Dr. David Creech
Here at Lent Madness, we hoard Davids. We have three of them: Sibley, Hanson, and Creech (not including St. David of Wales). Two out of three of our Davids are Lutherans, but that’s a mystery for another day. Today we meet David Creech, the first of our Trinity of Davids. This is Dr. David’s fifth year plying the Celebrity Blogger trade. We keep him around for a variety of reasons but mostly because his doctorate lends us a veil of respectability (“one out of four doctors recommend Lent Madness for all your penitential needs”).
Oh, and in case you missed yesterday’s special Celebrity Blogger Week edition of Monday Madness, watch it here. It’s must-see, pre-Lenten TV.
Dr. David Creech is Assistant Professor of Religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. A student of early Christianities, David knows a lot about saints—they anathematized many of his research subjects. He is a product of an Evangelical seminary and a Catholic PhD program and now teaches at a Lutheran college and worships with Episcopalians. For those looking for the ecumenical voice (read: objective and unbiased/quite confused) in this year’s competition, he’s your man. Although he does dress in robes from time to time, David brings the unique perspective of a layperson. His book title is long and boring (The Use of Scripture in the Apocryphon of John: A Diachronic Analysis of the Variant Versions) but nearly sold out of its initial print run of 200 copies. You can follow David on Twitter @dyingsparrows and read his oftentimes provocative posts at his blog by the same name. When not teaching and writing, David enjoys owning his three kids Ian, Ela, and Dylan at Sorry.
Hymns make me sad generally. I like the Bible. No one remembers the Bible. They remember hymns though. And hymns take awesomely complex biblical ideas and trivialize them. Bah. That said, in hell the playlist will probably be a loop of “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” or “Shine Jesus Shine.” And there will be loads of decaf Sanka for Father Tim. [Editor’s Note: Sanka is, by definition, decaf. It is also of the devil]
3. You’re busy during Lent. Why do you make time for the Saintly Smackdown? What do you get out of it personally?
Besides the incredible fame and fortune, you mean? I live in the frozen tundra, a forsaken land. What else am I going to do in February? Seriously, though, there is so much to learn from the rich and diverse (and often forgotten) history of Christianity. The saints often challenge me to rethink what I find important. In their stories I learn more about what it means to be a whole human being.
Just what does this mean, exactly?
“When not teaching and writing, David enjoys owning his three kids Ian, Ela, and Dylan at Sorry.”
Ah! I just figured it out! Duh! I guess I haven’t had enough caffeinated coffee yet, this morning…
Only ONE out of four doctors recommending Lent Madness? That’s not very impressive. You need to consult different doctors!
I agree that some of the hymns we sing border on the inane, but there a few that glow for me.
“Come, risen Lord and deign to be our guest” comes to mind. To cite a corny metaphor, let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.
Jill, I’m with you on that, both the beautiful hymn and not throwing out…the good with the not-so-good.
David, when you say that you and Origen would eat “brats”, how are you pronouncing that word?
Sometimes scripture passages do stick with me, but more often it is the hymns that play over and over. Given my elderly bladder, I am up frequently during the night, and often I rouse with “Ode to Joy.” And I am struck by how much I now enjoy “Just as I Am” since I am an Episcopalian. I can sing and enjoy the words, whereas while I was a Baptist I dreaded the hymn that was used to beat us into coming forward. I am looking forward to this round of Lent Madness.
A tip of the cap to a fellow Dodger fan. In particular, a fellow dodger fan living outside of Los Angeles / Socal. I hope to some day see Vin Scully canonized by the Roman Catholic church and be made a contestant in Lent Madness.
I would definitely vote for Vinny to wear the Halo! Living on the Central Coast of CA is still out of the LA area.