Religion has developed a bad reputation in the western world. A major reason for this is that certain ideologies and political opportunists have hijacked Christian religion (in the west. Same thing happens in the east with other religions.) to maintain political dominance. As a result of this all too obvious fusion of Christian religion with a particular political and ideological position, those who don’t buy the politics simply discard Christianity and religion in general as a stooge for what they see as oppressive politics. In this note, I would like to demonstrate that what is needed is exactly the opposite of what all the “I’m spiritual but not religious” and “I’m atheist because your religion is bad” claim. Read more…
Demo kratia and Ecclesia
We fled back to the Cyclades Islands to escape the oppressive 107 degree heat of the mainland cities. The islands always have a breeze and because of the blue Aegean Sea all around, the temperatures are always moderated between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Here on the island of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades, we took a bus tour of the island where you can learn about 6,000 years of civilization. One the highest mountain on the island (1,000 meters or about 3,300 feet), you can visit the Temple of Demeter.
Demeter was the goddess of grain and the harvest. People believed it was Demeter who made the crops grow each year, so the first loaf of bread made from the harvest each year was offered in sacrifice to her (sound familiar?). More broadly, she was the goddess of the earth, of agriculture and fertility (including human). She also presided over the justice of sacred law and the cycle of life and death. Her cult predated the Olympian Pantheon by centuries. Read more…
Church and State Revisited
I am, and many Americans are almost reflexively opposed to any conjunction of church and state. But if you think about how the modern state and modern religion got started (in 1500 BC), you will find there were lots of mutually reinforcing and important connecting points. Things such as adjudicating common civil disputes such as land boundaries, commerce, weights and measures, contracts, etc. In ancient Israel, from Moses to the second century AD, religious authorities also served as civil magistrates. To the north, in Greece, temple priests served similar roles. The system worked for centuries. Read more…
View of the Ancient Mariner
After two solid days of touring Athens with its fabulous archaeological sites, museums, churches, restaurants and shops, we made our way to Corinth. You will recall Corinth (“Korinthos” in Greek) as one of the Greek cities where the apostle Paul founded a community of believers (they would not be called “Christian” for another 30 years). Today there is a modern city of Corinth (population 37,000) located right on the water. One part of the waterfront is devoted to small scale commercial import/export and fishing, while the majority of the waterfront is dedicated to tourism with hotels, bars and restaurants. We will visit the ancient city of Archaea Korinthos (five miles inland) later today, but from our hotel room I keep staring across the water at the northern shore of the Gulf of Corinth. There is a formidable, 3,000 foot high mountain rising straight up from the water, running ten miles east and west. The water is crystal blue, the winds are light and variable. Who wouldn’t enjoy sailing in paradise?
Hero Central
At VBS Hero Central, kids will enjoy an interactive, energizing, Bible-based good time as they discover their strength in God. They will become Heroes and explore how to serve God and God’s mission for their lives.
After a high-energy opening assembly at Hero Central, the Heroes make their way to the Bible Story Headquarters. Interactive Bible lessons reveal Hero Codes to equip your Heroes for an active life with God. Our Heroes will discover a Hero Verse (Bible memory verse) that will remain with them in their faith long after VBS.
The kids will expand on what they’ve discovered by participating in a variety of activities: making their own art projects at Craft Headquarters, singing new songs at Music Headquarters, exploring the wonders of creation at Science Headquarters, playing games at Recreation Headquarters, and enjoying tasty treats at Snack Headquarters. Along the way, the Heroes will hear about our mission project and respond to a call for action!
Let’s go!
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I borrowed the title of this entry from Clinton-era poet-laureate, Maya Angelou’s book of poetry by the same title. It hints at knowing oppression (caging) firsthand; understanding why; and giving voice to that. In almost two weeks in a country infused with Greek Orthodox Church tradition, I have yet to find a single person who attends church even once a month on Sundays. My brief exposure to “the church” attending a couple of services underscored the fact that, at 65, I was the youngest person attending each time.
Last night I watched while the Orthodox priests took down the Greek flag from the church yard. No solemnity or reverence for the flag – why would they feel that? The act was done with the same emotional content as taking out the trash – just another chore at the church. But on this 4th of July, when we celebrate the sacrifices made by the founders of the United States, makes me look at the differences in church-state relations with a new perspective. Read more…
In Praise of Clear Language
Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας or τῆς πίστεως
The Symbol of Nicea, Symbol of Faith
One of the dozen or so books I will devour in the coming weeks is titled “Do I Make Myself Clear?”* by Sir Harold Evans, (hard-hitting British journalist who resides in the US and has held leading journalist positions with US News and World Report, The Atlantic Monthly and currently editor-at-large for The Week). I commend this book to every English-speaker who wishes to be clear in their written and vocal expressions. We have a clear warrant from scripture for this where Jesus tells us to basically say “Yes” or “No” to things and not insert a lot of words. Words are important. They can commit murder and they can lift up the brokenhearted.
I see our American language and culture as a victim of marketing gobbledy-gook. First the marketers used words to tell lies. For example, they changed the size description of ordinary laundry detergent from “Small,” “Medium” and “Large” to words more attractive to the consumer such as “Economy,” “Value” and “Giant.” God help us. This process has continued ad nauseum with commercial products, but worse, with politics. I’m not sure who came first in this arms race to the bottom, but here is what George Orwell says in his 1946 polemic Politics and the English Language, about the use of words in politics, “Political language—and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservative to anarchist—is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” Read more…
Leaving Home
I have traveled abroad dozens of times on business. When you know all the flight attendants by name on particular airline routes, you are probably flying too much. But this time was different. We went to seminary together as a family and it was a great adventure for all of us. The business travel was all just so much road warrior stuff. But this time was different. Read more…
Coming & Going
I’m on a puddle-jumper flight from Houston to Tulsa. The ceiling on this aircraft is about one inch taller than I am so I am thankful to have shrunk an inch in these later years, otherwise I wouldn’t fit. Air travel is an exercise in faith and trust. We don’t know who the pilot is. We don’t know the mechanics who worked on the plane. We don’t know all the ground support for takeoff and landing. But we trust the system and to some extent, we have faith in the system.
When we board an aircraft, we don’t demand to see the pilot’s credentials. “Prove to me that you have 10,000 hours IFR multi-engine experience.” We don’t insist that all the mechanics have clean records and up to date training. Yet many people today require the same kind of proof for the existence of God. To me, this is both ironic and sad. Read more…
From the Heart
I attended two other churches the first two weeks away and last weekend I went fishing with my brother and best friend in Missouri. Stopping by church this week, I saw B. J., Carol and Ken. I have run into other parish members in other venues too. I miss everyone. Sundays just aren’t the same.
Seminary training is still infected with the 1970s concept of “professionalism” and the idea of the minister as a quasi-therapist. In this approach, the clergy is to maintain a professional distance from members of the parish. While I acknowledge the importance of professional boundaries, and I strive to maintain them, it seems that such an approach is simply not Christ-like. Read more…