It is official. The Church of England has consecrated its first female Bishop, Rev. Libby Lane. Congrats!
Here are some links to stories and at least one video of part of the ceremony. Very exciting!
PBS - Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
BBC - with video
BBC - with pictures
BBC - commentary
Now we can all hope for the Vicar of Dibley to be reset as the Bishop of Dibley ...
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Henri le Chat Noir
I don't know why, but this article in the Seattle Times today makes me smile - "The Man Behind Henri le Chat Noir is Now King of Cat Videos." Cat videos are one of those strange accompaniments to modern online life. They are a guilty pleasure in those moments when we choose to waste hours on youtube, searching for cute and funny felines. There are now film festivals devoted to cat videos, where the cats become celebrities. Fans flock to see and sometimes pet the stars. It is a bizarre time in which we live, but I have to admit that I love the indulgent and delightful frivolity.
And, of course, Henri le Chat Noir is the feline celebrity extraordinaire. The videos are witty and winsome. Long live the clever cat video! And may the king of cat videos give us many more reasons to waste time in such a lighthearted and uplifting way; even though Henri seems to need antidepressants ...
And, of course, Henri le Chat Noir is the feline celebrity extraordinaire. The videos are witty and winsome. Long live the clever cat video! And may the king of cat videos give us many more reasons to waste time in such a lighthearted and uplifting way; even though Henri seems to need antidepressants ...
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
The Henry Art Gallery
This last week I went to the Ann Hamilton exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery (at the University of Washington). Hamilton has become one of my favorite living artists. She does not soothe my soul, but she does deepen it.
This particular exhibit, the common sense, explores the boundaries between life and death, cataloging and knowing, playing and feeling, children's stories and life, cosy afternoons and blankets, light and air. After seeing/experiencing this exhibit I'm a bit in awe yet bewildered. I need to go back. I want to go back. There was too much. There was enough that I began to ask new questions and wonder about life, collecting, reading, saying, proclaiming, precision of language, images, the evoking of the soul, weariness at the end of a long term....
One of the themes was that of collecting. I love that you can take quotes and images away (well, only one image, but lots of quotes). People have submitted quotes to be used, and those are scattered around the gallery. One can wander and collect for hours, if one is so inclined as I am.
My grandmother was a collector of quotes and poems and puzzles. She had a little book with her favorite quotes in it (well, a collection of notebooks). I used these books as I organized and planned her funeral when I was in my late 20's. Until this exhibit, I had forgotten her books. Her love of quirky and moralistic verse, of fanciful images of heaven, of awful puns. I am her granddaughter in so many ways. My visit to Ann Hamilton's wide ranging and evocative exhibit made me miss her in ways that I didn't know I should miss her. Her inner life was hidden away in her books. I realize now that my scavenging through her collections of "common sense" was immature. I didn't know what she was offering to me. I wonder where those books have gone...
Before I end, I should say a few things. Students get in free, so go. Even if you are not a student, it is not that expensive, so go. I'm going to go at least once a month until it closes in April... I always appreciate company...
AND make it all the way downstairs. It is worth the walk...........
This particular exhibit, the common sense, explores the boundaries between life and death, cataloging and knowing, playing and feeling, children's stories and life, cosy afternoons and blankets, light and air. After seeing/experiencing this exhibit I'm a bit in awe yet bewildered. I need to go back. I want to go back. There was too much. There was enough that I began to ask new questions and wonder about life, collecting, reading, saying, proclaiming, precision of language, images, the evoking of the soul, weariness at the end of a long term....
One of the themes was that of collecting. I love that you can take quotes and images away (well, only one image, but lots of quotes). People have submitted quotes to be used, and those are scattered around the gallery. One can wander and collect for hours, if one is so inclined as I am.
My grandmother was a collector of quotes and poems and puzzles. She had a little book with her favorite quotes in it (well, a collection of notebooks). I used these books as I organized and planned her funeral when I was in my late 20's. Until this exhibit, I had forgotten her books. Her love of quirky and moralistic verse, of fanciful images of heaven, of awful puns. I am her granddaughter in so many ways. My visit to Ann Hamilton's wide ranging and evocative exhibit made me miss her in ways that I didn't know I should miss her. Her inner life was hidden away in her books. I realize now that my scavenging through her collections of "common sense" was immature. I didn't know what she was offering to me. I wonder where those books have gone...
Before I end, I should say a few things. Students get in free, so go. Even if you are not a student, it is not that expensive, so go. I'm going to go at least once a month until it closes in April... I always appreciate company...
AND make it all the way downstairs. It is worth the walk...........
Saturday, December 6, 2014
In Honor of P. D. James
OK, I will admit it, I am addicted to murder mysteries. I love all varieties of these stories, but find the british to be foremost at this craft. Agatha Christy, Dorothy Sayers, John le Carré, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellis Peters, etc. I read the books and watch the adaptations. I can't seem to get enough.
When I lived in the UK I discovered the joys of P. D. James's intricate plots, delightful prose, and complicated detectives. The first of her novels that I read was about Detective Cordelia Gray in An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. I enjoyed how James detailed the inner life of this young woman who finds herself as the sole owner of a detective agency after her boss kills himself. I read this while I was working on my PhD dissertation, and found a good friend in Cordelia Gray. She was highly competent, but in her inner life, she revealed that she didn't believe that she was up to the task at hand. This so mirrored my own inner life at the time that I found myself drawn to this strong, intelligent, and vulnerable detective. A similar complexity is found in James's favorite detective, Adam Dalgliesh, who is a poet and a detective inspector for Scotland Yard. All in all, her novels draw one deep into the human story through the eyes of intuitive and pensive detectives.
Sadly, P. D. James died on November 27, 2014 at the age of 94. It is times like these that I realize that we need to stop and give thanks for such amazing talent in telling stories that capture the imagination. In a strange sort of way, she helped me finish my dissertation. Everyone needs stories that pull us out of ourselves while simultaneously helping us to understand our inner lives.
Masterpiece Theater on PBS online is currently re-running a two-part adaptation of James's final novel, Death Comes to Pemberley. The book was an indulgence for me as it combined my love of Pride and Prejudice with an intricate murder mystery, and I really enjoyed the adaptation. I highly recommend watching this in honor of P. D. James.
P. D. James, thank you so much for sharing your stories with the world.
Obituaries:
BBC News
NPR
New York Times
The Economist
Sadly, P. D. James died on November 27, 2014 at the age of 94. It is times like these that I realize that we need to stop and give thanks for such amazing talent in telling stories that capture the imagination. In a strange sort of way, she helped me finish my dissertation. Everyone needs stories that pull us out of ourselves while simultaneously helping us to understand our inner lives.
Masterpiece Theater on PBS online is currently re-running a two-part adaptation of James's final novel, Death Comes to Pemberley. The book was an indulgence for me as it combined my love of Pride and Prejudice with an intricate murder mystery, and I really enjoyed the adaptation. I highly recommend watching this in honor of P. D. James.
P. D. James, thank you so much for sharing your stories with the world.
Obituaries:
BBC News
NPR
New York Times
The Economist
Friday, August 8, 2014
Reading Pod Descriptions ...
As the new school year is beginning soon, and a few of you may blunder on to this blog, I thought I would start you out with a list of links to some descriptions about the various Reading Pods for Theology I.
You may be wondering why there are so many choices for the Reading Pods. I know that it feels complicated or unnecessary, but there is a method to my madness.
A few years ago, Dr. Hollins and I attended an Association of Theological Schools (ATS) conference on Race and Ethnicity in Theological Education. ATS is looking ahead to 2040 when it is projected that white Americans will become a minority in the US. They are concerned that Seminaries are not prepared for this major change in American culture. Are the pastors of the future prepared for such diversity in churches, or will Sunday morning continue to be the most segregated morning of the week? Their assertion is that we won't know until we experience this reality, but for now, we can practice what it means to listen more broadly in our theological explorations.
After I came back from this conference, I decided to change up my reading lists for The Theological Mosaic class. I wanted students to read more broadly, yet find one space where they read more deeply. My hope is that this diversity with spill into discussions and dialogue both in and outside of class. Theology is a mixture of seeking out the least inadequate language through which to talk about God (Colin Gunton) and how that reality intersects and forms our views of culture, humanity, and the sacred in every day life.
The complication is that we live constantly with great mystery - e.g., God, trees, cabbages, the person sitting next to you on the bus, etc. Mystery is sometimes thought to be those things that you cannot know. I disagree. Mystery is not an unknowing or an ignorance. Instead, mystery is a pressing into what we can only know in part. British theologian, Sarah Coakley, encourages us to press into the task of doing theology, to learn the discipline, read, think, and discern. It is only at this point, when we push the boundaries of our knowing, that we can understand the boundlessness of the mystery of God and of one another.
With this in mind, I'll leave you with a quote from the Swiss theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. Every time I read this quote, I realize that this articulation of mystery and prayer are foundational for how I do theology. So, I invite you to come and dive into the abyss with me...
You may be wondering why there are so many choices for the Reading Pods. I know that it feels complicated or unnecessary, but there is a method to my madness.
A few years ago, Dr. Hollins and I attended an Association of Theological Schools (ATS) conference on Race and Ethnicity in Theological Education. ATS is looking ahead to 2040 when it is projected that white Americans will become a minority in the US. They are concerned that Seminaries are not prepared for this major change in American culture. Are the pastors of the future prepared for such diversity in churches, or will Sunday morning continue to be the most segregated morning of the week? Their assertion is that we won't know until we experience this reality, but for now, we can practice what it means to listen more broadly in our theological explorations.
After I came back from this conference, I decided to change up my reading lists for The Theological Mosaic class. I wanted students to read more broadly, yet find one space where they read more deeply. My hope is that this diversity with spill into discussions and dialogue both in and outside of class. Theology is a mixture of seeking out the least inadequate language through which to talk about God (Colin Gunton) and how that reality intersects and forms our views of culture, humanity, and the sacred in every day life.
The complication is that we live constantly with great mystery - e.g., God, trees, cabbages, the person sitting next to you on the bus, etc. Mystery is sometimes thought to be those things that you cannot know. I disagree. Mystery is not an unknowing or an ignorance. Instead, mystery is a pressing into what we can only know in part. British theologian, Sarah Coakley, encourages us to press into the task of doing theology, to learn the discipline, read, think, and discern. It is only at this point, when we push the boundaries of our knowing, that we can understand the boundlessness of the mystery of God and of one another.
With this in mind, I'll leave you with a quote from the Swiss theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. Every time I read this quote, I realize that this articulation of mystery and prayer are foundational for how I do theology. So, I invite you to come and dive into the abyss with me...
Contemplation starts at the point where the believing mind begins to perceive a dawning light in the abyss of the mystery, where the mystery begins to reveal itself in all its vast proportions. Not in the sense of doubt, of loosening the tautness of the dogmatic affirmation, but in an astonishment which reaches to the very roots of our being (Balthasar, Hans Urs von, Prayer, Tr. By Graham Harrison, San Francisco: Igantius Press, 1986, 158.).Here links to all of the Reading Pod choices:
- Reading Pod choices
- African American Liberation Theology
- Anabaptist Theology
- Stan Grenz
- Church Fathers
- Eastern Orthodox Theology
- Feminist Theology
- Womanist/Mujerista/Postcolonial Theologies
- South and Central American Liberation Theology
- Jurgen Moltmann
- Colin Gunton
- Kathryn Tanner
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