Progressive Presbyterian Feed by IPC

Wow.






What a speech. What a moment. On the 45th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's, "I Have a Dream" speech, Barack Obama gave the speech of his life. He was passionate for justice, for working people, for decency, and for this country.

The Secret Book of John is considered the foundational text for Gnostic Christian mythology. Like Paul's letter to the Romans defines his theology, The Secret Book of John lays the theological foundations for this early Christian tradition. This is no text to breeze through or skim.





The Gnostic Society Library has translations and helps to understand this work. According to its website:





Among the several dozen ancient Gnostic manuscripts rediscovered in modern times, the Secret Book of John is generally agreed to be the most important. It has been called the locus classicus for the Gnostic mythological system – in sum, it is the preeminent “Gnostic Gospel”, a sacred reservoir for the defining essence of Gnostic myth and revelation. It breathes with the life of vision that vitalized early Christianity, a life suppressed and then largely forgotten in later ages. From a modern reading of this crucially important and recently rediscovered "Gospel", we are granted fundamental insights into the lost foundations of Christian tradition.Karen King, who has published a book on The Secret Book of John suggests that this text may provide more than merely historical interest:
As the Secret Revelation of John becomes known more widely, we may expect it to have new and varied impacts on early Christian historiography, constructive theology, and personal appropriation.

There are at least two accessible on-line translations. One by Frederik Wisse and another by Stephen Davies. The Davies translation is easier to follow. I quote a piece here:

I am the Providence of everything.
I became like my own human children.

I existed from the first.
I walked down every possible road.

I am the wealth of the light.
I am the remembering of the fullness.

I walked into the place of greatest darkness and on down.
I entered the central part of the prison.

The foundations of chaos quaked.

I hid because of their evil.
They did not recognize me.

I came down a second time
continuing on.

I emerged from among those of light
I am the remembering of Providence

I entered the middle of darkness,
The inner part of the underworld
To pursue my mission.

The foundations of chaos quaked.
Threatening to collapse upon all who were there
And utterly destroy them

I soared upward again
To my roots in light
So as not to destroy them all yet.

I descended a third time.

I am light
I am dwelling in light
I am the remembering of Providence

I entered the midst of darkness
I came to the deepest part of the underworld.

I let my face light up
Thinking of the end of their time
I entered their prison
The body is that prison

I cried out:
“Anyone who hears,
Rise up from your deep sleep!”

And the sleeping one awoke and wept
Wiping bitter tears saying
“Who calls me?”
“Where has my hope come from
As I lie in the depths of this prison?”

“I am the Providence of pure light,” I replied,
“I am the thought of the Virgin Spirit
Raising you up to an honored place.
Rise up!
Remember what you have heard.
Trace back your roots
To me.
The merciful one.
Guard against the poverty demons.
Guard against the chaos demons.
Guard against all who would bind you.
Awaken!
Stay awake!
Rise out of the depths of the underworld!

I raised him up
I sealed him with the light/water of the five seals.
Death had no power over him ever again.

I ascend again to the perfect realm.

I completed everything and you have heard it.

In some respects it sounds like the Gospel of John or the Revelation to John, both in the canon. For some time, the various groups lived alongside one another, influencing each other. Alistair Logan, author of Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy,
...argues that the Gnostics were the first Christian Platonists, the first to develop a Trinity (of Father, Mother and Son), and the first to make post-baptismal chrismation central to Christian initiation. (Book Description)

Hal Taussig will introduce us to this fascinating work Saturday afternoon at our Jesus Seminar on the Road, September 12-13.

I have a new defense for all those self-proclaimed orthodox bloggers who might criticize Saint Anthony Shrine for being welcoming of gay and lesbian Catholics:

At least we don’t have a Buddha.

It seems that down in Australia, a bishop there has issued a warning to a “renegade” parish “where women can preach, homosexual couples can be blessed and social justice is championed.” It seems the church is “operating outside practices and policies acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church.” (God forbid the Church should champion social justice.) The bishop concluded that whatever good the parish might be doing, it is decidedly not Catholic. (The crisis was, of course, precipitated by a person not a member of the parish who came in and took surreptitious photographs – yet another Catholic snitch on a self-appointed crusade to purify the Church. If you’re worried about impurities, my friends, try Lysol.)

read more

This Press Release just in.

In parallel with the Democratic National Convention the raids continue. Perhaps they are hoping that we will not be watching as we are wrapped up with the DNCC.

Let's make sure that this is not the case friends.

Press Release from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights below.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
55 E. Jackson, suite 2075 · Chicago, IL 60604 · 312.332.7360 voice · 312.332.7044 fax · www.icirr.org

For Immediate Release – Statement
August 27, 2008
For more information contact:
Catherine Salgado, 312.332.7360 ext. 235

Immigrant Advocates Condemn Recent Raids in Mississippi – Urge to stop raids and deportations and demand real solutions

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, the Department of Homeland Security prepared to descend on another community for another massive raid, this time in Laurel Mississippi. "It is a shame that at a time of celebration by the Democratic party where the family theme has became central, hundreds of other families are suffering because they are being broken apart," said Joshua Hoyt, ICIRR Executive Director.

read more

During the roll call it was Dolores Huerta who led the delegates nominating Hillary Clinton. & in the end all came together in support of Biden.

Joe Biden's speech and his son's comments were very moving. I did not know much of the history that Beau Biden covered. Two kisses on the cheek for his father to boot. The more I see of this Catholic Vice-Presidential candidate, the more I like. (I can hardly believe that this is only the 8th candidate on a ticket to date in the history of our nation...) Joe Biden acknowledged his children, his father and his mother before speaking on policy or his own accomplishments.

"I am praying we will do it again," he said as he spoke about what Bill Clinton had accomplished during his presidency. Was that really what he said?

I have to admit, I was in the nose-bleed section during this speech so it was hard for me to catch everything, but I do think that that is what he said. I also like that he spoke to many of the issues of import in this election, but he failed to speak of the detention centers and the raids... Will Barack Obama?

"Remember when the world used to trust us?" he asked. Yes, I do.

read more

& what a speech it was. If only he had been so full of conviction and passion during his run for office in '04. Today he exibited the leadership necessary for such a public figure, yet another advocate for the Obama/Biden team. I think Michelle Obama even cried...

Fantastic. While I feel that it was not all that I had hoped for, it accomplished the goal at hand, continuing to bring together the Democrats and speak to the credibility of Obama's leadership and readiness for the presidancy.

The number of delegates and members of the media that have descended on Denver is astounding. Most impacting for me today, in addition to the outstanding speeches, was the broad range of view points manifested outside of the priviledged permiter. The sheer quantity of people on the streets of Denver was something to witness. I had the opportunity to see the rage against the machine march, hundreds of people strong. Walking the streets it was hard to miss all of the Obama paraphenilia which was in abundance. Since my boyfriend had bought us Obama souvenirs. I chose to buy a Frida t-shirt. It seemed like there were vendors everywhere. I had/have mixed feelings about this. A part of me is inspired by all of the pretty things that are there for sale and then another part can not help but remember Jesus in the temple... A few lone McCain supporters were intersperced in the tapestry of Obama supporters and the things for sale. I saw one t-shirt which read: Obama for rock star. McCain for president. In addition, there were anti-abortion activists driving around in vans postered with pictures of aborted fetuses, an unavoidable assault on the senses. There were people holding signs of fire and brimstone. I found myself wishing that Progressive Christians might be there holding signs speaking to Jesus' love and compassion.

read more

I received an email from Survivor Corps asking if I would blog about Russia's use of cluster bombs. Here is the news story:
Russia Has Dropped Cluster Bombs on civilian areas in the neighboring country of Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding dozens more. On August 7, 2008, Russia began an armed offensive against Georgia over South Ossetia, a region long recognized as part of Georgia but home to an ethnic minority with close ties to Russia.What are cluster bombs?
Cluster munitions are large weapons which are deployed from the air and from the ground and release dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions. Submunitions released by air-dropped cluster bombs are most often called “bomblets,” while those delivered from the ground by artillery or rockets are usually referred to as “grenades.”What is the problem with cluster bombs?
Air-dropped or ground-launched, they cause two major humanitarian problems and risks to civilians. First, their widespread dispersal means they cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians so the humanitarian impact can be extreme, especially when the weapon is used in or near populated areas.

Many submunitions fail to detonate on impact and become de facto antipersonnel mines killing and maiming people long after the conflict has ended. These duds are more lethal than antipersonnel mines; incidents involving submunition duds are much more likely to cause death than injury.Does the U.S. use them?
Russia’s Use of Cluster Munitions is the first known use of the weapon since 2006, when they were used during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The extremely high number of civilian deaths attributed to cluster munitions in that conflict initiated an international movement to ban cluster munitions, called the Oslo Process.

The Oslo Process culminated with a new international treaty in May of 2008 banning the use, trade and stockpiling of cluster munitions. Survivor Corps was one of the 12 lead organizations that worked with campaigners, governments and intergovernmental organizations to secure the treaty. Survivor Corps also led the charge to include provisions in the treaty requiring governments to assist survivors of the weapon, a revolutionary achievement in a weapons treaty. So far, 107 countries have adopted the treaty, which will open for signatures in December of 2008. Unfortunately neither Russia nor United States are among them.What can we do about it?
Join others from around the world by signing the People’s Treaty to say that YOU want to ban cluster bombs forever. Your Senators must tell the military to stop using cluster bombs, and your Senators like hearing from people like you! Tell your Senators to ban cluster bombs.Read more about Survivor Corps.

Mark Koenig (who will be with us in September) blogged about the treaty and encouraged us to take action.

The Presbyterian News Service published a story about the effects of cluster bombs in Lebanon.
For two hours, Mahmoud Yacoub sat disoriented in a field, waiting for help to come.

The 36‑year‑old farmer had taken his herd of goats out at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon when he stepped on something that exploded. Bleeding and in pain, he made his way to a small shrub, where he sat and waited for rescue.

At first he thought it would come immediately, but no one showed up. So for two hours, Yacoub said he felt he was going to die.

Villagers heard the explosion and went to the site, only to find dead goats. Yacoub was missing, but his neighbors were too scared to venture off in search of him, fearful of more deadly cluster bomb blasts....

....The unexploded bombs, mainly in southern Lebanon, are the result of the 34‑day conflict during July and August between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The fighting began after Israel launched an offensive against Lebanon following the capture of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah, and ended through a United Nations‑brokered cease‑fire.

Scattered in the rubble of fallen homes, in areas where children play, and in the fields where farmers make their living from olive and citrus trees, the bombs lie silently waiting.

More than one million cluster bombs and more than 100,000 unexploded ordnance are currently on the ground in Lebanon, said Christina Bennike, head of mission for Danish ACT International member DanChurchAid (DCA). (Read More)

I grabbed this from Jim McGrath's blog.
James adds:

I can't imagine anyone taking seriously in any other discipline a demand that a viewpoint that has produced no genuine results, made no contributions to our understanding, and in so many other ways failed to pass scholarly muster. I hope that any educators who do mention ID will show the picture below. The only way to accurately "teach the controversy" is to explain to students why, among experts in biology, paleontology, genetics, and other relevant disciplines, there isn't one.
We are moving beyond the "controversy" with our weekend coming up. Michael Dowd's book, Thank God for Evolution assumes evolutionary theory and then asks, what does it mean? What does it mean for us existentially whether we are religious or not?

In Michael's latest post, he responds to a challenge from an atheist. I recommend the challenge and Michael's response. First, the challenge:
You seem to set up evolution as a beneficial and even beautiful thing for life on Earth. Though I accept that it exists, I think it's a horrible thing. I can't get past what's involved in the mechanism of evolution. Death, pain, cruelty, domination. Those are the things that push evolution forward. What more horrible system could there be? It certainly proves that there is no sentient being that could be considered a loving god. If there were, the world and life would be completely different than they are now. I can see no benevolent master plan.And Michael's response:
...nowhere in my book do I suggest, or even imply, that there is a force, intelligence, or consciousness outside the Universe (or within it, for that matter) that is pulling strings or making evolution go in a benevolent direction....

When I make the case for chaos and "bad news" catalyzing evolutionary creativity, I'm not suggesting that a Supreme Being or divine intelligence is intending favorable outcomes. Rather, I am simply pointing out the demonstrable fact that how we choose to interpret reality and life’s events profoundly affects the quality of our existence—and that this is just as true collectively as it is individually.

In my book, I mention that many, including myself, have found the mantra "the Universe is conspiring on my behalf" to be an exceedingly useful outlook in most situations. That is, when I act as if this were true, I love my life. I do not, however, suggest that this interpretation is “The Truth.” It is a statement of subjective meaningfulness, not objective truth. And there are plenty of studies that show that those who hold such an outlook live happier, healthier, longer lives. As the great philosopher and father of American pragmatism, William James, wrote in his book Pluralistic Universe, “From a pragmatic point of view, the difference between living against a background of foreignness and one of intimacy means the difference between a general habit of wariness and one of trust.”

Michael makes a critically important point here. Theology, myth-making, meaning-making, or what he calls "night language" must correspond to observation and theory or "day language" or else it makes no sense. But it cannot be confused with day language. The task of theology and meaning-making is to make our lives more fulfilled with the reality we face. The reality we face is shown to us through modern cosmology and evolution. We can choose to be bummed about it or to be inspired.

It's been an interesting three days... Everywhere I go I am reminded of the song, "For what it's worth" by Buffalo Springfield (search it you will know it once you hear it, promise) there are people marching, protesting, holding signs for their personal cause, etc...

Walking on the sidewalks is like trying navigate through Times Square in NYC, truly a sight to be seen. I also witnessed the "Rage Against the Machine" march today, there were about 4,000 people in the march. It seemed like there were almost as many police all dressed in riot gear. The police presence here is something to be seen. Every 20 yards or so it seems like you come into contact with at least one officer.

I have to run I'll write more at a later time...

I want to call everyone’s attention to a fascinating and helpful Parable, of sorts, Art Boulet posted on his blog the other day: dark caves and differing perspectives.

 

Sadly I think his parable all-too-well illustrates what has happened in our current theological debates: no real debate or conversation. I hope we can move beyond this impasse. I hope we can move to the table together as brothers and sisters who, though we disagree, all recognize each others’ desires and drives to be faithful to Christ, following him wherever he may lead us.

 

I hope we can cease viewing other brothers and sisters in Christ who differ from us as basically non-Christian in their approach to the Bible, or essentially trying to sneak heterodoxy in the back door, or just rank traditionalists, or at base operating out of a “low view” of Scripture, etc. I hope we can all have the sympathy and charity for which Art pleads on his post and charitably and humbly interact with each other as Christians.

I thought the best line of the night was delivered by Federico Pena, "Not four years, how about just four more months?"

I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't point out those extra special letters to the editor in our local paper.
Democrats simply can’t understand that Republicans and independents are not as fascinated with gay marriage and abortion as they are. In the end, the election will be decided in Sen. John McCain’s favor because of Sen. Barack Obama’s stands on gay marriage and abortion. These two topics are not getting much attention right now, but they are in the minds of non-Democrats....

Say again? Who is "fascinated with gay marriage and abortion?"

I also enjoyed this one:
People assume Barack Obama is a Christian because he has attended a Christian church for a decade. While the Bible does say to attend church, most people attending church aren’t Christians. To become a Christian one must believe and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and repent (turn from sin). To God there are only two kinds of people, unrepented/unbelievers and repented/believers (also called Christians).Thank you, God, for settling that question. Therefore:

• It’s fair to question based on Obama’s words and actions whether he has salvation through Jesus.
• Some Christians who know Obama’s stand on the issues call him the “Obamanation of Desolation.”

There you have it, folks. Rick Warren thought he was doing the country a favor by having our presidential candidates submit to a Christian litmus test.

The final letter of the day summed it up well:
I walk my dog every day on the trail around the Science Hill campus and I continue to be appalled at the amount of dog feces that is scattered about...

Almost brought tears to my eyes... very powerful videographer.

Daniel Kirk, Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, has posted some thoughts on whether or not Paul was a misogynist. I commend his reflections to all, even those who may disagree with him. I especially appreciate him framing his comments by questions of what the Bible is, what we should expect from it, and how we live out its authority. What does everyone think?

 

Issues about the Gospel, Scripture (especially Paul), and New Creation on the one hand and gender, the Bible’s “view” on women, and patriarchy on the other hand are paramount in our current cultural contexts. How we as a church wrestle with these issues carries major consequences for how our corporate living-out of Christ’s faithfulness is seen by the world in which we live. What those consequences are and how we should assess them—i.e., are they counter or contributing to the expanding of the Kingdom—often depends upon whether one aligns closer with so-called “complimentarians” or “egalitarians.” I imagine all would agree, however, that it is vital for our health as a church and our enacting of the New Creation for us to seek to live as God means for us to live in Christ as best we can—and this certainly includes wrestling with what gender is and how “it” impacts living as we are meant to live.

 

Put another way, issues of the Bible, Paul, and gender, reside on one pole of some major challenges for us seeking to contextualize the Gospel in our current cultural moment.

"The Dream Lives On..."

I think everyone at the DNC and around the country would agree what a wonderful event it was to see Teddy Kennedy up in front of the world still a beacon for social justice. Health care, civil rights, arms control...Ted Kennedy has been on the side of justice for so many of the last five decades.

His role in connecting Obama with the Kennedy legacy is absolutely incredible and necessary in bringing the party together.

Over the past year, as I have been posting, lurking, and chiming in here at Conn-versation, and reading and occasionally commenting on Art Boulet’s personal blog, I have continually found myself brought back to the question of what Christian faith really is.

 

The Bible has a good bit to say on the subject, but it’s really a New Testament concept. The OT explicitly addresses faithfulness, but it’s usually in the context of a quality of Yahweh and the desired quality of his people. The aspect of belief and trust that we typically mean when we talk about faith makes its first appearance in the gospels. Jesus observes faith in the people he encounters, and tends to evaluate it on a quantitative scale: little or great. He seems to be addressing their specific willingness to trust in him personally to accomplish in-real-time salvific acts, manifest most often in healing and life-restoration miracles, which then serve as object lessons pointing to his greater purpose. For the most part, it’s not until the epistles that we get a fuller-blown explication of faith as belief and trust in the person and work of Christ for salvation and eternal life.

 

In light of this, what does it then mean when we talk about hanging on to faith or losing faith as we ask questions of the Bible? It has occurred to me that conservative reformed Christians have worked hard to ensure that faith is so underpinned by certainties that - well - it doesn’t require all that much faith. To be one of the people of Yahweh requires faith in Jesus, which requires faith in the Bible, which believers can trust completely because the church has doctrinally declared to be inerrant, wholly trustworthy, and perfect down to its very words. Start asking too many untidy questions of the Conn-versation sort, and the whole system, it would seem, is at risk of collapsing, bringing the faith of the faithful along with it.

 

This is where I’ve had difficulty. Does my faith in the Jesus of the gospels really hinge on Genesis 5 being literally true, as opposed to an Israelite retooling and repurposing of the Sumerian kings list?  On insisting as true that Samson was a historic figure and his deeds were accomplished as recorded or that David wrote the Psalms bearing his name?  On intentionally burying my understanding of the very different looks of Jeremiah in the MT and the LXX in favor of one Jeremiah only?  If these things are equivocal, must it follow that Jesus is equivocal?

 

Faith requires an element of trust in the absence of concrete proof. It is, as the writer of Hebrews puts it, “the conviction of things not seen.” Given that, to what extent does the church’s admittedly well-intended insistence on the perfection of Scripture as a bedrock of faith begin to work at cross-purposes with trusting in things not seen? It strikes me as requiring a greater measure of faith to go with the kind of Bible we’ve actually got than the kind of Bible we may have at one time thought we had, or the kind that arch-conservatives continue to insist we must have. Is there room for the Holy Spirit to infuse the believer’s soul with the truth of the gospel resulting in faith even when Genesis 1-11 is understood to be literature rather than history?

 

I think it’s time for some reflections on exactly what we as Christian believers mean when we say we have faith. Is the Bible we have, the one that God in some mysterious way caused to be written, assembled, translated, and passed down by generation after generation of Christians, robust enough to withstand detailed secular and academic scrutiny and still contribute to the creation and growth of faithful believers in the person and work of Jesus to salvation? If it’s not, what are we really saying? Is it, as the conservatives would argue, that God is less than fully God? Or, is it, as I have begun to think, that our faith is less than the faith that Jesus himself commended?  Or, is it something else?  What do you think?

Originally posted at Talk to Action.

The Catholic Right, Part Sixty-six

Michael Novak, George Weigel and other Catholic neoconservatives have been spinning a yarn for the last twenty-five years that their brand of laissez-faire capitalism is the brand sanctioned by the Vatican. It has been around so long and become so ubiquitous and because it has been largely left unanswered, their narrative has almost become urban legend.

But there is an answer to this nonsense. The lifelong body of work of 20th century economist Monsignor John A. Ryan simultaneously refutes the mendacious claims of the Novakian theocons and makes a strong case for contemporary liberal economics.

Ryan's story and treatises help us reveal that these nefarious characters have hijacked Catholic theology in order to pursue a very non-religious economic agenda based upon an "I've got mine and the hell with you" attitude. Monsignor Ryan is the very tonic to help cure the plague of Catholic Right revisionist history.

read more

I've been mostly out of action lately and had meant to get something like this done a couple of weeks ago, along with some details on the Employee Free Choice Act -- which will follow soon. This piece is generic down to the dotted line. The rest shows what we're doing locally in our region. The first two sentences of the next to last paragraph are also "generic". -- Bill

LABOR DAY -- what is it?

The last holiday of summer?  A commemoration of a vaguely understood history of labor in the USA, and the achievements of unions in bringing about middle-class standards of living, the 8-hour workday and the 40-hour week, and the end of child labor in our factories?  An honoring of the human right of association, the right of workers to organize and bargain for better pay and better working conditions?  Labor Day is all of the above, plus an affirmation of our faith commitment to Economic Justice, deeply rooted in our sacred scriptures.

In the Jewish Torah, we find mandates for worker justice, such as Deuteronomy 24:14-15: "You shall not withhold the wages of the poor and needy laborers…otherwise they might cry to the Lord against you."

read more