I did not post at all about my series of Wednesday readings during Lent, when I looked at seven things very profitably given up, though I did send an email to the members of my church. Unlike other series I've done, it wasn't planned from the start but rather was determined by immediate concerns and inspirations. It worked out well, and even generated an eighth, read on April 14, called in Mary Baker Eddy's words "Give up imperfect models." It dealt with the Second Commandment, and looked back to the previous week, which in honor of National Poetry Month dealt with the arts and creation, and forward to the 21st, which was on idolatry. Its title was "Idolatry: Slavery and Error." Any one of these titles has many possible topics.
However, rather than develop any of these further, I am going to devote the next few Wednesdays, possibly through all of June, to addressing the urgent problem facing my own branch church and the Church of Christ, Scientist as a whole: survival. Will this require change? Probably. Reorganization? Possibly. Renewal? Inevitably. I invite the members of my own branch to communicate to me anything they think should be included--but even better, attend the Wednesday services (no excuses) and contribute your testimonies.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
New Kickstart
I've always found the starting of a motorcycle repugnant, when a violent kick or two followed by a loud belch from the somnolent engine which seems to be protesting being awakened into performance. That isn't exactly what this restarting is like. Actually I enjoy doing this blog, but I have to fess up.
I've been visiting another blog, The Broken Net. It is written by another Christian Scientist who reads books (I've sometimes felt I'm the only one) and writes--or wrote--facile "thoughts, observations and aperçus on the daily living of Christian Science. Good stuff. For months the only comments written on it were fawning and adulatory and had no substance at all. I thought the blogger, "Christian" after Christian of Pilgrim's Progress, was probably laughing up his or her sleeve, and was hoping for some more substantive discussion. So when I posted comments I tried to take a point forward and say something that was worth saying, complimenting Christian on his/her good writing. Then the last couple of weeks the blog got shrill and vituperative in a logomachy over the alleged turpitude of two members of the CS Board of Directors. The stories are never spelled out, no real documentation has been given except for a link or two and a hardly-official CS publication of dubious authoritativeness. Anyway, there were protests by Christian about people using his/her blog as their own bully pulpit, and a suggestion was made that such folks set up their own blogs. Now I'm not one of those people; my entries have been around 100 words max. But that, on top of a nagging conscience, prompts me to start this up again. I hope the belch of the kickstart won't be too repugnant.
I've been visiting another blog, The Broken Net. It is written by another Christian Scientist who reads books (I've sometimes felt I'm the only one) and writes--or wrote--facile "thoughts, observations and aperçus on the daily living of Christian Science. Good stuff. For months the only comments written on it were fawning and adulatory and had no substance at all. I thought the blogger, "Christian" after Christian of Pilgrim's Progress, was probably laughing up his or her sleeve, and was hoping for some more substantive discussion. So when I posted comments I tried to take a point forward and say something that was worth saying, complimenting Christian on his/her good writing. Then the last couple of weeks the blog got shrill and vituperative in a logomachy over the alleged turpitude of two members of the CS Board of Directors. The stories are never spelled out, no real documentation has been given except for a link or two and a hardly-official CS publication of dubious authoritativeness. Anyway, there were protests by Christian about people using his/her blog as their own bully pulpit, and a suggestion was made that such folks set up their own blogs. Now I'm not one of those people; my entries have been around 100 words max. But that, on top of a nagging conscience, prompts me to start this up again. I hope the belch of the kickstart won't be too repugnant.
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