Pastor’s Perspective

I’m back from my Sabbatical. And from the depths of my heart I want to thank the church – that is all of you – for that time. I did quite a bit of gardening, some plumbing and electrical work, a LOT of reading, quite a bit of meditation, working with contractors for home repair, and some travel.

The high point was a trip to the Pyrenees Mountains encompassing the border between Spain and France (with a little Andorra thrown in). Unbeknownst to me, much of the Tour de France takes place in that area.

This was a motorcycle tour through those beautiful mountains on such roads as you might see the bicyclists take. I passed hundreds of such bicyclists as they were either just out riding or preparing for the race.

Suffice it to say, they (bicycle, motorcycle, car, and truck) drive rather differently than we do here in the States. I feel as though I just took a class – Motorcycle Racing 101 – and passed. Now no one will want to go riding with me.

But thank you all for that time away. It was a grand blessing for my life.

To change the subject, I’m about to promote a book I haven’t yet read. But I know the author.

The book is The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, and the author is Bart Ehrman, Professor of New Testament at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Years ago, we were both at Princeton Theological Seminary, I was working toward a Masters, he toward his doctorate. His apartment was easily visible from my apartment window, and I can happily testify that he really did burn the midnight oil in his studies.

He has written about thirty books, and in so doing achieved rock star status as a teacher, lecturer, and author.

I have followed his reputation closely over the years, and watched in particular as he went from evangelical Christian to liberal Christian to arguably Christian at all, a path similar to my own.

But by being famous, he has also drawn the criticism and wrath of those for whom evangelical Christianity is not a path, but THE PATH, and you better be on it (as in, theirs)… or else.

Tom Bissell wrote a review for The Triumph of Christianity in the NY Times and I encourage you to read it (click the link/book title to read the review).

Here is one quote from the review, which begins with a nice bit of humor:

“The field of New Testament Studies has never been a reliable starting point for scholars seeking publishing superstardom. One explanation for this is the subject matter itself. A true understanding of the forces that shaped Christianity — seemingly familiar but in fact highly arcane — requires the ability to synthesize and express deep learning in a dozen interlocking subjects.

Ehrman, who considers himself a historian but has done extensive work in textual criticism, has managed to achieve his remarkable renown by writing a string of best sellers that skillfully mine and simplify his more scholarly work.

That may sound pejorative, but it’s not. Ehrman’s outreach to a popular audience — among whom I happily include myself — is wholly to the good, if only because throughout history average Christians have proved oddly unwilling to dig into the particularities of their faith, beyond familiarizing themselves with a few tent-pole doctrines.” (Tom Bissell, Book Review, NY Times)

Since we’re already an odd church, how about we prove oddly willing to dig into the particularities of our faith?

We will be starting the book on October 3 (2018), with the Spiritual Book Group, at noon. Hope you can join us. I will be leading the study with the assistance of Doug and Judy Garnar.

Blessings upon you all,

Art Suggs

Additional News in this month’s Forecaster

• Worldwide Communion – October 7th, 2018