Caught my Eye

Why blog my (naturally, obviously, of course, indeed) profound thoughts when others are writing much, much more profoundly? :)

Four articles have caught my eye in the past week, and while they all have something to say to the enduring quest of this blog, what it means to be Anglican in the world today, none directly speak to that quest, so, a little holiday from the "purity" of usual focus here :).

In particular order of priority ...

(1) What does the Bible say about a question du jour such as immigration? RNS has an insightful and challenging article, comparing The Books of Ruth and of Ezra, by Erin Galgay Walsh and Marshall Cunningham, titled "In the Bible's Immigrant Story, a Model for Humanizing the Vulnerable".

(2) Speaking of the Bible, RNS also has an article about Pope Leo XIV's notable use of Scripture in his (and Pope Francis') recently published apostolic exhortation, "Delexi te" ("I have loved you"), "Pope Leo Stresses Scripture as Foundation of Christian Concern for the Poor." makes the point:

"In the past, Catholic social teaching was based on papal documents and appeals to the natural law. Scriptural passages would be sprinkled in like seasoning on a well-prepared meal, but Scripture was never at the heart of the argument.

As Protestants embraced “sola scriptura” (by Scripture alone), Catholics prided themselves on teachings that were based on both faith and reason. The church’s teachings were heavily dependent on Aristotelian philosophy as interpreted by scholastic philosophers and theologians. Scripture served as “proof texts” to foregone conclusions.

Catholics were expected to accept this teaching on papal authority. Others were expected to be convinced by the clarity of the argument.

The advantage of appealing to reason, not faith, was that it allowed the church to engage in dialogue with secular thinkers. The disadvantage was that it was dry and uninspiring. It also made it difficult for Protestants to appreciate Catholic social teaching.

“Dilexi te” (“I have loved you”), the new apostolic exhortation issued Oct. 4 by Pope Leo XIV, is different. This is a document addressed to Christians and it is steeped in Scripture."

My own wondering is whether Pope Leo, being an Augustinian, is a "steeped in Scripture" theologian because, well, that was how St. Augustine wrote his theology!

(3) First Things carries a fascinating essay by noted theologian Hans Boersma, "Modernity and God-talk" which digs deep into how we understand God in God's essence and attributes, finds shortcomings in the standard Western theological way of discussing this matter (i.e. Aquinas not up to scratch!!) and heads into Eastern Orthodoxy with its "essence and energies" distinction, and sees that as, well, more helpful ...

(4) Back to RNS, this time to the important subject of both humanizing Palestinians and remembering them, especially our Palestinian brothers and sisters (that is, in the context of proposals to rebuild Gaza without much actual reference to Gazan Palestinians, continuing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and in the context of the Knesset making actual legal moves to annex the West Bank, even when Vice President Vance was in Israel and visiting the Knesset). 

"They couldn't help Gazans. So they wrote a book they hope might offer comfort and wisdom" features two Palestinian Christian brothers from Jerusalem, John and Samual Munayer, who have written a The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza, published last month by Orbis Books. This book is a collection of essays by young Palestinian Christians in Israel and abroad which offers reflections "on how liberation theology can offer hope in the midst of destruction."