Faith: Rule of Benedict 3
#ruleofbenedict 3: good decision making requires listening of and respect for all involved
Faith: Rule of Benedict 2
#ruleofbenedict 2: a leader knows they answer to God, seeks the well being of group, teaches by example, adapts to each person
Faith: Rule of Benedict 1
#ruleofbenedict 1: commit to a community that has expectations upon its members
Faith: The Rule of Saint Benedict for the Twitter Age?
The rule is the guide by which a particular community lives. For example, you can read about the Rule of St. Francis that guide the Franciscan friars or the Carmelite Rule of St. Albert. The Rule of Benedict has been translated into English and can be found in various printed editions and in many languages online. I found the edition pictured above in the library and am reading through it now. What I'll attempt to do is summarize the "rules" in Twitter sized bites. I wonder how St. Benedict would react to such an idea? In any case, I hope some of the ancient wisdom will be helpful for us 21st century folks!
To monitor the progress of this series of posts look here under the label rule of benedict or at my Twitter @a4theroad #ruleofbenedict
Sport: UCLA vs. Minnesota
Everyone is saying UCLA will lose even though they are a "6" playing an "11."
There are good reasons:
1) Jordan Adams was injured at the end of the Pac12 semi-final and needed surgery on his foot and is out for the rest of the season. His scoring and crafty steals were a big part of the success of this year's Bruins and were sorely missed in the defeat against Oregon in the Pac12 finals.
2) Rumors swirl around the impending firing of Coach Howland.
3) And now, a report surfaced that Shabazz is actually one year older than he has been claiming furthering the circus atmosphere around the burning ship that is the Bruin's basketball program.
Keys to tonights game:
1. First 5 minutes - if the team is in disarray they will be down double digits and they will either fold or be in a hole too big to dig out of.
They got off to a slow start.
2. Shabazz maybe the star but Larry Drew II is the key. His leadership keeps the team calm and he can pick his moments to score.
Neither had a good game.
3. Ware twins need to hit the open shots since the defense is going to key in on Shabazz.
10 and 4 points from them was not enough.
4. Shabazz needs to play within the flow of the game taking it to the hoop when he gets the chance but also giving up the ball when they close in on him.
Poor shooting until later in the game.
5. Anderson will get his points but UCLA really needs him to get rebounds to keep UCLA in the game since Minnesota is a rebounding monster.
Led Bruins with 11 rebounds but only 6 points.
6. Powell needs to be a defensive stopper. Bruins have scorers in others but need someone to be a pest to Minnesota's offense.
5 steals!
7. Look for Parker to get some minutes as they need his big body to deal with Minnesota's size. If he can give 12 effective minutes UCLA has a shot.
7 minutes, 5 fouls but 9 points.
8. Be alert to the officiating. UCLA has too few players to be playing with foul trouble.
T. Ware 4 fouls, T. Parker 5 fouls.
9. Howland needs to be smart in substitutions to sneak rest for his players.
The team was in a daze.
10. Will it be UCLA's defense on the last possession that preserves the win or UCLA's offense that gets the last bucket lifting them to victory?
If the Bruins had most of the 9 above keys, they win. As it was, they had almost none of the 9 and were blown out. Howland was fired on Sunday.
UCLA 69 Minnesota 68.
GO BRUINS!
There are good reasons:
1) Jordan Adams was injured at the end of the Pac12 semi-final and needed surgery on his foot and is out for the rest of the season. His scoring and crafty steals were a big part of the success of this year's Bruins and were sorely missed in the defeat against Oregon in the Pac12 finals.
2) Rumors swirl around the impending firing of Coach Howland.
3) And now, a report surfaced that Shabazz is actually one year older than he has been claiming furthering the circus atmosphere around the burning ship that is the Bruin's basketball program.
Keys to tonights game:
1. First 5 minutes - if the team is in disarray they will be down double digits and they will either fold or be in a hole too big to dig out of.
They got off to a slow start.
2. Shabazz maybe the star but Larry Drew II is the key. His leadership keeps the team calm and he can pick his moments to score.
Neither had a good game.
3. Ware twins need to hit the open shots since the defense is going to key in on Shabazz.
10 and 4 points from them was not enough.
4. Shabazz needs to play within the flow of the game taking it to the hoop when he gets the chance but also giving up the ball when they close in on him.
Poor shooting until later in the game.
5. Anderson will get his points but UCLA really needs him to get rebounds to keep UCLA in the game since Minnesota is a rebounding monster.
Led Bruins with 11 rebounds but only 6 points.
6. Powell needs to be a defensive stopper. Bruins have scorers in others but need someone to be a pest to Minnesota's offense.
5 steals!
7. Look for Parker to get some minutes as they need his big body to deal with Minnesota's size. If he can give 12 effective minutes UCLA has a shot.
7 minutes, 5 fouls but 9 points.
8. Be alert to the officiating. UCLA has too few players to be playing with foul trouble.
T. Ware 4 fouls, T. Parker 5 fouls.
9. Howland needs to be smart in substitutions to sneak rest for his players.
The team was in a daze.
10. Will it be UCLA's defense on the last possession that preserves the win or UCLA's offense that gets the last bucket lifting them to victory?
If the Bruins had most of the 9 above keys, they win. As it was, they had almost none of the 9 and were blown out. Howland was fired on Sunday.
UCLA 69 Minnesota 68.
GO BRUINS!
Faith: What to make of those strange laws in Leviticus?
I'm guessing I'm pretty late to seeing this widely circulated email:
As for my quick response here in this blog space, I'll offer a disclaimer that I am not a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures nor a Christian theologian by trade. Nonetheless, I try to think through these issues at some limited level since I belive in the Christian worldview and trust Scripture as a valuable and valid source for wisdom. One pastor I heard offered this explanation that maybe helpful; the Levitical laws fall into three broad categories: moral, civil and ceremonial.
Ceremonial laws apply only to Jewish religious rituals and thus they are not binding on anyone outside that context. Some of these rules may sound arbitrary but in the context of religious ritual they served some purpose.
Civil laws govern daily life in the nation of Israel of which some may still be useful today and some not useful. Some of these laws may have been given by God to help the Jewish people separate themselves from their neighbors and thus sound rather arbitrary to us today.
Moral laws would apply to all societies at all times. Of course, many people today don't believe there are moral absolutes but that is an entirely separate conversation.
Thus, though the initial reaction that those laws seem absurd is reasonable, a closer look probably puts many of them in a different light.
Dear (name removed) the WISE ONE,This reminded me of a scene in West Wing which is embedded in this blog post over at STR. There is a video response by STR's Alan Shlemon. Shlemon's key point was that these laws need to be understood in their historical and religious context and its worth a click through if you are interested in the subject.
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you and will try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I will simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate. However (name removed), I do need some advice from you, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I don't want to get ripped off !
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them or ask the Lord to do this?
5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10 , it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27 . How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
(Name removed), I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help me.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan. (Name Removed)
As for my quick response here in this blog space, I'll offer a disclaimer that I am not a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures nor a Christian theologian by trade. Nonetheless, I try to think through these issues at some limited level since I belive in the Christian worldview and trust Scripture as a valuable and valid source for wisdom. One pastor I heard offered this explanation that maybe helpful; the Levitical laws fall into three broad categories: moral, civil and ceremonial.
Ceremonial laws apply only to Jewish religious rituals and thus they are not binding on anyone outside that context. Some of these rules may sound arbitrary but in the context of religious ritual they served some purpose.
Civil laws govern daily life in the nation of Israel of which some may still be useful today and some not useful. Some of these laws may have been given by God to help the Jewish people separate themselves from their neighbors and thus sound rather arbitrary to us today.
Moral laws would apply to all societies at all times. Of course, many people today don't believe there are moral absolutes but that is an entirely separate conversation.
Thus, though the initial reaction that those laws seem absurd is reasonable, a closer look probably puts many of them in a different light.
Faith: Christianity today in the USA - some thoughts on the current scene inside and outside the PCUSA
1. The PCUSA (the church I currently belong to is part of the PCUSA) has a lot going for it conceptually.
Most of my church life has been in congregational ruled churches and I have friends mostly in those settings as well. There is good and bad to congregational rulership of churches. The bad is that sometimes there can be a "cult of personality" which can be very unhealthy so the oversight and accountability structures of the PCUSA are noble and wise. I have seen those mechanisms used effectively to help a PCUSA church I was a part of get back on its feet after a season of conflict within its leadership team.
2. PCUSA as an entity is deeply divided.
I have heard those rumblings back in 1998 when I first started to attend a PCUSA church and because of the growing troubles in the denomination nationally, the thought of leaving PCUSA has occurred often. The Church (big C) will survive because it is God's instrument but PCUSA itself is not sacred. I had heard in some preaching somewhere that the 7 churches in the book of Revelation all eventually faded away? Thus, a particular local body or a national denomination has no assurance of survival.
3. I think the problems within the PCUSA are reflected in the church at large in the USA.
4. I affirm the emergent church's hunger for doing church differently but acknowledge that just because something is new doesn't mean its a good idea and that because something is old it is a bad idea.
5. I affirm that orthopraxy is very important but acknowledge that the Scriptures do make theological claims.
6. I affirm that orthodoxy is a very important but acknowledge that some people (me included?) put a lot of (too many) bullet points on their orthodoxy list.
7. I affirm post-modernism's concern that interpretation of Scripture can be fraught with mistakes but acknowledge that we can't really function if we have no fixed anchor points.
If we believe everything we really are committed to nothing.
8. We want to identify with our culture and welcome everyone with open hearts and wide arms.
See life of Jesus in the Gospels.
9. Yet, Jesus following in some ways is counter-cultural and in some situations, we need to separate ourselves.
Again, see life of Jesus in the Gospels. The in the world but not of the world balance is an incredibly difficult tightrope to walk.
10. Spirit of truth, guide us to truth and Lord have mercy!
Most of my church life has been in congregational ruled churches and I have friends mostly in those settings as well. There is good and bad to congregational rulership of churches. The bad is that sometimes there can be a "cult of personality" which can be very unhealthy so the oversight and accountability structures of the PCUSA are noble and wise. I have seen those mechanisms used effectively to help a PCUSA church I was a part of get back on its feet after a season of conflict within its leadership team.
2. PCUSA as an entity is deeply divided.
I have heard those rumblings back in 1998 when I first started to attend a PCUSA church and because of the growing troubles in the denomination nationally, the thought of leaving PCUSA has occurred often. The Church (big C) will survive because it is God's instrument but PCUSA itself is not sacred. I had heard in some preaching somewhere that the 7 churches in the book of Revelation all eventually faded away? Thus, a particular local body or a national denomination has no assurance of survival.
3. I think the problems within the PCUSA are reflected in the church at large in the USA.
4. I affirm the emergent church's hunger for doing church differently but acknowledge that just because something is new doesn't mean its a good idea and that because something is old it is a bad idea.
5. I affirm that orthopraxy is very important but acknowledge that the Scriptures do make theological claims.
6. I affirm that orthodoxy is a very important but acknowledge that some people (me included?) put a lot of (too many) bullet points on their orthodoxy list.
7. I affirm post-modernism's concern that interpretation of Scripture can be fraught with mistakes but acknowledge that we can't really function if we have no fixed anchor points.
If we believe everything we really are committed to nothing.
8. We want to identify with our culture and welcome everyone with open hearts and wide arms.
See life of Jesus in the Gospels.
9. Yet, Jesus following in some ways is counter-cultural and in some situations, we need to separate ourselves.
Again, see life of Jesus in the Gospels. The in the world but not of the world balance is an incredibly difficult tightrope to walk.
10. Spirit of truth, guide us to truth and Lord have mercy!
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