'Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.'

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." (Acts 17:22-23 ESV)

To the Unknown God

Today's post is a mishmash of stuff, so try to keep up...

I'm officially halfway through Greek now! Woo-hoo! (Only 5 more weeks to go...)

Speaking of Greek class, I was eating lunch with some classmates on Thursday in the chow...ahem, "dining" hall, and got to chatting with the young man (I mean young) on my left who has come to the seminary's Greek boot camp right out of college which means that I likely have more than 30 years on him (yikes!). Man, I feel old...

The cat (who's not quite as old as me in cat years, though he acts like it) and I are batchin' it this weekend-- at least the Rangers-Cubs series is on. I watched them play the opener yesterday afternoon after class. What a disappointing showing from the Rangers! I hope this afternoon's game will be better...

I met the deaconess (the LCMS has deaconesses, but not deacons...if you're confused, read more here) assigned to the seminary whose job it is to be a military chaplaincy liaison. She was very nice (as you'd expect of a deaconess) and also has something to do with a choir on the campus. She invited me to come to weekly practices when the academic year begins. I think I may just take her up on it, course load notwithstanding...

I happened across a very good article on the Christianity Today website written on the heels of the Russian governments new "anti-terrorism" laws that will further constrict religious expression in the country: Russia: The Other Christian Nation. An excerpt: 

In contrast to the cherished ideals of religious liberty and the separation of church and state held in the United States, a major contributing factor to the recent events in Russia is the concept of symphonia, or institutionalized “harmonious relations,” between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian state. This intentional connection between church and state allows the Orthodox Church to enjoy all the attendant privileges of political preference and feeds into a uniquely Russian national identity...In accordance with the longstanding tradition of sobornost, a “spiritual community of many jointly living people,” many Russians believe that they can only fully acquire a sense of meaning and purpose as a people, not as separate individuals...

It's a must-read for the parochial and secular alike, as a Western understanding of the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church upon the psyche and culture of the Russian people since the 10th century is crucial to dealing with them in today's geopolitical climate. From an evangelical standpoint, the average Russian lives within arm's length of the Russian Orthodox Church and likely feels more of a nationalistic, quasi-patriotic attachment, rather than a spiritual connection to a Christian church body. I wrote a seminary doctrinal essay on this in 2005 (The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS): “One People, One Mission, One Message” and the Challenge of Reaching Russian-Americans with the Good News, which you may read here, if you'd like)...

Yesterday I got an email from a guy from Ancestry.com about being part of an episode of a tv show called Relative Race. I have family tree data uploaded to Ancestry.com, so that's how he found me. Here's the bulk of the email:

We are sponsoring the second season of a DNA-based reality TV show called Relative Race that connects people like you with unknown members of their family tree using the power of AncestryDNA.  The TV show centers around contestants connecting with relatives they haven’t met before, and we believe one of our contestants shares a common ancestor with you:

Mary S. Search from your "Holschuh and Ream Ancestors_2015-07-26" on Ancestry.

Click the link below for more information.  If you’re interested in participating, a producer from Lenzworks Productions will reach out to you shortly. Since you are likely a match with [contestant], we would like to know if you are interested in having the opportunity to meet them and be a part of the show. It is only a one-day commitment, you will be compensated for your time, and given a free AncestryDNA test.

http://lenzworks.com/201605trrcasting-group3b/

To find out more about the show and to watch past episodes go to relativerace.com

We hope you will join us and become an integral part in this exciting journey of discovery!

I called the guy and the premise for my involvement would be the shared ancestor, Mary Search (my maternal great-grandmother was a Search), with the woman contestant already on the show... That's all I know. He told me that someone from the production team would be in contact with me if they decide to use me (for not much more than an interview, I think). I think it would be kind of fun! (And, in case you're wondering, the show airs on the BYUtv network...)

And, lastly, speaking of the world today, as crazy as it is, what with that jihadist wacko mowing the crowd down in a semi, the failed coup in Turkey, Brexit, and our own brand of political chicanery that is the presidential election process here in the U.S., there is another article from Christianity Today (that I just read in the print version) that speaks to something called "cultural resilience." Apparently this piece is only available in the print version of the magazine. It is written by Australian pastor Mark Sayers, author of the book Disappearing Church.  An excerpt:

Today, of course, there's the question of which culture the church should be relevant to. Should the church aim to make traditional values relevant again—small town ethics, moral restraint, respect for authority and received wisdom, frugality? Or contemporary values, revolving around cosmopolitan tastes, social reform, less binding commitments, and especially, unshackled sexual freedom? Aim for traditional values, and cultural relevance will require either creating a traditional subculture or "winning the culture back." Set your course by contemporary values, and the task will be to adapt to a new age of progressive values...

At moments of great outside pressure throughout church history, we find spiritual movements, churches, and disciples who valued not so much cultural relevance as resilience. In its infancy, the church embodied resilience in the face of state-sponsored violence under Rome. As the Christianized Roman world of late antiquity developed a thirst for esoteric and heretical streams of faith, the church held to the theological resilience of orthodoxy. As Roman civilization fragmented and fell. Augustine's teachings and Benedict's monastic orders provided models of resilient a faith in the face of cultural collapse. Over the centuries. Christian leaders—or at least those whom we now see were most faithful and courageous—have modeled resilience in the face of communism, radicalized Islam, fascism, and even the syncretistic Christianity that emerged in apartheid-era South Africa or segregationist America...

The author's point is that Western culture is evolving, but at the same time "deconstructing inherited sacred orders and traditions." I agree! This "Third Culture," as he calls it, "makes a paradoxical promise of personal freedom and social healing through unbounded transgression, eating away at the commitments, creeds, and confessions of Christianity and offering in their place technological abundance, consumer choice, and secular virtues." I'd say that last one-- secular virtues-- is a growing plague among Christians and non-Christians in our world today, particularly among a younger generation that relies so much on validation from social media as a gauge of personal and professional success or failure. The article is worth a read, if you can get a copy of the July/August issue. If not (or even if so), take a look at Acts 17. The world beyond the church doors is very religious, too. ;)

And that's going to do it for now. 

Rangers today, Greek tomorrow (got to bone up on the genitive absolute...).