Yesterday, when Ashton got into town, we were going uptown to look at all the Christmas windows and what-not. So, he shows up and gives me a Christmas card and tells me to open it right away. It was 6:00 pm. It did. And there, in my card, was my Christmas present - tickets to see Crown! What a wonderful surprise! What a wonderful show! Incredible black-Gospel and Spirituals were song by the cast. I so enjoyed myself, but Ashton was quite disappointed that one of the main leads he most wanted to see didn't appear last night. Her understudy performed. I, of course, didn't know the difference, but he was really disappoint. I'm sad that he was so disappointed.

Okay, so today, Ashton drove me back up to Times Square so I could buy a book for my nephew. I bought him the Growing Reader Phonics Bible. It's a great book of Bible stories from beginning to end using phonics to help him read. The book has wonderful illusrations. I bought another book on 'Openness Theology' which is causing a good deal of controversy in Evangelical/Conservative theological circles. The book is entitled, Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God's Openness, by Clark H. Pinnock. Here is a quote. I think I'm going to like this guy!

One's theology is a work of human construction, even when based in divine revelation, and interpretation requires strenuous effort. Out interpretations are provisional and truth is, to some extent, historically conditioned and ultimately eschatological. To paraphrase St. Paul, 'Now we know in part; then we will know fully' (1 Cor. 13:12). The truth claims that we make are all open to discussion and we ought to be teachable and ready to learn because none of our work rises to the level of timeless truth. There will always be multiple models and any one of them may be valuable in expressing the richness of the divine mystery. I think there is always a place for asking questions and for challenging assumptions. Our God-talk is always open to re-evaluation because mistakes can be made and need correction... An orientation to reform, I realize, does not do down well with those who privilege certain traditions as practically beyond discussion and certainly beyond improving. (ix)

I truly like his attitude. What any of us believe at any moment in time is only that.