HollandSentinel.com | Friday, Sept. 16, 2016
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WINNING AT HOME
WEEK IN RELIGION
NEW APPROACH
Pope Francis is expected to declare slain French priest Jacques Hamel as a saint.
DAN SEABORN
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Teens shine in darkness
Pope Francis considers slain priest for sainthood
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group of high school sophomores at a high school in Ohio were devastated when one of their classmates committed suicide. Fellow students described the deceased student as being very funny and always smiling, which is part of what left them stunned by the news. Teachers were also shocked and there was a sadness cast over the entire student body and faculty. That’s when friends of the victim decided to do something to help change the atmosphere of the school, even for just a moment. Several students in the sophomore class saw an idea on Pinterest and decided to put it into action. They got the blessing of their principal and went to work. There are almost 3,600 students that make up the student body, and because of the determination and kindness of several 15-year-olds, every locker was adorned one night with a Post-it Note that contained a positive message. Even teachers received notes on their doors. The students wrote phrases like “you are brilliant,” “you are strong,” and “you are courageous.” They spent eight hours preparing the notes and another several hours posting them on lockers. This story left me both sad and amazed. I’m sad to hear about the suicide of another teenager. There are 12 teen suicides per day in America on average, which is approximately 4,400 per year. There are more than 500,000 teen suicide attempts each year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens. As parents, we need to be vigilant about looking for signs of sadness, anxiety, or subtle changes in behavior that may signal a mental health problem. If there is anything even slightly amiss, we need to get them help. Children will probably not come right out and tell us about it, so we need to do our best to probe into their lives. We need to care less about their privacy and more about their selfesteem and well-being. I don’t say that out of judgment, but from hearing so many parents talk about how worried they are about infringing on their children’s rights. If they are still living under your roof, they are still your responsibility, and they are probably not old enough to keep everything private. What’s amazing about this story is how these young people cared enough to put forth that much effort to make other kids feel better for the day. There are probably teens doing this kind of thing regularly, but we rarely hear about it. It’s refreshing to see young people putting others SEE SEABORN, A8
Dr. Jared Ortiz’s book “You Made Us for Yourself: Creation in St. Augustine’s ‘Confessions’” was published earlier this year. CONTRIBUTED
Book explores Augustine’s ‘Confessions’ in the context of creation Sentinel staff
A new book by Dr. Jared Ortiz of the Hope College religion faculty suggests a new approach to St. Augustine’s “Confessions” by framing the famous text within the context of the early Christian saint’s view of creation. Ortiz’s book “You Made Us for Yourself: Creation in St. Augustine’s ‘Confessions’” was published earlier this year by Fortress Press. St. Augustine of Hippo wrote the “Confessions” in the fourth century. The saint’s book has 13 chapters, the first nine of which are autobiographical, with an emphasis on his sinfulness in life; the 10th of which reflects philosophically on his present state; and the last three of which focus on the creation story in Genesis. It’s a mix, Ortiz said, that scholars have
often struggled to find cohesive. “These three parts sit uncomfortably together, and their relation has eluded easy explanation,” said Ortiz, an assistant professor of religion who specializes in early Christian theology, especially St. Augustine. “Every year sees a flood of books and articles on the ‘Confessions,’ the cumulative effect being what one scholar has dubbed ‘boundless research,’” he said. “Though most of these studies agree that the ‘Confessions’ is important, there seems to be little consensus about what it means, what holds it together, or how one should approach reading it.” Ortiz finds coherence in reading the “Confessions” as a theology of creation meant to clarify the relationship between God and human beings.
The approach informed the first part of Ortiz’s book’s title, “You Made Us for Yourself,” a quote from Augustine in which, Ortiz said, “he situates our restless heart in the context of God’s creating us as beings ordered toward himself.” “Creation, I argue, is the light within which Augustine understands his own past experiences, as well as his present state and future hope,” Ortiz said. “What emerges from reading the ‘Confessions’ in this light is a vision of Augustine’s rich understanding of creation as dynamically oriented toward God, of the church as the locus of creation’s transformation into God, and of confession as the liturgical response which conforms human beings to Christ and takes up all of creation into the church and offers it back to God in a thanksgiving offering of
praise.” Ortiz has been a member of the Hope faculty since 2012, and is the founder and executive director of the St. Benedict Institute, the Catholic spiritual and intellectual center that serves Hope College. He teaches courses on the Incarnation, church history, Catholic Christianity, theological hermeneutics and early Christianity. He is the author of several scholarly articles and book reviews, and has made numerous presentations at professional meetings. His other publications focused on Augustine include essays in the books “The Confessions: St. Augustine of Hippo” (Ignatius Critical Editions, 2012) and “Called to Be the Children of God: The Catholic Theology of Human Deification” (Ignatius Press, 2016).
After celebrating the canonization of St. Teresa of Kolkata earlier this month, Pope Francis is expected to declare another member of the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. Francis will likely declare French priest Father Jacques Hamel, who was murdered by Islamic terrorists while leading mass on July 26, as a saint. The 84-yearold Hamel was leading mass in Saint-Etiennedu-Rouvray when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat. In a recent sermon, Francis praised Hamel saying, “Father Jacques Hamel has been slaughtered in the Cross, just as he celebrated the sacrifice of the Cross of Christ. A good man, meek, a brother, who was always trying to make peace, was assented as if it were criminal.” Normally, a person must have performed a miracle to be declared a saint, but there are exceptions for those who have been martyred for their faith. SURVEY SAYS
Jewish voters supporting Clinton In keeping with their historic allegiance to the Democratic Party, Jewish voters are supporting Hillary Clinton by a 3-to-1 ratio over Donald Trump. According to the first national survey of Jewish voters this election season, 61 percent of Jewish adults said they would vote for Clinton if the election were held today, while 19 percent chose Trump. The survey, which was conducted by the American Jewish Committee, also found that 6 percent of Jewish adults would pick Libertarian Gary Johnson, 3 percent would pick Jill Stein of the Green Party and 8 percent said there were not voting. GOOD BOOK?
CHURCH BRIEFS
EBENEZER REFORMED
Celebrating 150 years The public is invited to attend the 150 Years of Ministry Celebration worship service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Ebenezer Reformed Church, 5166 Ottogan St. (corner of 32nd Street and Country Club Road). The event will be held in the large tent. A hymnsing is planned at 6 p.m., also in the large tent.
UNITY ON LAKESHORE
Bier leading course The Rev. Sacha Bier is offering an Inter-Religious Study Course at Unity on the Lakeshore starting Monday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. Offering
a comparison of native religions, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, this is a topics-based class. The topic for Sept. 19 is “Creation Stories.” Subsequent topics will be “Holy People/Early Leaders” “ Holy Teachers,” “The How and Where of Worship,” “PrayerMeditation-Devotion,” “Views on Compassion/Service/Tithing,” “Methods of Connection with the Higher Power Life Duties,” and “Afterlife/Funeral Practices.” At the 10 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 18 service, the Rev. Sara Duncan will share her message “Live in Agreement with God.” Most people have suppressed their inner Spiritual reality. We can choose to express God's reality of goodness by trusting in the loving Presence of God
within. Pamela Chappell will provide special music. Unity on the Lakeshore is located at 41 S. Washington in Douglas. For more information, visit unityls.org
The simulcast is co-hosted by Community Reformed, Harderwyk Ministries, and The Foundry.
PRAYER BREAKFAST
Event features mayor COMMUNITY REFORMED
Beth Moore in simulcast Beth Moore’s Living Proof Simulcast is taking place 10:15 a.m.-5:15 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17, at Community Reformed Church in Zeeland. Worship will be led by Travis Cottrell. Admission is $15. For more information, and/or to purchase tickets, go to www. itickets.com or www.communityreformed.org, or stop by Community Reformed in Zeeland.
The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast has been planned for 7 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, at the Doubletree Hotel. Tickets are $25. Seating is limited. For reservations, or more information, call 616-9283427, or visit www.facebook. com/mpbholland/.
— EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you have a church brief you would like to submit? Email it to loritimmer@hollandsentinel.com. Please send item two weeks in advance of event.
“A Mile Wide: Trading a Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith” by Brandon Hatmaker Offering fresh perspective on eight essentials of Christianity — the gospel, identity, scripture, discipleship, kingdom, mission, community, and justice — Brandon Hatmaker provides biblical insight and practical applications that tap into the richer life Christ promised his people, individually and as a community. God wants more than simply to save us; he’s also determined to transform us, restore us, and use us to reveal the coming of his kingdom right here, right now. — Thomas Nelson