Another day spent in Memphis, soaking up the wisdom of the academy.
Grad School Note A:
Today's class was invested mostly in discussions of Vatican II, and was perhaps a little dry. There's just something old school about a bunch of protestants critiquing the Roman Church, even if the tone from both the Hatfields and the McCoys is a bit more conciliatory than in the past. I believe there's hope in that tone but there is so much tradition that stands between us. Shouldn't this always shame and sadden us? Next week we're going to spend in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, which is more unfamiliar to me, and I'm looking forward to it.
Grad School Note B:
That ridiculous copier in the basement of the library drives me crazy. Today Shannon and I just took the reserve articles we needed to copy to Kinko's. I felt like this saved me about three hours. The copier that's in the library now stinks. I think there's a little bird that lives in the bottom of it, Flintstone style. I imagine this little bird looks at whatever I put on the glass, and copies it with a pencil. If you try to use the feeder, the bird takes this literally and tries to eat whatever you give it. I think in the morning they actually put bird food into the feeder, for the nourishment of the bird. I bet that bird gets hacked off when put theological articles into the chute instead of seeds.
Grad School Note C:
Next week Shannon and I are going to play disc golf with our friends Donnie and Zac. This is somewhat perilous, since Zac's trunk contains more discs than I have ever seen in one place. I mean I bet there were 150 in there, conservatively. It was awesome to behold. It should be some serious good times, if not good competition. Maybe if he plays lefthanded...
Finally, Grad School Note D:
Shannon wanted me to post this link, and I think it is only fair warning.
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4 comments:
Hey Steven,
Be sure and check your e-mail for the website I set up. It was easier than I thought.
Yo Stevie,
Next week after your EO lesson, please share with us. I've been invited to attend a local EO service, but haven't made it out yet. I'm curious what the academy says.
And for the sake of all good blogging: please watch out for that little rascal Shannon and all his anit blogging schemes. He may make fun of it all, but he has a blog too you know: http://itsallprologue.blogspot.com/
Hey where is the mushy Valentine's Day post?
Probably a little more commonality than you might expect. Now that is from the perspective of the grad school in Memphis, and you may find a different opinion in Searcy...but I'm not sure.
Generally, I'd say that there is a sense of regret for the divisive history of the church. I don't mean the old line of regret (those darned catholics screwed up history and we're the ones putting it right) but a sense that we as the greater church have all played a part in a divided history.
Most of the time when the EO tradition is examined, it is probably from a standpoint that doesn't make it seem very relevant, almost a novelty. Rome is taken more seriously, and I'd say that at least some of our professors (probably all of them) would say that they learn much from the RC Church and her scholars. For instance, the last half of the 20th century has seen a rise in Biblical scholarship among the Catholic academy, such that I think our guys would prefer some of their conferences to, say, the SBL crowd. Given that HUGSR's real strength is in NT Biblical studies (weakness is in dogmatics or OT), that probably brings us closer to the Catholic side of theology than it would have a couple of decades ago.
Finally, I'd say that part of the talk is how we can see ourselves in their traditions, good and bad. For instance, when I read an EO scholar arguing about how the entire western church, (RC and Protestant) is still in tailspin from the filioque issue, it definitely makes me think about how we have kept some of the same old fights burning, or at least unresolved, way past what they probably are worth.
Does that answer your question? I think I've given an honest answer that is somewhat representative, but it may be that I've colored it with my own thinking too much. (I don't think so)
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