Monsters at the Margin

VIRTUE IS FOUND at the margins of society more often than at its centre. If this is so, Mary Shelley's Monster is a real find! Her creature is an isolate of great sensitivity, kindness, and insight. Contrary to James Whale's 1931 film of the Creature as a lumbering dolt, Mary Shelley's Monster was modeled on Rousseau's notion of humanity as the "noble savage." The nobility of the Creature is evident as he unveils his chronicle to Victor Frankenstein upon the icy crags of Mount Blanc. Meet Frankenstein's Creature

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Passions of Prometheus

I DON'T THINK that it is inconsequential that my heroes are men.... It is not because women are not as passionate, creative, or in any way undeserving that they don't make my short list of heroes. Rather, it is because I share with most men an inclination toward "Prometheanism". I don't know why it is not as prevalent in most women. Perhaps it is the hard wiring of centuries of birthing and caring for life (if I am allowed that stereotypical explanation). I do not think it is because women are morally superior to men, only that

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A Reading Guide For After The Flood

Lovers of books often complain that we read too slowly and wonder if we will ever take the time and effort to master the The Art of Speed Reading. My difficulty is that sometimes, strike that - often, that I need to acquire the Art of Reading Slowly to integrate what I read. I don't do that nearly enough. My habitual approach is to read a book with my mind and my hand outstretched to the read. I read distractedly often merely to get the basic gist, get through to book, and then add another book to my growing list

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Brides of Frankenstein

WHILE I SAT at the breakfast table, I felt the blood drain out of my face and into my stomach as I listened to her ramble. It wasn't the scattered content that made me so uncomfortable. The content itself was a disconnected diatribe of sy gossip and trivia, punctuated by misplaced maxims that in their popular form might have actually meant something. Despite the dogmatism, moral superiority, and intensity that was expressed through her tone and bodily gestures, I felt humiliated, embarrassed. Although outwardly there was nothing to be afraid of - I experienced dread. I looked sideways at my

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Christianity and Culture

We've been looking at how Christianity is interpreted differently by different groups of people. I find this fascinating because it always seems easy to think that how I define Christianity is simply THE definition that's out there. But there are so many ways. Richard Niebuhr identifies fives ways that Christianity gets expressed in the world: 1) Christ Against Culture - The easiest way to describe this definition is that it's the one that we grew up in. It's the way of the Anabaptists who chose to reject the close relationship that Luther supported between the church and state, and struck

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Ethics: Duty or Relationships?

Duty has that feel of doing more in terms of law, to perform more and more actions. Those actions seem to be based, if we don't watch it, those actions can be based on rules. You don't not have fornication because you have to obey the rule. You don't do anything because the rule's there. The rule is there because of the love. Not that you have the rule first and then comes the love. I think what is going on is there is a transformation of the human personality that takes place as a result of coming into contact

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Jesus' Authority in Luke

Luke 5 begins at the Lake of Gennesaret where Jesus enters a fishing boat from which to better speak to the crowds and a miracle follows. We began our Wednesday night considering the symbolic nature of the lake — an uncontrollable space where in this story human endeavor is tested to reveal that God is in control. We were reminded that still waters run deep, but equally likely is that beneath a calm surface an expansive unknown may be roiling. Simon's boat was on the water, much like we create constructs to keep the depths at bay. But our constructions

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Marriage and Mary Shelley

I WAS SITTING in Merk's restaurant out on Pembina Highway with Bev in 1990 when I solemnly swore that if I were to do it again, I definitely would not want to be married. At the time I k that marriage left a very sour taste in my mouth. It wasn't only that I hadn't taken care of my marriage of seventeen years well enough to make it worthwhile, it was the whole idea of being married that irked me. I joked about marriage being a socio-economic relationship which was merely functional to get a mortgage

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Spirit and Creation Transcript

We're going to start with Spirit in Creation. The bible is usually considered a story of redemption, with creation being a background or secondary story. But Clarke Pinnock argues that they are two very close and intertwined and both very important stories that are there. Even when we're reading redemption stories and parables in the Testament we're seeing the creation story is right beneath it. The Spirit is involved with both stories and we cannot take one without the other. This is what Pinnock says: “Creation is related to the reality of the Son and by incarnation the Son becomes

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Thoughts on a Covenant Sunday

When I think of covenant, the first thing I think of is food. Not just because I like to eat but primarily because of what eating together reminds me of. Because you don't eat together with enemies, you eat with friends. With morning snack beforehand and a potluck afterwards, our meetings together are bracketed by eating together.

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