Vol. VI. No. 24
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
*****
In this Issue
Special Items This Week -
Book Notice:
"If the Church Were Christian"
by Philip Gulley
---
Canadian Hero:
"Remembering Tommy Douglas"
He Died Twenty-Five Years Ago
February 24th, 1986
*****
Colleague Comments:
Reginald Bibby
Fr. Ned Carolan
___
Colleague Contributions:
Lorna Dueck
Ron Rolheier
Jim Taylor
___
Net Notes:
The Wrong War
Irish Liturgy of Lament
Copts Hope for Arab Democracy
Married German Ordained Priest
Woman Renounces Catholic Women Priests
Mubarak May Have Planned Christian Attack
NZ Earthquake Leaves Christchurch in Ruins
Earthquake Aftermath - Prayers, Reflections
UK Aid -- Redirected from India to "Needy?"
Increase in Number of RC Priests Questioned
_____
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fifteen ENI Stories This Week
_____
Quotes of the Week:
Samuel Ruiz Garcia
Flannery O'Connor
Dag Hammarskjold
Marilynne Robinson
Albert Luthuli
_____
On This Day: (Feb 20th - Feb 23rd)
Feb. 20, 1962 - Glenn 1st American to orbit Earth
Feb. 21, 1965 - Malcolm X shot, killed in NYC
Feb. 23, 1954 - Salk vaccine issued in Pittsburgh
___
Closing Thought - Something to Ponder
(end)
*****
Dear Friends:
This week, I introduce for you a
book I have just finished reading
and enjoying. It is entitled:
"If the Church Were Christian"
by Philip Gulley
I hope you find the notice I offer
on the book to be helpful to you.
---
Twenty-five years ago this week - on
February 24th, 1986 - one of Canada's
most celebrated citizens died. He
had a string of political achievements
to his credit, but is probably most
remembered as the one who brought
socialized medicine - our Canadian
Health Care System - into being.
"Remembering Tommy Douglas" -
uses a Wikipedia article I have
found helpful and want to share.
*****
Colleague Comments:
Reginald Bibby - writes to thank me for
my efforts to promote his new book
that comes out this weekend, entitled:
"Beyond the Gods and Back"
- my notice of that title appeared
on Colleagues List last week.
---
Fr. Ned Carolan - who serves in Dublin
is a regular Colleagues List reader and
he writes to tell me so! Marlene and I
first met him several years ago in Aix-
en-Provence, France, and we hope to see
him again this May in Ireland.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Lorna Dueck - speaks well on the matter
of the government's abuse of information
regarding the Kairos (CIDA) project.
Ron Rolheier - writes creatively on the
theme "building an ark."
Jim Taylor - contributes, with a special
reflection on his recent brush with death.
___
Net Notes:
"The Wrong War" - this weekend, the New York
Times publishes the review of a book that
challenges 'the religion of counterinsurgency'
that has long guided US policy for Afghanistan -
"Our mistake in Afghanistan was to do the work
of others for 10 years, expecting reciprocity
across a cultural and religious divide."
(New York Times Review of Books)
"Irish Liturgy of Lament" - the Catholic Church
in Ireland is going through serious soul-searching
over the evil priest sexual abuse scandal there -
(Zenit News from Rome, National Catholic Reporter)
"Copts Hope for Arab Democracy" - this is a time
of great hope for religious minorities in Egypt -
especially Christians - who suffered under the
Mubarak regime (see other article on Egypt below)
(Catholic News Service)
"Married German Ordained Priest" - a former
Lutheran has converted to the Catholic
priesthood and brings his wife with him -
(Fox News)
"Woman Renounces Catholic Women Priests" - in an
interesting about-face, a Catholic woman priest in
the US has decided to renounce her 'uncanonical'
ordination into the priesthood (Lifesite News)
"Mubarak May Have Planned Christian Attack" -
in the wake of Mubarak's demise, stories of his
efforts to persecute Christians are beginning
to emerge (National Catholic Reporter)
"NZ Earthquake Leaves Christchurch in Ruins" -
the natural global tragedy most in the news this
week was certainly the South Island of New Zealand
and I provide a variety of news and video items
(ENI, Guardian UK, Uccan/Australia news services)
"Earthquake Aftermath - Prayers, Reflections" -
Response from sister and related churches around
the world has been swift. Former Canadian bishop
Victoria Matthews is at the centre of concern -
(Anglican Journal, ELCIC News, Globe and Mail)
"UK Aid -- Redirected from India to 'Needy?'" -
as India becomes an economically prosperous
nation, former supporters of aid to India are now
having second thoughts (The Tablet, UK)
"Increase in Number of RC Priests Questioned" -
the global priestly totals reported here last week
were quite positive, but what stories lie behind
these facts? (ENI, Uccan News)
_____
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fifteen ENI stories appear this week
_____
Quotes of the Week:
Samuel Ruiz Garcia, Flannery O'Connor,
Dag Hammarskjold, Marilynne Robinson
and Albert Luthuli offer their thoughts
courtesy of Sojourners.online
_____
On This Day: (Feb 20th - Feb 23rd)
These first-hand stories come to us
via the archives of the New York Times:
Glenn first American to orbit earth (1962)
Malcolm X was shot, killed in NYC (1965)
Salk vaccine issued in Pittsburgh (1954)
___
Closing Thought - Something to Ponder
The "small worlds" we construct for ourselves
and to define others...
---
I write this as I begin to think about
the up-coming season of Lent and of how
I will observe Lent this year.
Perhaps you are doing the same.
Blessings,
Wayne
************************
SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS
Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague
Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
__
INTRODUCING OUR
ST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011
Books Considered:
"An Altar in the World"
by Barbara Brown Taylor
(and)
"I Shall Not Hate -
A Gaza Doctor's Journey"
by Izzeldin Abuelaish
More study and website particulars will
be posted as they become available.
Classes are well underway!
Here is the link to the sessions:
http://tinyurl.com/46eyn5j
*****
INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITY
WINTER COURSE FOR 2011
GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITY
We continue our investigation of the
New Atheists and consider the question:
"Can we be good without God?"
Text for the course will be Sam Harris'
new book:
"The Moral Landscape:
How Science Can Determine Human Values"
(Free Press, October, 2010)
Supplementary text:
"Godless Morality" by Richard Holloway
(Canongate (new edition) 2009)
Course description and registration
information:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4
Classes going well. A great group
representing a gamut of believers
through atheists. I hope to learn
much from them and will post insights
as they emerge.
*****
UNIVERSITY LENTEN STUDY FOR 2011
A Joint Project of the Multi-Faith
Chaplains and St. David's ACTS Ministry
This Year's Subject:
"Community and Growth" by Jean Vanier.
The book first appeared in 1989 and
continues to be widely read.
Learn from Vanier's years of experience
in L'Arche communities around the world.
This book will be of interest to those
who seek insights for living and
working together in a pluralistic
society such as our own.
This study is for university faculty,
staff and interested students. It runs
runs for six weeks, beginning March 3rd.
Vanier Book Study Link:
http://tinyurl.com/4d4wc9a
Time: Thursdays, 12 noon to 1:00PM
March 3rd through April 7th, 2011
Cost: Free. Copies of the book available
for purchase, courtesy of the
Christian Reformed Chaplaincy
and thanks to Paul Verhoef
Location: Small Board Room, Native Centre,
McEwan Student Centre.
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evening Prayers on Saturday, May 7th!
We have 25 choristers signed up as part of
the tour group. This special choir began
rehearsals in late January - led by our
congregation's music director, Brent Tucker.
Details have been finalized with St. David's
Cathedral dean, Fr. Jonathan Lean. We are
being warmly welcomed!
We are also planning to sing while visiting
other locations on our tour. More details
to follow.
36 PLACES HAVE BEEN FULLY REGISTERED AND
PAID, AN IDEAL SIZE FOR THE TOUR
January 26th was the deadline for all
trip payments - 90 days before departure.
We have started an interest list for other,
future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in knowing
more about exciting, spiritual tourism! This
is a cutting edge ministry at St. David's.
We hope to do many more of these tours in future!
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/
This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!
You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.
******************************************
SPECIAL ITEMS
Book Notice:
IF THE CHURCH WERE CHRISTIAN
Rediscovering the Values of Jesus,
by Philip Gulley. HarperOne paper.
2011. 197 pages. $17.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-0-06-169877-4.
Publisher's Promo:
The largest group in American religious life
may be the disillusioned — people who have
been involved in the church, respect Jesus,
but question what Christianity has become.
In "If the Church Were Christian" Philip Gulley
provides a profound picture of what the church
could look like if it refocused on the priorities
of Jesus.
Reviews:
“[Gulley’s] effortless and uncomplicated style
allows for easy reading over some heavy material.”
(Library Journal)
“Gulley has done a fine job pinpointing the flaws
of the Christian churches and suggesting
transformative paths to follow.”
(Spirituality and Practice)
“Philip Gulley separates wheat from chaff,
experience from explanation and purpose from f
unction in this book. He calls the Jesus message
into a new vision - one that has both power and
integrity.”(John Shelby Spong)
“Filled with memorable, insightful and revealing
stories. I recommend it.”(Marcus Borg)
---
Author's Words:
In my adult years (having worshiped in many
churches that claimed to be part of the one
true church) I began to wonder if the language
of ecclesiastical purity was based on a faulty
assumption - that we can actually know what
Jesus intended the church to be.
(... reading the New Testament) there is little
by way of evidence that Jesus even gave the
church much thought...
Indeed, there is Matthew 16:18 and 18:17, but many
scholars suspect these verses were not original to
Jesus, but were written back into the text by
persons hoping to bolster their theological
positions by placing them in the mouth of Jesus.
From these two verses, we have built some vast
institutions based on but "hints" Jesus gave us.
We should never delude ourselves into thinking
that today's church sprang directly from the mind
and witness of Jesus...
Jesus did none of the things essential to forming
a viable institution... a fair reading of the
earliest gospels offers scant evidence that Jesus
even intended to start a new religion...
But if the church claims Jesus as its founder, it
should at least share his values. The question
for Christians is whether the church reflects the
priorities of Jesus...
The era of uncritical acceptance of Jesus stories
is past and with it the claim to be a divinely
ordained status...
Nevertheless, the story of Jesus is a compelling
one and still has the power to shape, form and
transform our lives... we must continue to think
creatively about what it means to be Christian.
... this book is an invitation to appraise our
current priorities and whether they honor the
Christian values we claim to cherish... So I
offer my thoughts on what the church might look
like if it were Christian.
---
My Thoughts:
The modern "Jesus Theologians" like John Spong
and Marcus Borg have been writing and informing
us of new insights into the meaning of Jesus
for several decades.
With this book, we have a "pastoral voice" (of
one directly involved in congregational ministry)
to add to the message and put flesh on the bones
of what earlier teachers have been telling us.
This book is grounded in actual relations with
people in real life situations. In doing this,
Gulley directs a clear eye both to theology and
the people he serves in the local church.
For many years a pastor in the Quaker community
(Society of Friends) the author shares the joys
and sorrows, the triumphs and failings, of the
congregations he has pastored. In doing this,
he adds to previous work and reflects a new
model of being church today.
Gulley is quick to admit to previous mistakes
or limitations in his understanding of Jesus as
well as to creatively articulate his current
awareness of who he believes Jesus to be.
For him personal growth and church renewal is
more important than being right.
The central task of the church, he says in his
conclusion, is not to believe the doctrines
about Jesus, but to live out the priorities of
Jesus in our daily walk.
He poses ten "What if" questions about the
possible meanings of Jesus' life and witness,
to counter what he has observed to be the actual
thought and behaviour of many in the church today.
What if? --
Jesus became a model for living, rather than
an object of worship?
Affirming our potential was considered more
important than condemning our brokenness?
Reconciliation was valued over judgement?
Gracious behaviour was considered more
worthy than believing the right things?
Inviting questions was thought to be more
the practice than providing answers?
Encouraging personal exploration would be
more worthwhile than communal uniformity?
Meeting needs were better than maintaining
institutions?
Peace were more important than power?
We would care more about love than sex?
(and finally)
This life would be considered more
important than the afterlife?
_____
Gulley responds to each of these "hopes"
by suggesting the differences between what
his experience of Jesus has taught him in
comparison to his experience in the church.
If you are a person of faith, who has some
mixed feelings about the church (and that
seems to include most of us) this book can
help to clarify for you what you may not
always be able to put into words.
It will also give you hope and encouragement
to follow Jesus (within the church) and in
a more meaningful way.
---
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4jte9yo
*****
REMEMBERING TOMMY DOUGLAS
Wikipedia Bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENTS
REGINALD BIBBY
Lethbridge, AB
Feb. 19th, 2011
Hi Wayne!
I want to thank you so very much for the
extensive exposure that you gave to my new
book via this week's "Colleague's List..."
Your reflections were gratifying, your
generous final lines uplifting. Your
reflections were particularly gratifying
because they revealed that you grasped
what I was trying to convey; not every
reader is able to do that - casting an
author's doubt not only on others' eyes
but also on one's pen. Your generosity
was uplifting because you resonated with
the enthusiasm that I, in my most euphoric
moments ... thought might be possible.
Very best to you in your own ongoing work,
and with life more generally.
-Reg
---
FATHER NED CAROLAN
Dublin, Ireland
Feb. 21st, 2011
Dear Wayne,
Greetings from Dublin and indeed a long
overdue "thank-you" for the regular issues
of your blogsite which I study every week
and find most enlightening and interesting.
- Ned Carolan omi
_____
COLLEAGUE COMMUNICATION
LORNA DUECK
Burlington, ON
Feb. 22nd, 2011
THE BEV ODA AFFAIR
MISREADING THE CHRISTIAN VOTE
Canada's Christians Want Integrity
http://tinyurl.com/6dg7gax
*****
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
"Building an Ark"
February 20th, 2011
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
You will recognize these words as the opening
lines of Rudyard Kipling's famous poem, "If"
and they, as much as any scriptural commentary,
provide the key to understand the story of
Noah and the Ark...
http://tinyurl.com/47h8yuy
*****
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
"Someone to Watch Over Me"
Wednesday February 23, 2011
I am glad to be alive.
Sunday morning when I got up, the valley
still slumbered in shadow, but the rising
sun lit the hills across the lake in soft
rose. Three small cottonballs of cloud
drifted below a vast blue dome of sky.
A week ago, I wondered if I would see such
things again...
http://tinyurl.com/4su6s7d
*****
NET NOTES
THE WRONG WAR
by Bing West
New York Times Books
February 27th, 2011
Reviewed by Dexter Filkins
This crushing critique of the Afghanistan war
goes a long way toward explaining why America's
embrace of counterinsurgency strategy has not
delivered its promised success.
http://tinyurl.com/6lb5wvq
*****
IRISH LITURGY OF LAMENT, REPENTANCE
Zenit News from Rome
February 21st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/6jnrkv6
---
Archbishop Addresses Sexually Abused
National Catholic Reporter
February 21st, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4h87xo8
*****
ARAB DEMOCRACY:
COPTIC LEADERS HOPEFUL
Catholic News Service
America Magazine,
Feb. 25th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4gjy58f
*****
MARRIED GERMAN MAN ORDAINED AS PRIEST
Catholic Church Welcomes Lutheran
Fox News
February 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4eowknf
*****
WOMAN RENOUNCES ASSOCIATION
WITH CATHOLIC WOMEN PRIESTS
Lifesite News
Feb. 24th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4urkhdl
*****
MUBARAK MAY HAVE PLANNED
ATTACK ON COPTIC CHRISTIANS
National Catholic Reporter
February 23rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4b2ry5z
*****
NEW ZEALAND QUAKE LEAVES
CHRISTCHURCH IN RUINS
- CATHEDRALS HIT
ENI News Service, Geneva
February 22nd, 2011
Rescuers search for quake survivors
in Christchurch, New Zealand
New York (ENI news) - Rescue teams in
Christchurch, New Zealand were digging
through rubble on 23 February, searching
for survivors of the 6.3-magnitude
earthquake that killed at least 75 people
and destroyed and damaged many buildings
in the city on 21 February, among them a
number of historic churches.
---
Several Reports:
The Guardian, UK
Feb. 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5sy2cc8
---
Uccan News
February 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4mwpcdo
---
Video of Cathedral Collapse
Provided by Australian News Service
http://tinyurl.com/4msesu6
*****
EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH
PRAYERS AND REFLECTIONS
ENI News Service, Geneva
February 25th, 2011
In Christchurch, New Zealand:
shattered churches, grieving parishioners
Christchurch, New Zealand (ENI news) - In a
city named after a place of faith, churches
shattered by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake were
yielding up their dead on 25 February as
clergy and parishioners grieved and searched
for places to worship on Sunday.
---
New Zealand Bishops Ask for Prayers
Anglican Journal
February 22nd, 2011
http://news.anglican.ca/news/stories/2332
---
ELCIC Members Asked to Pray for the People of
New Zealand Following Severe Earthquake
ELCIC News Service,
Winnipeg, MB.
Feb. 24th, 2011
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)
National Bishop Susan C. Johnson called for
prayers following a severe earthquake that
hit Christchurch, New Zealand on Feb. 22, 2011.
A deadly 6.3 magnitude tremor wrecked a trail of
destruction in the city, killing close to 100
people with over 200 persons still reported
missing earlier today.
In a release from Lutheran World Information
(LWI), Rev. David Lipsys, pastor of St Paul's
Lutheran Church in Christchurch, reported that
there were no known casualties among the
congregation, though he emphasized the
difficulty in reaching members. Loss of power
and telephones, combined with transport
restrictions, is making contact with our
church members and friends very difficult,
he said. Lipsys planned to motorcycle to areas
that are still not accessible by automobile
to find out how parishioners were faring.
New Zealand's second major earthquake in five
months had compromised the structural integrity
of the church worship center, he noted, and
seriously damaged the house in which he and
his wife live. We hope to be able to remain
in our home, but I am afraid that we may have
to tear it down, he commented.
Many people are spending the nights in tents,
without water or food, Lipsys said. Meanwhile,
fear is running high because of the risk of
aftershocks.
Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ) President
Robert Erickson has declared this coming Sunday
a Sunday of Prayer for the people of Christchurch
and surrounding areas.�
LCNZ is a district of the Lutheran Church of
Australia (LCA), which joined the LWF as an
associate member church in 1994 and has
70,000 members.
----
Globe and Mail
Feb. 25th, 2011
Battered Church Now 'Broken Heart of the City' -
Conversation with Bishop Victoria Matthews
http://tinyurl.com/48ny74l
*****
BRITISH AID GROUP WANTS MONEY DIRECTED
AWAY FROM INDIA TO 'NEEDY' NATIONS
The Tablet, UK
Feb. 25th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4d2yh3s
*****
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF PRIESTS QUESTIONED
ENI News Service, Geneva
February 21st, 2011
Number of Catholics worldwide edged up,
Vatican says
Vatican City (ENI news/RNS) - The number of
Catholics in the world edged up by one percent
in 2009, the Vatican said, bringing to 1.18
billion the number of adherents of the world's
largest church.
_____
What Do the Stats Really Say?
Uccan News
Feb. 22nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/6b7jr8m
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
21 February 2011
WCC pressed to develop new policy statement
on gender justice
Geneva (ENI news) - Members of the World Council
of Churches (WCC) Central Committee, at their
meeting here, took a fresh look at the ecumenical
movement's progress on gender justice issues and
many members didn't like what they saw.
_____
Churches in India challenged
to support indigenous people
New Delhi (ENI news) - Churches in India have been
urged to stand up for indigenous peoples who have
been affected by such development projects as dams
and mines.
_____
In Southern Sudan, ecumenical movement
turns to nation-building
Geneva (ENI news) - Having successfully brokered
a historic and peaceful referendum in southern
Sudan -- on 9 July the Republic of South Sudan will
be born -- ecumenical organizations in Africa and
around the world are now focusing on the equally
challenging task of helping to build the new nation.
*****
22 February 2011
WCC's 2013 Assembly theme focuses
on justice and peace
Geneva (ENI news)--After several hours of what
Moderator Walter Altmann called "intense
dialogue," the World Council of Churches Central
Committee decided on 22 February on a theme for
the WCC's 10th Assembly: "God of Life, Lead Us
to Justice and Peace."
_____
Middle East churches need to work together
for peace, archbishop says
Jerusalem (ENI news)--Churches in the Middle East
must work together to overcome the problems facing
the region in order that "peace can prevail,"
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus said in an
address on 18 February at an extraordinary meeting
in Cyprus of the Executive Committee of the Middle
East Council of Churches.
*****
23 February 2011
Libyan Christian clergy vow to stay on
amid violence
Nairobi (ENI news) - Christian clergy in Libya
said they have no intention of leaving the
country, where several days of protests and
retaliation by government armed forces have
left hundreds of people dead.
_____
WCC criticises U.S. veto of UN resolution on
Israeli settlements
Geneva (ENI news) - With one U.S. delegate
dissenting, the World Council of Churches
(WCC) Central Committee on 21 February
criticised the U.S. veto on 18 February of
a UN Security Council resolution condemning
continued settlement construction by Israel
in the Palestinian Territories.
_____
Churches in India protest inquiry
into church attacks
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - More than 15,000
Christians took part in a rally here on 21
February to protest what they said was a biased
inquiry report into attacks on churches in the
troubled Karnataka state.
*****
24 February 2011
WCC calls for more ecumenical
peace-building in Colombia
Geneva (ENI news) - Colombia urgently needs
an increase in ecumenical approaches to
peace-building to counter the effects of
a half-century of civil conflict fuelled
by drug money and corporate influence,
the Central Committee of the World Council
of Churches (WCC) said.
_____
African bishops warn against rushed elections
in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe (ENI news) - Catholic bishops
in Southern Africa have warned that conditions
are not yet fit for elections in Zimbabwe after
the bloody presidential run-off election which
left scores of people dead.
_____
Philippine Protestant council hails
plan to resume peace talks
Manila (ENI news) - An agreement between the
Philippine government and the communist-led
National Democratic Front to resume peace
talks offers opportunities to end a 42-year
armed conflict in this Southeast Asian nation,
said a Protestant council.
*****
25 February 2011
Russian Orthodox Church Expands Prison Ministry
Moscow (ENI news) - The Russian Orthodox Church
has formalized its work in prisons across Russia
by signing a formal agreement with the country’s
Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) that
emphasizes not only spiritual support to
prisoners, but to prison staff as well.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners.online
February 21st, 2011
"Peace for humanity is not only the absence
of war, or the end of violence... For us
Christians, peace is based on a fundamental
new relationship between [humankind] and God.
That is why Christ said he brought peace,
'not as the world gives.' He brought a
different peace."
- Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia
---
February 22nd, 2011
"The truth does not change according to
our ability to stomach it."
- Flannery O'Connor
---
February 23rd, 2011
"In our era, the road to holiness necessarily
passes through the world of action."
- Dag Hammarskjold
---
February 24th, 2011
"Spirituality sometimes becomes the invention
of a life that makes us emotionally comfortable,
and thus doesn't address the very real demands
of a religion. Serious engagement with any
religion requires the adherent to acknowledge
its demands and difficulty."
- Marilynne Robinson
---
February 25th, 2011
"It is inevitable that in working for freedom
some individuals and some families must take
the lead and suffer: the road to freedom is
via the cross."
- Albert Luthuli
*****
ON THIS DAY
Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became
the first American to orbit Earth as he flew
aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.
http://tinyurl.com/4k524wy
_____
Feb. 21, 1965, former Black Muslim leader
Malcolm X was shot and killed by assassins
identified as Black Muslims as he was about
to address a rally in New York City; he was 39.
http://tinyurl.com/45rmt67
_____
Feb. 23, 1954, the first mass inoculation
of children against polio with the Salk
vaccine began in Pittsburgh.
http://tinyurl.com/4el8tae
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Something to Ponder -
Why do the differences between Synods,
Conferences, Denominations and Sects
seem to matter only to the people in
Synods, Conferences, Denominations and
Sects?
(end)
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