I first came across this when preparing a sermon on the bride of Christ for my classwork. My friend Paul sent me some of this writings which spoke of the Hebrew for man and woman is/issa and how the woman was like but different from man. I did a search and came across this from Pope John Paul II. I had never read anything by him before and, quite frankly, I was blown away by the depth of his writing. I can see why they made him Pope.
There really isn't a "pull quote" from it that does it justice (you'll just have to read it for yourself...click on the title of the entry for the link) but the suffice it to say I find the text far more beautiful and meaningful than I did before.
It is clear, too, that the text emphasizes the equality of woman with man. This may come as a surprise to some, but the more I study the scriptures in depth, the more I realize the inadequacy of the typical evangelical approach to reading the Bible literally. So for example, without an understanding of how ancient Hebrews expressed themselves and talked about the world it is impossible to know the literal meaning of God forming Eve from Adams rib.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Grocery Store Wars | Join the Organic Rebellion
This was passed on to me by my friend Paul. Similar to the Meatrix (see my earlier post)....funnier, though maybe not as educational. However, I should have put a warning on the Meatrix post...it mayn not be suitable for young eyes (I had to stop it before it scared my young nephew). Store Wars is more paletable (sp?) for yound eys. Grocery Store Wars | Join the Organic Rebellion
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Time to Forgive Debts
This whole article is worth reading, but I was particularly interested to read the following explanation of a parable that has always puzzled me, the parable of the dishonest steward in Luke. The historical context provided below makes sense of it for me...
Time to Forgive Debts: ..." the parable of the dishonest steward (Luke 16:1-39), also revolves around the peasants' status in Jesus' time. Due to the extortions of King Herod— as well as those of his son and the Roman occupant — most of the older proprietors had lost their independence. Forced to mortgage their property in order to pay their taxes, they had been driven into semi-slavery. The taxes in oil and wheat that they paid to their masters often amounted to half or more of their harvest.
The peasants' conditions in Israel were aggravated by yet another evil: the owners' absenteeism. A hierarchy of middlemen (toll-gatherers, publicans, customs officials, stewards, and managers) had the task of collecting debts. They extorted from the sharecropper arbitrary sums of money that exceeded the rent, debts, and taxes they actually owed. The poor were always in the wrong. They could rely on no one because the stewards presented falsified accounts to their masters. With the help of these accounts, they were able to accumulate what Jesus called "unrighteous mammon." It was by constantly seeking these unjust riches that the stewards lost their genuine riches, namely, the friendship of their fellow citizens.
This parable tells how a landowner discovered the dishonesty of his steward. Not only did the steward plunder the sharecroppers, he also stole from his master to whom he showed falsified records. Once his cheating had been discovered, the steward began to feel the pangs of conscience. He understood that he would never be able to reimburse the entire amount of his swindling. But he decided at least not to require of the sharecroppers exaggerated amounts they had not yet paid. He then erased the amount by which he had unjustly increased their debts. Jesus describes him calling the debtors together and reducing their debts to their correct amount: fifty measures of oil instead of a hundred, eighty measures of wheat instead of a hundred, etc.
Such a decision certainly increased the steward%u2019s insolvency. It forced him into poverty. But by acting as he did, he would acquire genuine riches, that is the thankfulness and friendship of his previous victims. Poor among the poor, man among men, he would be received as a brother in their homes. That, says Jesus, is the nature of God's kingdom. The point of the parable? Jesus says, "Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves" (Luke 16:9). That is, put the Jubilee I'm announcing into practice. By liberating others from their debts, you set yourselves free from fetters that bind, which keep you from being ready for the coming of God's kingdom of justice.
The most remarkable part of the parable is the praise for the steward's shrewdness that Jesus puts into the mouth of the landowner, who symbolizes God. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, God is the one who takes the initiative. God is the first to cancel our debt, and so he expects us to do the same. In the parable of the dishonest steward, it is man who takes the initiative. He is the first to put the Jubilee into practice by obeying the messianic call and remitting the debts of those who are debtors to God, as well as debtors to himself. Consequently, God praises this man for practicing the redistribution of wealth even before being touched by divine grace. He was able to read the signs of God's kingdom and understand that the rule of unjust riches is over."
Time to Forgive Debts: ..." the parable of the dishonest steward (Luke 16:1-39), also revolves around the peasants' status in Jesus' time. Due to the extortions of King Herod— as well as those of his son and the Roman occupant — most of the older proprietors had lost their independence. Forced to mortgage their property in order to pay their taxes, they had been driven into semi-slavery. The taxes in oil and wheat that they paid to their masters often amounted to half or more of their harvest.
The peasants' conditions in Israel were aggravated by yet another evil: the owners' absenteeism. A hierarchy of middlemen (toll-gatherers, publicans, customs officials, stewards, and managers) had the task of collecting debts. They extorted from the sharecropper arbitrary sums of money that exceeded the rent, debts, and taxes they actually owed. The poor were always in the wrong. They could rely on no one because the stewards presented falsified accounts to their masters. With the help of these accounts, they were able to accumulate what Jesus called "unrighteous mammon." It was by constantly seeking these unjust riches that the stewards lost their genuine riches, namely, the friendship of their fellow citizens.
This parable tells how a landowner discovered the dishonesty of his steward. Not only did the steward plunder the sharecroppers, he also stole from his master to whom he showed falsified records. Once his cheating had been discovered, the steward began to feel the pangs of conscience. He understood that he would never be able to reimburse the entire amount of his swindling. But he decided at least not to require of the sharecroppers exaggerated amounts they had not yet paid. He then erased the amount by which he had unjustly increased their debts. Jesus describes him calling the debtors together and reducing their debts to their correct amount: fifty measures of oil instead of a hundred, eighty measures of wheat instead of a hundred, etc.
Such a decision certainly increased the steward%u2019s insolvency. It forced him into poverty. But by acting as he did, he would acquire genuine riches, that is the thankfulness and friendship of his previous victims. Poor among the poor, man among men, he would be received as a brother in their homes. That, says Jesus, is the nature of God's kingdom. The point of the parable? Jesus says, "Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves" (Luke 16:9). That is, put the Jubilee I'm announcing into practice. By liberating others from their debts, you set yourselves free from fetters that bind, which keep you from being ready for the coming of God's kingdom of justice.
The most remarkable part of the parable is the praise for the steward's shrewdness that Jesus puts into the mouth of the landowner, who symbolizes God. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, God is the one who takes the initiative. God is the first to cancel our debt, and so he expects us to do the same. In the parable of the dishonest steward, it is man who takes the initiative. He is the first to put the Jubilee into practice by obeying the messianic call and remitting the debts of those who are debtors to God, as well as debtors to himself. Consequently, God praises this man for practicing the redistribution of wealth even before being touched by divine grace. He was able to read the signs of God's kingdom and understand that the rule of unjust riches is over."
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Independence Day
I wish I had the time to write more on my feelings about this, but this quote from John Stott will have serve as a proxy for now...
Independence Day: "In The Unforbidden Fruit, John Stott says that Christians have this to add to the Declaration of Independence: "Those who pursue happiness never find it. Because joy and peace are extremely elusive, happiness is a will-o'-the-wisp, a phantom, and even if we reach out our hand to grasp it, it vanishes into thin air. God gives joy and peace not to those who pursue them but to those who pursue him, and strive to love. Joy and peace are found in loving and nowhere else."
Independence Day: "In The Unforbidden Fruit, John Stott says that Christians have this to add to the Declaration of Independence: "Those who pursue happiness never find it. Because joy and peace are extremely elusive, happiness is a will-o'-the-wisp, a phantom, and even if we reach out our hand to grasp it, it vanishes into thin air. God gives joy and peace not to those who pursue them but to those who pursue him, and strive to love. Joy and peace are found in loving and nowhere else."
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says
Here's the transcript of the Stanford commencement address Steve Jobs delivered this year. 'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says
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I found it particularly engaging as I realized the parallels in our lives. Like Steve, I was adopted and like him, I dropped out of college when I felt guilty that my parents were spending outrageous sums of money for my out-of-state tuition at UM and I had no idea what I wanted to do. By the time I went back to school a couple of years later, the Macintosh had been introduced. In his speech, Jobs speaks of how a calligraphy class he took after he dropped out led him to build typography into the Mac. I learned a little typography as editor of my yearbook in High School, but it was using the Macintosh that really helped me learn to use type creatively. Thanks, Steve, for dropping out and connecting the dots.
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I found it particularly engaging as I realized the parallels in our lives. Like Steve, I was adopted and like him, I dropped out of college when I felt guilty that my parents were spending outrageous sums of money for my out-of-state tuition at UM and I had no idea what I wanted to do. By the time I went back to school a couple of years later, the Macintosh had been introduced. In his speech, Jobs speaks of how a calligraphy class he took after he dropped out led him to build typography into the Mac. I learned a little typography as editor of my yearbook in High School, but it was using the Macintosh that really helped me learn to use type creatively. Thanks, Steve, for dropping out and connecting the dots.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
All Things New
I've really enjoyed the readings I get sent by the daily dig. Here's today's quote and the story that it linked to..
And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” - Revelation 21:5
A darkness has come over Christianity in regard to this matter of renewal. We are so easily contented, so quickly satisfied with a religiosity that makes us appear a little more decent. Yet this cannot be all there is to our faith: Everything—everything—must become new. Not just a little taste of something new, but all things new. C. F. Blumhardt.
The Cop and the Bank Robber
And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” - Revelation 21:5
A darkness has come over Christianity in regard to this matter of renewal. We are so easily contented, so quickly satisfied with a religiosity that makes us appear a little more decent. Yet this cannot be all there is to our faith: Everything—everything—must become new. Not just a little taste of something new, but all things new. C. F. Blumhardt.
The Cop and the Bank Robber
Monday, May 23, 2005
The Three Hermits by Leo Tolstoy
Sunday, our pastor Ken spoke of the importance of creed, but more importantly, the connection with the One the creeds point to. This story from Leo Tolstoy makes the same point...
The Three Hermits by Leo Tolstoy
The Three Hermits by Leo Tolstoy
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