80 Million!

Well, I've been taking a break from blogging while completing my Master's degree. Pheewww!

Today, I want to express my dismay at the 80 million being paid for Ronaldo. A little rant to start things off...

As a Liverpool die-hard fan, this may or may not bode well for future clashes, depending on whom Man U. buy. However, I am increasingly appalled at the gross amounts of money going to star players and spiraling ticket prices. Sure, he's good, but he isn't exactly the cure for cancer!

What sticks in the craw even worse is that such a deal takes places in a climate of dire economic straights where, for many people, they are facing the prospect of perhaps losing their jobs, homes and sanity. The warning needs to go out to the scions of football - what happened to the bankers and speculators might well happen to you.

I am disgusted by the disparity in expenditures on elite players, and the imbalance that this is creating further down the league tables. Perhaps a salary and transfer cap is a good idea?

I enjoy the beautiful game as well as other people, but I am sorry to see the game moving deeper into the business model and away from it traditional place as a sport of the people - who increasingly, can't afford it - i.e. game tickets or expensive satellite and cable fees to watch their own team in their own cities and towns.

Rant over and out!

Move

Hi Chums!

This is a quick post to let you know that I am not using blogger very much while I'm at grad school. There will be few, if any, new posts over here for the moment.

You may catch up and see some good pictures of our doings over at facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=567836745

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Peter

Theology is good – No really, it is!

"Sine Qua Non - That without which you have got nothing!"

Sine Qua Non as defined by Dr. Gordon Fee in a YWAM lecture

Ah! When is comes to theology - some people will say something like, "just give me the simple New Testament Gospel without anyone's interpretation". A worthy goal; but an impossibility. To articulate such a thing is an interpretative statement which is espousing a Biblical Theology, born out of one’s tradition, as interpreted by the speaker. This response, to even the mention of the word theology, often springs to mind in many people when they confuse liberal theological ideas with the wholesome and important art form of mainstream theology - which has been called the Queen of the sciences.

As soon as we start thinking about God and related questions, we are (all) engaging in theology. We do this without even realizing it. When you consider a tragedy, such a mass killing or a random death caused by some accident, you naturally ask, "how can this happen; where is God in this?" This is the issue of Theodicy, or how we explain the great problem of evil. We all ask these kinds of questions – it is part of being human, and there are many struggles to surmount as well as issues to ponder.

So the question I have is, not whether we need theology, but rather, whether what we have is a good theology. Now a good theology, as I believe firmly it is possible to construct, entails using good sources and recognizing our own perspective or views (and bias), which necessarily impacts the way we are approaching our theology. This, of course, is a value statement in itself; to say that there is a good theology or several good theologies, we are presupposing there are bad ones - and I also believe there most definitely are. Maybe a topic for another post?

However, even if we have a good theology, our fictional questioner might follow up with, "isn't this just another theory or system unrelated to the world and the day to day issues, like dirty laundry, car problems, and dragging devotions?" Well, actually, as soon as one goes from thinking to acting on our beliefs, which is also impossible to avoid, we are doing theology; applying that theology whenever we pray, serve or contemplate an issue of (great) meaning. Furthermore, what we believe directly relates to what we do. The so-called, "lex credendi, lex orandi - The way that you believe related to the way that you pray", and vice versa. Or, more fully, “Legem credendi statuit lex orandi.” From the Latin, translated literally it means “the rule of prayer determines the rule of faith.” In other words, “the way we pray, shows what we believe – and vice versa.” [http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyan_theology/theojrnl/31-35/32-2-08.htm]

I appreciate this quote from David Ford, a senior Theologian at Cambridge, outlining a model for doing theology:

“The wisdom tradition represents the self-critical side of the Hebrew scriptures. It’s thus a very good model for what theology should be doing: paying close attention to tradition while thinking through the difficult and dark questions. Wisdom demands an integration of rigorous thought with imagination and also practical concerns -- how things actually work out in the living of life. Part of its fruitfulness for me has been that it acts as a check on theology’s being too doctrine-centered, and not taking account of the imaginative and the practical.” [http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2703]

Furthermore, I recall hearing a Bishop (I forget the name) posit that “every theology brings with it a psychology”. You will observe that our starting point or presuppositions, especially our experience, and concomitant personal disposition, have an irrevocable influence on the system of theology we follow and embrace. The most shocking examples of this correlation are the Cool-aid calamity of the Peoples Temple and Jim Jones, and the Whacko at Waco; the deluded messiah, David Koresh, who led more innocent people to a fiery end.

Once, my wife and I took a list of several verses from the Bible and gave them to several different clusters of people in a home group, and asked them to forget other verses, and to construct a theology and spiritual style of living from the verse they were given. The results were striking and instructive as to how this thinking and applying comes so easily to us. For example, the "Armour of God" crowd were militant and overly concerned with fighting the devil in the approach they developed; the “Study to Show Yourself Approved” gang were very precise and keen on teaching all the time to anyone at any stage or age, while the "Sheep of the Good Shepherd" were a restful and cozy bunch. You can imagine what they all came up with. This is a good argument that we need something of a systematic approach to studying the Bible and theology in general, so that we got a fuller picture, and avoid proof-texting our favourite bits!

It is almost hilarious when right-thinking adults will object to Christian ideas, or any others, by saying, “well, you might think such-and-such, but here is what I believe” though they may have no tangible evidence or apparent reasoning for the view being proffered in response, or if there is, it’s usually some half-baked version of the latest crazy philosophy being re-hashed in the media, as though anyone should trust them to serve up the best in scholarship or version of truth. Wild theories might get you published or lionized on the TV, but that is no proof of quality. I believe that the so-called, Jesus Seminar, were an example of the worst in this kind of enterprise - this is an example of theology which upsets people unduly and gives theologians a bad name. Don’t get me started on the “lost” books of the bible circus – suddenly the Gnostics are cool again - groan!

So what is your theology? How to you find answers to the ultimate questions about God. Do you ever stop to think why you believe the way you do? What separates a good theology from merely my opinions?

Cheers!

Peter

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

Below is a good post about the awful shooting of yesterday. It is a great response and sums things up rather well.

This situation is just so sad and one hopes grace will abound even more – God always seems to handle things better than we ever can – another good reason to walk with Him, or hang on to Him when all else fails.

Grace and peace to you, and especially to the VT Hokies

----

How Do We Respond to the Tragedy at Virginia Tech?

By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, April 17, 2007

How do we respond to the unbearably tragic crisis at Virginia Tech? There are no simple answers. Our first responses are visceral: shock, horror, sadness, fear, grief. Thank God we aren’t immune to evil in such a way that we no longer feel such revulsion and pain.

As a person of faith, part of me wants to run to God to demand an accounting for such evil. There is a place for this conversation, to be sure, but I believe we should begin by praying for those whose lives have been ripped to shreds by this tragedy. I’m thinking mostly of families and friends of the dead. We must also pray for the healing of the wounded, for all who are connnected to Virginia Tech.

Though I’m not surprised, I’m grieved once again by the tendency of some to use such a crisis for personal or political advantage. Predictably, both sides of the gun lobby were quickly using this tragedy to argue for or against gun ownership. This is an important debate, to be sure, and one we must have as a nation. But, in my opinion, now is not the time for punditry, but for prayer.

There is a place, I think, for thoughtful and sensitive reflection on the implications of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Newsweek’s “On Faith” website [http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/]

asks its contributors: “How does your faith tradition explain (and respond to) senseless tragedies such as the Virginia Tech shootings?” As usual, there are a variety of answers from a wide range of religious (and non-religious) perspectives. I have found the following submissions to be particularly wise:

“God With Us, Grieving,” by N. T. Wright;

“God of Hope and Healing” by Chuck Colson;

“Facing the Reality of Evil” by Albert Mohler, Jr.,

“God Cares. God Loves. We Choose” by Bishop Desmond Tutu

Here’s my prayer for today:

God of love and justice, our hearts are stunned today by the horrifying events at Virginia Tech. We struggle even to know how to pray. Yet we ask You, above all, to let Your gracious presence be known to all who suffer this day, especially the families and friends of those who have died. Grant them Your peace that passes all understanding.

Help us, dear Lord, to learn what we must learn from this crisis. Give us hearts open to You. Keep us from using the pain of others to manipulate or callously advance our personal agendas. Help us to listen to each other, and most of all to You.

Thank You for being a God who is not watching us from a distance. Thank You for entering into the pain and sorrow of this broken world. Thank You for being present with us when we suffer. Thank You for giving us hope when all seems hopeless, through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

http://www.markdroberts.com/

Pictorial Theology

"On a late October night in 1778, Captain John Ledyard of Connecticut arrived with fear and trembling on the Aleutian island of Unalaska, borne from his ship face down in a fragile skin canoe by natives whose language he did not understand. He was the adventuresome American scout for Captain John Cook's third and last voyage of discovery in the Pacific, and he wrote in his diary of his great "joy and surprise" that he was welcomed on shore by hospitable Christians, both Russian and native. Ledyard noted in his diary that they fed him well and did not retire immediately thereafter as he did but rather "said prayers after the manner of the Greek Church.... I could not but observe with what particular satisfaction the Indians performed their devoirs to God . . . and with what pleasure they went through the multitude of ceremonies attendant on that sort of worship." - James H. Billington [http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1995/v52-3-editorial2.htm]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the glorious discipline and art of theology was more engaging than most people generally find it? This would be a thing to certainly elicit excitement amongst those who love Christian theology. Yet, how many times, (if at all) have you endeavoured to read a tome of theology or church history, popular or otherwise, and began to quickly feel your eyelids drooping?

As the above quote illustrates, we don’t always need words to see the relevance of faith. Surely there is a need, and I dare say, various potential avenues open, which might be suggested for making theology come alive to the reader.

Now I am all for clear, eloquent language which accurately and elegantly carves out the beautiful lines of redemption and the plan of God; however, this is all too rare, if we are completely honest. Most theology is written for other academics. Not that such works should not be produced, but perhaps, we might want to consider developing a theological vocabulary of more that mere words.

Furthermore, it is inevitable that we shall fall short of capturing the glories of heaven and salvation's grace, when all we have to work with in these attempts is the English language - or German, for that matter. But, as the cliché goes, a picture paints a thousand words.

I posit, that we might think about introducing more metaphors and allegories, and other forms of illustration into our theologizing. Perhaps this suggestion will cause some to halt, and accused me of somehow, blurring or crossing the disciplines in an illegitimate way, but just as Michelangelo captured something of the magnificence of the renaissance conception of humankind in cold, hard marble; similarly, should we not also strive to spread out the wondrous rays of grace and truth with the best means at our disposal, not merely with our words. Perhaps we are so trapped in the Modern that we are unwittingly turning into granite and stone ourselves – at least from the neck down.

There is, of course, the case of the great stained glass windows in so many cathedrals, with sunbeams streaming down over centuries gone by for the literate and illiterate alike; not to mention the works of classical artists, musicians, poets, and the icons of the Eastern church, whose works swell the coffers of church and culture in terms of art and beauty. Christ Himself was engaged in the greatest mission of all, and what did He do? He drew pictures with words, and ultimately, put Himself on display in the most hideous and breathtaking way, on Golgotha's lonely and bleak hillock. There is some inspiration for us to emulate; which, though never certain, might lead to a change of heart and a moment of contrition, to forgiveness, or simply, a small kindness and a careful thought, as might be called for.

I like to imagine that God wrote the bible - inspired it, actually. In this effort, He used lots of stories and pictures to spell out for us His great mission and heartbeat. Everywhere we find trees, rivers, whacky family lines, stirring souls and wretches, dramatic scenes, exploits, tragedy, victory, and sin, most bitter. This is hardly typical of systematic theology the way we like to go about it. Perhaps this is another reason why the bible remains the biggest selling book of all time, year after year. Name one theologian who has even come close? Though we could call to mind some great and important work, there are too few who look for these and can appreciate them.

However, I am not in favour of dumbing down theology - but rather, of lifting it up, but way of elaboration, and in celebration of ideas, embroidering our discussions with many powerful images which resound and repeat in one's imagination, with the earnest hope of touching the soul and motivating one's life.

Spinoza had his theatre of the mind, and with the bible, God has His theatre of the heart and Spirit. Let us emulate the Creators genius and gird ourselves up to the task of picturing for others those great mysteries we have received and pondered in library halls and cosy studies, and gladly share them with as much finesse and artistry as we can.

As the dictionary has it, herewith, I close this post:

Word: Pictorial, 5 of 7 definitions

Main Entry: illustrative

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: explanatory

Synonyms: allegorical, clarifying, comparative, corroborative, delineative, descriptive, diagrammatic, emblematic, exemplifying, explicatory, expository, figurative, graphic, iconographic, illuminative, illustrational, illustratory, imagistic, imitative, indicative, interpretive, metaphoric, pictorial, pictoric, representative, revealing, sample, specifying, symbolic, typical

[Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2007 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.]

Cheers!

The Relevance of the Holy Trinity.

Contrary to some perceptions, the Trinity is not some irrelevance or a concoction of doddery old bishops in the third century. I maintain that the Trinity is at the very heart of the Christian faith. The Trinity comprises the inner essence of God, and forms the basis for all His works, and gives rise to the beauty in creation; down to the level of all goodness, wherever it may be found.

Before there was even a little bang, before even an atom of matter, or a ray of light, there was the sublime, absolutely perfect, God-head - of grace, truth, love and tranquility. Equal in power and majesty, yet perfect in humility, unity and diversity – at once giving and fully able to receive. This is the greatest love of all time. Not that love is God, but God most definitely is love. When we are being loving, we are most like God.

Would that we could emulate the glorious magnanimity and harmony that is so intrinsic to the God-in-three. God as Trinity, gives love, sends the Son, empowers by the Spirit, is the Father of consolation and good shepherd to us all.

Some might ask, “how can this be? How can God be three, and yet one?” Yet such is the testimony of the Bible, implicit in creation, though hidden from overt comprehension; and it is the testimony of the Eastern and Western Church down the ages, treasured from earliest times. Even the name of God is plural in Hebrew. God is one, and God is three. We cannot understand this mystery. We can only stand in awe. Better, yet – kneel in adoration. But we do neither very easily.

Have you ever noticed the thrice-repeated phrase in the Bible – “Holy, Holy, Holy”? I do not think that it is without significance that we find instances of three “Holy’s” – i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here, we have unity, selflessness, diversity and love personified to a superlative degree, and moreover, worshipped as the One true God.

Glory be to the Father and the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Behold, The Man

Part 2.

I have been reflecting on the inablilty of humans to apprehend the revelation of God, in its various forms.

One might bring up the issue of the incarnation (God, enfleshed in Christ) as a key to the clearing up of these kinds of questions, (see earlier post) at least in some ways; but I think that the quest for the historical Jesus, though horribly mangled by those such as the Jesus Seminar, proves that these questions persist.

In some ways, the search for God is a visceral process which most of humanity is compelled to engage with/in. I wonder whether God designed this whole reality. I mean; He could certainly have beamed down and made a dramatic appearance even greater than the historical first coming. However, we are left to fumble about in faith with the occasional ray of light and the prod of the Spirit.

The late Stanley Grenz, in the introduction to his “Theology for the Community of God” speaks about the interpretive motifs’ that theologians have used to frame their systems of ordering doctrine. These motifs’ include things such as, justification by faith, the Glory of God, Scripture; and of course, much has been made of the concept of the Kingdom of God.

As I am considering the above issue of our inability to capture a complete vision of God, who by definition is above and beyond, I believe that the premiere interpretive framework for understanding God is, indeed, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, interpretive motif’s function as clues or windows onto the wider question of who God is and what He is about.

Paul writes that “in Christ are the keys to all wisdom and knowledge”. Quite a concept! Actually, I left out one word from Col 2:3; “hidden”. If he is right, then I believe that a follow up question is warranted, “what do you think of Christ”? “What is hidden there, and how do we approach truth in Him”?

Here again, we have shifted our gaze from the immutable, inscrutable God, to the communicable or somewhat more tangible person of Christ. I would encourage you to take up the spiritual shovel and start digging.

The greatness or benefit of Christianity does not consist in how well we might follow Christ and the teachings of scripture, not in our traditions, or along the arc of historical events in Christendom, but absolutely in the greatness of Jesus Christ. As Pilate said, unwittingly:” behold, The man”!

Ultimate Transcendence - Not just tautology

Above all of the contestations and hypothesis in the various aspects of theology with regard to Soteriology (theology of salvation), or for that matter, systematic theology in general, we must recognize the utter inability for our human mind, and even the biblical record (for we must interpret this too), and diverse glossaries to be able to truly describe the nature of metaphysical categories or events.

By this, I mean that when, for instance, we talk about an issue such as propitiation (satisfaction for our sins), on the one level we are employing a metaphor, (actually, the bible is steeped in the Jewish sacrificial system, itself a rich panorama of metaphor) while on another level, this actually refers to a transcendent, metaphysical event or effect that we will never approach fully - though, we may benefit from it nonetheless. Whether propitiation is believed by some, and not by others is largely irrelevant to my point. Furthermore, there are always ramifications to each theological assertion, further stretching and perhaps, breaking our original analogy.

Some writers have stressed the place and necessity of using analogy and metaphor to explain aspects of theology, and arguments for God's existence in particular, beginning perhaps with Aquinas, to whom I tip my hat through the hypothesis, previously posted - and even Gaunilo's “paradise isle”. To use Isaiah's words, ' "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree. "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." ' Isa 55:8-9; (The Message) Nice poetic phrasing comes in handy, too.

So if God's ways are above or beyond us, though specifically relevant to us nonetheless, we still need ways to talk and think about these matters - but we'll always have to admit a degree of uncertainty in our apprehension and comprehension of things. We also must admit that the language we use also falls prey to exactly the same problems, being metaphors in themselves.

This goes to issues of epistemology - how we know what we know - of course. Maybe, even to issues of ontology, or meaning; of why we are asking these questions, and to the noble quest which is theology as a formal enterprise, which Barth calls the "fairest of sciences", as well as an individual journey of positing ultimate questions.

I love the idea the Anselm of Canterbury positing his theological musings in the form of prayers - this is perhaps the best way to proceed with (our) theological work. Therefore, we should endeavour to find answers, with a good dose of humility with prayerful dependence and faith in God. This is an approach which is not unfamiliar to the Eastern Orthodox, who are much more apt to approach theology on their knees than we might - at our desks or in dusty classrooms.

Next time, I'd like to continue by introducing the important role of the incarnation.

Have a splendid Autumn season.

Cheers!

Peter

Ontology, Splontology!

I've just been reading Aquinas and a few other bods on arguments for the existence of God. Aquinas - "good 'ol, Tommy Ackers", as I used to call him - seems to use rather pedantic arguments in his famous five "proofs" or "ways"; riding on the wings of Aristotle. (Motion, Causes, Contingent Possibilities, Change, Design). I doubt that most pagans would be very impressed by them.

These assertions form a nest of what are called, cosmological and teleological arguments - i.e., deduced from the existence of the universe and from the order of things; so-called, arguments to design - that's a couple of new words for the day. These arguments seem to in be a kind of ontological loop; and a loop is not going to get us very far. Plantinga has resurrected some of these arguments (especially the ontological one, which originated from Anselm of Canterbury, by the way) so there is more here than meets the eye, perhaps.

You can read more of this stuff here: www.philosophyofreligion.info/theisticproofs.html

One of the things that does occur to me as I was reading through some of the later arguments from people like Anselm, (who made all of his investigations as prayers - famous dictum, "Faith seeking understanding - fides quaerens intellectum"), Gaunilo, (and his "Perfect Island"), Descartes (depending on our God-given mind for proof) and Kant (Ethical or moral proof), is that when Aquinas states at the end of each case, "this we call God", he finds it so easy to make this claim. It seems very matter of fact, casual almost. Such a generic statement, I attribute, is probably just a reflection of the waters he swam in - the world around him, the ideas we all grow up with. Moreover, it seems to me that how much and what we believe is directly related to the concepts we have received, learned or been exposed too.

How can we conceive of something or anything, without an idea being introduced to us (usually by an authority figure); a lens with which to view things, and a terminology or language to frame our reality - really, the perception or conception of that reality.

I wonder, for instance, whether people who grow up with a sense of faith from what they see and are told, are the most susceptible to belief, whatever the stripe. It seems obvious that it must lead to a perpetuation of faith. So does this necessarily apply across the board to all that a person believes? Is this just a part of socialization? Not that it does away with genuine faith, as though growing up in faith-filled home is an irresistible cause of personal belief, or a construction that we would otherwise have missed out on - though not always.

There are some who have made phenomenological arguments for God's existence, based on human experience, i.e., spiritual experiences, but this is also problematic. These are good fun to read, it must be said, unlike much philosophy and theology, which seem deliberately opaque and frequently dull. I would love to see art and more creativity set to work in these enterprises.

George Lindbeck, writing about post-liberal approaches to doctrine, makes the point that we are born into the world, or rather a culture, which informs and forms us; especially in terms of our religion. His view is called linguistic-cultural; though not strictly concerning proofs of God's existence, there are some parallels with my above discussion about faith-formation. This process could be referenced more broadly to other areas of development (not confined to faith-development). This process of formation, or inculcation of specifically religious values, behaviours, and norms, he says, is more than cognitive, though it does constitute fully, “comprehensive interpretive schemes”.

I would note that so many arguments (about our topic being discussed in this post) are put together mostly on a rational level. It is somewhat refreshing to go in a new direction - as Lindbeck does. I also appreciate Pascal’s focus on the heart, rather than just the noggin' (head). The faith-view we have is not merely developed or arrived at by cogitation of the little grey cells, it is something we breathe in and out. Okay, some did not inhale!

I like the idea of "Truth Myth", posited by Gary Dorrien, which indicates that our lives can be deeply enriched by the Big story of faith - something to sate the soul, not only the mind. Maybe, it is futile to try to prove there is a God - but there are evidences that beg the question, (such as the clearly historical basis of Christianity) nonetheless - and each of us have moments when they come knocking at our doors.

Cheers!

Peter

Is it June, already?

June means warmth

Well, April has flown by, as did May. I can’t believe I haven’t posted a blog for so l-o-n-g!

Briefly, we had a very nice trip to England. It was unseasonably cold, but that is almost a joke when it comes to the British weather.

We spend some lovely times with my family. It was especially good to have time with my brother’s three boys, who are growing like weeds.

While we were away, we had a chance to think and pray about the Church, Center Edge, and I decided not to take on the leadership. We may still meet on a more informal basis as a group, so we will see how that goes.

In the meantime, a few theological thoughts.

A BIG story to help Cross the road of life

The Theology of the Cross, as the result of our transgressions, is so often emphasized in the Western Church, whereas, in the Eastern Church, the emphasis is more on the Glory that results from our justification via the Resurrection.

Now, Karl Barth, writing in his handy little tome, “Dogmatics in Outline”, reminds us that we need both. We cannot have Easter Sunday without Good Friday, and we certainly cannot have Easter Sunday without Good Friday!

Similarly, I suppose, we must each live with a tension between these poles in the day-to-day happenings of life, and in our personal experience, as believers. If we camp out at the Cross, we will tend to remain glum and sin-conscious to an unhealthy degree, while, if we seat ourselves at the mouth of the cave, conversely, we might become so optimistic and petty about the hard things, that we will avoid grappling with the pain we must encounter in order to both, grow up as people, and to go deeper, personally and spiritually, and will ultimately, fail to bear, and help repair the suffering of others.

We need both the highs and the lows, but truly, these make no long-term sense by themselves, and lead to various forms immaturity without the vital contributions from both side of the Calvary-Easter story. As John Eldridge reminds us so often in his books, we need the Big story to make sense of our little stories.

Perhaps we would do well to ponder which side of the story we prefer, and why this is so.

Cheers!

Almost Spring

Almost Spring; most definitely!

Well, it’s about time I added a new blog entry. Since we began in earnest to lay the foundations of Center Edge, which is the new Church, I have been somewhat preoccupied.

It’s almost spring here in Atlanta, one of the loveliest times of the year. I do hope we all have a nice one. The winter has been very mild, but we always look forward to the riot of flowers that will burst out soon as spring commences.

In the meantime, I am enjoying listening to Miles Davis as I write this. Very nice music. A friend of mine gave me “A Kind of Blue”, and I just adore the music. I believe it is the biggest selling Jazz album of all time – Okay, it’s a CD.

Back to CE. We are now meeting in a basement and a small group is attending. It has been a challenge to ascertain what is the best plan, without, A. getting in God’s way, B. being wise in how we proceed. For now, we are thinking of limiting the size and not inviting scads of people, though we know there are several interested parties. It’s a difficult call, but I hope we are making the right choices. There are many things to consider. It you are the praying sort, please send one up for us.

We are soon, off to England for a long overdue trip to see (most of) my family there. We are very excited, and might even go on a holiday with my parents. It will be so good to indulge in some of the delights that are only available in the UK. We have our favourite Fish and Chip shop to visit, and SATTERTHWAITES, the local bakers with excellent cakes and fresh goodies. I hope we are able to visit a few nice pubs for some always improving, gastronomic fare as well, washed down with some quality ales.

That’s it for now.

Cheers!

Mystery and Suffering

Well, it's already a new year. Time for me to attempt to blog some more!

On a sad note; we had some terrible news a few weeks ago.

A dear friend was killed while riding his motorcycle - just as he was almost home from a Sunday morning ride. It was not his fault, and the driver of the other vehical was arrested. Worse still, was the fact that his wife had not yet returned home from a lovely retreat that same weekend, and was coming back on the day of the accident. So sad.

It is impossbile to understand when and how these things happen, and why. However, it does serve as a brutal reminder that we live in a very broken world which God did not intend.

I read a great quote recently about the mystery of God. It may not apply perfectly to the above situation, which pertains to the mystery of suffering, but I think the Monk that wrote this was onto something:

"Mysteries are not dark shadows, before which we must shut our eyes and be silent. On the contrary, they are dazzling splendours, with which we ought to sate our gaze, whilst recognizing, however, that they extend far beyond its capacity, and that our eyes cannot bear their full radiance. It is in contemplating them, in speaking of them, that we dispose ourselves to be given even here below as much of them as God see's fit to impart to us, and to receive one day that fullness of light which will be the essense of our beatitude."

Anonymous Carthusian Monk. From "Ordinary Graces", edited by Lorraine Kisly.

We have been praying that our friend, who's dear husband was killed, receives a measure of this blessing, but more so, that she senses the deepest comfort from God Himself.

One mystery is the only thing that seems to meet the challenge of another mystery - this calls us to faith when there are no other answers.

Blessings to you.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas

Hi Everyone,
Not been posting for a while. Otherwise occupied with the planning stages for a new and thrilling Church plant. More on that another time.

For now. I want to send out sincere wishes for a very Blessed Christmas to one, and all.

Bye the bye, did you know that "holidays" is short for "holy-days"; so even the P.C. types don't know what they are saying when they advocate, the colourless and un-imaginative, "Happy Holidays".

It reminds me of another reason I love God, He gets in everywhere, and never gives up on us.

In closing, a little Churchy humour:

From the Do Not Take Yourself Too Seriously Department

December 20th, 2005 at 12:52 pm

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. She says to the clerk, “May I have 50 Christmas stamps?” The clerk says, “What denomination?” The woman says, “God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists.

Taken from: Classical Anglican

Jesus comes to us all in so many ways - welcome Him.

Merry Christmas.

The Loins of Luther

I was just chatting with a good friend who had just taken part in an online pastors chat forum. Someone had asked whether there is a need to draw near to God since we are joined to Him spiritually, 2 Pet 1:4; and if we can and should do this (which I think is very important, not to mention the array of scriptures about prayer), then, how is this possible? Of course, the depths and the mind of God are such that we shall spend eternity exploring Him, and this has begun for those in Christ! Notwithstanding, the poor images of heaven that we seem to have been given. (John Eldridge does a great job of describing heaven in his books).

One thing underlying this question, provided you accept the interpretation of that passage from Peter, is that there is a famine of historical perspective in so many areas of Protestantism and Evangelicalism. This sorry state of affairs is another part of the ignorance of our common Christian heritage, and not just a few misconceptions that are left behind as vestiges of a wider collective memory. Compounding the situation is a smoldering anti-Catholicism, which some don’t even realize is present. Yet there is a massive corpus of writing on Christian Spirituality, which can be tapped. It is as though the Church (the "True Church", not the Roman one, or rather, the 26,000 that are part of this True Church!) had sprung from the loins of Martin Luther. Please don’t think that I am underestimating his importance, or the need for reform, then as now.

Protestants lack of historical perspective is a great handicap when it comes to dealing with all sorts of questions. We can overlook this tremendous wealth of spirituality and theology all too easily. In fact, we, or they, may be guilty of trying to re-invent the wheel, when in reality, life and ministry are not coming out of a vacuum - with the very text of the bible in hand, with us as its best interpreters! Certainly, we have to be cautious in taking on-board any opinions from the past, as well as the present, but there is at least a need to acknowledge, and even more so, to draw from, what is actually available to us (2000 years worth, not merely 500), which will certainly help to anchor and inform our questioning.

There is no such thing as a new heresy; the same old ones crop up again and again, and the Councils and the Church Universal have provided ample evidence and correctives to help us avoid such a great source of cruelty. Only today, my wife was telling me about a small local Church that is mired in the most awful legalism and resulting bondage, and family carnage to its adherents. Lies always tie us up and leave is for dead, under a cloud of demonic shame and confusion. It is so sad that so many little groups spring up, declaring loudly their purity and commitment to the Gospel, when in actual fact, they have gone off half-cocked, with little or no practical accountability, and profound ignorance with respect to the wisdom of the ages that might have forestalled such mayhem. Certainly, Western individualism and hubris does not help much either!

Some of us, with no sense of superiority, have started to search out our ecclesiastical birth parents, so to speak, as so many real adoptees feel compelled to do. We have a great legacy of Doctors of the Church, Mystics, and other Godly people with which to discourse. We might come to some differing opinions on things, but surely there are choice pearls of wisdom to be had – as Luther might also encourage us to do himself.

See, he writes, though not without criticism later on:

“I will not presume to criticize too closely the writings of the Fathers, seeing they are received at the church, and have great applause, for then I should be held an apostate;”

and again he writes,

“We must read the Fathers cautiously, and lay them in the gold balance,”

The Table Talk of Martin Luther,
http://www.reformed.org/documents/Table_talk/table_talk_4.html#Heading24

May we take advantage of just such a Gold Balance. As Jesus said, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."” Matt 13:52; NKJV

More resources here: http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/

http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-history.html

God in New Orleans.

"When Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgments of God,
he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others
drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those
who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?'
He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on
yourself. These things are according to the judgment of God, and it is
not to your advantage to know anything about them.'"

From the Apophthegmata Patrum -- the Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
This version was translated by Sr. Benedicta Ward.

I am tired of the finger pointing. The facts will come out in time, and the agenda’s of certain people. It does appear that the local authorities made some bad choices and dithered too much. Let’s all do what we can to alleviate the situation.

I believe this disaster is both a sign of judgment and an opportunity for blessing. Such is often the case.

I’m so glad to hear of the amazing responses on the ground of many American’s helping out others, and of thousands of families being housed by Churches all over the country.

One wonderful example comes from some friends of mine at a “biker” Church – I created and manage their website. Follow the next link to read how they helped one family in a big way. God Bless these folks!

http://www.godsrollingthunder.com/katrina.html

Christianity Today has a page of helps and articles at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ctmag/special/katrina.html


To give online try:

http://www.operationblessing.com/

http://www.worldvision.org/

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

Here is a prayer too:

"O blessed Lord; you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who have been displaced and sent into exile by this tragic natural disaster. Enable them to know your presence, the warmth of your embrace and the fullness of your love. Restore to them assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears, anxiety and loneliness that beset them; strengthen them in spirit, hope and faith; and to those who care and provide for them,
give patience, compassion, strength, care and love. Amen."
[adapted from The Book of Common Prayer]

What is the Church for?

A recent post on a blog that I read, Monday Morning Insight (for pastors), just asked this question: "What is the Church to be?"

Monday Morning Insight

Quite simply, it is the place where we meet with God, together with others. I don't mean meeting God, as in, hanging out with your buddy; although God is the best friend of all, but in the sense that we are able to lose ourselves in worshipping Him, and can approach the mystery of who He is to some degree.

Some will say that the Church is really a school, a hospital, an army, or even a place of entertainment and empowerment (though the words used in these cases are probably more acceptable), but all of these things are benefits or aspects of the one true goal - of exploring and growing in our relationship with God. Meeting with our Creator so as to taint our clothes with the smoke of the eternal fire of His presence, thus empowering and healing us in many ways, and ultimately, becoming better disciples in the process. Certainly, we have a mission, as some might protest - after all, the Church is the sacrament of Christ Himself. However, we must not highjack the ultimate purpose of God as we set about our various missions and ministries.

I love what Robert Webber writes in his books regarding "Blended Worship", and "Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail" - highlighting the need and necessity for people to meet with and worship God. Many of us Christians in the Evangelical and Charismatic streams are beginning to search for deeper worship that we have known - more than mental, emotional and functional “services”, and are becoming increasingly disillusioned with utilitarian and modernist reductions of the faith. We are hungry to worship God as the Early Church worshipped Him and prospered as a result. To encounter His majesty and mystery in the midst of our hardscrabble, daily grind, and overfed, Western World. To be nourished by His very presence - and paradoxically, His presence in His absence. Not mere knowledge and facts, (though, the mind is His gift too) but life and love - deeply grounded in an authentic encounter with the living God. Hearing from God and sensing His person, rather than just hearing about Him. We do not want to find ourselves in the quandary of trying to present the Gospel to others, yet to be found proffering a Gospel about a God whom we don't really know.

Evangelists, teachers Pastors, and others, will all have preferences or differences in emphasis in their opinions and objectives for this important question, regarding the purpose of the Church, but I submit, that we will greatly impoverish ourselves and others if we do not clearly understand, not just with the mind, but also feel deeply, that the Church is an organism that exists primarily to foster relationship with God; which will then spill into every other area of life. To do otherwise, is to go down a road that we don't want to end up on. Filthy rags of self-righteousness can also comprise filthy rags of, heap upon heap of dead works and dry information. He is the Truth. He is the Life as well. Just think of Job, left gabbling and stammering after his confrontation with the reality of God Himself.

I'm talking about passion for God; the true God who transcends our various concerns and yet, deigns to fellowship with us through the gentle unfurling of the wings of His Holy Spirit, manifested to us in ways that we cannot conjure up, or perhaps, even withstand.

We are to be Christ's followers and worshippers, not just his workers, or He, our boss. No! He is our almighty Lord, and we bow before Him. He is great, ineffable, and worthy of all praise. Now, that is something to be for.

Cheers!

A Little Bit of Contemplation

We have just returned from a very nice, quiet week away by a lake in North Georgia - with grateful thanks to friends who let us use their holiday home. My wife and I read about five books each; one of these was, “Is Paris Burning”? An account of the Allied liberation of Paris, and the preceding French uprising there. Riveting stuff, actually.

As you do on these kinds of holidays, we took a few trips, but not enough to spoil the resting!

As a Georgia Tech fan, we ventured into enemy territory, on a visit to Athens, and the University of Georgia “Bulldogs” campus. A nice little town surrounds the college grounds, with a fairly decent Indian restaurant, where we ate our lunch.

We also took a scamper around old Gainesville on another day, which is really a small square dotted with teashops and little bistro’s. Amidst these, we found a “British” shop, filled with goodies from home, and lots of bits and bobs, and run by a very nice man called Sonny – though he’s not English. Dinner that night was a grilled batch of real bangers (sausages) with English Heinz baked beans, and toast- quite delicious! Yum!!

One book that I finished was the excellent, “A Call to Intimacy”, by Tony Horsfall, now published in the USA as “Rhythms of Grace”. A real gem of a book – introducing the contemplative and classic Spiritual Disciplines to Evangelicals and Charismatics. Very well done, practical, and very much needed.

I hope you find a good place to rest body and soul before the summer is concluded and the nights start to draw in again. I believe Daylight Savings Time is going to be extended in a few years time. How I wish we could have this done for holidays, so that they lasted longer!

Cheers!

PG sounds

These are a few things I have been listening too:

1. She - by Round2
2. Bustin' out for Rosie - Tommy Bolin
3. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine - The Killers
4. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
5. Smile Like You Mean It - The Killers
6. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
7. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
8. Andy, You're A Star - The Killers
9. On Top - The Killers
10. Change Your Mind - The Killers
11. Believe Me Natalie - The Killers
12. Midnight Show - The Killers
13. Everything Will Be Alright - The Killers
14. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
15. In Your Honor - Foo Fighters
16. No Way Back - Foo Fighters
17. Best Of You - Foo Fighters
18. DOA - Foo Fighters
19. Hell - Foo Fighters
20. The Last Song - Foo Fighters
21. Free Me - Foo Fighters
22. Resolve - Foo Fighters
23. The Deepest Blues Are Black - Foo Fighters
24. End Over End - Foo Fighters
25. Still - Foo Fighters
26. What If I Do? - Foo Fighters
27. Miracle - Foo Fighters
28. Another Round - Foo Fighters
29. Friend Of A Friend - Foo Fighters
30. Over And Out - Foo Fighters
31. On The Mend - Foo Fighters
32. Virginia Moon - Foo Fighters
33. Cold Day In The Sun - Foo Fighters
34. Razor - Foo Fighters

Another Gospel, or No Gospel at All?

The increasing crisis in the Anglican Church and EC-USA is a sad situation, and it is not going to get better. It is further lunging Anglicanism headlong into schism. The ordination of women bishops is (going to be) another unwise step that puts the final nail in the coffin of the Anglican Communion as a united body, which has been a tenuous situation in the past few decades anyway.

More here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/12/ncofe12.xml

The timing of this new proposal about women Bishops is a further underlining of the mess that certain, fuzzyheaded Bishops have descended into, and another sign that they have lost the plot entirely. I am not even sure that I am against women Bishops per se, but it is the path they have taken that has brought them to pursue this course, and other more tendentious steps, that really should trouble any right-minded believer. There is a theological flabbiness gathering steam underneath these issues, a corrosive 'leaven that leavens the whole lump" and leads to a deadly weakening of the Church, and more than a hint of heresy and apostasy is still simmering on the stove.

A quote will suffice for you to see what kind of leaven is already baking in the ovens:

"The persistent claim of these movements [women's liberation and gay rights] is that a greater fulfillment can be achieved when one is freed from the mundane concerns of ordinary family life. The Playboy mentality, which sees females as bunnies, playmates or sensual toys, is joined by feminists and gays offering an alternative to family life. And it is not only that alternative lifestyles to marriage and family should be acceptable [among Protestant clergy], but more often than not, there is a desire to embrace the alternative lifestyles as positively superior because they do not lock the human spirit into humdrum sex, unrewarding labor, and the unexciting relationships that characterize family life."

Excerpted from Against the Protestant Gnostics (OUP) by Philip J. Lee:

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/

One of the most telling indicators of false teachers and false prophets is that they will inevitably give themselves away by two things: 1. Immorality, (e.g., bishop Robinson living in sin with another man); and, 2. They will speak in contradiction to the revealed will (Word) of God, (i.e., the new revelation on homosexuality that Liberals espouse as being inspired by the same Spirit, who has clearly condemned the sin, but not the sinner). Take note that the first departure, usually flows from the second error, therefore, doing violence to Scripture - which always leads to darkness and bondage.

The most scurrilous behaviour of recent note must be the actions of the ultra-liberal Bishop of Connecticut, Andrew Smith, who broke into St. John’s parish without permission, and then proceeded to lock out the rector of this growing, and well-run parish in Smith’s Diocese, against the will of the congregation. While undertaking this disgraceful, “fascistic” work, the Bishop is reported to have broken into the Church computer, containing confidential files about members of the Church, and which is quite illegal. Tolerant, inclusive and loving? I think not! This terrible abuse of power is merely indicative of the depths to which these kinds of heretics (what other word can one use?) have sunken. As Bishop Allison noted so well, heresy always leads to cruelty.

More info here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2768

What we are seeing is, in reality, a conflict between those who have departed from the Faith for a perversion of Christianity, and which cannot now, in any meaningful sense, be called a Christian Gospel, and those who remain true. Those who continue faithful in the Gospel (and are accountable to it), and will brook no compromise with the Faith as supported by the Bible itself, and which is supposedly repugnant to the world, must make a stand for the truth for the sake of the world, even in spite of rejection. I would maintain that, so called, Conservative believers are not a breed of cave-dwelling, bible thugs, (notwithstanding the "bible-olatry" of some insecure souls, who pale before any intelligent questioning), but they are mainly orthodox Christians who recognize both the Gospel, and the need to present it a way that is intelligible; not altering it into something else. Take heed when men say all kinds of goods things about you and praise you! Lk 6:26; - You are becoming more like them (rather than Christ) than you realize!

What I am NOT talking about is: hating homosexuals, or unmarried people who engage in sex; this is about Christians who have shipwrecked their faith and are in the process of bankrupting the faith of others. A good question for the remainder of us always is; how do we reach out and share the love of Christ to all kinds of sinners, without falling prey to the above deviations from the Gospel? But that will have to be another post!

The so called, Liberals, are not proposing a (new, better, enlightened) version of Christianity, but a replacement of it. A wholesale accommodation to Western culture and mores - it is not the Gospel of the Son of God, who lived, died and was buried, and was raised to glory in a literal and historical sense. What they espousing is a saviourless humanism of peace and harmony, without scruples over what sin and truth are, in favour of some touchy-feely, wooly intellectualism, with just a few trappings of tradition; enough to keep them in purple and presbytery - for the moment. It is a hermeneutic of accommodation, not a proclamation of salvation in Christ alone. They are the blind leading the blind. It is no wonder their Churches are being deserted in droves.

What these Liberals affirm in man is not goodness; what the bible actually calls sin is being overlooked, without really offering people any real hope, freedom, and a new life in the power of the Spirit. They welcome people in sexually immoral lifestyles (which they condone), re-naming the behaviour as “loving”, while castigating the closed-mindedness of the Apostles, Fathers and Saints of the Church, and give such departures from morality a benediction from the corpus of Eastern philosophy and humanist ruminations, tinged with existentialism, while trying to atone for the guilt for the sins of the West, real or imagined. The only sin they recognize is intolerance; and the Gospel is its first target – tolerance? I think not. To borrow a phrase from Mark Driscoll: "Liberal Christians run the risk of loving their neighbors and their brothers at the expense of loving their Lord." http://www.christiancounterculture.com/articles/reachingout.html

However, Jesus is not a way, as they would suggest, but "the Way" - they have it backwards, and even, upside down. Their Jesus is not The Son of God, but a guru among the gods of the East, sanctified by psychology (which has its uses, otherwise) and as promulgated by Oprah (who probably does more good than many of their dodgy Bishops). They are scared to call sin, "sin"; they are loath to denounce false religion, terrorists, and display a silver-tongued eloquence in a spin of lies. Nevertheless, the articulate exposition of a fallacy does not make it the truth! One only has to compare Scripture with the tenets of this Christ-less faith. They say that they love Him, (Christ Jesus) and follow His example, but where are the standards of holiness; the denunciation and overt rejection of sin, the hatred for hypocrisy and stand for truth, and His warnings about hell? They do not believe these things; they are in opposition to the Word and message of Christ, for they have superceded it with another message. (They might as well work for the United Nations instead of misrepresenting Christ, His Gospel, and His Church). An imaginary saviour can only bring an imaginary salvation, so it is with the watered down Christ of the liberal mind. It is not a new Gospel; it is no Gospel at all.

Let's just review what the Apostles have to say about the enemies and false preachers of the Gospel (including the Gnostics, ancient and new!):

• Seeking to be wise them become fools, and substituted the Truth of God for a lie. Rom 1:22;

• “Another Gospel” is preached, but without Christ and His work at the core, our only hope for salvation and life. Gal 1:7; 1 Cor 15:1-6; 12-19;

• Seeking after knowledge, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim 3:7;

• Having the form of Godliness, but denying its power. 2 Tim 3:5;

• They would consort with other faiths, playing the harlot with other philosophies, pretending to be Apostles of Christ. They would preach themselves, take advantage of others, and line their own pockets, rolling about in sentiment and fornication in the name of "love" and tolerance. Sounds very familiar. Mat 7:15; 24:11; 1 Cor 5:9; 2 Cor 11:13; Phil 3:17-19; 2 Tim 3:6; 2 Pet 2:1; 2 Jn 1:7;

• Jesus came, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14,17; Both are needed, and ever should it remain the case.

For more details on the tide of heresy in ECUSA, you may read here:

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2559

Converging Streams

Whether you are aware of it or not, there is a swelling movement of people seeking out a deeper quality to their faith that is often NOT found in (their) Evangelical and Charismatic Churches. Others, such a Richard Foster and Renovaré, have been ahead of the game all along. This is probably not the only thing going on, and I will not attempt to classify the causes. I just want to get down a few of my thoughts.

What we are seeing is a renaissance of the classical spiritual disciplines, formal spiritual direction, and a return to the liturgical and sacramental traditions of the Church. "Post-moderns" seem particularly open to the ancient ways of doing things because of their longing for mystery, and one suspects, a yen for solid ground under their feet, in such a wobbly cultural scene as we enter the 21st Century more properly.

This movement has been given the term "convergence". This means a coming together of the Evangelical, Charismatic and Liturgical rivers in the Church. Indeed, Renovaré is dedicated to the promotion of several of the streams in its work, including the things which I have mentioned, but adding, social justice, contemplative spirituality, etc., Sometimes we are put off by the language used, but many times, the terms are really familiar to us under other names. For example, spirituality means not too much to the average Evangelical, but they know something of "quiet times", and "discipleship", at least purportedly! Surely, every parish, congregation or community and house-group has some sort of "liturgy", and might even be plagued by deadness to some degree, as the liturgy is often accused of being!

These various streams might seem like strange bedfellows to some, and are probably most alarming to certain Protestants. However, it is not a cause for worry, as far as I can see, but a cause for joy. What we are witnessing is a movement of the Christian Evangelical and Charismatic mainstream of the often, fragmented, and slightly (ok, very) amnesic Church in the West, harkening back to it's roots, yet without jettisoning the very valuable developments that most of us have come to take for granted (to the exclusion of other things just as valuable). It is also not about becoming Roman Catholic, but there are things we can learn from them too. We will leave aside the atrocious departure from both tradition and scripture by certain of the mainline denominations, who hold to some form of liturgy in the more formal sense (to no avail!). I assume most people understand the term liturgy. It means literally, "the work of the people", and is a combination of the words, rituals and order of worship in the Church meeting or service, when Christians gather to worship the Lord, minister to one-another, and to hear His word.

You might say that there is a danger of going overboard and cherry picking that which we prefer, and I agree in part, but I am inclined to believe that God is really behind all of this. He is in the business of uniting us in Christ, and there is a great horde of things that we have in common, rather than things that separate us. Now, some pastors and teachers may have a problem with what I am describing, especially if they are lacking in their appreciation for Church History and are blinded by some denominational or party spirit. It is terribly unfortunate the lengths (and depths of animosity) that some people will go to in order to protect their doctrinal "milk", all to the impoverishment of their communities of faith, who in actuality, take their lead from these very leaders, and who may really want more solid food, if only they knew where to look for it.

I have always thought it was wise to take a long view of things, both practically and personally. In matters such as we are discussing today, I think it is also wise to take the proverb to heart, which says, "chew the meat and spit out the bones," or to borrow from Luke in the Acts, to be "wise like the Bereans", and to check things out for ourselves by searching the scriptures!

Now again, some might have issues with the above convergence because it seems to be a fundamental shift away from scripture, but in fact, what we are recognizing is a return to the apostolic days, when the Apostles hands were still guiding the Church before even the canon was closed. A little research will show you that such is the case. I point you to the writing of the Early Church Fathers, such as, Tertullian, Justin Martyr, The Epistles of Clement of Rome, the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, The Didache and the Sacramentary of Serapion.
Most can be found at: http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ These are some names to juggle!

Even without giving sway to everything we find in the fathers, for instance, some wacky methods of exegesis, we can and should, happily embrace a return to Scripture, Liturgy and Openness to the Spirit, without doing harm to the current form of the Church in terms of it's vitality, but on the contrary, we may immeasurably, be adding to its profundity of meaning, it's stability, and a superabundance of life. Amen to that!