This past weekend someone was raped in her college dorm room only a few doors from our daughter’s room. It wasn’t date rape, but middle of the night, stranger in the dark rape. It wasn’t our daughter, but another young woman who is also just taking her first steps toward adulthood and now has learned that the world …
Reflections on the Mango Tree Church
In the last paragraphs above [Ed’s book review from last week] I’ve been signalling questions that I’d like to talk about with GKPB pastors and leaders. But there’s been no real opportunity for that in our time here. I’ve met four of the (I think) five people at the top of the church’s administration, but only for the …
Book Review — The Mango Tree Church
Dear Folks, Ed and Marie have left Bali and are on their way to Australia. This week’s THTH is Ed’s review of this book about the history of the church in Bali and next week will be some of his thoughts about that church after three months in its midst. Peace, Robin Douglas G. McKenzie (in association with …
From “Tappert” To “TroBoC,” Sola Fide
Robert W. Bertram Final Reader [Posted by permission of Lutheran Quarterly where the essay first appeared in LQ 14.1 (Spring, 2000).] Final Readers for Final Questions “Final reader?” The title seemed far too eschatological, as if I were to render the last judgment on the Book of Concord’s new translation. Obviously not. Not even editors Wengert and Kolb …
A Balinese Religion Primer with American Commentary
Dear Folks, Here is a “tourist’s” primer in Balinese religion that Ed and Marie copied from a local English weekly newspaper and a few American thoughts (mostly mine) thereunto. Peace, Robin HINDU DHARMA: An Introduction to Balinese Belief and Worship Hindu Dharma, the religious belief system of Bali, governs all activities of the daily life of the Balinese. …
Changes in Japan Today: Two Christian Perspectives
Today’s Thursday Theology about the state of Christianity in Japan comes to us from two sources: Richard Leigh lives and works here in St. Louis and is a student at LST (Lutheran School of Theology). He is part of a discussion forum list on the proposition “That They May Be One,” moderated by Charles Miller, who wrote a book …
Book Review — “Power in the Blood? The Cross in the African-American Experience”
“Power in the Blood? The Cross in the African-American Experience” by JoAnne Marie Terrell (Orbis Books, 1998) is an exposition of the development of a womanist theologian (Terrell herself) through a historical exploration of the meaning of the Cross and the Atonement. Terrell’s definition of a womanist theologian is a theologian who is a woman of color. This …
A Book Review GRACE AT THE TABLE. ENDING HUNGER IN GOD’S WORLD
Ed and Marie have island-hopped from Bali to central Java for this week, following up on invitations from the president of the Asian Christian Artists Association in Yogyakarta, Judo Poerwowidagdo, and from Nancy Johnson and Steven Haggmark, ELCA exchange professors at the Christian University in Salatiga. He sent me this before they left. A Book Review – GRACE …
Tim’s questions (and Ed’s responses) about Christianity in Bali
Colleagues, Once before a thoughtful response from nephew Tim Hoyer, ELCA pastor, to these Thursday postings generated another edition of ThTh. Well, its happened again. Read on. Cheers! Ed Tim, Two postings I have from you, each with enuf questions to exhaust the small handful of answers I have lying around the Bali parsonage these days. You …
Ketut Lasia–Balinese Christian, Balinese artist
Colleagues, Christians are 1% of the population of Bali. That’s 30K of 3 million. In that “little flock” we’ve come to know two artists, Ketut Lasia and Nyoman Darsane. These superb craftsmen do their daily work “crossing” Balinese painting and sculpture with the Christian Gospel. One of Lasia’s bas reliefs welcomes worshippers at “our” church here in Legian. …