Phoebe

On the Evangelion blog there was a post linking to this article on Phoebe at the Society of Biblical Literature.

How culture can influence translation!

Bendigo Art Gallery

I noted this down years ago in my notbook, and came across it recently while tidying up:

The curatorial note to a painting by Herbert Schmalz 1856-1935 "Too Late", 1886:

"Late Victorian England saw itself as the inheritor of both Christian and classical traditions..."both world views". They also defined their age as one of transition"

The painting does not remain in my memory, however, the comment is interesting when seen as a remark on the culture that produced Darwin and his ideas. In Darwin's idea of evolution there is much more of Victorian preoccupations than there is of science; as Stephen Gould was apt to remind his readers from time to time.

Let them die!

Recently I was discussing medical matters with a friend. The friend is a successful small businessman, a decent fellow and well regarded all round. Both his wife and mine have medical backgrounds and the conversation turned to my recent experience of returning from Westmead Children's Hosptial when overtaken by a rapidly moving NETS ambulance (I think 'Neo-natal Emergency Transport Service').

We discussed the increase in disabled people brought, to some extent, by increasing success in sustaining premature and disabled babies. My friend made the remark "I believe in natural selection; I think its best all round". Meaning, of course, that death should be allowed to those who can't survive without medical assistance.

Interesting how the idea of natural selection appears to produce this sentiment in an 'ordinary' bloke. It seems incongruous to hold that God could have adopted 'evolution' as a creative mechanism when one of its drivers is a servant of death, that falls to hand in arguments against the inconveniences of life. Hitler had a similar view of disabled people, I understand.

It is hardly credible then that God, who is the source of life, not death, would use something that courts death to produce life. This is not a theological paradox, because it has no biblical support, it is simply an inversion of God's revelation of his nature and the creation as it left his hand.

Seen at Koorong

I was over at Koorong books recently, haven't been there for months, if not years and saddened to see a section on 'leadership'.

This is a disease that has really gotten into the church, making of the church an organisation, rather than a family. Even the Sunday School at my church has 'leaders' for our little ones. Leaders! I want them to teach, not lead. Even parents don't lead, but educate and guide! Proverbs 22:6 for instance.

Leadership in any spiritual context reeks of cultishness to my mind.

What grieved me most was that the idea of 'leadership' is anti-community. It is not about family, growing together or even sharing. It is a denial of service at the definitional level as it is about self, not others, it seeks to take people somewhere, but assumes knowledge that we in fact do not have. It is the Spirit who leads. Christ is our head (our life source), not the minister, teacher, coordinator, convenor, facilitator, or other type of serving that properly goes on at church.

See also my earlier posts on this here and here.

Oh for a section at Koorong on 'ministry' instead!

Creation: Hayden's

Apart from being more reflective of God's glory, 'creation' produces better art than 'evolution'.

I commend to you the ABC's recent Keys to Music programs on the oratorio The Creation by Hayden.