I had some "fun" today tracking down some over-generalizations, which got me thinking...conservative/liberal/moderate, what do these terms mean?
I am a Presbyterian... (who did his undergraduate work at an Assembly of God liberal arts college [after I transferred from a University of California pre-med program], while attending an evangelical, charismatic independent church, who later went to Princeton Theological Seminary [here I became a Presbyterian] to get my M. Div. and Ph.D.)
...who teaches at an episcopal seminary... (which at times uses incense, bowing and chanting, which reminds me of my family's Buddhist background)
...and who also happens to...
...like "contemporary" church music, ... (though not in the 70's folk music way; this music, by the way, tends to be liked by evangelical types, but I like the style not the theology)
...love the bible, ... (not always typical of "liberals")
...believe in the full participation of gays and lesbians in the church, ... (not always typical of people who went to an AG college)
...value those who think differently than me, ... (OK, classical liberal here)
...and believes that the vitality of church is directly tied to its knowledge and living out the wisdom found in scripture (but not in the same way that some traditions have interpreted scripture).
Oh, and did I mention that I am a Californian surfer, who lettered in badminton, can't throw a frisby to save his life, and who now lives near one of the biggest bodies of water that you can't surf?
As Liz Phair has put so succinctly: I am just your ordinary, average, every-day, sane, psycho, super-goddess.
Well a new quarter has begun. I'm teaching Genesis this Spring. Should be a blast. I have a good group of students, and the material in Genesis is rich.
Did an adult ed. on the Davinci Code this past weekend. It made me realize that the church needs to begin thinking more creatively about sexuality and the place of women in Christianity within our traditions. Many scholars address this, but we just don't hear it at the church level as much as we should. I don't think that people are simply latching onto this book because of the conspiracy theory aspect. Sure, the controversy is a part, but it seems to me that the church is a pretty easy target when it comes to sex and sexism.
Here's a new of focus for prayer...
I will be petitioning the Ph.D. studies committee to allow me to extend my ninth year into the summer. This is an exception. It is far from a "done deal," though my advisor is optimistic that we have a good case. They meet on the 31st of this month. Please pray for a favorable outcome. If the committee votes in favor of my petition, then I will revise over the summer. If they are opposed then I have worked very hard for a second masters degree.
For those of you who are looking for an update, there is none. I am still waiting to here from my committee. If some of you have no idea what I am talking about, just nod and smile.
I'm in a real down mood. Yes its about revisions. No explanations, just pray...
I just thought of a strange connection...
Have you ever noticed that the melody in the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin," sounds remarkably like Barry Manilow's, "This Could Be the Magic," which is inspired by Chopin's "Prelude in C Minor"?
Just curious
The Saints lost last night to the Kellogg Sons of Business, 41-33. We played Kellogg close the whole game, getting outscored by four points each half. We accomplished this without our highest scorer and leading rebounder, Patrick Warriner-Bolt. Also, Kellogg brought a team of 10-12, compared to the valiant Seabury seven.
The Saints finish an equal 12th or 13th (I believe it is officially 12.5), from an initial 63 teams that entered the tournament. Not bad for our first year!
One of the Saints summed it up well, "We maximized our potential." All the other teams were younger, more athletic and more talented than the us. We played like a team, and, in the end, gained a lot of respect from the NU youth. Overall, a very satisifying season.
Do you believe in miracles? Well a small one happened tonight. The Seabury Saints played a second round playoff game vs. Sig. Ep. in the Northwestern intramural basketball league. Sig. Ep., though not the top ranked basketball team in the league, had the highest overall power ranking for all combined sports. They were a huge favorite.
Cut to one of my favorite movies, Hoosiers. A small town team huddles in a big city locker room gym prior to the Indiana State basketball finals. The team looks like a team of destiny. The priest gathers the team for prayer. One of the player's father opens the Good Book and reads:
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen."
Cut back to Blomquist Gym at Northwestern. The Seabury Saints surprise the Sig. Ep. frat boys, pulling out to an early lead. The Saints are up at half time. Sig. Ep. makes a run early in the second half and ties the game, but never leads. The Saints pull away in the closing minutes with good ball control and clutch free throw shooting. The final score, Seabury Saints 50, Sig. Ep. 42.
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen."
The Saints move on to the Sweet Sixteen!
Last night's Academy Awards was a lovefest for the Lord of the Rings, Return of the King. The movie tied the record for the most Oscars won with eleven. The two other movies that have accomplished this were Ben Hur and Titanic. Return of the King also won all eleven awards for which it was nominated.
I suppose this is cosmic redemption for Star Wars losing out to Annie Hall in 1977.
I'm glad that Peter Jackson and crew were rewarded for their contribution to pop culture. Still, my favorite movie of the trilogy, by far, was the Fellowship of the Ring (extended version).
Also, I noticed that the cast, with the exception of Ian McEllen, has been overlooked not only by the academy (deservedly so), but also by the makers of the movie. I heard little if no reference to the cast's dedication in acceptance speeches, which is odd in Hollywood awards shows. I remember hearing some news a while back about disgruntled cast members. Maybe some of the rumors are true.