Bozhe!Bozhe!Exploring life, identity and theology as a progressive Independent Catholic Articles
Playing With the Numbers, Getting the Message Out
2007-09-07 22:51:00 Thursday I posted a video in which I mentioned that many of the people I've interviewed thus far for the Indie Voices Archive highlighted as one of our weakenesses that we are not very well known - and we don't do a very good job of getting our message out. This is true afterall, but today I came across a YouGov poll conducted here in the UK in February of this year, among the many interesting results (some of which will be the subject of future posts) I read the following about Londoners' attitudes towards religion:30 % think that Christianity is good at conveying its "message", but;54% Don't know if Christianity is good at conveying its "message"!What to make of these figures?Does the 30% represent people who are comitted Christians - engaged and involved in the vision and mission of their church or denomonation? Hmmm . . . well. . . according to the stats only 30% of respondants might fall into this category - assuming all 30% are Christians, which is unlikely given that the ... More About: Message , Numbers , The Message , Number , Mess
And now a word from . . .
2007-09-06 13:39:00 This one is well worth watching - 'Nuff said.B.T.W. I found it at Codex thanks to David Kling. More About: Word
Ekklesia 2.0 - Virtual Outreach?
2007-09-06 01:38:00 Last year I wrote two posts Ekklesia 2.0, and Ekklesia 2.0.1 which played with ideas surrounding ministry and outreach on the net. Two weeks ago I was visiting a site that linked to the Second Life Anglican cathedral. Like you I've seen quite a few stories on the news and in the papers about virtual worlds, and in particular Second Life.I do not own a video game, I've never enjoyed them. I hated D&D when I was a teenager while everyone else was chucking polyhexahedral die, and scribbling orc kills, and magic levels on wrinkled note paper, I went for a hike, or found something, anything to do but sit in a circle throwing and scribbling. I say this by way of "declaring my hand" before entering into this conversation.Curious about this Anglican cathedral, I signed up to Second Life, downloaded the software, and crafted an avatar. She is green. I like green. And, yes, I made the dress myself!Anyway I've been exploring Second Life, and thinking. This little vid (about 3min) is my ... More About: Virtual , Outreach
Grace Catholic - Site Update
2007-09-03 11:09:00 Juat a quick announcement - if you've not visited our main site recently, we've just added some historical resources. Abp. Matthew's missal, Sr. Augustine's biography, and Döllinger's The Pope & The Council, as well as an early history of the movement. These are free to either download in PDF format, or view online with something called FlipBook (its rather fun).I've read the first three, they're real gems for anyone interested in the history, and ideas of our OC tradition. The last one I've only scanned - I don't remember ever coming across it before - it looks interesting. Once I sit down and read it I'll share some thoughts with you on it. More About: Site , Grace , Update , Catholic
"I believe in Jesus, because . . . ."
2007-08-31 12:38:00 Earlier this month I banged out a brief post asking why we believe. I did so having viewed both an episode of Dawkins' series attacking and belittling people of faith, and a thoughtful three minute vlog by a young woman who talked about her own reasons for being atheist (sorry I did not keep that link - it was really good). At the time it dawned on me, as I think I mentioned in the post, that I don't think I could adequately answer the question: why I believe.I've thought about it off & on now for most of August - looking for a way to put into words and images something tangible about why it is I believe so passionately in Jesus , and in our OC/IC tradition (I know its an expansion of the original point, but not entirely un-related). When I posted I thought to myself it would be fun to create a video exploring the elements that I find compelling in Christ that persuade me to believe. I started looking for examples of what others have done - just to see if anyone has done similar, ...
You are "christ"
2007-08-30 23:20:00 When we think about theology in action - one starting place is to look at the other and acknowledge that regardless they are an embodiment of the divine image - "you are christ" says St. Cyril of Jerusalem. But what about when we consider ourselves?This vid, A Girl Like Me makes me sit and consider both - the consequences - the long term, sometimes unseen consequences of our not seeing the divine in the other, as well as what happens when we are unable to "see" that embodiment in ourselves. More About: Christ
Under-reported Issues
2007-08-29 13:12:00 During this year's Great Fast I wrote Porn & Suffering a reflection on human trafficking and the sex trade. Recently I've become aware of two campaigns that I think are worth highlighting within our community - given that we OC/IC folk are historically interested in social justice issues.The first is a London based camapign call the Truth Isn't Sexy which aims to rase public awareness about the links between human trafficking and the sex trade. US readers I hope will be inspired to understake, or join similar campaigns in your region.The second, Stop the Traffik, is broader encompassing all forms of forced labour. What I particluarly like about this project is how it has created resources for churches to encourage members to reflect on how we can become invovled in stopping the traffiking of other human beings, as well as considering the theological ramifications of the modern day slave trade. The "viral videos" here are well worth viewing too.I hope that after viewing these ... More About: Issues , Social Justice , Issue
A Priestless Society?
2007-08-24 12:29:00 Some years ago, I took a course at VTS on the Theology of Priest hood. The bulk of the course focussed on OT and NT sources before exploring possibilities for the life of the church today. It was a great class. The professor, a Presbyterian elder & theologian, shared his belief that one day there woudl be no clergy, and probably no large congregations, but a group of people gathered in someone's living room, and when the moment arrives to celebrate the eucharist the host(ess) would prepare a table, and there celebrate. This was my first serious exploration of ideas woven around the idea of a priestless society of believers.Interstingly last night, while visiting with someone after conducting an interview for the Archive I was asked what I thought of a priestless OC/IC community? There is a span of over a decade between these two occasions but throughout the intervening period I've had more than one occasion to play with this idea with others. Often, its a member of the communit... More About: Society
100 Posts
2007-08-24 12:26:00 Well, with this one 100 and 1 posts. Not yeat two years old, but still its a small landmark. I made a vid for my 100th post over on my other blog that I invite you to enjoy. I could not decide how to mark the occasion here. Perhaps a graphic of the ticking over of a "blogometer"? More About: Posts
Episcopal Endorsements Of Political Partisans
2007-08-18 21:01:00 There's a very interesting discussion arising in a number of places including: Fr. Chris' , Pastor Bob Cornwall's, and "EcuBishop"'s blogs about the appropriatness of religious figures endorsing, or being seen to endorse political candidates.Hmmm . . . . I've been thinking about this for the past day now, and I must confess I've never been comfortable when I've seen religious figures getting too close to, or worse - publically endorsing a politician.My starting point here is not with the "politics" of it all - though I do firmly believe that it is our civic duty to participate in the political process wherever we live, just as I believe that we ought to participate fully in the life of our chosen faith community and its tradition. Rather my starting point is . . . I think. . . . vaguely theological, and largely ecclesiological (I'm not 100% certain that I've thought it through enough yet to fully associate it within these two categories).First, with a nod to Bp. Tim Craven... More About: Political , Social Justice , Episcopal , Opal , Poli
Shall We Go Or Wait For Them To Arrive . . . .
2007-08-17 19:02:00 In another place I just read a contribution that got me thinking about models of church; in it the author makes an interesting observation ? that as much as people say that the ?church? is not a place (i.e. the building), their actions or reactions on the ground say otherwise. A number of friends are pastors and priests in other denominations and the stories they tell about the scandal, and fear, and downright aggression expressed when moving or refurbishing a part of the church building is planned or suggested are on one hand hysterically funny ? until you put it into context. ?Church? for many people IS the place, and because that place is sacred, changing elements in that place can be very emotional, and in extreme examples tantamount to changing the faith itself.In my own experience serving in communities in the states, and struggling to build one here in the UK ? the idea of ?church? as place is, it seems hard-wired into our thinking about the experience of our faith community,... More About: Wait
Indie Voices Archive - Update
2007-08-14 22:45:00 We have four interviews scheduled this week, three more are being arranged. On the more mundane side of things we're preparing to re-design the archive site so that the inverviews are inline (you can see an example on my "other blog"). This means that visitors will have two choices - to download the file, or watch it in the web site. It also means that there is a page available for pictures, links and other info related to the the interview, and the interviewee. A test version should be up in the next day or two. Once there are enough interviews, and Phase II starts, we will create a dedicated web page with its own domain name. More About: Archive , Indie , Update , VOIC , Hive
Liturgical Symbolism - The "Whole" Body
2007-08-12 17:11:00 I've been revisiting an old favourite today in relation to another project. As part of my re-read I stopped to consider the following:Liturgical ministry is not primarily an honour but a function of service in and to the Church assembled for divine worship. Loading sancutaries with special ministers for ideological reasons, or to confer status and honour on special groups in the assembly, violates this fact and often has the effect of suggesting that the highest degree of Christian engranchisement is to be found in clerical or quasiclerical status. The general principle is that ministers proliferate according to liturgical need, the need being determined by the assembly rather than by ideology.- Elements of Rite, by Aidan Kavanagh, 72-3Not long ago Bp. Tim Cravens wrote a post of a similar vein. While there is certainly an element within our community that seeks ordination for their own sense of personal dignity, ideology, and status, this is deplorable and we all owe it to ourselv... More About: Body , Symbolism , Whole
Indie Voices Archive - Seraphim McCune
2007-08-06 23:15:00 Fr. Seraphim McCune and I spoke at the beginning of June. It has taken me longer than expected to edit and post this interview. I'm hoping to arrange for more interviews soon - as well as other aspects of the project. More About: Archive , Indie , Erap , VOIC , Hive
Talk To Me About Believing
2007-08-06 10:26:00 I thought about this for a new poll question but realised the possible answers people offered would need space to breathe, and be seen. Recently, at least here in the UK, there has been a wave of media on both sides of the debate surrounding the idea of "atheism" - from Dawkin's book The God Delusion to McGrath's rebuttal The Dawkins Delusion and the many reviews, essays, and reports on their positions. I must confess I've not read either book. I have viewed some of the TV series that accompanied Dawkins' book - and frankly found his argument to be whiney, childish, and near to the point of hysteria. There are very compelling, thoughtful, arguments for atheism - obviously I have not appropriated any of them, but they do exist, and they are valuable for those of us with faith as a means of better understanding why we do believe, and why we believe according to the particular tradition that we claim as our own.Interestingly enough - I don't think I've ever been able to my satisf... More About: Talk , Ving
Can There Really Be OC/IC Fundamentalists? Oh, and A Pretty Cool Vid
2007-07-31 17:53:00 I'm nearly finished reading Malise Ruthven's Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning (ISBN 0192806068), in it he talks about "catholic" fundamentalism which, if one accepts traditional definistions of the term, is . . . well a contradiction of catholicism. Ruthven is looking at a broad spectrum to re-describe fundamentalism so that the term is more accurate. Reading his discussion on "catholic" fundamentalism or "integralism" (a new word to me - I always associated "catholic" fundamentalism with ultramontanism) I started thinking about some of the newer emerging OC/IC/ISM groups, that can easily be described as fundamentalist (sedevantists, the Charismatic Episcopal, and others) it dawned on me how antithetical the our OC/IC heritage "fundamentalism" is.Key to the fundamentalist view of the world, and theology is the rejection of the modern (though not always in ways we might expect) "modernism" "liberalism" the ideas inherent in them that were the back bone of the foundation of th... More About: Cool , Pretty , Ally , Fundamentalist , Amen
The Power to Bind - Initial Thoughts On Absolution
2007-07-26 20:09:00 I'm still very much in the initial stages of pulling my thoughts together on this.It strikes me that in the rite of absolution the prayers and actions point to God, his love for us, his mercy, his compassion, and understanding, only once - and then only briefly is the "power to bind" mentioned - at the very end.The theological and pastoral emphasis is NOT on the "power to bind" - quite the contrary it is on God's overwhelming love & compassion. Again I am faced with the teaching that we must forgive as God forgives if we are to be confident in recieving forgiveness ourselves - the "power to bind" then, would seem to play a very different role than that presented by the theory proposed in another place. More About: Power , Thoughts , Solution
"The Power to Bind" - Stepping through the door towards understanding forgi
2007-07-24 13:25:00 In the context of recent discussions on the mechanics of forgiveness Fr. Chris Tessone & I were debating the concept of restitution (among other things); in that debate, changing tack, Chris asked: ?what do you think the power to bind means, as given to the church and especially the apostolic priesthood in the Gospels?? At the time of reading his comments I was in a hotel in Paris, my ?then? computer was not long for this world, and the next 20 days were going to be rather full, so I had to post-pone the conversation. Now, as promised I?m opening the door on this one to see what we find on the other side.I?ll start by saying that these are only my initial thoughts ? I?ve not yet had the chance to sit down and really have a good think on it.I think that in order to best understand the idea of the ?power to bind? as Chris puts it ? one has to look at the role of the priest in the sacrament. I see a series of markers on the topology of the sacrament: the priest is the agent of the comm... More About: Power , Door , Standing , Under , Stand
June Poll - Perceptions of the Eucharist in the OC/IC Community
2007-07-24 12:10:00 28 visitors participated in the most recent poll that asked about your Eucharist ic theology. Before I play with the results, here is the breakdown:68% (19 votes) agreed that the elements become the ?real presence? of Christ at the consecration.25% (7 votes) of those participating believe in transubstantiation.7% (2 votes) said that the Eucharist is merely a potent symbol of our Christian identity.In this poll I am more aware than previously of the question of how many participants were OC/IC folk vs. readers from other traditions. Assume for the purpose of this reflection that all 28 participants were OC/IC folk the numbers are rather interesting. For example, that there is a small percentage of our community that is self identified as ?independent sacramental? but simultaneously rejects a concept most sacramentalists view as central to the idea of the Eucharist; that is the mystery of Christ?s real presence (never mind the mechanics of that for a moment). What is more the number of... More About: Community , June , Poll , The O
Death Is Inconvenient!
2007-07-22 19:57:00 Death is so inconvenient! What I mean is not merely when people die, but when things die ? like my long suffering laptop. Over the past two months the signs have not been good. She has been in and out of the shop, and the mystery illness could not be pegged by my trusty technitians until . . . well . . . until it was too late really. Hard drive failure. Gee. I could have said that too especially when she began wheezing and groaning like a yak in heat!The problem here is that while one is fully aware that the moment you first push that start button the clock starts ticking . . . . BACKWARDS! So things, like people have a limited span of activity. Fine ? this bit is not a problem. But, wait! IT IS VERY MUCH A PROBLEM! Why? Simple ? think about your laptop (or desk top) for a moment and the amount of day to day ?stuff? you do, with ease (unless of course you belong to one of those heretical sects that use PC?s and not the one true tech [I?m here citing the famous dominii mac]). I for ... More About: Death
Thinking About: Shrines & Pilgrimage
2007-07-15 13:46:00 Living in Europe you can?t stumble for falling into a church, and many contain the shrines and relics of the saints. When I lived in the States there were a few shrines but these were scattered far and wide and you had often had to plan well in advance to see them. This past month I was in Paris, Rome, Vienna, and Brussels; in each place I either sought out or fell into a shrine or reliquary, and it got me thinking about relics, pilgrimage, and context.While visiting the shrine of St. Peter in Rome I was struck by the sense of sterility it presented the visitor; behind a protective glass wall, almost two metres away from me I found myself disappointed ? this after all was a designed to be touched, to be seen up close, experienced. I felt very much the visitor to a museum or exhibition. There is something in visiting a shrine that urges the tactile experience, sensuality even. The experience is somehow incomplete otherwise.Standing briefly before St. Peter?s shrine silent, sparkling ... More About: Devotion , Thinking , Grim , Pilgrimage
The Return
2007-07-13 15:32:00 I'm back from "le Grande Tour 2007" - Paris, Vienna, Rome, Paris, Brussels - I saw the sights, ate the food, and walked, and roasted, and walked, and showered, and walked . . . you get the idea. You are no doubt awaiting the reflection from the most recent poll, as well as a few other "catch up things" I beg your indulgence for just a few days more whilst I do laundry, put things away, and settle back into the normal routines of London living . . . . things like: do I still remember how to cook? More About: Return , The Return
Restitution: A part of forgiveness?
2007-06-20 13:31:00 In another place there is a discussion developing on a theory of the mechanics of forgiveness that, has raised an interesting question for me ? indeed it is a revisiting of a discussion that began some months ago. The theory being submitted is that forgiveness requires restitution; citing the story of Zaccheus who having encountered Christ, is moved to state before his community: ?Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it for times over?; to which Jesus replies: ?today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendent of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost.? According to the current argument, Zaccheus is a scriptural example of restitution being expected before the act of forgiveness is complete. The exegesis, here I think is . . .weak, and over simplified, what is more I also think it is very much out of context. But that?s not what interests me ? w... More About: Part , Forgiveness
Playing with the Poll
2007-06-11 22:51:00 This month's poll is taking off rather nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing how the final numbers shape up. What strikes me with the current stats however, is a question. The majority of respondents thus far prefer "real presence" . . . . What is it?I can think of more than one "theory" of real presence and I'm dying of curiosity to know if there is a consensus among OC/IC folk who accept the theory of real presence. Share your understanding of real presence and let's see if there is a common OC/IC theory or many different ones. More About: Poll
Is OC/IC NRM? (Oh and does that also include ISM?)
2007-06-09 19:24:00 The question, asked in another honourable place is one I've pondered for a year or so now. Is the OC/IC movement a "New Religious Movement" (NRM)? I would take it one step farther and ask, that for those of us old school types who understand Old and Indpendent Catholic as having certain distincitive qualities; are those communities that fall more clearly into the ISM category (sometimes without any reference to the historic OC tradition) a New Religious Movement? Ugh!First, lets take a few moments to "define" a New Religious Movement (I think the definition has shifted slightly over the past 10 years since I first encountered the term). It is worth pointing out that there are recognised problems in crafting a clear definition of what an NRM is, as is evident in this very interesting essay by George Chryssides. He suggests three bench marks for identifying an NRM:1) An NRM is relatively recent - he is purposefully vague here allowing for the need to recognise that other definitions ...
Lets Talk about . . . .
2007-06-08 22:41:00 Dinosaurs! Yes, you read it right, dinosaurs. According to the recently opened Creation Museum (your tithe money well spent!) There were dinos on Noah's Ark! But ya gotta read about it in John Spalding's review . . .erm . . ."edit" . . .of Zondervan's Beginner's Bible - I laughed until I cried - and then I cried for the thousands of people being harmed by Fundamentalism all over the world. More About: Talk
May Poll - Results & Reflection
2007-06-03 16:31:00 22 of you participated in this last poll asking about inclusive language (Indie communities ought to use "inclusive language" both in worship and in Scriptures); here is the breakdown of how you voted:Yes - absolutely = 6 (27%)Yeah - OK = 3 (14%)No - definitely not = 3 (14%)I would prefer that we did not = 8 (36%)I don't know = 2 (9%)41% of you responded with an overall positive.55% of you responded with an overall negative.First I should point out that in hind sight I think I would have framed the question or the responses a bit better. I had some great conversations with a couple of you on this point. I wanted to offer respondents a "strong" or "weak" position; but I also wanted the question to be broadly shaped so as to elicit your instinctual or "gut" reaction.I confess I am surprised by the results. I fully expected a resounding result in favour of one or the other - I assumed that it would be in favour of inclusive language - in fact the opposite is true.It also strikes me as... More About: Results , Poll , Reflection , Result
Thinking Out Loud - Initiation
2007-06-01 19:26:00 What ever happened to initiation into the cult (mysteries) of our tradition? This was the question that popped into my head whilst doing some reading this afternoon on an entirely un-related topic. I spent some time playing with the idea - and while I have no answers (as yet) - just lots of questions to play with - it has been a worth while thought exercise.I have always thought that there is a value in the process of initiation. It might be due in part to the organisations I was active in in my youth, Scouts, and Christian fellowships both in High School and through the first two years or so of my uni experience at Pitt. In Scouts there were any number of initiatory rites, moving from say Weblos to Boy Scouts, to ascending the "ranks" towards Eagle, as well as being selected for, and initiated into the OA. Two of the Christian fellowships I was involved with during my first two years at university worked - informaly - along the lines of initiation; to be asked to participate in the... More About: Loud , Thinking
Indie Voices Archive - Elaine Bessette
2007-06-01 01:29:00 Here at last is Bishop Elaine Bessette's interview.You may have noticed that the last three interviews have not yet been posted to the Archive 's web page - this is because the computer that the web pages are designed on is in the shop. Once it is back in GC HQ the web pages will be updated. More About: Indie , VOIC , Laine , Hive
May Poll - Time's Almost Up!
More articles from this author:2007-05-29 20:21:00 Just a quick note if you have not already "voted" in this month's poll (above) the booth closes in a few days on 31 May. Shortly thereafter I'll have a reflection on the results, and a new question. More About: Poll 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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