Friends:

The charged atmosphere at the end of the presidential campaign reminds me of an ecumenical principle that is not always very evident in the current ads and speeches.

The principle is--in my words--compare the best to the best.
In times of religious [and political] controversy we tend to compare our sides' best behavior/position with our opponents worst behavior or worst-stated position.

Here we do not compare like-with-like, but best with worst.

The is very unfair.

In ecumenical dialogue we have learned to compare best with best--and to see what we have to learn from the best positions or examples of our fellow Christians rather than to engage in unfair and fruitless [as well as uncharitable] controversy.

I think that now we need to apply this ecumenical principle within our traditions.
As a Catholic, I notice that the various sides in arguments can single out the worst possible example of their opponent's position rather than the normal or most representative. This leads to an impasse and hard feelings.

The same seems to be true within other Christian traditions.

As an ecumenist, I need to commitment myself to fairness.
In this context, true differences can be acknowledged and addressed in a more charitable and effective way.

Peace,
John

Friends:

As some of you know, peace of heart is one of the things that I have found attractive about the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. We act out of the grace of the Spirit which brings peace. I think of this gift as a certain tranquility of heart--and so it is.

Carolyn Arends has an interesting article in the November Christianity Today about peace. What strikes me in her meditation on the beatitudes is her focus on the expansiveness of the word peace to include "harmony, wholeness and right relationship." [p. 69] In particular I liked her call for us to be peacemakers where we are in the circumstances of our lives--affirming others, doing the good, building relationships.

Christ's peace embraces many dimensions--and is to be shared each day!
What a challenge.

John

Friends:

This Blog is both a Chronicle and a Commentary.

You will notice occasional parts of this blog deal with contemporary spirituality and ecumenism.
Others deal with the ongoing life of the Consortium.

I have more extended commentaries in my articles on the Consortium website
www.washtheocon.org under my 'beautiful' picture.

My comments today center on the conversion to ecumenism.

I notice that the summary of the concluding text of the recent Catholic Synod of Bishops in Rome makes two references to the ecumenical importance of reading the Bible. I note that the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople addressed the Bishops of the Synod several days ago.

I infer that ecumenism is moving out of the so-called 'winter' into a 'new springtime'.

The key to this movement, it seems to me, is conversion to ecumenism. I mean by this the conviction, in the Spirit, that the promotion of Christian Unity should get my "priority time" and not just be an afterthought or an obligation. Not all Christians are called to make ecumenism a top priority--but many of us are.

This is a matter of prayer and discernment.
I would be happy to help with the discernment--having gradually come to the conclusion that Christian Unity will always be a part of my life's work.

Peace and Joy,
John

Friends:

The Systematic Theology group also met this past Friday at VTS under the leadership of Dr. Kate Sonderegger. The Bible and Systematics Groups shared dinner and discussion after their separate meetings.

The Systematics Group discussed two papers that will be published sometime in the future. The first "Who Shall I Say Sent Me" is the proposed first chapter of Dr. Kendall Soulen's [Wesley Theological Seminary] work tentatively entitled The Divine Names(s) and the Holy Trinity. The discussion of this chapter was detailed and lengthy.

The second paper by Dr. Sonderegger on "The Doctrine of Providence" received a less detailed discussion due to limits of time. This is not to say that there were not many points made, discussed, disputed.

This discussion reminded me that as a moral theologian turned administrator I am "at a distance" from many of the works cited and views debated.

But I want to encourage this kind of extended collegial discussion which sharpens thought, improves writing and teaching and builds bonds. I noticed that some of the members of this group were still engaging in desert-time discussion at 8:00 PM when I departed VTS for home.

John

Friends:

This past Friday witnessed the Consortium Bible Group Conference at VTS organized by Dr. John Yieh.

I was happy to hear a good part of the"Reflections on Writing a New Testament Theology" by Frank J. Matera of Catholic University. He gave an interesting exposition of the background for the writing of his book. The book examines the diverse unity of New Testament Theology.

I bought Fr. Matera's book awhile back.
His excellent presentation inspired me to return to it now that the necessary business of the beginning of the school year is completed.

Peace,
John

Friends:

Lastly I have been noticing--during these days of highly charged political debates--how emotional we are as human beings. For a long time, I have been of the 'move the heart' school--having been for some time previously of the 'move the head' school.

While I think that clear thinking is important for people of faith--I believe that this most often follows an experience that moves our affections, emotions and our 'hearts. Thus I think that "Amens" aloud have their place and personal testimony is important!

Alleluia!
John

Friends:

My second reflection concerns the Contemplative Ministry Project. Dr. David Keller, Bill Dietrich of Shalem and I have been speaking about this and praying about it for awhile. Today I was reading David's essay newly reprinted in Spirituality, Contemplation and Transformation.

I must say that I recognize myself today in his remark: "we find a great deal more reliance on human activity than on prayer" [p.165]. The Project is to restore some balance and make prayer the priority for those of us who teach theology, study or even serve as administrators.

In theory, as I have said on this blog from time to time, I put prayer first--but some days....

John

Friends:

My computer problems have hindered me from posting.
I hope to be more faithful moving forward.

I really want to say three things today--these might have been spread over the week.

1. The Consortium in partnership with Wesley Seminary is moving toward recruiting a cohort for the Doctor of Ministry in Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue A good cohort would be fifteen people--though we could take more. We would be requiring 5 courses in ecumenism, 2 in interreligious dialogue, 1 project seminar and 2 electives. This would be ideal for those serving as ecumenical officers for judicatories and dioceses, those on ecumenical commissions and those engaged in grass-roots dialogue.

While Dr. Parks and I are still working out some details, we can provide you with a draft program if you wish.

John

Friends:

Yesterday I attended one of the Zabriskie Lectures at VTS.
The Lecturer this year is The Rev. Dr. Mark McIntosh.

The topic is "Discerning God's Delight: Being Church through a Theological Life of Spiritual Discernment." As you may know, I am convinced that the context for our study of theology is spirituality. Our study of texts is like lectio divina.
I have written occasional on Discernment [most recently in the November 2007 issue of Ecumenical Trends].

While I always confess that late afternoon is not my best time [I rise around 5:00 AM], I did find the first lecture quite good--and helpful. And I hope to read the second on the VTS website.

I believe that our lives should be characterized by discernment--so I am greatly interested in how Professor McIntosh develops his theme in the second lecture and in his book.

Peace,
John

Friends:

I hope from time to time to offer reflections on events from an ecumenical and spiritual point of view.

Recently the whole country has been transfixed by the economic crisis on Wall Street and by the economic bailout process.

In our American culture, we tend to define ourself by financial success. We can hear the Industrial Average every hour. We look at our skylines and see that they are dominated by the buildings of businesses--the new Center developing in Tysons Corner is just one example. This stands in contrast to the central city plazas in many countries where the church building dominates.

All of us are influenced by cultural presuppositions in one way or another Our identity can be quite tied up with financial success.

Now there is a quite understandable anxiety at the current crisis.

As Christians, we ask for the divine grace of peace of heart. We try to practice certain virtues such as:

Gratitude--most of us have been given a great deal and we seek to use these gifts responsibly;Generosity--we share our resources with others.

A virtue that I think is quite difficult to practice is simplicity. Our culture is complex. We need to have a number of things [e.g. a cell phone] to function effectively and to stay in touch with our families and friends. Yet, the culture urges excess consumption--and advertising can be hard to resist.

We seek to live simply---not overspending or overdoing but rather valuing what we have and seeking to use things wisely.

An example for those of us in seminary life can be books. How many do we need? Could we be using the excellent libraries of the Consortium more and purchasing less?

I find simple living in an affluent culture quite challenging.

Let me know what you think.

Peace,
John

Friends:

It is good at this time in the semester--after giving no less that 12 orientation talks to 12 different groups of new students--to recall one basic principle of Consortium [and ecumenical] life.

We favor ecumenism in depth.

In my 10 points for new students I put it this way:


7. Some are saying: All Christians are the same--The Consortium Schools are saying that the traditions are significantly different.

We are saying that for the ecumenical future, you will need more than superficial theological knowledge.

We are saying that, to be truly ecumenical, we need to understand our traditions so well that the commonalities with others will become clear and new insights will emerge.

I should mention that we are seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit to achieve these new insights.

And we also pray that when we have such insights we will not retreat into our comfort zones rather than pursue them. Ecumenism can require some courage as well as great patience.

Peace,

John

/strong>

Friends:

A short word on the Consortium Faculties' Convocation this past Monday---Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project [he just recently stepped down from this position], spoke to the assembled Consortium faculty members [85 or more of us] on "Science is God's Truth Too." He was dynamic and thoughtful presenter. Several faculty members--for varied institutions--said he was excellent. You may want to attend one of his talks--he lives locally and speaks regularly on topics in science and religion. His work is accessible--that is he grasps it so well that he can make it come alive for all.

Peace,
John