Augustine is quoted as saying of God "our hearts are resltess until they rest in Thee." I believe that is true. Every person is created by God and searches for ultimate meaning in their lives. This is basically a good thing because ultimate meaning can only find its fulfillment in the Ultimate Truth - God.
As a Christian, and as an ordained deacon Christ's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church; I find ultimate truth to be the Holy and Undivided Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I know this Trinity because of God's self-revelation through Holy Scripture and because of the Second Person of the Trnity's incarnation in Jesus Christ - who described himself as "the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)
Also, in my academic training, I have concentrations in science and math with a degree in Information Systems. In mathematics, I was trained to "prove" postulates and theorems. I was also trained in logical thinking and algorithm development (an algorithm is a step by step process to solve a problem in a finite number of unambiguous steps).
One of the reasons given for offering blessings of same sex unions (and ordaining men or women involved in same sex unions) is that science has "proven" that sexual orientation (at least for men) is not something that is chosen by the person. It is something that is, often, determined prior to birth. Now, I don't know that science has conclusively proven that sexual orientation is something determined prior to birth or shortly there after or if sexual orientation is deterministic at all. However, let's assume it is for the sake of argument.
The argument runs thus: Since people do not seem to have a choice in their sexual orientation, it must follow that they are created this way by God and, since God does not create sin, sexual orientation must not be sinful. Since the orientation is not sinful, then the physical expression of that orientation (within perscribed limits such as mutual monogamy and life long) must not be sinful. Since heterosexual expression is not sinful within marriage, homosexual expression must not be sinful within its marriage analog (or within marriage).
There are at least two problems with that statement. First is the definition of marriage, but that is another post. The second, and the one I want to tackle here, is that the reappraisers confuse "fact" with "truth." Facts are things that are. Human beings have two ears and one mouth. That is a fact. The Truth, on the other hand, describes the meaning behind the facts. We were designed to listen twice as much as we speak. That is a truth statement.
The problem here is that science and religion ask and answer very different questions. Science asks "what" and "how." Religion asks "who" and "why." When it comes to sexual orientation, science can speak to what and it is beginning to explain the how of orientation. But it still cannot proclaim the expression of that sexual orientation to be "good" or even morally neutral. That is the job for faith and religion.
Too many of our clergy and leaders in TEC today have made the enlightenment error of confusing "fact" and "truth." They seem to believe that because something "is" it is "good." They forget that all of creation is fallen and almost all of the things that are, are twisted out of their original design - sexuality included.
So, how do we know the "truth" rather than just the facts? The truth is known through the One who is the Truth - Jesus Christ. We look at God's self revelation in Holy Scripture and in Holy Tradition and we look at the reasoning of the whole Church on an issue. On this issue, Scripture, Tradtion, and reason are all in agreement that sexual expression is to be limited to the insitution of marriage - which is one man and one woman for life.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Friday, May 15, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Another Update on Leila and Andrew
I'm sorry that it has been a while since I updated you all on Leila and Andrew.
Leila is still in the hospital. It seems that the diagnosis of brain death was premature and she has started taking breaths on her own. This is a very traumatic time for the family. Please keep Leila in your prayers that God's will will be made known to the family and to the doctors and medical team that care for her. Also pray for the family (Jesus, Elaine, John, and Andrew, specifically) that they be given the grace to come through this nightmare and be brought closer to God and to each other.
On Friday, May 8th, we buried Melissa. She is a wonderful woman who loved Jesus and we know that she is now with her Lord. While the Communion of Saints is not part of her tradition, I know that Melissa is praying for her family while she is with our Lord in Heaven.
Please continue to pray for this situation. I admit that I am torn between praying for a complete and miraculous healing and for God to bring Leila home so that the family can have closure to this situation. Since I cannot choose between them, I pray for both outcomes and, above all, that I will know how to pray and that my will will be made one with God's will.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Leila is still in the hospital. It seems that the diagnosis of brain death was premature and she has started taking breaths on her own. This is a very traumatic time for the family. Please keep Leila in your prayers that God's will will be made known to the family and to the doctors and medical team that care for her. Also pray for the family (Jesus, Elaine, John, and Andrew, specifically) that they be given the grace to come through this nightmare and be brought closer to God and to each other.
On Friday, May 8th, we buried Melissa. She is a wonderful woman who loved Jesus and we know that she is now with her Lord. While the Communion of Saints is not part of her tradition, I know that Melissa is praying for her family while she is with our Lord in Heaven.
Please continue to pray for this situation. I admit that I am torn between praying for a complete and miraculous healing and for God to bring Leila home so that the family can have closure to this situation. Since I cannot choose between them, I pray for both outcomes and, above all, that I will know how to pray and that my will will be made one with God's will.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
What can you not do without
Over at his blog, The Creedal Christian, Fr. Bryan Owen submits that the only thing that is certain in this life is the Love of Jesus Christ. As a person who loves to quibble, I would say that it is the Love of God, made known by Jesus Christ - the incarnate Word of God.
That got me to thinking about an exercise I did as part of a Cursillo team a number of years ago. I don't remember the priest's name, but that is probably a good thing. Good priests (like good deacons) are memorable for what they teach and how they live, not for their name or fame.
I would ask that you try this at home as you read this post.
First mentally draw a circle around yourself. Put everything you like to have inside the circle and then everything you don't like about yourself or your life outside the circle.
Next, draw a smaller circle and included only the things you feel necessary to life and love - exclude everything else.
Finally, draw a still smaller circle and put into it the one thing you cannot do without.
My brothers and sisters. If that one thing in the smallest circle with you is your family or your spouse or your job or your home or your children or anything other than Jesus Christ (or the Holy Trinity), then you are guilty of idolatry. That may sound harsh, but it is the truth.
God does not want part of us and will not be satisified with 10% of our lives. God wants all of us. God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him completely and totally. This surrender takes time and effort. At times it is very joyous as we are relieved of a burden we didn't know we were carrying. At times it can seem like a little death as we surrender something that we love about ourselves. As Thomas Merton said, we tend to surrender to God last those things we love about ourselves most.
Ask yourself - what have you not yet surrendered to God?
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
That got me to thinking about an exercise I did as part of a Cursillo team a number of years ago. I don't remember the priest's name, but that is probably a good thing. Good priests (like good deacons) are memorable for what they teach and how they live, not for their name or fame.
I would ask that you try this at home as you read this post.
First mentally draw a circle around yourself. Put everything you like to have inside the circle and then everything you don't like about yourself or your life outside the circle.
Next, draw a smaller circle and included only the things you feel necessary to life and love - exclude everything else.
Finally, draw a still smaller circle and put into it the one thing you cannot do without.
My brothers and sisters. If that one thing in the smallest circle with you is your family or your spouse or your job or your home or your children or anything other than Jesus Christ (or the Holy Trinity), then you are guilty of idolatry. That may sound harsh, but it is the truth.
God does not want part of us and will not be satisified with 10% of our lives. God wants all of us. God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him completely and totally. This surrender takes time and effort. At times it is very joyous as we are relieved of a burden we didn't know we were carrying. At times it can seem like a little death as we surrender something that we love about ourselves. As Thomas Merton said, we tend to surrender to God last those things we love about ourselves most.
Ask yourself - what have you not yet surrendered to God?
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Monday, May 04, 2009
Is it True vs Does it Work?
As Americans, we are often accused of "materialism." I believe that is a false accusation. Our art and architecture is simply too ugly to be materialist. Most of our large buildings are glass boxes with variations on a utilitarian shape and function. Our consumer goods are generally not ornate. Functional utilitarianism is the norm in our designs.
No, we are not materialists. Americans are functionalists consumers. We are concerned with what something does for or to us. We are generally very self focused.
Our approach to religion and faith is the same as our approach to consumer goods. We are always looking for "the better deal." Just as we want maximum reward for minimum input when purchasing a car or computer, we also want the maximum spiritual reward for minimum input. It seems that too many people want to be "spiritual" but are looking for the shortest path to spirituality.
The result of this functionalism and consumerism is that those who want to find a spiritual home often move from congregation to congregation or denomination to denomination looking for a church family that suits them. They look for a good music program or nice preaching or beautiful or simple liturgy. The look for a vibrant and fun youth group with "cool" youth ministers.
And, just as we have no problem owing both a Toyota and a GM at the same time, we also don't have a real problem with mixing and matching our religious doctrines to suit ourselves. It sounds so nice to say that everyone goes to heaven. It sounds so good to say that God wants us to be happy and rich. As a consumer, I can pick this part of Christianity and that part of Buddhism and this other part from society to form a "unified" whole that fits me. The question that we ask is not "is it true?" The question we ask all too often is "Does it work for me?"
One of Satan's greatest victories is to get us to stop focusing on eternal truth. This occurred because of the Eternal Truth that we each understand the Truth a little differently. So, there is a certain element of "my truth" and "your truth." Earlier people also believed that each person understood the Truth a little differently. But they still agreed that there was objective Truth and that the measure of a good argument was how close it came or how much better it showed the Truth.
Today, too many people don't believe in Objective Truth. They are only concerned with "how's that working for you?" Instead of Bishop Fulton Sheen or the Rev. Billy Graham speaking to us about sin and redemption and eternal life, we now have Dr. Phil and Oprah asking us to see how this works.
So, we devise our own religions that "work" for us. We don't ask anyone else to follow our religion or our spirituality. We even have religious leaders willing to tell us that we can do this because to do otherwise would be "inauthentic" to our "true selves."
This is American Religion. We no longer are concerned with Truth because functionality is so much easier to measure. It doesn't require a lot of skull sweat to determine if something works for us (defined as makes us feel better about ourselves). It doesn't require changing a lot in our lives and it certainly doesn't require that we die to self. In fact, consumerists spirituality is the ultimate celebration of the self!
Jesus did not come to make us feel better about ourselves. He did not come to increase our self-esteem or to bring us to self-actualization. Jesus Christ came to help us die to ourselves so that we can be raised to new life.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
No, we are not materialists. Americans are functionalists consumers. We are concerned with what something does for or to us. We are generally very self focused.
Our approach to religion and faith is the same as our approach to consumer goods. We are always looking for "the better deal." Just as we want maximum reward for minimum input when purchasing a car or computer, we also want the maximum spiritual reward for minimum input. It seems that too many people want to be "spiritual" but are looking for the shortest path to spirituality.
The result of this functionalism and consumerism is that those who want to find a spiritual home often move from congregation to congregation or denomination to denomination looking for a church family that suits them. They look for a good music program or nice preaching or beautiful or simple liturgy. The look for a vibrant and fun youth group with "cool" youth ministers.
And, just as we have no problem owing both a Toyota and a GM at the same time, we also don't have a real problem with mixing and matching our religious doctrines to suit ourselves. It sounds so nice to say that everyone goes to heaven. It sounds so good to say that God wants us to be happy and rich. As a consumer, I can pick this part of Christianity and that part of Buddhism and this other part from society to form a "unified" whole that fits me. The question that we ask is not "is it true?" The question we ask all too often is "Does it work for me?"
One of Satan's greatest victories is to get us to stop focusing on eternal truth. This occurred because of the Eternal Truth that we each understand the Truth a little differently. So, there is a certain element of "my truth" and "your truth." Earlier people also believed that each person understood the Truth a little differently. But they still agreed that there was objective Truth and that the measure of a good argument was how close it came or how much better it showed the Truth.
Today, too many people don't believe in Objective Truth. They are only concerned with "how's that working for you?" Instead of Bishop Fulton Sheen or the Rev. Billy Graham speaking to us about sin and redemption and eternal life, we now have Dr. Phil and Oprah asking us to see how this works.
So, we devise our own religions that "work" for us. We don't ask anyone else to follow our religion or our spirituality. We even have religious leaders willing to tell us that we can do this because to do otherwise would be "inauthentic" to our "true selves."
This is American Religion. We no longer are concerned with Truth because functionality is so much easier to measure. It doesn't require a lot of skull sweat to determine if something works for us (defined as makes us feel better about ourselves). It doesn't require changing a lot in our lives and it certainly doesn't require that we die to self. In fact, consumerists spirituality is the ultimate celebration of the self!
Jesus did not come to make us feel better about ourselves. He did not come to increase our self-esteem or to bring us to self-actualization. Jesus Christ came to help us die to ourselves so that we can be raised to new life.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Update on Leila and Andrew
I received word that it looks like Leila will not live. Her head injury was just too great.
The cup we are give is very bitter, but God will help us to drink it and will use it to nourish us in the long run.
Sometimes there is no "why." Why her? I don't know. Why Melissa? I don't know. Why does Jesus (Leila's father) have to endure this? I don't know. Why does Elaine have to lose both her children to tragic accidents? I don't know.
I do know that God did not cause this accident to teach us something. I do know that neither Jesus, Melissa, Elaine, nor Leila did anything special to deserve this. God does not cause tragedy to teach us.
But God can teach us in tragedy. There is nothing that God cannot redeem. I believe that the greatest jewels in our heavenly crown will be made out of the tragedies of our lives - if we turn them over to God.
Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy child, Leila. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of thy mercy. Amen.
May Leila's soul rest in peace and may it rise in Glory!
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Please pray for Jesus, Elaine, John, and their entire families (including me and my wife).
The cup we are give is very bitter, but God will help us to drink it and will use it to nourish us in the long run.
Sometimes there is no "why." Why her? I don't know. Why Melissa? I don't know. Why does Jesus (Leila's father) have to endure this? I don't know. Why does Elaine have to lose both her children to tragic accidents? I don't know.
I do know that God did not cause this accident to teach us something. I do know that neither Jesus, Melissa, Elaine, nor Leila did anything special to deserve this. God does not cause tragedy to teach us.
But God can teach us in tragedy. There is nothing that God cannot redeem. I believe that the greatest jewels in our heavenly crown will be made out of the tragedies of our lives - if we turn them over to God.
Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy child, Leila. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of thy mercy. Amen.
May Leila's soul rest in peace and may it rise in Glory!
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Please pray for Jesus, Elaine, John, and their entire families (including me and my wife).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
On Prayer
Given my last post, prayer has taken on a greater focus in my life. Especially praying for unlikely outcomes. I believe (I faith) that God can perform a miracle and bring to full health even the dead.
I pray as I am able and I pray for what I want. In Leila's example, I want a complete healing for her and for her family.
But, following the example of our Lord, I also pray that God's will be done. What I deem may be best for the family (Leila's health) may not be what God knows is best or what is God's will. I do not belive that God will's our deaths or our pains. But God does will us joy and presence with Him.
So, how then should I pray? Should I pray for the miracle? Should I pray for God's will to be done? Should I pray that I come to understand God's will in any given matter?
As an Anglican, my answer to those questions is yes! I pray that God grant us a miracle. that God will intervene and bring Leila to full health and wholeness. I pray that no one will be able to deny the healing that only God can give and that others are brought to deeper faith in God through His power working on Leila and her brother. This is my intercession and my petition. In this prayer, I ask for God to work in and through us. Here is where I make my will known to God. I ask that this cup pass us by - the cup we are drinking is already sufficiently bitter.
I also pray that God will do what He knows is best for us - that His perfect will be known to us and be effected in our lives. This is the prayer of submission. Here I humbly accept that God knows better for me than I do and that He knows better for Leila and her family than I do. I submit myself to God's will. This is where I say that I will drink the cup and drain it to the dregs if that is what God wants me to do.
I also pray that I may understand God's will in this matter. I pray that, no matter what God does, that I can see where it is best for Leila, her family, my family, and me. This where where I ask God to help me drink the cup and help others drink it too (as necessary).
The cup our Lord drank on those Three Days was bitter and terrible. It was filled with pain, sin, anger, and hatred. But, out of the dregs of that cup came salvation for all who believe.
I don't know what the cup before me contains - let alone what the cup before my family contains. I don't know if it will be sweet or bitter. But I do know that God can and will use this cup before me to bring me closer to Him.
Pray that I will have the grace to minister to my extended family and help them to see that the cup will be nourishing to their souls if they ask God to help them drink it.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
I pray as I am able and I pray for what I want. In Leila's example, I want a complete healing for her and for her family.
But, following the example of our Lord, I also pray that God's will be done. What I deem may be best for the family (Leila's health) may not be what God knows is best or what is God's will. I do not belive that God will's our deaths or our pains. But God does will us joy and presence with Him.
So, how then should I pray? Should I pray for the miracle? Should I pray for God's will to be done? Should I pray that I come to understand God's will in any given matter?
As an Anglican, my answer to those questions is yes! I pray that God grant us a miracle. that God will intervene and bring Leila to full health and wholeness. I pray that no one will be able to deny the healing that only God can give and that others are brought to deeper faith in God through His power working on Leila and her brother. This is my intercession and my petition. In this prayer, I ask for God to work in and through us. Here is where I make my will known to God. I ask that this cup pass us by - the cup we are drinking is already sufficiently bitter.
I also pray that God will do what He knows is best for us - that His perfect will be known to us and be effected in our lives. This is the prayer of submission. Here I humbly accept that God knows better for me than I do and that He knows better for Leila and her family than I do. I submit myself to God's will. This is where I say that I will drink the cup and drain it to the dregs if that is what God wants me to do.
I also pray that I may understand God's will in this matter. I pray that, no matter what God does, that I can see where it is best for Leila, her family, my family, and me. This where where I ask God to help me drink the cup and help others drink it too (as necessary).
The cup our Lord drank on those Three Days was bitter and terrible. It was filled with pain, sin, anger, and hatred. But, out of the dregs of that cup came salvation for all who believe.
I don't know what the cup before me contains - let alone what the cup before my family contains. I don't know if it will be sweet or bitter. But I do know that God can and will use this cup before me to bring me closer to Him.
Pray that I will have the grace to minister to my extended family and help them to see that the cup will be nourishing to their souls if they ask God to help them drink it.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Monday, April 27, 2009
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
This afternoon, my family was hit with a tragedy.
Elaine, my sister-in-law (my wife's brother's wife) lost her daughter, Melissa, in a tragic car accident. Three years and two weeks ago, Elaine lost her son in another car accident.
On top of losing her two children to tragic accidents, her grand daughter, Leila (age 2), was seriously injured in the accident. She has massive head trauma and her brain is swelling. Also, the neurologist said that Leila's CT Scan showed a brain suffering from oxygen deprivation, so it is likely that Leila will not recover fully even if she survives the brain trauma. That way that the doctor talked, it seems likely that Leila will also die as a result of the accident.
Please pray for Leila - that God would work a miracle and bring healing and health to her.
Please pray for Jesus, Leila's father who just lost his wife and is looking at losing is baby girl.
Please pray for Andrew (age 5), Leila's brother, who was also injured in the accident but is not facing life threatening injuries - just broken bones and those heal.
Please pray for Elaine and John (Elaine's husband) as they face this tragedy together.
Please keep the entire Snyder, Poindexter, and Juarez families in your prayer for the next several days. I will send an update when I have more information.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Update - 4/28/2009 - I spoke with the family earlier today. Leila's prognosis is unchanged, but she is showing some responsiveness and they've reduced the pressure inside her skull. Andrew had a bit of a rough night as the pain meds wore off. They are trying to get him scheduled for surgery to set his bones today, but that my not work out. Please continue your prayers. - pls.
Update #2 - 4/28/2009 - I just spoke with my wife who is at the hospital with her family. Andrew had surgery today to set his legs and (I assume) his pelvis. The surgery went well and they are managing his pain. Please continue to pray for Andrew's recovery along with a miracle for Leila. - pls
Elaine, my sister-in-law (my wife's brother's wife) lost her daughter, Melissa, in a tragic car accident. Three years and two weeks ago, Elaine lost her son in another car accident.
On top of losing her two children to tragic accidents, her grand daughter, Leila (age 2), was seriously injured in the accident. She has massive head trauma and her brain is swelling. Also, the neurologist said that Leila's CT Scan showed a brain suffering from oxygen deprivation, so it is likely that Leila will not recover fully even if she survives the brain trauma. That way that the doctor talked, it seems likely that Leila will also die as a result of the accident.
Please pray for Leila - that God would work a miracle and bring healing and health to her.
Please pray for Jesus, Leila's father who just lost his wife and is looking at losing is baby girl.
Please pray for Andrew (age 5), Leila's brother, who was also injured in the accident but is not facing life threatening injuries - just broken bones and those heal.
Please pray for Elaine and John (Elaine's husband) as they face this tragedy together.
Please keep the entire Snyder, Poindexter, and Juarez families in your prayer for the next several days. I will send an update when I have more information.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Update - 4/28/2009 - I spoke with the family earlier today. Leila's prognosis is unchanged, but she is showing some responsiveness and they've reduced the pressure inside her skull. Andrew had a bit of a rough night as the pain meds wore off. They are trying to get him scheduled for surgery to set his bones today, but that my not work out. Please continue your prayers. - pls.
Update #2 - 4/28/2009 - I just spoke with my wife who is at the hospital with her family. Andrew had surgery today to set his legs and (I assume) his pelvis. The surgery went well and they are managing his pain. Please continue to pray for Andrew's recovery along with a miracle for Leila. - pls
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Forrester and the Ordination Process
A blog post by Greg Griffith at Stand Firm shows that Bishop elect Forrester re-wrote the liturgy for Baptism and for the Eucharist for Easter, 2008. I am not going to do a point by point reffutation of what Forrester has written. Others have done that much better than I (see here for a great example).
I think he is trying to be true to the faith as he understands it and THAT IS THE MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH TODAY.
For the past several decades, we have stopped doing the hard work of discernment in our ordination process for deacons and priests. The majority of dioceses no longer concern themselves with trying to verify that the Aspirant has any formation as a Christian - that (s)he understands and can articulate the faith in a way that shows they can form other Christians - before sending the aspirant off to seminary.
During the years at seminary, too many postulants and candidates are not interviewed to verify that they still hold, understand, and can articulate the faith. Too many are sent to seminary because they can successfully negotiate The Process (queue dramatic chord), not because they have a valid call to be priests and have received sufficient formation in the lay order before moving on to academic formation for the clerical order. Not having a good grounding in the faith, they are unprepared to discern between wheat and chaff in what they learn academically. In order to make good grades in seminary, they start writing papers that get good grades and they start to believe what they write.
My dad was ordained in the 1980s and he told me "If you can get out of seminary with your faith intact, you should be ordained because seminary will test your faith like nothing else." I believe there is a lot of truth to that, but too many bishops, COMs, and standing committees don't seem to check that last part - that the person believes the Faith, understands the Faith, and can teach the Faith.
What we have substituted instead is Process. Step 1, meet with the Bishop (or representative). Step 2, jump through the hoops put out by the COM etc. We have substituted process for discernment. We have substituted subjective "I sense a call" for objective "John understands the faith and can articulate and teach it."
Now, I have nothing against the Ordination Process per se. I learned an great deal about ministry and about the faith during my discernment process and my ordination process. I had a lot of my assumptions challenged and I am very glad that I went through the process. But (and this is a huge) the COM and the Standing Committee both asked me questions concerning my understanding of the faith and challenged me on several issues. They did their jobs.
One problem I see now in TEC is that too many priests and deacons lack the basic formation as Christians, let alone priests and deacons. And it is from the Priests that we take our Bishops. We have too many people in positions of authority and influence that are not willing to tell a nice person "no" if they don't understand the Faith, can't explain it, and can't teach it.
Jesus Christ did not defeat death to make us nice. Jesus Christ defeated death so that we could die with him and be raised to new life. I wish more priests and deacons (and bishops) would understand and teach that.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
I think he is trying to be true to the faith as he understands it and THAT IS THE MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH TODAY.
For the past several decades, we have stopped doing the hard work of discernment in our ordination process for deacons and priests. The majority of dioceses no longer concern themselves with trying to verify that the Aspirant has any formation as a Christian - that (s)he understands and can articulate the faith in a way that shows they can form other Christians - before sending the aspirant off to seminary.
During the years at seminary, too many postulants and candidates are not interviewed to verify that they still hold, understand, and can articulate the faith. Too many are sent to seminary because they can successfully negotiate The Process (queue dramatic chord), not because they have a valid call to be priests and have received sufficient formation in the lay order before moving on to academic formation for the clerical order. Not having a good grounding in the faith, they are unprepared to discern between wheat and chaff in what they learn academically. In order to make good grades in seminary, they start writing papers that get good grades and they start to believe what they write.
My dad was ordained in the 1980s and he told me "If you can get out of seminary with your faith intact, you should be ordained because seminary will test your faith like nothing else." I believe there is a lot of truth to that, but too many bishops, COMs, and standing committees don't seem to check that last part - that the person believes the Faith, understands the Faith, and can teach the Faith.
What we have substituted instead is Process. Step 1, meet with the Bishop (or representative). Step 2, jump through the hoops put out by the COM etc. We have substituted process for discernment. We have substituted subjective "I sense a call" for objective "John understands the faith and can articulate and teach it."
Now, I have nothing against the Ordination Process per se. I learned an great deal about ministry and about the faith during my discernment process and my ordination process. I had a lot of my assumptions challenged and I am very glad that I went through the process. But (and this is a huge) the COM and the Standing Committee both asked me questions concerning my understanding of the faith and challenged me on several issues. They did their jobs.
One problem I see now in TEC is that too many priests and deacons lack the basic formation as Christians, let alone priests and deacons. And it is from the Priests that we take our Bishops. We have too many people in positions of authority and influence that are not willing to tell a nice person "no" if they don't understand the Faith, can't explain it, and can't teach it.
Jesus Christ did not defeat death to make us nice. Jesus Christ defeated death so that we could die with him and be raised to new life. I wish more priests and deacons (and bishops) would understand and teach that.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Prayer Request
My life has been more full than normal.
I am in the midst of a major project at work that is consuming my nights and weekends. The last several weeks have been spent thusly:
1. March 29 - 2 mock go-lives run. Kairos team meeting all day Saturday, another mock go live over the weekend.
2. April 5 - Holy week. I spent the afternoon at work. We had a Mass of Colegiality and Renewal of Vows on Tuesday, a Seder at Church on Wednesday, Maundy Thursday (I preached), Good Friday, and the Great Vigil. Saturday was spent catching up on all the work I could not get done on the Wednesday or Thursday evening or when I was preparing my Thursday Sermon and my Kairos Talk.
3. April 12 - Easter Week. I went straight from Holy Week/Easter Day to Kairos on Wednesday afternoon thru the following Sunday. I had to solve a work problem via the phone on Thursday.
4. April 19 - This is go-live week. I've spent every night in front of the computer trying to solve last minute problems. I will miss the Kairos followup this weekend because of go-live.
5. Next week will be post go-live support.
When this project is over, I am going to have a nervous breakdown. I've worked for it. I've earned it. And no one will deprive me of it. :)
Please pray that I will be given the strength and wisdom to complete the tasks assigned to me.
Please pray that my team and customer have a successful upgrade and conversion and that their new system provides what they need to effectively and efficiently run their business.
Also, please pray for the Kairos family of St. John at Coffield as they meet this weekend. Pray that they will continue to be overwhelmed by God's agape love and that those who did not make a decision to follow Jesus will do so.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
I am in the midst of a major project at work that is consuming my nights and weekends. The last several weeks have been spent thusly:
1. March 29 - 2 mock go-lives run. Kairos team meeting all day Saturday, another mock go live over the weekend.
2. April 5 - Holy week. I spent the afternoon at work. We had a Mass of Colegiality and Renewal of Vows on Tuesday, a Seder at Church on Wednesday, Maundy Thursday (I preached), Good Friday, and the Great Vigil. Saturday was spent catching up on all the work I could not get done on the Wednesday or Thursday evening or when I was preparing my Thursday Sermon and my Kairos Talk.
3. April 12 - Easter Week. I went straight from Holy Week/Easter Day to Kairos on Wednesday afternoon thru the following Sunday. I had to solve a work problem via the phone on Thursday.
4. April 19 - This is go-live week. I've spent every night in front of the computer trying to solve last minute problems. I will miss the Kairos followup this weekend because of go-live.
5. Next week will be post go-live support.
When this project is over, I am going to have a nervous breakdown. I've worked for it. I've earned it. And no one will deprive me of it. :)
Please pray that I will be given the strength and wisdom to complete the tasks assigned to me.
Please pray that my team and customer have a successful upgrade and conversion and that their new system provides what they need to effectively and efficiently run their business.
Also, please pray for the Kairos family of St. John at Coffield as they meet this weekend. Pray that they will continue to be overwhelmed by God's agape love and that those who did not make a decision to follow Jesus will do so.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Monday, April 20, 2009
Serving God
As I just returned from a Kairos prison ministry weekend, I was struck by the great amount of service that many volunteers give.
I am faithful in my Kairos ministry. I go to the reunions (making about 9-10 a year) and serving 1-2 Kairos weekends a year (depending on the date of the fall weekend - they often schedule the fall weekend for Coffield on the same weekend as Diocesan Convention). But I am not as faithful a servant as many others in Kairos. Duncan (my table leader this weekend) serves two units and is active in AA and other ministries. Jim and Gary serve as volunteer chaplains and spend many weekends and weekday evenings at the unit.
One problem with too many in the Church today is that they want Jesus as savior, but not as Lord. They want to worship, but not to serve. Or, as a friend of mine once put it, a lot of people want to serve God - they just want to serve Him as advisors.
When you look at your life, ask yourselve how Jesus is manifested as Lord in your life. Where is your obedience to your Lord? Where is your service to your Lord? Having Jesus as Savior is rather easy. Having Jesus as Lord is much more difficult. During the Great 50 Days, has yourself how Jesus is Lord is manifest in your life and how you can show it forth.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
I am faithful in my Kairos ministry. I go to the reunions (making about 9-10 a year) and serving 1-2 Kairos weekends a year (depending on the date of the fall weekend - they often schedule the fall weekend for Coffield on the same weekend as Diocesan Convention). But I am not as faithful a servant as many others in Kairos. Duncan (my table leader this weekend) serves two units and is active in AA and other ministries. Jim and Gary serve as volunteer chaplains and spend many weekends and weekday evenings at the unit.
One problem with too many in the Church today is that they want Jesus as savior, but not as Lord. They want to worship, but not to serve. Or, as a friend of mine once put it, a lot of people want to serve God - they just want to serve Him as advisors.
When you look at your life, ask yourselve how Jesus is manifested as Lord in your life. Where is your obedience to your Lord? Where is your service to your Lord? Having Jesus as Savior is rather easy. Having Jesus as Lord is much more difficult. During the Great 50 Days, has yourself how Jesus is Lord is manifest in your life and how you can show it forth.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Kairos - Thank You For Your Prayers
I am very tired - but it is a good tired. I got home from Kairos #27 at Coffield at about 8:30 last night. I was so stoked that I didn't get to sleep until about 11:00 - although I went to bed at 9:30pm.
I hosted two participants. A host's job in Kairos is to be a friend and contact for the weekend. I met my participants for cookies, fruit, and coffee each morning and checked on them during the day.
Thursday started slow (as is normal).
Friday, my participants opened up a little bit. One described himself as one with one foot in the Church and one in the world. The other one was very reserved and said he didn't really need other people.
I gave the "Friendship with God" talk on Friday in which we showed the men that God isn't looking for them to sin, but is reaching out to them for a relationship with them. I also gave a quick homily on Isaiah 49 - where God says that He has inscribed us on His hands.
Saturday, I had the joy of hearing an inmate's confession of faith in Jesus Christ as he said he was tired of fighting and being defeated. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Sunday, one of the two participants I was hosting also made a confession of faith and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The other participant I was hosting also made a confession of faith to his family leader.
Please continue to pray for the men. Particularly the men who I heard either commit for the first time or recommit. Pray for Robert, Jessie A., Jessie T, Albert, Beck, Steven, and Juan.
There is one man who pointedly did not commit to Jesus, but said he would think about it. "Joe" is a rather intellectual person who is well read and philosophy and theology. I didn't get a chance to talk with him too much, but his father was an Odinist (Norse Pagan) and both his father and grand father spent significant time in prison. Pray that God would enlighten Joe's heart and mind to understand the His truth.
Again, thank you for the prayers and support for the weekend. While the struggles of TEC are many (and one of the Coffield Chaplains joked with me about TEC and its struggles), they pale in comparison to the work of reaching the lost and forgotten with the reconciling love of God and His power to make all things new. If only TEC's leadership knew the love of God and submitted to His will. But it is infinitely harder to convince those that think they are saved that they need salvation. Those who know they are lost already know their need.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
I hosted two participants. A host's job in Kairos is to be a friend and contact for the weekend. I met my participants for cookies, fruit, and coffee each morning and checked on them during the day.
Thursday started slow (as is normal).
Friday, my participants opened up a little bit. One described himself as one with one foot in the Church and one in the world. The other one was very reserved and said he didn't really need other people.
I gave the "Friendship with God" talk on Friday in which we showed the men that God isn't looking for them to sin, but is reaching out to them for a relationship with them. I also gave a quick homily on Isaiah 49 - where God says that He has inscribed us on His hands.
Saturday, I had the joy of hearing an inmate's confession of faith in Jesus Christ as he said he was tired of fighting and being defeated. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Sunday, one of the two participants I was hosting also made a confession of faith and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The other participant I was hosting also made a confession of faith to his family leader.
Please continue to pray for the men. Particularly the men who I heard either commit for the first time or recommit. Pray for Robert, Jessie A., Jessie T, Albert, Beck, Steven, and Juan.
There is one man who pointedly did not commit to Jesus, but said he would think about it. "Joe" is a rather intellectual person who is well read and philosophy and theology. I didn't get a chance to talk with him too much, but his father was an Odinist (Norse Pagan) and both his father and grand father spent significant time in prison. Pray that God would enlighten Joe's heart and mind to understand the His truth.
Again, thank you for the prayers and support for the weekend. While the struggles of TEC are many (and one of the Coffield Chaplains joked with me about TEC and its struggles), they pale in comparison to the work of reaching the lost and forgotten with the reconciling love of God and His power to make all things new. If only TEC's leadership knew the love of God and submitted to His will. But it is infinitely harder to convince those that think they are saved that they need salvation. Those who know they are lost already know their need.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Which Jesus will you follow?
There has been a lot written and read and said about The Rev. Forrester's elevation to the Episcopate. Many are concerned that He is a "Buddhist Christian" because he practices Zen Buddhist meditation techniques. Many are concerned that his (s)election process was uncanonical and some are concerned about his Christology and Theology.
Also in the news is the impending deposition of Ann Holmes Reading for trying to be both a practicing Muslim and an Episcopal Priest.
The problem is not just with them. While both are responsible for their beliefs and actions, they are also the results of formation gone very wrong.
Too many clergy that I've read about or corresponded with and too many "liberal" or reappraising books I've read speak Jesus as a person who is just like us, but knows God's love for him much more than we do. In their theology, Jesus is simply a person with hightened spiritual awareness.
This Jesus is very attractive to many people. He shows that we, too, can aspire to special divinity by becoming mor aware of our natural divinity as children of God.
The problem is that this Jesus doesn't require our death. This Jesus doesn't require a whole lot from us. This Jesus doesn't judge us or himself. If we are divine, then there is no judgement.
This Jesus has the power of a warm fuzzy. Something that makes us feel good about ourselves and about our lives, but doesn't change us.
You have a choice in which Jesus you will follow. Will you follow the Jesus - the Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father - the Second Person of the Trinity complete both in human nature and in divine nature - the unique Incarnation who suffered and died for us to reconcile us to God and then rose victorious from the grave after defeating death and sin? Will you come and die with Jesus so you can be raised in New Life and participate in his victory over sin and death?
Or will you follow Jesus the warm fuzzy. Will you let this Jesus make you nice and a warm fuzzy yourself?
Warm fuzzies are not stronger than death.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Also in the news is the impending deposition of Ann Holmes Reading for trying to be both a practicing Muslim and an Episcopal Priest.
The problem is not just with them. While both are responsible for their beliefs and actions, they are also the results of formation gone very wrong.
Too many clergy that I've read about or corresponded with and too many "liberal" or reappraising books I've read speak Jesus as a person who is just like us, but knows God's love for him much more than we do. In their theology, Jesus is simply a person with hightened spiritual awareness.
This Jesus is very attractive to many people. He shows that we, too, can aspire to special divinity by becoming mor aware of our natural divinity as children of God.
The problem is that this Jesus doesn't require our death. This Jesus doesn't require a whole lot from us. This Jesus doesn't judge us or himself. If we are divine, then there is no judgement.
This Jesus has the power of a warm fuzzy. Something that makes us feel good about ourselves and about our lives, but doesn't change us.
You have a choice in which Jesus you will follow. Will you follow the Jesus - the Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father - the Second Person of the Trinity complete both in human nature and in divine nature - the unique Incarnation who suffered and died for us to reconcile us to God and then rose victorious from the grave after defeating death and sin? Will you come and die with Jesus so you can be raised in New Life and participate in his victory over sin and death?
Or will you follow Jesus the warm fuzzy. Will you let this Jesus make you nice and a warm fuzzy yourself?
Warm fuzzies are not stronger than death.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It's Kairos Time Again!
Once again, I will be part of a team that will be visiting Jesus in Prison. From April 16th through April 19t, I will be in the Coffield Unit in Texas visiting our Lord and spreading His message of love, reconciliation, and the call to be made new among 42 inmates.
For the people that may read this, I have a request. I know many of you are interested in things concerning the Episcopal Church. There are those who disagree with me and those who agree with me on what should happen in TEC and the Anglican Communion. I am asking that we set these things aside and commit to pray for the 42 inmates at Coffield that will be participating in the Kairos weekend.
If you will pray for the weekend, please leave a comment here with your actual name (first name is suffiient) and the city and country in which you will be praying.
We write the names on strips of paper and then form those strips into a "prayer chain." We wrap that chain around the place where we are holding the weekend as a visible reminder to the team that Prayer is what sustains and upholds us in ministry and to the inmates as a visible reminder that thousands of people from around the world are praying for them.
Please add your name to those who will pray for the men at Coffield.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
For the people that may read this, I have a request. I know many of you are interested in things concerning the Episcopal Church. There are those who disagree with me and those who agree with me on what should happen in TEC and the Anglican Communion. I am asking that we set these things aside and commit to pray for the 42 inmates at Coffield that will be participating in the Kairos weekend.
If you will pray for the weekend, please leave a comment here with your actual name (first name is suffiient) and the city and country in which you will be praying.
We write the names on strips of paper and then form those strips into a "prayer chain." We wrap that chain around the place where we are holding the weekend as a visible reminder to the team that Prayer is what sustains and upholds us in ministry and to the inmates as a visible reminder that thousands of people from around the world are praying for them.
Please add your name to those who will pray for the men at Coffield.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Break - with music
The last week and a half has been busier than most - thus the lack of blog posts. I had to prepare a Lay Eucharistic Minister (actually a Lay Eucharistic Visitor) retreat, prepare a sermon, do my normal work, get my son prepared for a Weblos Woods campout, gather charitas (letters of encouragement and evidence of prayer) for my Daughter as she went to her first Happening (like Cursillo or Walk to Emmaus, but for High School students).
So, I let the blog posting on the Seven Deadly sins subside for a bit.
In between time (and as a good Lenten break that reminds us that God's Grace is what saves us), I offer this rendition of Amazing Grace.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
So, I let the blog posting on the Seven Deadly sins subside for a bit.
In between time (and as a good Lenten break that reminds us that God's Grace is what saves us), I offer this rendition of Amazing Grace.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Deadly Sins - Pride (Part 1)
Perhaps the root of all sin is the sin of Pride. Pride is putting one's self in the place of God. It is making decisions as if you were God or acting as if God's plan and your plan are the same. When I am honest with myself, I will admit that all too often God's voice sounds like my own; God's plan is to make my happy now and God's will is just what I want.
Being the root of all sin; pride is, perhaps, the most deadly of sins. Like all sin, pride brings darkness to our lives and our souls so that we are no longer even aware of the extent of our sins. We may intellectually know of our sins, but we do not know them. We do not own them. We don't really feel that the "memory of them is grevious to us. The burden of them is intollerable."
Following St. Augustine's Prayer Book, Pride is putting yourself in the place of God as the center of our lives (or some part of our lives) or the object of our love. Pride refuses to recognize our status as creatures who are dependent on God for our lives and everything around us. Pride shows itself in several, often subtle, ways
Irreverence - Neglect of woship of God every Sunday in His Church or being content with a perfunctory participation in worship. Disregard of Holy Days or additional opportunities for giving God honor. Failure to thank God or to express our gratitude adequately. Disrespect for God or for holy things by deliberatly treating them (in thought, word, or deed) in profane, contemptous or an overly-familiar manner. Use of holy things for personal advantage or the attempt to bribe or placate God by religious practices or promises.
Sentimentality - Being satisfied with pious feelings and beautiful ceremonies withouth striving to obey God's will.
Presumption - Dependence on self rather than on God. Neglecting the means of Grace - sacraments, prayer, and study. Dispensation of ourselves from ordinary duties on the grounds that we are "above that." Satisfaction or complacency over our spiritual achievements (or even taking credit for our spiritual achievements). Refusal to avoid, when possible, immediate occasions of temptation. Preference for our own will, ideas, or plans. Foolish optimism. Failure to recognize our work as a divine vocation or to offer our work to God. Unwillingness to surrender to Jesus or to abide in him. Failur to offer to intercede for others - especially those who have asked our prayers.
Distrust - Refusal to accept God's wisdome, providence, and love. Worry, anxiety, misgivings, overly scrupulousness or perfectionism. Attempts to discern or control the future through any means. Supersticion is a form of distrust.
Over-sensitiveness. Expectation that otherswill dislike, reject, or mistreat us. Being too quick to take offense at others actions or words.
Timidity in accepting responsibility or cowardice in facing difficulty. Surrendering to feelings of gloom, depression, pessimism, discouragement, self-pity instead of fighting and praying for courage and hope.
When I look at this (partial list), I tremble at my own sin. I see myself far too often in this list. I plead with Paul "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And, I rejoice with him in the answer: "Thanks be to God in Jesus Christ!"
The whole point of an examination of conscience is not to run ourselves down or to feel bad about ourselves, but to know our own sinfulness and then offer that to God and ask for forgivness and amendment of life.
Pride hide our sins from us. Pride leads to the dark and damp place in our souls in which sin grows like mold and mildew. Confession is the God's ultraviolate light shining on the mold and bringing it to nothingness. I urge you to make a private confession at least once during this Lent.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Being the root of all sin; pride is, perhaps, the most deadly of sins. Like all sin, pride brings darkness to our lives and our souls so that we are no longer even aware of the extent of our sins. We may intellectually know of our sins, but we do not know them. We do not own them. We don't really feel that the "memory of them is grevious to us. The burden of them is intollerable."
Following St. Augustine's Prayer Book, Pride is putting yourself in the place of God as the center of our lives (or some part of our lives) or the object of our love. Pride refuses to recognize our status as creatures who are dependent on God for our lives and everything around us. Pride shows itself in several, often subtle, ways
Irreverence - Neglect of woship of God every Sunday in His Church or being content with a perfunctory participation in worship. Disregard of Holy Days or additional opportunities for giving God honor. Failure to thank God or to express our gratitude adequately. Disrespect for God or for holy things by deliberatly treating them (in thought, word, or deed) in profane, contemptous or an overly-familiar manner. Use of holy things for personal advantage or the attempt to bribe or placate God by religious practices or promises.
Sentimentality - Being satisfied with pious feelings and beautiful ceremonies withouth striving to obey God's will.
Presumption - Dependence on self rather than on God. Neglecting the means of Grace - sacraments, prayer, and study. Dispensation of ourselves from ordinary duties on the grounds that we are "above that." Satisfaction or complacency over our spiritual achievements (or even taking credit for our spiritual achievements). Refusal to avoid, when possible, immediate occasions of temptation. Preference for our own will, ideas, or plans. Foolish optimism. Failure to recognize our work as a divine vocation or to offer our work to God. Unwillingness to surrender to Jesus or to abide in him. Failur to offer to intercede for others - especially those who have asked our prayers.
Distrust - Refusal to accept God's wisdome, providence, and love. Worry, anxiety, misgivings, overly scrupulousness or perfectionism. Attempts to discern or control the future through any means. Supersticion is a form of distrust.
Over-sensitiveness. Expectation that otherswill dislike, reject, or mistreat us. Being too quick to take offense at others actions or words.
Timidity in accepting responsibility or cowardice in facing difficulty. Surrendering to feelings of gloom, depression, pessimism, discouragement, self-pity instead of fighting and praying for courage and hope.
When I look at this (partial list), I tremble at my own sin. I see myself far too often in this list. I plead with Paul "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And, I rejoice with him in the answer: "Thanks be to God in Jesus Christ!"
The whole point of an examination of conscience is not to run ourselves down or to feel bad about ourselves, but to know our own sinfulness and then offer that to God and ask for forgivness and amendment of life.
Pride hide our sins from us. Pride leads to the dark and damp place in our souls in which sin grows like mold and mildew. Confession is the God's ultraviolate light shining on the mold and bringing it to nothingness. I urge you to make a private confession at least once during this Lent.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Monday, March 02, 2009
Deadly Sins - Anger
For the next few days, I plan to discuss each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Because it is first in the list below, I will start with Anger. Note, for each of these sins, I will use, as a base, the Examination of Conscience found in Saint Augustine's Prayer Book (revised edition, 1967). That is the best resource I've found for an examination of conscience.
Many people confuse the sin of Anger with emotional anger and they make two mistakes. The first (and probably the most common) is to dismiss the sin of Anger by saying that you are simply experiencing the emotion and, after all, Jesus got angry and drove the money changers out of the temple. The second mistake is to refuse the emotion of anger and not deal with the causes - whether they are external or internal. This can cause significant emotional harm if done for some length of time. A person will often hide or swallow or ignore the anger and let it build until he lashes out at something rather minor - say getting cut off in traffic or having someone else take the parking spot you were waiting for first.
The sin of Anger is self-focused. It is open rebellion against God or other persons in order to remove obstacles (real or imagined) that come between our selves and our wills. It retaliates to any threat to our security, avenges insults and seeks redress of wrongs - normally in our favor.
There are different types of anger. Resentment is the refusal to discern, accept, or fulfill God's vocation for you. Resentment leads to dissatisfaction with your God-given talents, opportunities, or abilities. It can lead to unwillingness to face up to difficulties or sacrifices required by God to fulfill your vocation. Resentment leads to transferring blame to God, our parents, or families, our bosses or anyone else for the reasons behind our failures. Resentment shows itself in cynicism, profanity, grumbling and a desire to escape from reality.
Pugnacity is an attack upon another in anger. It can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Murder by desire (and remember, that saying "you fool" or "raca" is murder by desire) or deed. Striking another, cursing another, insulting another, or damaging an other's reputation by words and deeds. Arguing, bickering, contradicting others to get your own point across, being rude or snubbing others are all forms of pugnacity. It is more than just hitting another, it is the desire or will to cause harm to others. It can be shown in praying for the ill of another person - even when in the form of praying to help others. One of Satan's favorite tricks with pugnacity is to rub the salt of injuries into your wounds even when you are on your knees. Does this sound familiar to anyone but me? "Dear God, please help XXX see the error of his ways. Let him know how much he hurt me by betraying me and lying to me. Let him seek your forgiveness for his sins."
Another form of Anger is Retaliation. It is vengeance (actual or planned) for wrongs real or imagined. It is giving excessive punishment out of a desire to hurt, not discipline. Hostility, sullenness, and rash judgment. Refusal to forgive or to offer or accept reconciliation. Unwillingness to love your enemies, to seek their good or to pray for them. Retaliation shows itself in ostracising others and getting others to join you in cutting someone off from the group to make you feel better. Putting others down so you can feel better about yourself. Refusing to join in the groups activities simply because you did not get your way. Feeling superior to others.
Now, how can we tell if we are experiencing the emotion of anger or the sin of anger. Close and honest examination is required. Normally if you are angry at a slight you have experienced, you are moving into the sin area. If you are angry at the plight of others, they you are probably not sinning as much.
Anger is a natural (fallen nature, of course, but still natural) emotion. We experience it all the time. What do we do about it? How can we stop at the emotion and not move into the sin?
The key to diminishing our anger is forgiveness. Refusal to take offense at the slights (real or imagined) and forgiving others when they do offend us is the best defense. When I am working in prison and discussing forgiveness with the inmates (and even team members) I always say that forgiveness is the easiest and hardest thing we will ever do. We often don't want to forgive. But God commands us to forgive and we ask to be forgiven in the same way we forgive others. Can you imagine how much trouble we would be in if God answered the Lord's Prayer "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" with "Yes, in the same way your forgive others, I will forgive you."
Forgiveness does not come naturally. It takes work and prayer. But it is also easy. All that God really requires us to do is say: "God, I am very angry at this person. I don't want to forgive him. But You ask me to and I want to be obedient to You. Please, Lord, help be to forgive. Help me to see XXX the same way you see him. Help me to love him as you love me."
During this period of Lent, make a list of all the people who make you angry. Write down their names. Then, pray the prayer above for each of them and offer them to God. Every day, ask for help in forgiving them. Ask God to take your anger and substitute His forgiveness and agape love.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
The next sin - Pride (part 1)
Many people confuse the sin of Anger with emotional anger and they make two mistakes. The first (and probably the most common) is to dismiss the sin of Anger by saying that you are simply experiencing the emotion and, after all, Jesus got angry and drove the money changers out of the temple. The second mistake is to refuse the emotion of anger and not deal with the causes - whether they are external or internal. This can cause significant emotional harm if done for some length of time. A person will often hide or swallow or ignore the anger and let it build until he lashes out at something rather minor - say getting cut off in traffic or having someone else take the parking spot you were waiting for first.
The sin of Anger is self-focused. It is open rebellion against God or other persons in order to remove obstacles (real or imagined) that come between our selves and our wills. It retaliates to any threat to our security, avenges insults and seeks redress of wrongs - normally in our favor.
There are different types of anger. Resentment is the refusal to discern, accept, or fulfill God's vocation for you. Resentment leads to dissatisfaction with your God-given talents, opportunities, or abilities. It can lead to unwillingness to face up to difficulties or sacrifices required by God to fulfill your vocation. Resentment leads to transferring blame to God, our parents, or families, our bosses or anyone else for the reasons behind our failures. Resentment shows itself in cynicism, profanity, grumbling and a desire to escape from reality.
Pugnacity is an attack upon another in anger. It can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Murder by desire (and remember, that saying "you fool" or "raca" is murder by desire) or deed. Striking another, cursing another, insulting another, or damaging an other's reputation by words and deeds. Arguing, bickering, contradicting others to get your own point across, being rude or snubbing others are all forms of pugnacity. It is more than just hitting another, it is the desire or will to cause harm to others. It can be shown in praying for the ill of another person - even when in the form of praying to help others. One of Satan's favorite tricks with pugnacity is to rub the salt of injuries into your wounds even when you are on your knees. Does this sound familiar to anyone but me? "Dear God, please help XXX see the error of his ways. Let him know how much he hurt me by betraying me and lying to me. Let him seek your forgiveness for his sins."
Another form of Anger is Retaliation. It is vengeance (actual or planned) for wrongs real or imagined. It is giving excessive punishment out of a desire to hurt, not discipline. Hostility, sullenness, and rash judgment. Refusal to forgive or to offer or accept reconciliation. Unwillingness to love your enemies, to seek their good or to pray for them. Retaliation shows itself in ostracising others and getting others to join you in cutting someone off from the group to make you feel better. Putting others down so you can feel better about yourself. Refusing to join in the groups activities simply because you did not get your way. Feeling superior to others.
Now, how can we tell if we are experiencing the emotion of anger or the sin of anger. Close and honest examination is required. Normally if you are angry at a slight you have experienced, you are moving into the sin area. If you are angry at the plight of others, they you are probably not sinning as much.
Anger is a natural (fallen nature, of course, but still natural) emotion. We experience it all the time. What do we do about it? How can we stop at the emotion and not move into the sin?
The key to diminishing our anger is forgiveness. Refusal to take offense at the slights (real or imagined) and forgiving others when they do offend us is the best defense. When I am working in prison and discussing forgiveness with the inmates (and even team members) I always say that forgiveness is the easiest and hardest thing we will ever do. We often don't want to forgive. But God commands us to forgive and we ask to be forgiven in the same way we forgive others. Can you imagine how much trouble we would be in if God answered the Lord's Prayer "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" with "Yes, in the same way your forgive others, I will forgive you."
Forgiveness does not come naturally. It takes work and prayer. But it is also easy. All that God really requires us to do is say: "God, I am very angry at this person. I don't want to forgive him. But You ask me to and I want to be obedient to You. Please, Lord, help be to forgive. Help me to see XXX the same way you see him. Help me to love him as you love me."
During this period of Lent, make a list of all the people who make you angry. Write down their names. Then, pray the prayer above for each of them and offer them to God. Every day, ask for help in forgiving them. Ask God to take your anger and substitute His forgiveness and agape love.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
The next sin - Pride (part 1)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Deadly Sins
In Catholic theology, we talk about the Seven Deadly Sins. Human's love to catorigize and lable so that things are easire to deal with. Anyway, the seven deadly sins can easily be remember by a wonderful acronmyn (and being a computer programmer by trade and the son of an Air Force Officer by birth, I love acronyms). Fr. Doug Travis taught me this acronym: APESLAG.
Anger
Pride
Envy
Sloth
Lust
Avarice
Gluttony
I had often wondered what it is about sin that leads to death. We all know that the wages of sin is death. We all know that Sin do not coexist. So, why does God hate sin so much? What is it about sin that causes God to cast us away from Himself?
When I was in college, I often wondered about death and hell. What was just about God condemning a man to eternity of punishment for 70 or 80 or even 100 years of sins - no matter how heinous the sins were? How could I reconcile God's justice and love with this rather imbalanced equation (100 years of sin = eternity of punishment).
I prayed and asked questions. Perhaps the most important work for me on this subject was C. S. Lewis' book The Great Divorce. In it, Lewis sees people making the same choices that keep the from heaven and he sees a few leave hell. It is a wonderful book on the nature of time and eternity.
Another book that was instrumental to my image of sin and hell was Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Inferno. It is a "rewrite" of Dante's Inferno, but updated for the 20th Century. (As an aside, they have a sequel out, Escape From Hell, which is wonderful as well.) There is one scene that showed me a possible reason for hell. The protagonist of the story (Allen Carpenter, a science fiction author), sees a psychiatrist in the pit of Falsifiers and Counterfiters. The psychiatrist tells the story of putting a catatonic in a hot box until the catatonic reacted and when they got to box up to 130 degrees, the catatonic said his first worsd in sixteen years: "Get me the f$%# out of here!" The story continues:
I reasoned the same as Niven and Pournelle - that Hell was Heaven's insane asylum. Like Lewis, I thought it possible to leave Hell (at which point it becomes purgatory). Now I don't know if that is true or not and I have no real desire to find out personally, but I like the idea.
Now, what is it about Sin that causes us to enter Hell? What causes us to be judged?
When I think of sin as part of our nature - our ontology or our being rather than specific acts, I get a better idea. Sin is living or thinking as if God does not exist. Sin takes us away from God, not because God sends us away, but because It is virtually impossible to reach your destination by stearing away from it. Sin is not just rebellion against God, it is acting as if you are God yourself and God Himself does not exist. Sin is unreality. Sin is death because it takes us away from the Author of Life Himself - God. The Seven Deadly Sins are so labled because they cause us to deviate from the Path that God set for us to reach Him.
There are two correctives for sin. First, of course, is confession. Naming your sin and confessing it and taking responsibility for it and receiving God's forgiveness is a wonderful and freeing exercise. The second, and more permanent is to be made new. To be filled with God's grace and to have our new life operate within us so that we sin less and less.
Over the next several days, we will discuss each of the Seven Deadly Sins in more detail.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
The First "A" - Anger
Anger
Pride
Envy
Sloth
Lust
Avarice
Gluttony
I had often wondered what it is about sin that leads to death. We all know that the wages of sin is death. We all know that Sin do not coexist. So, why does God hate sin so much? What is it about sin that causes God to cast us away from Himself?
When I was in college, I often wondered about death and hell. What was just about God condemning a man to eternity of punishment for 70 or 80 or even 100 years of sins - no matter how heinous the sins were? How could I reconcile God's justice and love with this rather imbalanced equation (100 years of sin = eternity of punishment).
I prayed and asked questions. Perhaps the most important work for me on this subject was C. S. Lewis' book The Great Divorce. In it, Lewis sees people making the same choices that keep the from heaven and he sees a few leave hell. It is a wonderful book on the nature of time and eternity.
Another book that was instrumental to my image of sin and hell was Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Inferno. It is a "rewrite" of Dante's Inferno, but updated for the 20th Century. (As an aside, they have a sequel out, Escape From Hell, which is wonderful as well.) There is one scene that showed me a possible reason for hell. The protagonist of the story (Allen Carpenter, a science fiction author), sees a psychiatrist in the pit of Falsifiers and Counterfiters. The psychiatrist tells the story of putting a catatonic in a hot box until the catatonic reacted and when they got to box up to 130 degrees, the catatonic said his first worsd in sixteen years: "Get me the f$%# out of here!" The story continues:
The mad eyes found me, and his face seemed to cae in. The cherubic
smile vanished. Urgently he said, "Get me the f$%# out of here!"
I reasoned the same as Niven and Pournelle - that Hell was Heaven's insane asylum. Like Lewis, I thought it possible to leave Hell (at which point it becomes purgatory). Now I don't know if that is true or not and I have no real desire to find out personally, but I like the idea.
Now, what is it about Sin that causes us to enter Hell? What causes us to be judged?
When I think of sin as part of our nature - our ontology or our being rather than specific acts, I get a better idea. Sin is living or thinking as if God does not exist. Sin takes us away from God, not because God sends us away, but because It is virtually impossible to reach your destination by stearing away from it. Sin is not just rebellion against God, it is acting as if you are God yourself and God Himself does not exist. Sin is unreality. Sin is death because it takes us away from the Author of Life Himself - God. The Seven Deadly Sins are so labled because they cause us to deviate from the Path that God set for us to reach Him.
There are two correctives for sin. First, of course, is confession. Naming your sin and confessing it and taking responsibility for it and receiving God's forgiveness is a wonderful and freeing exercise. The second, and more permanent is to be made new. To be filled with God's grace and to have our new life operate within us so that we sin less and less.
Over the next several days, we will discuss each of the Seven Deadly Sins in more detail.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
The First "A" - Anger
Thursday, February 26, 2009
What a Difference a Comma Makes
I remember a story by John Neuhouse that I read in "First Things" several years ago. He walked into a Church and saw a banner that read
GOD IS OTHER PEOPLE!
Now, I affirm that we often serve God by serving other people. I am a deacon and find that the most fulfilling ministry I do is not at the Altar (although I love the Altar). The most fulfilling ministry I do is in the prison or at the Sunday School class. I find that I serve God best by serving His people - even if those people deny that they belong to God (especially if they deny they belong to God!). If you want to serve God, go among His people and serve them in God's name. Go to a homeless shelter, a prison, a soup kitchen, a resale shop. Teach Sunday School, help clean up after a church dinner. Join a yard team to keep the church grounds neat. Join a mobile yard team that cuts the grass of elderly or disabled people who cannot afford to pay someone to cut their grass. By looking in the face of the poor, the oppressed, the sick, prisoners, and the like, we see the face of God. To know God, know His people.
Fr. Neuhouse wanted to change the banner slightly. He wanted to put a comma in it.
GOD IS OTHER, PEOPLE!
This shows us that God is not like us. God is utterly Other. We are not God. To know God, know that you are not Him and neither is anyone else. To know God, know that you know nothing yourself. To know God, you must seek Him to reveal Himself to you. To know God, we must hear the "still small voice" the Elijah heard. To know God, we must wait for Him.
Now, as an Anglican, I affirm both statements. I know that serving other people is serving God. And I know that other people are not God. I am called to serve them. But they are not God. Only God is God. I cannot put their needs ahead of God's needs because they often don't know their need. They "need" power, drugs, money, affirmation, food, shelter. What they really need is Jesus (along with food, shelter, and God's love). This Lent I call you to seek God's face in the face of the poor around us. I also call you to seek God's face in prayer and meditation. Know God in other people and Know God as other, people!
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
GOD IS OTHER PEOPLE!
Now, I affirm that we often serve God by serving other people. I am a deacon and find that the most fulfilling ministry I do is not at the Altar (although I love the Altar). The most fulfilling ministry I do is in the prison or at the Sunday School class. I find that I serve God best by serving His people - even if those people deny that they belong to God (especially if they deny they belong to God!). If you want to serve God, go among His people and serve them in God's name. Go to a homeless shelter, a prison, a soup kitchen, a resale shop. Teach Sunday School, help clean up after a church dinner. Join a yard team to keep the church grounds neat. Join a mobile yard team that cuts the grass of elderly or disabled people who cannot afford to pay someone to cut their grass. By looking in the face of the poor, the oppressed, the sick, prisoners, and the like, we see the face of God. To know God, know His people.
Fr. Neuhouse wanted to change the banner slightly. He wanted to put a comma in it.
GOD IS OTHER, PEOPLE!
This shows us that God is not like us. God is utterly Other. We are not God. To know God, know that you are not Him and neither is anyone else. To know God, know that you know nothing yourself. To know God, you must seek Him to reveal Himself to you. To know God, we must hear the "still small voice" the Elijah heard. To know God, we must wait for Him.
Now, as an Anglican, I affirm both statements. I know that serving other people is serving God. And I know that other people are not God. I am called to serve them. But they are not God. Only God is God. I cannot put their needs ahead of God's needs because they often don't know their need. They "need" power, drugs, money, affirmation, food, shelter. What they really need is Jesus (along with food, shelter, and God's love). This Lent I call you to seek God's face in the face of the poor around us. I also call you to seek God's face in prayer and meditation. Know God in other people and Know God as other, people!
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
What does God want?
In Moral Theology classes (and in college bs sessions) we often asked ourselves what God was more interested in. Was God more interested in what we do or in why we do it? In other words, is it better to do the wrong thing for the right reason or the right thing for the wrong reason? Let's take these one at a time and see if we can some how solve this dilema.
It is it better to behave righteously because of selfish motives.
This thought says that God is more interested in what we do than why we do it. It acknowledges that our motives are almost never pure.
Let's take a specific case that is rather easy to resolved - one with both pure and selfish motives. When I go to prison, I often get my own needs met in addition to meeting the needs of others. I feel good about myself and the work I do. I feel pride in it and I get a boost of "self-esteem" when others say what a great or good man I am because of my prison work. I confess that part of the reason I am involved in prison ministry is because of the feelings and accolades I receive. I also am involved because I believe that God wants me there and because I see a great need to help the lost find what they are looking for in Jesus Christ. But my motives are not pure. Would God rather me wait until my motives are pure? I doubt it. I believe that God wants me to do the work and to offer my selfish motives to Him so that He can make them pure.
Now, let's take a slightly different case. I am a glutton. I love food and use food as a drug far too often. Now, I often will say "no" to dessert or seconds when I am with others - not because I believe that the excess food is bad for me but because I want the others to think I am trying to work on my weight. Is God pleased with my "no" when I say it only to look better to others? I do not believe so. I believe that God is not please with my relationship with food - even when I refuse.
I don't think we can always say that God is please when we do the right thing for the wrong reasons.
It is better to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
This statement says that God is more concerned with motives than with actions. It states that God would rather we sin if that sin is what we were convinced was the right thing to do. The problem is that we never know the right thing to do. Our consciences are twisted by sin so that what seems right at the time can be very sinful. This leads to "he made me do it" actions. People have killed others or physically and emotionally abused other in the name of helping them. It leads to the idea "we had to destroy the village to save it."
Between these two ideas, I (if you hadn't guessed) come down to doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. But. I don't think that God is as interested in what we do or in why we do it so much as in who we are.
God did not become incarnate, live, die on the cross, and rise to new life in order to change either our motives or our behaviors. God lived and died as one of use to change our nature. God came, not to make us nice, but to make us new.
Sinful behavior and sinful motives both flow from sinful being. God does not want to change our behavior so much as to change our being so that we are no longer sinful creatures. So to the original question - what does God want? God wants us to be new men and women. He wants us to have new life and to live from that live. The old life is one that is filled with sin and darkness. The new one is filled with God and animated by the Holy Spirit.
The sins we commit and the reasons we commit them are signs of how strong the old life is with us. So, next we will discuss the famous "7 Deadly Sins"
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Update - The Seven Deadly Sins
It is it better to behave righteously because of selfish motives.
This thought says that God is more interested in what we do than why we do it. It acknowledges that our motives are almost never pure.
Let's take a specific case that is rather easy to resolved - one with both pure and selfish motives. When I go to prison, I often get my own needs met in addition to meeting the needs of others. I feel good about myself and the work I do. I feel pride in it and I get a boost of "self-esteem" when others say what a great or good man I am because of my prison work. I confess that part of the reason I am involved in prison ministry is because of the feelings and accolades I receive. I also am involved because I believe that God wants me there and because I see a great need to help the lost find what they are looking for in Jesus Christ. But my motives are not pure. Would God rather me wait until my motives are pure? I doubt it. I believe that God wants me to do the work and to offer my selfish motives to Him so that He can make them pure.
Now, let's take a slightly different case. I am a glutton. I love food and use food as a drug far too often. Now, I often will say "no" to dessert or seconds when I am with others - not because I believe that the excess food is bad for me but because I want the others to think I am trying to work on my weight. Is God pleased with my "no" when I say it only to look better to others? I do not believe so. I believe that God is not please with my relationship with food - even when I refuse.
I don't think we can always say that God is please when we do the right thing for the wrong reasons.
It is better to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
This statement says that God is more concerned with motives than with actions. It states that God would rather we sin if that sin is what we were convinced was the right thing to do. The problem is that we never know the right thing to do. Our consciences are twisted by sin so that what seems right at the time can be very sinful. This leads to "he made me do it" actions. People have killed others or physically and emotionally abused other in the name of helping them. It leads to the idea "we had to destroy the village to save it."
Between these two ideas, I (if you hadn't guessed) come down to doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. But. I don't think that God is as interested in what we do or in why we do it so much as in who we are.
God did not become incarnate, live, die on the cross, and rise to new life in order to change either our motives or our behaviors. God lived and died as one of use to change our nature. God came, not to make us nice, but to make us new.
Sinful behavior and sinful motives both flow from sinful being. God does not want to change our behavior so much as to change our being so that we are no longer sinful creatures. So to the original question - what does God want? God wants us to be new men and women. He wants us to have new life and to live from that live. The old life is one that is filled with sin and darkness. The new one is filled with God and animated by the Holy Spirit.
The sins we commit and the reasons we commit them are signs of how strong the old life is with us. So, next we will discuss the famous "7 Deadly Sins"
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Update - The Seven Deadly Sins
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sin - what we do or who we are?
Today is Ash Wednesday in the Western Calendar. It is the beginning of the season of Lent. During Lent, we are to examine our selves and to practice fasting and self-denial to let God better prepare us for the Joy that is Easter. So, I thought a small series on Sin would be appropriate.
First, what is sin? In the West, we tend to focus on sins as things we do. I remember a t-shirt I saw in College:
First, what is sin? In the West, we tend to focus on sins as things we do. I remember a t-shirt I saw in College:
- When we drink we get drunk
- When we get drunk we fall asleep
- When we fall asleep we commit no sin
- When we commit no sin, we go to Heaven
- So, let's all get drunk and go to Heaven!
Aside from the gluttony involved in getting drunk, the basic idea "when we sleep, we commit no sin" shows how "action" focused we are when it comes to sin. Further, we tend to think of "sin" as those actions that are socially unacceptable. Both of these are, like all good lies, partially true, but not the whole truth.
We tend to think thought like "Well, I didn't worship at the Temple of Zeus today, so I guess I'm not guilty of idolatry." or "Well, I didn't have sex with someone who is not my wife (or husband) today, so I guess I'm not guilty of adultery." The fact that we decided it was more important to sleep in than to say our morning prayers (thus worshipping our selves and our needs rather than God) or the fact we ignored our spouse and spent time in "harmless flirtation" with the attractive neightbor seems immaterial to us. We narrowly define specific sins and then, since we didn't to that, we didn't sin.
The truth is much worse than that. The fact that we spend any time at all justifying our selves or trying to minimize our sins shows how far we are from God's righteousness.
Sin isn't just what we do. Sin is a part of who we are. Sin is part of our DNA if you will. Sin shows itself in the baby's cries when she is not getting enough attention. It shows itself in the young boy who picks on others to make himself feel more important.
Over the next few days, I intend to spend some time looking at sin, not just in what we do but in who we are. Perhaps when we better understand the pervasive nature of sin in our lives we will be more ready to repent of this and ask our Lord to come and make us new.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
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