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The cofffee is finally kicking in -- and I'm procrastinating work. Shhhh! Don't tell. :)

First in my head is the need to do some theological reading. I've been pondering the Trinity, thanks to RoboPreacher. More specifically, Trinity as event -- and the more I ponder it, the more I'm not sure I like it. Though there's nothing to say Trinity can't be event and something else. But I feel I need to read some Moltmann to get a better sense of things.

But I get ahead of myself. I need to finish reading Jim Martin-Schramm's new book first. I kind of stalled out in the final push to get grad school applications finished and it's been sitting half-finished on my coffee table for a couple of weeks.

My new congregation is/was doing a small group on the book The Shack, which apparently is one of the new books all the rage in Christian circles. I'm a skeptic based on that premise alone, but since I like the church, looked into it a little bit. And the more reviews I read about it, good and bad, the more I feel I really do not want to read it. Sounds rather dark and twisty and less than helpful, in my opinion.

Since I'm talking about my church I do have one gripe/concern/issue/annoyance (?) with it. In fact so much so I went and bought a new NRSV because I couldn't find my trusty hardcover, leather camp-covered friend. NRSVs are not exactly easy to find, and are certainly a minority translation on the shelves, which is a concern to me, but I digress.

The congregation uses "The Message" as their biblical text for the readings on Sunday morning. Surprisingly enough, I was encouraged when I found this quote by Eugene H. Peterson, the guy who created it:

When I'm in a congregation where somebody uses it [The Message] in the Scripture reading, it makes me a little uneasy. I would never recommend it be used as saying, "Hear the Word of God from The Message." But it surprises me how many do.

Hmmmmm, interesting! Good to know that I'm not the only that finds hearing God's Word with phrases like "and why do you spend your hard-earned money on cotton candy?" and "They threw a party and then they danced" as a bit jarring in the context of a worship service.

Relatedly, I almost bought The Message when I bought my bible, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured, if I am going to be unsettled by something, I should at least read the thing, but couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it. In a discispleship meeting at church a few days later, we were discussing Luther and how he translated the Bible into the common German vernacular, effectively creating a common German dialect in the process. And I was struck with a the thought that if this is the tradition from which I emerge, why am I so irritated by those who seek to "translate" the Bible similarly? I guess partially because I feel there is a difference between a translation and an interpretation, but then every translation is essentially an interpretation, even my trusty NRSV and I suddenly find myself at a bit of a loss. There is certainly space for other tools and references with which to make the Bible accessible to people. I guess my hang up is that I cringe when people use such tools as their only interface with the Bible.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Maybe more later... or tomorrow... or sometime. Back to work! (That imperative is for me, not for you.) :)

Cheers!