Green Shoots

Passing the peace

Your humble blogger is an inveterate optimist. Young families are starting to come (back) to church, and I wonder if a decades-long declining-attendance trend has finally been reversed. Could this be another Great Awakening? America experiences a religious revival every century or so.

I'm also confident that the stock market will rebound, though it's likely not going to happen this week. We underestimate the resilience and adaptabiity of American companies, who will be able to ride out this storm until tariffs are reduced, either through negotiation or pressure from the President's own supporters.

It's been less than one week that the new tariff policy has been in effect, and if someone had said that a Presidential announcement of a non-military nature had erased $6.6 trillion in stock market value in two trading days I wouldn't have believed him.

Tariffs have been called a self-inflicted wound; well, if it could be done by one man then it could be undone by him if the pain becomes unbearable.

Speaking of self-inflicted wounds, I am glad to see that Americans are coming to their senses about decarbonization. The need for energy has escalated dramatically because of the artificial-intelligence boom, and it's futile to decommission clean-burning natural gas turbines while China is bringing on stream two coal-fired plants per week. We'll need the electricity so that our AI and robots can overcome China and other countries' advantages in labor costs.

Amidst the stock market "wreckage" (still above the levels in 2022) I see green shoots.

Who Gets the Credit?

The lady minister preached about one of Jesus' most well-known miracles, the conversion of water to wine:

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.---John 2:1-11

The lady minister said that Jesus did not perform this and other miracles to "dazzle" or prove that Jesus is the Son of God but "to show forth the light and the love of God."

We are now in that period in late January when football players who perform spectacularly sometimes give thanks to God or Jesus first, then talk about the details of the game. Most viewers initially listen through secular filters and think that real credit should be given to thousands of hours of practice and coaching, but a game "hero" has traditionally earned the right to say what he really feels, as long as he's not too preachy. The interview quickly moves on to football.

If one thinks about how to apply today's Gospel, the teaching is not really about the football player's talent, the game's outcome, the players and coaches who contributed, or even his gratitude to God for the above, although that was undoubtedly his intent.

The real story is about how God's glory is revealed in the events that have just occurred, a philosophical attitude that is often derided in fiction ("The surgeons saved his life." It's a miracle! Thank the Lord!)

The 12th Day of Christmas (Reprise)

Now that Congress has certified the election of Donald Trump, normalcy has begun to return to January 6th. Perhaps in a decade or so, the events of four years ago will have receded to history's dustbin, where they belong. Knowing that the events of that day will pass, I wrote this on January 6, 2021.

Da Vinci's Adoration of the Magi (unfinished)

Brittanica: [bold added]

Epiphany, also called Feast of the Epiphany, Theophany, or Three Kings’ Day, (from Greek epiphaneia, “manifestation”), Christian holiday commemorating the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of his divinity, as it occurred at his baptism in the Jordan River and at his first miracle, at Cana in Galilee.

Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian church (the other two are Easter and Christmas). Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and other Western churches observe the feast on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Epiphany on January 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on January 6.

A half-century ago churches held services on January 6th no matter what day of the week it was. It was on the Feast of the Epiphany, not Christmas, that the pageant was held when the kids dressed up as angels, kings, shepherds and, of course, Joseph and Mary.

I've played most of the parts, but never Joseph. Joseph was not a desirable role to us kids--everyone else had better costumes or appurtenances like a shepherd's crook. As we got older we began to understand Joseph's honorable decisions when he found that his virgin bride was pregnant.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ---Matthew 1:18-19

An angel told Joseph in a dream that Mary was bearing the Son of God, Joseph went ahead with his marriage to Mary, and the rest is history.

On a day when too many people have acted ignobly, give a thought to Joseph, without whom there probably wouldn't be any Christmas--or Epiphany--to celebrate.

James Earl Carter, Jr. (1924-2024)

Former President Jimmy Carter, 100, has died:

The 39th president’s sole term in office was marred by a listless economy and stubborn inflation, squabbles within his party, gridlock in Congress and the seizure of American hostages in Iran. Considered a long-shot Democratic candidate when he announced his bid, Carter would broker a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and set in motion other changes that would dominate global politics in subsequent years.

Many of the achievements for which he was recognized came after he left office in January 1981. He was the most active former president in modern U.S. history, gaining renown for work over four decades monitoring elections around the world, fighting neglected diseases, working to raise living standards for the poor and advocating for human rights. He did much of this work through the Carter Center, the humanitarian nonprofit he founded with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, in 1982.

“Jimmy Carter will probably not go down in American history as the most effective president. But he is certainly the best ex-president the country ever had,” said Gunnar Berge of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in his 2002 speech presenting Carter with the peace prize.

Because of the Iran hostage crisis and moribund economy during his term, Jimmy Carter's Presidency is poorly regarded. But there were some positives:

But he had some notable successes in foreign affairs, including the Camp David Accords. Signed with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, they reshaped the Middle East by bringing a lasting peace to two hostile nations. And domestically, the president was able to push deregulation of airlines, railroads and other industries. He signed a law establishing the Energy Department to regulate existing sources of energy and fund research into new sources and other technologies.

If there's one thing that I remember about President Carter, it's his outspoken Christianity. He was mocked by the Eastern cognoscenti for the Playboy "lust in my heart" interview:

"I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times."

In his defense he wasn't saying anything that most red-blooded American males didn't identify with, but back in the '70's one just didn't talk about such things in public. To his secular supporters he had committed an unforced error by bringing up one of the central struggles of being an evangelical Christian---that God judges men not by their actions but by what is in their hearts:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.---Matthew 5:27

Jimmy Carter spent his post-Presidency showing everyone what it was like to walk the walk over more than four decades. He and Rosalynn lived humbly in Plains, GA and gave generously of their time and money to philanthropic endeavors.

IMHO, Jimmy Carter's failures provide the answer to a question that journalists liked to ask during the recent Presidential campaign: "How can Christians vote for a rapist, serial liar, and convicted felon?" The answer is obvious: we elected a saint once before, and look where that got us. R.I.P.

Kamala Harris Goes to Church

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution photo)

Kamala Harris has had trouble attracting Christian, particularly Catholic, voters due to her pro-abortion stance, so she began the day at a Black church in Philadelphia:

Vice President Kamala Harris started her Sunday at services at the Church of Christian Compassion in West Philadelphia. She told the largely Black congregation that the “next nine days will test us—they will demand everything we’ve got.”

“In this moment, we do face a real question: What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of chaos, fear and hate, or a country of freedom, justice, and compassion?” Harris asked, adding, “The great thing about living in a democracy is we, the people, have the choice to answer that question.” Harris is spending the day in the Philadelphia area as polls show a tight race in Pennsylvania, the nation’s largest battleground state.

Vice President Harris is also trying to counter the anti-Christian impression of her "you guys are at the wrong rally" riposte when hecklers shouted "Jesus is Lord" and "Christ is King." (Her campaign asserts that she was responding to cries of "Lies! Lies! Lies!").

Despite her warm reception by the congregation, I doubt her appearance changed anyone's mind.

On Being First or Last

The minister read from the Gospel according to Mark:

He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

(The Matthew phrasing is more well known: "So the last shall be first, and the first last.")

Jesus' advice to humble ourselves seems more out of place than ever in the modern world, where success is measured by clicks, likes, and retweets.

C.S. Lewis in the Great Divorce describes how those individuals who are celebrated in heaven are ignored and likely unknown on earth:

Not at all,” said he. “It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.” “She seems to be...well, a person of particular importance?” “Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.” “And who are these gigantic people...look! They're like emeralds...who are dancing and throwing flowers before here?” “Haven't ye read your Milton? A thousand liveried angels lackey her.” “And who are all these young men and women on each side?” “They are her sons and daughters.” “She must have had a very large family, Sir.” “Every young man or boy that met her became her son – even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter.” “Isn't that a bit hard on their own parents?” “No. There are those that steal other people's children. But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.”

An honest self-assessment says that I am neither first or last, so I'll continue to live with uncertainty about where I'll end up.

Bad Things Can Come in a Small Package

Earlier this week I agreed with those who avoid discussions about politics:

Count me in the feigning-ignorance crowd. Stress harms one's mental and physical health. Our jobs, finances, and family problems are stressors enough, and voluntarily seeking more in political discussions seems crazy to your humble blogger.

This year is especially off-putting because the negative campaigning seems worse than ever. It's more about how awful the opponent is, rather than what the candidate is for. And political argumentation today involves not only how bad or evil the other person is, but the millions of people who support him or her.

Vilifying others is too easy and appeals to our worst instincts.

(Image from Jared Michael Matthew)

Today's New Testament reading is from James 3: [bold added]

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

In my youth I had an acerbic tongue, which I now understand partially stemmed from my own insecurities. Just as a recovering alcoholic avoids an environment where he could relapse, so do I stay away from situations where I would be tempted to diss my fellow man. So...no politics.

Still at the Acorn Stage

Some in Hollywood understand that the woke messaging (the villain is the white guy, the heroine of color is strong and independent and has no weaknesses) that has lost millions (see Disney's Star Wars prequel the Acolyte) requires a change of direction. The success of small-budget religious, specifically Christian-themed, movies has attracted investors' attention:

Faith-based film makers are getting bigger budgets.

[Jon] Erwin, 42, is a Christian filmmaker whose driving purpose is to put out uplifting stories that families can watch together. After nearly two decades of making small-budget movies in the parallel world of faith-based entertainment, he’s part of a loose tribe of filmmakers, producers and independent studios from that realm now storming into the mainstream.

Some key successes turned this corner of the industry into a hotbed. The Chosen, a multiseason TV drama about the life of Jesus and his apostles, became one of the most popular series in the world. Jesus Revolution, a movie by Erwin about a pastor and a hippie evangelist who create a surge of groovy Christians, pulled people into theaters in the shaky movie market of early 2023 and grossed about $54 million. Sound of Freedom, a thriller about child trafficking, had nothing to do with religion on the surface—but it galvanized religious viewers and grossed $250 million worldwide on a $15 million budget, becoming a box-office phenomenon second only to “Barbenheimer” last summer.

While my values are more aligned with Christianity than wokeness, I hope the new family-values film makers don't forget that the story is the key. Their movies will fail like the wokesters' if they forget that audiences want to be entertained, not lectured to.

"endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

Trump supporters pray at the site of the
assassination attempt Saturday. (WSJ)

While there has been a great amount of contemporary controversy surrounding the appropriateness of religion in the public square, there is no question that one of the founding documents of the United States of America was based on Christian principles: [bold added]

There is ample precedent for a religious interpretation of the Declaration. On July 4, 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams described it as the culmination of a Christian revolution. In “theories of the crown and the mitre,” Adams proposed, “man had no rights.” The discovery of inalienable liberty of conscience in matters of doctrine led to a re-evaluation of man’s obligation to ecclesiastical and civil powers. Whig reformers took tentative steps against “the oppressors of church and state” in Britain but still saw freedom as a privilege. The natural basis of rights was recognized only in America, where the government was founded on “a social compact formed upon the elementary principles of civil society, in which conquest and servitude had no part.”

...Adams’s words remind us that reconciliation has always been a feature of the American enterprise. We’d do well to heed his encouragement “to bless the Author of our being for the bounties of his providence, in casting our lot in this favored land; to remember with effusions of gratitude the sages who put forth, and the heroes who bled for the establishment of this Declaration.”

One doesn’t need to be a Christian nationalist to believe something miraculous happened in Philadelphia in 1776. Yet appreciation for that event should make even secular Americans wonder whether there are forces at work in history that transcend human understanding.

The Bible cites frequent instances of God's intervention in the affairs of man. His absence in the modern era--if He didn't stop the Holocaust of the Chosen People, when will He intervene?--lends credence to the notion that the Bible's examples were greatly exaggerated, or even imaginary, and/or that God has chosen to be aloof.

Every now and then a miracle occurs--the Founders' creation of a governing structure that lasted over 200 years, the clearing of the weather on D-Day, or the split-second turning of Donald Trump's head--resurrects the idea that God watches over the United States of America. Your humble blogger doesn't quite believe it either, but it's comforting to know that it's a possibility.

And now, for your edification, here is ChatGPT's take:

What evidence is there that the United States of America is a Christian nation?

The question of whether the United States is a Christian nation is complex and can be approached from various perspectives: historical, cultural, legal, and demographic. Here are some points often cited as evidence supporting the idea that the U.S. has Christian foundations:

Historical Evidence

1. Founding Fathers' Beliefs: Many of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, were influenced by Christian ideals. Some of their writings reflect Christian values.

2. Colonial Charters and State Constitutions: Early colonial charters and state constitutions often referenced Christianity and required officeholders to be Christians.

3. Declaration of Independence: The Declaration of Independence references a "Creator" and "Nature's God," which some interpret as aligning with Christian beliefs.

Cultural Evidence

1. Major Holidays: Christmas and Easter, both Christian holidays, are national holidays.

2. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase "under God," which was added during the Cold War era.

3. In God We Trust: This phrase is the national motto and appears on U.S. currency.

Legal Evidence

1. Supreme Court Rulings: Some Supreme Court rulings, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, made references to the U.S. being a "Christian nation" in dicta (statements made in decisions that are not legally binding).

2. Chaplains in Government: Both the U.S. Congress and the military have chaplains who are predominantly Christian.

Demographic Evidence

1. Population: A significant majority of Americans identify as Christian. According to various surveys, the percentage has been decreasing but remains a majority.

Counterpoints

1. Constitutional Secularism: The U.S. Constitution does not establish a national religion and includes the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

2. Diversity of Belief: The U.S. is home to a wide variety of religions and belief systems, and religious freedom is a foundational principle.

3. Founding Fathers' Intent: While many Founding Fathers were influenced by Christian ideals, they were also influenced by Enlightenment thinking and intended to create a secular government.

In summary, while there are many elements of American history, culture, and law that reflect Christian influences, the U.S. was explicitly founded with a separation of church and state, and it is home to a diverse array of religious beliefs.

"Take Nothing for Their Journey"

Today's reading from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 6:

"He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics."

The minister said that she took two lessons from Jesus' command to travel lightly: that we must have faith in a "radical dependence on God" and that we must be willing to "let go of our grip on those long-held practices and traditions that may not be helpful anymore."

Concerning the latter, she clarified that she doesn't mean that we must throw out the liturgy and all our traditions, but that we must be open to listen to the Spirit's voice if it tells us to change.

At this stage in my life, it's the former lesson, to leave our possessions behind, that speaks most loudly. All the financial security in the world can delay one's fate but not prevent it. In the end our accomplishments, our wealth, and any pride we might have in them mean little except more material for the obituary.

Later in Mark, Chapter 10, Jesus is more specific (my own reflection and not part of the minister's sermon): [bold added]

17 And when He had gone forth onto the road, there came one running, and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 And Jesus said unto him, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God.

19 Thou knowest the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honor thy father and mother.’”

20 And he answered and said unto Him, “Master, all these have I observed from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said unto him, “One thing thou lackest: Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.

I am and have been that young man, unwilling to take that final step and leave all behind. Sure, there are justifications that few will quarrel with--I have to take care of my family, I don't want to be a burden to others, etc.

But it's also true that what we thought of as a choice--to take nothing for the journey--was never in the end really a choice at all.

The Long March Claims the Methodists

Chaplain at UMC convention on May 1st. Crucifixes not
required, just your obeisance to the rainbow. (WSJ photo)

The Methodists are among the last Protestant denominations to bend to the cultural winds: [bold added]

The United Methodist Church at its General Conference last week voted by large margins to lift its ban on practicing homosexual clergy and to eliminate from its “Social Principles” the statement that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. The decision is significant for what has long been one of the nation’s biggest religious groups, with more than five million members.

As with every other mainline Protestant denomination in America, there has been a long struggle over the church’s traditional teaching that homosexuality is wrong and that marriage is between a man and a woman. The UMC stood its ground for longer than many other denominations, even reaffirming its position and strengthening the penalties for breaking the rules in 2019. That, however, was also the year the UMC adopted a policy that allowed congregations to leave the denomination with their property. Traditionalists did so in droves, with more than 7,000 American churches departing in the past five years, preparing the way for the progressives’ triumph.

The recent changes weren’t surprising. Liberal Protestantism has always been a religious reflection of the broader culture. In the 1950s that meant supporting the Cold War, with John Foster Dulles being perhaps the most prominent liberal Protestant in public life. The 1960s, the Vietnam War and the civil-rights movement changed that. Liberal Protestants continued to do what they have always done, adding a pious blessing and an air of divine sanction to the cultural politics of the day, but the politics moved left. As the notion of civil rights fused with the sexual revolution, supporting abortion, homosexuality and then transgenderism became the imperative of divine love.

We saw this phenomenon occur in my Episcopal Church decades ago. When non-chaste homosexuality became approved--not just in congregations but in priests and bishops--the Progressive takeover began, and millions left the Episcopal Church.

Today Progressives' triumph is complete (my retiring Bishop admiringly quotes Marx), with clergy openly lobbying not only for LGBTQ+ causes but for giving illegal immigrants the rights of citizens, free medical care for all, and the forced conversion of fossil-fuel power to wind and solar.

Someday I'd like them to explain why they repudiated nearly everything the Church told us 50 years ago, and why today's principles are the Way, the Truth, and the Light. But I'm not holding my breath. As Marx--the one whose followers didn't kill tens of millions--said, "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."

Palm Sunday, 2024

With four different priests, not to mention the addition of COVID protocols, the Palm Sunday liturgy for the Episcopal Church in Foster City has changed in each of the past five years. Today there would be no burning of incense, the services would not start outside, and there would be no marching around the block in emulation of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.

One constant was the wearing of liturgical red by the priest and many in the congregation. Another was the reading of the Passion Gospel (Mark 14-15), with various church members voicing the parts of Jesus, Pilate, the "crowd," the chief Priest, etc.

When I was a child I couldn't identify with major sections of the Passion Gospel: how could His loyal disciples deny knowing Jesus? why would the crowd choose to free the murderer Barabbas and crucify the peaceful Jesus? how could He be cheered upon his entrance to Jerusalem yet hated enough to be put to death less than a week later?

The answer is obvious to anyone who follows the news and is a riposte to those who say that Christianity has no relevance today.

The Hell of Our Imaginings

(From infernodotblog)

There are as many--perhaps more--visions of hell as there are of heaven. They range from the elaborately constructed nine circles of Dante's Inferno to an infinitely large room of emptiness.

Is the eternal fire a metaphor? If so, what does it mean? Is hell a physical place or a state of mind? Is there such a thing as eternal life—and if God’s verdict goes against you, does that mean a life of everlasting torment? Is it possible to believe in hell if you don’t believe in God, or is hell the terrible solitude of living without God?

Pope Francis himself has defined hell as “eternal solitude.” By contrast, Jean-Paul Sartre, the pontiff of existentialism, wrote that “hell is other people.” Which is it?

Evelyn Waugh proposed a darkly witty version of hell in his novel “A Handful of Dust.” It ends with the hero, an English gentleman lost in the Amazonian rain forest, held prisoner by an illiterate mixed-race Guianan who happens to own a complete set of Dickens and forces his captive to read it aloud, over and over again, without hope of release.

Hell expanded centuries ago from theology into literature. Great writers have had a crack at it. Dante set the standard. Milton’s “Paradise Lost” is magnificent, although, as Samuel Johnson remarked, “no one wished it longer.” Milton’s fallen Lucifer sounds unexpectedly modern when he cries, “Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell.” Is it the case that we make our own hell?

Whatever our visions of hell, it does seem that we are much less concerned with the afterlife than were our ancestors. The rewards of heaven and the miseries of hell don't seem to motivate people's behavior. As for me, as I enter the winter of my life, the reasoning of Pascal's Wager appeals, so I may as well try to be good and do good.

Whatever It Takes, Including Coloring Books and Crayons

Children are often invited to sit near the altar to
hear the homily (Church of the Brethren photo)

The "baby bust" is a worldwide topic of conversation nowadays, but most American Christians were aware of it two decades ago when the mainline Protestant denominations lamented the dearth of young adults in the pews. The wishful thinking back then was that it wasn't demographics but the lack of appealing messaging; certain denominations, like the Southern Baptists and the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), appeared to be doing okay.

In 2024 the downturn in church attendance, especially among young people, has become obvious to everyone. Even the Baptists and the Mormons are struggling. Extrapolating from the current trend, Pew Research forecasted that Christians will be in the minority in 2070.

Families with young children are so prized that behaviors that once would have been frowned upon are now embraced for the long-term good.

Headline: If a Parish Isn’t Crying, It’s Dying

[Pope Francis] said, “It really irritates me when I see a child crying in church and someone says they must go out. God’s voice is in a child’s tears.”

If that’s so, then St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Hillsdale, Mich., is full of God’s voice. It is blessed to have many large families attending regularly. I was a member of the parish during college, and my wife became Catholic there. The cooing and shouting—often from newborns—serves as a backing track to each service, and few seem to mind. It’s no surprise: A stack of bookmark-size cards at the end of each pew informs visitors what the parish thinks about its informal children’s choir.

In defense of the shushers, your humble blogger/boomer must point out that, since I was forced to be quiet during service, I learned during the late 1950's to read "grown-up" language by following the service in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. But that regimen isn't for everyone, and if coloring books and crayons are what keep the kids and more importantly their parents coming back, then I'm all for it.

Remarkable Feature

(Photo by Amitrano/WSJ)

If you want to go to church in person on Sunday but don't want to leave home, you can do so in LA for $38.5 million (and live nicely for the other six days of the week): [bold added]

A Los Angeles compound with a stand-alone chapel is coming on the market for $38.5 million.

The gated property, which measures about 1.4 acres in tony Brentwood Park, has a Spanish Colonial Revival-style house built around 1928, as well as a guesthouse and poolhouse. The chapel was added around 2004 by longtime owners Helen and David G. Price, Christians who became devout later in life, according to Craig McDonald, Helen’s son from a previous marriage. The Mission Revival-style chapel was “a space for them to be able to go and have time and quiet and to study,” he said.

Los Angeles mansion owners can devote a room to exercise, electronics, or Elvis, and no one would notice. But a Christian chapel? That's remarkable.

An Ephemeral, not Eternal, Question

(Image from mereinkling)

Finally, a relevant theological question:

Would Jesus Bet on the Super Bowl? [bold added]

is it a bad thing, or a morally neutral thing, to risk one’s money on a game?

Traditions rooted in the Jewish and Christian scriptures have tended to say it’s a bad thing, but the textual warnings against it are less than explicit. Some Christian moralists have claimed that gambling is wrong because it’s an attempt to get something for nothing.

...But it can’t be right that getting something for nothing is always wrong. If that were so, you would be sinning to accept an inheritance from your parents, or to sell a piece of land at a profit when you didn’t cause its increase in value. The Christian gospel itself proclaims that sinners receive what they don’t, and can’t, earn.

...A better way to think about the moral import of gambling, and by extension the ubiquity of online sports betting, is to consider what it reveals about the gambler. The Hebrew and Christian scriptures warn many times against the excessive desire for wealth.

Gambling is not one of the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) but like each of the 7DS can be addictive and ruin lives. The gambler loses in the long run (unless he is a disciplined card counter, but I digress...) and is consumed by the desire for money, which is why it's considered an immoral activity.

But back to the original question: would Jesus bet on the Super Bowl?
1) According to the creeds He is more than the Son of God, He is God.
2) God is omniscient, i.e., knows everything, past, present, and future.
3) He is therefore guaranteed to win any bet on the Super Bowl, or for that matter on the outcome of any event.
4) Jesus may well need some money to complete his mission on Earth.
5) Gambling is the quickest way to obtain money (unless working for a living is part of Jesus' mission).

So, yes, in my humble opinion, Jesus would bet on the Super Bowl, but unlike the rest of us wouldn't be watching it to see whether He won.

Upholding These Two Persons

At Saturday's wedding the reader recited the passage from Matthew 19:

And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The culture that took the above passage to heart has almost completely vanished. In half a century fundamental Christian beliefs--bolded above--about the nature of mankind and the nature of marriage are not widely accepted.

"Made them male and female" has given way to a multitude of genders, not only in the general population but sometimes in the same individual in the course of his/her life.

More fundamentally, human beings were not "made" by a sentient God but are the product of molecules banging together randomly over billions of year.

And while "two shall become one flesh" was never meant to be a physical truth, its spiritual and metaphorical meaning is now highly disputed. In the secular world marriage is not a mysterious fusion of two beings overseen by a Creator; it's a contractual arrangement between individuals that can be terminated like a business partnership.

One's bloodline can be ignored, but it can never be erased, according to the modern view. A man cannot change his race or genetics, so leaving one's mother and father does not occur permanently even through they may be dead. A man cleaving to his wife to form a new entity makes no scientific sense.

"Let not man put asunder" is hardly mentioned in the era of easy, no-fault divorce, which has been embraced by Christians, non-Christians, liberals and conservatives alike. The breakdown of the institution occurred decades before the debates about gay marriage began.

It's a wonder that my niece and her now-husband chose to have a "traditional" wedding, complete with Gospel readings.

The priest asked, "Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?"

We will.

Jordan Peterson's Rule 8: "Tell the truth. Or, at least, don’t lie"

"At the beginning of time, according to the great Western tradition, the Word of God transformed chaos into Being through the act of speech. It is axiomatic, within that tradition, that man and woman alike are made in the image of that God. We also transform chaos into Being, through speech. We transform the manifold possibilities of the future into the actualities of past and present.

To tell the truth is to bring the most habitable reality into Being. Truth builds edifices that can stand a thousand years. Truth feeds and clothes the poor, and makes nations wealthy and safe. Truth reduces the terrible complexity of a man to the simplicity of his word, so that he can become a partner, rather than an enemy. Truth makes the past truly past, and makes the best use of the future’s possibilities. Truth is the ultimate, inexhaustible natural resource. It’s the light in the darkness.

See the truth. Tell the truth.

Truth will not come in the guise of opinions shared by others, as the truth is neither a collection of slogans nor an ideology. It will instead be personal. Your truth is something only you can tell, based as it is on the unique circumstances of your life. Apprehend your personal truth. Communicate it carefully, in an articulate manner, to yourself and others. This will ensure your security and your life more abundantly now, while you inhabit the structure of your current beliefs. This will ensure the benevolence of the future, diverging as it might from the certainties of the past.

The truth springs forth ever anew from the most profound wellsprings of Being. It will keep your soul from withering and dying while you encounter the inevitable tragedy of life. It will help you avoid the terrible desire to seek vengeance for that tragedy—part of the terrible sin of Being, which everything must bear gracefully, just so it can exist.

If your life is not what it could be, try telling the truth. If you cling desperately to an ideology, or wallow in nihilism, try telling the truth. If you feel weak and rejected, and desperate, and confused, try telling the truth. In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth. That is what makes it Paradise.

Tell the truth. Or, at least, don’t lie."

Excerpt From: Jordan B. Peterson. “12 Rules for Life.”

The Benefits of Babble

(WSJ illustration)

We have lamented before the diminishment of organizations, e.g., Elks, Kiwanis, Freemasons, where people can mingle with others outside of work and family.

The last significant redoubt is religion, but even churches have already experienced and are likely to continue to experience significant declines in attendance.

Baptist pastor Ryan Burge touts a benefit of going to church that's unrelated to increasing the chances of going to heaven. [bold added]

In 2022, 30% of people with a college degree and an income of at least $60,000 a year attended services weekly; among those with a high school diploma making less than $30,000, only 20% did.

This development has implications beyond religion itself. One of the strongest predictors of increased economic mobility is whether an individual has access to economically diverse social spaces. People at the lower end of the economic spectrum benefit greatly when they can build personal relationships with those who have higher incomes.

In an article published in the journal Nature last year, a team of researchers examined the Facebook connections of over 70 million users to find where they were most likely to encounter people with a higher income than their own. Neighborhoods, schools and workplaces turned out to offer very little economic diversity. The one venue that did was houses of worship.

Although Pastor Burge means well, I think it's a little unseemly to view church as just another network that can improve one's secular fortunes.

On the other hand I suppose it's okay to do it for the kids, i.e., for them to have playmates that are more likely (but not invariably, of course) to be raised with good character.

Well, these are desperate times for churches, so maybe it's time to host events with a promise not to proselytize:

Why not set aside a portion of the annual budget for purely social gatherings? Cook-outs, carnivals or back-to-school bashes are ideal events to welcome a diverse cross section of the community. At Ravenswood Covenant Church in Chicago, for example, a weekly farmers market for local vendors features live music and activities for kids as a way to create opportunities for social interaction.

Such events are primarily about the horizontal part of religion (individuals building relationships with each other), not the vertical part (individuals strengthening their relationship to God). They create space for people to get to know each other and create social bonds, without any real agenda or time constraint. The theology can (and should) come later.

I'm so old that I remember that one of the main criticisms of churches was that they were social clubs where people came to gossip during coffee hour. Perhaps a little social-clubbing wasn't so bad after all.

Leap of Faith

(Image from Christian Faith Guide)

This morning the lady minister spoke about Luke's Gospel lesson, the one where Jesus walks on water:

And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The lesson, the lady minister said, was that we should get out of the boat and take a chance.

During sermons I often daydream. I thought of the Lahaina woman who spent seven hours in the water to save herself. Boats were catching fire, and cars were exploding, so people saved themselves by exiting their vehicles, some jumping into the harbor.

I also thought of the 1972 disaster movie, the Poseidon Adventure, where one of the fateful decisions occurs near the beginning: do the passengers wait for help in the dining room or try to climb to the top of the now-upside down ship? The leader of the "climbers," an annoying preacher played by Gene Hackman, turns out to have made the correct decision.

Sometimes the leap of faith is the only one that will save your life.