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Today is 31st October, not just any ordinary Tuesday but of course that international western world fest known as Halloween. Thoughts in the Mayers household however have been pondering this day and its meaning for the last, oh week…My wife, Deb, and I sat down to talk about Halloween recently. Our three year old son, Nathan, is getting old enough to realise that something is happening at this time of year and we were trying to figure out what we should tell him. The conversation went a little like this:
me: Halloween, it’s mostly harmless, people just do it for fun
Deb: isn’t it evil, some sort of witches, satanic thing?
me: well maybe, I don’t know but, come on its kids running around, dressing up, having a good time and well going to parties, the only spirits they’ll be communing with will be their high ones from too much chocolate and E numbers.
Deb: Right so why are all the shops full of scary costumes, everywhere you look its all monsters and witches for sale. And pumpkins. And even the chocolates are in halloween monster shapes.
me: about the only evil thing seems to be the tackiness of the items for sale and the sheer consumer spectacle.
Deb: yes well what are we going to tell Nathan?
Me: that it is meaningless tat/junk and we don’t believe in it?
Deb: but what is it about and what does it mean? I don’t feel happy just telling Nathan it means nothing so we don’t celebrate it. What about when he gets older and wants to go trick or treating, I find that very scary, and the old people down our street will likely be terrified, you don’t know who’s at the door until you open it…
So this post is in a big way sharing my thinking of what I could tell my son about the meaning of Halloween, but more than that inviting you to tell me what you think, how you react and whether as Christians it is not just about whether we agree/disagree with the tat from the shops, trick n treating, dressing up as witches, going to parties etc etc but whether there is something we can find to re-discover/redeem/reclaim/re-subvert back from the overwhelming consumerist secular celebration that it is becoming (UK)/become(USA).
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I’m heading out of town tomorrow early. I’m speaking at Fuller, somewhere, offering a critique of Emerging Church, and hear that Ray Anderson will be there. I’m looking forward to meeting him. Then end of the week I go to Off The Map’s revolution conference to question George Barna and offer an alternative view/thesis from europe.
I’m hoping to have MP3s and notes to post after I get back from both events, maybe end of next week, or whilst I am on the road if I get internet access. Meantime guest bloggers will be posting here, so do check back daily.
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Blogging effectively for the Kingdom of God requires a bit more than sound theology wrapped in a cool theme. Although I eagerly recommend both excellent theology and every cool widget one can possibly download for free, it seems blogging requires a bit of something more. A hidden element. A hard to pinpoint essence. Often times, it may require a sense of purpose.
Whether your blog is a personal journal, a family archive, an instructional tool for a designated group or an invitation for open dialog with anyone, it represents you. Our online presence is simply an extension of who we are. And recently, I find myself drawn to the idea that what really empowers our weblogs may be the element of discovering our own personal, spiritual gift-mix and employing it in our blogging.
Since a key starting point for understanding our roles in the Body of Christ is knowing our ministry make-up, it only makes sense that our blogs have the potential to reflect our spiritual assignments with the very best essence of who we are and how we were made to function. Thus, when we blog in accordance with our own particular “ministry mixâ€, a unique spiritual synergy occurs. Our blog takes on the extra dimensions (beyond natural abilities/talents) of our essence, motivations and calling.
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Last night I watched one of those programmes that really messes up your brain. The science documentary, Horizon, peered into the not too distant future, 2029, the date when neuroengineers, quantum physicist and futurologists believe we will achieve ‘singularity’ – the point at which our understand of the workings of the human mind will be comprehensive, converging with an artificial intelligence equal in power and complexity to our own brain and so bring about a new form of human being – Human Version 2.0.For some, like Hugo de Garl, a scientist who builds neural networks, this is an apocalyptic vision, a world where billions will die in a technologically driven war. For others, such as Ray Kurzweil, this will mean immortality, giving us the capability to download our memories, dreams and thought processes before uploading them again once more into a new biological body, and so allow our minds at least to go on forever. Or better still, link our brain with an artificial intelligence, enhancing our intellectual potential a billion-fold.
continued Continue reading »
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Let me ask you a question – is it me or do you think that an emphasis on Jesus is the centre of emerging church conversation/practice/theology/reflection? A focus on what Jesus is doing (rather than would do), an appreciation that he is intentionally incarnational and is the creator, completer, co-habitor and co-missioner of the creation narrative aka the Kingdom of God project?I am doing some thinking about the emerging church conversation and what our own, dare I say it, emerging meme’s about Jesus are. But to help my wondering I am curious/intrigued/interested to know whether this is just my own perception/view and to hear what your thoughts/views on Jesus are, especially in the context of the emerging church conversation.
In part this is influenced by my own realisation that I am going through a process in my life that looks something like this… (my own personal focus/emphasis/ranking on the trinity so 1 is the chief/main/most important member of the trinity in shaping my faith focus at that time):
My Conservative Evangelical experience:
1. God the Father – Bad cop – throws the book at me, tough laws/tough love, distant, frowns and chain (holy) smokes, as well as thunders occassionally but ok because…
2. Jesus – Good cop – gently saving, lamb toting, all round nice guy/God and obedient loving son who is holding open the door of heaven for me (and the other nice folk he’s invited too).
3. The inspired word of God, aka the bible, aka the Holy Spirit – editor and original (holy) ghost writer.
My charismatic experience:
1. Holy Spirit – Blissed out summer of love, aka Tornoto Blessing, feelings ok, laugh, cry, connect to emotional centre. Need my Holy Spirit fix/experience – exploring experiential touchy feely God who can be known more than through just feelings. Speaking/interacting/involved in my life in the here/hear and now… more please.
2. Jesus – Not only the Word of God but does the works of God too. Motivation compassion, Modus Operandi naturally supernatural, heals sick, raises the dead and casts out demons. Still manages to get a quiet time in and disciples the disciples to do what he’s doing – I feel like a dazzled/dazed disciple.
3. Father – sender of Jesus, reconciliation as a loving Father/Father heart of God, focus on a Fatherless generation. Mostly though in the background.
My emerging church experience:
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I have a few days off this midweek, and will be doing some serious reading (Terry Brooks ‘Word and Void’ series), and then some P.hD prep reading. But do come back, some of your favourite guest authors here will be blogging here!
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So other than driving through Germany, I have never been to visit, then I get to go twice in one month. I did a day trip to Berlin last week with my daughter, and today I go to Nuremberg for two days (invited by my new friend Peter Aschoff) teaching/speaking at an event for a group exploring church and culture, and emerging church issues.
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I wish I had known about this series of talks sooner, I would have booked in to go to all of them.
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The Deep Church Lectures are a series of short talks and conversations with Andrew Walker. Here at WTC, Andrew’s teaching is available to all. His expertise in the History of early Christian doctrine, modern renewal, the charismatic movement and the modernist/post-modern context of the church will be offered in a three part series. Part one will run over 6-weeks to begin 2nd November 2006 and includes the following:Series One: Disruption, Doubt, and Disclosure in the Christian Life
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Global Connections Conference • 6-8 December 2006
“Are we being shaped by the God of mission?”My friend Vicky Calver has given me some information for an event her network is running this Autumn.
“This year’s Global Connections conference will explore who God is – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and how this understanding shapes what we do in mission. It is an opportunity to go beyond defining terms to ask how our activity should change in the light of the God we serve.”
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Now I love blogs, but never want to overestimate their reach. So tongue in cheek, but with some alacrity for a critique of blogging, I offer these observations of the simulacra of blogging for congregations.
1. Attendance:We used to measure church by how many people attend, now it’s about how many hits, and unique visits.
2. Giving:We also checked how much was in the offering, but now we look for who has signed up for my newsletter/updates (or clicked through my ads).
3. Monologue:We declared the monologue was dead and replaced it with the er….blog monologue.
4. Participation:Frustrated by congregations as spaces where only the few participated, we now have thousands of visitors where just a few people comment, whilst everyone else watches/lurks/visits.
5. Status:Well we had leaders too concerned with position and status and thanks to blogs we have replaced them with ‘A’ list bloggers, regularly telling us about their level of hits, awards, technorati rankings, and number of external links.
So it’s all changed then :-)
