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Notes for January 25, 2009 Meeting:

"THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS LONG BEEN THE CINDERELLA OF THE TRINITY - THE OTHER TWO SISTERS MAY HAVE GONE TO THE BALL: THE HOLY SPIRIT GOT LEFT BEHIND EVERY TIME." {page 235, Blue Book, McGrath}

Our topic this month is primarily about perhaps the hardest working, yet least understood and recognized person of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit. In my own prayer and piety, I have generally side-stepped too much speculation and/or articulation about the Holy Spirit because I feel that I am still cutting my baby-teeth when it comes to understanding how and where the Spirit is at work in any one of our lives. My experience has been that there is far more concrete articulation about the nature of God the Father and God the Son in the tradition, and that the Holy Spirit is a bit elusive when it comes to theological reflection; our understanding of God the Father rests largely upon what we share with the Jews, and God the Son came to us in the form of an historical person - Jesus. I find that I piece together reflections on the Holy Spirit in the moments when I experience the power and the presence of the Spirit, and that my fickle reception of such presence is reflected in what I can actually say about this third person of the Trinity. I do have some signposts to point toward, and look forward to your thoughts and reflections about the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Please try to read everything in the Blue Book, as most of our discussion will begin there. If you find that you are short on time for reading in the Red Book - the book of writings from theologians through the centuries - please try to glance at the following:

3.10 Basil of Caesarea. A good, general description of the presence and work of the Spirit from the Eastern Orthodox perspective. One of the bricks for the formulation of the patristic and conciliar teaching about the Holy Trinity, which is one of the building blocks of our Anglican faith.

3.15 Augustine of Hippo. Very much like Basil, Augustine's understanding of the Holy Spirit as the "concourse of love" between the Father and the Son was one of the building blocks of all Western teaching on the Trinity, and is therefore of particular importance to us as Western Christians. The other readings are very short, and also very good; I think that you will find them helpful if you have time to read them.

1.24 Karl Barth on the Nature and Task of Theology. Short self-explanatory reading. This summary statement lays out some of the prerequisites and assumptions with which this famous 20th Century theologian undertook his task. Notice the comment at the bottom of the page, and how this excerpt is from a significant period of modern, European history. Barth is the most significant Protestant voice of the 20th Century. His inclinations were often criticized by Anglicans - notably Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey.

1.26 Ludwig Wittgenstein on Proofs for the Existence of God. Another short reading pointing out the limitations of human reason to fully grasp of give an account of God. He points out what I find is a mantra of most folks current expectations of knowing God - that I must have some first-hand experience to validate my belief; i.e. the proof is in the pudding. He is ruminating on what theologians are actually "up to" as they cogitate and articulate their theologies.

1.27 Vladimir Lossky on Apophatic Approaches to Theology. See page 703 for a definition of Apophatic - or the knowledge of God through negation and contrast. Lossky is giving voice to one of the ancient theological traditions noted in the Eastern Church. An approach that emphasizes that God is essentially unknowable, and that some affective and emotional process of being emptied is necessary to undertake the task. Mystical theology has become popular in the contemporary scene as folks explore different methods of contemplative prayer. Its ultimate goal is spiritual union with God.

1.28 Dietrich Bonhoeffer on God in a Secular World. Bonhoeffer is worth reading, in my opinion, simply because he is one of the martyrs of the modern world in the midst of a conflict that has touched most of our lives. Bonhoeffer experienced first hand what evils lurk beneath the human attempt at perfectibility, and how the Cross of Christ will forever mark human efforts toward creating the perfected society.

1.31 Gustavo Gutierrez on Theology as Critical Reflection. This is a longer excerpt from the Latin American school of Liberation Theology. The Liberation Theologians were facing the oppressive political regimes of South American dictators, and they reflected upon their Christian identities in the face of such oppression. They were far more interested in practice rather than theory, and encouraged Christians to take stands against political oppression in all forms. They were very critical of the "academy" of theological study and its failure to move against political powers that threatened the well being of Christians.

1.32 Brian Gerrish on Accommodation in Calvin's Theology. This short excerpt addresses Calvin's understanding of how God seeks to be understood by human agency and human understanding. The implications of such understanding are played out in how we interpret Scripture as well as the teaching of the Church across generations facing differing circumstances.

1.33 Dumitru Staniloae on the Nature of Dogma. This excerpt gives insight to the Orthodox Church's emphasis and affection for dogmatic theology and its application to individual lives. The given in this methodology is that there are core beliefs and doctrines in the Christian experience, and the theological task is one of reflecting upon the application and viability in the world. Again, this is another insight into the Orthodox and Eastern approach to theology.

2.2 -2.11 are all readings from the Patristics about the nature of the authority in interpreting scripture. They are very brief, and mostly self-explanatory.

2.13 Just of glimpse of Medieval mystical interpretation.

2.14 Very well could be the basis for how the young Martin Luther came to understand the interpretation of Scripture. It is always helpful to remember that Luther came to many of his insights as a devoted, medieval Roman Catholic.

2:15 Very short summary passage reviewing the fourfold interpretation of Scripture that was so significant in the ancient and medieval world. For those who did not have a chance to read all of Chapter 6 in the Blue Book, you will want to check this passage.

2:16 Insight into Luther's very significant theological contribution known as "the theology of the cross." Question to ponder: "Now what good does it do you if you know that God exists, but do not know what His will is for you?"

2.18 Traditional explanation of the relation between the Old and New Testaments.

2.19 An area of study that is often overlooked in Protestant faiths is the response made by the Catholic Church to the Reformation at the Council of Trent. This statement is a one paragraph explanation of how Catholics have viewed Scripture and tradition through the centuries.

2.22 Another voice that is indicative of the Catholic mind in the aftermath of the Reformation. Notice that the clear issue is one of authority - "who" has the right to say "what" about the meaning of the Bible.

2.25 A Catholic response to the preponderance of difffering Protestant interpretations of Scripture following the Reformation. Something like dying the death of 1000 cuts.

2.26 A great excerpt that gives a good picture of the late medieval mind. Notice the use of symbolism. Notice also the rationalization for bringing the Scriptures from the Latin to the common language of the people.

2.29 With the translation of the Scripture into the vernacular, there was a "raising up" of Scripture in the devotional life of the individuals. We see the beginning of what we think of as "Bible studies" and Prayer groups.

2.30 Some 150 years followng the Reformation, there were movements against the prevailing doctrinal and reasoned discussions of theology and the religious life. A movement known as pietism arose which emphasize the personal and relational aspects of faith; I would say that much of our modern, popular Christianity is cast in this mold.

2.33 This is an excellent piece about how many in the Catholic, and perhaps, mainline Protestant churches understand the interpretation of Scripture. Tradition is a "living word" to be considered alongside the living word of God.

2.34 This is an interesting piece if for no other reason than that Newman was an Anglican priest who became Roman toward the middle of his life. This is a classic statement of what has become an Episcopal mantra - the Via Media - the middle way between Protestant and Cathlic theology. Good read.

2.36 Important voice from an important era of English Church history. What you hear is that Scripture, at some level, should be handled like other classical literatures, in order that the student of Scripture might ascertain the "original meaning" of a passage as well as understand the historical context in which it was written.

2.38 Another important English voice seeking to draw distinctions between what is found in Scripture and what is held up by the church as official teaching. We might think of it ias the dichotomy bewtween Scripture and Creed.

2.39 Personally one of my favorites in this section. "If God is a reality - the whole universe rests on a supernatural basis."

Chapter 7: Click here to access the notes for the first half of the chapter prepared by Chuck Barlow, and click here for the notes for the second half. Click here to access Chuck's chart on "Natural Science and Christian Theology."