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Page [v] dedication: "Not at this time" are the dreaded words that ministry candidates hear when their acceptance is being delayed pending completion of work assigned by the Board of Ministry. They must continue in uncertainty that their expenditures of time and money will bring a positive decision for employment and ordination. There are no guarantees, although a good lawyer can probably show that the Board's procedure in delineating work assignments for completion create a conditional contract for employment between the Church and the candidate, which means that if a candidate successfully completes the work, the Board is obligated to approve. However, the Board is never constrained by such considerations as it makes its decisions. The book is dedicated to all those persons who have had to struggle under the Board's difficult and arbitrary decisions while trying to please the almost impossible to please Board.
Preface: I have deliberately not mentioned the denomination whose process provided inspiration for writing the book--the one with which I struggled for 12 years. The book is not about me or taking revenge through print. I wrote it to ask the question: Is this the way ministers should be treated when God calls them to clergy leadership in the church? (I think not.) But the alert reader who cares to make the identification will not find it difficult.
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Prologue, the call: Ministers and pastors are chosen by God. He "calls" them in many different ways, perhaps unique to each one He selects, to becoming ministers. The Prologue details the call of Montgomery by God to the fraternity.
Prologue, page 5: "The fraternity is in disorder. The Sawgrass chapter is holding on, but nationally, the SigBees have been losing members for a long time. Chapters are closing." The decline of the mainline churches.
Prologue, page 6: "We need a turnaround, and that will take talent--talent like you, Montgomery." One way of hearing God's call: through the mouth of another. My call was also communicated to others besides me.
Prologue, page 6: "It is your responsibility to wear the mantle at Sawgrass." Others recognize God's equipping of the main character for the call.
Prologue, the guidance counselor, page 6f: short, rotund man wearing wire glasses and a dazed look ... the counselor replied as though he was only then making up his mind to talk with the young man [after sending for him]. This character shows the nature of my candidate studies under a "supervising pastor". They were unprepared, and mostly irrelevant to my preparation, and the pastor didn't seem to give his role much thought or priority.
Prologue, page 7,8: I was sitting in my office last week, ... the thought came crashing in on me that I should tak to you about joining ...." Thus comes the call. These words are almost verbatim what was said to me, although the person who really said them bears no resemblance to the guidance counselor, who is based on someone else.
Prologue, page 8: "You have the gifts and graces ...." The cliche used to refer to qualifications, talents and skills to be a Methodist minister.
Prologue, page 8, Montgomery's prayer: "If you have other plans, let me know. I'll be obedient to your call ... If you were speaking through him, please let me know. Let someone I know and trust come to me, and indicate that you're calling me to that purpose, or tell me openly what other plan you wish me to follow." My prayer which when answered left me no doubt about my call.
Prologue, page 9: "Is this really my call?" Wondering about a call is normal. Seeking confirmation is a sensible response.
Prologue, page 9: Tell me openly ... If that wasn't an answer to my prayer, I don't know what is. The confirmation of my call by its communication to another, with no prompting by me, left no doubt as to its established, unmistakable nature, which the Board ignored. Keep this in mind throughout the book.
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Chapter 1, page 15: General Lee. Mick's first moniker foreshadows Elizabeth's humor further in the chapter of all the young people having a last name of a Civil War General (southern).
Chapter 1, page 15: "His roomie is Joe Boxer. realy, it is," he insisted as Mick was laughing. "I'll call him Shorts," Mick said. This turns out to be a possible K-Mart tie-in with their brand of men's underwear, but when I created the character, I couldn't remember where I had picked this up.
Chapter 1, page 17: "Excellent, Mr. Lee. You are at the university level now; never be afraid to speak your mind. Academic freedom means that you form and express your opinions without fear of reprisal as long as you can defend them." Not necessarily true under the Marxist hegemony of college faculties today, given the lack of free speech on campuses, but it used to be and ought to be.
Chapter 1, page 18: "Mr. Lee, you're embarking upon the adventure of a lifetime. The most important thing for your first semester is to establish good study habits. You're on your own--no one will hound you to complete and turn in your assignments. No truant officer will search for you if you skip class. But if you are slack in your academic pursuits, you will fail. So make study your first priority. You'll have extensive reading assignments for all your classes. Stay on top of it. Get ahead of the assignments in the first three weeks; then the rest of the semester will be easy for you to handle. don't be anxious to join organizations; they can take all of your available study time. Be especially careful of the fraternities--it's best not to rush until your second year." Good advice for all incoming freshman. Pageturners Publishing Company: Writing books. Telling stories. Supplying wisdom.
Chapter 1, page 21: "Are y'all still fighting the War of Northern Aggression Against the Southern States?" Generally known as the Civil War.
Chapter 1, page 21: the Lost Cause, a Southern theory about why the War of Northern Aggression was lost, including the romanticizing of the conflict and assigning blame to certain Confederate generals, James Longstreet chief among them.
Chapter 1, page 22: "You want to be an S.O.B.?" A little of the author's twisted humor playing off the initials of the fraternity Sigma Omicron Beta.
Chapter 1, page 23: "Hercules to the stable." The fifth labor of Hercules was to clean the stables of King Augeas, which were so filthy that Hercules accomplished it only by diverting a nearby river to run through the building.
Chapter 1, page 23: "You're aware that they abandoned the Greek honor system? They tolerate all sorts of behavior and philosophies--" The mainline churches have abandoned their doctrinal standards and now tolerate almost any belief.
Chapter 1, page 26: "They're [the fraternities] trying very hard to recruit new members, but gtheir old habits are too difficult for them to break. I tried to join the S.O.B.'s my first year--that is, Sigma Omicron Beta--but their hazing was too brutal for my taste. I gave it up. that's the problem with these old-line frats: they work hard to sell you on how great they are, but once you commit, they treat you like dirt. They do anything they can to humiliate you--" The Board of Ministry behaves abominably and wonders why youth don't want to be pastors, even if they plan to serve full time in Christian ministry.
Chapter 1, page 27: Professional Organization of Psychologists Research Center Multi-Phasic Inventory. The tests detailed in the text are the ones given by the United Methodist Church to its ministry candidates in the 1990's. The name here is created for humor.
Chapter 1, page 27: PAP: Professional Association of Psychologists because they had done a smear job on him. Hopefully readers understand the reference.
Chapter 1, page 27: More interesting were the questions about his personal habits ... It was full of fill-in-the-blank statements ... All true to life.
Chapter 1, page 28: "We have to write something. Make it up." No one knows what to write in the blanks, but the answers are interpreted as revealing the true psychological self.
Chapter 1, page 28: The proctor responded that he had to submit a report on the manner in which the students filled out the papers, and any questions they asked or comments they made. True to life: so how did my proctor make out a report when he had handed me the test papers and left the building?
Chapter 1, page 28: Montgomery felt Travis' hand on his back with the middle finger extended. He grinned, "My sentiments exactly." The great thing about writing books is that the characters can say what I (or ministry candidates) can't.
Chapter 1, page 28: Meyers-Briggs Personality Inventory: The Church did not give this one; I encountered it in seminary.
Chapter 1, page 28: Incoming Freshman Survey: Standard practice on most campuses--it is the sole questionnaire that represents nothing in the ministry candidacy process.
Chapter 1, page 30: "That was easy," Travis said. "I wonder why Rick told us that scare story?" "I heard they had some problems, but it looks like the fraternity is on top of things ...." "How bad can a fraternity be when they're going to be so hospitable?" The eternal optimism of youth. I was warned that the candidacy process was horrendous, but couldn't believe that such harsh treatment would happen to me.
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Chapter 2, page 31: "A diversity of backgrounds and interests makes a healthier fraternity." The Methodist Church loves its pluralism (all beliefs equally valid and acceptable.)
Chpater 2, page 32: "We only let you be President to look good to the Dean. You have no say in how we're going to choose pledges or how we're going to test them." Bishops, the chief executive officers of the Methodist Church, have no power over Boards of Ministry.
Chapter 2, page 35: "The last thing we need in the house is moralizers." Liberal clergy despise those who take the Ten Commandments literally and seriously.
Chapter 2, page 36: ... much more pleasant than the jailhouse architecture of his high school: all metal doors, cinder block walls with narrow horizontal windows 12" by 30" six feet high. The comparison is unavoidable for anyone who has seen a South Florida school.
Chapter 2, page 39: "Montgomery: Our district manager is visiting the house today." This scene accurately reflects the District Superintendent asking me to come to his office for a meeting.
Chapter 2, page 41: Why would someone make a special effort to ask me to come only to tell me that I was not wanted?" Because they think they're supposed to, but their hearts are not in it or they really see no point in it. Montgomery is assuming that the manager's half-hearted effort means he is negative on Montgomery joining the fraternity, but this isn't necessarily so. More often, it would be because the manager doesn't think Montgomery important enough for him to give Montgomery his full attention.
Chapter 2, page 42, paragraphs 2 & 3: I've always found the practice of hazing stupid, and spoken against it. The boys' sentiments are my own.
Chapter 2, page 44: Cody's ridiculous interpretation of the psychological tests is illustrative of what actually took place in the Methodist church's use of them.
Chapter 2, page 45: "Teetotaler, no drug usage, what's wrong with you? Don't you know how to have fun?" The committees and Board placed great emphasis on having fun. How do you have fun? was their usual question. Cody's actual statement was based on my years working at Bell & Howell (1981-83). An expense report for an out-of-town trip for which the bar bill did not exceed the cost of meals was questioned--don't you know how to have fun?
Chapter 2, page 45: "It says here you once stood up for what you thought was right ..." I did, and the psychologist marked it as a problem--someone who might defy his superior. People with firm values that cannot be bullied by a boss are apparently not wanted in the Methodist church. Standing on principle is a negative. I wonder if the church would have survived in its first years with this type of thinking. Hardly the stuff that made the martyrs prefer death over renouncing Christ.
Chapter 2, page 45: "Subject tried to anticipate analysis by giving cagey responses to the open-ended questions--detailing basic facts that revealed nothing about himself. His obvious attempt to manipulate the questionnaire shows that ..." This was said about me. But my only problem was, like everyone else, not knowing how to fill in the blanks!
Chapter 2, page 46: "Hey Rip! Wait till you hear this! Sexual energy is self-focused ..." Psychologists always place great emphasis on sex. My expert said I was traumatized by women! I put this in to reflect this, and to demonstrate the brutish nature of the pledge committee. The Board of Ministry, comprised of experienced clergy, might be supposed to be gentle and compassionate, but they can get very ugly with candidates.
Chapter 2, page 47: Plus, God called me to this mission. The stubbornness of the call--why candidates put up with maltreatment.
Chapter 2, page 48: Razor Lips. According to a monk of St. Meinrad's in Southern Indiana, Louisville diocese of the Church of Rome. Red's criticism hits the mark: Why do clergy boards give great weight to the human wisdom of psychology while seemingly ignoring the Holy Spirit regarding those candidates called to preach?
Chapter 2, page 49: The deep pools of her intelligent brown eyes ... I'd rather dive into Elizabeth. The paragraph shows that Montgomery has a healthy intertest in sex; when his stance of morality and chastity is revealed later, the reader knows it is a reasonable choice, not an abnormality like the frat and psychological counselor want to make out.
Chapter 2, page 51: Jack laughed. "No problem here. That's what fraternity life is all about--this is a private house so nobody knows your business but you. There are plenty of doors and out-of-the-way rooms for whatever activity yourmind turns your body to." Rip smiled. "Absolutely. There are lots ways to have fun, and most of them happen in the house at one time or another. Being open to new experiences is the key." Travis grinned. "I hadn't thought much about fraternities, but my roommate was right. Greek life is the best life on campsu." Jack and Rip invited travis into the house for a private party. The system seduces many into its practices and mores. People become invested in the system, and are not willing to challenge its illegitimate practices.
Chapter 2, page 51f: Travis was on the top floor of the house. He was so intoxicated .... The scene shows Travis' pliable nature (Montgomery describes him as easily led) which is the desired characteristic in a candidate for ministry, to say nothing of the fraternity pledge.
Chapter 2, page 53: Montgomery received ... a summons to report to the house at 8:30 p.m. for an interview with the entire fraternity. The parallel for district committee on ministry interviews.
Chapter 2, page 55: Brendon Garrett interrupted. "You want to join because Mama said so? Daddy expects all his offspring to be in the frat?" Montgomery gulped. Why the hostility? Candidates often encounter an abundance of hostility with no discernable reason for it.
Chapter 2, page 56: "I don't know better than the experts of psychology; I don't know how to interpret those tests at all. But I do know ME better than anyone else and I know that those results were way off base." Not according to the arrogant psychologists who create the tests and believe that they know the true nature of a person better than the actual person.
Chapter 2, page 56: "How do you relax?" The Board and committees were preoccupied with how candidates have fun.
Chapter 2, page 57: "My point is this: you are intolerant of others ...." Montgomery was devastated. Why do they keep harping on intolerance? What has made them think I am intolerant? The district committee on ministry thought the same about me--in a specific example, that I'd run someone out of a church for cussing. Well, maybe if they said one I've never said myself (an impossible task).
Chapter 2, page 58: What was the deal in there? They obviously had rehearsed the questions in advance: what to ask and who would ask it. They had made up their minds before I'd gone into the room. What's the point of interviewing someone if you already know what your decision is? Standard procedure for the Methodist Church's Board and committees of ministry.
Chapter 2, page 58: "During your pledge period, we will be watching you closely to see how well you progress on these concerns. In your interview for induction, we will ask you about these concerns ... with some reservations as I have now told you." Not the particulars of the concerns, but the speech is the same as the one I received from the district committee: we have these concerns and when you return we will ask you about them.
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Chapter 3, page 60: "Pee his pants. It's a simple trick, but it doesn't always work." Just freshman hijinks. I saw this tried in my freshman dorm, but it didn't work.
Chapter 3, page 61: "Want to go muddin'?" He headed for a place he knew that was filled with muck and cursed with a high water table. Soon his tires were throwing mud everywhere as the boys spun doughnuts, careened through scrub bush, cabbage palmettos, kudzu, and slash pines. A favorite pastime of Florida's teenage boys.
Chapter 3, pages 63,64: The Greek code. The code represents traditional Christian beliefs, such as those in the Apostle's Creed, that many liberal theologians deny or claim no longer apply. Just as the fraternity has moved away from the Greek code in the story, the mainline churches have moved away from truth for self-flattering theologies that permit or encourage sin.
Chapter 3, page 65: First full paragraph: In truth, the workings of the Sigma Omicron Beta house .... Incisive criticism of the Board of Ministry: the politics and struggle for power among its members.
Chapter 3, page 65: The supervising brother: the supervising pastor of candidacy studies.
Chapter 3, page 65: let's meet under the clock at the Student Center. Inspired by Chicagoans who would make appointments to meet "under the clock" of Marshall Fields on State Street.
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Chapter 4, page 72: "We are in a battle for the heart and soul ... Some ... do not believe in the old ways anymore ... some believe that our principles are open for interpretation according to one's life situation and personal desires. There are a wide variety of views that are dependent upon the definitions of the words used." Commentary on the range of theological views in the church.
Chapter 4, page 72: "Change the definitions, and the code is changed without denying the code, which would upset traditional, fundamental-type persons, or going through a difficult process of amending the code." An often-used tactic (hermeneutic) of liberal heretics.
Chapter 4, page 72: "Brothers like Rip Tilden, Cody Spung, and their pals can do as they please without fear of impeachment." United Methodist ministers are never convicted by their peers, other clergy acting as a jury in a church trial, for violating the laws of the church.
Chapter 4, page 72: "They make a mockery of the societies fraternities were meant to be ...." My interpretation of the lack of leadership by the bishops.
Chapter 4, page 72: "They corrupt the younger brothers and pledges." New ministers are sucked into the system until they are thoroughly ingrained in it.
Chapter 4, page 73: "Their one ideal for human life is tolerance. Brothers should tolerate any behavior or type of character regardless of what it is." This is the one bedrock principle of liberals that is strictly enforced on an absolute basis.
Chapter 4, page 73: "For example, they have this girl they pass from brother to brother, if we could catch her living in a room, we could evict her and that brother. But she moves so often we can't figure out where she is. She has sex with every brother that hides her." Based on an actual incident at the University of Delaware. In the summer of 1978, a fire at the Sigma Nu house delivered a 16 year old runaway girl, missing for several months, as one of the evacuees. The very accurate notoriety of the house left no doubt as to what was taking place. Later in the year, the college administration closed the fraternity.
Chapter 4, page 73: "Another problem is that many brothers believe that charging a brother with an infraction is a worse offense than any rule a brother is breaking." Methodist clergy will not convict a minister of breaking a church law even when the minister admits breaking the law. The greatest union in the world is the United Methodist clergy: guaranteed job placement, and they protect their own.
Chapter 4, page 73: "Put up with whatever they dish out. Go along to get along. Once you're in, you can work with us, my allies and me, to bring change." Typical advice to conservative/traditional evangelicals working through the candidacy process. In essence, hide who you are until you're in.
Chapter 4, page 74: "It's a good thing I was called to pledge. Otherwise I'd drop it right now." My feelings exactly, and those of many other candidates. Without the call, the church would lose all its qualified candidates--they wouldn't tolerate the crap otherwise.
Chapter 4, page 74: What an experience college is turning into! One minute on top of the world; the next, the world on top of me. An indication that Montgomery has moved beyond his comfort zone.
Chapter 4, page 75: He pronounced this last word as if he considered hazing pledges anything but fun. The author reveals his own opinion.
Chapter 4, page 76: Last three paragraphs that put Montgomery on the shock machine: a metaphor for the personal attacks endured by those candidates who do not kowtow deferentially to the Board.
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Chapter 5, page 81: Why are the boys of the S.O.B. treating me so badly? I've done nothing to deserve the ferocity with which they pummeled me, or have I? So asks the ministry candidate: why the hostility? What have I done?
Chapter 5, page 83: In Florida, casual is dressing up. As anyone who has ever been to Florida knows.
Chapter 5, page 83: "They want to be snooty about whether they will accept you? You could own the place with one simple lawsuit!" Many Board actions would not be defensible in court, except that courts are very reluctant to interfere with church procedures (first amendment). Because of their calls, candidates don't initiate action--the Bible discourages lawsuits.
Chapter 5, page 83: "It's hard for me to explain how I feel." Which is torn between asserting one's dignity and terminating candidacy, and a "turn the other cheek" posture of remaining true to one's call, especially if seen as a part of a renewal movement of Christ in his church.
Chapter 5, page 84: "There's more to being a fraternal member than hanging out with buddies. There's a responsibility that is taken on: leadership, character, and virtue. Not everyone is cut out to be part of a fraternity. It takes talent and a call ...." Montgomery's speech is a commentary on the clergy.
Chapter 5, page 84: "I'll have to tough it out. I'll have to pay the price." What every evangelical in a mainline denomination must do.
Chapter 5, page 84ff: Travis squirmed in his seat .... A lesson on sexually transmitted diseases for teens and college age youth.
Chapter 5, page 85: "... known to use prostitutes." As some teenage boys do, which opens an avenue for sexually transmitted diseases to enter the teenage population. They are not immune.
Chapter 5, page 85: "What kind of girl is hanging out in a frat house and jumps the bones of any stray boy she sees?" Based on the 16 year old runaway found in Sigma Nu at my college, previous mentioned.
Chapter 5, page 86: "A lot of young people are free of restraints for the first time, including drinking and drugs. Their judgment becomes impaired and they begin having episodes of casual sex with anyone. They would never have done it if they were sober, but they aren't. Also, lack of sobriety makes them careless--no birth control, no condom, no anything: skin-to-skin. There are other consequences to careless sex than STD's: pregnancy, warts, chafing, and cancer in the long haul, perhpas sterility." A cautionary note for college age youth from the pastor. Note that rather than telling them what to do or not do, the pastor provides information and respects the autonomy of youth to make their own decisions. Youth generally make good decisions when given the facts and respect.
Chapter 5, page 87: "Abstinence is recommended as the best health protection." Sound advice put into the mouth of an expert: the physician.
Chapter 5, page 87: Montgomery nodded as he grabbed his English and chemistry notebooks. "Someone should post a warning sticker on the dog who gave yout that memento." ... The exchange between Montgomery and Travis is another scene establishing the two as regular guys engaging in normal male banter. They're not strait-laced or fearful of sex. The scene shows how far off the mark the psychological interpretation of Montgomery is.
Chapter 5, page 88: "You're in college now. Forget all the easy grades you used to get. You must perform on a college level ...." Reality check for new freshmen: college is more demanding.
Chapter 5, page 89: I was taught to spell phonetically. Fone, kut, sity [Phone, cut, city] all were acceptable in my scholl system. Older readers may have trouble believing this, but it's true. These children, some of whom are now young adults, will never be able to spell correctly--the opportunity at the right time of brain development has passed. One reason why parents should think twice about placing their children in government schools.
Chapter 5, page 89: "Montgomery--there you are," said Wilson as if he'd been expecting him. Wilson's incompetence echoes the airhead guidance counselor. Wilson shows the uselessness of the supervising pastor's directing candidate studies.
Chapter 5, page 89: "There is some uncertainty in the house about you." Actual feedback received from Board members.
Chapter 5, page 89: "You're too independent minded. Some of the brothers think you need to be broken more." The Board of Ministry is not collegial but hierarchical and resents collegiality if attempted by candidates.
Chapter 5, page 90: "Pretend you think like they do." Advice of those who have no convictions.
Chapter 5, page 90: "See, that's what I mean--you always challenge. You must be more tolerant, Montgomery. the frat is for the college male of an open mind. Of necessity, then, we'll have many brothers who see things different. The point is that, to keep our harmony, we must accept those who think and act different from us." The stance of Methodist bishops over the last two hundred years. They beg for tolerance in order to hold incompatible theologies and practices in unity. It has never worked. Firm leadership is better than whining like Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"
Chapter 5, page 90: "Try to help me? By forgetting to tell me I need to memorize a song? Is there anything I'm supposed to know for tomorrow, Wilson?" ... Montgomery watched Wilson leave. So far he's been more of a hindrance than a help. The incompetence of the supervising pastor. He dragged his feet on my candidacy studies, then announced we couldn't get done by my date of departure for seminary. So I was supposed to not go? I surprised him by completing the entire manual on my own, which defeated his stall tactic. I was able to get the needed district interview before leaving as planned.
Chapter 5, page 91: Our Monday meetings are a waste of time. He reads from the manual for an hour. So far, none of that material has been necessary. My meetings with my supervising pastor were a waste of time as well as the candidate studies manual.
Chapter 5, page 91: FOOD FIGHT! The cafeteria manager's speech and result are based on an actual incident at my college.
Chapter 5, page 92: "I'm glad we made it out before the cops came. A few years ago they became strict and cracked down. Anyone who starts a fight or retaliates is expelled; simply being there results in probation." The year after I graduated, the University of Delaware had also had it, and this was their response.
Chapter 5, page 92: "Those guys really have it in for him." There are some the Board doesn't like, and treats horribly, as they did to a friend of mine.
Chapter 5, page 92: "There's something funny about that place. It's rife with division among the members; they're at cross-purposes but they pretend they have unity and harmony. They have different views about what the fraternity should be and do. It's a wonder the place hasn't split into two fraternities." Reflects clergy factionalism; divisions and greater tension in the church as a whole.
Chapter 5, page 92,93: "That one is easy to answer: property and money. the group that leaves loses everything to the group that stays. One day they'll have a battle royale and there will be nothing left to fight over." What the struggle for control in the church is really about.
Chapter 5, page 93: Montgomey grimaced ... Montgomery's stomach muscles involuntarily tightened. Physical signs of stress.
Chapter 5, page 93,94: The pledges laid the meal upon the tables. Then chaos broke out. Men and women grabbed for food with their hands. Barbecue sauce went everywhere. Corn on the cob dripped butter on the starched white linen. Montgomery stared in disbelief. Why would they eat a picnic meal if they planned to set a formal dining table? The scene shows lack of respect of the sacredness of the place and disrespect for the tradition, as is often found nowadays in the church.
Chapter 5, page 95: All had to be done by hand as the items were antiques from the early days of founding the house. The lack of respect for these items appalled Montgomery. Ditto the above note.
Chapter 5, page 95: "Don't give them ideas," said Gravy. "The founders established this house. They left these treasures to succeeding classes to be passed on as their patrimony ...." Montgomery wondered, Is he still talking about place settings? No, Gravy is talking about the Bible.
Chapter 5, page 96: "They need you, but you do not need them." What every candidate should realize; with a shortage of clergy across the nation, it's a buyer's market.
Chapter 5, page 96, 97: paragraph on catching snook: based on a real fisherman's instructions on how to cast and catch.
Chapter 5, page 105: "I don't--not at all. I don't like the method because I don't like smoke in my lungs. But here we are. I don't like it because afterward I feel sluggish and dull. It takes quite a while for the dullness to wear off. But here we are. I like to get drunk because afterward, there's the hangover for a day, and then it's done. Pot hangs on and on; it takes the body a long time to get rid of it." A subtle exposition of some of marijuana's drawbacks.
Chapter 5, page 106: "Overlooking the fact that we were tricked into taking the drug which violated our persons--" This shows the lack of respect for the dignity of ministry candidates.
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Chapter 6, page 107: "This pledge crop is the worst we've ever seen. Not a promising one in the bunch." Representative of the Board's public complaints about the minister candidates all being of poor quality.
Chapter 6, page 108: "We must fan out across the campus and find promising candidates to take into the house. We need good, dedicated talent to take over. We have to keep the network running." "You mean recruit pledges?" "We screen, we recruit, and we have a unifeied house supporting us." These sentences hint at the Board's attempts to attract youth to ministry. (They're not getting enough young people according to them.) One can only wonder what would happen if they would understand that they are complaining to CHRIST that he's not calling the right sort of people!
Chapter 6, page 108: Pluralism is official United Methodist policy, and also operates in other denominations as well.
Chapter 6, page 108: "Moralists retreat from the postmodern period into the backwardness of medieval fundamentalism." The Florida bishop sneered at 'moralists' when a layperson stated her belief in Christianity's traditional morality.
Chapter 6, page 109: "Under pluralism, there are no morals. It isn't that all morals are accepted; it's that the idea of morals is banished." The ethic of former President Clinton.
Chapter 6, page 109: "Pluralism cannot judge interpretations because pluralism has done away with evaluating the truth of interpretations altogether." Yet it does.
Chapter 6, page 109: "Take for example--incest. Everyone says incest is wrong. But what is incest? ..." If this makes no sense, it's not supposed to! Remember who's having this discussion.
Chapter 6, page 110: "Remember to keep them off balance; keep their minds off the truth of the moralists by constantly accusing the moralists of intolerance. That simple device keeps the moralists on the defensive, and makes our ideas attractive to the mold of taday's college student who hates conflict above all else--his very instinct is to avoid it, and that brings him into our snare." Strategy of liberals.
Chapter 6, page 111: "The truth, the real truth, is that man is good--his very nature makes him good." This is a foundational belief of humanism.
Chapter 6, page 111: "Why, then, does evil exist? If everything is good, evil cannot exist. Yet bad things happen." This is why the 20th century invalidated classic liberalism: the world wars showed the falsity of this idea when unprecedented evil was unleashed upon the world's populations.
Chapter 6, page 111: "It's very simple," responded an exasperated Pete. "Evil people have been brainwashed by the superstition that they are evil. They do bad things because they are falsely convinced that they are bad. It's the fault of moralists that evil happens." It's not supposed to make sense.
Chapter 6, page 112: "Man must rely upon himself: to supply his needs, to determine his fate, to achieve his potential. He does not need a savior, which is a good thing because there are no saviors, no super human agents to help, no divine creators for appeal." Pure humanism.
Chapter 6, page 112: "Gamma stands for gnosis, or knowledge. Man already knows; he has the knowledge he needs to live peaceably and well. Man has no need for revelation of secrets known only to superhuman agents and their flunkies." Continuing the pledge committee's philosophical attack on Christianity.
Chapter 6, page 112: Then why are we here? thought Montgomery. If we already know all we need to know, why do y'all need to reveal these so-called mysteries to us? This points out the illogicalness of humanist thinking.
Chapter 6, page 113: "You have contradicted yourself," burst out Montgomery before hi could think better. "Gamma: Man already knows all he needs to know. Delta: Man is always learining. What for? He already knows; what does he need to learn?" Ditto note: the illogicalness of humanist thinking.
Chapter 6, page 113: "You are such a literalist you cannot appreciate the greater truths." Standard charge of liberal theologians against conservatives--they don't address the criticism, they pronounce the critic incapable of understanding--stupid, in other words.
Chapter 6, page 113: An opponent turns to personal insults when he cannot refute the arguments. Something to remember when arguing with liberals.
Chapter 6, page 113: "Man needs no discipline; his frustrations come when he does not follow his instincts. The animal Man follows his passions to reach happiness." Humanism despises moral restraints.
Chapter 6, page 114: "Man indulges is passions--it is his basic nature. It is the denial of his appetites and urges that twists Man into committing evil acts." Ditto note: humanism encourages carnality as healthy and condemns the moral values that have been an essential part of all societies that endure for a long time.
Chapter 6, page 115: "He meets all circumstances of life with great cheer, and uses the aids of cheerfulness freely and steadily. What is alcohol, but cheer in liquid form? What is pot, but the leaf and bud of cheer? And there are many other transferring transformers of cheer." The crazy thinking of minds dominated by drugs.
Chapter 6, page 115: ... not as a balloon, but as a condom. He shrieked as it hit his face. Pete, Brendon and Jack were roaring with laughter. The tenth boy smelled the liquid on his fingers that hed had been frantically using to remove the leakage from his face; he realized it was glue. This bit of barbaric humor, again demonstrating the baseness of the pledge committee's characters, is based on an incident from my high school when such a doctored device was left on the librarian's desk. The incident is included for the specific purpose of offending the reader with the coarseness of the committee.
Chapter 6, page 115: "... or fruitful. Man produces fruit of his loins--as often as he can. Man rejects the false straight jacket of the moralist that denies the fruitfulness of man." Those who rationalize immorality make this argument in many forms; thus, it appears for the third time in as many pages.
Chapter 6, pages 115, 116: "The rationale of these mysteries is that man descended from the apes as the evolutionary process worked across billions of years. Thus, man makes his own standards, determines his own values, and creates his own rationale for living his life, and for the society in which he lives." In other words, morality evolved with the human species; it is not a part of the human spirit. This is why the doctrine of evolution is so devastating to religious faith. It demolishes absolute truth, objective values, and standards of behavior. It must end in atheism. Evolution's logical consequence is moral relativism.
Chapter 6, page 116: "Man does not strive to exceed his grasp; he is content with what he is." Humanism includes socialism as the proper economic and political model for society. The statement reveals the class rigidity of socialism that devalues the individual. The point of the lecture over these pages is to depict the inroads of humanism into church doctrine--upsetting traditional beliefs and foundation of truths.
Chapter 6, page 117: "With the exception of you [Montgomery], the pledges they took aren't too bright. the question is why? Don't fraternities want the best and the brightest?" Why indeed, O Board of Ministry? On what basis are you selecting candidates?
Chapter 6, page 117: "What a pitiful group." "Unquestioning idiots." "But useful idiots." The comments show the contempt of the Board of Ministry for the candidates.
Chapter 6, page 119: "They threw out everyting that came of higher purposes, and substituted a philosophy of man: you are good, everything you do is good, everything bad is the result of people being told they are bad and acting out that self-image, do what you want, indulge the appetites, you cannot do wrong because you are good--whatever good people do is always good. The traditional language was redefined the way they wanted it--they affirmed the terms which allows them to escape censure for heresy, yet they redefine the terms to mean their heretical ideas." Why the struggle with heretics in church leadership is so difficult. They think they avoid being hypocrites by remaking the dictionary whenever it suits their purposes.
Chapter 6, page 119: "Like that ex-president who tried to weenie out of a lie he was caught telling by saying, 'That depends on what the meaning of 'is' is.'" Another reference to President Clinton.
Chapter 6, page 119: "there goes one boy whose life is nothing like it was when he arrived on campus several weeks ago. Shy and trusting, even naive, he's fallen in love, he's been tortured and under attack, and he's been involuntarily drugged. The world took notice of him: half applauded, half screamed. He's changed, and he knows it; his problem is that he doesn't know how." This is the rush of development and change of the late teen years.
Chapter 6, page 127: "You're too old to be settling your differences in the schoolyard. When you were little boys, and you fought, you were pulled apart and sat in the corner. Later, when you were bigger boys, you were suspended from school. But now, you're men in the eyes of the law. You're too old to settle arguments by fighting. If you do, you'll be arrested and charged with battery ... Assault is threatening to beat someone; battery is the actual beating. If you get into a fight with them, all of y'all will be arrested and receive a criminal record for life. That's stupid. Don't fight; call the police ... Let the cops handle it ... You're allowed to defend yourself. You're not allowed to give a beating once you have thwarted the attack ... Stop their attack, and walk away. Remember that someone has to believe that the other guy started it." Sound advice for young men whose bodies have reached adult size.
Chapter 6, page 128: "Give up on them--they're losers." "I wish I could." The power of Christ's call--to endure all.
Chapter 6, page 128: "And you jeopardize that with a stupid fight. Do you remember a concept we call tolerance? ... If the administration caught a whiff of what we're doing in this house, we'd lose it all." This speech reveals the hypocrisy of the fraternity members.
Chapter 6, page 129: "Leave my door alone. My room is private, nobody touches my things or peeps on me. You moral snoots are all the same: so superior in your attitudes, snooping around other people's lives--stay out or you'[ll regret it." The irritability always lurking in drug users is one of the signs of addiction.
Chapter 6, page 130: both Montgomery and Travis looked shocked at Mick's appearnace. His skin was sallow, eyes bloodshot and puffy, hair disheveled, and several week's growth of beard was tangled and uncombed. Unkempt appearance is another sign of drug usage tending toward addiction: the person no longer cares about hygiene and presentability.
Chapter 6, page 131: "I said, 'Okay.' I think it's time I tried new things." Montgomery is open to change and new experiences; he's not judging, intolerant or tightly strait-laced as the fraternity depicts him--as liberals try to depict evangelicals as 'moralists'.
Chapter 6, page 131: "Can't a man have peace and quiet in his room? No, the selfish boys have to have it their way." Self-absorption is another sign of drugs (but it can be a tricky one to recognize as all adolescents are self-centered.)
Chapter 6, page 131: "He couldn't have slept in days." Hints at cocaine use.
Chapter 6, page 132: "No," said Montgomery. "I have to see it through." Remember the call. It's always operating in the background.
Chapter 6, page 132: "But the bottom line is that we don't want to live with those guys." The difficult issue for the man of God when he realizes the worldliness of the clergy is whether he wants to be associated with them.
Chapter 6, page 133: "Now there's a dumb expression. It's not the sleeping that gets us into trouble." A little humor of the author.
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Chapter 7, page 134: "my gifts and graces" Stock Methodist phrase for qualifications for ministry: talent, skill, education, experience
Chapter 7, page 135: "A life supporint system is a very rare combination only possible statistically given a large enough universe such as this one. If intelligent life did exist, we'd never know it. Light is the fastest moving object in the universe. Nothing can go faster. To come to Earth from another star system would take too many lifetimes--the aliens would never make it." "Why would they want to? A species intelligent enough to devise a means of travel is intelligent enough to know to stay away. Why come to Earth? We'd blast their spaceship from the sky, put them in a zoo to gawk at them, and slander them with stories about hybrid offspring." "Any species intelligent enough to come to Earth is too smart to do so." Why alien UFO's do not exist. Sorry, but really, it is rather conceited to believe we are the center of the universe of such great interest that any other life form is zipping here as fast as possible just to be with us.
Chapter 7, page 136: Travis remained awake, however, in a pensive mood ... Travis is changing--deepening in his character--realizing there's more to life than having a good time.
Chapter 7, page 137: "We're on a mission from God." Read this humorously; there's no significance to the story's message/meaning.
Chapter 7, page 139: "our probationary brothers." Comparable to probationary membership in the Annual Conference (the basic operating unit of the Methodist Church.)
Chapter 7, page 139: "that the twelve of us are pledging the fraternity and we have spent little time together. We don't know one another's names." The irony is that there's little fraternization in the fraternity. Clergy are similarly isolated: there's little fraternization among the ministers.
Chapter 7, page 139: The block party is based on a similar event that took place each fall at my college.
Chapter 7, page 140: "They were fed up with the rowdiness and vandalism." A tremendous problem at my college in the 1970's.
Chapter 7, page 141: "They're not that stupid but they don't want to know. We give them something to keep them happy; they leave us alone so they don't find out different. That happens often--in other places as well as the campus. People deliberately stay ignorant because there's been no trouble. They're happier toleraitng existing conditions without taking action. That gaives us an opportunity to ply our interests without being watched. This opening, we drive a Mack truck through. Remember this in life, and you'll be surprised how much you get away with." A cynical attitude and a cynical generation. Yet how often do we find this true of top management in cases of corporate/organizational malfeasance? In the 1970's it was said: the only crime is getting caught. This gave way to the 1980's: It's a cost of doing business; not to mention: Everyone's doing it. Today's corporate scandals are the bitter harvest of these attitudes.
Chapter 7, page 141: "Shut up, Montgomery. Don't let your imagination defame their characters because you don't like them. Nice people often ignore the misgivings of their intuition.
Chapter 7, page 142, 143: "Most of the experience hasn't been too bad--merely work for the frat house. Maybe we jisjudged them because the pledge committee has been giving me a hard time. Actually, only one guy has been excessively mean--Rip." Typical nice guy behavior: making excuses for the misbehavior.
Chapter 7, page 143: "Why did they choose you to pick on?" Why indeed? There lies the explanation for it all; for Montgomery as well as me.
Chapter 7, page 143: "Expectations are hard to fulfill when they're not one's own." An echo of the call--it's not Montgomery's decision to persevere or quit; also, the burdens of family tradition on youth. (There was no family tradition or expectations for me regarding entering the ministry.)
Chapter 7, page 144: "What product do college kids buy in unmarked packages for ten or twenty dollars?" This entire plot development is to suggest that those running the church have diverted it from its Christ-given mission--for personal reasons.
Chapter 7, page 144: "No way. No way a respected fraternity is running drugs on campus." The nice guy denial--refusing to believe evil of evil persons.
Chapter 7, page 144: "Forget the 'respected' part." Mainline denominations/churches have lost the respect of the unchurched/non-believers because they have abandoned their creeds, their Scripture, and their traditions. The world knows better even if it chooses not to believe. It's like a newspaper reporter who abandons grammar: who wants to read his stories?
Chapter 7, page 145: "What happens when a church stops being a church? Why does a frat stop being a frat, and become a business?" Ditto the note on the plot development.
Chapter 7, page 145, 146: Montgomery found himself thinking about his spiritual condition. I've changed in the last two months; what changes have been wrought in my spirit? I committed myself to Christ as Lord--am I honoring my commitment? Ignored in stories, but this is a real concern of youth and college age young adults.
Chapter 7, page 146: College is so confusing. My mind is learning facts, but I seem to be unlearning so much else. Politeness, gentility, heritage, dating, friendship, responsibility, leadership: it's all a confusing, swirling mixture in my soul." The transition of college from youth to adulthood takes late teens outside their comfort zones.
Chapter 7, page 150: "A man of many moods," said Shorts. "First anger, then depression, now happy." Sudden mood swings are a sign of drug usage, especially cocaine.
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Chapter 8, page 153: "When in Rome ..." ... do as the Romans do. Well known saying.
Chapter 8, page 154: "You're the president of the frat. Tell them to stop. Isn't using drugs a rules violation? Order them to cease, or bring them up on charges." A tic tugged at Wilson's left eye. "I can't do that, don't you see? There's a delicate balance in the frat between us and them. I might lose my office--I don't have enough support to make charges stick." Representative of the historic weakness of Methodist bishops to confront difficult problems and issues: slavery in the 19th century, heresy & violations of church law in the 20th/21st.
Chapter 8, page 154: "It's not an issue of integrity, but tolerance. tolerance is vital in today's society; we can't aford not to have it. I tolerate them, and they tolerate me." When an infraction cannot be defended, the fallback position is tolerance--we must have tolerance.
Chapter 8, page 154: "... the irony of Wilson's statement must have been lost in the pungent smoke because it entirely escaped Wilson's notice." The irony of the Board's statements and actions often goes unnoticed by them.
Chapter 8, page 154: Graduates of the University of Delaware of the late 1970's will recognize the reference to the dominant campus band, Whale.
Chapter 8, page 155: "Busy. We're going through Coke cans like diarrhea and toilet paper." The inappropriate comment indicates the surreal quality of the party scene.
Chapter 8, page 155: "What's with them?" Rose asked, pointing to a group of eight who were rubbing one another's shoulders and backs, arms and legs, and chests. "Ecstasy... It's a drug. It makes their skin extremely sensitive to touch. The rubbing produces pleasurable feelings. All-night raves are notorious for Ecstasy use." Drug education for the unknowing.
Chapter 8, page 156: Then he turned around to see another drunken boy relieving himself against the fence ... I made this up--perhaps I have a leaning toward gross or adolescent humor.
Chapter 8, page 156: The peep show from the fraternity roof, watching girls use the bathroom, is based on an actual occurrence at my college.
Chapter 8, page 157: Out of nowhere he heard a soft voice whispering into his ear, but from inside is head, "Depravity." A new Travis: something is at work in his life.
Chapter 8, page 157: Travis left the roof wishing he could talk Montgomery into leaving this place. Much of these comments in the book represent the internal argument of sticking to the call or justly bailing out.
Chapter 8, page 158, 159: "That's because you're not on the roof watching girls go to the bathroom." Squeals of disgust burst from the girls. ... All four made gagging motions by opening their mouths, putting their fingers in and making vomiting noises ... Montgomery was disgusted. The author's personal views about the peep show becomes clear based on who is reacting: the protagonist (hero) and his friends.
Chapter 8, page 160: "His [Travis] eyes popped out when he took a good look at the bathroom windor. He really is our kind of man at heart." People see what they want to see, not what actually is.
Chapter 8, page 160: "Do not underestimate the hold Mongrel has over him." Why can't people understand that persons like Travis are not pawns, but exercise their own will?
Chapter 8, page 160: "The way to split them is to snare the one with activities that will repulse the other. Make them think they're different from each other; make them question what makes them friends. Divide and Conquer: an old strategy.
Chapter 8, page 161: "Delta, Epsilon and Kappa have latent tendencies to be moralists--according to their psychologicals--so we're well rid of them." Comment shows how too much emphasis is placed on psychological evaluations rather than getting to really know the candidates.
Chapter 8, page 161: "Do we tell them now?" "No, we wnat them to do more work for us first." The system tends toward exploitation.
Chapter 8, page 161: "We have no choice but to continue him as a pledge." "Can we do that?" "Nothing says we can't. We tell him he's not ready to join, but he has potential. We say we're carrying him over as a pledge to the spring semester." "We can give him tasks to complete in preparation for membership." Montgomery is marked for a "not at this time" decision. (See book dedication.) The text also introduces contingencies--assignments that a candidate must complete before returning for a new interview with the Board.
Chapter 8, page 161: "... that makes him vulnerable ... We'll destroy his self-image and his confidence by attacking all the areas of his life." This seems to be the real purpose of many of the contingencies the Board assigns.
Chapter 8, page 162: Taking remedial classes, volunteer work in a hospital (CPE: Clinical Pastoral Education), counseling, interpersonal relations groups for psychological concerns: these are standard contingencies.
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Chapter 9, page 163: ... nailing him to a fence ... Borrowed from Frank Peretti, The Visitation, one of my favorite authors.
Chapter 9, page 163: "I've become the conficant of Torquemada and his Inquisition." The Spanish Inquisition of the Church of Rome (Catholic Church), which was formed to root out heresy but actually functioned to stamp out dissent and persecute non-practitioners, 12th - 19th centuries.
Chapter 9, page 164: Montgomery marveled: he's helping; before now, he would have left if he didn't have to do it. Travis is changing, and for the better. Character development of Travis; also reflects that we may have hope for our nation in our young.
Chapter 9, page 165: "We can't understand why you hold yourself apart as if you're superior to us." Cody commits the common fault of accusing others of that which he is guilty.
Chapter 9, page 166: "It's psychological. It leaves us as less than full persons in the organization. It reminds us that we don't belong yet. Our presence is being suffered in their magnanimous gesture of allowing us to be among them while they decide whether we make the grade--a decision that is entirely subjective. The Board of Ministry is good at this.
Chapter 9, page 167: "Frats used to be campus leaders. They set an example of becoming a productive member of society: in academics, athletics, service, economy and character. They have fallen away from their purpose; first they degenerated into social organizations and now they are falling to the bottom: teh frivolous, the climbers, the barbaric, the losers. The reason I bother is to start a renewal movement to return the fraternity to its original ideals, and to reform the membership to live by those ideals. The ideals are badly corrupted: many do not believe in them, some openly ridicule them, others pay them no mind. But it's important. Campuses are much the poorer without the ideals informing their lives and characters." A lament for the Methodist Church.
Chapter 9, page 167: "I don't like the pledge committee: they're mean and rude. They're the ones who have ruined the fraternity. I haven't met mnost of the other brothers: I refuse to form an opinion that damns them solely for their association, although they do allow the pledge committee to hold power. Most are confused or unaware. Or they're still terrified from their pledge days and won't confront them. Wilson I don't respect: he's a weenie. He lets them do what they want because he fears them. He pretends that everything is okay when he knows it isn't." A lament for the clergy.
Chapter 9, page 169: "These guys don't know the difference between appropriate and inappriopriate hazing." The Board of Ministry doesn't either.
Chapter 9, page 169: "That stuff is nasty. It wreaks havoc on the brain--makes changes in personality that could be permanent. Sometimes a person goes crazy; it depends on how one's system reacts to it. It wasn't worth the risk." Drug education for the foolish.
Chapter 9, page 169, 170: "People who have used acid talk about being opened in their mind and spirit: new ways of seeing things, new understandings, losing fears and inhibitions--things scramble like hearing pictures or seeing sounds. Many think using acid is a spiritual experience--that it opens them to the invisible world around us. Some say that they've seen God, or talked to Jesus." "Sounds like they encountered demons." The spiritual dangers of the drug LSD. Also, the church currently tolerates--perhaps even welcomes?--alternate spiritualities that deny Christ for other ideas.
Chapter 9, page 170: "What Cody has done is to change an institution of culture to one of counter-culture." The church is changing under its Judas leaders into the antichurch, or else apostasy.
Chapter 9, page 171: The trucks arrived and the firemen entered the house to determine the extent of the blaze. In the midst of the confusion, no one saw Rip bring Janet out the side door and escort her to the street. An alteration of the 1978 fire at Sigma Nu that exposed a 16 year old runaway girl living inside the frat.
Chapter 9, page 172: Montgomery hated dissembling thorugh answers that, while true, were so vague as to deceive. A favorite trick of liars. Nice people, when uncomfortable, also resort to this device.
Chapter 9, page 175: It took Montgomery many minutes to realize that he was inside a dryer. This scene was totally made up. A year ago, a 20 year old laughingly related a story when he was putting his kid brother in the dryer for the same purpose! And I had worried that this scene wouldn't be realistic.
Chapter 9, page 175: "You're a tough kid--maybe your body isn't sculted and your muscles aren't hard, but you take what they dish out and then get back up." What the committee can't figure out: persistence, staying power, resillience.
Chapter 9, page 176: "Pinhead Wilson." I would have used Puddinghead--from Dickens--but thought that people might view it as an act of plagarism.
Chapter 9, page 176: Most were old, worn and dirty--relics of an earlier time when the residents were more literary minded ... The acquisitions seemed to have stopped during the 1970's. Montgomery could find no book after that time. Evidence of and dating the decline of the frat (and church).
Chapter 9, page 176: He was surprised to find mystical works by obscure authors, books on wizardry, alchemy treatises, magic books, witchcraft encyclopedias, fortunetelling systems, astrology interpretations, and books on animal sacrifice. He even found volumes related to major cults and secret societies in the United States. The surprising appearance of cultic beliefs and practices in the church.
Chapter 9, page 177: The song purported to be a war chant of the Cherokee. Montgomery was surprised to hear it since all things related to American Indians were off-limits according to the dictates of political correctness. This either demonstrates liberal hypocrisy, or it's a cheap shot on my part.
Chapter 9, page 177: "Reckon they are remaking us in their image." Montgomery winced as the blasphemous remark boxed his ears. Because we are made in the image of God.
Chapter 9, page 177: "Have they offered you LSD yet?" "No, but I'll probably take it." "Why?" "I want in. I'll do whatever it takes. How bad could it be? No one has died from it." "Sometimes they do." "That's for an overdose. It may even be fun--who knows? Maybe it'll give me what I'm missing--change me so I'm no longer a looker-on, make me more outgoing--a party guy like your friend Travis ... I want in." Too many candidates are seduced by the system.
Chapter 9, page 177: "But it's a crap shoot. If acid changes your personality, the direction of the change is unpredictable. There are better ways of becoming more outgoing than questionable use of drugs." A teachable moment.
Chapter 9, page 177, 178: "You are a strait-laced killjoy. If you don't want fun in your life, fine--don't have any, but you have no right to say that the rest of us can't have fun. I want in, I'm getting in--why don't you leave? Go stay in a monastery where you'll be happy." The cock-eyed view liberals have of conservatives as no fun.
Chapter 9, page 178: Montgomery figured it was a put-on; nobody would be affected that much by a single dose. There are posers in ministry too--going through the motions.
Chapter 9, page 179, 180: Travis left the room and quickly removed the pill from his mouth. He reached a decision: I'm leaving the frat house tonight. He went to his room and gathered his clothes, books and notebooks. He collected his personal items and stuffed them into his bag. Sometimes the prudent course is to bail!
Chapter 9, page 180: Whatever the fraternity's up to, it's not what a fraternity's for. Criticism of the church for abandoning its mission of saving souls.
Chapter 9, page 180: "Have an ecstatic time." Travis makes a barbed reference to the Ecstasy drug just given to him.
Chapter 9, page 181: "Now here's the key: as the ceremony goes on, they'll get more and more into their rush ..." Why ecstasy is popular.
Chapter 9, page 181: "Cody and his gang believe that the drugs open them to alternative spiritual experiences, and it's a form of worship for them." The tolerance of bishops for heresy, &c. Also, there is a spiritual dimension to using drugs.
Chapter 9, page 182: "I've been saved since I was a young boy, and Jesusis my risen Lord." "Trust in his word. Whatever purpose he has for you to pledge this house, trust in him and his word. He'll never fail you nor forsake you ... Remeber the power of prayer that is made in the name of Jesus." In reality, people's faith is a major component of their lives. Why is this so seldom shown in literature?
Chapter 9, page 182: "Every Paul needs his Barnabus." Barnabus encouraged and supported Paul when all others were suspicious of him.
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Chapter 10, page 184: "On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, the guns fell silent." The end of World War I in 1918.
Chapter 10, page 185: "I don't think they want all of us." There is no assurance to the process. No candidate can know that he has satisfied the requirements. There is no objectivity! It's arbitrary and personal; there are no standards in the process.
Chapter 10, page 185: "I know they don't want me. But here I am. Let them do what they want; I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I believe God wants me here. If they have a problem with that, they have a problem with God. If they try to block that, they're blocking God's will. Whatever happens, I'm content knowing that I ran the race like a good athlete and I'm crossing the finish line, whether or not htat's into the winner's circle. My attitude toward the process and my participation in it; it's the only way to remain sane. The race is a New Testament metaphor of Paul.
Chapter 10, page 185: "I need to get in. If I'm in the frat, then I'm somebody." Too many candidates believe this: they have to be a minister so they can be somebody in the church.
Chapter 10, page 185, 186: "... about spiritual development in the frat--being open to new experiences and understandings--the SigBees is the best place I can experiment and find that right expression of self. The things we did have helped me toward that goal. I don't believe in the traditional tenets of Greek life ... I want to join so I can continue on my way with like-minded persons." The appeal of the 'post-modern' church.
Chapter 10, page 186: Why is the historic, resurrected person of Jesus Christ so objectionalbe to persons seeking spiritual enlightenment? The evangelical response to 'postmodernism'.
Chapter 10, page 186: "Why you're applying to this house to become a member." The standard opening question: Describe your call.
Chapter 10, page 186: Participation in fraternal life has been declining for decades." This statement may not be true of actual fraternities; it is introduced as true of fraternities in the story to parallel the decline in membership in the mainline churches.
Chapter 10, page 187: "I want to be part of those who are restoring this great tradition to its vital role in campus society." One reason God called me.
Chapter 10, page 187: "... are obligated to refuse to follow the orders to protect and maintain the integrity of the chapter." Aren't heresy and immoral conduct times to stand against the hierarchy that tolerates them, or refuses to do anything about it?
Chapter 10, page 187: Wilson sputtered. "What are you saying ... why do you make up these stories?" There are always those who will deny the obvious.
Chapter 10, page 188: "I question discipline that risks the life of a human being." I question a church that risks the eternal life of its members through its tolerance of misconduct.
Chapter 10, page 188: "While disagreeing with the actions of members, I haven't disparaged the fraternity itself, or the fraternal life." I have never condemned the church or the Christian life.
Chapter 10, page 189: "I was ordered to get lost, and I did." Everyone joined in the laughter. Jack flushed with the anger of embarrassment, but was unable to form a response. The Board is often stymied by the truth.
Chapter 10, page 189: "I have accepted you in your position as a member of the pledge committee. I acknowledged your authority. but no, I have not respected you as a superior. You're not superior to me." A sharp attack on the haughtiness of the Board of Ministry.
Chapter 10, page 189: "Only a pledge--denied of my basic humanity because I asked to join this organization. Treated harshly and abused badly because y'all assumed privileges that y'all aren't grantd by the constitution and rules of the fraternity and this chapter." One of my main grievances against the Board.
Chapter 10, page 189: Someone who won't admit to the truth--who's unaware of the truth around him--because it would destroy the neat, pleasant world he's set up. "Wilson, you have no idea of what goes on around you." This is too true of far too many clergy.
Chapter 10, page 190: Brendon asked, "Do you like girls?" The Board gets too involved in irrelevant issues.
Chapter 10, page 190: The pledge committee was thrown for a loss. They had conceived of Montgomery as a nerdy bookworm who spent his time in the library and on the Internet, as someone who was uncomfortable socially, not relating well to others. They did not know what to make of his answer or his relationship. The Board forms false images from prejudice and psychobabble crap; they don't work to find the real person. They never go into what's really important: spiritual matters.
Chapter 10, page 192: "We'll never forget the inspiration you provided in standing up to him and his thugs--especially as a pledge." It means little once one is safe.
Chapter 10, page 192: No one objected. Cody's people were willing to support whatever he wanted; the others knew that Montgomery had no chance to win approval now--the deferral gave him another chance and besides, they wanted him to stay with the house because his presence so discomforted Cody and his henchmen. This shows the political nature of the Board's decisions.
Chapter 10, page 193: "My parents were hippies in the sixties. Along the way, they turned pagan as they pursued environmental justice for the trees and plants of the world. Everything has a spirit; they learned how to communicate with the sprits of all living things ..." These five paragraphs shows that no one challenges heresy--whacked out beliefs in candidates. They're taken in. Theology doesn't count as long as the Board deems that the candidate can defend the beliefs.
Chapter 10, page 194: "Everyone should decide for themselves and not attempt to stop others, or force others who want to forgo the experience." "Very tolerant, exactly the kind of attitude that makes a good S.O.B." Typical leadership attitude of bishops and the like.
Chapter 10, page 195: "We were S.O.B.'s before we came here." I hope it hasn't taken readers this long to pick up on the SOB reference.
Chapter 10, page 195: Montgomery, angry, dazed and confused, said nothing and did not move ... Why didn't most of the brothers take my beliefs, my work and me seriously? Counseling? Interpersonal relations? They think I'm a defective human being. How dare they? Are they right? The reaction of a deferred candidate.
Chapter 10, page 195f: "Alpha: goodness ... If this section makes no sense, it's not supposed to. It's irrational, convoluted, circular thinking.
Chapter 10, page 196: "One is the loneliest number. It's the loneliest number underneath the sun--one." Excerpted from a 1970's Three Dog Night song.
Chapter 10, page 197: "You have no answer; then let me try this one: in saying that 'we don't need his kind', are you not being judgmental yourself? You criticize him for judging you, yet you have done the same to him." Liberals usually fall into this trap.
Chapter 10, page 197: He worked hard to prepare question carefully, assign who would ask it, assign a follow-up question if needed, assign who would take over if the first two persons floundered, and choreograph the 'spontaneous' reactions. The members usually allowed the pledge committee to ask the questions. Standard operating procedure of the Board of Ministry.
Chapter 10, page 198: "That's not leadership. Leadership is talking to the team ..." A mini-lesson for youth.
Chapter 10, page 199: Wilson decided it was his big moment. "As president of this chapter, I will rule on htis dispute ..." Wilson's pompousness is his literary character only; it reflects nothing about the Board.
Chapter 10, page 199, 200: Cody was not sure that Alpha would receive the sixty percent needed. "I--have--good--ears," he stated slowly and with emphasis on each word. Cody's statement is based on a Tip O'Neill statement during the 1980 Democratic National Convention.
Chapter 10, page 200: "They only follow their rules when they want to." This broadside is directed squarely at the Board of Ministry.
Chapter 10, page 201: [Speaking of intolerant persons] "Such a person you describe is an awful person--terrible, awful, nasty. I couldn't be one of those. What is right? What is wrong? If you do not hurt anybody, who's to say who's right and who's wrong? Is there even such a thing as right and wrong? There's only people who do as they have been brought up in their traditions. So there is no wrong or right. So how can I be such a person saying what is wrong and right when such things do not exist." The prevailing attitude in the church.
Chapter 10, page 202: Everyone wanted to finish and be done, which worked in Alan's favor. When the vote came, the frat unanimously elected him to the fraternal order, mostly so they wouldn't have to make the meeting longer to fully discuss his candidacy. It would appear that this happens occasionally.
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Chapter 11, page 203: "... telling him he lacked ego strength to make it as a member of a fraternity, making noises of disgust over his answers to questions ..." This happened to me.
Chapter 11, page 203, 204: The paragraphs detailing what the other pledges were told depicts the callous treatment and disrespect to candidates.
Chapter 11, page 204: They told him he had a problem with hidden anger that he had to work out. Beta had screamed at them that it was no longer hidden. Based on an actual occurrence (not me).
Chapter 11, page 204: ... displaying his complete contempt for them. That is, the genital flash.
Chapter 11, page 209: "No one can learn everything; most students pick and choose by whim and end up with a rag-tag, crazy quilt background. That makes the ones who start and followthrough in one type of area stand out. It's much better training for the mind in thinking thoroughly." Advice for college students.
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Chapter 12, title: The first task is Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).
Chapter 12, page 211: "... patient's--strike that, we call them clients now--in the client's well-being." Does the language strike anyone else as odd?
Chapter 12, page 212: "But we have a more unique role: we tend to the patient's emotional care." The chaplain's role in the hospital: spiritual care.
Chapter 12, page 212: "You agree that you'll work at the hospital for ten weeks on the agreed upon days and hours, including my weekly sessions. You'll write up a weekly summary of one interaction between yourself and a client, due on Thursday. You'll list out the reasons you have for volunteering, and what issues you would like to work on htat involve service to humanity--you know, the interpersonal skills and psychological issues." A typical CPE set-up.
Chapter 12, page 213: Dotty highlighted his issues: breaking the ice, approprate disclosure, and emotional involvement." What purpose does an EDUCATIONAL program have in delving into psychological framework?
Chapter 12, page 216: Clark Barton Since Montgomery is male, Clara would not have fit.
Chapter 12, page 217: ... was hugging the porcelain wondering how he had flushed his brain along with the contents of his stomach. It's not a pretty picture, is it? but realistic.
Chapter 12, page 218: A retching noise echoed out of the bathroom. Ditto note.
Chapter 12, page 218: In the bathroom, Red was kneeling, bare-chested, barefoot and sweating profusely. "Why am I so dumb? I can't handle it like they can!" "You're the one puking in the bathroom, but on the other hand, the other two have passed out and you're still awake." Ditto note.
Chapter 12, page 219: "That fraternity doesn't know what it turned down. They should've let you in and thrown themselves out." The point of this scene is that Montgomery has the qualities that a fraternity would want: someone looking out for his fraternal brothers.
Chapter 12, page 221, 222: The reindeer story was solely my imagination.
Chapter 12, page 222: "... ran an ad in the paper for used coffins, cheap, and listed my phone number." "You would not believe the number of phone calls we received." This is an actual prank I ran across in southern Indiana.
Chapter 12, page 223: The death of Ed under a code blue was to give Montgomery a situation to bring to his weekly meeting.
Chapter 12, page 224: "The event occurred two weeks before ..." A typical CPE case for discussion.
Chapter 12, page 224: "Mr. B was in bed. He had dropped his hospital gown upon the floor ..." An actual situation that occurred in the hospital during my CPE (but I was not personally involved.)
Chapter 12, page 225: So my question is, did I do the right thing? Or should I have put the gown on the dude to cover him over without looking at him?" Stating the issue or question of ministry.
Chapter 12, page 225: "In thinking about this question, I've thought our role in the hospital ..." Background information.
Chapter 12, page 225: "It would help the hospital staff not to have to deal with this type of behavior ..." Analysis.
Chapter 12, page 225, 226: "Aha," Dotty spat ... "Bright red lipstick is a provocative sexual come-on ... So you initiated the sexual advance, Serianna. You still have not acknowledged your secret desire to experience a prostitute's world ... Deal with it, woman, you're a whore ... Is she giving you a piece of the action, Bertie?" ... "Why are you deliberately twisting the situation to make Miss Serianna into a psychological deviant?" he asked Dotty. These remarks are typical of too many CPE supervisors--a brutal psychological assault as ministry preparation and training.
Chapter 12, page 228: "Now, they're run by wannabee psychiatrists who see the program as a bastardized form of psychoanalysis. If you don't have any issues when you enlist, they give you some!" Misguided supervisors of CPE.
Chapter 12, page 228: Henry Marksberry. A nod of praise for my program leader.
Chapter 12, page 228: "What you believe, think and want doesn't matter to her because she always has a category of psychological deviancy to drop your objections into." "Why would churches put their ministers through that? Wouldn't they care more about Christ-training and education than the theories of psychologists?" A direct challenge to Boards of ministry.
Chapter 12, page 228: "They don't care about community service. They wanted Dotty to break my spirit, or make me give up ..." Perhaps Boards of Ministry also operate from mixed motives.
Chapter 12, page 229: "... not to have an unqualified, uncertified wannabee play with my head." What these CPE supervisors should realize.
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Chapter 13, page 230: "Object to the group. Say you had no input in chossing the members." Contingencies tend to come with certain persons mandated as counselor, facilitator, &c.
Chapter 13, page 231: "Every week we talk about a topic or issue of my choosing, and they give me feedback on what they observe. Supposedly, the feedback helps me understand myself better and how to improve ..." The Interpersonal Relations or IPR group.
Chapter 13, page 231: "Why do you call me ma'am?" she snapped. "Are you trapped in the southern male condescension toward women of all ages? ... You don't think I'm a Mammy for you? ... Our job is to fix your male-dominant, Neannderthal attitude toward the oppresson of women." Okay, I admit it. I wrote this chpater to ridicule militant feminism as I illustrate sitting in an IPR group.
Chapter 13, page 232, 233: "The female is the central character in the drama that occurs in the center of the Garden of Paradise. Not only does she interact with the antagonist, which the man does not, but she makes the critical decision to obtain the forbidden knowledge which will enable her to achieve goddess status ... The woman would have continued in her superior role but for the patriarchal god who comes along and curses her into an inferior state. Males have taken full advantage of the curse to satisfy their lusts and keep women down for thousands of years." A rather unusual theological interpretation, but I have seen this put forth in all seriousness.
Chapter 13, page 233: "... regrettable, dreadful consequences of the sin, which both woman and man committed together in eating of the tree, which God had forbidden. this is not what God wanted, but what came upon humankind as a result of what they had done." Sound Biblical teaching.
Chapter 13, page 234: "If [men] can't help it, why am I here?" The professor smiled. "He got you there, Clewie dear." Montgomery is holding up in the debate.
Chapter 13, page 234: "Don't drag out that tired Ephesians passage about women submitting to men." "Actually, that's a very good passage to bring out. that's another greatly misused passage because it isn't read properly ... So the passage that you think condones male oppression actually does the reverse." If people would understand Montgomery's explanation, most of the role of women questions would disappear.
Chapter 13, page 236: "We're here to deal with Mr. Lee's issues, not our internal disputes." A problem with IPR groups: the participants pull the discussion to their own issues.
Chapter 13, page 237: ... and I'm beginning to realize that I'm missing something that I want. Through Travis, we see that a shallow life is not fun and fulfilling, but leaves an emptiness and a yearning for more.
Chapter 13, page 239: "That's funny: the men most obnoxious toward women want you to learn from a Femi-Nazi how to relate to women." Another instance raising the question of hidden agendas on the part of Board members.
Chapter 13, page 239: Travis' quoting Shakespeare is another instance of his growth and change.
Chapter 13, page 240: "Three different accounts were given that said nothing about me, but revealed much about them." This shows how helpful such groups can be.
Chapter 13, page 240: "Look, I'm doing this stuff to get into the frat. That's it ... Why I'm going to this group, I don't know and I don't care. It means nothing to me except rigamarole dreamed up as extended hazing." Me too--I did the stuff to get into the ministry, not because I thought I had the problems the Board said I did.
Chapter 13, page 241: "I never speculate without data. It's very dangerous and the result is more wrong than simply living with not knowing." So said Sherlock Holmes; a good antidote to gossip.
Chapter 13, page 241: The discussion of intimacy, sex and marriage is for the culture to make sense of why it is wise to delay sexual activity until marriage.
Chapter 13, page 242: "But I love you too much to dishonor you by suggesting we have intercourse." Something for young men to consider.
Chapter 13, page 242: "I grew up a Christian, and I am trying to live a Christian life. I don't want to disappoint Christ, my Lord. It's hard, but I love him, too. So I don't and I won't." Why Christians abstain in their youth--the non-worldly ones, anyway.
Chapter 13, page 242: "I do anything that won't lead into temptation. So we stay out of private quarters, like my room, we keep our clothes on, we keep our hands outside of our clothes, we do not touch each other's genitals even from the outside of our clothing or other hot zones like the breasts, and we maintain enough separation from one antoher that we do not become overwhelmed by lust for each other." Practical advice: avoid the temptation by avoiding circumstances that could lead to losing one's control.
Chapter 13, page 242: "But my soul and my spirit are not--my emotions are too tender for me to move ahead of God's plan." There's much more to sex than body movement and feelings.
Chapter 13, page 243: "Let's not rush anything, okay? There's many complications that can arise, emotionally, spiritually, that we want to be sure." It's an important decision, and there's no going back.
Chapter 13, page 245, 246: Montgomery's discourse on gender neutral language: I hope readers find this as funny as I do.
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Chapter 14, page 249, 250: Most of it was multiple choice: Montgomery worked his way through the test papers, first answering all the questions to which he knew the answer and then going back through the test to debate the answers to the questions he was not sure of. He found that by working a process of eliminating the definitely wrong answers he could narrow most of the remaining questions to two possibilities. From there, he reasoned his way to the probable answer for each open question ... Montgomery reviewed his answer sheet to be sure he had properly filled it out, including the section where he gridded his name and student i.d. number ... Montgomery used the remaining minutes to read each question again, and review the answer he had selected. Test-taking strategy: this alone is worth the price of the book. Pagetuners Publishing Company: Writing Books. Telling Stories. Supplying Wisdom.
Chapter 14, page 250: There were only a few minutes remaining for the test. As Montgomery left the room, he glanced at Cat and Red. Both were scribbling away on their papers. He hoped that they would complete the exam before time was out. My usual experience in college.
Chapter 14, page 252: The quadmates wore their regular uniform of baggy shorts and oversized t-shirts. Wind chill was not something that necessitated a change in their look. Such considerations were far too serious for something as insignificant as the weather to affect. I've seen kids in shorts while the wind blew at 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chapter 14, page 254: He discovered that writing under time pressure was not an easy task. He forgot the lesson that Kyle had taught about writing essay exams: Spend the first five-ten minutes organizing your thoughts; roughly outline what you plan to say; save ten minutes for review and rewriting at the end. More exam strategy.
Chapter 14, page 254: Alyssa spent ten minutes denouncing the male orientation of the holiday: Santa went into the world and received all the acclamation; Mrs. Claus was forgotten at the North Pole and her only fulfillment in life was to bake cookies and greet Santa upon his return with hot cocoa. I can't figure out how the feminists let this one slip by them.
Chapter 14, page 255: Am I a person to them, or a lab rat? The question of the dehumanizing process: are candidates people to the Board or slaves captive to their whims?
Chapter 14, page 255: ... until he woke up Sunday morning with a headache, a dry mouth and a somewhat nauseous feeling. Always a price to pay!
Chapter 14, page 256: What had seemed so strange four months ago was now familiar, and he had the odd sensation of feeling like he was leaving his home to go on a trip, not returning to home in Sparksburg. Montgomery is making the break with his childhood home, growing up, and entering the world.
Chapter 14, page 258: "You're so different," Jasmine blurted out. ... Montgomery felt pleasant: I'm still the same Montgomery ... Youth seldom realize they've changed at the time it takes place.
Chapter 14, page 260: "I'm very proud of you, Montgomery." If more fathers realized how important it is for their sons to hear these words, would they say them more often?
Chapter 14, page 261: "We both know those chin hairs look silly, but we have to be silent until he realizes he looks silly." The scruffy goatee: almost obligatory for teenage boys.
Chapter 14, page 262: "I can't wait to be in the woods with Daddy whether we make a kill or not. I've missed spending the day with him. the father-son deer hunt remians one of the rural South's best-loved traditions; Harrison and Montgomery reveled in it and the close companionship between them that came of it. Male-bonding between the generations.
Chapter 14, page 262: "I'm proud of you." "Thank you, Daddy. that means a tremendous lot to me." See note above.
Chapter 14, page 263: "No sir. I was hoping--I guess I was afraid if I did that would ruin my chances of getting in." Why ministry candidates do not protest.
Chapter 14, page 264: But Harrison wanted his son to keep talking, so he remained low-key. "You were provoked. What happened after that?" A wise father.
Chapter 14, page 265: Harrison smiled gently and laid his hand on Montgomery's shoulder. "You and I, we've entered a new relationship now. You're an adult in the eyes of the law. You live on your own, and you make the decisions about how you'll live. I accept that. the time for Daddy to lecture and punish is over. Whatever you've done, you're my son and I'll always love you. You'll make mistakes, no doubt about that, but I raised you to handle yourself and I have complete confidence that you'll make the right decisions and correct your mistakes as you make them." Dad yields parental authority with grace; because of it, the son will respect his father's views even more highly.
Chapter 14, page 265: "Goodness and moral uprightness became we are good by definition so whatever we do is good, no matter how bad it is." "the university isn't the only place where that nonsense is going on. It's happening in public schools, in churches, and even in courtrooms." Observation of the culture.
Chapter 14, page 266: "It appears shifty and possibly criminal ... If they're doing what I suspect, you're better off not knowing, and staying away from it." "You're thinking drugs?" This plot development is for the purpose of saying that the church has been hijacked into something illegitimate.
Chapter 14, page 267: Montgomery counted fourteen points on his head. The southern system of counting: seven on each antler.
Chapter 14, page 268: "Three of us were continued as pledges." ... "What did they tell you? Not at this time?" Those dreaded words.
Chapter 14, page 269: "I have to go for counseling after I finish my hospital work ... to integrate my experience." The last four words are another Methodist idea and phrase
Chapter 14, page 269: "They said it was for me to work on my weaknesses and make me a better fraternity brother when I was admitted. the assignments were related to the psychological evaluation, my chores at the frat and my interviews." They also used to say that they held back their best candidates. That sounds so stupid there was no way I could work it into the story.
Chapter 14, page 270: "But our family tradition is not a chain on your destiny. You aren't obligated to join this sadly out-of-control with a criminal element fraternity chpater." And don't name your son Junior! Let him have his own name.
Chapter 14, page 271: "As I watched Montgomery and his girlfriend falling in love, I began to feel empty. I'm missing out on something. I don't know what it is, but Montgomery has it and I don't." The soul's yearning for ... significance to another, importance, meaning?
Chapter 14, page 272: "I want more," Travis said. "I want to be deeply loved. I need more than a wave, a whiskey and a woman." The soul's deepest yearning, even for love, is only finally satisfied by Jesus Christ. We're building toward Travis' salvation.
Chapter 14, page 272: What Grandpa's telling me is that I'll find what I lacked if I keep looking and asking--when I get back to school, I'll work even harder. Travis doesn't get it yet.
Chapter 14, page 274: "Don't take huge risks. Guys lose their girls because they do something stupid like hand her an engagement ring. The first step is to talk aobut the elephant. After that, you know what to do with the elephant. Don't try to ride the elephant when you haven't admitted it exists." Guys who go overboard frighten their girls into dumping them.
Chapter 14, page 274: "I feel guilty that she might be spending her senior year waiting for me rather than going to dances and parties with another boy." A self-centered idea at its core.
Chapter 14, page 275: "Only you, Montgomery, would concern yourself over such things." The curse of the nice guy.
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Chapter 15, page 279: A large part of Florida remains the "Old South".
Chapter 15, page 279: "That's when the fun begins. Are you eating a stuffing or is it the hog's --" Say a prayer for me, given my sense of humor.
Chapter 15, page 280: "They ate everything but the oink." An old joke.
Chapter 15, page 281: He cursed them with an anatomically impossible order. Don't exhaust your brain trying to figure this one out.
Chapter 15, page 281: "... and a rug on top," Travis commented to Montgomery as he viewed the hairy chest of the shirtless Ghost. A very obscure reference to a freshman in my dormitory who said the same about me my senior year.
Chapter 15, page 282: "The last time I went forthe free beer, and it almost cost me my best friend and my sanity." The Board also exacts a personal cost through its shenanigans.
Chapter 15, page 282: "Sick people hold on for one last Christmas--then they let themselves go." Odd as it sounds, it's true.
Chapter 15, page 284: Their presentation ws marred by several technical glitches in the computer slide program. "... Their name says it all: OOPS." Lame humor from the author.
Chapter 15, page 285: "This is the Monk House." There was a dormitory at the University of Delaware that banned all men 24/7. It was called the nunnery. Surprising to men, there was always a waiting list for residency.
Chapter 15, page 285: Kappa Kappa Korn Not a reference to the band, it was to make the word Capricorn. Okay, maybe I was tired when I wrote these sentences.
Chapter 15, page 285: "Yankee--nobody has said that in one hundred years. That went out with the nineteenth century." "Maybe in Michigan, but down here we're still fighting the war. Only the hostilities have ceased." "What war--the Civil War?" ... "The War of Northern Aggression Against the Southern States ..." Northerners have no idea.
Chapter 15, page 286: "It ain't over yet, Yankee, there's more a-coming." Travis drops into an illiterate idiom as bar