For the time being this will be a collection of random comments that i have written to papers and other locations.
"Visiting German president: Nazi past has made it our duty to defend Israel" was the header for a news item in the Israeli newspaper HAARETZ. The following is my response.
Germany certainly has a responsibility to Jews for what occurred during Shoah. This does not equate with protection of Israel. The existence of Israel - particularly Greater Israel has been at a catastrophic cost to Palestinians not to Germans or Germany. If Austria or Bavaria had been given to Jews for a homeland then Germany would have paid a price commensurate with Nazi-led German behaviour. The protection of Israel does not relate to compensation to Jews of Europe who died because of and those who survived the Shoah. It relates only to those Jews who settled in Israel and to those who sought home elsewhere. Given the anti-Jewish mindset within Europe over the centuries those Jews who stayed in Europe deserved much more compensatory attention then any others. 28/11/10 Haaretz Comments. 40 / 22
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Friday, 22 October 2010
The Fifth Act
There is a significant change which gives better direction to what I aim to achieve.Previously this blog was called Third Day Dawning indicating the New had commenced through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. While I still hold to that I think the new Heading - Fifth Act - focusses my attention on what I should be engaged in and to what I am committed.
Bishop Tom Wright portrays the Biblical story as a five act drama. CREATION ... FALL .. THE STORY OF ISRAEL ... THE STORY OF JESUS [GOSPEL] ... the FIFTH ACT ... the Church and what it ought to be doing.
The first four acts are there to read, consider ... but what is to follow in this Fifth Act? The following is an explanation. It comes from the website www.ntwrightproject.com more of that a little later.
1. Five-Act Hermeneutic
Wright uses the analogy of a five-act Shakespearean play to explain his biblical hermeneutic. Suppose the fifth act of the play has been lost, while the first four are intact. What could be done if we agreed that the play ought to be staged? We would gather the most trained and experienced Shakespearian actors, immerse them in the first four acts of the play’s script, then once they had become familiar with the language and setting of the play, and most importantly its plot and impetus, and fully imbued with their characters, we would put them on a stage and ask them to carry the story forward by acting out a fifth act for themselves. In "The New Testament and the People of God", Wright explains:
“…part of the initial task of the actors chosen to improvise the new final act will be to immerse themselves with full sympathy in the first four acts, but not so as merely to parrot what has already been said. They cannot go and look up the right answers. Nor can they simply imitate the kinds of things that their particular character did in the early acts. A good fifth act will show a proper final development, not merely a repetition, of what went before” (p. 141).
Wright contends that if the biblical story is a five-act drama, the church finds itself living in the fifth act. The five acts are thus: I-Creation; II-Fall; III-Israel; IV-Jesus. The fifth act is formed by the writing of the New Testament – including the gospels – and “would simultaneously give hints (Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 15, parts of Revelation) of how the play is supposed to end” (NTPG, p. 142). Scripture is authoritative in that God’s people “live under the ‘authority’ of the extant story, being required to offer an improvisatory performance of the final act as it leads up to and anticipates the intended conclusion” (p. 143).
This means the church cannot disregard the first four acts by taking the story wherever it wills and the wind blows, but neither can it simply repeat the four first acts as if the story were frozen in time. The church needs both faithfulness and innovation; both consistency and creativity. The ecclesial identity advanced here is that the church has been given the vocation to be the people of God in the fifth act of creation. What Christ accomplished through the cross and resurrection (“it is finished”), the church is called to implement.
What do we say to the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov” when he explains that the Son of God is too reckless a character to have around risking the church’s good work? That the question was asked highlights a most serious problem that has beset the Church during its history.
The "Church" replaces Christ in 'its mission' - therefore it becomes NO mission.
Bishop Tom Wright portrays the Biblical story as a five act drama. CREATION ... FALL .. THE STORY OF ISRAEL ... THE STORY OF JESUS [GOSPEL] ... the FIFTH ACT ... the Church and what it ought to be doing.
The first four acts are there to read, consider ... but what is to follow in this Fifth Act? The following is an explanation. It comes from the website www.ntwrightproject.com more of that a little later.
1. Five-Act Hermeneutic
Wright uses the analogy of a five-act Shakespearean play to explain his biblical hermeneutic. Suppose the fifth act of the play has been lost, while the first four are intact. What could be done if we agreed that the play ought to be staged? We would gather the most trained and experienced Shakespearian actors, immerse them in the first four acts of the play’s script, then once they had become familiar with the language and setting of the play, and most importantly its plot and impetus, and fully imbued with their characters, we would put them on a stage and ask them to carry the story forward by acting out a fifth act for themselves. In "The New Testament and the People of God", Wright explains:
“…part of the initial task of the actors chosen to improvise the new final act will be to immerse themselves with full sympathy in the first four acts, but not so as merely to parrot what has already been said. They cannot go and look up the right answers. Nor can they simply imitate the kinds of things that their particular character did in the early acts. A good fifth act will show a proper final development, not merely a repetition, of what went before” (p. 141).
Wright contends that if the biblical story is a five-act drama, the church finds itself living in the fifth act. The five acts are thus: I-Creation; II-Fall; III-Israel; IV-Jesus. The fifth act is formed by the writing of the New Testament – including the gospels – and “would simultaneously give hints (Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 15, parts of Revelation) of how the play is supposed to end” (NTPG, p. 142). Scripture is authoritative in that God’s people “live under the ‘authority’ of the extant story, being required to offer an improvisatory performance of the final act as it leads up to and anticipates the intended conclusion” (p. 143).
This means the church cannot disregard the first four acts by taking the story wherever it wills and the wind blows, but neither can it simply repeat the four first acts as if the story were frozen in time. The church needs both faithfulness and innovation; both consistency and creativity. The ecclesial identity advanced here is that the church has been given the vocation to be the people of God in the fifth act of creation. What Christ accomplished through the cross and resurrection (“it is finished”), the church is called to implement.
What do we say to the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov” when he explains that the Son of God is too reckless a character to have around risking the church’s good work? That the question was asked highlights a most serious problem that has beset the Church during its history.
The "Church" replaces Christ in 'its mission' - therefore it becomes NO mission.
Friday, 24 September 2010
What do we Owe Each other?
Dostoevsky poses this question in his writing. "What do we owe each other? He takes it further by asking "What would this look like if we see it through the eyes of faith?
He means Faith in Christ. There is no specific tight connection with Orthodoxy (church) faith although The Orthodox Church belongs in the framework of his writing.
I commenced a list to respond to the first question with
1. RESPECT - I have wondered why I thought of this first. Maybe it was a safe 'word' but it is part of the story. Respect is demanded without consideration of appearance, assumed status or .....
2. LOVE - It might be assumed that agapeo - deep self giving love is what is meant here and only this love but a little more reflection would remind us that
'storge' - affection ,
phileo - friendship and
eros - being in love ALL belong here. No, not being in love towards everyone but where eros occurs it fits correctly here.
While each Greek word opens consideration for friend / family / the attractive etc: there remains the focus of love of / for the unlovely ..... unloveable ?? Can I even mention such a group?
3. SPACE - recognising, respecting AND allowing each person their space is essential to allow each of us to be person. What if he / she has no understanding of another's space?
4. JUSTICE - this is assumed .... talkfests discuss it but where do they lead?
If Justice occurred then all would be seriously disrupted. Fair pay for work done would inevitably lead to higher costs in first world countries. Western type lifestyles would be challenged in the West and among the Merbenzy tribes in third world countries. How do we address issues in the Jewish Torah which speak of various matters are worthy of death ... of being put to death NB. 'worthy of' ie not necessarily being put to death!! Just a thought. Why is Justice so closely connected to retribution? What if Justice involves something else all together?
(This arises from a few discussions with a brother in law who has been a judge for many years)
5. TRUST - every connection however, is totally depends on this. There is no way anyone can affirm that he / she is independent of others. Wealth in and of itself does not make us independent. Buying ones independence is totally dependent on TRUST. Whether it is on the operating table, buying a car/helicopter, eating food, all depend on TRUST. Each day is an act of Trust. We attach ourselves to a prevailing ideology which tends to govern how we live.
Breaking Trust is an evil almost beyond repair.
In his book "Surprised by Hope" Bishop Tom Wright reminds the church that "our mission" demands a message of Justice .... Beauty .... Homecoming ( By the latter he means The Gospel - calling everyone HOME by and through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah)
So to what extent do we owe the Other
6 BEAUTY When my son James was with the Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan recently, the battalion lost 17 men and 70 returned seriously wounded and as James noted so many Afghani civilians were left devastated from the war. How do we enable all the families of the dead, the injured to again see and experience BEAUTY?
We, of course would be aware of many here at home who no longer "see" beauty for too many reasons
and
7. HOMECOMING How many of us live in houses rather than homes? AND, that before we even consider the HOMELESS. The prisoner, the traveller, the soldier, even the hospital patient come home to ? what? location? ... house? ... home?
The fundamental under pinning homecoming of the Gospel demands to be made known and lived in an exemplary manner. (Bringing Heaven and Earth together. a notion that many Christians need to consider far more carefully than the escapist notions that some have)
The hard consideration is reflecting on this list in terms of the second question.
I recognise that The Gospels and the Torah write of Love of neighbour as yourself with the serious focus on the story of the Good Samaritan .. answering the question : Am I my brother's keeper? ... affirming the declaration that we are all made in the image of God.
There is also the matter of care for ourselves. ! ? Reading some material on Grief and Depression remind me that there is serious room for allowing Space, Respect, Trust, Beauty, Love, Justice and Home Coming to be applied to ourselves. No NOT self absorption, that fails to address Grief and Depression.
He means Faith in Christ. There is no specific tight connection with Orthodoxy (church) faith although The Orthodox Church belongs in the framework of his writing.
I commenced a list to respond to the first question with
1. RESPECT - I have wondered why I thought of this first. Maybe it was a safe 'word' but it is part of the story. Respect is demanded without consideration of appearance, assumed status or .....
2. LOVE - It might be assumed that agapeo - deep self giving love is what is meant here and only this love but a little more reflection would remind us that
'storge' - affection ,
phileo - friendship and
eros - being in love ALL belong here. No, not being in love towards everyone but where eros occurs it fits correctly here.
While each Greek word opens consideration for friend / family / the attractive etc: there remains the focus of love of / for the unlovely ..... unloveable ?? Can I even mention such a group?
3. SPACE - recognising, respecting AND allowing each person their space is essential to allow each of us to be person. What if he / she has no understanding of another's space?
4. JUSTICE - this is assumed .... talkfests discuss it but where do they lead?
If Justice occurred then all would be seriously disrupted. Fair pay for work done would inevitably lead to higher costs in first world countries. Western type lifestyles would be challenged in the West and among the Merbenzy tribes in third world countries. How do we address issues in the Jewish Torah which speak of various matters are worthy of death ... of being put to death NB. 'worthy of' ie not necessarily being put to death!! Just a thought. Why is Justice so closely connected to retribution? What if Justice involves something else all together?
(This arises from a few discussions with a brother in law who has been a judge for many years)
5. TRUST - every connection however, is totally depends on this. There is no way anyone can affirm that he / she is independent of others. Wealth in and of itself does not make us independent. Buying ones independence is totally dependent on TRUST. Whether it is on the operating table, buying a car/helicopter, eating food, all depend on TRUST. Each day is an act of Trust. We attach ourselves to a prevailing ideology which tends to govern how we live.
Breaking Trust is an evil almost beyond repair.
In his book "Surprised by Hope" Bishop Tom Wright reminds the church that "our mission" demands a message of Justice .... Beauty .... Homecoming ( By the latter he means The Gospel - calling everyone HOME by and through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah)
So to what extent do we owe the Other
6 BEAUTY When my son James was with the Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan recently, the battalion lost 17 men and 70 returned seriously wounded and as James noted so many Afghani civilians were left devastated from the war. How do we enable all the families of the dead, the injured to again see and experience BEAUTY?
We, of course would be aware of many here at home who no longer "see" beauty for too many reasons
and
7. HOMECOMING How many of us live in houses rather than homes? AND, that before we even consider the HOMELESS. The prisoner, the traveller, the soldier, even the hospital patient come home to ? what? location? ... house? ... home?
The fundamental under pinning homecoming of the Gospel demands to be made known and lived in an exemplary manner. (Bringing Heaven and Earth together. a notion that many Christians need to consider far more carefully than the escapist notions that some have)
The hard consideration is reflecting on this list in terms of the second question.
I recognise that The Gospels and the Torah write of Love of neighbour as yourself with the serious focus on the story of the Good Samaritan .. answering the question : Am I my brother's keeper? ... affirming the declaration that we are all made in the image of God.
There is also the matter of care for ourselves. ! ? Reading some material on Grief and Depression remind me that there is serious room for allowing Space, Respect, Trust, Beauty, Love, Justice and Home Coming to be applied to ourselves. No NOT self absorption, that fails to address Grief and Depression.
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