Oliver Burkeman Four Thousand Weeks

 

Oliver Burkeman Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How To Use It (Bodley Head / Penguin, 2021) 273pp

 

I have possibly saved you a little of your four thousand weeks by reading this book for you, but you might enjoy it and gain from giving it a little more time. For those in a hurry, it comes with five application questions towards the end (p220ff) and an appendix of “ten rules for embracing your finitude.”  

 

Burkeman quotes Carl Jung’s advice (in a letter of 15^th December 1933 to Frau V.) that if one wants one single, definitive way to live, one ought to join the [Roman] Catholic Church “where they will tell you what’s what.” Burkeman refers to the book of Ecclesiastes and more than once, I seem to recall, to the teaching of Jesus, but there is no doubt in my mind that this book would have benefited from more Bible and perhaps a little less Zen. Nevertheless, there is certainly wisdom here for those with ears to hear, even if the Christian would have fundamental and ultimate differences and not follow him in everything.

 

Burkeman argues that we should give up on the false illusion that we might somehow master time, gain perfect control of our lives and get everything done. Rather he suggests that if we honestly embrace our finitude (even to some extent) we might have more "bright sadness" (Richard Rohr), "stubborn gladness" (Jack Gilbert) or "sober joy" (Bruce Ballard) and focus a bit more on some stuff that really matters.

 

Some of the headings might give a flavour of the book: In the Long Run, We’re All Dead; Choosing to Choose; The Limit-Embracing Life; The Efficiency Trap; Facing Finitude; Becoming a Better Procrastinator; We Never Really Have Time; We Are Here; Rediscovering Rest; Cosmic Insignificance Therapy.

 

Work tends to expand to fill the time available. Efficient people often get given more responsibility. Every email to which we reply might generate a couple more replies.

 

There is no end to what we might do and we cannot do it all.

 

He urges a good kind of procrastination which enables us to say “no” and only pursue maybe three important on-going projects at any one time. In fact, is there actually one big thing you really want to do?

 

Probably the only way actually to get what matters to us done is to do it: today! Perhaps if we could give our first hour to what matters to us each day we would make real progress.

 

Some things, some good and attractive things, will need to be neglected. The problem is not necessarily so much that there is lots of annoying trivia in our lives we can’t eliminate (the dishwasher is always going to need emptying) but perhaps that we are spending time on our sixth or seventh priority rather than the most important stuff.

 

Probably it will not be catastrophic to neglect some things. And even if there is a cost, say to not satisfying all the expectations of your boss or your neighbours, that cost might be worth paying for some greater end. Burkeman urges that we decide in advance what to fail at and practice strategic underachievement in some areas. Pick your battles.  

 

If there is good procrastination (a level of care in choosing some things and neglecting or delaying others), a negative kind of procrastination (perfectionism or paralysis) is to be avoided. We might do well to ignore The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and commit to some stuff, even if we imagine there might be other better stuff out there. We do well to be present and to live life, rather than spend all our time imagining what might be. Perhaps we should just take the next step and do what seems good, right or necessary rather than fretting too much about what it is.   

 

In a way our life experience consists only of that to which we give our attention. We are often distracted (from what we think matters to us), sometimes willfully and sometimes by ourselves. It is surprisingly hard, but worthwhile, to sometimes slow down, be calm and present and do nothing. Face reality and how it feels without evasion.

 

We should not limit our ambition, holding off until some future point when we expect to be really competent and in control. Burkeman says: "I sometimes think of my journey through adulthood to date as one of incrementally discovering the truth that there is no institution, no walk of life, in which everyone isn't just winging it, all the time. Growing up, I assumed that the newspaper on the breakfast table must have been assembled by people who truly knew what they were doing; then I got a job at a newspaper." (p224f)

 

There is stuff to do which of intrinsic value. Making your family a nutritious meal is worth doing even if it wont win you a Nobel prize. We may find novelty and value even in the mundane if we can do it with some level of care, attention and dedication. Probably many of us ought to focus a bit less on work and more on our key relationships: how might they be if we gave them more focused and thoughtful engagement? Be curious. Wonder. Hope.  

 

Try embracing spontaneous generosity. If you have a positive impulse, why not follow it? Do something good or kind.

 

If a few people enjoy your novel, maybe it is worth writing even if you turn out not to be the next Tolstoy. And it may be that much of your Life’s Work may not have obvious, quick or complete results. We can only live the lives we are given and, in a sense, we are all like the medieval cathedral builders who never got to see the full fruit of their labours.

Hans Boersma, Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew

 

Hans Boersma, Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew (IVP Academic USA, 2021)

152pp pb

https://www.ivpress.com/five-things-theologians-wish-biblical-scholars-knew

I’ve enjoyed Hans Boersma’s book which aims to address the perceived deficits of some (especially evangelical) contemporary academic biblical scholarship. Though I think in fact some of the book is some of Boersma’s favourite themes and things he has written about before (such as the nature of Scripture and contemplation of God in Christ). If the book covers some things Boersma gas been meaning to say, I don’t think that detracts from its value. The book isn’t full of specific examples of the sort of thing he wants to correct or supplement but at times I thought he was on to something. At other times the best evangelical bible scholars would no doubt say “yes, and Amen: we know that and that’s what we try to do”. So, you will have to judge whether or not the cap fits and ought to be worn. But I thought it a stimulating and worthwhile read. The introduction and the first chapter “no Christ, no Scripture” was especially rich and compelling.

Boersma’s main thesis is that biblical scholarship can sometimes be too historical, purely naturalistic and this world-focused. He argues that we should not read the Bible just like any other book but as sacramental, a means of grace mediating of the presence of Christ. Although we want the scholar working away in her study, our reading should be neither individualistic or elitist.

Boersma is of course concerned that we try to work out what Paul meant when he wrote to the Corinthians, but he doesn’t think that is the main or ultimate goal of biblical studies. Christ is the goal and substance of Scripture. He advocates for a patristic sort of exegesis which is attentive to the literal meaning of the text but which sees great depth and usefulness in the Bible. The divine authorship of Scripture is primary and the providence of God has governed both history and text. Boersma thinks typology and allegory are important in understanding God’s revelation and purposes in and through the Bible.  

We read the Bible rightly only from and for the love of Christ. Virtue shapes and is shaped by our Bible reading. And the starting point and goal for right reading is the heavenly contemplation God in Christ. Keeping in mind the ends and goals of the Bible and of the Christian life are vital for determining how we read.   

Our metaphysical and theological presuppositions are important. We all have them and a purely neutral reading is neither possible nor desirable.

The church down the ages and around the world is the primary interpretive community. These books are read above all in the liturgy of the church.

Boersma reflects on the tag lex orandi, lex credenda ("the law of what is prayed [is] the law of what is believed"). Prayer and worship, Bible reading and doctrine interact. And the Bible is part of, arises from and shapes a particular tradition. The Bible is the supreme authority and must be able to reform the tradition of the church, but Boersma criticises simplistic or naïve sola scriptura views which pretend that everything is up for grabs. The ecumenical consensus of the church should direct our reading. The Bible grew out of prior commitments to Jesus Christ as Lord and amongst those baptised into the name of the Triune God. It is inseparable from that tradition.  

Perhaps the chapter heading that will seem most surprising is “No Plato, No Scripture”. Boersma clarifies that “Christian metaphysics is theological in character: we dare not impose the pagan philosophy of Plato (or of anyone else) on Holy Scripture. Christian metaphysics must take its starting point in the Christian confession of Christ as the incarnate Lord.” (39) Nevertheless, Boersma thinks that a kind of Christian Platonism best reflects the Biblical world view. Drawing on the work of Lloyd P. Gerson’s From Plato to Platonism (11-14), which is also taken up by Craig A. Carter in Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition, Boersma stresses five characteristics for Christian reading: (1) antimaterialism (2) antimechanism, that is, there is more than the stuff that is visible and the way it seems to work (3) antinominalism, there are real essences or ideas not just individual things (4) antirelativism, based on goodness as a property of being which is not merely determined by human beings (5) antiskepticism, so that real knowledge is possible. (Boersma, 43).

I feel as if I ought to spend some time with the companion volume now: Scot McKnight, Five Things Biblical Scholars Wish Theologians Knew:  https://www.ivpress.com/five-things-biblical-scholars-wish-theologians-knew

* * *

There could have been many more but here are some bits I happened to type out:

 

Boersma's claim will seem bold to some: from the first, the church has always taught that Christ is present on every page of Scripture (13)

 

Boersma argues that evangelicals have sometimes stressed formal authority (e.g., Scripture trumps tradition) and neglected material content (Christ and the Nicene Creed). Might he not be on to something? Is everything up for grabs as long as one claims Sola Scriptura?

 

Irenaeus insist that Christ "was sold with Joseph, and He guided Abraham; was bound along with Isaac, and wandered with Jacob; with Moses He was a Leader, and, respecting the people, Legislator. He preached in the prophets." (Fragments from the Lost Writings, 54; ANF 1:577). "If anyone therefore reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find in them an account of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the new calling. For Christ is the treasure that was hid in the field, that is, in this world (for "the field is the world"); but the treasure his in the Scripture is Christ, since he was pointed out by means of types and parables.... When it [the law] is read by Christians, it is a treasure hid indeed in a field, but brought to life by the cross of Christ." (Against Heresies 4.26.1; ANF 1:496) As quoted in Boersma, 5 Things, p32f

 

Boersma argues that at the most basic level typology does not move from earlier type to later antitype since Christ is the archetype. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first principle and end, the model and goal. Chronologically he is foreshadowed and comes as the climax at the fullness of time, but ontologically and logically the Logos is the original and basis. Typology, then, is more than noticing interesting similarities: it is metaphysically, providentially and stereologically grounded from eternity and in creation all the way down and to the depths of mystery. The Son is the eternal, ever-present and eschatological Word. (Based on p33f)

 

Maybe you will say no one really wants to read the Bible like that, but if you make your exegesis simply about human authorial intent, Boersma is surely right that you have made your reading historical and not theological - and, we might add, potentially boring and useless. He would have us read instead for Christ with wisdom and savour.

Pastoral and evangelistic minimums?

 It is easy to think "oh, I wish I'd said..." We can perhaps think of great lines or questions or approaches when the moment has passed. 

We can look back on pastoral and evangelistic encounters and worry whether we spoke of Christ as clearly and compellingly as we might have done. Did the urgency and importance of the gospel come across or did we have a nice take it or leave it chat? Did I want to be liked by these people or did I have any concern for their immortal souls? Was there any hint that we stand on the brink of eternity?

At one level we need to relax and trust Christ. But maybe there are a couple of minimums we could keep in mind:

(1) JESUS. He is our USP, what we have to offer. So let us seek to speak of him. Maybe his name is never spoken in this house. Or the people here only ever use his name as a swear word. Could I speak positively with interest about Jesus? Perhaps that might be enough to encourage someone to think further about him. It is a tiny step, but it could be a first one. Name Jesus! 

(2) PRAYER. Before, during and after. We could pray daily for opportunities and wise and gentle, bold and winsome words. This might help us to be more alert and winsome. We could pray before a meeting or encounter. And we could almost always end a meeting by saying: "Would you mind if I say a prayer with you?". And later we commit all with whom we've spent time or interacted to the Lord each evening, praying that if we have planted a tiny seed, he might in his grace and power water it and give the growth.  

This isn't rocket science and much more could be said and done. But even these two things are easily forgotten and neglected. They could make a big difference because, you know, Jesus is good news and Lord and Messiah and Saviour. And our loving heavenly Father delights to hear and answer prayer. 

Bible Density

 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable. It is all true and useful and necessary. 

But there are weightier matters of the law. Some verses are more clear than others. Some passages more important than others. Some fit our circumstances more readily than others. 

We perhaps don't remember and take into account as much as we should the variability of Bible Density.

We know the chapter and verse divisions don't always serve us well. 

But we can be rather set on half chapter length chunks. That seems to make a sensible reading for a church service or a quiet time perhaps. But a more varied diet and manner of eating might serve us better. 

The Bible contains many different genres. In some cases, a whole story really needs to be taken together and that might require reading several chapters. And books were designed to serve as a whole as part of the canon so really we always need to think of anything in relation to everything else!

So in our reading and teaching we need slow and fast reading of bigger and smaller chunks. Poems, stories, arguments, proverbs and the rest might call for different approaches and could be best handled in different numbers and at different lengths.  

 Working out what unit to concentrate on may sometimes be a matter of personal choice or teaching strategy or other constraints such as time or reading ability or availability of material. 

But we ought to think about Bible density. Even in the book of Romans, for example, we will find some parts of the argument which are pretty clear and simple. Their contribution to the larger case isn't too hard to see. But sometimes we will need to puzzle over the meaning and logical connection carefully.  And there are some key verses which are really packed with goodness which deserve more than a sermon to themselves. These would be worth slowing down over, memorising, pondering on, chewing upon until they yield all their goodness. We don't want to miss the woods for the trees but sometimes individual plank is worthy of forming your text for the day. 

Happy reading and teaching! But remember to think about Bible Density. Some passages will prove a light meal or even a snack. Some morsels are worth feasting upon. 

Whom do we want on our church teams?

 We all of us love an encourager. I can think of one person, of blessed memory in our church, who was always grateful and positive. It is great to have such people around. We need them. 

And it is wonderful to have people with a can-do attitude who are keen to get on and serve. They think stuff is possible and worthwhile and they're willing to throw heart and soul and hands into it. 

But we need not only yes-people on our team. 

Someone will need to sound a note of caution from time to time can be valuable. Or at least to ask relevant questions. What are the risks here? What is the worst case scenario? This can seem like negativity, but it may be helpful checking rather than destructive nay-saying. 

We also need those with an eye for detail and implementation. Those with a big picture grand vision should have patience with this. No one wants meetings to go on longer than necessary, but I was in a meeting this week where it would have been good if we'd spent a few moments on who (if anyone) is going to do the hot cross buns. 

It might be useful for individuals or groups to consider each of the six thinking hats. 

Or  the Enneagram types.

Legal Stuff for Vicars

 LEGAL STUFF FOR VICARS - what else would you recommend?

You know you can read the Canons and the Church Representation Rules online?

C of E and diocesan websites are always worth a look

https://www.parishresources.org.uk/ - PCC, APCM, Admin and building sections may be especially relevant

There are various books but they easily become out of date:

Google may know better:

The Vicar's Guide

Handbook for Churchwardens and Parochial Church Councillors, MacMoran and Briden

Your Church and the Law: A simple explanation and guide, David Parrott

The ABC for the PCC, John Pitchford

Practical Church Management, James Benrens

Lottery winners could consider: Mark Hill’s book:

Ecclesiastical Law: Amazon.co.uk: Hill QC, Mark: 9780198807568: Books

https://ecclesiasticallaw.wordpress.com/philip-jones/

Comments on English Ecclesiastical Law and Related Subjects by Philip Jones

My name is Philip Jones. I maintain this blog solely out of interest in the subject of ecclesiastical law and governance. All the comments, hence any errors of fact or law therein, are mine alone…

ecclesiasticallaw.wordpress.com

https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/

What are your idols or besetting sins?

 This could be a good question for all Christians to reflect upon. 

Our idols will be some corruption of the good: some god rather than God. 

For me, I think there is maybe something about words rather than the Word. 

I fill much of my life with Radio 4, rather than being comfortable with silence. 

I seem to rather read about the Bible than to read the Bible!

I tend to speak when I ought to listen. 

Confronted with a problem, I think the answer might be in a few books. We better get a reading list! 

Books might give safety and confidence and security and success. 

So what are the idols here? Education. Ideas. Talk. Intellect. Solving stuff. Answering questions. 

How to prove an axiomatic system

All systems are ultimately axiomatic. That is the definition of a system. 

So how might a system of ethics or virtue be demonstrated to be good? 

If we play this game and all the players of the game over time are satisfied (emotionally, motivationally) and wish to continue playing. We know something is good if it continues to work for all the community over time. 

(There are not actually that many games we could all play and want to go on playing!)

In other words: by their fruits you will know them. It seems this is the way of life we are made for and are suited to. 

It may be only later that we can explain the system. The way of life must be lived to be understood. Faith seeks understanding. 

There are natural hierarchies: some things work and some things don't. We need leaders and goals. Observing life, we are able to identify the admirable. We can make stories about it, dramas. And we can distil principles from these stories: general principles based on custom. 

Reformed Doctrines of Scripture

This is a book that would surely fly off the shelves, right? 

Reformed Doctrines of Scripture

() Introduction 

(1) William Whitaker 

(2)  François Gaussen

(3) B. B. Warfield

(4) Contemporary

() Conclusion

How to have a fighting chance of good mental health

For a number of reasons, the West seems to be in the grip of a growing mental health crisis. And no doubt Covid hasn't helped. 

And yet, we are able to say with some confidence what is correlated with good mental health. 

I'm no expert on this, but from memory a good list might include:

Ideally, 

* have a friend or close family member or romantic partner

* have some meaningful activity or work, paid or voluntary

* stick to a routine. Particularly get up at the same time each day, but also have regular meal times and bedtimes

* eat healthily 

* aim for good sleep e.g. by avoiding screens before bed

* exercise

* get out in creation 

* have a hobby or interest

* perhaps do something creative, musical or artistic

* care for someone or something else (such as a pet)

* avoid unhealthy alcohol or drug use

* try to avoid excessive stresses. If you have recently suffered a major bereavement and are completing a PhD, it might not be the best time to change jobs, move house, start a business and break up with your boyfriend. 

They teach this is schools now, right? 

The internet no doubt abounds with better more informed lists than mine. For example, the mental health foundation has a free How To Look After Your Mental Health Guide with Ten Suggestions.

Just do your best

 "Just do your best" is a mantra that I have taken on board pretty strongly. It is perhaps meant to mean, "It is okay if you don't get an A* in everything, just do your best."

But it can be pretty hard work always trying to do your best in everything. One has to prioritise and pick. Sport, music and art were all pretty much out of the question for me in terms of raw talent and didn't seem to matter anyway. But there were other ways to always do your best. I belonged to the Boys' Brigade and I could always ace my uniform and, cringe, there was a "Best Boy" Cup every year. 

Can I ever really do my best, though? I could have studied more. In some exams one could get 100%. But one could always write a better essay. 

And if my best was a C-, that was a bit depressing. Maybe better not to actually try very much. If I didn't really try, the results wouldn't touch the real me. Of course I could have done better if I'd wanted to. 

So, always do your best? Well, yes, maybe, but very broadly conceived. You cannot be the best at everything always and give everything maximum effort. 

There is much to be said for focused effort and expertise. But it can create monsters. If you want to win the Olympics, it will be an effort to include art, poetry, music, maths, reading, family and friends in your life. You have to choose. 

And one legitimate choice would be good all round balance. 

Always do your best. But what is the best? What matters most? We know the answer to that is to love God and love your neighbour. Not to ace every maths test, necessarily, if the duties of love need to come first. 

And the truth is your best will never be good enough. Maybe not for yourself. Maybe not for those you are trying to please. Imagine you win that Olympic Gold. Do you then win it again? How many times? In how many events? And are you doing your best in every area of life?

You may be The Archbishop of Canterbury, but you're not also The Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity. And your books sales, academic and blockbuster are weak. You don't have ANY Oscars. And you've never played piano at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Chasing money or success or the world's so called best really is a fool's errand. What could ever satisfy? There is always better there tempting you to a bit more effort and focus, or idol worship, as we like to call it in pastoral ministry.

 So you best give up!

Only Jesus is the best and always did the best. 

Your acceptance, affirmation, approval and many other a-words, are only to be found in him, by the undeserved grace of God. God loves and forgives you as you are. He like you, his child and heir. You don't have to win his love. Or work to keep it. Or pay it back. Or prove worthy of it. Or anything like that. 

The best would be a grateful acceptance of the grace of God which sets us free to serve in the best way possible. 

This is another reason why we need a good sabbath. There is a day a week which is THE BEST, which is not about DOING YOUR BEST but RECIEVING GOD'S BEST AS A GIFT. 

Best blessings to you. 

On originality in Christian Ministry

 In the academic world, everyone is looking to make an original and significant contribution worthy of publication (a way of thinking of PhD criteria). My tutor used to worry about the difficulty of being both original and right.

But originality is not a high value in Christian ministry. We aim to be faithful not brilliant. It would be bad just to preach Spurgeon's sermons every week, but most of us will borrow extensively. Preaching someone else's sermon could be plagiarism; reading three is research.

After more than a decade of ministry in the same parish, I think my people would rightly be shocked if I came out with stuff I claimed was really new and really important. "Why didn't you tell us this before?", they would cry.

The pastor who is always finding the latest essential new fad can be a pain.

But having said that, there are many riches and corners of God's word that we have not yet plumbed or explored. There is much more to say at least until I am 70! Maybe even longer. (Especially if I still need a Rectory. Anyway....)

I hope, though, that I have already said the main things many times and very plainly. That's why I plan to repeat myself on Sunday and look again at the big picture of Jesus, the Bible, the Universe and the meaning of life in a sermon for 2022 and for life. Our vision, our programme. It may contain no new thing, but boy does it matter and does it change everything!

A BIG VISION FOR 2022 & FOR LIFE:

The cultural mandate (Genesis 1:26-end) – p4

The greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40) – p991

Jesus! Eternal reign, Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Return

The great commission (Matthew 28:11-end) – p1001

Productivity systems and tools

 If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend reading and reflecting on Getting Things Done.

The idea here is capture all incomes / actions in a really reliable way which means nothing is missed and your mind is left free of worry. Write it down, don't try to remember it. 

I tend to just use a notebook and pen and diary, but if you want to go full GTD, you will need some sections:

INCOMING - this could include a storage box for incoming post, books, things to fix or return etc.

PROJECTS - this captures everything you are aiming to do e.g. loo project, men's evangelism, sermon prep, Children's after school club

NEXT ACTIONS - this makes it really clear what to do. You may want to classify this by location: when next at my desk, in the office, at home, phone calls etc. Some actions may be time specific: you can work on the sermon at 6am or 11pm if you want to. You probably don't want to make calls!

WAITING FOR - these are next actions that depend on someone or something else. If you haven't heard back from Smith in a week you might decide to follow up or give up on him. Having them in the system means nothing is dropped if others drop a ball. 

SOMEDAY MAYBE / ideas - books to read, nice projects, places to visit on your day off etc. 

something like that. 

For me, a notebook and pen are very easy and simple. With my Bible, they can go with me everywhere. They are fast. They never run out of charge or update. They are much less distracting than phone or online.

If you are ever without them, you can send yourself an email so that you know you need to add a note. 

Your diary is for appointments, but it can also be used to send yourself messages or reminders on a certain day. If you use a lot of paper or have crucial pieces of paper you can set up a physical file for every day or month and use it to post stuff forward to yourself: that way, you will always find the tickets easily on the day you need them.

It is essential to review and revise your actions etc. regularly. A beautifully written up / organised note book or Filofax is no good if you ignore what you have put in it! Go through it at least once a week, probably daily. Cross out, amend, plan. You will actually find this quite liberating and relaxing. Once it is a habit, its pretty easy. 

If you want to use an app, you could try Google calendar and Todoist

Readers may also wish to consider: https://www.john-truscott.co.uk/Resources/Articles-index/The-To-Do-Diary-guide

If Jesus is meant to be building his church, why is it hard and slow?

 Jesus is meant to be building his church but my church is a bit small and struggling, and doesn't seem to impact the city much, and a couple of other local churches have closed recently. What can we say?

I don't think this promise of Jesus about building his church is about any one local church.

But we *know* Jesus will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We know the kingdom will come. We know God's will will be done here on earth as in heaven. We know that mountain will be the greatest mountain. The earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

It is very slow and hard here and we are only just holding our own.

The church is in exile and we are strangers. The West is under judgement and civilisation is crumbling. But we've been here before. There may be a new Dark Age in the West. An element of retreat for the sake of advance may be necessary.

We must be church. Theological theology. The worst thing we can do is sell out or ape the foolish failing world. We must not go for the gimmick or the quick fix but for the Psalms and the Supper.

We must teach our kids and grandkids. Jesus will be faithful to a thousand generations so we are in this for the very long term.

And we rejoice to suffer with Christ outside the city wall. And the blood of the martyrs will be the seed of the church. Let us preserve and treasure up what we can and pray for endurance.

And meanwhile let us rejoice that the church of Jesus Christ is exploding in Africa and the Far East and Latin America. The next millennium may be much more Christian than that last. There are more believers now than ever. But the future will be different from the past and we will be humbled by this as African pastors once again lead the global church. Let us pray for new Benedicts in the West and new Augustine's from Africa.

Grace and peace.

Leithart, Theopolitan Mission - further jottings

 Hopefully a review in The Global Anglican in due course but some further favourite bits following on from the jottings on chapter one:

“Jesus the Carpenter makes Peter according to the blueprint of the Word, which is the pattern of Jesus. Like Jesus, Peter is scripted by Scripture.” (26)

“the statistically average Christian today is a black woman, not a white European male.” (34) 

“we white northern believers need to be prepared to take a subordinate role as deck hands on an ark captained by strangers who have become brothers.” (36) 

Jesus makes his people kings like Noah and Jesus. God’s mission is more than church planting: “the church aims to turn the mis-made world “upside down” (Acts 17:6), which means the right-side up.” (37) 

The Church is a civilisation, a City, with her own customs and ethos. No earthly city has unlimited resources. And all exclude some. Not so the City of God. Here there are no small people and no small gifts. The gift of administration may not seem as whizzy as preaching or healing or... But believe me, as one who has led in a church with and without one, administrators are needed! All serve the commonwealth and all are rich. All build up the body of the church. And not only so, together we must go and slay the giants in the land too! (chapter 3)

"If you want a painless and comfortable life, it's best not to board the ark of the crucified Savior.... There's no mission without the cross. The church must be as crucifiable as her Lord. Jesus' self-building ark is constructed from the wood of the cross." p71

The seeds of the gospel healings and the church's anointing of the sick grew into an unprecedented concern for health care. "Pagans have their medical philosophers like Galen, just as they have their own gods of healing. But the Christian mission of healing is qualitatively different. Like Jesus, Christians are "incarnated" among the sick. When plagues and pandemics hit Roman cities, pagans fled, including Galen. Christians stayed to nurse the sick to health. Over time, they developed institutions like the hospital and techniques of healing which were unknown in the ancient world. In the sanctuary-ark of the church, Jesus nourishes new forms of compassion, which, over the centuries, have transformed the world." p81f

"We transform culture by bearing witness, which is always risky. If we're not prepared to suffer professional or vocational death because of our witness to Jesus, if we're not prepared to accept a lower place in the rankings, we have no business putting on the regalia in the first place. If we're not prepared for vocational martyrdom, we despise the table of the Lord, and our makings are nothing worth." p88

"To transform the city of man, the church needs only to do what she does, to be what she is. She needs only to teach, preach, sing, pray, break bread. Within the ark of Christendom, she need only keep the customs of the apostles, and all will be changed." p96

“The West has turned from Jesus to the false gods of Science, Reason, Power, Progress, and Mammon, or to the equally false gods of Equality and Choice” and can expect the judgement of God (100). 

“Jesus will steer the ark of his church through the storm” and we must continue faithfully looking for a new creation and preserving what we can (100). 

“The Carpenter of Nazareth will pilot His ark until it rests on a new Ararat, a new Eden, the garden-city where the river of life flows.” (101)

Theopolitan Mission Chapter One jottings

 

 

Some jottings from or arising from Chapter One of Theopolitan Mission

Peter Leithart

Theolpolis Books / Athanasius Press, 2021 ISBN: 9781735169064 pb 104pp

 

Though I wanted to type out much of it!

 

Hopefully a review for The Global Anglican to follow in due course.

 

Leithart understands the image of God in humanity to relate to our vocation of ruling the world under God. Human makers are like God the creator. Our creating is distinguished from God’s. He can create ex nihilo. But Leithart argues that this contrast is sometimes over done. Amazingly, God empowers us to make whole new categories of things. Granted we had to receive the tree as a gift but a table is more than just more wood. The creation itself is given the power to create. God makes trees and trees make seeds. Trees are like God! And humanity is called upon to perfect creation.

 

Some animals also make things and use rudimentary tools. But humans are like God in the sense that we make even when we don’t need to. And we not only make but adorn. Our making tends towards art: to beautification and glorification. Like God, we create gratuitously.

 

Like God, we both make and maintain.

 

We make tools and tools make us.

 

We make art and art makes us.

 

Man is created as a priest to preside at the cosmic liturgy, giving thanks and praise.

 

Our making begins in Sabbath and moves towards Sabbath. It comes between First Thanks and Second Thanks, between rest and final rest, creation and new creation. The great goal is Eucharist.

 

God speaks and is the Word. Human beings speak and write. No animal does. Some animals can come to know their names but human beings assign names.

 

In the Bible God names only a few things. Adam is in charge of the naming. And in amazing humility, God accepts those names. We call it a “laptop” and so, we know, does God.

 

When Adam calls Eve bone of my bone it is a bit like the holy of holies or the song of songs, though the grammar is different. Eve is the best of bones! She is a glorified Adam (1 Cor 11:7)

 

Adam is only a few hours old and he’s already making puns (a sign perhaps that he is doomed from the outset).

 

“Human beings are created to be priests who preside at a cosmic Eucharist. We receive the world from God, glorify, name, and fill it with meaning so that we can offer it back to God. Our naming is the middle term between first and final thanks…. our naming begins in worship and is directed toward worship, the alpha and omega of human culture. The world we form by our hands and tongues is fulfilled in the liturgy.” (13)

Research Languishing on My Computer

 In case anyone is interested or would like to ask me about any of the following. Or indeed volunteer for proof reading! 

Written and Edible Words:

Essays in the Reformed Doctrines of Scripture and Supper

SCRIPTURE

(1) Search The Scriptures: William Whitaker’s, Disputation on Holy Scripture (9 000 words)

(2) What the Bible Says, God Says: B. B. Warfield’s Doctrine of Scripture (7000 words) - previously published in Ecclesia Reformanda and available free online

(3) Semiotics and Scripture (3700 words)

(4) Introducing Speech Act Theory to Scripture? (8000 words)

[(5) To be completed: Verbal Sacrament? The Bible in the Light of the Supper – needs more work – 11 000 words]

SUPPER

(6) Visible Word: Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (8800 words)

(7) The Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper in The Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion: Who is Doing What To Whom? (4000 words)

( Edible Word: The Lord’s Supper in the Light of the Doctrine of Scripture (16 000+ words)

CREATION

[(9)Not started: Creation as Sacramental]

Conclusion: General and Special Sacraments [Just a few headings so far]

A Great All Age New Year or Christmas Sermon

 today at Hailsham Parish Church by The Revd David Griffin. 

JOY (IN JANUARY)

Joy-O-Meter - What gives you joy at Christmas?

Who Jesus is gives joy (Luke 2v10):

(1) Jesus is The Saviour Child - he is like a lifeboat. You need a qualified, capable Saviour, the RNLI not I! - v11

(2) Jesus is The Peace Child - a handshake, a sign of peace, no weapon in hand - v14

Richard the Lionheart and King John - The King's remarkable mercy

Horatio Spafford - the loss of his 4 daughters at sea - wife, "saved alone" - Hymn: It is well with my soul

It may be possible to listen to the sermon in due course here: https://www.hailshamchurch.org/resources-safeguarding/sermon-downloads/

A New Year Pastoral Review

Imagine you had a good, wise and godly friend. This person knows you, your family and your circumstances well. They genuinely want the best for you and have no hidden agenda of their own. And they are both kind and ruthlessly truthful. What might that person ask you? What would they say to you? What would they encourage you to aim for in 2022? And how?

You need a couple of meaningful goals which matter to you, in which you could make progress. 

And you need to think of some small actions that you might actually do (probably every day or weekly) which over time would cause you to make significant progress towards the goal. 

For example, if you aim to love God more, you will need to find a way to daily remind yourself of how lovely he is. And how much he loves you. Could you read a portion of Scripture each day? Or listen to a hymn? And write down one learning or reminder, and turn it into a prayer. And look at it again in the evening and give thanks.  

Or you want to get on better with your spouse. You plan a Date Night once a fortnight. Or a walk. Or to listen to music together. Or play a game. Or.... Have fun. Come up with a plan together. Maybe you take it in turns to pick an activity. It need not be too expensive or time consuming. And you resolve NEVER to interrupt your spouse unless it is a life and death emergency. You ask them to tell you if they feel interrupted or not listened to. And you pray for them every day like the friend in paragraph one might. 

By the grace of God and in the power of the Spirit, within a year, your love for God or your spouse could be transformed. 

Do you actually have such a friend? Could you cultivate one?

Your pastor may be busy, but I bet they would love you to email and say, "Could you spare me 50 minutes some time to talk about my soul and how I might be more godly this year?" They may not be able to fit you in this week or next but I bet they would love to. They would like to know you better. And it is their job to know God and his Word and to pray with and for you. Your pastor is not God or Messiah and they can't fix you by magic, but they could be a somewhat kind and wise and truthful shepherd to your soul if you will invite them in.

(Readers may recognise a debt here both to Professor Jordan Peterson and to Jesus). 

Footnotes and style: some thoughts and books for (theological) writers and editors

I should say I am making this up and doing my best as I go along. I came late to footnotes and formatting and so on. During my undergraduate degree, I mostly just read out essays. One of my tutors had previously taught at the Open University and liked to go the extra mile and take in the essay and mark it. But even then, there was no expectation of references or page numbers or anything like that. And in the exam, "Professor Williams has said: "...."" seemed to work fine. It always would have been useful if studying Welsh history, I thought, to attribute quotations to Drs Jones or Davies if one was a little unsure of who said what! In those days your hand written script wouldn't be checked by a computer. And for me everything rode on the end of term exams. There was an option to do a dissertation, but they were harder to do well in without quite a lot of ongoing work!

So when I was training to be a Vicar, this sort of thing was a drag. Theological college and my PhD supervisor tried to drive this into me. I never got that PhD, and part of the problem there was getting the right words in the right order with the right references and so on. 

I apparently have the Gift of Dyslexia, so that may not have helped.

One might often think, who cares whether full stops are inside quotations or not? 

But there is a nerdy fascination with this sort of stuff. 

It is nice to be right. 

Accuracy is fairness to those you quote and serves those for whom you write.

And sometimes, commas can save lives. Let's eat, Grandma. Some of these things matter for clarity and communication. 

And messing this stuff up distracts. Is it Bible or bible, Scripture or scripture? Neither is really right nor wrong. But consistency is the right approach. It is probably wise actually to outsource such decisions to a style guide. The Microsoft Word spelling and grammar guides will only get you so far.  

In an ideal world, you might say, maybe the editor and copy editor will sort out my work, but much better to get it right first time. And harder for anyone to take your work seriously if it is just a mess.

Theological students might like to follow: The Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style, 2nd edition (2014). There are various free online introductions to SBLHS, such as https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/SBLHSsupp2015-02.pdf http://spu.libguides.com/cite_sbl

More general queries may be answered by The Chicago Handbook of Style. 

I have a weakness for book buying. Some are gathering dust on my desk but some I use regularly. I think you still want an Oxford Dictionary. As big as you can afford. Much better than most free online things. 

And a Thesaurus or another dictionary giving alternative words. That's my little joke. 

There are so many books on how to write. Some will inspire. Some will answer your actual questions. 

Fowler's Modern English Usage is a classic.

You may prefer a Style Guide like that of the Economist or The Times. (One issue to consider is English English or American English and so on). 

You can also get The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors

New Hart's Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors (OUP)

You may want a grammar guide like Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation. 

A theological education in itself is Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology

What have you found most useful on writing well?

I'm currently really enjoying: 

Joe Moran, First You Write a Sentence.: The Elements of Reading, Writing … and Life. - https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-You-Write-Sentence-Elements/dp/0241978491

If you are going to write about how to write, you ought to be able to write. And Professor Moran can. This is not a list of rules but a lyrical and sometimes beautiful reflection. 

If you want to write, you might also benefit from controversial and prolific author Douglas Wilson's Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life (2011). He will tell you about keeping notebooks of ideas, words, metaphors and so on. 

Also on my wish list is Steven Pinker, 

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century (Penguin, 2014).

All this talk of books might seem quaint and old fashioned to some. There are technologies on offer such as End Note or  Scrivener. It is hard to believe that previous generations sometimes did their PhDs on index cards!