Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Plato's Cave -- Adaptation in Clay by Michael Ramsey

Plato's Allegory of the Cave: An adaptation in clay from Michael Ramsey on Vimeo.

"Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate" by Terry Eagleton" -- Interactive Review by Wayne Northey

Interactions With Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God
Debate, Terry Eagleton, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009, 185 pp.

Introduction

I had generally felt uninterested in the recent spate of neoatheistic publications, including The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and God is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens. Both books and the “God Debate” are the focus of the book under discussion. In 2010, Eagleton, a noted literary critic and theoretical Marxist, is slated to give the most prestigious series of theological lectures in English today: The Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh, on “The God Debate”, that will continue his probing this theme. With Eagleton’s offering, I suddenly realized how vital to our very humanity this discussion is! What, if after all, both the dilemma of the human condition and its solution cut far more deeply than the best offerings of secular good works done by say the International Red Cross, the Canadian International Development Agency, or the American Peace Corps? What if, after all, most of the Christian West with its early inversion of the Cross into ultimate symbol of violence, the Sword, was massively unfaithful to humanity’s ultimate destiny of peace that Judeo-Christian Scripture knows as the Kingdom of God? This publication raises these issues exquisitely and much more. To read the rest of this article, download the pdf file here: Download Book Review of Reason, Faith, and Revolution

When I say . . . by Al Sergel

When I Say

For far too long perfectionism has been the hand over my mouth muzzling the truthful confession that I believe will prove to be another significant demarcation in my following of Jesus, my friend and Lord.

"I am a sinner."

"All have sinned and fallen short..." is not some nonchalant, politically correct excuse I use, but a celebratory song that I sing. A song, like a knife, that has a melody which cuts through the clouded piety my own thoughts, ideas and assumptions.

I fall short.

I sin.

It's easier to live in a vacuum where my throne room - with my idols, with my absolutes - is controllable...manageable.

It's perfect...perfect.

Yet, pinching my heart is another way.  Truly foreign to my ways, is a way of love.

Confession of a Radical by Brian Zahnd

Recently I was speaking with a pastor whose political views I would describe as “God and Country zealotry.” In the course of our conversation, which had taken its typical political turn, he said, “We must defend Freedom, Democracy and Capitalism in the name of Christ.” 

That is quite a claim. But is it true? Must Rousseau freedom, Jeffersonian democracy and Laissez-faire capitalism be defended in the name of Christ? Let’s think about it for a moment. 

Freedom. It’s the promise of every empire. It's what Rome and all the rest promise. And it's always what we go to war for. Freedom. Political Freedom. Economic Freedom. Individual Freedom. “The land of the free and the home of the brave.” The vocabulary of patriotic fervor. As if there were no Freedom until Jeffersonian democracy arrived on the scene. So what was Jesus talking about? Jesus and Paul seemed to have a thing or two to say about Liberty and Freedom, but they never breathed a word about political democracy or economic capitalism. Have we been seduced by the blandishments of empire? America may be a kinder, gentler Babylon, maybe the kindest, gentlest Babylon there's ever been (though native Americans and African slaves may beg to differ, not to mention the civilians of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Be that as it may, America is still a Babylon. And as such it has nothing to do with the kingdom of Christ…other than to be a rival.  

Radio Orthodox Canada with Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

Archbishop Puhalo is now releasing mp3 audio files with teaching series on such topics as the reasonableness of faith. The following link provides an introduction to the series and the service in general.

http://archbishoplazar.podbean.com/mf/web/aimg2r/1-THEREASONABLENESSOFFAITH.mp3