Sunday, March 30, 2008

good luck getting them to visit your town

Them Johannites are scarcer than summer squash in Antarctica.















But they'll be in San Francisco this May 2008.

egina3: hail Sophia, Hypatia, Eve, Mary, Lilith...

Jordan Stratford blogs at:
http://jordanstratford.blogspot.com/

A good little blog by a Gnostic priest, previously of http://egina2.blogspot.com/

Gnostic artsy talk continues.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

my rock


Last night I was struggling with my prayer. My mind was all over the place (as is perpetual), and I was getting frustrated that I couldn't concentrate. Then I noticed I was still "saying" my prayer. Like noticing my feet were still solidly planted on a flagstone even though I was staring at the clouds. I felt relieved and grateful, and very peaceful just then. My prayer was an anchor. And here was a presence, like honey, just gently and happily regarding me.

After a while longer, I stopped. I bowed my head and stretched from side to side. I sat back upright again and looked around at the room. The sofa and carpet and the clock and the lamps and television and chair and dog and books and cats were all still there. They and me were all each separate, but also each together.

I was still. Everything was still. Everything was still praying?

Amen.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

jesus for president?

Jesus for President.
Publisher’s Weekly review here:

Jesus for President Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Zondervan, $16.99 paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-310-27842-9 Here is the must-read election-year book for Christian Americans. What should Christians do when allegiances to the state clash with personal faith? Haw and Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution) slice through politics as usual and well past the superficial layers of the culture wars with their lucid exploration of how Christians can and should relate to presidents and kings, empire and government. Their entertaining yet provocative tour of the Bible's social and economic order makes even the most abstruse Levitical laws come alive for our era. They also provide a valuable political context for Christ's life, reminding readers that Jesus did not preach the need to put God back into government—he urged his followers to live by a different set of rules altogether, to hold themselves apart as peculiar people. The compelling writing is enhanced by a lavish, eye-popping layout. The pages are a riot of textured callouts, colors, photos and fonts—the perfect packaging for a message that must compete in a world of sound bites. With this second book, Claiborne emerges as an affable, intelligent, humorous prophet of his generation, calling people out of business-as-usual in a corrupt world and back to the radically different social order of the biblical God. (Mar.)


---

I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Top of head:

Let the president be the president, let the Christ be the Christ. Render unto Caesar. The Kingdom ain't political. Jesus wasn't a Marxist. "What you do to the least of these, you do to me." It ain't about butter nor guns -- but then how can it not be about butter or about guns? "The Kingdom is both within and without."

shane claiborne's litany

swank on liberation theology

Some of what Mr. Swank has said about Black Liberation Theology is true -- and he's made good points about the intent of Liberation Theology, I think. He hasn't always, though, and I read the general thrust of his take as wrongheaded. But this (link) is just nonsense.

And re: liberation theology generally: if those with worldly power have made you suffer by keeping you from participating in worldly power, it ain't fair and it ain't right, but, the Kingdom of Heaven is about rejecting worldly power altogether and embracing unconditional Love in the name of Jesus. Liberation comes through the practice of love, as I see it. Now I know there are those who understand Jesus' message as one primarily of social change and social justice -- and I can't deny that His message is also that. But the Kingdom? It isn't of this world. If we realize it though, it utterly transforms this world.

So it goes: Love, then Justice.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Just found my way to a copy of The Cost of Discipleship.

Rosicrucians

Rosicrucian Christian groups [wikipedia]:

Esoteric Christian Rosicrucian schools providing preparation through the occult study and the mystic living of the esoteric knowledge related to the inner teachings of Christianity.[36]

  • The Rosicrucian Fellowship, 1909/11: its teachings are Esoteric Christian and claim to present the mysteries, in the form of esoteric knowledge, which the Christ spoke of in Matthew 13:11 and Luke 8:10; it seeks to prepare the individual through harmonious development of the mind (occultist) and the heart (mystic) in a spirit of unselfish service to mankind and an all-embracing altruism. According to this Fellowship, the Rosicrucian Order was founded in the year 1313[37] and is composed by twelve exalted Beings gathered around a thirteenth, Christian Rosenkreuz; these great Adepts are presented as belonging to the human evolution but have already advanced far beyond the cycle of rebirth; their mission is explained as aiming to prepare the whole wide world for a new phase in religion—which includes awareness of the inner worlds and the subtle bodies, and to provide safe guidance in the gradual awakening of man's latent spiritual faculties during the next six centuries toward the coming Age of Aquarius.[38]
According to major occult writers, the Order of the Rose Cross is for the first time expounded in the major Christian literary work that has molded the subsequent spiritual views of the western civilization: The Divine Comedy (ca. 1308–1321) by Dante Alighieri.[39] [40] [41]

megachurch at wikipedia

McChurch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

McChurch is a McWord used to suggest that a particular church has a strong element of entertainment, consumerism or commercialism which obscures its religious aspects. The term is sometimes used as a derogatory synonym for megachurch.

Contents

[hide]

Elements of a McChurch

The precise origins of the term McChurch are unclear, dating back to at least the early 1990s. Prominent media sources using the term include:

Elements of a McChurch common to these and other sources include the following:

  • Gift shops, coffee shops, and other revenue-generating amenities incorporated into the main structure of the church building.
  • Services focus on presentation, via skits or music, at the expense of doctrinal discussion.
  • Placement in suburban or exurban areas to attract an upper middle class clientele, ostensibly to boost donations.
  • Participation in other revenue-generating activities, such as selling curriculum materials or franchising.

Despite these common elements, the term is understood differently by conventional (secular) and Christian media sources. Secular sources, such as McClory and Moody contend that a McChurch promotes socially conservative political philosophy. On the other hand, Christian sources such as Colson and Schaeffer define a McChurch's theology as unduly permissive, especially with respect to sexual behavior, which both authors suggest is a ploy to boost membership and donations.

Related words

A number of similar derogatory words having somewhat the same connotation of McChurch have arisen, including "God Incorporated," "ChristCo," "Six Flags Over Jesus," "McJesus," "Fort God", "Religion Lite", "McEucharist" and "Krispy Kreme Christianity".

See also

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Are you a member of a really big church? How does it help you? How does it hurt?

I remember some sociology class in college, the issue of consumer culture came up and we were talking about the advent of sunday morning shoppers -- those folks who, looking for some way to connect to their communities but not able to stomach a church service they felt was false, went out to Target or somewhere to do their shopping and see others from their town.

Has church, under megachurches, become a product to be consumed?

black liberation theology

Worth considering, these days, what with Barack Obama's preacher's sermons bringing the issue into wide discussion: Liberation Theology...

From Wikipedia is:

Theological basis

Black liberation theology is theology from the perspective of the African diaspora. The message of black theology is that the African American struggle for liberation is consistent with the gospel--every theological statement must be consistent with, and perpetuate, the goals of liberation. This theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage—social, political, economic and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination.

The modern American origins of contemporary black liberation theology can be traced to July 31, 1966, when an ad hoc group of 51 black pastors, calling themselves the National Committee of Negro Churchmen (NCNC), bought a full page ad in the New York Times to publish their "Black Power Statement," which proposed a more aggressive approach to combating racism using the Bible for inspiration.[1]

James Cone and Dwight Hopkins are considered the leading theologians of this system of belief, although now there are may scholars who have contributed a great deal to the field. It was Cone who in the spring of 1969 published the seminal work that systemized black liberation theology, Black Theology and Black Power (1969). In the book, Cone asserted that not only was black power not alien to the Gospel, it was, in fact, the Gospel message for all of 20th century America.[2][3]

Controversy

Controversy over the theology surfaced during the 2008 presidential campaign as Barack Obama strongly denounced some of Jeremiah Wright's speeches which had been called divisive by press stories. That pastor had stated that his church was founded on black theology. When tapes were put for sale by the church after Wright's retirement, ABC News publicized several controversial sermons. [4] Wright's sermons were heavily critical of the United States Government, saying of the events of September 11, 2001: "The stuff we have done overseas is brought right back into our homes". He also said "people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West went on its merry way of ignoring Black concerns."[5]In other sermons, he said "The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color", referring to AIDS origins theories, and "The government gives them the drugs [referring to the Iran-Contra Affair], builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people...God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme".[6][7][4]

South African Black theology

Black Theology was popularised in southern Africa in the early 1970s by Basil Moore, a Methodist theologian in South Africa. It helped to give rise to, and developed in parallel with, the Black Consciousness Movement. Black Theology was particularly influential in South Africa and Namibia for motivating resistance to apartheid.

Southern African black liberation theologians include Barney Pityana, Allan Boesak, Itumeleng Mosala and Zephania Kameeta.

Black religious scholars

North American black liberation theologians include:

In the United Kingdom, Dr Robert Beckford is the most well known black liberation theologian. He was the first theologian in the UK to develop and teach a course on Black Theology at an academic level. The International Journal of Black Theology is produced within the UK. It is edited by Dr Anthony Reddie, who has written over 40 journal articles and essay, and is therefore, the most prolific Black theologian in the UK.

See also

Sunday, March 16, 2008

eck, hu, eckankar; surat shabd yoga

What are the historical links and overlaps between Eckankar, Surat Shabd Yoga or Sant Mat? Is Eck a Blavatsky-or-New-Thought-style Westernization of a salty old Sikh practice or what? One thing that always raises my neck hairs is when these "ancient traditions" come packed with (c) copyright logos (instead of the authority of Logos).

Unity (c) seems kinda like that -- appealing the like 19th Century liberal Christians who don't want to fall into the then-trendiness of Christian Science...

Aramaic of Jesus

From {Wikipedia}:


Cultural and linguistic background

It is generally accepted that Jesus was born a Jew, and grew up in a Jewish family in Judea. For over a half-millennium, the colloquial language for Palestinian Jews was Judeo-Aramaic,[1] stemming from the Babylonian captivity and invading Assyrian empire. Judeo-Aramaic was a version of standard Aramaic (which had originally been the language of Damascus) with a number of Hebrew words and some Hebrew-inspired grammar mixed in; the relation of Judeo-Aramaic to standard Aramaic is roughly comparable to the relation of Yiddish to German, although the difference between Judeo-Aramaic and standard Aramaic was less marked. For some Jews Hebrew remained a colloquial language, until the end of the 3rd century AD.[citation needed] Nearly all of the Jewish scriptures were written in Hebrew, making it likely that a Jew who knew the Jewish scriptures also knew at least some Hebrew (especially as Hebrew and Aramaic are fairly cognate). There were also the Targums, Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible, in Galilee or Judea in the days of Jesus during the Early Roman Period. The use of Targums in the synagogue did not become customary until the 3rd century, after the use of spoken Hebrew declined in the aftermath of the catastrophic Bar Kochba Revolt.

From the 2nd century BC, Palestine had been heavily influenced by the Hellenistic civilization, and Koine Greek rapidly became the international language of the eastern Mediterranean, and so became the language of travelling merchants. It is thus likely that Jesus knew a few Greek terms. The New Testament itself, in the form we have it today, is mostly written in Koine Greek, including many quotations from the Hebrew Bible.

When Jesus is described by the New Testament as quoting from the Hebrew Bible, the quotations that are given most closely correlate with the Septuagint. Most scholars suggest that the New Testament authors most likely used an edition of the Septuagint, rather than translate a Hebrew (or Aramaic) source. However, among the Dead Sea Scrolls, in addition to various Hebrew versions of the Bible that resemble the much later Masoretic text, there are also Hebrew versions that more closely resemble the Greek Septuagint version (in similar fashion to the Samaritan Pentateuch).

Because of the influence of Greek in the east of the Mediterranean, even the officials of the Roman Empire did not really use Latin in the region, and so only a few words of Latin would have been known to most Jews, mostly confined to various symbols of Roman rule (such as the 'denarius' coin).

Aramaic phrases in the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament transliterates a few words and phrases, some Hebrew, some Aramaic and some either. These are mainly words attributed to Jesus, and perhaps had a special significance because of this. Words necessarily deriving from Hebrew (like Hosha` nā! "Please, save!") are hypothesized to be loan words from Hebrew for use in Aramaic.

A small minority believe that most or all of the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic. This position, called Aramaic primacy, is popular, but most scholars believe that the New Testament, as we have it today, was composed in the Greek language. However, it is not disputed that there does exist a Hebrew/Aramaic layer beneath the Greek text.

Talitha qoum (Ταλιθα κουμ)

Mark 5:41

And taking the hand of the child, he said to her, "Talitha koum", which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, get up".

This verse gives an Aramaic phrase, attributed to Jesus in the resurrection of a girl, with a transliteration into Greek, as ταλιθα κουμ.

A couple of Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) of Mark's Gospel have this text, but others (Codex Alexandrinus, the Majority Text and the Vulgate) write κουμι (koumi) instead. The latter became the Textus Receptus, and is the version that appears in the Authorised Version.

The Aramaic is ţlīthā qūm. The word ţlīthā is the feminine form of the word ţlē, meaning "young". Qūm is the Aramaic verb 'to rise, stand, get up'. In the feminine singular imperative, it was originally 'qūmī'. However, there is evidence that in speech the final -ī was dropped so that the imperative did not distinguish between masculine and feminine genders. The older manuscripts, therefore, used a Greek spelling that reflected pronunciation, whereas the addition of an 'ι' was perhaps due to a bookish copyist.

In Aramaic, it could be טליתא קומי or טלתא קומי.

Ephphatha (Εφφαθα)

Mark 7:34

And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha", which is 'be opened'.

Once again, the Aramaic word is given with an attempted transliteration, only this time the word to be transliterated is more complicated. In Greek, the Aramaic is written εφφαθα. This is from the Aramaic 'ethpthaħ', the passive imperative of the verb 'pthaħ', 'to open'. The guttural 'ħ' was generally softened in Galilean Aramaic,[2].

In Aramaic, it could be אתפתח.

Abba (Αββα)

Mark 14:36

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Abba, an Aramaic word (written Αββα in Greek, and 'abbā in Aramaic), is immediately followed by the Greek equivalent (Πατηρ) with no explicit mention of it being a translation. The phrase Abba, Father is repeated in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.

In Aramaic, it could be אבא.

Note, the name Barabbas is a Hellenization of the Aramaic Bar Abba (בר אבא), literally, "Son of the Father", but here Abba is probably the diminutive form of the Hebrew name Abraham, like Akiba is of Yaakob.

Raca (Ρακα)

Matthew 5:22

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Raca, or Raka, in the Aramaic of the Talmud means empty one, fool, empty head.

In Aramaic, it could be ריקא or ריקה.

Note: The phrase "without a cause" is missing from Matthew 5:22 in the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus.

Mammon (Μαμωνας)

Main article: Mammon

Gospel of Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters: for either they will hate the one, and love the other; or else they will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Luke 16:9-13

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

2 Clement 6

Now the Lord declares, "No servant can serve two masters." If we desire, then, to serve both God and mammon, it will be unprofitable for us. "For what will it profit if a man gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" This world and the next are two enemies. The one urges to adultery and corruption, avarice and deceit; the other bids farewell to these things. We cannot, therefore, be the friends of both; and it behoves us, by renouncing the one, to make sure of the other. Let us reckon that it is better to hate the things present, since they are trifling, and transient, and corruptible; and to love those [which are to come,] as being good and incorruptible. For if we do the will of Christ, we shall find rest; otherwise, nothing shall deliver us from eternal punishment, if we disobey His commandments. (Roberts-Donaldson)

In Aramaic, it could be ממון.

In the New Testament the word Μαμωνᾶς — Mamōnâs — is declined like a Greek word, whereas many of the other Aramaic words are treated as indeclinable foreign words.

Rabboni (Ραββουνει)

John 20:16

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. (KJV)

Also in Mark 10:51. Hebrew form rabbi used as title of Jesus in Matthew 26:25,49; Mark 9:5, 11:21, 14:45; John 1:49, 4:31, 6:25, 9:2, 11:8.

In Aramaic, it could be רבוני.

Maranatha (μαρανα θα)

Main article: Maranatha

Didache 10 (Prayer after Communion)

.. Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God (Son) of David! If any one is holy, let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen. (Roberts-Donaldson)

1 Corinthians 16:22

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

In Aramaic (מרנא תא) it means Lord, come! or Our Lord, come!

Eli Eli lema sabachthani (Ηλει Ηλει λεμα σαβαχθανει)

Matthew 27:46

Around the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, saying "Eli Eli lema sabachthani?" which is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Mark 15:34

And at the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, "Eloi Eloi lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, for what have you forsaken me?"

This phrase, shouted by Jesus from the cross, is given to us in these two versions. The Matthean version of the phrase is transliterated in Greek as ηλει ηλει λεμα σαβαχθανει. The Markan version is similar, but begins ελωι ελωι (elōi rather than ēlei).

The lines seems to be quoting the first line of Psalm 22. However, he is not quoting the canonical Hebrew version (êlî êlî lâmâ `azabtânî), but is using an Aramaic translation of it (see targum).

In the following verse, in both accounts, some who hear Jesus' cry imagine that he is calling for help from Elijah (Eliyyâ). This is perhaps to underline the incomprehension of the bystanders about what is happening. Matthew's use of ηλι may indicate a more 'official' rendition of the psalm verse, more in line with the Hebrew. Mark's version probably represents the Aramaic colloquial better. The Aramaic behind Matthew is êlî êlî lmâ švaqtanî. Whereas Mark has elohî elohî.

A few ancient Greek manuscripts show signs of trying to normalise this text. For instance, the peculiar Codex Bezae renders both versions with ηλι ηλι λαμα ζαφθανι (ēli ēli lama zaphthani).

As the phrase is clearly translated into Greek in both instances there can be little doubt as to its meaning. However, a minority have speculated on different meanings. Among them is George Lamsa, whose research is generally considered pseudoscience by other scholars.[3][4]

The Aramaic word švaqtanî is based on the verb švaq, 'to allow, to permit, to forgive, and to forsake', with the perfect tense ending -t (2nd person singular: 'you'), and the object suffix -anî (1st person singular: 'me').

This phrase is treated in more depth at Last sayings of Jesus.

In Aramaic, it could be אלהי אלהי למא שבקתני.

Jot and tittle (ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία)

Matthew 5:18

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law (that is, the Torah) till all is fulfilled.

The quotation uses them as an example of extremely minor details. In the Greek original translated as English jot and tittle is found iota and keraia. Iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet (ι), but since only capitals were used at the time the Greek New Testament was written (Ι), it probably represents the Aramaic yodh (י) which is the smallest letter of the Aramaic alphabet. Keraia is a hook or serif, possibly accents in Greek but more likely hooks on Aramaic letters, (ב) versus (כ), or additional marks such as crowns (as Vulgate apex) found in Jewish Bibles. The standard reference for NT Greek is A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, Bauer, Gingrich, Danker, et al. (commonly known as the Bauer lexicon. Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon for keraia is here: [1]. See also the article on the antithesis of the Law.

Korbanas (κορβανας)

Matthew 27:6

But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.’

In Aramaic (קרבנא) it refers to the treasury in the Temple in Jerusalem, derived from the Hebrew Corban (קרבן), found in Mark 7:11 and the Septuagint (in Greek transliteration), meaning religious gift.

The Greek κορβανᾶς is declined as a Greek noun.

Sikera (σικερα)

Luke 1:15

for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In Aramaic (שכרא) it means barley beer, from the Akkadian shikaru.

Hosanna (ὡσαννά)

Mark 11:9

Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

According to the Bauer lexicon, see references at end, this word is derived from Aramaic (הושע נא) from Hebrew (הושיעה נא) (Psalm 118:25, הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, meaning "help" or "save, I pray", "an appeal that became a liturgical formula; as part of the Hallel ... familiar to everyone in Israel."



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References

All Aramaic words are from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Bauer-Arndt-Gingrinch-Danker (ISBN 978-0226039336). Though primarily a Koine Greek Lexicon (it is the standard reference for NT Greek), it includes Aramaic words in the Aramaic "square-script" alphabet.

  1. ^ Casey, P.M., 2002. An Aramaic Approach to Q: Sources for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ Kutscher, E.Y.. (1976). Studies in Galilean Aramaic.
  3. ^ Review of Lamsa's translation by Herbert G May, Journal of Bible and Religion, Vol. 26, No. 4, Oct., 1958 (JSTOR)
  4. ^ Review of Lamsa's translation by PAH de Boer, Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 8, Fasc. 2, Apr., 1958 (JSTOR)
  5. ^ Bauer's Lexicon: Gal 1:18; 2:9,11,14; 1Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; also 1Clement 47:3
  6. ^ The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon - Entry for "ṭbyʾ"

Saturday, March 15, 2008

jesus on power

Nathanael Baker has:

My Kingdom is not of this World

WThis is a post by N.T Wright from Newsweek at the Washington Post. In what is election year both in New Zealand and America, it is good to remember that Jesus offers a counter-cultural view of power. Read and see.

He Would Challenge Power, Not Run for It
This is of course an impossible question, like 'If the sun were to rise in the west, would it be green or blue?' In other words, by agreeing to the terms of the question you make it impossible to give an answer based on anything other than highly distorted speculation.

Jesus didn't run for anything. He acted as if he were a different kind of ruler altogether, with a 'kingdom' that didn't originate from the present world (otherwise, he said, his servants would fight to rescue him) but instead was meant FOR this present world, to transform and heal it. The present way we do politics and government is, alas, part of the problem, and he would have challenged it (its huge cost, its pretense of participation which is shamelessly manipulated by the media, its cult of personality, its ignoring, all too often, of the actual needs of the poor, etc. etc.) just as he challenged the power structures of his day.

The real question is, what sort of a cross would today's system be intent on using to kill him?

lion in the water

Christopher's poem:

lion in the water

lion in the water
fear and be weary
watch and admire
funnel clouds in the sky
fear and be weary
watch and hide
lion in the water
strong and playful
innocent and loved
coming home
to his pride
gathered up in love




(Aslan is on the move...)

sacred harp, or shape note singing

Short Takes has:


The Sacred Harp


Christiana and I went down to St. Bart’s church yesterday (Sunday) afternoon to hear Sacred Harp or shape singing. I had seen a flier a few months ago about an all day sing that was being held at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn so I stopped off after my guitar lesson to hear what it was about. There were at least 200 singers and the sound and energy was incredible. As far as I can tell the dynamics of shape singing are, loud, louder and very loud but the sound is happy, even when the lyrics are gloomy, and very American. Above is a brief audio clip that I recorded with my camera. The recording isn’t very good but it gives you an idea. Below are a couple of paragraphs I copied from www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/harp.html about shape singing.

“Sacred Harp singing is a non-denominational community musical event emphasizing participation, not performance. Singers sit facing inward in a hollow square. Each individual is invited to take a turn “leading,” i.e. standing in the center, selecting a song, and beating time with the hand. The singing is not accompanied by harps or any other instrument. The group sings from The Sacred Harp, an oblong songbook first published in 1844 by B.F. White and E. J. King. The music is printed in “patent notes,” wherein the shape of the note head indicates the syllables FA (right triangle), SOL (oval), LA (rectangle), and MI (diamond). The repertory includes psalm tunes, fuging tunes, odes and anthems by the first American composers (1770-1810), and also settings of folk songs and revival hymns (1810-1860). The current 1991 Edition contains many songs in these styles by living composers.

This style of singing stems from singing schools in the colonial period. Preserved in the rural South, Sacred Harp singing (also called fasola singing or shape-note singing) is making a major resurgence in cities and campuses throughout North America.”

voodoo on dreamland




Saturday March 15th, 2008

Voodou!

This week Whitley Strieber takes us on a fascinating adventure into the unknown realm of Vodou. We are guided by Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Societe la Belle Venus and the author of the Haitian Vodou Handbook, who explains Vodou ritual and tells us about his experiences with the Vodou lwa, or spirits honored in Haitain practice. He also discusses the controversial relationship between Catholicism and Vodou, and the current state of Vodou practice in Haiti and elsewhere. Then Linda Howe updates us on another fascinating reality: water on Mars.


Just noting.

Also see: Haitian art; Zombie Quiz; Ontological catfights between bawdy Lwas and fat Baptists; Brief History of Voodoo; Brief History of Marie Laveau.

Got a buddy that runs with a Shiva sect that's been having some unhappy run-ins with Voodouns in the last few years... But Papa Legba has always been kind to me, and I still say Jah Respeck! to the old man, me.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Exterminatrix of Heresies


























(Damn! Via I Have to Sit down (via New Advent) & via St. Gaspar's.)

That's the "don't f*^@k up or Mary's gonna beat the hell out of you Mary. That's the I'm about to beat the holy $h!t out of you, with your frikkin questions, so papa don't come home and beat the $h!t out of me Mary.

It's such a wrathful side we don't hardly ever see depicted.


perpetual virginity

Brothers of Jesus, yes; then how the perpetual virginity (post-Jesus married life) of Mary? No sex with Joseph to get these boys conceived and born?

Singing in the Reign explains. In part:

However implausible it may sound to a sex-saturated Western culture that a man would ever do such a thing, the fact of the matter is that the Old Testament appears to assume it as a real possibility. Indeed, the fact that an entire chapter of the Bible is devoted to it appears to suggest that vows of sexual abstinence on the part of women must have been a visible enough part of the culture that a law was necessary to deal with the situation! (This should come as no surprise to students of antiquity; consecrated virgins were part of the religious landscape of the ancient world). Should there be any doubt about this, I would suggest in passing that the reader call to mind the controversy that faced Pauline churches about young widows renegging on their vows of sexual abstinence (1 Timothy 4) and the otherwise difficult and confusing passage in 1 Corinthians about what a man should do about marrying his "virgin" (1 Cor 7:36-38). If both these texts apply to the situation envisaged in Numbers 30, then Mary's situation is anything but unique in culture.

Anyway, love to hear your thoughts about this. It's just my take at this point. I'll need to do more research, but I thought I'd offer a little rose to Our Lady.
















Oops, wrong Mary... that was meant to be:


Thursday, March 13, 2008

truthiness?

In information science, people talk about accuracy. Accuracy is whether or not a quanta of information is factual.

Clearly, there's much in the Bible that isn't accurate. Or, if you want, there's clearly much in universe that isn't accurate... but either way, if you insist on defining the "truth" of the Bible in terms of accuracy, you're going to have to figure out whether the Bible is "literally true", and you're probably in for a tough time of it.

Real truth is much more important than mere accuracy. Creationism? Resurrection? Miracles? These things are true, but you'll be very hard pressed to find factual evidence -- that's because the way that they are most importantly true is above fact, above accuracy. They're true in the way that "rainbows are beautiful" and in the way that "love is the most important thing in the world".

These things are truer than facts. To argue whether they physically happened in these few dimensions of earthly perception rather misses the point.

-
Neale Donald Walsch has a good post on this subject [link]:

The Bible also says that, if found to be in an adulterous relationship, both the man and the woman are to be taken to the city gates and also stoned to death. If Monday's allegations are true, that could mean the end for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. He'll have to be stoned.

Mallika Chopra and Family

I thought this was sweet. :)

Category: Parenting

The Jesus Inside Me (by Mallika Chopra)

Last night, I took my daughters to watch my father at his book signing at the local Barnes and Noble for his new book, The Third Jesus. . They were so thrilled to see "Nana" talking in front of people, and Tara, my six year old, whispered to me excitedly, "He told all of them that we were his grandchildren!!" Leela, my three year old, was most interested in pretending to color during his short talk, even though she knew so many people were watching her.

After my father finished speaking, we rushed out to get the kids home to bed. A young man - probably a college student - rushed up to us as we were heading out.


He asked me, "Are you Deepak's daughter?"


"Yes," I replied.


He opened his notebook, looked at his scribbles, and asked, "Did he say that Jesus Christ is actually ourselves?"


I smiled. The thing is for some reason, many people think my brother and I are authorities on mind/body medicine, ayurveda, consciousness, vedanta, physics, spirituality in general and in all its forms, and now, of course, Jesus Christ. Alas, if only people knew how little we know!!


"I'm not sure what his exact quote was," I replied, "But, in essence, I think that is what he was saying. That we all are part of, have God inside us."


The guy looked at me in awe. I seriously thought he was going to cry. "Dude." He paused. "That's just so fucking awesome."


He looked back at his notes, and I made my escape.


"Mommy, I guess he liked Nana's words." Tara chimed in. "Isn't that nice?"


I was grateful that my daughter, for the first time, had seen and realized the power of her grandfathers words, and I was proud of her and my father.


I guess so, I smiled. And we headed home.


Faraj Rahho

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paul Faraj Rahho's body was found Thursday near the town of Mosul, where he and three companions were ambushed by gunmen on February 29. The archbishop's driver and two security guards were killed during the attack. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had ordered security services to make it a priority to find and free the archbishop. [cnn]

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

mccain catholics hagee

McCain loves: Catholics.
McCain loves: Hagee.
Hagee loves: not Catholics.
Catholics love: Hagee?
McCain loves: Muslims?
Rod Parsely loves: not Muslims.
McCain loves: Jews.
Hagee loves: not Jews.
Muslims love: Rod Parsely?

Jesus loves: all.

God is: love. (even the Pope says so)




Christian writers have generally described agape, as expounded on by Jesus, as a form of love which is both unconditional and voluntary. Tertullian, in his 2nd century defense of Christians remarks how Christian love attracted pagan notice: "What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. 'Only look,' they say, 'look how they love one another'" (Apology 39). (w: link)

sexual morality

What's moral is to educate your children about becoming responsible adults. Responsible adults should use contraception unless they want to make babies. The moral thing to do is to encourage contraception -- not just to prevent pregnancy, but to prevent the spread of disease.

"Christians" preaching abstinence-only need to grow the f*!k up.

dotCommonweal:

In addition to its very, very complete coverage this morning of Eliot Spitzer’s downfall, the NYTimes carried what I consider a related report: 25 percent of U.S. teenaged girls have one or more sexually transmitted disease.

In addition to an account of the CDC’s report, the Times deployed its usual public health analysis of the problem, quoting head of Planned Parenthood thus: “’The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure,’ Ms. Richards said, ‘and teenage girls are paying the real price.’” She recommends ever more thorough sex education. But has that worked either?

And then there’s the question of condoms, about which the FDA says: ”latex condoms are ‘highly effective’ at preventing infection by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, H.I.V., gonorrhea and hepatitis B. The agency noted that condoms seemed less effective against genital herpes and syphilis. Protection against human papillomavirus ‘is partial at best,’ the report said.”




13 now

Amy Welborn reminds us:

It has been 12 days since Mosul’s Chaldean Archbishop was kidnapped:

The Iraqi Church is “suffering profoundly” from the “darkness and silence” which reign over the kidnap of Mosul’s Chaldean Archbishop, as anxiety and concern increase among the faithful and their pastors. A fresh appeal has been launched today by the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, Msgr. Louis Sako, pleading with the West not to fall into the trap of indifference in the face of violence in Iraq, or accept it as “normal”, but to once again raise its voice against the injustices which afflict the nation and its people.



Saturday, March 8, 2008

gnostic art

no kirpaan near the papa please

A report that Sikhs will be banned from toting their traditional kirpaan ceremonial daggers in meeting with pope [link]:

Sikhs had been invited to join other religious leaders for a 45-minute meeting with Benedict on April 17 in Washington to express a shared commitment to peace. But the Secret Service would not allow the Sikhs to carry a kirpaan, which resembles a small sword or dagger.

The kirpaan "represents the Sikh commitment to resist oppression and injustice" and is to be carried "only in a defensive posture and never to initiate confrontation," according to the World Sikh Council-America Region.

Isn't that a bit like telling diners at a restaurant that they can't have access to steak knives? "You'd normally be able to use a knife to cut your meat, but by definition a knife is a weapon, so you'll have to forget your cultural practices of eating with utensils and start ripping the steak up with your bare hands. For safety reasons."







Lord help us learn to trust each other.

muslims only, please

From the AP, via MSNBC:

BOSTON - Harvard University has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week, a move to accommodate Muslim women who, for religious and cultural reasons, cannot exercise comfortably in their presence...

Harvard's policy is no different from commercial gyms that cater partially or even exclusively to women, said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"The Muslim bashers portray it as the world coming to end, but if women have a couple hours a week to work out in private, I don't see it as a major issue," he said.


See also: "Sharia Law in the UK?"

This will really begin to grate on the nerves of modern educated secular pluralists -- how much room shall we give each other before some of us feel trodden on? And for 'red state' folks? Beyond the Beyond, for them.

We'll figure it out together, so long as we're patient and long-suffering with our brothers and sisters (and so long as they are with us too). But this is a sure sign of the fast (fast!) growth of Islam in the West. Very interesting.


ancient-future worship

MSNBC has:

Evangelicals observing Lent?

Fasting, and giving up chocolate and favorite pastimes like watching TV during the 40 days before Easter are practices many evangelical Protestants have long rejected as too Catholic and unbiblical.

But Lent -- a time of inner cleansing and reflection upon Jesus Christ's sufferings before his resurrection -- is one of many ancient church practices being embraced by an increasing number of evangelicals, sometimes with a modern twist. The National Community Church, which has three locations in the District and one in Arlington County, updated the Lenten fast by adding a Web component: a 40-day blog, where participants from as far away as Australia, Korea and Mexico discuss their spiritual cleansing.

This increasing connection with Christianity's classical traditions goes beyond Lent. Some evangelical churches offer confession and weekly communion. They distribute ashes on Ash Wednesday and light Advent calendars at Christmastime. Others have formed monastic communities, such as Casa Chirilagua in Alexandria, modeled on the monasteries that arose in Christianity's early years.

This represents a "major sea change in evangelical life," according to D.H. Williams, professor of patristics and historical theology at Baylor University. "Evangelicalism is coming to point where the early church has become the newest staple of its diet."

Experts say most who have taken on such practices have grown disillusioned with the contemporary, shopping-center feel of the megachurches embraced by baby boomers, with their casually dressed ministers and rock-band praise music.

Instead, evangelicals -- many of them young -- are adopting a trend that has come to be known as "worship renewal" or "ancient-future worship."





Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Age To Come blog has this on spiritual preparation, with weapons of war as metaphor for trial and power:

The full armour of God

I thought, what with things Anglican here, there and everywhere, now might be a good time to remind ourselves of the larger picture. The excerpt below taken from here.

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and have done all to stand.”

This is the indisputable message of God to all who would hear it today. It is not to move to a far off land, it is not to hoard or store, it is to prepare ourselves spiritually for what is about to descent. The message of the hour for God’s remnant is to make sure that their retain the whole armor of God, from truth, to righteousness, to the preparation of the gospel of peace, to faith, salvation and the word of God. All these parts make the whole, all are equally important, and all are necessary to our ability to overcome the darkness, and to stand in the evil day.

We cannot have the breastplate, without the sword or the helmet, or the helmet without having our waist girded, and our feet shod. All work in concert, to make up the true warrior of Christ, one who is not only willing to stand, but able to stand, who has done all in preparation for the battle that is to come.

We must be complete Christians, in complete armor, whole and unwavering in the face of the evil day that is upon us. That the evil days are approaching is no longer a debatable issue, for all one must do is turn on the morning news, or surf a few news sites to see where the world is headed. I speak not of a singular nation, but of a global crisis that will test the faith, endurance, and resilience of every man.

These are the days in which few will stand, and many will fall, wherein one will know in whom they have placed their trust and in whom they have relied.

We prepare not that we may boast of our foresight, we put on the armor not so others might see we are warriors, but simply that we might stand, and having done all to stand.

When all the messages of ease and comfort, of opulence and excess will be proven an illusion by the reality that will set in there will be chaos within what we now know as the church. Uncertain, unprepared, defenseless, many will run to and fro looking for truth, looking for an anchor in the storm, and it will be in these days that some will be called upon to point the way to the Bible, to the cross, to Christ. With wisdom as our guide, may we prepare now for the soon coming days, may our foundation be firmly planted upon the rock that is Christ and His word, that in our obedience and humility we might have peace, and the comfort of knowing that we are safe from harm in His eternal embrace.

Explore posts in the same categories: Christian, Prophecy

But you know, I'm bored and tired of the occult metaphors. I remember the preacher telling us "always carry your Bible, and you can tell folks it's your sword. And if you ain't got that handy, just carry your little New Testament, you'll at least have your dagger." Metaphor has its limits.

There's the literal word, which is mental and weak. Then there's the metaphors, which may help take you further in. But ultimately you've got to sit down and practice, then get up and practice.

to hell with the gospels

...if the gospels aren't true to His message.

"If you see the Buddha in the lane, kill him."
"If you see the Christ in the road, eat him."

Minister to India? Yes, minister to India:

friendship, church, sangha

Faith Dance on friendship [link].

I'm thinking about friendship and sangha. Is the term church analogous, or should it be, to the term sangha? The church as a brotherhood/sisterhood of practice, of prayer.

Friendship lets us grow (and grow closer to the Spirit) by growing closer to each other.


jesus politics

Cracked Pots posts a piece by Gabriel Salguero:

Jesus: Is he electable

Filed under:Practical Theology, Faith, Politics — posted by Jose Humphreys on March 5, 2008 @ 11:28 pm

This is an article “On Faith” by Gabriel Salguero a friend and pastor here in Manhattan.

I think that Jesus, if nominated, would not run. Jesus’ function as a prophet transcends political partisanship. I am utterly convinced that he would have a corrective for all political parties, this is what prophets do. Let me be clear that Christian does not equal blind allegiance to any political party or ideology. This is dangerous and idolatrous. Jesus would also be critical of religious practices that oppressed and ignored any group that includes Jews, Muslims, Hindus, agnostics, atheists, secularists, etc.”

Read more.

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