Reflections on Light from the Christian East: Part 2

Here is the second of my reflections on Light from the Christian East...

10/7/08
In this second reading, the Eastern Orthodox views on knowledge of God drew me in. They seem to have two principles that go hand-in-hand as they approach theology. The first is that intimacy with God informs theology, and the second is that we should start from a foundation of what we can not know about God (apophatic theology). Both paint a picture in stark contrast to our Western view that knowledge of God forms the basis for theology. The alternative to this Western view was very appealing to me though. It evoked feelings of simplicity, achievability, mystery, awe, and intimacy.

See, I feel conflicted right now about nurturing my relationship with God. On one hand, I feel like God is a part of everything in my life, a thread woven beneath the whole. But on the other hand, I don’t feel like I do enough intentionally to nurture my encounters with God. The idea of Scripture reading and study deter me while the ideas of meditation, prayer, and mysticism draw me in. Granted, both ends are necessary and require one to create space for them, but perhaps a more balanced view of the two would help me more readily enter into these encounters…

Oh, Thanksgiving Feast

What fun holidays are! We spend Thanksgiving @ our place this year along with 7 other friends & family members. We cooked up a storm:

20 lb turkey
Double recipe of sweet potato souffle
Green bean casserole
Brown & serve rolls
Homemade mashed potatoes w/ garlic, cream, & butter
Gravy
Pecan pies
Pumpkin pies
Mulled cider

We ate, laughed, told stories, and ate some more.

Maybe we should feast with lots of people more often...

Zuri even feasted on the turkey carcass (un-beknownst to us) while we were away Black Friday shopping the next morning.

Reflections on Light from the Christian East: Part 1

Hey all, I know I have been dreadfully neglecting the blog these days, but life is crazy with classes and I have had no motivation.

Why not double-dip? I read Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition by James Payton for a traditions class, and did several reflections on it that I will share in this series. If you are as green as I was about the Orthodox tradition, I highly recommend this easy-to-read introduction.

Anyway, I will let the reflections give you a more extensive taste.

10/7/08
Western Christians on the Fourth Crusade stooped to a “three-day rampage of destruction, slaughter, rape, and pillage” (Payton, James. Light from the Christian East. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 34). My heart broke when I read this. Matt and I were on one of our usual treks back from visiting family. We usually take advantage of these chunks of time in the car to dream, set goals, and read together, so I was spending some time in Payton. Tears filled my eyes, and shock slowed my heart when I found out that it was the atrocities of our fellow Christians, not doctrinal differences, that created the permanent rift in our faith tradition. How could Christians do this to their own brothers and sisters?! It still brings tears to my eyes to think about it.

Matt and I began talking about the split, and it led to a broader conversation on our tradition of Protestantism. We have created a tradition of division, of splitting from our brothers and sisters over what sometimes are only miniscule differences. Now that I see the broader scope of our tradition and the creeds, the Protestant pattern begins to look rather petty.

The kicker is that I find myself “protesting” all the time. I am frustrated by those who interpret Scripture differently than I do because I believe my interpretation is the right one.

The question then becomes “how can we avoid continuing this pattern?” We came to the conclusion that it will require a continual spirit of humility and willingness to stay in learning dialogue with one another. The other day, I was listening to a Fermi Project Podcast that referenced this kind of attitude. In this particular podcast, Shane Claiborne was sharing about how he had a conversation with a kid on his block about homosexuality, how he had finished sharing his views with the kid by suggesting he also go talk with another member of his faith community who held a varying view on the issue (Interview with Shane Claiborne. Fermi Project, Podcast #12. November 28, 2007).
God, please protect us from our pride and individuality leading to the division and even destruction of your people…

Art on the Farm

Saturday I headed out with one of the girls for a fun adventure. Art on the Farm, a local art fest of sorts, was going on all weekend. It's a more intimate sort of event that is literally on a farm: a two-story, rustic barn becomes the gallery, an extension on the barn becomes the stage for live music, and the shed becomes the cafe.

We snagged hot cider that I think was some of the best I ever tasted. We moseyed through the artist's stands and admired the stone walls and rough hewn beams of the barn. We made fun of some creepy art, admired others, and bought a few gifts for people. Then, we hit up the cafe and found a delightful spread: Rachel's Creperie making fresh crepes as you watched, a full assortment of desserts, plus an array of soups and salads. We ate our crepes sitting in a row of ancient theater seats listening to a quirky two-man folk band. We wandered around a little more, chatted with some people, and then called it a day.

Keep your eye open for a date for next year's--it's worth it!

Some Rumblings from Class

I would love to use this blog as a reflection point for things I'm learning in class. Here's an excerpt from an online discussion for our Christian Tradition class:

"Our whole discussion Tuesday blew a lot of my "boxes" up. Driving home from class, I could feel the shifts rumbling inside:
• The interpretation of the Church being of higher value than the inerrancy of Scripture
• The very human factor in the formation of the Canon versus a view that pretty much calls the Canon innerant as well
• The value of church tradition rather than it being stuffy and old
• The value of Catholic and Orthodox traditions rather than them just being those "could be born again (i.e. but not likely)" people.

I am beginning to view the role of tradition as far more important in Scripture and its interpretation than I ever did before. Community begins carry even more weight in light of this. I find myself fascinated to learn more about these ideas but also scared of the sacrifice it might require to become less independent and more dependent on my faith community. I think this is difficult in our culture especially. We have been taught that independence and freedom is of the utmost value, no matter the cost. Viewing tradition, church community, as the anchor for our faith and interpretation flies in the face of the American Dream in many senses..."

Thoughts?

Yes, I wear man deodorant

My deodorant choice became the rather hilarious topic of conversation at work on Thursday.

About a year ago, I decided on a whim to switch to non anti-perspiration deodorant. The common anti-perspirant ingredients are reputed to have cancer-causing potential. Now, I am sure many of you at this point are rolling your eyes and dismissing me as yet another one of those cancer-phobes. Hold on! Don't stop reading! I admit, the supposed risk was the motivating factor for my switch, but I promise I am not fanatic about it.

The problem was, I couldn't seem to find a women's deoderant that wasn't combined with anti-perspirant. I chose the logical next choice: the most neutral smelling men's deoderant I could find. This happened to be Old Spice, fresh scent.

Yes, go ahead, get your laughs out. I laugh myself about it, but after I made the switch I discovered several benefits that have made me an official convert:

1) Ladies, you know how deoderant (anti-perspirant kinds that is) make your armpits grippy? Switch to a pure deoderant, and this won't happen anymore!

2) Anti-perspirant deoderant leaves that waxy residue not only on your armpits, but also embedded in the armpits of your shirts--not to mention the white streaks on the outside of your clothes. Does straight deoderant? Nope!

3) And no, I haven't noticed a marked increase in the amount I sweat by not wearing an anti-perspirant :)

It's official: I am a fan of Fresh Old Spice, and I don't plan to switch anytime soon.

Prodigy, Late Bloomer, or Neither?

Fascinating article by Malcolm Gladwell (think The Tipping Point and Blink:The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) about the nature of genius developed over a lifetime vs. prodigy:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all

I wonder which I'll be, or if I'll ever be either? I wonder what I am/will be gifted in? Ah, the questions of my life right now...