shaving

Thanks to this blog
I am now the happiest shaver in the planet. I've always had a suspicion that these 5 blade "fusion" contraptions are a gigantic trick played on unsuspecting men. I am the "chief of sinners" when it comes to succumbing to the alluring consumer obsession with anything new or revolutionary. But, now I realize that newer is not always better.

I am now shaving with a 1960's super speed gillette double edge blade razor. The razor is made of metal so you know its good, unlike its cheesy orange rubber coated counter parts. I'm also using some blades made by Israelis and some really good shaving cream called Nancy Boy, made in San Francisco. The shaving cream may seem expensive at first, but one jar usually lasts about a year.

I bought a cheap Baxter Badger shaving brush off of Amazon and let me tell you, with this set up, I am now actually getting an extremely close and smooth shave. Instead of shaving being a chore that I did only before weddings, funerals, church, or big presentations, it is now a soothing part of my morning ritual. I highly recommend this new manly way of shaving the face.

I've been 'tagged'

I've never been "tagged" before but I think it means I answer these questions:

1. One book that changed your life:
Christology Within: Spirituality and the Incarnation in Hans Urs von Balthasar by Mark A. McIntosh

2. One book you've read more than once:
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky


3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien


4. One book that made you laugh:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


5. One book that made you cry:
The Final Quest by Rick Joyner


6. One book you wish had been written:
my dissertation.


7. One book you wish had never been written:
90% of books should have remained trees. Left Behind, Davinci Code, anything my John Dominic Crossan, Danielle Steele, and virutally all books by or about celebrities. Sorry that's more than one.


8. One book you're currently reading:
The Mind's Road to God by St. Bonaventure


9. One book you've been meaning to read:
The Bell, by Iris Murdoch


10. Now tag 5 people:
Ethan worthington, Jon Lauriat, Adam Yoder, Katie Yoder, Pope Benedict XVI

My latest materialistic comsumeristic obsession

When we moved to Chicago, we decided it would be wise to get down to one car. You save on insurance, don't have to find a place to park it, and no worries about repairs.
I still think it was the right thing to do but frankly, I feel a bit stranded, a bit trapped. I know the El is a block away but it's not the same thing as having the freedom to leave the house for quick trip to the grocery store. Enter the Ruckus. The Ruckus is a wonderful little scooter that doesn't look like your typical euro-trash wannabe Vespas or your Cheapo-Sporty plastic racer. The Ruckus is a work of pure beauty and I love them. and I love anyone who has one. If only I had one, then I could finally love myself. If anyone wants to give me money so I can buy the only thing that will help me to love myself and others...then please pick up your phone and donate now.

Can I just say I love Panera

I'm studying at Panera bread right now, and I really do like this place. It has several qualities in its favor. Free wireless internet, Cinnamon Crunch bagels (which cost 80 cents), very good coffee with free refills, regular soda pop also with free refills.

The only drawback is that they only have two outlets to plug computers into. VERY annoying on a busy day, but that's why a wise man goes early....

Why no blogging

I haven't been blogging lately because I have some major work to do before Monday. I have two huge papers, one worth 50% of my grade and the other worth 60% due. I am not very optimistic about these papers. It's at times like this I wonder why I'm in grad school. I looked at the guy driving the El today and thought, that's got to be a pretty sweet job. I could handle that for 20 or 30 years. And then I realized to drive the El, you have to live in Chicago. I don't think that will happen.

Anyway, back to the papers....

Catholic and Protestant V: Protestant Authority Can someone explain it?

I know we didn't completely finish the conversation initiated in the last blog, but with all the comments it gets a little long. So this time around I will keep my first blog concise with a question of clarification:

I would like to invite any protestants out there to explain to me if there is any human authority (councils/creeds, pastors, popes, bishops, ?) that you see as being in line with God's authority and therefore binding on you in your thoughts or actions.

EZE and Balthacalvin, I would especially encourage you to let me know what you think.

Thanks.

A response to the comments of the previous blog

Well,

The last post seemed complicated. We talked about grace, we talked about church, we talked about history. I want to focus things back a bit. I want to get on that razor edge line that slices through the different understandings of authority by C's and P's. I know that there are a great many understandings of authority from the P side, and I haven't even discussed the Orthodox which is a shame. Anyway....

Let us take a step back and just talk about authority in general. Some one who has authority demands what? Respect and obedience. Now, there are levels of authority too. So I will respect my dad and obey him differently than I would a teacher or police officer. Are we in agreement so far?

So, how did God set up authority in his Church? I think we would all agree that any authority the Church has, it gets from God. So insofar as the chuch acts in accordance with God's will, its authority is true. No one should obey someone who poses as a police officer right? So, there must be a continuity between the Ultimate Authority and the human authority that claims to be under the Divine one.

My hunch is, that RC's believe that God gave MORE authority to the church, meaning there is more for the individual to obey and conform to. So authority of the church is more like a Fatherly figure, hence the phrase, "Habemus Papam" (we have a father!).

My hunch is that most Protestants see the church as more like a John the Baptist, pointing to the gospel, saying "look at this! It's the Gospel, come live it with us!"


Now, assuming these two quick classificaitons are correct (I'm sure you guys will not just assume it, but anyways) which one has more credibility from both Old and New Testaments and which had more credibility from history?

My initial thoughts:

The Old Testament: There was a sense in the OT that God was really in charge. That EVERYONE, including the king, had to answer to him. But underneath God, you had the priestly side of things and you had the prophetic side of things. The priests definitely had an authority, but what was it's nature? Well, you relied on the priests to bring the sacricial offerings to God for your sin. So while the priest himself didn't forgive you, he made it possible for you to receive forgiveness. The prophetic tradition was more moral in its scope and claimed to speak God's words directly. And God seemed to punish those who refused to listen to the prophets.

The New Testament: Jesus, is very critical of the established Jewish authority, especially in issues of morality and hypocrisy. He didnt' seem to challenge their doctrine, except when he believed they were putting human custom over the Scriptures. He also challenged the Sadducees about the resurrection and afterlife. Moving on to the disciples, they seemed to have power that was similar to Jesus'. They healed people, the preached like Jesus did, they pronounced punishments on church members, corrected people, etc. We have the passage where Jesus apparently gives Peter the keys to the kingdom and tells him he has the power to forgive or not forgive. Is this directed at Peter specifically or is it representative of the disciples in general?

Early Church: The church started off, going to the temple to worship, etc. But they didn't seem to report to the Jewish leaders. They formed their own communities which were designed for prayer, fellowship, communion, etc. As Nick noted, the bishop was seen as a very important figure, one, that stood in the place of the apostles after they died. They were seen as a continuation of the authority given by Christ to the first apostles.

I sort of see the priestly and prophetic offices running parallel lines throughout history and i wonder if RC's follow the more priestly side while most Protestants would be more along the prophetic side.

I must also say, a lot of this has to do with your view of history. RC's seem to think it's easier to read God's providence off the face of history than do most Protestants. Both sides read their history with bias.

In summary, I think we should think about what authority has looked like throughout Jewish and Christian history. I think we should probably privlege what Jesus has to say on the matter, but not ignore those before and after him. My main problem with Catholic authority is its treatment of dissent. Wasn't the major error of the Jews their refusal to listen to the prophet? the one individual, outside of the authority structures? It seems from a biblical standpoint, Jesus was very angry about that type attitude. I don't fully understand how dissent works in the Catholic church. On the Protestant side, there seems to be a problem DEALING with dissent. There is no collective voice. It seems like this balance has always been a fine issue in Jewish history and in the early church.