Hockey Fans Tie Knot at Centre Ice

" After the vows, the officiant declared: 'Paul and Erin, you may now drop the puck.' "

I couldn't resist this one for all my American friends: yes, Canadians do such things as this.

Crazy kids. A Leafs fan marrying a Canadiens fan? I guess love really overcome all things. Though I do hope they covered that issue in pre-marital counselling.

See CBC Manitoba for the whole report.

Jesus and the Gospel - What Really Happened?

Three historians debate. By Larry Hurtado, John S. Kloppenborg, and Alan F. Segal.

Larry Hurtado writes:

"For something to be "historical" in the usual sense of the word, it must be explainable on the basis of what we know and can show as operative in the world in some observable way. And the key "problem" with the claim that Jesus was miraculously conceived is that it emphatically asserts a unique event that is not to be understood as the result of some ordinary or observable force operative in similar events. So, it seems to me that all that we can do as "historians" is to study the history of the claim, the traditions, and the sources in which they are preserved. All that is "historical" in the sense that I have used the term here, definitely. But was Jesus' conception "historical" in that sense? No. That doesn't mean that it can't have happened or didn't happen. I'm not saying that. I'm only saying that Jesus' miraculous conception can't be presented as something to which consent can be compelled by force of historical argument, in the way that we can defend a claim about more mundane events.

Although moderns are terribly exercised by the question I've been discussing (all too briefly), I think the more promising question is what the stories about Jesus' conception and birth meant for those who transmitted them, and what the idea might mean for other Christians (and those interested in what Christians believe). At the very least, we have an emphatic claim that Jesus—and all that he means for Christian faith—is to be understood most clearly as deriving from God's initiative. That is, the Jesus of Christian faith is not simply the predictable product of a given set of social and historical circumstances. He is at the most important level a divine gift and is to be understood in terms of the character and purposes of God."

From Slate.

Sing it up, Fuzz-Ball

Merry Christmas, from Chewbacca.

fulcrum: Reading the St Andrew's Day Statement

fulcrum: Reading the St Andrew's Day Statement: "It is worth pausing here to measure the width of the space between the lines; that is to say, how much the authors of the Statement have felt it safe to leave open as the subject for constructive disagreement. On the one hand, what they have said is compatible with the view that the serious gay Christian is simply mistaken; his or her position rests on a misunderstanding; the gay consciousness is a blind alley, with which the church simply has to be patient. Provided there is no attempt to stir up conflict, the church can respect the good faith of those who are mistaken, discuss the issues in a relaxed way as they arise, and wait for light to dawn. On the other hand, it is also compatible with the view that the serious gay Christian is a kind of prophet, acting in the loneliness of faith by stepping self-consciously and deliberately outside the church's tradition to point in a new direction that God is opening up and which the church will come to recognise in time. Precisely the seriousness of such an act rules out the hope for cheap or easily won concessions. Like certain Roman Catholic couples who, though using contraceptives themselves, resist the idea of a change in the church's teaching because they don't think such a step should be taken lightly, so, on this account, gay Christians would accept a minority stance for as long as it takes for the testing and appropriation of their insight. These two outlooks, the authors imply, can exist together and argue their differences fruitfully. Neither believes the church's understanding can be lightly set aside; both believe the situation requires patience and attention to God's voice."

A sober word from Prof Oliver O'Donovan, commenting on The St. Andrew's Day Statement.

Hat tip to titusonenine.

CPE and Blogging

Because of my curiosity about what other bloggers are writing about Clinical Pastoral Education, I have two searches that I have bloglines run for me automatically: I have technorati run this one and I have Google Blog Search run this one.

There are not many of us out there. I am sometimes led to Rachel over at Velveteen Rabbi, but I already read her blog. Other links that appear regularly lead me to religious bloggers who make a passing reference to CPE, and some lead me to career change blogs.

In the last two days I was pointed to two that are worth looking at, one for interest and the other for curiosity. For interest, head over to slactivist, where Scaramouche has written this post about the culture of death in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye, contrasting it with what others have learned about death and dying in CPE. For curiosity, and perhaps a giggle, check out the Pet Chaplain Community. They do, by the way, care not just for sick pets, but also grieving pet owners.