Where to Start

I've been guilty of asking friends to read this blog to gain some understanding of where I'm at. One (apparently) skipped the homework, (apparently) jumped to conclusions, and then recommended a therapist.

There's always been a sidebar section called "Getting Started," but I've just added links to the section called "Some Favorite Posts." It's not the whole blog, but it's good place to start.

The pitfalls of blogging anonymously

My biggest regret* about blogging anonymously is that I'm unable to share more about myself. I'm constantly editing—no place names, no personal references, no talk about where I work or geographical location or the weather. Nothing about where I grew up, or went to high school or college, how recently I did either, and who was there with me. Little about my family. Does my paranoia show?

Some moments I fantasize about the day I'll begin a post with the words "My name is [insert real name here]." What comes next will inevitably be bittersweet—there is no happy event that will push me toward disclosing my identity, but I'll also be glad at last to tell you the fuller story of who I am, where I came from, and how I got here. Still edited, but a different kind of editing.

Because I also imagine that being able to share more about me means that you'll feel more comfortable sharing more about you and your experiences. Being able to share more about our lives means better connections, and I can always use a few more of those.

Just so you know.

*"Regret" may not be the right word. Can't think of anything closer.

I am almost

I am
two spies short of trusting and
a slingshot shy of killing giants.
I am
tailgated by Baalish priests and
stuck in my own moat of unbelief.
I am
without an Eli to calm the dark and
whisper, "Go back and listen again."
I am
skin away from Davidic lures and
walking knee deep in floodplains.
I am
the eleventh leper who overslept and
the would-be mason that never went.
I am
wandering in a manmade desert and
my mind can't find the well.
I am
hands full of dirt without divine spit and
tugging on your robe like an idiot.
I am
standing underneath the cliff and
it's raining demonic pigs.
I am
up too high in the sycamore and
just one boat away from overhearing.

I am
almost.

Zach Kincaid

The Return of the Blogger aka Vera

So many things about which to blog. They're all sitting in folders, virtual and physical, waiting for the day in which I would take them up and write again. That day has now arrived.

The tiny statement that pushed me over the edge* comes from a recent Spectrum blog post by Bonnie Dwyer, in which she talks about Jan Paulsen's recent statement on origins. Here's the line:

With a six-day creation and evolution acknowledged as being necessary parts of an Adventist school curriculum, the statement stakes out new ground.

I've previously mentioned the two official church statements on the matter—An Affirmation of Creation and Response to an Affirmation of Creation—and it's worth quoting—again—from the first:

Creation is a foundational pillar in the entire system of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine—it bears direct relationship to many if not all other fundamental beliefs. Any alternative interpretation of the creation story needs to be examined in light of its impact on all other beliefs. Several of the Faith and Science Conferences reviewed alternative interpretations of Genesis 1, including the idea of theistic evolution. These other interpretations lack theological coherence with the whole of Scripture and reveal areas of inconsistency with the rest of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine. They are therefore unacceptable substitutes for the biblical doctrine of creation held by the church.

Any questions?

*And here you thought it would be the David Assherick dustup. You're not far from wrong, but other considerations prevented me from commenting on that in a timely fashion. That won't keep me from commenting on it in an untimely manner.

"Go back down the mountain...

"Go back down the mountain, my heart," Suukmel advised serenely. "Listen to Isaac’s music again. Remember what you thought when you first heard it. Know that if we are children of one God, we can make ourselves one family in time."

"And if God is just a song?" Ha'anala asked, alone and frightened.

Suukmel did not answer for a while. Finally she said, "Our task is the same."

Mary Doria Russell, Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

EGW shows up in the strangest places

All you SDAs know exactly what I thought when I saw this post title over at Pharyngula:

SOP for prophets

UPDATE: Ellen G. White is held to be a prophet in the Seventh-day Adventist church. She had visions; wrote books, articles, and countless letters; and was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The term "spirit of prophecy" is often used among Adventists to refer to her or to her writings. And it's sometimes abbreviated to SOP. I didn't even think twice when I read the headline—it took the article to clarify its meaning.

Some habits die hard.

Courage Campaign

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Watch it. Sign the letter. Tell your friends.