone Jesu
    
PALESTRINA: O bone Jesu
    
TAVERNER: Quemadmodum
    
TAVERNER: Mater Christi

    And, ps, dad, they're at Town Hall in Seattle tomorrow.




  • Greatest Living British Icon?

    Ooo, what a good question. Who's your pick for the greatest living British icon? David Bowie? Michael Caine? Kate Moss? Kate Bush?

    Stephen Fry, bless him, can't hope to compete with David Attenborough though, can he?




  • Touch Judge Training, and England win

    I drove up to Sacramento this morning for 3 1/2 hours of training to become a level 1 certified Touch Judge. This means that I'm, ostensibly, certified to run up and down the side of the rugby pitch, waving a flag whenever the ball goes out. It seems pretty straightforward, but, for instance, if someone is standing outside the playing field and the ball comes towards him and he bats the ball back towards the field, is it out ("in touch") or not? And what happens if you take the ball into in-goal (what American football would call the "end zone") and someone from the opposing team grabs the ball from you before you touch it down, and then you push that guy out the back of the in-goal area? Anyway, I'm now certified. Excellent. In a little bit of time, with a bit more training, I'll be able to start judging touch at games around here.

    And speaking of rugby, I'm terrifically glad that England finally won an international match, 23-21, over South Africa. We're a long way from the England XV that took the last RWC in 2003, but it's nice to have a win.




  • The Grinding Heart of the Semester

    This is my third semester now, and so I feel like I can speak as an expert. Hitting this part of the semester is always rough. The initial excitement of the semester gives way to the horrid realization of the amount of work involved, which gives way to the stress of mid-term season, which then breaks through into "reading week". This gives us a week off from classes (but not from Field Ed, reading, or schoolwork) and acts as a little bit of a breather.

    Then it's back to the grind, and we're still a month away from the end of the semester. I still have hundreds of pages of reading to do and several assignments. I'm done with preaching, though. I preached the last of my in-class sermons for Homiletics. I picked Trinity Sunday, which is a very, very difficult thing to preach about. I've been trying to put together a post on the topic, but I just can't sum it up. Just like the Trinity really. It's an important doctrine, really. Foundational to the whole of Christianity, in fact, but it isn't anything that can be said clearly enough, correctly enough, obviously enough. If you can't hammer a square shaped peg into a round hole, just try hammering a God-shaped God into a triangular hole. It's hard work. Thing is, I tend to take an apophatic and mystical approach to divinity. I think that God exists around the edges of comprehension, which means I have a bit of hard time trying to "explain" doctrine.

    Anyway, I'm blowing off steam. C and I just watched The Shipping News, which was wonderful. It has Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench, which generally spells instant-OK for me, and it was a beautiful movie. I've been following the pitiful performance of England during the November rugby Internationals, and C & I have been talking and dreaming about the British Isles.

    Anyway, I'm off to bed. Long day tomorrow. Drop me a line.




  • Christology 101

    At my Field Ed parish last night, the confirmation class was talking about the Creed. Our job was to identify which parts of the Nicene Creed touched on God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church respectively. We were then going to vote to accept or reject each line, and possibly add in elements that we wanted to include. The end result was for the class to create their own creed, and more importantly to stimulate conversation about these theological points.

    We had a good amount of discussion and debate around the nature of Jesus Christ in particular. The debate revolved around whether, if Jesus was in any part divine, he could be human. One argument was that, basically, if Jesus was God then he couldn't be truly and fully human. And if Christ was not truly human, then he didn't really die on the Cross. Now, students of theology will recognize this immediately as docetism, which was, of course, determined to be a heresy, and I mentioned this fact to the students. One of them expressed surprise and delight that the questions that she had were in fact serious questions from the history of the Church; I think there was a sense of connection to the broader "theological mind" of the Church.

    We ran short of time, and I made a decision not to immediately go to the standard Scriptural refutations of docetism (i.e. John 1:1;14 and 1 John 4:2-3). I also didn't want to start a discussion of the Incarnation and how it would be different if Jesus wasn't also human. The discussion was lively and spirited, and I'm very happy with the results. Of course, I tend towards a more orthodox Christology, but that's not the point. The point was that the class was engaged in theological discussion and reflection around key issues in the Church.

    And for those of us in seminary, or who are preachers and teachers, we need to be aware that just because the Creed was written to combat heresies doesn't mean that people in the pews have their doctrine all worked out. We have a teaching job to do, and it simply isn't enough to stand up and recite the Creed once a week.




  • A liberal Episcopalian considers Rome?

    I got an email yesterday from a friend of mine (whose permission I have to post about this). He's a cradle Episcopalian, but he's grappling with a decision to leave for the Roman Catholic church. It's not the first time that an Anglican has considered this, but what is surprising to me is that he's such a liberal. He's solidly in support of the ordination of women and of the ordination of gay men and lesbians. He thinks Katherine is a fine choice for Presiding Bishop (and congratulations on her installation today).

    He's thinking about leaving because he's sick of the conservative end-runs around established order and due process in the Anglican Communion, and he's sick of the bitterness and the infighting. In his email he wrote:

    At least you know what you get with the Catholics. At least there are enough of them that you can find a group of liberal ones who are doing some good in the world. Give me a conservative city with a cool neighborhood than a cool town where everybody's always fighting.

    I've responded with a couple of questions about how serious he is, and asked him to keep me informed. These are trying and complicated times.




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