benedson

The Voice...

A few months ago I agreed to review a copy of a book called the voice. It's a book that attempts to offer a version of the Bible that brings out the story within the text, It presents the Bible in story form and therefore is essentially a retelling of the biblical stories.

So rather than me sitting down and reading it I thought that i'd use it in Sanctus1, read a story from it and see how people responded to it.  The story that i used was the feeding of the 5000, and after i read it a few people commented - 'What version of the Bible was that?'  There were some interesting words that they'd used, but I was quite surprise how important it was to people that they wanted a version of the Bible that they were familiar with.  I told them about 'the voice' and we started a dialogue as to how you use the Bible and the importance of the Biblical text.  I think that it'll grow into a series in January.

I really enjoyed reading the story from the voice, for public reading it works - It tells the story in a way that is accessible and introduces some of the cultural nuances within the text.  This for me is significant as it offers an engagement with the text which moves beyond an academic deductive method which tries to discover the meaning by working out what each word means in the original language.  It moves to the thought that the meaning is held within a correctly contextualized story.   If we understand the story then we will understand the message and character of Christ.  Some people will not want this, but for me in a culture where I believe story to be hugely significant, then i like it!

If you find reading the bible difficult then 'the voice', is a good place to engage.  If you want to academically critique translations etc. then the voice is not the book to go for.  Personally i think that we have spent too long trying to deductively understand each word in the Bible and in that have not understood the importance of the stories within which they are placed. 

Tags: BenEdson, the voice,

Progressive Spirituality

I've just finished reading Gordon Lynch's new book - The New Spirituality - which i thoroughly enjoyed and really recommend. It's subtitled 'An introduction to Progressive Belief in the 21st Century'. Lynch attempts to chart the rise of a religious left, a left that moves away from liberalism and engages politically, spiritually and sociologically with contemporary culture. There were moments in the book where i found myself having a 'post-evangelical experience' and saying 'that is me' and at other times where i think that Lynch was pushing me to far and i recognise the difference between the Christian path and that presented within this. There are points of connection and of conversation, but there are also points of major difference.

Lynch starts by looking at the roots and the ideology of progressive belief. The roots he suggests are in the following:

1 - A desire to find new ways of religious thinking and new resources for spiritual growth that really connect people with modern, liberal societies.

2 - It has arisen out of various initiatives that seek to develop spirituality that is not bound up with patriarchy and hence liberate women.

3 - it has arisen out of a desire to reconcile religion with contemporary scientific knowledge, particularly in relation to our understanding of the cosmos.

4 - It seeks to develop a spirituality that has a healthy understanding of the relationship that humanity has with the natural order

The ideology is where he pushes me, and i think that from a Christian perspective it needs re-mixing so that a progressive Christian ideology can be developed. Groups such as Progressive Christianity have done this, i have a great deal of sympathy with them.

The ideology that he develops is focused on a number of themes; The unity of the ineffable and immanent divine, Pantheism/Panentheism; Mysticism and the divine feminine and the sacralization of self and of nature. There are points of correlation with Matthew Fox's Creation Spirituality, which is another book that i have a great deal of time for.

Lynch moves forward to look at the relationship between the demoralization thesis and progressive spirituality, basically there are a number of theories as to why society is become less moral - secularisation, move towards a liberal society etc. - and he explores the relationship between these theories and progressive spirituality.

Great book, academic but accessible - i really enjoyed his book exploring the relationship between religion and popular culture - and for me this book is an equally important read.

Technorati Tags: Gordon Lynch, Progressive Spirituality

The Hefted Church

The hefted holiday maker is a phrase that Julian Baggini comes up with in his book Welcome to Every-town. He distinguishes between the herded, the hefted and the individual - When i reflect on Church I find them three rather useful terms.

The herd is obvious, you follow the crowd you go with the majority, because that is the easiest. Choices are removed as you climb on board the coach and the coach takes you to all the places that you could possibly want to go. However, you sacrifice choice and spontaneity for convenience. We don't really get any students at Sanctus1, and the reason why is because the majority of them are herded. They'll go where the other students go because it's convenient...

At the other end is the individual, those independent free spirits who seek out the unusual places just because they don't like the herd or being herded. This is, of course, over simplistic - the 'independent traveller' is also herded - just in a different way. They are herded by the rough guide or lonely planet...yes, they have a degree more choice, but they are still herded.

The heft is very interesting and reminds me of the flea circus. A heft is an unfenced area of a field that sheep learn to keep themselves in. This was originally taught to them by a Shepherd, but as time goes on the sheep pass it on to each other - they no longer need shepherding they have been hefted...the territorial boundaries become blurred and more flexible, but they rarely stray beyond them and there are no fences to keep them in.

Need I say more?

Technorati Tags: Ben Edson, emerging church, Hefted Herd

The emancipated woman?

I've just finished reading 'Welcome to Everytown' by Julian Baggini. It's a fascinating book, the author goes to live for six months in S66 - the postcode that is the most English in it's demographic. Through that experience he writes about the English mind - what makes us tick, who are we, what are our values...very interesting from a missiological perspective. I'll probably blog more about it later...unless facebook takes over my entire life.

One chapter is called 'Ladies and Gentlemen' and it explores gender roles within the UK and since watching the first episode of Big Brother i have to agree with some of his conclusions. BB presented some truly awful female role models...but they know that they'll get the viewing figures as this is what people want to see. (i did turn BB off after about 15 mins).

Baggini thinks that the women's liberation movement has stalled over the past 10-15 years and is now possibly going backwards. Zoo and FHM portray an image of the woman that is defined by sex, the dieting industry profits on negative self image - only 2% of women are happy with their body - Asda's advert where the mum pockets the change 'every little counts' suggests that the woman is still receiving her weekly allowance from her husband. If a woman is empowered and emancipated certain aspects of the press present them as Lesbians. It's all horrifying and I could go on...

I thank God for the women who are strong enough not to fall into this media driven image, but also wonder who is leading the drive for female equality now.

Technorati Tags: Gender, Gender, Big Brother, puppy