So What?

Improvisation and Spirituality 2: Nat King Cole

King was Nat Cole's nickname.  Lots of jazz men during the early decades had them and many seemed to be based upon European aristocracy.  Others included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Earl Hines ...  You might think Nat Cole earned his name as arguably the world's most popular singer.  You would be wrong.  What is less well known is that Nat Cole was a jazz pianist (just like the other aristocrats I've named!)and some would argue that his greatest work was during his early life in a trio with double bass and guitar.

Unlike Little Bootswho moves backwards and forwards between informal and formal presentations of her music, Nat Cole showed a progression through his career.  Nat King Cole became famous later when he lost the trio and focused on singing.  He was immensely successful.

Many listeners to jazz view this progression with dismay.  A sure sign of loss of the jazz spirit is the introduction of strings!  Listen to Fly Me To the Moon to see what I mean.  This video includes the words, so you can sing along!  In my next post in this series, there will be another version of this song, by way of contrast. 

The Case Against Predestination

 

The mind is its own place and in itself

Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

What matter where, if I still be the same ...

(Milton, Paradise Lost)

I have mentioned my occasional Bible Studies with John Rogerson before.  Recently, we studied these verses from Paul's letter to the Romans 8: 28 - 30:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.  And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.  (New RSV).

These verses are often used by Calvinists to support their doctrine of predestination.  This is the belief that God chose the elect at the start of time and they are therefore predestined for salvation.  The rest of us are predestined for damnation and this is therefore sometimes known as double predestination.  Obviously, single implies double, because if the rest of us are not predestined for hell, where are we supposed to be going?

This doctrine undermines the credibility of the Christian faith.  If love for God cannot be freely entered into, what is the point of it? 

The Calvinist mistake is to interpret this passage as about individual salvation.  It is not about some ethereal afterlife but about the here and now.  This passage is about those who are called to serve God in the present age.  They are not some super powered elect, they are a frail and vulnerable people, just like Paul who elsewhere writes of his sufferings and boasts of his weaknesses.

Old Testament prophets are also called and some of them, eg Moses and Jeremiah, do not want the job!  It is a privilege to serve God but it is a difficult and painful path.  The pain and suffering experienced by God's people is a penalty of love. 

Paul rarely writes of Christians as those who love God (v28) but the experience of 'all things working together for good' is well known.  The good is not to be understood as salvation or answering prayers for immediate wealth.  It is as if things conspire to facilitate the call of the believer.

So, this passage is about those who are called, not those who are saved.  But what does Paul mean by 'predestined'?  Paul seems to mean those who are called are known to God from the beginning.  There is no necessary contradiction between foreknowledge and free will.

I think what Calvinists forget is that God is not a part of this universe.  Today we have insights from physics which help us understand the nature of reality or creation.  (Creation is the word I use to describe the universe as created by God and which therefore does not include God.)

For humanity, time is a half dimension.  The three spatial dimensions are full dimensions because it is possible to move along them in either direction.  For us time moves in one direction.  This has fascinating implications because although we can imagine the possibility of moving in two directions, it is not possible.  This means for us history is unchangeable.  It allows the universe as we experience it to be stable.

For some sub-atomic particles however, time is a full dimension.  Unlike the universe on our scale, where everything is different, sub-atomic particles of the same type are absolutely  identical.  So, the ability to travel backwards in time effectively has minimal impact on reality.

Now, imagine the same event viewed by a human being within the universe and a creator outside the universe, a creator for whom time is a full dimension.  What to us is a free choice is known to God from the beginning.  This knowledge does not take away free will.  Knowledge is not the same thing as predestination at all. 

I think Paul and other early theologians understood this on their own terms.  They did not have the knowledge of physics we have but were able to understand the relationship between creator and created.  When a prophet decides to serve God, the stories imply a free choice and would be meaningless if it were not a free choice.  I have written elsewhere about how God interacts with the universe, follow the link and explore around it.

Does Pitsmoor Exist?

Some people insist Pitsmoor exists and others that it is a leftover from another age, replaced by the far more salubrious Burngreave.  Burngreave definitely exists, it's the name of the ward.  But which part of the ward is Pitsmoor?

I had a conversation recently and I was told Burngreave Road is the boundary with Pitsmoor on one side and who knows what on the other.  She couldn't remenber which is which.  I'm not convinced, I've always understood Pitsmoor to be on both sides of the road.

Pitsmoor has a bad reputation and so the council and other regeneration people prefer not to use the name.  A few years ago, the Sheffield Star headline read 'Don't Live in Pitsmoor'.  Someone was trying to sell their house and had a buyer.  The buyer phoned the police and asked what they thought about the safety of Pitsmoor.  The reply was 'you don't want to live there'.  (It turned out the buyer had spoken to a lay receptionist and the police did not hold that view.)  The vendors in their anger went to the Star - not really a very good idea, considering the whole city saw the headline.

More recently signs have appeared on either side of Burngreave Road, telling us we live in Burnwood and Burnbank.  There was no consultation as far as I know.  Who decided and why?  Just a small example of the games regeneration professionals play.  Cosmetic changes will never work, we need to recognise it is the positves in the area that count.  Pitsmoor has positives and it is these it needs to build upon if it is to be seen as a good place to live.

So we now live in Burngreave.  But what have we lost?  Pitsmoor is the traditional name for the area and in its name reminds us of the pits which at one time were the livelihood of the people living in the area.  These days most people call it Burngreave but I will call it Pitsmoor when I write about the area in this blog.

The Locomotion Explained

The video below is a fascinating historical relic.  In those days regulations were very strict and some of their practices are incomprehensible to modern viewers.  For those of you too young to remember, here are a few pointers to enhance your enjoyment of the video. 

1. In those days studio time had to be strictly controlled (studios were few and far between) and so if even a main performer was late they had to lock the door and make a start.  The singer would upon arrival have to find their way to the door in order to be let in, perhaps even starting to sing outside.  Note how an announcer (he'd obviously been peeling onions immediately before volunteering to step in) attempted to delay the start to give Jackie Lee time to arrive. (It appears her steam train was late, hence her stated preference for locomotion.)
2. Just as today, health and safety regulations were strict.  Only accredited people were permitted to dance.  Singers' movements were very circumscribed and the dancing was left to highly trained professionals.  You will note that all the dancers wear safety helmets, a practice sadly discontinued with the introduction of the fabled Pan's People, who were noted for their daredevil dancing technique without protective clothing or safety nets.
3. Backing groups were expensive and where resources were scarce, it was not uncommon for the performers to bring their dads.  Dads were encouraged to put down their pipes and take off their slippers before performing. 
4. You will notice the lead dancer arrives on stage from the basement.  It is likely she arrived by tube.
5. Singers were not allowed to stand for more than 2 minutes.  As Jackie Lee was late, she was allowed an extra 30 seconds before she had to have a rest.

Enjoy ...

Methodists Possibly Thwart the BNP

 

Methodist Conference 2009, agreed that members of the British National Party (BNP) cannot be members of the Methodist Church.   

The BNP started it with their advert depicting Jesus on the cross as racist, which angered many Christians.  The syllogism Jesus was good, Jesus was racist and so racism is good, is somewhat flawed. 

So, the Methodist Church has banned members of the BNP from being members of the Methodist Church.  The reason we did it was because we are able to do it.  We are able to do it because we have members.  Most Christian traditions do not have members.  At least, not like Methodists have members.  We are the only Christian tradition with card carrying members!  This annual card contains an inspirational verse from the Bible, chosen by the year’s President and is signed by a local minister and class leader. 

The card itself is not terribly useful although I once used it as evidence of identity to draw my benefit (a long time ago before they invented passports and driving licenses).  However, as I have pointed out to ecumenical friends, should I meet St Peter I’ll have my class ticket to show him, what will they have?

The privileges of membership are easy to summarise.  We are expected to make a financial commitment in order to ensure assessments are paid so that our ministers and their families do not starve, and we are supposed to sit on committees.  Consequently, members are part of one of the biggest common ownership movements in the country and participants in a highly democratic organisation that means, through Conference, any member can (once there through due process) make decisions about the church’s mission, beliefs and administration.

Loads of people worship in Methodist Churches who are not members of the Methodist Church.  Methodists welcome anyone who wishes to worship with them.  The BNP are welcome to worship, drink tea and presumably be saved alongside Methodists but no longer as Methodists.  They no longer have a stake in church finances and committees.  It makes sense because it excludes them from wielding power in the church.   I’m not sure how central to their plans control of the Methodist Church was but now they are thwarted.

Dog the First

Normally I don't do sentimentality but against my better judgement this video does make theological sense.  It appeared last week and I've seen it in a couple of blogs.  Apparently it has gone viral, whatever that means.  The last line sticks in the mind and is difficult to dislodge; although the whole thing is not really my cup of tea it makes its point.

(I've got a second sentimental dog video to post in a few days time; something to look forward to?)

Improvisation and Spirituality 1: Caligula

Caligula was not his real name of course.  He was Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and Caligula was his nickname.  In view of his popular reputation for cruelty, extravagance, and sexual perversity, in other words as an insane tyrant, one has to ask why Victoria Hesketh has named herself after him.  Little Boots (Caligula in Latin) is a talented musician rather than a tyrant; I'm no longer young and so can't be expected to understand these things.

Anyway, she is an interesting musician and this is one of her best videos:

The interesting thing is you can view alternative recordings on YouTube.  This is one of the same song without the backing group.  You also get a better idea of the use of the ternorion.

Now those of you with a courageous turn of mind might try to listen to this.  I suggest you listen with fingers in your ears; I usually manage 30 seconds max before I switch off.  It is of course the commercial version.

If you're wondering what this has to do with improvisation and spirituality, it's a slow build - there will be more posts on this theme.

The Death of (a Small Green) God.

I met a friend the other day who was complaining about the ferris wheel that has appeared at the top of Fargate.  A distraction from all the more important things we should be concentrating on.

I suggested the only reason I would consider going up there would be to take a closer look at Vulcan.  Vulcan is the green figure on the top of the Town Hall in the picture.  He is the god of iron and steel making and so the god of Sheffield, the steel city.

I'm asking around and haven't found anyone who has heard of him so far.  Someone I spoke to had been up there and not noticed him!  Is it possible the decline of the steel industry has meant Sheffielders have forgotten their little green god?  Or maybe we're all so depressed it takes an effort to look at the tops of buildings.

We'll All Bake Together When We Bake

So what is this new blog for?   After several months of worthy blogging about ecumenism, I am finding the constraints do not allow me to write on certain topics.  So here is a new blog which will:

Ask questions.  So What? is one of them.  We live in a world where public statements seem increasingly bizarre.  If they’re not wrapped up in jargon they are redolent with unspoken assumptions.  Politicians, church leaders, the media - they all do it.  So what are they actually saying?  Who benefits?  Who loses out?

Local and global perspectives.  The world of a half-employed, aging radical:

• My place is perhaps called Pitsmoor, a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan, highly contentious inner city area of Sheffield, England ...
• My faith is Methodism - a branch of Christianity specially set aside for genteel eccentrics.
• My politics are Green with a reddish tinge perhaps – sadly red is the new blue these days ...
• My profession is development work in community, in and between churches, anywhere that will put up with me ...
• A one-time scientist - doctoral thesis about activated sludge since you ask - and I'm not going to blog about it ... this background does inform my views on the great atheist / theist debate - there's something to look forward to ...
• My music is classical opera, jazz and anything that appeals to me ...  there will be videos!
• My prejudices include (in no particular order) trainers, political extremists of all hues, fundamentalists, people who don’t look where they’re going – are these really prejudices? – I’ve been around long enough to know what they’re like.

We’re all in denial.  The world we have lived in for the last 20-30 years, maybe my whole life (so make that 55 years), is coming to an end.  (I'm not talking about the end of time but of our modern oil dependent civilisation.)  Are we all suffering cognitive dissonance?   Still, it goes against my instincts to be censorious.  We’re all in this together and even Methodists are playing their small part to screw up the planet.  Essentially we are living through absurd times and it falls to me and others to point out we're all rowing the same boat to oblivion, whatever direction we're rowing in.

So, I will point out the absurd.  I don’t want to laugh at people so much as point out the sense we have all been caught with our hand in the cookie jar (or biscuit barrel in English English). 

Some will think all this has been said before.  They would be right, here is one example, (I love the rhyme for ICBM):