Salt

Moving and New Blog

Hi everyone,  I'm back to blogging, but I am moving to this site:  That's me at a hot wings competition.  The winner could not touch any water, bleu cheese, milk, or bread that was placed right before us.  I tied for first.  When it ended, he grabbed the water.  Then I demurred, not needing to go for the sudden death.  I didn't have to win.  I found that I was full before I was in pain. 

But I'm never doing it again.  If I do, I'm not drinking any beer.

Church site

Greetings everyone,

I'm now occasionally posting at my church blog. 

cheers!

Gawain

Future Plans

this is not really a post, but I want to express my gratitude to everyone and comment quickly upon the cultural issue. 

David wonders if "cuturally bound" christianity results in a sort of babel Christianity, and if the agnostic view of homosexual behavior is imperialistic.   But being culturally bound isn't a bad thing - in fact it represents the incarnation.  How do we get to understand each other?  By praying together.  I'm not sure if it matters that a Nigerian, or my girlfriend, or my stepmother believes exactly as I do, and I'm not sure how I would evaluate exactness.   But I don't think Christ requires we believe in exact things - this seems to remove God's grace.  I hope to Jesus I'm not judged on my thinking.  And I sometimes hope I'm not judged on the quality of my faith. 

I do confront the "imperial" view elsewhere, arguing that the current African view of sexuality resides in the self-understanding of Africans constructed by the west in the 19th century.  Africans themselves have bought into the notions of sexuality and hypermasculinity that the Victorians thought true, in part because the African elite read those books the British wrote.    

David also reminds us that most Christians and the tradition holds a view that genital sex between two men continues to be an abomination.  He is right about the tradition, but the set of truth and tradition is not exactly the same; and most people in a religion can be wrong.  We have to ask:  why would homosexuality be an abomination to Christians?  My own criteria is simple - does it benefit the Christian community; does it create people who are more loving, patient, encouraging and disciplined?   The tradition is helpful, but it is also full of human error.  As am I.

But keep tuned.  In October I will be doing something a bit different - and far more entertaining.

A photo...

I'll have more time for this.

Last Post

This will be my last post. I’m closing up shop, in part because my work is needed elsewhere in the church. The last 5 years in my parish have been simple: love the people and keep things going. But now we are entering a time of redevelopment, opportunity and growth that require much more deliberate attention. I am starting a new church blog at my parish site (its not quite up yet), and I'm toying with new uses of the medium.

But before I go, I’m going to meander a bit about where I think the church is going, the current crisis, and leave with a couple problems I’m thinking about. 

The Green Knight Puts his Sword Away

Along with Slacktivist, the Green Knight is one of the few truly excellent Christian bloggers, combining a keen wit, an economy of words, an excellent eye, and an admirable sense of outrage.  I'll miss him. 

Well, there is always Mad Priest. 

Zefrank

I'm addicted.

Warning:  adolescent, ironic, political, erudite, and very very funny.  Lots of inside jokes, so perhaps you should Start here, sports racers!

Popcandy loves Stallings

I've been getting megahits for this poem via USA today's popcandy. Broke 100,000 hits since moving over to typepad.

Friday Cat Blogging

Issac Albeniz - el_puerto

Blog Review

De Long quotes his father on Google's decisions regarding China. 

... what should Google do? Google should do what Google does, which is search engines. Google is not a Chinese leader, and it is not the role or duty of Google to tell China how to rule itself... even when [it] goes against the grain of American views of free speech. ...search engines, even truncated ones, will contribute to the economic and political development of China...   So Google should happily contribute to this effort, doing what it does, and avoiding the hubris of thinking it is responsible for China...

The State of the Union by Annenburg:  ...  nothing factually incorrect, just selective use of statistics and... omission of facts that would make thee state of the union "less rosy."  

H.E. Baber solves the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:  Make the West Bank like Orange County, CA.  Convert Palestinians into Californians.   The Parish analyzes Southern Baptist politics [fun!].   Radosh sees Brokeback, which is doing well in Montana.  Pam Spaulding on Alito's unexpected (!) supporting of a death-row inmate, with delightful feed back from "freepers" [?!] [via].   Bono Speaks Truth To Power [like Nathan to David?] [via].  Bob takes notes at Trinity's conference on reconciliation [Alison, I think, is the theologian - even more than Williams - informing progressive Anglicanism these days.  It just had to be a openly Gay Roman Catholic].  Rainy Day comments upon "God-Fatigue" and the freedom to bash Catholics, and Storytelling comments on this cartoon-Islam controversy.  Reverend Ref reminds us what is really important in light of the Super Bowl.  It's not the Steelers... Holy Weblog on Thurgood Marshall's possible sainthood. 

Cassandra writes on the via negativa.  The via negativa does not negate beauty, life, light, and love; in fact it is a way to begin to see and embody them as they really are, existing side-by-side with their opposites, no longer denied but accepted and held, gently, in the other hand. 

But last, the Blog from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington has become my favorite Episcopal blog.  It is extraordinarily well done, and is now on my regularly read column.  It is up there with Thinking Anglican website. 

Unfortunately, I've been quite sick for the last two days.  Had to miss the Bishop of Washington play in his blues band.  Hopefully I'll be well enough to avoid the bowl and hit the dance floor.  We'll see....