Got Guts? - In A (very different) Pastor's Study, July 11, 2011Once upon a time, in what some folks call a fit of my occasional cynicism, I remarked that where the spiritual is concerned, nobody forges new ground and gets away with it. If memory serves me right, one of the people who readily agreed with that statement was the High Priest/Bishop who gave me the ordination which I consider to be my "biggie". And, of course, in some cases "forging new ground" might actually be reclaiming old ground which others have abandoned. That's true in The Craft, but it is also true in some Christian paths - and all of those which cross between The Craft and Christianity. Understand the New Testament in its actual context and in light of certain "ignored" verses, and you'll understand what I mean.
And there are some basic principles which need to be understood. I consider them to be basic and elementary. The first is that if you have a tradition, follow it! The second principle is that if you are going to change a tradition from within, do so on a firm basis. History gives us some good examples of when and how this was done. Finally, sometimes the best way to make change is to build something new. That way, you can continue to respect (and be respected by) those who are following the old tradition, and you can build something with the opportunity to examine in a full context.
There are those who don't seem to understand this. One particular example in the Church of England has had so much press about variances of his opinions that he appears to waffle enough to open a breakfast shop!
And so, I adapt from a popular commercial from a few years ago. Got Guts? That might be a good thing to have in the coming days!
Blessed Be!
