Lectionary woes

We follow the three-year series for the lectionary here. I’m not one who gets his shorts in a wad over which lectionary a congregation uses. Provided it teaches the church year, which teaches the life of Christ and of the Church, I’m really ok with it.

But my gripe is this: why must we play the cut-cut snip-snip game with a text? Today as I was putting together the service for All Saints’ Day, I stopped short at the appointed Old Testament reading. I’ve never put so many commas in a pericope reference: Isaiah 26.1-4, 8-9, 12-13, 19-21. Here is the whole text, with the elisions italicized:

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.
The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”
The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us; you have done for us all our works.
O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.
But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.
Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord;
we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.
For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.

So my question, and I’m quite sure I’m not alone in this, is “What’s wrong with 5-7, 10-11, and 14-18?” Are these somehow not written for the edification and instruction of God’s people? With the use of a lectionary cycle there is indeed some interpretive work that must occur, but such selectivity is excessive. I haven’t worked much with the upcoming LSB lectionary, but I pray that it will leave whole texts, well, whole.

MySpace

Part of what makes internet pornography such a pervasive problem is anonymity. People can observe porn regularly, with little financial burden, and they can do it from the relative privacy of their own homes. There is no awkward moment at the video store, no talking in low tones at the 7-11 counter (“No, not that one. That one.”). No one needs to know.

Enter MySpace. When the youth leaders and I sat down to talk about next year’s program, I was introduced to this beast. Most of you likely have a good deal of experience with this one (or it’s similar counterparts like Facebook). Upon learning that several of our youth frequent MySpace, I signed up for an account and waited to see what friends might come. Things like this tend not to shock me, but this one does scare me. The sexual suggestion and the possibilities of predation are simply too great.

MySpace removes the anonymity of the pornographic experience, but enables an electronic sexualized experience with multiple partners. Girls in their early teens have scantily-clad selfpics accentuating cleavage, etc. The pictures that many tend to post are of themselves while engaged in, shall we say, risky behaviors. And the comments/communication likewise tend to be rather sexually charged–in a pornographic way.

Take this little gem from the MySpace vaults. This is one of those endlessly circulating messages out there:

There’s at least 1 person on your myspace that wants to date you or sleep with you. So lets play friends w/benefits…

The rules are simple…

If you want to date the person who posts this send them a msg saying “I’m yours”

If you just want to sleep with the person and stay friends, send them a message that says “I’d hit it”

SCARED???

THE TWIST IS YOU HAVE 2 REPOST THIS!!!
& see who replies,

There is at least 1 person on your myspace that wants to date you.

Repost this as “friends w/ benefits”

Scared??? Absolutely. [sarcasm] This is exactly what everyone needs! Let’s have lots of meaningless sex. Let’s live out the pornographic fantasy. We can all just continue to live individualized autonomous existances and when the carnal urge hits us, we’ll just sate the beast together. It’s just sex. We can share the experience without getting ourselves bogged down with all the emotional/relational baggage that comes with it. That stuff takes more work than we’ve got time for anyway. We just don’t want to be tied down like that.

Better yet, let’s play this game. Let’s take our already sexually-supercharged lives and add a little gasoline to the mix. Let’s tell everyone we know whether or not we would like them to be our sexual drive-thru window. Why should MySpace have all the fun? Put it in an intra-office memo. Tell the guy in the cubicle next to you whether or not you’d “hit it.” [/sarcasm]

1 Cor. 7.9: “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.” This generation says that it’s best to be aflame with passion. This generation says that if you’re not aflame with passion there’s something wrong with you. This and subsequent generations, are being brought up to learn that boundaries are for puritanical morons.

I’m calling for self-control, but I’m also calling for parental control. Don’t just find out what your kids’ attitudes toward sex (etc.) are. Give them proper attitudes toward them. Instill healthy attitudes in them. And for their sakes, find out what their online behaviors are. You may be shocked at the double lives they’re leading.

*shudder*

I don’t remember if Homer Simpson said it or not, but if he didn’t he should have and would have: “Of course you can trust it. It’s on the Internet, isn’t it?”

And given how easy it is to get, shall we say, “published” in such a medium, it becomes mind-numbing and a little scary what a quack, a computer, an internet connection, a modicum of biblical knowledge, and a proclivity for alarmism can create. Gentle reader, I give you “America In Prophecy.” I mean, they’ve got a dot.org domain and everything!

My favorite part is where it entreats the visitor with, “YOU TAKE OTHER VERSES OF SCRIPTURE AND TWIST THEM TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD. WHY CAN YOU NOT OBEY THIS ONE CARDINAL LAW. FOR WHICH ALMIGHTY GOD HAS VERY PLAINLY DECREED HE’LL BURN YOU OFF THE MAP. IF YOU. DO NOT. OBEY IT!!!” And I’m thinking, “Wha? You mean I need to obey this guy? Didn’t he resign?”

I don’t know why I posted the link. It’s not worth the visit from anyone but the morbidly curious–of which I must confess I was one–and even then, not really. To any who begin to approach buying into any of this, please have a credit card handy and click here now.

Triglot

The current version is 1.1.2. I’m still finding little typographical errors, but I suppose this will continue to happen for a bit. Still I am entirely gratified by the experience and the end result. This is a useable, accessible, portable resource that I believe will serve quite well.

(Not so) Strange Bedfellows

Two of the books in the sidebar are eerily related. They are On Killing and Pornified. Each is written about a specific cultural taboo: the taking of life and the act of sex, respectively. Both make similar points: voyeuristic access to sex and death has desensitized our culture to them both. Or, perhaps more to the point, watching killing Hollywood-style and watching sex porn-style take these two mysterious activities and show us all the mechanics and still leave us without a clue about either one.

And the tiny corners of society that are as yet remarkably not directly touched by one or the other are still reeling from their indirect effects.

As I write this, it occurs to me that pornography more than on-screen depictions of the taking of human life is one of the most pervasive cultural influences today. And I’d argue that it is largly subliminal. What say you?

Finished

The English text of the Concordia Triglotta in Microsoft Reader format is complete. Here’s a taste:

I’m considering this to be version 1.0. I’m quite convinced that there are some typographical errors and other bugs that will need to be worked out (regarding formatting, etc.), but I’m generally pleased with it. It has been some work, but I believe it will be an edifying addition to the Lutheran eBook user’s library.

Part of my excitement is the ability to search, bookmark, and annotate on both the PC and the PocketPC. Additionally, where the PDF version takes up a little more than 2MB of space, this version slides in at around 670kb.

As the PDF version is available to the public via a free download at bookofconcord.org, I will be more than happy to make this version available as well, also at no charge.

Update: The current version is now 1.1. The Greek font was not working in the PPC reader, but is now. Unfortunately, the PPC only supports the “basic Greek” characters, so accents and breathing marks are out.

Autism

How much do you know about it? Would it surprise you to know that almost 1% of children today are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Even more go undiagnosed. This is a significant segment of the population. Chances are good that you know someone on the spectrum, or that you know someone who does. Causes are unknown, but research is making significant progress in treatment and management of ASD. Not only that, but research has also shown that early diagnosis and treatment can be phenomenally successful in helping to mitigate the associated traits of ASD.

We were shocked this morning when we learned that health insurance companies are not required to cover treatments for ASD or developmentally delayed/disabled children. An entire class of people is left out. Where federal law mandates insurance coverage for any number of maladies, ASD has not made the cut. And a disorder that is quite treatable, at least manageable, is left out.

We have some very dear friends with a child who is on the autism spectrum. The child is four years old, and owing to ASD, is somewhat developmentally delayed. Thanks to therapy, in the last 18 months the child is now capable of some limited speech, interacts with others more, throws fewer and briefer temper tantrums, and will even come to me (something that simply did not happen even eight months ago), among many other things. Therapy has been helping this child adjust and develop. But now, thanks to a company-wide insurance plan change, no plans are being offered to employees which cover such therapy. (Had the child been speaking and lost the ability to do so as the result of an accident it would be a different story.) The options for this family are a) find other employment with a more comprehensive health plan and pray that it doesn’t get changed on them; b) pay for the therapy out of pocket, which will financially wreck the family; or c) work for a change in federal law so that treatment for such children is covered.

Autism and ASD are not creepy. I’ve seen the way that parents pull their children away when the ASD child is around (once they learn that it is an ASD). They’re afraid because they just don’t get it. But children on the autism spectrum have a good chance of managing the symptoms through various treatments. They can grow and become quite socialized. When treatment has such a high possibility of success, it is a travesty not to include them in health insurance coverage.

We can do better. I ask you to please contact your senators and representatives. Ask them to hold the insurance companies to account. Demand that these children be given access to the therapy that they need to help them grow and develop and manage their autistic traits.

Homeschoolers and homeschooling

Does it seem to anyone else that everyone and their cousin is homeschooling? Back in my high school days I knew one girl who, with the rest of her siblings, was homeschooled. Then in the ninth grade she joined my class. The social aspect was a killer for her for a long while, likely owing to her Baptist fundamentalist upbringing and the lack of regular interaction with her peers. But she had her head screwed on tight and by senior year she had pretty well adjusted. But she had been something of an anomaly.

In the last few years the number of homeschooled children seems to have exploded. I’m not sure to what exactly I’d attribute this. Dissatisfaction with public education? Yeah. Who isn’t? Inability to afford private/parochial education? Ok.

(I realize I may have just insulted a slew of public school teachers and products of the public system who believe that they have provided/have received a good education in the public system. To this I argue that John Dewey, and not necessarily the individual teacher, has actually hindered the education and development of American students according to his broadly accepted philosophy of education. Classical education, on the other hand, actually teaches students how to think. Under the current system, no tax dollars or new teacher initiatives are going to fix the problem. This is a different post altogether.)

My contention, however, is that homeschooling, while beneficial in some situations, is not for everyone. More to the point, not everyone who is homeschooling should be doing so. The task is greater than it sounds, and many of these are not up to the task. I’m currently aware of about eight families who currently profess to be homeschooling. Of these, four of them (accounting for 10 children) seem more to be using it as a convenience–”we can do so much more together as a family”–while their children fall behind their peers, both socially and educationally; one of these families egregiously so: “Sarah” is going on 11 and she can’t read.

One of the problems is that the qualifications for a parent or guardian to homeschool can be extremely loose. These vary from State to State, but even as loose as they are, they mean even less in the absence of enforcement. Observe:

In the State of Illinois, for example:

• Specific Home School Statutes: None
• Alternative Statutes Allowing for Home Schools: None
• If contacted by state school officials, home schoolers must respond. They could submit a “statement of assurance” form to the local school district for the purposes of verifying that their childrens’ private education is providing instruction as required by Section 26-1 of the Illinois State Statutes.
• The statement of assurance process, however, is voluntary and not required by law. Parents who decide to submit a statement of assurance should be aware of the fact that this form often has illegitimate points. Therefore, parents should modify this form by omitting or removing non-required sections.
• A typed and signed letter stating that the children are taught the appropriate branches of education and in the English language, is probably better. Send it Certified mail, keep a copy and the receipt in your child’s school file.
• The statement of assurance form has often been exchanged for the non-public school registration form. On this form there is now the option to check if you are homeschooling. This is still voluntary.
• State Accreditation or State Recognition of Private Schools: Not required by statute.
• Private (Home) School Visitations: Not required by statute.

The State of Washington, as another example, seems to have tighter policies, but check out who may homeschool there. A homeschooling parent must only meet one of the following criteria:

• Have earned 45 quarter units of college level credit.
• Attend a Parent Qualifying Course. This is highly recommended even if you are already qualified to homeschool.
• Work with a certified teacher who meets with your student on the average of an hour a week.
• Be deemed sufficiently qualified to provide home-based instruction by the superintendent of your local school district.

It’s simply too easy to qualify and slip through the cracks. I’ve seen it in my own State. Homeschooling may indeed be beneficial and appropriate in some situations, but it is not the silver bullet answer to the socio-educational conundrum that faces many parents today. Not everyone has the appropriate skills and resources. There are certainly other issues from case to case.

This is not a blanket condemnation of homeschooling. Indeed, it’s something that my wife (a licensed K-12 educator) and I have considered for our children. And yet I wonder if we are up to such a task. If it is to be undertaken, in any situation, it had ought to be under sound advice, realistic assessment of needs and abilities, and with excellence as a goal.

Resource for mobile users

I don’t need office candy. If a resource is available in an electronic format, I’m all over it. So the Microsoft Reader has been a fantastic resource. It’s basically an eBook reader that works with desktop and laptop PCs, tablet PCs, and my favorite edition of the software–pocket PC.

The beauty of it, especially with mobile computing, comes in multiple advantages: space, portability of large resources, searching, and integrated text annotation. There are disadvantages, of course. Not everyone will want to read palm-sized versions of their favorite texts. Some do have trouble with reading electronic text as opposed to words printed on a page. And truly, there simply is no substitute for the feel of a book in your hands and the turn of the page (I can’t imagine lying on a beach with an umbrella drink and my PDA).

Nevertheless, I find it to be a phenomenal resource. The interface is simple and user-friendly. For large texts I find that this scores above the traditional *.pdf format in its rendering of text for reading on a screen. The Reader software does its level best to mitigate the problems posed for those who have trouble with on-screen text.

TabletPC users likely have more familiarity and longer history with this Reader. Some newspapers have begun issuing downloadable (RSS) electronic versions to be read by eBook readers with the TabletPC user in mind. The formats I’ve seen have been easy on the eyes to say the least.

Many resources are available in eBook format. Microsoft’s catalog lists over 1500 titles available for free download. Not all of them are worth the download, but there were some provocative titles. This format also provides for relatively easy resource creation as well. For my own use (inspired by Ryan Schroeder’s work in the e-Sword realm) I’m working on an eBook version of the English text of the Concordia Triglotta. I’ll post here again to signal its completion.

Printed books are not a thing of the past, and I would fight tooth and nail to prevent their going that direction. Electronic versions of texts have their limitations, place, and viability. A mix of both is certainly best, I believe, leaving the appropriate ratio to the individual reader.