flotsam & jetsam (9.20.07)

Dr. Bob McCabe from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary has begun a new blog.  Dr. McCabe has spoken several times in our church and is always a blessing.  He's got a great action shot of his Hebrew class posted; you don't want to miss it (scroll down).  He's really pushing the creative boundaries on his blog name too...those Hebrew profs!

Pastor's supposed gift of speaking in tongues turns out to be elvish lingo (satire warning).  You know it is bad out there when you wonder if this might just be true.

One of the most interesting places on the planet--Capuchins' Catacombs in Sicily.  I first found reference to these in a book entitled The Hour of Our Death by Philippe Aries (Knopf, 1981).  The book is about the history of the Western Mind's attitude toward death over the last one thousand years.  Take the time to look through the various corpses under the photo links.  Their preservation (or lack thereof) and period dress are captivating.  Quite a contrast to the attitude towards the dead in San Francisco where cemeteries are banned.  There is a wonderfully written article along these lines entitled Death and Politics by Joseph Bottum in last June & July's First Things.   His thesis is threefold:

    1.  The losses human beings suffer are the deepest reason for culture.
    2.  The fundamental pattern for any community is a congregation at a funeral.
    3.  A healthy society requires a lively sense of the reality and continuing presence of the dead.

Comments

[Bob McCabe]

The believers at New Hope are one of the more responsive church's I have preached. Our interaction after the services has always been stimulating.

I am glad to see you are blogging, again. Your posts have been insightful and I look forward to reading more. Hopefully, your recommendation of my blog does not denigrate your influence in blogdom. Thanks for the recommendation.

[S & J Roe]

We found the Capuchin Catacombs absolutely fascinating and now want to go to Sicily. I couldn't make myself go see the"Bodies" exhibition at OSU & Easton because they were real people, but the bodies in the catacombs are there for such a different purpose. "The Sleeping Beauty" from 1920 was amazingly beautiful. Glad you are back to blogging.
Shirley