Friday, June 20, 2008

If I Were a Bell


So I'm listening to the amazing rendition of "If I Were a Bell" from the first Miles Davis quintet (Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet). The tune comes from the archetypal American musical Guys and Dolls. As is the case with much straight-ahead jazz, the joy of listening comes, to a great extent, from intimate knowledge of the original, which allows one to better appreciate just how the players work with the piece.

So what happens a few years from now, when the only standards known to the broader public are the drivel belted out on American Idol? These songs have little in the way of notable melodic structure, serving merely as vehicles for oral pyrotechnics. The decline of pop music in the country does not bode well for the future appreciation of jazz, the greatest of American art forms.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Against gnosticism, for the Church year

Philip Lee has some interesting observations on the benefits of practicing the traditional liturgical calendar in the section "The Degnosticizing of Protestantism" in Against the Protestant Gnostics.

"The observance of the Christian year, which in some form or other has been practiced since ancient times, has always been an irritant to the gnostic spirit. It recognizes gnosticism's ancient foe, time, as having an important role within the Christian faith. ...The Christian year from Advent through Pentecost is a reminder that God has not approached His creatures in a general unidentifiable way, but in the particularity of space and time.

"The Protestant failure in celebrating Easter is closely connected to the Protestant failure to observe the Lenten season. ...Lent would be an admission that Christians, like all their fellow creatures, are not only captives of time, but in need of times and seasons. ...Without a particular remembrance of Golgotha in terms of the present, is there any wonder that Easter Sunday is unfulfilling for so many Protestants?"

Lord's Day June 22, 2008

This Sunday at Park Hill Presbyterian Church, I'll be preaching on Isaiah 30:1-7 ("Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves?") at 11 a.m., and Luke 20:41-21:4 ("When Jesus Attacks") at 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Lord's Day June 15, 2008

This Sunday at Park Hill Presbyterian Church I'll be preaching on Isaiah 29:15-24 ("Laugh with the Saints") at 11 a.m., and on Luke 20:27-40 ("One Bride for Seven Brothers?") at 5 p.m.

Friday, June 6, 2008

The Presbyterian Curmudgeon is Mr. Eko

Your results:
You are Mr. Eko


































Mr. Eko
60%
Claire Littleton
60%
Sayid Jarrah
55%
Boone Carlyle
50%
Sun Kwon
50%
Michael Dawson
44%
Charlie Pace
44%
John Locke
40%
Dr. Jack Shephard
36%
Kate Austen
35%
Walt Lloyd
32%
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
32%
Jin-Soo Kwon
30%
James "Sawyer" Ford
25%
Ana-Lucia Cortez
24%
Shannon Rutherford
20%
You are neither a leader nor a follower. You are a Bible reader and are motivated by God's will. Many people have respect for you.


Click here to take the Lost Personality Test

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

An upside to high gas prices?

While it hasn't happened yet in our congregation, I have heard reliable reports of faithful Church members opting out of evening services due solely to the increasing cost of gasoline. Given the distances which some must commute, sessions no doubt understand why a $30 price tag to attend worship is too much for some, with already tight budgets, to pay.

Of course, getting people out to evening services has been difficult for decades, if not longer. But with the slow-but-steady rise in gas prices over the last few years, I wonder if we won't soon have Church members struggling to make the trek to even just one service on a Lord's Day. Now, I don't think this means we'll be facing empty sanctuaries in the near future. However, I wonder if this won't change the way Christians, particularly theologically conservative presbyterians, choose their congregations.

In Denver, as in many American cities, it's fairly common for a presbyterian to drive past one or two (or more) Churches of like faith and practice on his way to his particular house of worship. This is because he joined the Church he liked the best, whether his preference was dictated by the preacher's style, the congregation's demographic, the hymnal, or whatever else. But if his personal preference would mean an uncomfortable hit to the wallet (since, of course, he's already tithing!), he might be willing to "settle" for a faithful presbyterian Church which may not press all his buttons but is closer to home. Assume most people are guided similarly, and soon we will have Church members living in each other's neighborhoods, with the unintended consequence of building relationships on weekdays, not just Sundays.

In other words, high gas prices may bring an end to the consumerist attitude too many take to choosing their home Church. If they can bring a revival of parish (locally-based) Church ministry, I may pray gas prices keep going up.