Parting of a Godly Servent!: Tribute to Dr. Harold Hoehner (1935-2009)

Today was a bright sunny day. The chapel was getting filled and the faculty chairs were unusually empty. The chapel service started by Dr. Sedwick from CE department. I was disappointed because of not sing a hymen in the beginning. My mind wonders away thinking about the faculty—what happened to them, usually these chairs are full. The first chair left to the podium is dedicated to Dr Honor. Dr Hoehner rarely  misses chapel, I wondered. I love to watch him while, message been delivered by other Profs. This smart, strong, white-haired man rarely  read his bible at the chapel—he just closes his eyes and followed the text, while others are reading diligently. Once in a while some of the Profs throw a curve ball using the New Testament texts. And those perplexed times he would turned to his bible, following the lecture scratching his head. Times like those, we used to laugh watching his reactions.

Then Dr. Sedwick said the president would bring an important announcement. Dr. Bailey took the podium and said, “today… Dr. Hoehner after his daily jog… went home…and collapsed.” I thought they have taken him to a hospital and he is going to ask us to remember him in our prayers. These kinds of notices are very common. But his voice became frail an sad, it starts to shiver—then I couldn’t believed what I was hearing. Dr. Bailey said, “They tried to resuscitate him, he went to be with Lord…” and then pointing to the chair and said, “that chair will never be the same again!!!”

Yes, Dr. Bairley is right—Dr. Harold Hoehner was a remarkable man to DTS. The New Testament department consider him as the same caliber with the Dr. Scoffield (founder) and Dr. Woolverd (Most influenced President). His contribution is bringing the critical thinking to that department. I have heard some Professors commenting on Dr. Hoehner saying, before his time DTS taught what to believe, but Dr. Hoehner brought the notion of training the students to search and find the truth by them selves. This was a risky thing to do, students may differ seeing what is lay behind the text. However he trusted God and brought the "thinking aspect" to the academia of the DTS New Testament department. He encouraged the PhD grads to go to different universities and get their PhD’s. That’s why most of New Testament Professors are trained in UK or else where. I was not qualified enough (unfortunately) to sat in his higher Greek exegetical courses. However, for me He will be remembered as a humble man, who is willing to even participate in the World Evangelism Conference feature film acting a laughable character, last proponent of majority text and Matthean priority in New Testament department.

DTS web site A Tribute to beloved Professor Dr. Harold W. Hoehner cites,

“As a department chair, he brought the highest ideals in academic standards to the DTS campus along with compassion and encouragement to his department faculty and their families. Along with others in the department, he crafted a thorough yet learner-friendly model of New Testament Greek exegesis that is widely used today.

As a teacher, he always pushed his students toward excellence, careful study of Scripture, and fair-minded interaction with the wider world of New Testament scholarship. His magnificent commentary on Ephesians—his magnum opus—will continue to instruct and inspire pastors and teachers for many years to come. Because one of his books is entitled Herod Antipas, he became affectionately known to a generation of students as “Herod Hoehner.” He was known for his unwavering love for the style manual by Kate Turabian. With King’s College of Cambridge, England, as his doctoral alma mater, some have said his only educational regret was that he did not attend Texas A&M (simply because he loved Aggie jokes so much)!

As a person, Harold was a man of integrity, frugality, hard work, strong opinions, and fairness to others coupled with a loyal, collegial spirit, humility, and humor. Though he was not a good actor by his own admission, he took opportunities to participate in Senior Chapel or Missions Conference videos because he knew students would get a laugh seeing him trying to act cool.”

You can read more about him and his impact on Harold W. Hoehner Tribute.

Dr. Hoehner will be sorely missed!

සිහිනෙන් ඇදුණු ලොතරැයියෙන් උද්දාම වී දෙදහසක් වැයකර මිතුරන් සමග විනෝදවෙලා!

[This article is written in Sinhalese unicode typescript]

රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ දහයක ලොතරැයියක් තමාට ඇදෙනු සිහිනෙන් දුටු පුද්ගලයකු පසුදින අවදි වී ඒ සතුටට තමන් අත තිබූ රුපියල් දෙදහසක මුදලින් මිතුරන් සමඟ විනෝදවීමේ පුවතක් මහනුවර ප්‍රදේශයේ ගම්මානයකින් වාර්තා විය.

සිද්ධිය සැකෙවින් මෙසේය.

මහනුවරට නුදුරු ගම්මානයක පදිංචි මොහු වෘත්තියෙන් කම්කරුවෙකි. ඒවගේම දිනපතා ලොතරැයි මිලදී ගැනීමටද දක්වන්නේ විශේෂ උනන්දුවකි. ලොතරැයි දිනුම් ගැන නිතරම පේන බලන මොහු අවසානයට බැලූ පේනයෙන් කියා තිබුණේ රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ දහයක් ඇදෙන බවකි.

මේ ගැන හිත හිතාම සිටි මොහුට දිනක් නින්දේදී තමන් මිලදී ගත් ලොතරැයියට රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ දහයක් ඇදී ඇති බවයි.

රැයක් එළිවෙනතුරුම ලොතරැයි ජය ගැන සිහින දුටු මොහු අවදි වීමෙන් පසුවද එය අමතක කළේ නැත. නින්දෙන් අවදිවුණු ඔහු සිතුවේ තමන්ට සත්‍ය වශයෙන්ම ලොතරැයියක් ඇදී ඇති බවයි.
උදෙන්ම ගමේ කඩ පොළට ගිය මොහු මිතුරන් කිහිප දෙනෙකුද එක් කරගෙන නගරයට ගොස් තමන් අත තිබූ දින ගණනක් තිස්සේ කුලී වැඩ කර හොයා ගත් රුපියල් දෙදහසක් වියදම් කර මිතුරන් සමග කාබී විනෝද වූයේ රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ දහයක් නිසැක වශයෙන් ලැබෙන බැවිනි. මේ වන විටත් මිතුරාගේ මේ සත් ගුණවත් පරිත්‍යාගයට හේතුව නොදත් මිතුරන් ඔහුගෙන් හේතුව විමසන විට ඔහු අත තිබූ රුපියල් 2000 ක මුදලම අවසන් වී තිබිණ.

ලොතරැයි සිහිනයේ නිමග්නව සිටි මොහුට පියවි සිහිය ලැබෙන විට සියල්ල අවසන්වී සාක්කුවද හිස්වී තිබිණ.

David C. Cook only had five dollars in his pocket after the 1871 Chicago fire, yet he spent it buying milk for homeless children. The desire for kids to know Christ consumed him, and in 1875 he founded a publishing company. We have been publishing Sunday school and vacation Bible school materials ever since.

Christians lobby against anti-conversion bill

In February, the Sri Lankan parliament is due to debate a draft bill entitled "Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion." The debate on this bill comes as the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress launched a report in January that contained highly inflammatory and false accusations against the Christian community in an attempt to bolster support for the repressive legislation. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka is urging immediate attention in advocating against the proposed anti-conversion bill. Anti-conversion bills are often used to stop Christians from evangelizing. Pray this legislation is not passed into law in Sri Lanka. Ask God to encourage believers to remain faithful in their commitment to Christ despite attempts by the government to silence them. Thank God for the faithfulness of believers in Sri Lanka.

Source:

Weak is the will of man (1815)

“Weak is the will of Man, his judgments blind;

Remembrance persecutes, and Hope betrays;

Heavy is woe;--and joy, for human-kind,

A mournful thing, so transit it the blaze!”

Thus might he paint our lot of mortal days

Who wants the glorious faculty assigned

To elevate the more-than-reasoning Mind,

And colour life’s dark cloud with orient rays.

Imagination lofty and refined:

’Tis hers to pluck the amaranthine flower

Of Faith, and round Suffer’s temple bind

Wreaths that endure affliction’s heaviest shower,

And do not shrink from sorrow’s keenest wind.

 

William Wordsworth, Selected Poems and Prefaces, ed. Jack Stillinger (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965),428.

Pray For the Military Forces:THE FINAL INSPECTION

A soldier stood and faced God, 
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep. 

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~

Death of a Prominant Christian Journalist

People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the
persecuted. An example that has inspired me throughout my career in journalism has been that of the German theologian, Martin Niem”ller. In his youth he was an anti-Semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold in Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was: it was not just
the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view.

Niem”ller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945, and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, Niem”ller wrote a poem that, from the first time I read it in my teenage years, stuck hauntingly in my mind:

  First they came for the Jews
  and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
  Then they came for the Communists

  and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
  Then they came for the trade unionists
  and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
  Then they came for me
  and there was no one left to speak out for me.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried.

Lasantha Wickramatunge was murdered by unidentified gunman on January 8, 2009. These words are taken from his last article.

Who Am I?

Who am I? They often tell me

I stepped from my cell’s confinement

Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,

Like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me

I used to speak to my warders

Freely and friendly and clearly,

As though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me

I bore the days of misfortune

Equally, smilingly, proudly,

Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I myself know of myself?

Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,

Struggling for breath, as though hands were

compressing my throat,

Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,

Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,

Tossing in expectation of great events,

Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,

Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,

Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?

Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,

And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?

Or is something within me still like a beaten army,

Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!

Dietrich Bonhöffer (1906-1945)

March 4,1946

Dietrich Bonhöffer, a young theologian of great promise, was martyred by the Nazis for his participation in a plot against the life of Adolf Hitler. His writings have greatly influenced recent theological thought. This article appeared in the Journal Christianity and Crisis, March 4, 1946.

Source: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=385

They're Made Out Of Meat...

"They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"Meat. They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars."

"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."

"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."

"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they're made out of meat."

"Maybe they're like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."

"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take too long. Do you have any idea the life span of meat?"

"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."

"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."

"No brain?"

"Oh, there is a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat!"

"So... what does the thinking?"

"You're not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat."

"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"

"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you getting the picture?"

"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."

"Finally, Yes. They are indeed made out meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."

"So what does the meat have in mind?"

"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the universe, contact other sentients, swap ideas and information. The usual."

"We're supposed to talk to meat?"

"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there? Anyone home?' That sort of thing."

"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"

"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."

"Omigod. Singing meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Both."

"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome, and log in any and all sentient races or multi-beings in the quadrant, without prejudice, fear, or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"

"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say?" `Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"

"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they only travel through C space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."

"So we just pretend there's no one home in the universe."

"That's it."

"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you have probed? You're sure they won't remember?"

"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."

"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

"And we can mark this sector unoccupied."

"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"

"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."

"They always come around."

"And why not? Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the universe would be if one were all alone."

Taken from:

Terry Bisson, Bears Discover Fire and Other Stories. (New York: Tom Doherthy Association, 1993), 34-37.

Jesus of the Scars

If we never sought, we seek Thee now;

Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;

We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,

We must have Thee, O Jesus of the scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;

In all the universe we have no place.

Our wounds are hurting us; where is Thy balm?

Lord Jesus, by Thy scars we claim Thy grace.

If when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,

Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;

We know today what wounds are, have no fear,

Show us Thy scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;

They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;

But to our wounds God’s wounds alone can speak,

And not a god has wounds but Thou alone.

-Edward Shillito