WSJ Article on Church Schism

Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting and instructive review of church schism, prompted by recent doings in the Episcopal church-- Their Separate Ways by Philip Jenkins, author of The Lost History of Christianity. (This week the ECUSA's triennial convention ended the ban on gay candidates serving in ordained ministry. Meanwhile, earlier this summer conservatives organized a rival church, the Anglican Church in North America, and essentially withdrew.)

Jenkins gives a good brief summary of the history of schisms in the church--some successful, some not so much, and some failures. Presbyterians, like Episcopalians, were born in schism from the Roman Catholic Church. Is it really surprising that churches born of schism continue to be subject to schism?

Odi et Amo Alert!

Portia scored a fascinating interview with the owner of Emily Ceramics and 20% discount for her blog readers on orders from this unique shop that features Mexican and Italian pretties. Here's the link to her post with all the info.

Way to go Portia! I've already ordered a couple for the new house.

Lead Us Not Into Tweet-tation

Over lunch following Tuesday's presbytery meeting we got into a discussion of twittering in worship. Much hilarity ensued as we joked about inappropriate tweets such as:

"What was she thinking when she bought that dress?"
"Sermon's too long...snoozing now"
"Choir off-key"
"Where to for lunch?"

So I can't resist passing on from Michael Kruze of Kruze Kronicle this article from the NY Times about tweeting gone wrong during a Good Friday service. It seems roguish parisioners couldn't resist adding a couple of characters to the proceedings, including a salacious Mary Magdalene.....

Service and Per Capita

Yesterday there was a called meeting of our presbytery (New Covenant) because instead of having a stated meeting as we usually do in August, we are having a Day of Service instead. About 60 of our churches have already committed to the project.

Each congregation chooses a service project in their community which will be done on Saturday, August 1. My church is going to do a day at a nearby middle school which serves a low-income neighborhood. We'll landscape, paint, and generally fix-up the school just before the new school year begins. At the Outreach Committee's meeting last night, I heard that we are getting a lot of sign-ups for our project!

Then on Sunday, August 2 a presbytery-wide celebration will be hosted by a Houston church and possibly by some churches in other areas of our geographically large region.

I'm excited the presbytery is encouraging the churches to get out and share the love of Christ with their neighbors through service to them.

In other news, the annual budget was approved at the called meeting (we don't use a calendar fiscal year). The budget does not make provision for "equalizing" per capita contributions by churches that do not (for whatever reason) make them. Because of revenue shortfalls the finance committee declared that funds are not available at this time for equalization because they did not want to cut back on PNC's programs--especially our extensive new church developments--in order to cover per capita. If revenues exceed projections later in the year, this may be up for reconsideration.

Interestingly my church's session sent an overture to the last meeting asking that per capita not be equalized (we are withholding per capita this year) and the overture was narrowly defeated.

PNC is the sixth largest presbytery in the denomination, so this can't be good news in Louisville.

Note to MOB: Get a Grip

The M.O.B. realized that she might be getting just the teensiest bit distracted today when she checked out at the grocery store only to discover that her wallet was not in her purse.

The kindly checker completed the order and had it stored in the cooler while she went home to fetch it.

Half-way home (a couple of miles), the M.O.B. spotted the aforementioned wallet lying on the bottom left hand side of the windshield. OUTSIDE the car.

Pulling to one side, she adroitly retrieved it and was greatly relieved to discover nothing was missing. It must have been on the windshield the whole time she was in the grocery store. Amazing.

Why did she put it there? Dunno. Can't remember. Was too busy emailing Babs and Portia re: proposed wedding dates and venues.

RESOLVED: One thing at a time....

MOB, Redux

We interrupt Summer Slumptime with breaking news from the Matrimonial Front:

Babs and P-Dubya just got engaged!

Woo-hoo!!

~donning Mother-of-the-Bride Hat for the second time~

Now I'm awaiting my instructions, but anticipate the next few months will be ANYTHING but slumpy. The Matrimonial Bureau will bring more details as they are available and the MOB-Redux will be looking for her planning files from Portia's wedding, which must be in a moving box somewhere around here....

Summer Slumptime

I guess it was inevitable that after all the excitement and stress of moving that once things began to get back to "normal", life would seem pretty humdrum by comparison.

And so it goes as I slip into a bit of a summer slump. The heat doesn't help anything and the fact that both Portia and Babs are away on long vacations makes me lonesome for them. We've been too pre-occupied with getting moved and settled to plan a trip ourselves this summer.

No doubt I'll wish for some slumptime in the fall when everything gears up again. But for now--well--I wouldn't mind a change of pace.

How's your summer shaping up? Busy or slumpy?

Book Review: John Calvin, Pilgrim and Pastor

If I hadn't already mentioned on this blog that I planned to read John Calvin, Pilgrim and Pastor in honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, I would not post this review. But I did, so I am.

I was disappointed in the book. I read several positive reviews of it before buying it and can't agree with any of them. I thought it would be an interesting biography of one of the greatest of the Reformers that would place him in the context of that fascinating time, but instead found it was a tedious cut-and-paste review of Calvin's theology and writings.

On the positive side, I did get several lovely naps in while trying to finish reading the book.

I really can't recommend it to anyone but seminary students who are required to read it.

If any of my Gentle Readers can recommend a more interesting biography of Calvin, please do so in the comments.