Ironies of ecumenism or not

This article caught my attention partly because I'm currently working in a Roman Catholic school. And I'm drawing attention to this story partly because of what has happened on a couple of occasions while I've been there. You see, I tend to go to the lunchtime mass that is held there each week. Obviously I can't take communion, but it's good to go and be reminded of the distance there is to go in realising Christ's prayer that we may be one. Now, one of the things that is becoming evident is that there really is a shortage of RC priests because twice mass has just been liturgy of the word on account of no priest being available. I smile wryly at this, because there in the midst of the congregation sits a duly ordained priest/presbyter -me. Simply that the Bishop of Rome is not keen to recognise my orders because my church doesn't necessarily believe certain things that are considered important by said bishop. I now think it's even more ironic because it appears that in terms of belief I'm clearly a darn sight more orthodox in RC terms than a number of their clergy ...
Bit of a nonsense. God must be torn between laughing and crying, metaphorically speaking, in as far as such terms can apply.
Priests leave Pope's doctrines outside confessional | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

Filed in: RCatholicism, Christian, confessional, ecumenism

By Zeus! The return of the Olympic pantheon

It had to happen, but in the context it's causing an uproar.

increasingly the church, a bastion of conservatism and traditionalism, has been confronted by the spectre of polytheists making a comeback in the land of the gods. Last year, Peppa's group, Ellinais, succeeded in gaining legal recognition as a cultural association in a country where all non-Christian religions, bar Islam and Judaism, are prohibited. As a result of the ruling, which devotees say paves the way for the Greek gods to be worshipped openly, the organisation hopes to win government approval for a temple in Athens where pagan baptisms, marriages and funerals could be performed. Taking the battle to archaeological sites deemed to be "sacred" is also part of an increasingly vociferous campaign.

It had to happen because Greece is part of western culture and the forces that have led to neo-pagans in Europe and America reclaiming their ancestral deities are operating there too. It is a further indication that we are dealing with cultural forces to do with post-modern and post-secular mindscapes.

We in the churches need to learn from each others experiences too. In this case, the Orthodox response is likely to inflame the matter as it bespeaks, for those who are most likely to be attracted by neo-paganism, dogmatism and power-politics trumping 'truth' or at least the right to believe whatever one wishes. If you don't get what I mean think 'Da Vinci Code' and you will probably have an immediate insight into the mindset.

However, it does nicely illustrate one of the ironies of these 'recovered' religions. You see they are never really the original; they are usually a set of symbolic themes on which to hang a set of contemporary concerns.

Like pagans the world over, Rassias says he was drawn to polytheism by the religion's focus on humanity, ecology, cosmic connections and reverence for the past. But, like many in Greece, the 48-year-old banker adds that he was also attracted because of "the brainwashing" of the Orthodox church.

It should be remembered that the ancient pagans were those who deforested the country now known as Greece and turned chunks of it into wasteland and scrub. It is worth noting to the personalities of the deities which have little to commend them in terms of 'humanity' and 'cosmic connections'. We need to read this deeper than the symbolic value of the pantheon. Here are the spiritual concerns of contemporary western humanity: unhomed, uprooted, decontextualised and looking for humanity and a sense of transcendent significance. Note too that the church has done too good a job of contextualising in modernity: we have become widowers in the post-modern age.
By Zeus! | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited: Filed in: polytheism, paganism, Hellenic, Zeus, Orthodoxy

Don't be fooled by Bush's defection: his cures are another form of denial

Aye, this is what I was concerned about the other day ...

Now the oil and coal companies that support such people have changed their target. Instead of trying to persuade us that man-made global warming is a myth, they are seeking to divert us into doing everything except the one thing that has to happen: reducing our consumption of fuel. It is another species of denial.
George Bush's purpose - to insulate these companies from the need to cut production - is unchanged. He has simply found a new way of framing the argument.

Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | Don't be fooled by Bush's defection: his cures are another form of denial: Filed in: global-warming, denial, USA, technology

The Texas Wind Rush

Can't help feeling a bit encouraged by this.

The flower of sustainable energy is blooming in oil country. Get ready for the Great Texas Wind Rush.

Wired 15.02: Inherit the Wind: Filed in: energy, generation, USA, wind

Temptation of Christ

I found this while looking for resources for a lesson on Christ being tempted in the wilderness. I like it because it has a lot in it to think about. I'm wondering whether it has enough in it to use as a stimulus for a year 8 class. I also found this picture which is quite arresting.

It's the tiredness and gauntness that really brings home an image of deprivation and suffering.
Temptation of Christ
Filed in: art, painting, Christian, temptation, Jesus

Temptation of Christ

I found this while looking for resources for a lesson on Christ being tempted in the wilderness. I like it because it has a lot in it to think about. I'm wondering whether it has enough in it to use as a stimulus for a year 8 class. I also found this picture which is quite arresting.

It's the tiredness and gauntness that really brings home an image of deprivation and suffering.
Temptation of Christ
Filed in: art, painting, Christian, temptation, Jesus

'stealth' and 'buzz' marketing -suspiciously like some evangelism...

A day or several back I blogged about intstrumental friendship and evangelisem. Well, I reckon this story provides an interesting counterpoint. Here's the nub of the matter:

"And then the actors would pull out of their pocket some crumpled-up leaflet, which was for the text subscription service. They'd have a mobile phone in their pocket, and they'd show them how it worked. 'What's the harm in that?' they'd say. And they could have these conversations with lots of people - that was the beauty of it. Two people could spend maybe 20 minutes or half an hour in each pub, working the whole pub. We did it at two home games and reckon we got about 4,000 people on the petition in total."
The petition went in the bin, of course, but subscriptions to the club's texting service soared. "The week after we had done the activity it went up to 120 sign-ups," says Goodkind, who is also boss of the Frank PR agency. "Then you saw that after that it was 125, and the next week was 75, and the next week was 60. That was the talkability, because obviously if you get that service you tell your mates about it. We saw a massive effectiveness."

Now that marketeers appear to have learnt from the most dehumanising of evangelistic techniques, we have the chance now to see how it looks and I for one am ashamed of the company we could be said to keep. The gospel, if it is really good news, should not be about exploitative and sub-human techniques to propagate itself. In fact, quite the reverse. In a society where there is cynicism about advertising we should not be about marketting in this way but rather about loving relationality a la God. It may be true that viral marketting works, but there is a difference ethically and in turms of long-term results between marketting which is ultimately about products and relationships which are about support, commitment, love and openness. If we do the former we forsake the right to talk about the latter and undermine our own best intentions. The means and the ends are one, and the meaning of these is love. Genuine relationships have to be genuine relationships, not hit-and-run encounters.
Leo Benedictus on the rise of 'stealth' and 'buzz' marketing | Media | MediaGuardian.co.uk: Filed in: marketting, stealth, buzz, corporations, advertising