The Luzhin Defense

I watched the movie, "The Luzhin Defense" on Sunday evening. It's based on a novella by Nabokov. It's about a master chess player who is a little nutty. Well, more than a little.

I used to play chess. I studied it a lot at one time. I didn't have the natural ability with the game that some have. I think people who are good at advanced math tend to be good at chess. I bought books about chess openings and various defenses. I enjoyed the strategic nature of the game, but never got real good at it.

You find that many military leaders play chess, since it is a battle on a board. It teaches you to think ahead--anticipate what your opponent is going to do--and possible outcomes.

Politics is a chess game. Sometimes even church politics is like playing chess. You have to know who has the power--how they move--what you are willing to sacrifice to get something done, etc. 'Politics' is not a bad word, even in the church. It simply means the use of power and compromise to get (good) things done. I'm a pragmatic idealist. I adhere to the Niebuhrian realism that takes into account the need to balance powers in all group relationships. Just as each church has a 'polity,' each church has a political dimension--how sisters and brothers in Christ wield influence and make decisions. The politics of Jesus was/is the kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed that God governs--and governs in a particular way. Jesus is the way; he embodied truth; and he gave life.

The movie intrigued me. It deals not just with chess, but more so with love and obsession, and parental power, and sexual energy. The ending surprised me. But it gave me something to ponder.

In the game of life, I am a bishop... I refuse to be a pawn... and I know who the King is.

a theology of twittering?

Leonard Sweet used to be the president of United Seminary in Dayton. He's written lots of books since then, and continues to challenge our thinking. I was just on my Twitter site and saw a link to a brief article by him on his theology of Twitter. I follow about 30 people on Twitter, and have about 30 people following me. I don't write (tweet) too much, just occasionally. But after reading Sweet's article, I might consider tweeting more often as a spiritual exercise.

Read the article here.

(by the way, you can find me on Twitter as "sillybird.")

##

Transpartisanship

I just recently saw the word 'transpartisanship' in an article in Utne magazine. It's a term used by Michael Ostrolenk, a licensed psychotherapist and 'center-right' conservative. He is president of the Transpartisan Center which hosts conversations between people of various viewpoints. It is an attempt to talk about different politcal points of view without having shouting matches. Ostrolenk says we have too much in way of character attacks in political arguments. We need a more humanizing process of discussion.

He sees our shouting matches as a symptom of fear that happens when our institutions are falling apart. In this situation, people tend to "go tribal, to surround themselves with like-minded people."

I agree. I think fear is at the heart of our present Town Hall Meetings fiasco. There is a lot of paranoia out there these days. The election of a black President and the anxiety produced by our economic woes tend to bring out the fringe groups and those who feel close to them. Paranoia shouts or slumps. What is needed is neither shouting nor slumping, but rational discussion without personal attacks.

From my point of view, paranoia is connected with the fundamentalist mindset. Fundamentalists tend to stir up fear and catastrophize. The end of the world or some such crisis is always just around the corner. Big Brother or big government is always the Bogeyman. Paranoia blurs reality.

The Greek word for 'repentance' is metanoia. And what we need is for metanoia to overcome paranoia. Turning to God takes away paranoia because love overcomes fear (see 1 John 4). The more we come to know that we are loved, the less irrational fear we have. Love begats love. Fear begats fear.

I believe we need good, strong debates about health care and foreign policy and theology, etc. But a civil, reasonable tone is more helpful than shouting one's fears.

I'm not against gun ownership. But carrying a gun into an emotional situation is not helpful. Sure, it's our right, but we do not have to act on every right in every situation. Carrying a gun into a hyped up meeting is not a smart use of one's rights.

To transcend partisanship does not mean that we don't hold strong views or stand up for our views. It means that we treat each other as human beings; and that we each acknowledge the limits of our knowledge. Wisdom admits ignorance. Even in the church, we need to watch out for the temptation to arrogantly 'read God's mind.' Yes, we have the Scriptures. But none of us has a perfect understanding of the Scriptures. Only when we forget our humanity do we end up like the snake--"Go ahead, eat the fruit--then you will be as gods."

If we've already eaten the fruit, let's spit it out.


##

reflection on ministry

Rev. Jan Edmiston's blog is always good. This one is about her sabbatical (she's about to return to work). I recommend it for its insight and honesty.

It's called Last Day of Sabbatical.

lightning struck the steeple

Here is a blog by a woman I've never heard of before....but somehow (by chance? by Providence?) I stumbled upon this blog today as I was researching Presbyterian Mission work...anyway, it has nothing to do with Presbyterian mission work (or does it?)...but it deals with a wonderful theological problem/enigma that we all deal with somehow... and I like her sense of humor/satire...

Here is the link.

People suck

In an online article by Dolan Cummings I found this pithy definition of Calvinism (or Reformed Theology): "People suck, and God saves us from ourselves."

Here's the whole quote:

"One of the most successful and dynamic emerging churches in the US today is Mars Hill in Seattle, founded by pastor Mark Driscoll, who stands firmly in the reformed tradition. As he explains in his book Confessions of a Reformission Rev, 'If you don't know what that means, the gist is that people suck and God saves us from ourselves'. Driscoll is a twenty-first century Calvinist."

You can read the entire article at the following site:

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7264

So now you know how to describe our Presbyterian theology: "People suck, and God saves us from ourselves."

Of course there is more to it than that. But that one sentence pretty well sums up our emphasis on the dual reality of human sinfulness and God's liberating grace.

Selsius

I've not been familiar with Angelus Silesius. But I've read a couple of quotes recently from different sources and I became curious. It turns out that his real name is Johann Scheffler. He lived in the 1600s and was a physician. He started out as a Lutheran, but later in life became Catholic, and finally a priest. His writings are of the mystical nature.

Here are quotes I've come across:

"God whose love and joy are everywhere
can't come to visit unless you aren't there."

That says to me that we must 'disappear' -- that is, empty ourselves of ego and selfishness in order for God to really come into our lives and use us.

The second quote:

"How marvelous that I, a filthy clod,
may yet hold friendly converse with my God."

The marvelous opportunity of prayer! Do we take prayer for granted? Do we spend time conversing with the Source of life? Would right now be a good time to stop reading this blog and give thanks to God? Hmm?