Friday, February 22, 2013

Colleagues List, February 24th, 2013


Vol. VIII No. 21

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

Canadian Anglican Google Groups Web Site:
http://tinyurl.com/a3sbgqt

"Quicklinks" are included with many items.
Otherwise, scroll down to find your selection
in the body of the blog, as in the past.

*****

Dear Friends:

This week I introduce the new book:

"Robert McAfee Brown:
 Spiritual and Prophetic Writings"

It is published by Orbis Books and
presents the life and work of a famous
American Protestant theologian whose
influence spanned the later twentieth
and early twenty-first centuries.

http://tinyurl.com/b69u6dg

--

Colleagues and their themes this week:

Lorna Dueck writes "Religious Freedom is
About Rights, Not Politics"
http://tinyurl.com/b3q8j8g

Martin Marty speaks about "Crowds"
http://tinyurl.com/aksgf5t

Doug Shantz holds the Chair of Christian
Thought at the University of Calgary. Next
week he sponsors:

The Swanson Lectures in Christian Spirituality
March, 2013 and the themes are:

"Religious Freedom in Russia Today"
"Studying Russian Religion since
 the Collapse of Communism"

http://www.ucalgary.ca/christchair/events

Jim Taylor reflects on:
"Hidden Codes in My Operating System"
http://tinyurl.com/a23by3t

Ron Rolheiser helps us think about "Anxiety"
http://tinyurl.com/aeatbvz

--

Net Notes:

"VST Back in the Black" - One of Canada's
major western theological schools has been
battling financial viability, but things
are looking up (Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/bbvxnc3

"The Perils of 'Us Against Them'" - the
theme of religious persecution has been
part of Christianity from the beginning,
but dangers lie in thinking defensively.
(America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/axpzogu

"Academics Debate Freedom Ambassador" -
the Harper government has this week set
up an office to monitor religious freedom
around the world to mixed reaction
(CBC News) http://tinyurl.com/be3pl6b

"A Religious Canada - Strong and Free" -
Canadian religious conservatives have
generally celebrated the Harper move
(National Post) http://tinyurl.com/a8qccnx

"Rural Canadian Woman Changed America" -
Aimee Semper McPherson, an early Canadian
women evangelist, was famous in America,
but less so in Canada (EFC Web News)
http://tinyurl.com/ambsv3z

"Being Realistic Without Losing Your Soul" -
Cynicism is a natural human response to much
going in the world, but there is a better way
says this article (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/3f7c7fm

"Scandals Weigh on Body Electing Next Pope" -
as the cardinals gather to elect a new pope
the burden of the sexual abuse scandals
weigh heavily upon them (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/b3cfrqt

"Attempt to Establish Christian Law School" -
Trinity Western University in British Columbia
wants to establish a "Christian law school"
but is running into human rights problems
(Christian Week Online)
http://tinyurl.com/be5wf59

"At Least 3,000 Died in Residential Schools" -
for the first time, official statistics
are reporting a grim reality of the schools
(CBC News) http://tinyurl.com/b7qzuo7

"LA Megachurch Loses Millions in Musical Flop" -
an evangelical church that invested heavily in
a musical that tells the story of the founding
of Pentecostalism has run a major deficit.
(Christian Post) http://tinyurl.com/a2jly5y

--

Wisdom of the Week is offered from an
eclectic collection as usual:

Francis Bacon, St. Basil, Brigid of Kildare,
Henri J.M. Nouwen and G. K. Chesterton share
their insights with us.

--

On this Day:

For February 17th - 24th -

Two stories are provided from the archives
of the New York Times -

Nixon Departs on Historic Trip to China
http://tinyurl.com/aw2mpfh

Malcolm X Killed by Assassins
http://tinyurl.com/22uvelg


--

Closing Thought - colleague Isabel Gibson
continues her 'gifts' series.

This time, the gift is 'perspective.'

--

I hope your Lenten journey is meaningful.

Wayne

******

Wayne's Study Programs:

ST. DAVID'S AND UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES

St. David's and ACTS Ministry -

Our Spiritual Travelers Tour for 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

DEADLINE FOR SIGN-UP HAS PAST! -
JANUARY 23RD.

26 people have paid to take the tour.
April 23rd - May 9th, 2013

Our major tour themes are: Classic Greek and Roman,
Early Christian, Muslim-Christian and the beautiful
scenery of the Mediterranean coast of SW Turkey.

*Enjoy Istanbul (Constantinople) - long a link
between East and West.

*Classical cities like Troy will be visited and
intriguing ancient sites will be revealed.

*Pilgrims from many of the regions we will visit
were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost - people
from "Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia" -
(Acts 2.)

*Saint Paul founded churches in many of the centers
of central and western Turkey and we will spend
quality time in places like Ephesus.

*We will come to know cities mentioned in the
Book of Revelation (chapters 1-3) by Jobn.
Cities like Pergamon, Thyatira, Philadelphia,
Sardis and Smyrna

---

The tour book will include reflection pages
with the itinerary as well as answers to many
traveller's questions.

Your tour hosts:

Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com 
403-286-7416

*****

OUR WINTER AND SPRING 2013 STUDY PROGRAMS

With more to be announced -

AT ST.DAVID'S UNITED CHURCH

"WELCOMING THE STRANGER" WEEKEND AT ST. DAVID'S

Friday March 1st - Sunday, March 3rd (confirmed)

Special Guest:
Mary Jo Leddy, Romero House, Toronto.

Mary Jo's presentations will take place
at St. David's church.

Other guests are presently being secured for
panels, workshop and as seminar leaders. These
activities will be held on the university
campus.

Watch for new information on this
special weekend focused on Canada's
policy for welcoming new Canadians
and how Christians might respond.

*****

MONDAY NIGHT STUDY

THIS STUDY HAS BEGUN!!

From Monday, January 14th
through Monday, March 26th.
7:00 -9:00 PM TM Room.

Study Book:

"Radical Gratitude" by Mary Jo Leddy

Review of book links:
http://tinyurl.com/bemfdms 
(Western Catholic Reporter)

http://tinyurl.com/awu94eq 
(Gospel and our Culture)

Cost of the course: $50.00
Buy only the book: $20.00

The course and books are now
on sale at the church lobby.

*****

THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

"Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs"

Thursday, January 17th - March 28th, 2013

THIS SERIES HAS BEGUN!!
Drop-ins welcome.

All welcome. No cost.

*****

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

THIS COURSE HAS BEGUN!!

Tuesday Night University Study sponsored
by the Faculty of Continuing Education:

HERESIES AND HERETICS - The Real Story of
Early Christianity. Cont Ed Course 198-001

Ten Sessions - Jan. 22nd - Mar. 26th, 2013

Click this link for books, costs and details:
http://tinyurl.com/77xuwnu

---

THIS COURSE BEGINS THIS WEEK!

Faith and Spirituality Centre Winter Study
Sponsored by the Christian chaplains of
the University of Calgary

TWELVE STEPS TO A COMPASSIONATE LIFE
A Study of Karen Armstrong's latest book.

Fridays - March 1st - April 5th
12 noon - 1:00 PM

Six Weeks - Native Centre Board Room,
McEwan Student Centre, University of Calgary.

12 noon to 1:00 PM: Cost of the book: $15.

*****

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca 
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html 

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4

This collection of study resources represents
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at
St. David's, plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.

*********************

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

ROBERT McAFEE BROWN
Spiritual and Prophetic Writings
Edited With Introduction by Paul Crowley.
Orbis Spiritual Masters Series.
2013. 243 pages. $16.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-62698-007-5.
(available February 28th, 2013)

Publisher's Promo:

Robert McAfee Brown (1920-2001), an
American Presbyterian, was a master
theologian, a spiritual guide, and
an engaged activist, whose long career
reflected many of the critical movements
and concerns of the twentieth century.

As an official Protestant observer at
the Second Vatican Council, he was an
influential figure in the ecumenical
movement. But his concerns ranged widely
over the intersection between faith and
the issues of his time: the Holocaust and
Jewish-Christian relations; the Civil Rights
movement and race relations; the emergence
of Latin American liberation theology; the
Vietnam War and the struggle for peace in
Central America; and the changing shape of
global theology. Overall, his work
represented a prophetic style of public
theology in which faith and practice,
prayer and action, words and deeds, and
religion and politics came full circle.

Drawing on previously uncollected material
and with a helpful introduction this volume
presents an essential guide to Brown’s work
and a message that remains as timely and
challenging as ever.

--

From the Preface:

A celebration of the life and work of Robert
McAfee Brown was held at the Graduate
Theological Union in Berkeley, California
on October 6, 2010.

(This event) reinforced in the minds of
the audience the continuing relevance of
Robert Brown... and reflection by the
participants of that celebration has led
to the production of this anthology of
Brown's "spiritual writings."

His collected papers are a treasure trove
of material related to the issues that
dominated the theological conversation
in the last half of the twentieth century
and the first decade of the twenty-first
century.

These papers are an enduring legacy that
will be studied and quoted for years to
come.

Brown was fully engaged with the issues
of his time and for that reason he might
be called "an activist." His was not a
quiet spirituality born of retreat and
contemplation. The times in which he
lived did not allow for that. His times
were tumultuous: loud, excited, emotional
and polarizing. They were characterized
by years of war, political demonstration,
protest (as well as) social, political
and religious upheaval. His spirituality
was molded by the biblical texts and then
pounded on the hard anvil of contrarian
leadership.

His was not easy spirituality, or what
Protestant martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer
called a "cheap grace." Rather, Brown's
spirituality was the result of a lifetime
of sacrificial engagement with the problems
and possibilities of his times.

It is this "active spirituality" that
characterized his life and what now
qualifies Robert McAfee Brown as a
contemporary spiritual master.

- Robert Benedetto
Berkeley, California.

--

My Thoughts:

I first became familiar with the writings of
Robert McAfee Brown through several of his
students from Berkeley who I encountered as
a graduate student in ecumenical studies at
the University of Geneva (Bossey) during the
mid-to-late 60's.

Brown was loved by his students because he
brought a depth of theological understanding
to all his engagements.

This was the era of the Vietnam War, the
race riots and the martyrdoms of the Kennedys
and Martin Luther King.

It was not an easy time for my American
friends and while my conservative Canadianism
found it hard to engage them as I might
I was still affected by the significant
impact of an engagement of faith and politics
that he had taught them.

I also appreciated his ecumenical thought.
The first book of his that I read was
"Observer in Rome: A Protestant Report on
the Vatican Council." (1964) Brown had a
good experience in Rome and invested himself
extensively in the proceedings of that most
important event for the ecumenical church.

I later read his books on Jewish philosopher
Elie Wiesel and Catholic activist Gustavo
Gutierrez which helped me to understand
liberation theology during the 80's and 90's.

His last book "Reflections Over the Long Haul:
A Memoir" which was published after he died
helped me draw the various strands of his
thought and ministry together.

The book I now introduce to you contains
material both by and about Brown, and brings
him into historical perspective for those
who want to gain a deeper awareness of who
we was and the context of his times.

This book clarifies his prophetic, justice,
human rights, peacemaking and interfaith
work. He was a busy man and could not be
called a spiritual "contemplative" in any
sense of the word. Still, a profound inner
thread of spiritual groundedness kept him
from burning out.

The book concludes with a sermon Brown
preached in October of 1968 at Stanford
Memorial Church. It is entitled: "On
Not Knowing Where We Are Going." It
offers a meaningful reflection on
living by faith.

For those who would like to gain a helpful
perspective on an important American
Protestant "spiritual activist" you will
not go wrong by reading this book.

Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/b69u6dg

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK
Toronto. ON

Globe and Mail
February 20th, 2013

"Religious Freedom is
 About Rights, Not Politics"

http://tinyurl.com/b3q8j8g

--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago. IL

Sightings,
February 18th, 2013

"Crowds"

http://tinyurl.com/aksgf5t

--

DOUG SHANTZ
Calgary, Ab.

Chair of Christian Thought Lectures,
University of Calgary

The Swanson Lectures in Christian Spirituality
March, 2013

Guest: Professor Heather Coleman
Canada Research Chair in Imperial Russian History
Department of History & Classics,
University of Alberta

"Religious Freedom in Russia Today"
 Monday, March 4, 2013 at 7:30pm
 St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cultural Centre
 404 Meredith Rd. N.E. Calgary, AB

"Studying Russian Religion since
 the Collapse of Communism"

 Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 12:00pm
 Bianca Room, MacEwan Student Centre
 University of Calgary

http://www.ucalgary.ca/christchair/events

--

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Blog
February 20th, 2013

"Hidden Codes in My Operating System"

http://tinyurl.com/a23by3t

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Website
February 17th,  2013

"Anxiety"

http://tinyurl.com/aeatbvz

*****

NET NOTES

VST BACK IN THE BLACK
Vancouver Seminary Restructures

Anglican Journal
February 21st, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/bbvxnc3

--

THE PERILS OF 'US AGAINST THEM'
Myth of Persecution - Reviewed

America Magazine
March 4th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/axpzogu

--

Government Office of Religious Freedom
Launched by Prime Minister Harper this Week -

ACADEMICS DEBATE FREEDOM AMBASSADOR
Canadian Government's New Office

CBC News
Feb. 21st, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/be3pl6b

--

A RELIGIOUS CANADA STRONG AND FREE
Conservative Perspective on the News

The National Post
February 20th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/a8qccnx

--

RURAL CANADIAN WOMAN CHANGED AMERICA
Evangelist Aimee Semper McPherson

Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
February 19th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/ambsv3z

--

BEING REALISTIC WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL
It is Easy to be Cynical. Can We be Hopeful

Uca News
February 21st, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/3f7c7fm

--

SCANDALS WEIGH ON BODY ELECTING NEXT POPE
A Major Burden/Responsibility for Church

Uca News
Feb. 20th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/b3cfrqt

--

ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH CHRISTIAN LAW SCHOOL
BC Evangelical School Seeks Credentials

Christian Week
February 14th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/be5wf59

--

AT LEAST 3,000 DIED IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
Government Study Reveals Tragic Evidence

CBC News
Feb. 18th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/b7qzuo7

--

LA MEGACHURCH LOSES MILLIONS IN MUSICAL FLOP
Major Investment Lost in Pentecostal Story

Christian Post
Feb. 18th, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/a2jly5y


*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online:

If we do not maintain justice,
justice will not maintain us.

- Francis Bacon

--

I cannot persuade myself that without
love to others, and without, as far as
rests with me, peaceableness towards all,
I can be called a worthy servant of
Jesus Christ.

- St. Basil

--

I would like the angels of Heaven to be
among us. I would like an abundance of
peace. I would like full vessels of charity.
I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would
like cheerfulness to preside over all. I would
like Jesus to be present.

- Brigid of Kildare, Ireland

--

Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among
people who love poorly. The hard truth is that
all people love poorly. We need to forgive and
be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly.
That is the great work of love among the
fellowship of the weak that is the human family.

- Henri J.M. Nouwen

--

Let your religion be less of a theory and more
of a love affair.

- G.K. Chesterton

**

ON THIS DAY

February 17th - February 24th

From the Archives of the New York Times:

Nixon Departs on Historic Trip to China
http://tinyurl.com/aw2mpfh

Malcolm X Killed by Assassins
http://tinyurl.com/22uvelg

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - Isabel Gibson

The Gift of Perspective

People seem most eager to give us the gift
of perspective right after life has given
us something lousy, when things are going
for fooey.

Nothing matters very much, and few things
matter at all - Lord Balfour

Don’t take life so serious, son.
It ain’t nohow permanent - Pogo

Less common is the counsel of
perspective in both good times and bad:

This too shall pass.
- Various folkloric attributions

Nothing is all good or all bad.
- The Big Guy

Perspective offered up by other people
is ‘more socks than chocolate’: valued
more in the giving than the receiving.
Go figure. May we find ways, then,
to gift ourselves.

http://tinyurl.com/asbmacu

Isabel's Blog:
http://www.traditionaliconoclast.com/

(end)



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