Category Archives: Community

AAR/SBL Meet-up

M and I are looking forward to San Diego very much. It’ll be the first trip without kids since we’ve had kids… It’s a wonderful destination by all accounts and our hotel sounds great! We’re imagine some nice meals without children, sleeping without said children or cat waking us up or hogging the bed (that’d be the cat…), and generally spending some quality time together amidst going to the book room, sessions, receptions, the book room, and such. And did I mention the book room? (In previous years this is normally where we’ve run into AKMA…)

In view of the fact that this is a place to meet people, network, etc., M has graciously relinquished Sunday lunch from just being “us” time and we’ll do a meet-up for those interested.

I’ve never done one of these events before let alone “hosted” one so I’m not entirely sure of the protocol. In terms of both convenience and budget, I’m thinking that if there is a foot court/feeding area in the main hotel that should be our venue. I’ll say 12 arbitrarily as I don’t have a schedule in front of me to know if that’s a logical time or not. Please leave logistical suggestions in the comments if you know of a good way to arrange all of this. In any case, if you’re interested and available, shoot me an email at the address listed on the side-bar so I have an idea of how many we’re looking at.

Life

Life is, at the moment, kicking us around a bit–especially M. So if y’all could spare some prayers I’d appreciate it. And if you know her IRL, an email/phone-call/get-together would be greatly appreciated…

Children, et al.

  • Favorite line of the weekend. M: “Darn it, Lil’ H, stop eating broccoli and start eating some of that hamburger!” We’ve never had a problem with the girls eating fruits or vegetables; sometimes it seems that’s all they’ll eat. The current problem is that Lil’ G refuses to eat lunch at school because the dishes are processed/out of a can rather than home-made…
  • I noted this article on children as accessories. I’m of two minds on this. This weekend Lil’ G was wandering around the house spontaneously singing Cure songs. And dancing to Vivaldi. And chanting the Lord’s Prayer and collects at bed time. I guess the bottom line for me is that the girls should experience our family’s culture and that’s a local culture that includes a lot of varied influences. I think parents dressing their kids in CBGB onesies is only a problem if the parents’ own family culture is restricted to hipster modernity. No Johnny Rotten without Peter Rabbit…
  • That having been said, M insists and I agree that the girls wear dresses to church, preferably with smocking, and we insist that our girls are dressed like little girls–not like little teen-agers. The biggest obstacles to this? Disney princesses. Following Belle, Sleeping Beauty, or (worse yet) Ariel, Lil’ G tries to wear anything possible off-the-shoulder which bugs me no end…

Random Items

Extreme busyness continues–I need to catch up on emails but haven’t had a chance…

  • Don’t miss Heavenfield’s introduction to St. Adomnan. I do wonder a little how far I’d want to push the lawyer thing. What would seal the case for me (so to speak…) would be a clear presentation of how the three books of the Life of Columba fit into the categories of stasis theory—the “official” lawyerly way of arguing according to period texts like Cicero, the ps-Ciceronean Rhetorica ad Herennium, and Quintillian.
  • LP’s got a new call! I’m happy for him—and worried at the same time. This will be a huge challenge both professionally and in juggling a growing family. Many prayers for Mrs. LP too!
  • Continued prayers are requested for M’s job search, of course…
  • bls has an article on a renewed push on Confession.
  • NLM has some links that clarify the place of music in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass that are helpful for both students of the liturgy and current practicing church musicians.
  • Great question from bls on Why Saturdays on the Ember Days. Wednesdays and Fridays were traditional fast days for Christians going back to the Didache. So why Saturdays? Good question… My most recent thought on the matter is that I read an expectation in the fifth through eighth centuries that Western Christians would be at mass on those days. My logic is based on what we see in the lectionaries—proper Gospels are ideally provided for Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. I say “ideally” because the manuscript evidence is mixed. Sometimes all three ferial days are provided, sometimes only the Wednesdays and Fridays. For instance here’s a page where the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany has a reading for Sunday (EBD V), Wednesday (FR IIII), Friday (FR V), and Saturday (FR VI) But the following two weeks only have readings for Wednesday and Friday. Very fascinating is this page from the same lectionary for the time after Pentecost where there are blank spaces for the ferial Gospels under the appointed Gospels for the Sunday. The scribe knows that these readings *ought* to be there—but he seems not to have the readings… There was a major push to fill all of this in that only hits English lectionaries in the tenth century or later (Lenker’s Type 3 alt.). I’m not sure what happens to these ferial readings after this point…

Tradition–And Lutheran Stuff Again

In the face of a spate of recent criticisms of the new (ELCA) Lutheran worship book, the Lutheran Zephyr raises an important set of questions and issues. He writes:

When large numbers of congregations reject the beloved traditions
enshrined within Lutheran Book of Worship (and Service Book and
Hymnal), what is the ELCA to do? 

  • Should the ELCA just sit there and do nothing while an
    increasing number of congregations fish around for worship resources
    from other traditions?
  • Should the ELCA whip these congregations into Latin-rubric
    submission and simply give them more of the traditional liturgies that
    they are already rejecting?
  • Or should the ELCA venture to create liturgies that embrace the
    spirit – if not the letter – of the church’s grand liturgical
    tradition, while simultaneously welcoming new language, tunes and
    theology?

The ELCA had to create a book for the church we have – a diverse
church whose identity 20 years post-merger is not yet formed – not for
the church some of us wish we had.  We’re a church, for
better or worse, with a congregational polity, freedom in matters of
worship, diverse heritages, and pieties that range from evangelical
catholic to haugian.  Would a Lutheranized Book of Common Prayer be the
prescription for this church?  That seems to be the answer Pfatteicher
and others would provide, but it is not the right answer for our
church. 

I note in this passage the many times and many ways in which the word tradition is used. In particular, I want to draw attention to the ways that the word is used in the three bulleted points. (Let me preface this by saying that I’m not criticizing the Zephyr here, rather I’m interested in how the word is functioning rhetorically.)

In the first case, “tradition” is that which is alien–given the contrast with “ELCA”, these would appear to refer to non- and un-Lutheran traditions. I’m thinking he means praise choruses and “contemporary” music from low-church denominations and para-church movements. But I find myself wondering if “Catholic” traditions would be included in this category or not.

In the second case, “traditional” is both natively Lutheran and pejorative. Traditional is that which is being rejected. Interestingly, this same use is modified by “beloved” in the opening paragraph of the quote, clearly drawing a distinction  between those for whom these traditions are “beloved”  (i.e., Pr. Pfatteicher, LutherPunk, myself, etc.) and the greater majority of Lutherans who are rejecting them.

In light of these two, the third use is particularly interesting. Here “tradition” is modified by “grand” and “liturgical.”  The rhetorical intent identifies liturgies that are, once again, natively Lutheran but are distinguished from those being rejected. The “grand” implies  (for me at least) both a broader scope—perhaps implying that the (or a) reason for the rejection in the liturgies in 2 is that they were narrowly or parochially Lutheran—and implying an aesthetic difference.

The Zephyr is confronting, I believe, one of the major issues that faces church leaders and liturgists of our generation. That is, in the face of disjunctive upheaval in our societies and our denominations, how do we connect or reconnect with the “grand traditions”–liturgical and otherwise–from which we believe we should take our bearings? At the root, it’s a question about identity.

Furthermore, it’s a question about direction. Here we are at this time and in these places. Where do we go from here and where should we look for guidance? How do we talk about who we are and how do we shape who we will be?

I’ve wrestled with these same questions before on this blog. In a piece I linked to yesterday I talk about my reaction to the construction of liturgy and tradition in the Anglican Missal while in this post I discuss the elusive quality of tradition especially when it’s backed by historical research. Yes, research and historical knowledge complicate rather than simplify the issues.

I’m guessing that the Zephyr and I agree on the big picture: tradition is not a thing to be grasped for its own sake but rather is a thing to be pursued because of the ways that it enables us as individuals and as “traditions” to proclaim the Good News of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ and the effect that this Good News should have upon our lives–what we think, what we do, how we choose to be incarnate in the world.

I also know we have some disagreements on the little picture –how this works out on the micro-level, especially liturgically. As a Lutheran I was very much for a “Lutheranized Book of Common Prayer.” Indeed, I argued that given the freedom of liturgies enshrined in Augsburg Confession, Article 7, there was no reason why Lutheran congregations couldn’t use the BCP as is…

Disagreements aside, this conversation about how we uncover, construct and utilize a “grand tradition” is an essential one. Lutherans, Episcopalians, Catholics, and others should not only be having these conversations in their own groups but should be sharing methods, findings, and dead ends on the road. Personally, that’s one of the things I’m hoping to achieve with this blog. So, while I disagree with some of the choices that the Lutheran Zephyr might make in his construction, I heartily encourage and support his process of discovery and construction as I parallel it with my own.

Great New(?) Blog

I’ve just discovered a great new(?) blog, East to West that will be of interest to some readers of this site. Its author is a PhD student at the University of Wales who writes on patristics, early medieval matters, and the like with an emphasis both on Anglo-Saxon England and the Eastern Church. His current set of posts is exploring the most natural link between the two which occures in the person of Theodore of Tarsus.

Saving the Planet–through Conspicious Consumption

Lee has a great post up on the “green consumerism” phenomenon. I think he’s absolutely right. In the part of town we live the the preferred mode of transportation is now the Lexus Hybrid SUV. The bus routes are still minimal, infrequent, and regarded with disdain.

M and I feel strongly about the environment and have been transitioning to more environmentally friendly cleaning products and post-consumer recycled products.I think more people generally are doing this and, as is the case, there is more discussion about means and motives. Perhaps the silliest thing I’ve seen was a shocked and horrified article (I don’t remember where) that people and companies who were pushing buying green and organic were making money off it! …Apparently still in the mindset that if you’re making money on it, then it can’t be a real “cause”…

Lee’s point and the article it cites are important warnings. Being environmentally friendly isn’t just about buying a whole bunch more things. After all, when it comes to “green” cleaning products, it’s amazing how much you can do with vinegar and lemon juice… ;-)

I’m Not Dead Yet…

I’m just absolutely snowed under.

Minor Notes:

  • The Shore was good but I see that once again they have ignored my advice and decided to retain the whole “sand” thing. I plan to lodge a protest with the powers-that-be.
  • It only took an absence of a week or so before the p0rn-spam comments started appearing… (now deleted, of course…)
  • As I suggested here Dr. Nokes has indeed–if only indirectly–gotten in on the Disney princess action.
  • After our latest beer-ribs-‘n’-liturgy meet-up M found Lil’ G with blue and green marker drawings all over her arms. When queried why G responded so that she could have tattoos like [LutherPunk]. She’s also recently asked when she can get body piercings and real tattoos… Since she just turned four I told her that it would be a while.

Yet More on CWOB

To recap briefly, we’ve been discussing Communion Without Baptism quite a bit lately. One of the main engines of debate has been the Anglican Scotist’s attempts to connect CWOB with universal salvation and to argue that if we take our beliefs about the power of God to their logical conclusion the theological reasons for CWOB will become self-evident. It’s an intriguing argument but not one that wins me over–universal salvation being the first major stumbling block.

My main objection to the argument of the Scotist is that it comes in the form of syllogisms. While I do recognize the need for such things and acknowledge their proper place in theological reflection, logical syllogisms in their use of absolutes and extremes tend to wander away from the basic incarnate character of the life of faith. To my mind, they too easily enter the realm of speculation divorced from discipleship.And here, of course, I see one of the classic divisions between the Scholastic and the monastic.

Both Caelius and *Christopher have written great reflections that return the discussion from questions of universality and omnipotence to questions of daily Christian practice. *Christopher’s piece engages the Scotist’s invocation of the Eschaton and makes a distinction between the regular and extraordinary means of grace, paying special attention to their roles in communities of practice. Caelius’s piece touches on a range of issues, moving from an interesting discussion of the Eucharistic meal as a plunder-dividing party to a thoughtful reflection on exclusion and intimacy. If you haven’t already read them, I commend them to you highly.

The Weekend

We had a great–though completely exhausting–weekend.

Saturday was The Party; Lil’ G is turning 4 this week and we had a big party for G in conjunction with one of the other girls at her daycare who was also turning 4. The kids had great fun. It was at a sort of place I never knew existed until last year–essentially a big recreation hall with giant inflatables specifically for children’s parties. As for the adults, a few knew each other–but most didn’t. We only see each other in passing at drop-off in the morning except for those who live near each other or who have older children of an age. I quickly labeled it: Suburban Hell, Party Edition. That’s not to say M and I didn’t know anybody–Anastasia came bringing Kizzy and Thumper, and they came over to the house after the party concluded. All in all, a fun–if slightly surreal–time.

There’s a post in me somewhere about princesses and the marketing of northern European mythology. For those without preschool and primary school girls, princesses are a huge industry. All of the girls know all of the princess. The Disney princesses, that is. And the stories–as Disney tells them…or Barbie…or whoever is doing the packaging. What I find odd is that I see in and through these princess narratives bits of Germanic and Scandinavian epic cycles and elements. On one hand I’m glad something of these ancient stories is being passed down; on the other, they appear in their altered state for the sake of selling units that contribute to sucking children into a consumer culture that undercuts the very virtues, values, and realities encoded in those epics. Maybe we should sic Dr. Nokes on it as a warped materialistic form of medievalism…

Father’s day was grand. I grilled steaks, played with the girls and received–not a tacky tie–but an iTunes card and this: The English Office

A review will be forthcoming…