"Bible-Based" Culture

 All the time there are voices around us calling for a change to build a society based on "Biblical Values" or a "Biblical Worldview".

SOmetimes those voices become louder or more prominent than others. One example of this would be Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk. Another would be last week's Alberta Christian Leadership Summit. [SIde Note, a friend and colleague of mine attended this Summit and here are his thoughts.]

Now there are a number of problems with this quest to build society on some "Biblical Worldview".  Among them:

1. It is arguable that there is not one Biblcal Worldview, that the full text of Scripture contains multiple worldviews
2. It is not in doubt that in modern Christianity (in North America these voices always claim to speak for all of 'true' Christians) there are multiple understandings of what one means by Biblical Values or a Biblical Worldview
3. In a pluralistic world it is wholly inappropriate to build society around one religious set of standards
4. Theocracy damages both the faith community and tradition it claims to support and the pluralistic community it is imposed upon.

However I do believe that as people who are guided and informed by our faith we are called to consider the type of world God would have us live in. As people who pray "thy kingdom come on earth" we have an obligation to consider what we mean.

So from time to time I do ponder what a society shaped by Biblical values (as I understand them) might look like...

Such a society would be shaped wholly by love of Creation, the world that God loves.
It would be a place where the newcomer, the stranger, the wanderer, the refugee, the immigrant would be welcomed into the community.
It would not be about enforcing homogeneity, it would name and accept pluralism.
Discussions of Human Sexuality would be focussed on respectful relationships instead of rules and traditions
In this society there would be strong rules and laws ensuring that all are provided for, that their basic needs are met. In Torah there were rules about not harvesting too well, to leave produce for the gleaners to find later -- what is the 21st century equivalent of gleaning?
We would take seriously the stewardship of the earth as commanded in Genesis, we would only take what we need as commanded with the manna in Exodus.
We would know that allowing great inequality is a problem.
We would encourage sharing of things in common so that all would benefit (See Acts 2)
We would be encouraged to subsume self in favour of community, or at least to find a new balance between the two. WE not ME

WHat might you add?

Teachers I have known...

Appaently this week in Teacher Appreciation Week in the USA (according to the National PTA anyway) and indeed today is the NEA National Teacher Day.

Maybe that is why the Jeopardy Teacher Tournament began this week...

At any rate I thought I would honour some notable teachers (in school and out of school) I have had in my life:
Mr. Davies -- my Grade 4 homeroom teacher, he taught me Language Arts that year (and possibly math and science?) I remember a few things. 1) he was sure he could get my handwriting to be legible--so I spent much time doing spirals and other exercises designed to improve my fine motor control (didn't work); 2) he played guitar and periodically (every week?) we would have a time of singing in class even though I am sure he was not our "official" music teacher -- I still have in  a drawer downstairs the songbook we used; 3) every Friday, for the first 30-45 minutes after lunch, he read to us. The first book he read was The Hobbit -- which started my life long love of the Middle-Earth, another one was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - which introduced me to Narnia.

Mrs Titus and Mrs. Kane -- Grade 5 and Grade 6 respectively. I am sure I drove them mad by the amount (or lack thereof) of effort I put in to class work. however they are introduced me to the stage, which became a path of sustenance for my safety in later years. Also, despite the actual marks I was getting (see lack of effort comment above) they were willing to put me in an enrichment program [I suspect their hope was that this would spur me on to work harder -- did not work, the solution to that came years later]

Jane Chobotar -- Sunday School teacher. Jane was the Department lead for the Grade 4-6 Department when I was in grade 6. She had the Grade 6 students actively helping in special projects (I remember 2 or 3 of us spent an afternoon in McDonald's planning something or other) Years later, when I was in High School Jane was still heading that section of the Sunday School program (she was doing that for 20+ years when she eventually stepped down) and invited me to be a teacher. She is one of the reasons I ended up in ministry, and so I asked her to lay hands on me at my ordination.

Miss Sobat -- Grade 9 Language Arts. Gail changed my work habits, and by doing so changed my life direction.  I have written specifically about her here before

Will Smallacombe -- I first met Will when he came in to help the Diaconal Minister who was teaching out Confirmation class. He was the leader of the High School Youth group for most of my time in High School. Will helped us explore what it meant to be teenagers in a faith community, and made sure we had fun doing it.

Maralyn Ryan -- Maralyn was responsible (or at least largely responsible) for starting the program that was a large bright spot in some otherwise dark years of my life -- St. Albert Children's Theatre and the Arts Renaissance Troupe. It was a safe place for me. It was a place for expression. It was a place for building friends. If I recall correctly, ARTS particularly grew out of the Leadership development arm of Community Services in that era.  Thinking of some of the people who were there with me--I think it worked.

Blaine Gregg -- pretty much anything I know about being a good camp leader I learned from Blaine. Watching him was a schooling in and of itself. 

Memories of Ministry

18.5 years ago I started working at Kids Kottage, a crisis nursery program in Edmonton.  Next Tuesday they are having a celebration of 20 years of service to the families of Edmonton and area.  I was asked to share a written message.  Here is what I came up with:

In the summer of 1996 I was thinking about what I might do once my summer camp job was over. And so I was sending resumes all over the place. Having been exposed to the idea of a Crisis Nursery as part of one of my seminary classes in Saskatoon, when I heard that there was a similar ministry in Edmonton they got on my list.

Fast forward a couple months and I got called for an interview, which led to being offered a part-time position and I started in mid-November.

I then worked at the Kottage until August of 1999, and then over the next winter volunteered at least one afternoon a month when I was in town during my time in Lacombe. Most of the time I was there I was working pretty much full-time. And for a good part of it I had the dubious honour of being the only male on staff.

One of the things that gives people satisfaction in a job is the sense that what they are doing makes a difference. And working at Kids Kottage certainly did that. Maybe it was the relief I could see in parents as we met and talked either at intake or discharge, the very real sense that even if we could not make it all better they knew there was someone who cared. Or there was the Client Christmas Party where we had gift bags for the parents and our shock at how touched those parents were at these simple small gifts. Or the joy on the face of a child when you showed up for work (part of me is still astounded that I got paid to spend much of my day in a playroom or out on the playground). Or the difficult time of sitting with a mother as she had to call Child Welfare to say she needed help, that she was at the end of her rope coping with her special-needs child. A difference was being made every day.

An anniversary is a time for memories. And so I do want to share one of mine. I mentioned above that I was often the only male staff-person. That had some strangeness to it. There appeared to be a favourite game amongst my co-workers called “let's see how red we can make Gord get”. Everybody seemed to take great enjoyment at that one (some more than others—and they expressed that joy quite openly). The other strangeness was knowing that it pushed some of our clients to have to deal with a male intake worker. Never really bothered me. But then there were some parents who were openly uncomfortable with me who I later got to have really good discussions with.

One of the things the church asked of me as a part of my formation was to have an experience of social ministry. They had one idea of how I could do that – volunteering at the Bissel Centre. At the time I thought “but I have been living out social ministry for two years”. It may have been a job, but Kids Kottage was also part of my education. And so I thank you.

Earlier I called Kids Kottage a ministry. Many people might have referred to it as an institution or as and agency or as a service. But to me it is one of the ministries in which I have worked. We are all called to serve each other, some of us phrase it in religious terms, some of us don't. For me Kids Kottage was a place where that calling to serve each other was, and is, a place gets lived out every day. When people ask me what we did I would tell them to think of a reason a parent might need emergency child care. We had seen that, and probably a few most people would not think of. Many of us were blessed to grow up with parents who had lots of support. Many people don't get that chance. Kids Kottage is there. You are doing holy and important work. Blessings on 20 years of serving Edmonton families. Blessings on many more years of service to come.

An Open Letter to the Leaders of Alberta's Political Parties

Friends,
A week from tonight we will be listening to hear the results of the day's voting being announced.  Which means that we have had now 3 weeks of official electioneering (and at least a couple months of unofficial before that).  Things are heating up.

Over the last 3 weeks I have heard a lot of rhetoric.  Some I have liked, some I have strongly disliked, a lot I have pretty much ignored.  I have heard promises to balance the budget, to take care of Albertans, to improve the education and health systems.  I have heard people willing to actually discuss and a lot of people who were unwilling or unable to move off of designated talking points and enter into real discussion.  But I have not heard something I think very improtant.

If you are graced with the support of the most MLAs and so given the task of heading a government how will your government move to lift all Albertans out of poverty.  How will you ensure that every man, woman, and child in this province has safe and secure housing, a secure food supply, appropriate access to medical care (meaning both those things covered under Alberta Health Care and those things that are not--prescriptions, dental care, eye care...).  You all say you want to make Alberta a better place to live.  Often in my life I have heard about the "Alberta advantage" (which in reality was possibly more mythical than real in my experience).  A province that eliminates poverty, a province where all people have enough to live safely and comfortably.  Now that is something that is a true advantage.

And in the end lifting all Albertans out of poverty will help you accomplish your other goals.  It will grow the economy by leaps and bounds simply because people will be able to purchase things.  It will improve the efficacy of our education system because well-nourished children make for better students.  It will ease pressure on the health care system because living in poverty often has dire consequences for one's physical, emotional, and mental health.

You all want to make Alberta the best province to live in.  I take you at your word (even if I often disagree with your idea of what that means and how to get there).  A province with nobody living in poverty would be the envy of the rest of the country.  So how will you do it.

You have a week to tell me...

10 Years...and 20 Years too!

This picture was taken 10 years ago today -- before the actual wedding!  If they weren't in a box downstairs I would dig out the better ones--like the side view of me couched behind Patty holding the veil so it wouldn't blow in her face (slightly windy day up in Hillcrest Park) or the one taken at the church between pictures and service of Patty wearing an apron as a bib as she had a hamburger.

10 years, 4 daughters, a neurotic dog and a move across the country later she still puts up with me!  Happy Anniversary beautiful!


ANd now the 20 years...

As we enter into Labour Day weekend I realized that on Labour Day weekend 1992 I was getting to know my way around a new neighbourhood.

I had just moved to Saskatoon a week earlier, and was getting ready to embark on the next adventure.   Time to start studies at this school.  And it only took me 9 years to finish that!  (admittedly there were a few other adventures and a side trip or two along the path).

mmmm, What adventure shall we start this decade???   A new degree maybe???

An Intriguing Possibility

In the mail today was an envelope from the seminary I attended for my MDiv. Half expecting the latest fundraising letter I opened it up.

Instead was an invitation to consider enrolling in a new degree program. The college, in conjunction with two other seminaries on the UofS campus, has long offered an STM degree and I have often wondered about when (if?) I might go back to school to take such a thing.

But now the STU is offering a new STM degree. They have partnered to form an organization looking at issues in rural ministry (the website is still largely under construction) and are offering a STM in Rural Ministry and Community Development. The program description says:

...targeted towards rural clergy...interested in a rigorous program of interdisciplinary theological study aimed at helping rural ministers to lead their congregations in a more effective engagement within their communities.

It would be a 3-year program with 3 week-long intensive courses per year plus either a thesis or two additional courses for the non-thesis option. And it would blend theology with issues like rural health, rural culture, ecology, and community development. It truly sounds intriguing. Costly but intriguing. This will take some thought, and some negotiation with the M&P committee should I want to go forward with it.