Month: July 2006

As I devote increasing time and energy to re-tackling my commentary on the Epistle of James, I encounter a paradox. On one hand, I work best with fewest distractions; turn me loose with my Greek text and a lexicon, and I’ll happily translate and analyze at a high pitch of intensity.

Yet, as I delve more deeply into the Greek text, and as I mull over subtle exegetical problems, I feel an increasing need to look into the scholarly literature, to check for particular reference material online, to compare various commentaries to see whether some other interpreter has addressed the particular features of the text that intrigue me. And of course, the environment that makes all those reference materials available, also makes available a whole array of potential distractions.

Since I already have more to do than I could possibly accomplish, it occurs to me to begin planning an essay (possibly a short book) on the nature of theological evidence. I’d be drawing on one of my favorite books of theory (Questions of Evidence), on Edward Tufte’s work on information design (especially including his most recent book, which I ordered yesterday), and miscellaneous other essays and articles.

I don’t know what I’d find out, but I bet it would be worth the effort — if I had time and opportunity.

If we truly believe in the Holy Spirit’s power to effect reconciliation and conversion, none of us has anything to lose from keeping a very low threshold for motion into and out of communion with the Anglican Core. Indeed, if we love another and hold as a goal Jesus’ will for us to be one, we owe it to the Truth not to erect unnecessary barriers between “staying in” and “moving out,” and (again) to eventually returning.

To this extent, I’m inclined to support the Archbishop’s “two-tier” approach to communion — not because I believe people belong in an inner or outer circle, but because such a proposal befits a transitional stage in which the church discerns the shape of its loyalties. If a congregation could move relatively simply from one tier to the other, we could rely on the Spirit to gather faithful souls where they can visibly, effectively bear witness to the sanctity, faithfulness, and (yes) justice to which all are called.

If in the end, it’s hard to tell the difference between the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Communion (or whatever one might call the tiers), that itself might tell us something significant about our situation.

We brought Bea in for her summer haircut this morning, hoping to get her groomed before Margaret returned from moving Nate to Ann Arbor. Here she is, in her shaggy glory and in her shorn humility.

Margaret and Nate arrived safely this afternoon, and everyone’s exhausted — but the five of us are together for a week. What exciting adventures will we come up with? Maybe (in keeping with the family stereotype to which David linked) we should check out Who Killed the Electric Car?

I could’ve sworn that when I heard the Bush press conference Thursday morning, the President referred to “the United States and America” as two nations with a friendship one wouldn’t have predicted, since sixty years ago they were at war. But I haven’t heard or seen any follow-up to that, so maybe my ears deceived me.