Ain't That a Co-winky-dink

Maybe it was Divine Intervention, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but the issue of Dialogue my dad had with him today contained an article entitled "Toward a Theology of Dissent: An Ecclesiological Interpretation." The author's purpose was related to the purpose of my previous post, but while I [essentially] focused on the comparative merits of authority and conscience, Matthew Bowman was concerned with simply establishing the common ground necessary for both schools of thought to be discussed fairly. This is important because both approaches tend toward self-affirmation.

Nevertheless, he did have a few things to say on the issue I'd been discussing; namely, that as we do live in communities, it is important for us to have certain universal rules that all should obey. This is important for maintaining order, and perhaps even more important in religious contexts where ritual is a fundamental component. On the other hand, we each have our own individual conscience, and it is our civic duty as well as a moral one to (borrowing a phrase from Paul) "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

In other news: I think the amount of powder they put in each Fun Dip is a lot less than it used to be. The Lik-A-Stix or whatever they're called feel the same size, but the powder runs out faster now than it did when I was little. How frustrating.