Thursday, July 29, 2010
The End is Near
Last Saturday I cleared the final hurdle in getting ordained as a Navy Chaplain (besides waiting for the Navy paperwork trail to catch up to me) when I went before my presbytery for final verbal examination. I have to admit I was slightly nervous as they can ask any question they feel so moved to do regarding my theology, call, etc. I only received three questions before someone had heard enough and moved to arrest the exam, but I was pleased with the types of questions they asked and how they directly related to my call. One was how I would implement the theology of my statement of faith as a Navy Chaplain (not too bad as my being a Chaplain was a basis for the statement of faith), one on how I would handle a conscientious objector and the other as to how I would handle baptisms with military members in regards to the Presbyterian belief regarding baptism. Apparently they were satisfied with my answers and now I am cleared to get ordained on August 22nd and will then be waiting for all the paper work to clear so I can get back on active duty.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
General Assembly and Congress
So, one other benefit of sitting around waiting to fleet up is that I was actually able to watch most of the PC(USA) General Assembly online last week. As someone who will have both voice and vote in my presbytery in the near future I figured it would be best for me to watch the debate to get a feel of how decisions were made last week when the overtures come to my presbytery next year and I have to vote on approval or disapproval of the issues. I was actually really interested in the debates and had a fairly good time watching it online. I found it amazing that I knew some of the people arguing their cases or leading worship, etc. It proved that the Presbyterian world is a small, small world.
While watching something struck me. What if Congress actually operated in the spirit of the General Assembly? I think things would be more transparent, efficient and even civil. First off I really like the idea of the committee having to defend their decision to accept or deny a certain item coming out of committee. The committee moderator had to stand up and answer questions (with subject matter expert assistance) coming from the assembled delegates. Open and honest in dealing with the work of a committee before coming to the whole body. Can you imagine our elected representatives actually engaging in a true question and answer session on the floor of Congress instead of grandstanding? Imagine the amount of work that can get done. Also contributing to the transparency is that all overtures from individual presbyteries are due by a certain date and every commissioner gets to read the initial overture prior to the convening of the assembly. There aren't many surprises in the agenda. In the outcome and amendments that come out of committee perhaps but not in the general topics.
The General Assembly process is extremely efficient. The moderator of the assembly allows a fairly even distribution of debate on the issue alternating between supporters and detractors of the committee's stance. Each person is given a definite time limit and is promptly cut off when time expires. This forces you to make your point or ask your question in a succinct manner and not waste valuable time. Good debate occurs and many matters are covered. Additionally, there is no hope of extending the session beyond the number of days allotted so everyone stays until the work is done each night. There are no press junkets during the voting sessions so things keep moving with committees reporting in a continuous manner consistent with the schedule. By having to read so much and expecting that every overture must be read by a large number of people, overtures are generally short and everyone is prepared to debate the issue which smooths the process.
Civility is the operative word at General Assembly. Even when people disagree, and this they do well, personal attacks rarely if ever occur. I don't recall any personal attack in the hours of debate on contentious topics that I watched online. Seeing that occur made me proud to belong to a denomination that values civil debate, especially in light of the venom coming from all political sides when watching a debate in Washington or on a show giving voice to political pundits.
How do we get people to believe that a debate can be transparent, efficient and civil? Maybe that is the question we need to ask before we dive in to important debates in our larger society.
While watching something struck me. What if Congress actually operated in the spirit of the General Assembly? I think things would be more transparent, efficient and even civil. First off I really like the idea of the committee having to defend their decision to accept or deny a certain item coming out of committee. The committee moderator had to stand up and answer questions (with subject matter expert assistance) coming from the assembled delegates. Open and honest in dealing with the work of a committee before coming to the whole body. Can you imagine our elected representatives actually engaging in a true question and answer session on the floor of Congress instead of grandstanding? Imagine the amount of work that can get done. Also contributing to the transparency is that all overtures from individual presbyteries are due by a certain date and every commissioner gets to read the initial overture prior to the convening of the assembly. There aren't many surprises in the agenda. In the outcome and amendments that come out of committee perhaps but not in the general topics.
The General Assembly process is extremely efficient. The moderator of the assembly allows a fairly even distribution of debate on the issue alternating between supporters and detractors of the committee's stance. Each person is given a definite time limit and is promptly cut off when time expires. This forces you to make your point or ask your question in a succinct manner and not waste valuable time. Good debate occurs and many matters are covered. Additionally, there is no hope of extending the session beyond the number of days allotted so everyone stays until the work is done each night. There are no press junkets during the voting sessions so things keep moving with committees reporting in a continuous manner consistent with the schedule. By having to read so much and expecting that every overture must be read by a large number of people, overtures are generally short and everyone is prepared to debate the issue which smooths the process.
Civility is the operative word at General Assembly. Even when people disagree, and this they do well, personal attacks rarely if ever occur. I don't recall any personal attack in the hours of debate on contentious topics that I watched online. Seeing that occur made me proud to belong to a denomination that values civil debate, especially in light of the venom coming from all political sides when watching a debate in Washington or on a show giving voice to political pundits.
How do we get people to believe that a debate can be transparent, efficient and civil? Maybe that is the question we need to ask before we dive in to important debates in our larger society.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Good News and More Waiting
I found out last week that I will be going back on active duty as a Navy Chaplain, but with a twist. I have to wait until at least October until I get back out in the fleet. So, while I know that I have a job in the future I have to do a bunch more waiting. And it is getting quite tedious and frustrating. But while I have to sit around unemployed for a bit longer (well at least not getting a pay check), it does offer some opportunities. I get to head back to Montreat another week which is something new for me. Usually I only get to go in one block but now I am going back at two separate times doing a job I found I really enjoy. I will get to travel and visit friends a bit more before going back on active duty so that if I get sent overseas I will have been able to see people before that happens. And I get to make sure everything I want to do on the house gets completed as I now have plenty of time for that to happen. Of course, I get to do some serious PT to get ready (once a pulled back muscle heals). I would say I could do some more blogging, but it has never really been a priority of mine so I won't make promises I can't keep. But I will get to tinker with the blog and figure out how to best utilize the internet in general once I get some orders. I want to employ all tools and technology to reach the sailors and Marines that I will serve in a manner that helps them and puts resources at their fingertips. I plan to post my personal sermons in this space and use this as an outlet to minister to those of my faith group. I also envision a blog for the command to which I will arrive that will have resources for all faiths and is accessible from the field and afar so everyone can sustain their faith in a substantial way. If the few who read this have suggestions feel free to offer them here.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Reflecting on Seminary (or Learning How To Wait)
So, the Navy delayed the board that decides my entry into Active Duty or the Reserves leaving me with two more weeks of waiting on where the next chapter of my life takes me. This has provided me with an opportunity to do some things I probably wouldn't have been able to do over the last few weeks. I got to travel to Hawaii to see a good friend get married. The time has allowed me to put quite a dent in the stack of books sitting on my desk that seminary did not afford me the time to read (fiction and military history being the largest categories I am tackling.) I have been working on the house, finally getting to some home improvements I was putting off and also dealing with a bunch of things that happened to break in the last week. Next I head to DC to visit some old roommates and then off to Montreat again this summer but this time I will get to work with college students that are helping out the conference. But more than anything else I have been able to reflect on the last three years and what this time meant for me and my future ministry.
One major thing I have realized in this period of reflection is what seminary taught me and what the three years taught me. Seminary, for the most part, was not where I learned how to articulate my theology or how to engage the world in a theological manner. This is not to say the time was wasted or to discourage others from the process. Seminary provided a great venue for me to learn how to think and write in a completely different manner than I had learned during my engineering studies and my role in the submarine force. I didn't realize I could read or write that much in a week. Not only did I learn how to write in a manner that would fit an academic context, but I also learned in my preaching classes how to write and speak to the context in which I would find myself whatever that would eventually look like. I also learned that there is not singular theology to which we should all follow. I think we all come out of seminary, or even from a particular congregation, with slightly different ways of speaking of God and our encounters with God. The wide variety of reading in seminary showed me that in a stark way as they all have a slightly different take on the subject. But none of these things really helped me to articulate my theology in a way others would understand.
I have to admit that I learned theology outside the confines of classes. There were times in which my fellow students debated what I believed and I learned how to articulate theology to those fluent in the lingo. But I had to work in congregations to learn how to articulate theological themes, which can get quite complex, to those without the vocabulary. Children taught me how to explain those complex themes in powerful ways that we can all understand. My experience with kids shows they understand theology in a deeper and more powerful way than those of us "educated" folks. The way they describe things cuts away the fluff we like to put on those themes. But perhaps the place I really learned about theology was working at a children's hospital for the last three years as a volunteer. They didn't care why I was there, only that I was there with them in that moment. I entered into extreme suffering and extreme joy and learned how to feel comfortable in both emotions and that God is definitely in both of those spaces. I learned that every interaction with another person is a sacred moment and that God is there in all of the relationships that I made with the children and their families. I learned theology in the extremes and in the uncomfortable places of life not in the comfortable place I found myself in the sub force. Now I have to wait and reflect some more before God sends me out to the extremes of life again to learn more theology in a different context and to pass on the lessons I learned over the last three years.
One major thing I have realized in this period of reflection is what seminary taught me and what the three years taught me. Seminary, for the most part, was not where I learned how to articulate my theology or how to engage the world in a theological manner. This is not to say the time was wasted or to discourage others from the process. Seminary provided a great venue for me to learn how to think and write in a completely different manner than I had learned during my engineering studies and my role in the submarine force. I didn't realize I could read or write that much in a week. Not only did I learn how to write in a manner that would fit an academic context, but I also learned in my preaching classes how to write and speak to the context in which I would find myself whatever that would eventually look like. I also learned that there is not singular theology to which we should all follow. I think we all come out of seminary, or even from a particular congregation, with slightly different ways of speaking of God and our encounters with God. The wide variety of reading in seminary showed me that in a stark way as they all have a slightly different take on the subject. But none of these things really helped me to articulate my theology in a way others would understand.
I have to admit that I learned theology outside the confines of classes. There were times in which my fellow students debated what I believed and I learned how to articulate theology to those fluent in the lingo. But I had to work in congregations to learn how to articulate theological themes, which can get quite complex, to those without the vocabulary. Children taught me how to explain those complex themes in powerful ways that we can all understand. My experience with kids shows they understand theology in a deeper and more powerful way than those of us "educated" folks. The way they describe things cuts away the fluff we like to put on those themes. But perhaps the place I really learned about theology was working at a children's hospital for the last three years as a volunteer. They didn't care why I was there, only that I was there with them in that moment. I entered into extreme suffering and extreme joy and learned how to feel comfortable in both emotions and that God is definitely in both of those spaces. I learned that every interaction with another person is a sacred moment and that God is there in all of the relationships that I made with the children and their families. I learned theology in the extremes and in the uncomfortable places of life not in the comfortable place I found myself in the sub force. Now I have to wait and reflect some more before God sends me out to the extremes of life again to learn more theology in a different context and to pass on the lessons I learned over the last three years.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Where's The Grace
There was a small blip in the news last Wednesday that caught my attention. A group of 40 retired military chaplains sent a letter to the President regarding repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. They are decidedly against the change in policy saying that it would "threaten the religious liberty of chaplains and Service members." As someone who is planning to become a military chaplain in the near future, and like the writers of the letters is not prohibited from speaking on the subject, I don't quite get what they mean. Allowing someone of a sexual orientation you don't agree with doesn't affect your liberty in anyway. To support this claim they use end of the world scenarios that would occur if we follow a steep and slippery slope. There are homosexuals serving in the military right now and chaplains minister to them in a caring and compassionate manner right now and keep the information, like all conversations with the chaplain, privileged.
They make an argument that repeal of DADT would water down their faith. Last time I checked the message of grace was central to the Christian faith. Plus, we all sin and are in desperate need of the grace provided through Christ. That's kind of what Easter is about. Each of these chaplains that signed the letter are sinners and probably acknowledge that every time they perform a worship service in a prayer of confession. As one who is of the Reformed tradition, which many of the signers are as well, it is pretty much a staple of the worship service. The chaplaincy allows us to conduct a worship service in a manner consistent with our own religious beliefs and thus prevents any watering down of our faith through services we conduct. Granted, public services have a different standard, but that is to be expected based on the pluarlistic nature of the military. Plus, don't these chaplains have to sit through services not in their own tradition when someone else is at the pulpit or they are monitoring the quality of service provided by their lay leaders.
What really worries me about this letter is that many of the signers are endorsers for their faith groups. What this means is that if they so choose, they can pull endorsements of their chaplains leaving a large number of gaps in the manning, thus removing chaplain support and causing the problem of service members lacking ministry support, something they claim will occur if DADT is repealed. I suggest they just let their chaplains serve and navigate the murky waters of this issue like every other aspect of our lives. It will take prayer, relationships with other chaplains and lay persons and most of all a lot of grace. The focus should be on providing ministry to the best of our ability, according to our gifts, to every Sailor and Marine that crosses our path regardless of their situation, faith or sexuality.
They make an argument that repeal of DADT would water down their faith. Last time I checked the message of grace was central to the Christian faith. Plus, we all sin and are in desperate need of the grace provided through Christ. That's kind of what Easter is about. Each of these chaplains that signed the letter are sinners and probably acknowledge that every time they perform a worship service in a prayer of confession. As one who is of the Reformed tradition, which many of the signers are as well, it is pretty much a staple of the worship service. The chaplaincy allows us to conduct a worship service in a manner consistent with our own religious beliefs and thus prevents any watering down of our faith through services we conduct. Granted, public services have a different standard, but that is to be expected based on the pluarlistic nature of the military. Plus, don't these chaplains have to sit through services not in their own tradition when someone else is at the pulpit or they are monitoring the quality of service provided by their lay leaders.
What really worries me about this letter is that many of the signers are endorsers for their faith groups. What this means is that if they so choose, they can pull endorsements of their chaplains leaving a large number of gaps in the manning, thus removing chaplain support and causing the problem of service members lacking ministry support, something they claim will occur if DADT is repealed. I suggest they just let their chaplains serve and navigate the murky waters of this issue like every other aspect of our lives. It will take prayer, relationships with other chaplains and lay persons and most of all a lot of grace. The focus should be on providing ministry to the best of our ability, according to our gifts, to every Sailor and Marine that crosses our path regardless of their situation, faith or sexuality.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
That Was Loud
So I got to watch the national championship game on Monday night in Cameron Indoor with about 5,000 other Duke students. Needless to say it was pretty amazing and the loudest I have ever heard Cameron. The ability to watch big time college athletics while in seminary was a reason to attend Duke in the first place and I really haven't been disappointed at all in that aspect, especially because I could drive down to Atlanta and watch Georgia Tech in football to get the full fix of sports as Duke hasn't quite gotten there for football yet. The crowd just doesn't get into it yet, but that will come.
It was nice to be on campus when the school I attended competed for and then won a national championship in a major division 1 sport. It was a nice way to go out this year by having an experience that not many people get to witness and participate in. I think maybe they need to kick the alumni out of Cameron a few times a year and fill it with students to completely overwhelm opponents with the crowd noise. At times it was deafening and made me wonder why alumni don't feel the need to cheer and get into the games. Oh well, I guess that happens as we get older.
Congrats Duke and I hope you get there again next year.
It was nice to be on campus when the school I attended competed for and then won a national championship in a major division 1 sport. It was a nice way to go out this year by having an experience that not many people get to witness and participate in. I think maybe they need to kick the alumni out of Cameron a few times a year and fill it with students to completely overwhelm opponents with the crowd noise. At times it was deafening and made me wonder why alumni don't feel the need to cheer and get into the games. Oh well, I guess that happens as we get older.
Congrats Duke and I hope you get there again next year.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
One Step Closer
Seeing how school work has been keeping me quite busy lately, I figured during my night off from school to focus on the Final Four would be a good time for a quick post to update the ordination status. A few weeks ago, I was deemed certified ready for a call. This basically means I have met all the requirements to officially look for a job and to have my resume for the denomination posted online. I still need to find a job in order to get ordained, so there is still more waiting. I have an endorsement from my denomination to enter as an active duty chaplain upon graduation and pending my ordination, so right now I am really just waiting to graduate (4 weeks and 4 papers away) and have the Navy board approve my application. Once that happens, I get to go back to the presbytery and get final approval for ordination, then it is off to wherever the Navy sends me.
Now if I can just find some motivation for school in these last few weeks it will make the wait less frustrating.
Now if I can just find some motivation for school in these last few weeks it will make the wait less frustrating.
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