Sunday, 11th December, 2006

Conclusion - Review of Module

This module has been a great insight into both theology and learning; it’s been a great course to start with. It has provided me with some great learning models.
The few that have stuck out are.

Hegel's Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis.
The validation of theology process we built up of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience.

So what sort of theological thinker do I think I am now?

If I look at Dr Jenney Moons - We seek it here…

Am I absolute?
NO!

Am I Transitional?
I have been through this stage and I am sure I will be again at times.

Am I Independent?
There is a lot of me here!

Am I Contextual?
I feel I could be, but I am sure I will always have an opinion without it being supported with all the knowledge. I believe I am a contextual thinker, I am not sure I will ever be a “Contextual Knower”, I can only hope to achieve working in this framework.

Sunday, 3rd December, 2006

Pluralalist Context

While looking for some information on Gordon Kaufman I found an interesting interview with Kaufman on Buddist-Christian Pluralism.

The harder I currently venture in this area the murkier the water becomes.
I explored the widening path I described for tradition, more experience and crossing ecumenical boundaries. It becomes humanitarian, in practice I feel I loose sight of God? Exploring from the ground up rather than top down.
Man trying to define Gods plan, rather than God revealing His plan to us, perhaps!
I think I’ll spend more guided time on this in level 2.

Tuesday, 7th November, 2006

Context: Post Modern or beyond?

And I thought context was just looking from a different perspective!

I had never considered you could create a justifiable Theology from a single context. I always believed theology was the study of the whole, the all encompassing word of God. I am now beginning to see something new. Rest at a plateau and explore from a limited horizon. Hopefully this is with an aim to later move up to see the wider context. Perhaps I would be happier if it where called “Theology within Context”.

The application of theology in context, is seen in Christ’s theology. Jesus himself worked initially with the Jews, forbidding the disciples to practice on the Samaritans or Gentiles. They worked within the context of Israel, before venturing out to the wider mission. See Mathew 10.1-10. Tom Wright explains Christs phased process in “Matthew for Everyone” Part 1 p112.

Seeing from a different context and applying theology seems obvious, to pertain to a wholly inclusive truth by applying the hypothesis within the next context and so on. By applying dialectical motion as in the way of Hegel “Thesis, antithesis and synthesis” over time all paths should finally reveal the promised kingdom on earth. But if contextual theology only ever develops into a thesis without intention to expand outside it’s own context, is this theology? In concept, contextual theology reasoning against a bias can appear biased to itself.

Looking at Latin American “Liberation Theology” the missions are immense, but ultimately the realisation is the same throughout centuries of oppression and poverty, however I am still shocked how these problems still exist. The plight of poor Brazilian children in the 9th wealthiest country in the world is enough to freeze your soul (see also CAFOD). I can become aware of these distant contexts through news, books and literature but do I really relate.

Sometimes we can get a glimpse. In Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory” you can start to comprehend the effect of the weather from the first page. The poverty and political oppression throughout the book gives substance to help realise the problems with “Imaginative Construction” (Gordon Kaufmann) within another context.

Looking from a different perspective, although changing the contextual environment may effect us, we are what God reveals to us. If we up sticks and leave to new climates we normally take our struggles with us, possibly collecting more. The priest in Greens book could not escape his own issues by crossing the border, instead he chose to return and face them paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Tuesday, 7th November, 2006

Interpretation and Religious Language

I was looking forward to this lecture but it was not what I expected. I always enjoy debates on literature and felt I was quite good at interpretation and able to grasp difficult constructs. I enjoy finding meaning, realizing God as more “Truths” are revealed through reflection and empathy with other people. But I was thrown by the statement “There is no such thing as fact” ref – Nietzsche.

I would happily disagree not only with Nietzche (which I often do) but also with our lecturer Paul who said he was able to find "some" accord with this statement.

Fact or truth, is essential to life, something we hold dear in our hearts, the meaning to life. The perception of the truth can be different from one view point to another, but it is an account deemed to be factual.

Last week I visited a woman in hospital, she is in her 90s and had lost her daughter a few days earlier. She was unable to pray to God and had doubts. “Why would he take her instead of me” was her question. After sitting with her and listening for half an hour, at least she found some comfort in the fact that I cared, and that I was able to pray for her.
Plenty of facts in a true account; there are no lies or hidden meanings. She was devastated, ready to pass on herself, but instead she had to face the death of her beloved child.

My Thought for the day

“If there is no such thing as fact, how can there be pain and doubt!”

Tuesday, 31st October, 2006

Knowledge, Faith and Revelation

Halloween Night, and walking through the campus to the lecture, it was like one big fancy dress ball. It seemed all the resident students had dressed up to go out for their spooky evening fun. Their rationale for the event was uncertain, what appeared to matter for them was going out to have a good time.
They took part in what could be taken to be a ritual of tradition, revealed more by man than God I feel.

Interesting to me was the revelation of this consumer lead secular custom to dress up for a supposedly supernaturally charged experience, an emotional roller coaster of fear and fun.

Tuesday, 24th October, 2006

Week Off (from Uni at least).
I have created a critique of my journal so far.
Simon's Critique

Tuesday, 17th October, 2006

Experience of the human and transcendent

I just read the follow up reading CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND THEOLOGY. Then I had to look up Ontology, I am learning a lot of new words here, I need to create a list.
This is good stuff. We learn by receiving what we perceive to be the truth, if taught by man I know by my experience in the reason session, it is possible to frame something to be perceived as “The Truth”.

My faith has grown over many years, the “Truth” that I am beginning to see comes from the culmination of small parts from a bigger live picture, that is growing slowly and developing as I look more deeply into it. It may never be complete but with the grace of God, as I grow it nourishes my life.

We discussed experience, and I raised we could only experience an event by having an understanding of the event and it's impact, and can we describe an event as an experience until we have reflected on it?

But if we don't notice it, does it become a definable experience?
Events that detract from what's expected frequently become remembered experiences; mundane things that happen as they should are more often not even noticed, but perhaps are lives are shapped more by what we don't notice.

Addition - 24th November
When I do my Chaplains Assistant rounds at the hospital, I regularly speak to people with dementia. But one thing that strikes me is the memory they have for experiences of Church. One woman in her late eighties, who I expected not to get much sense from, articulately, described a memory as a child. While standing high above, she watched over the Salvation Army band as they passed by Old Portsmouth barracks towards the garrison church. She was dressed in her Sunday best, ready to go into church.
It was an event of great impact that has stayed with her.

Sunday, 15th October, 2006

Reason: in Christian Faith and Theology

Last session we had some reasoning exercises. The interesting thing was reason became hunting for details of relevance to support our argument. We were reasoning for things we may not necessarily believe, but scavenging to find source to support our quest, preparing our mighty arsenal to bury the opposition.

Our subjects were “ID Cards" and “Cheap air flights". We all found pros and cons with both subjects, but working together as a team pulled us together, finding common ground. We planned to get the contentious issues we might loose on out of the way early, quickly moving on so they would be forgotten (including us as it turned out).

Worringly, what became important was not the cause I believed in, but the need to support my colleagues. I found this disconcerting as I was almost believing the unfounded rubbish I was burbling to bolster our case, a case I had no real conviction in. I now see why politicians appear so bipolar, towing the party line.

Added 11th October
I went to a Local Deanery Cluster meeting on Wednesday. It was interesting to see how easily people sided the fence in a debate, opting for one of two sides. The alternative third view point didn’t even get a look in. Still I am sure they will consider it next time.

Sunday, 8th October, 2006

Tradition: as an authority in Christian Theology

I am reminded of the song from the show “Fiddler on the Roof”. I perceive the “Tradition of my Fathers” and “This is the way it has always been done” attitude. Till today.

I used to believe I was “Traditional”, I can see why. I have a classical taste in hymns and prayer, as are my tastes in music and poetry. My wife in contrast, has a preference for the more modern hymn and pop. But despite our differences our values are similar in and out of worship.

If we regularly say the “Traditional” Creed absorbing and understanding it, we'll find relevance in it. Worshiping without it, cutting bits out, develops objections to it.
I recently had a discussion with someone who thought we shouldn’t mention the Virgin Mary because it might offend some of the unmarried mothers who attended their services. It is a valid point, and does carry weight in that context. But should we deny the miracle bestowed by God on a young woman, who without His Grace faced total disgrace.

We feel out of place when we do venture further a field, unable to express our selves and prejudiced to another’s ways, so feeling at ease, at home in worship is important espeacially in times of stress.

Worshiping soley within a preference for an artistic taste can be divisional, enforcing preferences, creating an irreverent acceptance of anything else. Our parochial church lives can become secluded and what we embrace as important may not be to another gathering. But if we share our penticostal experiences we may grow back together.

A reference attributed to John Zizioulas by Douglas Knight says, “Tradition is the unceasing existence of Revelation in the Church. Revealed through ongoing Pentecost, by the holy spirit.”

http://www.resourcesforchristiantheology.org/content/view/155/42/.

Sometimes we need to cross boundaries, venture into wider styles of worship and experience cross ecumenical ministry to realise the living Church. Times change, problems appear to be different, but Gods love reflected in others gets you through.

My thought for the day
"Tradition can become a fencing in rather than experience to reflect on".

Sunday, 1st October, 2006

Scripture: Source of Christian Theology

It’s been a busy week. What with chaplaincy, training, Kiaros, Holy Trinity placement, work, and family. At least I have found a few minutes to do my journal.

I was really surprised in the lecture at the strong feminist reactions that were raised. “Lies in the Bible” was one response. “It wasn’t included because it was written by a woman”, was another statement made about Mary’s Gnostic (fuller Coptic version) gospel. They felt it should be added because it was supposedly from a woman’s viewpoint and for the sake of sexual equality.

There is plenty of evidence to state it is clearly written at least 200 years after the latest of the four Gospels, and is clearly written for the Gnostic movement that threatened the divinity of Christ. The fact that “men” made the decision not to add Gnostic texts to the canon, is circumstantial.

The gender issue tainted much of the lecture and the discussion at break time when I was more interested in discussing the validity, than political correctness.

I really need to read up more feminine theology and study in more detail, this has really opened my eyes.

Wednesday, 20th September, 2006

Asking myself some questions for the next lecture about Scripture?

Tying Gospels to Old Scripture and the parallel we see in them.

Does the fact the Gospels convey parallels in earlier scripture distract from the plausibility of the event, or did it enforce the message that Jesus was conveying to the devout Jewish community?

Jesus had a way to make contact, to open ears that may listen. Jesus’ actions in the possibly few isolated events that were documented were probably chosen for their theological content of the time.

Their Validity and Literal Interpretation

Jesus’ life as it is written on paper differs from Gospel to Gospel, as it should, from the word of mouth, re-writing and translation in those first 60 years. Much as we find it difficult to find the exact account in different newspapers reporting the same international event, we find differences and interpretations in the Gospels and books of the NT.

What is important? The events of the last few years of the life of Jesus, Gods physical interaction through Christ for humanity. If we choose to ignore the literal, looking only for meaning, then the scriptures could be argued to have no authority, they could just be deemed the result of a human philosophical need for a God.

Gods Word or Mans?

I read, in this Introductory essay that Paul’s hand in Romans was of his own interpretation from Gods inspiration and that he had not produced a transcript of Gods own words.

If we believe we have autonomy of our own actions this is almost certainly correct. As we see in Romans or the Epistles, Paul’s own personality and his experiences with others shapse his writing. If it wasn’t for Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, what would he have written at that time in his life? Would he have written at all? The fact that he had a message for humanity was a consequence of God directly impacting on his life. The essence of Gods will and message is there for us to recognize in Paul’s writings as in any scripture.

Wednesday, 20th September, 2006

Session 1 - Methods of Theology?

Oh boy, what sort of theologian am I.
Am I absolute? Definitely not, but that is about as far as I can currently define. I have been off work today with flu, I have wanted to sit down and write but all I have done is slept and wallow in self pity.

I had been trying to define the following.
Absolute, Transitional, Independent, Contextual. I didn't bring back the description sheet as we only had one between us. Found a link on the net.

What do they all mean? Where do my thoughts and reasoning start and finish, if indeed they ever do. That's a clue to my definition. My thoughts never do finish. Whether it be Theology or Science I never stop reasoning.

Theology explores the building bricks of my faith, exercising my beliefs by reflecting in them with God. I have a keen interest in science, but I find more truths, more acceptable answers for the big questions like “Creation” and “Purpose for Life” from within my faith and my relationship with God.

Is Absolute a scientific approach? Scientists have found there is not enough mass in the universe to account for it's acceleration so they create a theory "Dark Matter". Even mathematicians differ on the most efficient way to stack oranges! New Scientist I think I will go to bed and read some of the Preliminary Readings in preperation for next lecture.

Back again!
Over the last few years I have been used to questioning the validity of the Bible, the more I have to reflect and offer to God, the more secure my faith. But reading the preparatory reading I wonder how good a theologian I could be. I feel the Gospels are literal events, God interacting with humanity.