The Dark Glass » Everything Else

Me & My Stuff

Anthony Velez — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:55:34 +0000

While recently Stumbling I came across an idea where people would post a picture of themselves and beneath that they posted a picture of the stuff they typically carry around in their backpack, purse, or whatever other else one might use. I liked the idea, and so I am utterly ripping it off, but with one minor modification, I am just going to post the picture of my stuff.

I am not exactly sure why I find this idea so interesting, perhaps there is something voyeuristic about it: stuff generally concealed put out on open display. On a brighter note, maybe it’s just a different avenue for understanding a person. Instead of “you are what you eat” (hey, that might be another post), it’s “you are what you carry with you.” Yes, this may be a bit reductionist, but still, I think there is something to it.

Vocalizer

Anthony Velez — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:16:29 +0000

What is commonly called the voice box, and technically called the larynx, but was the term Alfalfa used when he felt the need to practice his singing prior to crooning Darla, as in “I need to warm-up my vocalizer.”

Isn’t it funny what pops into your head just prior to waking up?!?

A Personal Paradox

Anthony Velez — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:45:58 +0000

Obviously, it has been awhile since I have written on my blog. The reason is partly circumstantial and partly motivational. To break this period of silence I thought I would share what seems to me a personal paradox. I have been obsessed with my heart for the past twenty odd years of my life, and for the past twenty odd years I have been avoiding my heart. I realize that saying this is somewhat provocative, but I ask for the pardon and prayers of those who read my blog. I need to time to process, and I need to discern what is appropriate to share in this context.

Up Yours

Anthony Velez — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:16:21 +0000

In lieu of a profound and insightful reflection on Easter I offer the following bit of “Anguished English”:

The associate minister unveiled the church’s new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: “I Upped my Pledge-Now Up Yours!”

What I imagine is a bunch of postcards, or the cover of a newsletter, being sent out to parishioners as a part of this church’s stewardship campaign with “Up Yours!” printed in a big and bold font on the front.

At This Moment

Anthony Velez — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:38:54 +0000

Jesus hung on the cross, because of who I am at this moment. And, at this moment I am a son of God, because Jesus hung on the cross.

Heaven & Hell

Anthony Velez — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:53:18 +0000

So, the father of my nephew sent an email, with a bunch of humorous content, to my wife for my mom, which my wife then forwarded to me. I read it, and laughed, and decided that given the theological bent of my blog I would share one of the items in the email about heaven and hell.

*******

Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French and
It’s all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss and
It’s all organized by the Italians.

*******
It’s funny how merely switching a few ethnic variables can make such a radical difference.

It’s All About Me

Anthony Velez — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:51:35 +0000

For the persistent little narcissist within, I give you the following:

Enjoy yourself!!

How the Early Church Read the Bible

Anthony Velez — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:54:45 +0000

As I was cruising through Facebook today I noticed that John Armstrong, an author and theologian whose blog I regularly read, had a comment that directed people to an article in Christianity Today titled, “How the Early Church Read the Bible,” by David Neff, an editor and regular contributor to the magazine.

The gist of the article is that the Early Church was more attuned to the way the Bible tells its own story, which includes a greater sensitivity to the symbolic dimension of human nature, a dimension that is critical to encounter God. Affirming this idea the article quotes a former professor of mine, Robert Webber, who said, “When the cognitive aspect of the person dominates the symbolic side, a vital part of humanity is neglected and the human spirit is squelched.”

What this article did not address that may have strengthened it’s point, is that the historical-grammatical method of reading the Scriptures has come under the postmodern critique that says no one really deals with bare facts when it comes to understanding the Scriptures in their original historical contexts. The idea of this critique is that our ability to identify facts is supported by an intellectual framework that is laden with presuppositions about how the world is, and which therefore deeply influences the decisions we make about what we will admit as facts, and how we interpret those facts once we have them.

The upshot of all this is that the debate regarding the historical veracity of the Bible still rages on among biblical scholars of various persuasions. In the mean time, I thank God for both orthodox scholars like N.T. Wright who critically engage the naysayers through historical methodologies, and who also bring fresh insight to our understanding Scripture, as well as this call for a recovery of the symbolic modes of interpretation prevalent in the Early Church. Perhaps together such approaches to Scripture will inject much needed vitality to the modern-postmodern Church.

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How the Early Church Read the Bible

Ancient Future Faith

A Reform Trooper’s Apostolic Succession

Anthony Velez — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:32:59 +0000

Jesus Christ

↓

The Apostle Paul

↓

Augustine of Hippo

↓

(Martin Luther)

John Calvin

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For those who are scratching their heads, Apostolic Succession is a doctrine among the liturgical or more ancient traditions that current bishops are able to trace the lineage of their authority and ministry through preceding generations all the way back to the original Twelve Apostles, and of course, ultimately, Jesus Christ. Implicit in the doctrine of Apostolic Succession is the preservation of the Gospel through the laying on of hands. When a retiring bishop is replaced by a new bishop, the retiring bishop lays his hands upon the new bishop to signify the passing on of his ministry and all that it includes, primary among which are preaching the Gospel as grounded upon teachings of Christ and the Apostles, the administration of the Sacraments, and the application of discipline to preserve and build up the Church.

Personally, I think Apostolic Succession is theologically supported by the incarnation and all that it implies for how God works in the world. The idea is that just as God has fully entered into time and space through Jesus, so it is that God continues to move in Jesus’ human agency through the mystical body of Christ: the Church. In the incarnation there is an implicit affirmation of the physical world and a particular affirmation of humanity as the creatures who, bearing God’s image, have been endowed with the capacity to create cultures and institutional structures to exercise dominion. Apostolic Succession is one such organizing structure that emerged from the early Church as a means to ensure the integrity of Apostolic faith as Christianity went forth into the world. In this manner the essentials of the Gospel are thought to have been preserved even as the Church grew and developed in response to the various cultures it encountered in time and space.

So, with all this said, my little illustration is me taking a stab at what I fear is a reductionist view of the faith that I think some of my stridently Reformed brothers have. In other words, as powerful as John Calvin’s theological vision was, he was just one facet among many in the prism of Church history through which the light of Christ has been wonderfully refracted.

A Spanish Rap & Other Stuff

Anthony Velez — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:58:12 +0000

One day I will be so fluent that I will be able to rap in Spanish like these guys.

Regarding the remaining clips and the whole community college experience, that’s pretty much how it was for me when I went to Solano Community College.