A Poem for Epiphany and a New Year: T.S. Eliot's The Journey of the Magi

The Journey of the Magi

'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For the journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins,
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death,
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

-- T. S. Eliot

New Years for the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions made NFL history on Sunday night, ending their season 0-16 after a 31-21 loss to the Packers at Green Bay. It was the epitome of failure. An article in the NY Times by sportswriter Karen Crouse put it this way:

"The Lions’ emotions swung from hopefulness to helplessness to humiliation as the fact sank in that they had replaced the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 0-14, as the benchmark for badness."

Watching part of the second half on Sunday with a friend, I thought to myself: What on earth is their motivation to win this thing? What could the coach possibly say to them at half time? "1-15 means victory boys!" Ugh.

Well, whatever was said, it was enough to keep them hoping well into the fourth quarter that maybe they could come back and somehow not be the worst team of all time, until...some infighting on a promising drive near the end of game earned them a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which ultimately led them to give up the ball. They did not get it back.

To me, this is a timely illustration about the difference between new years celebrations and new years resolutions. The Lions need to celebrate this new year. As was made evident in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field, resolutions do not work when you've dug yourself to the bottom of a deep dark pit of failure. At that point, you need to go home and get Billy Idol to help you realize,


"It's a nice day for a white wedding
It's a nice day to start agaaaaaaaaaaaain"

The beauty of New Years Day is a clean slate, and this brings new motivation to be a new person. Unfortunately, resolutions usually bring false-hopes that can only reveal to us how much of the old person still helplessly remains. And that can be humiliating.

So here's to the Lion's resurrection in '09! Happy New Year to all.

PZ on Thornton Wilder

A quick thought from the father figure himself, Paul Zahl:

In Wilder's book The Woman Of Andros, a wise man is observing a wise priest and thinks to himself, "People like that have some secret about living. Why don't they tell it to us outright, instead of wrapping it up in mystery and ceremonial?"

To me (PZ) this sums up why the Christian institution is flailing around these days, clueless and almost everywhere out of touch with the inward sufferings of people. It is as if we have something important to say but wrap it in packages that are hard to open.

Wilder goes on to say, in a journal entry, that in order for a religious revival to take place in his America of the Great Depression, there will have to be "new persuasive words for defaced or degraded ones". In my opinion this is what my ministry has been about, and it is what Mockingbird is about.

Atheist Endorsement Of Evangelism In Africa

Yet another amazing find by John Stamper. An article by Matthew Parris in Saturday's online edition of The Times [UK] entitled "As An Atheist, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God". A few salient paragraphs:

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.

But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.
---------------
Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosophical/ spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

A quick quote on spiritual transformation

...I am convinced that most of our ministries have legitimated the autonomous self and even fortified it with all kinds of religious armour. Religious people are even harder to transform because they don't think they need it.

Richard Rohr, "The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective" (p. xv)

Merry Christmas!

An Unbeliveable Thing To Say

Yesterday I was reading a Times article. I almost fell out of my chair when I read this quote.

“It is not possible for him to atone for all the damage he did,” the rabbi said, “and I don’t even think that there is a punishment that is commensurate with the crime, for the wreckage of lives that he’s left behind. The only thing he could do, for the rest of his life, is work for redemption that he would never achieve.”

Who is this rabbi talking about? Bernie Madoff. Madoff ran a large, exlcusive, trusted investment firm in New York. His client list reads like a who's-who of the global elite. He also controlled a lot of wealth for the most respected hedge funds. Until the whole thing collapsed. Turns out, it was a giant Ponzi scheme, where early investors were paid with the money of later investors. Madoff was arrested on Dec. 11 and allegedly confessed to losing $50 billion (that's billion, with a B) of his clients' money. Many individuals, as well as pension funds and charitable foundations, have literally lost all they have. It has been catastrophic.

Many have wondered how Madoff could have done this. Christians should not be surprised. I am reminded of Abraham putting his wife at risk through a web of deception to save his own skin. I think of Jacob, stealing Esau's blessing. And, of course, there's Peter, who denied Christ out of total self-interest. But you don't have to go with the marquis names in the Bible. What about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 4, who blatantly cheated the early Christian church? What about the gluttonous Christians in the Corinthian church who ate all the food at their weekly fellowship meal so that latecomers got nothing (1 Cor 11)? And what about the favoritism shown in the distribution of food to widows in the early Jerusalem church (see Acts 6; the Jewish widows were favored over the Greek widows) leading to the appointment of St. Stephen as Deacon to oversee this ministry (incidentally, today, Dec. 26, is the Feast of St. Stephen). The human problem seems to be we seek always for ourselves, and really only care about ourselves. We invent ways of covering this up, but the assertion of self over others (and over against God and his Law) is always there. As Jesus said in Mark 7:21: "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery." Joseph Conrad was just picking up on this darkly illuminating insight from Jesus when he called his 1902 novel "Heart of Darkness" (upon which Apocalypse Now is based).

Why this reflection on such a dark topic? Well, it's Christmas. And as millions of Christmas cards proclaim, "The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). The light of Christ can only be seen once we understand the darkness of the heart. We don't rejoice at our Savior's coming until we reckon our own need for saving. Why do we need a savior? Because we are lost without one.

If not for Jesus, our only option would be, as the rabbi said about Madoff, is to work for the rest of our lives on a redemption we could never achieve. The rabbi declared, "It is not possible for him to atone for all the damage he did."

This is an accurate description of all of us. None of us can atone for our sins. The Law of God is inviolate and unassailable. Its demands are total. And yet we have these dark hearts that lead us to repeated shipwreck on the immovable cliffs of the Law. That's why we need a Savior. The Christmas carol "Joy to the World" says Jesus "comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found." The curse is universal. Which is why it is right to say "let heaven and nature sing" when Someone comes to remove it.

Favorite quote for 2008

"I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, My Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith."

- The Small Catechism by Martin Luther

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. . .

Even more proof that somebody up there loves us. . .

‘Toxic Avenger’ Musical to Play Off Broadway

"You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not gag at the misshapen sight of a scientist who’s been tossed into a tank of radioactive goo, I’m telling you why: the “Toxic Avenger” musical is coming to town."

Top 5 Quotes for Me Today

In no particular order:

1. Ani Difranco, "As Is" – “Just give up and admit you're an asshole/You would be in some good company/And I think you'd find your friends would forgive you/Or maybe I am just speaking for me.”

I am pretty sure this is a song about one of Ani's past relationships, but all I can hear are the words of God to us.

2. C. FitzSimons Allison, Guilt, Anger & God - "A small child may accurately and factually be described as inconsiderate, selfish, self-centered, thoughtless, untidy, undisciplined, and ill-mannered. However, if he is not seen or regarded by someone as more than that he will have little chance of ever becoming more than that."

Growing up I was certainly the "bad seed" who was always getting into trouble and wanted to be known as a bad kid. My mom would hear none of it. Today, I am a fairly well adjusted person and I attribute that to the people, like my mother, who lived and spoke God's love and forgiveness into my life.

3. Shane Claiborne, dedication to The Irresistible Revolution – “Dedicated to all the hypocrites, cowards, and fools...like me. May we find the Way, the Truth, and the Life in a world of shortcuts, deception, and death.”

I have not finished the book yet, but I highly recommend the Introduction.

4. Conclusion to the Rite for "The Reconciliation of a Penitent," The Book of Common Prayer - "The Lord has put away all your sins. Go in peace, and pray for me, a sinner."

As I get older, these words have only increased in their beauty. The power behind them is the only reason I am still alive today. It is the only reason I dare draw my next breath.

5. Jed Bartlet, West Wing Season 3: “Isaac and Ishmael” – We don't need martyrs right now; we need heroes. A hero would die for his country, but he would much rather live for it.

Too often when we “die” for truth we hurt the people around us. This doesn’t seem to be the case when we “live” for it.

Every Time a Bell Rings, Tim Allen Makes a Christmas Movie

Other than presents, my favorite part of Christmas is the movies. And while I love the "classics" like The Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Love Actually and Die Hard as much as the next person, there are some Christmas movies that, I think, have been subjected to unfair criteria. Solely as Christmas movies, they deserve to be accepted and affirmed wholeheartedly and without reservation, regardless of how insulting the premise, poor the acting and emotionally manipulative the conclusion. So, with the help of Rottentomatoes.com, I've compiled a list of movies that always warm me with Christmas cheer, even if not all of them are critically acclaimed. I'm sure I've missed some, what are your favorite terrible Christmas movies?

10 Christmas with the Kranks
Tomatometer: 5% “A mirthless comedy as fresh as last year's fruit cake.”



Doch! Tim Allen is the underrated comedic genius of our time. . .

9. Deck the Halls
Tomatometer: 6% “Watching "Deck the Halls" is like getting a lump of coal in your stocking. Except receiving a lump of coal takes only seconds, while this awful movie goes on for an hour and a half.”



It’s really not THAT bad, and besides, its always fun to watch Danny DiVito—remember Twins? And, don’t forget how funny he was in Batman as the scarred Penguin-man. Priceless!

8. Surviving Christmas
Tomatometer: 7% “With the release of this wretched film, star Ben Affleck takes one more ragged step in what seems his death march from leading man to celebrity game show guest”



Well, I can't really argue with this review, but what's wrong with being a game show guest? Its better than reality-TV show star.

7. Santa Clause III: The Escape Clause
Tomatometer: 13% “Santa's traditional cry of ho-ho-ho has never sounded more like three stab wounds of pain and horror.”


Starring an inspired Tim Allen, this third installment of the Santa Clause dynasty has Martin Short playing “Jack Frost,” and has to be seen to be believed—really an anti- consumerist morality tale and, I’m sure, shortly out on Criterion:)

6. Jingle all the Way
Tomatometer: 18% “still heartless and unfunny and as welcome a part of the holidays as traffic and fruit cake.”

Au contraire, with Sinbad and Arnold, what could go wrong? Also, there is a wonderful cameo by Tom Arnold playing a barney clone getting beat up by Arnold, and another by Jim Belushi playing a disgruntled North Pole elf who fences stolen toys—nothing says Christmas like that!

5. Fred Clause
Tomatometer: 26% “You'll have a better time if you spend Christmas wedged up a chimney.”


I really liked the premise, at least. The North Pole clubbing scene with Ludacris and Vince Vaughn, and the scene when Fred teaches the head elf how to dance, alone are worth the ticket or illegal download.

4. The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause
Tomatometer: 56%! “The script for SC2...is not perfect, but with Allen’s help it delivers more hits than misses.”


That’s what I’m talking about.

3. Scrooged
Tomatometer: 61% “An appallingly unfunny comedy, and a vivid illustration of the fact that money can't buy you laughs.”

As has been previously noted on this blog, we couldn’t disagree more.

2. Christmas Vacation
Tomatometer: 61% “The ultimate family holiday film, playing on both the heart strings and the horror to capture a genuine Christmas spirit.

I can honestly say that this movie changed my life; is that sad?

1.The Santa Clause
Tomatometer: 77% “...the closest thing we've had in the last twenty years to a genuine Christmas classic.”




Tim Allen, you’re my hero.


Merry Christmas!

A Quote for the Holidays

I have a friend who just commented on my facebook status:

"Kris is gaining new perspective on the heights of forgiveness."

Leon: "Sinners make the best saints."

Kris: "Amen. Amen!"

Grace

This is a poem I wrote back in 1998 (2 years prior to my conversion). When I was 16, I "gave my life to Christ". However, I never considered myself to be a Christian, because I could never "act" or "be" Christian. I spent 9 years (1991 to 2000) wrestling with the fact that I couldn't follow the "law" to the tee. I read and reread the book of Proverbs, which contained all that I believed I needed to do to be righteous and holy (the words of Proverbs are unreadable in my first bible, they were underlined so many times). Yet, daily I failed miserably. If I ever felt like I was "getting it", I was destined for a major failure, which would dash my fragile and robust pride to the rocks, thus, leaving me hopeless, helpless, and near despair. The poem that follows was written out of one of those failures...

Even after my conversion in December of 2000, I still wrestled with a strong theology of Glory
and subsequent failure and condmenation. It wasn't until the fall of 2007, trough some pretty amazing friendships and a handful of major failures despite all my "striving", that I felt the refreshing shower of True Grace over my life. Now, as I read a poem I wrote 9 years ago, I realize how unimportant it is for me to "do" anything--for my hard "works" will only lead to pride, and pride will lead to judgment/condemnation, and this is a wretched existence. In a nutshell, this poem paints a picture of giving up that ends in landing in Grace by His accord and not by your own. It is by Grace that God has clutched me in His hand and rescued me from the pit of Hell. Grace is not the result of anything I do nor can I acquire it or more of it by my own will/works. Grace is a gift; a gift the God of the universe has spoken to/into us. May we bow our heads, in prayer, saying "Grace".

In the fit of the final hours you feel the shackle.

Tightly clamped to a thin bony ankle;

Gripping to the surface of level ground,

You feel the pull forcefully down.

With tips of fingers painted white

From the force of earth against hand tight;

You glance toward the steadfast pull,

“Nothing there,” you gasp, breathing partly full.

Pieces of dirt crumble from your hands and pressure

Falling quickly, soundlessly into the inhaling fissure.

The more you pull and the more you fight,

The tighter the clamp resists your mere human might.

Darkness’ clouds come rolling, God-Speed, in.

The shackle tightens, triggering each and every last sin.

As you turn inward and ponder all evil deeds,

You can hear the foreboding chant of evil’s creeds.

With every thought you forget your grip for life,

Giving way for darkness’ discontent and strife.

Without forewarning your left hand does slip,

Falling, quickly, into Death's tight grip.

Weakness remaining, you realize you have no chance

To escape from this Hell, this demon like trance.

“Please help me!” yelled out loud

Hoping to see some light through the cloud.

Your last strength gives way

Breathing dust, soot, and clay;

Expecting to fall into that eternal night,

Christ’s hand grabs yours steadfast and tight.

Pulling you from darkness and out of despair,

Your soul he has rescued and repaired.

Merry Christmas!

Comfort And Joy

Merry Christmas from all of us at Mockingbird! And thank you everyone for making this such a fun year to be online. We are encouraged and we hope you are too. But just in case you need a little extra comfort and joy to get through the week, here's the immortal fourth verse of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" and a clip from Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Special:

O ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now, for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!


Stay tuned for more year-end lists...

5 Life-Changing Quotes (For Me) This Year

1. "I don't believe in resurrection. I don't believe in eternal life. I don't believe in life after death. I don't believe in the hereafter. Those are all opinions. I simply trust Jesus that He will deliver me; as He rose from the dead, so He will raise me. Whatever that means, however it works, I trust Him because in His death is my reconciliation and in my reconciliation is my joy in Him." -- Robert Capon concluding, very oddly, a sermon on The Pharisee & The Tax-Collector (somehow these strange, almost inappropriate words reached me, and assured the deep dark sinner in me that I am really loved by God, even despite my pathetic unbelieving belief)

2. "When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love...

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet...

-- Bob Dylan, from To Make You Feel My Love (not new of course, I've been in love with this song for a while; what was new was hearing it sung as a worship song at my church; i have rarely felt/heard the gospel so clearly in church; thank you Bob)

3. "We're doing it." -- Jason Tambor ("Pop-Pop") on the rumored Arrested Development movie

4. "Throughout Chinese Democracy, the most compelling question is never, 'What was Axl doing here?' but 'What did Axl think he was doing here?'...On the aforementioned 'Sorry,' Rose suddenly sings an otherwise innocuous line ("But I don't want to do it") in some bizarre, quasi-Transylvanian accent, and I cannot begin to speculate as to why. I mean, one has to assume Axl thought about all of these individual choices a minimum of a thousand times over the past 15 years... So why is this the one we finally hear? What finally made him decide, 'You know, I've weighed all my options and all their potential consequences, and I'm going with the Mexican vampire accent. This is the vision I will embrace. But only on that one line! The rest of it will just be sung like a non-dead human.'" -- Chuck Klosterman on Chinese Democracy (as brought to my attention by dz's post last month; i could hardly copy and paste this without tearing up)

5. "Ross, I'm pregnant." -- my wife, Hannah, on being, in fact, pregnant :)(Okay, I'm not exactly sure about the others, but the last one definitely did change my life.)

Favorite Web Discovery of '08?

It's possible that this isn't my favorite web discovery of the year (the "Who Has the Biggest Brain?" game on Facebook is in close contention) but it's definitely up there. Drop anything you want into the box on www.wordle.net and see it come out in a diagram, emphasizing words used more often. This is Mockingbird's frontpage today:


(click for larger image)

Along with the obvious ones, I love the prominence of "Spiderman", "Bond", and "Axl".

Speaking of Thornton Wilder

I thought I would share a quote from "Our Town." This is from a scene in Act II. George is about to get married to Mr. Webb's daughter Emily, and they are talking about marriage.

Mr. Webb:

George, I was thinking the other night about some advice my father gave me when I got married. Charles, he said, Charles, start out early showing who's boss, he said. Best thing to do is to give an order, even if it don't make sense; just so she'll learn to obey. And he said: if anything about your wife irritates you-her conversation, or anything-just get up and leave the house. That'll make it clear to her, he said. And, oh, yes! He said never, never let you wife know how much money you have, never.

George:

Well, Mr. Webb...I don't think I could...

Mr. Webb:

So I took the opposite of my father's advice and I've been happy ever since.

W.H. Auden - Christmas Oratorio

Section III of "For The Time Being". It's long, I know, but very much worth the time:

Well, so that is that.
Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -
Some have got broken - and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week -
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted - quite unsuccessfully -
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose
Would be some great suffering. So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
“Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake.”
They will come, all right, don’t worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine. In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance. The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God’s Will will be done,
That, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

ITunesU and Me: 2008 Playlist

I have finally found a way to redeem my misspent college years (Madden anyone?): ITunesU. From lectures on String Theory to “How did Hannibal cross the Alps?,” Systematic Theology to Heidegger, I feel like I’m now going--like the responsible adult I was supposed to be at 19-- to all of those nightly addresses given by world-renown professors that, at the time, never seemed as interesting as some of the other extra-curriculars that college life affords. And, since my music/movie tastes are a little more pedestrian than my esteemed fellow bloggers (think Lil’ Scrappy and Fred Clause), this is my version of a playlist.
So, here are my 10 favorite ITunesU offerings for 2008. They’re not in any particular order, except for an attempt to mix up the ridiculous with the sublime (I'll let you decide which is which). As this list will necessarily expose my own particular bias’ and interests, and since there are new classes and schools being added all the time, I’d love to know of others that I’ve missed.

1.Entitled Opinions
This is a radio show from KZSU, Stanford. Hosted by Robert Harrison--a delightfully pretentious professor of French and Italian at Stanford--this is “Ivory Tower” intellectualism at its best. Whether its an interview with the late Richard Rorty , a wonderful conversation on the concept of "Athletic Beauty" and similarities between football and chess(here and here), Rene Gerard and Mimetic Desire, or Kandinsky and German expressionism, this show represents the breadth and depth of learning that a tenured professorship—or massive independent wealth--can afford you. Its something that we can all aspire to someday. Trust me, you’ll love it.
A few other highlights include:The Virgin Mary; Anti-Americanism—a conversation with Russell Berman; Hannah Arendt —a conversation with Karen Feldman 1 & 2;W.H Auden; Language and Thought
P
2.AeroCast
This is a set of instructional videos from the Aerospace department at the University of North Dakota intended to help aspiring pilots how to execute "soft field landings," "holding patterns," and "commercial steep turns.". . . unbelievably cool.


3.Existentialism in Literature and Film
It seems like almost every class offered at UC Berkeley is online, and I don’t know if loss of revenue from tuition is contributing to California’s financial woes, but we’re all better off for it. The best thing about this class is the Profesor, Hubert Dreyfus. He is easy to listen to, self-deprecating and funny. In addition, if you want, you can buy the books—Fear and Trembling, Sickness Unto Death, Brothers Karamazov, etc—and read/learn along with the lectures. So, download a class or two for your next run/workout, and appreciate the opportunity to boldly assert your defiance of death and search for meaning while listening to a lecture on Nietzche.

4.The Historical Jesus
I think it was Browder, or Sun-Tzu (I get them confused), who said, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

Covenant Seminary, R.T.S and Concordia
I don't know a lot about Covenant Seminary St. Louis, but it seems very similar to RTS (Reformed Theological Seminary), which means that it is solidly Reformed-Evangelical (in distinction to the Cranluthmerian-Evangelical perspective). Despite some different pastoral and ecclesiological emphases, I always find it helpful to hear a clear and consistent exposition of the Reformed position. There are also many classes up from Concordia Seminary, St.Louis, which is Lutheran. It is simply amazing how many resources these seminaries have available online. And while I wouldn't recommend it, you can, essentially, get an MDiv (including Greek and Hebrew) for free! At any rate, until MockingbirdU gets up and running, and in the great Cranluthmerian tradition, with 2 parts Concordia and one part RTS, you can't go wrong.

5.Francis A. Schaeffer: the Early Years, The Later Years
This two-part class on Francis Schaeffer from Covenant was fascinating. Aside from the fact that I like biographies, Schaeffer was an important part of my return to a form of historic Christianity after one too many classes in the religious studies department. He lived/taught during a time of incredible social and theological change--which we're still in the middle of--and he had some prophetic insights. Plus, given the worldwide reach of L’Abri, and its impact on so many prominent Christian leaders, his life is an attestation to the power of ideas and what individual people can do when inspired—and yes, I’m sure that I’m reading myself into that “grand narrative,” because what would life possibly be like, or how could I even begin to cope with reality, were it not for the ability to place myself in the unfolding story of God? ;-)

6.History of Philosophy and Christian Thought
I wish I had been offered a class like this in seminary. Despite the frequent asides about contemporary church issues that are sort of interesting, the consistent and thoughtful critique of the idea of autonomous reason from a Christian perspective is really instructive. My only hesitation with some these classes from RTS, which I’m reminded of when about half-way through most of them, is that simul iusius et pecattor applies to the noetic as well as the ontological,or in other words, our reason and rationality remain subject to the ever-present judgement of the Cross —at any rate, this class is a great way to spend 37 hours or so:)

7.Yale Religion Department Lectures
This is a collection of different lectures all falling under the heading of “religion.” It is interesting to see how morality of some stripe is the thread that runs through otherwise mutually contradictory conceptions of God. I’m just sayin. . .

8.Philosophy 185: Heidegger
I wonder if Heidegger would appreciate the irony of his ideas being downloadable (definitely a word). This is another class from Professor Dreyfus that reminded me why so many of my friends who were Philosophy majors were also into hydroponic farming. I’ve listened to the class one time straight through, and now am going back with the book in hand. . .slowly. If you’ve ever thought, “As the ego cogito, subjectivity is the consciousness that represents something, relates this representation back to itself, and so gathers with itself,” then this is the class for you.

9.History 167B: The Rise and Fall of the Second Reich
This one is also from the land of Heijman, and maybe its because I’m living in Germany, but I found this class fascinating. While "nothing-comes-from-nothing" is a profoundly anti-Christian theological principle, as this class tragically shows, it may have something to say to history.

10.BU Humanities & Social Science
This is a collection of different lectures. The highlights (IMHO) are: “A Lecture by Slavoj Zizek,” “Practical Theology as Empirical Theology,” and “Mecca and Main Street: Muslim Life in America After 9/11.” After listening to some of these, I have little hope for any reconciliation between red and blue states, but hey, what do I know?




So, these were a few of the things that kept me from having to talk to people sitting next to me on buses, airplanes and trains during 2008. If any of you has found classes that you like too, let me know--I'm always looking for fewer reasons to converse with strangers:) Until then, Merry Christmas from me, Liza, and Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey.