SIMEON STYLITES WAS A CHRISTIAN MONK WHO LIVED 388-459, and for 37-years sat on a small platform atop a column in Aleppo (now Syria). His asceticism and devotion were widely known and he developed a following, and many were those who sought his counsel, from peasants to princes. Of the monk Phyllis McGinley, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet, would write: And why did Simeon sit like that, Without a garment, Without a hat,In a holy rageFor the world to see?It puzzles the age,It puzzles me.It puzzled manyA Desert Father.And I think it puzzled the Good Lord, rather. But this posting is less about Simeon and more about Halford E. Luccock, who taught preaching at Yale University, and wrote a weekly column for The Christian Century; which, for a long time was the foremost Christian journal in America, especially in the 50s and 60s, and whose contributors included some of our finest minds, both church and state. Luccock’s used the pseudonym of Simeon Stylites, because, he said, Stylites was the first “columnist.” The Yale professor was clever, exceedingly, and funny, very, and if there was but one reason to read The Christian Century, he was that reason. But fortunately for those who think seriously about their Christian faith and the state of affairs beyond the church, in whose number I hope I am included, The Christian Century was a must read – and I read it cover-to-cover every week. But it was to Dr. Luccock’s column at the back of the magazine that always drew first my attention. From June of ’59 to June of ’62, I had all of my copies of The Christian Century bound by a book binder, and those collected issues, totaling 156, remain in my library; which means 156-copies of Simeon Stylites and Halford E. Luccock. The probability is few 27-year old young men did that, bound The Christian Century, but I did, and to peruse now one of the bound volumes is a joyous affair – and in no small measure, hugely informative. To read the issue of The Christian Century before the 1960 presidential election is to be reminded of the great intensity that surrounded Senator John F. Kennedy and his Catholicism. Mr. Kennedy’s brilliant performance before The Greater Houston Ministerial Association may have been the defining moment of the Kennedy/Nixon race. (It’s available on YouTube, and if you have never seen it, do. It’s a reminder that no other candidate for president ever matched JFK’s style and grace; but Mr. Reagan came close.) One of Mr. Nixon’s most prominent supporters was Dr. Norman Vincent Peale of New York City’s historic Marble Collegiate Church. Dr. Peale pushed Vice-President Nixon’s candidacy hard, as he was fearful of Senator Kennedy’s Catholicism. Dr. Peale’s opposition drew significant attention and no small measure of criticism, especially from Adlai Stevenson, who had twice been the nominee of the Democratic Party for president. Of Dr. Peale, Stevenson would famously say, “I find St. Paul appealing and Dr. Peale appalling.” All of this came flooding back the other day when I decided, while at lunch in The City Club office, to read the June-December bound volume of The Century for 1960 – beginning with Simeon Stylites. In addition, two of the books in my library are collections of Halford Luccock’s Century columns. I read and reread them often, especially the columns that feature the pastor of St. John’s by the Gas Station (no doubt, Episcopalian). I never went to Yale. Never met Dr. Luccock. Never had the privilege of sitting in one of his classes. But in a formative time in my life, he was a significant contributor to my thinking; a reminder that while Christians should take their faith seriously, they should do so with grace – and no small measure of humor. Here are a few of Dr. Luccock’s quotes: “If caustic criticism of religious institutions and practices are irreligious, the Amos, Isaac, and Jesus, were very irreligious men.” “For never…has there been a time when there was a more vigorous effort to surround social and international questions with such a fog of distortion and prejudices and hysterical appeal to fear.” (Said during the time of the U.S. Senate/McCarthy hearings; but causing me to wonder, what would Dr. Luccock say now?) “We ought to recognize that uncertainty of mind is not at all a bad thing. It is a sign your mind is still alive, still sensitive. If you are not at all confused in this day you are dead mentally and spiritually.” And, finally: “We will never be brought to confusion, even in such a baffling and muddled world as ours, if we have faith in a God of love, as the ultimate power in the universe.” Have a Great Day!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 16:27:11 +0000
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