And the winner is ...
Our Spirit of Lincoln competition challenged bloggers to write their personal credo in no more than 272 words -- the wordcount of the Gettysburg Address.
This is a perfect weekend to announce the winner, since Monday is in the United States. Dr King was born on 15 January 1929, and assassinated in 1968. He is one of only four individuals to have US federal holidays named in their honour -- along with Jesus Christ, Christopher Columbus and George Washington.
One hundred years after Lincoln gave his address at Gettysburg, on 28 August 1963, Martin Luther King stood at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC and gave a speech, inspired by Lincoln's famous words, which we know today as the "" speech. Dr King's speech begins "Five score years ago". He took much longer than 272 words, but the result is nevertheless electric. You can watch the speech on video . It's one of those few speeches that sounds more impressive with every hearing.
In 272 words or less, visitors to the Will and Testament blog have written their own statements of personal belief. The credo attracting the most comments wins the competition -- and a book prize of my choice. The winner is Michael N. Hull (with 47 comments). Congratulations to Michael -- and thanks to all our contestants for giving us so much to talk about this past week. I now get to choose a book prize inspired by Michael's "address". I'll reflect on that this weekend! Michael's credo gets a lap of honour by being reprinted below.
What I believe, by Michael N. Hull
For three score and four years with full measure of devotion I have lived within the Christian tradition. Christianity abides germane through my growth in understanding the authority of its metaphorical insights.
Scientific and spiritual realities enfold my beliefs; one highlights factual certainty, the other illumines intrinsic sureness. Pain, the hydrogen atom, and Newton鈥檚 Principia Mathematica are understood objectively; suffering, Keats鈥檚 poetry, and the bible are known subjectively.
My ideas are conceptualized through model and metaphor. Though the universe is depicted in models, it is fitting that its purpose remains hidden; though the Spirit is captured in metaphors, it is proper that Its holiness remains mysterious. Literal fundamentalism and historicized metaphor, whether in science or theology, no longer corrupt me.
My models are battlefields absent of free will where pain is cheerfully accepted; my metaphors are oases of choice where suffering is joyously rejected. Problems become decisions waiting to be made. Skepticism of model and metaphor is transcended with knowledge; truths, both factual and metaphorical, are revealed that are the same to everyone, everywhere, and for eternity.
I elect 鈥榖oth/and鈥 over 鈥榚ither/or鈥. My consciousness is based on 鈥榠nclusiveness鈥; comfort and compassion are of my essence. I hold respect for, and tolerance of, all faith traditions and philosophical positions, and for the power of doubt in my life.
Sacredness helps guide toward increased piety on my life鈥檚 journey. Chemistry, Shakespeare, an autumn breeze, Einstein, friendship, and the piano are all sacramental. My sin is intellectual error: salvation my accordance with truth.
I am holy. I am blessed. I am Thou.
Comments
Michael
Many congrats. The most gentlemanly visiter to this blog and as I said, the best written entry by a mile.
PB
Congratulations Michael!
I鈥檒l have to tell my daughter to take a note of this so that it is reported in the next edition of the 鈥淭he Owl鈥
Best wishes
Billy
Michael's book choice will be interesting... I can think of a few off the top of my head! I did enjoy Michael's credo and it certainly generated the most comments. Well done!
Congratulations Michael
Re Posts 1-4
Thanks for the kind comments.
While William is pondering a book for me I thought I would suggest books that I think fit your credos. Maybe you have read them - if not give them a try.
PB:
Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth R. Miller
Billy:
Genesis and the Big Bang by Gerald L. Schroeder
John:
From Jesus to Christianity by L. Michael White
Mark:
The Secret Language of the Renaissance - Decoding the Hidden Symbolism of Italian Art.
Regards,
Michael
ps John wrote: "I can think of a few off the top of my head!"
Let me have them!
Michael- I have four books to recommend to you, some of which you may have read or are already familiar with:
"The Language of God" by Francis S. Collins. An interesting and relevant read with regard to many of the discussions here on W&T.
'Dogmatics in Outline' by Karl Barth, or, if you have ten years to spare, his magna opera, 'Church Dogmatics.'
'The Post-Evangelical' by Dave Tomlinson. A light read, discussing a growing movement which I'd consider to be a newish form of evangelicalism, basically. I sometimes use this label to describe my approach to theology, but in reality Tomlinson is quite conservative in comparison to myself in this regard.
'Vita Brevis' by Jostein Gaarder. This book is fascinating, and I'd almost recommend it for the sake of interest above the other three. In it, Gaarder claims to have discovered a letter written by Augustine's former concubine, the Codex Floriae, a letter in which she critiques his Confessions in a most pleasing, revealing and caustic manner. It is short and accompanied by Gaarder's footnotes all the way through. (The letter is almost certainly concocted by Gaarder for the sake of his own critique of Augustine, but to this day Gaarder has not clarified whether or not this is the case.)
Michael #5
Thanks for the advice Michael but it's probably too long. I wait until the movie version comes out.
Now for those that want meat in their theological diet rather than the scrapes that are discarded at the theological table may I suggest the following?
THE WORKS OF John Owen, 16 volumes
THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, John Calvin
If you possess these works you won鈥檛 need anything else you will have enough theological food for the rest of your earthly life you will never go hungry.
Happy reading
Billy