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The first two-storey tunnel is being developed in Maastricht
March 16, 2014 Euregio Meuse-Rhine, Maastricht
At its deepest point, it is 22 metres deep and at others it is 17 metres deep. In approximately six years, the traffic of the A2 motorway will flow through the tunnel on two storeys. This is supposed to relieve the city from some traffic.
Approximately eighty percent of the entire traffic volume is supposed to flow underground. At the moment, you will hit a traffic jam when you come from the North and want to continue to the South towards Liege. When traffic is flowing, you need approximately thirty minutes, but currently you have to calculate a lot more time.
The planners say that in future you will pass the city in three minutes through the tunnel. The upper tunnel contains the innercity traffic and the lower tunnel the through-going traffic. The tunnel between the junctions De Geusselt and Europaplein will be 2.3 km long. For almost thirty years, Maastricht has been fighting for this tunnel. Most people had lost faith that the tunnel could ever be built. However, now the construction is one of the exemplary projects of the Dutch province of Limburg.
The surface of the tunnel, which is currently still swamped in exhaust fumes, is supposed to be turned into a beautiful avenue. The project is known as "de groene loper" ("the green walkway"). In the future, this will be the realm of pedestrians and cyclists.
The costs, just for the tunneling: Approximately €500 million. The city is supposed to belong to the people of Maastricht and the visitors again. The motorway which cuts straight through the city is currently a horrid eyesore and causes plenty of issues. Dirt, exhaust fumes, traffic jams and also a danger to the safety of locals and visitors, who regularly have to cross over this traffic axis, are only some of the disadvantages, as Desiree Florie, spokeswoman for the project office Avenue A2, points out. The new avenue will be approximately four kilometers long.
Two thousand new trees are supposed to be planted. The team building the tunnel is international and derives from almost all countries in Europe. There are a lot of German and Irish companies involved and there even is a woman on the site! Everybody was surprised by the interest of the locals towards the construction.
From the beginning, the urban planners involved the locals of Maastricht closely into the planning. There is a special, purpose-built, visitor information centre, which informs about the progress of the construction and is open to the public for free.
Among other features, you can see the latest films about the project. At the construction site itself, there are several visitor platforms. "We even have some real fans now", Desiree Florie points out. One of the visitors, for example, comes by every day and gets the latest information. The project is financed by the Rijkswaterstraat, a division of the Dutch Department for Transport, the province of Limburg, the city of Maastricht, the municipality of Meersen and the European Union.
Tags: Europa, Maastricht, Tunnel
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Organisations' compliance programmes - a question of adequacy
DAC Beachcroft
United Kingdom March 10 2020
1 July 2021 will mark the tenth anniversary of the Bribery Act 2010 (the "Act"), and despite almost ten years passing many organisations remain non-compliant with the Act.
Focus on corporate compliance
2018 saw the first prosecution under Section 7 of the Act (a company's failure to prevent bribery), which brought out several key points, including: (i) self-reporting does not prevent the full force of the regulators; (ii) size does not matter; and (iii) anti bribery policies must be more than a paper exercise. The case of R v Skansen Interiors Limited brought a renewed interest in the meaning of "adequate procedures" and how, if an organisation is facing prosecution, it can demonstrate it did all that could reasonably be expected of it. Organisations should also note that it is not only the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") who will seek to ensure effective compliance programmes are in place and enforced; the FCA may take regulatory action against organisations that it authorises for failing to establish and maintain effective systems and controls to mitigate financial crime risk and the Charity Commission may pursue trustees for misconduct or mismanagement if bribery is allowed to take place within a charity.
One size doesn't fit all
All commercial organisations in the UK (regardless of size and type) must have in place procedures to prevent bribery and corruption. Procedures must be proportionate and tailored to the risks faced by the organisation, enforced and responsive. In our experience there is no industry that is not touched by corruption. UK and international organisations who carry on business in the UK must also note the extra-territorial reach of the Act; compliance with domestic regimes might not equate to compliance under the Act. Combined group based international policies will only work if the organisation is compliant with the most stringent regulatory regime. For an organisation based in the US with subsidiary undertakings in the UK, any group policy would need to be compliant with the Act - there are important differences between UK law and other legislative frameworks (including the US), most notably that facilitation (grease) payments remain illegal in the UK .
Effective compliance programmes and the decision to prosecute
Ultimately, the decision to prosecute for failing to prevent bribery will depend on a number of factors taken together, including whether or not the prosecution is in the public interest.
The SFO have recently updated their Operational Handbook with regard to evaluating compliance programmes and, whilst this document is intended as an internal guide for the SFO, it provides a useful starting point for producing or reviewing compliance programmes. In comparison to the document produced by the US Department of Justice ("DOJ"), the SFO document is relatively light, although the Ministry of Justice ("MOJ") issued more lengthy guidance in 2011 on what "adequate procedures" mean.
The SFO Handbook is reflective of the DOJ guidance, in that there are three main questions for prosecutors evaluating a compliance programme:
Is the compliance programme well designed?
Is the programme being implemented effectively?
Does the corporation's compliance programme work in practice?
The more developed and internally enforced programmes are, the more likely the organisation is to be offered a deferred prosecution agreement ("DPA") or a more lenient sentence, though neither is guaranteed. It is emphasized that compliance programmes must be effective; processes and procedures, whether detailed or not, which are not enforced internally will not result in a defence against Section 7. A key takeaway from both the SFO and the DOJ is that compliance programmes must not be a paper exercise. It is essential that all organisations have compliance programmes which are enforced, risk based and regularly reviewed (usually annually on a risk basis). Appropriate direction and tailored training should be provided to employees, which must be relevant to their role. Similarly, contractual levers should be used to ensure that supply chains are free from bribery and corruption, especially when operating in high risk jurisdictions, where facilitation payments and kickbacks are common practice.
If an offence occurs, the compliance programme at the time of the offence will be considered, including the responsiveness of the compliance programme to the offence. Additionally, remedial actions are a relevant consideration when the public interest is considered; a well-designed programme which is adapted due to a misdemeanour may assist organisations in mitigating liability, either by a reduced charge or the offer of a DPA.
The DOJ guidance has been provided to "provide transparent and comprehensible standards to the public so that companies can understand how [the DOJ] evaluate compliance programs" (Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski), and whilst noting the legal differences between the US and UK regime, Part II of the DJ guidance is not dissimilar to the MOJ guidance. Helpfully, the DOJ guidance explores in detail the theory of "top level commitment", by expanding on this key feature of compliance programmes. By way of example, not only is executive commitment a requirement but operational management support is crucial, and furthermore vital to detecting and dealing with offences that occur. Relatedly, the board, and management (where applicable), must have access to expert advice, this not only covers the initial creation of the programme but also advice on ongoing controls, reviews and high risk jurisdictions. Whilst the board will sign off the programme, the content of the programme, its implantation and its ongoing review should be the task of an individual with appropriate authority. Commonly we see Compliance Officers reporting in to other functions, this indicates that Compliance should be reporting directly to the Board.
What should commercial organisations be doing?
Be clear on the requirements of the Bribery Act, sector specific regulatory requirements and the specific risks faced by trading activities. For large organisations, anti-bribery programmes should feature as part of wider anti-financial crime programmes.
Check compliance with the relevant industry standards, where applicable. Even if the organisation is not a member of a particular industry body, following industry codes can assist in mitigating risk, especially in highly regulated sectors.
Ensure your anti-corruption policies are clear, have been implemented, communicated and are enforced, with bespoke training in place.
International companies should review their policies and procedures to ensure they fully meet the UK regime, as compliance with other EU or US anti-corruption regimes does not guarantee compliance with the Act.
Commission bespoke risk assessments when undertaking activities in high risk jurisdictions.
Stress-test compliance programmes.
DAC Beachcroft - Rachel Cropper-Mawer and Anne-Marie Gregory
Company & Commercial
Serious Fraud Office (UK)
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Gennady Golovkin vs. Curtis Stevens
BOXING 2013 - Curtis Stevens vs Gennady Golovkin
CURTIS STEVENS (brown trunks) and GENNADY GOLOVKIN battle in a middleweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
GENNADY GOLOVKIN celebrates after defeating Curtis Stevens in a middleweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Golovkin won by TKO and remains the WBA and IBO middleweight champion.


LYNN — In the wake of a school shooting threat at Lynn English High School, administration officials will conduct a review and update of school security protocols.
Police, parents and students were not notified of the threat until three weeks after it was found by school officials.
Parents were notified of the threat via a robocall by Lynn English principal Thomas Strangie last Tuesday, which explained that three weeks prior, someone had written on the bathroom wall about a school shooting that could take place at the high school last Friday, but the threat was found to be non-credible.
Speaking at Thursday's School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dr. Catherine C. Latham said school shooting threats, like the one at Lynn English, happen all too often. On Thursday morning, she said four separate similar incidents occurred in Sudbury, Northborough, Southborough and Andover.
The district's school safety and security binder was prepared in 2012, and in the wake of the threat at Lynn English, school officials have decided that it may be a good time to review protocol and procedures, and have some professional development, Latham said.
"I think a full review of the protocol makes a lot of sense, and we'll all look forward to and appreciate the results of that," said Jared Nicholson, a member of the School Committee.
Lynn Police Officer Oren Wright, the school safety and emergency planning liaison, said he believes the incident at Lynn English was dealt with as best it could be expected, citing a police presence at the school last Friday, the following Tuesday and the continued extra patrols at the school.
But School Committee member Michael Satterwhite pointed out that a parent was able to walk right into Lynn English through an unlocked door after the incident. Lamar Craig Harris, a parent of a Lynn English student, recorded himself as he walked into the school and expressed his frustrations with Strangie. He posted the video on Facebook, where it was widely shared among parents and others.
Latham said that door Harris used was broken and has been fixed.
School Committee vice-chair Donna Coppola said there wasn't enough done to reassure the parents.
Lorraine Gately, a member of the School Committee, said she was not upset about how the situation was handled, but the delay is notification was a long time.
Holey said these kinds of threats are terroristic — the prime weapon of terror is fear and whoever made the threat, when it got out, won.
"This has happened before in the Lynn Public Schools and has not been disseminated in the past because we did not believe those threats were credible and we did not want to create fear," he said.
Wright said students would be less inclined to share information with police than school officials. Once he gets involved, he said, students' miranda rights would kick in.
Bridgett Sanchez, a student at Lynn English High School and student representative on the School Committee, said the most important thing in the situation was the students.
There was a school shooting in Texas around the same time students learned of the threat at Lynn English, and a student was sent home after having a panic attack, Sanchez said. The incident was really scary, she said, getting emotional when she said she was thinking that she just wanted to be able to graduate.


There are many ways to get into the skilled trades, but some methods will be better suited for you than others. If you are looking to enter the skilled trades, here is an overview of the most straightforward ways to jumpstart your new career. Learn more about technical schools, community college programs, union apprenticeships, and on-the-job training in this white paper as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each. For more information about technical programs at The Refrigeration School, contact an RSI Admissions Representative today.


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Marlington's Knoch sweeps hurdles titles
Lane Knoch will compete in three events at next week's Division I regional track and field meet.
AUSTINTOWN Marlington hurdler Lane Knoch won a pair of district titles in Friday's Division I meet at Fitch High School.
Knoch finished first in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.55 seconds. He also won the 300 hurdles in 39.32.
Knoch will compete in three events at next week's regional. He anchored the Dukes' district runner-up that also features Justin Allen, Jaqueiz Sampson and Ben Lowry.


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Home>News>Clark Hill Attorney Thomas F. Sweeney...
Clark Hill Attorney Thomas F. Sweeney to be Panelist at "Cross-border Tax Issues and Planning Opportunities" Seminar
BIRMINGHAM , MI – Clark Hill attorney Thomas F. Sweeney will be a panelist for Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit and Windsor Estate Planning Council's "Cross-border Tax Issues and Planning Opportunities" seminar. Mr. Sweeney is one of four panel members. The panel discussion will take place Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at the Westin Book Cadillac. For registration and more information, please visit www.metrodetroitfepc.org .
Thomas F. Sweeney has extensive experience in Federal and State taxation with particular focus on estate and gift taxation, fiduciary and individual income taxation, including planning, return preparation, negotiation with tax authorities and tax litigation. He is actively involved in the planning and administration of revocable and irrevocable trusts, estates, and family limited partnerships and companies including the design and implementation of estate plans, including tax, probate avoidance and investment strategy planning, as well as probate and non-probate administration of estates, trusts, conservatorships and guardianships, trust and estate dispute resolution and other trust and estate fiduciary services.
Mr. Sweeney is also actively involved in business planning, including the organization of business entities, consultation with business owners and officers regarding operational aspects of business entities, drafting of business agreements, and other related services involved in the design and operation of business entities.
He presently is a member of the Council of the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the Michigan Bar Association and has served as Chair of the Taxation Committee of the Oakland County Bar Association. He has frequently spoken at Institute of Continuing Legal Education programs and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School. He is an adjunct professor in the Wayne State University Law School teaching estate and gift taxation.
His articles on trust and tax matters have appeared in the Probate and Estate Planning Journal. He has been included in Best Lawyers in America since 2003.
Mr. Sweeney is active in civic and community organizations. He served on the City of Birmingham, Michigan Charter Review Commission, and is a current member of the Baldwin Public Library Board, Birmingham , Michigan , previously serving as President for four terms.
He also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Community House Association ( Birmingham , Michigan ) from 1990-1998, and as President from 1993-1995. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Rotary Club Endowment Fund, Inc. He also has served on numerous other charitable and community boards over the past 25 years.
Since 1890, Clark Hill PLC has been serving the business, government, non-profit and personal needs of clients throughout the country. With offices in Detroit , Birmingham , Grand Rapids , and Lansing , Michigan , Chicago , Phoenix , and Washington , DC , Clark Hill is a full service law firm with more than 190 attorneys. For more information, visit www.clarkhill.com .
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An Espring water purifier is like no other. It uses a one of a kind purification process.
The combination of carbon filters with ultraviolet light ensures the removal of over 140 contaminants including over 99% of bacteria and viruses.
Espring water purifiers are available in both below the counter and counter top designs.
An Espring purifier is known as one of the best water purification systems but to understand why you will have to look at their technology.
Why Are Espring Water Purifiers Rated Among The Best?
Besides being very popular, Espring purifiers are rated among the best because of performance and satisfaction.
An Espring water purifier has a one of a kind purification system that uses a combination of patented carbon block filter with ultraviolet light and an electronic monitoring system.
This combination process allows for a full penetration and then removal of bad contaminants. In fact, Espring purifiers kill 99.99% of waterborne, disease-causing bacteria and viruses in drinking water.
The result is purer water that is cheaper than bottled water and healthier than tap water.
Another reason why Espring water purifiers are so loved is the fact that they will effectively remove lead, THMs and more than 140 bad contaminants from your water.
The purification system will remove lead, mercury, waterborne parasites and many more. Espring does all this while keeping good minerals such as calcium, magnesium and fluoride.
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They satisfy the NSF 42, 53 and 55 international standards for good water quality, as well as, the removal of numerous contaminants with their carbon UV purifier systems.
Espring water purifier is not only effective at purifying municipal water but also well water and bore water.
So for the persons that are worried about the quality of their well water, Espring can be used as an effective well water purifier.
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Espring water purification systems use a combination of patented carbon-block filter with ultraviolet light and an electronic monitoring system.
They use carbon filtration because most contaminants in tap water are attracted to carbon and this allows for easy removal.
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A pressed carbon block filter is formed. The larger surface makes way for many contaminants to be pulled out of your water.
After a while, the effectiveness of the filter cartridge is reduced. When this occurs, you will need to buy a new Espring water purifier replacement cartridge.
The ultraviolet light technology is used to kill all microorganisms that the carbon filter cannot.
Located inside the cartridge is a UV bulb that generates up to 80 millijoules of UV light that kills bacteria and viruses inside your water.
This UV bulb is also energy saving because it is only activated when your water is on.
When you turn on your tap for water, an electromagnetic connection instantly turns on the UV bulb .
The final piece of the purification process is the monitor technology. The monitor technology will basically let you know when your carbon filter needs to change or when you need a different UV bulb.
You will receive both an audio and visual notification so you never have to worry about remembering when to change the bulb or the filter.
What is also impressive about the monitor technology is that it automatically resets whenever you insert a new or used water filter and it calculates the lifespan based on usage.
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Espring countertop water purifier - This is the ideal counter top water purification system for your home.
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This is enough purified water to last your entire family for a full year.
The Espring countertop weighs 20 pounds and is manufactured in the U.S.A. The system removes over 140 contaminants while improving the taste and odour of your water.
The purification combination makes it a favourite among families. All Espring counter tops are NSF certified for water quality.
The Espring countertop will run you anywhere from $325 to 360 online. Be sure to shop around for the best price.
This system fits neatly under your kitchen sink.
Even though it is larger than traditional under counter water purifiers, it is designed to fit under small sinks.
The parts for the Espring below the counter purifier are durable and easy to locate should you need to change them.
Also with the capability to purify up to 1,320 before a cartridge change, this system by Espring is suitable for one to six persons.
Larger families may use this system as well, they may just need to change the water purifier cartridge before the recommended one year period.
With a price tag of roughly $300, the "Below The Counter" purifier is well worth the price, especially when you think about the result of pure filtered water.
Remember that the Below the Counter water purification system will kill over 99% of bacteria and viruses in your water.
Installation is easy and you even have a digital display that let's you know your filter cartridge lifespan.
The Espring Countertop and Below the Counter water purifiers are two of the best water purifiers around when it comes to purifying bad potable water to great potable water.


text: Q: Can ReactJS and StoryBook use same scss file for same look and field I create Table Component and using Table.scss file for css. But It does not apply to StoryBook. This is my first time to use StoryBook. All the component's feature and functionality and doc are working as expected. But All css style are not woking in StoryBook. May I know how to add my Table.scss file into StoryBook.

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Text: But, in 1929, the fascination with radio was nothing to the great innovation in the cinema. 'Have you heard The Singing Fool yet?' Eric Williams asked me. That heard was operative; we took for granted that we could see. My nearest talking cinema was the Claremont, and my father, aware of the importance of the new phenomenon, took me to see and hear Al Jolson. After an eternity of titles in the old style, though with a canned score moaning and bitching underneath, Jolson spoke: 'You ain't heard nothin' yet, folks' (this, rightly, has got into the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations). And then, to the night club pianist, 'This is a ballad.' – 'You can't sing a ballad' (which I took to refer to the form, not the singer's competence) and the revelation of throaty American-Jewish melody: 'I can be humble, I can be proud, / I can be just the man in the crowd:/It all depends on you.' And, towards the end, the tinned orchestra pointed Johnson's Pagliacci situation – going onstage blacked up though Sonny Boy was dead – with Vesti la guibba. Finally, 'Friends may forsake me,/ Let them all forsake me – / I still have you, Sonny Boy.' It was a great experience, but it had its sinister aspects. The pit orchestra had disappeared; musicians were joining the industrial unemployed. Under the screen were pot plants on soap boxes.
Yet, like most cinema owners, Innerfield had difficulty with silent rentals. He brought in a larger number of German films, of a strong expressionist tendency, including the early Freudian Secrets of the Soul. There were heavy comedy films about Vienna, full of brilliant montage effects. I was watching, without knowing it, the twilight phase of the art of the Weimar Republic. Nowadays aesthetic historians would flock to such showings. I dimly saw their significance – they were more subtle and serious than the all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing extravaganzas we got at the Claremont – but I despised Jakie Innerfield's parsimony, disguised as a reactionary conviction. It was not long before he yielded, as he had to, and his first talking film was Broadway, with Regis Toomey. I could hardly understand a word the characters were saying, or moaning, or nasaling: the Innerfield equipment was not good. Soon the Princess too succumbed to the talking age, and any Manchester cinema still silent was probably a locale for the fencing of stolen goods or the fixing of assignations.
The talking films gave us new heroes and heroines. One lad in Upper Three Alpha, MacKinnon, adored Maurice Chevalier in Innocents of Paris, dressed his hair in the Chevalier style, thrust out his lower lip, and spoke English with a French accent, though French with an English one. We loved Renate Muller in Sunshine Susie and worshipped Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel.
Very few of these early talking films seem to have survived, even in the ever open cinematic museum which is American television. We never see Gold Diggers of Broadway, which had 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips', or Syncopation, with Morton Downey, or even Broadway Melody, with Charles King and Bessie Love and Anita Page and 'You Were Meant for Me'. Probably the Vitaphone process, sound-on-disc, was too primitive to be compatible with electronic techniques. Probably we would be appalled to revisit old delights. We all, young as we were, recognised that sound pushed back the art of film to the infantile. We missed the old biblical epics – The Ten Commandments, Noah's Ark (Cecil B. De Mille, like his master D.W. Griffith, knew the appeal, before James Joyce, of a compound of myth and contemporaneity) – and such apocrypha as Moon of Israel, Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis?. Some of these came back with talk and high colour, but speech killed the magic by over-localising. Gore Vidal has only to camp up Ann Bancroft saying, with flapping hands of dismissal, 'Oh, Moses, Moses,' for us to hear the impossibility of a talking Bible. And I have always taken the impossibility of a talking Metropolis for granted.
Comments: Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) was a British novelist and literary critic, whose book A Clockwork Orange was filmed in 1971 by Stanley Kubrick. His childhood was spent in Manchester. His 1986 novel The Pianoplayers features a pianist who plays for silent films, based on Burgess' father who played the piano in pubs and cinemas. Madge was his step-sister. Al Jolson's words 'You ain't heard nothin' yet' come from The Jazz Singer (USA 1927), not the Singing Fool. The films referred to are The Singing Fool (USA 1928), Geheimnisse einer Seele [Secrets of a Soul] (Germany 1926), Broadway (USA 1929), Innocents of Paris (USA 1929), Sunshine Susie (GB 1931), Der blaue Engel [The Blue Angel] (Germany 1930), The Doctor's Secret (USA 1929), The Pagan (USA 1929), Weary River (USA 1929), King of Jazz (USA 1930), Paramount on Parade (USA 1930), Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (USA 1929), Gold Diggers of Broadway (USA 1929), Syncopation (USA 1929), Broadway Melody (USA 1929), The Ten Commandments (USA 1923), Noah's Ark (USA 1928 – directed by Michael Curtiz, not Cecil B. De Mille), Die Sklavenkönigin [Moon of Israel] (Austria 1924), Ben-Hur (USA 1925), Quo Vadis? (presumably Italy 1923) and Metropolis (Germany 1927). Syncopation is considered to be a lost film; Broadway Melody survives, as does Gold Diggers of Broadway in an incomplete form.
This entry was posted in 1920s, 1930s, Memoirs, United Kingdom and tagged Anthony Burgess, Ben-Hur (1925), Broadway (1929), Broadway Melody (1929), Cine-variety, Der Blaue Engel (1930), Die Sklavenkönigin (1924), Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Geheimnisse einer Seele (1926), Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), Innocents of Paris (1929), King of Jazz (1930), Manchester, Metropolis (1927), Musicals, Musicians, Noah's Ark (1928), Paramount on Parade (1930), Performers, Quo Vadis (1924), Songs, Staff, Sunshine Susie (1931), Synchronised sound, Syncopation (1929), The Doctor's Secret (1929), The Singing Fool (1928), The Ten Commandments (USA 1923), Weary River (1929). Bookmark the permalink.


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Archive for the 'Valdosta State University' Tag
Becoming Leave a comment
O God, you are God–
it is you I seek!
For you my body yearns;
for you my soul thirsts,
In a land parched, lifeless,
and without water.
I look to you in the sanctuary
to see your power and glory.
For your love is better than life;
my lips shall ever praise you!
–Psalm 63:2-4, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
One's life is the continuous process of becoming the next version of oneself. Former versions of oneself are legion; the next version of oneself awaits. We all change in a plethora of ways throughout life. Hopefully, we improve. Hopefully, we deepen in faith. Hopefully, we become kinder and more forgiving. Hopefully, we become more knowledgeable. Hopefully, we become more compassionate. Hopefully, we become better at work. Hopefully, we improve at all worthwhile pursuits. Hopefully, our language skills will improve. Hopefully, we will improve (in a number of activities) with practice. Hopefully, we become more grateful. Hopefully, we become more loving and less judgmental. Hopefully, we become more aware of social injustice and refuse to turn a blind eye to it and to defend it any longer. Hopefully, we practice the Golden Rule more often.
I can speak and write only for myself. That is all I try to do in this post.
I have noticed changes in myself. Times of loss and great stress have led to spiritual and emotional growth. Even during times loss and great stress have not defined, I have changed spiritually. I have, for example, started growing into mysticism. Nobody has found this more surprising than I have. I have also shifted theologically; I have moved toward the center, overall. I have retained my propensity to ask questions and understand doubts as gateways to deeper faith, though. When I was an undergraduate at Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, one of the other residents in the dormitory told me I would go to Hell for asking too many questions. I have never changed my mind about her; she did not ask enough questions. God, who gave us brains, does not intend for us to check our intellects at the church door. Healthy faith is never anti-intellectual. I could name some people who do not consider me a Christian, but I will not do so in this post. To them I say, "You know who you are."
I am becoming the next version of myself. Who will he be? May he be the person God wants him to be. Those to whom I say, "You know who you are," will think what they will think. So be it; I do not answer to them.
JULY 15, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONAVENTURE, SECOND FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT ATHANASIUS I OF NAPLES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF DUNCAN MONTGOMERY GRAY, SR.; AND HIS SON, DUNCAN MONTGOMERY GRAY, JR.; EPISCOPAL BISHOPS OF MISSISSIPPI AND ADVOCATES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF GEORGE TYRRELL, IRISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MODERNIST THEOLOGIAN AND ALLEGED HERETIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT SWITHUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
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Posted July 15, 2020 by neatnik2009 in Psalm 63
Tagged with Anti-Intellectualism, Golden Rule, Valdosta State University
Against a Siege Mentality in Faith and Religion 3 comments
If one has a siege mentality, one should seek to rid oneself of it.
I recall hearing a true story years ago, at either Georgia Southern University or The University of Georgia. A professor of Latin American history had, in one lesson, referred to abuses in which the Roman Catholic Church was complicit. A few days later, the department head received an angry telephone call from the mother of one of the students. The professor had allegedly insulted Roman Catholicism. His (the professor's) source had been the Roman Catholic Church, which had acknowledged those sins. Pope John Paul II had publicly apologized for them. The Roman Catholic student in question and his mother seemed unaware of this. The department head understood that the student and his mother had reacted out of a siege mentality. Being a Roman Catholic in the Bible Belt is not like being a Roman Catholic in many other regions.
I have a way of speaking objectively and dispassionately. One of the criticisms I have heard of myself over the years is that I am too matter-of-fact. The criticism seems odd to me. How are remaining grounded in objective reality and staying calm negative? I have a long track record of speaking objectively and calmly in classrooms, especially about religious history, and of offending students. The fault has been with the students and their siege mentalities, not with me. Some of them, I know, have thought of me as an antitheist. And I have known myself to be a devout Episcopalian!
In the 1990s, when I was undergraduate at Valdosta State University, I explained a piece of church history to a fellow resident of my dormitory. I, citing verified historical dates, explained that the Church determined the table of contents of the New Testament. I was objectively correct. The other resident took my word for it. He also took offense. He asked, "How dare they?" His Christian fundamentalism had led him to assume that the New Testament had descended from on high, fully formed. Church history and his religion were incompatible. As Karen Armstrong has written, fundamentalism is ahistorical.
For the record, the Church did an excellent job of determining the table of contents of the New Testament. They got it right. That is my opinion and statement of faith on the subject.
I have also triggered a fundamentalist by pointing out St. Paul's use of allegorical interpretations of scripture, as well as the presence of Greek philosophy in the New Testament. I was not being critical of St. Paul or of the Letter to the Hebrews. Rather, I merely stated objective reality regarding them.
A siege mentality in faith and religion stands in the way between one and the calm recognition of objective reality. Facts are facts. Objective reality is what it is. We can know much of objective reality, given sufficient information. (Call me an Enlightenment-style modernist if you like; I will accept the compliment.) And more of us need to reserve outrage for offenses (such as racism, police brutality, etc.) that should make us livid.
Here ends the lesson.
JUNE 4, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT STANISLAW KOSTKA STAROWIEYSKI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1941
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR
THE FEAST OF JOHN LANCASTER SPALDING, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF PEORIA THEN TITULAR BISHOP OF SEYTHOLPOLIS
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETROC, WELSH PRINCE, ABBOT, AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF THOMAS RAYMOND KELLY, U.S. QUAKER MYSTIC AND PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY
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Posted June 4, 2020 by neatnik2009 in Uncategorized
Tagged with Antitheism, Fundamentalism, Georgia Southern University, John Paul II, Karen Armstrong, Racism, Siege Mentality, St. Paul the Apostle, University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, Violence
"God of Our Fathers": The Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church in North America, 1914-1945 16 comments
Above: My Copies of The Psalter (1914/1927) and the Psalter Hymnal (1934)
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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U.S. DUTCH REFORMED LITURGY, PART IV
God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
–David C. Roberts, "God of Our Fathers," 1876; from Psalter Hymnal (1934)
This series of blog posts, which I predict will run its immediate course in eight installments, with potential for a ninth eventually, has become quite involved–more so than I had thought previously. That is fine; I am not complaining, for I have been learning much while preparing Parts IV and V and sketching the broad parameters of Parts VI and VII. The intellectual pleasure of learning so much so quickly has been rapturous for me. Yes, I am a geek–indeed, a nerd–and a proud one at that. I like my brain.
One of my undergraduate education professors at Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, in the 1990s told our class that students need hooks onto which to hang details. I have tried to follow that advice well in a series of classrooms. And I adhere to it now. So, with that segue accomplished, here are your proverbial hooks, O reader:
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) remained Americanized and, on the official level at least, favorable to ecumenical engagement. This commitment was evident liturgically in The Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920), a joint project with the (German) Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS).
The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA or just CRC) became more Americanized from 1914 to 1945, partly because of the domestic and foreign experiences of World War I. The denomination remained strongly culturally isolationist for much of the period, though. And it retained its status as a bulwark of very conservative Calvinism. Nevertheless, the CRCNA was insufficiently right-wing for those who seceded in 1926 to form the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRCA). Despite its conservatism, the CRCNA did liberalize sufficiently to reverse its traditional Psalms-only rule for the majority of the denomination, in which pockets of hymn-singing had existed with Synodical approval since the 1880s.
The RCA and the CRCNA, parent and breakaway child, have long had a non-hostile relationship on the official level. The two have exchanged fraternal greetings annually at CRCNA Synods and RCA General Synods for a long time. Nevertheless, the two have not traveled the same path for most of the time since the CRCNA broke away in 1857, hence the long separation. By the end of World War II the RCA and the CRCNA, although still far apart on many issues, were closer than they were at the start of World War I.
II. CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS, DENOMINATIONAL AND OTHERWISE
Liturgy is an extension of theology. For example, whether one sings Psalms and hymns or just Psalms in church is a theological decision. Liturgy also occurs in the contexts of culture and history. Thus I must establish the contexts of liturgical decisions and patterns first if I am to adhere to the optimum policy.
World War I and Postwar Disillusionment
President Woodrow Wilson (in office 1913-1921) was reluctant to take the United States into World War I (1914-1918). This raised the ire and scorn of former President Theodore Roosevelt (in office 1901-1909), who accused the incumbent of cowardice. (Roosevelt ceased to extol the manly virtues of the war after he lost a son to it, but that is another story.) Wilson won a second term narrowly in 1916, largely on the fact he had kept the nation out of the war. Ironically, he led the United States into that conflict formally in the second month of that second term. Reasons included a German threat to the territorial integrity of the country as well as serious financial considerations, such as the fates of historic trading partners in Europe. The charges of a "capitalists' war" were not entirely unfounded, even if they were overly simplistic.
The President, who had warned prior to April 1917 that U.S. entry into war would lead to many people forgetting that there had ever been such a thing as tolerance, embraced such intolerance once the nation had gone to war. Nonviolent critics broke the law by engaging in activities such as giving speeches and distributing leaflets or attempting to do so. Thus they violated statutes, which Wilson had signed into law, and went to federal prison. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld these convictions, but President Warren G. Harding (in office 1921-1923) exercised his power of the pardon generously, much to chagrin of the right wing of his Republican Party. The founding of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was no accident, given the many violations of civil liberties in the United States during the war and shortly thereafter.
The intolerance extended to state laws, urban ordinances, and mob actions. One man faced persecution under the Minnesota Espionage Act because he criticized a woman who was knitting socks for soldiers.
No soldier ever sees these socks,
he had said. It was an unkind comment, but was it a criminal offense? The City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, banned performances of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, who had died in 1827. Was a man who had been dead for nine decades and who had in life opposed the imperialistic policies of Napoleon Bonaparte supporting the Kaiser's war effort? And many Christians who worshiped in the German language had to contend with intimidation and vandalism. During this time many Lutherans made a rapid transition to worshiping in English. What became of freedom in the land of the free?
The CRCNA, which offered few English-language services on any given Sunday in 1915, also accelerated its use of English in worship due to pressures from jingoists, vandals, and state laws. Some states, such as Iowa, outlawed preaching in Dutch. And vandals attacked parochial schools, alleging that they were somehow Prussian. The denomination's position on World War I did not help matters when many people lost their minds, rallied around the flag, and renamed German names of dog breeds and food products. In an age of Liberty Hounds (Dachshunds), Alsacian Shepherds (German Shepherds), and Liberty Cabbage (Sauerkraut) the CRCNA's stance that the war was (a) evidence of total depravity and (b) God's punishment on the U.S.A. for national sins aroused much ire outside the denomination.
Wilson oversold the war. It was "the war to make the world safe for democracy," allegedly. Postwar realities, being grim, especially in Europe, inspired widespread disillusionment, as in the literary Lost Generation. In this context the RCA, which had once considered World War I a holy war, learned a harsh lesson and backed down from its gung ho stance. At the same time, however, the CRCNA learned a different harsh lesson and began to move away from its culturally isolationist position under pressure from returning veterans who belonged to the denomination. When the U.S. entered World War II formally in 1941, the CRCNA was gung ho and the RCA supported the war effort without resorting to grandiose language.
Confessional Calvinism, Common Grace, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America
Two sides in the three-way disagreement over the Kuyperian Paradox locked horns within the CRCNA in the 1920s. The Antitheticals, who favored Christian separatism, had lost the argument at the Synod of 1906, where the Confessionalists had won. The two sides joined forces to oppose Calvin Theological Seminary professor Ralph Janssen, whom they accused of liberalism, and therefore heresy, because he had incorporated higher criticism into his Biblical studies. These critics won at the Synod of 1922, which removed Janssen from his post. Two years later, however, the CRC Synod made affirmation of Abraham Kuyper's later Common Grace theological stance mandatory for pastors. That position held that even the unredeemed could function as God's instruments. In 1924-1925 the Reverend Herman Hoekstra and others refused to obey. These Antitheticals seceded instead and formed the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRCA).
The RCA was, at least officially, enthusiastic about ecumenism. It had become, for example, a charter member of both the American Bible Society (1816) and the Federal Council of Churches (1908). The RCA considered itself a mainline denomination, albeit a fairly conservative one. Yet even this position proved too liberal for much of its Midwestern and Western constituency, which was generally suspicious of social progressivism, membership in church councils, and plans to merge with other denominations.
There was more than one unsuccessful merger proposal involving the RCA from 1914 to 1945. The first was a plan to merge the RCA and the (German) Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) in the 1910s. The only fruit this tree bore was The Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920), a joint project of the two bodies. The RCUS, by the way, went on to merge in 1934 with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA), of Prussian Lutheran-Reformed heritage, to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church (ERC). The ERC's legacy became part of the history of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in 1957. Thus the 1920 Hymnal of the Reformed Church preceded two streams of successors:
The Hymnbook (1955), Rejoice in the Lord (1985), and Lift Up Your Hearts (2013), the RCA lineage; and
The Hymnal (1941), The Hymnal of the United Church of Christ (1974), and The New Century Hymnal (1995), the Evangelical and Reformed Church-United Church of Christ lineage.
The second plan, which began in the late 1920s, was to merge five denominations:
The Reformed Church in America (RCA);
The Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS);
The Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), the old "Southern Presbyterian Church;"
The Presbyterian Church in then U.S.A. (PCUSA), the old "Northern Presbyterian Church" (a misleading label since it was a national body; and
The United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA), whose Psalters the CRCNA and parts thereof had adapted.
The plan failed on several fronts as denominations removed themselves from it. The 1931 Southern Presbyterian General Assembly, citing questions of race and alleged doctrinal unsoundness in the PCUSA, withdrew, for example. And an attempt to expand the union into a six-way arrangement including the CRCNA failed in 1930, when the CRC Synod declined, citing doctrinal concerns regarding the other five bodies. These issues included Modernism, alleged laxity in church discipline, and permissive policies regarding membership in secret societies, such as the Masonic Lodge.
Of the five denominations only the RCA still exists. The United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA) merged with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA) to create the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) in 1958. The UPCUSA and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) [PC(USA)]. And the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) merged into the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1934-1957). The current body which bears the RCUS name is a rump of the original denomination.
The CRCNA also contained a large number of people wary of membership in church councils. It had joined the Federal Council of Churches in 1918, for the FCC was the only agency which placed military chaplains at the time. Yet concerns about Modernism led the CRCNA to withdraw from the Federal Council in 1924. The denomination became a charter member of the anti-Modernist National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in 1943. Nevertheless, a vocal CRCNA constituency, objecting to such close work with Arminians and Fundamentalists and concerned about the allegedly detrimental effect it had on the CRCNA's Reformed witness, succeeded in prompting the denomination's withdraw from the NAE in 1951.
Worldly Amusements
Q: Why don't Fundamentalists have sex standing up?
A: It might lead to dancing.
–An old joke
Hostility to "worldly amusements" has long been a characteristic of certain varieties of conservative Protestantism. I have read such condemnations in the sermon notes of my great-grandfather, George Washington Barrett (1873-1956), and old-style Southern Methodist. And stories of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other types of churches calling members to account for dancing, hosting dances, attending fairs, and/or playing card games from the 1800s to the 1900s are numerous. Such hostility was also present in Dutch Reformed enclaves in the Midwest and present in both the RCA and the CRCNA. The latter, however, unlike the former, made such hostility denominational policy in the twentieth century.
The theological principle of separation from the world (not being conformed to it), not to mention the insertion of long poles far into many spiritual large intestines, informed the condemnation of "worldly amusements." (How could some of these people sit down comfortably or at all?) Thus, in the case of the CRCNA, the ruling that no member should play cards, attend movies, or dance became not just a recommendation but a piece of obligatory guidance. As the Reverend Doctor Peter Y. De Jong wrote:
Because these principles are solidly grounded on Scripture, they must be heartily believed and conscientiously practiced by all of our members. Such spiritual practice is far richer than refraining from sin because the church requires it. In the light of these every Christian who prayerfully considers any problem can come to full light. Only then will our spiritual life be full and rich and deep, which is pleasing to our faithful Covenant God and Father.
—The Christian Reformed Church: A Study Guide, Centennial Edition, 1956; reprint, 1964; page 81
I will return to this matter in subsequent posts.
III. PSALTERS AND HYMNALS
The Christian Reformed Church in North America: From Dutch to English–The Psalter (1914)
The liturgical transformation within the CRCNA proved difficult for many people. By 1940, however, English was nearly universal in the denomination, which had lost some members to the process. The Psalter (1914) was far from popular in some quarters of the CRCNA. Henry Vander Werp, a CRCNA alternate to the committee which had created The New Metrical Version of the Psalms (1905 and 1909), the basis of the United Presbyterian Psalter (1912), itself the basis of the CRCNA Psalter (1914), had created a Psalter of his own. It retained more content from the Genevan Psalter (1563) and less from The New Metrical Version than did The Psalter (1914). The Synod of 1912 rejected an overture to adopt his Psalter, justifying the decision by citing the fact that it was the work of one man.
The Psalter (1914) broke with CRC tradition in ways other than the obvious: the exclusive use of English.
It introduced different patterns of meter to the CRCNA. Traditional Dutch meters kept the Psalms intact and applied a variety of meters and rhyme patterns to them. Scottish Presbyterian meters, however, divided the Psalms into segments, thereby applying more than one versification to some texts.
It also replaced many traditional melodies with tunes new to the CRCNA. Only two Genevan Psalter tunes remained in the new Psalter. The transition proved easier for the young than for the elderly.
The Psalter (1914), reprinted with the 1920 translation of the Church Order in 1927, contained rituals and other important documents in the back:
The Heidelberg Catechism;
The Belgic Confession of Faith;
The Canons of Dort;
The Liturgy;
The Church Order; and
The Formula of Subscription to the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dort.
The Liturgy contained:
Baptism;
Public Confession of Faith;
The Lord's Supper;
The Discipline–Excommunication and Readmission of Excommunicated Persons;
Ordination of Ministers of God's Word;
Ordination of Elders and Deacons;
Installation of Professors of Theology;
Ordination of Missionaries;
Marriage; and
Consolation of the Sick.
These followed the traditional Dutch forms.
The Protestant Reformed Dutch Churches in America (PRCA) continued to use this volume after the CRCNA adopted the Psalter Hymnal (1934). The liturgical forms available at the PRCA's website in 2014 are nearly identical to those in the back of The Psalter (1914).
The Christian Reformed Church in North America: Uniform Orders of Worship (1920-1930)
The European Reformed churches of the Protestant Reformation were liturgical, complete with service books and forms of worship. This well-attested fact constituted news–irrelevant at best and unpleasant at worst–to many U.S. members of Reformed churches in the 1800s and 1900s. That statement applies also to many of the U.S. Reformed in 2014. Sometimes the tradition to which people cling is of more recent vintage than the alleged innovations to which they object. So which one is the innovation? The reality of Continental Reformed liturgical history did not, however, trouble the members of the CRCNA committee which produced three uniform orders of worship in time for the CRC Synod of 1920, which made them mandatory. The Acts of Synod (1920), pages 185-204 contains the full orders with interesting explanatory notes.
The order of worship for the first (morning) service was as follows:
The Introductory Service–The service opened with the Votum (Psalm 124:8) then continued with the Salutation (Romans 1:7) before leading into a Psalm of gratitude.
The Service of Reconciliation–The confession of sin and absolution, parts of Protestant Reformation-era Reformed liturgies, were present. They proved especially controversial due to rampant anti-Roman Catholicism, however. The order of service specified forms for the invitation, the confession, and the absolution. The Apostles' Creed and the Psalm of praise followed.
The Service of Thanksgiving–A general prayer, concluded with the Lord's Prayer, led into the Offering, then a Psalm of thanksgiving.
The Service of the Lord–There was no responsive reading, for the committee deemed that practice to be primarily a way of maintaining interest among members of the congregation. Thus the minister, representing God at the church service, read a portion of Scripture. Then the sermon followed.
The Closing Service–A prayer, a Psalm or the Doxology or both, and the Benediction closed the service.
The other two orders of worship were quite similar to the first. At the second (evening) service there was no Service of Reconciliation and the Decalogue moved into the Service of Thanksgiving. The third order of worship, just for
Christmas, Old Year, New Year, Good Friday, and Ascension Day
—Acts of Synod, 1920, page 199,
also omitted the Service of Reconciliation. The third order of worship lacked the Decalogue, however.
These orders of worship became quite controversial, so the Synod of 1930 removed the absolution and made the orders optional.
The Christian Reformed Church in North America: Singing Hymns
The practice of singing Psalms–yet not hymns, allegedly the compositions of sinful men and women and therefore unworthy, as the traditionalist Reformed criticism describes them–used to be more commonplace in the Reformed world. In 2014 some denominations retain the practice, but most sing hymns. Objections to the singing of hymns in the RCA helped to form the rationales for the Secessions of 1834 (in The Netherlands) and 1857 (in the United States), thus they were among the justifications for the founding of the CRCNA. Nevertheless, that denomination, from the middle 1880s forward, did not adhere strictly to the practice of singing only Psalms.
At first the CRCNA permitted groups with joined the denomination to continue their practice of singing hymns. As I wrote in Part III of this series, some German-speaking congregations affiliated in the 1880s and English-speaking churches joined in 1890. The Germans continued to sing their 355 hymns in addition to the 150 Psalms and Classis Hackensack kept singing its 190 hymns plus the 150 Psalms. It even modified The Psalter (1914) to include its 190 hymns. The camel's nose was already inside the tent.
For the majority of the CRCNA, however, hymns were forbidden in worship. Article 69 of the Church Order (1920 translation) read:
In the Churches only the 150 Psalms of David, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Twelve Articles of Faith, the Songs of Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon, the Morning and Evening Hymns, and the Hymn of Prayer before the sermon shall be sung.
Nevertheless, many young members of the CRCNA favored singing hymns by 1918. The Synod of 1928 appointed a committee to study the issue. That group, which favored hymn-singing, issued its report two years later. In 1932 the CRCNA modified Article 69 of the Church Order to permit the singing of hymns throughout the denomination.
The Christian Reformed Church in North America: Psalter Hymnal (1934)
Psalter Hymnal (1934) was a landmark worship resource for the CRCNA. It both reached back into the denomination's tradition and paved the way for changes. On one hand Psalter Hymnal (1934) included more Genevan Psalter (1563) tunes than did The Psalter (1914), but on the other hand it opened the flood gates for hymn-singing to become more popular than Psalm-singing in the CRCNA. The new hymnal emphasized the Psalms, which comprised 295 of its 458 musical offerings. There were 140 hymns familiar to members of other denominations. A few these songs were:
O Worship the King;
Now Thank We All Our God;
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel;
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing;
Silent Night! Holy Night!;
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross;
The Church's One Foundation; and
Abide With Me.
The standards for selecting hymns were:
doctrinal soundness, New Testament character, dignity and depth of devotional spirit, and clearness and beauty of expression.
—Psalter Hymnal (1934), page iii
Much of the material in the back of the volume was similar to that in the rear of The Psalter (1914), the main difference being a revision in the English translation. There were more offerings, though.
The Three Ecumenical Creeds–Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian–were present.
There was also a treasury of Christian prayers.
Also, the 1914 forms for the ordination of Ministers and Missionaries became forms for the ordination or installation thereof.
Psalter Hymnal (1934) stood in lineage with Psalter Hymnal (1959/1976), Psalter Hymnal (1987), and Lift Up Your Hearts (2013), books I will analyze in subsequent posts.
The Reformed Church in America: The Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920)
The history of hymnals in the RCA has proven to be more complicated than in the CRCNA. Prior to The Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920) the last official hymnal had been Hymns of the Church (1869), almost a carbon copy of the Anglican Hymns, Ancient and Modern (1861). This Anglican-Reformed approach met with the disapproval of much of the RCA, which convinced successive General Synods to approve the use of third-party hymnals. Thus the RCA, despite having a series of official hymn books, has long experienced a plethora of hymnals in use on the congregational level.
The Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920) was a joint project with the (German) Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS). It started as a revision of The Hymnal of the Reformed Church in the United States (1890) in 1911, but the committee decided to try to make the new book an ecumenical venture. The RCA General Synod of 1912 accepted the invitation to participate in the project, and the rest was history. The joint committee wrote in the 1920 Hymnal:
Our purpose has been to lead congregations in every way possible in a more heartfelt worship in all Church services, and a more general participation in congregational singing.
The organization of the 700+ hymns was topical, not pegged to the Heidelberg Catechism, as early RCA hymnals had been. And the RCA Liturgy was present in the RCA edition.
The Hymnal of the Reformed Church, in the RCA, preceded three other official hymnals.
The Hymnbook (1955) was a joint project with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC), the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA), and the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA).
Rejoice in the Lord (1985), a solely RCA project, sold better outside the denomination than within it. In fact, only seven percent of RCA congregations adopted it. My copy of the hymnal bears the imprint of a congregation of the United Church of Christ.
Lift Up Your Hearts (2013) is a joint project with the CRCNA.
Those, however, are topics I will explore in subsequent posts in this series.
Disagreements within denominations are frequently more important than those between or among them. The Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) experienced 1914-1945 differently yet with some similarity. Both had warring wings, for example. The RCA, though, kept its wings in balance until immediately after World War II, when Part V of this series will begin. In contrast, the more conservative, culturally isolationist wing of the CRCNA began to lose power to relatively progressive elements. Nevertheless, the denomination forbade dancing from 1928 to 1982 and attending movies from 1928 to 1966. So we know that its culturally isolationist wing retained some power for a long time, despite the vocal and repeated protests of dissidents, who had entered the twentieth century mentally. The CRCNA moved forward and backward from 1914 to 1945.
Brink, Emily R., and Bert Polman, eds. Psalter Hymnal Handbook. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Publications, 1998.
Brumm, James Hart, ed. Liturgy Among the Thorns: Essays on Worship in the Reformed Church in America. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007. The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America, No. 57.
De Jong, Peter Y. The Christian Reformed Church: A Study Manual. Centennial Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1956. Reprint, 1964.
Haeussler, Armin. The Story of Our Hymn: The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. St. Louis, MO: Eden Publishing House, 1952.
Hall, Kermit L., et al., eds. American Legal History: Cases and Materials. 2d. Ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996.
The Hymnal; Containing Complete Orders of Worship. St. Louis, MO: Eden Publishing House, 1941.
The Hymnal of the United Church of Christ. Philadelphia, PA: United Church Press, 1974.
The Hymnbook. Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1955.
Japinga, Lynn. Loyalty and Loss: The Reformed Church in America, 1945-1994. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013. The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America, No. 77.
Lift Up Your Hearts: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Grand Rapids, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2013.
The New Century Hymnal. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 1995.
The Psalter, Doctrinal Standards, Liturgy, and Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church in America. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eeerdmans Publishing Company, 1927.
Psalter Hymnal. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Publications, 1987.
Psalter Hymnal: Doctrinal Standards and Liturgy of the Christian Reformed Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, 1934.
Psalter Hymnal: Doctrinal Standards and Liturgy of the Christian Reformed Church. Centennial Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, 1959.
The Psalter Hymnal: The Psalms and Selected Hymns. Pittsburgh, PA: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication and Bible School Work, 1927.
Rejoice in the Lord: A Hymn Companion to the Scriptures. Edited by Erik Routley. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.
Smidt, Corwin, et al. Divided By a Common Heritage: The Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America at the Beginning of the New Millennium. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006. The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America, No. 54.
Thompson, Ernest Trice. Presbyterians in the South. Volume Three. 1890-1972. Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1973.
THE FEAST OF HENRY JAMES BUCKOLL, AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLAUDE OF BESANCON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM KETHE, PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
Posted June 6, 2014 by neatnik2009 in Liturgy
Tagged with Abraham Kuyper, ACLU, American Bible Society, American Civil Liberties Union, Apostles' Creed, Athanasian Creed, Calvin Theological Seminary, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Classis Hackensack, Common Grace, Dancing, David C. Roberts, Evangelical and Reformed Church, Evangelical Synod of North America, Federal Council of Churches, Genevan Psalter (1563), George Washington Barrett, German Reformed Church, Henry Vander Werp, Herman Hoekstra, Hymnal of the Reformed Church (1920), Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861), Hymns of the Church (1869), Kuyperian Paradox, Lift Up Your Hearts (2013), Lost Generation, Ludwig van Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte, National Association of Evangelicals, Nicene Creed, Peter Y. De Jong, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Protestant Reformed Churches in America, Psalter Hymnal (1934), Psalter Hymnal (1959), Psalter Hymnal (1976), Psalter Hymnal (1987), Ralph Janssen, Reformed Church in America, Reformed Church in the United States, Rejoice in the Lord (1985), Southern Presbyterian Church, The Hymnal (1941), The Hymnal of the Reformed Church in the United States (1890), The Hymnal of the United Church of Christ (1974), The Hymnbook (1955), The New Century Hymnal (1995), The New Metrical Version of the Psalms (1909), The Psalter (1912), The Psalter (1914/1927), Theodore Roosevelt, Valdosta Georgia, Valdosta State University, Warren G. Harding, Woodrow Wilson, World War I, World War II
Joint Baptist-Disciples of Christ Hymnals 5 comments
Above: My Copies of Christian Worship: A Hymnal (1941) and Hymnbook of Christian Worship (1970)
How good and pleasant it is,
when brothers dwell together as one!
–Psalm 133:1, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
My knowledge of denominational hymnals beyond my own turf has expanded greatly over the years. One day on which it expanded came during the Summer of 1992, during my time as a student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, Georgia. My mother was nearing the end of her time as a student at Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia. I visited her one week that Summer, when she lived at the Presbyterian Student Center just off campus. We spent part of days that week volunteering at an ecumenical Vacation Bible School hosted by First Christian Church. The two Lutheran congregations (one Missouri Synod, the other Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the three Episcopal churches, and the Disciples of Christ congregation cooperated on this effort. There I found in an open room–yet not in any pew–a copy of Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970). (I recall that the hymnal in the pews was the Gaither Hymns for the Family of God, 1976). I was intrigued with the hymnbook not in the pews. Eventually I found my own copy in a thrift store.
From the 1930s to the early 1950s the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Northern Baptist Convention (from 1950 to 1972 the American Baptist Convention) pondered merging. They had much in common, given the Disciples' position between the Baptist and Presbyterian positions and the Disciples' practice of baptizing by immersion. The Christian Century, in its July 22, 1936, issue, editorialized regarding a possible organic union. The editorial, which discussed baptismal theology, concluded:
What really keeps Baptists and Disciples apart and, in the main, keeps all Protestant denominations apart, is not actual present differences but hangover attitudes developed in the day when there were differences. Though difficult to define, these are very real obstacles to union. There are also institutional obstacles of a more substantial nature. Organizations and agencies have been built up at a great cost of effort and money. These vested interests are the objects of a kind of family or tribal pride on the part of each denomination. This pride is fostered by the large and influential secretariat which has charge of the sacred vessels of the Lord. Unless there is a conscience on Christian unity, some vivid sense of the sin of being Baptists or Disciples, or anything else than Christians, there is no hope of overcoming the inertia of the status quo.
Union between Baptists and Disciples is both desirable and possible. No one wishes to rush it, and it will doubtless be years before the natural processes that make for unification can work out their full effect. Perhaps the most that can be done now is to realize that these processes are natural and that the end is both desirable and possible.
But if the ultimate merging of Baptists and Disciples were to be considered as creating an immersionist bloc, as giving renewed emphasis to a single ordinance, and as producing a deeper cleavage between immersionist and non-immersionist bodies, its injuries would far outweigh its benefits. To make this one practice which the two denominational bodies have in common the bond of unity between them would be to make it afresh a divisive issue in the Christian world. The attainment of a larger fellowship does not lie in that direction. When Baptists and Disciples unite, they should do so upon the realization that they are both free peoples giving liberty within their ranks for a wide variety of individual opinion and local congregational practice. Most of their congregations practice immersion, but not all of them insist upon it. The fact that the practice is general among them and that it has been prominent in their history gives them a feeling of kinship, but it is not the true ground for union between them, as it is not the ground of their present denominational unity.
To unite immersionists against the world would be a calamity to the Christian cause. To unite Baptists and Disciples on the ground of their common faith, purpose and liberty would be a step toward still wider union on the same basis. For the essential things that Baptists and Disciples have in common are not their exclusive possession.
The two groups did not merge, obviously, but they did produce two joint hymnals. The first was Christian Worship: A Hymnal (1941).
It was, like many hymnals of its generation, classy–emphasizing the quality of hymn texts and a degree of formality of worship. As the Preface said in part:
It [the hymnal] will be adaptable to the more dignified and formal worship of the stately church and to the simple service of the less pretentious.
My experience with the book has been positive, for I have located some wonderful hymns here, having not found them in any other hymnal in my collection. This has proven quite helpful to the pursuit of one of my hobbies.
Less successful, my Internet research has indicated, was the 1970 follow-up, Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), which was more formal than many of its contemporaries in mainline Protestantism. Whereas the 1941 hymnal had limited worship resources (just responsive readings, some invocations, a few Scriptural selections for baptism and the Lord's Supper, and a page of benedictions), the 1970 volume offered Scriptural readings for Adoration and Praise, a collection of litanies, pages of Affirmations of Faith, Prayers of Worship, some Psalms, and Biblical excerpts arranged topically: Offering, The Lord's Supper, Baptism, and Benedictions. Archaic language remained, for God was often "Thee." Hymnbook for Christian Worship was a volume which reflected a previous age in a time of rapid change. Sometimes its stylistic conservatism was justified, especially given certain excesses of innovative worship in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet it, like its Presbyterian contemporary, The Worshipbook, showed its age rapidly–yet in a different way. The former was nouveau; the latter was ancien.
Subsequent denominational developments in worship have revealed that Hymnbook for Christian Worship was a dead end. The American Baptists have not authorized a hymnal since 1970. Their congregations use a range of hymnbooks. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) published Chalice Hymnal (1995) and Chalice Worship (1997). The former, unfortunately, has been out of print for a few years. Yesterday morning, while not even looking for it, I found a copy of Chalice Praise (2003) at a thrift store. Editor David P. Polk, in A Word to Worshipers, wrote:
You hold in your hands not just another supplement to a recent hymnal. This set of musical resources for the church's worship is a different type of collection. It specifically offers a gathering together of the best and often the freshest of songs that characterize contemporary Christian music.
–page vi
That last sentence is oxymoronic.
Christian Worship: A Hymnal (1941) and Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970) are volumes I am glad to have in my hymnal collection, for I consult them while conducting research into hymnody. I am, with regard to hymnody, much like the archaeologist of a certain joke; the older his wife became, the more interesting he found her. Chalice Praise (2003), however, reminds me of what Thomas Day, in the subtitle to his book, Why Catholics Can't Sing (1990), called
the triumph of bad taste
Why is bad taste so ubiquitous?
JANUARY 29, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LYDIA, DORCAS, AND PHOEBE, COWORKERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
THE FEAST OF ANDREI RUBLEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICONOGRAPHER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GENESIUS I OF CLERMONT AND PRAEJECTUS OF CLERMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; AND SAINT AMARIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT GILDAS THE WISE, HISTORIAN AND ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Posted January 29, 2014 by neatnik2009 in Liturgy, Psalm 133
Tagged with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, American Baptist Convention, Baptism, Baptismal Regeneration, Chalice Hymnal (1995), Chalice Praise (2003), Christ Episcopal Church Valdosta Georgia, Christian Worship: A Hymnal (1941), Contemporary Worship, David P. Polk, Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), Hymns for the Family of God (1976), Northern Baptist Convention, The Christian Century, Traditional Worship, Valdosta Georgia, Valdosta State University
"Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled…." 1 comment
Above: Jesus, the Bread of Life
Acts 13:26-33 (Revised English Bible):
[Paul continued,]
My brothers, who came of Abraham's stock, and others among you who worship God, we are the people to whom this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, or understand the words of the prophets which are read sabbath by sabbath; indeed, they fulfilled them by condemning him. Though they failed to find grounds for the sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that the scriptures said about him, they took him down from the gibbet and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and over a period of many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses before our people.
We are here to give you the good news that God, who made the promise to the fathers, has fulfilled it for the children by raising Jesus from the dead, as indeed it stands written in the second Psalm: 'You are my son, this day I have begotten you.'
Psalm 2 (Revised English Bible):
Why are the nations in turmoil?
Why do the peoples hatch their futile plots?
Kings of the earth stand ready,
and princes conspire together
against the LORD and his anointed king.
Let us break their fetters,
they cry,
let us throw off their chains!
He who sits enthroned in the heavens laughs,
the Lord derides them;
then angrily he rebukes them,
threatening them in his wrath.
I myself have enthroned my king,
he says,
on Zion, my holy mountain.
I shall announce the decree of the LORD:
You are my son,
he said to me;
this day I have become your father,
Ask of me what you will:
I shall give you nations as your domain,
the earth to its farthest ends as your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron,
shatter them like an earthen pot.
Be mindful, then, you kings;
take warning, you earthly rulers:
worship the LORD with reverence;
tremble, and pay glad homage to the king,
for fear the LORD may become angry
and you may be struck down in mid-course;
for his anger flares up in a moment.
Happy are all who find refuge in him!
John 14:1-6 (Anchor Bible):
[On the evening the Last Supper Jesus spoke to this apostles, saying,]
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith, then, in me. There are many dwelling places in my father's house; otherwise I would have warned you. I am going off to prepare a place for you; and when I do go and prepare a place for you I am coming back to take you along with me, so that where I am, you may also be. And you know the way to where I am going.
Thomas said,
Lord, we don't know where you are going. So how can we know the way?
Jesus told him,
I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to Father except through me.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, and, as we confess that Christ, the Savior of the world, lives with you in glory, grant that, as he himself has promised, we may perceive him present among us also, to the end of the ages; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Authorized Version of the Bible translates "dwelling places" from John 14:2 as "mansions." This is a poor translation, for, depending on the scholar one consults, the reference in Greek can have three possible meanings:
1. There are "many rooms" (as the New International Version renders the text). The location of one's room in the afterlife depends on one's life: good for good and evil for evil. Some Jewish literature of the time contained this idea.
2. There is a series of roadside rooms where a traveler sleeps overnight before rising the next morning and going on his or her way. So there are stages of one's spiritual journey, even in Heaven.
3. There are many rooms in God's house, with plenty of room for everybody.
I like #2. But who knows, really? The main idea we should remember that Jesus is central to this afterlife.
Let us remember, too, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." Given the literary context within the Johannine Gospel, Jesus had many reasons to be troubled. And yet he said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." And Paul the Apostle endured his share of difficulties after become a Christian and evangelist. Yet the epistles he wrote and dictated reflect a deep and abiding faith, great determination, and moments of frustration and pique, but not a greatly troubled heart.
I was a student at Valdosta State University and a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta, Georgia, from 1993 to 1996. One day I attended the funeral for Deacon Stella Clark's son. I arrived at the church just before the funeral, for I chose not to skip a class meeting. The church was full, so I had to sit in the Parish Hall and listen to the service on a speaker. I recall Stella reading the Gospel, which began "Do not let your hearts be troubled…," her voice breaking. That was great faith indeed. During that service she administered communion, the bread of life, to me.
Life contains the good and the bad, the joyous and the excruciating, and all degrees in the middle. Through it all we are not alone, no matter how much we feel that way. Experience has taught me that grace is most noticeable when the need for it is greatest. So I carry meaningful memories related to traumatic times. I rejoice in the great joy during those troubled times and thank God for the spiritual growth which has flowed from them, but take no delight in those times themselves. And I have learned more deeply the truth of "Do not let your hearts be troubled…." This is a lesson one can learn only by living.
APRIL 6, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF ALBRECHT DURER, MATTHIAS GRUNEWALD, AND LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, ARTISTS
THE FEAST OF DANIEL G. C. WU, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO CHINESE AMERICANS
THE FEAST OF FREDERIC BARKER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF SYDNEY
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http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/twenty-seventh-day-of-easter/
Posted March 30, 2012 by neatnik2009 in Acts of the Apostles 13, John 14, Psalm 2
Tagged with Christ Episcopal Church Valdosta Georgia, Easter, Valdosta State University
Arguing with God 3 comments
Above: The Sacrifice of Isaac (1603 version), by Caravaggio
Genesis 22:1-19 (An American Translation):
Some time after this [the covenant with Abimelech] God put Abraham to the test.
Abraham!
he said to him.
Here am I,
Take your son,
your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and there offer him as a burnt-offering on one of the hills which I shall designate to you.
So next morning Abraham rose early, and harnessing his ass, he took two of his servants with him and his son Isaac, and having cut wood for the burnt-offering, he started off for the sanctuary which God had designated to him. On the third day, when Abraham raised his eyes, he saw the sanctuary in the distance. So Abraham said to his servants,
Stay here with the ass, while I and the boy go yonder to perform our devotions, after which we shall return to you.
So Abraham took the wood for the burnt-offering and put on the back of his son Isaac, while he carried in his own hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them went off together.
Father!
said Isaac to his father Abraham.
Yes, my son,
he responded.
Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for a burnt-offering?
Abraham said,
God will provide himself with the sheep for a burnt-offering, my son.
Thereupon the two of them proceeded on their way together.
When they had arrived at the sanctuary which God had designated to him, Abraham built the altar there, arranged the wood, and binding his son Isaac, laid him on the altar on top of the wood. But as Abraham put out his hand to grasp the knife to slay his son, the angel of the LORD called to him from the heavens,
Abraham, Abraham!
Here I am.
Do not lay hands on the boy, do nothing of the sort to him; for I know now that you revere God, in that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.
When Abraham raised his eyes, he saw behind him a ram caught in the brushwood by its horns! So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt-offering in place of his son. Then Abraham called the name of that sanctuary Yahweh-jireh, which today is interpreted as
At the hill of the LORD provision is made.
A second time the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from the heavens,
I swear by myself
–that is the oracle of the LORD–
that since you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and will surely make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky, or the sands of that are on the seashore, so that your descendants shall take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your descendants all the nations of the earth shall invoke blessings on one another–just because you have heeded my injunction.
Abraham then returned to his servants, and together they started off for Beersheba; and in Beersheba Abraham made his home.
Psalm 116:1-8 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me;
O came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name of the LORD;
"O LORD, I pray you, save my life."
4 Gracious is the LORD and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
5 The LORD watches over the innocent;
I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul,
for the LORD has treated you well.
7 For you have rescued my life from death,
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the presence of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Matthew 9:1-8 (An American Translation):
So he [Jesus] got into the boat and crossed the sea, and returned to his own city.
Some people came bringing to him on a bed a man who was paralyzed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic,
Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.
Some of the scribes said to themselves,
This man is talking blasphemy!
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said,
Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But would you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth.
Then he said to the paralytic,
Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!
And he got up and went home. And when the crowd saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to men.
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant to us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
I attended Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, from 1993 to 1996. During that time I belonged to and attended Christ Episcopal Church, across the street from the campus. One year I attended the passion play at Park Avenue United Methodist Church. The opening scene of "God Hath Provided the Lamb" was the near-sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. The play reflected a traditional Christian interpretation of this horrible story, that of prefiguring the sacrifice of Jesus. (The play also embraced Penal Substitutionary Atonement, another bad idea.)
Today, December 17, 2010, for the second time in a few days, I have typed out the entire text of Genesis 22:1-19. The previous time I typed out the text according to the New Revised Standard Version for the Proper 8, Year A, Revised Common Lectionary post (http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/proper-8-year-a/). This is one reading that rips out my heart every time. How would you, O reader, feel if you were Isaac? Abraham bargains with God for the lives of strangers in Genesis 18 yet never for that of his own flesh and blood. The concept of obedience to God has that strong a hold over him.
Obviously, I reject the premise that God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Only a sadistic deity would do such a thing, and my image of God comes from Jesus, love incarnate.
Once I heard a brief comparison of Islam and Judaism. The chief value in Islam is submitting to God, but people argue with God in Judaism. I like arguing with God. And what better time is there to argue with God than in defense of a family member? If the argument does nothing else, it might clear up any confusion: "Did you, O God, really command me to sacrifice my son?" The best way to get an answer to ask a question.
In Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus is back home in Capernaum, where some friends bring a paralyzed man to be healed. A common belief at the time and place held that physical ailments had their origin in sin, so perhaps the paralyzed man believed this. His condition might have been psychosomatic. Jesus addresses both sides–the spiritual/psychological and the physical–and receives criticism from religiously orthodox people of the time and place. Was Jesus committing blasphemy by forgiving sins?
I note that these critics focused on their narrow theological concerns, not the well-being of the paralyzed man. Therein resided their wickedness. They needed to care about people more than abstract theology. They failed to understand that the best theology finds expression not only in words but in compassionate deeds as well.
In Matthew 9:1-8 we have an example of when arguing with God was inappropriate. Lest we content ourselves with praising Jesus and condemning his critics, we need to ask ourselves some difficult questions: Who are we in this story? Are we so bound to our own traditions that, if, were we of a different time, place, and culture, we would probably defend traditions and propositions we reject today? These are questions of personality and spiritual type.
I answer for myself, and for myself alone. I do not know where I would have stood in relation to Jesus under such hypothetical circumstances. I like to think that I would have followed him, but this is just a hope. I suspect that I would have been agnostic at best and critical at worst, for I prefer certain traditions.
Knowing when to argue with God can be difficult. May we choose wisely.
DECEMBER 17, 2010 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIA STEWART, EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB, FOUNDER OF SAVE THE CHILDREN
THE FEAST OF FRANK MASON NORTH, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT OLYMPIAS, ORTHODOX DEACONESS
Published originally at ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/week-of-proper-8-thursday-year-1/
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Posted August 26, 2011 by neatnik2009 in Genesis 22, Matthew 9, Psalm 116
Tagged with Atonement, Christ Episcopal Church Valdosta Georgia, Compassion, Forgiveness, Isaac, Judaism, Park Avenue United Methodist Church Valdosta Georgia, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Valdosta Georgia, Valdosta State University
Regarding Faith and Reason I Leave a comment
Above: Richard Hooker, Who Gave Us the Anglican Three Legged Stool: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
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I have observed over the years how, particularly in Bible Belt, my geographical context, many people suspend critical thinking in matters of faith and religion. This is an unfortunate human tendency. We are the species Homo sapiens sapiens. Our Latin name indicates that we think. So, why do so many of us choose not to do this?
One reason is the power of tradition, doctrine, and dogma, which combine to induce the fear of an unpleasant afterlife in many. A common characteristic of many religions is the injunction to believe X, Y, and Z…or else. This, I think, is mostly a social control mechanism of human origin.
I do not say, however, that we should believe just anything. My library contains many books that contain theology I describe charitably as "interesting" because that term is polite compared to my actual opinion. ("B.S." is the abbreviation for my actual opinion of certain theology.) The Book of Mormon, for example, is "interesting." Also, it contradicts archeology. I side with the archeologists. Yet one aspect of Mormonism is the downplaying of critical thinking (and the emphasizing of having faith) in cases of conflicts between Mormon teaching with science and history.
I cannot divorce faith and reason, however. So I reject The Book of Mormon as rubbish and a bad forgery. So I accept the reality of the biological processes of evolution through natural selection. So I accept the fossil record and recognize that the beginning of Genesis is not a science text. (The first few chapters of Genesis teach me profound truths about human nature and divine nature–that God is one and possessed of a stable personality; that we bear the image of God, with some free will–and that is wonderful. )
The Episcopal Church, to which I belong, has a poster bearing an image of Jesus. It says, "He died to take away your sins, not your mind." This summarizes much of what I like about my adopted denomination. Anglican teaching rejects the broad meaning Sola Scriptura, or scripture alone, the (false) standard of many Protestants. Rather, we learn that we must use tradition and reason in addition to scripture. I agree with this position, consistent with the narrow meaning of Sola Scriptura: Nothing outside of scripture is necessary for salvation.
My intellect constitutes an essential element of my life of faith. There I recognize part of the image of God within myself. There I see what separates me from many other sentient species. So I refuse to discount the importance of the intellect in relation to tradition, scripture, dogma, doctrine, or emotion, the latter of which is especially popular among many Evangelicals.
No, I prefer a cooler, more intellectual Christianity, in contrast to an ecstatic, experience-oriented variety. This is who I am. Here I stand. I will do no other. I can do no other.
Faith and reason are different ways of knowing. Reason carries me far–to the foot the cross, in fact. There faith takes over. The resurrection of Jesus is an essential element of Christianity. Without it I would have belong to another tradition. I cannot prove that the resurrection occurred, nor can I prove that it did not occur. It resides in the jurisdiction of faith. Through faith I believe–I trust–that it happened. Through faith I interpret its meaning. The fact that the resurrection is a matter of faith, not documented history, does not bother me.
I have harbored more doubts that certain answers for years. This does not concern me, for asking questions increases the probability of finding answers. And even if I do not find certain answers that is fine, too, for I do not need to know everything or most things. God knows them, and I am content with that.
Years ago, when I was an undergraduate at Valdosta State College, Valdosta, Georgia, two dorm mates (of Evangelical persuasions) told me that I think too much. I should be content to believe–just believe–they said. One of these individuals informed me that my excessive thinking was sending me to Hell. I restrained my tongue and did not offer to save her a seat, but I had no more substantial conversations with her. I had nothing else to say to her.
I reject all forms of fundamentalism. They shut down debate and ignore evidence that runs afoul of the fundamentalists' established worldview. Religious fundamentalism is just as bad as atheistic fundamentalism, such as that of Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher, or Richard Dawkins. All these varieties represent extremes, and truth, I have found, is seldom at the extremes.
Published originally at SUNDRY THOUGHTS OF KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
Posted August 10, 2011 by neatnik2009 in Uncategorized
Tagged with Anglicanism, Atheism, Bill Maher, Book of Mormon, Christopher Hitchens, Evangelicalism, Evolution, Faith, Fundamentalism, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Reason, Richard Dawkins, Richard Hooker, Sola Scriptura, Three-Legged Stool, Valdosta Georgia, Valdosta State University