Sitting here in the airport in Chicago, I have just enough time for a brief bit of blogging. From my file o’ good things, I give you this, from ASBO Jesus.
Sad to say, there will likely be a massive caravan of jargonauts making deliveries to General Convention in Anaheim this summer.
Comments(3) 
If you pause for a few seconds to think about it, the way we mark Memorial Day is outrageous. For most Americans this day is about cookouts, trips to the mall, and a day off from work. The idea that we party and continue our exuberant spending rather than to remember our war dead should deeply offend any American. But who wants to slow the wheels of commerce to grieve?
Remembrance was not helped by our previous president, who told us that our patriotic duty during the Iraq War was to continue shopping. That’s a far cry from previous wars, when Americans were taught about shared sacrifice. I’m no fan of war, but if we have decided to go to war, then the cause had better be compelling (this one was not), the true costs of the war should be known (they were not), and the war effort should be shared by the whole nation, not just by our military (who tend to come from among the poor).
I love the FAIL Blog. Every day brings several photos and a video or two of things that have gone wrong. These are quite often very, very funny. I chuckled when I saw this one:
Can’t say too much though. I think our church sign had a message about Advent until a day or two before the Feast of the Epiphany this year. I’m just glad there wasn’t someone nearby to capture our sign for the FAIL Blog.
Comments(1) I was intrigued recently when I read an article about bowling in the WSJ with this subhead: “Jason Belmonte May Revolutionize the Sport If His Back Doesn’t Give Out First.” What is Jason’s trick? He bowls with two hands! Outrageous, surely. Everyone knows that you have to bowl with one hand only, right? Well, it turns out that the rules don’t address this. We use one hand when we bowl, because we’ve always done it that way. Sound familiar?
I wonder if there are similar revolutions waiting for us in the church, if we can pull our blinders off. I’m not talking about the something like the U2charist, which isn’t all that revolutionary — just trendy. I’m thinking more along the lines of the committee-less church at All Saints’, Beverly Hills. Everything is done by tiny cells of three or four people, who draw in other cells of people when needed. Beyond the Vestry, there’s only one committee, and that’s finance. A parish with a Sunday attendance of hundreds and dozens of programs runs on two committees! Outrageous? Or is this a whole new spin on how to run a church?
I share his loathing for this pleasant-the-first-time-you-hear-it-but-not-the-5000th-time piece of music.
Wave of the baton to Ember Days.
Comments(1) Though we have a cat, I’m really a dog person. Still, I couldn’t resist posting this feline gem for Ascension Day.
Wave of the paw to antanavige.com.
For the record, Apple’s vision could be satirized just as well. (Apple isn’t better than Microsoft, but it’s nicer looking.)
If you are craving up-to-the-second updates on the Episcopal Church, techno-stuff, and sundries, you are in luck. The crack news & entertainment divisions of Seven whole days are on Twitter. You can follow us @scottagunn. Yes, it seems like it is just this author’s name, but the entire organization (photographers, writers, reporters, investigators, producers, lighting crew, advance team, artists, video team, gaffers, best boys, best girls (we are inclusive), web designers, subject experts, and so on) is sharing my Twitter account.
So, if you are a Twitter user, follow me at @scottagunn. Otherwise, just move along. The next blogtastic post will be ready soon.
If you want real authority on Anglicanism, look no further than Father Christian Troll. His GAFCON blog speaks with an authority and confidence that is (almost) unrivaled. In a recent post, he notes things that first time visitors to churches sometimes say. Sadly, I suspect this is one of those jokes that’s funny because it’s true.
Here is a sample.
Now, go read the whole thing. How many of these things could have been said in your congregation?
The Gospel according to John is chock full of “I AM” statements. Jesus never got around to saying, “I am the LEGO,” but he might have if the Gospel had been set in modern-day Scandinavia. Proving that you don’t need marble to have a giant sculpture of Jesus in your church, one Stockholm parish has used local materials in a remarkable way.
Parishioners in a Stockholm church now have an appropriate depiction of the Messiah; a 6-foot tall LEGO statue of Jesus. The 30,000 piece statue was unveiled on Easter Sunday to a capacity crowd of 400 parishioners. The statue took the work of 4o volunteers a total of 18 months to complete, and is a replica of the Christus statue on display in Copenhagen. It is completely comprised of LEGOs [sic] donated to the church; and though it has the stone-like outside appearance of white LEGOs, it is contains a combination of colors on the inside of the statue.
Read more here. h/t The Blingdom of God.
Comments(1) My awareness of Sinéad O’Connor’s attitude toward religion was, until recently, dominated by my memory of the (in)famous incident in which she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on live television. Until a few days ago, I thought that had been an anti-religious gesture. Now I know it was, in fact, a protest of the church’s complacency toward the growing scandal of sexual abuse by priests. How wrong I was!
Sinéad has just released a new album, titled Theology, of Christian music. (Lyrics are here, which is another reason to like this artist. She’s willing to post lyrics online!) I never thought I’d say this, but I’m going to buy a Sinéad O’Connor album — some interesting music and thought-provoking words.
Anyway, the excellent Liturgy blog, run by Bosco Peters, turned me on to a duet performance of Regina Caeli by Sinéad O’Connor and Noirin Ni Riain. Recorded in Glenstal Abbey, the offering is simple and reverent. This kind of crossover won’t be for everyone, but it will bring a timeless Marian hymn to the attention of countless non-churched people. Thank you, Sinéad! Maybe you are a Queen of Scandal, but in a good way.
In honor of my pilgrimage to the cinema to see Star Trek today, and in recognition of the profound amount of wasted energy in the Church these days, I give you the latest from ASBO Jesus:
What do I mean by “wasted energy”? Just read the so-called Blue Book of the Episcopal Church, and ask yourself how many of the resolutions contained therein will actually transform lives? Or consider the amount of time that was spent at the recently concluded Anglican Consultative Council meeting on fights over human sexuality. Or think about how much of the average Episcopal congregation’s resources are consumed by paying the heat bill and keeping the lights on.
You could use relevant examples from your own tradition; I just happen to know more about the warts of my own, beloved Episcopal Church.
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