We intended to write more often during the Epiphany Explorations conference, but lacked the time it takes to gather thoughts. The conference schedule runs from 8:45 am to after 9:00 pm each day. Add to that visits to the conference bookstore, conversations with old acquaintances, and time walking back to our hotel for lunch. Also we were both managing colds. Victoria has been enjoying blue skies for the past few days since the conference concluded. We did get out yesterday for a walk in this wonderful "old town" district which leads down to the inner harbor.
Victoria is the provincial capitol of British Columbia, occupying the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. It's a great tourist area in the summer, but it's more affordable -- and still beautiful -- in the off-season. On clear days, the view across the Straights of Juan de Fuca is crowned by the snow-capped Olympic mountains; an incredible view. The city has the flavor of the British Isles, though it is an international city in many ways, with many inhabitants from around the Pacific Rim.
US citizens can feel quite at home here, but that should not mean that people here share in the same world outlook as seems dominant in the US. One observer a few years ago thought that while our founders promised "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Canadian founders promised "life, liberty, and the common good." Perhaps we see in Canada a stronger popular support for policies and practices that make for the "common good," rather than "individual happiness." Many people here are troubled by what they see and hear coming across the border.
We'll have more to say about the conference, but the sun is shining and we're on our way out the door for another expedition.
Blessings,
Bobbie and Chuck
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2 comments:
Bobbie and Chuck:
Is this the same Borg who is a member of the "Jesus Seminar" group? Hope you're having fun in Canada.
Nick Russotto
Nick,
Yes, Marcus Borg was identified with the Jesus Seminar back in the early Nineties. Not sure if he would still claim it.
You are aware that the "seminarians" tried to figure out which of the sayings attributed to Jesus were authentic - by voting on each verse. Very few of the verses attributed to Jesus survived their edit! Their methods may be one expression of the "historical-critical" method of scholarship, common throughout most of the 20th century. (You may also know that Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament in a similar way when he was in the White House -- Google the "Jefferson Bible.")
Our time in Victoria has been wonderful. Heading home tomorrow.
Blessings,
Bobbie and Chuck
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