Vindication

Another thing that distracts us is the lust of vindication. St. Augustine prayed - "O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." That temper of mind destroys the soul's faith in God. "I must explain myself; I must get people to understand." 

Utmost 23rd November

#1.....

To be fair, if I could only take one album to a desert island it would be one with words to keep me encouraged - but that aside, assuming I was perpetually in good spirits then I think there is one album which has, for me, remained a constant companion for over 20years and just reaches those parts other albums can't reach.

Now, I know (as my wife tells me) the appeal for this kind of thing is idiosyncratic to me and the synesthesia, but this is it (cover by David Bailey):

After Tubular Bells, Oldfield was crushed by the tidal wave of global attention foisted on his already fragile psyche.  Retreating to the wilds of Herefordshire (oh my missed chance to climb it -) he produced Hergest Ridge, because he was contractually obliged to create a sequel.  His heart wasn't in it, and although many of us devotees feel it is a much neglected gem, it really wasn't a labour of love.  He chucked it at Virgin and retreated...only to be stung by the critical response: dubbed son of Tubular Bells (its structure whilst more minimalist is pretty much the same) it was an opportunity for the press to put down the new 'maestro'.

On the whole, for us muso's, this was a good thing - he knew he had much more to give and he set out to prove it to them.  And prove it he did (IMHO) - for many fans this is the ultimate Oldfield work:  a fully developed set of themes, beautifully played, incorporating what would become common fare 15 years later in 'world music' (African musicians, uillean pipes, his discovery of Lesley Penning and his recorders & whistles, with whom he had a hit in Indulce Jubilo) and a blistering guitar solo with what would become his trademark 'doublespeed' sound.  His mad overdubbing was taken to an extreme on side 2 (that's not an organ, that's thousands of guitars), plus his first song, On Horseback.  His creativity was back - including learning the harp to get the haunting sound to open.

It's pastoral, evocative, multilayered, rock, sound-painting at its best.  It's just too short.

The downside is good old Spotify have had to remove it for some reason, so below are the only online editions:  youtube videos, which sadly will produce 2 gaps where there shouldn't be any.  BUT just to let you know that Amazon have the original 1975 edition (not the new 2010 remix) at the ridiculous price (I hope this is true and not a misprint) of £1.99!

Hope I've got these right....
Part 1.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJw_pu5_DbQ
Part 1.2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDal2p_zxIE&feature=fvst
Part 2.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zol09q-AGMg&feature=related
Part 2.2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2UflUdryY8&feature=related

Stark: collapse of clergy

Constantine did not make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, nor did he ban paganism.  That came later.  Constantine's "favour" was his decision to divert to Christians the massive state funding on which the pagan temples had always depended. Overnight, Christianity became "the most favoured recipient of the near limitless resources of imperial power" [consequently] the "privileges and exemptions granted  the Christian clergy precipitated a stampede into the priesthood" [quoting Richard Fletcher].

Stark p62

Stark: Constantine and volunteers

...just as the wave of Christianity was reaching tidal proportions, along cam Constantine.  Very soon thereafter the Christian mission subsided...

...in doing his best to preserve Christianity, Constantine destroyed its most vital aspect:  its dependence on mass volunteerism.

One True God, p.60-61

Gospel and productivity

It does come back to the tie between sound doctrine and right living. The point of William Wilberforce's book was not exhort people to change their behavior but to lay out what the gospel really is, the primary doctrines of Christianity. Sound doctrine causes joy, which is the fuel for obedience and love. I would say, that's the connection between the young restless reformed, who are loving these great doctrines, that creates joy which wants to have an outlet for doing good for our neighbor. Productivity practices are helpful tools to make us more effective in that. 

Matt Perman, CT Interview.

Authenticity & self-deception

In his invaluable book I Told Me So, Gregg Ten Elshof indicates that studies demonstrate that people over the age of 50 list competency as their most desirable trait in a leader, while college students list "authenticity." The difficulty, suggests Ten Elshof, is that when authenticity is the chief virtue, self-deception becomes the most egregious vice. But rather than eliminating self-deception, that ordering actually breeds it. As he argues, the cultural recognition and ascension of racism as a sin made it harder to admit to ourselves that we are racists. Similarly, when inauthenticity becomes the chief sin, it becomes that much harder to see it in ourselves.

Christianity Today

Woohoo! 500!

500!

From July 13th 2006 to November 1st 2010 = 500posts!  Gosh, and they said it would never last....with a generally steady upward curve in frequency of posting, but without getting carried away.  And I haven't once lost it behind the filing cabinet, as happened to  my old quote-book.

As usual on these occasions, thanks to Dickie Mint for getting me to do it;  it's been useful, harmless and fun.