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Christian Apologetics

So here’s the story… A good friend of mine (anonymous for the time being) has agreed to do a class in Christian Apologetics at a Christian middle school. He’s an orthodox Trinitarian Christian but is a bit on the liberal side. Oddly, he was asked to lead this class by one of the major denominational figures in his area who is very conservative. Interesting situation to say the least…

So we’ve been kicking around some thoughts on what this might look like. Apologetics has always seemed a sticky issue for me. As y’all know, I think of myself as being pretty much in the middle theologically (and politically). I see apologetics as the playground of the conservatives, generally the provenance of those who have no qualms about shoving their faith claims down someone else’s throat. It’s a style of debate characterized more often by volume than intellectual and spiritual engagement. Of late, I tend to associate it with those former Anglicans who now boast of the superiority of the magisterium which has saved them from the horrors of individual decision making as well as the stereotypical Baptist-y apologists who want to tell me I’m not a *real* Christian because I say the Angelus and Hail Marys.

The problem is, most liberals are way too…well…*liberal* to want to do apologetics. After all, it’s the liberal wing that has made a truce (however uneasy) with relativism and once that has happened, how or why would you argue for your faith over and against any other options?

I’m caught in a quandry because I see myself between these extremes. I am a committed Christian, I believe it is the right path both for me–and a whole lot of people with emptiness in their lives who are looking for something meaningful. Square in my sights are (to use Schleiermacher’s term) “the cultured despisers of religion” who don’t seem to want to acknowledge anything outside of their empiricist materialist philosophy.

So–(I’m putting myself in my friend’s shoes here) how would I go about designing a curriculum for 8th graders in a (conservative) Christian school that a) meet the school’s felt need for an Apologetics class and b) uphold a faith stance that believes in both God-given reason and divinely revealed truth with some grey areas between where the one starts and the other stops? Here are my initial thoughts for an 8 class session:

1st session—exploring religious debate: basically, you lay out some of the major fallacies in debate and lay down some of the basic ways to create and support and argument with very special reference to what works and what doesn’t in religious debate. I.e., “’Cause the Bible says so” is *not* an argument and will get you nowhere unless the other person already accepts the Bible as authoritative…

2nd session—Me and We: what I believe and what the Church believes. Essentially, this says there’s a difference between arguing Christian truths vs. Denominational truths vs. Personal truths. When you talk Church truths, you’re not talking about subjective personal beliefs but something that has formed as a consensus over centuries. Here’s where you introduce the triple notion of Canon, Creed, and Enduring Tradition as things that the Church has agreed on over the century after much debate. These have become common property and as such have an authority rooted in Christian consensus…

3rd session—The Canon

4th session—The Creeds: Here you hit the highpoints of the various Christological/Trinitarian heresies with a schema that I like to call Divine Algebra (I don’t think I’ve blogged about this before…)

5th session—The Church

I’m really thinking the remaining sessions might function as free-for-all. Sort of theological sparring training using small groups…

Clearly, I’m posting this for your thoughts and input—fire away.

The Random Music Meme

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

[nb: I didn’t cheat at all. I found I had to put albums after the names to distinguish, though…]

How does the world see you?
Pictures of you, The Cure (Disintegration) [Ha!]

Will I have a happy life?
Clubbed to Death, Rob D. (The Matrix Soundtrack) [Yikes!]

What do my friends really think of me?
Sequence: Stillat in stellam radium, Anonymous 4 (The Lillie and The Lamb)

What do people secretly think of me?
Do the Hansa, The Cure (Join the Dots)

How can I be happy?
Faint, Linkin Park (Meteora)

What should I do with my life?
Dream, The Cure (Join the Dots) [Ha!]

Will I ever have children?
Accuracy, The Cure (Three Imaginary Boys)

What is some good advice for me?
Pictures of You, The Cure (The Secret Gig)

How will I be remembered?
Shimmy, System of a Down (Toxicity)

What is my signature dancing song?
Good Friday Responsory: Tenebrae factae sunt, Chanticleer (Mysterium)

What do I think my current theme song is?
All Cats Are Grey, The Cure (Faith)

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Boys Don’t Cry, The Cure (rare album track on remastered Three Imaginary Boys)

What song will play at my funeral?
Lovecats, The Cure (Greatest Hits)

What type of men/women do you like?
For Your Life, Led Zeppelin (Box Set)

What is my day going to be like?
Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Led Zeppelin (Box Set) [No kidding…]

Now, this is not my main home computer so the results are a little skewed. I’m really kinda shocked that so few Zeppelin songs came up—but the real surprise is the lack of *any* Metallica songs appeared since this computer has roughly four and a half *hours* of Metallica on it. Okay, okay, by way of comparison this unit does have…sixteen and a half hours of The Cure on it…

The Anglican Road-Warrior

As most of you know, I spend about half my waking hours on a train and am quite reliant on my mobile technology. So, when M asked me to outfit her Palm for her I did… Here’s the core tech suite that any Anglican running the Palm OS needs:

  • Gonna need a Bible. This one’s my favorite. It’s intuitive (once you figure out the screen-tapping-scroll thing), free, and has a huge number of texts. The essentials are, of course,
      • The King James 1611 with Apocrypha [A lot of us folk–especially in the South–cut on the KJV becuse of other types who use it. BUT, don’t forget that it’s *ours*! I mean, Lancelot Andrewes was head of the the Genesis – 2 Kings committee…]
      • The Douay-Rheims with Apocrypha [This is the English translation of the Vulgate. If you’re working with medieval stuff, look to this.]
      • The Revised Standard Version [Permission slip required for use]
    • In other languages
      • The Greek Bible [LXX and UBS version of the NT]
      • The Hebrew OT
      • The Vulgate
      • Optional: Textus Receptus [I think it’s important to see what the church transmitted and it’s often very useful to compare this with the eclectic text to get a quick view of where exegetical complications may be that editors have attempted to smooth out over the years…


Prayer Book Thoughts

I. The Anglican Missal
Due to one of the parishes where M is assisting, we broke down and ordered a copy of the Anglican Missal. For those unfamiliar with it, the Missal is the mass-book par excellence for Anglo-Catholic clergy. If you have dealings with liturgists on the Romish wing of the church, you will need to know of this book and a knowledge of its contents is never a bad idea if you can lay your hands on one. While I had known of it for some time, purchasing one was my first opportunity to really read one and to assess what it was about.

I found it a very interesting text. Ultimately, though, I found it more thought-provoking than useful. At the end of the day, it will not be my preference for a core mass-book if and when I ever become ordained. (That is, would I celebrate according to it? Perhaps–but only on a very occasional basis; certainly not for daily or Sunday use.)

The Missal starts from the major premise that the 1549 Prayer Book is not only a legitimate prayer book but the legitimate prayer book. As *Christopher has reminded us on occasion, the 1549 is the most Catholic of the early prayer books, and it was speedily replaced by a more Protestant form in 1552. I find it fascinating that the Missal does root and establish itself within the prayer book tradition though creating a direct alternative to it.

The Missal’s second major premise is that the 1549 book was a minimalist work that conformed strictly to the idea of its name–*Common* Prayer–and therefore left untranslated and uncollated the private prayers and ceremonies that pious priests and congregants would use in the proper celebration of the Mass. It therefore provides the various personal and other prayers that were in use at the time.

The result of these two premises is–and correct me if I’m wrong *Christopher and others who know these matters better than I–that the Anglican Missal attempts to construct continuity with a late medieval yet pre-Tridentine form of the Mass for use in English. From what I can tell it achieves it. What would be fascinating, though, is to see research on how it exemplifies the Victorian *idea* of what the late medieval Mass was like. It seems like a straight-forward collection of translated and collated prayers but anyone who has done work with manuscript transmission and the editorial ideology knows that editors have an astonishing power to create completely new and different works in their own image while still retaining every jot and tittle of the original text.

So, in fine, I see what the Missal is trying to do and think it an interesting project. I suppose my biggest issues with it are less in its conceptualization than with its end result. When I read through it–and on the occasions when I have witnessed full celebrations of it–I have found it to be florid and over-wrought. Liturgical action is piled on top of liturgical action, it lacks a clarity of line and is drenched in piety of a certain sort which is not mine. I find it a bit *too* POD (“pious and overly devotional” for the non-Anglo-Catholics) for my tastes.

What is particular? Remember that this comes from my impressions rather than a true in-depth study; a careful examination of all the collects and prayers might prove me wrong BUT–I find it too stuck in Scholastic categories and obsessive on the notion of the utter worthlessness of humanity. Don’t get me wrong here–I’m a big fan of the prayer of humble access. I think the most recent reforms went too far in eliminating language of sin and unworthiness from the current liturgies; certainly Americans of my generation need to be challenged in our sense of entitlement and to be reminded of our true place in the world. Nevertheless, the overwhelming emphasis seems a little too overwhelming and, for me, crosses the line from true humility into a spiritual arrogance over one’s outstanding humility.

I also missed seeing the exhortation to godly virtues so common to the early medieval collects that I have been working in recently. Again–it may well be there if I keep looking, but my initial impression was that this language does not predominate in this missal in the way it does in other earlier traditions.

II. The Value of the Missal
So–where’s the value of the Anglican Missal for me? It opens up my thinking and makes me consider what I do, why I do it, and what kind of sensibilities I am most familiar with and which I look for in the Tradition. For instance, it raises again the issue of what book to use: do we, should we, use the BCP or some other book based on our personal preferences and style? This missal represents a replacement of the BCP and legislates a worship style of which I overall approve. However–it is not the BCP. and once again I return to the importance of *common* prayer. Another question is: what era should be adopted as a liturgical norm? The Anglican Missal chooses the late medieval; the most recent liturgical renewal the fourth. My preference is for the early medieval–but why and what rationale should be offered for its adoption? (That’s the subject for another post.) Finally–but certainly not lastly–how are the elements authentic to the Tradition to be deployed in speaking to our own age?

This is, I believe, one of the most important issues that I have heard discussed least. The true and authentic Tradition of the Church is voluminous and reflects a great diversity of thought, theology, and piety. I am absolutely convinced that resources within the Tradition can communicate the Gospel effectively and powerfully to this generation. And I believe that our best creative work is done not when we strike out on our own into new territory but when we intelligently and sensitively recycle and adapt elements already within the Tradition.

Furthermore, I don’t believe that all manifestations of the Tradition do communicate the Gospel with eloquence, conviction and power to all times. That’s why we need developments and renewals. Some pieties effective in a previous age either water down the proclamation or actively undermine it in different circumstances. This is where the real battles over tradition do and should happen–determining what breathes the Spirit into our age and what simply echoes what the age already proclaims.

III. Where Do We Go From Here?
I don’t see the need for liturgical works that serve as replacements to the BCP–I’m more interested in supplements or things that make me think about and see the existing liturgies in a new light. And, to be completely honest, that’s also one of the ways that I’ve seen the Anglican Missal used–as a supplement rather than a replacement. That’s how M’s rector uses it, and my opposition to it is diminished greatly when it is viewed and used in this light.

What makes the most sense to me is digging into the Tradition to find things that supplement and enhance what is in the prayer book and adding them in but not to the degree that the overburden or skew the existing liturgies. Prayer Book modification, not replacement. My personal adaptations include physical gestures not indicated in the BCP, customs from previous prayer books that I think serve a godly function, and principles of variation that help me keep up the rota of Offices without getting bored but still aid in the work of memorization and internalization. As personal adaptations, most of these do refer to my own *private* use; *common* prayer is thus maintained.

Major shifts are occurring in the liturgies of the mainline denominations. The will happen whether we notice them or discuss them or not. For people who value historic liturgies–be we Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics (even the odd Methodist)–we need to think and be vocal about what happens both in our sanctuaries and in our prayer-closets. This isn’t just a matter for clergy–it’s a matter for anyone who uses and who comes to love the liturgy. In fact, don’t be fooled. Most clergy have only taken one course in liturgy which was, most likely, a drive-by through their current service book. There’s no reason why interested and informed lay people can’t teach their clergy a thing or two about good liturgy.

I guess, ultimately, this is what I’m heading towards. People who use liturgies should become passionate about them because good liturgy is good proclamation of the Gospel. If you’re not passionate about your liturgy, why not?

Baby News

I’m working on a post that deals with the whole issue of supplemental devotional manuals and the real solution in my eyes–modding your BCP stuff–but…here’s baby news (to keep Anastasia happy).

Lil’ H is now up to 9lb 10ozs. She eats *constantly*. We still haven’t fallen into a coherent rhythm especially as far as night-time is concerned. In particular the 3-in-the-morning-ish feeding/going back to sleep thing isn’t happening real well. M will feed her, I’ll burp and chnage her, put her down and she’ll start wailing again… Neither of our children ever took to pacifiers (except that G will chomp on one *now*). Supposedly that’s a good thing for nursing mothers; it means they don’t fall into bad sucking habits. It’s not so great in other ways–the pacifer of choice for both Lil’ G and H is mommy or daddy’s pinkie finger. And let me tell you–that thing’s not detachable. If H decides that it needs to be in her mouth ’til she falls asleep, that means me standing at the side of the crib for quite a while…

(oh yeah–division of labor: M does input, I do output. So, M nurses, and I do burping and diapers. If the baby starts wailing in the night, it’s my wake-up call since I didn’t just have major surgery.)

Other than that–she’s wonderful and is really cute.

Lil’ G’s been a bit of handful, though. She’s glad Daddy’s home all the time now, but wants Mommy to play with her too and doesn’t get (or doesn’t *want* to get) that Mommy’s not allowed to pick her up for another couple of weeks. Because M can’t do stairs we’re crashed out in the living room and G loves that the tv restrictions have been relaxed a bit–we’re starting to reign them back in, though. Bottom line–she’s used to the attention, and she’s not getting nearly as much any more. So–she’s acting out. And she’s a really smart kid and finds all sorts of…fascinating…ways to act out. Nothing horrible or terribly destructive but she does suceed in making herself a real handful. Fortunately for us she absolutely *loves* Lil’ H (she’s *her* baby) so all of her acting out has been directed at us rather than H.

Anastasia–belated congrats!–and let me tell you that *Kizzy* will be the one to watch for rather than the new one…

Extremely Brief Update

*This is the first time I’ve touched the computer in days.
*M is preaching tomorrow; I’m helping out a little. (Yeah, they’re not wasting any time…)
*I’ve been spending some time with the Anglican Missal and have some thoughts to share when I get a chance.
*H eats like a horse and is a little poo machine.

More later.

Lencten

Lent will be more simple this year. I often try to do to much and with baby-feeding in full swing major food changes are unwise. So–we’re being more intentional about doing the Offices, especially together. I, like lp, am also revisiting the Rule and reading it over yet again. In connection with that, I’ll be trying to cultivate humility. It’s a virtue that needs some work… It’s not even so much needed in interpersonal relationships but in how I choose to spend my time and energy–selfishly and pridefully or in service and assistance.

Thanks Y’all!

{Update: Deleted cute baby picture due to Blogger problems}
Thanks for all the well-wishing! We’re proceeding as a family of four. Things are still in great chaos and will be until we settle into some kind of routine. H is an easier baby to handle than G was (eats like a horse for one thing) but ’round about 11:30-midnight she kicks up her own little “Song of H.” (let the reader understand…) and likes to continuee until about 3 in the morning or so.

Oh well.