SatMix - I buy, therefore I am

Looking forward to next SatMix - the theme -I buy therefore I am - exploring how advertising and consumerism effects our identity...

The Need of a Common Enemy

Give people a common enemy, and you will give them a common identity. Deprive them and you will deprive them of the crutch by which they know who they are.
James Alison

A quote quoted by Brian McLaren in his book Why did Jesus, the Buddha and Mohammed cross the road?  I love the title. Why an earth would they cross the road? The subtitle of the book is 'Christian Identity in a Multi-faith World'.

I've just started reading the book (only read the 1st chapter). McLaren encourages us to seek the common good in our communities and as Christians not to deny our identity as Jesus followers - but to be strong in our faith and to be kind (hospitable, benevolent, interesting and loving) to those around us.

The quote from James Alison is pertinent. A common enemy will give us a common identity. In the time of the Crusades - Christians united in their bloody and blinded opposition to Muslims and Jews. These common enemies reinforced their cultural and religious identity.

We do not need an enemy as a crutch by which we know ourselves. Jesus exhorted us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Now that's tough. But who said following Jesus was easy?
Jesus was all inclusive. He embraced the zealot revolutionary, he befriended the collaborator, he showed mercy and forgiveness to the outsider.

We are called to follow Him.
To love God and our neighbour.

The Rapture Exposed

The Rapture Exposed is a paper back written by Evangelical Lutheran Pastor Babara Rossing.

It's easy reading and a well explains the many flaws in the relatively recent heresy (170 years ago - compared with 2000 years of Christianity) - The Rapture. A doctrine invented by Darby.

As a child and early teenager I was heavily influenced by the rapture heresy - growing up in a Brethren Church. 

Rature Exposed clearly shows the errors of this dangerous doctrine which has seduced many American evangelicals. The fruits of this doctrine is fear and irresponsibility towards the earth and the creation.

It's an escapist doctrine.

Here's the last paragraph of the book which encapsulates the real hope found in the Bible and in particular the book of Revelation:

Jesus will return - once. Until then, we are always with Jesus and he is with us - Emmanuel. Our life is held in God's time. And we are called in wakefulness, to pray as a final verses of Revelation do, "Amen, come Lord Jesus."

The XX Coexist

Listening to the xx coexist.

A mellow chilled album.

Minimalist arrangements.

Sensual duos.

Songs that express fragile relationships.

Simple chord progressions.

Samples and DJ techniques.

Atmospheric.

A great album!

Saving Paradise

I've just finished reading an amazing book written by Rita Nakashima Broch & Rebecca Ann Parker "Saving Paradise". The authors give a historical survey of the church and in particularly how she has lost the notion of paradise here and now. They trace the development of the theology of the Western Church through the testimony of its religious art and its historical documents.
I'd like to leave a quote from the last paragraph of the  epilogue:

We reenter this world as sacred space when we love life fiercely and, in the name of love, protect the goodness of earth's intricate web of life in all its manifold forms. We feast in paradise when we open our hearts to lamentation, to amplitudes of grief for all that has been lost and cannot be repaired. The beloved departed who have come before us draw near. The veil lifts between the living and the dead. We recommit ourselves to this world as holy ground when we remember the fulness of life that is possible through our communities, our life-affirming rituals, and our love of beauty. Thus, immersed,we are more responsive to and responsible for life on this earth. We give thanks for gifts of love that have been ours all along, an ever-widening circle of beauty, the Spirit in life. We enter fully - heart, mind, soul and strength - into savoring and saving paradise.

God's Middle Finger

Here's something I found on Emergent Village:

Our fractured human tendency revokes the imagination necessary for being followers of a crucified revolutionary. Too often we embrace the power to turn the cross upside down as we tell our human enemies "up yours" - with our swords clenched. We give these 'evil' people the middle finger of retributive judgement to make sure that they know not to mess with us "good people". Yet a perplexing reality remains : Jesus commands us to love our human enemies (Mat 5.44). In so doing, humans of every stripe no longer can be categorized as true enemies because they become subjects of love.
Kurt Willems

Now that's an interesting thought.
Let's rediscover what it is to follow our Crucified (and Risen) revolutionary!

Who Wants to Be a Curator ?

Here's a link to an article about Curating I found in the NY times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/arts/11iht-rartcurating11.html

It's interesting that curating is becoming even more popular and that many prestigious Universities and Study Centres are offering students specialized degrees in curating.

What interests me is the idea of curating in relation to worship.
The article mentions that Curating offers a deeper involvement with the audience. I find that extremely interesting. In worship I believe that we are trying to get the 'audience' to have a deeper involvement.

A SatMix we use this idea to some extent. Using multi-media and discussion we endeavour to  stimulate a deeper 'worship' - getting further into the questions of faith and what it means to follow Jesus in our contemporary world.

A great book that explores Worship and Curating is Curating Worship by Johnny Baker.
See my post on Friday 18 March 2011 (Curating Worship)
Another book that I've been highly recommended is The Art of Curating Worship by Mark Pierson.

I think it's time to break from the worship leader/band at the front of the church leading the congregation. There are may be more relevant ways to stimulate 'worship'.

Narrowing of the Imagination

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane all your life...I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they are doing it. - Anne Lamott

I was only thinking of the subject of perfectionism the other day while singing along to a worship song at church.
I read the quote from Anne Lamott today which reminded me of my thoughts and conversation on perfectionism.
To be honest I wasn't blessed (or cursed???) with perfectionism, at least it's not an obsession. I admit that I like to do thinks right and correct to the best of my ability and I've sometimes been disappointed with some of the things I've done and delighted at others.
I can  echo the idea that if you are too much of a perfectionist you're going to miss out on the FUN that's found in LIFE...

Back to the worship song. I just couldn't sing the line 'His (God's) works are perfect...' My thoughts raced back to the creation story in Genesis where God looked at his creation and concluded that it was VERY GOOD. His creation/works are very good. He didn't use the word 'perfect'. Behind the word 'Perfection/perfect' is the idea of something that can't be bettered, it's come to its completion...
You see, I don't think that God's works, his creation (including humanity) have come to their completion - we're 'works in progress' ...

This understanding frees us. Liberates us to take risks and to press on...
if we fall flat on our face, we can pick ourselves up and start again...
It's better to accomplish something (however little it may be) than to be paralyzed with fear of failure.

I don't think God is looking for perfection. I think he's rather looking for progress.
He'd prefer that we simply try and to trust in his grace.
Remembering that we are works in progress!

Grace in the World

Here's a great quote from Richard Rohr which follows on the theme from my last post:

"Grace is not something you invite into the world but something you discover already in the world"

Unvirtuous Monks

I was sent an interesting article about an extraordinary abbey of monks.

here's the link:
 http://blog.timesunion.com/rudnick/a-bunch-of-unvirtuous-monks/1969/#more-1969

I admire their attempt to engage with the culture and to evoke laughter and reflection about what it means to follow Christ in the 21st Century.
As the article expressed they tend to look for God in non-traditional places, where people are finding meaning. God is  probably there in these cultural places - in films, art, TV, literature...
When people look for meaning God shows up.

I think that God is very much present in the culture(s) - and not only in the traditional places such as church services and prayer meetings. God so loves the world that he came and totally immersed himself in it. God is still totally present. So open your eyes, your ears, all your senses and you just might glimpse  him on TV, hear his voice on the radio (or at a concert!) or taste him in a lovingly prepared meal...