Turning Over a New Leaf

The road goes ever on and on....

Many things in my life are about to change, including the location of this blog. From this time forward you can find Souljourning at www.souljourning.wordpress.com. Stay tuned.

Radical Orthodoxy

Pentecost & Evangelism

We are told in the book of Acts that on the Day of Pentecost, about 3,000 souls were added to the Church. This simple fact has for many linked the Day of Pentecost to the process of evangelism, which interests me as an Evangelist considerably as you might imagine. But I think the coming of the Spirit to the Church was more than a membership drive, and so evangelism for us must be more & deeper than simply new members.

The miracle of Pentecost is a clear reversal of the tragedy of the Tower of Babel where humans became not only further estranged from God, but also from one another. The Communion for which we were created is lost and the story of the progressive disaster of that lost communion marks much of the opening narratives of Scripture. In contrast, the Gospels and Acts tell a story of the reversal of that lost communion.

One of the great challenges of the Church in the modern age is to return the proclamation of the Gospel (evangelism) to its proper foundations and rescue it from the increasing secularism of marketing growth and moralistic interpretations. Christ did not come to make bad men good, but to make dead men live. The conversion of 3,000 at Pentecost was not a membership drive, but glorious reversal of both The Fall and the tragedy of Babel. That is the Gospel we proclaim! Not, “Join our church, be good, and God will take care of you,” but “Life, freedom, healing, forgiveness, redemption, and salvation are offered to you in the death & resurrection of Jesus.” We, The Church, are simply the humble stewards of that message, that way of life, and the mysteries of the Sacraments through which Jesus still comes to us.

Psalm 121 Anglican Style

Two New Blogs of Note

The first, is a wonderful New Testament studies blog put together by my close friend Mr. Larsen, who recently had a paper accepted by the SBL for presentation at their national conference. Check it out here: Matt's NT Studies Blog

The second is a blog dedicated to Anglican spirituality, theology, history, and worship. Check it here: A Tribe Called Anglican

The Green Patriarch

This documentary was produced last year by Becket Films and looks at the environmental activism of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church Bartholomew, whose work stems from his belief that we are part of nature, and that God’s intention for humans is to be stewards, or caretakers, of all creation.

Watch it here: The Green Patriarch

Cloudbank Sessions

Hold the presses! At long last, the wishes of the people and the Universe have been realized ... Donnie Mortimer has finally recorded an album! Check it here:

http://mortimermusic.blogspot.com/

Do whatever you need to do (including small and medium size misdemeanours) to get your hands on what I'm sure we'll be one of the most musically brilliant and well crafted pieces of art in your collection.

Also, check out this article in Elephant Magazine regarding Donnie, his music, and the album:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/01/new-music-donnie-mortimer-in-the-studio

Christian in a Meaningful Sense

“I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.”

-- Christopher Hitchens, Atheist and Author in response to a Unitarian minister

Free Fallin'

Couldn't help but share this:

New NT Wright Book Coming in March

From Publishers Weekly:

How do you develop a character suited for God's Kingdom? Practice, practice, practice. That, in a nutshell, is the message of this volume on building Christian character by Wright, a prodigiously prolific Bible scholar and Anglican Bishop of Durham, England. In arguing for this new vision of virtue, which is a vision of Jesus Christ himself, Wright carefully explores such classical exponents of character as Aristotle. He also acknowledges the existence of other notions of encouraging behavior-based rules, duty, or being true to oneself. Drawing on Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, Wright asserts that true transformation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit and through worship, mission, and following Jesus. As the habits of virtue grow, the church will become the royal priesthood it is meant to be, anticipating God's coming new world.

"Bishop Wright, with his usual wisdom and erudition, shows how an account of the virtues is not only compatible but is required by the New Testament understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This important book will hopefully be read by theologian and non-theologian alike." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School

Gusher Marathon Training: Week 1

Well, after a long (5 year) hiatus from endurance running, I am reentering the fray this spring at the inagural Gusher Marathon in Beaumont, TX. This week is the first week of my training. May the Lord preserve me and keep me from injury.

Patriarch Bartholomew to appear on 60 minutes

Update: Watch Full Epidsode Here

NEW YORK (ARCHONS) – His All Holiness Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians who constitute the second largest Christian denomination in the world, will be featured on the CBS News program 60 Minutes reported by Bob Simon, scheduled to air on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST. The segment will focus on the Orthodox Church, the most ancient Christian church, and its development from its earliest years to modern times in what is now the Republic of Turkey.

His All Holiness was named 11th among the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine and was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to promote human rights and religious tolerance. He has also been recognized by the United Nations as a Laureate Champion of the Earth for his pioneering work to protect the environment. Affectionately known as “the Green Patriarch,” Patriarch Bartholomew has called upon leaders of all denominations to join him in this effort, noting simply that “If life is sacred, so is the entire web that sustains it.”

His All Holiness recently concluded an extended visit to the U.S., where he participated in an environmental symposium in Mississippi, ministered to the five million Orthodox faithful in America, and met with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama, among many others. He is the author of Encountering the Mystery (Doubleday) and In the World, Yet Not of the World (Fordham).

Commenting on the upcoming broadcast, Archbishop Demetrios of America said:“The appearance of the Ecumenical Patriarch on a program such as 60 Minutes is an extraordinary opportunity for the American public to become aware of our Orthodox Christian Faith. Millions of people who would otherwise have limited knowledge of the Orthodox Church will have the chance to see and hear the highest ecclesiastical personage of our Church in their living rooms. It is also a tremendous opportunity for our own Orthodox Faithful in the United States to see His All Holiness in a way that will surely touch their hearts and minds with love and deep respect.”

Summary of the Christian Life

"The Christian Life could be summed up by saying, 'Become what you are!'' -- Kallistos Ware

Kallistos Ware Blog

I am starting a new side blog dedicated to the life and thought of Bishop Kallistos Ware, who has been a very important part of my Christian growth and formation the last couple of years, and who -- as far as I can tell -- does not have any other online compedium of his available articles, lectures, etc. I commend him to you, and hope you will find him as nourishing and inspiring as I have.

http://www.kallistosware.blogspot.com/

And The Wolf Shall Lie Down with the Lamb.

This is a video of a Serbian Orthodox Monk and a wolf. I have read stories of saints and very holy men and women who could befriend and "tame" wild animals (St. Francis of Assisi, St. Seraphim of Sarov, etc.), but I have never seen anything like this. I do not understand the narration - but no words are necessary in this video. The reality speaks for itself.

Hauerwas on the Reformation

"So on this Reformation Sunday long for, pray for, our ability to remember the Reformation – not as a celebratory moment, not as a blow for freedom, but as the sin of the church. Pray for God to heal our disunity, not the disunity simply between Protestant and Catholic, but the disunity in our midst between classes, between races, between nations. Pray that on Reformation Sunday we may as tax collectors confess our sin and ask God to make us a new people joined together in one might prayer that the world may be saved from its divisions."

Read it all here.

One Step Forward...

I would be remiss if I failed to post something regarding this tremendous eccumenical news:

The Roman Catholic Church has opened the door (via an Apostolic Constitution) for dissatisfied Anglicans to join together with the RCC.

From CNN:

The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said... The parishes would be led by former Anglican clergy -- including those who are married -- who would be ordained as Catholic priests, said the Rev. James Massa, ecumenical director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops... "This sets up a process for whole groups of Anglicans -- clergy and laity -- to enter in to the [Roman] Catholic Church while retaining their forms of worship and other Anglican traditions."...We've been praying for this unity for 40 years and we've not anticipated it happening now," ... "The Holy Spirit is at work here."

The Archbishop of Canturbury responded:

The announcement of this Apostolic Constitution brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution.

The Apostolic Constitution is further recognition of the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition. Without the dialogues of the past forty years, this recognition would not have been possible, nor would hopes for full visible unity have been nurtured. In this sense, this Apostolic Constitution is one consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

More on the Big Eccumencial News

Sometimes there are no fireworks.

Turning points can pass in silence, almost unobserved. It may be that way with the "Great Schism," the most serious division in the history of the Church. The end of the schism may come more quickly and more unexpectedly than most imagine.

On Sept. 18, inside Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer palace about 30 miles outside Rome, a Russian Orthodox Archbishop named Hilarion Alfeyev, 43 (a scholar, theologian, expert on the liturgy, composer and lover of music), met with Benedict XVI, 82 (also a scholar, theologian, expert on the liturgy and lover of music), for almost two hours, according to informed sources. (There are as yet no "official" sources about this meeting -- the Holy See has still not released an official communiqué about the meeting.)

The silence suggests that what transpired was important -- perhaps so important that the Holy See thinks it isn't yet prudent to reveal publicly what was discussed.

...Closer relations between Rome and Moscow, then, could have profound implications also for the cultural and liturgical life of the Church in the West. There could be a renewal of Christian art and culture, as well as of faith.

All of this was at stake in the quiet meeting between Archbishop Hilarion and Benedict XVI on Friday afternoon, in the castle overlooking Lake Albano.

Read it all here.

Gollum Playing Screwtape

Andy Serkis, the man who did Gollum's character in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be doing the voice of Screwtape in a upcoming audio drama remake of C.S. Lewis's classic The Screwtape Letters. It looks quite good!

The official website is www.screwtape.com.

Big Eccumenical News!

From the NCRegister.com:

The Catholic Archbishop of Moscow has given a remarkably upbeat assessment of relations with the Orthodox Church, saying unity between Catholics and Orthodox could be achieved “within a few months.”

In an interview today in Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi said the miracle of reunification “is possible, indeed it has never been so close.” The archbishop added that Catholic-Orthodox reunification, the end of the historic schism that has divided them for a millennium, and spiritual communion between the two churches “could happen soon, also within a few months.”

“Basically we were united for a thousand years,” Archbishop Pezzi said. “Then for another thousand we were divided. Now the path to rapprochement is at its peak, and the third millennium of the Church could begin as a sign of unity.” He said there were “no formal obstacles” but that “everything depends on a real desire for communion.” On the part of the Catholic Church, he added, “the desire is very much alive.”

Archbishop Pezzi, 49, whose proper title is Metropolitan Archbishop of the Mother of God Archdiocese in Moscow, said that now there are “no real obstacles” on the path towards full communion and reunification. On issues of modernity, Catholics and Orthodox Christians feel the same way, he said: “Nothing separates us on bioethics, the family, and the protection of life.”
Also on matters of doctrine, the two churches are essentially in agreement. “There remains the question of papal primacy,” Archbishop Pezzi acknowledged, “and this will be a concern at the next meeting of the Catholic-Orthodox Commission. But to me, it doesn’t seem impossible to reach an agreement.”

Prospects for union with the Orthodox have increased markedly in recent years with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, whose work as a theologian in greatly admired in Orthodox circles. Benedict is also without the burden of the difficult political history between Poland and Russia, which hindered Polish Pope John Paul II from making as much progress as he would have liked regarding Catholic-Orthodox unity.

Relations have also been greatly helped by the election of Patriarch Kirill I earlier this year as leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is by far the largest of the national churches in the Orthodox Church. As the former head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external relations, Kirill met Benedict on several occasions before and after he became Pope, and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch is well acquainted with the Roman Curia and with Catholicism.