EUROPE TRIP PICS 3: LONDON

St.Paul's Cathedral, the first non Catholic cathedral. "Cathedral" means "seat." A cathedral is technically the seat of a bishop. No cameras allowed inside.





Westminster Abbey. An abbey is a church associated with a convent or monastery.





On the face of Westminster Abbey is a row of figures, a tribute to the martyrs of the 20th Century. They are men and women of different races and nationalities and representing many sects within Christianity. All are believed by at least some to have been killed as a result of their devotion to Jesus.





Martin Luther King, Jr is the only American in the tribute. Was he killed for his faith or because of actions that stemmed from his faith? Is there a difference? Begs the question "What is a martyr?" Martin Luther King Jr died in pursuit of justice and peace, a pursuit he believed God lead him in.





Oscar Romero lived in El Salvador during a time of great inequality, during a civil war. As the leader of the Catholic Church in El Salvador he was expected to side with the ruling administration but instead ruled against both sides of the conflict, chastising the rich for oppressing the poor and the poor for using violence to gain power. The rich ruling party hated this most and assassinated him during mass.






Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a controversial figure. A pacifist minister in Germany during the rise of Hitler, Bonhoeffer first wrote and preached against violence and war (read Cost of Discipleship) then joined forces with a group trying to assassinate Hitler. Hitler imprisoned him and he was killed in the camps after the war technically had ended, but before Allied forces arrived to free him. There is much speculation about what, if anything, changed in Bonhoeffer's theology to allow him to plot to kill Hitler and some question about whether he was a martyr killed for his faith or a political assassin killed for treason.


Changing directions drastically....



Look kids, Big Ben!






That's a horrible picture of Brian, a fraction of his wife Amy, Ashlee Simpson, Becky, Tina and Joe Simpson (Amy's former youth pastor) and me. Quite a diverse day: from martyrdom to backstage at Chicago the musical. Whiplash.