Weekend Retreat

After a couple of posts containing no original material (but, of course, the selection and re-presentation of these sense-impressions is an original act of consciousness on my part!), I figure that I ought to give a personal update, as well.

Today marks the end of the third week of classes here. I am *close* to finishing a paper that I wanted to complete by the end of this week, but I don't think it's going to happen because I'm leaving on a retreat this weekend with some guys from TMC.

I'm not entirely sure what the retreat will involve, except outdoor camping and biking. Unfortunately, it looks like rain....

I had a very nice time last night having coffee with a friend here in Toledo (other than my wife). We both remarked how nice it was to have an intentional relationship where we are now in our lives. I'm very happy about this.

I'll probably say something about my retreat experience on my next post.

Happy Friday!

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

Read the full post.

Sojourners' Surge for Peace

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/09/a-surge-of-prayers-by-jim-wall.html

Quote:

Next week, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, will report to Congress on the progress of the troop "surge" and the war effort in general. That report promises to catalyze an intense national debate on the floor of the U.S Congress, in the media, and across the nation. Is it time to end the war? If so, how? Or should we persevere until we “win” the war? And what would that mean?
It will be a great debate on what is clearly a life-and-death issue for both Americans and Iraqis. It is a debate in which much is at stake. All next week, this blog will be focusing on Iraq and the future of this war, which has become such a disaster.

But as people of faith, we believe the place to start is prayer. Only prayer can soften hearts and open the way to peace and reconciliation. So, as General Petraeus testifies, we're planning to match his surge with one of our own – 20,000 prayers for Congress to bring an end to this war.
[...]

So we would like to begin this great debate with prayer. Prayers for peace and prayers for the wisdom and courage to end this war in the ways that are most protective of human life, especially of the innocent. Our nation's political leaders are listening to the faith community as never before. We've spoken to several members of Congress who are considering reading a selection of your prayers for peace into the Congressional Record.
[...]

Will you be a part of this surge of prayer for peace? Click here to let your senators and representatives know that you're praying for them.

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

Read the full post.

Nevertheless...

Now Reading: Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism, by John Howard Yoder (Scottdale, Penn.: Herald Press, 1992).

Ch. 2: The Pacifism of the Honest Study of Cases

("Just-War Pacifism")

"A second difficulty is that in many cases, having stated such a doctrine seems to have had the effect of excusing people from applying it carefully. They think the fact that there exists a doctrine of the just war constitutes a justification of war in general. However, it actually constitutes a denial that war can ever be generally justified. The amassing of armament for the potentially justified case of war is not matched by creating institutions or techniques for the control of the use of arms in the other cases.

"Thus the existence of the doctrine has tended to be taken as a proof, when as a matter of fact it should have been meant as a question. Hence, great numbers of Christians in the mainstream denominations assume that the theologians have given them grounds for a good conscience in preparing for war and waging it. Yet this is not at all the case. They feel that the recent groundswell of selective objection to war is revolutionary, when in fact it is a retrieval of traditional commitments." (p. 25)

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

Read the full post.