Anecdotes

Stephen Greenblatt in Marvelous Possessions writes,

Anecdotes then are among the principal products of a culture's representational technology, mediators between the undifferentiated succession of local moments and a larger strategy toward which they can only gesture.

The definition is subtle, but here you can see a hint of Greenblatt's program of tying literary devices to the slippery thing known as “history.”

OneMan Plays OneRepublic

This video shows Bryson Andres performing an instrumental rendition of OneRepublic's hit single “Secrets.” I am tempted to say more, but, instead, you really should just check it out for yourself. (If you are not familiar with the song, here's the original track that he is adapting.)

Das Auto, Diesel Edition

And speaking of Volkswagen, the Diesel Beetle is set to return:

Volkswagen has released details on its upcoming 2013 Beetle TDI before the vehicle gets an official unveil at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The oil-burning Beetle will bow with the same turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine found in the Jetta TDI and Passat TDI, and Volkswagen projects the engine should help it net 39 miles per gallon highway and 29 mpg city.

Autoblog notes that the actual real world milage will likely be even better than the estimates.

Das ist sehr gut.

The Dog Strikes Back

And speaking of commercials, the new VW Super Bowl commercial is out. Not only does this commercial reference last year's commercial, it also had its own teaser a few weeks back.

Matthew Broderick's Day Off

Honda has brought a decidedly Buellerish Matthew Broderick in for its Super Bowl ad. It is very well done, down to the very close of the commercial, which those of us who bother to watch ending credits can appreciate.

My Heart is Broken

Evanescence's new single, “My Heart is Broken,” picks up their “alternative-symphonic-gothic-nü-metal-pop” trademark sound perfectly, sounding as if it could be an fourteenth track on the Open Door. That is not exactly news. But, if you haven't seen their new music video released last week, it is worth a viewing. It continues the band's tradition of enigmatic, well produced videos. I would not put it up to the level of “My Immortal,” but it compares well to “Lithium.”

Teaching World Religions in Church

Tim Townsend has an interesting little write up on a local Lutheran church that is offering a course on Islam:

Thomas, who was on staff at Concordia Seminary in Clayton for 18 years, said he believes the Bible studies at St. Paul's have stayed on the respectful side of the line. His goal with the classes, he said, is to explain the teachings of another religion and to ask why Lutherans don't believe the same thing.

Notably, one of Lindenwood's esteemed religion professors gets in on the fun towards the end of the piece.

HT: @stephenrobin

All Theology, Rightly Formed, is Practical

On Facebook, a few minutes ago I posted a status concerning Martin Bucer's on the True Care of Souls:

Today, I read Martin Bucer's on the True Care of Souls. Bucer's pastoral theology is superb, which is unsurprising, since his ecumenical (and, as a consequence, his eucharistic) theology was driven by his constant pastoral concern and determination to achieve the “peace and purity of the church.”

What strikes me as I mull over this is that Bucer would be appalled at our current distinction between “Biblical,” “Practical,” “Historical” and “Systematic” theology. In this work, as in de Regno Christi and his other writings, he constantly blurs disciplines. He, along with his friend and fellow laborer Philipp Melanchthon, probably knew the Fathers better than any of their opponents, for example, and Bucer's familiarity with many of the sources of theology shows strongly in this handbook to pastoral theology.

The four-fold categorization of theology is unhelpful because it encourages us to compartmentalize and think that some theology is inherently practical whilst other theology is something else. But, as Dr. Douglass likes to remind his students at Covenant frequently, orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy. Each theological discipline, when thought through properly, should flow into applications within the Church.

If only more of the “Christian living” works that were authored followed the great Reformers' examples.

Let it Snow

It is actually snowing tonight. While snow is not exactly an odd occurrence in the winter, it is odd for this winter here in St. Louis. Finally. As I write this, I can see big fluffy flakes coming down all across the backyard.

RPW

If you stick around Presbyterian circles for a season, you will probably hear us make reference to the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW) at some point. If I may be anachronistic by less than a century, Martin Bucer defines the principle well in his book, de Regno Christi:

“The first [property of the Kingdom of Christ] is that whatever is done in the churches should pertain to the ministry and contribute to the gaining of men's salvation in such a way that, cleansed from sins and reconciled to God through Christ, they may worship and glorify God in Christ the Lord in all piety and righteousness.

“Whatever does not contribute to this end, and nothing can do so which has not been ordained for this purpose by the Son of God and so commended to us, should be rejected and abolished by those who wish the Kingdom of God restored among them.”