Archive for the ‘history’ Category

As I was consuming the masterful television/literary hybrid finale of Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, I checked my phone for incoming text messages and updates from Twitter. One “tweet” read, “T-minus 30 minutes until #LOST is over forever.” I quickly responded, “False: it will live on.” The television series was much more than… well… a television series. Its powerful and essential themes were captured by the magical character development and acting genius of those like Naveen Andrews, Michael Emerson, and Terry O’Quinn.

Not only will the messages, themes, and characters of LOST remain in viewers’ hearts and minds but I anticipates a prequel. A sequel would be too much. I’ll explain this is a later post entitled, “LOST: How do you write your story?” However, the period pieces were so mysterious and broad that a contextual back-story could be masterful. The characters Jacob, his nameless brother, and Richard could all be developed further with others who existed in the ancient era. The character of the island (and its/his/her attributes could also be further mystified and/or deified.

More posts in the LOST series to be published daily.

Be present in today.

Our calendars tell us that one year has passed and another one is upon us. Do you become preoccupied with what you’ve done or didn’t do last year? Do you look forward to what might be ahead or dread the things that you know are coming?

Be present in today.

God is with us. Let us be with him.

I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t reflect or have vision. I am just wondering how much our lives become consumed with that which is not now. How much do you think about the past? How much do you think about the future? How much do you think about now – your current existence? Live in it.

Be present in today.

Disconnect

in a pink shirt the reporter speaks
his voice ripe with excitement while
behind him the Wave crashes over
and over the same bodies flung
like broken sticks which in an instant
they have become bundled into
body bags bulging on the shredded sand
though when we return we’ll hear
from one survivor in a wheelchair
whom we glimpse smiling as the scene
shifts to a woman waltzing across
her kitchen dazzles as she holds high
a ziplock bag not large enough for bodies
no but fruit she says stays fresh for days.

Sarah Rossiter
Published in Christian Century, May 29, 2007

Sarah and I were talking about all the hype surrounding the inauguration event for the 44th president of the United States. It is, indeed, fascinating to observe the opinions and thoughts of a people who all-too-typically refuse to recognize the limited power of a supposed leader of a national empire governed by hopes and aspirations to prove its greatness over-and-above all other empires. Though Barack Obama’s position is historic and formative with globally astounding implications, a new man in office is just that: a new man in office.

The monetary salary for the presidential office is approximately 400,000 U.S. dollars (I’m not quite sure what that is in Pounds or Japanese Yen). Sarah was amazed that the elected "leader" of a nation is paid a mere $400,000 compared to the multi-millions "earned" by athletic competitors in the same nation.^ Though the inauguration events fascinate and entertain me, I am more astounded when I consider that citizens complain about taxes that provide public services and government salaries yet "happily" spend great amounts of money on their favorite team jerseys or tickets to "the big game" which supply the salaries of professional athletes.

If one worships an empire, are gladiator-type events entertaining enough to ease one’s consciousness when the empire cannot sufficiently live up to its imposed messianic expectations?

^ Quotations indicate a term frequently used that may or may not be an adequate and/or correct descriptor.

© Clint Fisher. Aenon Fire.
Notes from my Moleskine at the .08 Envision Conference:

9.09A
06.09.08
Princeton University. NJ.
Alexander Hall
Plenary I:
History of Evangelicals with Randy Balmer
Professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University

Green v. Connely
June 30 1971: More influential than Roe v. Wade
Anyone discriminating against minorities is not a 501(c)3 active organization

1971 Southern Baptist Convention
Passed Resolution calling for legal abortion and members favored Roe v. Wade

Enter: Polarization of/by Religious Right

Evangelicals of the "right" were trying to defend and protect their own subculture

IRS went after Bob Jones University due to racial discrimination/other discrim.

Religious right appointed Ronald Reagan as their czar in 1980
.80 – Divorce was an operating issue so for Reagan the issues were shifted by the right from divorce to abortion and homosexuality
JESUS
is very clear about divorce but not abortion or homosexuality
Use of Scripture citation to support segregation and discrimination :: 20 years prior

"Intelligent Design" is one of the surest proofs for evolution
President Bush appointed a judge that turned down creation theory for text books
The canons of rational enlightenment do not determine life
To denegrate Genesis to the sciences is to flee God

Cornwall Declaration
Most cynical document signed by Dobson/Colston/etc. that empowers corporate to make decisions best for corporations

1st Amendment
Equal to those who deny the Holocaust are those who adhere that the founding fathers wanted to separate church and state
Roger Williams: Puritan in Massechusetts "Garden of Church Protected"
The church shouldn’t look to the government for sanctions
Truitt: Issues affirmation as a baptist that lines must not be blurred b/t church and state
Prayer in schools always exists
Faith doesn’t need approval from science or government
JESUS
is not interested in being an arbitor of religion
Recover the SCANDAL OF THE GOSPEL
:: Get quote from "Thy Kingdom Come"
___________
THE PRECEDING TEXT COPIED AND/OR ADAPTED FROM MY TYPED OR MOLESKINE RECORDED NOTES ON THE ENVISION CONFERENCE MAY OR MAY NOT BE MY OWN THOUGHTS AND MAY OR MAY NOT INCLUDE DIRECT CITATIONS OF ORATORS/FACILITATORS. THE ORATORS/FACILITATORS SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE CREDITED OR HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPECIFIC WORDS OR PHRASES THOUGH SOME WORDS ARE THEIR OWN.

All of my currently uploaded photos are available on Flickr accessible by the link to the left. Here is a small sampling:

Princeton is perfect. The perfect location. Well… not perfect… but good.
Envision ’08 [EV08] is being held at Princeton University. I’ve done a minimal to fair amount of historical research on Princeton both in a post-protestant-reformation course and independently. The study of religious development in the British colonization period has always fascinated me most particularly due to my interest in the protestant reformation and its movement from the halls in Germany throughout Switzerland and England and then ultimately to the land we now call the United States. I’ve also been astounded at the misunderstanding and appalling stances and language centering around the concept of “separation of church and state.” My undergraduate Senior Colloquium project was entitled “‘Separation of church and state’ cannot exist.”
Formerly The College of New Jersey, Princeton was the fourth college established in British North America preceded by Harvard, William and Mary, and Yale. As stated in the online document, Princeton University in the American Revolution, “The charter was issued to a self-perpetuating board of trustees who were acting in behalf of the evangelical or New Light wing of the Presbyterian Church, but the College had no legal or constitutional identification with that denomination. Its doors were to be open to all students, ‘any different sentiments in religion notwithstanding.’ The announced purpose of the founders was to train men who would become ‘ornaments of the State as well as the Church.’” I may deal in greater detail with the subject of “church and state” soon (as it is quite fitting for the EV08 theme of “the gospel, politics, and the future”).
The University is extremely rich in history yet the conference focuses on envisioning the future. I have to wonder if there was some ingenious creativity from the planning board in selecting the location. Aside from the implications given by Princeton’s existence as a premiere research university from which emerges great scholarship, leadership, and innovation, does the location suggest the necessity for the church to return to its ancient roots? What parts of church history need revisited and recovered? As the church progresses from the past should it/we also progress toward the past?