https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KkuoMs2MOI&list=PLrR4rlaGn2Ga5fsYl6vnCJsfU5wWeiofq&index=13 English folk singers usher out 'this festering boil of a year' (at 3:30) in December 2020. So look forward with hope to the twelvemonth a-coming, And away with this festering boil of a year; But the fire is still burning, and the world is still turning, And despite all its efforts, we're still bloody … Continue reading A spiritual journal for my birthday — looking back over this ‘festering boil of a year’ in 2020 and 2021
George Will on ‘dyspeptic moments’ in history of 1790s, 1850s and today, ‘status resentments’ and culture wars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vofmvlyww8 A couple of incisive comments by conservative op ed columnist George Will, who's been making himself widely available for interviews on the publication of his new book (actually a collection of his Washington Post columns), titled American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008-2020. Kirkus describes it as an "overstuffed collection of the conservative … Continue reading George Will on ‘dyspeptic moments’ in history of 1790s, 1850s and today, ‘status resentments’ and culture wars
The flesh is swelling, but the spirit … is looking up folk remedies for gout on the internet (with a cherry on top).
Etching after G.M. Woodward, 1801 (Wikimedia Commons). So what's this doing on a spirituality blog? Only this: Yesterday a doctor told me he thinks I have may have gout. At this point it's more of a hunch than a diagnosis, and there are other suspects in the lineup. But I got on the internet and … Continue reading The flesh is swelling, but the spirit … is looking up folk remedies for gout on the internet (with a cherry on top).
Stray thoughts on original sin, Franciscan spirituality and a painting of the Garden of Eden by Jan Brueghel the Elder
Jan Brueghel the Elder and Pieter Paul Rubens, Fall of Adam and Eve (Wikipedia) When God closes a door, as an old saying down South has it, God leaves a window cracked open somewhere. We may have to exercise a little creativity to find it, but there's always another opening. Another old saying, one I … Continue reading Stray thoughts on original sin, Franciscan spirituality and a painting of the Garden of Eden by Jan Brueghel the Elder
greek lemon chicken and potatoes
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6OSMbfhIao Food Wishes blurb is as follows: Learn how to make a Greek Lemon Chicken & Potatoes recipe! Go to http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2015/0... for the ingredient amounts, extra information, and many, many more video recipes! I hope you enjoy this easy Greek Lemon Chicken & Potatoes video!
Uppsala 2016
d r a f t https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2905686249692402 Link here to original on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2905686249692402 xxx https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/1735852676675771
A spiritual mutt discovers Franciscan spirituality in a time of apocalypse, learns he knew at least some of it all along
Click here https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2021/ for directory. Last week I signed up for Richard Rohr's daily meditations. I figured a brief daily exercise might lend a little discipline to my spiritual routine (or lack thereof) in these days of lingering pandemic, self-quarantine and isolation. I've read his stuff before, and it liked it. So I haven't been … Continue reading A spiritual mutt discovers Franciscan spirituality in a time of apocalypse, learns he knew at least some of it all along
Fr. Richard Rohr
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2zz9Do-n14 "Forgive me. I'm probably trying to make this too simple ... but I'm not." In this fifteen-minute video, Father Richard explains how a succession of medieval scholars developed a theology around the religious and spiritual intuitions of Saint Francis of Assisi. He highlights how God has always spoken through … Continue reading Fr. Richard Rohr
Connecting the dots between a gospel reading from Mark, the historical Jesus, St. Francis and monarch butterfly eggs
Brother Caterpillar and Sister Milkweed (photo Debi Edumnd Ellertsen). Mark 7 [NRSV]. Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless … Continue reading Connecting the dots between a gospel reading from Mark, the historical Jesus, St. Francis and monarch butterfly eggs
Now. Here. This. A kinda Zenlike mantra for a spiritual wannabe and aging 12-stepper exhausted by the pandemic
So Friday the Jesuit magazine America put an article up on its website with the rather sobering headline "Three Spiritual Exercises for Facing a Long Future with Covid-19." Not exactly what you want to see heading into the weekend, but it couldn't have come at a better time -- between the everlasting pandemic, the unfolding … Continue reading Now. Here. This. A kinda Zenlike mantra for a spiritual wannabe and aging 12-stepper exhausted by the pandemic
Upon this chipotle I will build my church and Covid shall not prevail against it — the Gospel according to St. AutoCorrect
A bit of levity on a grim topic Friday afternoon ... brought to you by one of those automatic spell-checking devices. And a moral to the story -- It's fun to have fun with typos, but we all need to be vaxxed. It started with a notice on the Capitol Fax blog, a portal maintained … Continue reading Upon this chipotle I will build my church and Covid shall not prevail against it — the Gospel according to St. AutoCorrect
Notes & quotes: Books on polarization, culture wars, tribalism; Trump a ‘gigantic … middle finger’ to cultural elites
d r a f t Carlos Lozada, "The united hates of America," Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/10/30/polarization-books-trump-election/. Carlos Lozada is WaPo's nonfiction book review editor [...] The growing polarization of the United States into a nation torn by partisan identities is one of the legacies of the Trump presidency, even if it began … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Books on polarization, culture wars, tribalism; Trump a ‘gigantic … middle finger’ to cultural elites
Notes & quotes: Political coverage in Hemlandet in 1850s, Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg, election of 1860
d r a f t Formatting stripped out -- i.e. no itals, etc. Unedited William C. Beyer, "Active But Critical Non-Partisanship: A Swedish-American Newspaper Editor and the Political Realignment of the 1850s," Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, 30, no. 4 (1979) 242-56. https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/npu_sahq/id/4135/rec/1. "It is true: the middle way is a small thread, quite difficult to … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Political coverage in Hemlandet in 1850s, Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg, election of 1860
Notes & quotes: Obama’s remarks and backlash at 2015 National Prayer Breakfast, quip at Easter breakfast
d r a f t "Remarks by the President and the Vice President at Easter Prayer Breakfast," Office of the Press Secretary, White House, April 7, 2015 https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/07/remarks-president-and-vice-president-easter-prayer-breakfast "[...] Isn’t that how Jesus lived? Isn't that how He loved? Embracing those who were different; serving the marginalized; humbling Himself to the last. This is the … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Obama’s remarks and backlash at 2015 National Prayer Breakfast, quip at Easter breakfast
canterbury cat pix
d r a f t Dean Robert Willis of Canterbury Cathedral and friend (screen shot from Irish Times story) xxx Leo, one of our cats, jumped onto the table in the middle of the service. And my instinct was to say, 'well, we better stop and do this again.' I didn't. I continued, and I … Continue reading canterbury cat pix
A viral cat video, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of the cathedral remind me of the imminence of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy43J76bIwE Global News, the news and current affairs division of the Global Television Network of Vancouver, B.C., reported in 2020: "One of Canterbury Cathedral’s cats, Tiger, helped itself to some milk during a morning message from Dean Robert Willis on July 6." Brought together by serendipity -- a lovely, do-able brief explanation of my favorite Jesuit … Continue reading A viral cat video, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of the cathedral remind me of the imminence of God
Smithsonian article on Know Nothing Party, class, nativism of 1850s
Anti-immigrant cartoon showing two men labeled "Irish Wiskey" and "Lager Bier," carrying a ballot box. (Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo) Excerpts from a 2017 article by Chicago free-lancer Lorraine Boissoneault: "[...] At its height in the 1850s, the Know Nothing party, originally called the American Party, included more than 100 elected congressmen, eight governors, … Continue reading Smithsonian article on Know Nothing Party, class, nativism of 1850s
Andover’s population, demographics
"Andover, Illinois," Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andover,_Illinois (accessed July 31, 2021) *** Andover is a village in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 578 at the 2010 census, down from 594 in 2000.[3] [Estimate (2019)[2] 572] History Andover is the oldest community in Henry County. Andover was the first area to be settled as a town within the county and the … Continue reading Andover’s population, demographics
David Brooks on lack of mutual trust, sense of common purpose in America’s ‘pathetic herd immunity failure’ on Covid
d r a f t In May 2020 xxx lede I was an American history major in college, back in the 1980s.I’ll be honest with you. I thrilled to the way the American story was told back then. To immigrate to America was to join the luckiest and greatest nation in history. “Nothing in all … Continue reading David Brooks on lack of mutual trust, sense of common purpose in America’s ‘pathetic herd immunity failure’ on Covid
A query that went nowhere: On David Brooks, the prophet Jeremiah, a French jurist, ‘creative minorities,’ cultural diversity, UNESCO and ‘reciprocal creolization’
Excerpts from a query: Sent Thu, Jul 22, 8:32 PM -- it doesn't matter who I sent it to, and I have no plans to fool around with a free-standing article, but Mireille Delmas-Marty's concept of "reciprocal creolization," a process of cultural blending that involves dialogue and mutual respect for differences, fits in so well with … Continue reading A query that went nowhere: On David Brooks, the prophet Jeremiah, a French jurist, ‘creative minorities,’ cultural diversity, UNESCO and ‘reciprocal creolization’
Robert Jones of PRRI on white Christian grief, anger; need for a ‘new story about who America is and where we’re going as a country that is sort of faithful to its past’
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURLbHWOjSU An author’s eulogy for ‘White Christian America’ | PBS NewsHour | Aug. 31, 2016 Blurb by PBS NewsHour: The demographic makeup of America is undergoing a visible change, and with it, America’s culture -- dominated by White Christian culture -- and power structures are shifting, too. That’s the premise … Continue reading Robert Jones of PRRI on white Christian grief, anger; need for a ‘new story about who America is and where we’re going as a country that is sort of faithful to its past’
Baptist video shows Roger Williams, other religious figures in colonial America
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut10jVFZDQw Segment on Roger Williams begins at 20:20, runs about 10 minutes ... Blurb on YouTube is as follows: Saints and Strangers addresses religious influences from the time of the Mayflower to the Great Awakening, from Plymouth Rock to the War of Independence. It examines the groups of the faithful … Continue reading Baptist video shows Roger Williams, other religious figures in colonial America
Notes & quotes: Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity on US symbols, ‘city on a hill,’ narratives, Trump, Jan. 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6byirhkFiM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6byirhkFiM Editor's (admin's) note. Embedded video features an hour-long panel discussion at Harvard Divinity School by James Kloppenberg of Harvard and E.J. Dionne of Georgetown University, moderated by Catherine Brekus. Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity School, who teaches a survey of American religious history, explored several topics crucial to my research on Swedish immigrant … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity on US symbols, ‘city on a hill,’ narratives, Trump, Jan. 6
Covid-19 daily updates
CDC's COVID-19 by County dashboard -- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html llinois Department of Public Health map -- http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19 IDPH Region 3 resurgence criteria -- https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=3 Sangamon County Public Health Department -- https://scdph.org/covid-19/#sangamon-county-data-dashboard
‘They wanted a king, what they got was bread’ — some preliminary thoughts on the feeding of 5,000 and the Eucharist
Benedictine Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha in Galilee. John 6 [NRSV]. [...] 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they[c] sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who … Continue reading ‘They wanted a king, what they got was bread’ — some preliminary thoughts on the feeding of 5,000 and the Eucharist
Mireille Delmas-Marty: A French jurist advocates ‘reciprocal creolization’ to protect cultural diversity from globalism
Another potentially rewarding context for creolization! A French legal scholar named Mireille Delmas-Marty has written a couple of articles building on the work of French Caribbean poet Edouard Glissant and suggesting creolization -- by which I think she essentially means negotiating differences among different cultures -- as a means of ensuring cultural diversity in a … Continue reading Mireille Delmas-Marty: A French jurist advocates ‘reciprocal creolization’ to protect cultural diversity from globalism
David Brooks speculates on Jeremiah, Jewish history and ‘creative minorities’ in a diverse, polarized America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq1tosBXgTE The segment with David Brooks' discussion of 'creative minorities' begins at 43:00. Editor's (admin's) Note. I posted this to Facebook with this note: "A new post to my spirituality blog. On an unusually thought-provoking op ed piece by David Brooks, one of the New York Times' house conservatives, in which he suggests a new … Continue reading David Brooks speculates on Jeremiah, Jewish history and ‘creative minorities’ in a diverse, polarized America
Tucker Carlson says the quiet part out loud, echoes ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, nativism of 1850s
Anti-Irish cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1871 (Wikimedia) Fascinating profile of Tucker Carlson today on the Washington Post website by Michael Kranish, a national political investigative reporter for the Post who has written bios of Trump, Mitt Romney and Thomas Jefferson. Quotes sources who know the man, ranging from Al Sharpton to Bill Kristol, to make … Continue reading Tucker Carlson says the quiet part out loud, echoes ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, nativism of 1850s
Notes & quotes — Augustana Synod and ecumenical relations
Two very useful articles on the subject: Allan Pfnister, "Augustana College and Theological Seminary: A Brief History," AHA, Spring 2002, 6-9 http://augustanaheritage.augustana.edu/aha_spring_2001.pdfvery clear on help Esbjorn got from president of Knox College, Passavant, p. 7-8 2. Derek R. Nelson, "Unity, Ecumenicity, and Difference in the. Augustana Synod," Lutheran Quarterly, 24 (2010) http://augustanaheritage.augustana.edu/Nelson_on_Unity.pdf This same theme, that of affi rming the validity … Continue reading Notes & quotes — Augustana Synod and ecumenical relations
What can Rabbi Kushner and a bawdy church camp song tell us about John the Baptist and the kingdom of God?
Herold's Banquet, Fra Filippo Lippi, Fresco Duomo, Prato (Wikimedia) Mark 6 (NRSV) 22 When his daughter Herodias[e] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” 23 And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give … Continue reading What can Rabbi Kushner and a bawdy church camp song tell us about John the Baptist and the kingdom of God?
David Brooks (and Martin Marty) on shared stories, the facts of history and American civil religion
In a remarkable op ed piece heading into the 4th of July weekend, at a time when Americans can't agree on factual matters as whether the 2020 election was fraudulent (spoiler alert: it wasn't) or scientific matters like whether vaccination can wind down the Covid-19 epidemic (it can), David Brooks of the New York Times … Continue reading David Brooks (and Martin Marty) on shared stories, the facts of history and American civil religion
How shall we know a prophet has been among us? Listening for the good news in Nazareth, Babylon — to a reggae beat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXf1j8Hz2bU Ezekiel 2 (NRSV). He said to me: O mortal,[a] stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2 And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of … Continue reading How shall we know a prophet has been among us? Listening for the good news in Nazareth, Babylon — to a reggae beat
Review of Jesuit author’s practical new book on prayer cuts to the chase
Very good review in Christian Century of Fr. James Martin's new book on prayer! Author of several popular books on Jesuit spirituality and editor-at-large of America magazine, Martin has written about prayer before -- frequently, but in passing. His latest book, Prayer: A Guide for Everyone, appears to pull those thoughts together for newbies and … Continue reading Review of Jesuit author’s practical new book on prayer cuts to the chase
What Luther said about the presence of God in his cabbage soup and why it matters
"Religionsgespräch [Colloquy] zu Marburg," Christian Karl August Noack, 1867 (Wikipedia) Seen on the unofficial ELCA discussion group's Facebook page, an allusion to Luther's comment "that God is [present] in his cabbage soup." I'd never seen it before, and I loved the quote! Hence this blog post, so I'll know where to look for it. Maybe … Continue reading What Luther said about the presence of God in his cabbage soup and why it matters
‘Do not fear, only believe’: Unpacking the good news in a the miracle of healing a synagogue elder’s daughter in Capernum
Resurrection of Jairus' daughter, Albert von Keller, 1886 (Wikimedia Commons) Mark 5 (NRSV). 35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing[b] what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 Sunday's gospel … Continue reading ‘Do not fear, only believe’: Unpacking the good news in a the miracle of healing a synagogue elder’s daughter in Capernum
The historical Jesus and the Christ of faith on a dark and stormy night (Pentecost IV)
Bread and wine for Holy Communion on Galilee tour boat Mark 4 (NRSV): 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm … Continue reading The historical Jesus and the Christ of faith on a dark and stormy night (Pentecost IV)
The parable of the mustard seed, the historical Jesus, the kingdom of God and a couple of kudzu jokes (Pentecost III)
Mustard plants in Galilee (I think the sign says 'no trespassing' in Hebrew) Mark 4 (NSRV). 26 [Jesus] also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of … Continue reading The parable of the mustard seed, the historical Jesus, the kingdom of God and a couple of kudzu jokes (Pentecost III)
New York Times op ed, podcast on evangelicals, US religious history by Molly Worthen of UNC-Chapel Hill
Molly Worthen, historian at UNC-Chapel Hill who studies 20th-century evangelicals (and has a keen grasp of theology qua theology, has an essay on the culture wars in the New York Times op ed section that starts with St. Augustine, mentions the "exhausted majority" from the Tribes of America study and ends up by suggesting the … Continue reading New York Times op ed, podcast on evangelicals, US religious history by Molly Worthen of UNC-Chapel Hill
Yiddish author’s prayer jotted down on scrap paper brings joy — and a call to do better — in dark, divisive times
Memorial to Bashevis Singer in Biłgoraj, Poland (Wikipedia, Creative Commons) Discovered while I was looking for something else: A remarkable prayer by Nobel Prize-winning Jewish-American author Isaac Bashevis Singer. I was reading coverage of the struggle to form a new governing majority in Israel's parliament, and I was pulled right in by a headline that said … Continue reading Yiddish author’s prayer jotted down on scrap paper brings joy — and a call to do better — in dark, divisive times
Notes & quotes: Replacement theory and racial subtext to Trump’s speech ‘revving up’ Jan. 6 rioters; Kenneth Woodward article on evangelicals
Charles Blow: Blow's lede, "On Jan. 6, as Donald Trump was revving up the rioters who would attempt an insurrection at the Capitol, just a short distance away, he said to them: 'We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore'." It is yet another … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Replacement theory and racial subtext to Trump’s speech ‘revving up’ Jan. 6 rioters; Kenneth Woodward article on evangelicals
Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’
An op ed piece by sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry uploaded yesterday to Time magazine's website connects some important dots. Authors of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (Oxford, 2020), they conclude white Christian nationalism is "fundamentally a threat to a pluralistic, democratic society." Here's what I shared to Facebook … Continue reading Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’
God’s presence in an 11th-century Irish poem and a gust of wind on a nice spring afternoon — for Trinity Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lx-iI-kFDA St. Patrick's Breastplate, Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore, Wash. John 3:1-17 (NRSV). 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being … Continue reading God’s presence in an 11th-century Irish poem and a gust of wind on a nice spring afternoon — for Trinity Sunday
James Davison Hunter on today’s ‘culture war’ — and why I worry about the runup to the Civil War in the 1850s
https://theweek.com/cartoons/983971/political-cartoon-mcconnell-mccarthy-jan-6-gop A couple of disconcerting long-form articles on the news websites this weekend. They're very different. One is an interview with the scholar who coined the term "culture war" and the other is a news-feature story on this month's shambolic election "audit" in Arizona. But they both show how desperate our times are getting (imho), … Continue reading James Davison Hunter on today’s ‘culture war’ — and why I worry about the runup to the Civil War in the 1850s
Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith
"Century Marks," Christian Century, April 21, 2021, p. 8. We're still quarantining magazines as they come into the house, and when I was going through them last night, a billboarded pull quote from British theologian N.T. Wright in a back issue of Christian Century jumped up off the page, snuggled up to me and wanted … Continue reading Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith
Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol
Let's connect some dots that could help bring a couple of disparate strands of my immigration history project together. (Spoiler alert: I think some of the difficulties Swedish Lutheran immigrants experienced in the 1850s were similar to those confronting Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh immigrants today, and I think the "great replacement theory" of today is … Continue reading Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol
A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
“It was all Mrs. Bumble. She would do it," urged Mr. Bumble; first looking round, to ascertain that his partner had left the room.That is no excuse," returned Mr. Brownlow. "You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and, indeed, are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of … Continue reading A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
Pew Research survey on attitudes towards immigration, inclusiveness in US, Europe
Interesting data cited today in Jennifer Rubin's op ed piece on the Washington Post website. Her headline focuses on the news of the day, "This is why MAGA nativists are in a panic" Well, natch. That's what you do to attract readers to the op ed page. But the data, in a Pew Research Center … Continue reading Pew Research survey on attitudes towards immigration, inclusiveness in US, Europe
Notes & quotes: Andersonville history, diversity; link to PDF file of 1928 congregational history of Immanuel
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, "Welcome to Andersonville," Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, http://www.andersonville.org/the-neighborhood/ A neighborhood on Chicago’s north side, Andersonville is known for its Swedish roots, historic architecture, and bustling urban main street, Clark Street. When you arrive in Andersonville, you feel you have arrived someplace special. While our roots are Swedish, we are also recognized … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Andersonville history, diversity; link to PDF file of 1928 congregational history of Immanuel
Jewish studies prof at Chicago: ‘Judeo-Christian’ language a dog whistle for white Christian exclusivism
Since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, I've been seeing more and more parallels to the anti-immigrant fervor of the 1850s. This time the targets are Muslims, Latino immigrants and, increasingly, progressives of all faith traditions instead of Irish Catholics, but the parallels are striking. And troubling One was suggested by Rachel S. … Continue reading Jewish studies prof at Chicago: ‘Judeo-Christian’ language a dog whistle for white Christian exclusivism
Supreme Court’s drift to right-wing fundamentalism alarms ACLU, Jewish temple in Philadelphia
Editor's (moderator's) note. In early November the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case brought by a Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia seeking to opt out of the city's requirement that social service agencies serve clients irrespective of race, creed or sexual orientation. It was one of the very first cases heard after … Continue reading Supreme Court’s drift to right-wing fundamentalism alarms ACLU, Jewish temple in Philadelphia
Climbing up out of an English teacher-y rabbit hole with a little help from the Ursuline sisters and St. Philip the Deacon
St. Philip baptizes a eunuch, attributed to Jan Brueghel the Younger (Wikipedia) Acts 8 (NRSV) 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to … Continue reading Climbing up out of an English teacher-y rabbit hole with a little help from the Ursuline sisters and St. Philip the Deacon
Notes & Quotes: Detailed paraphrase from Hemlandet and texts of America letters in an old Swedish historical society collection
d r a f t An early historical society founded in Chicago in 1905. Moved to St. Paul, Minn., in 1920 and continued annual meetings there until 1934, when it disbanded and its collections were donated to the Minnesota Historical Society. See historical note to its description of the Swedish Historical Society of America's records … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Detailed paraphrase from Hemlandet and texts of America letters in an old Swedish historical society collection
America’s civil — or public — religion defined (kinda) and expanded, in light of Trump supporters’ Jan. 6 insurrection
d r a f t Photo: Jarrad Henderson, USA Today, Feb. 28, 2021 After Jan. 6 when supporters of ex-President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, we saw a spate of articles about Christian nationalism. Prominently displayed by rioters were religious slogans and paraphernalia, (Since it has implications for the research I'm doing on Swedish immigrant … Continue reading America’s civil — or public — religion defined (kinda) and expanded, in light of Trump supporters’ Jan. 6 insurrection
Jon Meacham: Constitution a ‘Calvinist document’; thoughts on George Floyd murder verdict, civil rights movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHnaxA1YZko The morning after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, Jon Meacham weighed its significance on MSNBC's Morning Joe program. The network's blurb on YouTube is as good a summary as any: "Historian Jon Meacham discusses the new movement for racial justice, and he discusses the verdict in the … Continue reading Jon Meacham: Constitution a ‘Calvinist document’; thoughts on George Floyd murder verdict, civil rights movement
Does a theory of Philip Gorski’s shed light on a troubling Supreme Court decision on church-state relations?
https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2808921899368838 This morning Andrew Koppelman, a law professor at Northwestern, weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court's April 9 decision invalidating a California public health department restriction on indoor gatherings. While some of his rhetoric was.uh.-- shall we say? -- more flamboyant than professorial, he raised some important issues. So I shared it to social … Continue reading Does a theory of Philip Gorski’s shed light on a troubling Supreme Court decision on church-state relations?
Civil war in America? A 2017 think piece in the New Yorker looks at the odds
Editor's (admin's) note: One of two posts today that were prompted by Nate Cohn's op ed piece “Why Political Sectarianism Is a Growing Threat to American Democracy” in the New York Times. Link HERE for my notes & quotes from Cohn's article, and a scholarly article in Science magazine he based it on. Cite: Robin … Continue reading Civil war in America? A 2017 think piece in the New Yorker looks at the odds
Notes & Quotes: Sectarianism, culture wars and polarization in the 1850s, 2020s
https://soundcloud.com/theucipodcast/uci-podcast-the-new-american-political-sectarianism Podcast of psychologist Peter Ditto at Cal Irvine (cite below) Editor's (admin's) note: One of two posts today that were prompted by Nate Cohn's op ed piece “Why Political Sectarianism Is a Growing Threat to American Democracy” in the New York Times. Link HERE for my notes & quotes from a 2017 article on … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Sectarianism, culture wars and polarization in the 1850s, 2020s
My article on Springfield poet Vachel Lindsay, Springfield College and Ursuline Academy (1999, in the Sleepy Weasel)
https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2807407206186974 Editor's (admin's) note: Facebook shared the above post, from 2017, this morning as one of its "Memories." It shows an inscription by Vachel Lindsay on the inside title page of a book he apparently donated to SCI. I used a copy to illustrate an article I wrote in 1999 for The Sleepy Weasel. I … Continue reading My article on Springfield poet Vachel Lindsay, Springfield College and Ursuline Academy (1999, in the Sleepy Weasel)
German new year’s hymn by Dietrich Bonhoeffer —
D R A F T https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN7dGz6NH5M 'Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen' | ABAKUS Musik | Click on "CC" for English subtitles. Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen / "By gracious pow'rs so wonderfully sheltered ..." (trans. Fred Prett Green, ELW 626 (ELW has a different tune (TELOS) by Robert Buckley Farlee -- video by Resurrection Evangelical … Continue reading German new year’s hymn by Dietrich Bonhoeffer —
‘Swedes in Roger Williams Garden’: Main outline and links
D R A F T Working title: Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden: Church, State and Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860 Link here for earlier outlines and notes HERE for Oct. 23-Jan. 24HERE for Jan. 25-April 7 ** INSERT A (Dec. 17, 2021): ** Scratch outline, from notes I jotted down at 3:57 a.m. during a midnight snack, on … Continue reading ‘Swedes in Roger Williams Garden’: Main outline and links
17th-century Arabic coins suggest presence of pirates, slavers in colonial Rhode Island
[Also: cite to Bejean, Roberts, Barry -- case of Richard Chasmore ...] William J. Cole, "Ancient coins may solve mystery of murderous 1600s pirate," Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/ancient-coins-may-solve-mystery-1600s-pirate-f5a6151b74e0dcf96de585eab451f90c Excerpts: “It’s a new history of a nearly perfect crime,” said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in … Continue reading 17th-century Arabic coins suggest presence of pirates, slavers in colonial Rhode Island
University of Chicago study of Jan. 6 insurrection: White ‘fears of … losing out’ fueled Trump supporters’ violence
D R A F T Alan Feuer, who wrote up the study for the New York Times, from WaPo's op ed piece, observes in passing, "Other mass movements have emerged, he said, in response to large-scale cultural change." He brings an interesting perspective to his analysis. According to his bio, he "[...] covers courts and … Continue reading University of Chicago study of Jan. 6 insurrection: White ‘fears of … losing out’ fueled Trump supporters’ violence
How a trip to the eye doctor’s and the Serenity Prayer renewed my interest in Turlough O’Carolan, the blind Irish harper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xInuesYrUPA Steve Cooney's arrangement of 'Si Bheag Si Mohr' (Carolan's melody begins at 1:32). It started with a visit to the eye doctor's back in October, when the case positivity rate for Covid-19 was low enough to allow for routine medical appointments. My eye test came back with signs of the very beginnings of something … Continue reading How a trip to the eye doctor’s and the Serenity Prayer renewed my interest in Turlough O’Carolan, the blind Irish harper
‘Christ was born in Bethlehem’ — an Appalachian ballad that sums up Holy Week and the Easter season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzmzb1ZyL6c Norm Williams, Amanda Parker and Bob Mallalieu, Maidencreek Festival, Maier's Grove, Blandon, Pa., Aug. 29, 2010 (song begins at 1:29). Our services for Holy Week are all online this year, and it's quite a different experience for someone who always sang in the choir and couldn't quite shake the feeling they were performances. I … Continue reading ‘Christ was born in Bethlehem’ — an Appalachian ballad that sums up Holy Week and the Easter season
GOP pollster on survey, focus group findings showing perception that Christians are persecuted in America
Kristen Soltis Anderson, interview by Ezra Klein, Ezra Klein Show, podcast, New York Times, March 26, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/podcasts/ezra-klein-podcast-kristen-soltis-anderson-transcript.html Excerpt: [...] But I also think that part of what you saw animate the rise of Donald Trump within the party is a real sense among many in the Republican coalition today that they are under siege. … Continue reading GOP pollster on survey, focus group findings showing perception that Christians are persecuted in America
Notes & quotes: ‘How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran’
Luisa Feline Freier, "How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran: Latin American Migration and Religious Change," Migraciones internacionales [Tijuana], 5, no. 2 (July-Dec. 2009) http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1665-89062009000200006. xxx [Luisa Feline Freier is a Professor in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from … Continue reading Notes & quotes: ‘How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran’
New York Times op ed lit review, links to polarization studies, ‘exhausted majority’
Thomas B. Edsall, "We See the Left. We See the Right. Can Anyone See the ‘Exhausted Majority’?" New York Times, March 24, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/opinion/Democrats-Republicans-left-right-center.html. xxx Morris Fiorina, a political scientist at Stanford, argues in a series of essays and a book, “Unstable Majorities,” that it is the structure of the two-party system that prevents the center — … Continue reading New York Times op ed lit review, links to polarization studies, ‘exhausted majority’
Minnesota Lutherans — Vasa and church in north Minneapolis profiled in Star Trib
[No byline -- reads like it may have come from a press release] "Lutherans work to shed stuffy image and kick-start change," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 3, 2017 https://www.startribune.com/lutherans-work-to-shed-stuffy-image-and-kick-start-change/432012663/. Redeemer Lutheran Church is not your typical Lutheran outpost. Summer means the bike store and coffee shop are humming, kids camp and Zumba classes are in gear, … Continue reading Minnesota Lutherans — Vasa and church in north Minneapolis profiled in Star Trib
How to make some pretty good soup in a global pandemic (with apologies to Simon Ortiz and Nora Dauenhauer)
It's best made in dry-fish camp on a beach by afish stream on sticks over an open fire, or duringfishing, or during cannery season.In this case, we'll make it in the city baked inan electric oven on a black fry pan. [...]-- Nora Dauenhauer, "How to Make Good Baked Salmon from the River" When I … Continue reading How to make some pretty good soup in a global pandemic (with apologies to Simon Ortiz and Nora Dauenhauer)
A ‘Lutheropalian’ take on confirmation classes and an Anglican hymn based on an old Irish legend of St. Patrick at Tara
https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2783699998557695 St. Patrick's Day came this year in a flurry of good news, answered prayers and an affirmation of my childhood faith. It came in the middle of a busy week, and I didn't even remember it was St. Paddy's until evening when I saw the pictures of corned beef, cabbage and full Irish breakfasts … Continue reading A ‘Lutheropalian’ take on confirmation classes and an Anglican hymn based on an old Irish legend of St. Patrick at Tara
Of teacher-bashing, political vitriol … and a cure for invective in Luther’s catechism
Editor's (admin's) note. I'm sharing an email message to a family member replying to a blast email headlined "Everyone Wants Kids in School -- Except for the People Who Are Supposed to Be Teaching them!" [Bang mark in the original.] We've gone round and round before about what I perceive as teacher-bashing, and this time … Continue reading Of teacher-bashing, political vitriol … and a cure for invective in Luther’s catechism
George Bancroft on Roger Williams
George Bancroft, History of the Colonization of the United States, Vol. 1, 17th edition, Perseus, p. 375 (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0326%3Achapter%3D13%3Apage%3D375) Chapter IX At a time when Germany was the battle-field for all Europe in the implacable wars of religion; when even Holland was bleeding with the anger of vengeful factions; when France was still to go through the fearful struggle with bigotry; when England was gasping under the … Continue reading George Bancroft on Roger Williams
Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot
A day-after guest column in the evangelical magazine Christianity Today on the Jan. 6 riot when an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building and tried to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election returns. That mob action brought into sharp focus several of the themes I've been trying to track in … Continue reading Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot
Teresa Bejan on civility and Roger Williams, with a fun quote on Luther and a link to an hour-long bonus track
Teresa Bejan, a professor of politics at the University of Oxford and the author of "Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration," had an article in the Washington Post shortly after former President Trump elected. It reads like a promo for her book Mere Civility, but it has a marvelous quote about Martin Luther … Continue reading Teresa Bejan on civility and Roger Williams, with a fun quote on Luther and a link to an hour-long bonus track
‘Judeo-Christian values’ and the religious right — Notes & Quotes
John G. Turner, "How the dream of a Judeo-Christian America shaped the culture wars," review of Imagining Judeo-Christian America by Healan Gaston, Christian Century, March 4, 2021 https://www.christiancentury.org/review/books/how-dream-judeo-christian-america-shaped-culture-wars. Excerpts (verbatim): [...] When pluralists spoke of Judeo-Christian America, they leaned on civic definitions of American identity, definitions that stressed a commitment to a shared set of … Continue reading ‘Judeo-Christian values’ and the religious right — Notes & Quotes
An old classroom teacher’s unpublished op-ed piece on immigrants, Henry Clay and common heritage at Clayville historic site
Broadwell Tavern at Clayville, Pleasant Plains, Illinois Editor's (admin's) note: I found this draft of an op ed piece last night when I was clearing old files out of my hard drive. It was dated July 28, 2017, and I don't remember where I submitted it for publication. Illinois Times? Wherever it was, it didn't … Continue reading An old classroom teacher’s unpublished op-ed piece on immigrants, Henry Clay and common heritage at Clayville historic site
Coming to terms with John 3:16 with the help of Johnny Cash, the Carter family and the gospel according to Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98jzQ478VNs 'Where the soul of man never dies' - Johnny Cash with June, Helen and Anita Carter John 3 [NRSV] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[i]16 “For God so loved the world that he gave … Continue reading Coming to terms with John 3:16 with the help of Johnny Cash, the Carter family and the gospel according to Wikipedia
Trump court theocrats open door to frivolous lawsuits in Georgia Gwinnett College case
"Uh oh" (as I said this morning on Facebook). "Linda Greathouse, longtime Pulitzer Prize-winning Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times, explains how the theocrats on the Trump court have opened the door to a very narrow brand of fundamentalist bigotry" in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski: Her lede: Anyone who still needs proof of how … Continue reading Trump court theocrats open door to frivolous lawsuits in Georgia Gwinnett College case
Negative partisanship: Analytical essays, links in FiveThirtyEight
Two essays Lee Drutman, "How Much Longer Can This Era of Political Gridlock Last?" FiveThirtyEight, March 4, 2021 https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-much-longer-can-this-era-of-political-gridlock-last/. History holds, at best, a half lesson here. This current period of partisan stalemate stands out in a few respects when we consider America’s long history with partisan conflict. For starters, the period we find ourselves in … Continue reading Negative partisanship: Analytical essays, links in FiveThirtyEight
Can the free exercise clause be used to establish white Christian religious norms? We may be about to find out
[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading Can the free exercise clause be used to establish white Christian religious norms? We may be about to find out
Connecting the dots for Lent III on covenants, the destruction of the temple and the Church of the Nativity
Editor's (admin's) Note. Third of ___* Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one riffs on the Ten Commandments and the passage in the Gospel of St. John where Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. 'My father's house' -- Church of the Nativity, … Continue reading Connecting the dots for Lent III on covenants, the destruction of the temple and the Church of the Nativity
Facebook thread on Roger Williams, John Winthrop and the conflict between church and state
Editor's (admin's) note: This is a twofer. Saving it to Ordinary Time preserves: (1) an interesting thread in response to a recent post I shared to Facebook; and (2) an extended passage from John M. Barry's Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty that I posted … Continue reading Facebook thread on Roger Williams, John Winthrop and the conflict between church and state
‘Sliding in on a shrimp sandwich’
Some useful concepts ... but would Pastor Esbjörn and the Augustana Synod approve? https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2772475713013457
SCI institutional history on the college website up to the time of its 2003 merger with Benedictine
Found this morning while I was zapping old files from my hard drive, a cheerful, public relations-y history of Springfield College in Illinois that I wrote for the college website shortly after its "partnership" with Benedictine University Lisle, which evolved into an outright merger and ended abruptly in 2014 when BenU closed down the Springfield … Continue reading SCI institutional history on the college website up to the time of its 2003 merger with Benedictine
Notes&Quotes: Religion News Service article on Capitol violence; also, ‘Heathens condemn storming of Capitol after Norse religious symbols appear amid mob’
Jack Jenkins, "Capitol violence brewed from nationalism, conspiracies, and Jesus," Christian Century, Jan. 25, 2021 https://www.christiancentury.org/article/news/capitol-violence-brewed-nationalism-conspiracies-and-jesus. [...] While not all participants were Christian, their rhetoric often reflected an aggressive, charismatic, and hypermasculine form of Christian nationalism—a fusion of God and country that has lashed together disparate pieces of Donald Trump’s religious base. “A mistake a … Continue reading Notes&Quotes: Religion News Service article on Capitol violence; also, ‘Heathens condemn storming of Capitol after Norse religious symbols appear amid mob’
A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
Editor's (admin's) Note. Second of ___ Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one takes off from the covenant of Abraham, makes a quick stop in Puritan New England and deplanes in today's central Illinois. Clearing skies over Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, November 2012 Mark 8 … Continue reading A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
‘This is a harvest … of things sown’: White nationalist violence at the Capitol Jan. 6, in El Paso in 2019 and the South in 1958
Clinton (Tenn.) High after 1958 bombing. UT-Knoxville Digital Collections. As we build to a national reckoning on extremist violence, and the former president's role in stirring it up, I'm clearing the decks -- OK, more accurately, going through the random stuff saved to my hard drive -- for an ambitious rewrite of my paper on … Continue reading ‘This is a harvest … of things sown’: White nationalist violence at the Capitol Jan. 6, in El Paso in 2019 and the South in 1958
Squabbling and schism at Knox from 1847 to 1862
A parallel to Esbjörn's troubles at the Lutheran seminary in Springfield -- at almost exactly the same time. Blanchard was an especially close friend and mentor ... Grant Forssberg, “Perspectives on Knox History: Sectarianism and Religious Schism,” 2010, Our History, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois https://www.knox.edu/about-knox/our-history/perspectives-on-knox-history/religious-schism. Of the 1838 schism over slavery: For these Presbyterians -- … Continue reading Squabbling and schism at Knox from 1847 to 1862
Noah’s rainbow sign: Good news for the 53rd Sunday in Lent in a pandemic?
Editor's (admin's) Note. First of ___ Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one riffs on Noah the the sign of the rainbow. Rainbow (at lower right center of picture) outside Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Genesis 9 [NRSV]: 8 Then God said to Noah and to his … Continue reading Noah’s rainbow sign: Good news for the 53rd Sunday in Lent in a pandemic?
More notes & quotes on extremist GOP legislators downstate; also death threat to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville
A combination here of Mark Maxwell's reports on WCIA and the Capitol Fax items that picked them up and amplified them. Mark Maxwell's Feb. 25 story about Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, whose pickup truck bearing a III%er decal and Illinois state legislative tags was spotted in a restricted space for members of Congress during the … Continue reading More notes & quotes on extremist GOP legislators downstate; also death threat to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville
Forum on Chosenness, church and state in America
Chosen Nation: Christianity, Politics, and American Destiny Faith Angle Forum, a A program of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. From the May 2017 Forum in Miami Beach, Florida DR. CATHERINE BREKUS, CHARLES WARREN PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA, HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL Today we know it as American exceptionalism but not many of us … Continue reading Forum on Chosenness, church and state in America
Wide-ranging Catherine Brekus interview with PBS on conversion, frontier revivals, normative Protestantism, lasting influence of ante-bellum evangelicals; press release on ‘chosenness’
Catherine Brekus is Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America at Harvard Divinity School and in the Department of American Studies. It's in the supplemental material to the PBS series God in America, six 60-minute documentaries that aired in 2010; executive producer, Michael Sullivan. Interview was conducted June 23, 2009. Name of interviewer not … Continue reading Wide-ranging Catherine Brekus interview with PBS on conversion, frontier revivals, normative Protestantism, lasting influence of ante-bellum evangelicals; press release on ‘chosenness’
White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!
"[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!
Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes
Jonathan Davis, "Christian nationalism and the looming death of religious liberty," Baptist News Global, Aug. 13, 2018 https://baptistnews.com/article/christian-nationalism-and-the-looming-death-of-religious-liberty/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt8aRy6T_7gIVHimzAB3bdAG3EAAYASAAEgJlBfD_BwE#.YDSUaRNKjm1 According to the Christian Nationalist Alliance, Christian nationalism “upholds the belief that politics is just as capable of saving souls as other forms of Evangelical outreach.” Let that soteriological statement sink in – the saving of souls … Continue reading Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes
Lex, rex and a failed impeachment: ‘for there is no rex (king) where will rules rather than lex (law)’ — Henry de Bracton
Rejection of Falstaff -- 2 King Henry IV Editor's (admin's) note. I'm posting here a 600-word guest column I submitted to the State Journal-Register a week ago. I thought it was only fair to give them a week to consider it for publication. But the content is stale now (at least for newspaper purposes), and … Continue reading Lex, rex and a failed impeachment: ‘for there is no rex (king) where will rules rather than lex (law)’ — Henry de Bracton
Interview about cost of racism with Heather McGhee on Ezra Klein’s podcast
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/podcasts/ezra-klein-podcast-mcghee-transcript.html xxxx Ezra Klein, "What 'Drained-Pool Politics' Costs America," New York Times, Feb. 16, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-heather-mcghee.html. “The American landscape was once graced with resplendent public swimming pools, some big enough to hold thousands of swimmers at a time,” writes Heather McGhee in her new book, “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We … Continue reading Interview about cost of racism with Heather McGhee on Ezra Klein’s podcast
Interview on mass radicalization, Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol
Michael Jensen, "The Problem Isn't One Insurrection: It's Mass Radicalization," interview with Zack Stanton, Politico, Feb. 11, 2021 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/11/mass-radicalization-trump-insurrection-468746. [From the intro to an interview that appeared in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol}: Historically, mass radicalization took time,” says Michael Jensen, an expert on extremism who leads the … Continue reading Interview on mass radicalization, Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol
Of law, gospel, a hungry she-bear and vocation on Elisha and Elijah’s way across the desert to the Jordan River
Road from Jericho (to the left) to the Jordan, the whirlwind and Elijah's chariot of fire. 2 Kings 2 (NRSV): 9 When they had crossed [the Jordan River], Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of … Continue reading Of law, gospel, a hungry she-bear and vocation on Elisha and Elijah’s way across the desert to the Jordan River
Robert Baird — historical notes & quotes
Robert Baird, Religion in America, Or, An Account of the Origin, Progress, Relation to the State, and Present Condition of the Evangelical Churches in the United States: With Notices of the Unevangelical Denominations. New York: Harper, 1844. Google Books. [99, of first generation of New Englanders] They could have maintained silent, personal, individual communion with their … Continue reading Robert Baird — historical notes & quotes
Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)
D R A F T https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmgWHBoGBi8 BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), Jan. 27, 2021 How can we respond when we see our faith and democracy under siege? On January 27, 2021, the Christians Against Christian Nationalism movement presented this webinar to explore how Christians are identifying and responding to the dangers of Christian … Continue reading Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)
Yumpin’ Yimminy, I’m Swedish (at least 9% of my DNA is, according to Ancestry.com)
My DNA map. Orange and umber areas, in New England and Norway, have the most matches. If they've heard a low rumbling noise around Valhalla cemetery on Staten Island lately, it's probably my Norwegian grandfather. Debi and I just got an update from the spit tests we did with Ancestry, com, and I'm 9 percent … Continue reading Yumpin’ Yimminy, I’m Swedish (at least 9% of my DNA is, according to Ancestry.com)
Susan Posner on Trump, evangelicals, Brown v. School Board, church-state separation; Madeline Albright on ‘us-vs.-them thinking’
Sarah Posner, "'Unholy' Examines The Alliance Between White Evangelicals And Trump," interview by Terry Gross, National Public Radio, July 8, 2020 https://www.npr.org/2020/07/08/888906337/unholy-examines-the-alliance-between-white-evangelicals-and-trump. [Connects dots, demonstrates intersectionality between evangelicals, fear of people outside the religious community and school segregation. Posner is author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship At The Altar Of Donald Trump -- link HERE … Continue reading Susan Posner on Trump, evangelicals, Brown v. School Board, church-state separation; Madeline Albright on ‘us-vs.-them thinking’
‘Life and Letters of W.A. Passavant’ — Notes & Quotes
Internet archive: Full text of "Life and letters of W. A. Passavant, D. D." https://archive.org/stream/lifelettersofwap00gerb/lifelettersofwap00gerb_djvu.txt We have thought it well to give this sketch of Scandinavian church history because of the deep and abiding interest which Mr. Passavant took in these Lutherans from the Northland. He had made himself thoroughly acquainted with the character, 206 … Continue reading ‘Life and Letters of W.A. Passavant’ — Notes & Quotes
Samuel Schmucker, ‘Definite Synodical Platform’ (1855)
[Samuel S. Schmucker,] Definite platform, doctrinal and disciplinarian, for Evangelical Lutheran district synods: constructed in accordance with the principles of the General Synod (Philadelphia: Miller & Burlock, 1855), 4-5. Concordia Electronic Books https://digital.palni.edu/digital/collection/copebooks/id/803 and https://digital.palni.edu/digital/collection/copebooks/id/804. [...] Whereas the entire Lutheran Church of Germany has rejected the symbolical books as a whole, and also abandoned some … Continue reading Samuel Schmucker, ‘Definite Synodical Platform’ (1855)
Casting out unclean spirits in the synagogue at Capernaum and on social media today (Epiphany IV)
Byzantine-era synagogue at Capernaum (security lights are a later addition). Mark 1:21-28 (NRSV): 21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a … Continue reading Casting out unclean spirits in the synagogue at Capernaum and on social media today (Epiphany IV)
Scratch outlines (Jan. 25 – ) ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
Working title?: Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Church, State and Lutheran Theology Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860 Link HERE for earlier (Oct. 23-Jan. 24) outlines and notes. *** Scratch outline for discussion chapter [March 20] Andersonville - Ebenezer and Immanuel on North Side – Augustana in Andover (2017 service, capsule history of Aug., orphanage … Continue reading Scratch outlines (Jan. 25 – ) ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
Misc. notes & quotes: ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (high-trust society)
Maddy Savage and Benoît Derrier, "Why the Swedes love doing something that Americans hate," BBC Reel , Jan. 6, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p09312qg/why-the-swedes-love-doing-something-that-americans-hate. In a BBC video (at 4:55) on why Swedes are OK with paying taxes, "... in general, there's a high level of trust in Swedish society, so we trust that the public sector will do, … Continue reading Misc. notes & quotes: ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (high-trust society)
Notes & quotes: ELCA teaching document on civic engagement, church-state relations; background in 2014 article
D R A F T A couple of resources that are right down my alley as I struggle with the conceptual framework for an expanded study of how Swedish immigrant churches in Chicago and the upper Midwest adapted in the 1850s to an essentially Protestant American culture where churches were voluntary associations not supported by … Continue reading Notes & quotes: ELCA teaching document on civic engagement, church-state relations; background in 2014 article
Notes & Quotes: Article on Joe Biden’s faith in The Washington Post
Screen grab of the Post's website this morning. Seen today on the Washington Post website (the second Sunday after Epiphany, no less!), a perceptive article on President-elect Joe Biden's Catholic faith that raises some of the same issues I hope to touch on in my expanded study of cultural issues in the old Swedish-American Augustana … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Article on Joe Biden’s faith in The Washington Post
Of faith and trust under a fig tree, East Tennesseans, Galileans and a Swedish-American historical research project
Bethany beyond the Jordan (from Qasr al-Yahud on Israeli side). John 1:43-51 (NRSV). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom … Continue reading Of faith and trust under a fig tree, East Tennesseans, Galileans and a Swedish-American historical research project
‘… and who is my neighbor?’ — a parable for a time of civil discord (as angry Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol)
Screen shot from Washington Post, Jan. 11, 2021. Video by Joy Sharon Yi. I'm sure Kate Woodsome of the Washington Post didn't set out to write a parable when she covered the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week. That's not what reporters do. She's the Post's op ed video editor, and … Continue reading ‘… and who is my neighbor?’ — a parable for a time of civil discord (as angry Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol)
Charlayne Hunter-Gault on making history, and the obligation to keep making it when no one seems to learn from it
History is often defined as what happened in the past, and, as my journalism professor said on the first day of class, “We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” -- Charlayne Hunter-Gault On the 60th anniversary of the day she and another Black student desegregated the University of Georgia at Athens, … Continue reading Charlayne Hunter-Gault on making history, and the obligation to keep making it when no one seems to learn from it
Notes and quotes: Korean-American U.S. Rep. helping clean Capitol rotunda after mob action by Trump supporters
Color for expansion of paper on Swedes in Roger Williams' garden? Money quote: “It’s so hard because we don’t look at each other and see each other as Americans first, whether it’s race or ethnicity or religion or political party that’s getting in the way of us being able to have that shared identity that … Continue reading Notes and quotes: Korean-American U.S. Rep. helping clean Capitol rotunda after mob action by Trump supporters
History of Henry County, Illinois (1877)
D R A F T History of Henry County, Illinois: Its Taxpayers And Voters; Containing Also, a Biographical Directory, a Condensed History of the State; Map of the County; a Business Directory...etc. Chicago: H. F. Kett, 1877 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002053502481. Preface signed H.F. Kett & Co. says the history relied on a series of historical articles on early … Continue reading History of Henry County, Illinois (1877)
Op ed: structural, political incentives to partisanship ‘post-Trump’; updated by ex-DHS official on Christian nationalism
Grist for discussion part of a larger study of "Luther's dear angels in Roger Williams' garden?" An opinion piece just as the first Congress was sworn in after Trump lost the Nov. 3, 2020 election, suggesting GOP strategy to undercut incoming Biden administration on economic recovery for partisan reasons ... comments within hours of its … Continue reading Op ed: structural, political incentives to partisanship ‘post-Trump’; updated by ex-DHS official on Christian nationalism
‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)
Notes and quotes for my research on Swedish immigration -- from an article on a "Jericho march" protesting Pres. Donald Trump's defeat in the Nov. 3, 2020, election ... Citation: Harry Bruinius, "Will election become a new ‘lost cause’ for evangelical conservatives?" Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 16, 2020 https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1216/Will-election-become-a-new-lost-cause-for-evangelical-conservatives? A summary from the Monitor, under headnote … Continue reading ‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)
Is noodling on the dulcimer a spiritual discipline? English folksingers nudge me to try it after this ‘festering boil of a year’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGThVwKowks "Sweet Bells," Yorkshire pub carol performed by GreenMatthews Instead of New Year's resolutions, I'm dealing with hunches and nudges this year. Besides, I know myself and most of my resolutions don't make it past the first weekend in January. But hunches? Sometimes I act on them, and lately I've had several clamoring for my … Continue reading Is noodling on the dulcimer a spiritual discipline? English folksingers nudge me to try it after this ‘festering boil of a year’
Canned fish at Christmas, the ‘most charitable construction’ and Luther’s catechism: Notes on a Norskie heritage
Editor's note: While I was looking for other posts to link to my year's-end spiritual formation review, I came across this draft. Apparently I started it just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit town, and I never got back to as my concerns and priorities shifted dramatically. It looked like it was worth salvaging, so I … Continue reading Canned fish at Christmas, the ‘most charitable construction’ and Luther’s catechism: Notes on a Norskie heritage
Advent festival at Sewanee: ‘Comfort, comfort ye …,’ but there’s a catch: We’ve got to act on the things that give us comfort
Screen shot from Sewanee's website. Click HERE to watch video of this year's Festival of Lessons and Carols (on YouTube) ... and HERE for bulletin with lyrics. One of the silver linings to sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic has been re-establishing connection with old friends on social media ... and, through them, nostalgia … Continue reading Advent festival at Sewanee: ‘Comfort, comfort ye …,’ but there’s a catch: We’ve got to act on the things that give us comfort
Quotes from Eric Norelius: Pietist Norskies in Chicago and Swedes in Minnesota
D R A F T Excerpts from Early Life of Eric Norelius, a Lutheran Pioneer, 1833-1862, trans. Emeroy Johnson (Rock Island: Augustana Book Concern, 1934. "a Norwegian chapel that stood out on the plain on the north side. The service was conducted by a former acquaintance of mine, Mr. Rasmussen, who had been in Columbus. … Continue reading Quotes from Eric Norelius: Pietist Norskies in Chicago and Swedes in Minnesota
Krister Stendahl’s ‘holy envy,’ who gets to go to heaven and Luther’s dear angels in 19th-century Chicago: New perspectives on an ongoing research project
D R A F T Krister Stendahl prays at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, April 22, 1993 (C-SPAN). As I move on from my presentation on 19th-century Swedish immigrant churches for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, I've been cleaning my office -- sort of like clearing the decks for a sea battle in the … Continue reading Krister Stendahl’s ‘holy envy,’ who gets to go to heaven and Luther’s dear angels in 19th-century Chicago: New perspectives on an ongoing research project
Notes on a review of an important new book about Faulkner, the Civil War and race (with a tangent on grad school in English at UT-Knoxville in the ’60s)
What Faulkner recognized was the ubiquity of such struggles over identity and their centrality to the American experience—the way that the question “Who am I?” is always connected to the question “Who are we?” -- Casey Cep, review of Michael Gorra, The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil War, The New Yorker, Nov. 23, 2020 I … Continue reading Notes on a review of an important new book about Faulkner, the Civil War and race (with a tangent on grad school in English at UT-Knoxville in the ’60s)
Reflections on prayer in the parking lot of a walk-in clinic during a time of pandemic
It's a perfect late fall afternoon, blustery with tufts of white cloud scudding past in a blue sky. Temperature in the 40s, but enough sunshine coming through the windshield that I don't have the car heater on while I'm waiting in the HSHS PromptCare walk-in clinic's parking lot on MacArthur. This is how we do … Continue reading Reflections on prayer in the parking lot of a walk-in clinic during a time of pandemic
A Jesuit, Martin Luther and a statehouse reporter walk into an elevator … surviving the aftermath of this year’s election
Tennessee State Capitol, Nashville (Wikipedia) In an online election-eve article titled "Jesuit tools to help you survive the election (and its aftermath)," Fr. James Martin, SJ, laid out some tips for America magazine readers on "navigating the rough emotional waters over the next few days, weeks and perhaps months or years." Naturally enough, they come … Continue reading A Jesuit, Martin Luther and a statehouse reporter walk into an elevator … surviving the aftermath of this year’s election
ROFLMAO — what would Luther’s 95 Theses sound like in an corporate office email memo to all staff?
Luther posts the 95 Theses, by Ferdinand Pauweis (1830-1904). Wikimedia Commons. Posted today to the "Daily Shouts" section of the New Yorker's website, a humor piece by Patrick Crooks, a contributing writer who also describes himself as a "Creative thinker. Strategic problem solver. Administrative professional." He's certainly creative, and he's obviously written an administrative office … Continue reading ROFLMAO — what would Luther’s 95 Theses sound like in an corporate office email memo to all staff?
Notes & quotes: Nixon’s visit to UT-Knoxville in 1970
d r a f t https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/President_Richard_Nixon_and_Reverend_Billy_Graham_at_the_Podium_during_the_%22Crusade_for_Christ%22_at_Neyland_Stadium_in_Knoxville%2C_Tennessee.jpg Nixon at Billy Graham Crusade, UT-Knoxville, 1970 (Wikimedia Commons) “[Roger Williams] described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Nixon’s visit to UT-Knoxville in 1970
After the tumult, a moment of peace … and a moment for peacemakers
St. John's Episcopal-Lafayette Square in background. Business Insider, Nov. 7, 2020. It's been quite a week for peacemakers! Sunday, Nov. 1, was All Saints' Day, and the assigned gospel reading was the version of the Beatitudes in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Including this (which isn't in Luke's version): "Blessed are the peacemakers, for … Continue reading After the tumult, a moment of peace … and a moment for peacemakers
Notes on an election-day article about Lincoln, the better angels of our nature and the book of Job
https://www.facebook.com/133051906718090/photos/a.1509816089041658/3741315792558332 On the same day as Tuesday's election, the Jesuit magazine America published an article I thought was singularly appropriate to the occasion. It was what we used to call a "think piece" in the newspaper business, an essay by a divinity student and political activist on what comfort -- if "comfort" is the right … Continue reading Notes on an election-day article about Lincoln, the better angels of our nature and the book of Job
‘The Benedict Option’: Notes and quotes from Rowan Williams, David Brooks
Wikipedia notes author Rod Dreher's involvement in controversies on race and gender, among other issues https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Dreher *** Rowan Williams, "The Benedict Option: a new monasticism for the 21st century," NewStatesman, May 30, 2017 https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2017/05/benedict-option-new-monasticism-21st-century. Its argument is simple. For conservative religious believers, the battle on the political field has largely been lost; there is no point … Continue reading ‘The Benedict Option’: Notes and quotes from Rowan Williams, David Brooks
Ernesto’s cat shelter in a time of civil war and pandemic — Dr. Youssef’s story
https://www.facebook.com/TheAleppoCatMen/posts/3630023537059869 Excerpts below from a first person account by the resident veterinarian at Ernesto's Sanctuary for Cats* in Syria. I've linked to the blog where it appeared -- so you can read it there, because I'm leaving out important parts, and, besides, I'm sure they can use the clicks. I've followed Ernesto's cat sanctuary since … Continue reading Ernesto’s cat shelter in a time of civil war and pandemic — Dr. Youssef’s story
Well done, good and faithful servants: A memorial plaque in a university chapel and a meditation for All Saints’ Day
Memorial plaque in All Saints' Chapel, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. When my parents lived in the suburbs of Atlanta, Debi and I would drive to Atlanta and back just about every time I had a school vacation. Sometimes I'd drive down on my own. Either way, the trip settled into a set rhythm. … Continue reading Well done, good and faithful servants: A memorial plaque in a university chapel and a meditation for All Saints’ Day
Odds and ends: Swedes in Illinois’ Civil War regiments in Quad-City Times; review of ‘Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln’s Time’
New working title? -- Luther's Dear Angels in Swede Town: Redemption and Table Fellowship in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" --- Tom Emery, "Q-C area Swedes played role in Civil War," Moline Dispatch-Rock Island Argus, Sept. 21, 2013 https://qconline.com/news/illinois/q-c-area-swedes-played-role-in-civil-war/article_da991c6f-a524-50cc-b062-9b88d120b296.html. VERBATIM EXCERPTS: Dr. Dag Blanck, director of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock … Continue reading Odds and ends: Swedes in Illinois’ Civil War regiments in Quad-City Times; review of ‘Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln’s Time’
Yet another reminder Roger Williams had it right: When we mix religion and politics, we get politics
[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading Yet another reminder Roger Williams had it right: When we mix religion and politics, we get politics
Covid-19 symptoms and treatments, 2020
xxx https://www.facebook.com/ming.kuo/posts/10223989675026685 shared to my FB feed too permalink: https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2675153709412325
Scratch outline — ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (pinned here for easy reference, other posts below)
Rough notes and outlines for a research project ... Working title?: "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation Inclusion and Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1861″ -- or -- "Luther’s Dear Angels in Swede Town: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860-1861″ ... potentially expanding the presentation I gave at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in … Continue reading Scratch outline — ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (pinned here for easy reference, other posts below)
Marcel Marceau and the uses of history
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrFW5FwwkfI Marcel Marceau, "How I worked in the French Resistance and Created Bip as a Figure of Hope," Michigan Quarterly Review, 41, no. 1 (Winter 2002) https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mqr;c=mqr;c=mqrarchive;idno=act2080.0041.111;g=mqrg;rgn=main;view=text;xc=1 a lightly edited transcript of the speech delivered extempore, in English, by Marcel Marceau upon receiving the Raoul Wallenberg Medal on April 30, 2001, at … Continue reading Marcel Marceau and the uses of history
Next year in Jersusalem? Keeping the faith in a time of pandemic, absence and exile
Everydayness in Jerusalem -- stray cat surveys his domain in the Old City. A couple of days ago we brought several weeks' worth of magazines in from the garage, where we quarantine our incoming mail. So I've been binge-reading the Christian Century, and an article from the Oct. 7 issue reached out and grabbed me. … Continue reading Next year in Jersusalem? Keeping the faith in a time of pandemic, absence and exile
WaPo story on civil religion
Important update (imho) on the issue, at a time the culture wars were just beginning ... Keith Richburg, "America Already Has a Civil Religion," Washington Post, Sept. 8, 1985 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1985/09/08/america-already-has-a-civil-religion/89818518-9e27-45bd-814a-fbae9981a823/. Article by Keith Richburg, then of the Washington Post (educated at Michigan and LSE, longtime foreign correspondent and later director of the Journalism and Media Studies … Continue reading WaPo story on civil religion
No Norwegian Jesus in Pastor Lenny’s decolonized Lutheran church? Uff da!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APMu32sC2nM&t=5s So we're reading the Rev. Lenny Duncan's Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US for an online book study group in my ELCA parish. We're the "whitest denomination" of his title (although I have to wonder if the Old Order Amish aren't kinda white, too), … Continue reading No Norwegian Jesus in Pastor Lenny’s decolonized Lutheran church? Uff da!
Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Presenting my paper to ALPLM's virtual Conference on Illinois History. Some ideas and observations that came to me presenting my paper, "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum's annual Conference on Illinois History. Plus a couple of pictures -- including a very nice picture … Continue reading Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Augustana Synod outtakes — cut during final edit, paper for ALPLM on ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
CUT FROM CONCLUSION: In quite a different context, folklorist James Leary suggests the multi-ethnic dance bands of the 1940s and 1950s in the upper Midwest created a “creolized, regional repertoire” out of Norwegian, Swedish, German, Slavic and “Scandihoovian” musical licks. “Here,” he proclaims, “reside North Coast creoles.” I am sure that L.P. Esbjörn, Paul Andersen … Continue reading Augustana Synod outtakes — cut during final edit, paper for ALPLM on ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
‘Swedes in Roger William’s Garden’
Proposal for the paper I'm scheduled to present next month at the 22nd annual Conference on Illinois History sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Conference program and registration information are available HERE. Sessions will be conducted by Zoom, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My session will be from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 … Continue reading ‘Swedes in Roger William’s Garden’
‘Dear Church’: A tapestry of discipleship and a call for white folks to ‘do good white folk work’ to help dismantle racism
What can the "whitest denomination(s) in the US" do about institutional racism in this time of pandemic and racial reckoning? Quite a bit, actually. At least more than you'd think, according to the Rev. Lenny Duncan of Vancouver, Wash. Mission development pastor at a Lutheran church in Vancouver, Duncan is the author of Dear Church: A … Continue reading ‘Dear Church’: A tapestry of discipleship and a call for white folks to ‘do good white folk work’ to help dismantle racism
Rethinking grief, detachment, the Book of Job and the engravings of William Blake (!) in a time of pandemic
William Blake, Illustrations of the Book of Job, Plate 21 William Blake has never been exactly my cup of tea. When it comes to English Romantic poets, I'm more of a Byron and Wordsworth guy, and I like cats too much to get much pleasure out of thinking about Blake's tiger "burning bright, / In the … Continue reading Rethinking grief, detachment, the Book of Job and the engravings of William Blake (!) in a time of pandemic
Augustana: Notes, quotes and a 5-paragraph theme-style outline
Jenny Lind Chapel, mother church of Augustana Synod, Andover, Ill. I write because I don't know what I think until I say it. -- Flannery O'Connor xxxx Scratch outline Intro: What do the ethnic synods have to teach us in the 21st century? Folk church -- Swedish example Luther -- prince's responsibility to subjects, Christmas … Continue reading Augustana: Notes, quotes and a 5-paragraph theme-style outline
Spiritual direction, August-September
Email, lightly edited to make sense of a couple of really clunky sentences, that I sent today to my spiritual director in advance of our September meeting. Excerpts from my earlier posts are in italics and linked to the original posts to this blog. Hi Sister -- Here's the usual note to confirm our appointment … Continue reading Spiritual direction, August-September
Serendipity
"There are people walking so softly ahead of us we don't even perceive them." - Mike Anderson, singer-songwriter and storyteller of Jacksonville, Ill. OK, let's get something established right off the bat: This post isn't going to be about little miracles, divine Providence or God's intervention in my daily life. To the extent I even … Continue reading Serendipity
Notes for future reference on AHMS book on Scandinavian free churches, perceived ethnic traits
Notes from an 1884 book by an official of the American Home Missionary Society who wanted to solicit immigration from Scandinavia -- it came to me in a pretty roundabout way, a summary in the JSTOR Daily newsletter by free-lance writer Livia Gershon, "How Churches Helped Make Scandinavians 'White',” JSTOR Daily, June 30, 2020 https://daily.jstor.org/how-churches-helped-make-scandinavians-white/ … Continue reading Notes for future reference on AHMS book on Scandinavian free churches, perceived ethnic traits
Looking ahead to Advent, Christmas and a season of grief in a time of pandemic
I shared this article to Facebook, am linking it here for future reference ... Nathan Kirkpatrick "It's time to talk about Advent in a pandemic," Faith & Leadership, Duke Divinity School, Sept. 1, 2020 https://faithandleadership.com/nathan-kirkpatrick-its-time-talk-about-advent-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR0wSZUHEb75lTnB1kOg7NfHwvDeeN2A33ha1WYj9WvGy9-woHVKIacDEBw. Nathan Kirkpatrick is managing director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity EXCERPTS: A colleague posted to Facebook last week that his … Continue reading Looking ahead to Advent, Christmas and a season of grief in a time of pandemic
Tzedakah: Acting as God’s agents
Just in time for "God's Work Our Hands Sunday" in the ELCA Lutheran churches -- Excerpts from Saturday's column by Rabbi Barry Marks in the State Journal-Register on a related Jewish concept -- tzedakah, or obligatory acts of charity. "When we respond generously to the needs of our fellow persons, we are acting as God’s … Continue reading Tzedakah: Acting as God’s agents
‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QviA2iOsOo Gott ist gegenwärtig [God himself is present]. Heilig-Geist-Kirche, Menden, Germany When we got our mail out of quarantine earlier this week, a little volume by Krister Stendahl titled Energy for Life: Reflections on the Theme "Come Holy Spirit -- Renew the Whole Creation" tumbled out. Perhaps I should explain. The mail wasn't directed to … Continue reading ‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
Back to the future (and the righteousness of the God of Israel) with a Jesuit spiritual exercise for Pentecost XIII
A swing and a miss, and then a clean base hit (imho) with Ignatian contemplation ... Ruins of Roman temple and grotto of Pan at Caesarea Philippi (Wikimedia Commons). What you're about to read is an experiment. Or, to use another metaphor, a test drive. Call it a test-drive in that time-traveling DeLorean made famous … Continue reading Back to the future (and the righteousness of the God of Israel) with a Jesuit spiritual exercise for Pentecost XIII
Misc. notes and links on Caesarea Philippi
Jacqueline Schaalje, Banyas, Jewish Magazine, July 2000 http://www.jewishmag.co.il/34mag/banyas/banyas.htm The city was re-named Caesarea Philippi when Herod's son Philip took up the rule. Philip was one of the first who made a serious attempt to determine the source of the Jordan. The story is related by Josephus (War 3: 512-13). Philip had chaff thrown in the nearby … Continue reading Misc. notes and links on Caesarea Philippi
Notes on ‘melting pot’ from America’s website
By Cecilia González-Andrieu, a professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, Calif., and a contributing writer for America. Excerpts: We know ourselves heirs of a promise that transcends the brief span of our individual lives; the promise of the resurrection. At the same time, we know that we will get there not … Continue reading Notes on ‘melting pot’ from America’s website
Plenty to think about on the road to Caesarea Philippi (Pentecost XII)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlJtc_3Ioo&t=114s Grace Lutheran Church Chancel Choir, Tallahassee, "Built On A Rock the Church Shall Stand" Oct. 30, 2011. P. The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 16th Chapter.C. Glory to you, O Lord.At a climactic point in Jesus’ ministry, God reveals to Peter that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Sonof the living God,” and … Continue reading Plenty to think about on the road to Caesarea Philippi (Pentecost XII)
A semi-sympathetic reading of a proto-feminist Jezebel reprinted on the Biblical Archaeology Society’s website
A few days ago I was blogging about the prophet Elijah and his conflicts with King Ahab of Israel. Now comes Janet Howe Gaines, an English professor at the University of New Mexico, with a sympathetic -- well, at least evenhanded -- portrayal of one of the most maligned figures in history, Ahab's queen Jezebel. … Continue reading A semi-sympathetic reading of a proto-feminist Jezebel reprinted on the Biblical Archaeology Society’s website
Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
First phrase of chorale by Philipp Nicolai Svenska Psalmbok (1819), Nos. 55, 412. O Gud! ditt ord och sakramentLåt aldrig bliva från oss vändt ...-- Svenska Psalmbok (1819), No. 412, v. 6[O God, let your word and sacrament / never be turned away from us ...] No doubt it's just a coincidence, but since I … Continue reading Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
Spiritual journal for August — further thoughts on Word and sacrament in a time of pandemic
Email sent today to my spiritual director, lightly edited. Since it quotes extensively from this blog (and WordPress isn't letting me do block quotations the way I want to), I am putting my email message in lightface italics and leaving quoted material in Roman type. Hi Sister -- [* * *] Not very much to … Continue reading Spiritual journal for August — further thoughts on Word and sacrament in a time of pandemic
Elijah and the word of the Lord: No windstorm, no fire, no earthquake. Just get back to work (Pentecost X)
1 Kings 19:11-13 (NRSV) [The word of the Lord] said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the … Continue reading Elijah and the word of the Lord: No windstorm, no fire, no earthquake. Just get back to work (Pentecost X)
St. Peter’s fish, a surprisingly tasty meal with a 2,000-year backstory in Galilee
St. Peter's Fish in Galilee restaurant | Photo: איתן טל Etan Tal, Creative Commons. While I was working on this week's post about the miracle of loaves and fishes, I got curious about a delicacy served in restaurants around the Sea of Galilee called St. Peter's fish. It looks absolutely disgusting, but it's delicious. Especially with … Continue reading St. Peter’s fish, a surprisingly tasty meal with a 2,000-year backstory in Galilee
Loaves, fishes and Luther’s concept of the Word as sacrament: How do you do church when you can’t go to church? (Pentecost IX)
Byzantine columns at Church of the Multiplication (Brotvermehrungskirche), Galilee. Matthew 14 (NRSV): ... 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the … Continue reading Loaves, fishes and Luther’s concept of the Word as sacrament: How do you do church when you can’t go to church? (Pentecost IX)
‘Dinner church’ pastor: When you can’t go to church, look around you
Emily M.D. Scott, "If the Church Door Is Closed, Find the Sacred on the Road," New York Times, 19 July 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/opinion/if-the-church-door-is-closed-find-the-sacred-on-the-road.html Excerpts: Priests and pastors across the church have been grasping for metaphors to help us make sense of this time away from the table, and one another. Some have framed it as a … Continue reading ‘Dinner church’ pastor: When you can’t go to church, look around you
Working on a Swedish-American history paper and reading Luther in a global pandemic: Spiritual direction journal, July
Copy of an email sent tonight (Saturday) to my spiritual director. Lightly edited in the interest of making sense and removing obvious illiteracies. Hi Sister -- Just a quick note -- quicker than usual this month -- to confirm that unless I hear otherwise from you, I'll be calling you Monday at 2:30 p.m. for our … Continue reading Working on a Swedish-American history paper and reading Luther in a global pandemic: Spiritual direction journal, July
A parable of sowing the word of the kingdom of heaven on YouTube and Facebook (for Pentecost VI)
Sunday service, Peace Lutheran Church, Springfield, Ill., July 12, 2020 (Pentecost VI) Yesterday's lectionary reading, for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost (ordinary time to non-Lutherans), was the the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Which means, if you think about it, watching the service on social media was almost like a parable about a … Continue reading A parable of sowing the word of the kingdom of heaven on YouTube and Facebook (for Pentecost VI)
Swedish Lutherans: Synodical and congregational minutes on baptism and membership in the 1850s
Selected Documents: Dealing with the Organization of the First Congregations and the First Conferences of the Augustana Synod and their Growth Until 1860, Vol. 1, ed. I.O. Nothstein, Augustana Historical Society Publications, 10 (1944): 92. Chicago-Mississippi Conference Minutes, Chicago, January 4-9, 1854. 90 [92] Thereupon the following question was acted upon: "What shall be the … Continue reading Swedish Lutherans: Synodical and congregational minutes on baptism and membership in the 1850s
Jante laws: ‘Don’t get above your raisin’.”
This morning when Debi and I were going over the end-of-chapter questions for Debby Irving's Waking Up White, the Jante laws came up. Pronounced "YAN-teh," they're a series of 10 tongue-in-cheeck observations on small-town life in Scandinavia. Small-town life anywhere, as far as I'm concerned. If they can be summed up in a word or … Continue reading Jante laws: ‘Don’t get above your raisin’.”
An unfinished outline on a Finnish theologian: Mannermaa, theosis and Lutheran-Russian Orthodox dialog
NOTE: This is something about Luther's concept of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that I was working on last month, before I learned my proposal had been accepted for the Illinois History Conference sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum -- and my priorities changed! Now I have to crash my paper, … Continue reading An unfinished outline on a Finnish theologian: Mannermaa, theosis and Lutheran-Russian Orthodox dialog
Phillip Cary on Luther — sola scriptura with a twist of performance anxiety
Now here's a guy who's on my wavelength ... Phillip Cary, who teaches philosophy at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa., has a book out with the somewhat daunting title The Meaning of Protestant Theology: Luther, Augustine, and the Gospel That Gives Us Christ. I hadn't heard of him before, but I saw a review … Continue reading Phillip Cary on Luther — sola scriptura with a twist of performance anxiety
Book review: Luther, Protestants on Gospel as ‘auditory sacrament’
Jason Micheli, "Why Be Protestant?," review of The Meaning of Protestant Theology: Luther, Augustine, and the Gospel That Gives Us Christ, by Phillip Cary, Christian Century, May 18, 2020 https://www.christiancentury.org/review/books/why-be-protestant. Excerpts: Cary locates the distinctive contribution of Protestant theology to the body of Christ not in its divergence from the great sacramental traditions of Catholicism … Continue reading Book review: Luther, Protestants on Gospel as ‘auditory sacrament’
Spiritual direction — journal for June
Copy of email (lightly edited) sent yesterday to my spiritual director, summarizing what I've been trying to do in the past month and suggesting an agenda for our next session. Jun 19, 2020, 7:44 PM Hi, Sister -- Just a note to confirm our spiritual direction meeting at 2:30 p.m. and give you a general … Continue reading Spiritual direction — journal for June
Was Luther a mystic? Hard to say. But an offhand Latin pun and a Lutheran T-shirt offer a new way of thinking about it
Volunteers from First Lutheran Church, Rock Island, Illinois, serving at smörgåsbord. Augustana Founders' Day Reunion, 155th anniversary, Andover, Illinois, April 25, 2015 I have begun to preach and lecture once more; in fact, yesterday I preached in your place. ... Christ lives; and we are Christs -- with and without the apostrophe (Christi sumus in … Continue reading Was Luther a mystic? Hard to say. But an offhand Latin pun and a Lutheran T-shirt offer a new way of thinking about it
A sustainable ‘new normal’? Maybe, with a little help from the Holy Spirit — stray thoughts for Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Video clip prepared for Pentecost Sunday service. Offer valid at any time. It's been a brutal spring for everybody, but -- for reasons I can't quite explain -- lately I've felt like maybe we're beginning to turn a corner. It's been three months now since Debi and I went into quarantine just as the COVID-19 … Continue reading A sustainable ‘new normal’? Maybe, with a little help from the Holy Spirit — stray thoughts for Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Martha Nussbaum on Roger Williams
Martha C. Nussbaum, "The First Founder" [review of On Religious Liberty: Selections From the Works of Roger Williams, ed. James Calvin Davis], New Republic, 9 Sept. 2008 https://newrepublic.com/article/61558/the-first-founder?fbclid=IwAR07-wz1bFDtyu3DaK-xt5yDLOoUyYo7s6Y5qjqTE-C69vNiNIk0nbv9WHI. Verbatim excerpts: ... Williams wrote many books, including two lengthy philosophical treatises that are among the major works on religious toleration in the history of Western thought. … Continue reading Martha Nussbaum on Roger Williams
Pentecost
Editor's note. This "poem-like substance" was written during the 2000-2001 school year as an in-class demonstration when I was teaching a creative writing class at Springfield College in Illinois (later merged into Benedictine University and subsequently closed). When students complained it wasn't fair for me to make them write a poem on demand, we agreed: … Continue reading Pentecost
Of outward signs, inward grace and Pastor Nadia’s prayer for a time of pandemic when the sacraments can’t be celebrated
Screenshot from Pastor Nadia's FB post. Click HERE for permalink. Click HERE for text. Sometimes you find exactly what you need at exactly the right moment, and you don't know why. Serendipity? Coincidence? The Holy Spirit at work? In 12-step recovery meetings, sometimes you'll hear the old-timers say a coincidence is what you call it … Continue reading Of outward signs, inward grace and Pastor Nadia’s prayer for a time of pandemic when the sacraments can’t be celebrated
Tips from a Harvard Business Review item on grief and a poet’s advice on the medieval sin of sloth in a time of global pandemic
We've been catching up on reading magazines lately, and I saw something in a back issue of Christian Century that made a lot of sense. (We're playing catchup because we're "quarantining" our mail till we know more about how long the COVID-19 bug lives on surfaces. Debi stacks it up in the garage and doesn't … Continue reading Tips from a Harvard Business Review item on grief and a poet’s advice on the medieval sin of sloth in a time of global pandemic
Spiritual direction — seeking a ‘new normal’ during a global pandemic
Since I started spiritual direction a couple of years ago, I've emailed my spiritual director ahead of our monthly sessions ... summing up what I've been journaling about since our last meeting and, more to the point, getting a little focus on themes I've been working on and, more to the point, new directions that … Continue reading Spiritual direction — seeking a ‘new normal’ during a global pandemic
Throwing an inkpot at the virus? Some wisdom for a brutal time from a 14th-century mystic, Luther’s catechism and a Buddhist meditation
https://www.facebook.com/peacelutheranspringfield/posts/1102830350102257?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARByBlc4lICuCA3vbsOF2dLVNReMDsC3fJcGbrDztTKMxNo7Yvk36ysoFlDJzD0AjhazR37AdoCzxxZuDHgOSTeU7wMNZJHOH4NtVU1vEuxxIwp9X1x2a19pJQVTjJnwIv3-6xgaRxMzac51V9kC0Nc-IibArTGMvuSMLvgucLkZnsDmGFSNt_1y3ASEsoUy4YJflA7EPxMscK0Krt4-gFeyXndJBtF2EB_U0FLgYzTAs2kKZJcY1Yz_eSP_WFFUAF2iavb-HNYUJB2NiykhTFtg_HIshv8sgl5pzaoWylvBsKc6RfHEQRW80RZqYw9YSQDt_pIyYn7tGa5tR7ctiBH-wDWfaixAwBPL-N-1OVwkIm-4c4BZQsMIl2KnDd2JTJT2GulOxnrb-v7BLrlgEMmAWQl8VRDd0ZO79BEaS06LXV1M0GBYaobP72iKPquEZ01ByNdcjrQPHDM44Qjnwk_wqr6ZsSJpMstVjOSInMRHw4PWO-87Zw&__tn__=-R Mostly I do church online these days, like most of my relationships in self-quarantine, and last week Peace Lutheran shared a passage on Facebook from the 14th-century mystical writer Julian of Norwich. I was feeling down -- frightened might be a more accurate word -- after two and a half months of the COVID-19 … Continue reading Throwing an inkpot at the virus? Some wisdom for a brutal time from a 14th-century mystic, Luther’s catechism and a Buddhist meditation
‘The UK Blessing’ — in a time of fear and political rancor, a virtual choir calls, gathers, enlightens and makes us holy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtll3mNj5U&fbclid=IwAR1A_TK23D99XEordzKjoE_uhYP7qNlMJO6T54d8QBxXLMREi5sREyrBNQA The UK Blessing -- 992,403 views (as of Monday night, May 4) -- Premiered May 3, 2020 This weekend marked the two-month anniversary of the day I went into voluntary self-quarantine when I got out of the hospital. As luck would have (good luck, for a change), a virtual choir video came out to … Continue reading ‘The UK Blessing’ — in a time of fear and political rancor, a virtual choir calls, gathers, enlightens and makes us holy
Easter 2020: A technophobe ‘finds Christ in hidden and unexpected places’
To say Easter was different this year would be an understatement -- like saying it was kinda nice when the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series. Growing up in the Episcopal church, I thought of Easter Sunday as a day of obligation, along with Christmas and Whitsunday, when you had to go to church … Continue reading Easter 2020: A technophobe ‘finds Christ in hidden and unexpected places’
Spiritual direction — journaling in a time of pandemic and social distancing
Copy of email sent today to my spiritual director and posted here to provide a monthly update on themes we’ve been working on and my progress (or lack thereof). Lightly edited to fix obvious illiteracies. Sr. __________ -- I hope all is well with you as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Debi and I have been … Continue reading Spiritual direction — journaling in a time of pandemic and social distancing
Luther on church, Anabaptists (copy)
Notes on my post at https://hemlandssanger.wordpress.com/2019/08/23/note-luther-quote-on-anabaptists/ on Luther's quote about the church as a "little flock of the faint-hearted, the feeble, and the ailing, who feel and recognize the wretchedness of their sins" in his sermons on John 1-4. Copied here from Hemlandssånger, Aug. 23, 2019 for convenient reference ... --- Screen shot Aug. 23, … Continue reading Luther on church, Anabaptists (copy)
Presiding Bishop Eaton’s pastoral message for Sunday (Lent V): 1. These dry bones will live. 2. Stay home. Shelter in place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzrxzAPeu2g Bishop Eaton | March 28, 2020 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Food for thought (or, better yet, for prayer and meditation). Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit this month in full force, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been posting homilies, or messages, to YouTube. This one, addressed … Continue reading Presiding Bishop Eaton’s pastoral message for Sunday (Lent V): 1. These dry bones will live. 2. Stay home. Shelter in place.
Perry Miller on covenant (with allusions to Whitman, Hawthorne); also van Engen’s ‘How America Became “A City Upon a Hill”’
Perry Miller, in Errand into the Wilderness (Cambridge: Harvard-Belknap, 1956). Verbatim excerpts: -- Introduction: [ix] What I believe caught my imagination, among the fuel drums [in Africa], was a realization of the uniqueness of the American experience; even then I could dimly make out the portent for the future of the world, looking upon these … Continue reading Perry Miller on covenant (with allusions to Whitman, Hawthorne); also van Engen’s ‘How America Became “A City Upon a Hill”’
Jack Kornfield on gratitude, mindfulness, adversity (outtakes, links and quotes)
Outtakes from a post on daily practice I finished today. The final draft took a slightly different direction, but I'm copying this part of the draft here because I want to hang onto the links to Jack Kornfield here ... what he says about gratitude is so similar to the examen of St. Ignatius of … Continue reading Jack Kornfield on gratitude, mindfulness, adversity (outtakes, links and quotes)
Of Luther's Catechism, daily prayer, the spiritual exercises of Loyola and the communion of saints in a time of plague
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdEURn4NEas Carl Schalk, Luther's Morning Prayer, Summer Music Academy, Valparaiso University, 2018 Here's something I've been struggling with since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Springfield: How do you do communion when you can't go to church and take communion? I hadn't realized how much my spiritual life centered on singing in the choir and weekly celebration … Continue reading Of Luther's Catechism, daily prayer, the spiritual exercises of Loyola and the communion of saints in a time of plague
Brother Richard’s “Lockdown,” a Zen moment in this time of coronavirus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x25DwatvjA&t=51s MBPPC Backyard Preacher | Mt. Baker Park Presbyterian Church, Seattle | March 17, 2020 Anderson Cooper closed the CNN News town hall he co-hosted tonight with Dr. Sanjay Gupta by reading a poem by Brother Richard Hendrick, OSF (Capuchin), of County Donegal in Ireland. It's titled "Lockdown"; it has been widely circulated on the … Continue reading Brother Richard’s “Lockdown,” a Zen moment in this time of coronavirus
Can’t take communion in the time of coronavirus? Pray. Can’t go to church? Pray. Be persistent in prayer.
How do you do church when you can't go to church? Before the COVID-19 outbreak came to town, I didn't realize how much of my spiritual life centered on going to church. Now, after two weeks of "social distancing," it's causing me to reassess. As usual, my first reaction to social distancing was a wisecrack. … Continue reading Can’t take communion in the time of coronavirus? Pray. Can’t go to church? Pray. Be persistent in prayer.
ECLA Presiding Bishop Eaton: Pastoral message on COVID-19. ‘Absence makes the presence of God more profound’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Nd_T4R_EY&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2NSxvIH88LJ6QYNjqj7b5-KUVGhF27KWf4NvGOKFxVNy50G755RFoJeag&app=desktop Bishop Eaton on COVID-19 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | March 12, 2020 YouTube blurb: In her message to this church about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said that even though “this is a time of disruption. It is also a … Continue reading ECLA Presiding Bishop Eaton: Pastoral message on COVID-19. ‘Absence makes the presence of God more profound’
Short takes and prayers for ‘tireless health care workers, whistle-blowing first responders, rumpled, righteous public servants, empiricism, epidemiology and vaccines’; also for precinct election judges
CDC advisory for Higher Risk & Special Populations, March 6, 2019. Some quick takes on what it might be like to live in a pandemic. At the moment, it looks like I may be getting a little taste of it already -- I'm receiving post-hospitalization home health care, which has restrictions similar to a quarantine, … Continue reading Short takes and prayers for ‘tireless health care workers, whistle-blowing first responders, rumpled, righteous public servants, empiricism, epidemiology and vaccines’; also for precinct election judges
Wisdom from the 1928 Episcopal prayer book, a Jesuit author and a punk rocker-rabbi — with links to common-sense advice on getting ready for a pandemic
Editor's note (March 3). Draft of a post I wrote at the end of February, when it first became apparent the new coronavirus outbreak was about to blossom into a worldwide pandemic. Then, on Saturday night, when I was putting the finishing touches on it, I got sick and was admitted to St. John's Hospital … Continue reading Wisdom from the 1928 Episcopal prayer book, a Jesuit author and a punk rocker-rabbi — with links to common-sense advice on getting ready for a pandemic
Spiritual direction — January and February
Editor's note -- copy of email sent to my spiritual director this morning, updating and summing up the past month and a half. Posted here, along with earlier updates, so I can tabs on the direction I'm taking as it evolves. Hi Sister -- A quick note to confirm our appointment for 2:30 p.m. Monday … Continue reading Spiritual direction — January and February
Found poem — in a Swedish grammar book I kept in my office at at SCI-Benedictine
Editor's note -- another workshop poem I wrote when I was teaching creative writing at Springfield College in Illinois, which later merged with Benedictine University and was subsequently closed. According to the Academy of American Poets, found poems "take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as poems. The literary equivalent of … Continue reading Found poem — in a Swedish grammar book I kept in my office at at SCI-Benedictine
One last post about Trump’s insult comedy shtick at that prayer breakfast — it’s time for us all to look in the mirror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLDnhL648qI Morning Joe | MSNBC | February 7, 2020 I thought I'd gotten President Trump's performance at the National Prayer Breakfast out of my system with Thursday's post to Ordinary Time. I think of him as basically an insult comedian -- like Don Rickles, Joan Rivers and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, but smug and … Continue reading One last post about Trump’s insult comedy shtick at that prayer breakfast — it’s time for us all to look in the mirror
Trump’s post-impeachment prayer breakfast caper and the wall of separation between church and state
"[Roger Williams] was saying that mixing church and state corrupted the church, that when one mixes religion and politics, one gets politics." -- John M. Barry, "God, Government and Roger Williams' Big Idea," Smithsonian, January 2012."Something there is that doesn't love a wall ...," Robert Frost, "Mending Wall." My research into Swedish immigration has me … Continue reading Trump’s post-impeachment prayer breakfast caper and the wall of separation between church and state
Haiku from our campus literary magazine at SCI-Benedictine a month after 9/11
When I taught English and journalism at Springfield College in Illinois (before our merger with Benedictine), I workshopped poems along with my creative writing students. One of the forms we experimented with was "found poetry." The Academy of American Poets explains, "Found poems take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as … Continue reading Haiku from our campus literary magazine at SCI-Benedictine a month after 9/11
Theology, shmeology: When is an answered prayer like a kick in the pants?
Picking up on a thread -- more like an internal dialog -- that started last month when I was reading a copy of James Hazelwood's new book, Everyday Spirituality, in the doctor's office. Hazelwood is the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's New England Synod, and he had some interesting things to say … Continue reading Theology, shmeology: When is an answered prayer like a kick in the pants?
Review of John Barry’s bio of Roger Williams — ‘chopping through four centuries of undergrowth’
Tracy Lee Simmons, "'Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul,' by John M. Barry," [review], Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2012 https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/roger-williams-and-the-creation-of-the-american-soul-by-john-m-barry/2012/01/23/gIQAhjmqnQ_story.html. Excerpts: [Lede:] Last December, when Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee confronted critics who accused him of kowtowing to political correctness by tagging the blue spruce in the statehouse as not a “Christmas tree” but … Continue reading Review of John Barry’s bio of Roger Williams — ‘chopping through four centuries of undergrowth’
A Shakespeare allusion in a ‘poem-like substance’ found on an old hard drive
Editor's note -- I found this poem while I was looking in for something else in an old hard drive where I store files from when I taught English at Benedictine University Springfield. In my creative writing classes, I wrote along with the students whenever possible -- if I was asking them to embarrass themselves … Continue reading A Shakespeare allusion in a ‘poem-like substance’ found on an old hard drive
John the Baptist does a bit of informal media advance for an event on the Jordan River (a meditation for Epiphany II)
Pilgrims at Qasr al-Yahud, traditional site of the baptism of Christ, November 2012. Security fence in river separates Israelis-occupied West Bank (at left) from Jordan. John 1 (NRSV) 29 The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the … Continue reading John the Baptist does a bit of informal media advance for an event on the Jordan River (a meditation for Epiphany II)
Eric Norelius — Civil War reminiscences (notes & quotes)
Eric Norelius (26 October 1833 – 15 March 1916) was a Swedish-American Lutheran minister, church leader, and author.[3] ... Eric Norelius was born on 26 October 1833 in Norrbäck, Hassela parish, in Nordanstig Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden. He received his early education at Hudiksvall's general school. In 1850, at the age of 17, Norelius emigrated to the United States. In May 1851, he accompanied Lars Paul … Continue reading Eric Norelius — Civil War reminiscences (notes & quotes)
D R A F T / Theology? Shmeology. Why the Book of James isn’t an ‘epistle of straw’ — notes & quotes
James Hazelwood, bishop of the New England Synod -- in his chapter on service quotes theologian and futurist Len Sweet ... "... his point is that through the ages, different parts of the Old and New testaments have particular power and resonance. The 16th century saw the book of Romans; in our time it just … Continue reading D R A F T / Theology? Shmeology. Why the Book of James isn’t an ‘epistle of straw’ — notes & quotes
An after-Christmas epiphany on John 1:1-5 and Genesis: We’re burning up the garden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsiD5tB9yrc ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corp.), Jan. 8, 2020. Genesis 2:15 (KJV). And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.To dress it and to keep it (Ellicott's Commentary). The first word literally means to work it; for though a paradise, yet the garden … Continue reading An after-Christmas epiphany on John 1:1-5 and Genesis: We’re burning up the garden
Ebenezer Scrooge, Luther’s sermons and Swedish-American history: A New Year’s resolution (of sorts)
On the way back from visiting family in the Quad-Cities on Christmas Day, we tuned in to the public radio station from Champaign. As we zipped down Interstate 155 from Peoria to Lincoln and onto I-55 toward home, they aired a dramatic reading from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A 45-minute dramatic reading was the … Continue reading Ebenezer Scrooge, Luther’s sermons and Swedish-American history: A New Year’s resolution (of sorts)
ELCA statement on anti-Semitism (DRAFT)
xxx https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/8016?fbclid=IwAR1dj2qL0-KmSB2RIoh3OYobQn0hxe8T1QzEO6Si_5O3OW7g7P6tAOPxSUY Excerpt: Twenty-five years ago, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America joined other Lutheran Christians worldwide in repudiating anti-Judaism within our own tradition. In our 1994 “Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community” we affirmed that “we recognize in anti-Semitism a contradiction and affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, … Continue reading ELCA statement on anti-Semitism (DRAFT)
Spiritual direction — December 2019
Email sent Saturday to my spiritual director and posted here to provide a monthly update on themes we've been working on and my progress (or lack thereof). Lightly edited to fix obvious illiteracies and reformatted. Hi Sister -- Just looked at the calendar with something else in mind and realized our meeting is Monday afternoon. … Continue reading Spiritual direction — December 2019
The dear angels’ song at Bethlehem and the presence of God in a well-annotated 1871 edition of Luther’s House Sermons
Luther's Sermons, annotated by seminary student in St. Louis, ca. 1908. Originally posted July 15, 2018, to my research blog Hemlandssånger and copied here (with light editing). Original at https://hemlandssanger.wordpress.com/2018/07/15/luthers-dear-angels/. Everyone has an inner child. But mine took a double major in English and history, so my inner life can get pretty odd sometimes -- I guess … Continue reading The dear angels’ song at Bethlehem and the presence of God in a well-annotated 1871 edition of Luther’s House Sermons
‘Glory (Let There Be Peace)’ — SATB arrangement and song session of anthem for Christmas Eve service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h2relyt_d8 MATT MAHER - Glory (Let There Be Peace): Song Session Posted here and my music blog Hogfiddle so I can memorize the bass part. We're singing the choral arrangement at our Christmas Eve service, and the other basses will be out of town for the holiday. So I can't fall back on my old … Continue reading ‘Glory (Let There Be Peace)’ — SATB arrangement and song session of anthem for Christmas Eve service
A bookish, unlikely mantra for Advent in a dark time — wait, be patient, keep faith … just in case the world isn’t about to turn yet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hPDrkqZGWE Canticle of the Turning | katherinemoore77 Advent has always seemed to me like a study in polarities. Darkness and dawn, the soaring promise of the Magnificat -- "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, / and hath exalted the humble." Light overcomes darkness; hope overcomes despair (or, more often in my case, … Continue reading A bookish, unlikely mantra for Advent in a dark time — wait, be patient, keep faith … just in case the world isn’t about to turn yet
Advent meditation: John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven, a Swedish theologian and the duty to resist anti-Semitism
Mass grave at Bergen-Belsen camp. Inscription says, "Here rest 1,000 dead, April 1945."Memorial stones and Israeli flag are placed on monument in observance of Jewish tradition. One of the spiritual exercises I try to practice is something the Jesuits call "creative prayer" or Ignatian contemplation -- after St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the order … Continue reading Advent meditation: John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven, a Swedish theologian and the duty to resist anti-Semitism
For flatlanders, too: ‘What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals’
I saw this article -- "What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals" -- on the Appalachian Magazine website, where an anonymous editor or webmaster recalled, with a real sense of nostalgia, "... the sight of my mother holding up a raggety old red hymnal and singing to the top of her lungs the songs … Continue reading For flatlanders, too: ‘What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals’
Is it time yet? Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Advent — ‘Savior of the Nations, Come’ and the presence of God with us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyXynduy6JA Johann Walther and Michael Praetorius | Nun komm der Heiden Heiland Instrumenta Musica - Ercole Nisini | Excerpt from concert 31 Dec. 2016 A couple of weeks ago, I took one of those quizzes that go around on Facebook. What's your favorite season, I was asked. Spring or summer, I answered. I couldn't decide … Continue reading Is it time yet? Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Advent — ‘Savior of the Nations, Come’ and the presence of God with us
Spiritual direction — November
Email message sent over the weekend to my spiritual director. Archived here as sort of a journal in the spirit of Flannery O'Connor, who famously said, "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.” Hi Sister -- A quick note to confirm our rescheduled meeting for 2:30 p.m. … Continue reading Spiritual direction — November
Zen COPD: A harmonica on the nightstand and a promise to turn over a new leaf
Here's something that got my attention! (I'll copy-and-paste excerpts below.) But, first, what's it doing on a spiritual direction blog? It's an article about a guy who "has used the harmonica to help breathing patterns in adults with problems such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder." Interesting, eh? Especially if you’ve got COPD. But whatever else … Continue reading Zen COPD: A harmonica on the nightstand and a promise to turn over a new leaf
A Bonhoeffer moment and a barstool conversation between Luther, Bonhoeffer and a Finnish theologian — links and quotes for future reference
This article in Sojourners magazine -- "Is Today a Bonhoeffer Moment?" -- appeared last year in February, but I never got around to reading it. Then it popped up today on my Facebook timeline. I'm excerpting it and parking here for future reference. (Something I may want to keep in mind, also for future reference: … Continue reading A Bonhoeffer moment and a barstool conversation between Luther, Bonhoeffer and a Finnish theologian — links and quotes for future reference
Herding cats: Not just for cowboys and ad agencies — it worked in Copenhagen for pastors and music directors, too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=60&v=vTwJzTsb2QQ&feature=emb_logo So when I should have been working on my article about church polity in Swedish-American Lutheran congregations in the 1850s, or thinking about getting it off the back burner at the very least, I drifted into one of those clickbait websites for animal lovers (called Pawpulous), and got to watch what I think must … Continue reading Herding cats: Not just for cowboys and ad agencies — it worked in Copenhagen for pastors and music directors, too
John Knoepfle, 1923-2019
John Knoepfle, who died Saturday at the age of 96, was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1999 by Springfield College in Illinois (later Benedictine University Springfield). As the faculty adviser/de facto editor of the campus literary magazine at the time, I obtained John's permission to publish his commencement address to the class of 1999, perhaps … Continue reading John Knoepfle, 1923-2019
Luther and the cypress tree in the courtyard: How picking a new URL led me to seek refuge in a Zen koan
Courtyard at SCI-Benedictine: Cypress tree was at left, just out of picture. Like so many of the good things in life, it happened pretty much by accident. But there was an underlying logic to it. Well, maybe "logic" isn't the right word here. We're not talking about a logical syllogism as much as, oh, maybe … Continue reading Luther and the cypress tree in the courtyard: How picking a new URL led me to seek refuge in a Zen koan
Was Luther a mystic? It all depends …
... on (a) who you ask; and (b) what you mean by "mystic." "Mystic" has always been one of those words I've been suspicious of. It sounds New Age-y to me, or it reminds me of those desert monks who used to sit on top of a pole for years. I wasn't quite certain what … Continue reading Was Luther a mystic? It all depends …
Mindfulness: Notes on a Zen breakout session at an ELCA synod meeting
I like the way this guy operates. He's Travis Fitzgold, a Lutheran pastor and director of the Zen Learning Project (ZLP), a spiritual practice community in Austin. Texas, and he helped me figure out what this blog is about (even though I've never met him and I'm sure he's never read it). You might even … Continue reading Mindfulness: Notes on a Zen breakout session at an ELCA synod meeting
Notes on a ‘Lutheran-Buddhist [identity] within the liminal and relational hyphen between traditions’ at a Jesuit college
Sound like anybody around here? When I was searching online for information about Lutheran-Buddhist relations, I found an article by Michael Reid Trice in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education on the outlook for ecumenical relations. Along the way, he said: For Jesuit colleges and universities, this is a very bright moment. The decrees of General … Continue reading Notes on a ‘Lutheran-Buddhist [identity] within the liminal and relational hyphen between traditions’ at a Jesuit college
Spiritual formation, October
Email sent last night to my spiritual director. Copied here because these "heads-up" emails force me to think about my progress -- or lack thereof -- and because I can refer back to it so important things don't slip between the cracks. Hi Sister -- How did it get to be November already? Here's the … Continue reading Spiritual formation, October
Seeking the holy in a trad Irish music festival video from Derry, a 10th-century Irish poem and choir practice at a Lutheran church in downstate Illinois
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpYuSmDbxnA Paddy Callgahan, "Be Thou My Vision," Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Derry, 2013 So a couple of weeks ago I posted an update on my prayer life, which stalled out recently as I navigated a welter of day-to-day crises, to the blog. And a fellow retired English professor named Elizabeth, who blogs on WordPress at … Continue reading Seeking the holy in a trad Irish music festival video from Derry, a 10th-century Irish poem and choir practice at a Lutheran church in downstate Illinois
‘Christmas in the Ashram’ and an upcoming holiday jam session playlist at Hickory Glen. Namaste, y’all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_gcboDpLPw Tom Prasada-Rao and Cary Cooper perform "Christmas at the Ashram" at the Center for Spiritual Living Dallas's Mystic Note Cafe Holiday Show on December 1, 2012. Copy of a blast email (lightly edited) I sent today to participants in the Clayville-Prairieland slow jam and tune learning circle that meets at Hickory Glen. I'm cross-posting … Continue reading ‘Christmas in the Ashram’ and an upcoming holiday jam session playlist at Hickory Glen. Namaste, y’all.
A joyful South African freedom song (by way of Sweden) of Word, sacrament and witness for Pentecost XVII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqvj9d1VgQ 'Haleluyah Pelo Tsa Rona' sung by the Concordia College-New York Tour Choir and the Mt. Lebanon [Pa.] United Lutheran Church Chancel Choir, March 2013. Jason Thoms, Director. Sunday's gospel reading at Peace Lutheran was from St. Luke. “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be … Continue reading A joyful South African freedom song (by way of Sweden) of Word, sacrament and witness for Pentecost XVII
Spiritual direction notes — August-October
Copy of an email I sent Saturday evening to my spiritual director. The links are embedded; a couple of minor illiteracies are cleaned up; the paragraphing is endlessly tinkered with (an integral although unnecessary part of my creative process); and a long excerpt from last month's post to this blog on an Episcopal table grace … Continue reading Spiritual direction notes — August-October
Krister Stendahl — a Swedish theologian on salvation, eternal life and the ‘coughing [of] mosquitoes’
Normally I don't get my spiritual direction and theological tips from the New York Times, not even back in the day when I thought Sunday mornings were for curling up with the Week in Review section instead of going to church. But I was caught up short the other day when I was tracking down … Continue reading Krister Stendahl — a Swedish theologian on salvation, eternal life and the ‘coughing [of] mosquitoes’
Of a gentle nudge from Jehovah, a Scots-Irish folk hymn and a childhood table grace on the interstate north of Lincoln
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRdS5dIVmbM RESIGNATION, "My shepherd will supply my need ..." (Southern Harmony, No. 38) Bob Meeks Memorial Singing at Harrods Creek Baptist Church, Brownsboro, Ky., April 28-29, 2012. Before I get into what I'm about to say, I'd like to state for the record I don't believe the Common Lectionary was designed with me in mind. … Continue reading Of a gentle nudge from Jehovah, a Scots-Irish folk hymn and a childhood table grace on the interstate north of Lincoln
‘Sometimes a little writer’s block can be a good thing’ — spiritual formation, August-September
Email sent this afternoon to my spiritual director and and copied here so I don't forget what I said or, worse, lose it in my increasingly cluttered "sent" queue. After asking to reschedule our appointment, I wrote: ... I didn't have much to show you anyway. I've been doing more reading than writing the last … Continue reading ‘Sometimes a little writer’s block can be a good thing’ — spiritual formation, August-September
‘Build Us Up, Lord’ — swinging into a new parish church year at Peace Lutheran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkenPwCU-Q8 "Build Us Up, Lord," by Mark Glaeser and Donna Hanna (ELW 670) MaryRuth72 One of my favorite things about August, along with the State Fair, yellowing corn- and beanfields beginning to dry before harvest, shorter days and cooler nights, is choir practice. It's like a little foretaste of the feasts to come, as we … Continue reading ‘Build Us Up, Lord’ — swinging into a new parish church year at Peace Lutheran
The Jesus of history and the Christ of the creeds — a movie-like scenario for Gospel Contemplation
https://hemlandssanger.wordpress.com/2019/06/24/dream/ D R A F T -- I never finished this, but I liked the setup, and I think the exercise (modeled after Ignatian contemplation) helped me get a handle on my personal conception of Jesus Christ. SCENE 1 EXT. RESTAURANT -- LATE MORNING (A picnic table is set up in a pavillion shaded by … Continue reading The Jesus of history and the Christ of the creeds — a movie-like scenario for Gospel Contemplation
Of the St. Louis Jesuits, the liturgical renewal movement and an ecumenical hymn on Reformation Day
James Martin, editor of America magazine, shared a tribute to the most influential 20th-century American musicians you've probably never heard of. It's by staff writer Jeannette Cooperman of St. Louis Magazine, and it was picked up by the National Catholic Reporter. Unlike most media profiles, it gets into the craft -- and the musicality -- … Continue reading Of the St. Louis Jesuits, the liturgical renewal movement and an ecumenical hymn on Reformation Day
Speaking truth to power, praying for discernment — a reflection for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 12:49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From … Continue reading Speaking truth to power, praying for discernment — a reflection for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost
Spiritual direction — a dry spell in July and August
Email sent to my spiritual director before last week's meeting. I've been busy with doctors' appointments and other things since then and haven't gotten around to posting it till now. Sr. __________ -- Just a note to confirm our appointment Monday, Aug. 12, at 2:30 p.m. and provide links to my journaling. It can be … Continue reading Spiritual direction — a dry spell in July and August
Notes on Mohammed Alaa’s cat shelter
dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH Anas Alkharboutli, "The cat man of Aleppo: rescuing battle-weary Syrian strays," The Guardian, Aug. 6, 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2019/aug/06/the-cat-man-of-aleppo-rescuing-battle-weary-syrian-strays. Pix of Mohammed Alaa Al-Jaleel rescuing animals in bombed-out Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun. I've written about him before -- here, with a quote from Mr. Rogers -- "look for the helpers" -- and … Continue reading Notes on Mohammed Alaa’s cat shelter
‘A harvest, crop of things sown’: White nationalist violence brings back memories of civil rights backlash, prize-winning editorial in The Atlanta Constitution
President Trump checked all the right boxes – well, some of the right boxes – after a self-identified white nationalist allegedly shot 22 people to death in El Paso to persuade “the Hispanic population … to return to their home countries.” Ignoring any echoes of his own earlier Twitterstorms urging migrants and "American-born congresswomen of … Continue reading ‘A harvest, crop of things sown’: White nationalist violence brings back memories of civil rights backlash, prize-winning editorial in The Atlanta Constitution
Answered prayers? A Zen Lutheran koan
Following up on yesterday's post (Aug. 4) in light of new developments. When I wrote it, I felt like I've had some prayers answered lately, and I quoted rabbi Tzvi Gluckin, author of Knee Deep in the Funk: Understanding the Connection Between Spirituality and Music, on the power of prayer -- "In times of trouble, … Continue reading Answered prayers? A Zen Lutheran koan
Of a punk rocker-turned rabbi, funk, punk and the power of prayer
More and more I'm coming to believe that: (1) God truly does exist; and (2) God has a wry sense of humor. Last Saturday Debi and I went to church for the first time in a couple of months, and the gospel reading (Pentecost VII) was Luke 11:1-13, beginning: 11 [Jesus] was praying in a certain … Continue reading Of a punk rocker-turned rabbi, funk, punk and the power of prayer
Bestefar —
Finally! I've had time this morning to pull together the information I've got about Bestefar, answer your questions and add a couple of thoughts of my own. He was born 15 Aug. 1874 in Bergen, according to the attached Norwegian-language directory. He studied at a school for missionaries in Stavanger and emigrated (udvandret) in 1902. … Continue reading Bestefar —
Notes for a blog piece on St Paul in Athens I never was able to finish …
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Areopagus_hill_Saint_Paul_from_Acropolis_Athens.jpg Le rocher de l'Aréopage, d'où Saint-Paul prêcha le " Dieu Inconnu" aux Athéniens, vu de l'Acropole. Athènes, Grèce (Creative Commons). OK, here's the windup -- This is the second time I've tackled this reading (Acts 17:22-23). The first was back in April, when I posted the text and background to my blog Hemlandsanger, along … Continue reading Notes for a blog piece on St Paul in Athens I never was able to finish …
Theologians — & quotes, cartoons, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/InkwellForest/photos/a.1075969212476114/2580993255307028/?type=3&theater These cartoons, at "Man Overboard" at https://www.facebook.com/InkwellForest/ on Facebook, are becoming one of the bright points in my day. Click on pix to read the dialog bubbles. <b>Index (kinda): -- Christ ... reaching out today -- in Jesuit magazine -- Cromwell on Catholics, karma and mosquitoes</b> "Christ continues to challenge, reaching out today through … Continue reading Theologians — & quotes, cartoons, etc.
File under Kierkegaard (?)
Seen Thursday in the Dispatch-Argus, the daily newspaper in the Illinois Quad-Cities, a quote from Kierkegaard that I hadn't seen before (and haven't been able to find in a cursory Google keyword search). It was in a column picked up from the Los Angeles Times news service: The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard famously observed that … Continue reading File under Kierkegaard (?)
Lectio divina — some how-to websites
[Copied here or convenient reference from a prototype blog called Hemlandssånger (which didn't go anywhere and was replaced by Ordinary Time. This post was published March 4, 2019.] Verbatim xcerpts: "Praying With Scripture," Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois https://springfieldop.org/praying-with-scripture/ Lectio Divina is the contemplative practice of reading and responding to the Word in a personal … Continue reading Lectio divina — some how-to websites
‘Incarnation lite’ at the holy places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem?
Copied here from Hemlandssånger, Jan. 1, 2019, with some light editing and compulsive tinkering, because I want to give it more thought and (maybe) write something more about the issues it raises ... Pilgrims from Eastern Europe lighting tapers at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, when I visited in November 2012. A print … Continue reading ‘Incarnation lite’ at the holy places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem?
Taking stock of spiritual formation — over the month of May and the past year
[Copied from my other blog Hemlandssånger, June 8.] Copy of email I sent to my spiritual director this morning, archived here as: (1) a record of issues we've been taking up along the way; and (2) a reminder of my overall direction so I can consult it when I need to get off of tangents … Continue reading Taking stock of spiritual formation — over the month of May and the past year
A historian’s quest for the historical Jesus
[Copied here from my other blog Hemlandssånger June 13.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0f78MDOUJw Merle Haggard - [cover of Woody Guthrie's] Jesus Christ It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and call it biography. ― John Dominic Crossan, Over the … Continue reading A historian’s quest for the historical Jesus
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right. You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the … Continue reading Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
Ordinary Time 
