My sister and I had a series of interesting discussions when Palin was first picked.  We went from shock at the apparent stupidity of the decision, the sheer ridiculousness of the idea that she will appeal to women, to a sort of grudging admiration for the apparent brilliance (intentional or not) of the pick. 

May I apologize to you?  You don’t know who I am, and I barely know you.  I saw your grandmother take you to the front, offering your strong young arms in service.  I watched as the kind young teenager, wearing his glistening robe, prepared himself to help hold the cloth at the chalice, and leaned over to hand you the basket of bread.  But he was told no, one man was sufficient at the cloth.  The other cloth, still hanging from the hand of the priest, was soon taken up not by this same, available teenager but by an older gentleman forgoing his ushering duties in order to fill in the gap left by a dearth of alter boys.

This is, as the title indicates, a rant. A long rant. A peevish, ridiculous, adolescent rant. Having clarified the emotional maturity of what follows, let me begin.

I grew up in the Southwest Hills of Portland. Please note a key word in the region’s title: “Hills.” The word “hills” is not a difficult word, it does not have some hidden or subtle meaning. It refers to ground which goes up and down, terrain one generally goes over, especially on trips to grandmother’s house.

W. Bradford Wilcox wrote an interesting article on the reasons for Evangelical support of Sarah Palin, not despite but because of the apparent inconsistency between her religious ideals and the realities of her family life.  I must admit, I have found it a little disturbing how quickly we liberals point out the seeming hypocrisy she represents.  How often does our ideology falter in practice (hint: do you drive?  do you drink coffee grown outside your immediate environs?)?  What I find equally disturbing is the apparent lack of acknowledgment of the difference between ideology and practice among Fundamentalist Christians and some Evangelicals (fundamentalists are not the same as evangelicals!).  Wilcox's article makes an interesting connection. 

Read the full article >> 

The Dormition is a feast of liberation, in the vein of the best of liberation theology.  This liberation is not merely celebrated by women, but at times led by women.  Miriam’s song celebrates the destruction of Pharoah, the triumph of the Exodus, an event of freedom from slavery and oppression which still stands at the heart of Jewish theology and practice.  Judith, combining deadly seduction and skilled battle
tactics, saves the Hebrews from destruction by Holofernes and the
Persian army.  The beautiful Esther prevents genocide, a feat marked
each year by Purim, a celebration in which everything is topsy-turvey (Esther 9:18-22).  The Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1.39-55), read and sung during Dormition, echos the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Sr. Katrina, a nun of New Skete, passed away on August 13th after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.  I spent a few brief moments with Sr. Katrina the week before, and had one rather stunning conversation.