Prodigal Kiwi(s) Blog

Feelings and Discernment

One of the gifts I’ve received in my life has been the gift of a growing awareness of Ignatian spirituality. I’m grateful to Rev. Pamela Warnes who started me on that journey. My first Ignatian retreat was given by visiting US-Jesuit Fr. George Drury SJ (2003).

I’m grateful for the British Jesuit journal, The Way (and its archives), and for the many authors whose books I’ve read, and/or have added to my library: Gerard W. Hughes SJ; Philip Endean; Karl Rahner SJ, Timothy Gallagher, David Lonsdale SJ, George E. Ganss SJ, David L. Fleming SJ, Paul Coutinho SJ, John English SJ, William A. Barry SJ, Michael Ivens SJ, Mark E. Thibodeaux SJ, Monty Williams SJ etc.

Consequently I therefore enjoyed this blog post by Fr. John O’Connor. Here’s an excerpt:

“…ATTRACTION & RESISTANCE

In every moment, any human is motivated by attraction, or by resistance. Those who are beginners in life’s journey simply go with attraction and act against whatever they consider to be distasteful.

The prisoner of this behaviour lives compulsively by the motto: if it feels good, do it, if it feels bad, avoid it.

FEELINGS

We ignore our feelings at our peril. However the feelings we have are simply a starting point for discernment. Feelings are the raw material with which we discern movement towards or away from God.

At this conscious level it may be that God is calling me to do what feels difficult, even painful, at least on the surface of my heart. It may be instead that the evil spirit is shrewdly enticing me to evil by attracting me to something that feels good…”

You can read his full post here. For more, by way of an accessible book for a general readership, I’d recommend Margaret (“Mags”) Blackie’s Rooted in love: Integrating Ignatian spirituality into daily life (My edition, 2013).

David Tacey: The Postsecular Sacred

David Tacey, Emeritus Professor of Humanities, La Trobe University, Australia, most of whose books can be found in my personal library, along with many audio-recordings and conversations, is a voice I’ve long-valued in my own journey. I don’t agree with everything, but I’ve found him a really helpful interlocutor. Undoubtedly, therefore, this book (The Postsecular Sacred: Jung, Soul and Meaning in an Age of Change) will be purchased at some point following its publication, sometime around the 12th July 2019.

Routledge, his publisher, describes his latest book in this way:

“In The Postsecular Sacred: Jung, Soul and Meaning in an Age of Change, David Tacey presents a unique psychological study of the postsecular, adding a Jungian perspective to a debate shaped by sociology, philosophy and religious studies. In this interdisciplinary exploration, Tacey looks at the unexpected return of the sacred in Western societies, and how the sacred is changing our understanding of humanity and culture. 

Beginning with Jung’s belief that the psyche has never been secular, Tacey examines the new desire for spiritual experience and presents a logic of the unconscious to explain it. Tacey argues that what has fuelled the postsecular momentum is the awareness that something is missing, and the idea that this could be buried in the unconscious is dawning on sociologists and philosophers. While the instinct to connect to something greater is returning, Tacey shows that this need not imply that we are regressing to superstitions that science has rejected. The book explores indigenous spirituality in the context of the need to reanimate the world, not by going back to the past but by being inspired by it. There are chapters on ecopsychology and quantum physics, and, using Australia as a case study; the book also examines the resistance of secular societies to becoming postsecular.

Approaching postsecularism through a Jungian perspective, Tacey argues that we should understand God in a manner that accords with the time, not go back to archaic, rejected images of divinity. The sacred is returning in an age of terrorism, and this is not without significance in terms of the ‘explosive’ impact of spirituality in our time. 

Innovative and relevant to the world we live in, this will be of great interest to academics and scholars of Jungian studies, anthropology, indigenous studies, philosophy, religious studies and sociology due to its transdisciplinary scope. It would also be a useful resource for analytical psychologists, Jungian analysts and psychotherapists.”

Contents

Introduction; The Postsecular Condition;  

Chapter 1: The Postsecular Landscape;

Chapter 2: The Mystical Turn; Secularism Under Pressure;  

Chapter 3: A Secular Country;

Chapter 4: The Aboriginal Gift We Will Not Accept; Reanimation of the World;  

Chapter 5: Ecopsychology and Indigenous Cosmology;

Chapter 6: Physics and Reanimation; Postsecular Religion and Atheism;  

Chapter 7: God After God;

Chapter 8: Derrida: Emissary of the Postsecular; Violence and the Sacred;  

Chapter 9: Return of the Sacred in an Age of Terror;

Chapter 10: Epilogue: Sacrifice and the Future.

Hope in a Secular Age

More information about the book, and Newheiser can be found in the post following this one.

David Newheiser: Hope in a Secular Age: Deconstruction, Negative Theology, and the Future of Faith

I valued very much a recently aired conversation with David Newheiser, who is a Research Fellow at Australian Catholic University (ACU) in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry. The conversation was titled: Politics and the Sacred and featured on the ABC show The Philosophers Zone (here).

His research addresses ethical and political questions in light of classic Christian thought and contemporary continental philosophy. He specializes in apophatic traditions of Christian thought and in Jacques Derrida's relation to religion.

His first book, title above (forthcoming, and I’m not exactly sure when, but maybe Nov. 2020 for the print edition, from Cambridge University Press), defends a hope that acknowledges its vulnerability but presses forward nonetheless. Where critics claim that hope pacifies political resistance by providing false comfort, I argue that it nourishes a restless dissatisfaction with the status quo. Drawing upon premodern negative theology and postmodern philosophy, I show that an uncertain hope is necessary to sustain commitment of any kind: interpersonal, political, or religious.

I’m looking forward to reading a copy of his book when it’s published. Meantime, you can find a list of his journal essays here, downloadable via Academia.

Martin Laird OSA: Silence Upon an Ocean of Light

Sheila Pritchard offers a few thoughts on Martin Laird’s wonderful trilogy of books about the contemplative life: Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation (OUP, 2006); A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation (OUP, 2011), and most recently, An Ocean of Light: Contemplation, Transformation, and Liberation (OUP, 2019).

I’ve purchased each book as they’ve been published, but I must confess I’m still only halfway through Into the Silent Land, not because its not a wonderful book, but because of where I’m at, and what’s most alive or needful for me at particular times in my life. In other words, I have a strong tendency to read where I “itch”. I try and read my longing, desire and hope, which is why having a richly diverse reference library, has always been important to me.

That said, I want to strongly commend each of Laird’s books to you. They’re destined to be classics; books you’ll return to, and read again and again, in whole or in part.

Martin Laird is an Augustinian priest (hence the acronym OSA following his name) and Associate Professor of early Christian studies at Villanova University. 

You’ll find a great (online) 8 min, 29 sec section of a PBS programme (from Mt. Desert Island off the coast of Maine) featuring Laird here (circa, 2011). “…Love brings us into union with God, not knowledge…”

Most recently, you can listen to this 2-part conversation with Laird with the team from the podcast Encountering Silence, which I highly recommend – both these two episodes, but also the podcast more generally. Part 1 of the Laird conversation (aired 14^th March 2019), Part 2 of the Laird conversation (aired 19^th March 2019), and the final part here.

 

Miroslav Volf: For the Life of the World

In my mind I’ve juxtaposed an online article by Alan Roxburgh, and the latest publication by Miroslav Volf (co-written with Matthew Croasmun). The article is titled A Christian Counter-Movement to Neoliberalism?

Excerpt

“…The conversation caused me reflect again about the Christian response to this massive social and cultural unravelling too many of us are experiencing. I know Catholic thinkers who are engaged with these questions in their parishes, but what troubled me out of this back-deck conversation around a podcast was that the majority of Euro-tribal churches of which I am aware seem to be lost in entirely different kinds of questions about their own identities and survival. In the language of the German social theorist, Heinz Bude, the ‘mood’ of more and more people is that of confusion, anger and fear. He comments for example that ‘…outrage that the world as we know it has been allowed to self-destruct merely conceals fear about not knowing where to go next’ (page 2).  Meanwhile the mood of the Euro-tribal churches continues focused on how to fix and reform themselves out of their loss of identity and anxious fears about connecting with people…”

Read the whole article here. And, if you can get a copy of Bude’s book, it’s well worth a read. I’m still thinking about it, both when I reflect on my own life, but also as I engage with others, and the cultural milieu in which I live.

Volf and Croasmun’s book is titled For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference (Brazos Press, January 2019). In their view so-called Academic Theology has lost its way. Or to put it differently. Academic theology is so inwardly focused, so focused on the minutiae that it is virtually disconnected from the everyday worlds we live in. It has little to say to the challenges of living within the complexities of the ordinary and everyday; from the challenges of living authentically and humanly.

Excerpt from a review of the book by Kelly M. Kapic

“…In real life, of course, an ethic of extreme self-determination never really produces a life of love, community, and purpose. Volf and Croasmun propose six theological pillars that can stand in a pluralistic world to help shape Christian vision of genuine flourishing. These, they believe, strike an appropriate balance between conviction and individual freedom, between Christian confidence and openness to alternative sources of truth. The pillars are (1) a commitment to Trinitarian monotheism; (2) a belief in a God of unconditional love (and not just unlimited power); (3) the centrality of Jesus to all theology; (4) maintaining a distinction between God’s rule and human rule, which allows for the possibility of flourishing in different cultures; (5) upholding the moral equality of all human beings, recognizing that all sin and fall short of God’s righteous standard; and (6) valuing religious freedom—including the freedom to reject religion—because faith by nature requires it.

In everything they propose, Volf and Croasmun maintain a balance between hope and realism, avoiding both an over- and under-realized eschatology. They reckon honestly with sinful conditions of this world while also expressing confidence in the power of Christ’s work for us, especially as that work manifests itself in the common life of God’s people.

Far too often we are tempted to pit God against his creation, either by advocating a retreat from life in the world or a triumph through some program of cultural conquest. But each extreme undermines the Christian affirmation that the God who has created and redeemed us is good and active, even amid the complexity of this fallen creation. This is why we must return, again and again, to the central image of the kingdom of God: It reminds us that the Christian vision of an abundant life must always include both God and the world…”

You can read the full review here, together with a written interview with Volf, here.

Thomas Merton - A Course in Desert Spirituality

Due to be published May 2019 is the latest Jon M. Sweeney edited collection of Thomas Merton talks, A Course in Desert Spirituality

“…Thomas Merton's sessions with the young monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani showcase Merton's brilliant ability to survey the key figures and synthesize their writings, inspiring his listeners and readers with what it means for the spiritual life. Like its companion volume, A Course in Christian Mysticism, this book is a collection of fifteen lectures that get to the heart of Merton's belief that monastic wisdom and spirituality are applicable for everyone. This compact volume allows anyone to learn from one of the twentieth century's greatest Catholic spiritual teachers. The study materials at the back of the book, including additional primary source readings and thoughtful questions for reflection and discussion, make this an essential text for any student of Christian desert spirituality…”

Rowan Williams: Christ the Heart of Creation.

Out on the 6^th September 2018 (UK) or 13^th November 2018 (US) is a new book from Rowan Williams: Christ the Heart of Creation.

“In this wide-ranging book, Rowan Williams argues that what we say about Jesus Christ is key to understanding what Christian belief says about creator and creation overall. Through detailed discussion of texts from the earliest centuries to the present day, we are shown some of the various and subtle ways in which Christians have discovered in their reflections on Christ the possibility of a deeply affirmative approach to creation, and a set of radical insights in ethics and politics as well.

Throughout his life, Rowan Williams has been deeply influenced by thinkers of the Eastern Christian tradition as well as Catholic and Anglican writers. This book draws on insights from Eastern Christianity, from the Western Middle Ages and from Reformed thinkers, from Calvin to Bonhoeffer – as well as considering theological insights sparked by philosophers like Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein. Christ the Heart of Creation concerns fundamental issues for Christian belief and Williams tackles them head-on: he writes with clarity and shows his gift for putting across what are inevitably complex ideas to a wide audience.”

You can pre-order the book via Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.com. There’s not a lot of information out yet about the book, but I’m assuming it’s the published form of his 2016 Hulsean Lectures delivered under the title 'Christ and the Logic of Creation.' 

If you read Rowan Williams, you might have some interest in this 2012 essay: Christ and Contemplation: Doctrine and Spirituality in the Theology of Rowan Williams (PDF), published in the Anglican Theological Review, and written by Dustin Resch. I read it a few months back. You might also be interested in his 2002 Trinity College, University of Melbourne lecture titled: Living Sacramentally (PDF). I don’t recall having previously mentioned either of these papers on this blog.

James Innell Packer: a Brief Appreciation, and Interview.

I was doing some writing yesterday, and it including reflecting on the significant influence of James I. Packer on my theological formation. The years in question were the late eighties and very early nineties.

“…Anglican priest and theologian, James I Packer, and in particular his classic book Knowing God, had a profound effect on me. Later he would introduce me to the English Puritan’s through his book A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. Reading the Puritan’s introduced me to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh Protestant Minister and Medical Doctor, who for thirty years was the highly influential Minister of Westminster Chapel, in London, which I was to visit many years later to see and feel where he had preached. I was profoundly influenced by his Reformed Evangelical teaching, both his books, and his sermons, many of which I’d collected on audiotapes, to listen to as I drove out of town for work. I slowly started to collect the written works of those who influenced and shaped him, or who were positively endorsed by him. In particular, these works included those of many English Puritans, and American pastor / preacher Jonathan Edwards. Specialist publishers like, for example, Soli Deo Gloria Publications were re-printing, in fine hardcover editions, the classic works of the Puritans…”

Packer was later to introduce me to Regent College in Vancouver, and that introduction marked another important stage in my journey. I’d purchase audiotapes (and later CD’s and DVD’s) of lectures and talks given by the faculty of Regent College, and visiting lecturers. I discovered the writing and thinking of James Houston, Eugene H. Peterson, Gordon Fee, Bruce Waltke, R. Paul Stevens, in particular. Houston, Peterson, and Fee were to be particular influential and each contributed in significant ways to setting the trajectory of the next chapters in my story.

Anyway, I was visiting Regent’s website yesterday and came across this July 2018 written interview with Packer as he talks about the Puritan’s. Packer, born in Gloucester England on the 22^nd July 1926 has just marked his 92^nd birthday.  

Brother David Steindl-Rast - I am through you so I

Brother David Steindl-Rast OCSB most recent book is titled: I am through you so I (pub, Sept. 2017)

“Brother David Steindl-Rast OCSB, Hermit, Zen Christian, spiritual globetrotter: in time for his 90th birthday in July of 2016, "Brother David" tells his incomparably rich life story. Beginning with his childhood in Vienna, he describes his time in World War II and his years as a student after the war, his family's emigration to the US and his entry into the then newly founded Benedictine monastery in the state of New York. There, he soon began looking for what were then still untrodden spiritual paths with undiscovered entryways to non-Christian religions. He became particularly involved in the dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism, founding the "Center for Spiritual Studies" in 1968, together with Rabbis, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. His work encouraging dialogue among religions earned him the 1975 Martin Buber Award. 

Contemplation and periods of public life alternate with Brother David: he spends half the year living as a recluse in the hermitage near his Benedictine monastery. Mysticism is his mission-but not a mysticism devoid of connection to the world. His is a mysticism of the everyday, of life immediate in the now, of experiencing fully. He is convinced that God's spirit speaks in and to us all.” 

Coming in at 232 pages, each chapter covers a decade of Br. David's life and should be regarded as memoir. He reflectively writes each. Each chapter also includes a dialogue, an interview / conversation between Brother David and interviewer Johannes Kaup. These are an attempt to explore Brother David’s life and thinking as well as opening up new horizons and questions that build on his reminiscences. I’m looking forward to reading my copy. Steindl-Rast has been important to me, particularly with respect to the importance of gratitude.

Lyndall Brown offers a brief review of the book in Tui Motu Interislands, New Zealand’s monthly independent Catholic magazine. You can read it online here.