I haven't managed to find the time or creativity to blog lately, even though there's been a lot going on in my head and heart that I would normally work through by spewing some words into the blogosphere. This remains the status quo, so instead of posting my own thoughts, I'll direct you to a couple of guys I admire who are thinking and blogging about some of the same things that have been rattling around in my skull lately.
I'm a big fan of Bob Carlton. Never met him, but his blog is chock full of really good stuff, both theological and mundane. I've been reading him for several months, but I don't think I've ever seen Bob quite this cynical before. I've had some cynical days over the past couple of months, but I think Bob beats me hands down. That being the case, I'm not saying Bob speaks for me - more that the fact that someone as cool as Bob has been driven to such deep, dark feelings about our Anglican tribe is itself a cause for something like mourning.
I'm also a big fan of Steve Pankey, whom I do know personally. He's reflecting about rules (in a church context), today. I've been thinking about that too. He doesn't really come to any peace with the subject, but in his analysis, he talks about why God may have given us "rules". This is good theology, IMHO, and to me it begs the question: in the case of any particular rule or set of rules - did God give them to us? Or did we give them to ourselves? And if the latter - is it really a gift? Or a shackle? Is the process of building any human institution inevitably a process of forging the "right" kind of shackles?
Hmm. There's me getting cynical. But not as cynical as Bob. :-)
2 comments:
Thanks for the HT there Mike. Now that comments are I can ask, what does IMHO mean? You raise an interesting question in regard to God given vs. man made rules. It seems to me that we have a few rules given to us by God, a few rules that attempt to exand on those in any given society, and lot of rules that we gave to ourselves.
Cassie, my wife, and I had a long conversation about man made rules after the consecration service for my new bishop. She doesn't like all the rules made up by the Episcopal hierarchy, and especially isn't fond of those that build up man (miters, copes, rings, and things) when God is to be our primary focus.
I also loved Bob Carton's post on the organ and the church. I laughed, and then commented, so take a look.
Re: your comment on Bob's post: :-)
Thank God it really doesn't depend on us, because if it did, we would be so screwed. Obviously. :-)
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