God Speed Jeffrey!

Fr. Jeffrey Steel of De Cura Animarum has recently announced that he is swimming the Tiber. By last count that makes eight of my former students who have gone either to Rome or Orthodoxy. Jeff is a man of deep conviction and theological reflection, so I am confident that his conversion is the logical and necessary next step in his pilgrimage. Anglicanism's loss is Rome's gain, for Jeff is a gifted thinker. But alas, as Jeff knows firsthand, there is no greater struggle than to live in inconsistency. And for this next step, I rejoice with him and support him.

I wish him and his family all the best in this next chapter of their lives. They will be in my prayers while they relocate to London, seek employment, schools, etc.

Read about Jeff's conversion HERE.

Letter to Jason Loh (Augustinian Successor)

If you can't at least be civil (let alone act like a Christian), then I'd appreciate if you wouldn't visit my blog. Don't worry, I won't waste my time visiting yours either.

Don't bother writing back. I really don't care to communicate with you ever again.

Have a good life.

Posted for the purpose of exposing a nuisance blogger.

Ch-ch-changes

So where have I been and what's been going on in my life? Well, as you can imagine, Hurricane Ike threw us off course for most of the month of September. The seminary was closed for nearly two weeks, and generally speaking the city of Houston was a mess -- one big traffic jam for the better part of a month due to the fact that many of the traffic lights were out. My neighborhood was hit pretty hard, with downed trees and fences, but, of course, nothing like what happened on the coast. We were without electricity for two weeks. Fortunately the weather cooperated for much of that time, giving us some unseasonably cool and refreshing days and evenings. On the bright side, my electricity bill was low.

So what are these ch-ch-ch-changes afoot? Well, it may come as a surprise to some of you, but I've put in my notice -- January 15 being my last day at the seminary. Yes, I'm weary and need a change. And I'm really looking forward to going back into parish ministry. No doubt my relationship with the seminary will continue for quite some time, both as a self-study consultant and as an adjunct faculty member. But my days of being a full-time academic administrator are coming to a close, and my days as a full-time parish priest are drawing nigh. I'm excited, because I might actually have time to write and do some research for the first time since completing my doctoral dissertation in 2000. Ironic isn't it? My advice for young, promising academes: If you like teaching and writing, don't be lured into academic administration. Stick to the classroom. You'll be much happier.

Going Incognito

My readers may have noticed that I've removed most of the personal information from my profile -- not that any mediocre sleuth couldn't figure out who I was if they wanted to. While I don't want to go into details, let's just say that a more subtle profile is needed at this time. I don't want to shut down this blog to protect my privacy. Hopefully, this will be enough.

Blessed Christmas to All...

...And a happy New Year. My family is spending Christmas together at home this year, deciding to delay our travel to the Northeast to visit family and friends until the summer (gasoline prices nothwithstanding).

Not much to update my readers on. It has been a terribly busy and tiring semester for me, and I am glad to be seeing the end of it now, though in just a few weeks a new semester will be starting! Added to the typical stress of academic administration is our institutional self-study for the accreditation visit in 2009, which may seem far off, but really it's not.

The kids are doing great. Our oldest boy has been receiving acceptance letters from various colleges, which means "decision time" for him. He's got some great options, but yikes! Have you all seen how much college is these days! Our daughter is busy as usual. Keeping up with her social calendar, both in school and at church, is a full-time job in itself! Finally, our youngest boy, ten years old, keeps us feeling young. Lately, he's had a sudden interest in football, which of course means less time playing video games!

My wife and I keep plugging away at the daily routine. Yet we're very hopeful of some significant changes in 2008. As they happen, and as I feel free to share them in this context, I will let you know.

Best wishes to all my friends and readers for the holidays. May God's love shine on you this Christmas and in the New Year.

Dan

Announcement

God willing the Right Reverend Rayford B. High, Jr. will ordain the Reverend DKD, Ph.D. to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast Day of Saint Adrian of Canterbury, OSB, Abbot, Wednesday, January 9, 2008, Seven-thirty O’clock in the Evening at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas.

Great Discussion on Anglicanism

Check out the discussion over at Per Caritatem. Cynthia Nielsen's educated "outsider" perspective is refreshing and the overall quality of her blog attracts quality commentators. Would that the mainstream Anglican blogs were as constructive and as civil! You won't be disappointed.

By the way, I've been taking some time off in Central Pennsylvania (visiting my parents) before heading off to Pittsburgh for an ATS self-study workshop this coming weekend. Then I'm driving (yes, DRIVING) back to Texas in a car that my parents are giving to us. So I won't be back in the saddle for another week. Keep me in your prayers as I travel across the country.

Note to My Readers

I'm on what I hope will be a brief hiatus, perhaps for another week or so. Besides attending to a number of items that need my attention, I'm also dealing with some tough choices that will have to be made in the near future. I can't be more specific on a public blog. But I would greatly appreciate your prayers. Friends, feel free to email me.

Pennsylvanian-Anglican moves to Canterbury

My friend Brett (formerly Pennsylvanian-Anglican) has packed up his blog and moved to a new URL. You can now visit him at A Pilgrim on the Canterbury Trail. I guess Pennsylvania Dutch Country was no match for England's green and pleasant land.

Summer Reading

My inspiration for posting this list comes from the promising young scholar who I hired to teach theology two years ago. Visit his new blog: What God Reads.

+++++++++

1. J.N.D. Kelly. Early Christian Doctrines, Revised Edition. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1978.

--A book I re-read on a fairly regular basis.

2. Kenneth R. Miller. Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution. New York: Harper Perennial, 2007.

--If my readers haven't figured it out yet, this guy changed my entire perspective on the Intelligent Design / Creationism issue.

3. Matthew Alper. The God Part of the Brain: A Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God. New York: Rogue Press, 2001.

--I haven't started it yet, but plan to soon. The subtitle says it all. I suspect the author is on a spiritual journey and doesn't know it.

4. Nicholas Wade. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.

--If you have an open mind (i.e., your gag-reflex is not set off by evolutionary theory), this is an extremely well-written work. I enjoyed every moment of it.

5. Bryan Sykes. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.

--I couldn't put it down. Sykes is a world renown geneticist and the author of the groundbreaking Seven Daughters of Eve. Not only does he demonstrate that the Celtic roots of England run as deep as those of Ireland, he also shows how genetics can even serve as the bridge between origin-myths and history.

6. Aidan Nichols. No Bloodless Myth: A Guide Through Balthasar's Dramatics. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000.

--Nichols is one of my favorite authors, and Hans Urs Von Balthasar one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. The combination of the two makes for an incredible read.

7. Lorna Kendall, Ed. Michael Ramsey as Theologian. Oxford: Cowley Publications, 1995.

--Something that's been on my shelf for years. Archbishop Ramsey was a giant, so this reads more like a devotional to me. His theological insights never cease to amaze me.

Confession is Good for the Soul

Here is my contribution to the Theological Confessions Meme. Biretta tip to Per Caritatem.

I confess that if I were ever given the opportunity to rewind my life and career, and to start over, I would probably enter the Dominican Order. I also confess that when I look at my wife and children, I am grateful that I will never be tempted with that choice.

I confess that I really enjoy having teenage children. I confess that still having a pre-teen in tow makes me feel younger than I am.

I confess that the Catechism of the Catholic Church has been a more formative influence on my life than Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer.

I confess that Karl Barth has irrevocably changed the way I do theology, and that, along with him, Karl Rahner, Henri de Lubac, Paul Tillich, and, lately, Hans Urs von Balthasar, are among my favorite dialogue partners in theology.

I confess that I wish my theological seminary had encouraged me to read modern theology rather than to avoid it.

I confess that those who have hurt me most in life are those who have used the pretense of orthodoxy to secure my trust.

I confess that theological liberals have often been more gracious to me than I have been to them.

I confess that C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Paul II, and Mother Theresa are among the reasons that I remain a Christian.

I confess that I have given very serious consideration to becoming a Roman Catholic twice in my life.

I confess that Sacred Heart devotion, gawdy statues, St. Christopher medals, scapularies, and other cheap trinkets are among the reasons that I doubt I'll ever become a Roman Catholic.

I confess that the virtues of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer more than make up for its deficiencies.

I confess that George Harrison is my favorite Beatle, that Pink Floyd's Echoes is the perfect musical composition, and that the end of Yes's Gates of Delerium sometimes brings a tear to my eye.

I confess that some of my most profound spiritual experiences occur while listening to Yes's The Revealing Science of God. I also confess that I find more spiritual value in listening to Rush's 2112 CD than in a MegaChurch service.

I confess that Christian fundamentalism leaves me cold.

I confess that I am in the distinct minority among orthodox thinkers in believing that Interfaith Dialogue is not only beneficial, but also necessary.

I confess that I don't exercise nearly enough for my physical health, nor drink nearly enough for my mental health.

I confess that I sometimes resent that, given my choice of career and my own aspirations, I would have gotten much further in life as a woman and/or an ethnic minority.

I confess that Charles Darwin poses the most serious challenge to the faith of many Christians, mainly because he was correct.

I confess that my disenchantment with Intelligent Design theory rests entirely on my commitment to Theism.

I confess that I am convinced that life exists in other places in our universe, perhaps even in our own solar system, and that the eventual discovery of non-terrestrial life will inspire the most serious re-think of Christian theology since Copernicus. I confess every intention of staying ahead of the curve on this one.

I confess that local orthodoxies (i.e., confessions of faith), while serving a certain usefulness, often become "household idols" that stifle theological inquiry, stall ecumenical progress, and stunt the faith of many. I also confess that I am often impatient with Anglicans who revere the 39 Articles as such.

My Mugshot

Y'all can check out my mugshot at my parish's website, where I will be serving out my diaconate until my ordination to the priesthood in six months. My diocese considers my place of work, (the seminary), as my official placement.

Namárië

Not exactly breaking news...but for those readers who may not have heard, Fr. Al Kimel of Pontifications is now retiring from the blogosphere. Read his departing entry here.

Here is an excerpt:

Becoming Catholic has brought many blessings, but it has not healed the sorrows of my heart. Indeed, in some ways it has intensified these sorrows. But this is all very private. All I need say is that I often find them overwhelming. God is silent. I am reduced to silence.

I think many of us can relate to this on some level. I know that I can. Fr. Al, you will be missed.

One week away from the "Midas touch"

Just an update on my status, for those who may not be "in the know": I will be ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Don Wimberly of the Diocese of Texas next Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. This will take place at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston. I will, however, continue in my present position as Dean of the Faculty at an ecumenical seminary.

Hello? Is there anybody in there?

Okay, so I stole that line from Pink Floyd. "Comfortably Numb" -- great song. For those who may still come by to read this blog, be on the lookout for the resumption of my blogging come this weekend. I spent much of last weekend (Thurs.-Mon.) in the hospital. I had a little chest pain scare, and went through a number of tests over the weekend, including the dreaded stress test...not fun. Heart seems okay. I'm still having chest pains, but at least I'm not stressed about it. Ha! That's ironic since stress seems to be the problem!

A Few More Links

I'm still doing some house cleaning of my blog, as well as adding more features and some links. Check out the following blogs:

Axegrinder (long overdue to be added)
Disruptive Grace
Elysium
Anglican Ethos-Theological Resources
A-C Ruminations
The Sarabite
Per Caritatem
Evangelical Catholicism

Polling my readers: Please vote

Old format or new?

Additions to my blog list

I just added four blogs to my blog list. Long over due to be added is AH's very insightful Trinitarian Life, one of my favorite reads. Also, a new find for me which looks very promising is John Paul Hoskins' blog Tolle lege, tolle lege. My friend, Doug Martin, has added yet another blog - Second Spring - to his portfolio. And, finally, another blog long overdue to be added: Reformed Catholicism. Be sure to check them all out.

The Boys are Back in Town!

I'm excited! After a lengthy hiatus, the Energies of the Trinity blog is back up again. Perry Robinson and Photius Jones, the "boys" over at Energies, are quite heady, but always informative and usually provocative. Be sure to check them out.

Updating my sidebar

I began blogging last April, and, needless to say, my understanding of the blogsphere, its potential, and the resources available has changed drammatically since that time. It's also about time that I did a little house-cleaning. One of the things that needs to be done is to update the links on my sidebar, which includes adding some new links and removing some redundant ones. But I want to ask my readers what blogs and/or sites might be good to add to the list. Any suggestions?