Thursday, November 21, 2024

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 21st of November 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

This pre-holiday mailbag week could have gone in so many directions- and yet here we are McGee and Me are from 1989, the story of the human kid Nicholas and his cartoon friend McGee- this was made by Focus on the Family. Mac and Me was the 1988 E.T. rip-off, a very bad movie, and why would you make that if we already had Flight of the Navigator?

And don’t even get me started on the Buttercream Gang; it’s LDS propaganda, I tell you!

Ok- Vanessa in Brookings, South Dakota, wrote that Brookings is home to the Institute of Lutheran Theology and also the birthplace of Mean Gene Okerlund.

Vanessa asked a specific question about clerical collars, wondering ‘if there were differences’ and then about the history of- what I will shorten for her as “vestments” or the clothes that priests, pastors, and others might wear in church.

“Clerical vestments” come onto the scene around the 6th or 7th century. With the diaspora of the fall of Rome, much of Europe was trying to find unity where they could, and church services and clothing could help with this purpose, and it is what many other jobs had (how many of you have, or have had jobs where you wear something different at work to signify to people that you “work there”).  

As for the collar itself- well, I suppose we could talk about the history of the collar in general, as it was historically an addition to a shirt- they were the easiest part to replace, and so collars were sold separately and could denote your work (think today we speak of “blue collar” or “white collar” jobs). The white tab, often at the throat with black surrounding it, symbolizes purity- and perhaps pertaining to the throat and the preached word.

When it comes to “vestments,” we all have them in our churches, just like we all have “liturgies,” it’s just that we don’t call them these things anymore. What people wear and the order of service is really, really important to people- it is today, and we should assume it always has been. Try wearing something radically different to church or have the worship leader change up the service order… that will draw attention in a way that an important theological nuance never will.

But, to “explain” vestments is a difficult task- but one that many try to do. I will warn you: the explanations for questions of  “why they wear…” or “why it looks like that” are legion and, like Ray’s Pizza in New York City, everyone claims to be the original.

Traditionally, clergy would wear (or ‘vest’) some kind of white robe symbolizing purity- this is easy stuff, straight out of Revelation (and you’d be surprised how much worship throughout history is molded by this book because there is so much worship in it). This might be an “Alb” or a “Cassock” if it’s an Alb, it flows a bit more, so you might wear a cincture (a rope). The colorful strips down the side? That’s a “stole,” and it is often explained as representing a yoke (like on oxen, or the “light yoke” of Christ”). It represents a certain ranking- origination status, etc… and will likely be decorated according to the church season (Green for regular time, red or gold for Holy days, Purple for Lent, Blue for Advent, etc… but these can shift too- especially in non-European countries).

The later Reformations- after the early Lutheran and Anglican tended to want a complete break from the Catholic Church in worship and thus wore a black academic gown- sometimes with a preaching collar of sorts, sometimes not.

Other churches, in proclaiming their Christian freedom and perhaps with a nod to the priesthood of all believers, have eliminated specific clothing altogether (yet that, of course, is a vestment choice in and of itself- Chuck Smith practically baptized the Hawaiian shirt for pastors here where I live).  

Ok- one more tomorrow, and it’s of a similar variety- looking at some practical differences and similarities in the church today.

Keep sending me your questions about the 80s and 90s Christian nostalgia pieces… 

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and Acts 7, the first martyrdom.

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of November 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the Imagination Station… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man having Gerbert flashbacks (sorry, I’m done) I’m  Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.