Prodigal Kiwi(s) Blog

Dissatisfaction and the Shape of Australian (and New Zealand) Spirituality?

Paul writes – Philip Hughes has been cropping up a bit lately. The very good ABC Religion and Ethics page features a reflection by Hughes – Dissatisfaction and the Shape of Australian Spirituality, while The Spirit of Things on ABC Radio National features an interview with Hughes. You can find the interview here, and the reflection (noted above) here. 

Here’s the blurb: 

“Today only 55% of Australians describe themselves as religious or spiritual, but the most passionate advocates of Atheism are older males. Dr. Philip Hughes' recent review of Christian ministry in Australia, Shaping Australia's Spirituality, reveals the importance of values like compassion, and the decline of religion as a mark of identity. In New Zealand David Hines, a Methodist lay preacher, has written Jesus was a Psychologist, to help 'secular Christians' like himself.” 

Meantime, here’s an excerpt from Dissatisfaction and the Shape of Australian Spirituality: 

“Australia is a good place to live. It is well ordered. The basic needs of most people are met. There is employment for most people. For those unable to work, there is a good range of social services. There are many opportunities for entertainment, sport and culture. The large cities are highly multicultural, and, for the most part, people of different backgrounds accept each other. Yet, close to one-fifth of young people and older people say that they are hurting deep inside and they are not satisfied with their lives. 

Often the immediate cause of this dissatisfaction is a breakdown in relationships. However, there are underlying problems in the nature of Australian culture itself.”

 

Stanley Hauerwas, John Milbank & Luke Bretherton in Conversation

Paul writes – I finally got a chance to listen to the recording of the conversation between Stanley Hauerwas, John Milbank & Luke Bretherton at King's College London, on October 18th, 2010. It was organised to mark the launch of Stanley Hauerwas's autobiography Hannah's Child.  The event was jointly hosted by the Faith & Public Policy Forum and SCM Press. 

As Luke notes on his blog, you can hear Stanley clicking his pen now and again - it comes across quite sharply in the recording – and as a consequence can be a little distracting at times. 

The 57 minute conversation (pity it couldn’t have been a 70-80 minute conversation) can be found here on Bretherton’s blog. 

Also of interest to some of you will be a new publication co-written by Alison Milbank, John’s wife. Marketed as a “critique” of Fresh Expressions, but I see it more as being more about being for the relvance and vitality of the “parish” / parochial model of being local churches – For the Parish: A Critique of Fresh Expressions – You can find more about it here. Amazon.uk have it in stock here. John mentions the book during the conversation linked to above. And, as many of you will appreciate, John is no fan of “Fresh Expressions” (cf. his paper Stale Expressions: the Management-Shaped Church).

Also a reminder that the new publication of essays by (John) Milbank, Slavoj Žižek, Creston Davis, and Catherine Pickstock is out in the US - Paul's New Moment: Continental Philosophy and the Future of Christian Theology (excerpt available). 

Also, does anyone have access to a theological library and can they get / e-mail me a pdf of Catherine Pickstock’s paper “A Short Essay on the Reform of Liturgy” (details, here…?

 

Facebook and Human Thriving...?

Paul writes – Interesting observations from Jamie Smith in relation to his experience with Facebook. It aligns with much of my own thinking and experience, but also my observations with respect to other family members that use it. I’m not sure we always readily appreciate what technology can do to us; it’s addictive qualities; its ability to enable us enact fantasy, illusions/unrealities, and lies that ensnare and dehumanise/diminish us as well as those who are pulled into the fantasy realities and ‘connections’ that are woven. Oftentimes the ‘connection addiction’ is so strong people struggle to gain the kind of distance and perspective they need to see both the reality and the consequences of what has happened to them psychologically, emotionally etc. It can render them unwilling and unable to face into and discover the truth of the fantasy within which they have become trapped. Perhaps best illustrated by the story of the frog in a pot of water which was slowly increasing in temperature? 

Jamie writes: “... Facebook of course, just add[s] another layer of fixation on such "connection," while also creating a quick and easy outlet for expression that is always a veiled cry for attention.

What's at issue here is precisely the fact that Facebook is an environment of practice which inculcates in us certain habits which then shape our orientation to the world--indeed, they make our worlds. So, in the spirit of Desiring the Kingdom, I started to take a "practices audit" of my Facebook patterns. The results weren't pretty.

All of this came to a head last night while reading Zadie Smith's recent review of the movie, "Facebook" alongside Jarod Lanier's manifesto, You Are Not a Gadget. As Smith notes, in language strikingly similar to my argument in DTK: 

‘We know the consequences of this instinctively; we feel them. We know that having two thousand Facebook friends is not what it looks like. We know that we are using the software to behave in a certain, superficial way toward others. We know what we are doing “in” the software. But do we know, are we alert to, what the software is doing to us?’

You can read Jamie’s full post here (Zadie Smith's review is well worth a read. As is Nicholas Carr's most recent book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains). See also this post from Kester Brewin, and especially his insight on technology and "alienation", a description that fits well with my observations above: alientation from our deepest selves and truths; alienation from reality; alienation from others etc. 

 

Meditation, Silence & Stillness: Subversive, Needful and life-giving...?

Paul writes – A while back I highlighted a reflection by Sarah Coakley on her experiences as part of a silent prayer group. You can read the post here (and follow links for Coakley’s reflection in its entirety). Today I want to link that post to two more. The first a reflection by Vanessa Elston from MOOT in London in which she writes about Moot’s offering of a relaxation and meditation space near the financial heart of London. Here’s an excerpt:

“...Through our presence in the City, we regularly meet those who are increasingly dissatisfied with the assumptions and lifestyle offered by secular modernity. Many are looking for resources to support their quest for meaning, spiritual experience and practice but are not turning to the traditional church to do this. Our society is increasingly post secular and open to exploring the spiritual dimension of life but the Church has been slow to effectively engage with this shift in the culture. 

...In these ways Moot is seeking to engage with those who may be a long way from traditional forms of church but are searching for ultimate reality through spiritual experience and finding safe spaces where beliefs and perceptions can be explored and discussed in a non-threatening and non-argumentative environment. The meditation group has been meeting for over a year while the Serum discussion groups are a newer venture - both are attended by a majority of non-Mooters...”

You can read Vanessa’s complete reflection here.

The second piece I want to highlight is a 2004 essay by Sarah Coakley entitled Meditation as a Subversive Activity. Again, some excerpts:

“...It might not be immediately obvious that prayer, especially the sustained practice of silent prayer, could effect anything positive in the intimidating context of a jail. Especially odd -- indeed, suspicious -- might seem the act of imposing silence on African-American prisoners. Does not such imposed silence represent the final accommodation to oppression?

... Many men find it difficult even to close their eyes in the presence of others they fear. Privacy of a sort can be achieved only by demotion to solitary confinement...

... It was in these unpromising conditions that I led one of the silent-meditation groups connected to a remarkable program titled Houses of Healing. The program, following a book of the same name by Robin Casarjian (Houses of Healing A Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom), presents a method of achieving self-knowledge and self-acceptance and of preventing violence. Unlike many such self-help volumes, this book is free of the narcissistic taint of the "me generation"; and unlike many other violence-prevention projects, the book makes it a requirement that, at an early stage of the program, each participant learns to meditate -- to sit in silence for a disciplined period each day, enduring his own inner "noise" and his inner obsessions, fantasies and feelings. For many, this was an entirely new project -- discomforting, challenging and seemingly pointless...”

You can read Coakley’s complete essay here. An interesting juxtaposition is this post from Barry Taylor.  

 

Does Scripture Speak to the World…?

Paul writes – Andrew Perriman kindly responds to the question(s) I asked in this recent post. He offers his own very useful perspective and suggests some more valuable questions that bear reflection valuable questions. 

Here’s a couple of excerpts: 

“…But if scripture is the historically constrained story of the people of God and if theology is so tightly the interpretation of that experience, in what way might scripture speak now to the world outside the church? Can it still function as “Word of God” not for the church only but also for the world? Can it be, as Paul Fromont puts it, “…an invitation to life in all its fullness for the wider world and local contexts within which churched and de-churched find themselves”?...” 

…Before we consider the implications of this assertion, however, we need to note that the story did not end with the conversion of the empire. The story continued beyond the historical horizons of the New Testament and now includes the reversal of the victory of YHWH over European paganism: in broad sociological terms Christianity defeated paganism but over the last two hundred years has been displaced by an unholy alliance of secular rationalism, cultural pluralism, and technologically sustained materialism. In other words, we are again a people in crisis, unsure of ourselves; and as Paul [Fromont] rightly notes, this has consequences for the reception of the text in the world… 

…Staying within the Western narrative, we might ask, first, what prospect there is that scripture might speak directly to a world that has largely disowned its Christian heritage. What would it take for a post-Christian society to hear the Word as though for the first time? Or more to the point, perhaps, how much does the church have to get out of the way before anyone will be surprised by the text? What burden of transparency and integrity does the narrative-historical reading impose on the church? What are the implications for the church of asserting this particular account of our identity and mission?...”

You can read Andrew's complete post here. Thanks again Andrew. 

Further wondering for me. So, if the church according to St. Paul is the "new creation"; if Lesslie Newbigin has emphatically said, “the Church is the hermeneutic of the Gospel” and as Andrew writes, “The church is the medium of its message”, what is the actual on-the-ground message that the church in the West largely conveys? Or, perhaps more to the point, what are the messages (pl) the church (and churches) conveys, and to what degree are these both hermeneutically and credibly aligned to the gospel and yet also critiqued and challenged by God’s “good news” embodied and enacted in Jesus of Nazareth, by means of the filling of the Spirit…? And, for that matter, is it actually possible for the church to get out of the way of the unfolding drama of God’s purposes for all of creation?

I wonder if the invitation is to dispossession, to a recovered embrace the poetics of silence, gentleness, kenosis, darkness, apophasis, incarnation, patience, cruciform love and mission…? Is it to walk in the way of the desert and cultural insignificance…?

 

The Creative Journey: Patti Smith, The Edge/Jack White/Jimmy Page, Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen

Paul writes – I’ve watched a number of documentaries this year on musicians and the creative process. From the perspective of almost year-end, the four that remain in my mind (in no particular order) are:

It Might Get Loud (featuring The Edge, Jack White, and Jimmy Page) 

Leonard Cohen’s Lonesome Heroes (the influences on his song-writing ad poetry). 

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007) 

Patti Smith: Dream of Life (2007) 

I also appreciated the following few thoughts from Smith that I read this morning:

“…When I was young, everything seemed so simple. I felt the calling toward art and literature, so I decided I would be a writer and pen a magical book like Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland.  But no matter how fixed I was on my path, something always drew me away and I tramped unexpected roads with great twists and turns, And what I learned is that we are all Pinocchio: We begin our life, waving to our mother and father with our schoolbooks in hand, hoping to do well. But we are turned this way and that, we make mistakes, we move from our course, we falter, flounder and may suffer remorse, rebellion, or a sense of defeat. We seem to lose our way. But no matter! If we keep our little flame alive, our first feeling of enthusiasm of who we are, without the influence or intervention of others, we will prevail, And like Pinocchio, despite all his transgressions, find the courage to reunite with our little flame and be rewarded. And the reward is this: We become ourselves. 

 

In my life I have made many mistakes. Sometimes I was careless and inconsiderate of others. Fate drew me to singing and performing around the world, and yet this was not what I dreamed for myself – sometimes I felt it took me from my true path that of the writer. But I found performing brought me closer to the people. It gave me an opportunity to travel, to explore, to communicate, and concern myself with my fellow man. 

 

In 1979 I gave up my life in the area of rock ‘n’ roll to marry and raise a family, another divergence from my pursuit as a solitary artist. But through my family I learned the final lesson of Pinocchio – what it is like to be human. And always through everything, through sacrifice and success, I have tried to stay close to my little flame, reminding me who I am.

The cricket tells Pinocchio, “ Always let your conscience be your guide.” These words, by a small, insignificant insect, give us all we need. The best person to tell you who you are, what you should be, is ultimately you.” 

From here, via Barry Taylor.

The most fascinating (audio) interview (so far in 2010) was this interview with artist Bill Viola. 

 

Andrew Perriman - Scripture as the (historical) theological interpretation of history

Paul writes – Andrew Perriman offers some useful thoughts and diagrams to help explain how: 

“How… we get from scripture as ancient religious text, which is at one level at least unquestionably what it is, to scripture as Word of God for the church today, which at one level at least is unquestionably what it needs to be? Arguably it is the most serious dilemma currently facing biblical interpretation. 

The dilemma consists in the fact that there are two broad trajectories that interpretation can take, given the starting point of scripture as an ancient text. The first is the route of theological interpretation, which is the route that has mostly been trodden throughout the history of the church. The second is the route of historical interpretation, which was discovered only quite recently through the application of the historical-critical methods…”

This goes someway toward the larger question “how is scripture the Word of God; an invitation to life in all its fullness for the wider world and local contexts within which churched and de-churched find themselves? This is especially the case when church, scripture and ‘God’ are seen as completely irrelevant to all but those few people who are exploring the deep questions of meaning and their humanity. No disrespect to Andrew, and acknowledging that the intent of his post wasn’t to reflect this issue, I think the bigger challenge, than how scripture is the Word of God for the church today, is how is the narrative of Scripture contextualized “good news” for the ‘world’ beyond the church…?

Perhaps it is the scripture/church relationship that is the biggest obstacle to willingness to offer genuine space for the religious/spiritual perspective on the big challenges and opportunities that face us as humanity – whether internationally, nationally, or locally…?   

Why should I even be interested in Scripture, biblical interpretation?

You can read Andrew’s full post here. The diagram included in this post is Andrew’s and illustrates his preferred approach.

 

Steve Georgiou and the Isle of Monte Cristo: A Review

Paul writes – I recently completed a review of Steve Georgiou’s latest book – The Isle of Monte Cristo: Finding the Inner Treasure. Steve, a good friend, kindly sent me a review copy. 

Here are the opening and closing paragraphs. Amazon.com has an abbreviated review. The full review can be found as a PDF at the bottom of this post.

“…Steve Georgiou wonderfully concludes his extremely accessible trilogy (begun in 2002 with The Way of the Dreamcatcher: Spirit Lessons with Robert Lax, Peacemaker, Sage (dedicated to his father. A revised edition with a new publisher due out soon); and followed by Mystic Street: Meditations on a Spiritual Path in 2007 (dedicated to his mother)) with his 2010 publication The Isle of Monte Cristo: Finding the Inner Treasure (Toronto: Novalis, 2010. 299 pages plus endnotes). This final book is dedicated to his sister Maria.

All three books have a foreword by Thomas Merton’s former secretary Brother Patrick Hart, O.C.S.O. All three are woven through with the thread of Georgiou’s “mentorship” by Trappist Monk Thomas Merton’s best friend, American poet / mystic / sage / hermit Robert Lax (b. 1915). During the latter period of his life Lax, born in the US, was resident on the island of Patmos, Greece. It was here that Georgiou met Lax in 1993. He would make the trip regularly until 1999, not long before Lax’s death on September 26^th 2000… 

...Overall, this is a beautifully presented and richly evocative little book (19.10cm X 13.30cm X 2.50cm) that encourages its readers to put themselves “in a place where grace can flow” (Lax) and to take the path of the heart. Relevantly too it invites us to live deeper lives and to not succumb to living on the surface of life, a reality all too common to those of us who live in the so-called West. I highly recommend the adventure that is The Isle of Monte Cristo and encourage you to see where it takes you in terms of your own life journey.  And while you’re journeying with the narrative, and the excursions you take, have U2’s song One playing in the background.”

Download Paul Fromont - Review of Steve Georgiou's 'The Isle of Monte Cristo'

Jean Vanier’s Ark

Paul writes – Jason Goroncy reminded me I’d missed hearing a recent episode of Encounter on ABC Radio National (Australia). I knew it was coming up, but missed it. Thankfully a podcast is available and I have really valued listening to it this week. It also features some very thoughtful commentary from Stanley Hauerwas.

Here’s an excerpt. It is Jean Vanier speaking: 

“…Everybody wants a home. A home is a place different to work, which is frequently stressful. But the home is a place where we can relax, where we can rest, where we can be with friends, we're together. Home is essential to human beings, and, belonging is to know that I'm loved, that I'm appreciated. You see, the worst thing that can happen for anyone is the anguish of loneliness. Nobody loves me, nobody wants me. And this can come about for many people. They throw themselves into work, but they might be terribly lonely on the part of their hearts, that which is most human within them. So human beings, they need a place where they belong, but not belonging that closes them up and a belonging of fear, but a belonging of relationship. We're together, we love each other. When we're strong and fit and capable and have lots of diplomas, maybe we feel we don't need to belong. We're capable. But as soon as somebody is a little bit weaker, a bit more fragile, then we need to belong, we need this place where we're loved as we are. So home and belonging is something very fundamental to human beings… 

And another, also from Vanier:

To understand the body and the struggle with the head, it's to discover how we all begin. We begin in the bodies of our mother and then for a number of months and years, everything is around the body. The mum is being attentive to food, and helping people to be comfortable. So love is manifested through the caring of the body and the weakness of the body.

I mean love is something about appreciation of the other who has, who is, a body. Some body. Everything begins with the way we look at each other, the way we speak to each other. Always you find in the initial relationship which is vital, that relation between the mother and the child, or the father and the child. I mean there's a kindness and tenderness, and that all comes through the body as manifested through the body. And when we are in pain, we need somebody with tenderness, with kindness, who have helped to cure the pain, that helped me to accept it, to live it, to be with people is somewhere to be with them in their bodies, to listen to them, to be open to them, to relate to them, to celebrate with them. I mean the body is the place where we meet each other, all our senses from the touch to the eyes to the ears and the smell. The danger is that we pretend they're not bodies and we go into the world of ideas, and then being in the world of ideas we cut ourselves off from people. So being in L'Arche, it's a school of relationship, where we live together, we touch, we eat, we sing - we reveal to each other through the body that you're important.

You can listen to the podcast and read the full transcript here. Vanier has featured before on this site and I again highly recommend this podcast. For me, I couldn’t escape thoughts of The Insatiable Moon. 

 

US Mid-Terms… More Damage than Good…?

Paul writes - Barry Taylor reflects what I was thinking last week as an international observer of the US mid-terms. Here, in part, is what he says:

“...I admit it, I don't get it. The whole American political process that is. Someone is elected and then halfway though their term there is another round of voting, essentially acting like a vote of confidence or not for those in power. This week, as everyone must know, there was a huge upset in the political world and Republicans made major headway on the political landscape. All of this activity seems to underscore the fickle nature of people and politics. Obama has been in office only a couple of years, inherited most of the problems he is facing, and yet seems to be reaping the whirlwind for not giving people what they want?! To be honest, I am not even saying this in a 'pro-Obama' manner, shouldn't the guy be given the chance to fix what are obviously deep-seated problems...”

I don’t get it either. There’s a lot I am very disappointed about in respect of Obama’s presidency, not least in respect of the “war” in Afghanistan / Pakistan (increased use of unmanned drones etc) and what appears to be a decision to ignore the central tenets of modern counter-insurgency theory (if you find you have no option but to prosecute a war – and I have questions about that necessity as well). However, when you get Republican’s suggesting they’re going to deliberately undermine / reverse programs such as the recently introduced “health care” legislation, the first thought that comes to my mind is sheer partisan childishness. Clearly it’s been a deeply divisive issue, but surely it’s an issue of justice that millions of American’s who can’t get access to the medical infrastructure in their own country. I’ve seen some deeply disturbing news stories/documentaries on this subject. I also don’t agree that the economic path being charted will deliver the hoped for outcomes. A lot more future-focused investment designed to stimulate innovation, research and development, and sustainable job-creation

Now as I’ve already said, I’m an outsider and an observer, but it’s just doesn’t make sense on so many levels, not least that this kind of political one-upmanship and the sheer unwillingness of politicians to work for justice etc across party lines cannot be good for the US and its future. The challenges and opportunities are so much bigger – most recently outlined in a very thoughtful (albeit brief) Time magazine article (Nov. 1, 2010) – How to Restore the American Dream by Fareed Zakaria. “...The grim reality is that technology and globalization are shattering the middle class. With the midterms around the corner, the good news is that a bipartisan policy agenda can return the country to prosperity. But no one says it will be easy...” This, incidentally is the same challenge we face - a lack of long term focus, future investment, support for entrepreneurs and small business, creation of BIG international companies (we currently only have one) etc. The list goes on... 

Perhaps the mid-terms don’t look so silly if you live in the US...?