As I was saying about the coffee

"The marketed church offers just what everyone wants: the music I want (or don’t), the time I want, the length of service I want, the type of language I want, the style of music I want, the amount of intimacy and responsibility I want, and in some cases, even the pastor I want. But is the gospel a message about the satisfaction of wants?
The marketed church confuses Sunday worship and catechism with evangelism and outreach. What is the difference? Mere Christian Sunday worship has always been for the Christian community (the baptized) to offer thanks to God, to sing his praise, and to feed on the Word. Evangelism has been done by conversation in the marketplace, preaching in the public square, but even more, simply by the witness of increasingly holy lives."
-current issue of Touchstone Magazine

I like my coffee dark, slightly bitter, strong; as it was intended to be. I find that there's a certain element of natural-ness to it. It's how it's supposed to be, not necessarily what's easiest on me.

Is worship something that is bent toward our own likes and dislikes? Shouldn't it be the other way around? When I was 're-discovering' myself in Orthodoxy back in undergrad, I found this difficult to deal with. Perhaps instead of finding a worship which conformed to my needs, I needed to humble myself to the established order of worship.

God gave Moses specific instructions on how to worship Him. It was liturgical and communal. Christ didn't destroy this. Instead he established that HE Himself was the complete fulfillment of the lamb which was sacrificed in the Temple (Hebrews 9:11-14). That Sacrifice of Himself was given to the Apostles in a particular order of worship (Do this in remembrance of me...) which is at its core simple, though free to develop within the Church.

In the midst of all the bells and whistles of 'contemporizing', whether it's movie theater-style mega-Church worship, dramatic Christian-themed skit hoopla, guitars and drums (check this out too), even the tendency within the Apostolic Churches to embellish our Church music, we miss out on the simplicity and centrality of Eucharist understood by our Christian predecessors. Without the respect of Sacramentality, it is my conviction that Christianity would just be morals and ethics everyone pretty much already knew before.

Perhaps the metaphor is running thin, but I'll take my coffee black and my worship simple and profound.

Absolutely chilling...

Watch this from Hot Air

Be on the lookout!

I'm in the market for an ipod/mp3 playing device. I have a LOT of reading to do for my thesis nowadays and I read better and stay awake longer with loud music blaring in my ears. Pass along a recommendation if you have one. I'm still a poor grad student so the cheaper the better.

Karma Light!

"
[...]
"A crow's ear ... or is it crosier?
After the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the International Herald Tribune described his vestments and added: "Tucked under his left arm was the silver staff, called the crow's ear, that he had carried in public."
Actually, that ornate shepherd's staff is called a crosier (or crozier), not a "crow's ear." And did a BBC producer really write a subtitle that said "Karma Light" nuns were mourning the pope (as opposed to Carmelites)?
OK, one more. Not long ago, Newsweek magazine covered Virginia's Liberty University debate team, ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Rev. Jerry Falwell explained that his team was involved in a unique kind of ministry to the culture. Alas, he used a biblical metaphor that led to this correction: "Newsweek misquoted Falwell as referring to 'assault ministry.' In fact, Falwell was referring to 'a salt ministry' — a reference to Matthew 5:13, where Jesus says, 'Ye are the salt of the earth.' We regret the error." "

HT: Orthodoxy Today, Terry Mattingly (am I using the term 'hat tip' correctly??)

Meanwhile History Channel has on heavy rotation it's Da Vinci Code aka "How the Catholic Church Conspired to Oppress Women and Eat Your Baby" specials

The Gospel of LEGO!

Wait a minute...who put wheels on Noah???

The Bible as presented by the sorta reverend Brendan Powell Smith.

HT: Tom (Tommy Gun) David

It's not for the kiddies. This is both terribly offensive and hilarious.

UPDATE: Do NOT look at the above link if you're the easily offended type. I posted it because I think it's both silly and not terribly too far out of the realm of what some would consider "reaching out."

Well it sounded like a good idea at the time

"Nearly every sub-Saharan African nation is poorer now than when they became independent during the '60s and '70s. Since that time, food production has fallen by roughly 20 percent. Since 1975, per capita GDP has fallen at a rate of half of one percent annually. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo estimated, "Corrupt African leaders have stolen at least $140 billion from their people in the [four] decades since independence." The call for more aid by George Bush, Tony Blair and other G-8 leaders will produce nothing but more of the same. "

To be fair, just as backward post-colonial places like Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore and more recently China and India have found prosperity by *gasp* opening up their markets and respecting contracts/property rites.

Christianity: Classic!

I've updated the look of my blog. I'm slowly building up the steam (and nerve) to get the dot com. Even if nobody reads this (I know they do, but they're heathens who don't leave comments :P ), I like to at least have my own ruminations written down somewhere. The blogspot editor also deleted all my links when I changed templates so I had to manually enter in all my links into the html sourcecode myself. Enjoy some of the new links I've added like Liturgica and Salvo.

Allow me to elaborate on what "Classical Christianity" means.

Recently I came across a brand of Ecumenism I actually found worthwhile. It is expounded by, but not limited to, the works of CS Lewis. I found so many devout Orthodox laiety and priests speaking so highly of his works, that I just had to read him (or get reaquainted with him....I read the Chronicles of Narnia ages ago).

CS Lewis expresses everything desperately lacking in most Ecumenical forums I've come across. He has a devotion to the common Christian tradition as found in the early Church in it's continuity with modern Catholic/Anglican expressions. He doesn't delve into a particular theology, but remains faithful and respectful to traditional doctrine. Moreover, he's committed to the most basic of Christian values and moralities as identified with Christ. He recognizes the differences between Churches, but does not seek to erase the seriousness of such differences with any sort of flowery rhetoric.

Having read a few of Lewis' works now, and having come across such excellent publications as Touchstone Magazine and The Crux Project, I lumped the links to a few similar webpages under the heading "Classical Christianity." I say it's 'classical' because that term seems best to signify that something can be both old and still capable of being fresh and relevant. Basically, "Classical Christianity" means we don't have to reinvent the spiritual wheel when we can always hearken back and think about the "good ole days" for guidance.

remodeling

I'm updating the page...fixing the links

It's like coffee...

Inane Analogies to Orthodoxy Part I:

Today's rambling rumination...

In the build-up to my exam last night in regressional analysis, I went through my standard routine of reading while gorging myself with cup after cup of coffee. Whether I'm studying or not, I enjoy the act of drinking fine coffee while doing my reading. So over the course of the past few days, I had coffee from the Rutgers Busch Student Center (think gas station brand), Dunkin Donuts, and my own personal supply of coffee, which I grind from the bean and brew myself.

Coffee was meant to be bitter and strong; to have a particular striking taste and effect. Gas station coffee keeps you awake, but tastes watered down and uninteresting. Dunkin Donuts coffee no doubt tastes good, but seems so focused on being palatable and sweet, that the taste is not really what coffee is intended to taste like. Good coffee, the kind you grind and brew at home, from the real non-artificially flavored beans, is coffee as it was intended to be. Taken with all the intricasies of its taste, in such a way as the acidity, aroma, and texture all work in a particular and distinct balance, good coffee, perhaps an aquired taste, actually tastes like coffee. You may get the same caffeine kick from the gas station coffee, and you may find the dunkin donuts coffee to be more "sugary," but for a pure and untampered coffee drinking experience, coffee must be fresh and barely altered.

So, analogously...
I find Orthodox Christianity to offer a certain continuity in worship which is as worship was intended to be. While I'm sure that other forms of worship may have their merits , I feel that our worship has the "taste" and "texture" of a continuous and legitimate "classical" Christian experience.
~Steve

No soda bottle shall be safe

I HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS!!

(HT: Ben )

Youth Trilogy- Fr. Jonathan Tobias

Best article I read this past week...

Check out all three articles in the order they're written. I've been pondering these issues this Summer as I prepare to get more involved with our own Diocese's department of Campus Ministry.

"Youth ministry should have been the business of making Christian adults. In Orthodox terminology, Orthodox youth minstry is all about making saints. This is because of an arrestingly simple fact in Holy Tradition: sainthood and Christian adulthood are the same. This means that there are many Christian children who are adults, because they are saints. This also means that there are many older people who remain children, because they are not saints.

What we should have said, in our decades of youth ministry, is something like this: “No, everywhere else is a sandbox and a Romper Room. But Christianity is a higher thing. Christianity is simple, but it is deep. It is free, but it is hard. It is eternal, and for that, you need to be a child at heart, and you must also grow up, and be a man.”

“So no, we won’t have rock music or encounter groups. Not because they’re evil, but because they’re childish and vulgar. We’re off to do bigger things, and better.”

After all, youth ministry, and churches, are all about making adults. For the very long term."

I'm not saying that Christian popular music is necessarily a bad thing. There are some very good and edifying "Christianizations" of popular media ("The Passion," "The Chronicles of Narnia, etc) out there, as well. By all means, if you're the impressionable sort, put a Christian-inspired CD in your car stereo instead of the Brittney Spears/50-cent/Ludacris bottom-of-the-barrel insipid non-musical noise we've gotten used to. Having said that, I'm of the thinking that Christ ordained a Church as well as a particular order of worship which we follow in continuity with our Tradition...traditions..and which doesn't, and mustn't try to, compete with pop culture.

If there is a youth/college ministry in the Orthodox Church, it must be focused on engaging said students in serious, yet wholly fulfilling, consideration of Christ-centered Apostolic worship. Otherwise, we're just putting on a grand circus sideshow to get a few more seats filled on Sunday.

Now read this from Touchstone...

Say not to PC Bureaucracy...have a cheesesteak

More on Geno's vs. City Hall

I honestly haven't had Geno's...but I may just give it a try now:

"Ennike cheez whiz veno...AYO!...I mean...I'd like cheez whiz..."

Cheesecake Orthodoxy

So I found this on Food Network last night.

All my tri-state area people...we HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS!!!

Memorable Quote:
"If someone asks you how many calories it has...tell 'em it's got nun"

Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters

(Because you really needed to know)

I'm not really this into comic books, but as this is the Summer movie season, comic book characters have been coming up over and over again. So apparently Adherents.com has categorized the religious affiliation of a good number of comic book heroes, obscure and otherwise. Making the list as Eastern Orthodox, Elektra (an assassin), Black Widow (another kind of assassin), and Confessor (an assassin who kills people using rosaries and Crosses). Superman is a Methodist, Batman is a lapsed Episcopalian or Catholic, and The Thing is Jewish, just to name a few.

Cambodian monks may watch World Cup, but calmly

But in America...we still don't care

"Supreme Patriarch Non Nget, chief of monks in Phnom Penh, was quoted as saying that monks can watch the televised tournament but they must do so silently.

"Screaming and cheering with an angry face or happy feeling are the acts of street kids," he said. "Laughing, cheering or making noise inside the pagoda violate Buddha's rules."

Though watching matches in silence and solemnity on TV is allowed, Non Nget said that betting on the games would not be tolerated. "If I found any monk betting money on a football match...I might fire him from the pagoda," he warned."

I'm more of a Pat's man, myself...

Geno's, the 2nd most famous Philadelphia cheesesteak shop (Pat's being the 1st), is in the midst of a free speech controversy.

"I don't see much of a big deal about learning to say Cheez Whiz," he [Geno's owner Joseph Vento] told ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" on Friday.

So a privately owned, American establishment (run by 3rd generation Italian immigrants) is being criticized for requiring orders to be made in English. What's next? A Spanish-language national anthem???

Ohhhhhhhhh

~2nd Generation Immigrant

June 9th: Now that I'm the town's oldest man...

...I'm starting to realize I'm not a young man anymore.

Thanks to everyone for all the happy birthday wishes!!!

hurray...we made it through 6.6.6!!!

And in other news...

"Definitely Maybe" by Oasis has been named the greatest album of all time by the British...
meanwhile "What's the Story (Morning Glory)" is sitting in my car's CD player...

And if you're in the mood for some more 90s alternative, I've rediscovered the Indian-inspired Brit-alternative rock of Cornershop. It's Indian guys with guitars...not quite dancing in the meadow but we'll wait and see.

Comic Book Rundown

Batwoman Is Back... as a Lesbian???

"Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet. DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year.

...'This is not just about having a gay character,' DiDio said. 'We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world.'"

Diversity, eh? Are they going to bring Superman back Chinese? Perhaps Aquaman should come back as a Hassidic Jew? Maybe "diversity" is just code for "minorities we like."

I'm still trying to figure out how in MTV's Real World, every season features 7 people, with one spot reserved for the token gay. Now I'm not sure if MTV claims that the casts are a representative sampling of the population, but assuming that they do, that'd make homosexuals roughly 14% of the population. Now, also assuming that homosexuality is a genetic condition, that would mean that 14% of the species population are exclusively non-reproducing. That would make God...nature... a poor inefficient designer.

but I digress...I was talking about comics..

X-men 3: Action-packed but also horribly melodramatic
So I saw Xmen:The Last Stand last week. Honestly it was not as good as the previous 2 movies, but the movie was still entertaining notwithstanding. Though, like the cartoon and comic book, there become too many X-men for any character to be developed properly. Angel, who got so many oohs and ahhs in the trailers perhaps had about 6 lines of dialogue. Same goes for Colossus. Meanwhile, the constant sexual tension between Jean Grey and Wolverine drags on though I can't really remember any serious dialogue between the two (other than about said sexual tension) during the course of the three movies. Lastly, I never really understood the mutant cause being portrayed as a 21st Century Abolition/Civil Rights movement. If I see a man can manipulate metal with his mind, my first reaction is "hey that's cool, try bending this spoon..." and not "I HATE YOU...DIE DIE DIE."

Coming 2007...Ghostrider
Now that Marvel is scraping characters from the bottom of the barrel to put onto the big screen, the next offering will be Ghostrider. Though I loved the Rock and Con-Air, Nicolas Cage is getting much too old for this. Anyway, I'm not saying the movie is going to be bad, but I get the same vibes when I watch the trailer here, then watch the parody trailer for the fictitious Pac-man movie here

"It's some sort of man...some sort of...Pac..Man.."