Monday, March 24, 2008

It is really challenging to attempt to summarize Jesus' life and teachings for a single lecture's content in World Religions!
I feel that I have to leave stuff out not only because of time constraints, but to make it somewhat comparable to my (minimal) coverage of other important religious figures I have covered in this course, just in the interest of fairness.
It is really hard to decide what to omit, though!
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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

The Resurrected Christ and The Nonviolent Jesus

The Lord is Risen Indeed!

From Kim Fabricius, Ten Propositions on the Resurrection



8. It is characteristic for the risen Christ to greet his disciples with the word shalom: “Peace be with you!” He calms their fear – of retribution, perhaps? After all, these were the men who, despite their protestations of loyalty, had abandoned their master to his fate. Perhaps now it was payback time for their betrayal? And what of Caiaphas and Pilate and all who had connived in the murder of Jesus – might we not expect a risen Terminator: “I’ll be back – and this time it’s personal”? Christian pacifists are often accused of arguing their case from the Crucified who refuses the way of violence. But the power of pacifism equally comes from the Risen One who refuses the way of vengeance. “Jesus is judge because he is victim; and that very fact means that he is a judge who will not condemn” (Rowan Williams).

So let us love, deare Love, like as we ought,
– Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught.
(Edmund Spenser, “Easter Sunday”)





Now for a separate, philosophical/theological question:

Must the resurrected body have total physical continuity with the corpse? I would suspect not--many people who died long before Christ, whose bodies have long since decomposed and whose molecules long since redistributed throughout the ecological sphere will be raised at the eschaton. However, I am not absolutely opposed to the possibility that God will recollect and reorganize our brains and/or bodies using identical matter.

If we answer "no" to the above question, was the absence of Jesus' corpse from the tomb necessary for the presence of Jesus' resurrected body? For if the matter of a fully decomposed body that died centuries ago can stay dispersed and the person raised from the dead, why couldn't the partially decomposed body in the tomb have stayed as it was and the person of Jesus raised from the dead?

Following through on this reasoning, should we say that the body was absent (merely) as a sign? That is, the disciples ought to deduce thus: "If the body is absent Jesus cannot be dead," rather than "If Jesus is alive, then the body is absent."


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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Friday, March 21, 2008

Ironic Humor for Good Friday

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This was on John Stackhouse's blog, Feb. 17th, among other similar items, under the heading "Church Bulletin Classics"

"Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King."

For meditation:

  • When have we as individuals, and as the Church, followed Christ in His submission to death at the hands of enemies, out of love for those enemies, in obedience to the will of His Father?


  • When have we as individuals, and as the Church, followed men in their killing Christ out of hatred for our enemies, in resentment of Christ's kingship?

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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Credit where credit is due: a trail through the blogsphere for Maundy Thursday

(alternate post title: Maundy Thursday Reading and Discussion of Christian Pacifism)

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Looking for a little Maundy Thursday reading late this morning, I followed this link on M. Anderson's blog, where I found this post (dated today, March 20th, containing a hymn by Kim Fabricius), which led me both to this Maundy Thursday sermon by Kim Fabricius, and to this series of posts by Kim Fabricius, and within that series I linked to: Kim Fabricius' Ten stations on my way to Christian pacifism which contains a worthwhile series of comments at the end.

Also within that series, see his:
Ten Propositions on Peace and War
and its postscript





On a separate note, I have received word today that my sister's husband is preparing to return home from his assignment with the National Guard in Iraq. He says he should be home in about a month.


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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Martyr's Mirror 4: Anti-Imperialism and Nonviolence

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From The Martyr's Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght; translation by Joseph F. Sohm:


OF THE NAME: ANABAPTISTS.*

The name "Anabaptist" was really not accepted by them by choice or desire, but of necessity;
* The word "Anabaptist" is here used to signify the same as "Taufgesinate" in the German, and "Doopsgesinde" in the Dutch language, for which the English language affords no better term, the literal signification of "Doopsgesinde being "baptism-minded."

** Ancient Israel was called the circumcision because all Israelites were circumcised. (I Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6; 6:15).


Comments:

1. Is Believer’s Baptism really essential to Anabaptist Christianity?

The Anabaptists’ faith is placed in a full, Christian, apostolic gospel. “Believer’s baptism” is not the single most important item of the Anabaptist’s faith, on which our salvation rests. But it is what distinguishes the Anabaptists from all other Christians (from “Christendom”).


From The Martyr's Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght; translation by Joseph F. Sohm:

OF HOLY BAPTISM, AND WHY WE HAVE PREFERRED IT TO ALL OTHER ARTICLES, IN OUR HISTORY
* Paul asked the Church at Rome, whether they did not know that as many as were baptized (or incorporated through baptism) into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death? (Rom. 6:3. Compare with Gal. 3:27; I Cor. 12:13).

** Notwithstanding Philips of Marnix; then, F. Beza: then Menso Alting then, Abr. A. Doreslaer; and then, the latest translators of the Bible, have come to another conclusion concerning the rebaptizing of the twelve Ephesian disciples who had been baptized by John, Acts 19:1-3; there has, nevertheless, as far as we have been able to discover, before the time of P. Marnix yea, for more than fifteen hundred years, never been a single Greek or Latin divine who doubted that those Ephesians were baptized again, because the first time they had been baptized without having a knowledge of the holy Ghost.


Comments:

2. Some evidence that anti-imperialism is more foundational than believer’s baptism to the Anabaptist tradition.

From The Martyr's Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght; translation by Joseph F. Sohm:

THE REASON WHY WE HAVE POINTED OUT THE ARTICLE OF HOLY BAPTISM, AND THE ADHER ENCE OF ANABAPTISM, FROM THE DAYS OF CHRIST TO THE PRESENT TIME:

For more than a century up to the present day, people have been made to believe that the Anabaptists contemptuously so-called, have but recently sprung from some erring spirit,-some say, from the Munsterites,* etc.; whose fabulous faith, life and conduct, the true Anabaptists have never recognized; for no one will ever be able to show with truth, so far as we have been able to ascertain, that the articles of religion of those Munsterites, whereby they have drawn the attention of the world upon themselves, and which consist in commotion, rebellion and such like, have ever been adopted or acknowledged as good, much less professed and lived, by any formal church of the Anabaptists, or by any well known member of the same.


Comments:

3. Some evidence that non-violence is more foundational than believer’s baptism to the Anabaptist tradition.


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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Read the full post.

Logic Symbols in HTML

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I learned some new HTML codes today for symbolic logic:

∼ ∼
· ·
∨ ∨
⊃ ⊃
≡ ≡

∴ ∴

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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Read the full post.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Summer work

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I have been officially rehired as a seasonal teacher for the Institute of Reading Development, for summer 2008! :)

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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

World Religions Paper Topics

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My class of 45 World Religions students are supposed to have submitted their paper topics for approval today (actually, the syllabus said last Thursday). Most of them have managed to do so, but there are some stragglers.

I'm looking forward to reading their papers--moreso, I'm looking forward to their learning experiences as they go through the process. I hope to learn from them as well.

Here is a selection of some of the paper topics that have been chosen.
(Thanks due to Dr. Win Corduan, btw, author of Neighboring Faiths: I made use of the "Term Paper Ideas" sections in your textbook to make suggestions to the students, and some/many of them made use of those suggestions in choosing their topics.)

  • A Biography of Kassapa Buddha (the one right before Gautama)
  • A Biography of Moses
  • Buddhist Philosophy of the Self (two students are doing this one)
  • Overview of the specific beliefs & practices of Shi'ite Islam
  • Yom Kippur (my one Jewish student is writing this one; two other student are writing on Jewish holidays as well)
  • Pure Land Buddhism
  • Women's Roles in Sikhism
  • The Ten Precepts (in Buddhism)
  • Major Schools of Buddhism in Japan
  • Hindu Marriage
  • Compare & Contrast Shvetambara & Digambara Jainism
  • Mormonism & why some Christians say Mormons are not Christians
  • Mysticism in the Abrahamic Faiths
  • Jain Philosophy
  • Yoga in Hinduism
  • Jesus Christ in Islamic Teaching
  • The Relationship of Judaism & Christianity
  • The ideas of harmony & perfection in Daoist teaching & practices
  • The Ideal Hindu Family
  • Symbols in Christianity
  • Compare & Contrast Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (the student doing this approached me and asked if she could write a paper "comparing and contrasting Catholicism and Christianity"--so I figured I had better have her write that paper! I directed her to make use of a couple of specific resources among others she might choose).
  • An interview with a friend who grew up Hindu and is now searching for her religious identity

These are all great topics! And there's a good amount of diversity, don't you think?


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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Read the full post.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Martyr's Mirror 3: Baptism of Blood

From The Martyr's Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght; translation by Joseph F. Sohm:


OF THE TITLE OF THIS WORK: THE BLOODY THEATRE OF THE ANABAPTISTS, etc.

The first part of the title, consisting of the words, THE BLOODY THEATRE, will, we think, not be subjected to any serious criticism, since no one can dispute that all that is treated here, so far as the martyrs are concerned, is a representation or exhibition of the blood, suffering, and death of those who, for the testimony of Jesus Christ, and for their conscience' sake, shed their blood exchanging their life for a cruel death.

But the second part, consisting of the words, "OF THE ANABAPTISTS," may easily meet with some opposition, because some will not admit that the Anabaptists, or those who maintain such a confession as they do, have existed through every century, from the days of Christ up to the present time; and, what is still more, that they have had their martyrs. But in order to treat the matter systematically and in the best manner, we shall first speak of the name, and then of the thing itself.


Comments:

1. Aside: Martyrdom and the "Baptism of Blood"

Of course not all Christians are martyrs in the strict sense of suffering violent persecution and death for the sake of their witness to the gospel. All Christians are however witnesses (Gk. martus [singular form]). Anabaptist tradition talks of believer's undergoing three baptisms: the baptism of the Spirit, the baptism of water, and the baptism of blood—meaning martyrdom. (See this article at Third Way Café).

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2. Church Perpetuity

Here is the essential claim I am interested in: the church perpetuity claim:
"the Anabaptists, or those who maintain such a confession as they do, have existed through every century, from the days of Christ up to the present time"

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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Read the full post.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Martyr's Mirror 2: How Important is Baptism?

From The Martyr's Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght; translation by Joseph F. Sohm:
(Note: You must click below to read the full post. As it appears on the main page it is incomplete.)


AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION: SUMMARY OF THE FOLLOWING WORK

This work comprises two books, each of them containing a different and independent topic. The first is a treatise of the holy baptism and of that which pertains to it. The second is a historical account of the holy martyrs who suffered on account of baptism, or, generally, for the testimony of Jesus Christ.




Comments:

On the centrality of the doctrine of believer’s baptism to Anabaptist identity & thought

Very shortly after this, vanBraght opines that it is unfortunate that “Anabaptism” has been thus named, for the true gospel which the Anabaptists represent (or hope to) is so much more than the doctrine of “believer’s baptism” (i.e., baptism of adults upon confession of faith). ...

Essentials and Nonessentials: A Vital Question Regarding Sacraments

It is oft quoted in ecumenical evangelical circles, “In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity”. The vital question here is: Is baptism an essential or a nonessential? And regardless of the answer to the first, how can we treat one another with Christian charity when we disagree over baptism? ...
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"He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

Read the full post.

Happy π Day! (3.14.08)

This link courtesy of my mother (who first brought my attention to the fact that today is π day):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7296224.stm

Also visit:



Interesting Pi facts:


  • I can find my & Sarah's birthdates twice each in the first 200 million digits of Pi. Both of hers occur significantly earlier than mine (hers occurs twice prior to the 100 millionth digit; mine occurs twice after the 100 million digit). I guess that's becuase she's older!


  • The number of the beast in Revelation (666, which is Gemmatria for "Caeser Nero") occurs at least twenty times. I stopped looking after that many.


  • Also occuring at least twenty times: 2008 (the current year C.E./A.D.)


  • Our social security numbers and bank account numbers do not occur in the first 200 million digits of Pi.
  • I was surprised to see that Google does not have any celebratory decorations up in honor of Pi Day. Usually, that is how I realize that it is a special day. (I think I missed St. Patrick's Day this year).
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    "He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

      Thursday, March 13, 2008

      Martyr's Mirror 1: Prologue 1

      Two Sundays ago, I allowed myself to be caught up in a rather lengthy discussion with a certain fellow: friendly, loud, boisterous, and firm in his convictions. The discussion concerned believer's baptism vs. infant baptism, salvation, and a certain view of Church history which, I learned, is put forth in an Anabaptist classic, The Martyr's Mirror (1660). This view of history a Wikipedia article refers to as "church perpetuity" or apostolic succession. The notion is that the Anabaptists of the 16th century and since are proper heirs of the "true Church" (and that the Church of Rome never was, because it stopped being the Church as soon as it was coopted by the Empire). At least one version of the story (as I had heard it before, interestingly enough, from our evangelical, Greek tour guide four years ago now) attempts to trace the lineage of (name of church body here) to a church or churches established by the Apostle Paul (a group that called themselves "Paulists") in the first century which refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Roman Church as soon as it became the state religion under Theodosius (see also here) who (as I recall being told by the tour guide) in effect mandated that every citizen (infants and adults) be baptized, and threatened them with death if they did not comply--thus making a personal confession of faith meaningless.

      The purpose of this narrative has always seemed to me to be to remove the Roman Catholic Church from the pages of Church history (perhaps in order to excuse oneself from a few centuries worth of historical study, or perhaps to avoid identifying oneself with certain historical atrocities such as the Crusades and Inquisition)--surely, I always think, this must be a cheat. I mean every Christian in the West--for better or for worse--is de facto an heir of the history of the Roman Catholic Church from its inception to the Reformation(s), as surely as every thinking person in the West is de facto an heir of Enlightenment Philosophy. Further, I have a tendency to react in a strongly negative way to attempts to identify one body or another as "the true Church" (although I guess I'm enough of an exclusivist to deny that anyone who explicitly denies the divinity and Lordship of Christ is not a member of the Church, true or otherwise). One of the things that attracted me to the Anabaptists (via my wife, via a certain retired professor of mathematics who teaches literature seminars) is their emphasis on epistemic humility (which I would like to think extends to their theological commitments, but it seems not to in a number of cases when the topic of infant baptism comes up), and the fact that their history is rather uniquely free of killing other people because in the name of protecting orthodoxy (well, to be truthful, some Anabaptists seem not to have been pacifists).

      However, as much as I continue to be personally attracted to certain elements of tradition, thought, and practice which I think of as Anglo-Catholic, I have to admit that since becoming part of an Anabaptist community and since hearing some people around me talk about "the Constantinian Shift" I have become more open to this kind of story. What attracts me I think is the strong anti-imperialism and counter-culturalism. (Everyone's got an -ism, a certain former correspondent of mine would say!) Since taking Apocalyptic Literature as an undergraduate Biblical Literature major I have become increasingly conscious of the political (or anti-political, perhaps) commitments that seem to come along with confessing Jesus as Lord. (Although, as I remember concluding at the end of that course, Daniel and his friends held positions of political power, and they were counted among the good guys.) It makes sense to me to suggest that when Christians took up arms to protect the state (that is, to protect some sinful human beings against others) and swore oaths of political allegience to political and military authorities, something went seriously wrong. (This is probably one of the two or three reasons that I consider myself a pacifist.)

      Still, I have reservations about identifying with the Anabaptist tradition. I am still more comfortable with Reformed/Wesleyan/Anglo-Catholic views on the sacraments, for example. And my Catholic sympathies (probably in part the result of my upbringing, in a home which prided itself I think on being good friends with Catholics in a small midwestern town) are going to die hard, if at all.

      As part of my personal quest to reconsider my theological views on things (in general), and to decide what it means to be Anabaptist (so I can decide whether or not to say I am one and mean it), I want to take up my brother's challenge (the friendly, loud, boisterous, and convicted one) to look at the introduction in the Martyr's Mirror with its account of Anabaptism and "church perpituity".

      So I think I will be doing this in a series of blog posts. The text, if any is interested, is here.

      Until then.

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      "He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)

      Monday, March 3, 2008

      Re: Alleged Statements by Stanley Hauerwas

      Comment left by michael:
      What are your thoughts on this post? Not so much the musings on the church calendar, but on Hauerwas' provocative comments.

      I'm moving this to a new post for my response because I didn't think it connected closely enough to the post it was commented on.

      (1) I haven't read much of Hauerwas, so I have no way of telling if this is normal rhetoric for him or not. It seems rather extreme to me. Having a U.S. flag in one's sanctuary isn't necessarily idolatrous, and neither is saying the pledge of allegiance. At issue is (a) how such expressions of patriotism/loyalty to the state are meant, and (b) how they are interpreted by others. Christians must understand that Christ's Lordship trumps all political, racial, and national allegiances, and that Christ's Lordship has repercussions that will create conflict with their political, racial, and national allegiances. This doesn't mean one cannot be a loyal American or a good citizen and a Christian. As long as being a loyal American or a good citizen is not defined as unconditional allegience. If it is unloyal to love and serve and shelter someone from another nationality--including literal enemies of the state--this may create a conflict of allegiances. If it is unloyal to criticize and overtly oppose (perhaps on some occasions in ways that are not condoned by state law, even though nonviolent) polies of the state, then this may create a conflict of allegiances. Whenever one subordinates their allegiance to Christ to their allegiance to the state, this is inconsistent with their commitment of discipleship and their baptismal vows. Does this mean "their salvation is in doubt"? Well, I think Christians should be confronted by fellow Christians in such cases, and it should be taken seriously. It may in some cases require church discipline. I do not think it means that we can all state with certainty that the Holy Spirit is not or never was living in the individual or that that individual is not presently incorporated into the Body of Christ. Treason against the Kingdom of God is a forgivable offense, but a serious one. God's prophets are serious in chastizing Israelites who put their trust in Egypt rather than in YHWH. There are serious consequences.

      (2) Again, I have not sufficient familiarty with Hauerwas to judge, but the post as the air of an illegitimate e-mail forward to me, along the lines of dead atheists convincing CBS to cancel "Touched by an Angel" or Proctor & Gamble's CEO being a Satan worshipper and saying so on Oprah. I would like to see the actual issue of the Princeton Seminary Bulletin in which Hauerwas allegedly made these statements.
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      "He Himself is our Peace." (Eph 2)