Holocaust map - Europe and the teaching of 20th century theology

The link to this map doesn't work, but I saved the image as a jpg.

I am linking a Facebook post to this since the link is cranky and refuses to show up on Facebook.

Make sure you click on the image to enlarge it. (Click twice and it will get really big and detailed.)

Post on Facebook:

Map for the little darlings to study. Yeah, I'm teaching a Christian theology course and they are also getting a good dose of theological vocabulary & questions. But woe unto those who study European theologies in the mid-20th century & after without looking this in the face. And without asking whether & how this affects the questions & the language. And how we understand God. And how theology & ethics are related. And what responsibilities Christians bear.

End of speech. I'm off to edit the Tome.

Keep prayin', please

For the wordy request, see here.

Thank you.

RIP Mary Daly, feminist thinker and teacher, wild star

"There are and will be those who think I have gone overboard. Let them rest assured that this assessment is correct, probably beyond their wildest imagination, and that I will continue to do so." - Mary Daly, 1928-2010

More on this pioneering thinker here and here.

Mary Daly died this morning. Obituaries should be forthcoming in the next couple of days. Blaze on, Mary.

Photograph by Gail Bryan (c) 1992

I'm still here, just writing...

... and editing, in those rare summer moments of quiet and solitude of which I get so little during the year.

Also mowing the lawn, griping about muggy weather, and enjoying being with my cat and my congregation again.

On Saturday, I chaired my last meeting (as Chair - I'm staying on the committee) of the Bishop's Committee for Racial Justice and Reconciliation of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

And then of course there are naps. And the bureaucracy ye shall have always with you.

I still plan to write here about Halifax, about which I continue to think fond thoughts.

Patience, my turtledoves.

Hiroshige, "Tree of Good Writing." More info here.

On the road again

I am headed for Boston tomorrow to visit the intrepid Parents of Acts of Hope, this time for a week, which means the stay won't be All Parents All The Time and I will also see a few friends, including Deenie.

I lived in the Boston area for 15 years and for three years a few years before that when I was in divinity school, so I have many dear friends there, from my old church (where I served on staff in my Catholic days and where I continued as a member after leaving the staff to go and work on my first book) and many other places. Those include the Episcopal Church, since the Diocese of Massachusetts and its cathedral are where I got to know the Episcopal Church, though I didn't become an Episcopalian till some years later when I was living in California. The Boston friends now include two of my Ph.D. classmates who got teaching jobs there. So, despite moving away, I have more peeps there rather than fewer. The city doesn't call itself the Hub for nothing.

After that I am headed to Halifax for the annual convention of the CTSA, which I had to skip last year for the first time in 15 years. (CTSA stands for Catholic Theological Society of America.) I've never been to Nova Scotia and I'm excited about the trip, though you don't get to see much during conferences. But I'm arriving in Halifax a bit early and leaving a bit late, so I hope to see the sights. I'll also get to see some of city since I will be staying in altnerate housing (staying at the hotel is so much better during conferences, but I just can't swing it without a roommate or two and I made plans too late to find roomies) and there will be bus rides involved.

Two very nice humans will be taking care of Her Grace the feline bishop while I am away so I am feeling a manageable level of guilt about leaving town so soon after my last trip.

Photo by Paul the BB.

Travelers home safely

The intrepid Parents of Acts of Hope phoned to say they are home safely and happy birthday. They had a wonderful trip. They are off to bed since for them it is nearly 11 p.m. and they have been on a plane all day.

I am grading papers (grades are due first thing in the morning, no late grades allowed) and feeling all kinds of deadline pressure but taking a break to go out to dinner with two wonderful men who love each other. Life is good.

(That's the back terrace of the restaurant. Click to enlarge.)

Grading music prescription from Kirkepiscatoid

We had a little conversation going on Facebook last night about the appropriate music to accompany end-of-semester grading. I raised the question and a remarkable number of people chimed in with suggestions.

Our friend Kirkepiscatoid, who is not only an Episcopalian, as her nom de blog indicates, but also an MD pathologist (not to be confused with pathological) who trains and thus grades medical students, had a suggestion I cannot resist posting. It is, as it were, part of the core curriculum of grading music.

Enjoy. And note the brass players tapping their feet to the rhythm!

If you're one of my Facebook friends, you will probably see more links to grading music on FB as the evening continues. Or you can just go to my update from last night and see some suggestions and links already present.

P.S. Kirkepiscatoid is also a thoughtful blogger on matters spiritual and temporal, so you might want to check out her blog.

On to the Abruzzi

The intrepid Parents of Acts of Hope have (if all has gone according to schedule) wrapped up their five day stay with the great-grandchildren (one boy, one girl) and their parents (Nephew the Elder and Lovely Spouse) and left for the third country in their semi-whirwind trip. Those of you who read my Italian earthquake update earlier this month may remember that Nephew the Younger and Lovely Partner live in the Abruzzi (a.k.a. Abruzzo), though not in the part of the province that had the earthquake. So Parents of Acts of Hope were due to fly into Rome and be picked up by Nephew the Younger and driven up to the hills an hour or so three hours away [edited 5/1 after getting accurate info] for a few days and nights in the Abruzzi, not too far from the Adriatic Sea. This will be their first time meeting Lovely Partner; I haven't met her yet either and look forward to doing so in the coming year.

Stay tuned and keep up the prayers. So far, so good. Brother of Acts of Hope and his Beloved spent the weekend in Portugal so four generations of the Acts of Hope family were together. I was the missing sibling in our generation. Nephew the Younger was the missing sibling in the next generation. It's already a wonder that so many in the far-flung family could be together at once. Hurrah for them. I am drooling in anticipation of the pictures and the stories.

Meanwhile, back at the funny farm here, classes have ended (my last one was last night) and I am spending the coming week writing and grading -and reading and grading and writing and reading and grading and writing. A small brown bunny had a leisurely lunch behind the house, nibbling away at the back yard while I washed dishes and watched out the window. +Maya Pavlova ignored the bunny. Squirrels and birds are another story.

I am also pondering images of the Good Shepherd along with the shepherd and sheep readings for this weekend. Beeeeeeeeehhhh.

The intensity of academe

There's a lot of it.

Three "final class of the semester" down, one to go.

Usually we teach three courses a semester at my school, but I had a fourth, or really a fraction of a fourth course, just a once a week, one-credit colloquium with our religious studies majors. The other three courses are four credit courses.

Tonight's class got out at 10:20 p.m.

One more tomorrow evening, not quite as long because I am going to let people out early.

Now begins the grading marathon. I am also on deadline for a Big Academic Tome I am writing. Not so great timing but there you have it. Maybe if I read and grade three hours a day from tomorrow on and write the rest of the day I won't have to pull any all-nighters next week when grades are due for seniors (May 6) and for everyone else (May 8). My birthday is May 7. It used to be well timed when I was younger and schools ended in June. Now it's always in the middle of finals!

Sorry to bore you with Facebook-like trivia (though, to be fair to Facebook, there are also great professional and personal conversations and reunions there) but I know some of you friends are not on FB, and I'm feeling the need to connect to the "outside world" a bit as the academic walls close in a little more this week and next.

I have to cook up a sermon for this coming weekend, too. One very anti-Jewish reading from Acts (yo, crucifixion was a Roman punishment!), the 23d Psalm, a request from the first Epistle of John that we love one another, and the Good Shepherd reading from the Gospel according to John. Ooookaaaayyy. Let us pray!

There are lilies of the valley blooming in my garden, though, or rather, the landlady's garden. It is a surprise garden. I moved in the first of September and I never know what is going to pop up. First it was daffodils and jonquils and narcissus. Then the dogwood tree bloomed deep pink against the silver grey-green bark. (It is now pale pink and growing leaves.) Then the rains came and produced green plants whose name I do not know and some of which are probably weeds, including poison ivy if I am not mistaken (I have started weeding - with gloves - and looking up plants online), flowers new to me here and there, and two rows of lily of the valley, just a touch early for le premier mai. Meanwhile, the rhododendron burst into red bloom. What the French call boules de neige (literally "snowballs") and is either viburnum or white hydrangea came out almost at the same time. The tall trees have been shedding yellow pollen. And who knows what's next?

Friday cat blogging and general update

I am taking a couple of days of writing time after a fortnight of very little work on the Big Theological Tome or anything else because of a combo of 1) the tiny little 60 hour a week job at semester's end and 2) church. More the former than the latter, but still, part-time churchy ministry takes time. (I qualify "ministry" since there are a lot more ways of doing ministry than liturgical or administrative leadership.)

+Maya, of course, is sleeping, but wakes more often than she did before the arrival of spring due to continued heavy bird action. It's just too exciting to miss.

As promised, I have begun to take photos of her, but it may be a while till I post them since she tends to change positions when she senses me approaching with the camera. Smart cookie. I'll get a roll of film done over the weekend, though.

The Amazing Parents of Acts of Hope have arrived safely on the other side of the Atlantic, spent a few days in one country, and have arrived in country #2 for a large dose of family togetherness, which will, as usual for the Acts of Hope Family, involve hugs, food, and talk. Is anyone surprised?

Peace to all, and Shabbat Shalom to those of you who observe Shabbat.

Dancing cats by B. Kliban - with obvious reference to Botticelli's Primavera ("Spring") (To see the Botticelli properly, click on the image you get once you have clicked on the link.)

Nice article on WIDS in the student newspaper

One of our students interviewed me for The Guilfordian, our college newspaper, not long ago, and the article came out in this week's edition. It didn't seem right to put up a vanity post on Good Friday, so I waited till today. You can read the one-page printable version of the article here.

Update on those Prayer Posse requests

Thank you, all, for your prayers. We welcome your weekend prayers too!

An update on how everyone is doing.

1. I spoke with P. yesterday. He is taking short walks every day. His voice continues to sound good. The sternum takes a long time to heal so he won't be able to lift anything heavier than a bottle of milk or to drive (seat belt is problem when you're recovering from chest surgery) for a while, but he is making steady progress. The dog is a little frustrated because she can't go on long walks, but sometimes there are visiting humans who take her out for a romp. B. (P.'s partner) is tired.

2. Deborah hasn't checked in but I am assuming no news is good news, because if there were trouble I would have heard from her spouse. I've left a message for her.

3. I am still writing. There wasn't much time for it during my teaching week but since Thursday I have been back at it almost nonstop. Big push today and tomorrow (outside of liturgy and Lenten Series). Keep prayin'.

4. Moira has a tiny faint squeak of a voice. This is good news. It means the larynx is still functional.

5. Mimi didn't find her wallet, but she got a new credit card, and she hasn't let a nasty English cold stop her. She continues to enjoy England in the good company of Doorman-Priest and his delightful wife.

We remember Ian, who died yesterday, and his beloved Lisa, who has lost the love of her life. Paul has a moving memorial post and also posted another beautiful piece of music as Ian was dying.

It's a rainy day in Greensboro. Yesterday was a rainy day in Greensboro. The day before yesterday was a rainy day in Greensboro. I am gearing up to do some writing and also to visit the computer people a bit later.

John Hope Franklin, R.I.P.

The great historian John Hope Franklin died yesterday at the age of 94.

The Washington Post has several pieces about him including an obituary and tribute with a slide show here.

Duke University, one of the schools at which Professor Franklin taught, has a biography here.

From the WaPo obituary by Wil Haygood:

Franklin was among the first black scholars to earn prominent posts at America's top -- and predominantly white -- universities. His research and his personal success helped pave the way both for other blacks and for the field of black studies, which began to blossom on American campuses in the '60s.

In time, a second generation of eminent black scholars -- Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr., Georgetown's Michael Eric Dyson and Princeton's Cornel West -- would follow Franklin to the heights of America's most illustrious schools.

"He gave us a common language," Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, said yesterday. "As the author of a seminal textbook, 'From Slavery to Freedom,' Franklin gave us young black scholars a common language to speak to each other. He had invented a genre out of whole cloth."

Gates, a former recipient of a MacArthur "genius grant," for years was curious as to who had recommended him. He attended a dinner once with Franklin, and Franklin confided that he had been the one to recommend Gates. "And I cried at the table we were sitting at. A lot of us called John Hope 'the Prince.' He had such a regal bearing. We're all the children of John Hope."

Speaking of healing: I haz a little of teh sick

It's not teh sick in a humongous way, but it is sniffly and headachy and tired, so we are going to nip it in the bud and not let it get worse. The Editorial We has cancelled things right and left, begged out of this afternoon's funeral (just attendance, I didn't have any liturgical involvement), and found a replacement for at least one classroom commitment. No school for us today. We are being old-fashioned and Taking To Our Bed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. Have one for me - I'm on ginger tea and quiet.

Surfacing and sleep (and a few words on prayer)

Turned in grades on time. Slept all day yesterday. (I teach almost nonstop Monday-Wednesday including evenings, with office hours in between, so Thursday is open.) Made supper, noodled around, went back to bed at a normal time, slept 9 hours. Quite possibly could have slept longer, but I'd set an alarm clock or two. Her Grace, a most civilized feline, wakes up when I do, so there was no disturbance in the wee hours.

Now on to a day of desk work, and then it's spring break.

First, off to the Psalms of the Daily Office. I tend not to get much farther than the Psalms because they are so rich. Also, there are too many words in the Daily Office. Just sayin'. I mused about this two years ago.

Mid-semester grades are due first thing in the morning tomorrow

Well, it turns out many of us didn't use most of our snow day for grading. We just enjoyed the day, rested, listened to music, noodled around on Facebook, did a little school work (little grading, a lot of course website updating in my case), played outdoors in the snow, caught up on correspondence or phone calls to dear one, and baked or cooked (in my case, cornbread). There you have it.

I am going to be up much of the night reading and grading, reading and grading.

But then I'll be done.

It's a caffeinated kind of day.

La, la, la, we have a snow day

... which of course means faculty can stay at home reading and grading, grading, grading because mid-semester grades are due in three days. We might be able to avoid the mid-term all-nighter!

The Southland is all snowy.

+Maya Pavlova is asleep and doesn't care.

A dozen daffodils bloomed in front of the house just a day ago.

I cut and brought some daffodils and jonquils indoors yesterday. There were a lot more ready to pop out. The snow probably won't hurt them; they are hardy. But I worry about the ice which may be coming as the temperatures drop.

Sleep well, little daffodils.

Photo: Daffodils in snow, Consett, Co Durham, England; photo by Owen Humphreys, PA Wire.

Institutions

Dealing with a lot of them these days. But, as a member of my family said to me yesterday, "If Obama can become president, you can get through this."


Meanwhile, in the big outside world, the President is going to close Guantánamo. A decision not without risk. But a human is a human and torture is wrong. We become what we dole out to others. So beware what you sow.

Better to sow the good seed -- even if you never see it grow and bloom. Others will.

How hard it is to live by principle, to live truthfully, to negotiate the shoals of institutional life -- all institutions, without exception.

Spirit, Structure, and Flesh: my friend Deidre Crumbley's new book

I am just back from the book party for my friend Deidre's new book, held at St. Ambrose, Raleigh, a historically African American Episcopal church. The publisher (a university press) priced the book high and it's a hardback, but I am happy to say that Deidre's friends showed up and bought a lot of books -- and the founder of the church's Jazz Mass Quartet came and played the saxophone! There was food, particularly some excellent spinach balls. And a big cake saying "Congratulations." Here's a reproduction of the book cover.


It's a fascinating book and Dr. Crumbley (that's Deidre) has worked on it for something like 20 years. Four years of field work in Nigeria, countless rewrites, and the search for a publisher, plus illness and search for funding and all manner of obstacles. I gather there was also a cat involved at some point. Of course.

Rejoice with Deidre in her great achievement!

By the way, there are now members of African Initiated Churches, including the Aladura churches in this book, here in the U.S. -- including here in North Carolina. As Deidre noted in her short talk at the party, the African Diaspora did not end with slavery; indeed, our President-Elect is a child of this diaspora. So the African Initiated Churches, which began in the 20th century as indigenous African forms of Christianity, have migrated to other continents and are undergoing changes there.

More on the book on the publisher's website here. The full name of the book is Spirit, Structure, And Flesh: Gendered Experiences in African Instituted Churches among the Yoruba of Nigeria.

Friday cat blogging: study with vacuum cleaner and sun

This was about two months ago.

As you see, the always extraordinary +Maya Pavlova, unlike most kittehs, does not fear the vacuum cleaner. But don't ask her to use it. She has her limits.

Too bad, I could use the household help. But I am only her humble and obedient servant.

The weather is cold (nothing like Boston or Minneapolis, but chilly for the Southland, below freezing) and I woke up with a cat draped over my arm on the flannel sheets. I am so dramatically broke that I have to keep the heat low since I can't afford heating oil till after the next paycheck (still two weeks away -- cable is about to be shut off, too; I may have to watch the Inauguration at a friend's) so we are piling on the down comforters and sweaters, but there is good healthy food in the house and snuggling with a cat is always nice. Today is bright and sunny and as in these photos, Her Grace is seeking out the sun patches and will not need to roll into a tight little ball until later in the day. I have gotten through the first week of classes with minimal stress and only have a couple of hours of desk work to do, after which I can tend to the backlog of non-school things for the rest of the day, here at home with a nice mug of something hot.

These photos are not of very good quality, but they do capture the mood.