Seems Jim West has written a paragraph that I agree with without reservation:
Don’t get me wrong, I love Mark Goodacre. As a person and as a scholar. But unlike Mark and others I cannot compartmentalize my life or my interests. I find no fault with those who can and do—but I simply cannot. I don’t have an academic side and a pastoral side and a personal side and a private side. Such bifurcation, such compartmentalization, is, for me, a falsehood. One is who one is and the compartmentalization of life is timidity.
This in response to a fascinating post by Chris Brady. Well done, both of you!
YES! and thank you to both you and Jim West. This has been my great struggle–I have always saw the goal of especially of the Christian life as a ascent to wholeness, to develop what Vladmir Lossky calls a catholic (+kata, +holos) personality.
What else is sin but the move away from a catholic personality in the direction of a life of ever increasing separation from God, neighbor, and creation grounded in an ever more eccentric and disunited personality? I use the phrase personality since I think it highlights for me that it is precisely on a superficial level that all of this happens because it is precisely on a superficial level that because of sin I live.
So again thak you for the post. I quite enjoy your blog and am looking forward to reading the post by Chris Brady.
In Christ,
+Fr Gregory
Thank you, Father. And welcome!
Hi,
So, the proverbial ‘hell freezing over’ has begun!
A friend of mine lived near Hell, Michigan, whose lake annually froze over. He says that folks traveled from all over to have their picture taken in front of the town’s welcome sign, which was, of course, in sight of the lake.
At this time of year, Darrell, you might have to PhotoShop yourself in.
May I ask, why hath hell begun to freeze?
+FrG
+FrG, it’s just that I don’t often find myself in agreement with Dr. West on any substantive matter.