Book Review – The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald December 27, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Turkey, Uncategorized.add a comment
aired on NET Nebraska Radio(NPR) November 3, 2011The Dervish House, a novel by Ian McDonald,
Reviewed by Stephen Griffith
At the center of this story is a centuries-old building in Istanbul that originally housed a community of Sufi mystics, or Dervishes. In 2027 or so it is home to a collection of six people whose lives will intersect in very unexpected ways.
There is a young drug user whose flight from the law has brought him to Istanbul. He is caught in a suicide bombing in which only the bomber dies. After the attack, the man begins seeing djinn, the supernatural beings that gave rise to stories of genies.
Then there is a boy confined in isolation due to a heart condition. He sends a computer-controlled robot/pet to explore the world he wishes he could inhabit in person.
In the coffeehouse below, one of the regular customers is an old man, a Greek economist forced out of his position at the University because of his nationality and the vagaries of Turkish/Greek politics.
We meet a young young woman with a degree in marketing looking for a job. We meet a sophisticated, glamorous art and antiquities dealer who is hired to find an artifact that may not even exist and sets off on a quest worthy of Indiana Jones.
Her husband is a commodities trader for a huge energy monopoly that is a pillar of the Turkish (and European) economy. He and a group of friends hatch an elaborate insider trading scheme involving energy futures.
It is the 3rd decade of the 21st century, 5 years after Turkey is admitted to the European Union. Sitting astride Europe and Asia, Istanbul is once again a center of global trade. This is a world in which robots and nanotechnology are used in everyday applications that allow people to transmit data through a handshake, enhance memory by inhaling nanobots and leave their cars to park themselves.
McDonald paints a vivid and quite recognizable picture of Istanbul it might be 15 years or so from now. Over the course of a week, he follows his characters through its streets and shops and along the Bosporus, relating a history sometimes real and sometimes imagined – or at least a plausible extrapolation from our present world.
Through their eyes the reader gets a glimpse into ancient folk legends and can imagine the technology of a not-too-distant future. In the byzantine plot twists the the author considers the significance of religion, the nature of consciousness and reality, terrorism, politics and ethics. Through it all the characters stumble toward appreciating family, relationships, loyalty and life itself.
The book is The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald.
A note: I read this novel in e-book form. I like holding a book in my hands and relish the feel of the pages between my fingers. But I couldn’t find this book in the library and wasn’t ready to pay for a large hardback I had heard about from only one person. So I choose the digital version. Not only did it get me the book inexpensively but it was very convenient to take along on a short trip when traveling light was a priority. I won’t abandon physical books but I won’t turn up my nose at the Kindle/Nook/iBook variety either.
Steve’s Christmas Letter December 22, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Uncategorized.2 comments
It’s nearly Christmas once again! The decorations are up, choirs are singing and there’s a chance I’ll catch the holiday spirit before Christmas Eve! (I’m avoiding all the television Christmas specials so they don’t ruin it for me. Apologies if that’s too Scrooge-like.)
This year has gone by quickly. Son Jon was home on leave from the Navy in January and again in May, and helped me get the house ready to sell. No, I’m not going anywhere, just downsizing and getting a place that fits me. No sale yet; now that winter’s here I’ll wait ‘til spring to put it back on the market.
May and October found me in Washington, DC for conferences and public policy advocacy (Human Rights Campaign, Imagine No Malaria). In April I performed a short piece I wrote responding to sculpture at Sheldon Museum of Art. Then in November was cast in Arthur Miller’s classic, The Crucible. Both were productions of Angels Theatre Company.
Though there was no extended vacation trip, I did manage a weekend with friends in Ithaca, New York. The Finger Lakes District was beautiful, even if the foliage hadn’t turned yet! And I got to Jacksonville, Florida, at the end of July to see Jon before his ship deployed. He’s a Petty Officer Third Class on the USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa. I get occasional emails, and the ship’s information officer posts photos on Facebook. They’ll return in mid-March.
Now in my tenth year at Saint Paul Church I still enjoy the congregation and the community I’m assigned to minister to beyond the church walls. I’m Vice-President of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and frequently give pastoral care to LGBT people. I’m a fan of theater and have made many friends there. One actor texted saying she’s glad she has a pastor she can relate to even though she’s not religious. Sounds like a new job description: minister to the non-religious.
Here’s wishing blessings worth remembering for you and those you care about.
Merry Christmas!
Steve
Christmas at the Capitol December 20, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Interfaith, Spirituality and Prayer, United Methodist.add a comment
Recently I gave the invocation at the tree-lighting ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol:
O Thou Eternal and Holy,
O Thou Compassion and Mercy,
O Thou Unnameable,|
O Thou …We are people descended from many nations, people of many traditions, many cultures, people of many faiths … and no faith. We have come together in the holy season of one faith to celebrate. Amid the dark and chill of winter may the light of this season warm our spirits.
Illuminate our community, that we may recognize one another as members together of one human family. Increase among us a spirit of generosity and compassion, a spirit of wisdom and understanding. Help us grow in understanding and live in harmony, so from life’s first cry to final breath we may build a place where every woman, man and child may know the wonder, beauty, goodness and fullness you intend.
Be in our midst this day that the music may lift our souls, the words inspire our hearts and the beauty of this place remind us of the multi-colored mosaic in which we live. May light fill this place and our community. May joy surround all its people. May justice and compassion and peace mark all our doings. May hope become reality, and may love be the sign. Amen.
After the ceremony I was approached by a concerned woman: “You didn’t say anything about Christmas!” Replied I, “I asked God to bless us with the qualities we focus on at Christmas.” “But you didn’t say the word Christmas!”
She’s right: I did not say “Christmas.” I was praying at a public event sponsored by a private, non-religious, non-profit organization, hosted by the Governor and First Lady. I expected people to be there who would have different beliefs and varying understandings of the meaning of Christmas and its religious significance. When I am preaching, praying or teaching at my church, I will urge people to live faithfully, following the teachings of Christ. If people have come to an event to hear me because I am a Christian minister, then I will advocate for my faith. But I chose not to use the platform of this event to impose my personal beliefs on or evangelize a captive audience. If that puts me in some supposed “war on Christmas,” so be it.
Christians and Muslims: Children of Abraham – Some Books for Digging Deeper July 17, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Interfaith, Spirituality and Prayer.Tags: interfaith, Islam, religions, Spirituality and Prayer
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In today’s sermon I continue my comments on how Christians should relate to people of other religions. I looked specifically at Islam. I’ll post both sermons in the next few days after a little editing. For now I’d like to suggest several books that I’ve found helpful in understanding Islam.
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, by by Reza Aslan, is a fascinating resource. Aslan traces the development of the religion from pre-Islamic Arabia through the present day, describing forces and movements that gave rise to current events. He identifies (and advocates for) a reformation presently roiling within the Muslim world. (on 7/14 I reviewed the book on Nebraska NPR’s All about Books.
The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity, by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, gives a more structured look at the beliefs and practices of Muslims. There is, for example, a beautifully written and very moving chapter on the oneness of God and the inherent unity of creation, as well as commentary on love, justice and Shar’ia law.
I’m also reading Allah: A Christian Response, by Miroslav Volf. This Christian theologian sets out to demonstrate that Christians and Muslims worship the same God and that, even given major differences, there are significant parallels between the two religions and much that they can share with each other.
If you’re interested in Sufism, The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish, by Neil Douglas-Klotz, gives a Christian’s devotional venture into this approach to knowing God intimately.
And don’t miss The Essential Rumi or other collections of poems by Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, in modern day Turkey. His followers became the Mevlevi Sufi order, also known as Whirling Dervishes.
Christianity, Buddhism and Islam – some books from July 10 Sermon July 11, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Uncategorized.Tags: Buddhism, interfaith, Islam, religions
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As part of the summer series at Saint Paul, I am preaching two sermons on how Christians should regard people of other religions. I’m making some observations on the question in general, then giving some attention to Buddhism and Islam in particular.
In my sermon yesterday I stated the premise “that we can walk the Path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths God may provide for humanity. I believe we can be thoroughly faithful, devout Christians and still recognize that other religions have validity.”
I am indebted for this wording to Eric Elnes in The Phoenix Affirmations: A New for the Future of Christianity. I also found Brian McLaren’s book, A New Kind of Christianity, to be helpful and an inspiration.
Another book that I didn’t mention but is very worth reading is Relating to People of Other Religions: What Every Christian Needs to Know, by Thomas Thangaraj.
There are many books on Buddhism. The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh has written prolifically. I mentioned Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers; his book Living Buddha, Living Christ is good, too. I have also appreciated The Miracle of Mindfulness.
In Happiness Here and Now: The Eightfold Path of Jesus Revisited with Buddhist Insights, Elizabeth West looks at ways Jesus’ Beatitudes resonate with Buddhist teachings. Very interesting! And I found Steve Hagen’s little book, Buddhism Plain and Simple, to be helpful.
Next Sunday I’ll talk about Islam. As with Buddhism won’t attempt a systematic review of the religion, but simply give the briefest description, identify some values we share, attempt to correct some misperceptions and offer a few observations on things I appreciate.
Stephen Griffith
It’s Time for the Church to Repent June 4, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in GLBT, United Methodist.Tags: GLBT, United Methodist
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This noon we finished this year’s session of the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church. Among other matters, we considered several petitions asking the General Conference next year to change our condemnatory policies that exclude GLBT persons. The conference defeated most of them. (There were two exceptions. One was a petition to add civil marriage and civil unions to a list of civil rights that should be guaranteed regardless of sexual orientation. The other was to urge our churches to read and discuss “A Statement of Counsel to the Church” by 33 retired bishops.) But at least we did discuss them, rejecting an attempt to refer them all for study.
We have been talking about homosexuality in the church for more than 30 years – all my adult life! In those conversations we invariably talk about what the Bible says, and we should! And someone usually says “God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
I agree. God hasn’t changed, but the world in which we experience God has. Scripture hasn’t changed, but the world in which we understand it has, and so has the way we understand the world, and what we thought we knew about God doesn’t really fit anymore, and what we thought we understood about scripture no longer makes sense, and we have to rely on God to keep teaching us, keep guiding us, keep speaking to us.
The fact is many United Methodists understand that that Bible does not condemn homosexuality. In this new world we have to find the courage to see what it the Bible really says and doesn’t say, and know the facts about the world around us.
Meanwhile, we have a crisis: Saint Paul Church where I serve is 6 blocks from UNL and a fair number of students attend. But as I talk with young adults on campus and in the community and invite them to church they are often incredulous. They ask “Why should I be part of a church that doesn’t have room for my friends, or won’t let me participate fully? Many of these grew up in churches in rural Nebraska. Our own youth, when they learn that the UMC has policies condemning gays and lesbians, shake their heads: “You mean my church won’t accept my friends just because of who they are?” One of our members asked me the other day if they should find a church in another denomination that will accept their gay and lesbian family members.
As long as we stay mired in these debates that distract us we are telling our members and the world around us that the church is irrelevant, that the gospel is meaningless or at least doesn’t apply to everyone. While we hang on to misunderstandings and misinterpretations and faulty assumptions, we are driving our young people away and shutting our doors on those who long to know the saving, transforming love of God in Christ. We say, “Our hearts, our minds and our doors are open,” but there is an asterisk: “*some exceptions may apply.”
It’s time for us to repent, to turn around and reach out to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, and include them fully in our membership and our ministries.
Remarks at “It Gets Better” Vigil – UNL – October 7, 2010 October 7, 2010
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So many hearts are aching tonight. And many hearts are full of compassion. All around the country this past week people in places of worship have said prayers for Tyler Clementi and the many others who have died, and for countless others who have contemplated suicide.
Often when people – especially young people – take their own lives we ask, “What could we have done to prevent it, to make it better?” This time it’s clear – all too clear. The bullying, the taunting, the inflammatory rhetoric, the viciousness toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons must end!
We promise “It Gets Better.” And we mean it. But we all have work to make sure it gets better!
Too often, churches and religious groups have contributed to the hatred or, at best, have stood by silent while people have suffered. No longer! I’m here as a minister to let you know that there are religious congregations in Lincoln who will accept you, no matter who you are.
There are clergy women and men who will listen and understand and comfort and encourage you no matter what you are going through. I know them – they are amazing, caring souls longing to help make it better. If you want to talk about religious questions or feelings, or just visit with someone who won’t condemn you for who you are, I’m here tonight, or I’ll help you find someone in your religious tradition who will be the best person for you. Call me. Or call somebody.
You don’t have to bear it alone. You don’t have to suffer alone. You don’t have to worry alone, or cry alone, or ask questions alone. There are compassionate, loving people who are ready to stand with you, walk with you, talk with you, dream with you to build a world where love can grow and hope can enter in.
It will get better. I promise.
Saying Grace March 12, 2010
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I didn’t say grace at lunch.
Retreat center. Contemplative prayer.
Prayed all morning.
Other heads bowed before eating. Not mine.
But when I broke open the dinner roll,
what joy and wonder and gratitude flooded through me!
Grace.
Enough said.
Random Reflections on Turkey – 3 July 10, 2009
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Touring and Praying – June 2
I prayed in a mosque. I trust that’s not a blasphemous thing for a Christian.
We had visited several mosques on our travels: in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia – a Byzantine church converted to a mosque and now a museum – and the Blue Mosque; The Ulu Mosque in Bursa; a mesjid (prayer room) in a shopping mall in Afyon. Then in Konya, we visited the Mevlana Museum, the monastic complex and teaching center of the poet and Sufi mystic Rumi. This is the home of the “whirling dervishes.” Part of the complex is a mosque which we toured, then went shopping in the nearby bazaar.
As we gathered back in front of the mosque, our host took time for prayer. I went with him. The mosque was nearly empty; I found a space near the back and knelt. I don’t know the Muslim prayers. I do of course, know Christian prayers, but none that came to mind seemed suitable to me for that moment, so I spent the time in silent contemplation. After about 10 minutes I noticed Ferhat walking back toward me. I rose with a sense of deep peace, and together we went to join our group outside, two friends of different faiths who had prayed together, each in our own way.
Random Reflections on Turkey – 2 July 10, 2009
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Sabbath on the Road – May 30-31
On Saturday I asked Wendy and David how they observed the Sabbath when traveling. They obviously weren’t at home of Friday evening for Shabbat meal, and they weren’t attending synagogue services. Did they say a special prayer on Sabbath? Do they do anything to mark the sacredness of the day?
They said no, and asked me the same about Sunday. We started talking about Sabbath and its meaning as a time set apart. It’s a recognition of the giftedness of life – that our life is given to us; that our work our busy-ness, our effort, though important, are not ultimate. All does not depend on us, and when we act as if it does, all those things will consume and destroy us.
We are partners with God – co-workers, co-creators. But even God rested on the seventh day, and it’s given as a gift to us – a reminder that there’s more to life than toil. To recognize this is to observe the Sabbath.
So with Sunday, I think. On the first day of the week Christians gather to worship, to tell the story of resurrection and the possibility of life. It’s part of who I am, and I miss the gathering of the community when I’m not there. But somehow on this particular Sunday it didn’t seem necessary to attend a church service. I said a prayer of blessing for the day, and when we sat to break bread together I paused silently to remember – remember the day, remember God’s blessings, and remember the people I was with.
As the folks back at church were at the Communion Table, I gave thanks, broke the bread and shared around the table I sat at with friends.
