Conservative Greenbelt?

Posted on by
2

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!

By the people with the people?

Posted on by
1

In one of my early jobs on an estate I sat down with the priest and we discussed the nature of liturgy and how it comes from a people in context in response to the sacred. It is by the people for the people. TSK in his (tongue in cheek)armchair theologian post got me thinking how like liturgy, theology has drifted from the people. I so look forward to seeing what TSK has say because of the reality of the people he meets and I hope he finds a signal again soon.

In discussing the idea of being missional with a friend recently I ranted how when we deny non believers the chance to argue, shape, change and challenge our activities we deny the presence of G-d in them and this is no way to start a missionary journey.

Closed sets are the bane of my life I cannot stand the religious assemblies, but want (with Amos) justice, that affirms Christ in the other, and so changes and transform me and the world around. A liturgy or theology that thinks it has arrived, or is right – can only be death, because we are not static and it denies the living reality of the trans-formative G-d. We need to return and enable liturgy that is of the people, and their faulting, authentic, real, half baked, chaotic response to the sacred in the context of humanity, a context that must be inclusive as we discover the sacred in one another. So heres to the armchair theologians that try to rework their mindsets in the public arena of the blogosphere, but to the pyjama wearing, or ivory tower closed setters – do try to get out more!

The Encounter

Posted on by
Reply

It had been a while and the loneliness had been hard for Teardrop, sitting on the edge gathered at the precipice, unable to move, unable to jump, unable to fall. The compassion was there in response what was seen and encountered on the street, but the compassion wasn’t enough to make Teardrop jump, or fall. The immediate response stopped, motivated but without momentum, but on turning her head, she saw beyond the begging cup and scrawny dog, and Teardrop joined by another, hung briefly to the cheek and fell softly to the ground.

Integration and blogging

Posted on by
2

In my own spiritual journey I have always strived for a non dualistic approach and to seek g-d integrated into the whole of my life/being. In many ways blogging questions was part of this process. Recently I have been reflecting on my lack of blogging and journey. Yes I have been busy and yes I still have questions but I am not sure if I am bothered about answers any more. For years I have used the saying ” be still and still moving” and perhaps being less bothered about answers it is finally beginning to become more real. As an activist even question if the lack of blogging or answers means I am loosing something. As I prepare for Greenbelt I am usually excited about the speakers and this year the line up would send me into hyper activism cramming in sessions but actually I want to drink tea and chat. A hermit talked about hearing from yourself and blogging helped me work out what was worth hearing but maybe I should have listened to some of the other stuff more. Not sure where this is going other than to say blogging may become more sporadic or even cease. On the other hand…..

Questioning the place of ritual/tradition in mission

Posted on by
Reply

Had a moment to post something. Thinking about the role of ritual in mission (picking up on post on happy midis and commitment). There is an issue we have discussing with the Yp about the purposed dominance in ritual (wether formal tradtional or reasonably new) in how it when they are involved others presuppose that they are committed to the concept behind it. This is particularly true for those taking place in a chuchbuilding. There is a way in which it inhibits thier journey to explore and exeperience g-d through engaging with it because of the meaning others prescribe to their participation.

This problematic partially because of their approach to committment but also as it demonstrates the imbalance of the culture tradition bible approach and how even when we are sensative about how to engage with tradition there is an overweighing pull that for some gets in the way of encountering g-d.

Calling the community

Posted on by
Reply

StreetSpace working with Chard Town council are inviting local community groups and charities to come and be part of a fun day to celebrate the completion of the work on the Skate park and surrounding area on July 3rd 2010. The whole area has changed with the new lights, skate park, cycle path and redevelopment, and has a more open and community green feel. The fun day will build on this and is hoping local groups will come forward and use the opportunity to fundraise for their cause and contribute to making the day work.

Local groups and charities are invited to attend the day and have a stall in the tradition of the summer fete. This could be a smoothie or ice cream stand, tombola, dunk the mayor, bash a rat, bric a brac, plant sale etc. Proceeds will go to the local group and StreetSpace Youth Project. If any local groups want to attend the day there is no charge but they must provide their own stands, equipment etc and book a place in advance by emailing admin@streetspace.org.uk or ringing Richard on 07830197160

Richard Passmore says “after all the hard work it is time to celebrate, and we hope as well as all the competitions and official opening, the day will have real summer fete feel. I hope local groups take the chance to raise money for their good causes whether that is a recognised charity, carnival club, local football team or whatever, the more the merrier ”

The day will run from 11am – 3.00pm and the Skate and Bike Park will be opened by The High Sheriff Mrs Patricia Hunt JP. There will also be sports and games events in the Multi use Games Area, Skate and Bike Competitions, a Bar-be-que and a whole host of activities for the whole family .

The nature of commitment and mission

Posted on by
1

To think about mission without considering the changing nature of commitment in post modernity would be naive and for some time the changing nature of commitment has been buzzing around my head. what does it mean to commit or be committed to Christ? Is it that the old has gone and the new means we are instantly changed. Pete talks about denying the resurrection every time we walk past a homeless person or fail to to feed the hungry as part of his insurrection tour. I have been exploring the notion of commitment with a few young people (happy midi narrative) and others and the more I discuss it the more I am taken with idea that the process needs rethinking. If we are on a journey then maybe as Tuffty says it is about finding some values and committing to try and work to what these mean for you. I think he was hinting that it doesn’t start with a statement but is a life long process.

Often we see our role as helping young people learn values, but in that process our purposed dominance so easiliy comes to the fore and in doing we either either undermine the values we are seeking to communicate or we undervalue the depth of values by reducing them to words. Perhaps our role is recognise the lack of values and real commitment in our own lives and as we journey with young people recognise that we will encounter situations and circumstances where values can be encountered. Because when we pass the hungry with a young person and choose not to deny the resurrection and meet with that person, we encounter christ. Likewise when we walk past – will we have the humanity to discuss with the young person our disbelief in the resurrection.

The implication for mission is on the one hand huge – as if the nature of commitment has shifted we need to shift how we do evangelism. But if you are into emerging missional thinking the implication is to ensure you are as consistent in the going to the new place that you may set out with and continue this open journey with the young people to reframe and rediscover the resurrection in every encounter, and see today that Christ is doing a new thing.

Mission without Christ?

Posted on by
Reply

Rob has picked up on an article by Stephen Bevans I read while ago and have been meaning to blog.
The article gives a good backdrop to the pressure that we have to move Flow from a pneumatology to christology. To quote a line form the paper “Mission in obedience to the transcending immanence of God’s Spirit can avoid the danger of what William R. Burrows calls the over-objectification of the Christ-event, that is, preaching the gospel as if one controlled its message, or as if that message could be exhaustively expressed in objective, rational categories.”

I have always found this to be a difficult issue to address and ask myself how much of the desire to introduce Christ stems from my own conditioning rather than following the presence of christ that is in Flow and present through the trinity. Perhaps I am beginning to think the unthinkable as Bevans suggests below in his conclusion

“To think deeply about the Holy Spirit,” writes John V. Taylor, is a bewildering, tearing exercise, for whatever he touches he turns inside out” (Taylor 1972: 179). The Spirit is the Spirit as God turned inside out; the Spirit given to Jesus turned him inside out and opened him up to the vision of God’s reign among women and men; the Spirit lavished through Jesus turns his disciples inside out as they include unthinkable people and go to unthinkable places. Thinking missiologically about the Holy Spirit can turn the church inside out, and perhaps make it more responsive to where God is really leading it in today’s world.