way out west

Spiritual advertising?

Today's BBC Heaven and Earth show had a fascinating piece on the increasing use of spirituality/religion to market products...

A new trend is sweeping through the world of advertising using religious and spiritual references to sell products. Mark Lawson asks why it is that spiritual branding succeeds with consumers in this age that many see as increasingly secular.

There were of course mixed voices but one of the most interesting was Steve Dixon, head of 'Propaganda advertising'... He, when asked why his company were using spiritual imagery/content said that their research showed that people are more aware of a sense of spirituality divorced from religion "Religion does not own spirit",  that Religion had lost touch with the spirituality of the people and that the search for a new morality/ethic and a holistic spirituality has stepped in where Religion has failed to connect with the vast majority of the population "People today have more belief in products [to provide spiritual fulfilment] than they do with organised Religion" asked how this spiritual upsurge was happening when Religions are failing to engage with the population he said, "Religion has to rethink it's language and the way it communicates with people"... asked how long he though this 'trend' would last he replied "if it is real, for ever, if it is just a trend then I expect it to last ten years"

... I guess it doesn't matter how much we argue about this in Religious circles... if the advertising agencies have leapt on spirituality because it connects with people and sells products then we have to take notice!  They don't kid themselves something is happening when it isn't... they can't afford to... in reality we can't either!

Technorati Tags: Culture: Spirituality: Television

Stufen des lebens

The Diocese of Lichfield has a link arrangement with Mecklenburg (through Mary Newman) there's a group from Germany over at the moment, this weekend they're having a residential conference.  This afternoon I led a workshop on Missional Community (being translated into German, some of the stories took longer to translate than they did to tell!  Weird!) and then I went to a workshop on 'Stufen des Lebens' or 'Stages of Life' which is a kind of German (obviously!) Godly Play/Essence course hybrid designed for un-churched seekers... it uses art, puppets, participation and storytelling to re-tell Bible stories... we were led through an example session on 'The Road to Emmaus' which was fantastic, really creative and very moving!

I can't find the main web-site (if there is one) but here is a translated link

Technorati Tags: alt.worship: Church: Mission

Italian football... Good News BAD News!

Wow... one moment your on top of the world the next this... BBC Sport

Technorati Tags: Football: News

A challenge to the Church, Emerging or otherwise...

Rick - The Blind Beggar has issued a challenge to the Emerging Church Movement and de facto to the whole Church.  IMHO he has grasped a very significant nettle... that being said I don't fully agree with every statement he makes on the site, but... his call is to reflect on just what makes a community Missional, just what it means to live a Missional lifestyle and for the Emerging Church to abandon being post-anything and take up the challenge of being engaged fully with the missio Dei... 

Since the Jesus Movement of the late 60's and 70's, there has been a budding movement within the people of God towards an incarnate lifestyle that actively engages with the culture. Not "of the world," but the incarnation of Jesus "in the world." This movement seems to have accelerated in recent years with the rapidly changing cultural context of America and the increased marginalization of the traditional church.

Of late this movement has been manifest in what is commonly called the emerging church movement (ECM). The ECM has become a diverse and varied assembly covering a considerable spectrum on ideas, experimentation, opinion and belief. Often it appears that ideas within the ECM conversation seem to be developed more from negative personal experiences with and weaknesses in the traditional church than from any solid study of Gods revealed word. This results in the ECM often just being a rearrangement of dissatisfied Christians into a "post-modern-sensitive" church.

I'm not opposed to and support the ECM, but unless it becomes missional, it will not answer to concerns, problems, issues and decay we see in so many churches. It will have only a marginal impact on lostness, hardly a better situation than the current "church" so many in the ECM have left behind.

A return to being God's missional people is the better path in our post-Christian times for the emergent and traditional church.

I have to agree with the last two paragraphs particularly, I love the ECM; I love the way it challenges the modern colonisation of the gospel, I love the way it pushes creative boundaries, I love the way it seeks integrity and authenticity at every level, I love the way it refuses to grab labels and rejects the labels imposed from 'outside', I love the way it tries to engage every sense and every human response in worship (brain, emotions, imagination etc.)  I love the way it is exploring just what the hell it means to be community, I love the way it embrace deconstruction as a stripping away of baggage gained throughout history... etc. etc.  BUT I agree with Rick, we must not become just another stylistic consumer option of church, nor must we become so obsessed with building 'My/Our' church - with being a church for post-modern church people, that we engage only with our own needs... we must launch ourselves with abandon into the fields, sweat and bleed with the toil and get our hands blistered and filthy from the Harvest!  For it is RIPE and the workers are few!

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Church: Emerging Church: Mission

Abbots?

Kevin Rains (The Kedge) has some really interesting posts on leadership etc. in post-modern monastic communities...

Reading Joan Chittester's commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict the other day I came across a word that leapt out at me: environment. She writes, "The Prioress and abbot provide an environment that confronts the monastic with the presence of God, that shows them the Way. After that it is up to the monastic to let the practices of the community and the rhythm of the prayer life work their way until the piercing good of God rises in them like yeast in bread."

I posted a comment on the discussion... What is an Abbot/Abbess in the contemporary context?... here is a chunk of said comment...

One of our 'visions' is... "To seek not to plant A Church but to model ourselves as a monastic core (living by Scripture and with a spiritual rhythm and rule) which lives out as synapses creating a network of node communities & safe/sacred spaces."

... so what is my roles as 'full-time leader' in this? We looked at the term Abbot (obviously) in the sense that the leader is not the CEO who manages the community and is responsible for the direction of each dept. etc. but is the 'guardian' of the community and especially of the vision. i.e. the Abbot(ess) is the metre, who helps the community and individual members to evaluate specific thoughts/ideas/visions against the core vision. Secondly, the Abbot(ess) is responsible for maintaining the rhythmn and rule of the community (and its Missional dna).

I understand the gripe that people have with EC 'mining' ideas without context... yes we are guilty of that... but my reflection on this particular one is the opposite... we are developing a new vision of a faith (missional) community that does not seem to resonate well with inherited/modern models of church... focussed on a weekly worship gathering, lack of interpersonal commitment and therefore support and accountability, focus on blessing/feeding of the members not transforming communities, sacred/secular dualism etc. It just happens that many of the communities that are developing have begun to find the historical resonances they are lacking in monastic thought/community, inparticular celtic traditions... the focus on missional living, community living, structure and accountability, sacrificial hospitality, multi-sensory and mystical spirituality, 24/7 faith/spirituality etc. etc.

The idea of Abbot(ess) seems at this moment to engage with how we do leadership in a non-heirarchical community... i.e. more of a parent/lover/servant understanding of leadership... which relfects the need and desire for a more real experience of (missional) community than inherited models seem to offer.

ht. to The Weary Pilgrim for the connection

Mark

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Emerging Church: Mission: Spirituality

Recipe for Awesome Chili (as mentioned in preceeding post)

Serves 4 with modest appetite - double up for gannets like me!

500g of good quality mince (or acceptable vegetarian substitute)

1 onion (chopped)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of red kidney beans

200g of tomato puree

1 chili mix (Sharwoods is my favourite)

Big bag of tortilla chips

Decent cheese (I go for Cheddar at the "old socks" end of the spectrum)

Brown the mince and onions together in a large pan. Throw in the tomatoes, puree, beans and chili mix. You might throw in a splash of red wine here too if there's some lying around. Simmer for 30 mins. Transfer to an oven dish. Empty the packet of tortillas on the top and grate cheese over the top. Put in a hot oven for 15 mins or under the grill for5 mins. Serve garlic bread, fresh salad, guacamole and some salsa. Red wine goes well with it. Beaking bread together beforehand provides the perfect setting and a slightly used bottle of red wine that needs finishing!

Gourmet Jem

Core values?

Just had a fantastic evening eating an awesome Chilli and looking at core values/community.  I 'presented' the principles I drew from our recent pilgrimage as a starting point...

1. To actively take great risks with God (Risking with God)

2. To nurture a Missional DNA (Missio Dei – joining with God)

3. To seek not to plant A Church but to model ourselves as a monastic core (living by Scripture and with a spiritual rhythm and rule) which lives out as synapses creating a network of node communities & safe spaces. (Living with Christ, sharing life with others)

4. To be visible and exposed (incarnate with Christ)

5. To be creative and dynamic (creating with Christ)

6. To think and act Global & Local (recognising both our insignificance and our significance - the majesty and the intimacy of God)

7. To be servants of Shalom (Kingdom of God – recreating with Christ)

... the evening demonstrated a real sense of common calling and was the birth of a Missional/Monastic Community... if I have a particular role it may be that of an Abbot - Guardian of the Vision.  Lou and I are really excited about this new sense of direction and community... we really feel that this is God's call and God's vision.  We continue to value your prayers for us all and for our town.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church: Mission

Cartoon misconceptions!

I don't know whether to be flattered or fed up!!!  I am the inspiration for a Dave Walker Cartoon!  A great honour?  Well, yes indeed... unfortunately Dave has mis-read/understood a comment I left on Emerging Church Research... One of the joys of the conversation is that is doesn't need really need influential voices, therefore I am the last person to question anyone's position as an influential or significant voice in the Emerging Church Conversation, I did however question the usefulness of Technoratti tags as a research method (go read the comments and you'll see and be able to read Bryan's response) and used The Cartoon Blog, as an example of where a good  percentage of permanent links are no doubt gained for other reasons (in this case Dave's excellent cartoons, perhaps even from the links in the Church Times?) than specific posts on/around 'Emerging church'...    Anyway... It has been a long day (had to leave for London at 6am and just got in) and this wound me up a bit!  Can I make a plea before I go to bed... if you want to cut'n'paste something I say here or in a comment, fine, but please read the context first and if it bothers you... hey, I do have E-mail!... thanks!

...BTW peace once again reigns in the blogosphere. cheers Dave.

Technorati Tags: Blogging

Web 2.0 eBible?

Some of you are probably well aware of the excellent eBible... but if you are not it's currently in Beta form but already they have ie and Firefox toolbar plug-ins available (search direct from your toolbar) and a blog (and forums) to keep you up to date with new features as and when and to satiate you with tips and tricks etc.  It has some great features; linked columns (so you can view different versions side by side), copious footnotes (you can select where they come from from your 'Bookshelf' which contains a number of texts (e.g. Nelson's and Vine's) plus  quite a few more for purchase (and no doubt more to come!)  The basic set up is fairly standard for those of us who have used Bible Software and on-line Bibles for a while, at the moment it doesn't have quite the bookshelf of BibleGateway.com (certainly not when it comes to Bible translations to Bulgarian etc.) but again I'm sure over time the available texts will multiply!  Notable needs will be Hebrew and Greek texts pretty soon I would have thought (not for me I hasten to add... the Message does me fine!)

Perhaps it's best features are; that it utilises the common Tagging system allowing you to search by tag and to save your tags with the passage... building up a cloud of tags and references etc. and the Answers tab, when I entered 'Fish", for example I was presented with loads of info including an entry from Nelson's on the Fish Gate in Jerusalem, which then told me the name of every gate and the corresponding Bible references for each and a drawing of the Golden gate!  Of course there is a Bookmark feature which also allows you to build a Tag Cloud from your bookmarks and then to explore each Tag (a la Flickr etc.)  I haven't been using eBible that long, but my early explorations have encouraged me to make the switch from BibleGateway.com apart from those not-so-regular moments when I need a Bulgarian version!
The bad news is that the Beta stage is invitation only :( The good-news is that I have 15 invitations to give away :) (do I sound like a local radio presenter???) to the first 15 commenters!  In my opinion, this is a great tool, which with some expansion of features and resources will become essential!

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Bible: Spirituality

Pics of 'The Crèche'

Here is the building we are exploring/praying about, sorry about the quality of the photo's they were taken whilst holding onto a wriggling 2 year old!... it was a Crèche, it has plenty of storage, toilets, an office and a reception booth (with a window/bar that could serve drinks snacks etc possibly), a soft play area and plenty of wall space (for screens etc.) .  Obviously IF we get it there will be some redecoration etc. inside and new signs for the outside... it has a telephone line so shouldn't be a problem to install wireless Broadband :-)  Anyway as I said below... please pray!

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church: Mission: Prayer: Spirituality