For a couple of weeks this blog will likely be very light on posting ... Theology House (my workplace) along with the Anglican Centre of the Diocese of Christchurch are moving from current locations at St Peter's Upper Riccarton Christchurch to the first floor of a building at 10 Logistics Drive Harewood Christchurch. (It is a rather large first floor ... 1000 m sq).
For Theology House this will be our fourth move since the 2011 earthquake but we are grateful that we have been just over four years in our most recent location.
Various decisions need to be made in the next few days, the packers come Friday 28th October and unpacking takes place from Monday 31st October. With a library to move, IT to set up, who knows when life will feel "normal" again :). And I must be focused on the move and not on the blog ...
Anyway, here is one item that caught my eye over this weekend: two high profile Kiwis converted to Christ and baptised into one of our leading episcopal churches!
It is always good to hear the testimonies of those in whom God is working in particular ways.
Postscript: here is a quite different post, somewhat "terrifying"!
Ah, Peter, I'm sure a careful theologian like you meant 'baptised into Christ', not into a church, episcopal or other wise!
ReplyDeleteI am not that careful, Brian!
ReplyDeleteBesides which my point was to elicit curiosity about which episcopal church was the context for the baptism into Christ :)
That's why I said "like you"! :) BTW, how many bishops does Destiny Church have? Is it a monepiscopacy? I seem to recall there's a Pentecostalist in Africa who originally styled himself 'Bishop Idahosa Benson', then he became 'Archbishop'. I don't know if he's made Pope yet. Oh dear, we live in inflationary times - everything is ballooning (except my salary).
ReplyDeleteJust the one bishop!
ReplyDelete"Besides which my point was to elicit curiosity about which episcopal church was the context for the baptism into Christ :)"
ReplyDeleteThis is not something you need trouble yourself over nor even ask questions about
God knows his own!
I recall reading that during WW2 a Jewish army chaplain baptised a dying GI after the GI requested baptism and no other Chaplain was available
Do you doubt the validity of such a baptism?
Baptism by desire has always been recognized by the Church
On the 'other' theme - preaching. Not too surprising that Ian Paul was using as his basis a text from 'Judges'. Sound about right! Does he preach from the Gospels sometimes, one wonders?
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with the move Peter. A bit more room to breathe, perhaps?
In answer to your question, Ron, I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning!
ReplyDelete(To readers outside of Chch, our new premises is close to Christchurch Airport :). )
"On the 'other' theme - preaching. Not too surprising that Ian Paul was using as his basis a text from 'Judges'. Sound about right! Does he preach from the Gospels sometimes, one wonders?"
ReplyDeleteDid you listen to his homily Fr Ron?
I did after reading your comment
It made sense - he put that story, which presumably is an account of something that happened long ago, into its context of the move of the Israelites into seeking an earthly King - which of course they did starting with Saul
But even the best of their Kings, David, was deeply flawed and he pointed out who the true King who should look to is
I'm less "horrified" or perhaps less surprised by the horror of that story than he because I know such things have continued to happen to this day and are aware of some ghastly things from my parents time - he points at a rape case involving a footballer to make the same point but that sordid tale is mild compared to the ongoing horrors of this world.
But he is correct as to where we must look to for leadership to defeat these evils and it isn't politicians or earthly kings