Christopher - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I'm a high Church Episcopalian who is fortunate to belong to a parish that values worship, education, and service. I am also an activist for progressive causes in Nashville. My job is in fundraising/development for a non-profit.I try to keep up with a variety of topics like theology and politics. Participation in the Church's liturgy is a sustaining force for me. The video below shows a portion of the Divine Liturgy celebrated when the Pope visited the Patriarch of Constantinople .. width="425" height="350" ..I'm also enjoying learning to play rugby. It's a real challenge, but it's been great. Check out www.GrizzliesRugby.org; that's my club. This video shows England's victory over Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.. width="425" height="350" ..I know this profile is a bit heavy, but I smirk, laugh, and cut up a lot. Life involves serious thought, hard work, and lots of laughs.

My Interests

Liturgy, theology, politics, rugby, activism, warped comedy like "Strangers with Candy," historical movies like "Elizabeth," independent film like "Donnie Darko." Shopping with Todd Hughes.

I'd like to meet:

First, good people. Hard to define, harder to find, but you know them when you meet them and take the time to get to know them. Second, more guys who would like to play rugby and anyone who could teach me more about being a lock/second rower. Third, people who are serious about issues in religion and politics and how the two relate. If you're Anglican, Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox (or if you're interested in the liturgy and theology of those communions), then let's talk.Fourth, activists who have something to teach me about moving a cause forward.

Music:

U-2, Prince, Van Morrison, Dixie Chicks, Renaissance sacred music like the Tallis Scholars, Byzantine Chant like Cappella Romana, Bob Marley and the Wailers, too much to mention.

Movies:

Wonder Boys, Blazing Saddles, Elizabeth, Tales of the City, Gods and Monsters, The Last Samurai, Saved, Serial Mom, etc.

Television:

South Park, Daily Show, Are You Being Served?, Meet the Press, most of Comedy Central

Books:

Mystagogical Catecheses by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Confessions by St. Augustine, Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, and many more. Anything by Augusten Burroughs. I'm drowning in books.

Heroes:

St. Athanasius, St. Augustine, St. John of Damascus, Empresses Irene and Theodora, St. Thomas Aquinas, Julian of Norwich, Emperor Constantine XI, King Charles I, Alexander Hamilton, St. John of Kronstadt, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bono, and a certain Rogue from Forest Hills.

My Blog

On the Eve of Pentecost: the Three Gifts that are Enough

Tomorrow the Western Church celebrates the Feast of Pentecost--sometimes known as the Church's "birthday." The Spirit, who was active in creation hovering over the deep and who attended Jesus in...
Posted by Christopher on Sat, 10 May 2008 11:38:00 PST

The activist in all of us

Yes, it's a cheesey blog title, but I was extremely moved by the people who came to our Day on the Hill yesterday. The mixture of people was fascinating and energizing. Some of the longti...
Posted by Christopher on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:11:00 PST

Second win for the Grizzlies

This weekend we played our friends and rivals the Charlotte Royals in Pigeon Forge, TN and won 28 to 26. It was a great match and the third half was lots of fun, too.Here we are in our hot new j...
Posted by Christopher on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:54:00 PST

First win for the Grizzlies

This weekend the Grizzlies won our first match against the Madison (Wisconsin) Minotaurs. I think the score was something like 72 to 0. Even though relatively speaking, it wasn't a long jo...
Posted by Christopher on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:37:00 PST

Troparion of the Cross

O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance, granting to the faithful victory over their adversaries. And by the power of thy Cross, preserve thine estate....
Posted by Christopher on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 03:26:00 PST

In returning and rest

What is necessary for contemplation? In this case, I do not mean comtemplative prayer, but some of what I have to say may apply to the foundations for that practice as well.Elections, theologica...
Posted by Christopher on Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:07:00 PST

Political philosophy and our groping political actions

Leo Strauss wrote: "Political philosophy will then be the attempt to replace opinion about the nature of political things by knowledge of the nature of political things. Political things ...
Posted by Christopher on Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:08:00 PST

Yes, it's a survey...about time, eh?

.. Get resource file-name (06/21/2006)--> ..> ..> Thursday, June 07, 2007 ...
Posted by Christopher on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:44:00 PST

Anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople

Tuesday marks the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, one of the darkest days in the history of the Church.At its height, the city was the heir of the religious traditions of Jerusalem,...
Posted by Christopher on Sat, 26 May 2007 07:02:00 PST

Reunited and it feels so...odd

Besides being the feast of the Ascension, yesterday was also an important day in Church unity. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) and the Russian Orthodox Church (the one inside ...
Posted by Christopher on Sat, 19 May 2007 06:41:00 PST