Does Meatloaf Inflame more than Oatmeal?

Published on by D. G. Hart

The shoot-the-fish-in-the-barrel reaction to this story about an Episcopal priest encouraging Bible reading is to make some sort of crack about Episcopalians actually reading the Bible. In point of fact, the story actually demonstrates the relative hunger that many church-goers have for Scripture. It also shows how woeful the shepherding of believers is by too many clergy (mainline and evangelical) who can think of any number of authorities to substitute for Scripture in the care and feeding of God’s flock.

Whatever this priest’s effort may say about Episcopalians, he does confirm the point about the ordinary character of God’s extraordinary (read special) revelation. Consider the food analogy he uses:

. . . each reading program varies in the amount of New Testament, Old Testament and psalms that it includes.

Zabriskie explained that he consistently encourages this triad, because it is essential to remaining interested and focused in the reading.

“If you had to eat meatloaf for 15 days in a row, it would not be a fun event,” Zabriskie said, comparing the balanced program to a well-balanced meal. “But if you had a side salad that varied everyday – that’s the psalm – and a desert that was really good everyday – that’s the New Testament – you could probably stomach having to eat meatloaf 15 days in a row.”

I’m not sure if that is the way I’d think of the New Testament. Given how Peter writes about the difficulty of Paul’s epistles, the better analogy might be the bitter herbs of the Passover Meal. And considering the reason for this season, I’m not sure if bittersweet chocolate cake has sufficient bitterness to do justice to the cross or the sweetness to live up to an empty tomb. But the program teaches that some of the most wholesome and enjoyable things in life — like comfort food — are the dullest.

9 thoughts on “Does Meatloaf Inflame more than Oatmeal?”

  1. Better than offering an indulgence for time off in purgatory, but yeah, the food analogy gets old, all the more so when applied to Scripture reading.

    Food for thought, is all.

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  3. Did God make a sincere offer of the passover to the Egyptians? Did God ever love the sinners God killed in the flood?

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  4. Speaking of Episcopalians, on the way to the office today I drove through Campustown. There is a bank that has been demolished to make way for high-rise student housing. Down the block a bunch of other hundred year old buildings are being taken down to make way for new development. In between these two construction sites sits an Episcopal church.

    It’s an older building but is in nice shape. I imagine most of their membership is grey-haired if the PCUSA that is in the general vicinity is any indication (both churches have good rummage sales for this reason). My prediction is the next Century will see these mainline church buildings in prime locations meeting the same fate as those other old buildings. The only thing that is saving them now is the fact that they are exempt from property taxes. Eventually church leaders will throw in the towel, turn out the lights, sell the building, and give the money to some liberal cause.

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  5. The Reformed Episcopalians helped us once, and are still around:

    Even before the Presbyterian Church of America was formed, it was certain that the Presbyterian Church in the USA intended to continue its persecution of the Independent Board members even though they were in another church body. The Christ Reformed Episcopal Church, 43rd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, had extended the courtesy of the use of its building to the Covenant Union for its evening meetings during the convention of June 11-14. To prevent this and to persuade the Reformed Episcopal Church to cancel the contract with the Covenant Union, the Rev. Lewis S. Mudge, D.D., stated clerk of the General Assembly, and the Rev. George Emerson Barnes, D.D., moderator of Philadelphia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in the USA, appeared before the vestry and actually convinced it that to allow the former ministers of the Presbyterian Church in the USA to use the Reformed Episcopal Church building would be to violate comity relations between the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church in the USA.[18] However, the Reformed Episcopal Church of the Atonement in Germantown offered its auditorium to the Presbyterian Church of America, and a telegram of greeting was read to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America from the Rev. Robert Westly Peach, presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

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  7. Last week I saw an episode of Beat Bobby Flay with two versions of meatloaf that would definitely help a weeklong meatloaf run (one was smoked and one was Korean-fusion with kimchi inside and gochujang (red bean/chili paste) in the ‘ketchup’ topping)

    And the best bitter food is a San Diego (aka double) IPA. Ballast Point Sculpin anyone? Great in a bottle, life-changing on tap.

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  8. Pingback: A New Calvinist becomes a Regular Calvinist - Old Life Theological Society

  9. When being filled with the Spirit hits the fan:

    On Christmas Eve I really did feel The Lord pressing into me to do a different message than we had previously done in the days before. I wrestled with this for several hours before finally saying “yes.”

    As I began writing down what I felt like He wanted me to say, I began to reflect on the teaching I have received while in Israel and how I had been told there was no Hebrew word for “command,” but that the 10 commandments were actually then ten sayings or the promises of God.

    This set my heart on fire and I put the message together, believing it was from the Lord, and we saw over 200 people come to Christ as a result.

    And then it hit the fan!

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