Dear friends in Christ,
I am very happy to announce that the Very Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, will give our Fall Theology Lecture on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30pm. Dean McGowan will speak about the origin and meaning of sacrifice as it is reflected in Scripture and in the practices of the early church. Many of you may know Dean McGowan already from his sermons on the Seven Last Words of Christ, which he recently preached from the Saint Thomas pulpit on Good Friday. More information will be forthcoming about what is sure to be a stimulating lecture.
In addition, Professor Jeremy Waldron will begin a new class on weekday evenings in November: Creation and Covenant: Our Stewardship of the Created World. This series of discussions will examine the biblical presentation of creation and our place in it, the implications of God’s covenantal relation to us in regard to the created world (e.g., Genesis 9:8), and the responsibilities that arise out of our stewardship of creation. The classes will be held November 2, 9, and 16 at 6:30pm. in Andrew Hall.
Father Spurlock recently informed me that, after a year of close reading, the Bible Study group that meets on Fridays has made it halfway through the gospel of Luke. Join them at 12:40pm in the dining room of the parish house.
This week’s Sunday class continues with its study of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. We will look this week at the remaining letters to the “churches in Asia.”
The Christian Doctrine II class met recently to study the development of the Nicene Creed. As an aside, I once heard a story about a Protestant minister who had served in his denomination’s national church body. When he was being considered for a senior position, the hiring committee asked him to submit a “personal statement of faith.” He submitted, in response, the text of the Nicene Creed. One could do worse.
Yours in Christ,
Joel
