Mint Chocolate City

Yesterday morning, after taking a taxi, the tube, and the train from London to Cambridge, the three of us had the pleasure of worshipping at Resurrection Lutheran Church. 

My parents got to meet my pastor/tutor, I changed into casual clothes, and we were off to the train station once again. This time… to York!

We had to get off the train at Ely, hop on a bus to Peterborough, and then make the train to York from there, since the tracks from Ely to Peterborough were under construction. On the second train, we had quite a bit of trouble finding our seats. We couldn’t even find our section! So we sat down in three open seats, only to find out five minutes later that they were reserved for someone else! So we got up again in the moving train, fought our way through the aisles (if you can call a passageway that small an aisle), only to find that the next seats we nested in were reserved as well! So after three moves, my dad getting off the train, looking on the outside for our section, and finally finding it, we made it to York.

And boy, was it worth the trouble! I think it’s safe to say that York is my favorite city in the UK so far. We got off the train, made our way past the ancient city walls, York Minster Cathedral, and Monkbar Gate to our hotel. After asking the receptionist where he would recommend we eat, we headed for Cross Keys pub. Here, I got my third and best (so far) order of fish and chips and the best half-pint I’ve had so far. Then we made our way back to the hotel to make our plans for the next day.

This morning, we enjoyed a full hotel breakfast before embarking on the town. Our first stop was a street my girlfriend recommended that we go to while in York. Christa got the opportunity to visit York while in England for the International Piano Competition last September. And now, it’s my turn! The road (called The Shambles) had two buildings on either side of the street, which was so narrow that you could stretch out your hand from the window of one of the buildings and shake your neighbor’s hand in the other.

Our next sight was Clifford Tower, a twelfth century lookout post and military building. Following the York Castle area, we went to Betty’s Tea Café (another must-see from Christa). After enjoying what was the best cup of tea I’ve had so far in England, we walked on the city wall, from which we could see the Cathedral. Speaking of the Cathedral, our next stop was the Cathedral.

York Minster was my third cathedral and my parents’ first. It was, in their words, “unbelievably huge.” And was it ever! While I’d say Canterbury was slightly more beautiful on the inside, York Minster is the most stunning from the outside. It has been a place of worship since 627, but was made into the grand cathedral that it is over a period of 260 years, starting in the thirteenth century. It has always been dedicated to St. Peter, so on the inside, there is a stained glass window of him holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven in one hand and a miniature York Minster Cathedral in the other.

My favorite part of the sight, aside from perhaps its two identical towers at the front entrance, was the statue of Constantine the Great at the side entrance. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire in 306 right here in Yorkshire! He was the emperor who ended the persecution of Christians by converting to Christianity and making it the religion of the empire.

I proceeded to stop by a Turkish barber to make myself look a bit more presentable, after which we grabbed some lunch and hopped on another train. This one is taking us to Manchester, then to Cardiff, where we’ll be spending the next 24 hours. Three cheers for York!

Barnes' and Sherlock's Old Stomping Grounds

Around 10:00 this morning, I was greeted with a text from my parents saying they had landed at Heathrow, taken the tube (London’s subway) to King’s Cross train station, ridden the train to central Cambridge, hailed a taxi, and were on their way to Westfield House. Ecstatic, I hustled out to the front of the House to greet them.

After showing them around WH and Luther Hall, meeting many of my new friends along our way, I took them to see the historic colleges of Cambridge University. They were happy to see Trinity, Kings, and Gonville and Caius. But the one place my dad wanted to see more than anything in England was the White Horse Inn. This is the place where English Reformers met in the 1520’s to discuss Luther’s works and ideas. One of the men who led these meetings, Robert Barnes, was the first Lutheran in the British Isles. Since Henry VIII despised Luther and the ideals Barnes stood for, Barnes was burned at the stake in Cambridge. Today, there is a radio podcast entitled the White Horse Inn, in honor of what happened here in Cambridge. Unfortunately, in this very anti-Lutheran land, all that is there to commemorate this historic spot is a small, circular plaque with the name and a description on it. Nonetheless, my dad and I were happy to get a picture beside it.

Since we had already booked a hotel in London for tonight, we took the train back down to King’s Cross, checked in at the hotel, and made our way to my dad’s second and final must-see in England: 221B Baker St. This is where his favorite character in all of literature (and one that’s pretty high on my list as well) resided: Sherlock Holmes. We were able to get our picture taken with a “bouncer” dressed up like Detective Lestrade, each of us wearing either a Sherlock or Dr. Watson hat. The Sherlock Holmes Museum right next door was nice to browse through as well.

Now, as I type this up from our West London hotel close to Hyde Park, I see a magazine resting on the nightstand that says on its cover, “Welcome to the World’s Greatest City.” Eh… I wouldn’t go that far. In the couple of trips I’ve taken to London, I’ve seen a great deal and enjoyed a fair chunk of it. It’s certainly a historic and important city. But it’s not my place. I think it’s a bit more raved about than it should be, even though it’s a fine city. I’ll be coming back here a couple more times for sure: once on our flight back from Ireland in a week, once in passing on my way to Paris, and finally to fly back home. I enjoy London… But there’s a lot more to see on these islands.

The End of Augustine Term

Today marks the end of my first term at Westfield House. I'm here for two uneven terms. The first one that I just finished was called Augustine Term. It ran for 5 weeks, and now we have a 10-day break before Michaelmas Term begins. I've learned and experienced a great deal in these past 5 weeks as my previous blogs can attest. Now, at the close of term one, I'm caught up on my readings for my classes and am currently figuring out what my essay topics for each class will be. My "final" for each of my 5 classes will be a paper (between 8 and 20 pages, depending on the class) about an approved topic of my choosing. I'm sifting through ideas of Creation, Luther's biblical prefaces, Reformation issues, and Henry VIII's Ten Articles of 1536 at the moment. So I guess my workload for Michaelmas is cut out for me.
I know I've only blogged about 2 of my classes thus far. The rest are coming in Michaelmas Term, which is 10 weeks long, after which I'll be headed back home in time for the tail end of Advent. But before the fun of Michaelmas Term begins, I have 10 days of family fun awaiting me! My parents are making their way across the ocean tomorrow to spend the week travelling with their boy. We'll be hitting up Northern England, Wales, and a wide swath of Ireland this coming week. I couldn't be more excited. And rest assured, I'll get around to blogging all about it for you guys as soon as I can find ten spare minutes to type.

Cemeteries of Cambridge

Last week, I took a cab with some friends of mine to the Cambridge American Cemetery.

This is a graveyard and memorial for all the American soldiers, sailors, and airmen who were stationed in England (the Allies' headquarters) during World War II and died.

As we walked in, we saw dozens of rows of white marble crosses, each with the name, battalion, and native state of an American soldier, including the date they fell. After a fair amount of searching, we found one man from Mississippi. His tombstone said his name was Frank W. Furr and he died on October 8, 1944. I never thought I'd find a memorial to a fellow Mississippian across the Atlantic Ocean, but I guess I underestimated the English. Gazing down the columns of crosses (with a handful of stars of David interspersed), I realized just how much people around the world appreciate my country and what we have done in history to make the world safer and make their lives better.

There was a massive wall with thousands of names on it, and large 4 statues along this wall. Each statue was an American from one of the divisions of the military. There was a statue of a soldier from the American army (in 1940's garb), along with Americans from the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. As I later learned, the wall was filled with the names of American soldiers whose bodies were never recovered, most of them being lost in the Atlantic.

There is an enormous American flag placed in the center of the pavilion, along with a pond similar to the one by the Washington Monument, and a grand memorial building that is currently being made into a church. Inside, there are colored windows with the seal of every state on them; and on the ceiling, there is an intricate mosaic of angels flying beside Allied WWII planes on their way to war, culminating in a mosaic of our Lord behind the altar, giving the soldiers his hand of protection and salvation.

Thinking back on history, the world really does owe a great deal to the United States. It's fantastic to see that some people in Europe recognize this fact and are thankful enough to make this grand cemetery and memorial for those who made the difference. When I hear Europeans say Americans are dumb and closed-minded, now I think, "I wish I could take them to this cemetery."

A Living and Unshakable Confidence

Since I blogged about one of my classes I'm taking at Westfield House last week, I thought today I'd blog about my second class: Readings in Luther. In this class, the two Ft. Wayne seminarians and I read selections of Martin Luther's writings and discuss them in class with Dr. Rosin. He works both here and at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, so every couple weeks he flies back and forth. In order to teach all his classes at both institutions, we use Skype during class sometimes.

I really like this class because it forces me to read entire documents that Luther wrote. I think far too many Lutherans (including myself sometimes) cling to one-liners or "soundbites" from his writings and use them out of context, thinking they know how Luther thought. The most obvious example of this is Luther's quote "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly." Many Lutherans toss this quote around as a self-justification for their own sins to relieve themselves of their guilt, with no desire to look into the context. So here it is: Luther's good friend and fellow reformer Philip Melanchthon, was in a very difficult situation in his parish. Melanchthon went through every scenario of what he could do in response to it, and every one seemed sinful to him. Luther said these words to him, basically telling him to act, not to intentionally sin, but to take action, and live in continual repentance. Given the context, it's a beautiful quote! Which is one reason why I like this class so much: I get to pour through entire works of Luther.

My favorite quote I have read so far in this class comes from his Preface to Romans (I encourage you to read the entire thing---it's fantastic). He wrote, "Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake." No one in the past millennium could nail down faith quite like Brother Martin. I'm thankful to be in a class where I can really learn what Luther had to say: both the good (i.e. his Preface to the Romans) and the bad (i.e. his Preface to James). I look forward to reading his other works and sifting through them with my fellow scholars. In this land that's practically depraved of conservative theology, it's nice to have healthy doses of Luther delivered to me through this class.

Good Afternoon, Twelfth Century

Another Saturday, another city. Today I went to Southeastern England (a region called Kent) to the great city of Canterbury. My favorite play is Murder in the Cathedral by TS Eliot. This play is a dramatization of the assassination of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, on December 29, 1170. King Henry II appointed his pal Thomas to the second highest position in the land several years prior, thinking this nepotism might pave the way for his agenda to glide by. Unfortunately for him, the King underestimated Becket’s integrity. So, after years of disagreement between the two, Henry mentioned to four of his knights that it would be nice if Becket was “taken care of.” The rest you can read in Eliot’s masterpiece, which I highly recommend.

Since this is my favorite play, and it occurred in Canterbury Cathedral, I simply had to go. So, like the characters from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, I made a “pilgrimage” of sorts to see this ancient crime scene and acknowledge Becket’s martyrdom for myself.

My friends Dan, Jake, and I started out early for the bus stop to catch our 8:00am coach through London to Canterbury. The rain-soaked walk to the bus stop turned into a frantic run when we got lost with only a few precious minutes left until our bus departed. With 2 minutes left, in desperation, I knocked on a cabby’s window and asked where the bus stop was. He told us it was 5-10 minutes’ walk away. I looked around in my wet glasses, then turned back to him and said, “Can you get us there in 2?” Not only did this fine man get us there right when the bus was about to leave, but he boxed the bus in so it couldn’t leave without us! After giving him a huge thank you along with the reasonable fare, we ran into the bus, which was on the move before we took our seats. The Lord was certainly looking out for us this morning. I would have been down 19 pounds and a day of fun.

When we got to Canterbury (thanks to the wonderful cabby and the safe bus driver), we ate a British meal (I got a lemon dessert!), and headed over to the Cathedral. What a sight! I recognized the Cathedral’s exterior from the cover of my copy of Murder in the Cathedral. I must say—it’s more breathtaking in person. Inside was an absolute marvel. The vaulted nave and the ancient columns adorning the church caught both my eyes and wouldn’t let them go. I perused the Great Cloister, the Crypt, and the open nave, fascinated by every one of them, before making my way into the room in which St. Becket was martyred. I journeyed through a short tunnel into a small space, potent with candles purchased and lit by pilgrims. Now, the great controversy behind this medieval crime was whether or not Becket wanted to be martyred. Legend has it that when the priests whisked Thomas away into the Cathedral to protect him from the murderous knights, he commanded them to unlock the doors, for everyone should be welcome in the Lord’s house. Hence the famous line penned by Eliot: “The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason.” Becket did the right deed… But was it for the right reason? Or was it for his own pride in wanting to become a martyr? I’m undecided. Anyway, the ancient doors that Becket commanded be opened were still there, after which having entered through them, the pilgrim sees the sight where the famous Archbishop was murdered. There is a sculpture of four swords (for the four knights) in front of a kneeler, worn down by countless pilgrims. It was a tremendous experience to be in the place where this historic event took place; and certainly something that will make my next perusal of Murder in the Cathedral more meaningful.

After touring this astounding site, the three of us were fortunate enough to attend Evensong (the Church of England’s equivalent to the Lutheran’s Evening Prayer service). Worshipping in a 1,400 year-old building is something I’ve never had the pleasure of being a part of before. We listened to the Cathedral Choir, prayed, and sang “Lift High the Cross” in honor of Holy Cross day. The clergyman who blessed us with the readings (I think) was the current Archbishop of Canterbury himself. I could be wrong though, as it may have been the Archdeacon.

All in all, my Canterbury excursion was the slightest of notches above my Oxford trip. For while Oxford was an unforgettable journey, I didn’t get to worship in a 1,400 year-old Cathedral in Oxford. Also, having my friends with me was a much-welcomed addition to this weekend’s day trip.

So, after making our bus by the narrowest of margins, eight hours of total bus time, and a full day of sight-seeing, I am feeling very blessed. Not only have I gotten the incredible opportunities to see London, Cambridge, Ely, Oxford, and now Canterbury, but every one of those 5 cities I have enjoyed immensely. In his classic play, TS Eliot wrote, “For good or ill, let the wheel turn.” And for me I can unequivocally say that this rotation of the wheel is for good.

With All Your Heart and Mind

Seeing as this is a blog about my experiences studying abroad, I feel it might be appropriate to write a blog about my studies. I have 6 classes here at Westfield House, plus 2 required field experiences. Let's start with the first class I have every day: Lutheran Dogmatics I with Dr. Mumme. Dogmatics is an underused word for doctrine. So in this class, I learn the doctrines of the Christian faith with an emphasis on the Lutheran tradition. One of the key Bible verses mentioned in this class that's been on my mind lately is Mark 12:30. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." We focused on two parts of this verse: "with all your heart" and "with all your mind." Jesus calls and commands us to love the Lord with both our hearts and our minds. Most Christians (including myself) tend to favor one over the other. Some Christians are all about the heart, saying "All that matters is my personal relationship with Jesus. I don't need to learn all that theology and doctrine stuff." They desire only to love the Lord with all their heart and not with their mind. Then on the other side of the spectrum, you have academics who get so wrapped up in studying the Scriptures and commentaries and Bible dictionaries and different translations that they miss the both the personal relationship we have individually with Jesus and the corporate relationship we as the Church have with Jesus. They love the Lord with all their mind and not with their heart.
There is a tension between spirituality and scholarship we must live in. The love of learning and the desire for God are united. The importance of both of these cannot be overstated; and we aren't permitted to choose one or the other. To only study or to only worship would be to pick and choose which part(s) of Mark 12:30 we want to follow. But to recognize what is crucial, we must consider both and distinguish between the "monastic" and "scholastic" sides of the Christian life.
This is the most useful concept I have learned so far in Lutheran Dogmatics I. Here at Westfield House and at Resurrection Lutheran Church, I'm pleased to be immersed in both aspects of the Christian life. With chapel every weekday and church every Sunday, I'm saturated with God's Word and Sacraments; and I'm honored to respond to that Word in prayer and praise. And with doctrine classes, reading books by great theologians of the past, and studying church history and the Confessions, I'm active in the scholastic side as well. As Christians, we're all tempted to overemphasize one and downplay the other, especially me. So it's helpful for me to keep the words of Mark's gospel in my thoughts every day: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart...and with all your mind." AND... not or.