Prodigal Kiwi(s) Blog

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.

Simon Carey Holt – Discovering God in Everyday Life

Simon Carey Holt has a new book out. Published by Cascade it is titled Heaven All Around Us: Discovering God in Everyday Life.

“If living with a deep awareness of God in our lives is important, how do we do it without moving to a monastery? How do we discern and respond to God amidst the places, routines, and relationships of our everyday lives? In this book, we go in search of God’s presence in homes and neighborhoods, supermarkets and sporting arenas, workplaces and weekends. Along the way we look for practices that can lead us more deeply into the way of Jesus: activities like cooking and laundry, walking and sleeping, shopping and conversation with friends. Throughout, we want to better understand how to make God a central part of our lives, and to hear Jesus’ call to “follow me” more clearly in the world around us.”

If it’s as good as his two earlier books (and I’m assuming its not a US-edition of God Next Door: Spirituality and Mission in the Neighborhood), I’m going to thoroughly enjoy it.

You’ll find more information about it here. Simon is a gifted writer, but if you haven’t read anything by Simon, you might enjoy this 1999 article: Domestic Spirituality: Finding God in the Ordinary, the Mundane, and the Immediate, or this sample from his Eating Heaven: Spirituality at the Table.

Jacques Ellul: Essential Spiritual Writings

A so-called lay theologian whom I have very much appreciated over the years is Frenchman Jacques Ellul (1912-1994). I have a number of his books and like the look of Orbis’ Jacques Ellul: Essential Spiritual Writings (in their Modern Spiritual Masters series), which was published this time last year (May 2016). Ellul can be a little difficult to read, but I personally think he’s now more relevant than ever. If you haven’t read Ellul I recommend that you start with this book. And, if you like Ellul, and haven’t already, I highly recommend another lay Episcopal theologian, William Stringfellow.

Book Description

“Thomas Merton is one of many who were deeply influenced by the work of Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), a French philosopher and lay theologian. A remarkable thinker and prophet of the twentieth century, he wrote over fifty books on a range of topics: law, history, sociology, theology, even poetry. Jacques Ellul: Essential Spiritual Writings is the first anthology of his work and provides an ideal work for those encountering Ellul for the first time as well as those already familiar with his thought.

Throughout his work Ellul spoke out against the "idols and myths" of the modern age, including technology, politics, materialism, and violence. His prophetic critique of modern civilization won an appreciative audience far beyond Christian circles. Yet this was only one half of a project that drew deeply on his Christian faith.

For nearly every sociological book he wrote, Ellul would write a theological or spiritual counterpart. And yet this other half of his work has received relatively little attention. This volume corrects the balance, highlighting spiritual gems on prayer, hope, and universal salvation. His call to reject the worship of the state and to embrace nonviolent activism has an abiding relevance and urgency, particularly in these times of protracted war and violence, gaping economic inequality, and enormous suffering.”

Contents pages (PDF) of both books attached below:

Download Jacques Ellul - Contents Page

Download William Stringfellow - Contents Page

Kenneth Leech (15th June 1939 - 12th September 2015)

"Ministry on the margins is rooted in scripture and tradition, in spite of the bias of many churches towards the ‘mainstream’ of respectability. The Bible makes the experience of marginality normative for the people of God." (Kenneth Leech - Doing Theology in Altab Ali Park)

I was saddened, but not surprised to hear of the death of Anglican Priest, activist, author, mystic and spiritual director (thanks to Carl McColman for bring the news to my attention – he has a nice piece on Leech here. See also McColman’s overview of True God - Thirteen Characteristics of Healthy Spirituality: Kenneth Leech's Manifesto for a Renewed Spirituality is More Relevant Than Ever).

Leech has been a real hero to me, and his books, along with those of Episcopalian William Stringfellow and Anglican Rowan Williams sit on the top tier of the Anglican section of my library.

The first book of his that I purchased was his Soul Friend: Spiritual Direction in the Modern World. This was followed by True God: An Exploration in Spiritual Theology, and True Prayer: An Introduction to Christian Spirituality.

One of the things I value is the deeply incarnational nature of his writing (a factor that can also date his writing). He earths his writing and reflections in his world; in the world; and in specific places and issues. He engages and brings the gospel into radical conversation with the everyday. His is often a profoundly marginal voice. Some might say subversive. And it’s this I particularly value. He had an incisive way of looking at reality, one that was at once challenging (even if you didn’t always agree with him), but also hopeful. You often find this in his short essays, which I always keep an eye out for in books. So, for example, his ‘The Carnality of Grace’: Sexuality, Spirituality and Pastoral Ministry in the 1990 publication Embracing the Chaos: Theological Responses to Aids edited by James Woodward. Or his Christendom Died Sometime Ago: The East London Experience in the 2008 publication The Diaconal Church: Beyond the Mould of Christendom. Or his Is Spiritual Direction Losing It’s Bearing? Published in The Tablet in May 1993 (I referenced it on this blog in 2005, but sadly it doesn’t appear to still be online).

While not easy to find, Leech’s 62-page Subversive Orthodoxy: Traditional Faith and Radical Commitment is an absolute gem. It would be nice to see it reprinted.

The last book I purchased was the one I now recommend to those new to Kenneth Leech was Prayer and Prophecy: The Essential Kenneth Leech.

You’ll find the Guardian’s Obituary here.

[Photo Credit - Ken with his wife Julie in 2013. Photo by Jacqueline Schmitt.]

How Much is Enough?

 “…Ours is a restless culture. Life has become excessively busy for a large portion of the population. Stress is almost built into our body clocks.

I am not a fast driver, probably slower than most. But sometimes I find myself hurrying to get somewhere—switching lanes, passing traffic, going through yellow lights—when it occurs to me that the only thing putting pressure on me to rush is my own state of mind…. Our wants are constantly expanding, and our income usually lags behind. More hours to work, more things to do, and more places to go create pressure. Far from producing a sense of inner peace, this style of life nurtures a spiritual void.”

~ Arthur Simon, How Much Is Enough?...

John Swinton On Theology and Dementia

“Dementia affects more than 342,000 Australians - and many other people besides — their loved ones, their friends, and their carers. So what happens to people when they lose a sense of their selves? Can anything be done to help them reconnect with things that matter to them, like spirituality?

Dr John Swinton is one of the world's leading thinkers on this subject, what's called 'disability theology'. His practice stems from the belief that even though it may look to us like our loved one has gone, they haven't gone — the self is still there, it's just the expression of it that's changed. He says disability theology helps us to see properly what it means to be a human being, and that to be human is much more interesting and complicated than the simplistic way that culture tells us it should be.

Dr John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care in the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen. He's the author of several books on dementia and theology, including 'Dementia: Living in the Memories of God', and he was in Australia recently as part of his new position with the independent Christian charity HammondCare, who he's helping to develop new practice in theology and spirituality for people living with dementia…”

Podcast here (ABC Local, Sunday Nights). Aired 12^th July 2015. 

Simon Carey Holt, Ethics, and Eating Heaven

I first came across Simon Carey Holt through his association with Robert Banks (Redeeming the Routines) prior to the 1997 publication of IVP’s The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity: An A-Z of following Christ in Every Aspect of Life. Simon contributed some thoughts on Eating and Home.

Then it was The Bible and the Business of Life: Essays in Honour of Robert J. Banks' which Simon co-edited (with Gordon Preece), and to which he contributed a co-written (with his wife) essay, Verandas and God: A Personal Reflection on Spirituality and the Built Environment. The book was published in 2004. 

Next came his 2009 Tinsley Annual Lecture, A Mortgage, A Motor-Mower and a Mission: Following Jesus into Suburbia, plus a series of really helpful reflections, which you’ll now find on his Eating Heaven blog: (revised) Eating, Family and Faith (2001 & 2010); The Hospitality of God and the Hospitality Industry (2002); and Eating as a Spiritual Act (2011). 

Then came his award-winning God Next-Door: Spirituality and Mission in the Neighborhood (pub. 2007 / Victoria: Acorn Press Ltd), which is an absolute gem. It gets at what makes Simon such a useful conversation partner – he’s what we might call a “practical theologian”; a theologian grounded in the ordinary and the everyday.

Simon is now the Senior Minister of Collins Street Baptist in Melbourne (after having (most recently) served as Senior Lecturer in Practical Theology & Associate Dean: Research, Whitley College, Melbourne, Australia - January 2001 – December 2009; Director of Academic Development & Lecturer in Practical Theology, Macquarie Christian Studies Institute, Macquarie University, Sydney - January 1999 – December 2000.

Finally, most recently, there’s his book Eating Heaven: Spirituality at the Table (pub. ). A friend justbrought me back a copy from Melbourne, now it’s sitting beside me, and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

Simon’s body of work is well worth engaging with. I’d suggest reading it in conjunction with Robert Banks’ Redeeming the Routines: Bringing Theology to Life.

If you want to an aural introduction to Simon, here are six short, thought-provoking, conversations in which he explores an ethical life (scroll down via the link) – the practicalities of ethical practice. They were broadcast in 2011. He discusses: lifestyle ethics, those vital values that determine our small, everyday decisions; the ethics of suburbia and the car; the impacts of our mobile society. What are the pros and cons of moving around, versus staying put?; ethics in a consumerist society; the ethical maze of "Spirituality for Sale"; and ethics in our frantic-paced lifestyle.

Richard Rohr: The Truth About People You Can’t Forgive

One more resource from Richard Rohr. A very helpful article titled: The Truth About the People You Can’t Forgive Over the years I’ve experienced the devastating consequences of unforgiveness – what it does to people and relationships; the ways in which it cages people and never lets them move into the future unencumbered by the past… I’ve seen the way it shrivels people up; eats them up from the inside out. In contrast, I've also experienced people freed and enlivened by the gift of forgiveness - their ability to deeply forgive themselves, as much as their being forgiven by others. 

As always Rohr has some really useful insights. I benefited (and will continue to benefit) greatly from engaging with them: 

1. The People You Can't Forgive Might Not Be Forgiven Today

"Forgiveness is a decision, but making that decision doesn't override the emotional residue that often takes much longer to release. That feeling of wanting revenge or wanting to assert your rightness or your victimhood—depending on the depth of your wounding—can take days, weeks, months and even years to dissipate. On certain days, when you're in a down mood, your psyche will want to grab onto that hurt. You have to go through that necessary period of feeling half dead, half angry, half in denial—this is the liminal space in which we grow for some reason...

5. The People You Can't Forgive Can't Fully Be Released Until You Find Something Better to Fill the Hole

"Releasement, which is just another word for forgiveness, doesn't entirely work unless we have a larger comfort, a safe and more beautiful enclosure to move toward. If we only empty out, and do not refill with something better, there is still a gaping hole within us. The attempt at forgiveness will not go deep or endure. Without something positive, comforting and loving to fill that hole up (which some call grace), we're left to depend entirely on willpower— and our willpower is normally very weak, especially on those days of loneliness, stress, tiredness and hunger. So we've got to keep our aloneness and emptiness filled with something loving and positive. This is the primary work of spirituality. I know that the word 'prayer' has been so trivialized, but it basically means refilling our souls with 'Everything that is good and noble, everything that is virtuous and worthy of praise', as Paul says in his letter from a Roman prison that could be called an early lesson in the power of positive thinking (Philippians 4:7-8)…”

You can read the complete article here. 

Local Theology

Was having lunch with a great friend yesterday and we were discussing, over a beer, the great struggle of many churches to be incarnational – to enflesh genuine “good news” at the level of the local, the ordinary and the everyday. I guess, for me anyway, there was an implicit critique with respect to the churches (local) inability to do good local theology; to take place, context, culture, history etc. seriously. Local theology is contextual theology. 

Two books I’ve found helpful are:

Constructing Local Theologies (1985) by Robert J. Schreiter.

Let’s Do Contextual Theology: Resources for Contextual Theology (2009) by Laurie Green 

It brought to mind this recent post from my Canadian blogging friend Len Hjalmarson, who highlights another book on the subject: 

“…[Clemens] Sedmak writes, “There is a growing awareness that theology is not an instant product that we take from the shelf and put some (local) water in it in order to have an enjoyable drink. Theology is a specifically local adventure if it wants to be relevant for a particular culture. As Michael Amaladoss says ‘The flowering of local theology is a sign of the rootedness and maturity of a particular church.’ And also a sign of the rootedness and maturity of theologians… 

…Maybe our theological imagination needs to look more like this [see diagram to the left]. The role of the particular setting where the church is in dialogue with the gospel has become larger than ever. This is because we are giving ear to marginalized voices; we are opening a wider ground for conversation, and listening to voices that are far away. We are recognizing that conditions have changed and culture has shifted — we have to listen anew in order to wrestle with questions that are new. So I propose a larger role for culture in this trialogue… 

Doing Local Theology: A Guide for Artisans of a New Humanity. New York: Orbis Books, 2002. 182 pages.

Len’s complete post here. 

Bonhoeffer, McKnight and How Can it Happen?

A good friend recently sent me via e-mail a copy of a blog post by theologian / scholar Scot McKnight. I didn’t get to read it straight away, but found myself reading and reflecting on it last night. It’s a post about ideology, the power of ideology to negatively influence and shape us. 

He makes his points with the use of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his essay After Ten Years. 

McKnight begins, “One of the most pressing question for humans in the depth of their existence is this one: How can humans go silent or compliant or, unfathomably, become even more committed to the leader and the cause and the ideology when their leader becomes a tyrant?”

He continues, “…First, moral blindness is more dangerous than malice. Reason is not an option.

Second, moral blindness cannot be reduced to “an intellectual defect but to a human [character] one” (43). It is not so much “psychological” as it is a “sociological problem” (43). This is why I don’t think the word “stupid” is a good enough translation. People, he says, are made morally blind in consort with others — this rarely happens to the person living in solitude.

This is where Bonhoeffer gets to the core of his insight in seeking to comprehend the German problem: Third, “every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with” moral blindness (43). That is, as power increases moral blindness increases. Without it the power could not increase; without it the moral blindness would not increase. Instead of acting, the morally blind person is filled with stupor and quiescence…”

You can read the complete post here. Thanks Gabe.