Letters from 25 February to 2 March 2008
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The Faith as revealed to King James
Your
mention of the King James Version brought to
mind a story my college-era priest told in the late '70s when the new BCP was coming out.
At his first church in Birmingham, Ala., in the 1950's, one Sunday
he used the new Revised Standard Version in the Sunday service. That afternoon, he got a phone call from one of the dowagers
of the church, shaking with indignation, "Mr. W, if the St. James Version was good enough for Jesus Christ, it ought to be good
enough for you." He told me ruefully that was his first experience with liturgical reform.
I like your site as it is; I don't need a coloring book site!
Paul Davison
St. Christopher's Episcopal
Perry, Georgia, USA
25 February 2008
More ignorant than thou
You were kidding about
that Bible quiz, weren't you? I tried it, just to see why it was your favourite. It's a beautiful example of the dumbing down
of information of any kind in our present-day society. One would have to be biblically illiterate and unable to read English
to score less than 100% on that one.
Unfortunately, one meets living examples of people, including churchgoers,
who are not well-acquainted with the Bible. Try the test of handing someone a Bible and asking them to turn to the Book of Nehemiah.
Half the time they don't know whether it's in the OT, the NT, or the Apocrypha. I've met eager young evangelicals who can proof
text like mad, and haven't a clue about the context of the material they're quoting. I watch (infrequently, but sometimes for
penance) televangelists hurling verses around to illustrate points and making no sense at all because they have no understanding
of exegesis. Sadly, I've sat in churches on Sunday mornings and listened to "a reading from St. Paul's letter to the Philippines" (I
knew he travelled, but that far?) or "a reading from St. Paul's first epistle to the Galoshians" (presumably they were people
who lived on a flood plain).
Your point about people assuming that the words they read on the page
convey the entire meaning is also well-taken. I get rather a kick out of the vehement defence of the KJV mounted by the most
right-wing members of the Church Universal and their claim that this profoundly Anglican, politically-driven document is the
only true translation of Holy Writ and that all others are sham and even, as one heated young person admonished me, "Satanic!"
Please keep up the good work of bombarding us with words, words, words.
You have the happy knack of making us think about all things ecclesiastical and spiritual, and you are the first site on the
Internet that I visit every Monday morning. Bless you.
Rene Jamieson
The Cathedral of St. John
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
25 February 2008
(Ed: Look at the others.)
Books don't need batteries
Steve Jobs may be correct about book readership, but as for me, I
read. Magazines, technical journals, National Geographic (yeah, it has pictures too), plus a limited amount of books. I am selective
about what I read and you can almost be sure that if it's on the NY Times bestseller's list, I probably haven't read it. Unless
it's the Harry Potter books, or a new Tom Clancy. I'm an old sci-fi fan so you can also be sure I've read my share of Herbert,
Heinlein, Clark, Asimov, Farmer, Norton, and so forth.
Classics? Well, only when I had to in college (a sad thing for a lit.
major to admit to), and sometimes not then (*cough* Cliff's notes *cough*). But there were the occasional gems that got assigned
which I'll not detail here. And I've reread Lord of the Rings in entirety more than 4 times over the years. And probably will
again in a few years. I've done the same with a lot of C.S. Lewis; there's always something new to glean that you missed last
time.
And as for Bible reading, for the last 16 or 17 years I've been a
regular reader of Forward Day by Day and the daily scripture lesson. I start almost all weekday mornings with them. So it should
be no surprise that I scored 100% on the Bible quiz you recommended. (It was easy, really.) I don't think I've read from a KJV
for years except this past Advent when I read the first 18 verses from the Gospel of John for a program we presented. I get a
sense that the Bible isn't meant to be obtuse-- God wants us to understand it. But since I don't read, speak, or understand Elizabethan
English, I've had to move on to something a bit more contemporary. And I'm always open to biblical scholarship and discovering
new meanings of the scriptures. Yet, I've known some folks who will plug their ears rather than hear how a Greek word from New
Testament times might have had four different meanings. And these are educated folks who I would have never believed would turn
from learning.
I don't think analog books are going to disappear anytime soon. They
don't need batteries, are more or less portable, and are a lot easier to read in funky lighting conditions than those e-book
flat screens. Books are also relatively easy to borrow, either from friends or a public library and aren't subject to digital
rights management. And I suspect they are a bit more rugged and aren't as likely to break if dropped or stepped on. Try that
with your e-book. I'm sure Steve Jobs would love it if you did.
You keep on writing text, and I'll check in each Monday morning for
a read.
Robert Frederick
St. Andrew's Episcopal
Panama City, FL USA
25 February 2008
Ten verses and twenty pushups
I read this
week’s opening letter with much enjoyment. Just
the day before I had been to a Bible drill competition where much of the memorizing without meaning was evident. The examples
of the competition and from your narrative raise the question – Which is better or worse, knowing vast quantities of scripture
but little if any meaningful application or not knowing the Bible but claiming to be able to teach others about God (At least
from Christian understanding)? If I had to choose one or the other I would take the former: at least there is the potential there
of expanding their base level knowledge.
CH (CPT) Steven Rindahl
The Episcopal (Anglican) Community of Ft Hood
Ft Hood, Texas, USA
26 February 2008
Five points
Dear Anglicans Online,
1. I'm afraid to report that I read words too.
2. Your comment on biblical illiteracy is sooo true! It gives me
the pip when I hear people claiming to be Christian saying they believe all that is in the Bible. Usually they know almost nothing
of it. See Brewer's Dictionary (the old version) for the entry on Swaddler. Le mot juste. More words, in French, too!
3. The BBC website reported a similar problem in Islamic interpretation
on 27 Feb, I think.
4. Finally, you left out CWMPF. Please get hold of the book, Colonel
Pewter in Ironicus, not only for the humour and cartoons,but also
for....dang it !... the Words! This cartoon story puts ETAOIN etc. in context. The cartoonist, an Aussie, was called Horner. You'll
enjoy his work.
5. Best Wishes for the rest of Lent,
Steve Duke
Reservoir North, Melbourne, Australia
27 February 2008
(Ed: We couldn't find anything on that topic on the BBC website, but
we found this at The Times).
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