Amicus Dei

I’m back.  Not that anyone is around to notice, but after a protracted absence I am again resuming Amicus Dei.  I have tried several times to ignore, kill, or let it die a peaceful death, but I just can’t.  I’ve also tried posting stuff at my other blog, Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor, that previously I would have posted here.  It doesn’t work.  So, I’m back.  

One reason I neglected Amicus Dei was the frustratingly poor transfer from Typepad to WordPress.  I lost all the tags, most of the images, and who knows what else.  I have about 200 posts here, so I’ll fix them by category starting with the church-as-abbey posts.  

Times are uncertain at best now, and friendship with God and others seems more important to me than ever.  So, I’m back.  Thanks for your patience, both of you.   Stay tuned.  Peace. – Amicus Dei

Debbie and I started a new blog, Eden’s Path, to chronicle our journey toward a sustainable, simple life. The name Eden’s Path is taken from a old Celtic Christian saying that living in this world is like having “one foot in Eden.” We thought that summed up what we were trying to say. At Eden’s Path we’ll explore ways to live more simply — spend less, enjoy it more, slow down, and live our lives in the rhythm of God’s grace.

This journey started when we turned off our cable TV, and began to use that time to think, read, talk, cook, and generally try to live our life “mindfully” as the Buddhists say. Of course, Jesus said something similar when he said, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.”

There is also a monastic component here, too. Two words described the life of monks — orare et laborare — to pray and to work. So, that’s what we’re trying to do within the limits of our ability. And if it sounds way too serious and grim, we’re actually having a lot of fun! If you’re interested, stop by Eden’s Path, and leave a comment or some helpful hints. We need all the help we can get! — Amicus Dei

John Allen Paulos sent me a review copy of his book, Irreligion.  Thanks to Dr.  Paulos and Hill & Wang (division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux)  for their kindness and I’ll post a review shortly.   You might be surprised at what I say.  Or then, again, maybe not.  Stay tuned.

Today is the Virginia presidential primary, and Debbie and I voted just a few minutes ago.  Not many voters today, the poll workers said.  Maybe because we’re in a very Republican area, and that contest looks settled.  But, I wonder if the historic impact of voting choices today on the Democratic side has been realized.  If you vote in the Democratic primary today in Virginia, you are making history regardless of your choice.  A black man whose father was an immigrant, and a white woman are the primary candidates for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America.  With all that is wrong with us, this is a very bright moment indeed.  Debbie and I participated in history today, casting ballots of hope.  -- Amicus Dei

It all started when we unplugged the TV cable. We’re now in our fourth month without TV, cable or otherwise. I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl, which apparently was actually super this year. Without cable we don’t get Fox (not a total loss, I might add), and no one invited me to a Super Bowl party, so no SB this year. But, I’m getting off point.

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I just finished reading The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church by Vladimir Lossky.  This is not a new book because Lossky died in 1958, but it is an excellent volume on Orthodox theology and tradition.  I waited for several weeks for the book from Amazon, so undoubtedly it is hard to come by, but the wait was worth it.  Here are some of the reasons I like the book:

1. Good introduction to Orthodox theology.  Although familiarity with theological concepts helps, the book is well-written and gives a clear, concise overview of Eastern thought.   
2. Offers clear, yet charitable distinctions between the theology of the West (RCC) and East.  Lossky does not shrink from pointing out the differences in the two traditions, but he does so charitably.  Here’s an interesting one:  Lossky states that there are no recorded instances of Eastern saints receiving the stigmata, which is found often in the saints of the Roman Catholic Church.  However, there are many instances of Orthodox saints becoming “transfigured” — glowing with light in their physical bodies.  p243
3. Defines mystical as belonging both to theology and experience.  “As regards the Eastern Church, we have already remarked that she makes no sharp distinction between theology and mysticism, between the realm of the common faith and that of personal experience.” p14
4. Presents a high view of Trinitarian theology.  Central to Orthodoxy is the Trinity — God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  Lossky discusses at length and in almost every chapter the Orthodox view of beginning with the concrete Persons of the Godhead, and moving toward the One Nature of the Trinity.  This is the reverse of the Western Church, which begins with the concept of One Nature and then moves to define the Three Persons.  The section on Divine Energies is particularly fresh and helpful. 

There is so much more that I like about this book, and Orthodox theology in general.  One particularly amazing story is found in the chapter on The Divine Light.  But, I’ll write about that in another post because it deserves the spotlight all to itself. 

If you’re interested in reading good theology that will make you think, this is a good book.  I found little to disagree with, and much to be amazed at from our often mysterious Eastern cousins.  One wonders how much richer the Christian faith would be if the schism had not occurred.   Or maybe Christianity is richer because the East and West did go their separate ways.  Thankfully, the Eastern Church still has much to teach, and this book is a great place to begin to learn.  – Amicus Dei

 In the celtic Christian abbey, the monks and nuns practiced a “rule of life.”   The most well-known example of this is The Rule of St. Benedict, written by the father of the Benedictine order.  But other traditions also have a rule of life that shapes community.   A simple  example I like is this one:

1. Protect all life. “I am committed to cultivating compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals.  I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.”
2. Use material possessions for good.  “I will practice generosity…I am determined not to steal….I will respect the property of others…I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.”
3. Practice love and responsibility in the area of sexual relationships.  “I am committed to…protect the safety and intergrity of individuals, couples, families, and society…determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others…do everything in my power to protect children and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.”
4. Speak lovingly and listen deeply. “Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am determined to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope…I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord…I am determined to make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”
5. Cultivate good health practices. “I will ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body…I am determined not to use alcohol or any intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain programs, magazines, books, films and conversations.  I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself  and in society by practicing a diet for myself and society…”

Quotes excerpted from Thich Nhat Hanh:  Essential Writings, pages 159-160, by Orbis Books.

These rules govern the life of the community, or sangha, in Mahayana Buddhism.  If you would like to read more about this rule of life, read Thich Nhat Hanh’s books, particularly Being Peace.  The church-as-abbey would also practice a rule of life around which its members shape their lives.   Some neomonastic communities are doing this now, but traditional churches can also find a rule of life suitable for their shared commitments together.   Of course, as in the Celtic abbeys, not everyone who comes into the abbey will commit to that rule or practice it, but a core group of neomonastics could.  — Amicus Dei

As 2007 comes to a close, here are The Top 10 Posts on Amicus Dei for 2007 —

1. Why I Preach From The Lectionary — This post recently was picked up by the Religious Herald and quoted by Baptists Today.  More of us Baptists are realizing the wisdom of following the Christian Year, and preaching from the revised common lectionary. 
2. A Baptist Using Prayer Beads — Another odd thing for a Baptist preacher to do, use prayer beads.  But there they are.  Sadly, the beads in the photo broke this year and some went missing.  My other set  is hanging here at my desk now. 
3. The Church as Abbey — This is the first post I did on the-church-as-abbey concept.  Several more followed with lots of comments and interest over the year. 
4. Prayer for the Wandering Heart — This is one of my favorites because I was living the poem’s story. 
5. Doing Justice:  Don Imus Has To Go — Remember the Imus affair?  Off the airwaves in disgrace.  Less than a year later, he’s back.  With the same guests.  But hopefully not the same tired routine.
6. Where Is God?  — Portion of a sermon I preached after the killings at Virginia Tech.  ChristianityToday.com picked it up on their site.
7. Groundbreaking for The Community Center — Two years of work came together as 40-kids donned "hardhats" and kid-size shovels to break ground for our new community center here in Chatham.  We’ll move in April, 2008.  I’ll keep you posted.
8. Why Are We Putting Children in Prison? — I was stunned by this story of the incarceration of young children and their mothers who came to the US seeking asylum.  Thankfully the ACLU won a lawsuit, and now these same children who are still in prison can have teddy bears and crayons.  What happened to give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free? 
9. Mother Teresa and the dark night of the soul — my take on the controversy surrounding the publication of Mother Teresa’s memoirs, and her confession that Christ seemed far from her.
10. Nothing Personal — a true story of friends of ours and their encounter with anti-Semitism now and as history. 

So there they are — the top 10 from 2007.  I hope this year has been good for you.  See you next year!   — Amicus Dei 

Thanks to Steve Collins at small ritual for this great set of slides on flickr titled urban church set.  I had posted some of Steve’s work earlier here — his design for a meeting space for new expressions of church.  That was on the micro level, urban church set is the macro level. 

Steve sees the whole community as a potential set — venue, stage, space — for the church.  This is a wonderfully reimagined version of the Celtic church-as-abbey as a multi-structure village.  Only in Steve’s version, which I really like, he takes public and private spaces and repurposes them for "church" — which gets loosely, but relevantly defined depending on the experience going on in a space.  You have to see the slide show to get the idea, but this is the first really good undestanding I’ve seen of this concept.  Thanks, Steve! 

Oh, check out Steve’s other stuff, too.  Creative guy.  – Amicus Dei

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?  Well, it’s back and reimagined just in time for the 21st century.  Thanks to Kevin Kelly for the link to the slow movement. Slow is the new fast — as in slow food, slow travel, slow cities, slow schools, slow books, slow living, and slow everything else.  But before you quickly shout, "I don’t have time for slow" — here’s the bottom line:

Slow is about connecting again to people, places, food, and life.  The trend is to simplify your life, focusing on real (hence, slow) experiences.

Here’s help for navigating the world of slow:

• downshifting — "Downshifters are people who adopt long-term voluntary simplicity in their life. They accept less money through fewer hours worked in order to have time for the important things in life."
• connection — "We are searching for connection. We want connection to people – ourselves, our family, ourcommunity, our friends, – to food, to place (where we live), and to life. We want connection to all that it means to live – we want to live a connected life."
• natural rhythms — Slow living means finding the natural rhythms of our lives based on nature’s rhythms.  In other times and cultures, these natural rhythms were celebrated by the community, and slow living seeks to reconnect with the rhythm of life.
• the manual — There’s even a book, In Praise of Slow by Carl Honore, which is the bible of the slow movement.

Which brings me to church.  Church, that classically slowest-of-slow institutions has finally caught up to the world of fast, only to find that people really want slow.  Slow meaning real, face-to-face, high quality, made-by-us, where-everybody-knows-your-name kind of thing.   

Here’s the slow making manifesto, an example of how craftspersons and artisans might become slow:

1.To strive for appropriate excellence in the making process

2. To make objects that enhance the life of the user

3. To know the origins of our materials, ensuring that they respect country; the communities who produced or harvested them and are from sustainable sources

4. To make objects that will last, can be easily repaired when necessary and are made using materials and processes that do not harm the makers, the community or the environment

5. To deal with our co-workers, clients, suppliers and sellers in an ethical and fair manner

6. To foster, utilise and pass on skills that enhance the making process

7. To enjoy and relish the way of slow making

This might be a good approach for a church to adopt.  Especially Number 7: To enjoy and relish the way of slow making.  – Amicus Dei