Eugene Carson Blake — A Remembrance

February 10, 2010 at 9:08 am (politics, theology)
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Forty-four years ago today, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches selected the American church leader Eugene Carson Blake as its General Secretary. The selection followed an earlier meeting in which there was no agreement — until Blake was considered. He had established himself in international ecumenical circles as a trustworthy executive with the capacity to undertake delicate missions and a definite ability to administer and attain support for a complex organization.

CLICK HERE FOR A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF DR. BLAKE

Though Blake did not assume office until December, 1966, he did attend a landmark conference on church and society in the summer of that year. I met him there, at the WCC’s Geneva headquarters on the Route de Ferney. I had just joined the WCC Youth Department. We became close over the subsequent year and the story of that is unfolding in my current fictional memoir, Panflick.

Among the remembrances of that significant time, the following text stands out as a straightforward statement of Blake’s understanding of the church and of his motivation for choosing it as his own career, as opposed to education or politics.

Since Blake’s time, mainline Protestantism in the US has atrophied, hammered by culture wars and an inability to pose a forceful theological alternative to evangelical fundamentalism. I think Blake would have said NO to the rise of the religious right in a voice that might have struck the national conscience and perhaps even changed the debate. But I also sense, from my time with Blake, particularly at Uppsala in 1968, that he was made both sadder and wiser by his experience as the leader of the WCC.

Here are remarks Blake made at the Church and Society Conference.

QUOTED MATERIAL:

There are some people, even within the membership of the churches, who do not believe the Church can contribute to the transformation of society. They believe that any religious institution is altogether conservative, which is to say its value, if any, to society is to conserve tradition which blesses and sanctifies the society as it is.

A living Church in any particular place, unless it is a protesting minority by tradition, does in fact perform a conservative function in its society and that is the chief reason most of its members and the community at large value it. But a living Christian Church performs another function too. It is a stimulus, a critic, an inspirer, a value setter of society. It is this latter function that is the subject of this brief address.

How does a Christian Church contribute to the transformation of society?

1. First of all through its regular services of the public worship of God. In all our traditions the scriptures are read; thanksgiving, petition and intercession are voiced in prayer; the sacraments are offered; and God’s praise is sung. In most churches there is the regular preaching and teaching from the Bible and sometimes this preaching is relevant to the real issues faced by the congregation, both as individuals and as a part of the community.

I mention this, first because some of us, in our anxiety to do better than we have done, forget how central to any relevance of the Church is its regular worship of God. If I did not believe this, I would have long since put my efforts into some more efficient institution for social transformation such as a school or a political party.

2. A second way the Church contributes to the transformation of society is by the formulation of concrete goals for society and concrete means to reach them in the light of the gospel. These may be formulated, and are formulated at each level of the Church’s structure from the local level to the world level. This is what we are doing here.

Pronouncements, studies, manifestos and the like often seem powerless. Their effect is seldom spectacular. I have heard for many years more criticism of the Churches and Councils making pronouncements than I have praise or appreciation. Nevertheless the public witness of the Church by public pronouncement does affect society, both immediately and in the long term. In 1952 when Senator McCarthy was at the height of his sinister power and influence in the United States, before his fellow Senators found their courage to discipline him, when the other branches of government and even the universities were amazingly quiet, my own church, through the leadership of John Mackay, did in fact help bring about the end in the United States of that phase of the cold war, by a public pronouncement.

In 1966 it is clear that the statements of the World Council of Churches and of the National Council of Churches in my country are, even if as yet unsuccessful in determining policy, nevertheless an important contribution to that corrective criticism of United States foreign policy to keep it from runaway escalation.

In the long range, study documents and policy resolutions can make an incalculable difference. There is nothing so powerful as good and compelling ideas set down in language that is understood.

3. Again the Church contributes to the transformation of society by its pastoral care of its members who are in positions of influence and leadership in government, private institutions and voluntary organizations. I know of no Church which has done this adequately. It is easier to criticize than to care. This pastoral work does not need to be restricted to the ordained clergy. But it is part of the calling of priest or minister and can be of vital significance.

4. Finally, the Church can contribute to the transformation of society by clearly identifying itself with the cause of the poor, the discriminated against, the alien, the prisoner, the rejected and the outcast. Most churches, as churches, do not do this very well. They are content to leave it to the occasional saint or prophet whom, as our Lord has indicated, they acknowledge and praise only after they are dead.

In a world such as ours the occasional production of an authentic saint is not enough. The Church as Church must act, take a stand, and march with those in the society who alone cannot win their battle for justice, freedom, and equality. This is a risk. It results always in controversy. But if the Church is to live it dare not, in our kind of world, turn its back on God’s poor. Youth in the Church are usually the first leaders. It was so in the civil rights revolution still going on in my country. Young people, boys and girls, began the sit-ins in lunch counters long before their elders, ministers and laymen, priests and nuns, began to march and demonstrate. I am convinced that the putting of one’s body in the right place and at the right time is often the only way that a Christian can help his Church to be a part of the transformation of society.

There is another battle going on in my country in which the churches are just beginning to become fully involved. It is the war against poverty. Closely tied into the race and civil rights problem, as yet we have not been able to make our churches generally see the moral issue that it is. I hope this conference and its reports will help us.

There are, however, a number of denominations who, with the Roman Catholic Church in many cities of the United States, are fully committing their financial resources, programmes and leadership to the mobilizing of the poor themselves in community action. Political power for the poor themselves – in many of our cities this is black power – is one important ingredient in the transformation of our society as more and more the city is the location of the struggle.

All of these ways of influence are costly. They cost money, sometimes even in the withholding of gifts by those who do not yet understand. But more, this influence is costly in the sacrifice of time, and effort, and thought, and at the ultimate, of life itself. Comfortable American churches have been pained and surprised and troubled and inspired by the fact that we have had some authentic martyrs in our time. No normal man sets out to be a martyr. But sometimes simple integrity and love, more important even than courage, put Christian bodies where the action is, and this is the way the Church contributes to the transformation of society.

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COMMENT ON: Palin Considering 2012 Run, Defends Limbaugh’s Use Of ‘Retard’ On Fox News Sunday

February 8, 2010 at 9:52 am (politics)
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When I first saw Sarah Palin introduced by John McCain — I think it was in Dayton — I said immediately. She wants to run this show. It was obvious then that she had little use for anything but the pole upon which she was now able to vault.

In this sense, she has grasped the zeitgeist of “America” with a depth of insight that we have not seen since Richard Nixon arrived on the scene.

Both Nixon and Palin knew instinctively the reality of a potential majority. And both knew just how to nudge things so that that majority might have a voice and vote them into office.

Yes, there are differences, but do not vacate this line of thinking without adding yet another similarity.

Nixon’s worst enemy was himself. He had a higher self that was capable of doing some mighty things out of the very power he was able to mould and wield. But he overreached and gnomes within surfaced and pushed him to the point of self-destruction.

Ask yourself if the same potential does not exist in Palin, should she vault as Nixon did. And if you think Nixon did not raise questions all the way back, you are too young to remember Checkers and Vicuna coats.

Read the Article I am commenting on at HuffingtonPost

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Some Spiritual Laws in Mark’s Gospel

February 6, 2010 at 12:40 pm (theology)
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Sometimes it is useful to see texts in differing lights. Here the closing chapters of Mark are organized as if each section is a spiritual law.

Mark 8

THE LAW OF TOTAL REJECTION

[27] And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
[28] And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
[29] And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
[30] And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
[31] And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
[32] And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
[33] But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
[34] And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[35] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
[36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
[37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
[38] Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Mark.9

THE LAW OF INFINITE SERVANTHOOD

[33] And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
[34] But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
[35] And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

THE LAW OF RECEPTION

[36] And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
[37] Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

THE LAW OF FOR-NESS

[38] And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
[39] But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
[40] For he that is not against us is on our part.

THE LAW OF SALTNESS

[41] For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
[42] And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
[43] And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
[44] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
[45] And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
[46] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
[47] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
[48] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
[49] For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
[50] Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Mark.10

THE LAW OF ONE FLESH

[2] And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
[3] And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
[4] And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
[5] And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
[6] But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
[7] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
[8] And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
[9] What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

THE LAW OF ADULTERY

[10] And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
[11] And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
[12] And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

THE LAW OF THE PRIMACY OF CHILDREN

[13] And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
[14] But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[15] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
[16] And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

THE LAW OF GOD’S SOLE GOODNESS

[17] And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to 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.

THE LAW OF NOT TRUSTING RICHES

[19] Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour 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.
[23] And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
[24] And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
[25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

THE LAW OF DIVINE POSSIBILITY

[26] And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
[27] And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

THE LAW OF FIRST AND LAST

[28] Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
[29] And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
[30] But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
[31] But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

THE LAW OF RESURRECTION

[32] And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
[33] Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
[34] And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

THE LAW OF INFINITE SERVANTHOOD

[35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
[36] And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
[37] They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
[38] But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
[39] And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
[40] But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
[41] And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
[42] But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
[43] But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
[44] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
[45] For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

THE EFFICACY OF FAITH

[46] And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
[47] And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
[48] And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
[49] And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
[50] And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
[51] And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
[52] And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Mark.11

THE LAW OF JESUS’S HOUSE

[15] And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
[16] And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
[17] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
[18] And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

THE LAW OF PRAYERFUL FULFILMENT

[19] And when even was come, he went out of the city.
[20] And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
[21] And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
[22] And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
[23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
[24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

THE LAW OF PRAYERFUL FORGIVENESS

[25] And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
[26] But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

THE LAW OF TRANSITION

[27] And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
[28] And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
[29] And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
[30] The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
[31] And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
[32] But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
[33] And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Mark.12

THE LAW OF KARMIC REPLACEMENT

[1] And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
[2] And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
[3] And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
[4] And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
[5] And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
[6] Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
[7] But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
[8] And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
[9] What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

THE LAW OF CLEVER OBEDIENCE

[13] And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
[14] And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
[15] Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
[16] And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
[17] And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

THE LAW OF HEAVENLY TRANSFORMATION

[18] Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
[19] Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
[20] Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
[21] And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.
[22] And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.
[23] In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
[24] And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
[25] For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
[26] And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
[27] He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

THE LAW OF ONE GOD AND OF LOVING GOD COMPLETELY

[28] And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
[29] And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
[30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
[31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
[32] And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
[33] And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
[34] And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

THE LAW OF DAMNATION

[35] And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
[36] For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
[37] David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
[38] And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
[39] And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
[40] Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

THE LAW OF CHOICE AND NECESSITY

[41] And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
[42] And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
[43] And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
[44] For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Mark.13

THE LAW OF THE UNIVERSAL GOSPEL

[1] And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
[2] And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
[3] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
[4] Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
[5] And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
[6] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
[7] And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
[8] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
[9] But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
[10] And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

THE LAW OF RELIANCE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT; THE LAW OF ENDURANCE

[11] But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
[12] Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
[13] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

THE LAW OF THE COMING GATHERING

[14] But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
[15] And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
[16] And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
[17] But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
[18] And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
[19] For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
[20] And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
[21] And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
[22] For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
[23] But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
[24] But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
[25] And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
[26] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
[27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

THE LAW OF IGNORANCE OF TIMES AND OF WATCHFULNESS

[28] Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
[29] So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
[30] Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
[31] Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
[32] But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
[33] Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
[34] For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
[35] Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
[36] Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
[37] And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Mark.14

THE LAW OF ANOINTING AND MEMORIAL

[1] After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
[2] But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
[3] And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
[4] And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
[5] For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
[6] And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
[7] For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
[8] She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
[9] Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

THE LAW OF GOD’S POWER AND CHOICE

[36] And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

THE LAW OF THE WEAKNESS OF FLESH

[37] And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
[38] Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

THE LAW OF JESUS’S FUTURE POWER

[57] And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
[58] We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
[59] But neither so did their witness agree together.
[60] And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
[61] But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
[62] And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mark.15

THE LAW OF FORSAKENNESS

[33] And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
[34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
[35] And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
[36] And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
[37] And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
[38] And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
[39] And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

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Is Relativism The Cause of Our Woes?

February 6, 2010 at 11:55 am (pattern language, politics, theology)
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In a word no.

Relativism has always been with us because of who we are. We are a spectrum from infantile to sublime. Our brains work well beyond the limitations of anything we create. They multitask whether we want them to or not, holding in one cluster our salacious dreaming, our tasks at hand, our bodily conditions, what we see and hear, and maybe five or ten other blinking lights on the multicolored spectrum that we are.

When we speak of absolutes, we either mean something we care passionately about or we commit idolatry (or both). Idolatry is the ascription of absoluteness to our own creations. We are all idolaters. That is about as universal a statement as there is.

Now before you skewer me for either Calvinistic moralism or Nietzschean perspectivism run amok, be assured that both have a place in the spectrum of who we are. Calvin’s thinking is merely a summons to love your fate and be aware of the degree to which you do not control it. Nietzsche, who embraced the spectrum almost entirely, was a proponent of amor fati but he was also urged self-transcendence and thus attaining a state of actual freedom.

The values I believe appropriate to an integral person rest on the bedrock of the primary value — non-idolatry, which is much more than relativism. Non-idolatry is a capacity to say no at any and every point Upon this bed I rest tolerance, in a tough, not a permissive, sense; democracy, wed to universal human rights; and helpfulness, in an enabling rather controlling or paternalistic sense. These three values work in tandem and vary in strength from situation to situation. They are subservient to the base value of non-idolatry.

Now I would indeed be skewered were I to suggest that schools take up my chants. Because schools are politically obligated to bow to notions of the absolute which are typically broken into shards once children move toward adulthood.

No, these thoughts are for one whose life is shards. They are simple Saturday thoughts on a blog which few read. It would be the height of humiliation were anything I said to be celebrated. Better nodded to in passing … by someone who knows and relishes the feeling of shards underfoot.

http://bit.ly/Xxf93

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There Is No Right Food

February 6, 2010 at 10:27 am (Uncategorized)
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The common wisdom on right foods is green vegetables, fruits, grainy breads and other natural fiber foods. Fine unless you need a low oxilate (oxalate) diet which is necessary to avoid kidney stones. For me eating the “right foods” is anathema. Had I known this earlier in life, I might have escaped some excruciating times.

There are no “right foods” for everyone. There is not even a right regimen that will guarantee old age. My dad died at 97 and my mom is 100 as we speak and if I followed their regimen I — a 73-year-old stripling — would probably be long gone.

We are our best doctors and we are fortunate to find doctors who will work with us to achieve victory over the myriad and highly individual challenges that crop up from time to time. Even in a close-knit family, the health needs of each member vary immensely.

Most of my health advances and little victories come from not doing things as I have always done them. A year ago I was in a sedentary phase, Now I am about to take a vigorous walk. Sometimes I’ve been one way, sometimes another.

The best thing one can do to advance health is to remind people that they are unique and precious and that they each, as Nietzsche suggested, have a destiny. No cookie cutter health!

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“Panflick Progress” — How My Online Memoir Fiction Is Doing

February 4, 2010 at 9:38 am (Uncategorized)
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I have just published the first chapter of Book Seven of “Panflick” — “The Complete History of Adam Panflick”.

The odds of finding a publisher for such a work are long. So why do it?

Because I want to. When I no longer want to, I will stop.

As “”Panflick” progresses, I post it online for anyone to see. It thus has a global audience of potentially millions.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY COMPANION SITE WHERE “PANFLICK” RESIDES.

Anyone who enjoys the text and wishes to compensate the author can click on a link which will take them to PayPal where they can compensate at will.

Today’s “Panflick” stats:

Total views: 1,989

Busiest day: 59 — Sunday, July 12, 2009

Views today:5

Totals

Posts: 82

Comments: 10

Categories: 2

Tags: 423

My promotion of the novel has been limited to an occasional post here and updates on Twitter. The main way to get found on Twitter is via their robust search engine. I now limit myself, for the most part, to posting new chapters as they are published. A chapter is generally from 1000 to 2000 words.

Is “Panflick” potentially viral? I don’t know. My inclination is to continue just as I am now. No advertising save what WordPress may do without my knowledge. No effort to find an agent or publisher. I have put Books One and Two up on Kindle.

At a certain point, an agent or publisher might perceive that the quality of writing is not bad, that my hero, a Zelig when it comes to the salient events of much of the last century, is as endearing as Gibbs, and that “Panflick” most certainly deserves a chance of escaping the fate on remainder shelves of similar publishing dreams. I do not spend much time on such thoughts.

If one can be a hermit and happy to create, one may already be doing what folk regret losing when they look back wistfully on their good old days. Besides, I am never satisfied. This way, I can tinker away. And do.

“Panflick” uses fictional identitifiers for many main characters and selected others. I invent characters as needed. When I write of any character, using his or her real name, I try to cleave to history — as with Saul Alinsky, William Sloane Coffin, Jr. and Richard Nixon.

True biography? Yes and no.

I do not believe that my hero, or anyone else, is ever finished. We go through life trying to get “it” right. All texts published, to elucidate a person, are dead on arrival. We change.

Some of what I have written is a distortion of what I now believe. “Panflick” traces the development of a philosophy, a theology, a psychology.

In a word, “Panflick” is doing fine. It is what it is. Amor fati.

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10 Percent Of Homeowners Projected To Hit Major ‘Walk Away’ Point By June 2010

February 3, 2010 at 8:48 am (pattern language, politics)
Tags: , , ,

Faulty mortgages are one thing. But the instinct to walk away from ill-priced real estate may also be part of an evolution beyond the notion of “little boxes” and other aspects of metrosprawl. There has always been a better way.

http://stephencrose.wordpress.com/pattern-language/

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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An Alternative Policy for The Economy

February 2, 2010 at 3:10 pm (politics)
Tags: , , ,

I am frankly confused. I favor the President and find him credible. But I do not know if our crisis is surmountable because of the division, vitriol and lack of ability to get things done. I rarely quote things at length but the following strikes me as sensible.

QUOTED MATERIAL

f I suspended my instincts about how the crisis would ultimately be resolved, and make an assumption that our political system could rise to the occasion—an assumption of historic proportions—what would Washington have to do?

Most important, it would have to set a few simple goals, such as reaching a ratio of debt-to-GDP of, say, 60 percent within a decade, with interim targets along the way. By way of comparison, it is close to 70 percent now. Washington would have to establish a process that would kick in when the U.S. missed its targets, a process that would result in a combination of raising taxes and cutting spending across the board. That mechanism would have to be established in law and be subject to override only by, say, a recommendation of the president and a positive vote of two-thirds of the Senate.

To meet the targets, it would be necessary to establish new sources of revenue. Start with a national sales tax (refunded for low-income families), which, according to the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, could produce some $400 billion annually by the end of this decade ( $200 billion this year.) Add to that a gasoline tax, one that would have the additional benefits of cutting CO2 emissions and reducing imports and hence boosting national security. A $1 per gallon tax could produce over $3 billion per week, according to the Congressional Research Service (but it could start lower and eventually get beyond a dollar.) Both of these taxes are in effect in virtually all major developed nations. We would need health-care reform that holds down spending, particularly with respect to Medicare. Those with higher incomes should pay more for Medicare and Social Security as a result of a means-testing process.

We would also need a major revamp of the tax system to favor entrepreneurial activity, the major creator of jobs (and hence income, and hence more revenue and less subsidy payments from Uncle Sam.) This means special incentives for starting a business, such as easy write-offs for initial investments, and permanent tax credits for R&D.

These measures are not the entire universe of policy requirements, and some may prove infeasible. But they illustrate the arena in which we must play, and by comparison they show why the budget announced on Monday is a sham and why, in the end, it may take China and others to force us into doing what we cannot do ourselves.

Jeffrey E. Garten is the Juan Trippe professor of international trade and finance at the Yale School of Management, and served in economic and foreign policy positions in the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Clinton administrations.

END QUOTED MATERIAL

SOURCE

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