...Now, where were we?

Sometimes I don't blog because there's not much going on. Other times, quite the opposite. We've had a good dose of the latter here lately: just... too much, in ways profound and heartbreaking as well as joyful.

So, let's start back with something wholly trivial, shall we? Thanks to Beth for the distraction.

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You scored as Radical Catholic. You are "Radical" in its Catholic sense -- from the Latin word radix, or root. You are not just a "church person" but you are a disciple of Christ, making a total commitment to the Gospel, to voluntary poverty, and self-sacrifice for others. You give without counting the cost. You need to be sure that you remain obedient to the Church and your superiors, and do not consider yourself a prophet or become elitist. Try to make good examinations of conscience and to be humble. Radical Catholic 64% Evangelical Catholic 57% Liberal Catholic 55% New Catholic 43% Traditional Catholic 38% Neo-Conservative Catholic 26% Lukewarm Catholic 2% What is your style of American Catholicism? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as High Church Nomad. You were raised as some kind of evangelical, but you've started to appreciate other forms of Christian piety. Specifically, you're starting to think that Roman Catholics aren't as crazy as you once thought they were. You probably won't end up going home to Rome, but Canterbury has piqued your interest. High Church Nomad 100% Moderate Evangelical 70% Evangelical Presbyterian 70% Baptist 55% Reformed Baptist 35% Presby - Old School 25% Conservative Evangelical 20% Fightin' Fundy 10% What Kind of Evangelical Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

Yeah, that's about right.

You Are 40% Extrovert, 60% Introvert

You're a bit outgoing, a bit reserved Like most people, you enjoy being social But you also value the time you have alone You have struck a good balance!

Are You An Extrovert or An Introvert?

Props to Cheesehead for this one.

The Lord's Table

SITTING AT THE LORD'S TABLE :

Statement from Global South primates

CONN/100207

A number of the Global South primates have not shared in the Holy Eucharist today with their fellow primates. They include Abp. Peter Akinola, Abp John Chew, Abp. Benjamin Nzimbi, Abp Justice Akrofi, Abp. Henry Orombi, Abp. Gregory Venables, and Abp. Emmanuel Kolini. They represent more than 30 million faithful Anglicans. They have released this statement:

"We each take the celebration of the Holy Eucharist very seriously. This deliberate action is a poignant reminder of the brokenness of the Anglican Communion. It makes clear that the torn fabric of the Church has been torn further. It is a consequence of the decision taken by our provinces to declare that our relationship with The Episcopal Church is either broken or severely impaired.

Scripture teaches that before coming to sit with one another at the Lord's Table we must be reconciled. (Matthew 5:23-26 and 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ) We have made repeated calls for repentance by The Episcopal Church and its leadership with no success. We continue to pray for a change of heart.

We are unable to come to the Holy Table with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church because to do so would be a violation of Scriptural teaching and the traditional Anglican understanding, "Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways; Draw near with faith" (Book of Common Prayer)

This is a painful decision for us and also for our host and brother, the Most Rev¹d Donald Mtetemela. He understands our painful dilemma and accepts our decision. Pray for the Church."

Friday, February 16, 2007
White Sands Hotel, Jangwani Beach, Tanzania

Let's look at this carefully.

"Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways; Draw near with faith..."

I would not even begin to presume to question the truth and earnestness of any repentance in the heart of the seven primates in question. We have never met, and I am certainly not their confessor, to be in a position of praying with them, and ascertaining the thoughts of their hearts. It would seem from the outside, however, that they were (and are) apparently not "in love and charity with their neighbors," So perhaps their choice was theologically and spiritually correct.

However, that action does not, as some would suggest (and the men in question seem to believe), reflect godly condemnation of others at the table. Properly understood, it ought to reflect their concern over the state of their own souls. That is surely the message of the scripture they cite:

From the Gospel of Matthew:

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

And from 1 Corinthians:

27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

So, this is the sad thing... that these seven are in such a spiritual state that they feel unable to accept the body and blood of Our Lord. Further, rather than quietly declining to receive (as anyone may do, for any number of reasons), they feel the need to proclaim themselves so publicly. How tragic.

"Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War"

To my dear friends Back East, for whom the thought of moving to Montana is beyond consideration because they believe we are far removed from current cultural thought and intellectual stimulation available in more urban areas... let me get this out of my system, right off the bat: I had lunch with Stanley Hauerwas yesterday!

He was here, along with Dr. Clark Gilpin from the University of Chicago, and Dr. Jonathan Ebel from the University of Illinois, as part of the annual Symposium on Religion & Culture at Rocky Mountain College.

That's where I spent some of my time the last couple of days-- sitting like the star-struck theology geek that I am, listening to these scholars ruminate on this year's topic: "Religion & America." They presented their papers on Monday and Tuesday evenings, and were also available for a Q&A panel discussion over lunch on Tuesday afternoon. You can get the gist from the press release, here.

It was a small gathering at the Q&A session, and I was fortunate to have Dr. Hauerwas sit at our table for lunch. Oh, who am I kidding-- it was way cool, and chatting with him was a hoot, and I tried very hard to act like a grownup rather than a wide-eyed fan-girl. I think I mostly succeeded, largely due to his comfortable attitude: he was friendly, personable, and expressed some profound opinions in his delightfully unbridled style. Of course, I was biased in his favor from the beginning of our conversation, when he expressed his approbation of my dear friend and former NT professor, and his kind and brilliant wife.

The title of this post was the subject of Dr. Hauerwas' presentation. The Billings Gazette account can be found here (if it works; links from that paper's website are not always cooperative). If not, here's some food for thought, from notes I scribbled furiously while I was listening:

• "Everyone confesses that war is horrible, and yet we continue to do it. War has captured the habits of our imagination so deeply that we cannot imagine life without the character of war as a practice, the loss of which would make our lives less full."

• "We depend on our stories of war to strengthen loyalty to country over other interests, patriotism as the ultimate truth. . . Americans have often killed and died for country, but only rarely have they done so for their faith. . . Religious denominations are permitted to exist, but not to kill, because their beliefs are not officially true."

• "The great sacrifice of war is not the loss of life, although that is significant. Rather, the great sacrifice of war is the sacrifice of our unwillingness to take life."

• "Holding up as a positive of war the bond between soldiers, formed by suffering encountered while striving for a higher good, positions war as liturgy. . . emphasizing the soldier's death as the 'ultimate sacrifice' denies the Christian belief of Christ's death as the ultimate sacrifice."

• "The Christian alternative to war, is worship-- living another way in a war-weary world. If Christians leave the table ready to kill, we fail to witness to Jesus as the end to sacrifice. This is not murdering our faith; it is committing suicide."

"To see ourselves as others see us"

Ever wonder how something looks through another's eyes? Here's some perspective on The Goings On in the Anglican Communion, as seen through the eyes of some Montana teens.

Personal DNA?

Well... this is interesting...

Benevolent Leader

Thanks to Tripp for the game of the day.