Hello again!
This is my last paper. It's due 5 PM tomorrow, 11 PM your time if you are in Texas. If you have a hankering to do some editin', I would greatly appreciate some hacking of a paragraph or two. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Prompt: Why didn’t European Protestants engage in serious missionary activity before the early 1800s? Explain your answer.
The European Protestant churches did not engage in any serious missionary activity because the Reformation had left the church and state trying to figure out political problems. Calvinist Presbyteries wanted to be separate from state. Catholic and protestant princes were divided in the Holy Roman Empire. The Anabaptists were generally shunned from general population. English Puritans pushed for reform and eventually civil war. All of these different problems and issues contributed to the delay of Protestant missions.
Calvinist presbyteries wanted to be separate from the city councils of the city. However, Calvin had an unusually large influence over the city council of Geneva. Michael Servetus was burned for heresy by the city council. Many missions, such as the Portuguese, were sponsored by the state. Since the church and state were separate, there was no possibility of a state-sponsored mission. The Presbyteries were still getting organized and precedents were being set. Missions would have to wait a while.
The Catholic and Lutheran princes did not get along in the Holy Roman Empire. Charles V was busy trying to hold the empire, and the Catholic princes and the Schmalkaldic League became divided. They decided to coexist in the Peace of Augsburg, but this division took away from the strength of the Empire. They would not be able to join together to send out missions if they did not agree with each other religiously. Also, Luther called for the churches to give their land to the princes. This took away from Church wealth and ability to send out missionaries.
The Anabaptists had a hard enough time trying not to be expelled from society. They were Pacifist, and leaders frowned upon having members of the community that did want to fight, swear an oath, or participate in the community life. Also, the Muenster incident put a black mark on the Anabaptist community. It had been a bloody massacre that destroyed the chance for Anabaptists to really flower without any condescension from others. This black mark and expelling from society definitely took the focus off of missions.
The Church of England was having political problems. Bloody Mary definitely put a halt on any protestant movement with all of her executions. But even after that things got complicated. The English Puritans pushed for reform in the church, and then they got angry about taxes. They started the Civil War and chopped off Charles I’s head. Oliver Cromwell was anything but an improvement. By the time Charles II was reunited with his crown, the church and the country were much too shaken to send out any missions quite yet.
After the Reformation, Protestants were having too much trouble at home to send out missions quite yet. The Calvinists wanted separation from state, but in reality Calvin still wanted control over the state. The Catholic princes and the Schmalkaldic League efforts in the Holy Roman Empire did not exactly combine efforts to send out missions, they were too worried about fighting each other. Not many countries wanted to have the Anabaptists and the Muenster incident was a black mark. The Civil War in England caused much instability. Overall, the Protestants would not send out missionaries for a while because the Reformation had unsettled their governments and stability.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Oxford Christians Paper
Same thing. If you like editing, could you just look at a paragraph and rip it to shreds? I would greatly appreciate it. I can also email it to you if you would like to access it in Word form.
Prompt:
This essay should explore a common theme or problem across three of the works (by three different writers) we have read. Your approach can be from any angle, but you must cite textual evidence in MLA style to support your argument. No outside sources are to be used. Make sure you have a clear thesis, coherent body paragraphs with integrity, and a thoughtful conclusion that summarizes your argument but that also engages in a bit of speculation. See the prompt for your Inklings essay for the format. Your essay should be 8-10 pages in length.
Dorothy Sayer’s play-cycle, The Man Born to be King, C. S. Lewis’s book, The Screwtape Letters, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s essay, “On Fairy Stories” contrast what humans perceive as reality with reality itself. Sayers points out that art must be good in order for it to reveal anything good. At first glance, the Gospels appear to contradict one another, but in reality, the differences add to the truth. Mary, John, and Thomas do not recognize Jesus at first, but when he speaks each person’s name, he or she recognizes him. Uncle Screwtape presents his client with “real life,” and the client forsakes the truth for this lie and is thus damned. Screwtape tells Wormwood to encourage his client to pray to falsehood and idols instead of God. However, Screwtape reveals the real pleasure and love that is involved in a relationship with God. Tolkien contrasts the false “real life” by presenting the reality of fairy stories. All three works contrast what humans perceive as reality with the stuff that is real.
Sayer’s play-cycle, The Man Born to be King, demonstrates how what seems to be contradiction is actually truth and how people mistake the reality of Jesus for falseness. For instance, the difference in the order of teachings in between each Gospel may seem to be a contradiction. Sayers argues, however, that they “turn out not to be contradictory at all, but merely supplementary” (Sayers 29). The different Gospels merely fill in each other’s gaps and alter the order slightly. Jesus would have probably told his parables and sermons multiple times, tweaking them on each occasion, so any minor difference in between each gospel merely supplements the truth of the others (26). “The divergences appear very great on first sight” in the story of the Resurrection, but in fact, every event in each gospel only adds to the story of the others (29). What appears to be a contradiction is rather adding to the truth and reality of the Resurrection.
No one recognizes the resurrected Jesus upon first sight. Not until Jesus calls out his or her name does the person recognize who Jesus is. They do not see the massive reality before them until they have proof. Mary thinks that Jesus is just a gardener. When Jesus yells, “Mary!” she calls out in reply, “(with a wild cry) Rabboni!” (326). She does not recognize him until he calls her name. She is unable to recognize truth until truth calls out to her. When Jesus appears to the disciples, John replies to Jesus that they “thought you were a ghost” (332). They mistook reality for something that is not real. John recognizes Jesus when Jesus yells out John’s name “(a little reproachfully)” (332). John does not see the truth until Jesus calls out his name. Thomas thinks that “seeing’s believing,” when in reality “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (334). Thomas recognizes Jesus, but not until Jesus calls him to feel his hands and side. All three of these characters do not recognize truth for what it is until Jesus reveals it to them explicitly.
In C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, Uncle Screwtape tells Wormwood to present a false “real life,” to feed the patient false prayer and false modesty, and to avoid Pleasure because that may lead to God in its reality. Screwtape tells Wormwood to deceive his client by making him think that the mundane around him is “real life.” Screwtape gives an example of how he prevents another patient’s salvation by showing him that “whatever odd ideas might come into a man’s head when he was shut up alone with his books, a healthy dose of ‘real life’ (by which he meant the bus and the newsboy) was enough to show him that all ‘that sort of thing’ just couldn’t be true” (Lewis 3). In reality, ‘all that sort of thing’ is exactly what is true, and the ‘real life’ is only a shadow of reality. But Screwtape manages to deceive his patient into thinking the opposite. Screwtape warns Wormwood, “If he must dabble in science, keep him on economics and sociology; don’t let him get away from that invaluable ‘real life’” (4). Screwtape knows that if he feeds the patient lies, then he will not recognize truth.
Screwtape tells Wormwood to encourage his client to mistake the reality of God through false prayer and false humility. He tells Wormwood, “. . . you must keep him praying to it – to the thing that he has made, not to the Person who has made him” (18). This “it” is a false construct or idol that the patient creates in his head. As he prays to “it,” he is not praying to God, and through this confusion he grows further away from God. The patient thinks that God’s Will is “the conscious fume and fret of resolutions and clenched teeth,” but God knows His Will is “the Heart” (18).
The gap between what the patient perceives as truth and what God actually is keeps the patient away from God, thus achieving Wormwood’s goal. Wormwood tries to “Fix in his mind the idea that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes them to be” by Screwtape’s orders (70). Defining something given by God as lowly or invaluable perverts its true nature and draws the patient further away from God.
Although Screwtape tells Wormwood to pervert his client’s perception of reality, Screwtape knows that real Pleasure can lead to God. He admonishes Wormwood, “How can you have failed to see that a real pleasure was the last thing ought to have let him meet?” (64). Screwtape sees the dangers of the gifts of God. He acknowledges, “The characteristic of Pains and Pleasures is that they are unmistakably real, and therefore, as far as they go, give the man who feels them a touchstone of reality” (64). He recognizes that the powerful reality of Pleasure may lead the patient to recognize the reality of joy around him, and thus lead him to God. Screwtape commits heresy in Hell for stating the truth about Pleasure, but this statement he reveals what reality is. Screwtape fears that the patient will not take the bait of “real life,” but in fact stumble upon reality if he participates in real Pleasure.
Tolkien contrasts the falseness of what many think of as “real life” with the reality of fairy stories. He declaims “real life” by saying, “The notion that motor-cars are more ‘alive’ than, say, centaurs or dragons is curious; that they are more ‘real’ than, say, horses is pathetically absurd” (Tolkien 21). For him, industrialization perverts the reality of God. He disdains a clerk of Oxenford when he declares that the clerk “‘welcomed’ the proximity of mass-production robot factories, and the roar of self-obstructive mechanical traffic, because it brought his university into ‘contact with real life’” (20). Tolkien says this “real life” “‘is the sign of a biological inferiority, of an insufficient or false reaction to environment.’” (21). This clerk is an example of someone who mistakes the mechanical world around him for reality and truth. His deception obstructs his vision.
Tolkien contrasts this obstructed view of “real life” with a presentation of how fairy stories show reality. Tolkien feels that “The maddest castle that ever came out of a giant's bag in a wild Gaelic story is not only much less ugly than a robot-factory, it is also (to use a very modern phrase) ‘in a very real sense’ a great deal more real” (Tolkien 21). Fairy stories depict more of reality than industrialization or falsehoods. He shows how religion can be reached through fairy stories because “Something really ‘higher’ is occasionally glimpsed in mythology. . .” (Tolkien 9). Fairy stories and whatever forms they come in - mythology, gospel, or just a good story - show readers a higher truth and how to perceive reality as it is.
These three Oxford Christians contrast reality and human’s mistaken perception of reality. Sayers first points out that art has to be good and true, and then she shows how what humans perceive to be contradiction in the Gospels actually build on each other and present a greater truth. People mistake the presence of the resurrected Jesus for falseness until Jesus calls out their name and proves his reality. Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters steers his patient away from the truth by presenting a false “real life.” He shows Wormwood how to encourage the patient to pray to something other than God and to show false humility. Both draw the patient further away from God. However, Screwtape does present what reality is through his depiction of Pleasure and its dangers. Tolkien contrasts the false “real life” of the world with the reality shown through fairy tales in his essay, “On Fairy Tales.” All three of these works highlight the difference in between reality and the false perception that humanity has of the world. These three Oxford Christians share a similar view on reality and its imitators because their shared reality is God.
Prompt:
This essay should explore a common theme or problem across three of the works (by three different writers) we have read. Your approach can be from any angle, but you must cite textual evidence in MLA style to support your argument. No outside sources are to be used. Make sure you have a clear thesis, coherent body paragraphs with integrity, and a thoughtful conclusion that summarizes your argument but that also engages in a bit of speculation. See the prompt for your Inklings essay for the format. Your essay should be 8-10 pages in length.
Dorothy Sayer’s play-cycle, The Man Born to be King, C. S. Lewis’s book, The Screwtape Letters, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s essay, “On Fairy Stories” contrast what humans perceive as reality with reality itself. Sayers points out that art must be good in order for it to reveal anything good. At first glance, the Gospels appear to contradict one another, but in reality, the differences add to the truth. Mary, John, and Thomas do not recognize Jesus at first, but when he speaks each person’s name, he or she recognizes him. Uncle Screwtape presents his client with “real life,” and the client forsakes the truth for this lie and is thus damned. Screwtape tells Wormwood to encourage his client to pray to falsehood and idols instead of God. However, Screwtape reveals the real pleasure and love that is involved in a relationship with God. Tolkien contrasts the false “real life” by presenting the reality of fairy stories. All three works contrast what humans perceive as reality with the stuff that is real.
Sayer’s play-cycle, The Man Born to be King, demonstrates how what seems to be contradiction is actually truth and how people mistake the reality of Jesus for falseness. For instance, the difference in the order of teachings in between each Gospel may seem to be a contradiction. Sayers argues, however, that they “turn out not to be contradictory at all, but merely supplementary” (Sayers 29). The different Gospels merely fill in each other’s gaps and alter the order slightly. Jesus would have probably told his parables and sermons multiple times, tweaking them on each occasion, so any minor difference in between each gospel merely supplements the truth of the others (26). “The divergences appear very great on first sight” in the story of the Resurrection, but in fact, every event in each gospel only adds to the story of the others (29). What appears to be a contradiction is rather adding to the truth and reality of the Resurrection.
No one recognizes the resurrected Jesus upon first sight. Not until Jesus calls out his or her name does the person recognize who Jesus is. They do not see the massive reality before them until they have proof. Mary thinks that Jesus is just a gardener. When Jesus yells, “Mary!” she calls out in reply, “(with a wild cry) Rabboni!” (326). She does not recognize him until he calls her name. She is unable to recognize truth until truth calls out to her. When Jesus appears to the disciples, John replies to Jesus that they “thought you were a ghost” (332). They mistook reality for something that is not real. John recognizes Jesus when Jesus yells out John’s name “(a little reproachfully)” (332). John does not see the truth until Jesus calls out his name. Thomas thinks that “seeing’s believing,” when in reality “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (334). Thomas recognizes Jesus, but not until Jesus calls him to feel his hands and side. All three of these characters do not recognize truth for what it is until Jesus reveals it to them explicitly.
In C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, Uncle Screwtape tells Wormwood to present a false “real life,” to feed the patient false prayer and false modesty, and to avoid Pleasure because that may lead to God in its reality. Screwtape tells Wormwood to deceive his client by making him think that the mundane around him is “real life.” Screwtape gives an example of how he prevents another patient’s salvation by showing him that “whatever odd ideas might come into a man’s head when he was shut up alone with his books, a healthy dose of ‘real life’ (by which he meant the bus and the newsboy) was enough to show him that all ‘that sort of thing’ just couldn’t be true” (Lewis 3). In reality, ‘all that sort of thing’ is exactly what is true, and the ‘real life’ is only a shadow of reality. But Screwtape manages to deceive his patient into thinking the opposite. Screwtape warns Wormwood, “If he must dabble in science, keep him on economics and sociology; don’t let him get away from that invaluable ‘real life’” (4). Screwtape knows that if he feeds the patient lies, then he will not recognize truth.
Screwtape tells Wormwood to encourage his client to mistake the reality of God through false prayer and false humility. He tells Wormwood, “. . . you must keep him praying to it – to the thing that he has made, not to the Person who has made him” (18). This “it” is a false construct or idol that the patient creates in his head. As he prays to “it,” he is not praying to God, and through this confusion he grows further away from God. The patient thinks that God’s Will is “the conscious fume and fret of resolutions and clenched teeth,” but God knows His Will is “the Heart” (18).
The gap between what the patient perceives as truth and what God actually is keeps the patient away from God, thus achieving Wormwood’s goal. Wormwood tries to “Fix in his mind the idea that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes them to be” by Screwtape’s orders (70). Defining something given by God as lowly or invaluable perverts its true nature and draws the patient further away from God.
Although Screwtape tells Wormwood to pervert his client’s perception of reality, Screwtape knows that real Pleasure can lead to God. He admonishes Wormwood, “How can you have failed to see that a real pleasure was the last thing ought to have let him meet?” (64). Screwtape sees the dangers of the gifts of God. He acknowledges, “The characteristic of Pains and Pleasures is that they are unmistakably real, and therefore, as far as they go, give the man who feels them a touchstone of reality” (64). He recognizes that the powerful reality of Pleasure may lead the patient to recognize the reality of joy around him, and thus lead him to God. Screwtape commits heresy in Hell for stating the truth about Pleasure, but this statement he reveals what reality is. Screwtape fears that the patient will not take the bait of “real life,” but in fact stumble upon reality if he participates in real Pleasure.
Tolkien contrasts the falseness of what many think of as “real life” with the reality of fairy stories. He declaims “real life” by saying, “The notion that motor-cars are more ‘alive’ than, say, centaurs or dragons is curious; that they are more ‘real’ than, say, horses is pathetically absurd” (Tolkien 21). For him, industrialization perverts the reality of God. He disdains a clerk of Oxenford when he declares that the clerk “‘welcomed’ the proximity of mass-production robot factories, and the roar of self-obstructive mechanical traffic, because it brought his university into ‘contact with real life’” (20). Tolkien says this “real life” “‘is the sign of a biological inferiority, of an insufficient or false reaction to environment.’” (21). This clerk is an example of someone who mistakes the mechanical world around him for reality and truth. His deception obstructs his vision.
Tolkien contrasts this obstructed view of “real life” with a presentation of how fairy stories show reality. Tolkien feels that “The maddest castle that ever came out of a giant's bag in a wild Gaelic story is not only much less ugly than a robot-factory, it is also (to use a very modern phrase) ‘in a very real sense’ a great deal more real” (Tolkien 21). Fairy stories depict more of reality than industrialization or falsehoods. He shows how religion can be reached through fairy stories because “Something really ‘higher’ is occasionally glimpsed in mythology. . .” (Tolkien 9). Fairy stories and whatever forms they come in - mythology, gospel, or just a good story - show readers a higher truth and how to perceive reality as it is.
These three Oxford Christians contrast reality and human’s mistaken perception of reality. Sayers first points out that art has to be good and true, and then she shows how what humans perceive to be contradiction in the Gospels actually build on each other and present a greater truth. People mistake the presence of the resurrected Jesus for falseness until Jesus calls out their name and proves his reality. Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters steers his patient away from the truth by presenting a false “real life.” He shows Wormwood how to encourage the patient to pray to something other than God and to show false humility. Both draw the patient further away from God. However, Screwtape does present what reality is through his depiction of Pleasure and its dangers. Tolkien contrasts the false “real life” of the world with the reality shown through fairy tales in his essay, “On Fairy Tales.” All three of these works highlight the difference in between reality and the false perception that humanity has of the world. These three Oxford Christians share a similar view on reality and its imitators because their shared reality is God.
Second of the Papers: 20 Things
Hello again!
This is extra credit for Christian Heritage. We were supposed to find 20 things during our travels that have something to do with Church history and write a paragraph on each. Again, if you like editing, feel free to direct my attention to a mistake. I may add pictures if I have time or I get bored of writing my Oxford Christians paper.
1) Each Anglican Church we entered had a lectern in the shape of an eagle. An eagle is a sign of truth, plus the bible was supposed to be opened on wings of eagles. The eagle was a Celtic sign before the Roman Catholic Church. The use of it in English churches shows that they used native pagan superstition and belief in order to convert the natives.
2) At St. Doulagh’s, a Celtic cross marked the boundary of the church. This was common practice, since it was there before there was any formal structure or building. This shows how in the beginning, a holy place could just be around holy water rather than a building. The place of worship was there before the church. This shows how they felt tied with the land and the holy water as a place of worship for centuries, not just focusing on a building where everyone comes to for commerce.
3) The leper’s window in St. Doulagh’s shows how from an early time, the church was a place that reached out to all people, even lepers. It marks a precedence for many other leper’s windows and eventually leper missions. The church from the very beginning worked to help the sick.
4) The Gothic architecture in Christ Church Cathedral is supposed to draw the viewer’s eye to God. It shows the change in the church how it began to focus more on the mysticism in the service and the distance each person had from the priest and God.
5) The rude screen in Christ Church Cathedral was to guard the Eucharist from the people. This again marked separation from the people to sacraments. The reformation took most of these down, but it still stands in Christ Church Cathedral.
6) The stained glass windows in Christ Church were built in order to tell the story of the gospel to the illiterate. This shows how the church sought to teach the people of the church what they believed. Also, it shows how many illiterate people were in the church and why many never could read scripture. They could not understand Latin mass, so their only education may have been their visual stimuli.
7) At St. Martin’s, the oldest part was built for Queen Bertha, the Christian wife of King Ethelbert. This inspired Pope Gregory to send Augustine of Canterbury to England. Without Queen Bertha, Christianity in England would have been extremely different, and not nearly as Roman.
8) On some of the newer stained glass in Canterbury Cathedral, there is a red keyhole shaped like a swastika. It represents the freedom from death camps after the Holocaust. Such small imagery shows how the church continues to make great statements through stained glass.
9) Wreaths of red paper poppies are laid on the monuments of WW1 and WW2 veterans in Westminster Abbey. I love how they still respect this tradition to pay respect to the veterans. The poppy is chosen because they bloom in one of the bloodiest battlefields in World War I, Flander’s Field. It also shows how intimately tied the Anglican church is with the war and the politics of Britain. Beautiful red paper poppies frame the grave of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey. The Church of England is much more intertwined with England, and thus, they pay more respect to their soldiers.
10) Behind the main part of St. Paul’s Cathedral is an entire area dedicated “To the American dead of the Second World War from the people of Britain.” I felt my heart just drop it was so moving. Yet again, the Anglican Church seems to be very in tune with the affects of both world wars because they practically wiped out an entire generation of men from England.
11) In the cathedral at Christ Church, Oxford, there is a skull with wings up in the right hand corner of the center of the cathedral. Earlier peoples would have been able to understand the symbolism very easily. This showed how symbolism of pictorial images was more poignant than words to a community of believers that could not read. The church catered to their needs, and they would not need to be able to read the Latin inscription underneath. Today it continues to be a symbol of good luck as motorcycle riders bear it on their backs to wish happy journeys.
12) St. Doulagh’s has a murder hole in its stairwell. This shows how early Celtic churches had to defend themselves. Vikings had no problem with sacking churches. It showed how the church had to defend itself just like every other institution in those times.
13) There is a special bench for the royalty to sit on in Christ Church Cathedral. The church very early on knew what they had to do in order to appease the royalty. There was no equality in seating like we typically think we might have today. However, Baptist churches seemed to have assigned seating, so there is not much we can judge. But it does show that those who had the money and status could get a better spot in the Cathedral and in fact had their own insignia on their bench.
14) Strongbow’s tomb, or at least his effigy lies in the nave of Christ Church Cathedral. It was said that agreements made by his effigy would be binding contracts. Much of the business of Dublin was conducted in the knave during the week. This shows how the church was not just the religious center but also the economic center of medieval cities.
15) At St. Augustine’s abbey, there were a few stone towers that seemed completely out of place. They are perhaps Anglo-Saxon remnants of a temple to their God. This shows how often times the church was built on previous worship sites in order to stamp out other religions. Perhaps they may consider the site holy or something.
16) In St. Martin’s, a spring constantly runs out from the bottom of the foundation. This is where Queen Bertha originally worshipped. Her chapel was built here because the springs were already considered sacred as a place of worship for a fertility goddess. Interestingly enough, this spring runs all the way to the site of St. Augustine’s Abbey. It shows how early Christianity was intrinsically mixed with other ancient religions in the area. Both considered the sites holy and continued the tradition of worshipping there.
17) In one of the stained glass windows for St. Frideswide in the cathedral in Christ Church, Oxford, there is a Thomas Crapper toilet in the background along with a china cabinet, both entirely out of their time. This shows how the stained glass makers either had a sense of humor, or the invention of the Crapper toilet was something to be advertised even in the church. The church wasn’t entirely serious. They had a bit of humor.
18) John and Charles Wesley are buried in the cathedral in Christ Church, Oxford. This reveals that the church still was very proud to bury very famous alumni even if they broke off from the Church of England. They are not entirely stubborn, even if the Church of England refused to send out any Methodist pastors to Methodist congregations in colonies.
19) There is an Impressionistic statue of Mary Magdalen and Jesus in Magdalen College, Oxford. Dr. Hanks found this interesting because Magdalen College has not been a Christian university for years and years. This shows a vestige of their earlier Christian affiliation shining through, despite agnosticism pervading the intellectual community in Britain.
20) In room 30 of the Ashmolean museum is a huge collection of icons and other items from the Byzantine church. An icon of Mary and Jesus is a very flat, unrealistic image with golden halos. These images were not supposed to draw attention to themselves but rather to move the viewer and remind them of the story of the birth of Jesus. They weren’t necessarily worshipping the image, but worshipping what the image led them directly to: God.
This is extra credit for Christian Heritage. We were supposed to find 20 things during our travels that have something to do with Church history and write a paragraph on each. Again, if you like editing, feel free to direct my attention to a mistake. I may add pictures if I have time or I get bored of writing my Oxford Christians paper.
1) Each Anglican Church we entered had a lectern in the shape of an eagle. An eagle is a sign of truth, plus the bible was supposed to be opened on wings of eagles. The eagle was a Celtic sign before the Roman Catholic Church. The use of it in English churches shows that they used native pagan superstition and belief in order to convert the natives.
2) At St. Doulagh’s, a Celtic cross marked the boundary of the church. This was common practice, since it was there before there was any formal structure or building. This shows how in the beginning, a holy place could just be around holy water rather than a building. The place of worship was there before the church. This shows how they felt tied with the land and the holy water as a place of worship for centuries, not just focusing on a building where everyone comes to for commerce.
3) The leper’s window in St. Doulagh’s shows how from an early time, the church was a place that reached out to all people, even lepers. It marks a precedence for many other leper’s windows and eventually leper missions. The church from the very beginning worked to help the sick.
4) The Gothic architecture in Christ Church Cathedral is supposed to draw the viewer’s eye to God. It shows the change in the church how it began to focus more on the mysticism in the service and the distance each person had from the priest and God.
5) The rude screen in Christ Church Cathedral was to guard the Eucharist from the people. This again marked separation from the people to sacraments. The reformation took most of these down, but it still stands in Christ Church Cathedral.
6) The stained glass windows in Christ Church were built in order to tell the story of the gospel to the illiterate. This shows how the church sought to teach the people of the church what they believed. Also, it shows how many illiterate people were in the church and why many never could read scripture. They could not understand Latin mass, so their only education may have been their visual stimuli.
7) At St. Martin’s, the oldest part was built for Queen Bertha, the Christian wife of King Ethelbert. This inspired Pope Gregory to send Augustine of Canterbury to England. Without Queen Bertha, Christianity in England would have been extremely different, and not nearly as Roman.
8) On some of the newer stained glass in Canterbury Cathedral, there is a red keyhole shaped like a swastika. It represents the freedom from death camps after the Holocaust. Such small imagery shows how the church continues to make great statements through stained glass.
9) Wreaths of red paper poppies are laid on the monuments of WW1 and WW2 veterans in Westminster Abbey. I love how they still respect this tradition to pay respect to the veterans. The poppy is chosen because they bloom in one of the bloodiest battlefields in World War I, Flander’s Field. It also shows how intimately tied the Anglican church is with the war and the politics of Britain. Beautiful red paper poppies frame the grave of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey. The Church of England is much more intertwined with England, and thus, they pay more respect to their soldiers.
10) Behind the main part of St. Paul’s Cathedral is an entire area dedicated “To the American dead of the Second World War from the people of Britain.” I felt my heart just drop it was so moving. Yet again, the Anglican Church seems to be very in tune with the affects of both world wars because they practically wiped out an entire generation of men from England.
11) In the cathedral at Christ Church, Oxford, there is a skull with wings up in the right hand corner of the center of the cathedral. Earlier peoples would have been able to understand the symbolism very easily. This showed how symbolism of pictorial images was more poignant than words to a community of believers that could not read. The church catered to their needs, and they would not need to be able to read the Latin inscription underneath. Today it continues to be a symbol of good luck as motorcycle riders bear it on their backs to wish happy journeys.
12) St. Doulagh’s has a murder hole in its stairwell. This shows how early Celtic churches had to defend themselves. Vikings had no problem with sacking churches. It showed how the church had to defend itself just like every other institution in those times.
13) There is a special bench for the royalty to sit on in Christ Church Cathedral. The church very early on knew what they had to do in order to appease the royalty. There was no equality in seating like we typically think we might have today. However, Baptist churches seemed to have assigned seating, so there is not much we can judge. But it does show that those who had the money and status could get a better spot in the Cathedral and in fact had their own insignia on their bench.
14) Strongbow’s tomb, or at least his effigy lies in the nave of Christ Church Cathedral. It was said that agreements made by his effigy would be binding contracts. Much of the business of Dublin was conducted in the knave during the week. This shows how the church was not just the religious center but also the economic center of medieval cities.
15) At St. Augustine’s abbey, there were a few stone towers that seemed completely out of place. They are perhaps Anglo-Saxon remnants of a temple to their God. This shows how often times the church was built on previous worship sites in order to stamp out other religions. Perhaps they may consider the site holy or something.
16) In St. Martin’s, a spring constantly runs out from the bottom of the foundation. This is where Queen Bertha originally worshipped. Her chapel was built here because the springs were already considered sacred as a place of worship for a fertility goddess. Interestingly enough, this spring runs all the way to the site of St. Augustine’s Abbey. It shows how early Christianity was intrinsically mixed with other ancient religions in the area. Both considered the sites holy and continued the tradition of worshipping there.
17) In one of the stained glass windows for St. Frideswide in the cathedral in Christ Church, Oxford, there is a Thomas Crapper toilet in the background along with a china cabinet, both entirely out of their time. This shows how the stained glass makers either had a sense of humor, or the invention of the Crapper toilet was something to be advertised even in the church. The church wasn’t entirely serious. They had a bit of humor.
18) John and Charles Wesley are buried in the cathedral in Christ Church, Oxford. This reveals that the church still was very proud to bury very famous alumni even if they broke off from the Church of England. They are not entirely stubborn, even if the Church of England refused to send out any Methodist pastors to Methodist congregations in colonies.
19) There is an Impressionistic statue of Mary Magdalen and Jesus in Magdalen College, Oxford. Dr. Hanks found this interesting because Magdalen College has not been a Christian university for years and years. This shows a vestige of their earlier Christian affiliation shining through, despite agnosticism pervading the intellectual community in Britain.
20) In room 30 of the Ashmolean museum is a huge collection of icons and other items from the Byzantine church. An icon of Mary and Jesus is a very flat, unrealistic image with golden halos. These images were not supposed to draw attention to themselves but rather to move the viewer and remind them of the story of the birth of Jesus. They weren’t necessarily worshipping the image, but worshipping what the image led them directly to: God.
First of the papers: Church Experience
Hello!
This is due 5 PM tomorrow, AKA 11 PM central time. If you have a second, please take a peek at one of the paragraphs and tear it to tiny pieces. If you just love editing more than turkish delight, I can email you an attachment with the word document.
Prompt:
Attend a regular worship service in Britain of a denomination which you have never visited before. Write 3-4 pages analyzing your experience. Write on the following three areas in your paper:
1. Before you attend the service, think about what will take place. What do you expect to see, hear, do? How do you feel about attending the service?
2. Describe the service itself. Who participated, what did they do, how were you treated by the church members?
3. Evaluate the service. Was it a time of worship for the participants, for you? What did you learn from your visit about yourself and how people worship within the Christian tradition?
Before I attended the Sung Eucharist at Christ Cathedral, I expected many candles and rituals. The liturgy would be strict, and the congregants would wear solemn expressions, following everything right to a T. I expected to flounder amidst a sea of talented believers who all knew how to flip to the right page in the Book of Common Prayer, hymnal, and bible in time. I would struggle not to make a fool of myself, only to end up completely lost and by myself. Heathen Baptist that I am, they would not allow me to receive the Eucharist. All would frown, and all the people would sit silently in austere worship. I expected to be in a far corner hidden from all. I would not be able to see any of the service as my Baptist upbringing taught me always to find a back row where I could slip out just in case I needed to go to the bathroom in a hurry. The choir would sing dirges and melodies that ended in much too many “Amen”s. All of the parishioners would be dressed up in pressed suits or designer dresses or flowery hats usually reserved for tea at the Eastgate Hotel. They would dismiss my sundress as both immodest and frumpy. In short, I came in expecting to have to lower myself in comparison to each important Oxford type around me.
I was not sure where to sit when I came in, and one of the ushers showed me up to the top row in the back choir. It was all much more intimate than I expected. I accidentally sat in one of the deacon’s seats. She made a motion, I ran away, and then she motioned for me to sit next to her. She was dressed in the fancy robes and stole, so she obviously knew what was going on. I knew when to kneel and stand and sit with her lovely guidance. She gave me the green booklet that had the entire service of the Sung Eucharist printed inside. It was much easier to find the pages I was supposed to flip to because it was all in order in a friendly booklet. Even the color green was nice and welcoming.
The second time I went, an American woman gave the welcome. I know that the Anglican Church is not sexist or anything, but I still did not expect for a woman – let alone an American – to start off the service. I thought that all Brits would be very posh and condescending towards us stupid Americans. She did a lovely job and I thoroughly enjoyed her eloquent prose. We heard the choir sing in Latin, which was pleasant to listen to. The counterpoint was delicious, and the choir sang much better than I expected. The third time I went, the choir was just eight men in blue stoles. I sat right next to them, and I saw all of their cues and chatter about what they were going to sing next. Even though there were only eight men, they filled the entire cathedral with heavenly music. They sang some of their songs in English, a surprise to me expecting more Latin.
The sermon was not what I expected either. The priest was hilarious. He made a comparison about how all the different denominations are just like coffee. It used to be just black or white coffee but now when you enter Starbucks, you have to decide: tall, grande, venti, latte, mocha, espresso, cream, iced, hot, caffeinated, no fun; he went through the entire list. I never expected for the entire cathedral to be lit up with laughter, but he made every corner reverberate. The British are just naturally funnier than Americans, and I am glad that he utilized his natural homeland’s natural gift to bring joy into the usually somber cathedral.
Everyone shook my hand with a gracious smile during the passing of the peace. It was just like any other greeting I have had in church, except for the Trinity Lutherans who take ten minutes to greet everyone in the church. They were quite kind and welcoming to my intrusive presence. Many of the congregants were actually wearing jeans. I only saw one hat woman.
I was allowed to take the Eucharist. I was sick the first time I went, so I did intinction instead of drinking, but I assume all was well because the priest did not yell at me. The wafer was translucent and melted on my tongue. I guess that Anglican doctrine includes transubstantiation, and chewing the wafer would be crunching Jesus’s bone with my molars.
The service seemed to be a time of worship for the participants. I enjoyed watching the older women as they kneeled down to pray. Their knees were frail, but they still wanted to show their piety to God. It was moving to see how personal they made their worship in what I thought could be an impersonal setting. The first time I went, I was a bit sick, so I spent most of the time feeling sorry for myself, and even took a short nap against the side of the pew during the sermon. The second time I went, I got a better feeling for the service and I was able to soak in God more while listening to the choir. The third time I went was just a joy. I watched each and every person and loved how everyone had a different way of worshiping. I noticed that the choir was made up of real people and how much they enjoyed the music. I began to enjoy the service more and thank God for such a place of beauty and fellowship.
I learned why I like liturgical and traditional services so much. The form is so pure that it allows God to shine through more easily without having to worry about the mechanics. I enjoy Bach and hymns more than praise music. There was some similarity in the readings with their church and my home church, Dayspring Baptist. I see the similar roots in tradition although both of our churches came to it through entirely different paths. Finding this point of similarity with the Anglican Church helps me understand it more. My expectations were shattered by experience. After this worship experience, I would like to visit other denominations and perhaps other religions in order to find common ground with other peoples and understand more.
This is due 5 PM tomorrow, AKA 11 PM central time. If you have a second, please take a peek at one of the paragraphs and tear it to tiny pieces. If you just love editing more than turkish delight, I can email you an attachment with the word document.
Prompt:
Attend a regular worship service in Britain of a denomination which you have never visited before. Write 3-4 pages analyzing your experience. Write on the following three areas in your paper:
1. Before you attend the service, think about what will take place. What do you expect to see, hear, do? How do you feel about attending the service?
2. Describe the service itself. Who participated, what did they do, how were you treated by the church members?
3. Evaluate the service. Was it a time of worship for the participants, for you? What did you learn from your visit about yourself and how people worship within the Christian tradition?
Before I attended the Sung Eucharist at Christ Cathedral, I expected many candles and rituals. The liturgy would be strict, and the congregants would wear solemn expressions, following everything right to a T. I expected to flounder amidst a sea of talented believers who all knew how to flip to the right page in the Book of Common Prayer, hymnal, and bible in time. I would struggle not to make a fool of myself, only to end up completely lost and by myself. Heathen Baptist that I am, they would not allow me to receive the Eucharist. All would frown, and all the people would sit silently in austere worship. I expected to be in a far corner hidden from all. I would not be able to see any of the service as my Baptist upbringing taught me always to find a back row where I could slip out just in case I needed to go to the bathroom in a hurry. The choir would sing dirges and melodies that ended in much too many “Amen”s. All of the parishioners would be dressed up in pressed suits or designer dresses or flowery hats usually reserved for tea at the Eastgate Hotel. They would dismiss my sundress as both immodest and frumpy. In short, I came in expecting to have to lower myself in comparison to each important Oxford type around me.
I was not sure where to sit when I came in, and one of the ushers showed me up to the top row in the back choir. It was all much more intimate than I expected. I accidentally sat in one of the deacon’s seats. She made a motion, I ran away, and then she motioned for me to sit next to her. She was dressed in the fancy robes and stole, so she obviously knew what was going on. I knew when to kneel and stand and sit with her lovely guidance. She gave me the green booklet that had the entire service of the Sung Eucharist printed inside. It was much easier to find the pages I was supposed to flip to because it was all in order in a friendly booklet. Even the color green was nice and welcoming.
The second time I went, an American woman gave the welcome. I know that the Anglican Church is not sexist or anything, but I still did not expect for a woman – let alone an American – to start off the service. I thought that all Brits would be very posh and condescending towards us stupid Americans. She did a lovely job and I thoroughly enjoyed her eloquent prose. We heard the choir sing in Latin, which was pleasant to listen to. The counterpoint was delicious, and the choir sang much better than I expected. The third time I went, the choir was just eight men in blue stoles. I sat right next to them, and I saw all of their cues and chatter about what they were going to sing next. Even though there were only eight men, they filled the entire cathedral with heavenly music. They sang some of their songs in English, a surprise to me expecting more Latin.
The sermon was not what I expected either. The priest was hilarious. He made a comparison about how all the different denominations are just like coffee. It used to be just black or white coffee but now when you enter Starbucks, you have to decide: tall, grande, venti, latte, mocha, espresso, cream, iced, hot, caffeinated, no fun; he went through the entire list. I never expected for the entire cathedral to be lit up with laughter, but he made every corner reverberate. The British are just naturally funnier than Americans, and I am glad that he utilized his natural homeland’s natural gift to bring joy into the usually somber cathedral.
Everyone shook my hand with a gracious smile during the passing of the peace. It was just like any other greeting I have had in church, except for the Trinity Lutherans who take ten minutes to greet everyone in the church. They were quite kind and welcoming to my intrusive presence. Many of the congregants were actually wearing jeans. I only saw one hat woman.
I was allowed to take the Eucharist. I was sick the first time I went, so I did intinction instead of drinking, but I assume all was well because the priest did not yell at me. The wafer was translucent and melted on my tongue. I guess that Anglican doctrine includes transubstantiation, and chewing the wafer would be crunching Jesus’s bone with my molars.
The service seemed to be a time of worship for the participants. I enjoyed watching the older women as they kneeled down to pray. Their knees were frail, but they still wanted to show their piety to God. It was moving to see how personal they made their worship in what I thought could be an impersonal setting. The first time I went, I was a bit sick, so I spent most of the time feeling sorry for myself, and even took a short nap against the side of the pew during the sermon. The second time I went, I got a better feeling for the service and I was able to soak in God more while listening to the choir. The third time I went was just a joy. I watched each and every person and loved how everyone had a different way of worshiping. I noticed that the choir was made up of real people and how much they enjoyed the music. I began to enjoy the service more and thank God for such a place of beauty and fellowship.
I learned why I like liturgical and traditional services so much. The form is so pure that it allows God to shine through more easily without having to worry about the mechanics. I enjoy Bach and hymns more than praise music. There was some similarity in the readings with their church and my home church, Dayspring Baptist. I see the similar roots in tradition although both of our churches came to it through entirely different paths. Finding this point of similarity with the Anglican Church helps me understand it more. My expectations were shattered by experience. After this worship experience, I would like to visit other denominations and perhaps other religions in order to find common ground with other peoples and understand more.
Travel
This morning, Brooke and I bought some scarfs and had a little picnic while waiting for our 12:52 train back to Oxford. We found a bench and could see the whole city out before us beyond a hill of grass and some trees. I had bought some sparkling grape juice, and carrots and humus as a snack. I felt pretty cool. We people watched and listened to the lone bagpipe at the edge of the park. One dad was trying to teach his little son to play cricket. It was pretty adorable. A huge clan came to out left and settled in those park benches. They had a huge picnic divvied out in ziploc boxes. The older women were wearing scarves around their head, and I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it seemed like a classic good old family time in the park.
We then got on our train back to Edinburgh and settled in some nice first class seats. They have little grocery stores in the train stations. So I got some shrimp with tartar sauce, fruit, and Turkish Delights for under five pounds. Mmmm, I love eating on the train. I just looked out the window for most of the trip, just enjoying the Scottish countryside. I felt like it was a proper goodbye.
When I got back to Christ Church, I just got a Pret a Manger sandwich and have been studying/reading in my room since then. Four papers and two finals on Monday, so probably no blog post tomorrow.
I forget that I actually have class. This whole trip seems like it has come out of a literary dreamworld. But the greatest part about traveling is coming home. Hmm, I'm glad I'm ready though. It would be very painful to leave my heart here. Horcruxes are typically frowned upon in our Christian society.
Friday, August 6, 2010
A preliminary look at bagpipes
Argh! I was just going to the kitchen to get my sandwich out the fridge. I sat down to eat it, and looking down from the window, the pipes and drums academy from New Jersey starts piping up a tune and marching around. Oh yeah! I thought tonight was just going to be an evening of writing by myself and a lovely video chat later on, but I have my own personal concert to serenade me Hmmm. Life is good.
Today was great. Breakfast was huge and amazing. Deliciously delicate croissants. And danishes, eggs, tomatoes, tea, pancakes... Okay, I didn't have all that. Just the croissant, danish, eggs, and tea. Breakfast is my favorite meal.
We held class about "new religious movements" aka cults in the cafeteria. Not quite as delicious as croissants.
Then, Dr. Hanks, Brooke, Caleb, Jaclyn and I took a cab into town. We first bought some tickets. So, the Fringe Festival is going on and a barrage of fully dressed up actors line the street forcing adverts upon all of us unsuspecting tourists. I learned only to accept the ones that came with Jelly Bellies. We bought some tickets for the afternoon, and then found the Elephant House. Oh golly-gee-wiz! It was great. I had a spinach cheesy thing, some sore of cheesecake thing, and peppermint tea.
I grabbed a napkin and started writing on it, just about how Harry Potter influenced my life and how the Elephant House may have influenced Harry Potter. It felt pretty surreal, even if the illegible green words on that napkin don't make much sense afterwards.
We then went to Edinburgh Castle. Oh, it was so cool. It looked like a snail. We found a canon, climbed on top, and looked out over the city. A photographer came up and took our picture (which we didn't buy, but we didn't feel bad because we told him we probably weren't going to buy it), and afterwards he told us about his favorite parts of the castle, like the stone of destiny and the dungeons of horrific tales of death and torture. I always like those. We traipsed about and managed to get through the frankly disappointing crown jewels in only 10 minutes although the sign says 27. Let's just say that Jaclyn knows how to slip through a queu... er... crowd. Ahem. We may have cutted.
But that was because we had a play to go see! I accidentally looked at the wrong address, so by the time we got there, I realized I had steered us wrong. That's why I normally take the back seat in directions. But, we hailed a taxi, and he got us to our play just in time. We walked in after some confusion of which room it was about thirty seconds before the play started. Dr. Hanks saved us three spots in the front row. The play was "Wonderland." It was quite wonderful. It started off with Charles Dodgson playing adventures in Wonderland with what appeared to be Alice. But then it turned out to be... Oh, I can't spoil it for you.
It was the world premiere! The Fringe festival is just too neat.
Dr. Hanks bought us ice cream afterwards. I got a knickerbocker glory as a testament to Dudley Dursley. Dr. Hanks recited a poem and had us act out the animal characters in the middle of the restaurant. A Scotsmen drinking some mead directly across from us watched with great interest. I played a pig and a turkey.
We then dispersed, and I read some Terry Pratchett in the bookstore for a few hours before catching a taxi back to the dorm where my blog post begins.
Today was great. Breakfast was huge and amazing. Deliciously delicate croissants. And danishes, eggs, tomatoes, tea, pancakes... Okay, I didn't have all that. Just the croissant, danish, eggs, and tea. Breakfast is my favorite meal.
We held class about "new religious movements" aka cults in the cafeteria. Not quite as delicious as croissants.
Then, Dr. Hanks, Brooke, Caleb, Jaclyn and I took a cab into town. We first bought some tickets. So, the Fringe Festival is going on and a barrage of fully dressed up actors line the street forcing adverts upon all of us unsuspecting tourists. I learned only to accept the ones that came with Jelly Bellies. We bought some tickets for the afternoon, and then found the Elephant House. Oh golly-gee-wiz! It was great. I had a spinach cheesy thing, some sore of cheesecake thing, and peppermint tea.
I grabbed a napkin and started writing on it, just about how Harry Potter influenced my life and how the Elephant House may have influenced Harry Potter. It felt pretty surreal, even if the illegible green words on that napkin don't make much sense afterwards.
We then went to Edinburgh Castle. Oh, it was so cool. It looked like a snail. We found a canon, climbed on top, and looked out over the city. A photographer came up and took our picture (which we didn't buy, but we didn't feel bad because we told him we probably weren't going to buy it), and afterwards he told us about his favorite parts of the castle, like the stone of destiny and the dungeons of horrific tales of death and torture. I always like those. We traipsed about and managed to get through the frankly disappointing crown jewels in only 10 minutes although the sign says 27. Let's just say that Jaclyn knows how to slip through a queu... er... crowd. Ahem. We may have cutted.
But that was because we had a play to go see! I accidentally looked at the wrong address, so by the time we got there, I realized I had steered us wrong. That's why I normally take the back seat in directions. But, we hailed a taxi, and he got us to our play just in time. We walked in after some confusion of which room it was about thirty seconds before the play started. Dr. Hanks saved us three spots in the front row. The play was "Wonderland." It was quite wonderful. It started off with Charles Dodgson playing adventures in Wonderland with what appeared to be Alice. But then it turned out to be... Oh, I can't spoil it for you.
It was the world premiere! The Fringe festival is just too neat.
Dr. Hanks bought us ice cream afterwards. I got a knickerbocker glory as a testament to Dudley Dursley. Dr. Hanks recited a poem and had us act out the animal characters in the middle of the restaurant. A Scotsmen drinking some mead directly across from us watched with great interest. I played a pig and a turkey.
We then dispersed, and I read some Terry Pratchett in the bookstore for a few hours before catching a taxi back to the dorm where my blog post begins.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Train
Hello!
I am currently on a Virgin train. I know I have said I love trains before, but now I really love them. A nice scottish man gave me two cups of tea, 2 things of lemonade, a cupcake, a banana, and a sandwich to come late. We just had class on The Great Divorce. Oh, I just got my sandwich, and Jenny got another cupcake. We can look out over the greenest hills on earth and see sheep and black spotted cows. Purple heather lines the edge up next to the train. The divisions between each plot of land are either old stone walls or stone walls with green stuff entirely covering them. It's everything I have ever hope for. We still have two hours left. I think I may just have to ride the train for fun and not actually go anywhere once I get into Scotland. Or walk or something.
Did I say free internet on the train?
Oh! I just got a view of more hills beyond a village. Hmmm... Lake District.
Eek! I just wanted to tell you how happy I am to be on this train right now, and perhaps give you a little taste of my experience.
This has only ever existed in books before. I may be in a dream (inception much), because this has only been literary in my mind before.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Rain and museum and books
After class, I had a missions: get a reservation on the train tomorrow and print out my paper before Oxford Christians.
I started out by walking vaguely towards the train station, relying on signs to lead me. I have never walked there myself. I'm notoriously bad about waiting until other people go and following them. My favorite crepe stand just happened to be on the way, and I got a slightly more healthy crepe with cheese and spinach. Oh, it was divine. Best lunch ever. Whoever said that the Brits had bad food have not been to creperies on the street where the cooks are French. The lady who made my crepe poured it on as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She slapped at it with a brush to put on butter and tossed the cheese as she were just another goddess making it rain, like she had been doing so since the beginning of time. She had a casual frown and her long blonde hair was loosely tied at the base of her neck. I envy her skill and lazy grace.
I eventually made it to the train station and got my reservation more easily than I thought. I felt so proud of myself, sort of functioning in the real world by myself. I waited in a queue and got 'er dun. You better watch out, because I may be becoming a functioning member of society.
On the way back, it started to pour. I walked about 200 yards and then I realized I had an umbrella. Oh frabjous day! I had not used my umbrella on this trip thus far. I walked a bit further and somehow got distracted by my mission by a department store. I just had to go in. It was dry in there and I could see an escalator. I planned to just ride the escalator, but it took me up to the lingerie department where they actually sell 32 A's. When I found something that fit, I thanked the lady that was helping me saying that you just can't find anything smaller than 34B in the states. She laughed, and I said it was probably because we Americans are fat. She turned a bright red and laughed and said she was glad I had said it and not she. The checkout lady was very interested in me since she has relatives in New York and Milwaukee. I wonder, do they realize that saying, "Oh! I have relatives in New York!" to a Texan is almost like saying (distance wise) "Do you know my friends in Spain?" to an Italian?
Nonetheless, she was very sweet. As soon as people see my driver's license, they always warm up to me more. People were right when they told me that Brits like Texans more than Americans!
Anywho, I put my backpack on my frontside with my sweater over it because the rain was getting worse and I had my laptop with me. Masquerading as one expecting, I thrust my umbrella back into the growing storm and went on to find my flash drive waiting for me in Boots. I got to go up another escalator! So much fun.
On the way back to Christ Church, I full-throatedly sang "I'm singing in the rain!" All the tourists were hiding in corners and shops, and the streets were free for me to dance and skip around. I love rain. I also love being able to walk without being constantly forced off of the sidewalk. Most of the people hiding under the bus stops just stared at me, probably thinking "Crazy Amerian!" But I'm okay with that.
A couple was trying to get into Tom Gate when I arrived, but the porter was adamantly prohibiting their entrance. He looked at me for a moment, and I held up one finger to ask him to wait, and I dug into my bag and pulled out my nametag, which is my golden ticket to get into Oxford if I don't know the porter. He smiled, and waved me through, and I raised my umbrella up so it would go over the couples' heads and I continued to skip and sing right through the quad into the stewards office where she printed off my paper off of my new flash drive.
Missions accomplished!
In class, Dr. Hanks labeled me the devil's advocate and used me often in his discussion of Screwtape Letters. He asked Lauren why I liked to argue with people and eventually got them to say that I was trying to figure out the truth. I think Lauren said at first that I liked to hear other people's opinions but more importantly tell everyone my opinion... Oh, she knows me too well. I have a bad habit of approaching people after class if I disagree with something they said in class and "discussing" their ideas with them until I feel like I have adequately harassed them. I do hope I still have friends by the end of the trip...
Anyways, after class, Julie the grad student and I went to the Ashmoleon museum. How come the Chinese were so much more civilized than the Anglos in 1600 BC? They already had writing and brass stuff! I'm constantly amazed. I took lots of pictures for Christian Heritage in the Constantinople and Byzantium church room. You are going down, extra credit!
We then went to Blackwell's. 5 floors of books. I bought four books. I thought I was done buying stuff, but alas, Julie and Blackwell's persuaded me.
And now I am here, telling you about my day thus far. Tomorrow we go to Edinburgh! That means five hours of TRAIN. Oh yeah. Uh-huh. I've got it.
Internet is still down, so no pictures, but we should be able to get internet in the hotel tomorrow, so I will try my best to tell you everything pictorially tomorrow. Oh family and friends, I do miss you so. But I get to see most of you next week. We should all just come here together and have a party.
I started out by walking vaguely towards the train station, relying on signs to lead me. I have never walked there myself. I'm notoriously bad about waiting until other people go and following them. My favorite crepe stand just happened to be on the way, and I got a slightly more healthy crepe with cheese and spinach. Oh, it was divine. Best lunch ever. Whoever said that the Brits had bad food have not been to creperies on the street where the cooks are French. The lady who made my crepe poured it on as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She slapped at it with a brush to put on butter and tossed the cheese as she were just another goddess making it rain, like she had been doing so since the beginning of time. She had a casual frown and her long blonde hair was loosely tied at the base of her neck. I envy her skill and lazy grace.
I eventually made it to the train station and got my reservation more easily than I thought. I felt so proud of myself, sort of functioning in the real world by myself. I waited in a queue and got 'er dun. You better watch out, because I may be becoming a functioning member of society.
On the way back, it started to pour. I walked about 200 yards and then I realized I had an umbrella. Oh frabjous day! I had not used my umbrella on this trip thus far. I walked a bit further and somehow got distracted by my mission by a department store. I just had to go in. It was dry in there and I could see an escalator. I planned to just ride the escalator, but it took me up to the lingerie department where they actually sell 32 A's. When I found something that fit, I thanked the lady that was helping me saying that you just can't find anything smaller than 34B in the states. She laughed, and I said it was probably because we Americans are fat. She turned a bright red and laughed and said she was glad I had said it and not she. The checkout lady was very interested in me since she has relatives in New York and Milwaukee. I wonder, do they realize that saying, "Oh! I have relatives in New York!" to a Texan is almost like saying (distance wise) "Do you know my friends in Spain?" to an Italian?
Nonetheless, she was very sweet. As soon as people see my driver's license, they always warm up to me more. People were right when they told me that Brits like Texans more than Americans!
Anywho, I put my backpack on my frontside with my sweater over it because the rain was getting worse and I had my laptop with me. Masquerading as one expecting, I thrust my umbrella back into the growing storm and went on to find my flash drive waiting for me in Boots. I got to go up another escalator! So much fun.
On the way back to Christ Church, I full-throatedly sang "I'm singing in the rain!" All the tourists were hiding in corners and shops, and the streets were free for me to dance and skip around. I love rain. I also love being able to walk without being constantly forced off of the sidewalk. Most of the people hiding under the bus stops just stared at me, probably thinking "Crazy Amerian!" But I'm okay with that.
A couple was trying to get into Tom Gate when I arrived, but the porter was adamantly prohibiting their entrance. He looked at me for a moment, and I held up one finger to ask him to wait, and I dug into my bag and pulled out my nametag, which is my golden ticket to get into Oxford if I don't know the porter. He smiled, and waved me through, and I raised my umbrella up so it would go over the couples' heads and I continued to skip and sing right through the quad into the stewards office where she printed off my paper off of my new flash drive.
Missions accomplished!
In class, Dr. Hanks labeled me the devil's advocate and used me often in his discussion of Screwtape Letters. He asked Lauren why I liked to argue with people and eventually got them to say that I was trying to figure out the truth. I think Lauren said at first that I liked to hear other people's opinions but more importantly tell everyone my opinion... Oh, she knows me too well. I have a bad habit of approaching people after class if I disagree with something they said in class and "discussing" their ideas with them until I feel like I have adequately harassed them. I do hope I still have friends by the end of the trip...
Anyways, after class, Julie the grad student and I went to the Ashmoleon museum. How come the Chinese were so much more civilized than the Anglos in 1600 BC? They already had writing and brass stuff! I'm constantly amazed. I took lots of pictures for Christian Heritage in the Constantinople and Byzantium church room. You are going down, extra credit!
We then went to Blackwell's. 5 floors of books. I bought four books. I thought I was done buying stuff, but alas, Julie and Blackwell's persuaded me.
And now I am here, telling you about my day thus far. Tomorrow we go to Edinburgh! That means five hours of TRAIN. Oh yeah. Uh-huh. I've got it.
Internet is still down, so no pictures, but we should be able to get internet in the hotel tomorrow, so I will try my best to tell you everything pictorially tomorrow. Oh family and friends, I do miss you so. But I get to see most of you next week. We should all just come here together and have a party.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Short post again, internet still to come
Hello!
Today was nice and relaxing. After class, I just walked around Oxford, bought a meat pie, and got all those last iconic gifts I needed to get from Oxford. I went to the post office and claimed a ton of stuff on customs, so now I don't have worry about as much stuff in the airport. Mom and Dad, the package may beat me by a day. Feel free to open it and look at all the goodies. I couldn't possibly have fit everything in my luggage on the way back. I had been a light packer and only had a carry-on as my check-on baggage. I didn't realize that the big suitcase even existed. Everyone was impressed and perhaps a bit perplexed. I bought more clothes than I brought here...
Anyways, I practiced my violin in my room for a good bit. That felt nice. The windows and mirror are perfect for practicing and I feel like the room was built for me. I went to the JCR to see if I could get wifi, but alas no. I have 200 pictures itching to get online. Dinner was lovely, I got to talk with Dr. Hanks, Dr. Rosenbaum, and Julie again.
People are waiting on the computers again. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Today was nice and relaxing. After class, I just walked around Oxford, bought a meat pie, and got all those last iconic gifts I needed to get from Oxford. I went to the post office and claimed a ton of stuff on customs, so now I don't have worry about as much stuff in the airport. Mom and Dad, the package may beat me by a day. Feel free to open it and look at all the goodies. I couldn't possibly have fit everything in my luggage on the way back. I had been a light packer and only had a carry-on as my check-on baggage. I didn't realize that the big suitcase even existed. Everyone was impressed and perhaps a bit perplexed. I bought more clothes than I brought here...
Anyways, I practiced my violin in my room for a good bit. That felt nice. The windows and mirror are perfect for practicing and I feel like the room was built for me. I went to the JCR to see if I could get wifi, but alas no. I have 200 pictures itching to get online. Dinner was lovely, I got to talk with Dr. Hanks, Dr. Rosenbaum, and Julie again.
People are waiting on the computers again. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Monday, August 2, 2010
magdalen, coffee shop, and midsummer night's dream
Hello!
Sorry, the internet is down so I only have a short time on the computer in the JCR, and no pictures.
However, today we got to go to Magdalen College, pronounced "Maudlin." It was absolutely beautiful. The gardens had every type of flower I could ever imagine, and we got to walk along Addison's Walk, where the critical conversation between Lewis and Tolkien took place that led Lewis to becoming a Christian. We held class for Oxford Christians on the bridge in front of Deer Park. Deer park is aptly named, because we saw about 40 deer right in front of our eyes, munching and nursing and frolicking away. It was lovely. We discussed inclusivism, one of my favorite topics. I'm inclusivist, many in our class weren't, and one didn't think that Lewis was. But come on! Emeth the Calormorene got to go to the real Narnia even though he worshiped Tash because his worship was done in love.
I got to sit in the same spot where Lewis worshiped every day. Teehee!
We went to a little coffee shop in the market and I got some hot tea with Jaclyn, Caleb, and Sam. One of the customers in there had been going there since 1972, and it was still the exact same according to him. Old movie posters plastered every inch of the ceiling. I feel like a cooler person now that I have been in there.
After dinner, Christine played piano for us in the Music Room on a baby grand Steinway. She did a lovely job. Then, we sang 4 hymns: one I didn't know, Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, and Lord of the Dance. I felt like a little kid and I had a huge smile on my face. Everyone sang with all their hearts.
Yesterday, we saw a wonderful production of Midsummer Night's Dream in the Bodleian Library's courtyard. I laughed every single ridiculous laugh I had as loud as I ever thought I could. You would have been embarrassed to be with me. Helena slowly warmed up to the guys she thought were mocking her after she saw that Hermia was jealous. Everyone was in classic 20s costumes, and Puck wore sparkly black hot shorts, garters, a black vest, and a black fedora in classic Chicago style. At first I didn't get it, but then I thought she was hilarious and perfect for her role. She sang all of the poetry stuff when she put the flowers on each person's eye with great bravada and lots of vibrato.
Well, people are waiting on the computers, so I will talk to y'all later. Buh-bye!
Sorry, the internet is down so I only have a short time on the computer in the JCR, and no pictures.
However, today we got to go to Magdalen College, pronounced "Maudlin." It was absolutely beautiful. The gardens had every type of flower I could ever imagine, and we got to walk along Addison's Walk, where the critical conversation between Lewis and Tolkien took place that led Lewis to becoming a Christian. We held class for Oxford Christians on the bridge in front of Deer Park. Deer park is aptly named, because we saw about 40 deer right in front of our eyes, munching and nursing and frolicking away. It was lovely. We discussed inclusivism, one of my favorite topics. I'm inclusivist, many in our class weren't, and one didn't think that Lewis was. But come on! Emeth the Calormorene got to go to the real Narnia even though he worshiped Tash because his worship was done in love.
I got to sit in the same spot where Lewis worshiped every day. Teehee!
We went to a little coffee shop in the market and I got some hot tea with Jaclyn, Caleb, and Sam. One of the customers in there had been going there since 1972, and it was still the exact same according to him. Old movie posters plastered every inch of the ceiling. I feel like a cooler person now that I have been in there.
After dinner, Christine played piano for us in the Music Room on a baby grand Steinway. She did a lovely job. Then, we sang 4 hymns: one I didn't know, Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, and Lord of the Dance. I felt like a little kid and I had a huge smile on my face. Everyone sang with all their hearts.
Yesterday, we saw a wonderful production of Midsummer Night's Dream in the Bodleian Library's courtyard. I laughed every single ridiculous laugh I had as loud as I ever thought I could. You would have been embarrassed to be with me. Helena slowly warmed up to the guys she thought were mocking her after she saw that Hermia was jealous. Everyone was in classic 20s costumes, and Puck wore sparkly black hot shorts, garters, a black vest, and a black fedora in classic Chicago style. At first I didn't get it, but then I thought she was hilarious and perfect for her role. She sang all of the poetry stuff when she put the flowers on each person's eye with great bravada and lots of vibrato.
Well, people are waiting on the computers, so I will talk to y'all later. Buh-bye!
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