Ultimate Christian Wrestling.

I kid you not.

Israel

I went to two church services (at two different churches) on Sunday, and at both I heard prayers about Israel that distressed me. It's not that I worry that God will be swayed by unwise prayers (I certainly give him plenty of practice at resisting ridiculous requests). Evangelical foolishness about Israel continues to do plenty of damage, however, and to see it surfacing among fairly sensible people is alarming. For a good summary of the theological problem, I point you to Faith and Theology. For a jeremiad that I am inclined to agree with, (and which my experience on Sunday confirms), I point you to this post by Myles.
In the meantime, I'm resolving to spend more time praying for peace, which pleases God, who desires that all people be saved.

methodist monday (2)

Last Monday I commented that my reading of Methodist letters suggested that 'ordinary' people were often theologically aware and engaged. I've just been re-reading a couple of letters from a woman named Sarah Mason, who wrote to the Wesley brothers in the 1740s explaining her theological position. She gives a thorough defense of her moderate Calvinism, and demonstrates a clear understanding of the debates surrounding election. For example:

...though I cannot say I can fully close in [agree] with everything I hear, yet I have reason to bless God that I have heard what i trust has been made of use both for instruction and establishment in the faith once delivered to the saints... As to the doctrine of universal redemption what must I say, methinks Christ did in some sense die for all because the Scripture tells me he tasted death for every man - and that he is the Saviour of all men (but especially of them that believe) - but that he died in the fullest snese for and intentionally to save all the fallen race methinks it cannot be; because how then is it that all are not actually in the fullest sense made partakers of complete and eternal salvation.

She goes on to discuss a number of passages in Mark, and rejects the doctrine of reprobation. In another letter she quotes Hebrews 12:23 to argue that perfection is not possible in this life. She concludes:

The great restorer of all things is not yet come in that way we are waiting for, and it is with pleasure I think of those words, "He restoreth my Soul" (and those "I am the Lord that Healeth thee"). I believe it is through grace, under his healing hand; and that it is not in the power of men, or devils to pluck it thence... and methinks to this sorry, sinful soul of mine, these words are sweetly encouraging.

Again, I think these letters show both a theological awareness and a conviction that theology had significance for daily life. For both Sarah Wesley and Sarah Mason, too, their theological convictions were 'sweetly encouraging' in the face of life's trials.

Indigenous poverty

To commemorate Australia/Invasion Day (which was yesterday), I'd like to draw attention to the Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign. Many indigenous Australians live in poverty; their children are twice as likely to die in infancy; they suffer higher unemployment and are six times more likely to be murdered than the average Australian. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commision (NATSIEC) has begun the Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign to draw attention to this apalling state of affairs and bring about meaningful change. Check out their website, and if you're an Australian, get involved.

methodist monday

I thought I'd blog a little on my research. I've been reading through stacks of unpublished letters, written in the eighteenth century to Charles Wesley, hunting for letters about suffering - sickness, bereavement, persecution, childbirth. It is sad reading, and sometimes it feels morally questionable to be reading letters which share such private thoughts and feelings. And yet it's fascinating to have the opportunity to listen to these long-dead Methodists, to hear how they understood and managed the terrible pains that eighteenth-century life so often brought.

There are hundreds of letters to Charles from his wife Sally. I've been looking in detail at the letter she wrote to inform him that one of their sons had died. She wrote:

My Dearest Mr Wesley,

This comes to acquaint you that our dear little Babe is no more, his agony is over but it was a hard struggle before he could depart, He was dying all yesterday from two o'clock and about 9 last night he departed. He screamed three times about half an hour before he died, that he could be heard from Nurse's Parlour to the other side of the street, not through guilt (that is my comfort) but through extreme pain, perhaps were I of Calvin's opinion I might have attributed it to a different cause, but glory be to a blessed Redeemer's love for declaring (for the consolation of distressed Parents) that "of such is the Kingdom of Heaven". O that I may land as safely in the harbour of eternal Peace...

It's a deeply moving letter. And I am struck that at the most intimate level of this eighteenth-century woman's grief over her dead son, theological debates mattered. So much English history is written as though theology had meaning only for the elites, while 'popular' religion was a matter of superstition and learned ritual. The letters I'm reading suggest that quite complicated theological debates were a matter of genuine and practical concern for the working classes. Where theology dealt with life and death (including who would be saved and how) people took notice.

icons

I've just signed up for a course on icon painting... something to broaden my Protestant mind (although as my Lutheran friends like to remind me, Luther was keen on icons) and exercise the left side of my brain. This icon by Andrei Rublev has me all inspired...

hurrah!

I have just finished my rough draft of the final chapter of my thesis! Lots and lots of rewriting to do, but it feels like a milestone passed.

Easter hymn

I spend my days studying hymns, but my new favorite is the Easter hymn Ben's daughter composed. I also enjoyed the sophisticated theological analysis provided by Ben (though as a cultural historian I would have liked him to pay a little more attention to the cultural function of her composition). Thanks to the tortoise of dissent for pointing it out.

the thesis writer's friend

The submission date for my thesis is looming, and I am spending much of my time trying to think through difficult theoretical questions that I've avoided for the last three years. My hot tip for this kind of intellectual dilemma is: go swimming! Yesterday I was wrestling with a thorny theoretical problem and took time off for some laps. First ten laps: mind in state of total confusion. Second ten laps: meditative calm. Third ten laps: effective mental effort. Fourth and fifth ten laps: solution to problem emerges as if by magic. This has happened more than once - somehow the repetition and physical effort does wonders for my mind!

and now for something completely different...

An interview with the Russian detective novelist, 'Boris Akunin'. (yes, that's B.Akunin for the Russian historians among you). I've just been enjoying his book 'The Turkish Gambit', set in nineteenth-century Russia and featuring a rollicking combination of spies, generals, Turks and a 'progressive' Russian heroine. In the interview Akunin talks about the contempt with which Russians regard 'popular fiction'- his mother is still waiting for him to write a 'real' book. And he refuses to do public appearances in Russia because (he says) Russians expect novelists to know the meaning of life. Earnest young men are apparently always asking him whether there's a God! Hm, yes, just like Australia...

Shadowmancer

Andrew and I have been reading G.P. Taylor's book Shadowmancer to each other. We like to have a good kid's book to get us through the housework (one person reads, one person folds the clothes/washes the dishes/ makes dinner). I know Shadowmancer has had some rave reviews, but frankly I'm disappointed. There's some good stuff about it: the setting (Cornish coast, 18th century) is atmospheric, and the introduction of demons and witchcraft into that gloomy and superstition-ridden context entirely effective. Having a vicar as the villain is a nice touch! But it just seems far too clunkily... Christian. Whole sections of the narration and dialogue are taken straight from the Bible or are oddly tract-like. What we can't work out (given that it seems to have sold really well) is whether it just grates on us because we went to Sunday School. Are there hundreds of kids out there who read a description of the dark lord as 'a prowling lion, seeking to devour you' and think it's a strikingly original image? Perhaps there are!

small is good

Having visited a small church again this weekend, I am feeling enthusiastic about such congregations. After a busy and emotionally demanding week, walking into a room with 150 people in it produces a strongly negative reaction that I have to get past in order to pay attention to anything. I had forgotten that in small congregations:
You can 'pass the peace' with everyone in the room.
You can talk to the same person you spoke to last week without feeling overwhelmed by how many people you haven't met yet.
Communion doesn't take forever, and the minister has time to chat to the kids about what it all means.
People feel comfortable calling out prayer requests.
As visitors you get lots of attention (and cake)!
You feel as though the minister knows the people to whom he's preaching.

I'll avoid becoming some kind of small-church fanatic (I have met a few!) but at the moment, 30 or so seems a very sensible size for a congregation!

more on church history

Part of the reason I've been thinking about teaching church history is that I hope to be tutoring in church history at one of the local theological colleges this year. This particular college has a number of church historians (all with PhDs in history!), and from my contact with them, I imagine they do a very good job of teaching the subject. But I can't imagine how! How do you teach 2000 years of history in one year without reducing it to a list of dates and doctrines? How do you provide some introduction to the skills of thinking historically within that context? How do you raise new questions, not just confirm old prejudices? I'm really looking forward to finding out!

being historical

I've been reflecting on the possibilities for teaching church history to ministers in training and lay people in churches. Friends in theological college have often complained about how bored they are by their church history subjects, and church history often only figures in sermons by way of anecdotes of doubtful veracity. On a more personal level, I've been asking myself how I use what I've learned in my years of studying obscure bits of the past to serve the broader Christian community.

Tentatively, I've been considering the value of a subject called something like 'Encountering church history in contemporary culture'. Most Australians only ever encounter church history through contemporary culture (for example, randomly, the Puritan Whiteadders in Blackadder, the upheavals of the Reformation in Elizabeth or Luther, heroic missionary endeavour in Molokai, the Mormons in South Park, or most obviously the DaVinci Code) and it seems vital to me that Christians have a set of skills with which to respond to these representations. Not simply the ability to test the historical accuracy of particular portrayals, but the ability to recognise how these portrayals reflect contemporary concerns.

The recent film Luther is a great example: Luther, while appropriately conflicted, is very much a SNAG. His concern for the poor and disadvantaged is centre stage. His responsibility for the slaughter of the peasants is skimmed over. He doesn't swear or drink lots of beer or smoke a pipe. Katie scrubs up, puts on a nice frock and romantic wooing ensues. The film isn't worthless, but it is as revealing about us as it is about the Reformation. To respond to it thoughtfully involves more than just uncritical acceptance or nitpicking about historical details. Recognising what we are comfortable celebrating and what we want to forget prompts really valuable reflection on our relationship with the church's past. So I'd love to develop a subject which encouraged Christians to think deeply about how to recognise and engage with church history as it is represented within our own culture.

FTA

I don't pretend to be an expert on economics, but I wasn't surprised by the news this morning that since Australia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the US, Australian exports to the US have 'plummeted'. Meanwhile, US exports to Australia have increased significantly. OK, it's early days, but plenty of real experts predicted that this is exactly what would happen. To quote an email circular I read recently, it's not rocket surgery.

resolving

I gave up on New Year's resolutions a few years ago. They were always exactly the same, and while that was good for my humility, it also suggested that resolutions weren't very effective in bringing about change! Yesterday, however, we returned from our Christmas break up in Brisbane, and (for once!) unpacked and put everything away neatly. Then I mixed up a beef, mustard and wine casserole, put Eva Cassidy in the CD player, sat down in the kitchen with a real coffee, opened my new journal and started writing. And as I sat there, I vowed to myself that this year I would not be too busy, anxious, materialistic or doubting to enjoy and be grateful for these simple delights. The sound of Eva grooving, the rich smell of casserole simmering, the enormous satisfaction of a tidy house and a new book in which to write... good gifts, given to be enjoyed!