:: St. Stephen's Musings ::

:: Thursday, December 30, 2004 ::

Sex, Marriage and Theosis: Part I

Bill (in the comments of the 12/20 post) asked me if I was familiar with the "traditionalist" critique of Paul Evdokimov in general and specifically an article entitled "New Age Philosophy, Orthodox Thought, and Marriage."

I am, and what follows are my introductory remarks.

First of all, I sympathize with several overall points being made by Archimandrite Luke: a) the sexual act is not a substitute for theosis and the ascetical path to union with God requires a sexuality directed by a purified nous b) sexuality should not be the foundation of our theology or our lives, and c) sexual love should not be confused with the Divine Eros.

I also agree that the gradual acceptance of contraception by many Orthodox clergy and prominent Orthodox scholars (though Evdokimov was not quite as insistent about this as others after him) over the last several decades should raise an eyebrow or two.

However, I would posit that Archimandrite Luke misunderstands the Church's teaching concerning marriage, exaggerates the danger posed by several writers he critiques, and conflates the concept of "carnality" with normal human enfleshment.

As an example of the latter, he quotes St. Mark the Ascetic who said, "If we no longer fulfill the desires of the flesh, then with the Lord's help the evils within us will easily be eliminated"

Right. But St. Mark isn't talking about sex! He's talking about the passions.

IOW, "flesh" in this context doesn't mean simply the material nature of our bodies (much less does it mean the God-pleasing union between a man and woman crowned in marriage) but rather sinful desires, the misuse of the material world, and the passions in their twisted state. Archimandrite Luke would have his readers believe that St. Mark is basically saying, "When you stop having sex with your wife, then you will be able to have a healing relationship with God."

How far this interpretation is from a healthy understanding of the relationship between marriage, sex, and theosis. In a document entitled the "Constitutions of the Holy Apostles" it is noted that "a husband, therefore, and a wife, when they company together in lawful marriage and rise from one another may pray without any observations and without washings are clean. But whoever corrupts and defiles another man's wife or is defiled with a harlot when he arises up from her, even if he should wash himself in the entire ocean and all the rivers, cannot be clean." (Props to Minor Clergy)

Unlike Archimandrite Luke's disdain of marital sexuality and the traditionalists reliance on a very western understanding of sexuality, the Church clearly teaches that the sexual relationship between a man and a woman crowned in the sacrament of Marriage is blessed by God and does not a priori hinder the couple from the fullness of the spiritual life.

In Part II, I will examine some of the specific comments made in the article concerning Paul Evdokimov and raise some questions of my own about what they may indicate.

:: Karl :: 8:07:00 AM [Link] ::

On the Feast of Stephen

The 27th of December completes a trifecta for me of back-to-back-to-back celebrations: Christmas (25th), Birthday (26th) and Nameday (27th).

I wrote quite a bit about St. Stephen two years ago and why I admire him so much, so this year I'll re-post a short snippet from last year's Dynamis reading in honor of my patron:

In the portrayal of Christ's Martyr Stephen as one 'full of grace and power' and who speaks with 'wisdom and the Spirit', the Martyr directs our gaze into the heavens to behold 'the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.' Of course, it is the Lord Who is being revealed through the person of His Holy Martyr Stephen.

Just as true icons always disclose the connection between their particular subjects and the Divine Incarnation, so likewise St. Luke's account of Christ's first Martyr, Stephen, manifests the Lord incarnate in His Church. Therefore, let the reader perceive in the account of St. Stephen's witness, a faithful revelation of the Lord of grace and power, of wisdom and the Spirit, and of eternal Glory at the right hand of the Father.

St. Stephen is the Proto-martyr not only in the sense of being the first martyr for the Lord, but also as the proto-type of Christ's martyrs, for all Christ's true martyrs reveal the Lord Jesus acting and teaching through His Body, the Church.

Troparion in tone 4 for St. Stephen:

O Protomartyr and mighty warrior of Christ our God,
You are victorious in battle and crowned with glory, O holy Stephen!
You confounded the council of your persecutors,
Beholding your Savior enthroned at the right hand of the Father.
Never cease to intercede for the salvation of our souls!

Amen. I pray you had a blessed celebration of the Lord's Nativity this past weekend and will continue to keep the Feast these 12 days of Christmas!

:: Karl :: 1:26:00 PM [Link] ::

Why I Respect Paul Evdokimov

Chrysostomos asked me "What is it that appeals to you about the writings of Paul Evdokimov?"

I esteem Paul Evdokimov for several reasons:

1) He is a great example of someone who not only understood and communicated the Church's teaching and vision through his writings in a way that took seriously both the Church and the world, but who ceaselessly struggled to live the fullness of the Faith in the time and place God had placed him.

He worked tirelessly for the poor, he labored in humble jobs to support his family and numerous charities, and during the Nazi occupation of France he and his family hid people who were targeted for arrest. He later directed a hostel for those displaced by the war and offered safe harbor for those fleeing from Germany. Truly, he was a "doer of the word and not merely a hearer."

2) Several of his books were instrumental for me after I became Orthodox. "The Sacrament of Love" revolutionized my idea of marriage and reaffirmed its value in the painful wake of losing a fiance. His writings about "interiorized monasticism" provide, IMO, an excellent vision of how the monastic ethos can and should be lived out by laymen. His classic "Ages of the Spiritual Life" is an amazing and sweeping tour of the Church's spiritual depths.

3) He had what all aspiring intellectuals and Orthodox theologians should have: an intimate love for Christ, a holistic understanding of the Church's teachings, a penetrating experience and grasp of "worldly knowledge" (philosophy, literature, psychology, history, etc) and how the Church's way of life brings meaning to it all, and a desire to help other people.

My admiration of Evdokimov does not blind me to some of his faults:

1) He was uncritically enamored with Jungian psychology and tended, like many 20th century Russian theologians, toward Sophiology.

2) There are times when the amount of knowledge he tries to incorporate into a text bogs down his argument (see several chapters in "Women and the Salvation of the World" for examples of this)

3) As a member of the Parisian school he sometimes leaned a bit too far in the "ecumenist" direction on occasion (as an official representative of the MP at Vatican II he seemed a little slow to grasp the depth of the chasm between the EO and the RCC).

All of these negatives, however, do not detract from the legacy he left--a penetrating insight into the Church's teachings and a concrete example of how those insights can be lived out in life.

:: Karl :: 7:15:00 AM [Link] ::

The Struggle With God

"If we know how to listen, we can hear above the noise of the world the questions put to us by the meaning of things."

One of my favorite theologians of the 20th century is Paul Evdokimov. For those unfamiliar with his work, I highly recommend taking a peek at "The Struggle With God."

:: Karl :: 9:02:00 AM [Link] ::

Thankfulness

I've been swamped the past several months (and the last two weeks in particular) with work, school and teaching. I have several posts in progress, but haven't had time to polish them. So, in lieu of a "real" post, I give you some of the recent circumstances for which I'm giving thanks:

* The grueling schedule of lectures, papers, and reading for my literary theory and criticism class paid off in the form of an "A"

* Our little unborn baby was thought to be transverse in the womb, but after some naturopathic remedies and the prayers of St. John Maximovitch, the most recent ultrasound revealed the baby had returned to a head down position.

* This Nativity season has proven to me, once again, that I'm a terrible Christian. Why am I thankful for this, you ask? Well, I need humility and there is nothing like a major fasting season in the Church year to help one realize the mercy of God and the weakness of man.

* A series of events at work was slowly bubbling up into an almost full-blown catastrophe. In the last week, several of the explosive problems have been dealt with swiftly and effectively.

* I have grown far more comfortable with teaching than I thought possible and have truly been blessed by the students.

:: Karl :: 9:53:00 AM [Link] ::

All Get Credit For The Work Of One

Remember this rant about student participation in group discussions?

Clifton's post about the dangers of "group think" is spot on and analyzes the problem in more depth:

"Here's what happens in groups-if you're lucky. One student will take the assignment seriously, two or three will at least be interested enough in watching the serious student do her thing that they'll take part. The remaining four or five are grateful for an opportunity to cease all rational cognition (if they'd ever engaged in any in the first place). In the end, one student does the work of all seven, with minimal assistance of one or two others. And all get credit for the work of one."

I see a similar (although not quite as willful or jaded) dynamic occurring when I teach Latin. Even with only 11 students, the group structure allows students who are struggling to "slip through the cracks" far too easily. This is one reason why I give quizzes and tests often and base grades on a wide range of factors.

Class participation or "group projects" are usually poor indicators of actual learning and mastery.

:: Karl :: 8:14:00 AM [Link] ::

The Patron Saint of the Internet

Apparently the time has come to designate an Orthodox Church saint to serve as spiritual guide to internet users. The two finalists are St. John Chrysostom and St. Feofan the Hermit. Good choices.

However, it is a shame the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate don't read the blogs. If they did, they'd realize I solved this problem more than a year ago!

:: Karl :: 8:34:00 AM [Link] ::

The Product of a Hurricane in a Marble Quarry

The news that Antony Flew, a British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century, has "converted" to the intelligent design theory has stunned the scientific community.

This reminds me of an astute observation made by Mark Shea:

"It has always struck me as odd to point to the immense concentration of intellect, will, technology and energy it has taken to do relatively small things in the extremely specialized conditions of the lab and argue that this product of white-hot focus of ultra-controlling human intelligence is clear evidence that absolutely no intelligence was involved in the production of all the rest of the vastly more complex life we see around us. ... It's like taking years to build a tiny house of cards and then using this feat to say, 'There! This accomplishment shows the Capitol Dome was therefore obviously the product of a hurricane in a marble quarry.'"

It seems Flew finally understands how silly this argument really is. But you have to admit: the intensity of the religious faith that forms the foundation of modern atheism is truly astonishing. If only Christians clinged to our first principles with such conviction...

:: Karl :: 8:08:00 AM [Link] ::

The Whole World In Latin

* A pox upon the stenchiferous poltroons! Anthony follows it up with proof that a certain English expletive has interesting Latin roots. Naughty, naughty...but very funny.

* This is a fascinating list of Latin translations of modern objects. More proof that Latin is not a "dead language" after all!
(Props to Clifton and Occidentalis)

* Don't miss this collection of linguistic anecdotes from around the world.

* Oh. My. Gosh. This is hilarious!

:: Karl :: 8:04:00 AM [Link] ::

The Works of Faith

What the Fathers are teaching [when they speak about faith and works] is faith as the only true righteousness, as opposed to anything else. This is the teaching of the Apostles, this is the consensus of the Fathers, this is the doctrine of the Church: No amount of good works, done apart from faith, is worth anything.

However, what is not part of the patristic consensus or of Scripture rightly understood, is dividing, conceptually, faith from *its own works*, that is, faith from itself.

The works of faith are to it as the spirit is to a body (James 2:26). They are what makes it alive, what makes it faith.

Belief doesn't yet make it faith--even the demons believe. Trust, if it's only in your mind and heart, doesn't yet make it faith. For all you know, you are imagining you trust him, flattering yourself, like St. Peter. (Luke 22:33, see also Mark 10:38-39) Faith is belief and trust *in concrete form*.

It's "faith which works by love" (Gal. 5:6) that is and always was the only true righteousness. Without love, who am I, a child of God? No, I am a nobody, a nothing. (I Cor. 13:2) Thus, the great chapter on faith, Hebrews 11, turns out mostly to be about works!

Faith's works, that is. For they are God's work in us, and our work in God. In truth, where there is union with God, one can no longer say whose works they are.
They are yours in the sense that it's you, not God, who must put forth the effort; they are God's in the sense that He, not you, makes the effort fruitful.
No, neither faith with its works nor faith without its works will merit you salvation.

Faith apart from the works of the law indeed exists. But Faith without *its* works DOESN'T exist and so isn't worth talking about; it's a human fantasy and nothing more; it cannot be instrumental in your salvation any more than works apart from faith can.

But even faith with its works won't earn you salvation either. Rather, it already *is* your salvation sprouting up (not yet in full bloom). You have already been saved from being any other sort of person than one who lives by trust in God. You have already been saved from a selfish, meaningless existence. You have already been saved from despair, from wickedness, from slavery to satan, from fear, from secularism, from humanism, from countless dead-end isms, from walking death.

So if sola fide means faith apart from works of the law, fine. (Romans 9:32, Gal. 2:16) But if it means faith considered apart from *faith's* works, no. That is purely a figment of our imagination. We do not consider or theologize concerning what doesn't really exist, much less suppose this abstraction could be capable of justifying anybody. (James 2:14-24)

--From the the Orthodox-Lutheran discussion group

Update: "Belief and Faith are not necessarily the same things....God grant me to be a father who unifies belief and behavior in the heart by faith." Amen.

:: Karl :: 8:25:00 AM [Link] ::

What About How To Teach?

Yesterday, in my literary criticism and theory class, a vigorous discussion broke out regarding the purpose of education and the place of theory in the classroom.

Fans of playwright Tom Stoppard will enjoy the following bit of "verbal tennis" written by Professor Plum in a brilliant essay on the dangers of Constructivism in modern educational theory. It perfectly describes the mindset of many of my fellow peers in the English and Philosophy departments:

Imagine that the large, empty, circular white room has ten doors leading to a hallway. The hallway, too, is circular. There's no way out of the building. All doors open back into the same white room. Every ten years or so, the inmates head for a door.

"Let's get outa here."
"Yeah, time for a change."
"I think we've said everything that can be said."
"Written everything that can be written."
"Gotten all the grants that could be gotten from the money cow."
"I agree."
"Innovation. That's the key."
"Forward and Upward and Competence and Knowledge!"
"Clever."
"Yes, time for a new initiative."

And so they race out into the hall and race back in through another door.

"Okay, we're back."
"Back."
"Now what?"
"I don't know."
"Some innovation."
"A new initiative."
"To prepare students for responsible and productive citizenship in a global society."
"What's that mean?"
"I have no idea."
"A new way of knowing!"
"For a new world!!"
"A postindustrial world."
"A postmodern world."
"I think you're onto something, Dr. Mumblemore!"
"Yes. Yes. New courses. New programs. New paradigms."
"What's a paradigm?"
"I don't know. Possibly something."
"A Bachelors Degree in Relativity."
"A Master of Sensitive Narratives."
"A Doctor of Deconstruction."
"We'll have to revise our mission statement."
"And our syllabi."
"And our matrices and rubrics."

[New Guy:] "What about how to teach?"

"You're new here, aren't you?"

:: Karl :: 7:43:00 AM [Link] ::

You Guys are Arians!

Jim's anecdote about evangelism among the JW and LDS reminded me of a true story about an Orthodox priest I know:

One day, a short time after he was ordained and settled into his new parish, he saw two young JW's walk up to the house.

He invited them in for tea and encouraged them to make their "pitch" (he didn't know much about them and was curious to hear what their beliefs were).

After a few minutes of Watchtower propaganda, something clicked in his mind and he suddenly exclaimed "Oh! You guys are Arians!" [the name given to followers of an infamous ancient heresy that posited that Jesus was not God from eternity]

The two young JW men looked at each other with aghast faces and turned to the priest and said "Oh no! The Nazi's were totally evil and we love the Jews!"

:: Karl :: 8:21:00 AM [Link] ::

Agia Sophia Academy In The News

The classical school where I teach Latin was recently noticed by the media.

One of my students was quoted as saying "On Latin days, we take the textbook home because we have to study."

Good girl.

:: Karl :: 9:27:00 AM [Link] ::

The Two Year Blogoversary

This Friday marks the two year "blogoversary" of St. Stephen's Musings.

When I first started out on November 26th 2002, I never thought 456 individual posts and 3,766 reader comments would follow. (Of course, one wonders if my contribution has been little more than "idle words" ... I hope not!)

For your faithful reading, insightful, spirited, charitable dialogue, and fervent prayers I thank you, dear readers.

Like last year's collection, the following "Best of 2004" list contains a small sample of my favorite posts, some of my more controversial rants, as well as several musings that drew a sizable number of comments and further discussion.

* Waterfall and Rocks of Grace

* Self Expression, Art, Worship and the Trivium

* Ontological Change and Iconography: A Debate with Josh

* The Trials of Bodily Illness

* Ecumenical Discord: Neither Silence nor Capitulation Are Options

* The Image of the Invisible God
Part I and Part II

* Star Wars Denominations

* The Liturgical Gripes Series
Part V
Part IV
Part III
Part II
Part I

* Rules for Naming a Boy

* Fighting the Extremes: Blogging about the Faith

* The Elasticity of Orthodoxy

* The Priesthood of All Believers: Giving Advice in the Church

* St. Maximus the Confessor and the Reformed Tradition

* Generational Curses and Party of Five

* A Conversation About Zen

* On the Transfiguration

* Independent Laborers: Freedom and Obedience

* A Calvinist Who Went to an Orthodox Seminary

* Cut to Pieces

* Where Nobody Needs a Savior

* The Home as the Little Church: More on "Ministries"

* Obedience: The Neglected Virtue

* A Strange Encounter

Have a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving Day and weekend!

:: Karl :: 8:11:00 AM [Link] ::

School Related Tidbits

* As a former news editor of a university newspaper, I'd love to see this short documentary about "how universities use tools such as 'speech codes' to force political views upon students."

* Try it. You'll like it.

* Keith muses about why so many Christians go to seminary yet why so many seminarians choose the Ph.D. route instead of active ministry.

* David Bentley Hart, summarizing the deconstructionist mission statement: "Every discourse is reducible to a strategy of power, and every rhetorical transaction to an instance of an original violence."

* Phillippa has gone back to college. Pray for her!

:: Karl :: 8:26:00 AM [Link] ::

Literary Theory Buzzword Bingo

I decided to play a little game during a recent lecture in my literary theory class. After creating an informal bingo card, I eagerly waited for class to start.

Epistemological strategies ... (wow, 30 seconds in and we've got one already) ... intertextuality ... (check!) .... western cultural hegemony ...(is there another kind other than western?) .... patriarchal oppression ...(is it possible to get through a literature lecture without this tired old motif showing up?) ... transgendered texts ... (oh, oh, one more!) ... discourses on class struggle."

Bingo! And in only ten minutes!

The problem here isn't so much with the terminology since it is, in some ways, actually quite useful. What drives me crazy is how often students use the words or phrases without having any idea what they are talking about.

For example, the most recent lecture was on "cultural studies" which is a code phrase for "Marxism rocks." It was abundantly clear during the class discussion that no one had ever read "Das Kapital", "The Communist Manifesto" or "Theory of Surplus Value" but only secondary sources on Marx or, as was painfully clear in a several instances, nothing on the subject of Marxism at all.

The fact that students in an upper-division college course can have such a lack of basic historical knowledge is one of the many travesties of modern education. As C.S. Lewis notes, students today "would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about 'isms' and influences" than the primary sources.

:: Karl :: 7:50:00 AM [Link] ::

Blog Roll Update

I make small updates to the blogroll on a regular basis but I thought I'd highlight just a few of the recent changes/additions for those of you who don't regularly check out my roll:

* Ray Fulmer is blogging from St. Vladimir's Seminary. Excellent ruminations the last few months.

* James' wife is Sophia Says. How many Orthodox husband/wife blogging teams are there now? I show 5 or 6 at last count...

* Josh Claybourn has joined forces with Paul Musgrave and Eric Seymour in a new blogging adventure. Definitely a "must link."

* With the addition of Christina, there are now 6 bloggers (including me) from my parish. Very exciting!

* I'm always on the lookout for new Orthodox bloggers. Send me an email or make a comment if you find one not listed on my roll or if you become one yourself!

:: Karl :: 8:07:00 AM [Link] ::

Social Contract, New Book, and Fellowship 9/11: Random Monday Musings

* Grace reveals, in a scathing yet brilliant "social contract", the idealogy that infects many of our co-workers, family, and friends:

"Since we are too intelligent and enlightened to tolerate mere Christianity or any other traditional religion, we will offer instead our own religious beliefs, which are that good and evil are almost interchangeable, stuff is good and basically there isn't anything to believe in. And you can believe us on this. In fact, we insist that you do. Your religion leads to peace of mind, human dignity and theosis; ours promotes spiritual decay. You see the problem..."

Not counting our own sinfulness, there are days when I think that even Islam takes a back seat to radical secular materialism as the most dangerous adversary of the Church in our time. "Brave New World" has always been the more accurate prediction of our cultural future than "1984" ever was.

* I wouldn't be suprised to see this classic as a required text in my next literary theory class.

* Fellowship 9/11 shows us a Middle Earth kept in constant fear by 'Orc Alerts' and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the Patriot Scroll, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that Aragorn, backed by the secretive 'Fellowship Group,' makes his headlong rush towards war in Mordor - and Fellowship 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful cost to soldiers and to orcs and to their families."
--Props to Jan

:: Karl :: 7:55:00 AM [Link] ::

A Pig Gains No Glory From The Attempt To Fly

I've been told, by a couple of different people recently (and on more than one occasion in the past), that I would make a good priest.

Thinking about my vocation is one of the many issues that percolates in my soul on a daily basis. However, despite the endorsements, I have my doubts for reasons very similar to the musings of S.M. Hutchens:

I am convinced, quite contrary to a great deal of pious wisdom on the subject, that the possession of certain gifts, even in abundance, is not necessarily a sign that one will have the opportunity to employ them in this life, or the blessing of God in their attempted use.

This is because I, and many others I know, have certain powers whose use I firmly believe we have been forbidden-- which must apparently remain latent indefinitely, at least in this life. There are other gifts I regard as far smaller and less important I have been forced to exercise, much to my irritation and chagrin, consistently. It would appear, if not from our lives, then those of the martyrs, that from a strictly pragmatic point of view God is a great waster of his best resources.

We don't, however, have access to the Grand Scheme of Things, don't know precisely what we've been made for, don't know what God values most in us, or what we shall become in glory.

We are like Jane Studdock [from C.S. Lewis' "That Hideous Strength"], who wanted to be admired and valued for her intellect, but finally had to come to grips with the fact that those whose valuations she really cared about in the end valued her for other qualities.

In evaluating our own gifts and callings we need to take this consideration into proper account. While lack of aptitude provides adequate reason to forego some ambitions (a pig gains no glory from the attempt to fly), its possession, alas, does not necessarily demand its exercise--although, of course, it might.

:: Karl :: 8:24:00 AM [Link] ::

A Strange Encounter

"Hey buddy....I think you dropped something!"

I looked up to see who had interrupted my reverie and the face that greeted my gaze was owned by a bright-eyed man in his forties--obviously homeless yet strangely serene. Even in his dirty clothes he seemed almost out of place there on that busy downtown city street.

When his eyes met mine, they seemed to burn into me. I gave him a quizzical look, annoyed that he was talking to me and wondering what kind of drugs he was on. But it was what he said next that scorched the most:

"Your smile!"

It is true, I don't smile often though I'm easily amused. I've been told by others that the worst aspects of my shy, introspective, and brooding personality come through most clearly when I'm not smiling--which is most of the time, I must admit. It probably wouldn't hurt me to pick up that smile and put it on once in a while.

The man quietly walked on, whistling to himself. I am tempted to wonder if it was my guardian angel who tried to tell me what I dropped.

It wouldn't surprise me.

:: Karl :: 7:50:00 AM [Link] ::

Prayer: Tracing Over the Lines

Watching young children writing out Latin vocab words this fall in my class made this response by Fr. David Moser to a question on prayer all the more poignant.

"Is it ok to pray spontaneously or should I always use formal prayer? Is it ok to just 'pour my heart out'...or just know that God knows what is going on?"

It is certainly a good thing to pray spontaneously. The prayer book is like a "primer" for prayer - a lesson book on how to pray. The scripture says that "we
do not know how to pray as we ought" and so the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. How does the Holy Spirit teach us - in the school of prayer that is the Church.

Those formal prayers in the prayer book are the examples of how to pray, they are the "pouring out of the heart" of people who were experienced in prayer (the saints). We begin to learn to pray by mimicking the examples.

When you learned to write in school, weren't you give letters to trace over and over until you could do them without thinking, and then words to trace over and over and so on. Even now you use those same letters and words in your writing - the letters and words you traced have now become your own and are the means of expressing your own innermost thoughts and feelings.

We "trace over the lines" of the prayers by copying them over and over until they sink in and become "natural", then we use those prayers as the letters and words of our own innermost spiritual expressions. That's the "role" of the "formal" prayers in the prayerbook.

The Fathers, when speaking about prayer of this kind, also teach us that it is a good thing to add our own spontaneous prayers in as much as we are able to our private prayers. Once you learn the basics of how to pray from the prayer book, then you combine and re-combine the elements of the prayers that you learned into new prayers - your own prayers.

:: Karl :: 8:47:00 AM [Link] ::

On Campus, Poem, and a New Translation: Random Friday Musings

* I was on campus at the university all morning on Thursday doing research for a paper, working in the computer lab, and reading literary theory textbooks at the local coffee shop. While I was there it dawned on me that it had been 6 years since I'd spent more than 4 hours in a row on a college campus. Being a part-time commuter student for so long had made me forget how much fun it was to be a "real" student....

* The collective mood on campus has never been so despondent and suicidal. Hmmmmm....it couldn't have anything to do with the events of Tuesday night, now could it?

* My sister-in-law is a very talented artist. Check out her latest poem.. (The wife and I were at the same party, helping the kids make carmel apples).

* This is hilarious. One of my favorites is their version of John 6:53-54:

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, if you think you are eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking his blood, you are an idolater, and you have no life in you. Whoever recognizes that I'm speaking figuratively here, even though I could not possibly have chosen a more misleading way to phrase it, is a true disciple, and he has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

:: Karl :: 8:47:00 AM [Link] ::

Post-Election Pledge and Random Election Musings

* My version of the post election pledge: I promise to prayerfully support the President, even if I didn't vote for him and constructively criticize the President, even if I did vote for him.

Care to join me?

* The amount of vitriolic hatred, infantile poutiness, and ignorant fear mongering already spewing forth from ... (well, you all know who you are) is truly disheartening. I am sad to say it is not very surprising. Grow up, folks.

* Apparently Oregon has decided to change the name of the state to "The People's Socialist Republic of Oregon."

* Time will tell if I was right. I really hope not.

* Two things we clearly need to ignore in the future: exit polling and the mainstream media. Both now fully exposed for the jokes they've become.

* Andrew Sullivan, bemoaning the role moral issues played in the elelction, warns that "the intensity of the passion, and the inherently totalist nature of religiously motivated politics means deep social conflict if we are not careful."

When are people going to realize that secular materialism is a religion too and that its stranglehold on the Democratic Party is as frightening to some as the evangelical influence on the Republicans is to them?

Update: Joe Carter has some excellent notes on the election aftermath as does Jay.

:: Karl :: 11:16:00 AM [Link] ::

Training Them in Love

My wife and I have been musing about how to approach the privileged responsibility of parenthood. I've been thinking about these two quotes:

"Parents cannot give what they do not have...i.e. if they don't have the things of God fully in their hearts, they won't transmit them on to their children". Fr. Anthony Coniaris, from a talk given at our parish fall retreat.

"Here also, however, is a warning for those who wish for their children to follow their faith...You cannot accomplish this through false means. You cannot make or preserve Christians by 'mere conservatism.' It must be done through love. You cannot accomplish through law what can only be done in grace. You must do more than train your children, you must train them in love, for only love can propagate desire for the orthodoxy that is truly Christian." S.M. Hutchens, from Touchstone's "Mere Comments".

Lord have mercy.

Update: "Fatherhood, the burden of love, my unworthiness, the treasure entrusted to me in this little one--this is my cross, my calling, my path to Christ."

:: Karl :: 8:12:00 AM [Link] ::

There's Nothing Outside the Text

My literary theory professor uses the Derridian phrase "there's nothing outside the text" at least once per class. I'm constantly tempted to challenge this epistemological relativism, but then someone goes and says it better than I could.

Roger Kimball, one of my favorite contemporary essayists, nails it:

"Even if deconstruction cannot be defined, it can be described. For one thing, deconstruction comes with a lifetime guarantee to render discussion of any subject completely unintelligible. It does this by linguistic subterfuge. One of the central slogans of deconstruction is "il n'y a pas de hors-texte", i.e., "there is nothing outside the text." (It sounds better in French.) In other words, deconstruction is an updated version of nominalism, the view that the meanings of words are completely arbitrary and that, at bottom, reality is unknowable."

To say that "there is nothing outside the text" begs the question of how anyone could ever know that in the first place. (Are you in the Matrix or not?) But that little philosophical conundrum doesn't seem to bother too many of my classmates....

:: Karl :: 8:39:00 AM [Link] ::

Latin Humor, Luther, Abortion: Random Wednesday Musings

* Conversation from my Latin class:
Me: "So, we can see that the Latin word for man is spelled "v-i-r."
Female student, after a confused pause: "Is that where we get the word vermin?"

Hmmm. I'll let my readers decide if that is a fair derivative or not!

* The blogosphere has been all abuzz over the discovery that Martin Luther allegedly began the Reformation while sitting on a toilet seat.

However, a little bit of linguistic knowledge cleverly debunks this story.

* My wife is stirring the pot with her question about why the Kerry campaign wants to eat their cake and have it too regarding the question of whether a second Bush administration (through judicial nominations) can overturn Roe v Wade or not.

Jan continues the discussion, noting the crucial role the next president will have in choosing judicial nominees and Justin and Myles have contradictory opinions on what role the abortion issue should play in making one's decision. Much has been said about this by many other bloggers as well....

* Introspective Read O' the Week: On Loneliness and Happiness. John is one of my favorite NW bloggers.

* The wife and I went to the first of six birthing classes last night. I'll share more about that soon...

:: Karl :: 8:24:00 AM [Link] ::

Becoming the Bride of Christ

A Protestant missionary friend has been corresponding with me via email about all things theological. Here is a small snippet of our conversation:

"In my childhood, the 'church' bruised my family and I quite severely..."

I know what you mean all too well. I think the damage done by those who call themselves Christians (and I am chief among sinners here) is something we can hardly fathom. This hypocrisy and nominalism was, in part, one of the reasons I become discontent with the churches of my upbringing (Anglican and Quaker) and started really searching, in my late teens and early 20's, for what the early church believed and practiced.

During those years, when I looked around at contemporary and modern Christianity, I just couldn't believe that "this is all there is."

"A passion that burdens my soul in these recent years is a passion to see the church prepare herself to become the bride of Christ."

I, too, had this deep longing and hope that the Faith had to go deeper in terms of teaching us a life of holiness; have more continuity with what has come before in terms of belief; have a more solid theological and practical foundation than the private whims of any one pastor or parish; and be what the Scripture itself calls the Church (and here is the key) *as it exists now*:

For example the biblical writers already were calling the Church "the Body of Christ" (Rom 12; 1 Cor 10, 12; Col 1) and the Bride of Christ (Eph 5; Rev 21). It is likened as well to God's living Temple (Eph 2; 1 Pet 2) and is called "the pillar and bulwark of Truth" (1 Tim 3:15).

As a Protestant I just couldn't figure out what church the New Testament was talking about! It sure wasn't the one I was part of with its fragmented denominations, contradictory teachings and practices, and lack of any substantial spiritual life or way of curbing the passions. So I understand what you are saying about the church, or rather, your experience of "church"--it was exactly my own until about 7 years ago.

But more on that later. Let me respond to some more of the specifics of your letter....

:: Karl :: 7:28:00 AM [Link] ::

Book Search, New Blog: Random Friday Musings

* "The Personal Heresy" is an old book containing the debate between C.S. Lewis and E.M.W. Tillyard on topics such as literary criticism. As far as I can tell, it is out of print and the few copies available are extremely expensive. Does anyone have a copy or know where I can find one cheaper?
* Speaking of finding texts, does anyone know if there is patristic commentary on the phenomenon of "deja vu"?

* Amusing conversation I had the other night:
A high-school family member: "I'm not doing well in Spanish class. I don't understand the teacher very well."
Me: "Why?"
Him: "She keeps talking to us in Mexican."

* Well, she couldn't fight the urge any more. My wife has started her own blog

Her blog "will contain the random 'inklings' of a sinner who is entering the journey of motherhood for the first time, who is faithfully struggling to travel the Path of Salvation alongside her husband, and working to promote Orthodox Christian education in her community."

:: Karl :: 6:47:00 AM [Link] ::

Saving Social Security By Taxing Abortion

From "Discovering Our Dependence" by Mary Ann Glendon:

"Cambridge economist Partha Dasgupta noted an interesting 'free rider' problem: childless individuals (who as a group enjoy a higher standard of living than child-rearing persons as a group) expect to be cared for in old age through benefits financed by a labor force that they are not helping to replenish."

Ok, so I have a tongue-in-cheek idea to help Gen-X stave off the eminent financial crisis caused by the Boomer generation's moral bankruptcy, simplistic thinking, and overall shoddy governance:

For every abortion received between the years 1973-2004, the recipient is taxed for Social Security benefits equal to the average lifetime contribution the child would have been expected to pay into the Social Security Trust Fund. Or the mother and/or father can take a lifetime tax increase, paid on a graduated schedule. In some versions of the bill, perhaps, the abortion providers will pay the tax increase.

This plan could receive bi-partisan support because pro-abortion politicians needing to solidify their pro-life contingency could still support Roe v. Wade ideologically yet could stump on platform that they reduced the number of abortions (due to the procedure becoming a totally untenable financial option for all but the very rich.)

This is all grotesquely socialist and totalitarian, of course.

But then again, the government disincentivizes all kinds of activities and products through taxation (alcohol, imports, marriage, etc). Now that even hardened feminists and liberals are starting to admit the horrific health risks and financial crisis caused by the unlimited abortion license, one wonders why cigarettes and fast food have become politically incorrect but not abortion. Oh wait, I remember why....

:: Karl :: 7:34:00 AM [Link] ::

Latin Is The Key to Decoding The Campaign

I've been teaching simple, first person singular Latin verbs to my class at Agia Sophia Academy the last couple of weeks. Therefore, this tidbit made me chuckle:

Michael Foley, responding to David Mills' essay "Unimposing Kerry":

I was thinking that your tag, "Values I Cannot Impose on Others," deserves to take on a life of its own. It could be called VICIO for short, which, interestingly enough, makes it resemble a Latin verb in the first person singular. Though there is no such verb as "Vicio" in Latin, "Vicis" does mean change or alteration (hence our word, "vicissitude"), so perhaps "vicio" could be translated as "I flip-flop."

:: Karl :: 10:21:00 AM [Link] ::

What Can Happen in One Second

He slammed head first into oncoming traffic just after reaching dangerous speeds of 35-40 mph on a road filled with curves. He clipped my car as he swerved to avoid rear-ending me but there was no time for either me or the other drivers to get out of the way.

The man was now motionless, crumpled on the ground and surrounded by broken glass, mangled plastic, and a crushed motorcycle.

Stunned witnesses began to gather at the scene, some checking to see if the man was conscious and the rest asking me what happened since I had so clearly seen the impact just feet away from my car.

The driver of the truck the motorcyclist hit stood a few feet away, trembling. Sirens wailed in the distance while a bright sunny day suddenly grew a little darker.

I made the sign of the cross and tried to breathe....

Please keep Bryan in your prayers. His status is unknown at this time.

:: Karl :: 8:04:00 AM [Link] ::

So Called Liberative Reading Practices: More on Derrida

Jacques Derrida's death has been greeted by literary critics and philosophers as a great loss. Others wonder, based on Derrida's philosophy, if he died in the first place:

"We can't even state that he ever did exist, since he may have been a mere metaphysical projection of our own prejudices against absolutes....."

Clever. Anyway, I thought the essay by R.R. Reno who reviewed Orthodox theologian David Bentley Hart's new masterpiece, "The Beauty of the Infinite" was apropos:

"Hart makes the following observation about Jacques Derrida's treatment of classical Christian figures such as John Chrysostom: 'He does not pay a moment's attention to what theology says, but simply imposes upon it his tidy set of binary opposition.'"

This quote was particularly amusing having just come back from my literary criticism and theory class the other day where the Deconstructionist glee at breaking down all the "binary opposites" they can get their sticky hands on was rivaled by their trumpeting Derrida's vision as the greatest philosophical tool since the Socratic method and Derrida the man as the most profound intellectual since Karl Marx.

Well, the sentiment expressed wasn't quite that egregious. But you know what I mean. Reno continues:

"The assessment is immediately and crushingly true, not only of Derrida, but of his generation. Aging postmodern intellectuals do not read texts, nor do they attend to the subtle, nuanced textures of life. They use texts as occasions for what they imagine to be 'liberative reading practices.' All recalcitrant particularity is overawed by the sublime truths of Theory."

Sadly, as my peers in class are trying to prove, it isn't just the aging Boomers who are dazzled by this worldview. Overawed is right.

:: Karl :: 7:24:00 AM [Link] ::

Music, Young Adults, and Weekend Drama: Random Monday Musings

* Those involved in church music will want to read "When the Spirit Sings: Cultivating Orthodox Spirituality Through Music" by Fr. Ted Pulcini. A very well written essay.

* After a one week hiatus, the local Orthodox Young Adult group is meeting again tonight. After a potluck dinner, we'll continue our discussion of St. Athanasius' "On the Incarnation."

* On a lighter note, the final minutes of this were a lot of fun to listen to on the radio on Saturday and they kept me from focusing on my homework. The final minutes of this, however, were not as much fun.

:: Karl :: 8:08:00 AM [Link] ::

The Voice of a Pure Imperative

My Literary Criticism and Theory class is all I expected it would be---pure propaganda. For example:

"It is best to take him at his word when he lets into his text the voice of a pure imperative."

-- French theorist Michel Foucault speaking, in his classic work "The History of Sexuality", about the writings of infamous sexual defiant Marquis de Sade--

Question: Why are Post-Strucuralists (and, by extension, their cousins the Deconstructionists) so eager to bend over backwards for their fellow nihilistic but when it comes to say, the writings of St. John Chrysostom that Derrida rants against, Foucault's advice suddenly doesn't apply any longer?

I'd ask these kinds of questions in class but I'd like to avoid getting lynched as a representative of the only unprotected class on the university campus: the white, heterosexual male who dares to question the relativist hermeneutic.

I suppose I'll be content musing about theory issues on the blog while I nod vigorously like Pavlov's dog when I'm in class.

Update: As John notes in the comments, Jacques Derrida succumbed to cancer over the weekend.

:: Karl :: 7:46:00 AM [Link] ::

Absolute Pacifism and Justifiable War: The Orthodox Paradox

Even a brief perusal of the blogosphere will show the questions surrounding war--both concerning the current struggle in Iraq and in general--are popular discussion fodder in Christian circles, Orthodox included.

Fr. Alexander F. C. Webster, a renowned Orthodox theologian and expert on the patristic tradition regarding issues of war, military violence and peace, is interviewed in the latest issue of "Again" magazine.

He is the author of two books with, at first glance, seemingly contradictory theses.
"The Pacifist Option: The Moral Argument Against War in Eastern Orthodox Theology" as well as a new book entitled "The Virtue of War: Reclaiming the Classic Christian Tradition East and West."

"What I've discovered through this decades-long research into components of Orthodox moral tradition is the primary thesis of my scholarly life--the inescapable conclusion that Orthodox Christianity approaches war and peace from two apparently contradictory but integral perspectives."

One could say this about almost every issue the Church deals with. "Both/and" is the mantra of Orthodox theology!

"There are only two historically grounded and morally acceptable positions that Orthodoxy allows ... absolute pacifism and justifiable war. What I think is happening, ironically and sadly, is the creation of another stance that reflects neither of the two classic trajectories...."

"This new idea insists that war may be a 'lesser evil' or a 'necessary evil.'....But this is a pacifist premise with a justifiable war conclusion! You cannot rationally invoke a pacifist premise that all war is evil and then act upon it positively--at least not without misunderstanding the logic of absolute pacifism, which has its own vitality and integrity, and also seriously misconstruing and distorting the justifiable war tradition."

CS Lewis, writing in "Mere Christianity", agreed that the "middle ground" approach is philosophically precarious:

"War is a dreadful thing, and I can respect an honest pacifist, though I think he is entirely mistaken. What I cannot understand is this sort of semi-pacifism you get nowadays which gives the people the idea that though you have to fight, you ought to do it with a long face as if you were ashamed of it."

In a recent discussion, a young Orthodox woman asked our priest what the "Orthodox position on war" was. The simple answer, the one that all the Church Fathers agree no matter which side of the paradox they fall, was the one our priest gave:

The Church is not "pro-war" since war (justified or not) is always seen by the Church as falling short of the glory of God. Yet the Church is not "anti-war" as we pray for victory of our armed forces that they may "keep Your Holy Church secure" and fight against those who would harm the Church and prevent the faithful from living lives of "peace and repentance."

:: Karl :: 7:49:00 AM [Link] ::

Orderly But With Little Inner Substance

Quotes du Jour (props to Wild Violets):

"Orderliness, tidiness, clarity of thinking are not very important in themselves, but they become important to a man who is sensitive, who feels deeply, who is in a state of perpetual inward revolution."

I'm not sure what exactly an "inward revolution" is in context here, but I do think there is something about a clean house/dorm/locker/car/desk or whatnot that is both the fruit of (and the prerequisite for) an orderly soul.

Those who have visited a monastery know that, while the grounds and facilities may not be "up to date", they will always be clean and well-maintained. We talk so often of the virtue of simplicity and pine for it to manifest itself in our spiritual lives. I wonder if it starts with having a clean house...

"In this country, unfortunately, as all over the world, we care so little, we have no deep feeling about anything. Most of us are intellectual--intellectuals in the superficial sense of being very clever, full of words and theories about what is right and what is wrong, about how we should think, what we should do. Mentally we are highly developed, but inwardly there is very little substance or significance; and it is this inward substance that brings about true action, which is not action according to an idea."

Ouch. All too true in the case of your not so humble scribe ....

:: Karl :: 7:26:00 AM [Link] ::

Workplace Irony

I earn my living in the advertising industry (television media to be exact).

I'm working on several new 4th quarter projects right now. One is for a hideously overpriced product nobody needs which the masses will scarf up in spades to "be kewl" .... only to later realize how superfluous and expensive the item is.

The other is for a company that specializes in debt relief services.

I love consumerism.

:: Karl :: 8:34:00 AM [Link] ::

Where Nobody Needs a Savior

Michael Spencer writes against a phenomenon I once called "the cult of the nice"; the peculiarly Huxlian/postmodern Christian culture too many of us live in where displaying anything less than "happiness" is verboten. Spencer sums up the problem thusly:

"[Contemporary Christians are] merely human, but their church says they must be more than human to be good Christians. They cannot speak of or even acknowledge their troubled lives. Their marriages are wounded. Their children are hurting. They are filled with fear and the sins of the flesh. They are depressed and addicted, yet they can only approach the church with the lie that all is well, and if it becomes apparent that all is not well, they avoid the church."

Or, what is even more disturbing, we turn church into a place of empty emotions, slick facades, and plastic relationships to dumb the pain. If only we'd simply avoid the church instead of corrupting it!

Bill, who struggles with depression, has found a place where he doesn't have to lie about his need for healing.

"The little crumbs of love I have tasted have fallen from the table of Orthodoxy. I may be depressed, but I'm not stupid. I'm staying put. If I starve to death, I might as well starve to death surrounded by beauty and peace."

People don't understand Orthodoxy, in part, because of what the cult of the nice does to one's perception of an authentic Christian life. In this post, Grace notes that contemporary Christians "are uncomfortable with us Orthodox sometimes because we don't smile more and, I don't know, cheer up. I get uncomfortable with them because they do. There's something a little brittle, a little shiny about all that. It's good stuff in small quantities, but it's sugar-water -- all zip and no substance. No wonder their hearts are hurting."

If there is one thing that needs to be said here it is this: A Christianity without a proper and vibrant asceticism, a way of life that promotes and encourages us to be open about our battle against the passions and our need for constant repentance, isn't Christianity at all. It is pop psychology and false spiritualism masquerading as the Gospel.

The cult of the nice is the shameful joy of a mock resurrection which was never preceded by dying to oneself to being with. Sugar water, indeed.

:: Karl :: 7:53:00 AM [Link] ::

An Orthodox Web Development Forum

Fr. John from Chicago, has started an Orthodox Web Development Community.

He writes, "Over the past couple years, I've had conversations with Orthodox folks from all over the world interested in using the internet or web-based technologies to serve the Church in some way. Many were interested putting their skills to work as volunteers, but lacked any community to aide, coordinate or direct their efforts."

"I notice, too, that many people have been duplicating each other's work -- in database work, script programming, and so on. I hope this can be a place where we can share what we've done and learn from each other."

:: Karl :: 8:02:00 AM [Link] ::

Who Really Benefits From the Upcoming Presidential Election?

This is an amusing example of why a popular rumor--that both parties wouldn't mind all that much losing this presidential election--has a lot of merit. Let's take a peek into the crystal ball ourselves, shall we?

It is clear now that Bush has dug himself into a massive hole in Iraq and will find it difficult to climb out unscathed and scandal-free in the next 9-12 months. His second term will be filled with continued trouble abroad (Iran? North Korea?) and he will make a series of decisions that will certainly not be popular and quite likely not helpful for the nation's long term battle against terrorism.

This might not be so bad for the Republicans unless the Bush Administration continues to ignore both their fiscally conservative base and the "9/11 Democrats" regarding taxes, the deficit, Social Security and Medicare---which, given the the tunnel vision displayed thus far by Rove, Card et al., seems quite likely. With scandals and failure abroad mixed with negligence at home, a second Bush term will inexorably lead to huge Democratic Congressional wins in 2006 for sure and most likely in 2008 as well. President Hillary Clinton is not far away.

Not an attractive long term picture for conservatives to consider.

Kerry, if he wins, will inherit the very volatile situation in Iraq he clearly doesn't have the wisdom nor the resources to handle. His approval rating will stay well below 50% for much of 2005 and 2006. Exhausted by the whole ordeal in Iraq, voters will hammer him for any lack of resolve or arrogant shortsightedness so typical of Democratic presidents when they try their hand at foreign policy.

(Can anyone say Jimmy Carter in Iran and Afghanistan and Bill Clinton in....well, goodness, take your pick from one of the dozen or so foreign policy debacles of the 90's!).

Kerry will also make the devastating error every liberal in office seems destined to repeat when it comes to domestic issues; presenting a "centrist" face on the campaign trail and later infuriating a large section of the electorate when it becomes clear to all that his policy decisions are made solely by a combination of: a) increasing capitulation to his radical leftist base and b) the natural consequences of having a near total absence of anything resembling a coherent and moral worldview.

In a backlash for spinelessness abroad and moral vacuity at home, the voters will quickly wrest control of the House and Senate away from the DNC and give it back to the Republicans in 2006. After a series of scandals that will further weaken the Kerry Administration, Republicans will find another young, popular governor (if the Constitution is amended, could it be "Auwnuld"?) to crush him in 2008.

Not an attractive long term picture for liberals to consider.

So, all in all, I'm not sure which is worse: having one's candidate win or not come this November.

:: Karl :: 7:53:00 AM [Link] ::

Do You Have St. Paul's Bible?

While reading through the Greek Psalter and King James Version side-by-side, I noticed something you can mention to the next Protestant who asks you why the Orthodox Church uses the LXX:

In Romans 3:10ff St Paul quotes from Psalm 13 (14 MT):

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." `

In the Septuagint Psalter we can see where St Paul is quoting from:

"...The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men: to see if there were any that would understand, and seek after God. But they are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become abominable: there is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues have they deceived: the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness is in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes. Have they no knowledge..."

But in the Psalms of the KJV most of St Paul's quote is missing:

"...The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did [understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.] Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge..."

The extra material that St Paul quotes from the Septuagint Psalter is missing from the Hebrew Masoretic Text - that's why the King James and many other Bibles are missing those verses. But they weren't missing from Saint Paul's Bible - because the Hebrew or Greek text he used was from the LXX text tradition.

* Props to Silouan from the Orthodox Convert Discussion Group for this.

:: Karl :: 8:01:00 AM [Link] ::

The Home as the Little Church: More on "Ministries"

Tripp (the "AngloBaptist") made a comment on last Friday's post that deserves a longer reply. He writes,

"I am Baptist and in seminary the general line of teaching is that if you want people to stay in your church (church growth yada yada) you have to get them involved. Otherwise they do not feel appreciated or a part of the community....we seem to be saying that the opposite edifies us. Certainly it is a both/and thing and the introvert/extrovert thing may play a small part. Still, I think it is a misunderstanding of the function of that building called church. What do y'all think?"

That is a great question and an important issue. Let me throw out some thoughts:

I liked something RC priest Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus (of First Things fame) said at a lecture the other day. He quipped, "The Church isn't an institution like the Rotary or the Elks--it is first of all a family."

I think when people say they want to be involved, they mean something more psychological and spiritual than organizational. IOW, they want to be part of an adventure bigger than themselves, they want to be loved and feel that not only what they do *but who they are* matters and can be made whole. It isn't so much the activities we crave but the community, relationships, and healing that sometimes (but rarely) comes to life from the myriad of activities most churches peddle as "God's work."

Here is where the Orthodox concept, coined by St. John Chrysostom, really shows itself as part of the answer: the home as "the Little Church."

I think one of the reasons for the disconnect many of us feel is that most of us do not have a Christian praxis in our daily home life that resonates and draws from the Church's liturgical and sacramental life.

There is something powerful about having a rule of prayer, using an icon corner, following the fasts, working as a family to do acts of mercy for our immediate neighbors, teaching our children about the history of the Church, reading Scripture and the Lives of the Saints, etc .... and then doing this again in the larger context of the liturgy and fellowship of the Church. The active life grows organically from the inner; it rarely works in reverse.

Justin correctly notes that his ministry "is to be the presbyter and episkopos of my home- the elder and the overseer of my family, carrying the baton and leading them into the unchanging and ancient faith by example."

It is when we have a synergy between church and home that we understand several important truths, three of which being:

1) The Church as it manifests itself as an institution and our "ministries" derive their existence and worth from the ontological reality of God's presence in the Church's sacramental and liturgical experience and our participation in that life, rather than the other way around.

2) The Christian life is for the healing of our souls and for fostering the fruits of the Spirit in our daily lives and from this can all outward/extroverted "activities" and "ministries" also bear fruit.

3) What Ann said in a previous comment: that the Church exists for us, not us for it. In Orthodoxy this is hard to miss since we are not the creators of the Church, but the recipients.

:: Karl :: 7:46:00 AM [Link] ::

Adding Our Contributions to the Church

Everyone seems to want their own ministry these days.

Growing up in an evangelical culture meant that if one wasn't: fundraising to be a missionary in a foreign country (apparently one's immediate surroundings were already part of the Kingdom), working towards being hired as a youth pastor (the only "cool" pastoral role) or playing in, or better yet, leading a "worship team," than one wasn't *really* a Christian.

Daily prayer, confession, fasting, participation in the sacraments, communal living, scripture and patristic study, meditation, serving one's family; that which makes for the foundation of the Christian life seemed a bit out of place in an extroverted Christian world eager to pit the contemplative against the active as if the latter trumped the former.

The hidden assumption many us have about our life in the Church, ISTM, is that one must be contributing something of visible "worth" to the community or that outward "activities" and trademarked "ministries" are the goals one strives for as a Christian. A Pragmatic Pelagianism, of sorts. Holiness, purity of heart, victory over passions, union with God....all take a back seat to the particulars of the "purpose driven life."

Timothy Copple warns inquirers when he notes that "the idea that the Church is going to be hurt if I don't join or that my contribution has some importance to the Church overall is a matter of pride and runs counter to the ethos of humility and contentment which is at the core of Orthodoxy spirituality."

"Will we add something? Sure, but we don't come in with that as a central goal or purpose. Rather, we come in to submit to what the Church is and be formed by [her way of life]. Only when we have been formed by the Church can our own contributions, whatever those might be, have any impact and value beyond our own prideful heart."

Now, we know St. Paul certainly encourages us to "strive to excel in building up the church" (1 Cor 14:12) and that each are given gifts "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph 4:12). There isn't anything wrong with the ministries and activities that any healthy Christian community must endeavor to do.

So the question isn't so much whether or not ministry/activity/work is good, but rather a) is it what I'm called to do b) does it distract me from the "one thing needful" c) is it being done at the right time and place d) are the motivations coming from a desire to serve God and love my neighbor or from something else; whether an attempt to heal a deep psychological wound or fulfill a warped theology of Christian praxis?

As St. Seraphim of Sarov says, "Note well that it is only good works done in the name of Christ that bring us the fruits of the Spirit."

:: Karl :: 7:57:00 AM [Link] ::

Educational Choices

Robert and Gideon both have thought-provoking posts about the issues parents must face when thinking about whether to send their children to government schools or homeschool.

Of course, there are other excellent options as well!

I like this point by Robert: "Our mission as parents is not to make sure our children are attractive, athletic, popular, socially skilled, smart, well educated, or financially prosperous. It is to raise them to be godly."

Now, if one discerns the government schools are the only option for one's children there are many things one can do to make the most of the situation. It is also true that some children will thrive in it. But, frankly, I just can't fathom putting my children in government schools; certainly not until high school and hopefully never.

:: Karl :: 8:28:00 AM [Link] ::

The Ducks, First Day, Advice, and Beauty: Random Monday Musings

* I lost my voice amidst 57,000+ loyal and rabid fans at this heartbreaker on Saturday. Seven turnovers absolutely killed us, yet we still could have won the game in the final minutes. Now I have to figure out a way of teaching this week with a very raspy voice!

* I had my first full day of teaching Latin last Friday. The kids are respectful and sharp, the facilities are excellent, the curriculum superb. Now, if only the teacher wasn't so green....

* Simon has a great post for new bloggers to check out. One of my favorites is #30: "Just like in life, extremism beats moderation and emotion beats logic. If you want reasoned discourse prepare to dwell in oblivion. If you want invective and ill-considered responses, watch the hits come in."

* Liturgical prayer of the week: "Sanctify those who love the beauty of your house." Appreciating and co-creating heavenly architecture, music, iconography, design, and sense of space are part of what it means to be an Orthodox Christian. As Dostoevsky said, "Beauty will save the world." The world certainly needs it.

Update: My voice held up pretty well today in class and three of the students said they love Latin and are glad I'm one of their teachers!

:: Karl :: 7:46:00 AM [Link] ::

Is "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" Orthodox?

A reader sent this email:

An interesting topic came up in my Human Development class. We were discussing different theories of development including Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs... just a brief review and it was viewed as "pretty common sensical" and discussion was about to close, and I raised my hand. I've always viewed Maslow's model as very fair, and again, as making sense. But I had to ask: then how do the Saints fit into this model?

They didn't have all of their basic necessities met such as food, shelter, and belonging, but they were/are more "self actualized" then the highest functioning therapist/clergyman/doctor...

I believe that [the saints'] basic needs were met and so they were able to climb the ladder of needs to self actualization, but their needs were not met by mere material provision, they allowed God to intervene and provide miraculously outside the confines of Maslow's model. What would be a more accurate model? I am interested in making a truer pyramid (if you will) but still within the vocabulary of modern psychology.

Here was my response (slightly edited):

There are many scholars who agree that Maslow's Hierarchy doesn't answer some fundamental questions about human nature.

"There are people who are willing to suffer hunger and thirst ... even to die for values Maslow assumed are less potent than the physiological needs."
Richard M. Ryckman, "Theories of Personality" (pg362)

As Paul Vitz notes in his well known book "Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship", Maslow's theory assumes a linear progression of human development rather than an interdependence of needs.

"Love is inextricably linked to bodily health", and it does not follow that the needs of the body must be fulfilled before one can either love or "self-actualize." Of the Maslow pyramid Vitz states categorically, "there is no such reliable order" when we consider human beings as communal rather than simply physiological. (pg38)

This leads us to a simple observation: Like most of our models, theories and systems (whether they be legal, psychological, sociological etc), Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a useful, albeit limited and ultimately flawed, way of understanding fallen man and society. It does not describe human nature as it was and is intended to become with God's grace.

I think this is key because much contemporary Christian philosophy and educational theory make the often hidden assumption that "what you see is what you get"; i.e. that man is not to "partake of the divine nature" and be divinized but simply to be "self-actualized." He is not to "become god by grace", as St. Athansius and St. Gregory note, but simply to be "a good person."

Thus, the way the modern world looks at human life is seen within the closed system of fallen man's capabilities and vision rather than that of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. It is, in the end, atheistic because it does not allow for the miracles of God; whether they be physical, psychological or whatnot.

In one of the hymns for Nativity we proclaim that the Theotokos, through God, "overcame nature" by giving birth to Christ. So I think you are correct--the saints, while fully human and fallen, work with God to transfigure fallen nature; including what we consider to be the "natural" or "normal" processes of life.

:: Karl :: 8:05:00 AM [Link] ::

Intentional Community, WWII, and Imperfect Communion: Random Tuesday Musings

* Some of you have asked for a progress report on the intentional community. I'm sad to say that, for the time being, the project is being put on hold due to a combination of timing issues, changes in vision, and finances.

* How the WWII D-Day Invasion would be reported by the media today. Oh, how true this is!

* It seems I'm not the only one who realizes that English just hasn't yet developed the linguistic dexterity necessary to express the depth, tenderness, and beauty of Orthodoxy.

* Courageous and truthful statements like this, made at international ecumenical gatherings, give one hope that some good may still come from Orthodox involvement in bodies such as the WCC. Clifton notes, "It's strong medicine, but it's medicine we so desperately need."

:: Karl :: 8:42:00 AM [Link] ::

Obedience: The Neglected Virtue

A reader sent me an email the other day asking, in part, about a situation that inevitably comes up in the Orthodox life:

"What does a person do when his priest gives him advice he thinks is wrong or questionable?"

This was my reply (slightly edited):

Well, if the advice or counsel *clearly* violates the canons or moral teachings of the Church then you take it up with him privately. If he refuses to repent, you take it to the parish counsel. If you still can't resolve the problem, then you contact the ruling bishop of the diocese (following the pattern set in Matthew 18).

However, if the advice doesn't violate Church teaching but simply seems strict, unfair, uninformed, or just flat out strange, the witness of the saints says one thing and says it with gusto: obey with humility and pray for enlightenment and holiness to come *through that obedience.*

St. John Climacus, as always, perfectly expresses the paradox and beauty of this long forgotten virtue in today's Christian culture. He says, "Obedience is absolute renunciation of our own life, clearly expressed in our bodily actions. Or, conversely, obedience is the mortification of the limbs while the mind remains alive. Obedience is unquestioning movement, voluntary death, a life free of curiosity, carefree danger, unprepared defense before God, fearlessness of death, a safe voyage, a sleeper's progress."

"Obedience is the tomb of the will and the resurrection of humility. A corpse does not argue or reason as to what is good or what seems to be bad. For he who has devoutly put the soul of the novice to death will answer for everything. Obedience is an abandonment of discernment in a wealth of discernment."

I love the paradox of that last line.

Remember, the spiritual father is like a doctor and he guides us as we incarnate the faith in our lives by helping us to diagnose our spiritual ills....What he tells others is really of no use for you. You aren't anyone else but yourself so the counsel you receive is going to be unique to you and your situation. What may seem "legalistic" or strict may be what one needs.

This is the glory of Orthodox relationships in the Church--the standards never change yet are applied pastorally and lived out personally. Would we have it any other way?

We also need to take responsibility for our part in this relationship. We must make sure our spiritual father gets a chance to know us so he can get a good grasp of where we are at in the spiritual life and what virtues we need to work on.

We tell small children "Don't touch that" or "Stay here" because we know that they need boundaries. The child may not fully understand but trusts that the advice will protect him in his weakness.

We need the same trust, faith, and obedience in the life of the Church. We can start exercising the virtue of obedience within the relationship with our spiritual father.

Update: Huw writes about this issue as well. "So I pray to be humble - which means, obedient, but also taking things as they are and not demanding them to be otherwise."

:: Karl :: 8:25:00 AM [Link] ::