Back in 2004, I went to a ministry fair in the Diocese of Olympia. These are conferences at which people can learn more about the ministries in which they are already involved, or find out about ministries that they didn't know existed. In addition to a seminar on the development of lay liturgical leadership and another on starting a hispanic ministry in the parish, I went to a presentation by the Seattle area Mission to Seafarers. MTS has its roots in England's 19th century naval supremacy, and was founded in 1856 as a Church of England outreach program for mariners around the world. Now there are something like 230 ports with Mission to Seafarers ministries operating in them, and several of the volunteers from the Seattle port were talking to us. I've grown up loving the sea and I was interested in what they had to say, but we were about to move to the Bay Area so I didn't follow up with them.

A few weeks ago, though, a combination of conversations and news articles got me thinking about that seminar. I got busy on Google, of course, and found the International Maritime Center. IMC is operated by the Episcopal Church here in the Bay Area, but is an ecumenical effort involving Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and Baptists. I'm going to start volunteering there next Monday.

This will be interesting on a number of fronts. First, despite being a missionary effort of several Christian churches, the center doesn't seem be here primarily to evangelize. The population of seafarers is remarkably varied, with lots of Filipinos, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Ukrainians, and Turks coming through. More than anything, they want to call their families, use the Internet, and go shopping. So that's what we give to them. It's better than being stuck in the middle of a vast industrial dock area, with no familiarity with the surrounding area, and no friendly faces offering to give them a bit of space to unwind, a pool table and a basketball court to play on, and some peace and quiet.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
]]> Seminary Life Chris A 2007-10-08T17:11:33-08:00 http://www.somethingunderstood.org/archives/2007/10/england_12_aust.html It was a tightly contested match, which each side spending only about 5 minutes of gametime within the opposing 22-metre. There was only the one try, from Lote Tuqiri (who's quite fast) put Australia into the lead in the first half, but Australia kept giving up penalties. The deep and precise kicking threat from Jonny Wilkinson kept the points ticking over, and in the end it was enough.

England now go through to the final four, where they will face either France or New Zealand.

A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners

In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to the Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:23

Introduction

The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary

• We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
• We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
• We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
• We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.
• We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
• We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
• We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
• We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.

Discussion

Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention

The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.

Blessing of Same-Sex Unions

We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "...[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

Episcopal Visitors

We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.

Incursions by Uninvited Bishops

We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.

Communion-wide Consultation

In their communique of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterated our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

The Listening Process The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the church's conversation about sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts, conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches and so is well placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.

The Lambeth Conference

Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.

We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.

Justice and Dignity for Gay and Lesbian Persons

It is of fundamental importance that, as we continue to seek consensus in matters of human sexuality, we also be clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at every turn any action or policy that does violence to them, encourages violence towards them, or violates their dignity as children of God. We call all our partners in the Anglican Communion to recommit to this effort. As we stated at the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim the Gospel of what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being, and of justice, compassion and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God."

(h/t to epiScope)]]> Chris A 2007-09-25T16:08:47-08:00 http://www.somethingunderstood.org/archives/2007/09/a_new_website.html “Covenant” Web Site Launched to Aid Thoughtful Reconciliation among Anglicans and Others

Durham, NC — September 5, 2007 – A group of American Episcopalians and Anglicans who call themselves “evangelical catholic” have today launched a new website and blog, “Covenant” (http://covenant-communion.com), that will focus on “the present struggles and gifts” of The Episcopal Church and other communities in order to emphasize the need for greater humility and reconciliation among Christians.

The founders of the site, who are students, teachers, and pastors from the Episcopal Church in the United States, are frustrated with the polarization and vitriol about sexuality and other hot topics that have divided so many Episcopalians (and Anglicans throughout the world) from each other. Similar debates are dividing Lutherans, Methodists, and others in the mainline churches.

Taking St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians as their theme, the founders of the site insist that all Christians are called by God to “agree” and “unite,” which is the literal meaning of the word covenant. This requires “waiting for one another,” the website proclaims, and reflecting more carefully about what “orthodoxy” means for Christians.

Visitors to Covenant can expect to find:

* A generous, ecumenical spirit, focused on common prayer and study by all Christians
* An emphasis upon Scripture and sacraments as bearers of God’s graceful Word
* Outstanding teaching of God’s Word and our received tradition
* A peaceful, inviting, and purposeful gathering of fellow Christians

To reach Covenant, visit their website at http://covenant-communion.com

I'm just off to bed, so I have to take a look at this in greater detail tomorrow. I know and respect some of the members, however. Hat tip to Thinking Anglicans.

But anyway, the sentence that I'm writing about here is: "...beliefs should be judged on whether they are correct or incorrect, not on whether they cause people to do good or bad things." What does it mean for a belief to be correct or incorrect? That's the question for today (for a Saturday, of all things. I need to learn to turn this off on the weekends.) I suppose it means that a belief should be judged by whether or not it corresponds to "truth".

OK, I've never given that much thought to what "truth" is. In our classes, we discuss, briefly, the theories against literalism in Biblical interpretation especially in, say, the creation stories. We talk about metaphor and analogy, and about the possibility of any human-created record of myth and transcendent experience. We talk about authorial agenda and strategies of redaction. In the Episcopal Church, we haven't really tended to take a literalist perspective and we don't bandy around the term "truth" much, I think because it feels dangerously certain to do so, and the Anglican tradition has tended away from doctrinal rigor in favor of community discipline. The Wikipedia article lists more than a half-dozen theories of truth. So, anyway, when CW and I head into the City for a walk today, I'll be looking for a book about truth.

As if I don't have anything else on my plate. :-)

read the article here.

* liberal in the theological sense, not necessarily the "politically left" sense.

At the core of it, he raises the notion that faith, far from being a kind of certainty without evidence, is rather a "doubt of doubt". It is a sort of apophatic thing to say that I think is very Anglican, certainly, and very likely to be frustrating to atheists and fundamentalist Christians alike. The things that he describes as characterizing the faith journey are exactly the sort of things that annoy the philosophers because it's fuzzy; you can't argue against it. Ted Peters, my systematic theology professor, pointed out that atheists start right at attacking "God exists" as a scientific statement, but that Christians almost never consider the existence of God to be a scientific question.

Increasingly, I'm coming to think that the big problem with the last few hundred years is that religions developed in a pre-modern world. None of the religions have really dealt adequately with modernism. They have either (a) become a modernist, scientifically-materialist philosophical atheism, or (b) become a curious modernist rejection of modernism as a fundamentalism, or (c) muddled along until post-modernism started to give them openings with the return of subjectivity.

Most people, I think, are basically decent. Those that I know who are religious are in general slightly more likely to appear to me kind, thoughtful, and reflective. This is quite possibly, though, because I am in fact religious myself, and I feel that they speak a comforting sort of language. It might also be perhaps because I am far more concerned with ethical behavior than with linguistic or philosophical correctness. What I categorically do not see is a tendency towards extremism among either the religious or the non-religious people in my life. I simply don't have enough certainty around to support it.

But lack of certainty certainly isn't reason enough to stop believing.

2007's RWC is being hosted by France, and I hope to be able to watch a few of the matches live, despite working on a conference during the first week of the tournament, and being a few weeks into the semester by that point. The matches will be shown on Setanta, which has a venue finder by which you can find bars and pubs that will be showing matches. The list for the Bay Area is here. Looks like I'll be traveling over to the city again, just like during the Football World Cup.

I've just finished registering for classes for this term, which is my fifth at CDSP. I am taking four classes. They are listed below with their descriptions as found in the GTU online Course Catalog.

Liturgics

A lecture course in sacramental theology with special attention to the relation of sacramental liturgy and sacraments as acts of the church. Primary focus will be on the rites of Christian Initiation, the Eucharist and Holy Orders, with a secondary focus on confession, anointing the sick and marriage. Evaluation is through participation based on required readings, a mid-term examination and a final written project.

Postmodern Christian Education

This foundational course in Christian Education attends to the plural cultures of the postmodern world, which form the context within which Christian faith must be formed and nurtured. Using approaches that integrate theory, practice and critical reflection within the course's pedagogy, students will be enabled to foster the same capacities for critically-reflective and committed Christian praxis in persons of all ages, within their particular contexts for ministry. Lecture, discussion and student presentation class format. Evaluation of regular reflection papers and book reports, in-class presentations, and an ethnographic site observation.

Rites of the Sick, Dead, and Dying

This seminar explores the rites surrounding the care of the sick, the dying, and funerals from historical, theological and ritual perspectives. The course will survey the historical development of the rites before turning to a comparative ecumenical study of current liturgical traditions. Contemporary issues of liturgy and culture, medicine and spirituality, and shifts in caring for the dying will also be entertained.

Basic Latin 1

An introduction to the grammar and syntax of Classical (and Medieval) Latin. This is a two- semester sequence, the goal of which is to get students to reading level by the end of the second term. Exercises and readings will be drawn from original texts of Classical and Medieval authors. Strong emphasis on etymologies, vocabulary, and comparative grammar; some attention given to historical context of selected authors. Evaluation: Class participation, frequent quizzes, midterm and final.

Liturgics and Christian Education are both required by the M.Div. curriculum. Rites of the Sick, Dead, and Dying not only satisfies part of my MA (Liturgical Studies) requirements, but it is also something that I am quite interested in. A secular and English friend told me once that "Anglicans may be just as messed up as the rest of religion, but their funerals are beautiful".

Latin just seems like a good idea. Should I eventually go on to do doctoral work at Oxford or Cambridge (only in Japan would one say 'Cambridge and Oxford'. In Cambridge one would say "Here and ... the Other Place") I would need to be able to offer grace in Latin at Formal Hall.

1. Holy Scriptures
2. Church History
3. Christian Theology
4. Christian Ethics and Moral Theology
5. Studies in Contemporary Society
6. Liturgics and Church Music
7. Theory and Practice of Ministry

If you'd like to see what we're expected to know for the GOEs, and by extension what we're trying to learn in three years of seminary education, you can review this brief summary. After re-reading it, I think I should put away the Harry Potter book and pick up some school books again...]]> Seminary Life Chris A 2007-08-04T08:31:22-08:00 http://www.somethingunderstood.org/archives/2007/08/our_crosscountr.html

Then I went to Philadelphia for the Episcopal Preaching Foundation's Preaching Excellence Program. I was gathered for a week with students from almost all of the Episcopal seminaries to learn about preaching from some wonderful teachers. I managed to pop up to Boston to visit Mum and Kate and Mark.

I've fixed up the bike that a previous tenant left behind, an old department store special Schwinn Sidewinder. It's close to dangerous to ride, but I've been taking it out for spins down to Alameda and Oakland airport (where I eavesdrop on the ATC with my scanner). I figure by the end of the summer I'll ride to San Jose, give the bike to a Goodwill store or something, and be ready to upgrade to a proper bike. It's great to be getting some exercise again; the jogging thing just wasn't working.

I've been volunteering up at the railroad where I spent last summer, and I've been doing more online Flight Sim stuff.

C and I are flying out tomorrow to Boston, where we will pick up a car and drive cross country, via Minneapolis, the Dakotas, and Yellowstone.

I've got a ton of comment spam lately. I think I'll just turn off the comments. You can email me at chris at the domain name of this website if you want to say hi.