Phyllis Tickle

All posts tagged Phyllis Tickle

A crisis of identity, or what to put in my Facebook Profile

Posted by David Ward on 20/04/2010
Posted in: Community, In the Media, Personal thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

One of the things that challenges me is just how do I fill in certain bits of my Facebook Profile page…in particular the bits on the Info tab called “Political Views” and “Religious Views”. I used to define myself as politically ‘moderate’ and religiously as an ‘unconventional Christian’; somehow I can’t own those any more, and it’s caused me a lot of mental aggro.

Let’s start with the political stuff. Moderate is probably just an excuse for “I’m really not that involved or interested in politics so I’m not going to commit myself.” It probably reflects my age, and to some extent how self-centred and politically lazy I’ve become too.

I’m following the debates and promises of the various parties as we approach another general election, but find it difficult to disentangle the way through the web of past failures and future promises, coupled with our adoption of the cult of personality even among our politicians. I can see it will be a tough call for whoever forms the next Government.

So do I choose the competent Chancellor who made the mistake of following possible the most charismatic and latterly hated Prime Ministers of the recent past, the slimy Eton/Oxford Grad who preys on our fears of the state we’re in (neither of whom seem to inhabit the same world as me), the nice, boy-next-door who did soooo well on the telly, the Scottish Nationalists (I live in Scotland remember) who impress me with what actually appears to be a people-before-policies way of running this country but who “don’t have a chance of influencing Westminster politics” (so the Lib Dem and Conservative leaflets tell me – I’ve met the local SNP candidate and like him a lot!). This begins to sound more like a series of X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent than an election.

So after much thought, I’ve changed my political views to: DISAPPOINTED BUT HOPEFUL. I hope to goodness the next Government prove me right!

Religious views?

I think I’ve been a bit wary of the label “Christian” for a while, which is probably why I tried to soften it a bit with the word “unconventional”. Before the doctrine police come to get me, let me emphasise I am not ashamed of Christ, I’m proud to be known as one of his followers. It occurs to me, that the early followers of Jesus didn’t use it either, preferring the much more dynamic “Followers of the Way” until the term “Christian” was coined in Antioch. Even then, the New Testament doesn’t seem to use the name much (3 times, I think, twice in Acts and once in 1 Peter)…

I’m reading a superbly disturbing new book on Pilgrimage, by Charles Foster (*1), and something he wrote clarified things a bit and inspired this ramble (a well chosen word).

Foster writes:
“Phyllis Tickle has noted that every few centuries the church needs to hold a rummage sale to clear out the accumulated rubbish; the non-essentials; the clothes that seemed to be a good idea at the time but turned out to be ridiculous; the gadgets bought because of a salesman’s silver tongue but which, far from being impossible to live without, proved pointless or dangerous.(*2)

It’s high time for another clear-out. Let’s build the pile high. There are two obvious things to chuck out. The first is the ugly, alien, proto-Germanic name “God”…And fast behind “God” should come our name, “Christian”. The Bible’s not particularly keen on it, and the brand is fatally, irredeemably stained and compromised. A recent survey in the United States asked respondents what they associated with the word ‘Christian’. “Anti-gay” was the most popular response, followed ignobly by “judgemental” and “hypocritical”. “Christian” has to go. We’ve wrecked the word.”

While I’m not sure how far I go with him, there is no doubt that to many people “Christian” is not a nice word, not because people reject Jesus but because they’re less than keen about the way some of us Christians behave.

So, I’ve changed my “Religious Views” entry to “WALKING WITH JESUS”. This seems better to me, partly because it leaves people with no doubt about who I’m following and partly because of the challenge that it presents me with. It means that if I’m walking with Jesus I need to keep my eye on Him, to make certain I don’t miss a turn He takes, or wander off on a path of my own.

I hope I can keep up with Jesus as he walks…although I have a sneaking suspicion he might just be prepared to walk at my pace when I need Him to.

*1 Charles Foster, The Sacred Journey, 2010, Thomas Nelson, Nashville

*2 Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence, 2008, Baker Books, Grand Rapids,
Michigan


Church in Exile or aTime of Recovery

Posted by David Ward on 17/08/2009
Posted in: Books/Articles, Personal thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Two men look out the same prison bars,
One saw mud, the other stars.”
~ Frederick Langbridge

Many commentators are telling us that the church in the West is about to go into a time of Exile, when we no longer have central stage in the cultural and political arenas. In a way that particularly appeals to those who are fond of bashing “church-as-we-know-it”, they expound this theme with all the doom, gloom and negativity they can muster.

Though I don’t disagree entirely with many of their observations, I think there may actually be a much more positive way to look at the changes that are going on at present…that’s where the idea of a Time of Recovery kicks in.

The way I see it, much of the research also points to real possibilities for the church to change and grow as a result of it’s changed status. These are just my initial thoughts but they may give something to think about, and certainly represent a positive position of hope.

During this time of change, the church has the opportunity for the:

* recovery of ancient practices…these are corporate and personal disciplines which enable as to grow in our relationship with Jesus. They are tried and tested by time and also provide us with a bridge to those of other faiths, each of which has similar practices. The big seven are: fixed-hour prayer, fasting, Sabbath, the sacred meal, pilgrimage, observing sacred time and giving. Brian McLaren’s excellent book “Finding Our Way Again” introduces a series of books about each of these practices. These practices have both a formational and a missional dimension.

* recovery of a place among the people on the margins…as the church loses its statuatory power so it will need to learn again how to live from a position of powerlessness, how to major on a corporate and individual life that that bears witness to the reality of faith in Jesus, rather than trying to demand a hearing. It may be good for our humility and our dependance on God!

* recovery of respect from other spiritual people…much research bears witness to the fact that in a culture where belief in “Something There” is growing, few regard the church as an institution with anything to offer. Many believe that the church has sold its birthright for a seat at the table of the status quo, and consequently has lost its credibility and right to speak on matters spiritual and ethical. Maybe, just maybe, this will change as we once again side with the poor and powerless of the world.

* recovery of mystery…doctrine, dogma and right belief seem to have replaced right behaviour, so a kind of self-righteous hypocrisy seems to characterise the church. Maybe if we have the humility to admit that God defies our attempts to explain, catagorise and control, that we don’t have all the answers, we will once again be able to help those who are seeking to explain their deep seated sense of a Greater Power and the many ‘spiritual’ experiences that we all have, sharing and valuing God’s reaching out to them.

* recovery of unity…once again, there seems to be a new drawing together of many Christians in to a sense of a new commonality of belief and practice. Evangelicals appreciate liturgy and fixed-hour prayer and social-actionists are studying the scriptures…Phyllis Tickle writes in her book “The Great Emergence” about a “gathering centre’ of Christians from all the great traditions, summarised as liturgicals, social justice believers, conservatives and renewalists, increasingly more aware of their commonality than their differences.

* recovery of community…the proliferation of new monastic communities is but one indicator that the superficial relationships of many traditional churches have been found wanting. Many churches are also trying to become something more than Sunday-only communities. In this arena the mega-church will perhaps find it hardest to demonstrate a genuine depth of shared life than the smaller expressions of church, both community and congregation. Acts 2 speaks volumes about the missional power of faith shared in the close relationships of a communal setting.

As I said, this is just the start of my thinking…if anyone reads this and has stuff to contribute, I’d be most grateful.