Best Artificial Life Form

Well we've had some debate on this blog over the best starship captain on Star Trek. But who can forget that other staple of the Star Trek universe (and the most theologically interesting): artificial life forms. That's right: from nanites to exocomps to the Enterprise itself, we've seen a plethora of forms of humanly created life (which often wind up so heavily anthropomorphized that it becomes necessary to attribute them human-type rights). Sometimes the artificial life is mechanical (e.g. Lore, Data's evil brother, B4, Data's idiot brother, or Lal, Data's endearing but fated offspring); sometime's it's virtual (e.g. Vic Fontaine, DS9's Lounge Singer, or Professor Moriarity, Sherlock Holmes'/Data's adversary).

But for me, the two most memorable are Data himself (smart, possessing incredible strength, and "fully functioning, programmed in multiple techniques" -- how cool is that?) and the Doctor on Voyager (with an acerbic, ironic wit, operatic temprament and an ego to match). What do you think? What do the kinds of life created by humans say about humans themselves?

Pray for Christian Peacemakers in Iraq


I've just received the following from Louise Slobodian at CPJ:

Citizens for Public Justice is responding to the call from Christian Peacemaker Teams to write statements of support for their organization and, particularly, their four colleagues held in Iraq: James Loney, Tom Fox, Norman Kember and Harmeet Sooden.

CPT is asking organizations to distibute these statements widely and especially where we have contacts in the Middle East.

STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAM'S WITNESS OF FAITH

Citizens for Public Justice supports the work of solidarity, witness and presence of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in areas of the world affected by conflict.

As a Christian public policy organization, based in Canada, we share the convictions of Christian Peacemaker Teams that faith demands action for justice and for peace. In Canada and elsewhere, there are people who believe that those who act from faith have a goal of converting others to Christianity or that faith is used to hide other motives. That is not our motive and it is not the motive of Christian Peacemaker Teams. Instead, faith calls us to work for peace and justice for all.

We have full confidence in the motives and actions of CPT as coming from faith and moral convictions and acting solely in the interests of peace and humanity. The four members held captive are honourable people. They are not spies. They deeply oppose the war. They have never acted in the interests of the countries which brought war. They have acted only in the interests of peace and supporting those affected by war.

Citizens for Public Justice also opposed the war in Iraq which began in 2003. We wrote to the Prime Minister of Canada to tell him so. We wrote, "As a Christian organization committed to peace and justice for all people, we experience deep spiritual distress over the prospect of this war in Iraq. We do not believe this war is just." Christian Peacemaker Teams go much further in their convictions about peace and offering support to those who endure lethal conflict.

Citizens for Public Justice is holding in prayer: James Loney, Norman Kember, Harmeet Sooden and Tom Fox. We hold in prayer the members of the Swords of the Righteous Brigade. We hold in prayer the people of Iraq who have endured so much. And we hold in prayer Christian Peacemaker Teams and all those working for peace, especially those willing to risk their lives to do so.

In peace, for all at Citizens for Public Justice,
Louise Slobodian

CPT's Iraq website is http://www.cpt.org/iraq/iraq.php

"Living in God's Time"

Many Christians are rediscovering the significance of the liturgical year. A great aid in this is a liturgical calendar, one which is tied not to our seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter, but to the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. For several years, I've ordered a fabulous calendar from University Hill Church in Vancouver, BC. (It's also been a regular Christmas gift for friends). Here's a blurb from their website:

After five years of unique timekeeping, the highly acclaimed Salt of the Earth, a Christian Seasons Calendar has taken on a new shape. Re-designed for easier use, Salt of the Earth 2005/2006 now opens to 11” x 17” and contains larger squares for writing dates.

This year the calendar begins on November 27, 2005, the first day of Advent. The Christian New Year’s Eve is Saturday night, November 26^th. Since its first issue in 2001, Christians all over North America and in parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand have made use of the Salt of the Earth calendar to foster the alternative living that the story of the Christian year intends. Users of the calendar love the constant reminder that they are living between times - between life according to the world’s clock and life in the kingdom of God. Vital to the calendar’s value are the inclusion of scripture readings for each Sunday and the exciting contribution made by contemporary artists whose work envisions and interprets the biblical story on each page.

We pray you have found living in God’s time with Salt of the Earth a fulfilling experience in your life. And we urge you to order this year’s calendar before the Christian New Year. Calendars are now available for sale. The price (not including shipping or applicable taxes) remains: $12 (Canada) or $9 (US). A 40% discount is provided for orders of 25 or more calendars. To order Salt of the Earth - A Christian Seasons Calendar 2005/2006, phone 604-696-1295 or visit www.thechristiancalendar.com

Yours in Christ, Direct line: 604-224-3391 or edsearcy@shaw.ca

Here we go again
I've just heard the news that Canada's Liberal Government has fallen and we'll be going to the polls in January. This was not unexpected, of course, especially after Bono denounced Paul Martin's lack of action on increasing foreign aid before U2's Ottawa concert this weekend (the kiss of death from the world's biggest Rock star).

Seriously though... Last Friday I woke up with the feeling deep in my gut that the Liberals' days are done. As a calvinist I don't often get "gut feelings" so I tend to pay attention to them. However, I do have mixed feelings about that, well, particular feeling. The two-and-fro history of Canadian elections invariably means that when Canadians get tired of Liberal governments, they vote in a Conservative one. However, the ineptitude of the present Conservative party will probably mean that the tories will get in on a minority ticket. As a political pluralist, I hope that this could mean a renaissance for smaller parties (such as the Greens); as a social democrat, I hope that this could mean a bigger slice of the political pie for the NDP. As a Canadian, I hope this whole exercise could mark a change in the negative politics of the past elections, though so far the signs are not hopeful. Already the knives are out as Martin has accused the Conservatives of kowtowing to the Americans and the Quebec separatists. "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Anyway, the point of this post is to point Canadians to the excellent work of Citizens for Public Justice around election time. CPJ is a Christian policy and education organization that consistently works to place the interests of the weak of society on the public agenda. Their election guides are comprehensive tools for thinking and acting Christianly in making that "X", but also in raising issues during the public debates that go along with election campaigns. I encourage y'all to visit them often.

The Best Starship Captain
My friend Sylvia has weighed in on the Starship Captain question: "Surely there is no debate! Those of us who live daily with the intertextual echo of 'Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.' know that there is no captain that ever has or ever will reach the stature of Picard." But for my money, it's gotta be Sisko, in spite of the lack of intertextual echoes. Hell, you’ve got the man responsible for saving the Alpha quadrant and the Emissary of the Prophets tied-up in one person. Plus he loves using baseball analogies to explain the meaning of open possibilities within linear time. I also love the shades of grey in the character -- his willingness to live with ambiguity -- and count
In The Pale Moonlight among Star Trek's best moments. Of course, if Picard were faced with the same situation (engaging in lying, subterfuge and political assassination in order to save the Alpha quadrant), there's no way in hell he would compromise his principles (or should that be "there's no way in hell the script writers would allow him to compromise his principles"?). I recognize our postmodern world more in that of DS9 than STNG. So I guess I prefer Sisko's awareness of ambiguity to Picard's never-flagging moral certitude.

All that said, I'd give it all up for Kirk's love life.

Ramblin' Man
... is, of course, the piece that opens Steve Martin's 1977 comedy debut album, Let's Get Small.

First Sunday in Advent
The season of Advent is here, preceded as usual by the advent of Christmas trees, colourful lights, and the ubiquitous flyers and TV ads proclaiming "shop early, shop often." I used to think that this "glowing" of capitalism-manufactured joy was at least convergent with the true Spirit-given joy of the season. After all, when the light recedes in the Northern hemisphere, and things get generally drab and grey, there's something magical about the colours that come out during these late days of November. But since beginning to reflect on Advent, not as the four Sundays leading to December 25 (turkey, family, presents...), but as a season of preparation and self-examination, things feel very different. Like the brilliant folks who appointed the day-after-US Thanksgiving as "buy nothing day" as subversion of consumerist capitalism, Advent, I think, is subversive of the whole "Christmas season." (Do we Christians need to be reminded that Christmas begins on December 25 and extends well beyond the hangovers and boxing day sales?). Imagine engaging in self-examination, especially of our North American complicity in creating such an unequal world, while passing by signs proclaiming "shopping is good." What would Jesus do were he to return in the midst of "Christmas season"? Personally, that scares the bejeebers out of me. It's time to pray--for myself, for the witness of the church, and for the world.

There's a good piece on Advent by Robert Webber, excerpted from his Ancient and Future Time available here.

Here's a photo of me playing guitar at All Nations CRC, Halifax in 2004. All Nations was my home church for four years. I was playing Villa Lobos' Prelude no. 2 and my fingers got horribly cramped. Ouch. Photo by Laura Breukelman.

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. This is an experiment I've looked forward to with eagerness and fear. Do I have anything meaningful to contribute to the blogsphere? Will anyone pay attention? What happens if people pay attention? That's the fear part. The eagerness part is, well, becoming involved in conversations about things I care deeply about, and learning from the perspectives of others. It's an opportunity to test out ideas about God, reading the Bible, Ramirez guitars, the perennial debate over who is the best Star Trek Captain, South African theologies, and Anglican liturgy. So here goes...