Idol #7

I'm not really a Mariah Carey fan, but this episode wasn't too bad. I agreed with the judges that David Cook was the best and he'd still be my pick to win the competition. Brook White is my 2nd favorite, but I only had her ranked 4th this week. In terms of my personal opinion, there is a big drop off after those two. David A had a very good week (ranked 2nd). Syesha continues to get stronger (3rd). I like Jason Castro, but he seems locked in to a particular style of music that just isn't my favorite. Carly and Kristy Lee should probably be in trouble. I'll get those two and Jason Castro as the bottom three and I'll guess that Carly is gone this week.

PC: CE

In chapter 10 of Pagan Christianity, Viola argues against the idea that only 'formal Christian education qualifies a person to do the Lord's work.' He claims this is the mindset of most Christians. He comes out against 'academic' (instead of 'hands-on') training. He says 'every church' was a 'seminary.' Viola is against Aquinas's main thesis that God is known through human reason. We have made Christianity mostly about the head when it is supposed to be about the heart (he later phrases it that we are more interested in the tree of knowledge than the tree of life). He describes the pagan origin of seminaries, bible-colleges, sunday-school, and even the position of 'youth' pastor. All of these are organizational and have the ability to cut-off the headship of Jesus Christ in Christian gatherings and/or the unity of the church.

Reaction: I, personally, don't know many preachers or teachers who don't preach and teach the priesthood of all believers from within institutional churches. I don't know many educational institutions that aren't moving towards a more 'hands-on' approach to ministerial preparation. I don't know many churches that don't highlight the idea that head-knowledge, alone, is of no spiritual value. I don't know of many Wesleyan churches that would keep a highly degreed but spiritually unqualified pastor around for long. Because of my ignorances in these realms, this chapter seemed, again, like over-statement in my context.

The Calf Path

By Sam Walter Foss

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail, as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep
Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bellwethers always do.

And from that day, o’er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made,
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged and turned and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because ’twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed — do not laugh —
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,
That bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet.
The road became a village street,
And this, before men were aware,
A city’s crowded thoroughfare,
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed that zigzag calf about,
And o’er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They follow still his crooked way,
And lose one hundred years a day,
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move;
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah, many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.

Sexist?

Am I sexist? I have to consider this possibility since the other day I came to the realization that I don't recall EVER having read a book written by a woman. Seriously. And I read a lot of books. I can't think of one. Can someone please help me remember a book I've read by a female author?

House-Sitting

I have been house-sitting this week for my aunt & uncle. This explains my lackluster blogging. Even though they have a beautiful house, they only have dial-up internet (which I don't even bother using). They do, however, have pool & ping pong tables (not to mention a slot machine... Actually, I just did mention it. I've never really understand the phrase 'not to mention'), so I've improved my billiards skills.