A Theology of Immigration

Ray Harris gleans guidance from Ruth

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hen I stepped into my office at the St John’s college [one of two training schools for officers in the Canada & Bermuda Territory... now closed] three years ago, my secretary started a conversation by saying, “So how does it feel to be a CFA?” I blinked, with my normal puzzled look, and she continued: “You are considered a Come From Away. You’re not native to Newfoundland and Labrador. You’re a CFA.” She was, of course, seeking to be a little lighthearted for our first conversation. For a moment, though, I wondered if I was really being viewed as an immigrant.

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Summer schedule @ theRubicon

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or the months of July and August we will be switching to a twice-weekly posting of theRubicon (Tuesday & Friday), instead of our usual thrice-weekly offering. The summer schedule will still include a mixture of print pieces and podcasts (Areopagus).

As well, we are undertaking some further reconfigurations of the site over the next couple of months and hope to unveil a new and improved Rubicon in early September - as we make these “upgrades”, we will keep you all informed. We may even be approaching some of you for assistance and input.

Please keep sending in material if you have something you think would be a good fit for us - we are always in need of a constant supply of fresh material.

Finally, please take another look at our ridiculously reasonable advertising rates which are posted on the site. Each successive upgrade and improvement of theRubicon requires a certain amount of financial investment so, if you regularly access theRubicon and find it helpful and interesting, please think about either taking out an ad or just sending us a donation. We’re not proud - we’ll take anything you feel you can give. We cannot provide tax receipts however, so if you do decide that you can help us out, then it will be pure altrusim on your part (not allowing the left-hand of the tax man know what the right-hand of your generosity is up to, to very-roughly-paraphrase Jesus).

Thanks for your support.

theRubicon team

Heaven without hell

Andrew Bale on sheol

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ll Salvationists publicly state at the time of their enrollment that they “believe and will live by the truths of the word of God expressed in The Salvation Army’s eleven articles of faith.” Cadets repeat this declaration when they are commissioned, and the statement is an integral part of their Officer’s Covenant.

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What exactly is our mission?

Dion Oxford on the essentials

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hen I read the different musings on theRubicon and in other Salvation Army literature, I find myself wondering if we really know what our mission is. Do we know why we exist? Do we have a biblical understanding of what God desires of us?

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Washed in widow’s tears

Jim Read on tainted money

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hat do you make of Major Cleo Damon’s decision? Just before Christmas, 2002, Major Damon, who is the Corps Officer and area commander for Naples, Florida, turned down a $100,000 donation to The Salvation Army. The would-be donor, David Rush, had recently won $14 million in the Florida lottery, and he said the $100,000 would be coming from that jackpot. Despite the fact that this one gift would have just about equalled the total that others had given in the local Christmas kettle appeal, Major Damon said, “No, thanks.” › Continue reading

Resurrected writers: Schaeffer

The dead still speak

An occasional series by Maxwell Ryan

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t is instructive to realize how theological fashions change over the years. For instance, 25 or 30 years ago one of the most influential evangelical theologians whose name was on everyone’s lips - in North America at least - was Francis A. Schaeffer. Today, few have heard of him and his books often end up in used book sales or gather dust in theological libraries. This is a great pity because during his lifetime (1912 to 1984), and particularly in the decades of the 1950s to 1980s, his was the voice that gave intellectual muscle to evangelicals who were battling with theologically liberal ideas. Schaeffer was the evangelical David fighting against many Goliaths of theological modernism and doing it with great success. He was an American theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor whose reformed theology formed the foundation of his writings.

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Rubicon Books

theRubicon is pleased to announce the creation of Rubicon Books, the book publishing arm of our online journal. Rubicon Books provides the opportunity for authors who are in some way connected with theRubicon, to publish longer and more substantive works than what we are able to run online. The great Jewish theologian, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said: “In Biblical days prophets were astir while the world was asleep; today the world is astir while church and synagogue are busy with trivialities”. It is our hope that the launch of Rubicon Books will further stir serious things up!

theRubicon is maintained by Christians with roots in The Salvation Army, although readers, writers and participants from other traditions are not only welcome, but encouraged. It is a place for “doers”, who have learned of the need to think deeply, rigorously and critically about what they do and why they do it. “Contemplative activists,” is one term, “field theologians” might be more accurate. theRubicon is based on exchange and participation, initiated by thoughtful and well-written contributions from contributors around the world, as well as featured speakers through our podcasting section entitled Areopagus. As we see it, Rubicon Books is the next logical step in our journey.

Our first four books are advertised below, along with ordering information. We do not yet have a centralized ordering address as each author is an independent member of theRubicon network, however we are working on creating an online ordering system. In the meantime, ordering information for each book is available after the click-through on the title below.

Justice and Righteousness

A Biblical perspective by George Katchanov

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he recurring motifs of justice and righteousness are perhaps some of the most persistent themes of all time, whether we choose to confront the postmodernist ideology of our world or to engage ourselves in a sociological survey of the Biblical realm. The problem of injustice outlines a cycle of self-annihilation that humankind continues to stubbornly and ignorantly make itself the victim of.

The mystifying absurdity of a society oppressing its own members on the periphery is, at the very least, perplexing, and it no doubt identifies the confrontational stance that we, as the people of God, need to take against the present reality. › Continue reading

Areopagus #20: Rook on video

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n a debut for theRubicon we’re publishing our first video package on Areopagus… the audio (and now video!) part of this journal. Russell Rook, the director of Alove in the UK, fired-up attendees at the Night Rally in Melbourne, Australia at the ACC Reform event in September 2005. In this watershed talk, Rook announced he was no longer looking back to a perfect time in the Army before the fall but instead was concentrating on the messy - and periodically rewarding - task of creating the Army of now. He invited everyone with a love for the Army, and its mission, to join him. Don’t miss this compelling talk.

To view the video (runs 52:39) you need iTunes in your computer - this is free software available here. Then you need to visit the Areopagus podcast by clicking here or on the photo. The video can be viewed online (quite slow) or downloaded into your computer (it will automatically download if you have subscribed to the Areopagus podcast).

Since this is an Areopagus first, please let us know if you have technical troubles with this video - thanks… and enjoy!

Church and MLM: what’s the difference?

Vadim Khurin on selling salvation

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oday many people suggest starting a network business. The idea is quite simple. You start by selling something to somebody. Then you find a person who also wants to sell your goods and agrees to do it for a small percentage of the profits. Gradually, your network grows and eventually includes enough people to turn a large profit. Every dealer dreams of growing a network big enough just to get his own profit. There are loads of books on how to start and develop your own business, how to sell your goods even if nobody wants them. All means are used: from charm and smiles, according to Dale Carnegie, to advanced manipulation techniques. › Continue reading