(no subject)

as part of my research for my thesis, i have been looking through my old systematics notes. i have found things from four or five different classes that pertain to my paper.
but reading them, i am struck all over again by the beauty of the gospel. it is so elegant and complex, like euclid's proposition 1:47 (his proof of the pythagorean theorem). kendal did such a good job presenting the complexity and mystery of scripture that i was close to tears several times at the library today.
i don't like kendal. i think he is socially lousy; distant and cold and too wrapped up in ideas to care adequately about people. i think he likes rules and his own thoughts too much to be adequately gracious. but he is one hell of a teacher.
i need to read theology more when i don't have to.

i also need a t-shirt that says "spiritually disorderly."*










*a reference to kendal's expression of john wesley's views on original sin...that it does not make us so much depraved as spiritually disorderly.

triumph!

i just came back from speaking with bryce (the senior pastor at my church).

we have had an on-going debate about his use of an "if" clause in opening communion. he has a very christ-centered theology, which i respect. hell, i just plain respect him. he is a beloved pastor in a big progressive church. he is smart and gives sermons that are often thought-provoking. he is a good listener and a fine singer and he wants to love his congregation well.
but i decided not to ignore my problem with how he invites people to communion.

educated lay people are always in a tricky position when it comes to churches. we are not pastors and so do not automaticaly get treated as equals, but we know christianity at about the same level as the pastors do. Bryce Johnson knows how to run a church a hell of a lot better than i ever will and i give him full credit for his experience with how to talk to a congregation and meet their needs. but i know that my education in theology is at least as good as his, maybe better. seminary educations have changed a lot in the last few decades and i went to a damn good one. it is tough to present yourself to the top dog with such qualifications and not be seen as a threat. i want Bryce to see me as a resource and a thoughtful person, not as an annoyance and a threat. i was very careful in the letter i wrote to him. i was very careful in how i spoke to him on the phone and very careful at our meeting this morning. i did my very best to present myself and my argument in persuasive, non-judging, theologically sound ways. i am very proud of myself.

moreover, i convinced him. he said that when he looks into his heart to se what he really believes, he agrees with me. "if"s are not necessary or helpful. God's welcome is to everyone and people can choose what they want to do about it without any extra conditions.

MIT is making all their course materials free over the internet!

is anyone else excited by this?

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

progress report

nine pages (roughly 2500 words)
bibliography = half done
3 cups of coffee.
i'm taking a break now.

an old article that gets it right.

and that i am putting here so that i can find it later.

http://www.harpers.org/ExcerptTheChristianParadox.html

go figure