Colloquium!

Just some final notes for tonight guys!

• Dress nicely please since you will all be on stage at some point. I don't mean formal, just nice - no jeans please! Also, there will be people wearing the Dr. B's tie if you want to bring one (guys or girls). 
• If you are bringing something for the food please arrive just a few minutes before 5:30 at least. 
• It is essential you be familiar with you passage. 
• If a few of you want to make a small contribution to the Foosackleys we purchased, we are about fifteen to twenty dollars over what we really intended to spend and any donations would be appreciated from anyone. 
• Also, during the intermission if you don't mind going ahead to the stage to get situated, unless I give different instructions later. (In other words, everyone on stage is plan A.) Girls, I'd wear comfortable shoes. 

And if you weren't in class on Thursday, the schedule will go as following:
The project will begin after the introduction of the new Honors Council.
Charlie will introduce the project and then his group on Justice will go.
Dr. Olsen / Dr. Bear will follow Charlie with either Prudence / Temperance.
Mary Kate's group of Courage will follow.
Then my (Kelli's) group followed by Sharla's group.
Tori had a surprise wedding to attend, so Charlie will be introduce her group and closing us out.

And lastly, thank all of you for being a wonderful class to lead through Honors. I hope you all have a fun summer!

Bonus Blog

But then my mind was struck by light that flashed
and, with this light, received what it had asked.Here force failed my high fantasy; but mydesire and will were moved already – likea wheel revolving uniformly – bythe Love that moves the sun and the other stars. (Par. XXXIII, 140-145)


I absolutely love this quote. It's the one I chose to read at colloquium, and overall, I feel as if it summarizes my thoughts towards all of the Divine Comedy. Dante, after such a long and arduous journey through the inferno and purgatorio, has finally reached the perfection he had been lacking. And not through a triumph of virtue over his will and desire, but rather, a reshaping of his will. The same God that so powerfully moves the heavens, and continues to do so, moved Dante's will and formed it to match that of his own. This is what he strove for, and is highly reflective of what every Christian has to look forward to: the culmination of our sanctification.

What is Caliban?

Caliban confuses me because I don't know whether he is a man or a creature. And, I appreciate Shakespeare doing this characterization because it reflects the characters of Greek mythology that we read all last semester. Part of the beauty and mystery of and epic is disgusting who is man verses who is creature, who is good verses who is evil. Cal causes that same dilemma in each of us. At points we sympathize and empathize with him. Yet, at other points we see elements of his character that feel barbaric and ugly to us.

Battle Language

This semester I have really enjoyed how clear all of the authors make their dislike for one another. Muntzer goes as far as to refer to Luther as, "Father Pussyfoot." First of all, what is that even supposed to mean? Secondly, he is a very bold man to use such derogatory and vulgar language when talking of a fellow theologian. There must have been some pretty heavy blows through in his direction for him to have such strong distaste for Luther. However, I do admire his honesty and sometimes wish theologians and teachers were this honest now. Although, more academic language would be a lot classier.

P.S. I commented on Collin's blog

Water. Spirit. Blood.

           Baptism is a ritual that serves as a  public confession of faith.  It is symbolic of their rebirth in Christ. Hubmaier depicts  the three distinct baptisms: water, Spirit, and blood. I found it interesting how he depicts the significance of each. And, he makes a separation between baby dedication and baptism. I truly appreciate this because it contradicts the theology that you are saved by your baby dedication.  Hubmaier also places emphasis on spiritual baptism saying that it should occur subsequent to the water baptism. 

i commented on Brydon's. 

Soapbox

The trial of the Anabaptist made me uncomfortable. It reminded me of the type of religious discussion I often observe. In this trial you have two parties and each party has a differing opinion. The Anabaptist argue their case, and their proposal is met with indignation and a refusal to compromise. The judges do not take the points they are making seriously. To them any opinion that is different than theirs is invalid. The purpose of honors is to seek the TRUTH in love and this trial is a glaring reminder of just how important this is. I hope to remember this next time someone poses a thought that I might disagree with because the consequences of stubbornness can be deadly. 

p.s. I commented of Zessin's

Love or Lack Thereof

The message behind most of these handouts was frightening. Mostly because, though they were written by nominal 'Christians,' almost nothing that they said sounded like Jesus' commandments.

Where were the exhortations to love your enemy as yourself? What did they think Jesus was doing when he ate lunch with prostitutes and tax collectors - was he just waiting for them to hit the third strike so he could publicly humiliate them and then shun them for being imperfect? What kind of church growth did these people hope to accomplish? A church where no one is comfortable with the grace of God, where the members are too scared of doing something wrong to even think about what Jesus did perfectly right?

The most unsettling part about these tracts is that I can still see their effects on the Protestant church today. Churches can get so focused on being good people, and not getting around "the wrong people," not "getting brainwashed" by entertaining different mindsets. Nothing about this is Christlike - it's all much too human.

PS I commented on Kayleigh-Marie's post