Back from Greenbelt and as ever there was a great range of music, art and talks. However at the festival and on coming away I couldn’t help feeling it was all rather theologically conservative. After posting this on FB I thought I needed to think out loud a bit more about this to help me understand my feelings, so apologies if this becomes a stream of consciousness rather than a coherent post.
23 years of attending and I am hearing the same (great) speakers that inspired me when I was 17 to give up life plans and change tack. The content remains great, but culture, and I have shifted but not sure the theological content has. This obviously begs the question of should it shift and for many new people coming and hearing this stuff for the first of third time I know John Smith or Dave Andrews thoughts could turn their world upside down towards a kingdom reorientation. So what has changed or needs to be said. The love and acting out of compassion and justice remains, those values are timeless, but in the cultural shifts that have taken place over the past 20 years how do we rethink the missiology that needs to accompany the missio dei in those acts of love and justice, so we can go with God effectively.
The theme of looking sideways raised my expectations about Greenbelt this year, but the sideways looks I heard were safe glances back to tradition (although playing with this) Richard Rohr, glance back mediation (although with hat tip to worship as a whole of life experience) Laurence Freeman. Don’t get me wrong it was all good stuff but it was all stuff that was been part of my missional thinking 15 years ago.
Missionally it felt quite milky, the questions I wanted to ask were, who is genuinely taking a sideways look at the world, how do we do this and here the stories about the missional journey that starts when we do. When I was chatting with Andy Turner about this he was asked who do we need to get and I am afraid I was at a bit of loss. I certainly missed Pete Rollins. The themes that came to mind however different stuff I would like to hear or talk about would be:
Living with the corner stone and the stumbling block, going with Christ beyond the christ we know in mission
The role of Powerlessness in mission and going with G-D in this.
How the when we join up Greenbelt christian thinking and start to try and live it, it takes us beyond, Yet when one section rises in popularity (currently meditation and new monastic forms) due the consumerist culture and deep rooted individualism and selfishness it takes us away from Christ and detracts from the deeper theological work that is needed in our lives and communities.
How do we deny Jesus in order to look sideways and discover G-D in our neighborhood and can we begin that dangerous journey with the tentative courage that comes from a community like Greenbelt behind us?
So was Greenbelt Conservative? – not really because the social gospel shone through the justice and love discussions.
Was greenbelt policitally conservative? – you certainly cant give that label.
Was Greenbelt missionally conservative? – ABSOLUTELY.
Where do we go from here? – Haven’t a clue except we need the artists and activists (theologians who may not have that label but can articulate their thinking) who can genuinely help us take a sideways look at the world and see the Kingdom within!
Richard, sorry to miss you at GB this year – a rare occurance. While I agree with your anaylisis of GB – perhaps it is partly you are older and there isn’t much new stuff to be had… most stuff has been said. If we hear more will it change us, will it inspire us, will it fix us. Perhaps we are still hjpoing to be inspired, or that we have missed something. Perhaps you have all that you need, you know it all – or you know enough – isn’t the harder work putting it into practice.
I come back to my same old theme – the word became flesh. My critisism of GB is that it is too wordy, too clever, too arty and not enough of body, embodiment, touch etc. The workshops ended up being talkshops – so little practice.
finally – why don’t you put yourself forward for a talk Richard… you give the people these missiloglical thoughts etc.
take care
James
Living with the corner stone and the stumbling block, going with Christ beyond the christ we know in mission
……i had this thought in my mind even before i read your words. couldn’t agree with you more on this point Richard. Where do we get the folks from to teach us this , to be the real life ‘desert fathers’ in the every day now….? maybe as bloke said above…you should be one of them. i also wonder that there should be an encourgment from the swell of fantastic youthwork folks all over who may now , without realising it, be the speakers to be encouraged and to step up?