Shawn, Sara, Kate, and Charlotte in Scotland

Thesis Submission

2012-01-23T13:03:00.001Z

I haven’t updated this blog in several months … but there is good reason for that: I’ve been focusing on the PhD thesis and it’s now ready to submit!

(final copies will, of course, not feature a crumpled title page …)

The final product is 271 pages (not including front matter and bibliography), approx. 80,000 words long.

Final proofreading has revealed some humorous typos, including “penal substation” (have the dept. of corrections and the power company joined forces?) and “Calgary Reveal’s God’s Final Judgment” (is Canada really that bad? In my defense, the ‘g’ and ‘v’ keys are right next to each other …). I suspect I could drive myself mad trying to find every last typo, so at some point one must say, “go little thesis, fly away and do your work …”

More seriously, there are many people who deserve an expression of gratitude for their support. Below are my acknowledgements and dedication sections—I am painfully aware that I cannot name everyone and will inevitably leave someone out, so please accept my apologies in advance: you are appreciated!

Acknowledgements

Scotland and more particularly the small university town of St Andrews has provided an idyllic setting for thinking theologically about the gift of the Christian faith. This is largely because of extraordinary relationships we have had with fantastic people. In addition to the empowering support from our families, illumination and encouragement from a number of people have made the time researching this project in St Andrews so very enjoyable. Several deserve recognition.

The donors who have supported us through the Ministry and Education Foundation have proved invaluable. Without their prayer support, encouragement, and financial assistance this project would almost certainly not have happened. Such value and support of academic rigor wed with Christian commitment is truly exemplary.

It has been a privilege to participate in the St Mary’s postgraduate community. These friends have provided a remarkably supportive and intellectually vibrant Christian environment. Special thanks to my colleagues from the Hadow room and all those in the Roundel who have sharpened my thinking, warmed my heart, and encouraged my faith. Further thanks are due to the spouses and families of colleagues who have shared in life and faith with my own family.

The worshipping community at the St Andrews Free Church of Scotland have provided a place for us to grow in our faith and put theology into practice. Special recognition of thanks is in order to Alasdair MacLeod and Grant Macaskill for affording me the opportunity to hone my preaching skills through regular pulpit supply.

The St Mary’s faculty have been enormously helpful and supportive in this project and in my academic development. I am particularly thankful for the interaction given by the participants, both by faculty and students, of the Theology Research Seminar.

While I am thankful to all of my postgraduate colleagues and their families, several merit specific mention for special assistance beyond friendship and support. Patrick Egan, Stephen Presley, Andrew Johnson, Allen Jones, Sheree Lear, Ryan Mullins, and Jim Watkins, amongst others, have been instrumental in my theological and academic development. David Sonju and Ian Church, in addition to being similarly instrumental to my development, deserve a heartfelt expression of gratitude for their personal and emotional support during the times the weight of this research topic became too heavy for one person to bear. In various ways they each have been to me on this quest as Samwise to Frodo, and for that I am grateful beyond words.

I am thankful for my friend John Feinberg, whose mentorship throughout my seminary training has provided the best of foundations for doctoral study. His wealth of experience, his excellence in theological thought, and his commitment to serving the church through academic ministry have illuminated the path I intend to follow; it is an additional pleasure that he continues to walk with me along this path as my friend.

My supervisor, Stephen R. Holmes, has exceeded all expectations in guiding me through this process. His theological insight, probing feedback, and tenacious encouragement have brought me to where I am; his academic and intellectual rigor, theological acuity, and service to the local church are an example of what I aspire to be.

It must be said that my lovely wife Sara is the real heroine of this period of our lives. She worked several jobs to support us financially, bore our two daughters, and propped up our family with countless acts of service and love. Her support and perseverance through the chaos of young children and my erratic work schedule have made all the difference, and the depths of my gratitude for all she has done elude the proper expression she deserves.

Finally, I am thankful for my dog, Piper, who happily accompanied me on countless runs as I sought cathartic release from prolonged reflection on quite depressing topics. You’re a good boy.

Dedication

To Sara; as the first could only be hers.

Pumpkin Carving Party

2011-10-22T14:39:00.001+01:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but I suppose that’s to be expected with a newborn in the house (on top of finishing up a PhD and applying for teaching jobs!). Now that Charlotte is 6 weeks we’re starting to get back to normalcy—so much so that we were able to host a pumpkin carving party.

We picked pumpkins from our own garden (with some added from the store for the actual carving, because the home-grown are so incredibly tasty for baking it seems to much a waste to make those into jack-o-lanterns).

We brought them inside and washed them.

Then we (well, really the adults) started carving.

Kate was of limited help…

…until it came time to tear out the guts!

Eventually we finished and produced some very fine work.

Kate’s is my favourite…

Welcome Charlotte Joy!

2011-09-13T13:18:00.001+01:00

(This post, fittingly, courtesy of Sara)

On Saturday, two days after my due date, I started to get contractions early in the morning. I wasn’t able to sleep since they were coming every 5 to 30 minutes but I was happy things were happening. I was also very pleased to feel the contractions in my abdomen since I had back labour with Kate. The contractions continued throughout the day Saturday but were not strong or consistent. On Sunday the contractions picked up a bit but weren’t too painful. The day was normal for the most part. We went to church, had lunch, I attempted to take a nap and in the evening we went to the park. My contractions slowly got closer together and by the time we were leaving the park around 7:30pm, I needed to stop and concentrate while I was experiencing a contraction.

I told Shawn to go to sleep around 11pm. My contractions were about 7-10 minutes apart but still very manageable. I figured one of us should get some sleep. Around 3am the pain of the contractions increased substantially. I still felt I could deal with the pain but after about 30 minutes I decided I needed Shawn’s help. So I woke him up and he let me grip his hands (I’m pretty sure his fingers were purple) during a contraction while I slowly breathed and slightly bounced on a birthing ball. Shawn decided it was time to call the midwife unit when the contractions were between 4-6 minutes apart. A little after 4am we decided to head to the hospital. We dropped Kate off at a friend’s house and arrived at 5am. In the car my contractions were about 3 minutes apart but I still felt like I was dealing well with things. Once we arrived the midwife evaluated me. I was nervous at this point that I wouldn’t be dilated much but she said I was 5cm and the head was low. I was slightly discouraged at this point but looking forward to getting into the pool.

Once the pool was filled I was told I could get in. At this point, the contractions were coming even closer together and I just couldn’t imagine how I would stand up and step into the tub. About 6am I got in the water. I was hoping for instant relief. I didn’t get that. The water did seem to take a slight edge off and once I found a comfortable position, I was happy that I had decided to get in. I was mentally still trying to deal with the possibility that I had a number of hours more of labor. The midwife and Shawn chatted quite a bit and I just closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. Shawn helped me breathe through contractions and gently would remind me to breathe slowly. At one point when the midwife had left the room I got a very strong urge to push. I was shocked and started splashing around in the water and shouting “I have to push! I have to push!” I’m sure I was quite a sight. Shawn just said okay and to breathe and the midwife quickly came back into the room. With a little urging on her part I was able to turn into a good position and regained some control of my breathing. I was urged to push when I felt the need to. About 15 minutes later, at 6:45am on September 5^th, Charlotte Joy was born! Shawn got to pick her up out of the water and place her on my chest. She came out with a little cry and immediately settled while she laid on me. A little after 7am, Shawn and I sat on the bed with our little girl just in awe. I couldn’t believe she was already here! Charlotte Joy was a healthy 7lbs 7ozs and 20.5 inches long.

On her name: Charlotte means “free woman”; “Joy” needs no explanation. It is our prayer that Charlotte Joy would know the freedom found only in Jesus Christ, and that the Lord would be her delight.

10 Year Anniversary

2011-08-18T06:00:00.001+01:00

Today (18 Aug 2011) marks 10 years of marriage for us! What a richly wonderful and fulfilling decade it’s been. I’ve dug through our picture collection for this blog post and come up with some interesting stuff- here goes.

We met in the summer of 2000 and within a few months we both knew where things were headed…

We got engaged on a beach in Florida (notice the sunburn affliction we’re both ignoring in this shot).

Our wedding day was really fun…

We moved into a tiny, dirt-cheap apartment (I nearly typed “flat”!) that hadn’t been updated since the late 60’s…

For our first wedding anniversary we went hiking around the Wisconsin Dells, outdoorsy folk we tend to be.

For our second wedding anniversary, we came very close to being crushed to death by a large semi. Seriously, by all accounts we should be dead. It’s a story for another day, but in sum: apart from God’s providence, there’s no good explanation why a semi vs. compact accident like ours amounted to mere body damage to our car rather than multiple fatalities. After the accident we weren’t really up for posing, so I don’t have any photographs of us on our second anniversary. In fact, I just today realized we didn’t take any anniversary shots for the following 8 years (a subconscious link, perhaps?).

My original intention was to organize this post around pictures of each anniversary—an impossible task with an 8 year gap. So here’s some other highlights and events:

At least one of us has been a student for the entirety of our marriage (which, by the way, sounds more stressful than it actually was). With that comes graduations: first, me from Moody, then Sara from Moody, then me from Trinity (and soon from St Andrews!):

We bought our first house…

…and did some serious DIY home improvement…

We got a dog…

…moved to Scotland (with only a few checked bags!)…

…we had our first daughter (and will have our second in a few short weeks!).

The only other wedding anniversary picture I have is from last year, which we celebrated in Paris!

Looking back through some old pictures, it is evident that we were young and love-struck:

The more recent pictures have changed—we’re a bit older, but no less love-struck:

Biblically there is a strong and important analogy between the marriage relationship and God’s love for his people. Because of this deep love, Christ took on flesh, lived a perfect life, and gave up his life on the cross, paying the penalty due to us. This gracious love brings forgiveness and reconciliation. The highest meaning and the ultimate purpose of marriage is to put on display the covenant relationship of Christ and his church, and Sara and I have done our best to have a marriage that showcases God’s grace and love. Today we celebrate our 10 year anniversary: here’s to many more!

To the Continent!

2011-07-05T14:28:00.001+01:00

Some of Sara’s family came to visit us here in Scotland, and from there her parents took us on a fantastic trip to the continent- Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary! It was an amazing trip; too much to cover in a single blog post, so here are some snippets:

We went to the Highlands

Spent some time in St Andrews

From there we went with Sara’s parents to the continent. In southern Germany, we saw castles…

We hiked through the Alps in Switzerland…

…and saw much, much more!

Kate “helped” us navigate…

We’re very thankful to have experienced such a great trip!

On a slightly different topic… I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a while, as we are regularly embarrassed by American tourists here in Scotland, but since they were just as bothersome to me on this trip, now seems as good a time as any. So if you'll excuse the sarcasm and allow me the catharsis, I present:

How To Be An American Tourist.

BE LOUD.
Wear obviously brand new, bright white tennis shoes. Also, consider wearing tacky t-shirts with an American flag or an eagle: your patriotic fashion will be appreciated by everyone. It's even better if you can find matching shirts for the whole family.
A few days into your trip, be sure to sport that gear you bought at yesterday's tourist trap. What Austrian wouldn't appreciate the wit of your "There are no kangaroos in Austria" t-shirt?
Talk either about how cheap or how expensive everything is, despite your fundamental ignorance of currency conversion. Further, shopkeepers enjoy hearing about how cheap their wares are, and by implication, how rich you are.
BE LOUD.
Showing your annoyance, request ketchup in most every restaurant you visit. Ignore that waitress's subtle hint that such is not customarily provided in that part of the world.
Do the same with ice.
You should absolutely wear a fanny pack. Preferably brightly coloured.
Did I mention you should BE LOUD? Everything you say- especially in public- should be at a volume noticeably louder than every other non-American around you. Of course the fellow diners on the other side of the restaurant want to be able to hear your petty and pointless antidote about running out of hairspray.
Learn basically nothing about the country you’re visiting, and refuse to read any historical details in any museum or site you might visit. If you didn’t pick it up in your regular diet of American pop culture, it’s probably not worth knowing.
Assume everyone speaks English; become slightly peeved if someone does not and then SPEAK (in English) MORE LOUDLY to them.
Complain- again, LOUDLY- how various things are much better in America.

When in Rome…

2011-05-05T12:22:00.001+01:00

We found unbelievably inexpensive airfare to Rome, too good to pass up. It was only after booking them did we realize we had just put ourselves in Rome over Easter weekend! Because of this, finding good lodging proved difficult, but eventually we found a very nice and affordable self-catering apartment. Off we went.

We saw the Pantheon…

…we saw the Colosseum and Roman Forum…

…Kate was not much impressed by any of it, but did enjoy playing with water.

In fact, she played in nearly every fountain/pond/faucet/etc. she possibly could.

She also chased pigeons. Alot.

We dragged her all throughout the streets of Rome…

…and she handled it well, often sleeping on the go.

On the night of Good Friday we went to a candlelight service led by the Pope at the Colosseum, and there was a sea of people in every direction, as far as the eye could see…

It was a fantastic and full trip, but to wrap up this post I’ll mention two highlights. First, the Catacombs of St. Callixtus (no pictures, as photography was no permitted). Founded in the middle of the second century, just a short distance outside the walls of Rome there is a network of catacombs where the early Christians would bury their dead. These Christians did so because Roman law forbade burial places in city limits and because the pagans had a practice of incinerating corpses. I found the whole thing fascinating, and appreciated the symbolism and yet simplicity that marked their burial sites.

Second, we celebrated Easter with a Sunday morning worship service at the Rome Baptist church. Being English speaking, Protestant, and not requiring tickets in advance, this was much more suiting than some other, more high-profile options. Anyway, It was largely an international church congregation, filled with wonderful and vibrant Christians. Even as visitors we felt very welcome and connected with these believers. For me, there was something refreshing about going to a church as a worshiper rather than a tourist…

One more thing- we didn’t check a bag. Carry-on bags only, for a whole week, with a 15 month old (and related gear). Many might consider this uninteresting, but I considered it a personal victory.

This Sermon is Meaningless

2011-03-21T12:55:00.001Z

Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

Preached 20 March, 2011 * St Andrews Free Church * Shawn Bawulski

In the 2009 animated film “Up,” there is an amazing 4 minute sequence that captures the feeling of life with no dialogue at all—just music and animation. Leading up to the sequence, the main character of the movie, Carl, has met a girl during his childhood, Ellie. The sequence begins with their wedding ceremony. They make a home for themselves by fixing up a dilapidated house they used to play in as children. It becomes their dream house—small and quaint but well kept and cosy. Carl and Ellie dream of vacationing to Paradise Falls in South America. They also dream of starting a family. They turn one of their rooms into a nursery. In the next scene, they both hang their heads in a cold and sterile doctor’s office as he delivers the bad news. Deeply saddened, they make the best of their lives with just the two of them. They begin saving for their dream vacation to Paradise Falls, putting in a few cents here and there when they can. However, they have to dip into their savings when life happens, to cover car repairs or medical bills. They grow old together, making a humble life with some sweet moments. Carl realizes they finally have enough money for their trip to Paradise Falls. He buys the tickets and takes Ellie on a picnic to surprise her with the news. But he never gets the chance. On the way there Ellie falls ill and eventually fades away. After her funeral, Carl returns to a dark and empty home, all alone.

This scene is powerful—it captures the ups and downs, the disappointments and the shortness of life. It strikes a chord with us because we all sense that life is fleeting and we don’t know what will happen. Hardships and suffering are unavoidable. Eventually we meet our end. We are just a vapour, a momentary breathe in the life of the world. What does it all mean?

We all ask these types of questions, and we all have a deeply seated craving for meaning in our lives. To talk more about this, today we will look at the book of Ecclesiastes.

Before we get to our text, I want to explain a bit about Ecclesiastes so we can understand the bigger context. I’ll do this by answering three questions. First, what is this book? Ecclesiastes is a book that grapples with reality. Reality is complex, messy, and difficult. So is this book. It can be tough to understand, and I should say that this sermon gives what I consider to be the best way to understand it (but it’s not the only way). This is an OT wisdom book. In another OT wisdom book, the book of Job, the problem is that one man’s boat has unfairly sunk. In Ecclesiastes, the whole ocean is so turbulent that no one’s boat seems safe at all.

Second, how does the book work? Well, I think we should approach Ecclesiastes in the way we approach a narrated film. For example, the Lord of the Rings films have a narrator, who at times tells the story, but most of the words in the movie come straight from its characters. These characters each have different voices and perspectives. In the Lord of the Rings, for example, we are supposed to understand that what Boromir has to say about the ring is ultimately misguided and wrong—the narrator doesn’t bash us over the head with this—he lets Boromir make the point for him. Similarly, there is a voice in Ecclesiastes that we are supposed to recognize as one that falls short. The book has a unified message that is communicated through two difference voices. Let me explain. The first voice is the author of the book. The author gives the introduction in the first 11 verses of chapter 1 and also the conclusion, which is in our passage for today, starting at verse 9. He frames the entire book, and in the last few verses he gives the final word on what the book is saying. But in between we have another voice which makes up most of Ecclesiastes. This voice comes from a man called Qohelet.

Third, who is Qohelet? Qohelet is kind of a name and kind of a title. The NIV translates it “the Teacher”, sometimes it is translated “the Preacher.” It has connotations of someone who gathers—he might gather wisdom, or he might gather students together to hear his teaching. Since the name “Qohelet” has several layers of meaning, rather than translate it into English I will just use “Qohelet.” So that’s his name—but who is he? He is not Solomon, but he does sometimes take up the guise of Solomon to describe his search for meaning in life. It’s nearly impossible to say if he was an actual historical figure or if he is a persona the author uses to make his point—but in the end that’s not important. Qohelet is a wisdom teacher. He interacts with traditional bits of wisdom—he compares them to the realities of life, seeing where they stick, how far they actually go, and where they break down. He struggles with what was handed down to him, toying with wisdom sayings, sketching their boundaries and pushing them until they break. Qohelet wrestles with life, struggling back and forth and never giving us a single coherent point of view. He seems like a wisdom teacher who is nonetheless confounded, confused, and sceptical. His message seems full of contradictions, weird advice, and things that seem out of sorts with the rest of the OT and with the bible altogether.

So that’s a quick sketch of some background to the book. Before digging into chapter 12, let me summarize some themes from what Qohelet has said up to that point.

Qohelet tells us that pleasures are meaningless. In chapter 2 he talks about this: in his youth he tried to find pleasure in wine, in luxury, in affluence, in entertainment, in women—really in everything this world could offer. He denied himself nothing that his eyes desired. Yet he concludes that all pleasures ultimately proves meaningless.

He tells us that work and the pursuit of wealth is meaningless. The desire to get ahead is often motivated by envy; it becomes our master and it never truly satisfies. Besides, all that you work for will probably go to someone else when you’re gone—maybe even a stranger—, and that person might well be an undeserving fool. Work is meaningless.

Qohelet tells us that there is no justice in the world. We expect a correlation between deeds and outcomes, but that connection seems broken. The innocent and virtuous suffer and the wicked get ahead. He says, “If you see the poor being oppressed and you see justice and rights denied, do not be surprised.” (paraphrase from 5:8). The world is full of injustice and it is meaningless.

He also tells us we lack even basic control over forces that dramatically affect our lives. No one knows the future, who can say what will come? He says, “As no one has the power over the wind to contain it, so no one has the power over the time of their death.” (8:7-8) He warns us that time and chance happen to us all (9:11).

He tells that that the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is futile. Wisdom has some advantages, but even those are very limited. And in the end the wise man and the fool end up the same—dead.

Which brings us to the theme that permeates all of Qohelet’s words—death. Death comes to everyone. He asks, “Do not all go to the same place?” (6:6) The same grave welcomes us all (9:3).

In sum, for Qohelet, all of life, taken together, amounts to absurdity. Enjoy life if you can, because death is coming. And even as you enjoy, know that the world is meaningless. Virtue does not bring reward; there is no moral order. Humanity is abandoned to chance and death, and over them we can exercise no control. Rational thought and virtuous deeds guarantee nothing. The heavens remain silent to rampant injustices. No one knows what, if anything, lies beyond the grave. In all of life, utter mystery prevails.

With that basic ‘big picture’ sketch, we now arrive at chapter 12. I will organize our passage for today under two points. The first point has to do with Qohelet’s view on death, vv. 1-8. The second point draws from the author’s epilogue in vv. 9-14, and it is about the meaning of life. Finally, at the end I will offer some points of application.

Let’s now turn to our passage for today. Imagine we’re picking up with Qohelet at the end of his life. He has just given finished giving some advice to those in their youth—it is a sort of Carpe Diem—seize the day. He says to enjoy life, within limits, but know that it is all meaningless. Moving on to explain what happens after youth, he now transitions to talking about old age and death in vv. 1-8.

In verse 1 Qohelet seems to be giving us good advice: “remember your creator.” However, this pious statement has a ring of emptiness. God is viewed as less of a person and more of a thing or a force. Qohelet uses the phrase “remember your creator” in the same clichéd way a newscaster might say of disaster victims, “they are in our thoughts and prayers.” So “remember your creator” while you are young, before you become jaded, before you realize just how dark a place the world can be. It is interesting that he advises remembering your creator, but in the description of death that follows God does not remember you—death is the end of it all. He’s actually not all that interested in God; he’s really more interested in the topic he’s transitioning to: death.

Verses 2-5 give us a powerful depiction of old age and death. Look at the imagery with me. Things grow dark. Death approaches like a shadow, like a storm cloud it casts a sad gloom over everything. He uses a household as a metaphor for the body: as the darkness of old age marches toward us, the “house” of the body starts to give out. Hands and legs start to get shaky and tremble. Strength is diminished—strong men stoop. Dental problems often mean losing teeth—there are few grinders. As the window to the world, eyes grow dim and vision decreases. Hearing becomes more and more laborious as the “doors” of our ears are closed. Sleep is often allusive and small noises like chirping birds wake us easily. Speaking can even become difficult as our song grows faint. Frailty means we are more vulnerable to injury and crime, often leading to fear. Hair turns white like an apple blossom. Our natural appetites are lost. Soon the only thing left is a funeral procession that leaves mourners scattered in its wake through the town.

Verses 6-7 continue this theme, shifting more from old age to death itself. Again, we have another pious statement that seems to be grasping at straw: remember God before it’s over, before death has had its way. The imagery of a snapped silver thread and a crushed golden bowl invoke the idea of something very valuable that has been broken and ruined—we are destroyed by death. The shattered pitcher and broken wheel together cast an image of a well that can no longer provide water that sustains life. Then, in a reversal of creation, we return to dust, and just as God first breathed life into man’s nostrils, in reverse that breath leaves the body of dust as we die. As far as we are concerned, the world returns to the way it was before we were born. For Qohelet, death is the end.

Finally, in verse 8, Qohelet’s words end the same way they began in chapter 1. As he fades into the abyss we are left with the summary of his message: “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” There are different ways to translate this word here; “meaningless” or “absurd” is probably the best. He is saying that it all is meaningless; it is all vanity; it is all absurd.

Qohelet’s point is my first point: If death is the end, then life has no meaning.

Freelance writer and atheist Greta Christina is brutally honest regarding her dilemma about dying. For an atheist, she says,

...death can be an appalling thing to think about. Not just frightening, not just painful. It can be paralyzing. The fact that your lifespan is an infinitesimally tiny fragment in the life of the universe, and that . . . when you die, you disappear completely and forever, and that in five hundred years nobody will remember you and in five billion years the Earth will be boiled into the sun: this can be a profound and defining truth about your existence that you reflexively repulse, that you flinch away from and refuse to accept or even think about, consistently pushing to the back of your mind whenever it sneaks up, for fear that if you allow it to sit in your mind even for a minute, it will swallow everything else. It can make everything you do, and everything anyone else does, seem meaningless, trivial to the point of absurdity. It can make you feel erased, wipe out joy, make your life seem like ashes in your hands.

She offers some suggestions as to how an atheist might avoid the force of these implications, but her advice is hallow and naive—like someone trying to avoid an inevitable conclusion. Qohelet is dead right: if death is the end, life has no meaning.

For the Christian, death is not the end. In fact, as the consequence of sin, Paul says that death is the enemy. Of course, Christians don’t avoid physical death, but it has no claim over us. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” I’ll have more to say about this in a bit, but for now let me point out that when a person is right with God, death loses its power.

If Qohelet’s point about death were all there is to say on the matter, only despair would remain. But the author of Ecclesiastes has the final word. Let’s turn now to vv. 9-14. In this section we find the second point of today’s sermon: life is only meaningful when we are right with God.

Qohelet does not get the last word. The author of the book gives us a conclusion in the epilogue. In verses 9-12 he gives an evaluation of all we’ve heard from Qohelet. There is a change of voice in the text as the author switches from the persona of Qohelet to give his own comments on what the teacher has said. Let’s look at his assessment. First, Qohelet was industrious and worked hard in his search for wisdom. He was a wisdom teacher who taught the people, he studied the proverbs of his tradition and tested them. He tried to find just the right words, he searched and tried to find what is true—and to an extent, he did. He rightly calls out the nastiness in life that others too often sugar coat. He challenges the idea that we can dispose of the difficulties of life by just applying some wisdom proverbs—as if things were that simple. This much he got right.

But in addition to praise, there is criticism from the author. Interestingly, Qohelet did a lot of searching without really finding what he was seeking. His entire life was spent looking for meaning but in the end he came up empty. In verse 11, wisdom teaching like Qohelet’s “stings” when it is applied—just like nails at the end of a goad, which was a long, pointed stick that prods cattle into line. When the shepherd applies this, it causes pain; and when the wisdom teaching of a “shepherd” like Qohelet applies his words, it smarts. Verse 12 mentions “the making of many books” and “much study wearies the body.” When I was in seminary this verse was quoted from one student to another to complain about the academic workload. I’d have to say too much to fully explain, so let me just say that I think one thing we can take from this verse is that wisdom does not lie in perpetually seeking answers—just seeking for the sake of seeking—but is about finding meaningful answers. In the last two verses of the book, the author turns us to this very thing. Let’s look.

Here in verses 13-14 the author tells us what we should learn from the message of Qohelet. He says,

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

The author gives us an imperative: Fear God and keep his commands. Qohelet gave the advice to “fear God” a few times, but when he does, his meaning behind the word “fear” is not quite right. It tends too much towards a crude sense of “be afraid.” We are to fear God in the sense of revere, respect, honour, and worship—that is what the author commands us to do. This “holy fear,” if you will, is one that comes in the context of a right relationship with God.

Not only are we to revere and worship God, we are to keep his commandments. Qohelet never said anything about obeying God or keeping his commandments—for him, God was distant and impersonal. The author tells us to obey God—a God who not only created the world and is sovereign over it, but also who loves his creatures and has entered into a special covenant relationship with his people, telling them how they should live. This is the God we are to obey.

Then we are given two reasons why we should fear and obey. The first is that this is the most important thing a man or woman can do. V. 13, “...this is the whole duty of man.” This is why we were created; this is our ultimate purpose and meaning in life. Imagine if someone bought a new computer and used it as a paperweight, never turning it on, or if a Stradivarius violin were never played but someone found it in their attic and used it for firewood. We would consider this a shame. In the same way, a person who does not honour and obey God is even more of a shame—they are missing out on what it means to be truly human.

The second reason to fear and obey is because God will make everything right. “Every deed,” even “every hidden thing” will be judged. Qohelet never had this perspective—for him, injustice has no answer. But this is where his view falls short—there will be a future judgement. In the end, evil does not go unanswered. In the end, justice will be done. When God has the final word, the world will be set right. It really does matter what we do now—so worship and obey the God who is just, who will someday come and set all things right.

To sum up today’s sermon in one sentence: fear God and obey him, because this is the meaning of life.

Qohelet’s overall message is this: Life is full of trouble and then you die. With a sigh he resigns to this and advises us to make the best of it. But ultimately he never rises above it. He is, in the end, a sceptic. He is introspective and lonely in the universe. His view is one of loss, futility, and distance. He stands at the ragged edge of a world gone wrong and calls it like he sees it—absurd, meaningless.

He refuses to address God, complaining instead to his own heart. Saying “all is absurd” is ultimately a protest against God.

We are supposed to see where Qohelet has fallen short. We are supposed to deem his view inadequate and resist the conclusion that everything is meaningless. We are instead to recognize how our lives can have meaning: by fearing God and obeying him. Our lives are a gift and are short. Live life before God.

Let me offer three points of application.

First, on the lure of secularism. Qohelet’s voice is in our bibles to encourage us to take seriously the difficulties he so poignantly identifies. He dispels our illusions—the universe is not comprehensible and malleable—we cannot control it. We are not gods. But in the end I think we are supposed to recognize that his worldview misses the mark. He presents us a true assessment of a world without the gospel.

In many ways he sounds modern, like the secular person. In our day, materialism runs rampant. People will cut down whoever gets in the way in order to get ahead. People try to be masters of their own lives. People around us have a spiritual emptiness and a world-weariness. Since death is a ticking clock, get yours while you can. This sounds an awful lot like Qohelet’s world.

The problem with Qohelet’s view of the world is the same with secularism—quite frankly, it goes against our nature. We are designed for fellowship with God—this is the whole duty of being human. This is our purpose, this is why we exist. Anything that falls short of this right relationship with God is headed down a road to meaninglessness. Only with self deception can we pretend that life means anything apart from God.

Brothers and sisters, when the idols of secularism and materialism catch your eye, resist by remembering where that road leads. It is a dead end that ends in death. If you are here today and you are not a believer and your life seems meaningless, I implore you turn to God, revere and worship him, and obey his commands. There—and only there—can a truly meaningful life be found.

The second point of application involves a few words on injustice. Qohelet repeatedly brings up the injustices in the world. He taps into a tension that we have as Christians: the vision of an ultimately just God vs. the reality that we perceive. We can’t give up either of these. God goodness cannot be denied, and neither can the evil of the world. Too often Christians see the world through rose-coloured glasses.

What do we do with this tension? Why does God allow these things to happen? Why doesn’t God rectify these injustices now?

The answer is that God is patient with us. He is graciously patient with sinners and with the world in postponing judgement. By his patience he gives the world an opportunity to repent—but he will not wait forever. As verse 14 says, “...God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” In the future the Lord will return to judge the world. The right response to injustice is to hope in Christ’s return, not to sink into despair.

The third and final application is on how we should respond to an absurd world. In my research I frequently think about the problem of evil. I reflect quite a bit on what is wrong with the world. There’s an emotional weight that cannot be denied; a psychological toll that wears on even the strongest of us. Sometimes I feel as if I’m mourning—not anything specific—just saddened by the existence of evil in general. Quite honestly, in many ways Qohelet has rightly diagnosed the world—it is broken. We find ourselves in this messed-up place, and there are existential questions that have no satisfying answers in any theology book. Theology can give us some very good responses to the problem of evil but none of them take away the sting we feel when the brokenness of the world touches our lives.

When we find ourselves confronted with the absurdity of the world, when the weight of this life grinds us down, there are no words or explanations that will satisfy. There is nothing I could say to you to make it all better. There is only one way to make sense of it all: fear God, and keep his commands. Through worship and obedience, God fortifies our lives with meaning and purpose. These can be found nowhere else.

To wrap up: Qohelet vividly captures the despair of a world without the true God. Qohelet had a distant and impersonal God; today many people deny God altogether. Either way, the worldview that’s left over cannot escape being meaningless and absurd. Qohelet rightly describes the horror of a broken world; what he lacks is hope. Jesus Christ redeems us from meaninglessness and absurdity. He entered into human existence; he took on flesh and bone like ours. God incarnate experienced the vanity of the world so that we might be freed from it. He took the brokenness and curse of the world upon himself. He looked death in the eye and went willingly into that absurdity, only to prove victorious over it. His death means that ours is not the end of us; his life means that our lives can have meaning.

God does not stand aloof, indifferent to us. He is involved with the world. The ultimate expression of this is the incarnation. He does not turn a blind eye to suffering and injustice: instead, God took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and went through the worst of all suffering. The innocent man, Jesus Christ, is put to death for our sins. 1 Pet. 3:18, “...Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” To a world that appears absurd, God responds with the biggest “absurdity” of all: the scandal of the cross.

Big News…

2011-03-02T10:16:00.001Z

Kate got some big news recently…

I’d like to say this surprised look on Kate’s face was her initial reaction when we told here she’s going to be a big sister, but really she just gets smiley when I take out the camera.

Anyway, Sara is due 1 Sept!

A simple plan… goes horribly, horribly wrong.

2010-12-23T23:45:00.003Z

We had a great itinerary for traveling back to the US for Christmas. Let’s call this plan Alpha. Alpha was sleek, streamline, familiar, and beautiful. Alpha was to take about 16 hours door to door- quite reasonable for traveling between a small town in Scotland and Midwest America. She was the best plan we could hope for, especially in traveling with a 10 month old baby.

Then winter weather pummelled the UK, particularly London- which, of course, was our connecting city. At 2:30AM, Alpha was dealt a serious blow- we learned that our flight from Edinburgh to London was cancelled.

Yet there was hope she could be resuscitated- another flight to London was to leave just an hour earlier than ours. We awoke very early in the morning and took a taxi to Edinburgh to try to get on it.

Alpha passed away shortly after we arrived at the airport- the queue at the service desk for our airline would haven taken at least 6 hours, long after the departure of the alternative flight to London.

At this point it became clear that we were at a dead end. London Heathrow airport had not been accepting flights for a day or two, and it was obvious there was no way we could be rescheduled on another transatlantic flight before Christmas. Since many transatlantic flights were leaving from London, we needed to get there to make our connection.

Arriving just after us at the airport were our friends Kevin and Chaiss with their young daughter. They too were on the cancelled flight to London; they too just wanted to get home for Christmas. Realizing we were in the same situation, we split a taxi to Glasgow airport (2 hour trip) in the hopes that we might catch a flight to London and make our connections. Alpha just might not be dead after all.

We arrived in Glasgow to find Alpha’s ice cold corpse- the service queue for our airline was long and their flight to London was also cancelled. But both families decided we needed to keep trying, so we entered what would be a 4 hour queue for our airline’s service desk.

When finally reaching assistance, plan Beta was birthed. Beta was like a port-a-potty: ugly in almost all respects, but gets the job done. Beta was an evening flight from Glasgow to Dublin, an overnight in a hotel in Dublin, and early morning train to Shannon (in southwest Ireland), a noon flight to Boston, a short layover for a connection to Chicago (or, for our friends, to Houston).

Beta died just a few hours later at the boarding gate of the flight to Dublin. All flights to Dublin cancelled due to snow. Back to the service queue for another 4 hour wait.

At about 10PM the kind airline worker gave us plan Gamma. Gamma was like Beta’s homely sister- very similar, but not as good- it was a day later and took us through New York rather than Boston. We needed lodging for the night in Glasgow, and all the hotels near the airport were booked. A phone call to a very accommodating friend of mine who happens to live in Glasgow saved all 6 of us from sleeping in the airport.

After a rejuvenating night’s sleep and some wonderful hospitality, we prepared to return to the airport… then Dublin airport closed for a few hours, then indefinitely. Flight cancelled, death to Gamma.

We immediately hatched plan Delta. Delta consisted largely of desperation mixed with sheer determination. Delta was 2 hour drive to the west coast of Scotland, a 2 hour late night ferry over to Belfast, Ireland, and what would be a 6 hour overnight taxi to Shannon airport where we would resume following Gamma.

Already worn down from 2 days of (mostly just attempting to) travel, the ferry was nauseating but surprisingly luxurious. Exhaustion was in full effect. The taxi journey, which endured from 11pm to 5am and essentially crossed the entire island of Ireland, involved terrifyingly hazardous winter conditions. While both kids slept on the ride, no adults did. Oh, and the taxi cost more than my original transatlantic plane ticket- but it got us to Shannon.

In the end, Delta was successful- Shannon onward was uneventful, apart from the delirium induced by slept-deprivation.

70 hours of travel, a total of 7.5 hours of sleep. It’s hard to rightly describe this experience: exhaustion, hope, frustration, patience, devastating disappointment, resolute determination, fervent prayer. Yet God’s grace was evident in a sweet, easygoing and sleep-anywhere baby, good traveling companions, hospitable Glaswegian friends, helpful taxi drivers, kind and sympathetic strangers, hard-working ticket agents, everything we really needed just when we needed it, and Kate’s first Christmas with all our family.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us?

2010-12-03T16:17:00.001Z

Our church’s denomination recently decided to allow for the use of worship material beyond the a capella singing of metered Psalms (although also specified was that the Psalms ought not be entirely abandoned). This decision sits well with me, but that discussion is not the purpose of this post. Rather, I’d like to hash out some fragmented thoughts I’ve ruminated over the past few days, thoughts occasioned by one of the first non-psalms our congregation sang. Last Sunday we sang How Deep the Father's Love for Us by Stuart Townend. Lyrics are as follows:

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

I’ve always enjoyed the song, finding it edifying in both corporate worship and my personal spiritual life. I regularly sing it to Kate as she falls asleep. However, after the service several of us theologians were chatting over tea and a few expressed objection to the song’s line “The Father turns His face away,” contending that it was essentially misguided and wrong, not least because “never were the Son and the Father more unified and in agreement than at the cross.” (Quoted as best and I can remember it, but this certainly captures the gist of the complaint)

I was a bit surprised by this strong resistance and I attempted a defence of the line and the song as a whole, which was generally met by polite acknowledgment and further discussion. Yet as the day and then week went on I became more dissatisfied with the inadequacy of my “from the hip” response. “The Father turns His face away” is a good way to express a truth about what happened on the cross (although of course not exhaustive or comprehensive), and this post, then, is my fuller defence of Townend.

Much of the imagery of the song is drawn from Scripture itself (see “ransom”, last line, and Mk 10:45), particularly the events of the crucifixion as narrated in the Gospels. Although we must recognize the possibility that Townend is misunderstanding or misusing these images, I contend that this is not the case. In the song’s context he speaks of Jesus’ pain, wounds, and suffering, of those who mocked him, and of his cry of “it is finished”; following this I suggest that with the line in question, “The Father turns His face away,” Townend refers to Jesus’ cry of abandonment, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34).

The line in fact is attempting to express a truth also expressed in Scripture—not only did the cross involve physical agony for Jesus, but apparently involved some felt absence of his heavenly Father as well. I will below argue that this absence is best understood as being spiritual and relational, but first we must consider Ps. 22, because Jesus in this cry is quoting the first line of the Psalm. (I draw from Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007, pgs 98-99.)

In Psalm 22, vv. 1-18 contain the psalmist’s dire situation where he hits the point of despair. His enemies attack him and cast lots over his clothing (vv. 16-18). He cries to God for deliverance (vv. 19-21) and promises to proclaim God’s great acts once delivered (vv. 22-25). This deliverance will be, in the end, so great that the whole earth will worship (vv. 26-31).

Remarkable are the close parallels between Ps 22 and the events of the crucifixion. Consider the similarities: a cry of abandonment (vv. 1-2), despising and mocking (vv. 6-7), taunting to the effect “if he’s really on the ‘in’ with God, let God deliver him!” (v. 8), an experience of suffering that results in personal “emptying”—being “poured out,” being depleted of strength, etc. (vv. 14-15), wicked onlookers (v. 16a), piercing of his hands and feet (v. 16b), and the casting lots for his clothes (v. 18).

But what about the end of the Psalm? The deliverance? A major question is this: was Jesus in his cry of dereliction alluding to the whole psalm, including the victory at the end? If so, even in his expression of abandonment his words anticipate the victory with which the psalm concludes. While this is possible, and certainly seems to find realization in the empty tomb, we must not diminish the identification of Jesus’ experience with the first part of the Psalm. Further it is unlikely that the gospel writers wanted us to directly see the whole of the psalm in Jesus’ quote of this one verse, as this is not something that Jesus does elsewhere in the Gospels. We should not yet look towards Jesus’ vindication in his use of this verse, so as to undercut the reality of his abandonment (although the hint does seem to be there in the overall gospel narrative).

Rather, we should say this: in some way Jesus, in his humanity, genuinely did experience or sense the abandonment of his Father. Church history has largely seen this as a moment of divine abandonment. But abandonment in what sense? Certainly not in every and any sense, because both God the Father and God the Son were in complete unity over the decision that the Son would take on human flesh and go to the cross. The sense in which Jesus on the cross appropriately felt abandoned by God the Father is admittedly somewhat mysterious, but we can get at it a bit when we take up the common Scriptural imagery of Christ being a sacrifice of atonement for sinners, of the work of Christ—including but not limited to his death on the cross—being substitutionary for us. Two examples must suffice: Rom. 3:25 “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement [or ‘propitiation’ or ‘expiation’, gk hilastērion], through faith in his blood.” and 2 Cor. 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The beautiful mystery, the glorious wonder is this: God himself took on flesh, suffered and died in our stead so that we might not experience the abandonment and relational separation from God that results from our sin. Jesus experiences abandonment, suffering, and death so that we might not; he rises victorious over sin and death so that we might do the same.

I’m not sure I can say much more about what it means for the Son of God to experience abandonment, what it means when we sing “The Father turns his face away.” The depths of this wonder constitute one of the richest mysteries of the entire Gospel narratives. Yet mysterious, we know this to be true: that which was due to sinners for their sin has been wiped away, for Christ “became sin” for us. God himself fully addresses the demands of his justice—which, I should add, are fundamentally personal in God’s case—and the demands of justice drive the wrath God has towards sin. Justice cannot be shrugged off, and God is not God if he does not respond to sin and evil with due wrath. However, we must also insist that it is not a loving Christ who is placating the angry Father; it is both the love and justice of the full Godhead that meet together at the atonement. Remember that Christ and the Father are not to be severed in respect to the will for redemption—the Father’s love and the Son’s love are the same, just as the Father’s just wrath and judgment towards sin is the same as the Son’s (all authority to judge is given to him—John 5:27; Rev. 14:10; 19:11-21).

As Christmas approaches and we celebrate the Incarnation, may we all also reflect on the Atonement, for the two cannot but synthetically be separated. The infant born in the manger was the one who would become sin for us on the cross, where the Father turns His face away so that you and I might be brought to glory, so that all that is wrong with the world might be made right, and so that our sins might not separate us from God.

Indeed, how deep the Father’s love for us.

A Trip to Spain

2010-11-03T16:33:00.001Z

Under the pressures of the 3rd year of the PhD-trying to complete the project, getting articles published in journals, applying for jobs/postdocs, etc.-we were in need of a getaway. Couple this with some credit card reward points redeemable for travel, and the call to Spain, with her warmth and affordability, was quite difficult to resist.

I’ve read that over 200,000 Brits have relocated to Spain- there certainly were more than few in the built up areas along the coast. In the grossly overdeveloped area of Torremolinos (pictured below) every restaurant, regardless of what type of food they served, had on the menu something like “English Breakfast,” “Bangers and Mash,” or “Fish and Chips”. Why move from the UK to Spain only to eat (bland) British food? Notice in the picture below, the high-rise condo building- these were everywhere along the coast and were, frankly, tacky. Equally tacky was the ubiquity of inebriated Englishmen, so much so that I couldn’t resist modifying a classic poem: “Brits, Brits, everywhere; and most of them are drunk.” After the first day we soon learned to avoid these trappings and venture into the less touristy, more Spanish areas (i.e., away from the coast).

The village of Ronda provided a wonderful day trip- perched in the mountains to the west of Malaga, all the buildings are whitewashed, and the effect is very vivid.

However, the most stunning feature of the town is certainly the bridge over the canyon that divides the city.

Also in Ronda is the Plaza de Toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. Although I have ethical positions than would prevent me from attending an actual bullfight, visiting the empty ring and connected museum was enjoyable.

The food fantastic! We ate every meal seated outside at a cafe/restaurant. Although the tapas did not disappoint, particularly noteworthy was the paella, which all 3 of us found delicious.

There is apparently some tradition of hanging (cured?) pig’s legs in certain types of restaurants, as we saw several of these.

Another highlight was the city of Granada, with the Alhambra, a Moorish palace and fortress build in the 14th century. The walls of the Palace are lined with ornate and intricate carvings that incorporate bits of Arabic.

The Alhambra provides a stunning view of the city of Granada and the surrounding mountains.

And for all traveling and schedule changing we inflicted upon Kate, she did very well. I even couldn’t resist a Spanish Flamenco dress…

Kate: a video

2010-10-10T15:58:00.013+01:00

After learning parenthood would soon be upon me, I vowed not to become the type of person whose Facebook status updates are overrun with mundane details about their kid or whose blog becomes a shrine to their offspring. Sara and I love Kate very deeply and she is of course one of the most important aspects of our lives, but the internet world doesn't need to see every picture we take of her or hear graphic details about dirty diapers. More than a few people have failed to avoid this type of trapping, even a few people we know; I'd like to think, just maybe, so far I've succeeded at striking a reasonable balance.

All of that, then, is a prefacing apologetic for the video of Kate below. Also, I apologize that it breaks my "2 minute" rule of thumb (essentially, unless the child can do something absolutely amazing like juggle whilst riding a unicycle or play the guitar solo from Stairway to Heaven, internet videos of kids that will be inflicted upon other people should be edited down to about 2 minutes, max).

So here it is: Kate, highly motivated by a piece of paper, shows just how mobile she has become lately. (Press play below to watch the smaller, embedded video; click on the video or here to see the larger version).

One last note- check the previous post for links to a 2-part guest bit I wrote on The Simpsons over on Transpositions (the blog for students associated with Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at the University of St Andrews).

My post on "The Simpsons" on the ITIA blog

2010-09-22T11:16:00.002+01:00

I have a 2 part blog post over on the blog of the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts at St Mary's college here at St Andrews. Any fan of The Simpsons should be interested.

Part 1

Part 2

Guide to bringing a pet into the UK

2010-09-17T12:20:00.003+01:00

A few incoming and potential students have inquired about this, so I thought I would post a link to it here on this blog.

My guide to bringing a pet into the UK: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=46708.0

It is remarkably complicated to bring a dog or cat (or ferret) into the UK from abroad. We successfully followed the PETS scheme and completely avoided quarantine. If this is relevant to your situation, you should find it helpful.

A month in Paris

2010-09-01T09:57:00.001+01:00

Credo for Survival in Paris:

Start with an apology or ask for permission.

Respect the authority and wait to be acknowledged.

Hold to form. Charm your way.

Never raise your voice.

Never ask for a person's name.

Never ask for a supervisor.

Never curse in English.

Never disagree. Always agree, but repeat what you want.

Never moralize.

Never intimate that things are better back home.

Say you're sorry when you're really not.

Order another express (coffee).

-from David Applefield, "Paris Inside Out: The Insider's Handbook to Life in Paris" 5th Ed. Guilford, Connecticut, 2000.

After living for a month in Paris, I can affirm this short little gem from the introduction found in a guidebook to be insightful and true. The French are an interesting people, remarkable in some things (bread, whine, cheese), depressing in others (rampant and empty secularism).

Our time in Paris was made possible by a generous bursary for me to take a French language course, essentially providing for the whole month to be at minimal expense to us. The language course was excellent and my instructor was very good: after 4 weeks of morning French classes I’ve gotten to the point where I can (of course armed with a French-English dictionary) translate academic articles written in French. It is slow-going, and I’m sure my translations are a bit crude, but it gets the job done.

We experienced a great deal of Paris, more than can be summarized in one blog post. However, here are some highlights:

We walked all over the city, which is a fantastic way to see Paris:

Kate was quite easygoing with the travel as we dragged her through museums, cafes, and parks:

Well known sites like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower did not disappoint:

(inside Notre Dame)

Other sites we enjoyed:

Sacré Cœur

The Catacombs of Paris (one of my favourite things we did in Paris: it is an underground burial site for the dead who were excavated from graveyards where mass graves were causing horrible disease; during the Revolution era the remains of millions of Parisians were transported and stacked underground)

Public space in Paris is used very well, and we spent quite a bit of time in parks:

We also enjoyed some very fine cuisine, and most any street cafe had excellent food. This one was just closing down for the night:

The museums are incredible; this is a nice shot I took inside the Pompidou:

A very famous statue often used to represent philosophy, “The Thinker” (Le Penseur) can be found in the gardens of the Musée Rodin. Most people don’t realize that The Thinker is merely an enlarged figure from an earlier Rodin sculpture, “The Gates of Hell”, depicting a scene from Dante’s Inferno. “The Poet” (which turned into “The Thinker” is said to be Dante himself, reflecting on his work. (And by the way, Dante’s Divine Comedy, including The Inferno, is to be read as highly metaphorical. He’s not describing hell literally, a fact lost on more than a few readers today…)

Finally, Kate’s time in Paris included learning to sit on her own and beginning to eat some solid foods.

Au revoir, Paris!

Finally, in some academic news, the issue of Philosophia Christi with my journal article has been released: “Annihilationism, Traditionalism, and the Problem of Hell”, Philosophia Christi Vol. 12 No. 1: 61-79. For copyright reasons I can’t post the article online, but drop me an email if you’re interested in reading it.

2010 U.S. Tour!

2010-07-28T14:26:00.001+01:00

We made a trip back to the States to visit family and friends. Kate saw all sorts of interesting people… (this is just a sampling- too many more not listed here!)

She saw her grandmother:

She met her aunt Sam and cousin Molly, who tickled her:

She met her friend Cameron:

She met several friends who live in Kansas:

She and Jeremiah really hit it off:

Uncle Brad, aunt Megan, and cousin Emily were fun:

She met grandpa:

Her cousin Joseph played peek-a-boo with her:

She met aunt Lisa:

…and her cousin Ally:

She saw again her other grandma:

and her uncle Scott:

We spent a week on the beach with Sara’s family (and the Egan family):

She had fun with her Ahlgrim-side cousins:

and with Sara’s whole family:

and finally, she went swimming for the first time and thought it was hilarious.

It was an enjoyable trip, although the near-nonstop travel and visiting were exhausting!

We’re back home in Scotland, but leave for Paris in just a few short days. We have a fully-funded month in France courtesy of some obscure foundation, and I will be taking some French language classes. More details from France soon!

How to Climb Ben Nevis in 12 Easy Steps

2010-06-22T14:34:00.001+01:00

How to climb Ben Nevis via the challenging route (not the “tourist track”):

1. Convince a few friends to join you.

2. Start up the path.

3. Do your best to downplay the warnings from a random Scottish hillwalker who warns your friends that the route you’ve chosen for the group is “highly inadvisable” because of strong winds and cold temperatures. Although you will fail, try to explain that he was mistaken. Resign to the fact that the group has chosen the tourist route.

4. Break off from the main route to walk around the North face of Ben Nevis. Despite the strong, cold wind, convince your reluctant friends to just walk a while this way, so as to at least see the North face before returning to the safe “tourist track”.

5. Stumble across some deer after rounding the corner. The drop in wind and the deer will give your friends more motivation to let you press the group “just a bit further” up into the valley before turning around.

6. Press on up the valley until the call of adventure, disappearance of wind, and warm sun all work together to persuade your friends that your originally planned route seems quite cool and the “tourist track” seems a bit lame. Point out the awe-inspiring ridge path (ahead) that you will be walking.

7. Walk up the valley, then turn left and climb up the arduously steep slope to your first Munro of the day (Carn Mor Dearg). This will take longer than you think, and will be exhausting.

8. Reach the top of Carn Mor Dearg, enjoy the view of Ben Nevis (background, below). 9. Scope out the ridgewalk that lies before you, while enjoying some of the most spectacular views you’ve ever seen. Feel slightly vindicated by the warm sun and almost nonexistent wind. Besmear the “tourist track” some more; thank your now enthusiastic friends for their (eventual) willingness to come this far superior route.

10. Carefully climb along the ridge. This will take longer than you think.

11. Climb the last boulderfield up to the summit. This is also exhausting.

12. Reach the summit of Ben Nevis, celebrate, and smile smugly at the hundreds of other hikers who came up the tourist route and are ignorant of the fantastic experience they have missed.

A busy month…

2010-06-06T00:25:00.001+01:00

I sat down tonight to write a blog post and thought, “what’s happened since the last post?” With a bit of reflection I realized: quite a lot, actually.

We’ve had several weeks of AMAZING weather, which facilitate activities like taking walks on the golf course…

I accompanied a friend in running up and down the tallest mountain in the UK (yes, I said running), Ben Nevis (see http://zambiatriathlon.blogspot.com/ , particularly “stage 2”; it’s a 4,400 ft ascent and we summited in about 2 hours)…

(here’s the view from Ben Nevis)

My Mom and stepfather came for a visit and we toured around Scotland…

I coordinated several relay teams from the divinity school at St Andrews for the Edinburgh marathon (pictured below), and Sara and I both successfully completed our relay legs…

Sara, Kate and I went to a small coastal town (Auchmithie) on a beautiful day…

Kate watched her first Cubs game (well, not really, we don’t let her watch TV- but she was in the room and heard her first Cubs game)…

…and we went up to Aberdeen for the weekend to spend time with our friends, the Stratis family (blog at http://stratisfamily.blogspot.com/), where Kate and their daughter became friends.

On a completely different note… most of the time news about my academic work doesn’t make its way onto the blog (who wants to read “so today I read some books and did some writing”?), but a brief mention seems in order: a major journal will be publishing an article of mine this summer! I’ll give more details once the volume has been printed and made public, but for now it’s just nice to share the news.

Back Home

2010-05-08T15:05:00.001+01:00

After over 5 months of being displaced flood refugees, on April 11 we moved back into our flat. It was a bit sad to leave our temporary housing, mostly because it was where we first welcomed Kate into our family. That said, it certainly feels good to be back home. Here’s a series of before/after pictures:

Living room:

during flood…

…after flood…

…renovation…

…completed!

Kitchen:

renovation…

…completed!

Bathroom:

…during flood…

…after flood…

…completed!

Bedroom:

during flood…

…after flood…

…renovation…

…completed!

Silent too long: an update on the Bawulskis

2010-03-31T17:47:00.003+01:00

First, apologies for the inactivity on our blog. We might play the "we-just-had-a-baby" card... ...but at least I can promise that we'll do our best to keep the time between posts down in the future.

Now, on to something quite cute:

This picture is from a get-together of mums and babies in the community of divinity postgrads for babies born this academic year (last fall or this spring)! Kate is 2nd from the right. Sara said is was a great time for all involved.

Two musings on our brief time of having kids in this place:

1.) So many kids are born into this community of postgrads (6 in one year is typical!) because: a.) the health care coverage is fantastic and is free at the point of application- absolutely NO medical bills for anything, including having a baby! (of course, it isn’t free- Sara paid into the healthcare system while she was working, which is funded by taxes; but I will say this: the British system costs about half as much per capita as the US system, and the quality of care is, on the whole, very comparable- but that’s a blog post for another day); b.) it is just that stage in life for most of us (late twenties/early thirties working on a terminal degree); c.) quality jobs are difficult to find in St Andrews and for many of us, starting a family becomes a better option than enduring a relatively undesirable job.

2.) Having kids here is fantastic because: a.) the support from the community is strong- offering help, advice, etc. to people who are often new parents and who usually are living very far away from family; b.) the money-saving sharing of baby gear in the community is widespread and remarkable, ranging from furniture to clothing to toys (our bassinette has been used by at least 4 other babies, probably more!); c.) there are several playgroups and bible studies for mums and kids; d.) British society tends to place a higher value on maternity than the US does.

On this last point (2.d), I realize it’s a broad statement but it holds true. For example, if a mum is leaving the workforce, she usually gets several months of paid maternity leave (even if she doesn’t return to work!). More anecdotally, we were in Dundee (big town nearby) and an older gentleman saw Sara with Kate and warmly gave her a few pounds! We found this strange until later learning that it is an established tradition for strangers to give a small amount of money to new mothers!

I won’t belabour the details of our experience as new parents, largely because it has been rather typical so far and because I am conscious of the liability of parents to go on and on for far too long about their kids… but I will say this, we have a relatively easygoing baby, and she’s been a source of joy far beyond our expectations. Here are some pics:

Welcome Kate Sophia!

2010-02-08T03:05:00.001Z

(This post, fittingly, courtesy of Sara)

Most of Sunday seemed like any other day. I was only one day past my due date but had convinced myself I would be at least a week late, so I wasn't too upset. We even took a few pregnancy pictures. Little did I know I would be going into labor that night.

My waters (as they say here) broke around 10:30pm Sunday night and contractions soon followed. Much to my surprise and dismay all of the pain was in my back. I labored throughout the night. We tried to sleep but with contractions coming inconsistently every 2-10 minutes it was difficult. We spoke with the midwifes at the hospital and were told to come to the hospital in the morning. We arrived at 10am. After an initial assessment there were some concerns that I had developed preeclampsia. Blood tests were done and about 2 hours later I was determined to be fine. At the same time we found out I did not have preeclampsia, meconium was discovered. This meant that the baby's heart rate and my contractions would have to be continuously monitored and I would not be able to deliver in the midwifery unit as hoped.

As is common with back labor, progress was slow and painful; further, my contractions never became regular. After almost 28 hours of labor it was time to push. There were some complications along the way that made the doctor and midwifes think she might have to be taken to the nursery immediately after birth. They warned me she might not cry. Right after the final push I heard a sweet little cry. Kate Sophia was born! She was healthy and didn't have to leave us. Shawn and I were left alone and spent the next three hours with Kate. It was an amazing time bonding with and getting to know our little girl. We are so thankful for a beautiful, healthy daughter.

Kate Sophia Bawulski- born February 2nd, 2010 at 2:22am. 7lbs 3oz, 20 inches.

A few words of explanation on her name:

Kate means “pure”; Sophia means “wisdom”. It is our prayer that Kate Sophia will seek godly wisdom, that we would raise her wisely, and that her life will be marked by purity of heart in her love for the Lord.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

More pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020284&id=119401026&l=26f9f591ed

Welcome Kate Sophia!

Is Christmas Christian Anymore?

2009-12-14T22:20:00.001Z

Christmas is an odd time for our culture. We’re told the non-offensive “Happy Holidays” is preferable over “Merry Christmas”, although a person can usually still get away with the later (workplaces, businesses, the media, and corporations, however, usually cannot). We are reminded that we must not ignore other holidays which happen to fall near Christmas on the calendar. With Hanukkah the point might have some traction but thereafter the drop-off is steep: in 2004 only 1.6% of Americans planned to celebrate Kwanzaa (fact shamelessly scalped from Wikipedia, where I also happened to notice that the creator of the holiday is quoted as saying, “Jesus was psychotic.” But I digress…) More than a few Christians have decried a perceived assault: Christmas imagery is continually being watered down, replacing icons traditionally associated with the Christian faith with nondescript snowmen, wreaths, and Santa.

Many evangelicals haven’t quite mastered the art of navigating the somewhat strange cultural landscape that is the holiday season. At least I haven’t. Platitudes like “Jesus is the reason for the season” or “let’s put the Christ back in Christmas” seem largely awkward and ineffective, even if one is in agreement with the sentiment behind them. Even less effective was the exchange I had with some presumably well-meaning Christian stranger who in the grocery store asked me if I was going to celebrate a “Christ-centered Christmas”. I’d like to think I was, actually, but it seemed an inappropriately brazen question for a total stranger to pose, as I’m sure my dumbfounded and sheepish reply evidenced. I can’t imagine a non-Christian being positively affected by such an encounter (but perhaps that’s a lack of imagination on my part). Yes, the Christmas season is a time ripe for conversations about the Christian faith and we do well to pursue these doors when they open, but we also must recognize the reality that much of our society is on the road to being post-Christian.

In reflecting on the many influences contributing to this state of affairs, a significant factor emerged to me: the West’s commitment to religious pluralism. Put very crudely, religious pluralism goes beyond the obvious description that in our society many varied religious perspectives are represented to the troubling prescription that most if not all religions are equally valid and will ultimately lead people to “God”, happiness, fulfillment, etc. There are many problems with this sort of religious pluralism: that there are many streams does not entail that all streams lead to the same sea or that all streams are fundamentally the same (to push the metaphor a bit, drinking from some streams can bring about severe illness or even death!). Another problem is that religion is not a sustainable category: there is no set of criteria that can render, say, Christianity, Buddhism and Druidism into one distinct type without ultimately collapsing the category into worldview, which would also include the likes of secularism and naturalism (and most want to categorically exclude these from the discussion). What is generally considered “religion” defies a satisfactory definition. For example, although they are categorized as religion, in reality many forms of Buddhism are much nearer to atheism than to the children of Abraham (Christianity, Islam and Judaism). I’m convinced the collapse is unavoidable, the category is untenable, and we should stop talking about “religion” and start talking about worldviews.

But an even bigger problem with religious pluralism looms: truth. The various truth claims represented by different religious perspectives are so substantially and fundamentally divergent and incompatible that no pluralistic synthesis can be forged without great violence to the content of those faiths; violence that the faith’s adherents would find unacceptable. To make all religions end in the same place one has to distort Christianity so much it is no longer Christian, distort Hinduism so it is no longer Hindu, etc. As Jim Hick demonstrates well, doing this is actually not a genuine synthesis but rather is the construction of a different religious perspective, not one that subsumes the others, despite claims to that effect. While this unwittingly distinct perspective might receive a warm welcome in the secular West suffering from a post-colonial hangover, it is in danger of failing the basic test of coherence.

The incoherence is in one sense quite apparent. Christianity claims it true that Jesus is the incarnate son of God, the second member of the trinity taking on flesh. Islam claims it true that Jesus was a prophet but was not in any sense divine and that God is strictly one rather than one in essence and three in person. Logically speaking, both of these can’t be true: both could be false, but it is just nonsense to say that both even could possibly be true. They are too much opposite to be compatible. Or another example: it is either the case that ultimate reality is fundamentally personal (theism) or reality is fundamentally impersonal (atheism, many Buddhisms). Despite what proponents of religious pluralism would have us believe, it can’t be both. It might be difficult to do when our neighbors are Mormon, Hindu and atheist, but we must graciously maintain that the truth claims of our worldviews can’t all be right. The best way to respect our neighbors and their worldviews is to treat their beliefs as a truth claim and engage in charitable dialogue. Ironically, the stance of tolerance preached by religious pluralism is often empty: one must agree with the pluralist or one is intolerant. Intolerance will not be tolerated!

Not all religious pluralisms are created equal, however, and some have realized that affirming as true the incompatible truth claims of various religions is nonsense. For these pluralists the move around the incoherence problem I have briefly outlined is not to embrace contradiction but to redefine what “true” means. If there is no truth, or at least truth is beyond our reach, then to speak of something as true is merely to speak of it as useful or practical. Here, Christianity is “true” for the Christian because it brings her a sense of purpose, helps her get through the day, and helps her be moral. An Eastern belief in karma is “true” if it helps a person function in an unfair world and be a good citizen. For this more sophisticated pluralism the actual content of religious belief is insignificant in comparison to what is considered to be “right” action associated with it. Since we can’t ever know what is true and since truth might be nothing more than illusion, anything goes, as long as your faith helps you do good things.

Major problems abound: first, who gets to determine what “good”, “moral”, etc. mean, and why? In this picture, might makes right—one cannot say Hitler’s definitions of “good”, “moral”, “truth”, etc. are in fact wrong; the most that can be expressed is one’s personal preference against these. Good thing he was defeated, for if truth is relative, then if he had prevailed he would have the right to determine what right is. This is an inept understanding of truth. Second, the view gives us no reason to accept it over any other view—if the view is the “right” one, we should all stop talking about it and go do something else. The view has no capital to argue for it.

Much more could be said here, but I want to bring this back to Jesus. Quite frankly, religious pluralism seems completely incompatible with the gospel. In John 14:6 Jesus says that he is the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through him. In Acts 4:12 Peter says that there is salvation in no one else other than Jesus, and “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Contra the pluralist’s emphasis on virtuous deeds over against the content of religious doctrine, the apostles preached the gospel to virtuous, moral, even God fearing Jews and gentiles, calling them for repentance and conversion. Why would Peter need to preach the gospel to a virtuous man like Cornelius and why would he convert and become baptized (Acts 10:34-43)? If “right living” and “good deeds” are the essence of religion, Cornelius had no need for Jesus or the Christian faith.

The Christian worldview states that “religious” truth—and indeed God himself—is accessible and knowable through divine revelation, the pinnacle of which is the person of Jesus Christ. The Christian, following the testimony of Scripture, must insist that the content of doctrine be primary; biblically, once one believes what is right and true, the right actions naturally follow. Pluralism is correct to put an emphasis on the fruit of belief but makes the invalid move of replacing belief with the fruit altogether.

To the pluralist, I say this: don’t patronize me by telling me Jesus is not unique, that the road of following Jesus is one of many that will ultimately lead to the same place. Come out and reject Jesus and his teachings—we’ll dialogue about these competing worldviews—but don’t mangle the truth claims of the Christian faith to fit it into an empty pluralism that placates your politically correct sensibilities.

Back to the original question: how do we navigate the cultural complexities of celebrating Christmas? I don’t have great answers yet but can at least suggest we ought not to be overly concerned about things like schools putting on “Holiday Plays” rather than “Christmas Pageants” or Santas and Reindeer instead of a nativity scene. In fact, it might be time to let go of Christmas as a significantly distinct Christian holiday. For most in our society it has become little more than a celebration of family, gifts, and winter. So be it. This seems a losing battle that might not be worth fighting on this front, anyway.

For those of us who do celebrate the Christian origins of Christmas, we do well to reflect on the wonder of the incarnation. For while humanity gropes about for ultimate purpose, for the truth, and for life, God took on human flesh to give to us the way, the truth, and the life.

Handling a Flood: a Picture Story

2009-11-03T00:29:00.023Z

This is the story of the '09 Fleming Place flood as experienced by the Bawulskis.

Shawn: "The Kinnessburn is overflowing the banks; it's never quite been this high- close, but not this high. I should go take some pictures. This is really interesting."
Shawn: "Wow, this is really high- its coming up to touch our building. We've heard this happened a few years ago- it got up to the building, then receded, and nothing bad came of it. I'm sure today will be the same sort of thing."
Sara: "Uh... Shawn... its coming up to the door... ...but it probably can't get worse than this."
Shawn: "Hey Sara, come take a picture of me as I walk out in the crazy flood! It'll be fun!"
Shawn: "This is starting to turn from interesting to concerning. I should put plastic bags over the crawlspace vents in case the water gets higher- I'd hate to see our place take on any water."
Shawn: "I'll head up towards the door and put some plastic bags at the bottom to keep water from getting in... ...wow this is getting deep."
Sara (panicked): "SHAWN! The water is coming in under the door!"
Shawn: "The plastic bags really didn't work quite like I'd hoped... but I've managed to block water from coming into the living room, where Sara is... ...the water is mostly flowing into the bathroom... hopefully I'll be able to keep Sara dry in the other room."
Sara: "Well great, now we're going to have to dry out our carpets. That will be annoying. I wonder if we can even sleep here tonight with a slightly damp carpet?"
Sara: "This has gone from a wet rug to inches of standing water. I should probably get the electronics up off the ground."
Shawn: "Water is seriously starting to come up into the bedroom, I should get our stuff up off the ground."
Shawn: "This water is unbelievably cold."
Shawn: "Well, maybe Sara is dryer in the living room... ...I probably should have sent her away before things got this bad... ...but it won't get any worse than this, right?"
Sara: "Piper and I will ride it out here in the living room, we'll be dry in here. This will be a pain to clean up, and we'll need to stay somewhere else tonight."
Sara (several minutes later): "I'll take some pictures to occupy myself, because this is starting to freak me out. We need to get everything high up on top of furniture, gather as much as we can, and get out of here."
Shawn: "Laptops, clothes for a few days, white noise maker so Sara can sleep... ...what else... ...MAN this water is cold..."
Sara: "Poor dog! Just wait Piper, we're coming for you soon, we still need to get more things... ...is that couch floating?"
Sara: "This is ridiculous... ....oh, I need my Hebrew books! Is that the dog's bone floating under the table? This water is knee-deep... ...and so cold..."

Shawn: "Need to grab toiletries... why am I not wearing shoes? Where are my shoes? I think they floated away... ...was that a carp that brushed my leg? No, that's crazy, its just a plastic bag..."

Shawn: "Seriously, that bed is floating."

Shawn: "Well, I've got everything up as high as I can. If this water gets any higher it will all be lost. But we should probably leave soon..."

Piper: "Don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me..."

From here, I tripped the circuit breakers and Sara and I headed out through waist deep waters, laden with as much as we could carry, and a dog in a laundry basket held to my chest. We headed to our friend's house, Ian and Corrie, who graciously provided a shower, food, and a dry place to sleep.

A few hours later that evening my friend and I headed back to see the damage and salvage some more things....

The bottom drawer of the freezer was full of water... the chicken nuggets are supposedly in an airtight bag, but do you trust the seal enough to eat them? I certainly do not.

The next day, the Kinnessburn was still moving swiftly but had return to a normal level...

There was quite a bit of mud.

All of the neighbor's rubbish bins somehow floated into our garden...

And the inside of the house was totally trashed.

Our doormat floated down around the corner of the building.

And remarkably, almost all of our possessions stayed dry.

I spent most of the day moving all of our stuff out and into storage. The neighbor above us has offered to let us stay in this flat for at least a few days (it's his holiday home and he's not here). The landlord's insurance guy showed up in the afternoon and dropped this bomb: walls will need to be completely gutted, including the wall studs. Repairs will take at least 4 weeks and possibly up to 3 months or more. We were assured that work will be completed before the baby arrives, but I'm not convinced... ...have you ever heard of a construction project being done on time? Me neither. At least the insurance company foots the bill for our temporary housing, whatever that will be (hope to figure that out tomorrow).

We are safe and healthy, and we lost next to none of our possessions: praise God! Further, the support, care and help from the community of faith has been remarkable. We have at least 6 offers of places to stay, and meals will be provided for us for at least a week! I cannot imagine going through something like this without the loving support of the church- the Lord certainly shows His care and provision through His people.

By all accounts this was a freak event: flooding this severe hasn't happened... well, no one can remember anything like this ever happening. But the lesson is well learned: when the water gets to your door, its probably time to evacuate the pregnant woman.

Towards a Theology of National Geographic: Reflections on Nature Television Programming

2009-10-01T13:37:00.006+01:00

I must confess I am one of those people who find nature TV shows fascinating. Not merely interesting; full-on gripping. My wife (who is generally patient with me in these matters) has been known to say things like “another hour of lions? We get it, they kill antelope.”, “how much can you watch about continental drift?” and “so the whole show is about schools of tuna?” Forget so called “reality” TV, give me the original reality TV- the Discovery Channel. Perhaps it’s because nature shows were a point of family connection growing up, or maybe it’s my love for the outdoors, or possibly that I’m a (closet?) amateur zoologist, but a good nature show will stick with me for days. Hey, did you know that 80% of nitrogen in the costal Pacific Northwest rainforests are from Salmon corpses, left after swimming upstream to spawn and then dying?!?!

Theology has much to say to nature programming- more on that shortly. First, some reflections on the genre.

Nature Shows as Anti-Television

Nature television is in some ways anti-television, a network executive’s nightmare. Not loud, flashy, or over the top, it’s not likely to give pause to the average channel surfer, even if Sigourney Weaver or Morgan Freeman are enlisted to provide narration. Informative content often similar to that given in a classroom or museum, long breaks between bits of voiceover narration, and a slow pace are not for the short of attention span. Think about it: can you name a nature program on a major network? With the notable exception of the BBC, most nature programming has been sequestered to (mostly minor) cable television networks and public broadcasting (at least this is the case in the States, perhaps things are different in the UK; lacking a television set here, I’m in no position to make assessment).

The Genre

Nature shows are familiar. The genre of nature programming is known for several things, including stunning shots of sweeping landscapes scored by orchestral crescendos and cymbal rushes, a seeming obsession with predation, and making teenagers uncomfortable and somewhat giggly during scenes of animal mating behavior (those videos in middle school biology class were so awkward!). Not only is it familiar to most of us, it is also consistent. After 25+ plus years of watching nature TV, it seems to me that the genre has been stable and changes have been small and slow in coming (although the Planet Earth series has recently raised quality expectations substantially). Shark Week, while very cool, was hardly a revolution.

Annoyances with the Genre

Within this largely static genre, two staple themes have always agitated me. First, no respectable nature show would be without at least a few appeals, usually vague and in the form of personification, to the explanatory power of evolution (usually something like, “evolution has given this bird a wonderful gift—an elongated beak, to eat grubs buried in the bark.”) Occasionally the words “designed” or “creature” make an appearance, but those are just manners of speaking, not to be taken seriously or at face value. Sometimes the ambiguous “mother nature” is mentioned, but again only as a metaphor for evolution. I’ll avoid an excursion into creation vs. evolution debates, but I can at least say that nature television almost uniformly assumes Naturalism and atheistic evolution, not even giving a passing mention to the possibility of other explanations. (Usually Naturalism is an over-invocation; micro-evolution or Theistic evolution could explain the data presented just as well, if not better. Interestingly, the enjoyability and coherence of any given program usually has little to no dependence on those ideologies- and they are fundamentally just that: worldview ideologies trying to masquerade as fact. But I digress.) None of this is surprising, but certainly frustrating. (I like to think) my annoyance does not stem from a fundamentalist kneejerk against any and all understandings of evolution but rather the attempt to disguise the worldview of Naturalism as “objective science.” No one operates without a worldview framework in place; no one has a view from nowhere.

My second annoyance is related to the first, so I’ll keep it short(er). There is a seemingly concerted effort to accentuate similarities and iron over differences between animals and humans. It is undeniable that higher-level mammals and humans share much in common, especially regarding social behavior. Actually, theologically we ought not be surprised by such similarity between humanity and the rest of creation (see below). But watching nature shows one can easily get the impression that philosophy, morality, theology, art—all the humanities, almost—are amusing but superfluous to a proper account of the world, which can only be given by the naturalist. I remember this annoyance first surfacing as a young boy watching African wildlife get drunk in “Animals Are Beautiful People” (the title says it all, doesn’t it). They eat fruit that ferments in their stomachs, stumble around comically, sleep it off, and then are hung over the next day, all humorously set to ragtime music. As funny as it was, even as a young boy I remember thinking, “so wait, this film is saying people are nothing more than slightly more evolved animals?”

Some Theological Reflections

Despite its efforts to propagate Naturalism, theology has much to say to nature programming and, I would argue, these shows often fail to completely repress elements of the Christian worldview. Quite frankly, the ‘glory-chargedness’ of our world is inescapable (although not insuppressible- Rom. 1:18-32). Ours is a world where the glory, goodness, beauty and wisdom of the Creator are manifestly evident—at least to those with the eyes to see—and this is particularly so when it comes to the natural world. I love to learn about things like rivers in underground caves in Papua New Guinea or deep sea creatures with chemically illuminated photophores because doing so enriches my understanding of the world as chosen, designed, created, and loved by God (Genesis 1 repeatedly states, “And God saw that it was good”).

While stunning mountain landscapes and roaring ocean tides often come mind when attempting to ponder and appreciate creation, we do ourselves a disservice if we fail to get beyond stereotypes. The glory and beauty of the Creator are reflected in things like the complexity and harmony of the human circulatory system and the interdependence of nutrient-rich oceans currents and humpback whales just as much as it is displayed in, say, a picturesque sunset. Let us always take care not make a caricature of the work of His hands.

Further, the remarkable complexity and beauty of our world is not “out there” in nature; it’s not as if there is “us” and then there is nature, but rather both nature and we are parts of the whole of creation, the whole cosmos. From the creation accounts in Genesis we rightly conclude that humanity is the pinnacle of creation, not the demigods over creation (Gen. 1:26-27). Such an understanding is the beginnings of the proper foundation for what we might call a biblical environmentalism—one that has theological motives rather than being driven by politically leveraged guilt or pure self-interest.

Nature programming is attractive because it ushers us into pondering the beauty and majesty of our world. And yet there is a discordance between the Naturalism underlying much of the programming and the self conscious appeals to ‘the wonder of it all’. Talk of beauty, majesty and wonder is empty and hallow on Naturalism, but rich and meaningful on the Christian worldview. Put bluntly, Naturalism’s explanations of truth, beauty, wonder, etc. as byproducts of the evolutionary preference for survival are empty, cheap and lacking in substance (and in Naturalism even the preference itself is arbitrary). If Naturalism is true then the beauty of nature is meaningless. The Naturalism operative in nature programming is cashing on borrowed capital here, unknowingly smuggling in through the back door God’s beauty and wonder as reflected in creation. Whether one acknowledges it or not, we find the natural world beautiful because God is beautiful. Creation is only beautiful, wonderful, etc. derivatively, in virtue of being the creation of the One who is beauty, goodness, and truth.

Yet despite the beauty and glory of our world, it is undeniably broken. Ecosystems are fragile and don’t always work well, even apart from human influence, predation means that nature is often gruesome and violent; one of the incomprehensible horrors of sin is that humanity’s wrongdoing has tainted all of creation. The Christian hope for the world is one of redemption in the person of Jesus Christ, a redemption that, like the fall, starts with humanity but includes all of creation (Rom. 8:18-25).

One of the most significant ‘take-aways’ from nature programming is how dependent we are on the natural world, how very little we understand about it, and how uncontrollable it is (we cannot control but we can certainly destroy!). Yet again, creation here functions as a mere shadow of God: humanity’s dependence on creation is ultimately a dependence on the good providence of the Creator. If we can’t control, say, the rains we need for crops, how much more are we dependent on the sovereign Lord God, in whom “we live and move and have our being”? (Acts 17:28)

Finally, I’ll close as most nature shows do: with a charge for change. Most appeals to conservation in nature programming are subtle and often emotional, usually appearing briefly at the conclusion, frequently in the form of “if you don’t want to lose what you’ve just seen, we’d better get our act together.” Conservation and preservation are worthwhile and important, and this is especially the case for the Christian, who is an agent of grace and redemption in the world. Yet we tend to write off environmental issues in evangelical circles (at least in N. America), which is a shame, because the Christian voice in environmental discussions is a unique and desperately needed one: Christians understand the full depth and pervasiveness of humanity’s condition in sin—so often downplayed in those discussions, much to the detriment of us all. If anyone has the right motivation for being an environmentalist, certainly it’s the Christian.

Baby Bawulski!

2009-09-16T21:04:00.002+01:00

Apologies if this is the first you're hearing this news (we did our best to tell everyone we could in person), but we're making the news of our baby "blog-public". Here is the 10 week scan, taken a few months ago:

And here are some (slightly odd looking) scans from today's 20 week appointment:

Head and spine are clearly visible

Face shot with hand. This photo kinda looks like an alien or Skeletor.

The baby was not cooperating enough to give the standard ultrasound shot. So here's a nice cross section of internal organs (my idea, which Sara vetoed, was to google image "20 week ultrasound" and scalp the best one). You can see the heart and stomach if you look closely.

And we found out today that the baby forecast is a 97% chance of little girl! (the ultrasound technician was "97% certain")

Baby is due January 30th, and both mom and baby are happy and healthy. Please pray for continued health!

Visiting Home, Coming Home

2009-08-11T23:11:00.008+01:00

I tend to get right to the point, and I'll keep to form here: this blog post covers the two weeks in July that we made a trip back to the States, followed immediately by about two weeks of family and friends visiting us in Scotland. Here goes.

Visiting friends and family back home was great, and we realized how much we miss those we left on the other side of the pond. Despite some mild culture shock ("Were billboards and TV ad always this ugly and irritating?" "Why does it take at least a 15-20 minute drive to get places?"), the US is largely familiar and much the way we remember it. Even better than we remember it was the restaurant food in the US- we must have eaten at Chipotle at least 4 times. Eating out in the UK is generally an experience in mediocrity (there are exceptions to this but they are rare), so we did enjoy the wonders of food in Chicagoland. It was fantastic.

Even more fantastic for me was the honor to preach the homily at my brother-in-law's wedding. He and his new bride are both believers who love the Lord, and he has just begun his first pastoral ministry position. Blessing on you, Justin and Deb.

After a fun but dense two weeks in the states, Sara's parents Randy and Barb followed us over to Scotland for a visit. They landed the day after we did and hit the ground running. Here are some pictures:

St Andrews Castle

Sara and me in the fishing village of Anstruther.

Barb and Randy

The West Sands at St Andrews

Randy, overlooking St Andrews

Sara and Barb at The Hermitage

Barb and me at the William Wallace monument

We have seen some spectacular sunsets the past few weeks.

I climbed out to this rock as the tide was coming in...

It took some timing to get back through the gap... ...but the view was quite nice.

After Barb and Randy went down to London for a few days, our friends Bob and Jennifer Fischer joined us for a few short days.

We visited Dunnottar Castle

We went to The Hermitage

We enjoyed a fantastic night on St Andrew's pier.

And on that night, on that pier, I took one of the best photographs I think I have ever taken. But I'll let you be the judge...

As enjoyable as was our trip back home to the States to see everyone, returning to St Andrews truly felt like we were coming home.

Theological Method and Apologetics: How Do We Know That Christianity is True?

2009-07-02T16:43:00.003+01:00

Theology's Starting Point

Frequently in approaching how we do theology, the implicit (or sometimes even explicit) quest is for the appropriate starting point. Often the questions posed can ultimately be reduced to the question as to where we ought to begin: God, Scripture or reason? Are we to initially assume or philosophize some conception of God (perhaps the "god of the philosophers", or the deliverances of natural theology) and then proceed to identify the Christian Scriptures as the best candidate for His self-revelation? Alternatively, should we first assume or presuppose the Bible to be true and then form our idea of God from its pages? Or must we provide independent arguments and evidences for using Scripture as the authoritative source of divine knowledge before we are justified in doing so? How do we proceed in a way that is intellectually satisfying and avoids vicious circularity? [endnote 1]

I submit that the questions about the starting point of theology or about the foundation of theology, when posed this way, are wrongheaded in that they assume a linear way of thinking and of justifying thought when worldview considerations are much more holistic. All of this requires a bit of explanation.

Worldview Belief

A fitting place to embark on this discussion is to reflect on how people come to worldview belief. I suspect that many (if not most) adherents of the Christian worldview did not fully and/or consciously examine the evidential case for Christianity before adopting the worldview. While some—like C.S. Lewis, for example—might come to the Christian worldview down that avenue, many others find Christian worldview belief arising in them more "naturally", we might say. Perhaps they were raised in a Christian home where a sense of the reality of the Christian God was instilled in them from their parents, or perhaps at university they became part of a believing community where Christian belief was the norm (I note that circumstances like these often incorporate some sort of conversion experience). The conditions where Christian belief can be considered to have properly arisen in a person are presumably innumerable; my point is that people do not typically have control over what beliefs receive assent, and this is true even of worldview beliefs. In fact, if we think of believe in the naked sense of assent, we rarely have direct control over what we believe; usually believing is something we find just happening, not something we autonomously choose.[2]

If we can grant this account of how many come to the Christian worldview, the objection could be raised that proponents of other worldviews can make similar or analogous appeals to their worldview naturally arising in people. The nearly unavoidable conclusion is that if Christian worldview belief arises in people in such a way that they are within their epistemic rights and it can be considered a rational, properly basic belief, then, say, the Muslim worldview can arise with much the same claim to being rational, epistemically responsible, and properly basic.[3] If several different worldviews seem to each have (roughly) equally valid claims to rationality, have we here reached a perspectival impasse?

No, we are not at an impasse, because all of the considerations on worldview belief formation offered so far are de jure issues, not de facto ones. To say that both the Christian and Muslim worldviews can be formed in a way that is epistemological responsible, rational, etc. is not to say that they both are true, or that they both might be true. Nor is it to say that we are unable to pursue the matter further and attempt to discover which worldview is in fact true. In short, we can adjudicate between conflicting truth claims made by different worldviews.

Truth and Worldview Considerations

Well enough, then how are we to adjudicate between worldviews? I contend that deciding between worldviews is to be done holistically, since worldviews are whole systems of thought. It is very much the case that the various aspects of the Christian worldview are reinforced by other aspects within the worldview, and when considering the truthfulness of the worldview, each aspect ought be considered in conjunction with other aspects and with the whole. I suggest that the Christian worldview is the most successful and satisfying when it comes to considerations like coherence, beauty, explanatory power of all the evidential data available to us, and livability.[4] Of course, a full text on apologetics would hardly even begin to support this contention, but I am confident that when all the evidence is considered and handled properly, the Christian worldview emerges as the best worldview.

To demonstrate what it means to consider worldviews holistically, we shall return to the matter of the starting point of theology. When considered holistically it turns out that God and the Scriptures are both foundational and interrelated aspects of the entire Christian worldview. These are but two of the many fundamental commitments constituting the evangelical Christian worldview (hereafter ECWV)[5]:

(a.) A triune God exists.

(b.) The Bible is God's testimony about Himself (self-disclosing witness).

Remember that both (a.) and (b.) are fundamental parts of a total package—ECWV. Given that, it is inappropriate to ask which has logical or methodological primacy. In fact, (a.) and (b.) could be easily conjoined into:

( c.) The Bible is the triune God's testimony about Himself.

It is perhaps the case that most or all other commitments of ECWV have some dependence on this one fundamental worldview commitment. If this is the case then, when considered on the whole, we might say that only a worldview based on (c.) will be true, coherent, best able to handle all the evidence we have, beautiful, livable, and intellectually and existentially satisfying.

Note that I am not demanding we make the Van Tilian move and presuppose, a priori, the entire content of the Christian worldview. I am not even suggesting we must presuppose (c.) before we begin our worldview considerations, nor am I suggesting that we cannot rightly engage in worldview considerations apart from presupposing (c.). But the postmodernist does have a point: no one is without presuppositions, and no perspective is privileged with a pristinely objective point of view. Surely the method I am proposing here involves presuppositions—what are they?

When it comes to testing the truthfulness of a worldview, I suggest we all should (must?) adopt a more modest set of presuppositions: we ought to make methodological presuppositions that are relatively uncontroversial and are more or less worldview neutral. These might include things like the law of non-contradiction, the idea that testimony (made by someone in who is in the appropriate position) should be considered reliable until/unless there is evidence to think otherwise, and that we should follow the evidence wherever it leads.[6] It is not my intention here to refine precisely this list of methodological presuppositions. We might very well quibble about exactly what should and should not be adopted in our methodological presuppositions. I am, however, arguing that when a modest and reasonable set of methodological presuppositions are applied, ECWV is the best conclusion.

It might seem that these methodological presuppositions are not enough to enable theistic arguments to succeed. I suspect this is true; even given these modest methodological commitments, most—if not all—of the theistic arguments have controversial premises at some point. This is problematic if we can only consider each theistic argument in isolation, but of course this is not the case. The theistic arguments should all be considered together, in conjunction with the evidential data we have that points to ECWV, in conjunction with the responses to objections that ECWV uses in her defense, in conjunction with the way it is possible to consistently live in accord with the ECWV, in conjunction with the way ECWV is existentially satisfying, in conjunction with... and so on.

Interestingly, in returning to our original question, in a trivial sense reason is our starting point in theology because the human faculties that comprise our reasoning abilities are required to even begin to think about a worldview (but ECWV is not subject to any standard of "autonomous reason," whatever that may mean). If we are not to use the cognitive faculties endowed to us, what should we use, and what would that even look like? Reason may be trivially be our starting point, but more significantly we start our reasoning with considering ECWV as a whole, and this includes an orthodox view of God, the Scriptures, and even our ability to reason.

The Method in Action

Perhaps an example of this method in action will be enlightening, even if it is only a rough sketch that will require thorough development beyond the space available here. First, consider coherence: it seems to me that there are some worldviews other than ECWV that meet this criterion. There are many, however, that do not: Mormonism and Scientology come to mind. Examples of those that do succeed in coherence might be Islam or naturalism. I find it difficult not to come to the conclusion that particular versions of Islam avoid incorporating logical contradictions (at least any that are detectable to us); some flavors of Islam seem to succeed in this regard. I suspect that same to be true with naturalism—a naturalism that is willing to affirm the unintuitive idea 'something really can uncausedly come from nothing' seems to avoid any (again, detectable) logical contradiction. At best it seems that the criterion of coherence does not disqualify every worldview, but it does help us in narrowing the field.

Although a very helpful consideration, coherence is not the only measure of a worldview. What about a worldview's explanatory power of all the evidential data available to us? I think we must admit that sophisticated forms of naturalism do seem to possess significant explanatory power. The naturalistic ethos in most universities readily testifies to the strength of the worldview's explanatory power. However, even the most sophisticated form of naturalism is deficient when it comes to explaining all the data; specifically I have in mind the historical data we have in regards to the person of Jesus Christ. I will not rehearse the arguments for the resurrection (and how it strongly indicates Jesus Christ's divinity), suffice to say I think the only way for the naturalist to handle this data is to adopt a historical skepticism or agnosticism that she does not consistently hold in other historical matters. If history and testimony is reliable at all, then the historical evidence for the resurrection (and all the related considerations) is very difficult for the naturalist to explain. Of course the naturalist has available to them a historical skepticism (Lessing's ditch, perhaps?), but I think that with such skepticism the naturalist cannot avoid becoming a nihilist, and there are very strong arguments that nihilism is unlivable.

A brief concession is in order: the criterion of livability is a bit slipperier than we might like. Environment and culture are factors that influence how we form our notion of livability, but I see no reason to think this to be fatal to considerations of livability. At its core, the livability criterion has two components: 1.) one must be able to consistently live life in accord with one's worldview, 2.) the life lived in accord with one's worldview must be existentially satisfying. The livability criterion is very complex, and in fairness, every worldview should be given a fighting chance to cultivate intuitions, aesthetic values, etc. that are congruent with that worldview. That said, we also should say that many false worldviews will ultimately, in varying degrees, succeed or fail in being livable in the actual world.

The naturalist might object that the historical arguments for the resurrection (which strongly points to the Christian worldview) should not be treated like other historical evidence because of the high existential demands that come from that evidence. The naturalist might be willing to accept the historical evidence for, say, Caesar and his army crossing the Rubicon, but might be skeptical towards the historical evidence for the resurrection. The naturalist claims she is not being inconsistent in doing so because her skepticism is based on the very high existential demands that are implied be accepting the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where no real existential demand obtains for Caesar and the Rubicon.

In response we point out that in worldview reasoning, which is holistic, at some point every worldview will have high existential demands. Many Eastern religions call for a lifetime of meditation that is crucial if the worldview is true but would at best be largely a waste if the worldview is false—a high existential price tag indeed. Or consider naturalism: if the universe is ultimately devoid of meaning apart from that which we arbitrarily impose, if rape, murder and infanticide are not objectively wrong but rather are only disfavored by our society by some evolutionary accident, if interpersonal love is mere biochemistry that is genetically cultivated because it is (or was at some point) advantageous for species survival, if everything is truly reducible to matter and energy—if naturalism and all its implications are true, then the existential demands are of such are enormous. How can nihilistic despair be avoided on such a picture? Surely the naturalist would cry foul if we discounted some piece of evidence offered in support of naturalistic evolution, stating that we are doing so not on the basis of considering the evidence itself but because accepting it would bring about the troubling implication that life has no purpose apart from propagating the human species. If the naturalist has a valid complaint, we ask the same courtesy be given to the evidence for the resurrection.

As this exercise demonstrates, worldview considerations are holistic and the criteria do not operate modularly or independently of one another. As I suggested, the maneuver naturalism must make to avoid the evidential force of the resurrection results in a view of history and of the reliability of testimony that is unlivable (and is dubious, no less).

Christianity Is More Than a Worldview

If I am not misguided with all I have been arguing about worldview considerations, one might wonder why the Christian worldview seems to have limited success in winning adherents. It certainly is not a fringe or obscure worldview, but it is far from being the majority and even seems to attract more than a few detractors. If the Christian worldview is true, why is it not much more successful?

This is a significant question that leads to something very important: accepting Christianity is not merely to adopt a worldview. Embracing Christianity is to take up a relationship—a binding one at that—with the living God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is to say that Christianity, while more than a worldview, is not less than one. Adopting the Christian worldview means taking up Christian belief as true, and at the heart of Christian belief is a God who is personal and relational. One cannot hold to the worldview without having the relationship, and vice versa.

Many reject the Christian worldview not because they find the evidence for it inconclusive or lacking but because they are unwilling to accept the existential demands the worldviews entails. As G.K. Chesterton rightly observed, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried."[7] Contra Bertrand Russell, the problem is not insufficient evidence but rather a stubborn will.

If the primary obstacle in coming to the Christian faith and the Christian worldview is a stubborn will, it might lead us to be pessimistic about the apologetic enterprise. However, I consider this a mistake, because we are not left entirely to our own devices in worldview considerations. The Christian tradition has rightly insisted that no one is able to adopt the Christian worldview and enter into a relationship with God apart from the divine activity of the Holy Spirit, and there is no reason to think this work of the Holy Spirit is divorced from worldview considerations as outlined above and from the apologetic task in general. In answering the question, "How do we know the Bible is the triune God's testimony about Himself?" we must holistically weigh the Christian worldview with reliance on the witness of the Holy Spirit who testifies to the Truth (John 14:6).

[1] Of course, in the discipline of Christian theology it is not invalid to simply move past this issue in its entirety and assume both some (orthodox) Christian theism and the Scriptures as authoritative, moving on to doing theology and leaving the apologist to her task.

[2] As an aside, I should say that when what we mean by believe goes beyond assent to trust, then we have crossed over into areas of free will and moral accountability, and it is in this latter sense that the Scriptures command us to believe; not merely to assent to the Lordship of Christ—the demons do that, and tremble—but going further, to personal trust.

[3] If a person were to encounter a "defeater" argument to her worldview belief, and this defeater was unanswerable, she would not be rational in continuing to hold that worldview. While controversial, it is fair to say that the Christian worldview can answer all the defeater arguments and evidences that have been raised against it so far. I also suspect the same to be true for some other worldviews, with the result that there are many worldviews we should deem rational and epistemically responsible to hold.

[4] This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but should serve as minimal set of considerations.

[5] Readers will note that I have made the qualification evangelical in order to exclude worldviews that claim to be "Christian" of some sort but in profession and/or in practice fail to adequately regard the Scriptures as authoritative divine disclosure. While I do not have the space to defend this qualification, I make it because I am convinced this point is at the heart of the Christian worldview's strength as a worldview. This is not to say that a particular doctrine of Scripture is a salvific requirement but rather is to say that without this foundational belief it is difficult to see how a worldview can consistently be significantly Christian.

[6] I would add my suspicion that, once we have detailed what our methodological presuppositions ought to be, it will likely be the case that rejecting any of these will cause one's worldview to fail on one of more of the worldview considerations.

[7] G.K. Chesterton, G. K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World? (London: Cassell, 1910). Chapter 5, paragraph 3.

Edinburgh Marathon: I finished it, and that's what matters.

2009-06-03T12:52:00.003+01:00

Marathon Results:

10k(6.2m): 00:53:22

Half(13.1m): 02:10:30

30k(18.6m): 03:24:48

Marathon(26.2m): 05:29:26

At least my first half was respectable (2:10).

The last 8 miles took me over 2 hours, and there are two reasons for this: 1. I was having some serious knee pain from a training injury, 2. they ran out of water at mile 15! I didn't get water until about mile 21, and by that point the sun already had its way with me.

It was the hottest day that I have experienced in Scotland and the sun was absolutely brutal, so when there is no water during one of the most important stretches of a marathon, things go from unpleasant to downright dangerous. In all seriousness, I saw people going into fits of dementia from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Naturally, everyone was quite upset at the marathon organizers.

However, a few days after the marathon I learned that the lack of water came not from incompetence but from theft! "The Edinburgh Marathon today reported the theft of at least 6,804 bottles of water (3 Pallets) and 4,040 Lucozade Energy gels which were stolen from the route in the early hours of Sunday morning." (http://www.edinburgh-marathon.com/) Who steals 6,804 bottles of water from a marathon? And what does one do with 6,804 bottles of stolen marathon water? Sell them on eBay, as if nobody would notice?

Anyway, during the last 7 miles of the race I started chatting with a fellow runner who was progressing (read: walking) at the same pace as me. We ended up finishing the race together, and during the two hours we had together I heard about his life and shared some of my story. He even asked me about my faith, and I was able to share a good bit with him about the gospel!

This is my friend Patrick Egan and me just before the race.

I really wish I had worn sunscreen.

During my running I did some reflecting, and I came up with some similarities between training for (and completing) a marathon and successfully completing a PhD. 1. Both are all about endurance. 2. Both often leave you exhausted. 3. Both require a clear vision of your end goal. 4. One does well to rely on the strength of the Lord for both. 5. Both are hard to complete if you run out of water.

Jobs, PhDs, and Grandma

2009-05-19T22:37:00.003+01:00

Great news from the Scottish front- Sara has not one but two jobs! First, she just started at Starbucks this week. Second, she has been asked to teach both semesters of Hebrew for the next academic year at the University of St Andrews! Her teaching is done this semester save for the final, and it seemed that would be the end of it- a one-off sort of arrangement that she was able to get because the school was in a bind. Or so we might have thought. But due to overwhelmingly positive student feedback and favorable regards from other professors, she has been asked to return to teach for the full academic year, fall and spring! She is amazing! When the semester starts in the fall these two together will be a full plate, certainly, but we are grateful for the Lord's provision.

Another bit of happy news- I passed my first year review without any revisions and will continue on to a full PhD status. Essentially this review is to catch students who aren't quite ready to do a PhD or whose work is not up to standard. If problems become apparent with someone's work during this review, a student can be forced into a masters degree and away from the PhD. Most students are not held up at this review, but some are, and I am glad to report that the university considers my work so far to be satisfactory.

Finally, Sara's grandmother (Donna) came to visit us recently. It was a wonderful visit, and she was gracious enough to take us to see various parts of Scotland, including the highlands and the western Isle of Skye. I haven't quite found the right words to describe the breathtaking and stunning beauty we encountered. So here are some pictures, but even they don't do full justice.

Had I not taken this picture myself, I would think it a fake backdrop in a photo studio.

We were there, I promise.

Again, looks so good it almost looks fake.
But here's proof that Sara was really there (I was, too).

Fake, right?

No, not fake, we were there! (OK I will stop now)

Interpreting the Parables

2009-04-23T17:16:00.004+01:00

Somewhere along the way I picked up the notion that Jesus’ parables have only one main point. I do not remember any specific instances when I was taught this, but it is thrown around enough in Evangelical circles (at least at the popular level) that I probably absorbed it by osmosis. I also always felt a bit uneasy about the idea, largely because it felt too artificial when I looked at the parables themselves. Recently our small group bible study from church decided to study the parables and I took this as an impetus to resolve the issue to my own satisfaction.

What I’ve written here draws heavily from Craig L. Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables, (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 1990). This excellent book cuts right to the issue with clarity and high level scholarship. I have a few quibbles here and there with what Blomberg has to say, but these are relatively minor, and overall his arguments are extremely persuasive. The rest of this blog post will largely be a summary of Blomberg’s book. Please also note that this post contains direct quotations from Blomberg’s book that are, for readability, not indicated as such (no quotation marks—my apologies for the academic “sloppiness”, but hey, it’s a blog post, right?).

Parable and Allegory

Despite an all too prevalent notion that any allegory in our bible is bad, the vast majority of Jesus’ parables contain allegory. In fact, a clear distinction between parable and allegory is hard to make. A parable is a type of allegorical story; a parable is unique from other types of allegory in that parables are linked with some application, explicit or implied.

What is allegory? Allegory is nothing more and nothing less than an extended metaphor in narratory (storytelling) form. A basic metaphor is fleshed out in a story to make a point (a standard example is Paul Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress). The use of allegory in and of itself is not a bad thing; the use of an allegorical hermeneutic is a bad thing. To see the difference, consider these definitions:

1. Allegory: the use of symbolic meaning in a text.

2. Allegorizing: ascribing to a text some hidden, often anachronistic meanings which its author never intended.

3. Allegorization: the allegorizing expansion and embellishment of a text which originally was already an allegory in simpler form (roughly, doing #2 to #1).

Bottom line: even if many interpreters in church history did #2 to the parables, we should learn from their mistakes and not allegorize the parables (or any Scripture!), but that does not mean we should refuse to acknowledge that the parables do have some degree of allegory operative in them.

Purpose and Function of Parable

Allegories have several purposes:

·to illustrate a viewpoint in an artistic and educational way

·to keeps its message from being immediately clear to all its hearers or readers without further reflection

·to win over its audience to accept a particular set of beliefs or act in a certain way

With these considerations it becomes clear that parables (as allegories) were a suiting vehicle for much of Jesus’ public teaching. He was teaching about the kingdom of God, but it was different from what most Jews expected the kingdom to be. He wanted those who really understood what he was saying to “get” the parable, but those who merely perceived the parable would only see it as strange and mysterious. Perceiving but not understanding is when someone understands the surface grammar and even cognitively understands the intended application but rejects the truth and the implications of what is being said. Only those who listened and heeded (obeyed) what the parable was asking of them truly understood it (Mk 4:10-12).

How does a parable work? A parable is best viewed as containing several “proportional analogies” which can be expressed by means of a series of equations of the form:

A is to B as a is to b with respect to x

Two examples of this will suffice.

Ex. 1: (A) God is to (B) his elect as (a) the judge is to (b) the woman, with respect to (x) the fact of vindication despite its initial appearance of delay. (Lk 18:1-7).

Ex. 2: (A) Those who reject the call to God’s Kingdom are to (B) God as (a) the invited guests who refuse to come are to (b) the banquet giver, with respect to (x) the exceeding lameness of their excuses for rejecting the invitation. (Lk 14:15-24).

How are parables structured? There is a triadic or triangular structure to most parables, and following this, most parables have three main points. The parables often have three main characters: a unifying figure and two additional figures or groups with which he interacts. Usually the three characters or groups can be broken down into three types: the positive, the negative, and God (or, if you like, the good, the bad, and the holy). For example, many parables have master, faithful servant(s), and unfaithful servant(s). Some shorter narratives and similes have only two key characters, and a few only have one, but the principles of handling parables as allegory will still apply.

Some examples: The sower, the fruitful seed, and the unfruitful seed (on path, in rocky soil, among thorns) (Mk 4:3-9). The father, the prodigal son, and the older brother (Lk 15:11-32).

How to Interpret the Parables

I find many “how-to”s of interpretation overly simplistic, but I can at least give a few principles to get the interpretive process started. Here are some key points to help us interpret Jesus’ parables.

·Every parable of Jesus contains certain elements which point to a second level of meaning and others which do not. Ex: In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father certainly points to God, but the ring and the robe that the father gives the prodigal son upon his return serve to speak about the wonderful reception the father gives to the son and do not stand for anything such as baptism or immortality (as was postulated at points in church history) (Lk 15:11-32).

·The key to interpreting most allegories—and thus also the parables—lies in recognizing what a small handful of characters, actions or symbols stand for and fitting the rest of the story in with them.

·The main characters of a parable will probably be the most common candidates for interpreting the allegory, and the main points of the parable will most likely be associated with these characters.

·Elements other than the main characters will have metaphorical referents only to the extent that they fit in with the meaning established by the referents of the main characters, and all allegorical interpretation must result in that which would have been intelligible to a first-century Palestinian audience. Ex: some have speculated that the innkeeper in the parable of the Good Samaritan stand for the apostle Paul (Lk 10:25-37). This does follow from the main symbols in the story, and certainly Jesus’ original audience could not have known about Paul’s ministry several decades before it even happened.

·The meanings ascribed to elements in a parable must be ones which the stories’ original audience could have been expected to grasp in their historical setting.

·While the parables do present largely lifelike portrayals of first-century Palestinian Judaism, key details in them are surprisingly unrealistic and serve to point out an allegorical level of meaning. Ex: the excuses given for not coming to the banquet in parable of wedding feast (Lk 14:16-24).

·The triadic structure of most of Jesus’ narrative parables suggest that most parables may make three points, though some will probably make only one or two.

Theology conference and trip to Holland

2009-04-06T11:25:00.005+01:00

Last week I went to a theology conference in the Netherlands, and since tickets were cheap and Sara had the week off from teaching for spring break, she joined me after the conference for a few days of taking in Holland.

I presented a short paper at the conference. Like everyone else, I was allotted 20 minutes to present the paper and 20 minutes of questions. Reading at a reasonable and accessible speed, I can get through about 3,000 words in 20 minutes. When I finished writing my paper a few weeks ago the word count was 9,000 words, and I was trying my best to be very concise! It was a bit agonizing to cut out 2/3 of the paper, but the final hacked-down form was well received. I got some good feedback and some great questions (which I was able to answer)- many questions were about topics that will be covered in the direction my project is heading. It was encouraging; it seems like I'm on the right track.

After the conference, which was in the town of Amersfoort, Sara and I traveled with a few other St Andrews friends (who were also attending the conference) to Utrecht, Amsterdam, and Haarlem. Here are a few pictures below, but interested readers can see a much more extensive photo album here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015763&id=119401026&l=a0c863d7d7

This was in the city of Utrecht. These canals were all over the place in cities in Holland. Actually, about 1/3 of the country is below sea level.

This is the cathedral tower in Utrecht. We climbed to the top.

Archway under cathedral tower, Utrecht.

This is a canal in Amsterdam, right outside the Anne Frank house.

These are our friends with whom we were traveling. This was in Amsterdam- I forget the name of the church in the background, but it was near the Anne Frank house.

Bicycles are everywhere in Holland. They love single-gear, "granny-style" handlebar bikes. Single gear bikes work because the country is so very flat. They even have bicycles with large carriers on them; this lady was pedaling around her 5 dogs. If you ever visit, be warned: cyclists yield not to cars or pedestrians, and they will run you over.

Notice that they buildings are not straight...

This was in the city square in Haarlem.

South of Haarlem we found our way to some tulip fields.

This poor little tulip was growing in the middle of the dirt. I found it an interesting photo, touching on themes of hope and beauty.

...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against [the church]. Matthew 16:18

Stirling castle, the William Wallace monument, and Scots pride

2009-03-19T10:43:00.009Z

Yesterday we hired a car and drove to Stirling to see the sights. Here are some of them:

This is the entrance to Stirling castle.

Inside the castle.

This is shot from inside the castle- I thought it was an interesting perspective.

This tree is in a courtyard inside the castle. For some reason I tend to take better black and white photographs that I do color.

Sara (which means "princess") enjoying the view from her castle.

On the other side of Stirling is the William Wallace monument. Yes, that's the Braveheart guy.

This is the view from the top of the monument.

The crown of the monument provides for some very interesting shots.

Over the entrance of the monumnent stands this statue of Wallace. Almost looks like Mel Gibson, doesn't it?

This was the go-cart-I mean car- that we hired for the day. Roomier than you might think.

Wallace monument again.

Inside the monument is Wallace's sword. They say he needed to be a beefy 6' 6" to be able to wield it, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it at 6' 2" and 163 lbs.

It might be something in the water, but Scottish resentment towards the English seems almost ubiquitous. This was palpable in some of the exhibits at the monument, particularly a room where Wallace's story is played out in a short looping video. This quote is prominently featured in the exhibit:

"...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

-Declaration of Arbroath

Even if the resentment is somewhat unjustified, the Scots pride behind it is infectious. Here's to Scotland the Brave!

Answered Prayer

2009-02-17T18:08:00.001Z

Hi, Sara here. Normally Shawn handles the blogging, but it seemed best for me to write this one.

Many people have been praying about my job situation and I wanted to let everyone know how God (unexpectedly!) answered this prayer. In November I got a temp job in the University’s Extension Programmes Office. The job was for three months and ended this past Friday. All throughout my time in the Extension Office I have been applying for a number of office jobs at the University with no success.

About a week ago Shawn went out to lunch with his supervisor who mentioned that the school was still looking for someone to teach Hebrew this semester. Shawn casually mentioned that I got my undergraduate degree in Hebrew and his supervisor was quite interested. Within three days I had an interview with the Principal at St. Mary’s (the Divinity school at the University). A few hours after the interview I was offered a job!

This Friday I will start teaching the second semester of Hebrew grammar. I am quite excited about this opportunity and a bit overwhelmed too. It is very clear that God, in his providence, has given me this opportunity and I am so thankful. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Snow day in St Andrews

2009-02-17T17:54:00.006Z

A snow accumulation of more than an inch or so is not particularly common in St Andrews. So when we had a few inches piling up, the dog and I had to go out and take some photos. We went for a good romp on the 18th hole of oldest and most famous golf courses in the world, and it was awesome. Here are some of my best shots.

Christmas across the pond

2009-01-05T12:18:00.006Z

To all who read this, I hope your Christmas celebrations were richly blessed. Ours certainly were and since I would be remiss were I not to have a Christmas post on a blog like this, I’d like to share with you about our Scottish Christmas.

This was our first Christmas away from family back in the Midwest, which initially seemed as if it would be difficult. Who wants to be all alone on Christmas, sad and depressed from the lack of daylight (we are much farther north than you might think)? Thankfully, and despite the darkness, we were neither alone, sad or depressed.

Christmas Eve we exchanged our gifts to each other (more on that later) then went to a midnight service at a church in town. It was quite packed as we sang carols and heard Scripture readings. The service started at 11:20 or so and was coordinated so that the town bells chimed midnight during a moment of silence, followed by a rejoicing choir song proclaiming “He is born!” The whole experience was very edifying.

Christmas morning we went to a service at the church where we regularly attend; that morning was aimed more toward the children of the congregation, although we did sing several carols. There was a gospel lesson for the kids about the meaning of Christmas, and then the children brought the gifts they had opened that morning and shared about them. Two observations are in order: 1. Kids that are very loud and never seem to stop talking have a strange way of freezing up when a microphone is put in front of them; 2. I should have invested in any and every company involved with the merchandizing of Hannah Montana and High School Musical.

From there we joined our friends at their house for lunch, which was a wonderful and enjoyable time. These friends have taken great care of us since we have been here; from driving us to pick up a free futon to watching our dog while we were in London, they have been helpful and supportive in ways beyond what we could have ever imagined. Having people like this in our lives is a manifestation of God’s provision for us and is an example of how the we should care for each other in the church.

After lunch we made our way back into town for a potluck dinner with other non-traveling post-grad families from the divinity school at St Andrews. There were about 35-40 people there and I suspect the kids nearly outnumbered the adults. It was a great time with friends and copious amounts of amazing food.

Here are some Christmas pictures from St Andrews cathedral ruins.

By the way, the purple scarf is the official scarf of St Marys, the divinity school at St Andrews (this was Sara's Christmas gift to me).

I am particularly bad at giving gifts. Unless you send me a link so I can click on it and order the item for you, chances are any gift you might receive from me will be disappointing. The Christmas when Sara and I were engaged, when a romantic gift would have been highly appropriate, I got her a memory upgrade for her computer (she was constantly struggling with how slow it was!). If you only consider Christmases and Sara’s birthdays, I am 2 for 17. I have given 2 good gifts and 15 lame ones. If you throw in Valentine’s Days and our anniversaries, I’m sure my record would be even worse—as if a batting percentage of .133 wasn’t bad enough!

I mention all this because this Christmas was one of my rare good gifts: I surprised Sara with a sightseeing trip to London to see the musical Les Miserables. She loves the story, has read the book, and is borderline addicted to the music from the musical (and I must confess I have joined her in this addiction in the last few weeks), so I planned and arranged a budget 3-night trip to London between Christmas and New Years.

We saw as much of London as could be expected in just a few days and found the city to be very enjoyable. I’ll spare you the full details but highlights of our trip include St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, and dinner at what is apparently the only authentic Mexican restaurant in the UK. And of course, Les Mis. We saw it on the last night of our visit and we both agreed that if we had another night we would have seen it again. Here are some pictures from our trip:

If you’d like to see more pictures of our trip, you can find them here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014513&l=e8534&id=119401026

Some reflections on evil

2008-12-10T18:40:00.001Z

So far our blog has been more of a tool for updating family and friends about the details of our lives here in Scotland. In my view this is its primary purpose and it has served us well to that end. However, occasionally on the blog I intend to do more theological reflection and this post is one of those times.

The weight of evil has been on my mind a good bit lately. It must be said that there are good and successful answers to the question "If God is morally perfect and all-powerful, why is there evil in the world?" Surely God is both omnibenevolent and omnipotent—there is evil in the world, but only because He has a morally sufficient reason for its existence. There are certain things that, logically speaking, could only be accomplished if our world has evil in it; these certain things are of such a high value that God has no "blood on his hands" for the evil that so dominates our world. There is some debate as to what exactly these "certain things" may or may not be (free will, humans as they are, "built" souls that overcome evil, etc), but such discussions are not really my point right now. Intellectually, this problem can be answered satisfactorily.

Yet evil hurts no less. People do horrible, awful things all the time, and the wake of destruction left behind is sometimes unfathomable. Even when armed with good theological answers the weight of evil can be crushing. What can be said to the victim of sexual abuse? Someone who's been financially ruined by a crooked CEO with a golden parachute? What can you say to parents on the day they bury their toddler? Probably nothing; we should weep and mourn with them.

So what prevents us from despair in the face of such seemingly senseless evil? Some days, very little. Yet Christians have comfort in knowing that evil will not have the last word. In good time God will truly make everything right. The heart of this victory over evil was accomplished on the cross, but the fulfillment and full realization is still future, so that today we Christians live in an "already/not yet" tension. God is already conquering evil in the hearts and lives of believers, in the church as a whole and in her influence on the world, but that reality has not yet fully been realized on the earth.

Drawing from Revelation 20 and 21, I'd like to offer up some thoughts on the weight of evil we experience today and the "setting everything right" that is future.

Judgment: Revelation 20

Revelation 20 speaks of the final, comprehensive and ultimate judgment of all evil and all things associated with or tainted by evil. This is the big one. What God does in this judgment is final and forever: God gets the last word in against evil, and what he has to say completely settles the matter. In God's final judgment He will judge the entire universe including all humankind, doing away with all evil and any taint of sin. What can be said about this judgment?

This judgment is comprehensive. Everything and everyone will have to stand before God, who is seated on the Great White Throne. Often times we focus on the judgment of humanity and fail to notice that "earth and heaven" flee away. God must go to such drastic measures because the whole universe has been tainted with the stain of sin. The creation groans with the weight of sin and longs for its removal. In a judgment that includes all of the universe, no one escapes this final reckoning—the dead, great and small, stand before the throne. Whether a person is a powerful and wealthy politician or a poor street bum, no one is too important or unimportant to escape accountability with God. No one is immune. In this judgment the opening of the Pandora's Box of evil that was unleashed by sin is undone; the seemingly impossible has been done—Adam's box is closed back up. All the evil and sin and suffering released into the world will be completely and entirely cleaned up.

This judgment is final and forever. What God does in this judgment is the last word and those who are condemned are condemned eternally. There is no escape clause, no bargaining, no time left to change. The penalty is permanent because sin is such a severe offense against a severely holy God—anyone who has experienced the evil in this world knows that the sin that brought it about is of the highest offense. Evil hurts, and that pain reminds us how bad evil really is and how costly is the penalty for sin.

A universal day of accountability is coming. All wrongdoers will have to answer to God for what they have done, because God is holy. The throne that the holy God sits on is white to signify the purity and holiness of the one who sits on it. The judgment of God on the Great White throne reflects the severity of His holiness and goodness. In his presence no evil can be tolerated and now he only tolerates evil in our world on account of his great mercy towards us.

Who can escape this judgment and punishment? It is not arbitrary; no one can be "lucky" and squeak by. God will render to a man according to his deeds; however, this judgment is not based on a "morality scale." It is not as if God takes everything good that a person did and put it on one side of a scale, then puts everything wicked on the other side. If he did this there would be nothing to put on the good side because even the positive acts of the wicked are tainted by sinful motives and an implicit rejection of God. No one apart from God's power can do any genuine spiritual good. Also, we must understand that just one sin against a holy God is enough to condemn a person to the worst of all final destinations.

The only escape from this horrible fate is to have your name written in the Book of Life, the Lamb's Book of Life. Jesus Christ is the author of this book and he writes the names of his own in it. It is not good deeds that can get a person's name in the Book of Life but it is belonging to the one who wrote it. It's not what you do, it's who you know.

I find it deeply satisfying that all evil and all evildoers will get theirs. Can you imagine a God who does not hold Nero or Hitler accountable? Can you imagine a God who gives a pass to the 9/11 hijackers, or to child molesters? Certainly that God is not holy and good. In fact, it is the great holiness of God that makes eternal punishment what it is. God is infinitely holy and as such any sin against Him is infinitely offensive. A sentence of eternal and conscious punishment is the only suitable response to sin against such a great and holy God. Those who sin against God will spend forever paying for it.

I cannot move on without stressing that everyone deserves this fate, myself included. There is no "holier-than-thou" to be had here. Those who escape this fate do so not on their own merit but rather because the price of eternal punishment has been paid for those who trust in the Lord. We need not face such severe punishment because Christ went through hell for us on the cross.

Home: Revelation 21

Yet judgment is not the whole story of God's making right the world. In doing so He does not simply stop at eradicating all evil and wickedness but goes on to recreate reality, creating our eternal home. Revelation 21 speaks of the eternal home of those who belong to the Lord. In our eternal home we enjoy a reality without evil, one that is centered on our great God.

This is the grand climax of all history, the climax of the mighty workings of God, the climax of everything! When God makes all things new His presence will bring everything to perfection. I have 4 points to make about this true home of ours.

1.) The heaven and earth are "new" in the sense that the former, sin-sick world has passed away. Things are not merely "new" temporally but also with a qualitative newness. There is a different kind of reality and a different kind of existence, a much better one, where all discoloration of evil is gone.

2.) There is also a new unity between heaven and earth; there will no longer be the divide between heaven and earth that we have today. This dichotomy has been removed because of God's presence. Heaven and earth will be united into a larger reality, a new and perfect place where God dwells with his people. The new heaven and the new earth are not two distinct items but are united into one new reality.

3.) There is a new Garden of Eden. It is described as having a river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. The tree of life is described in our new home as bearing fruit for us for eternity as we live forever. The imagery conveys that nothing touched or tainted by sin and evil will be there. In this new Eden we will worship God with our whole existence, and we will have the sort of close intimacy with Him that Adam had in the garden.

4.) There is a new city, Jerusalem. The new city is marked by holiness, glory and joy. To understand this new Jerusalem it is helpful to note some things that are NOT in this new holy city. First, in the city there is no temple. The temple is where God is and here God is completely and eternally dwelling among his people. The city itself is a temple of sorts because the glory of the presence of the Lord permeates it. With God and the Lamb physically present there is no need for a temple. Second, there is no need for the sun or the moon. The light source in this city is the radiant glory of the presence of God. Third, there is no need for closed gates. This is because all evil has been destroyed, so there is no need to protect the city by closing the gate. Fourth, there is nothing unclean or shameful. No unclean thing and no unclean person will enter the city. The language used here is the strongest negation possible. To paraphrase in English, "absolutely nothing bad or evil will enter the city, never ever."

The new heaven and new earth is our true home. This world is but a shadow of the one to come. Do not be discouraged by the brokenness of this world—the sin and the suffering we face day in and day out—because it is not our home, it's just where we are living for a while. Our true home is much, much better than this.

Revelation 21:3 reads, "the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." God will dwell with us, and we will be his people. There are no more tears of suffering. God has removed death, evil and sin: He has removed the sources of sorrow. God's glory will be our light and He will be our comfort.

Lately, I've been more than a little homesick.

Good news!

2008-11-18T14:46:00.011Z

We have some good news- Sara has found work at the University of St Andrews! This is especially encouraging since we have been told that it is not uncommon to wait 6 months or more before finding work in this town. Currently the job is a full time, 3-month temporary position, but there is good reason to think that she will be able to move into something permanent before that time is up. It is very difficult to get a university job of any sort and starting as a temporary worker often enables one to "get a foot in the door" towards landing a regular job. The university prefers to hire from within and opportunities for advancement do not seem to be in short supply, especially for someone as talented and experienced as Sara.

Right now she is working in the admissions office in the department that handles extension studies and continuing education, generally for non-degree seeking students. If you're like me, when you heard that you thought, "oh, so these are the type of classes often taught at the local community college- you know: scrapbooking, pottery, intro to computers, auto repair for dummies, etc." Well, yes, these are classes open to the public and generally the student is not college aged. But the class topics taught are varied and many of them are way beyond what I would think the public appetite could handle. Some examples:

-Megalithic Mathematics and the Earliest Geometers in Scotland
-Geology
-Existentialism
-The Evolution of Joint Replacement Surgery
-A History Of Italian Culture And Society Through The Representation Of Food In Cinema And Literature
-Water Music - the Influence of Spas on Music
-The Use, Misuse and Abuse of Science in Advertising
-Birds for Beginners
-Scotland And America In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries
-Enjoying Jazz
-The Art Of Decorative Painting Techniques And Interior Design
-Enjoying The Countryside
-Monastic Life in the Middle Ages
-Artmaking

Who takes Geology for fun? Apparently some Scots do. This actually points to something about the UK that I love: generally, academics are strongly emphasized. It’s not surprising at all for the bus driver to have a PhD in the philosophy of Spinoza. What a country.

In other news...

My friend Ian, the dog and I have been jogging in the morning several days a week and when its not raining the sunrises are spectacular. I brought my camera along recently and took some shots, but they don't really do justice to how amazing it is to be on this beach in the morning. Interestingly, the area of exposed sand on the beach is extremely large during low tide and very small at high tide. The distance from water to solid land ranges from several football fields at low tide to about 30 ft or so at high tide. This vast difference between the tides is created by a very gradually sloping beach and because we are so far north, where the moon affects tides more dramatically. Here the vertical water level changes approx. 14 ft between tides; compare this with the 2 ft vertical difference in North Carolina. All this makes for a fantastic morning jog!

Finally, in the nearby metro area of Dundee there is an "America" resturant. Fast Eddies claims to be the home of the hamburger, but I'm skeptical. We found the American stereotypes amusing but not enough to actually eat there- you see, Fast Eddies isn't purely authentic American food. They didn't have cheap prices or large portion sizes, and if there's anything distinctively American about our cuisine it’s that it is cheap, low quality and you get way more of it than you should eat in one sitting. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Like and annoyance...

2008-10-30T13:12:00.003Z

So it’s been a while since my last post, largely because I’m being indecisive about a topic. Today I’ve decided: what we like about our life here in Scotland and what is a bit annoying.

Like: the efficiency. Generally, things here are more efficient than in the States. The cars are smaller and get better gas mileage. The food portions are not excessive. The homes are smaller and cozier but not cramped. The public transportation system is accessible and can get you most anywhere you want to go. Since being here it has struck me how highly “big for the sake of big” is valued in the US, and in this regard I have found life here very refreshing.

Like: the history. Charmingly, things here are saturated with rich history. For example, my flat is older than my country. Buildings made 100 years ago they call “new”, which is reasonable considering many buildings are several centuries old. The Roundel, where my office is, was made in the 16^th century. Centuries ago the city of St Andrews was the center of religious life in Scotland and pilgrimages were frequently made to the Cathedral. As such, the main roads in town all lead to what are now the cathedral ruins, which was the destination of many a European pilgrim. Everything here seems to have a long and interesting back-story.

Like: the St Mary’s community. There are 50 or so students in the postgraduate divinity program here at St Andrews. By all accounts a unique feature of studying at St Andrews as opposed to other options in the UK is the closely knit community of students and their families. Everyone has been warm, welcoming and helpful.

Like: the academic climate. I have found academic life, at St Andrews and in the UK broadly, to be extremely stimulating. Students and professors alike are happy to chat with you about any and every theological topic, and do so frequently (the spouses of students call this “talking shop”, which happens so commonly it even spills over into social settings! “Can’t you guys talk about something everyone thinks is interesting?”) It is extremely rewarding to be in regular dialogue with some of the best minds working in theology and biblical studies.

Like: drinking tea all the time. I didn’t think tea would grow on me so much, but I must confess that it has. Thankfully tea has substantially less caffeine than coffee and doesn’t upset my system the way coffee does, especially since it has become quite the habit for me. That said I still take my tea with 2-3 lumps of sugar, which means I’m not yet a refined Brit.

Like: the highlands. Scotland has much of its population concentrated on the east coast of the country, leaving the highlands to the west full of scenic natural beauty. Amazing mountains and hiking opportunities are just a short distance from St Andrews. Recently we went with the Egans to hike a mountain. (If you’d like to see more pictures of this trip, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013442&l=049fe&id=119401026 )

Like: Not owning a car / walking everywhere. Most everything we want and need is within a 10 minute walk. I also use my bike most every day. After suburban life that often required more than 2 hours daily in the car, this has been extremely refreshing. I also am happy not to be concerned with automotive repair and maintenance.

Like: My supervisor. One’s experience in a PhD program is generally made or broken by one’s relationship with one’s advisor. This is especially true in the UK system, where there is no coursework. Horror stories abound of poor relationships with supervisors that were fatal to the student’s success. Thankfully I have a supervisor who is supportive of my work, accessible, insightful, and committed to my success in the program (and beyond).

Like: How everything grows here. Conditions in St Andrews seem perfect for plants to thrive- it doesn’t get below freezing much here in winter and there is always enough rain. I planted grass and now it is growing so fast you can notice the difference between one day and the next! We’re looking forwarding to doing some serious gardening this spring, but we did some a few days ago- there was this strange plant that had giant roots that smelled like black licorice.

Like: the beach. I have been regularly jogging on the West Sands, which is an enormous beach on the northwest side of St Andrews (it’s actually the beach from the film Chariots of Fire). The dog jogs with me and absolutely loves it- just last week he was so happy to be running on the beach he howled for joy!

Like: our friendships here. While of course we miss our stateside family and friends, our new friends here are great. Not to overlook others, but our relationship with Ian and Corrie has been invaluable (see their blog at http://ianandcorrie.blogspot.com ). I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about them in future posts.

Annoyance: slowness and bad customer service. Ineptitude, slowness, and poor customer service seems to be tolerated much more here than in the States. Perhaps it’s the regulatory interferences that stifle the competition that comes from a free market- I don’t know. I just know that the customer service here is awful. Some examples: 1. when calling the internet provider to see when our internet connection will be active (it’s been almost a month now!), they say things like, “I can’t really get at the information I need to answer your question… can you call back in 3-5 days?” What? I have to call you back in several days to get a simple answer? I have half a mind to take my business to another company, but ALL the phone/internet companies here are like that! 2. Store clerks / shopkeeps are often annoyed if you ask for help. I’m trying to give you money, why wouldn’t you be a bit nicer to me? 3. In applying for jobs at the University, after putting in your application they can take 5-6 weeks before even contacting you about interviews. Poor Sara has been waiting seemingly forever, which has been difficult. Why would it possibly take 5-6 weeks? They are so slow here… 4. We were without water for almost 3 days as the local gov’t water dept displayed baffling incompetence. I won’t give the full story right now, but suffice to say that trained monkeys could have done a better job.

Annoyance: darkness. Being as far north as we are, the winter days are very short on daylight. In December it will get to the point where there is less than 4 hours of very dim daylight. It’s already starting now and I think we’re going to need to get a sunlamp to make it through the winter with our sanity intact (that said, remember the payoff- in summer there is less than 4 hours of darkness!).

Annoyance: the exchange rate. While the exchange rate has shifted dramatically in favor of the dollar in the past month, the exchange rate is still painful for those of us living off the dollar. The hope is that Sara will begin earning British Pounds soon, but that goes back to the earlier annoyance about slowness…

Despite these complaints, life here is enjoyable and fulfilling. We are thankful to the Lord for providing us this opportunity.

Settling in quite nicely

2008-10-12T13:52:00.000+01:00

It’s now been over three weeks that we’ve been living in St Andrews and it’s starting to feel like home. We’re settling in quite nicely to life in this small but interesting Scottish burgh. Here are some pictures I’ve taken from around town.

I’ve moved in to my desk in the Roundel- the building that has the study spaces for postgraduate Divinity students- and I am pleased with it. It’s where I’ll be spending a good bit of my waking life for the next few years and it is a blessing to be working in such nice facilities- truly the envy of all other postgrad departments at St Andrews.
Here’s my desk.

And here is just one of the lounges in the Roundel; as you can see it’s quite nice.

We even have a courtyard garden.

Walking right out the back door of the Roundel, you see the ruins of St Andrews cathedral across the street.

We’ve found the postgraduate divinity community to be absolutely great here and there is ample opportunity to build friendships with other students and their families. Most everyone has been extremely warm, welcoming and helpful. Also, I have met a few times with my supervisor and I'm very pleased with his attentiveness, availability and commitment to his advisee's success. I've found that he and I are on the same page in most theological issues and hence he is fully supportive of my project, which has been very reassuring.

As one might expect, most all the buildings here are very old (at least by US standards). Our flat is actually older than the USA- quite a strange thought! Even in our short time here we’ve enjoyed the rich history that permeates most everything in St Andrews. Just today we made it over to see the St Andrews castle.

The view of the coast from the castle was quite stunning. Also, if you look closely you can see the walls of the king’s pool- it was high tide, but you can see a rectangular wall underwater that retains a swimming pool during low tide for the castle residents.

I couldn’t resist posting pictures of this: the castle even had a toilet (of sorts!).

Finally, in an attempt to do some gardening I’ve planted some grass that covers the path from my flat to the shed in my garden. I was becoming increasingly annoyed by the mud that I would inevitably drag into the house after making a trip to the shed. Come spring we will be planting some berries and vegetables, but for now I want to keep a photo journal of my attempt at growing grass. Here’s the day after I planted.

At least I don’t have to water it since it seems to rain more days than not here in Scotland.

Where we live

2008-09-23T15:02:00.001+01:00

So I've taken some pictures of our flat:

This is our front door.

Here is the view looking south down Fleming place. Here is the view looking north from Fleming place. This bridge leads to a pathway (called a close) that leads to the downtown area.
Here is our garden and our shed. We hope to eventually do some planting and gardening...
Here is our bedroom, which by Scottish standards is quite large.
The other side of the bedroom.

Here is our living room.

This area leads into our kitchen...Its a bit of a hallway, but it works.

Here's the bathroom.

And here is the close that leads to town. (pronounced "close" as in "don't stand so close", not as in "close the door").

So that's where we live!

Our moving day...

2008-09-21T15:28:00.000+01:00

The day we left was a bit surreal, with a palpable “is-this-really-happening?” feeling.

We put the last few things into our bags, weighed them (because each was filled right up to the 50lbs max!), and loaded everything into the van. The first stop was to drop the dog off at the pet carrier company…

Leaving him with the transport company was traumatic- probably more so for us than for the dog. He was actually relatively calm and quiet. We had to drop him off by 2:00, so we ran some errands, got some food, then headed to the airport.

The benefit of using duffle bags for the checked luggage is that they are very light, leaving more weight for our possessions. The down side is that unlike most luggage bags nowadays, they do not have wheels. This made moving them somewhat comical…

I had called our airline multiple times to ask about bringing my guitar as an additional piece of luggage. Every time I called I was told that it would cost about $30 (to be paid at check-in) and that the instrument would be brought to and from the plane by hand. At check-in at the airport I was told that “the phone support people in India had no idea what they were talking about” (their words, not mine) and it would cost $128 to check my guitar. Outsourcing is a wonderful idea, really. I asked what the fee was for an overweight bag- $50. So I tried to cram the guitar (case and all) into one of my gigantic duffle bags. The manager, who had been summoned over to help with my situation, saw me struggling and took pity on me, offering to check the guitar as a carried-by-hand item for free! The only condition was that the airline would have no liability if the guitar was damaged, which to me was quite reasonable. The guitar arrived undamaged and it cost me nothing!

The flight was smooth and uneventful, although not as conducive to sleep as one might have hoped. I’ve never really been able to get comfortable enough to sleep in airline chairs. However they did have a free onboard entertainment system that was quite nice- loaded with TV shows, movies, and even video games!

Once we got to Manchester, customs took a while but was problem free. We gathered our bags and clumsily made our way to the car rental station. After getting our car we nervously drove the short distance to the carrier company- this is when we would find out if we successfully avoided quarantine for the dog.

After finally finding the right place we went in and found no one there. So we rang the bell- no one came for several minutes. After a while of nervous waiting we noticed Piper’s paperwork sitting on the counter, all prepared. Too anxious to wait we couldn’t help but look- and “FAIL” was marked! Our stomachs sank as panic set in… but after a few seconds of further inspection we realized that in the UK they cross off what they don’t mean and leave unmarked what they do mean! So went a form says “PASS / FAIL”, instead of circling or marking “PASS”, they put a line through “FAIL”! What a country! Shortly after this rollercoaster ride someone came to help us and soon Piper was extremely happy to be reunited with us, none the worse for wear.

Driving on the left side of the road was a bit odd, and I found that it required some concentration not to drift too far to the left side of the lane. Here are some shots from our drive...

When arriving in St Andrews we first went to the house of our friends, the Egans. It was wonderful to see them again! They offered to make dinner for us, so we all went over to our flat to drop off our things and eat.

Here we are, the first night in our new home!

Thank you all for your labors in prayer- our trip here could not have gone any better.

We made it!

2008-09-20T15:26:00.000+01:00

We made it Scotland with amazing ease! The Lord certainly watched over us during the whole process. We are still getting settled, but I hope to make a more extensive blog post within the next day or two, detailing our whole trip. More to come soon...

We leave tomorrow!

2008-09-18T04:50:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow is the big day! Here's our itinerary: we drop the dog off at the carrier company around 1:30pm, and our flight leaves at 6:30pm. We will be arriving at 8:05am UK time (2:05am Chicago time), getting our rental car, picking up the dog from customs, and then driving 5 hours on the wrong side of the road- all this while fighting jet lag. But by then we should be running on adrenaline, so we'll be just fine.

We are limited to 4 checked bags weighing 50lbs each, 2 carry on bags (which are not weighed, so I'm filling them with books!), and 2 laptop bags. We are also bringing a guitar (for a small fee). Packing went well enough- here are some pictures:

We took over the living room of Sara's parents for the night....

I was cramming this bag full of stuff, which took some effort and got a bit frustrating.

Here it is- all that we are bringing for the next 3 years of our life! Thankfully, like most apartments in Scotland, ours is fully furnished, so we only need to bring clothes, books, and personal items.

Of course, we won't be forgetting our dog Piper!

Please pray tomorrow if you have opportunity, specifically for safety as we travel, as we drive while fighting jet lag, that our bags would make the journey intact, and that there would be no problems or holdups with the dog getting through customs. If he had to go into quarantine- even for a few days- it would be a tremendous hassle.

Thanks for all your support!

Two weeks to go!

2008-09-03T18:54:00.000+01:00

In two weeks from tomorrow Sara and I board the plane for Scotland. It is a bit surreal, I must say! There is much to be done between now and then but many of our remaining days in the states will be spent visiting friends and family.

Interestingly, of all the arrangements and things we needed to do to get ourselves to Scotland the most complicated, difficult, and labor-intensive has been getting our dog over there. It is much harder to get a dog over there (and avoid a 6 month quarrantine) than a person! (If you'd like to get a glimpse of just what all is involved, see my "guide to bringing a pet into the UK" at http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=46708.0 )

Piper is a great dog- not only is he the most obedient dog you could ever want, he is also certified to do therapy work at places like nursing homes and hospitals. See this amazing video of his work!

We are thankful that we learned well in advance about the rules and requirements to move a pet to the UK- we started the whole process 8 months ago!

On a different note, one of the things we will miss the most is the city of Chicago itself. I am convinced that Chicago is one of the best big cities in the world and we have been doing our best to enjoy the downtown area as much as possible before we leave.

Goodbye, sweet home Chicago!

Visas are approved

2008-08-04T23:47:00.000+01:00

Apparently we are good enough to be allowed into the UK! We received word today that both of our visas were approved. This is good news not because we had any reason to think they would reject our visa applications but because this was perhaps the last major bureaucratic hurdle before us. Also, visa issues can get very complicated and very frustrating, so we are very pleased to avoid that mess altogether.

In the mean time, we have been finding inexpensive ways to visit friends who we don't get to see as much as we'd like and who we likely won't see again for some time, given that we are moving to another continent. It's been great to fellowship with these close friends (see pictures below).

More details as we have them. Thanks so much to everyone for all your continued support!

Flat: landed

2008-07-08T21:27:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we secured where we will be staying in St Andrews: we landed a flat (by the way, a flat is a catch-all phrase in the UK for an appartment, condo, townhome, etc).

The flat is just a few short blocks from the downtown area and will put us in perfect walking distance of school, groceries, shopping, and just about everything else we need. This is ideal in that we will be able to avoid getting a car (and all of the expenses that go along with it).

Here is the building from the outside.

Here is the street we will be living on- such an "Old World" feel to it, which is quite charming.

Other misc pictures of the inside and outside of the flat, including the garden (lawn) in the back

Things seems to be falling into place as the move approaches, which is great cause to celebrate God's faithfulness to us.

We sold our house and we are on our way!

2008-06-04T20:25:00.000+01:00

Goodbye, house!

So here's the story. It was a great home for us, but we needed to sell the place before we moved to Scotland. Of course, doing so is difficult now (spring 08) because the housing market is so weak. And while real estate in the Chicago area has been much more resilient than in other places in the nation (CA and FL come to mind), it is still a difficult market.

So we get everything cleaned up and ready to show the house by the middle of March. Almost on a whim, I decided to try for one month to sell the home without a realtor. If nothing happened I would cave in, but I figured it was worth a try. I only posted the home on free internet web sites (Craigslist, postlets, etc).

At this point something remarkable happened. 10 days after being put on the market, a buyer came along and put in an offer that was just short of my full asking price. We closed May 13th.

Anyone who knows anything about real estate will quickly recognize that this sort of thing just doesn't happen, even in a strong housing market. Clearly, this was providential. God's hand was over this situation in a remarkable way!

This is just one of many clear indications that the Lord is leading us to Scotland. Where He leads, He provides.

Soli Deo gloria

Welcome!

2008-06-04T19:12:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the blog of Shawn and Sara Bawulski! The purpose here is to keep everyone updated on our adventure to Scotland. We will give details about the progress to get over there, and once we make it, we will give regular updates on our lives.

More will be coming soon, but for now, welcome!