Tuesday, 26 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

PBS recently aired a very interesting documentary that explores the concept of the “Wall of Separation” between Church and State, its history and relationship to the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. I think that, on the whole, this is a fair and balanced presentation. It offers a needed corrective to the extreme separationism that has dominated our church-state legal relations over the last half-century. So the program has come under some harsh criticism from those who favor that extreme as well as some gushing praise from those who feel they’ve been persecuted by it. You can search the Web for opinions, but there’s a good summary and response to the feedback in the PBS Ombudsman Column, “Is That Church-State Wall Just a Metaphor?“ I share this program’s point of view and I think it describes a delicate balance that must be maintained for our society to stay healthy. The program hasn’t been aired widely yet. Call your local PBS station and ask for it. The DVD is available here.

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Wednesday, 13 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

Last year I was given a copy of this devotional guide as a gift by some very good friends who seem to know me very well and I have been using it regularly since then. Dallas Willard’s writings are a tremendous inspiration and encouragement to me. They are best read in small bites and chewed thoroughly. Jan Johnson has done a fine job of compiling the main points of Willard’s book Hearing God into a devotional format that encourages just this type of reading on a very essential matter for every Christian. Reading a book about how to interact with God is not enough, no matter how good the book. The opportunity to practice is a crucial part of the learning process. Many devotional reading books jump from one one topic to another. This has much more continuity and focus. This format is ideal for the way one ought to approach such a foundational spiritual subject. Of course, it’s no substitute for the original book but it’s a great help in soaking in that book’s ideas. It should be easy for anyone to find the time to do the short readings and exercises in this book. There is a short introduction that is helpful in getting the reader started in doing the kind of prayerful meditation and reflection that is encouraged by the book but people who aren’t familiar with these practices might want to read one of Jan Johnson’s other books on prayer and meditation as well. I highly recommend this book and all of Dallas Willard’s books.

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Sunday, 3 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

After trying other things for a couple of years, I’ve just started using the St. James Daily Devotional Guide again. This was the mainstay of my devotional reading and prayers for several years before that. It’s a simple Bible reading plan that’s easy to follow and adapt you your schedule. It’s sensitive to the liturgical church year, which I appreciate.

Today is Trinity Sunday and in the Gospel reading in John 16:5-15 Jesus draws our attention to the importance of an all-too-often discomfiting and (therefore) neglected member of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit. We may have a familiar image of God as Father and creator of the universe. His human incarnation we know as Jesus Christ in the Gospels. But the Holy Spirit is harder to conceptualize. The other two images are easier for us to manipulate, control and keep at a distance in accordance with our own desires. The Holy Spirit is dynamic, unpredictable, uncontrollable. Our relationship with a distant Father figure or a flesh and blood historical person can be “kept in its place” at our end. But who can escape the presence of a Spirit or avoid a confrontation with him?

Jesus says that it is to his disciples’ benefit that he go away because the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, allows us to relate to God in a much less limited way. This is good for us whether it makes us feel comfortable or not. Indeed, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit’s coming will make many people uncomfortable. What to make of vv. 8-10, where Jesus tells us so? The three ways and reasons that Jesus gives for the discomfiting nature of the Holy Spirit all seem to have to do with the separation between God and his creatures. As the Holy Spirit, God comes alive in the very lives of those who serve him. We Christians ought to be the evidence that helps others to believe and repent of their sin, displaying in our own lives God’s goodness and love, and exposing by contrast all evil for what it it is.

God is not content to be distant, controlled or ignored by those who call themselves by his name. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. He doesn’t let us get comfortable with our own self deceptions. He is the very essence of any real and alive relationship with God. We best not ignore him, even if his work makes us uneasy at times, because he is the only way that all that belongs to the Father and the Son comes to us.

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