Chittister on Lent, Ireland and Gender

This commentary by Sr Joan Chittister is a keeper! She describes the annual Lenten social issue of the the Catholic Church in Ireland. In previous years, concerns have been issues like apartheid in South Africa, child soldiers, slave laborers and so on. Information on the Lenten campaign was widely disseminated on Irish television. This year's concern has caused more controversy than all others combined--the topic: gender inequality. I can't begin to summarize her column, so I encourage you all to read it.
http://ncrcafe.org/node/977

Ancient Biblical Manuscripts

This is from a Birmingham, Alabama newspaper because of the local angle.

It wasn’t exactly “The DaVinci Code,” but a Birmingham priest recently jetted around the world and helped deliver one of the most important documents in Christian history to the pope.

“It contains the oldest copy of the Lord’s Prayer in the world,” said St. Paul’s Cathedral Pastor Richard Donohoe.

Donohoe assisted in the Vatican Library’s acquisition of two rare pieces of papyrus, including the oldest surviving copy of the Gospel of Luke and one of the two oldest copies of the Gospel of John. They were handwritten by a scribe about 200 A.D. and found in Egypt in the 1950s.

The full story is at

http://www.al.com/living/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1172827684145900.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

God's Unfinished Future

Presentations from a theological conference last month in NYC, God's Unfinished Future, are available as MP3 files and streaming video at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/education/?institute-2007&p=schedule&s=telecast. The featured presenter is Jurgen Moltmann. Most of the talks are available as both video and audio. Broadband internet access is needed for the video. The audio files are of the talks only and do not have the brief bios of the presenters prior to the talks. I haven't checked to see if the audios have the Q&A sessions at the end or not.
The first presentation by Barbara Rossing does a splendid job of linking the Book of Revelation with ecology and environmental issues. The site's blurb on her follows:

The Rev. Barbara R. Rossing, Th.D., professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, is the author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in The Book of Revelation.

I recommend skipping the first 13 minutes of that segment to avoid the usual conference introductions. Her talk is about an hour followed by 20 minutes of Q&A.

I watched the video of Bernice Johnson Reagon and it was a delight. The video lasts about an hour and is a wonderful combination of personal history, reflection and song. For those of you who don't know her, here is a brief introduction.

Bernice Johnson Reagon was the founding director of the ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. She will share her unique perspective of God's "ultimate visions" through performance, storytelling and song.

The first presentation by Jurgen Moltmann lasts about an hour and a half with Q&A. His talk is called "The Final Judgement: Sunrise of Christ's Liberating Justice". Among other things, he demythologizes all the bad (theologically at least) art portraying the Last Judgement. It is a remarkable talk which goes a long way toward undoing all our early conditioning about being judged by God. One interesting response by Moltmann in the Q&A is his reflection about the idea of purgatory (at about 1:11 in the video). This presentation is really worthwhile.

At first, Moltmann's 2nd presentation, which is about the Resurrection of Christ, seems out of synch with the previous one. After all, the book of Revelation comes after the Gospels. The title of the talk, which appears only briefly on the video, "The Presence of God's Future: The Risen Christ" clarifies that. He states that apocalyptic visions are, in fact, not Christian because they focus on the end the world. What is Christian is the account of a new beginning of life itself initiated by the Resurrection of Christ. He also emphasizes the importance in the Christian message of bodies over souls and a new earth over heaven. This is a very dense talk. I've seen it twice and haven't fully absorbed it.
One note about Moltmann's German accent: when he says what sounds like "livid" and "un-livid", he is really saying "lived" and "unlived".

The final presenter is the Rev. Prof. Peter J Gomes of The Memorial Church, Harvard. You may have heard him being interviewed by Bill Moyers several years ago about his book, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart. I have listened to half of his presentation so far. It is enough to think that we might do well to have his book ($14 for a new paperback version) as a text for our Bible study group. Now, I'm going back to his talk. His primary themes are 1) the distinction between optimism and hope, and 2) pastorally, the future shouldn't be yielded to the Left Behind folks; it must be seen positively as the fulfillment of God's promises. He strongly recommends Barbara Rossing's book, The Rapture Exposed, and mentions that his church is using it as Lenten reading. The latter has been out in paperback since 2005 listing for $15, but there are used copies available. I think the bible study group studied the Book of Revelation before I joined it, but I don't know if you used any supplemental works.

Bruce Metzger, Greek scholar responsible for NRSV, dies

From http://www.abpnews.com/www/1731.article:

Bruce Metzger, Greek scholar responsible for NRSV, dies

By Robert Marus

Published: February 16, 2007

PRINCETON, N.J. (ABP) -- Bruce Metzger, who was perhaps the 20th century's preeminent New Testament Greek scholar, has died at age 93.

The retired seminary professor reportedly died of natural causes in Princeton, N.J., Feb. 13.

Metzger helped translate both the Revised Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. He served as general editor for the latter, which is the English Bible translation used for academic study of Scripture in all but the most conservative Protestant colleges, seminaries and divinity schools.

The Rapture Revisited

For those of you who have time on your hands, a Bay Area journalist is posting weekly chapters of his novel at http://www.micklasalle.com/. Here's the premise:

Imagine if everything the Religious Right believes about the End Times is true, except the Rapture doesn't take them and the antichrist turns out to be their favorite politician . . . That's the story of The Event, which will be serialized on this space, one Episode per week, over the next few months.

Folks like Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama and Spike Lee get taken up, but all our favorite religious fascists are "left behind" to do even more damage to humanity and the planet.

Open Letter To His Impotence

Dear Bishop Kicanas,

We, the under-signed are writing to you to express our concern about
the diocesan- influenced cancellation of Bishop Gumbleton's presentation on
Church Teaching and Gay-Lesbian Catholics.It came as a shock to the Call to
Action sponsors of the event. We received your personal approval for three
events this year .You told the Daily Star that your refusal to approve Bishop
Gumbleton's visit was based on Call to Action's dissent with Church teaching.
This seems like a contradiction.
Our concern does not end there. What message do we send to the Arizona
community when our Roman Catholic religious leaders ban dissenting opinions from
a brother bishop in good standing? At this time in the World Religion's scene,
we have witnessed frightening intolerance from some religious leaders. Roman
Catholicism, with its long tradition of respect for human reason and debate,
must not join the ranks of the frightened ideologues
In addition, a bishop like youself who has been brave in his defense of other
oppressed minorities is now associated with a decision that ostracizes even
further the Gay community. This refusal to even allow a lecture on another
perspective on homosexuality is a denial of the time-honored Catholic teaching
that doctrine develops.Had advocates of democracy ,women's equality and
opponents of involuntary servitude not been allowed to speak ,would the Catholic
Church still hold teachings that support these injustices?
Your leadership in the Diocese of Tucson has already overseen the removal of
a paid liason position to the Grace Group,an association of Gay Catholics. Now
this! Please ask yourself how you will begin to repair these affronts to this
much- victimized community.Your defense of undocumented immigrants has been
eloquent and courageous. What of these our brothers and sisters and "Always Our
Children" caught in the no man's land of intolerance and misunderstanding?When
will there be room for them in the "inn" of the Catholic community of Souther
Arizona?


Your in Christ,

200+ signees

Anti-Semitic Catholics

The Southern Poverty Law Center has a new report out on a Catholic "sect" which is extremely anti-Semitic. Mel Gibson is affiliated with this group of wing-nuts who also want to return to the Latin Mass, etc. The 6 page report can be found at http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=719. A selection from it follows:

Few Americans defended Mel Gibson's drunken rant about the evils of the Jews. But radical traditionalist Catholics did. A three-year investigation of this subculture by the Intelligence Report has found that these Catholic extremists, including the Gibsons, may well represent the largest population of anti-Semites in the United States. Organized into a network of more than a dozen organizations, scores of websites and several extremist churches and monasteries, radical traditionalists in the U.S. are preaching anti-Semitism to as many as 100,000 followers. A few, such as the lawyer for Terri Schiavo's family, Christopher Ferrara, are even movers and shakers in important right-wing Republican circles.

Your Brain on Religion

MSNBC has an interesting article on a new research center at U. Penn. It can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16842848/. The introductory paragraphs follow.

Religion and science can combine to create some thorny questions: Does God exist outside the human mind, or is God a creation of our brains? Why do we have faith in things that we cannot prove, whether it’s the afterlife or UFOs?

The new Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania is using brain imaging technology to examine such questions, and to investigate how spiritual and secular beliefs affect our health and behavior.

If you follow the article's U. Penn link and then click the "Resources" link, you will find several articles available in PDF format. Tom, perhaps your MD son would find them worth reading, and then again, maybe not.

An Interesting Bible Blog

There is an interesting new series at Slate's website called "Blogging the Bible". The introduction to it can be found at http://www.slate.com/id/2141050/. The author is currently reading and commenting on Jeremiah (http://www.slate.com/id/2157587/).
Part of the series introduction follows. Note that he indicates which Hebrew translation he is reading. Do you know anything about this translation, Tom?

Blogging the Bible

What happens when an ignoramus reads the Good Book?

By David Plotz

I have always been a proud Jew, but never a terribly observant one. Several weeks ago, I made a rare visit to synagogue for a cousin's bat mitzvah and, as usual, found myself confused (and bored) by a Hebrew service I couldn't understand. During the second hour of what would be a ceremony of NFL-game-plus-overtime-length, I picked up the Torah in the pew-back, opened it at random, and started reading (the English translation, that is).
. . .

So, what can I possibly do? My goal is pretty simple. I want to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based. I think I'm in the same position as many other lazy but faithful people (Christians, Jews, Moslems, Hindus). I love Judaism; I love (most of) the lessons it has taught me about how to live in the world; and yet I realized I am fundamentally ignorant about its foundation, its essential document. So, what will happen if I approach my Bible empty, unmediated by teachers or rabbis or parents? What will delight and horrify me? How will the Bible relate to the religion I practice, and the lessons I thought I learned in synagogue and Hebrew School?

I'll spend the next few weeks (or months) finding out. I'll begin with "in the beginning" and see how far I get. My wife, struck by my new biblical obsession, gave me a wonderful Torah translation and commentary for Hannukah, the Etz Hayim, which was prepared by conservative Jewish scholars. I'll read that and dip into the King James and other translations on occasion. (But I'll avoid most commentary, since the whole point is to read the Bible fresh.) I'm sure I'll repeat obvious points made by thousands of biblical commentators before; I'll misunderstand some passages and distort others—hey, that'll be part of the fun.

Bishop Gumbleton in Tucson

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE CHURCH

Where are we Now? Where Should We Be?

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

7:00 PM

First Christian Church*

Tucson

Sponsored by Call to Action-Tucson

The Most Reverend Thomas J. Gumbleton

Retired Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Gumbleton has been a consistent prophetic voice in the Catholic Church. He has received numerous awards & honors for his peace & justice work, including his work for civil and church rights for the LGBT community. He is an active member of New Ways Ministry, a gay positive ministry for lesbian & gay Catholics and their families and has written extensively on the need to reconsider the Roman Catholic attitude towards homosexuality.

Who Should Attend?

● Anybody interested in understanding the Church’s position on homosexuality and its effect on our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender family.

● Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual Catholics, who want to reconcile their sexuality with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

● Anybody who wants to hear a compassionate, pastoral and Christian message from a Roman Catholic bishop on the topic of homosexuality.

A free will offering will be taken

* 740 E. Speedway, SW corner of Speedway and Euclid

For more information contact Laurie Olson at (520) 615-0183 or Laurieaolson@yahoo.com

Privy at Qumran

Assuming we will be looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls this session, I thought this article might interest some of you. I found it at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2007-01-02-qumram-latrine_x.htm where the remainder of the article can be read.

Ancient latrine fuels debate at Qumran
Posted 1/2/2007 11:54 PM ET

By Matti Friedman, Associated Press

QUMRAN, West Bank — Researchers say their discovery of a 2,000-year-old toilet at one of the world's most important archaeological sites sheds new light on whether the ancient Essene community was home to the authors of many of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In a new study, three researchers say they have discovered the outdoor latrine used by the ancient residents of Qumran, on the barren banks of the Dead Sea. They say the find proves the people living here two millennia ago were Essenes, an ascetic Jewish sect that left Jerusalem to seek proximity to God in the desert.

Qumran and its environs have already yielded many treasures: the remains of a settlement with an aqueduct and ritual baths, ancient sandals and pottery, and the Dead Sea Scrolls — perhaps the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century.