Letters from 23
to 29 June 2008
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Miracles
and wonders amongst the tweaks
Thanks
for a great article that
met me where I have lived. I have to laugh: Back in what seems
another lifetime, I used to sell high-end audio gear, and I know
well the arguments for and against tube vs. solid state equipment.
Much the same can be said for people who still favor vinyl LPs
opposed to those who like their music on CD. Through the years
I've grunted and strained, trying to hear the differences.
I could
give a treatise on what I've learned about what people BELIEVE
they hear and on the subject of psycho-acoustics. You are correct
in that audiophilia is very nearly a religion (some would say
it IS a religion) and just as in some churches, I've seen faith
at work in the audio field. I guess if you're going to pay $100
for fancy 99.44% pure copper wire with 24k gold connectors then,
brother, you must indeed be a True Believer. I guess my ears are
not golden, because I was able to hear little difference among
the equipment. Yes there are differences, but the same is true
of any class of objects, be it hi-fi equipment or people in church.
There's so much variation it is impossible really to say which
is The Best or The Way with any certainty. We take it on faith.
We choose what we want to believe; we seek out others who believe
in a similar manner to what we believe and congregate with them.
The "tweaks" as
we called them in the trade, would often gather at someone's house
among the group on a Friday night and listen to the new pair of
$8000 25-watt tube amplifiers a believer purchased. There would
be proclamations of "miracles and wonders" among the faithful.
It is a
great irony to discover that I do much the same thing on Sunday
morning when I congregate with fellow believers in the Episcopal
Church, when the Most Precious Body and Blood is offered in communion.
As for me, I have yet to have a religious experience while listening
to a piece of audio equipment. And the effects of Christ on my
life are far more profound than the simple enjoyment of listening
to a new piece of audio gear.
Though
some, as should come as no surprise, may argue otherwise. . .
Bob Frederick
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Panama City, Florida, USA
23 June 2008
Paging Peter
de Colechurch
I
write to express my appreciation for
the excellent coverage given this past week to news and notable
articles, including obituaries of the Rev. Dr. Henry Chadwick.
In the same reading, I noticed an article published by Catholic
Online entitled "Opinion:
Anglicans and the Via Media." Despite
some egregious typographical errors, the writer observes (beyond
the mild joke "Why did the Anglican cross the road? He never did,
he stopped in the middle") that:
The Anglican
Church has given much to the Christian world. Beautiful English
liturgies, priceless hymns, and great thinkers such as C.S. Lewis,
are only a few of the great gifts we have all received.
May
they regain a sense of their place in the broader Christian
community, rediscover their historical foundations in Christian
orthodoxy and make a true contribution to the work of the
Holy Spirit in the work of recovery, renewal, and communion.
Thus I
was heartened to read of the Rev Dr. Chadwick's work in teaching
and writing about the early church, as well as representing the
Anglican tradition in our ecumenical discussions. (Unfortunately,
at 26, I must either admit prior ignorance of his academic and
scholarly repute or forgetfulness from my one undergraduate class
on Christian history.)
Equally
of note, buried at the end of the Mekong Messenger is the "Bishop's
Letter: Membership in the Anglican Church." I hesitate to say
that, beyond the Bible and 1662 Prayer Book, Anglicans should
have common reading. Still I rather wish this bishop's letter
were read to all congregations across the Anglican Communion once
every year or at least in the weeks leading up to the decennial
Lambeth Conference.
On a final
note, while on a business trip, I had the pleasure of attending
St Paul's Anglican Church in Athens, Greece (June 22). Visiting
Greece, which of course traces its ties to the earliest church
and the venerable Eastern Orthodox tradition, was a moving experience:
I will never forget seeing the Acropolis nor the ancient Agora,
where I was told St Paul had preached. As such, it was a joy to
worship with Anglicans from across the world and from all walks
of life. The bonds of communion that we share are simply too precious
to tear asunder.
As a "bridge
church" we at least require some firm foundations. Yet I pray
fervently that we may minimize our disagreements and maximize
our faith to bring healing and hope in this world.
Matthew
E. Chen
Christ Church Cathedral
Houston, Texas, USA
25 June 2008
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