Oh that I might "forsake all such good-for-nothing, frivolous, cross-fleeing, loud-mouths and to remain with the simple, wretched congregation of Christ, which is hated by all, etc." (Menno Simons) Now I wish there were another way to say that, but there just isn't. The context is a warning to over-spiritualizing faith to the detriment of outwards signs. I, personally, love the "etc." as if Menno hadn't used enough derogatory adjectives already!

Luther

I think I hate Luther. Though I'm already working through repentance (not because I'll come around to liking him.) What an ass (those are his words so I'm just borrowing them)! His two kingdoms theology and his dealings with the peasants, the magistrates, Holy Roman Emperor and the pope are all so inconsistent and he chooses (of all these choices) to give the peasants the real shaft! That and feel good about it.

I guess my background gives me a natural bias.

i just discovered wordle.net but can figure out how to post what i created. maybe i'll figure it out later. I figured it'd be a (somewhat) interesting representation of my final paper for Theology of the Church (it sure trivializes the work i went to, but it looks better). Basically, Suffering is a mark of the church. Usually this has meant persecution. I argue (using other people) that its actually all suffering. (The liberation theologian's suffering Christ...ok way more than only liberation theologians believe this!) Then i come back to persecution, its the openness to the world's suffering that actually causes persecution because acknowledgement of suffering undermines the claims of legitimacy claims of the powerful. (a la Brueggemann) sorry, bad summary. the image would have been worth these 200 words.

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2886333/wrg1" 
          title="Wordle: wrg1"><img
          src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/2886333/wrg1"
          alt="Wordle: wrg1"
          style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"></a>

i need to write this out someplace. the "stickies" on my desktop are cluttered, documents of random thoughts don't work and i haven't had a regular journal for a while.

When did I become so pragmatic (as opposed to idealistic in a meta-sense)? This, I imagine, may be the ultimate self-revelation of lack of self-awareness. I'd like to know!

Back story:

I'm writing stuff for Theology of the Church (are classes italized?) which is ecclesiology class (if that wasn't obvious.) I don't have a well developed eccelesiology and, it seems, i am resistant to a well-developed eccesiology. Following Gebara, I (have always??) believed that structures lead to abuse of power and marginalization of peoples invariably. (Find me a long standing meaningful (i.e. not a football club) structure that doesn't marginalize people. This isn't a beligerant challenge-at the moment-b/c I'd be more comfortable if there were structures that were really beneficial to the marginalized and weak. I suppose that discarding this preferential option for the poor/weak/marginalized/needy could change my view? Is it warranted? Doesn't Job and the entire Bible (minus Proverbs) move generally towards it? I'm sorry for the incoherence.

Current story:

In the eschaton or end of time or fulfillment of time or the new heaven/new earth or perfection of all things. When there is no longer the "not yet", nor the "this is just the way it is". If that will exist (and if it doesn't/won't what option do we have other than stoicism, suicide, or materialism) what answers to people have for women. Especially regarding ministry and ontology...

Usual arguments for complimentary or different roles for women appeal to 1. custom/history, 2. the second Genesis creation account, 3. Eve was tempted and succumbed, and brought sin into the world (never mind that Adam also succumbed to his first temptation in the story nor the inherent bias in the culture of the story-teller) 4. the self-evident argument (which appeals to supposed creation and custom and the fact that women can be subjugated because they are weaker) and 5. Paul or psuedo-Paul (who uses both custom and the second creation account, and the fall account).

Most of these are rather circular (in my view) and thus are "about" perpetuating a current role/status (something I'm suspicious of). The Genesis temptation account has a curse of the woman to "desire" her husband which has been taken to mean she will be under him. Ok. But doesn't redemption change all that? If Jesus was the new Adam who reverses all that bad stuff of the Fall (non-technical language) what does that restore to woman as woman, man as man and their relationship (if there can indeed be some separation from the "oneness" described elsewhere)? So again in heaven (or where ever/whenever all of Jesus' victory is fulfilled, like for reals, like when there is no more pain nor tears, etc) are women somehow under, less than men? Are they still the glory of man? (1 Tim) or images of man while men are images of God (Augustine)? I hope, have faith and I think it is not so. (Heather says i use too many negatives so:) Even if women were somehow ontologically in a different (probably inferior) position to men (and it doesn't seem to me the case is anything like viable) in the new creation and in the eschatological church they are restored to (or maybe rather men are chastened to accept) the same place a men--humanity.

If that's not clear. Women have the ability, the beingness be pastors and serve the Eucharist, baptize, etc alongside men. They probably had those types of roles in the early NT church anyways (Romans 16 seems to affirm this--though that depends on which scholar you read). I'd accept arguments that in some cultural situations it'd be best for women not to be in those positions b/c they would not be recognized and their ministry would be ineffective. A woman chaplin on a male-dominated troop carrier seems like a bad idea. (Nevermind, that I have difficulty wrapping my head around a military chaplain.)

hopefully, i've not dug too deep a hole for myself either way.

so its been awhile and alot has happened. my computer died and heather's was set to remember her password. somehow i couldn't log out of her account b/c as soon as i did it would log back in. odd. surely it was some user error.

the garden has been pared down by the heat so for the past 3 weeks maybe its been dying off. I think its normal but its sad. about 1/4-1/3 is now planted in sweet clover which should add N, prevent errosion, send down deep roots and provide some cover against weeds. We have some zuccini, squash, winter squashes and pumpkins, herbs, watermelon, swiss chard (it will not die) and sweet potatoes still alive. Oh and some tomatoes, huckleberries, lots of peppers (but they are hardly producing) and some onions.

I planted in some old seed potatoes left over from the spring. We'll see if they work (they were free) and if there are some smallish potatoes by the time the frost kills em off. hopefully they'll also work the ground that wasn't planted this year. It was pretty mellow but i've read the potatoes are a good first year crop.

I unloaded 2 loads of horse manure today. it was wettish so quite heavy. Good hard work and my back is sore and i ahve 4 blisters. 

i think the tiller's pull start recoiler is broken and the tractor has a flat tire because the rim rusted out. oh the joys of 5th hand, old stuff. Good for the environment, easy on the pocket book (up front) and really time consuming to maintain.

We're moving to indiana to go to school and for heather's new job. its very sad to leave the farm and to miss being a part of its development. it sucks to leave matt and tia and the other people we've come to know here but, well, it seems like its what we're being led towards.